The next two days passed by quickly. Work was becoming purely habitual now, which was a huge relief to me. In fact, it seemed weird that I had ever found cleaning rooms difficult. I also discovered that it was easy to work on only a little sleep. I guess being haunted for those first few weeks was helpful in some way.

On the day Allan and I had agreed to meet up again, I didn’t go to sleep at my usual time. Instead, I stayed up as midnight rolled around and the minutes grew ever closer to 1 A.M. When the numbers on my phone read 1:03, I heard a soft knock on my door. My heart skipped a beat as I rushed to answer it.

Allan stood there, wearing his customary grin. He looked like a ghost with the dark hallway behind him. “Hello,” he whispered, as to not disturb anyone sleeping in the adjacent rooms. “Ready for a ghost hunt?”

“You bet,” I whispered as I walked out the door.

“Haste ye back!” I heard Greg call out behind me. I turned around. “Your satchel,” he said, “it has the sword hilt in it.”

“Oh right.” Dashing back into my room, I grabbed the bag. If I’d forgotten it, then Greg wouldn’t have been able to come along, and I wouldn’t be able to see ghosts. Swinging the bag over my shoulder, I followed Allan through the black hallway.

“Hey,” I whispered, “if I ever get in trouble for all this sneaking around, you’ll bail me out, right? You’ll tell your mom it was for a good cause?”

I couldn’t see much of Allan’s face in the darkness, but I could hear him laugh. “Sure thing,” he said. A moment of silence stretched between us as we left the employee dorms. Once we were outside, the light of the half-moon helped illuminate Allan’s form. “So,” he said, his voice a little bit louder now that we weren’t inside, “how was your day?”

Gravel crunched underneath my shoes as we circled the castle. I had no idea where we were going. “Pretty good,” I replied. “At dinner there was this super nerdy guy dressed up as a jester. I think he was trying to be funny, but man, it came off as super desperate.” I shook my head. “It was hard to watch.”

“Is that so?” asked Allan. I could see the corner of his mouth twitch with a smile. “I’ve actually heard from like, a bunch of people, that they think the jester is super hilarious and cool. Everyone in the castle wants to be friends with him.”

I furrowed my eyebrows and tried to look confused. “We must be talking about different people.”

Allan laughed as he elbowed me on the shoulder. “Oh come on, be nice. I put a lot of hard work into those jester shows!”

I laughed too as I shoved him back. This was playful physical contact, right? Wasn’t it a good thing? It felt more like a ‘friends’ thing than a flirty thing, but I really didn’t know.

“So where are we headed tonight?” I asked. “It’ll be hard to leave the castle since the shuttle isn’t making any more trips into town.”

Allan gave me a mischievous grin as we rounded the front of the castle. On the north side there was a wooden building near the stone wall. Walking over to the front of it, Allan lifted a small section of the paneling to reveal a row of buttons. After punching in a code, the wooden wall split into a few sections and a groaning sound filled the air. It was a garage door.

“Very sneaky,” I said. Before the door started opening, I would have never guessed this was a garage.

“We’ll be taking my mom’s car,” Allan said as he stepped into the dimly lit garage. Opening the passenger door of the small gray car, he bowed and gestured for me to take a seat. I did so, and he closed the door behind me.

“I actually didn’t ask if I could use it,” he admitted as he got in the driver’s side, “but I’m sure she won’t mind, as long as we don’t crash.” He flashed a smile. “There shouldn’t be too many Amish buggies on the road this late.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Staying up late, sneaking out, stealing a car, hunting a ghost,” I grinned, “this is sounding like a seriously awesome night.”

Allan laughed as he turned the key in the ignition. As the buttons of the car lit up, music started playing from the radio. I grimaced.

“Hey boy, hey boy,

watcha doin’ over there?

Hey boy, hey boy,

why don’tcha come on over here?”

I’d probably heard the song a thousand times over. It seemed to have hijacked every single radio station simultaneously and I couldn’t bear to listen to it one more time.

Allan started pulling out of the garage and I cast him a withering glance. “You’re not going to change the station before we get going?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Would you judge me if I told you that I kind of like this song?”

I hoped I looked as horrified as I felt. “Yeah,” I said, “I would judge you super hard. I would seriously hope you had better taste than this.”

