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Chapter Text

It had taken a long time–maybe a little more than a few decades–but Todd Mortenson was finally living his life out and enjoying every second of it.

It had been a month since he left his old hometown back in America. By this point in time he had visited places like Japan, the Philippines, Australia, Bora Bora, and now he was in New Zealand with his childhood best friend and finally fulfilling their long held dream of seeing the world together. He couldn’t believe that he held out for so long, but boy was he glad he finally took the risk and went!

“So let’s see,” Adia looked over the list on her phone as they sat together while having breakfast. “We did the Milford Sound, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, paid a visit to Hobbiton, and you wanted to do–”

“Waitomo Caves,” Todd answered. “And then go eat some Hangi. Oh, or maybe Pavlova!” His mouth began to practically drool. “No wait, the cheese! Or fairy bread! Gah, I can’t decide! Why is there so little time to have to eat so many good stuff?!”

Adia laughed. “Glad that I can always count on you to have an eye on local cuisines. Perhaps I should help set you up your own YouTube channel so that you can show off whatever food you eat on your travels. It might be a hit.”

“You know I’m not good with social media,” Todd nervously chuckled. “And I don’t know how I’d feel about a lot of online people watching me stuff my mouth–”

“It might help pay for your meals if you get sponsors,” Adia suggested.

“Ok, I’ll think on it,” Todd decided quickly.

“Well then,” Adia got up and stretched out before she turned to her old friend. “Ready for the next part of the adventure?” she asked as she held her hand out.

“Yes!” Todd happily answered as he took his friend’s hand and pulled himself up. “It’s going to be enhappifying!”

***

It was a bit of a trek to get down to the Waitomo caves, including going down a spiral walkway and being allowed to sprinkle some water upon oneself from the limestone well to chase away the bad spirits. Even though he did it for the experience, Todd doubted he’d ever need to chase any bad spirits away from himself with the sacred water. Anything close to bad spirits (be they bad luck or bad bosses) had long since gone away from his life.

But after some more walking, Todd eventually found himself in the darkness and drifting on a boat with many others along with Adia, who was recording all they saw. Dangling from the cave’s ceiling were the creatures that created an illusion of a starry night sky. A sea of bright blue twinkling lights that would occasionally twitch and flash a little brighter than usual.

He was breathless.

His old self would have believed the cave would collapse and leave him trapped. His new self just wanted to take everything in and live in the moment under the comforting blue lights.

How could he deny himself something so wonderful for so long? If only he could have shown his past self a glimpse of what he could accomplish. That he could be brave enough to stop fearing the world and instead embrace it in full. Maybe his anxieties would never go away but they could be managed with a bit of positivity and he was getting a lot better at that with each accomplishment.

Yes–Todd was finally living his life after decades of doing nothing with it. He had nothing to lose in staying in Brighton for the rest of his life–or what barely passed for a life. With his best friend after his side, and a nice sum of money that was barely spent on luxuries until now (and partly thanks to selling off that house), he finally had everything he could ask for.

He was finally happy.

****

The sun was shining on the day of the grand opening of the new Thai restaurant in Brighton.

Already the ‘San Phra Food’ was packed with hungry customers and future patrons. The air was filled with the divine scents of Tom Yum soup, mango sticky rice, Khao pad, larb, curry, and other amazing dishes. The red-brown walls were adorned with murals of lotus and hibiscus flowers, anthuriums, rubber tree leaves, and the goddess Nang Kwak was given her own special painting in a frame while a small statue of her waited near the entrance. The owner’s family helped out here and there, but her granddaughter–who was dressed in traditional Thai attire for the special occasion–greeted the customers at the front.

“Welcome to ‘San Phra Food!’” Molly greeted Ollie, June, and their parents as they came in. “Table for four?!”

“Whoa!” Ollie’s eyes widened in amazement. “This is incredible!”

“It smells so good!” Ollie’s dad, Reuben complimented.

“Right this way!” Molly lead the Chen family to a table close to a mural of hibiscus flowers. This spot was especially reserved with June in mind for it was in a small corner where the volume wasn’t going to be overwhelming.

“Oh, Sharon did a wonderful job!” Esther was in awe of the flowers that she and June examined.

June especially admired her mathematical contributions in the placement of where the mural should go. “I can’t wait to try something,” she confessed.

“Your server will be here shortly!” Molly promised as she handed out some menus to the Chens before she headed back to the entrance to greet the next set of newcomers.

She spotted Libby and her mother Leah eating green curry and mango sticky rice. Her best friend gave her a thumbs up of approval, to which Molly returned with a grin. Molly saw her own mom hand out menus she designed and it was clear that Sharon was happy to be anywhere but in the kitchens that she hated so much. The only McGee in the kitchen was her brother, who was a bit faster at making dumplings and who had improved upon the art-form ever since one fateful Thai holiday.

Numerous Brightonians had come, from Principal O’Connor to Mayor Brunson. Heck, even Andrea and her family were here. The young influencer had done a quick video to promote the new restaurant on her social media page before happily chatting with her parents and there wasn’t a single phone amongst the three.

“Oh my gosh, didn’t you take Mom out to a fancy dinner for your first anniversary in Chicago?!” Andrea asked her dad as she drank a Thai tea.

“He did,” Mrs. Davenport smiled as she looked at her husband. “That one woman with the ugly pink dress and bad tan job bumped into you and you spilled your fifty dollar wine on your shirt!” she laughed.

“Oh this is great!” Patty–a friend of Molly and her grandmother from the retirement house–declared as she tried the larb. “Nin can already consider me a patron! We should come back next month!”

“We should,” Linda–Patty’s close friend who got in a bit of a rough patch with her a while back, but had recently been able to atone and make up with her–agreed as she ate her own larb.

Molly heard a saying that good food brought people together. She beamed with pride–her grandmother certainly had her own ways of enhappifying everyone. When Patty saw the girl and waved, Molly happily waved back before turning to the next round of customers.

Some time later, an interviewer for the town’s local news came by and was able to get an interview with Nin Suksai–the owner of the new establishment. The old woman was also dressed in traditional attire for the day and was very satisfied that all had gone well.

“I still have so much energy at my age and I want to keep busy!” Nin answered the interviewer who wrote everything down. “And what better way to do that than open up a restaurant like old times!”

“Yeah… old times,” Sharon grumbled as hectic childhood memories came back in full while Pete stood beside her to try and keep her in check.

“Besides, there’s no Thai restaurants in town, so I seized the opportunity!” Nin declared. “And–how do you say it? Carp Day-em?”

“It’s carpe diem!” Molly told Grandma Nin from the side as she recalled the phrase that Pete once taught her. “‘Seize the day!’”

“I’ll just say ‘seize the day,” Nin shrugged.

“Could I get a photo of you and your family?” the interviewer asked as her photographer got his camera ready. “It might help your business if we show that its family owned.”

“Of course!” Nin agreed as she waved Molly over.

It took a few minutes for the rest of the family to come. Sharon was next, and Pete had to search for Darryl, who he pulled out of the kitchen.

“This won’t be good for my reputation,” Darryl grumbled.

“It will put your mother and I at ease if you have proof you held an actual, responsible job for a future resume,” Pete cautioned Darryl.

Finally everyone grouped together and were organized by height, though Nin was right in the middle between her grandchildren. Mayor Brunson was about to leave and stopped to watch the moment as everyone readied their smiles. Molly in particular was beaming like the sun.

“Looks like it’ll be a great photo!” Mayor Brunson complimented. “All of you McGees are here and accounted for! All four of you plus Mrs. Suksai!”

And just like that, Molly’s smile faded and her eyes grew dim.

Everything around her suddenly slowed down and went quiet, and she was lost to reality.

“Ok, just give me a sec,” the photographer readied his camera. “On the count of three!”

Sharon momentarily glanced to her daughter and noticed Molly’s melancholic expression. “Can you give us a second?” Sharon asked the photographer.

Sharon reached out to squeeze her daughter’s hand. Molly was startled and looked at her mother, who gave her an understanding smile. ‘It’s ok,’ Sharon mouthed. ‘Take your time.’

It was a moment the rest of the family–especially Nin–did not miss. They instantly knew why Sharon was reassuring Molly.

Molly nodded as she tried to smile and think happy thoughts. She turned back and smiled to the camera.

The rest of the family turned to the camera and smiled.

With a click of a button the photo was taken.

***

That night, Molly sat in the backyard with a blanket underneath her. The crickets were chirping and the night sky was full of stars so bright that they were like diamonds. She had been on her feet all day, but she didn’t want to rest in her room when the night sky was this clear and free of any pollution.

It had been such a wonderful day… or it was until–

He knew all about Nin’s restaurant and was eagerly awaiting opening day. How would they know that by the time construction would begin–

“Molly?”

Molly turned to see Sharon walk to the blanket. She sat down beside her and glanced up at the stars.

“Ah, the one thing that never changed when we moved around so much,” Sharon smiled. “The stars were always with us. We tried to tell you what the constellations were but in the end the only one we could identify was the Big Dipper.”

“I remember,” Molly smiled a little.

Sharon put an arm around her shoulder.

“We all miss Scratch too,” Sharon confessed. “I actually miss telling him to stop eating all our food and snoring so loudly. It was like having a third child who just happened to be ten years older than me or your dad,” Sharon realized that out-loud and winced. “Wow, we adopted a fifty-something year old man-child. Or ghost-child would have been more accurate.”

Molly chuckled a little before she sighed. “I forgot that people didn’t know that Scratch was always with us,” Molly confessed. “All those times he helped out, all those festivals, the meetings with the mayor–its like he never existed. Like he was never a part of our family to begin with. I wish they knew how much he did for Brighton and for us. No one would believe us and not if… I mean, they saw he was there, but not with us. Not with me.”

Sometimes she remembered that fateful festival, when Mayor Brunson presented that trophy to her and her family. Nearly all of Brighton never knew who was with the McGees on the stage–it was someone who gave so much, even when he didn’t want to, but was forced to hide from the public every time. Someone who should have been allowed to share in the moment and be allowed the choice to do so. Someone who could have been here today and would have been over the moon at the new restaurant, but be forced to wait until he could be free to order something for himself to eat when everyone was gone.

But no. To Brighton it was always just Molly, her brother, and her parents, and no one else.

Sharon nodded. “In a perfect world, he would never of had to make himself invisible,” she agreed. “He’d be doing everything with us.”

Molly was quiet for a moment.

“I know Scratch’s off exploring the world, but sometimes I hope he comes back,” Molly confessed. “He even said that maybe he’ll come back for a visit, just before he got on that bus. And maybe once he does, he’ll have done all he wanted out there, and he’ll finally remember me.”

“Well,” Sharon wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t want to get Molly’s hopes up and she didn’t know just how much of the world that the missing member of the family wanted to see. “We’ve seen some truly bizarre things we didn’t think was possible, but we also experienced some wonderful miracles. If this community came together in our hour of need to help us get our house back, maybe he will remember. I’m sure he’ll want to give you the biggest hug when he sees you again.” Sharon hugged Molly for emphasis and a bit of luck. “And until then, you still have all of us here with you, and that in itself is a wonderful miracle.”

“Thanks Mom,” Molly smiled.

Sharon got up. “Well, don’t be outside for too long,” she reminded Molly.

As Sharon went back inside, Molly glanced back up at the sky full of stars.

She remembered that night, when she, Scratch, and Libby saw the comet. That was intended to be a forever memory for all of them, but–

Then she saw it–an enormous white star, brighter and bigger than any star in the sky. She let out a breathless gasp. It was like out of a fairy tale! It was like the star in all those Disney movies she watched since childhood that Scratch would pretend he didn’t care for but would watch along with her and then would sing one of the songs when he thought no one could hear him. (“Just as long as it isn’t Frozen!” he once grumbled to her. I’m sick of that one! If I hear ‘Let it Go’ one more time, I’m gonna ‘Let go’ of something on the rooftop!”)

What if this star could grant wishes? Oh, wouldn’t that be something! Molly excitedly thought of a lot of things she could wish for. For her upcoming high school years to be perfect and memorable! To be with Ollie together forever! For her and Libby to collaborate on a book together that would hit the best-seller list! To achieve world peace! To reduce pollution! To–

No… she knew what she wanted to wish for in that moment.

