He winced. “Shit. I always forget you're a ghost.”
“I am not aghost,” I argued. “I'm a phantasm. Two very different things!”
“Right. Just like Go Fish and poker.”
“Pshh. Tomato, tomahto.”
Bert snorted. “Bye, Edgar. I'll come say hi after my shift before I go home.”
I sighed as Bert put his jacket on and walked out the front door. I followed him out, hovering in a mopey fashion. Bert spent a few moments unlocking the malfunctioning gate. Being a human had its perks, but it seemed so inconvenient sometimes. While I could simply go right through the gate, Bert had to waste time unlocking it and pushing it open.
I phased through the gate. With nothing better to do, I figured I'd push my luck nagging Bert.
“What if I came with you?” I suggested, still floating behind him. “I could scare the pants off any hooligans trying to mess with the cemetery.”
“Thanks, but that's not necessary.”
I punched the air, demonstrating my epic brawling abilities. “Why not? Check out this right hook! Those gravediggers won't know what hit 'em!”
Bert gave his usual deadpan reply. “There won't be grave diggers. The worst thing that happens on Halloween is rowdy kids doing stupid pranks.”
“Oh. Maybe I can hit 'em with asoftright hook?”
Bert stopped and faced me. “You're not right hooking anyone, Edgar,” he said firmly. “Stay put. I like hanging out with you, but not while I'm on the job. It requires my full attention.”
As a phantasm, I'd never had one of these so-called “jobs”, but they didn't seem very fun. In fact, they sounded like a load of crap.
But I respected Bert, so I conceded. “Fine. Go concentrate and scare off hooligans. I'll just be at home, bored out of my mind…”
As Bert waved goodbye, I floated miserably back towards the house. Whenever I was alone, I sank into my thoughts. Being a phantasm was lonely. There was nobody else like me—and even if there was, I had no idea where to find this hypothetical thriving phantasm community.
Worse was the fact that most humans couldn't even see me—and if by some miracle they could, like Bert, they couldn't touch me.
My relationship with Bert was purely platonic. He was my only human friend, and a beta to boot. As an alpha, I craved an omega.
But what omega would ever fall in love with a phantasm? I was an invisible, untouchable being.
A romance wasn't meant to be.
I floated through the gate to the house and the front door, then slumped against the couch. I let out a deep sigh that turned into a yawn. Maybe I'd nap until Bert finished his shift...
* * *
A quiet,out-of-place whispering woke me from my nap.
I floated into the air, rubbing my eyes. I still saw the moon through the windows, so not much time had passed. Had Bert come to see me after his shift?
But as I listened, I realized this soft voice was different. It wasn't Bert's deadpan tone. Despite its quietness, it was excited and upbeat.
It was a new person.
I gasped in excitement, then launched myself through the wall.
That was when I saw him.
A young omega crept towards the house, clutching a device in his hand. He was shorter than Bert with a slightly rounder shape, and he wore a flannel shirt. Where was his jacket on this cold evening? This strange human wasn't dressed for the temperature.
I hovered above him, intensely curious. Why was he here? What did he want? And how the hell did he get past Bert? Did he hurt him?