He gave a short laugh. “I didn’t say that it’s what I listen to all the time, I just think it’s catchy!” We were through the main gate of the castle now, heading down the road. “But let me guess,” he continued, “You only like music sung by bearded guys with super long hair who scream about pain and death, right?”

“There’s more to it than that—”

Shaking his head, he clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “Jessi, Jessi, what a gothic cliché.”

“Whatever,” I muttered as I reached forward to turn the music off. I could feel my I.Q. slipping away as I listened to this crap.

Allan’s hand was faster as he reached for the volume. With a wide grin, he cranked it up all the way.

“I SAID HEY BOY, HEY BOY,

YOU LOOK MIGHTY FINE,

HEY BOY, HEY BOY,

I WISH YOU WERE MINE.

I SAID HEY BOY, HEY BOY

HEY BOY, HEY BOY,

I SAID HEY BOY, HEY BOY,

HEY BOY, HEY BOY.”

The chorus went on endlessly. I could barely hear my own thoughts as the bass shook the car.

“YOU ARE COMPLETELY DEAD TO ME!” I yelled at the top of my lungs, “I HOPE YOU KNOW THAT!”

Allan just laughed and bobbed his head up and down in time with the music as we drove down the empty road. Before I could fight back with the volume control, the station suddenly filled with static. A piercing drone cut through the noise, followed by a garbled mash of voices and music. Looking at the little screen, I could see as the numbers flickered in and out. The radio was on the fritz. It was going through stations faster than I could blink. Then, suddenly, it went silent.

“What the—” I whispered.

Greg appeared in the air between Allan and me. I jumped in surprise.

“I am not fond of any music from this century,” he grumbled.

Allan frowned. “Well there you have it,” he muttered, “the grandpa has spoken. All music is terrible and now we can’t listen to any of it.”

I laughed. “I bet Greg prefers the jaunty tune of a travelling minstrel.”

Allan brightened at that. “I’m a minstrel!” he said. Taking a deep breath, he started belting out as loud as he could. “Oh! We’re driving in a car, we’re driving very far! Greg is being grumpy, this road is super bumpy! I’m a singing minstrel,” he faltered, “nothing rhymes with minstrel!”

I started clapping. “That was beautiful.”

Greg folded his arms, his frown deepening. “I despise both of you.” With that, he disappeared.

It wasn’t a moment later that the car slowed and Allan pulled it to a stop on the side of the road. I glanced around in confusion. We had literally pulled over in the middle of nowhere. Feeling a bit hesitant now, I climbed out of the car and took a few steps forward. I could hear Allan get out of the car behind me.

“This is a lovely field you’ve brought me to,” I said as I glanced at him. “Are we facing the ghost of a horse?”

Allan laughed as he moved around the car to stand beside me. “Not quite,” he said.

A cool wind blew past me and I shivered. This was starting to feel like the beginning of a horror film.

“I may have already asked you this,” I said nervously, “but you’re not a murderer, right? I thought I’d ruled that one out, but I’m starting to have my doubts.”

Allan grinned. “I’m not a murderer yet, but tonight’s a good time to start, right?”

“Ha,” I muttered, “very comforting.”

He laughed as he raised his hands and wiggled his fingers in a way that was probably supposed to be spooky. “When I said that we were coming out here to see a ghost, you didn’t know that you were about to become the ghost! Dun-dun-dun!”

I gave him a flat look. “I might be a little scared right now if I hadn’t just found out that you listen to crappy pop music.”

He dropped his hands in defeat. “Fair point,” he admitted.

“All joking aside,” I said, “where is this ghost?”

Allan pointed to the space of air right beside him and flinched. “I have to warn you, this is a loud one. There was a car crash here a few years ago, so he’s fairly new. I don’t think he’s even realized that he’s dead yet.”

I took a deep breath. It boggled my mind that there really was a ghost that I couldn’t see. It was creepy. Looking behind me, I saw that Greg had reappeared.

“Ready to get this party started?” I asked.

He tilted his curly-haired head in confusion. “If by party you mean possession, then aye, I’m ready.” He stepped toward me and suddenly it felt like I was being dunked in ice water. Even though I’d been possessed a few times now, I still gasped at the initial shock.

Taking a deep breath, I looked up. I could see the ghost immediately. It was a man, and he was far more vivid than the little girl had been. In fact, it was almost like he was too vivid, like each line and angle that made up his body was harsh and exaggerated. He was standing near Allan, waving his arms about.