Molly clasped her hands in prayer as she looked up at the star. Maybe it wouldn’t hear her, but she had to try. After all, if ghosts were real, then why couldn’t a wishing star be real?

“Hi star,” she began. “My name is Molly, and I have a wish. It’s not a huge one, but it’s one that means a lot to me.”

Scratch deserved to live his life, even if she couldn’t be a part of it. But was she ever truly a part of his life if his time as a ghost didn’t count as a life?

“I have a friend named Scratch, but he goes by Todd Mortenson,” Molly continued. “He’s traveling the world with his best friend. He kept putting it off because he was scared of everything, but now he’s finally living, and happy, and doing what he’s always wanted to do. All I wish for is for him to be safe and that nothing bad will happen to him, so that he can get to do everything that he wanted to do in his life before he dies and becomes a real ghost.”

Molly wanted to add what she truly wanted to wish deep down in her heart.

She wanted to wish that Scratch would come back to her–that she’d be waiting at the bus stop when he returned on a beautiful sunny day. He’d come bursting out of the bus and say something like “Molly I’m back!” He would have remembered his time as a ghost, and thus remembered her and everyone else who knew and loved him. He’d give her a huge hug that she’d return and it would be the biggest hug she would have ever given him. He wouldn’t be a ghost anymore, but he’d be human and he’d be the one to nearly squeeze her in half instead of the other way around. Everyone would be together again, and this time he wouldn’t have to hide himself from Brighton.

But she couldn’t add that to the wish.

It would make the wish as it was now into a selfish wish and she didn’t want to jinx it (oh, now that was a word that she never wanted to hear again).

She could have been selfish when it mattered the most. She could have let him walk away from gaining back his human life, he’d still be with her and everyone else, and he’d never forget her. But his happiness mattered to her. He was happy now–she saw that in those videos Adia posted. She would never regret the choice she made in encouraging him to live.

“Thank you, star,” Molly finished. “And I promise I’ll still do good around Brighton while he’s traveling the world.”

The girl grabbed her blanket and headed back to the house. She took one last look at the star–which seemed a little brighter than before–and went inside.

***

“I’m never going to forget this,” Todd swore as he and Adia looked at the clip of the caves on her phone as they sat in their hotel room. “Not for as long as I live.”

“Same,” Adia agreed as the video finished and she got up. She had work to do to get it ready for her online channel before she could hit the hay for the night. “This’ll take me a bit,” she informed him.

“Take your time,” Todd assured Adia as he got up.

Todd walked out onto the hotel balcony and breathed in the night air. He could see real stars in the sky and thought of different time zones. Was it already the next day back in Brighton? His sense of time was already horribly off thanks to all the traveling, with his stomach being the only thing close to a reliable clock.

Wasn’t there a starry night like this when he finally decided to take control of his life? When he was suddenly hit with an epiphany and felt a sudden wave of joy and giddiness he hadn’t felt since he was a kid?

“Taking risks is what makes life worth living,” he whispered to himself.

He frowned. Where had he heard that phrase before? It just came to him out of the blue. He could have sworn he heard it on that night, but he couldn’t recall how. Was it something on his TV or in a book? It was like how that phrase ‘enhappify’ came to him, which he didn’t mind. That word made him feel… well… happy whenever he said or thought of it. It gave him a sense of comfort too that he liked.

He shrugged and decided to just take in his surroundings. He wanted to focus on the present and what was right before him. Life was short and he was going to make the most of it.

***

The Ghost Friends gathered at the McGee house to play Mario Kart. Or more like ‘Mario Kart: death race edition’ (the name courtesy of Darryl and Libby). Popcorn was thrown, as well as curses no kids their age should utter.

“Blue shell!” Darryl yelled as he summoned the item which went to attack Ollie.

“NO!” Ollie wailed in dismay when he was struck. “I just got out of second place!”

Darryl laughed, only for June to zip past him and her brother, thanks to a golden mushroom power-up, which caused him to stop. The girl was in deep concentration as she maneuvered her way to first place. She happily relaxed when she crossed the finish line.

“Be careful with your speed and you’ll win without a single crash or fall,” June declared.

“I agree!” Libby smiled as she ate some popcorn.

Molly felt the urge to get her phone and take pictures. However she left her phone in her room. “Be right back!” Molly said as she got up. “Don’t start without me!” She added as she rushed to the stairs.

Less than a minute later, Molly got into her room in record time and found her phone on her bed. Perfect! Now she could take photos!

Molly took the phone and was about to leave when her eyes landed on something–the dollhouse.

The inspiration behind the restaurant’s name no longer bore its sole occupant. Any remaining food that would go uneaten had been cleaned out, but it was otherwise untouched except to keep dust from forming on the surface. It was a bittersweet reminder of what once was to the teen girl, but she couldn’t bring herself to put it away, even if seeing it invoked too many memories. Maybe she liked remembering the good memories too much to bear losing the San Phra Phum.

If she was allowed to remember, why couldn’t Scratch?

He could have been with the rest of the Ghost Friends right now. A bright, light blue soul joined with a summer orange soul, a raspberry pink soul, a grass green soul, a turtle green soul, and a sunshine yellow soul.

Molly’s eyes then drifted to a painting on the wall, next to her window and just behind and above the dollhouse–her and Scratch happily smiling and hugging, frozen in a moment where they were together forever.

She made the image before, but it was ruined and she had to make it anew. It was meant to be a surprise decoration Molly was going to reveal on that day to her first forever friend after the fateful festival, but then–

Molly took a deep breath.

“I still have my family,” she reminded herself. “I still have Libby, Ollie, June, Andrea, and many others. I still have my house, and I still have all that I need. Scratch is where he needs to be.”

If Scratch could live–truly live–then so could she. And who knows? If they couldn’t reunite in this life, then they certainly would in the next one when both of them were ghosts. After all, they were the dream team for all eternity.

Molly went down stairs and rejoined her friends and brother.

Minutes later she was wrapped up in the game and focused all her energy on trying to beat Libby, June, and Darryl while Ollie served as cheerleader for everyone. Her adrenaline from the game kept her focused as her ears were filled with the sounds of everyone having a good time. Eventually she won the round and happily cheered out before taking a victory drink of her soda.

She was truly living, just like any girl her age should.

Chapter Text

Molly once had a whole four year plan in anticipation of high school, where everything was carefully mapped out for maximum experience. School clubs, study times, game nights, prom, and even a plan was set in case the school would randomly burst into song like in that one series of Disney movies. She once presented it to Scratch, who bluntly told her that she should expect classmates who only cared for themselves or for the suffering of others for their own amusement, that singing was for choir and actual school musicals, and while he couldn’t remember ever going to high school he knew he did not want to relive those times.

“Unless I was the high school heartthrob who was on the football team and had all the girls on each arm!” He smuggly decided. “I bet I could have been a total stud who had to gently turn down many a girl for prom night!”

Molly had just given him a blank, disbelieving look.

“And before you ask–no, I am not going into the girls locker room!” he promised. “For one thing, I don’t wanna deal with hearing girly gossip about who is the cutest boy on campus!”

However, Molly had now learned that nothing could ever be planned each step of the way and to just let things go as they were.

Brighton High School was a lot bigger than she was prepared for. The workload even moreso. Trying to choose something to do as an activity or after school club was hard. She tried cheerleader tryouts, since she was confident she was a perfect cheerleader but didn’t make the cut despite having more than the required energy. However, she and Ollie was able to join the school choir, which made her happy, and they both got into a community club that met up on Tuesdays during lunch. The spring musical wouldn’t be until, well, spring, but Molly wanted to give it a shot.

Meanwhile, Libby had already joined a writing club, while of course Andrea joined the coding club and school’s LGBTQ club. Everyone’s schedules didn’t line up as perfectly as Molly would have liked, but everyone also seemed to be having a good time.

Maybe everything wasn’t how she expected it to be, but she loved getting to hang out with her boyfriend Ollie as well as her best friend Libby at high school. She was also able to get to know a few people in choir and the community club, which of course was focused on helping out the high school and Brighton.

“You practically did the work of the entire club these last couple of years, McGee,” Maya Sanchez–the club president and senior student–complimented Molly. “We were hoping you’d join us.”

“Anything to help make the world a better place!” Molly happily replied. “I’ll help you accomplish all your goals before the year is over!”

“Well, we don’t expect everything to be done,” Lauren Spencer–a junior who was the vice president and second-in-command to Maya–cautioned. “We try to do things one step at a time. But we expect a good work ethic and for our members to stay on top of their grades.”

“You can count on that!” Ollie saluted to Lauren.

“I won’t want promises, Chen,” Lauren warned. “I only trust actual progress and whatever I see on your papers. We do not tolerate slackers on the job or in the classroom!”

It was only when Lauren was out of earshot that Ollie whispered to Molly “I think the Ghost Council would approve of Lauren.”

“Agreed,” Molly nodded. She wouldn’t have been surprised if Lauren was descended from one of the four members. In fact, there was a slight resemblance between Lauren and Sir Alister if she squinted a bit. “Anyway, June is taking the coding club back at the middle school right?”

Ollie nodded. “She’s going to be a huge hit with everyone else,” he agreed. “I just hope they don’t take advantage of her.”

“I just hope she can keep Darryl in line,” Molly grumbled as she worried about her brother. Molly tried to keep him in line as best as she could when they were together. Surely he would outgrow his prankster ways with June around… right?

***

Meanwhile, during one lunch time on the rooftops of the Brighton Middle School building, Darryl and June had the equipment set up and ready to go.

“I just have one question,” Darryl began as he took out a small box and got on one knee. He opened a box up to reveal a button, which was connected to the wires that connected to the rocket launchers that was carefully positioned for maximum impact. “June Chen, will you be my official partner-in-crime in mischief and prank-making for this school year, and to leave a mark in the history books for years to come?”

“Only if you promise that we won’t get caught,” June replied.

“Eh, I can ensure one half of that won’t happen,” Darryl shrugged.

“Ok then,” June smiled and pressed the button.

Moments later, the rocket launchers shot out rockets that exploded and out bursted strange liquidy, blueberry scented green goo that June invented. Everything splattered out onto the ground and on the unsuspecting students and staff below.

Ah all those screams and yelps were a sweet symphony to Darryl’s ears. “This is going to be a beautiful year!” a joyful Darryl was nearly in tears as he imagined how amazing the rest of it would be.

“I have to agree with you,” June admitted with a smile. “At least it won’t be boring.”

“Girl, I guarantee our time together will never be boring!” Darryl promised.

“I trust you on that.”

“A trust I will not take advantage of! Scout’s honor!”

“You aren’t a scout.”

“Ok, then a… ugh… Darryl McGee guarantee!” Darryl groaned over having to barrow a certain phrase from Molly.

“Also, maybe we should get everything and hide it before we’re caught.”

Darryl let out a curse that would have made Scratch weep with pride before he and June hurried to get the evidence and hide it. Nothing was left behind.

However, Darryl was pulled aside for the stunt by teachers who knew him too well half an hour later. There was no suspicion regarding June and she was thus left alone.

***

A couple of weeks later, Libby and Molly were having some downtime after getting classwork done during lunch when Libby checked YouTube on her phone and let out a gasp.

“Molly, there’s a new video!” Libby exclaimed.

Molly felt a drop in her stomach and a wave of happiness at the same time.

When school was over, both girls hurried to ‘Book marks the spot’ to watch the video in question. As they sat down on the sofas, Libby clicked the play button.

“Hi everyone!” Adia Williams–the world traveler behind the channel and the video in question–waved. She seemed to be at a very beautiful savannah where animals dotted the landscape. “I decided to revisit one of my favorite animal sanctuaries here in Africa, and of course I had to bring someone special to me along for the ride.”

“Are you sure this thing won’t bite my hand?” a very familiar nasally voice spoke off camera, causing both Molly and Libby to hold their breath. Molly especially felt her heart race upon hearing that voice.

