Chapter 11: The Ghost

Anise goes on her first date with the ghost.

I was hopeful for the next date since my date with Cassi actually went pretty well. I figured that the rest of the dates would be just as nice and fitting for each monster. Next on the schedule was Danton. I figured that I would meet zir in the attic at the time. Ze frequented the attic, zir bedroom, a lot more than any other part of the mansion. The only time I've seen zir around the mansion was when it was time to eat. Even then, ze usually sat with a book and didn't eat.

I was less nervous about our date since we wouldn't be going anywhere outside and things between us have gotten much more comfortable. There were still some awkward moments, but they were getting less frequent now. Saying hello to each other while passing each other in the halls have helped.

Since it was a casual date, I put on an off-shoulder, grey sweater and long, white skirt. Something cozy and comfortable for a reading date. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and began to work my hair into a braid. After I was done fixing my hair, I took a deep breath and left my room, ready for my date with Danton.

I walked down the hall and towards the attic, my heart beating just a bit faster now that the fact that I was going on a date with a ghost was settling in. Just like the first time, I grew afraid of the pale purple door. I still needed to fix it up. Sand it down and repaint it. I'm sure Danton would appreciate a fixed door too. Eventually, I worked up the courage to knock. A few seconds of silence passed and just before I could knock again, the door creaked open to reveal the familiar ghost.

Ze wore a pale yellow sweater with a white button down underneath and some fitted blue jeans, zir face a bit pink as they opened the door. "Hello, A-Anise. Come in. . ."

Ze opened the door wider for me to enter and I did, looking around the room. Most of the books that were scattered on the floor like before was cleaned up save for one. In fact, the room felt a lot lighter and cleaner than before. Did Danton clean up just for me? Or did ze just clean earlier and kept the space tidy since then?

Either way, the space felt welcoming just like before. I took a seat on a floor pillow and adjusted my skirt over my legs. Zir nervous nature was still infectious, causing me to stutter and make my heart pound. "S-So, what are we reading today?"

That seemed to perk zir up a bit, zir energy shifting to become more relaxed as they sat down on the pillow beside me. Ze picked up the book off of the floor and held it up. "I-I hope you don't mind, but I chose a classical literature piece. Pride and Prejudice. Is this okay?"

"I had never read Pride and Prejudice actually. It's been recommended to me by many people, but I never got a chance to read it. So, that book is fine by me." I answered, actually a little bit excited to read a new book. With all the readings that I had to complete for classes, it was tough to squeeze in some time to just read casually.

Danton gave a soft smile and settled the book into his lap, opening it up to the first page. I scooted closer to zir and looked over zir shoulder, reading the first few words. The first few sentences were interesting, making me automatically hooked. Once I finished the first page, I attempted to read the second. However, I couldn't quite see all of the words. So, I scooted a bit closer to Danton, our shoulders just grazing each other. I was honestly surprised when this happened.

Ze must have been surprised too since ze looked up and gasped, jumping back from me. Zir face turned bright red and ze touched zir shoulder, the part that touched mine. "Y-You. . . I-I felt that. . ."

It was odd to say the least. Because ze was a ghost, ze wasn't supposed to feel living things. Not without exerting a ton of energy at least. But here, I felt no strong exchange or output from zir. The touch was natural. I wondered why we were able to feel each other's touch. Was it because I had witch blood running through me? I was able to do many things that regular beings couldn't do. It was the only explanation I could think of.

"I-I think it's because I'm a witch. My energy is different than most humans and I could sense different things too." I tried to explain, looking down at my own hands.

"N-Not even the other m-monsters can touch me though. . " Danton replied. Trying to gather zirself, ze sat back down on the pillow, red still gracing zir cheeks. We both sat in an awkward silence, trying to figure out what made me so different. I really did think that it was because I was a witch. It seemed to be the only theory that made sense.