“Can you help me?” he shouted at Allan. “Please, you’ve got to help me! Call the police!”

Allan didn’t bat an eye as he ignored the ghost. I suddenly realized that from the moment we pulled up, this ghost had been yelling at him, and Allan had carried on as if nothing were happening at all. I couldn’t imagine trying to live like that.

Allan nodded at me. “Good luck with this one.”

Numbly, I stepped forward. The ghost followed Allan’s gaze until his eyes met mine. Without warning, the ghost disappeared and reappeared not a foot away from me. The movement was so unexpected that I almost stumbled back and screamed, but somehow, I managed to hold my ground. The man was big—at least a solid foot and a half taller than me. He looked like he was around thirty. Blood was gushing out of the side of his head. I cringed as I stared up at him.

“Please help me!” he screamed, reaching out for me. I flinched as he tried to grab my shoulders, but of course, his hands passed right through me. “My wife and son are in that car!” He turned around and pointed frantically at nothing. He was obviously seeing something that I wasn’t. It seemed like he was stuck in the moment he died. “They’re not moving! You’ve got to call the police! Please, they have to be alright!”

For a moment he utterly forgot me as he stared at where he thought his car was. “There’s the man that hit us,” he snarled. His image began to distort as it flickered in and out. “He’s climbing out of his truck! He’s fine!” The man’s voice was turning into a blood-chilling yell. “He’s running away!” Whirling around, the man’s ferocious gaze met mine again. I took a wary step back. “Go after him! Make him come back! HE JUST KILLED MY FAMILY!”

“Please calm down,” I whispered. My hands were really shaking. Allan wasn’t kidding around when he said he’d get me a challenge. What had I been thinking? I couldn’t do this! Maybe I should have just listened to Allan when he said that all of it was hopeless.

“Steady yourself Lady Jess,” Greg whispered. “Don’t let the fear overwhelm you. I know you can do this.”

Even though possession was insanely creepy and I felt like was freezing to death, it was a comfort to have Greg right there with me. I did as he suggested and took a deep breath.

“I can help you,” I said, my voice stronger this time. The ghost was still staring at me, his eyes bloodshot. “I’ll call the police and my friend will go after that man for you. Don’t worry, we’ll get you all the help you need, I just need you to calm down.”

My words seemed to have the opposite effect. “HE’S GETTING AWAY!” the man screamed. His distortions were getting worse and the blood kept gushing out of his head. There was so much raw pain in his voice that I could feel the burn of fearful tears behind my eyes. “YOU’RE JUST STANDING THERE WHILE MY WIFE AND CHILD ARE DYING. I CAN’T CALM DOWN!” His face began to warp beyond recognition. I stumbled back a few more steps, my knees going weak. I was about to fall when I felt Allan’s cold hands grab my arms and hold me up. I leaned against him for support.

Far ahead of us, on the road, I could see bright headlights approaching. The ghost must have noticed them too, because he turned around. His screams grew even louder.

“HELP ME!” he bellowed as he ran toward the lights, “PULL OVER! PLEASE! HELP ME!” He ran out into the road, right in front of the oncoming headlights. To my surprise, the massive truck swerved, as if trying to keep from hitting him. As a result it veered toward us, but it corrected itself right before it hit our car.

Then the ghost was gone.

My heart was hammering in my chest as I looked around. I could still feel Greg inside of my head, so I knew I should be able to see the ghost, but he wasn’t there anymore.

“What just happened?” I breathed.

Allan slowly let go of me. His eyes were wide with fear. “That truck almost hit us,” he whispered. To my surprise, a laugh escaped his mouth. “That truck totally almost hit us! Holy crap, I’m going down.” Before I could catch him, he sank to his knees and then flopped over in the grass. He laughed again as he covered his face with his hands. “I was joking about wrecking my mom’s car. I can’t believe it actually almost happened!”

I stared down at him, growing more confused by the minute. “Getting hit by a truck is a very bad thing. Why the crap are you laughing about it?”

He uncovered his face and stared up at me. “Sorry,” he said, “It’s a nervous habit. There’s really nothing funny about this.”

I rolled my eyes. “Come on you weirdo, I’ll help you up.” I held out my hand.