“No!” Adia laughed. “You have to just stay calm, and if she wants to pull it out of your hand, you should let her. And remember, we aren’t allowed to pet her,” she cautioned before she turned the camera around to reveal her companion standing next to a zebra while he nervously held out a fistful of leaves still on their stems.

Molly watched as the man in the blue and yellow-flowered shirt cautiously eyed the zebra who eyed the leaves. The adorable zebra then lowered her head and gently munched on the leaves, and the man visibly relaxed. He let out a breath of air and smiled a soft smile that met his gray-green eyes. Yet Molly momentarily saw another face within the man’s face, where his eyes would be black and yellow in dark sockets, and a few crooked green teeth would stick out of that smile, and there was blue ectoplasm in place of flesh and skin.

As a ghost, he would have a good reason to fear the animal, for all animals seemed to hate him back then. However, this zebra must have sensed the good heart within the man before her, and trusted him.

“Thanks for not attacking me,” Todd thanked the zebra.

Molly barely listened to what Adia said (which was about the preservation and care for the animals). Her attention was firmly fixed on the man who just seemed happy being amongst animals very few would be lucky to see in real life.

As long as Scratch was happy and living his life out to the fullest, then Molly would never regret letting him go.

***

“At this rate, we’ll reach Egypt in a couple of weeks,” Adia promised as she and Todd took in the surroundings of the Madagascar island–specifically the tortoises. Todd had brought along some Malagasy donuts from a vendor from the nearby town to eat while watching the tortoises. “Maybe even just one.”

“Oh that’ll be incredible!” Todd breathed. “So I’ll finally get to see the pyramids sooner than I think?!”

Adia grinned and nodded. “You bet!”

Todd smiled, poped another donut in his mouth, and glanced back to the tortoises as Adia took out a map of Africa to check over. He noticed a very specific tortoise slowly lumbering across the ground without a care in the world, but possibly living out a good life. “That’s a radiated tortoise,” he commented. “They supposedly live close to two centuries. That’s practically twice our lifetimes. They get the name because of the yellow lines on their shells, which make them look like they are covered in stars.”

“Oh you did some research?” Adia asked without looking up.

Todd opened his mouth but stopped in puzzlement. “No I… I guess I heard it somewhere?” he admitted. “Not sure exactly where.”

“You were also surprisingly knowledgeable about the turtles in Australia when we spotted them. I think you said something about the Mary River turtles. And then you freaked out when I asked if you would try to eat one. They aren’t your favorite animal, are they?”

“No, but I guess they are kind of neat.” Todd answered. Maybe he heard it on the TV during his couch potato period. He went to look over Adia’s shoulder to see the map and noticed how some spots had a red ’X’ marked on them. “What are those?” he asked and pointed to one.

Adia frowned as she lowered the map. “Well, you know how we didn’t know everything there was to know about the world growing up?” she asked. “And that a lot changed since we were kids, and not always for the better?”

“Yes?”

“Well, unfortunately there’s some places we probably shouldn’t be visiting,” Adia answered. “Either wars are still happening or we wouldn’t be welcomed, especially if the locals knew where we came from. They have a way of figuring it out.”

***

“Aw, you didn’t want to join any sports teams?” Molly teased Ollie as they helped tidy up a street as part of the community club’s duties. Specifically, they had to help pick up and recycle trash. “Not even turnipball?”

Ollie flinched at the mention of the game that haunted him. “No,” he shook his head. “Just no.”

“Oh,” Molly was surprised. “But not even something like track?”

“I feel it’s too soon to commit to something like a sports team,” Ollie answered. In truth there was a good reason why he didn’t want to commit to anything huge this year, but he hoped that his gut instincts would be wrong. “I’ll see how I get through freshman year and get some required classes out of the way.”

As the two sorted cans into bags, a couple passed by them and were in deep discussion.

“I can’t believe it's still ongoing,” one said.

“Yeah, I’m glad my cousin left Ukraine before things got out of hand,” the other said. “She almost got married to a local, and then had to call it quits since she missed home too much.”

The two teens paused as the couple passed them by. They knew full well what those two meant.

“Sometimes, I forget what else is going on in the world,” Ollie couldn’t help but commit as Molly frowned. “I wish there was a way to end all wars for good.” He then looked at Molly. “Hey, you said the ghosts had to cause misery for the last Chairman.”

Molly nodded.

“So I guess they couldn’t stop any wars from happening if he could consume the misery it caused,” Ollie continued. “So, couldn’t we get the ghosts to stop the wars if there’s no need for any misery to consume?”

“I did ask Scratch about that,” Molly answered as she stared down one side of the street. “He said another reason ghosts were prevented by the Chairman from interfering is because if the supernatural got too involved, and humans aren’t supposed to know they exist, fingers would start being pointed. You can’t prove to people that a ghost was the one who did something, and they’d look for someone to blame. Then there’d be more fighting and more people dying, and the last time a ghost interfered with a war, a lot of innocent folks died and that ghost was sent to the Flow of Failed Phantoms. Not only that, but there’d be too many ghosts who’d have unfinished business.” Molly sighed. “I can see their side of things, but…”

“It’d be nice to just stop so much bad stuff from happening,” Ollie agreed. The two continued picking up trash, but the conversation worried Molly for another reason.

Scratch–no, he was Todd now–he wouldn’t try to go to places that weren’t safe to go to, would he? If he was a ghost for ten years, was he aware of–?

No, he was with Adia. Adia probably was more than aware of what went on with the world. She wouldn’t let them go anywhere that was too dangerous right now. She was adventurous, but she also wasn’t reckless either.

***

They were getting closer to Egypt and Todd was growing excited with each passing day. He felt like a kid waiting for Christmas. Of course, he still had his eyes on Paris–the destination he wanted to see more than any other place.

“Well, we might need to go to a few places in Europe before we tackle any places in South America or Asia,” Adia told Todd as he took in more of the African landscape. “Some places won’t be as fun if it gets too cold. I was thinking swinging over to Greece or Italy first after Egypt.”

“Oh that’s fine!” Todd assured Adia. “But I’m totally down for real Italian pizza!”

Adia chuckled as she looked over her map. She then noticed two countries on the European continent that she hadn’t visited in awhile, but decided against going back due to certain unfortunate events.

Adia was hesitant before she grabbed her red marker. It killed her to do this, but she put a red ‘x’ over both countries. She figured Todd would know why and understand. There was too much of a risk in going to either country right now.

“Anyway, I did get someone who was interesting in sponsoring me,” Adia told Todd as she folded the map up and hid it in her bag. “I was thinking that if we got you set up for your own channel, maybe I could strike a deal and have him sponsor you,” she offered.

“Oh?” Todd was curious. He was still a bit unsure about the channel thing, and he wasn’t too good with doing business deals like Adia.

Adia took her phone out and looked up the person in question. “He’s some writer that made the best seller list awhile ago and is working on the second book in his series,” she continued. “If one of us gave a shout out to him, gave his book a positive review, and we’re seen reading it in a few videos, he’ll help us out in exchange.” She showed Todd a picture of the writer.

Todd took in the picture of a handsome forty something year old man with looks that his old self would have desired to have. However, something about the guy made him want to punch him in the face, and when he saw the name ‘Mathias Torres’ he suddenly felt an unexpected stab of utter hatred.

“No,” Todd quickly refused as his face darkened.

“No?” Adia was surprised. That was a word she hadn’t heard from her friend in a long time, and the sudden grouchy expression on Todd’s face caught her off guard. “Are you sure–?”

“I don’t know why, but I don’t trust this guy,” Todd answered as the handsome man in the photo quickly looked unappealing for a reason he couldn’t explain. There was a strange smug, untrustworthy air about the guy that wasn’t immediately obvious, but Todd could sense it. He also had this feeling that he would be making a horrible mistake if he accepted the deal–like he’d commit a huge betrayal of some kind–and he didn’t know why, but just that he didn’t want to. “Adia, I don’t think either of us should let him be a sponsor.”

Adia glanced at the photo and frowned. “Come to think of it, there is something off about him,” she agreed. “I’ll trust you on this one.”

Todd sighed and went back to taking in the landscape. He felt more at ease now. It was strange–he thought he was no longer in a period where he’d shoot everything down, but this was a time where he was more than sure he was in the right to say no.

Plus, he heard that the writer’s work actually sucked. He wasn’t going to read a book he would hate and then lie about it just for some extra cash.

****

In a few days time, Todd would find himself in Egypt at last. He found himself staring up at the face of the Great Sphinx in utter awe while eating an especially delicious Hawawshi. The pyramids were just within view and it was if he found himself transported into one of Adia’s postcards.

“Too bad it lost its nose,” Todd commented after swallowing a bite of Hawawshi. “Imagine what it looked like in its heyday.”

“Maybe it should have a nose shaped like yours!” Adia joked.

“Hey, my nose is a nice nose!” Todd protested.

“It is,” Adia agreed.

Todd then glanced to the pyramids. “Makes me think of a large candy corn,” he mused as he eyed one in particular. “A large, tasty candy corn.”

“Sorry, what?” Adia was baffled by that.

“I think I dreamt about eating the pyramid one time because it looked like candy corn. And a bunch of other landmarks that looked like candy.” Todd then paused as he tried to think. “Also, I think I once dreamt that I was a talking cup harassing a carton of fries and a meatball.”

Oh well, weird dreams aside, Todd then agreed to take a selfie in front of the sphinx with Adia. He shot the camera a huge grin while still holding his Hawawshi while Adia smiled beside him as she held the camera out.

God, it was nice to actually be in the photos with Adia this time around.

***

A couple of nights later, Molly attended her first high school football game with Ollie. She wasn’t fond of a game where people tackled each other, but she wanted to show her support for her new school and show off the school spirit she gained in her first few weeks.

Like with most small towns, football games were a huge deal where many came to watch and support the home team. Each goal scored whipped the crowd into a frenzy and cheers erupted like thunder.

When everyone sat back down, Molly happily resumed eating her favorite candy bar while Ollie had an arm wrapped around her. He noticed a few sophomore boys sitting close by and the way they eyed Molly made him uneasy. He drew Molly closer to him and the girl let out a happy sigh.

It was the first full day for Molly where–unbenowngst to her–a certain blue ghost didn’t come to mind even once. She only cared about this moment where she could enjoy this new phase of her life with her boyfriend with a memory of her first high school football game. She didn’t even care that she and him would have to help clean up the stands afterwards.

It was perfect. She almost didn’t want the night to end.

****

The next day, Molly gushed about the football game to Patty in the retirement house as part of her usual volunteer work.

“And we barely won by one point!” Molly exclaimed. “Oh, you would have loved it, Patty!”

The old woman chuckled. “Too bad I was feeling a bit drowsy or else I would have joined in,” she replied before she smiled. “A football game date, huh? I had one of those with Bobby when we first met. He took me out for ice cream afterwards and then we’d spend a few minutes watching the stars before heading home on his motorcycle.” Patty sighed. “Those were the days. I may be an old gal, but sometimes I still feel like that same innocent young girl with dreams in her head and love in her heart.”

“I guess some things never change,” Molly smiled. “I’m glad I got to experience something like that here in Brighton. I would hate to still be on the move like I used to. I’m lucky you all came through for me.”

“Same,” Patty nodded. “I’d hate to imagine a world where you McGees never came. You all brought a lot of good into this town and helped bring it back to life.”

Molly’s smile faded at the mention of the last part.

“Everything all right, Molly?” Patty asked.

“I was just reminded of a friend,” Molly admitted. “You never met him, but he was helping the town out in his own ways. He liked you–and I think you would have liked him if given the chance. He could be a huge grouch, but he was a real softie deep down. I’m sorry he never could see you–he had reasons that he couldn’t show up.”

“This friend meant a lot to you, didn’t he?”

Molly took a deep breath. “He does,” she answered. “He was my first forever friend that I made here in Brighton. He’s not here anymore, but I’m glad I was lucky to know him and help him when he needed it. If he is happy, then I am happy.”

Patty smiled. She then reached out and took Molly’s hand.