Danton suddenly brought a hand up towards me, zir palm up. Zir cheeks seemed to burn brighter as ze continued to stare down into zir lap. "U-Um. . . w-would you mind. . . t-touching my h-hand. . . ?"

I felt my own cheeks grow warm as ze made the request. I figured that it was supposed to be like a simple experiment, but it still made me feel a bit embarrassed and nervous. Hesitantly, I nodded and lifted my hand up, hovering it over zirs. My hand lowered into zirs, zir hand just a tad bit bigger than mine. It felt soft and a little on the cold side. That was understandable since ze was a ghost. Still, the mystery of why I could even feel zir temperature stood strong.

"Y-You're warm. . ." Danton softly commented. My blush increased as I continued to hold zir hand, zir own wrapped around mine. I could feel my temperature warm zir own hand up just slightly. As soon as zir temperature matched mine, ze let out a gentle sigh and let go.

"S-Sorry. I just haven't felt warmth in a long while. I-It's felt nice. . . to feel it again." Danton mentioned. The book was settled back down in zir lap and ze looked down at the cover.

I opened my mouth to ask a question, but hesitated. I wondered if the question I had was too much or not. Eventually, I found the courage to ask the question. "Danton, how did you become a ghost? How did you get cursed here?"

There was another moment of silence shared between us as ze remembered how ze ended up here. Eventually, ze spoke up. "I died a long time ago in this town. This was back when some of the town didn't exist yet. All the modern buildings at least. Back before this mansion was even built. I remember climbing a tree that grew here with a few friends. It was a tall, magnificent tree with many strong branches. However, I stepped on the wrong branch and it snapped and I fell. I think I must've immediately broke my neck."

"When I woke up, my friends were gone and I felt cold. No one in town could see me anymore. Going back home wasn't an option. Eventually, I decided to venture back up to this land where the mansion was just being built. Mrs. Rosemary was arguing with someone at the time, but back then I had no idea who they both were. Before I could leave, one of them called out towards me. I had been wandering around for a good week at that point, so I was surprised that they could see me."

Danton finally looked up and continued telling zir story. "I was called over and asked to settle a dispute between them. When I agreed with your grandmother, the other witch cursed me to the mansion that was in the process of being built. I was no longer allowed to leave the property. Your grandmother tried to stop her from cursing me, but it was too late. The deed was already done."

This was the second time that I heard of another witch living in this town a long time ago besides my grandmother. Could this be the same witch that cursed Cassi? Or was this a different witch? "I'm guessing that you were the first to be cursed here then?"

Ze nodded. "Yes. I was the first to live at this mansion besides your grandparents. They took care of me for a long time and tried their best to lift the curse. Your grandmother spent endless hours trying to help all of us."

I tried to recall seeing Danton around the mansion when I was younger, but I couldn't remember zir. "Did you know about me before moving in?"

The book was put to the side and ze turned towards me. I now noticed that zir stutter was gone and ze seemed to be much more relaxed. It was probably because ze was focused on a set conversation rather than me as a person. The way ze looked more determined though had my heart skip a beat. "We all did. Your grandmother didn't keep you a secret. The only secrets she kept was her discovery on how to lift the curse and the fact that she was a witch to the citizens of Hazelview. And of course us to you."

"I see. Thank you for explaining everything to me, Danton. I really appreciate it. If you don't mind, I have a few more questions." I admitted. I was learning a lot from our conversation and I was curious to know more. Not only was I learning about Danton, but I was also learning about my grandmother and possible witches in the town.

"Please, ask away." Ze responded, giving a warm smile, the first one I've seen in a while.

I cleared my throat, trying to not get distracted by zir pretty cute smile. "How old were you when you died?"

Ze scratched the back of zir neck and seemed to grow a little sheepish. "Nineteen. I know it seemed a little too old to be climbing a tree, but that's what we did to entertain ourselves back then. I haven't seemed to age since I've died."