“Nah,” he said, “my legs are jelly. Let me become one with the grass for a second.” He let out a long sigh. “We almost died. If that truck had lost control, we’d be ghosts too right now.” A strange expression passed over his face. “Ew, that’s weird to think about.”

I crossed my arms impatiently. “Are you going to tell me what just happened or not? You’re not the only one freaking out a little bit right now, but at least I’m not going catatonic in the grass.”

He laughed again as he sat up. “The ghost is new, so he’s still pretty powerful. For a moment, he was able to make himself visible to that trucker, but now he’s used up all his energy.” Allan unsteadily rose to his feet and leaned against the car. “You can have Greg stop possessing you now. Even I can’t see him. The ghost will be pretty weak for the next few days.”

At that moment, the icy feeling was gone. My heart fluttered and I tried to catch my breath. I looked up to see Greg standing next to me. “So is that it then?” I asked Allan, “Are we just giving up?”

“We can if you’d like to,” he said with a shrug. “Not all ghosts are as easily helped as that little girl. Some are dangerous and some are unpredictable. You can’t save them all, not if they don’t want to be saved.”

I pursed my lips as I walked past him and opened up the passenger door. I couldn’t deny that there was a part of me that wanted to give up. But I couldn’t forget the pain in that man’s voice. “We’re coming back tomorrow night,” I said as I climbed into the car.

Allan looked surprised. He caught my door before I could slam it shut. “He’ll barely be visible,” he said.

“I know,” I replied. “He’ll be less powerful. That’s good, right?”

Allan nodded, looking impressed. Taking a step back, he circled the car and got in the driver’s side. Once he sat down, he glanced at me. “You sure you’re okay with staying up late on a work night again?”

I could hear Greg chuckle even though I couldn’t see him. “Trust me,” I said, “after what Greg put me through, even a couple of hours of sleep are more than enough.”

Allan raised an eyebrow as he started the car. “And what about what you saw tonight? Are you going to be able to sleep at all after that?”

I gave a shaky laugh. “I’m not so sure about that one,” I admitted. “I thought I was desensitized to this sort of stuff but—” I shuddered as I recalled the blood pouring from the man’s head. “It’s so much worse than I ever would have thought. It’s a lot to process.”

Allan laughed. “You can say that again.”

“You see that all the time,” I whispered, staring down at my hands. “When I can’t handle it, I can just ask Greg to stop possessing me, but you can’t turn it off.” As we drove down the dark road, I snuck a glance at him. His expression was stony. “I’m sorry,” I continued, “I’m sorry that you have to see this every day, and that you can’t let anyone know you see it. That seems like it would be unbearable.”

Allan laughed again, and I remembered what he said about laughing. He laughed when he was nervous. He laughed when he was scared.

“It’s fine,” he said, still smiling, “It’s like a superpower, remember?”

I narrowed my eyes as I stared at him. “Yeah,” I said. “You mentioned something else on our first date too. You said that you’ve been seeing ghosts since you were nine. How did you handle that? How did you get used to it?”

“It wasn’t easy,” he said, tilting his head as he stared out the windshield. “Honestly, you’re handling all of this far better than I ever did.”

I turned to look out the window at the dark pastures flying by. “I have you and Greg helping me. If I was going through this alone, I would think I was totally crazy.”

“Speaking of crazy,” Allan said, “why are you pursuing this anyway? No one is so altruistic that they’d go through seeing nightmares like earlier just to help someone out. I can’t tell you how many times a day I wish I couldn’t see ghosts and here you are, seeking them out!”

I frowned as I thought. “Part of it is because of Greg,” I admitted. “I mean, before I started working here, I didn’t really believe in any of this stuff. Greg turned my life upside down and I thought, why not? Might as well fall a little bit deeper into the rabbit hole.”

Allan shook his head, a look of disbelief on his face. “Or you could just climb out of the rabbit hole,” he replied. He glanced at me. “But you said Greg was only part of it.”

I took a shallow breath. Even if I didn’t let myself think about it, I knew what the real reason was. It lurked in the back of my mind. “I don’t have to tell you diddly-squat, Mr. I-have-white-hair-and-I-can-see-ghosts. You’ve barely hinted at your mysterious backstory, so let me keep mine. I want to help ghosts. That should be enough.”

Allan nodded. “That’s fair.” Taking his eyes off the road, he looked at me and smiled. “Tomorrow night we come back then?”

“Definitely.”