“You were meant to bring joy to a lot of people, Molly,” she told the teenage girl. “You set your mind to something, you give it your all, and you inspire others to do better and contribute to the good in the world. It was never an accident or a coincidence that you came here into this world and to Brighton. I’ve learned throughout my years is that while we don’t know what we are meant to do with our lives, what matters is how we spend it, and you don’t need to become a big movie star or president to achieve great things. I don’t know what you plan to do with your life, but I hope you never lose that spark of yours in whatever path you go down on. The world won’t always agree with you, and it will beat you up now and then, but don’t you ever back down.”

Molly smiled. “And no ‘regerts?’” she asked.

“No regerts,” Patty nodded in agreement.

Half an hour later, after talking to Patty and playing a round of cards with her and the other folks, Molly left the retirement house and took another deep breath of air.

“Alright, time to crank out that paper I kept procrastinating on!” Molly decided. “And then another round of Mario Kart with the ghost friends!”

Chapter Text

During lunch, Molly and Libby found time to watch another video that Adia recently posted. They were so engrossed in the video on Molly’s phone that they didn’t notice when Andrea swung by to talk about something, but then watched the video over the two’s shoulders.

Todd was seen silently taking in the Egyptian pyramids with a content smile on his face. Molly wondered what was going through his head, but she could tell he was happy. She recalled seeing some handmade pyramids in Scratch’s memory of him and Adia when they were kids and wondered if he was reminded of that.

She made a quick mental note to herself to see if he was in any of the high school’s past year books.

“Hey, isn’t there a myth that anyone who goes in there gets cursed?” Todd suddenly asked. The question caused Molly and Libby to chuckle for a good reason.

“Yes, but we can’t go in,” Adia answered off camera. “Tourists aren’t allowed at the moment.”

“Aww dang it!” Todd childishly whined in a way that was very familiar to Molly. “But it would be so amazing to see a real mummy!”

“I think I recognize that guy from when I did that Davenports-on-demand video,” Andrea spoke up and startled Molly and Libby. “He agreed to it and didn’t do much. He was kind of bland and gray, but he looks like a completely different person now.” She frowned. “He looks way better dressed, and that blue compliments his eyes, but I’m surprised he still has that unibrow.”

Molly felt a surge of protectiveness toward the man she barely knew and yet knew very well. “Maybe he’s fine with how he looks,” she pointed out. “I personally like it.”

Andrea was a bit surprised by this but then relaxed. “Well, I guess that’s partly how I could recognize him,” she admitted. “Anyway, I was wondering if you three wanted to study at my house some time.”

“Really?” Libby was stunned. “Are you sure?”

Andrea smiled. “Of course!”

A couple of days later, the girls were able to take up Andrea’s offer and found themselves in her mansion of a house. It was hard for Molly to get over being in a house so fancy and large (and some part of her was amazed that Scratch didn’t pester her into befriending Andrea, just to take advantage of some of the expensive luxury items). However she noticed something was off about Andrea’s room.

“Didn’t you have more plushies?” Molly asked upon noticing how small the plushie pile was. Come to think of it, Andrea had less purses and designer clothes in her room than usual. Even the walk-in-closet looked a bit more spacious than before.

“Oh, I thought I’d donate some stuff,” Andrea answered. “There’s a lot of things I don’t need anymore or outgrew, and I wanted to take care of it while I had the chance.” She then frowned. “Plus, my parents have been spending less ever since Davenports–well, you know. But thankfully Daddy can manage our sister locations from home, and he’s had more time to spend with me and Mom!”

“Oh that’s nice!” Molly smiled. “Well, mainly about the donations, but also that your dad is spending more time with you.” Perhaps the shift to high school effected Andrea, but in a good way. Though Molly was still reluctant to donate her own plushies anytime soon–she almost learned that the hard way when she thought she had to get rid of them in order to grow up alongside Andrea and Libby. (On a side note–she finally got around to starting her periods, and they more more agonizing than she was prepared for.)

However, Libby noted that Andrea seemed a bit reserved when answering, rather than being casually dismissal like she would have expected. She choose not to say anything.

“So how is Alina?” Molly asked. She got to meet the famous Alina Webster over the summer when Alina and Andrea were doing a robotics club. Alina was a lot more to -the-point than Andrea, wasn’t as into certain kinds of fashion (and didn’t care much for dresses and skirts), and wasn’t as social media obsessed, but she did have an impressive sense of business and entrepreneurship. When she met with June, Alina even advised the girl on how she could some day get a patent for her inventions without having her work stolen from her behind her back, and was very clear and too the point which June had appreciated. It was clear why Andrea more than adored Alina.

“Oh she’s been perfect!” Andrea gushed. “She also joined her school’s LGBTQ club, and she’s eying a position on student council!”

And so the three girls did their homework, helped each other out, and swapped stories. Molly loved every second of it–it was another part of her new life that she was enjoying.

Though Molly was reminded of Bizmart–the business that the town fought to keep away and yet was still able to establish a location just outside Brighton. Unfortunately, it was an unfair competitor against a lot of Brighton’s stores, including Andrea’s family owned business which ended up shutting down. While a lot of loyal Brightonians still made it a point to shop locally–especially because local produce was more trustworthy and helped everyone out–some had to stop by Bizmart for one reason or another and most tourists opted to get things from there instead of in town.

Molly made another mental note to herself–see how she could improve sales for Brighton’s local stores.

****

With permission from a staff member, Molly found the yearbooks. The school was very old, but Molly had a guess as to when Scratch must have been a senior–her only clues were his appearance as a human, the era when he was a child, and her mom commenting that he had to have been ten years older than her and her dad.

With Libby’s help, Molly carefully combed through each yearbook within the time period she guessed.

“Molly, I found him!” Libby exclaimed. The girl hurried over to her best friend’s side and sat down to scan the black and white senior photos.

Then she saw him. Even back then he was still on the hefty side and there was a roundness to his face. His face was not yet marked by any age lines, though he still had youthful acne spots here and there. His hair was a lot fuller and thicker–though Molly nearly laughed at the failed attempt at a mullet and bangs that he must have cut himself–and he didn’t have the unibrow just yet, but there was a hint of it forming. He could have been mistaken for a thug or prankster, but he had a small smile and a hopeful spark in his eyes that felt familiar to Molly, and he had the nose shape that she knew and loved. He had yet to know of his own future, or of the girl who had yet to be born who was looking at this very photo.

“He looks so different,” Libby commented.

It was so strange to see Scratch so close to her age in this photo and it made Molly wonder what it could have been like if that had been the case now. Instead of adopting the soul of a fifty year-old man-child, there could have been a runaway teenager who acted his age and just needed friends and family, and they could go to school together. It would probably be like having an irresponsible big brother that drove you crazy, yet you couldn’t help but love, and was a bad influence on the younger siblings, which kind of fitted Scratch to begin with.

Libby handed Molly the yearbook. Molly took a quick picture of the photo of the teenaged Scratch with her phone before she took him in once more.

“Hi Scratch,” Molly smiled and whispered her greeting to the version of him who was close to home.

Later that day, Molly headed home with a smile on her face. Alongside that discovery of Scratch’s senior photo, the choir class was learning some new songs and–to the delight of a few musical fans–one packet of sheet music was a medley from Hadestown.

“Wait for me, I’m coming,” Molly sang to herself as she reached the house and noted that the station wagon was parked in the driveway a bit earlier than expected. “Wait for me, I’m coming with you.”

Molly went inside and was about to head up into her room when she saw her parents sitting on the sofa together. Both of them looked uneasy and saddened, as if they were keeping a painful secret. Suddenly the good feelings vanished.

“Hey, is everything ok?” Molly asked as she herself began to feel uneasy.

Sharon looked at Pete who looked back at her. He took a deep breath and stated “Molly, we have something we need to tell you.”

Molly felt the weight of her father’s words and knew something was wrong. She removed her backpack and set it down before sitting across from her parents as they held each other’s hand. There was a long silence as they visibly prepared themselves to say something.

“We aren’t moving again are we?” Molly felt a stab of panic at the thought of that. “After all that happened?”

“No!” Sharon quickly reassured Molly.

“Then what’s wrong?”

“We were given a call from the retirement house,” Pete began. He struggled to form the words as he continued “Patty… passed away in her sleep last night.”

“The nurses said that there was no pain,” Sharon added. “There was no health concerns she was struggling with–it was just her time to go.”

It took Molly a few seconds to register what her parents meant.

“Patty is dead?” Molly asked.

“It was a peaceful death,” Pete confirmed. “We waited until you came home before we could tell you.”

Molly felt a strange knot forming inside her. Patty was dead?

‘She did mention feeling tired,’ a voice in her head noted.

But Patty was fine. How could she suddenly–?

“Molly?” Sharon asked.

“Well, then she gets to be a ghost now!” Molly realized out-loud and brightened up as she smiled. “She’ll probably stick around in Brighton, but she’ll get to see the Ghost World and meet new friends!”

This was the reaction Pete and Sharon expected–one that they were worried about.

“Molly, about that–” Pete began.

“Oh, and I could make her a San Phra Phum just for her!” Molly shot up as the gears formed in her head. “In fact, I know exactly what I’ll do!” She grabbed her bag and hurried up to her room while her parents shot each other more uneasy looks. In her room Molly began her project. Yes, she did have homework, but making sure Patty had her own San Phra Phum was important first and foremost. Thank goodness she still had a bunch of arts and crafts supplies that she hadn’t grown out of!

“Ah, there we go!” Molly finally gathered her supplies–thank cob she had a bunch of cardboard left over. She made a miniature bandshell before and could do it again. “I’ll make sure this one is extra special just for Patty!” she declared.

‘Molly, I think you should hold off for a bit,’ a familiar nasally voice suddenly popped into her head. ‘What if she’s busy reuniting with folks in the Ghost World? I’m sure she’d understand.’

Molly froze.

Right… if Scratch had been here–how would he have reacted? He would have been excited too, right?

“Then I’ll have this ready for her when she comes back!” Molly firmly told herself as she ignored the slight pain in her chest.

Meanwhile, Sharon and Pete tried to get dinner ready, but they knew the knowledge of Patty’s death wouldn’t end well for Molly. It would just be a matter of time until Molly herself would realize it.

****

It took Molly awhile, but she finally completed a perfect miniature version of the bandshell. She made sure that there was a room below with a window for Patty’s ghost to look out through. She didn’t know where it would go–that would be up to Patty, wouldn’t it? It certainly couldn’t be in her room, because having to room with a ghost one time was one time enough for Molly, and it was likely Patty would want a place closer to her old friends. And if Scratch had been around, he’d say that the house only had room for one ghost and be a tad possessive, which of course would lead to some shenanigans.

Molly took the miniature bandshell to the real bandshell and waited on the stage the next afternoon. She was unable to finish her homework at home and was forced to turn one page late, but it didn’t matter to her.

“Oh it’s going to be nice!” Molly told the San Phra Phram bandshell. “The bandshell meant a lot to her! I told Geoff and everyone else to tell all the ghosts to keep an eye out for Patty! I haven’t seen her around town yet. Maybe she’s been checking out the Ghost World! I hope she got to meet some of Brighton’s ghosts, like Sally! Oh, Sally is the Chairman now, did you know that?”

No answer.

“Apparently the robe was supposed to go to Ollie, but he didn’t feel ready for such responsibility, especially while he’s still alive and in high school, so the robe was passed to someone with the right leadership skills who was already dead! I mean, can you imagine trying to balance English and US History with writing out documents and stamping papers for a couple centuries old ghosts?!”

No answer.

“It’s too bad Scratch isn’t around,” Molly commented. “Patty would have finally gotten to meet him. I don’t think he would have ate her gumbo, but he used to eat literal garbage so who knows? I doubt he’d ever go back to garbage after all the food he eats around the world in those videos. Maybe Patty’ll still get the chance to meet him when he becomes a ghost again.”

There was that feeling of a knot in her chest again. It felt painful, but Molly tried to fight it off.

“He wouldn’t have liked having another ghost living with us,” Molly continued. “And Patty would probably still want to be with her friends. But he’d be happy to finally talk to her face to face.” Molly frowned. “I should have let him possess me a few times, just for the chance to talk to others, like Andrea. Or possess other people to hang out with me, like when he possessed Weird Larry and we had ice cream together when we got distracted with helping our family.”