That made Danton about thirty-nine years old since the mansion was built almost twenty years ago. It was built shortly after my mother moved out of my grandparent's old house. It was, in a sense, their retirement home.

"Do you miss and remember the citizens back from twenty years ago?" I foolishly asked. It wasn't until afterwards that I realized how stupid my question was. Of course ze would miss people.

However, zir answer surprised me. Ze shrugged and shook zir head. "Not really. My parents were always busy with work and my friends may not have been the best group for me. They convinced me to climb that tree after all. That tree was never uprooted or cut down either. It's the giant tree in the garden."

"Does the tree bother you at all?" I continued to question. Once again, ze gave a shake of zir head.

"It doesn't. It's not exactly the tree's fault that I fell. I should have been more careful or not have climbed the tree in the first place. I just wanted to fit in with the group of friends I was hanging out with at the time. It was nineteen ninety-nine. Times were just a little bit different back then. College was just around the corner too, so we were all looking to have some fun before school started and we all went our separate ways." Danton answered.

I wondered what growing up in the eighties and nineties were like. The year he died was the year I was born, so I didn't understand what the nineties were like since it was just ending. It then hit me that ze never got to experience college. "Do you wish that you got to attend school?"

Danton stayed quiet at that for a second, thinking about his answer. "Erm. . . I'm not sure. I guess it would have been nice to attend college classes and such."

". . . Would you like to experience some of it? I'm taking online classes, so we can learn together. You won't be able to take quizzes and such, but you may learn something new." I offered. Danton's eyes widened for a second at that, surprised to hear that offer.

"Y-You. . .You would tutor me?" He asked.

I nodded and gave my best smile. "Well, sure. It would help me remember the material better and you would get a taste of what taking college classes are like. I'm sure your experience would be different from an early two thousands college student since it's all online, but I can still show you. What do you say?"

Ze seemed hesitant to accept my offer, but then they suddenly smiled. "Thank you, Anise. If you don't mind, I would like to sort of take classes with you."

I was actually excited to have Danton become a student just like me. I could tell that our bond will grow over this and it would make him happier over time. Ze was just lucky that they didn't have to take midterms and finals like I did. That was, unless ze wanted me to make up tests for zir to take. "That's all the questions I have for now. Thank you for answering them all, Danton. Sh-Should we return to our date now?"

"O-Oh. That's right. Our d-date. . ." Ze picked up the book again and opened it up in zir lap. I scooted a little closer to read the words on the page, my cheeks growing warm again. A tinge of pink was on Danton's own cheeks.

"Y-You can scoot in c-closer. I-I don't mind. . ." Ze stammered. It was difficult trying to read the second page from my position. So, with hot cheeks, I sat closer to Danton, our shoulders more than just grazing occasionally. Zir cold temperature rose to mine, sharing the same warmth that was honestly quite comforting after a while.

As we read together, the awkwardness between us faded. I could feel my face cool, but my heart still skipped a beat every time ze turned the page. Still, it was nice to sit and read with zir. Sitting under the fairy lights and blankets, exchanging the warmth between us, reading a romance novel in silence. It was actually pretty romantic.

We eventually heard the dinner bell which grabbed our attention. Danton stood and put a bookmark within the book, closing it shut right after. I stretched and gave zir a smile. "Shall we head to dinner then?"

Without stammering, ze answered my question, pulling another book from their collection to read at the dinner table. "Yes. Thank you for reading with me. I hope we can read again soon."

"Of course. I had a nice time." I replied. I wouldn't mind another reading date with Danton, but I could imagine that our next date would be a study date.

I felt my face grow a little red once more. I could hardly believe it. I was already thinking about my next date with Danton. There were still three more first dates to get through and I was already thinking about second dates!

Fun. I realized that I was finding these dates to be fun, so that's why I was looking forward to the next ones. I stood up from the floor and followed Danton out the door, further thinking about my next dates.

If all my dates were and were going to be this fun, I was going to have a hard time falling for a monster.