Ah, that was quite an eventful day. Scratch said possessing people was hard but he put in extra effort since he had to drive Molly on that scooter, and one wrong move could have–

“He was there that day of my internship with Weird Larry,” Molly mused. “Not just as a ghost, but Todd was there too. Why didn’t I see the resemblance?”

Why didn’t she notice the truth when it was staring her in the face? If she had known, could she have loved that glum, soulless man as much as she had loved his soul?

“Anyway, this isn’t about Scratch!” Molly corrected herself. “I’m trying to not make everything about him! I’m here for Patty! And–!”

“Molly?”

Molly turned her head to see Ollie with Geoff. Both the teenage boy and the green ghost had a sad look on their face.

“Did you find Patty?!” Molly asked as she smiled.

“Molly,” Ollie gulped and looked at Geoff, whose frown deepened. “There’s something we need to tell you.”

“Ok?” Molly’s smile slipped a little. Maybe Patty wanted to go do some things before coming back and would be gone for awhile.

“Patty was someone who lived her life to the fullest, right?” Geoff asked. “She did everything she wanted to do and had no regrets?” He recalled Scratch sharing some stories about Patty when they hung out.

“Well, Scratch and I helped reunite her with Bobby, and we restored the bandshell, which made her happy,” Molly answered. “And she was able to make up with Linda.”

Geoff was afraid to hear that, knowing what would come next. “Molly, your friend didn’t become a ghost,” he said. “Everyone has looked in the Ghost World, and even the council pitched in to help, but she’s not there.”

“Then she’s somewhere here in the Living World!” Molly suggested as the pain in her chest grew, which she tried to ignore.

“She’s not in the Living World either,” Ollie shook his head. “Otherwise she would have been in Brighton.”

“Some folks become ghosts because they either died too sudden, had unfinished business, didn’t live their life to the fullest–” Geoff winced, knowing who that could have referred to–“or just aren’t ready to move on yet. If you die without any regrets or unfinished business, you don’t become a ghost.”

Molly just stared at Geoff.

“We don’t know exactly where the soul goes when its ready to move on,” Geoff confessed. “There’s many interpretations of what the after-afterlife is, but no one has come back to say for sure. So in this case it’s more than likely your friend went to the after-afterlife.”

Molly shook her head. “No, she’d want to be a ghost,” she protested. “She still has friends here. She still has Bobby.”

“Do you remember Blair?” Ollie asked. “Ever since we all helped her return that video, and she disappeared, did you ever notice her around town or in the Ghost World since then? We helped her with her unfinished business, so she was free to ascend to Heaven… or whatever she believed in,” he corrected.

“She’s probably at a horror film studio or visiting spooky places!” Molly protested as her throat felt like it was tightening up. “And Patty is visiting her favorite spots around the world–!”

“I’m sorry Molly, but neither of them are coming back,” Geoff bluntly told her, no matter how much he hated to do it (especially because this was his buddy’s department, and even Jeff was better at this kind of stuff than him). “They aren’t here or there. Your friend lived her life to the fullest and she is no longer with us.”

“You can’t say that!” Molly was nearly shouting as tears fell. “She has to come back! She can’t leave the people she loves! She can’t leave me!”

Ollie felt his own surge of pain in his heart. He approached Moll and knelt next to her.

“She can’t!” Molly shook her head as she began to sob. “She has to be a ghost because ghosts never leave! They get to stick around and haunt their favorite places! They get to meet historical people and loved ones who passed away! They try to scare you to death! They–! They–!”

She couldn’t take it anymore. She practically flung herself at Ollie who caught her and held on as she cried her heart out.

Ollie closed his eyes as he tried to soothe his girlfriend and hugged her closer. There was a lot of things he wished he could do for Molly, but unfortunately, much like a few other things, this was not within his power.

******

The funeral at the small church was fitting for someone like Patty. She had insisted years ago that if everyone was wearing black, there better be a splash of color in the mix. A lot of people took this to heart, especially Molly, who opted to wear a bright pink skirt with a black blouse that she knew she’d probably never wear again. Meanwhile the church had several splashes of bright colors in the flowers and ribbons–not a single pale pink, black, brown, gray, or white in sight.

The McGees and Grandma Nin came, as well as the retirement folks, Linda, and Bobby–the latter of which was sad over losing the love of his life so soon. Numerous Brightonians also came to pay their respects and final farewells–even some family members that Molly never met before.

“You’re Molly, right?” asked one man in particular as he came up to Molly and was followed by a wife, teenage son, and two college aged daughters. “Aunt Patty mentioned you to me a few times.”

Molly struggled to think. “You are her nephew, Tom, right?” she asked. “From Gravesfield, Conneticut? The same one with legends about witches and magic?”

The teenage son chuckled. “Yeah, that same Gravesfield,” he answered.

“It was an honor to meet your aunt,” Molly told Tom with a smile. “She lived an amazingly incredible life.”

Tom smiled. “I became a meteorologist because of Aunt Patty,” he answered. “Those storm chasing tales caught my imagination growing up. And Marshall is on the wrestling team, which is partly thanks to her.”

“And I got my middle name from Great Aunt Patty,” one daughter smiled.

“I wish we visited more often,” Marshall confessed. “But thanks for keeping her company when we couldn’t.”

Molly smiled and nodded.

She let Aunt Patty’s family reach the front pews. Yet she didn’t miss the look Linda gave them from a few rows down–she seemed regretful. Molly could only guess how much pain Linda was in from losing a friend she had her whole life.

Molly glanced at the coffin at the front, which contained Patty’s body. She was thankful it was closed, because she did not want to see a body that was both soulless and dead for real. Never again would Patty recount stories, serve as an announcer for turnipball, make tasteless gumbo, go on a date with Bobby, or visit the bandshell.

Memories of Patty flowed through Molly–of when she first met her, Patty’s joy at seeing the bandshell and how it brought the community together, her reuniting with Bobby, dressing up as a witch and helping out at the Halloween fair, her assuring the family that she and the other retirees would be there for Grandma Nin–how could there be so many memories in the short amount of time Molly knew the woman?

It rarely occurred to Molly just how short of a time she had with all her friends throughout her life until she had to reflect back like now. She knew Mackenzie for two months, Luke, Charlotte, and Daisy for almost a whole year, Sarah-Anne for four months, Kalyani for five, Addison for three months, Shayla for eight months, Corey for only one month, and so on. Many of them she tried to stay in touch with, but for whatever reason, they either stopped writing back to her or she made the mistake of losing an address.

At that point one of the church singers who was close to Patty sang a gospel song Molly wasn’t familiar with and didn’t pay attention to it because she was lost in thought.

She knew Scratch for almost two whole years if her estimate was correct. Same with Patty. One friend forgot all about her and left to see the world–it was unlikely she’d ever see him again while he was still alive, but some part of her dared to hope for the impossible. One died for real and was never coming back.

Molly thought she was done saying goodbye to friends when they got the house back. She was cruelly proven wrong twice-over.

Molly listened as the priest spoke of Patty and what kind of person she had been in life. How she spent her life and how she effected everyone around her.

“She always said, ‘no regerts,’ the priest mentioned, which earned a few chuckles. “She knew that wasn’t the right way to say it or spell it, but it was her way and that was how she approached life.”

It was the last thing Patty told her when Molly reminded her. ‘No regerts.’

The pianist played and was joined by a guitarist, and the singer began to sing another song.

“If you feel like you’re becoming someone else,” she sang and Molly’s heart stopped.

No… not that song…

“If you’re losing track of you inside yourself.”

No, no, no, no–any song but that one!

Molly bent her head low–people would assume she was just sad–and slammed her hands over her ears.

She knew that song all too well–she knew the day she last heard it all too well. Why did it have to be playing here?! Of all days?!

Pete was snapped out of his prayers–a habit from when he used to attend the Catholic church as a kid–and noticed what Molly was doing. Sensing Molly sadness, yet not fully understanding why she was covering her ears, he reached out and gently rubbed the girl’s shoulders.

Molly tried to shove the sad memories into the back of her head. She desperately tried to think of Patty and all the happy times she had with her. She tried to think of when Patty sung gospel to loudly drown out the other song being sung outside her head, because if she heard that song in full–

Eventually the song was over and Molly was able to uncover her ears and look up.

***

The McGees didn’t go to the cemetery to see Patty off one last time. It would have been too much for some of them, and Molly didn’t want to see Patty being lowered into the ground and be buried forever.

Family and friends gathered at the retirement house to honor Patty and eat in peace. The walls were decorated with photos of a life well lived that many would be envious to have. Molly had seen them before–she and Scratch looked at them when Patty thought she was only showing them off to Molly. Each photo contained a story that they listened to.

Now Patty would never know that Scratch was there looking at those photos too. He wouldn’t remember ever seeing them or recall their stories. In the end, Molly was the one to carry the stories inside her.

Molly barely ate the vanilla cake that was served. She only got halfway through before she gave up and got up from the table her family sat at to look at the photos again.

Molly noticed Linda in particular looking at some photos in which she and Patty were young and having a grand time. Molly went up to Linda and stood beside her.

“That must have been something,” Molly spoke. “Living out an exciting life like that with your best friend.” She wasn’t sure what else to say for the grieving woman who was obviously keeping her pain to herself. “It was probably a good life–I’d be lucky to have that someday.”

Linda scoffed and shook her head. “That’s a lie, kid. I don’t need your pity.”

“I’m not lying,” Molly replied.

“I was selfish,” Linda confessed and turned to Molly with a bitterness in her eyes. “Patty was in love with Bobby–she was happy with him. She could of been with him and they could of had kids and grandkids here to say how wonderful she was. But I took that away from her because I didn’t want to lose my best friend to some motorcycle riding, leather jacket wearing heart-throb. I didn’t want to even try to make another friend or two, because no one could ever replace her.”

Molly winced. Not because this was news–no, she knew the story regarding Patty, Linda, and Bobby. It was because for a split second she saw herself in Linda. She saw what could have happened if she let Scratch walk away from being human again.

“Wherever she went, I’m probably not going to go there,” Linda shook her head. “Not after what I did. If she’s in Heaven, there’s no place for a selfish traitor like me.”

Molly could sense it–Patty had no unfinished business, but Linda–

“I don’t think Patty would want you to live out the rest of your life with guilt in your heart,” Molly told Linda. “She’d want you to experience it while you still have it.”

“And how am I supposed to do that without her?” Linda demanded. “Without my best friend?”

“You still have my Grandma Nin, and everyone else at the retirement home,” Molly tried to say. “You have–”

“That’s bullshit!” Linda snapped, startling Molly and causing a few heads to turn. “I can see it in your eyes! You lost someone very special not that long ago, and hadn’t gotten over it too, didn’t you?!”

Molly was frozen with shock.

“Someone you can’t replace?!” Linda angrily asked. “Do you honestly believe what you say?!”

“That’s enough!” Pete ordered as he came over and took Molly by the hand. “I’m sorry for your loss, but that’s no excuse to get angry at my daughter!” He pulled a shaken Molly away.

“Don’t you dare try to pull that ‘count your blessings’ crap!” Linda yelled after them as one of the old folks came to take her away. “Not when you know that’s a poor excuse!”

“We should probably go,” Sharon admitted as she and Darryl got up from the table. The McGees left the retirement house that instant.

****

Molly sat with her parents at the dining room table, with Pete holding Molly’s hand. Darryl had gone upstairs to do something to take his mind off of the funeral.

“She didn’t know,” Pete tried to assure Molly. “How could she have known?”

“Linda was right,” Molly admitted. “She said it herself. She could tell I lost Scratch.” She sighed. “I didn’t mean to upset her. I was just trying to be kind and help her.”

“We know,” Sharon nodded. “It just probably wasn’t time to speak with her. Linda needs to grieve at her own pace.”

Molly nodded. She did have a habit of not reading the room properly–look at what happened with Libby’s Bat Mitzvah.

“There was something Patty wanted to give you, Molly,” Sharon told the girl. She carefully took something out of her bag and unwrapped the paper off of it before revealing what it was to Molly. “One of the nurses at the retirement home confirmed it when I spoke with him.”

It was Patty’s framed needlework of her life’s motto. ‘No regerts,’ it reminded Molly in threaded writing.

Sharon set the needlework down on the table. “I guess she lived her motto out to the fullest.” she mused as Molly gently touched the needlework and felt the thread bumps under her fingers.

“I was just hoping she’d still be around,” Molly admitted with a sigh. “I really wanted to believe her ghost would be here, but if she died without any regrets or unfinished business…”

“We figured that was what happened,” Pete confessed.

“I remembered when I lost my father,” Sharon admitted. “You were too little to remember. When we learned ghosts were real, a small part of me did wonder if he too became a ghost. But your grandfather had done everything he wanted in life–he raised enough money alongside your grandmother to move from Thailand to America. He successfully managed a restaurant alongside Grandma Nin, and was able to give me and your Uncle David a good childhood. He could be stern and strict at times, but he made sure both David and I stayed on the right path. He was able to meet all three of his grandchildren, and left Grandma Nin with a good sum of money and no debts to worry about. If he doesn’t have any unfinished business here in this life, then I am sure he is happy wherever his soul went,” Sharon smiled.

Molly thought over Sharon’s words.

Then she felt a sharp stab of a realization and her heart stopped as her blood ran cold.

If one lives their life out with no regrets…

“The dream team, you and me?”

No. No it could be possible–!

Molly gasped for air. “No, no, no, no,” she shook her head.

“Molly?” Sharon asked.

If there was no unfinished business left for the soul…

“Arrevederci, Moll!”

If his unfinished business was to see the world with Adia–if something happened–

“No, no, no!” Molly grabbed her head and shook it. “No, that can’t happen!”

“Molly?” Pete now asked.

Suddenly it was getting harder to breathe.

Everything outside of her became muted as the room began to feel warm.

Molly was rocking back and forth in her chair as the memories of those two days replayed in her head.

Memories of encouraging Scratch to return to being human… assuring him that she’d remember even if he didn’t… hugging him one last time… watching him merge with his human body… watching his face smile at her with a love in his eyes that shone brighter than the golden glow they emitted in that moment–

“HE CAN’T! HE–!”

Memories of him so animated and full of life both figuratively and literally in ways he never had before… his newly regained gray-green eyes having a hint of mischief and fun that his yellow and black ones did… her believing for one joyous second that he did recognize her, only for him to pick up a penny off the ground…. him telling her his plans as she tried to smile for him, despite her heart break… her asking him to not forget, even if he’d never know–

He promised he’d come back for a visit someday, didn’t he?!

“MOLLY?!”

He was out there living his life–surely he could squeeze in one visit–!

“MOLLY!”

Molly found herself clawing at the table as both her parents hugged her.

He wouldn’t leave forever without seeing her again–even if it had to be one last time–

“Molly it’s ok!” Pete reassured her.

“Scratch can’t leave forever!” Molly cried. “We’re supposed to be the dream team for all eternity! We–!”

She broke down into tears and sobbed as her parents held her.

“I don’t want Scratch to leave for good!” Molly sobbed. “He can’t pass on into the after-afterlife like Patty did! He’s got to know deep down I’m still here! He’s got to come back! He–!” She threw her head back and let out a huge wailing sound so painful and heart wrenching that a ghost would never match it.

****

Molly was resting in her room half an hour later. She lay on the bed as she rested her head in Sharon’s lap as Sharon stroked her daughter’s hair. Miraculously, Darryl hadn’t heard Molly’s panic attack due to wearing headphones and being engrossed in Atomic Pink music.

Sharon wasn’t sure what to say to reassure Molly. She couldn’t give her daughter false promises, now that she knew the truth. She wished she could do something–or had done something more when she had the chance–when it came to her daughter’s grief, but she couldn’t beyond praying for a miracle. Sharon kissed her daughter on the head before she got up and went down stairs–and closed the door on the way to ensure Molly’s privacy.

Molly stared at the dollhouse.

She should have done more.

When Scratch completely merged back into his body, she should have went to him and re-introduced herself, instead of waiting for him to come to her with human arms wide open for her to rush into.

She should have done something in what short time there had been left.

When he was about to get on the bus, she should have hugged him one last time. It would never have been the same–not if he was human and didn’t remember her–but it would have been more than just pleading for him to remember people he barely knew or forgot about. And oh God, did his human form looked just as huggable as his ghost form–why did she blow that chance?

What if he didn’t get to come back to Brighton? What if he never wanted to come back? What if that was it? What if he just said that he’d come back and intended to never come back at all.

Molly grabbed her phone up and opened it to one of Adia’s videos–the one in New Zealand where Scratch–no, Todd–got to see that cave. Did seeing those blue glowing lights remind him of being glowing and blue too? How was it that nothing on his journeys triggered his memories and made him reach out to her?!

There was a comment section. Molly had ignored that on purpose for a few reasons. One was that he’d probably never see what she wrote amongst the many tens and hundreds of comments. The other was that her screen name was a variation of ‘enhappify’ and that would confuse him and lead to an assumption he inspired someone in using that word in his videos.

Molly tapped on the comment option and hesitated.

What would she even say?

‘Hi, you might not remember me, but…’

‘Awesome video! Hey did you know….’

‘By the way, how is…?’

But nothing would ever work.

Nothing would spark a memory or interest.

And what if she ended up like Linda and tried to take him away from Adia out of a selfish need to see him again?

“No,” Molly shook her head and set the phone aside. She went to her window and glanced at the starry night sky. She couldn’t take away another’s happiness just so she could be happy. She didn’t want to end up like Linda.

She already wished for Scratch’s safety. She had to have faith that he’d remember her eventually. It took some time for him to remember his life as a human, and all it took was one bottle of soda. He’d eventually remember being a ghost–he just needed the right moment and the right key.

But her friends and family already tried that…

“No, he will remember when he is ready,” Molly tried to assure herself. “He’ll remember in time. Whether he’s a ghost or a human when it happens, it’ll happen. This is probably normal.”

She had to have faith.

Scratch had to remember her deep down–not as the girl at the bus stop, but as a dear friend who loved him, flaws and all. If he could remember ‘enhappify,’ then he could remember her.

She just had to be patient. The day would come–perhaps when she least expected it.

****

The next day, Molly let Grandma Nin take the San Phra Phum bandshell to the retirement home, in case another ghost could use it. Afterwards, she found Ollie in the park picking weeds as part of his volunteer work while Darryl and June were testing one of June’s custom made drones.

Molly approached the boy who got up and collected a small handful of daisies that he held out to Molly. “I found some wildflowers,” he smiled.

“Just like our first school dance,” Molly smiled at the happy memory the flowers invoked as she accepted them. “You know, yellow daisies happen to be one of my favorites, but I’ll never turn down regular white daisies,” she confessed.

“Mom told me that daisies symbolize cheerfulness and new beginnings,” Ollie replied. “And yellow daisies symbolize joy and friendship.” He made a mental note to double check his flower symbolism so that he’d give Molly a flower that represented his true feelings to her. “I’m a bit more of a peony person myself. My parents had those for their wedding, and I always wanted–” he blushed and shook his head. “Sorry I’m rambling,” he apologized.

Molly took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for acting the way I did when you told me about Patty,” she began.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Ollie shook his head.

“I did–I was being childish. The truth is I’m not used to experiencing death. I’m not used to losing people close to me like that–be gone forever with no chance of seeing them again–and I just took it for granted that she’d become a ghost and stick around. And I admit it hurts even more after Scratch left–I still haven’t gotten over that,” she confessed.

Ollie nodded in understanding. “It sucks,” he agreed. “When I was homeschooling on the road, June and I had an online friend who homeschooled with us–his name was Soren, but he preferred to go by Ren. He lived in Colorado, and June and I were really hoping to get to meet him in person when our family was going to investigate the Stanley Hotel. But it turned out he had cancer and he passed away before we could meet him face to face. He was only ten.”

Molly’s face fell. “Oh… I didn’t know that,” she whispered.

“I admit I had my reasons for not talking about that to you guys,” Ollie confessed. “I was kind of hoping his ghost was still here, for one thing. But Patty’s passing reminded me of something important.”

“And that is?”

“There’s no telling how much time we have left with the people we care about,” Ollie said. “We got to hold on to the good memories, but it’s good to live in the moment where we can. I think that’s the best way we can honor those who are gone.”

Molly smiled. She leaned in and kissed Ollie on the cheek. “How did I get so lucky to meet you?” she wondered.

She knelt beside Ollie and got to work pulling weeds alongside him. It wasn’t fun for most people, but they both liked helping out their community and that was just one of many ways they clicked. It made the pain and uncertainty in her heart hurt just a little less.

Chapter Text

Italy was everything Todd imagined and more. For one thing, he didn’t expect that he and Adia would rent one of those fancy Italian cars and speed down the country roads as they took in the sights and sounds. True, he was a bit spooked by that drive for a bit, but then he just let the experience sink in and let the wind rush through his hair and into his body, and suddenly he was having a blast. He might have been laughing like a maniac the whole time, but it just felt so good to be able to live and laugh! He never did anything like this in Brighton, especially with that old car that he finally sold off.

He got to see so many places! The canals of Venice! The Colosseum in Rome! Numerous art galleries and buildings in Florence! So many landmarks like the Leaning Tower of Pisa! And more importantly, there was so much good food to try! He was dangerously close to blowing his budget on food in Italy! Risotto, tiramisu, arancini, cannoli–he was in utter heaven!

It was also around this time that Adia finally got him to try to do a video for his own channel, which would involve eating local food. He felt really weird when she aimed the camera at him and he tried to describe the smell of his pizza instead of just silently taking it in, but once his took a bite, he just let his genuine excitement take over as he described it in full, delicious detail.

“How is it you never became a food critic?” Adia demanded as Todd finished up the pizza. The man merely shrugged before looking around for a trash can. He did spot one, but noticed that there was some trash laying around that didn’t get put into the bin. To Adia’s further surprise, Todd not only threw his paper plate away, but took all the trash on the ground and stuffed it into the bin.

“What? I’m just doing my part to help keep the Earth clean!” Todd defended himself as he sat down beside Adia, who stopped the video. “Besides, if we don’t take care of the Earth, it could lead to global warming, and global warming leads to no more ice cream. Could you imagine a world without ice cream? Or gelato in this case,” he added as his mouth watered over the memory of the sweet, creamy strawberry gelato that he had just yesterday.

“You surprise me, Scratch,” Adia shook her head as she used the old nickname Todd had when they were kids. “I didn’t take you for someone who cared about the environment. When did that happen?”

Todd opened his mouth to answer, but then frowned and shrugged. “I honestly don’t recall,” he admitted. “I guess lately I’ve been a bit more conscious about our planet and taking care of it. I mean, I don’t think my life’s goal is to get rid of all pollution, but–”

It was a little strange. He never bothered with trash laying around on the ground that wasn’t his own when he was living in Brighton, but for some reason he now felt the urge to take care of it wherever he went. It made him feel better, like he was giving a bit more of himself to the world and taking care of it as a way of returning his appreciation to it.

“Well, I have been interested in highlighting some environmental activism around the world,” Adia admitted. “People who are trying to make a difference. I know I’m no Greta Thunberg since I do need to get on a plane if I don’t want to miss out on special events–and I’m not keen on trying to sail across the Atlantic Ocean by a small boat again–but I’m sure I could put my online fame to some additional use.”

“Who is Greta–?” Todd began.

“Lei tornerá sulla Terra!”

Both Adia and Todd noticed a man–one of those people who dressed all raggedy, but probably wasn’t exactly homeless–yelling at passerbys while waving a sign with Italian writing that Todd couldn’t understand.

“Euphrosyne verra!” the man spat at one couple who hurried away from him. “Lei purificherá! Lei punirá! Il suo canto di gloria sara udito!” He glanced at the two friends and yelled “Lei sistemerá tutto ció che non va sulla Terra!”

Both Todd and Adia took that as a cue to leave.

“What was he saying?” Todd asked when they were out of earshot. He figured the guy was just another one of those doomsday folks who yelled about the end of the world without actually doing anything to help it.

Adia shook her head. “The only word I understood was ‘Earth,’” she answered. “And something about a ‘song of glory’ if I heard that correctly.”

Todd frowned. “I probably should look up a bit of Italian before we leave,” he decided. He only knew a few words, but it’d probably help to double check some phrases.

****

Todd looked through a mask shop while Adia needed to catch something for one of her videos a couple blocks away. Normally the masks were a huge hit just before the Venice Carnival, but obviously they were still a hit with tourists all year round. He wasn’t keen on buying a mask but he still wanted to take a look.

There was all kinds of masks–clown masks, domino masks, phantom masks–and no mask was painted the same. Todd had to resist touching the masks or putting them on since there was a policy against that.

“Con quel naso grosso dubito che ti andrebbe bene qualsiasi maschera!” the owner chuckled at Todd when she looked up from her book.

The more clownish looking masks probably suited his face, but made his unique looks look handsome in comparison–none of these masks would do much to heighten his appearance if he was still short with some weight on his gut. Though the more spooky masks made him think of Halloween–they’d be perfect for scaring someone.

Todd then came upon one mask. Now it wasn’t his kind of mask to wear–it was too small, delicate, and feminine for his face–but something about it caught his attention. It was a beautiful golden-yellow mask, with ribbons and tiny silk flowers adorning the sides, and bright colorful flowers that were painted just under the eyes and upon the forehead. It would be more fitting for the face of a fairy or young princess–he could almost imagine the lucky girl at a fancy masquerade wearing this while dressed in golden hues, and dancing with a young prince dressed like an orange sunrise.

He had no clue why but something in the back of his head was tingling upon just looking at the mask, like he once saw a combination of this color and those flowers. Todd tried to think back, but it wasn’t coming to him no matter how hard he could. Besides, something about this mask suddenly made him feel intensely sad for some reason. Todd didn’t want to feel sad, so he went out and left the store, just as a strong breeze crashed into him.

“Someone grab the cards!”

Todd looked down in time to see some tarot cards go flying towards him. Todd quickly bent down and grabbed three of them, but he had to chase after the other two. Luckily two other people helped gather the cards and soon they were returned to their owner.

“Grazie!” The woman thanked. Unsurprisingly, she was a fortune teller–she wore a fancy shawl over her clothes and her face was adorned with a simple black domino mask from which deep blue eyes shone as she accepted the cards from the first two people who returned them. Her wild red hair was blowing in the wind as she turned to Todd.

“Here!” Todd offered the tarot cards back to the fortune teller.

The fortune teller slowly accepted the cards–her hand making slight contact with Todd’s. Todd turned and was about to leave when she suddenly grabbed his hand. He looked down in confusion and saw an oddly intense look in her eyes as she stared at his hand and for a moment she seemed lost to the world.

“Would you like to have your fortune told?” she finally offered as she looked at him with a clear gaze–her accent was hard to place, but Todd was tempted to say it was Irish. “Since you gathered most of them?”

“I don’t really believe in the supernatural, so you’d be wasting your time on me,” Todd shook his head. “But I appreciate the offer.”

The fortune teller glanced down at Todd’s hand once again as she held it. She appeared lost in deep thought and seemed troubled for a brief second before she calmed down.

“We will run into each other once more,” the fortune teller stated as if it were a fact. “Perhaps then you will be ready to hear what I must say. I don’t think you are ready just yet–not as you are now.” She looked up and smiled at Todd. “You have a good heart–that is the one thing you will never lose, no matter what form you take. Your heart remembers all, and will guide you when it is time to listen to it.”

“Uh, thanks?” Todd raised his unibrow in confusion as he let go of the fortune teller’s hand.

“You’re welcome, Scratch,” the fortune teller smile and waved. “Arrevederci!”

That startled Todd. “Wait, how–?” he asked, but then a crowd of people suddenly came between him and the fortune teller. Todd yelped and backed away as the crowd just kept coming, but once they were gone, there was no sign of the mysterious fortune teller. It was as if she had never been there to begin with.

****

Todd and Adia sat down for dinner–he made a request to not be filmed for it since he didn’t want every single meal filmed.

“So how was shopping?” Adia asked.

“Uneventful,” Todd lied as he tried to keep calm. He was too frantic when he lied, and didn’t want to tell Adia about the fortune teller or what she said to him. “Just regular window shopping. No talking puppets though,” he added, causing Adia to laugh.

“Ah, Pinocchio,” Adia mused. “Wasn’t that one of your favorite films growing up?”

“Well, I loved the music–especially the main song before Disney turned it into a marketing ploy–but that movie traumatized me,” Todd shook his head. “Especially that donkey scene.”

“I’d say the first Alien film did it for me,” Adia said. She then asked “So souvenirs yet? I’ve yet to see you buy something for yourself, but I haven’t seen so much as a postcard or a keychain from you.”

“Well, I don’t have a house to return to anymore,” Todd admitted. “Where would they go? It’d be a waste of money. I want to get something from somewhere that I feel is the perfect place to get something, but I haven’t found it yet.”

Hey, why not spend that money on something that he really wanted that would keep his energy up? Especially when all the walking he now did was burning up said energy? Though the only change that gave to his body was more endurance and leg muscle, with a day of stiffness and soreness here and there, and he wasn’t going to look like a male model anytime soon. Not that he’d complain, since the payoff of a new sight was always worth the soreness in his feet.

“Not even for anyone special back home?” Adia asked.

Todd’s smile faltered a bit. “I kept to myself,” he answered as carefully as he could. “I wasn’t close to anyone at work, and I was never good with dating or making more friends–you know that.”

Adia looked as if she wanted to say something. Then smiled and shook her head. “Yeah, I was never the kind who wanted to settle down and have kids, and it’s been ages since I saw my other friends and co-workers. Not to mention Dad’s passing…”

Right–Adia’s dad passed away from cancer. That was Adia’s big turning point towards fulfilling her and Todd’s childhood dreams.

“I don’t think I want to imagine what will happen once my time comes,” Todd confessed. “At least I’ll die without any regerts, now that I finally got around to exploring the world with you.”

He wasn’t afraid anymore. He was finally living and that’s all he could ask for.

“Sorry what was that?” a puzzled Adia asked. “You said ‘regerts’ instead of regrets.”

Todd frowned. “Huh, I guess I did. That’s weird.”

“No, not really. Remember Patty? The woman who used to look after me and you when we were kids? She always said ‘regerts’ instead of ‘regrets.’ Maybe she stuck on you somehow.” Adia thought for a second. “The last I heard of her, she was at the retirement house in Brighton. I guess you probably ran into her at some point.”

Todd did recall Patty–the lady from Brighton who went on all sorts of crazy adventures in her life, and helped fuel his and Adia’s imagination. Huh, when was the last time he saw her again? He had an idea of what she looked like but his mind was drawing a blank. “Maybe I did,” he answered.

Adia decided to change subjects. “So, are you sure you aren’t ready to try hang gliding this time?” she wondered. “Trust me it’ll be fun!” she grinned. There was a lot of things she wanted her friend to try now that he was more open to new experiences, and that was on the top of her list (just below goals like taking him to Paris and going on a zip line in South America).

“I still need to build up my endurance for anything extreme!” Todd nervously laughed. “It was one thing to finally fly on a plane, and force myself to get up the Tokyo Tower! Or reach the top of the Sears Tower back in Chicago!”

Adia nodded in understanding. “Well, we will get you ready and soon you’ll know why hang gliding is fun!”

****

Despite the big day of traveling the countryside ahead, Todd couldn’t sleep that night. Something about that conversation about souvenirs bothered him. He left the hotel room to step onto the balcony and take in the Italian night sky and all the stars contained within it. Todd hummed ‘When you wish upon a star’ to himself upon being reminded where he was. But it wasn’t helping.

Yes, he wasn’t a very sociable person due to a fear of rejection, be it in friendships or romance. Perhaps if he had worked on that sooner, he could of had real friends besides Adia. Hell, maybe he would have been married and had been a dad by now. But his fears got the best of him in even those areas.

He had no one back home that he especially close to. No one who could inspire him to keep an eye out for postcards to send to like Adia did for him. No one to gift any special souvenirs to, or to seek out the perfect gift that no one else could give but him. No one to share the stories that photos and videos alone couldn’t do justice. No one to inspire and see that the world was larger and more beautiful than they realized. Was it too late to change all that?

What would happen when he finally accomplished all he wanted? Adia had a head start on him and already saw more than he did, so he had some catching up to do. But what about when his body couldn’t handle traveling anymore? What about when he finally passed away? Who would be at his funeral? Adia? If she passed first (unlikely in his opinion), then who else? Certainly not a small fistful of internet followers, or Stu Brunson who could hold decades old grudges stronger than any Japanese horror movie spirits.

What friends did he have besides Adia?

“I hope no matter where you go, you will remember your friends right here in Brighton.”

Oh right, the girl at the bus stop before he left Brighton at last. That’s what she said to him. What was her name again? Molly? She looked like a Molly to him and he instinctively called her ‘Moll’ when he said farewell to her. What did he say to her? “Arrevederci, Moll!”

It didn’t occur to him until now that he could have been wrong and yet he was so sure that ‘Molly’ was her name. Why did he blab about his sudden life changes to her? Yes he was excited and wanted to finally tell someone, and she did seem genuinely interested. Something about her felt familiar and comforting, like he was ok with telling her about himself, and she cared enough to wish him well and be saddened enough to see him–an utter nobody who, until that point, was known as Brighton’s most miserable, cowardly loser–leave and hope he’d remember the folks he left behind.

But Todd had no friends to remember.

He promised the girl that he wouldn’t forget the friends that he didn’t have, and that maybe he would come back for a visit, but he still wasn’t ready to head back to Brighton just yet.

But still, he appreciated that in the end, someone did care and supported him, no matter how briefly.

Todd looked up at the sky, but he couldn’t spot any special stars to make a wish upon.

“Even if there was a wishing star, what could I wish for?” Todd wondered out loud. “I’m finally living at last, I’m seeing the world with my best friend–there’s nothing more I could want now,” he tried to reassure himself. “And even if I wanted to wish for more friends, I don’t know how I can keep them after I lost the only one I had all too easily the first time.” His gaze lingered on the sky before he gave up and hit the hay. But then he thought back to something.

He told the girl “arrevederci.” The fortune teller told him the same exact thing before she vanished.

Todd went to get his phone and sat on his bed as he looked up the word. He was sure he knew what it meant when he used it and when he heard it. However what he saw caught him off guard. Apparently there were different ways to say good-bye in Italian, but there seemed to be a specific meaning in that word:

‘Until we meet again.’

Todd slowly took in the meaning and stared ahead of him in surprise. Suddenly that final moment at the bus stop played again in his head, but now with the true meaning of that word.

“Until we meet again, Moll.”

Did he accidentally make a promise to that girl on the bus stop? Because it now sure as heck felt as if he did. Something tingled in his chest at the thought of it, but in an oddly pleasant way.

“We will run into each other once more,” that fortune teller said to him before also saying “Arrevederci.”

Todd scoffed and shook his head. Yeah, he highly doubted that would happen, and besides–fortune telling was as likely as real as ghosts, which he was not a believer in.

****

There was just half an hour to go until Molly’s first high school dance. She bought a pretty sea green dress that she fully intended to wear multiple times and bought it with the money she got from working at Grandma Nin’s restaurant.

Molly only worked part time at ‘San Phra Food’–her mom insisted that Molly had to balance her school work with helping Grandma Nin and that Molly would be paid actual money. Sharon had also told Nin that eventually Molly would need to dedicate the next summer for driver’s ed, and that she could not work full time for her once that happened.

“Aww, but cars release so much toxic fumes into the air!” Molly had protested. “I’d rather get an electric car if I had to have one.”

“We can’t afford an electric car, Molly,” Pete shook his head. “And we will not be able to drive you around forever.”

“Besides, there might be an emergency where neither of us can drive,” Sharon added.

Ok, point taken.

Anyway, Molly was watching the video of Todd eating pizza in Italy on the channel that Adia set up for him while waiting in the living room. She smiled as he moaned in delight before swallowing a bite.

“The basil is fresh, the tomato in the sauce is fresh!” he excitedly described the taste. “It’s like everything was picked straight from the garden! Or even better–the pizza grew off a tree! My mouth feels enhappified!”

Molly paused the video and looked at what few comments there were. They were mostly positive, along with the “First to comment” line. She hesitated–would he even–?

Molly gave in and typed something. This was his first video and he needed to see some more positive comments to encourage him.

“I feel that my days will be enhappified when I watch your videos,” she wrote. “I look forward to more and learning more about food around the world.”

He’d assume that he inspired her username if he saw it. There’s no way he’d be able to recognize it, or check her own videos and link the name to her. This new version of Todd was not addicted to the screen as his old self had been.

Molly submitted what she wrote and looked up at the video image, which was paused at a moment where his eyes were closed as he savored a bite of pizza. She could see the ghost within the man in that image.

She wished things were different–she wanted to text him about her first high school dance and send him a photo of her in her dress. She wanted to hear him joke about the middle school dances he checked in on. She wanted–

“I need to live in the moment,” Molly reminded herself. “He’ll remember someday.”

The doorbell rang.

Molly’s mood lifted as she turned off the phone and headed to the door to swing it wide open and find Ollie dressed for the dance. In his hands was a pink cosmos flower.

“You look good!” Ollie complimented Molly.

“You too!” Molly beamed before looking at the flower. “Is that–?”

“From Mom’s garden!” Ollie answered as he handed her the flower. He felt that this was a flower that suited the girl and how he felt toward her without choosing something too unoriginal or obvious.

“Deja vu,” Molly smiled as she recalled the first dance she had with Ollie, when he came to her door then. She accepted the cosmos and placed it in her hair.

Minutes later, the two got into the Chen’s car, which Esther drove. She couldn’t help but smile at the two as she started the vehicle up.

“By the way, Darryl is hanging out with June,” Ollie told Molly. “To help her with some inventing. She told me it was top secret.”

“Ah,” Molly nodded. “Must be something amazing.”

****

“Ok, I got it!” June pulled away from Darryl’s green wraith form as he hovered beside Geoff. “I got the DNA samples and I scanned everything that I could!” she declared as she looked at the syringe she held which was full of a sample of Darryl’s green ectoplasm.

“Oh good!” Darryl sighed.

“The one eyed demon stares at me from prison,” Darryl’s soulless human body droned as he laid slumped on the floor.

“Are you sure you have enough… uh… ‘data?’” Geoff wondered as Darryl flew back into his body to merge back with it.

“I might need more wraith data,” June admitted as she ejected the syringe’s containments into a vial that she sealed up. “But the Ghost World should be one step closer to having a new system for sorting out wraiths from regular ghosts.”

“So that what happened to Scratch wouldn’t happen again,” Geoff quietly repeated what he was told earlier. “Well, I’ll let the council and Sally know!” he then cheerfully told June as Darryl sat up. The ghost made a portal and flew through it.

June put her samples away and typed in some stuff onto her computer before turning to Darryl. “You want to see something really cool?” she asked. She went to one drawer and pulled out a golf ball sized orb that was contained in a glass cylinder. “If we get the math just right, there will be a second Fourth of July in Brighton.”

Darryl’s eyes shone. “I’m all in!” he declared.

***

The homecoming dance was a grand event and almost every student was there. Balloons and streamers hung from the gym walls, music was blasting out of the speakers, and everyone was mingling. The freshman students either tried to get better acquainted with older students to gain a better social status or else shyly hung with their peers, while the older students were more at ease.

“This is a lot larger compared to middle school dances!” Molly commented to Ollie.

“Agreed!” Ollie nodded.

Both of them mingled with their fellow freshmen, including Libby who introduced them to a few members from her club, and Andrea who did the same. However they both joined in the dancing when they could and they quickly forgot about the outside world as they were caught up in the fun.

“They have good music!” Molly cheered as some early aughts’ music played.

“I bet they’ll play the Macarena just to be funny at some point!” Ollie laughed. However, what he didn’t tell Molly was that he personally checked with the DJ to see the list of songs to make sure that song wouldn’t play and ruin her night. Fortunately the DJ confirmed that would not be the case.

“By the way I made a small presentation for the community club and Maya about how we could support the local businesses!” Molly told her boyfriend. “If all goes well at the next meeting, a lot of businesses will be able to stay afloat! I’m sure we’ll get everyone to agree with the plan!”

Ollie smiled. “I got my fingers crossed, but I know you’ll win them over,” he assured Molly. “After all you’ve done for Brighton, they’ll listen and be on board!”

There were a total of three slow dance songs played across that night. The second one, however, would later be the most memorable to the young couple. The lights were dimmed and a disco ball was spinning as a pink light was aimed at it. The song that played made a few Seniors either groan or chuckle upon recognizing it.

“Pride can stand a thousand trials,” crooned the singer from the stereo. “The strong will never fall.”

“Oh God, someone must have really loved that Romeo and Juliet movie from Mrs. Barnon’s English class!” one senior groaned.

“I hope none of the teachers are paying attention to the lyrics!” another senior laughed.

As Molly and Ollie slow danced with everyone else, the girl leaned in to Ollie and shut her eyes as the boy held her close, and she took in his body warmth.

She had learned everyone’s embrace almost by heart–her parents’ loving embrace that made her feel at home, even back when there wasn’t a true place to call home. Her brother’s quick, tight hugs. Libby’s gentle, lingering hugs. Even Scratch had a very specific embrace–regardless of if he had to wrap his arms around her several times over or not, there was a warmth and firmness about it that made her feel safe.

But with Ollie? There was something more. She felt secure, she felt affection, she felt his optimism. Every hug from her loved ones felt right, but there was something almost indescribable about his embrace. When he unexpectedly held her closer–as if he never wanted to let go of her–she tightened her embrace in response.

“Touch me deep, pure and true. Gift to me forever, ‘cos I’m kissing you, oh I’m kissing you.”

“Hey, let’s sneak out for a second,” Ollie whispered close to Molly’s ear.

“Oh, going to get in some trouble?” Molly chuckled as Ollie let go of her and took her by her hand.

He held her hand tightly as they ran past several dancing students. They had to weave past many of them until they came to a set of double doors that were slightly cracked open. He opened the doors wide to the cool night air and a sky full of stars and a moon shining down upon them. They could still hear the music, but it wasn’t as loud outside as it was inside.

“Ok, now what?” Molly asked as Ollie led her to a slightly secluded spot away from the doors. “Because if you suddenly decide to TP some Senior cars–which would be a waste of perfectly good toilet paper–”

He leaned in and gently kissed her mouth closed.

He held her shoulders as he held his kiss, in a burst of young, teenage passion.

Shock flooded her brain for a brief moment before she returned the kiss as the music indoors played. Her arms moved and her hands were pressed against his back as she held him close to her.

There was no witnesses but the stars and the moon smiling down upon them.

The young couple had to take a breath when they finally parted, though Ollie held on to Molly.

“Whoa!” Molly gasped and had to steady herself as she smiled again. “I wasn’t expecting that!”

“I wanted to,” Ollie smiled back. “I wanted to live in the moment, since there’s only one first high school dance in our lives. But not around a bunch of our classmates–I just want this moment for the both of us.”

Molly’s eyes shown. The boy could see everything wondrous about her in her eyes–the glow that her beautiful golden-yellow soul was known for almost seemed to radiate from them. And everything about her was beautiful and wonderful.

“I want to live in the moment too,” Molly shyly confessed.

She leaned in and kissed Ollie back.

The two held onto each other. For that moment, time had stopped just for youthful love–the moment was a gift to the two of them from time itself. And the stars and the moon almost seem to shine bright for the young couple–for all young couples, and for those who held the memory of young love in their hearts.

*****

“TAKE COVER!” June yelled to Darryl after lighting the fuse.

Darryl and June–who slapped on some noise canceling headphones as a precaution–darted behind some boxes and watched as the fire trailed down the fuse and headed towards a canon that was angled straight up into the sky.

The fire reached the canon and the orb shot up into the sky.

****

An explosion of fireworks erupted high above Brighton. It was so high that every inch of the town could see it. It was loud enough to interrupt the kiss between Ollie and Molly, who parted ways but kept holding each others hands.

Molly and Ollie stared at the colorful bursts of sparks that erupted without warning. It was as if a second Fourth of July came upon them. While they were lucky to be still outside when it happened, there was one thing on their mind.

“Darryl,” Molly could only comment.

“June,” Ollie could only comment at the same time.

Then the two laughed as they kept holding each other’s hands.

“‘Cos I’m kissing you,” the singer gradually concluded back inside the gym. “I’m kissing you.”

Chapter Text

The presentation had taken a lot of work, but Molly was no stranger to making presentations, especially under a strict time crunch. She made sure she had everything covered and that there was no loopholes. When the next meet-up for the community club rolled around, she had everything on display on the board.

Her first big warning sign that things would not go in her favor was one she didn’t notice–the students were too overwhelmed by all the pictures and information cramped into one space.

“My family are no stranger to making videos for good causes, so I propose doing a weekly video where we can draw attention to a particular local business!” Molly explained. “One store or business per week! We highlight be best parts of the store and why people should shop there, be they locals or visitors to Brighton! And of course the businesses that are struggling the most should get focus first and foremost! We put this online and do the right promoting, and then we will see a boost in sales around town in no time!” she concluded with a grin.

There was only silence and uneasy looks from all but Ollie, and a few confused freshman.

“Um, Molly?” Maya stepped in. “May I say something?” When Molly nodded, the president continued. “Don’t get me wrong–the enthusiasm is great, and this does seem like an amazing plan. But I’m seeing some problems.”

“Such as?” Molly asked.

“Doing a weekly video–on top of homework and the goals this club has already set up–would be a lot of work to do. Even if it was a group effort, it might be too much.”

“Then it could be a bi-weekly or once a month video!” Molly tried to stay optimistic.

“Realistically it would need to be once a month at best,” Lauren cut in. “Alex can’t do weekly or bi-weekly edits.”

“Yeah, I’m trying to work at my uncle’s place part time this year,” Alex–the internet and social media expert–nodded.

“And a lot of businesses and this school have partnerships to begin with,” Maya continued. “Some as far back as when this school was first built, like the hardware store, so it’s almost a wasted effort in the making.”

“Did you consider how competitive things could get if we had to show off the stores one at a time?” Lauren added. “We’d risk making enemies. And with you and your family as town heroes? They’d go nuts trying to get dibs on being first if they could get your support!”

“Also, I hate to say this, but Bizmart would try to get in on it,” Maya admitted. “Some students have family members who either got jobs since it first opened outside of Brighton, or had to work there when Davenports shut down. They’d want in on this too.”

Molly winced at this. She also couldn’t help but feel a stab of guilt because some part of her wondered if she accidentally had a hand in Bizmart coming to Brighton, which lead to Davenports shutting down.

“And didn’t your newspaper at the middle school indirectly shut down the burger joint that Hayden’s aunt owned?” Suzannah–a sophomore–asked. “He’s still angry about that, so some people might see this as hypocritical if they knew your connection to that.”

“Oh,” Molly pulled a face. Right–she almost forgotten about that.

“I’m really sorry Molly, but I don’t think this plan is doable right now,” Maya shook her head. “We already figured out our goals for the year last May.”

“But–!” Molly protested when she heard something in the back of her mind.

“Sometimes you don’t always get to be the boss. You got to do what your friends want to do.”

Molly gave in. “Right,” she nodded.

“Look, Halloween is coming up soon,” Maya reminded Molly. “Remember we are hosting a fundraiser on campus, so low-income kids can be able to buy costumes. You and Ollie are still on decoration duty.”

*****

Later that day in class, Molly couldn’t stop thinking about her failed presentation when hanging out with Libby.

“Andrea would be on board with this if she was part of the club,” Molly grumbled before getting hopeful. “Do you suppose she could help out? Maybe I don’t need the club’s support.”

“I don’t think that would be a wise idea, Molly,” Libby didn’t like where this was going. “Doing a video behind their back? And I don’t think Andrea could help this time.”

“But I’ve had times where it was just me and no one else promoting a good cause!”

“How are you going to squeeze in time for making those videos? Don’t you need to film and interview a lot of people for this plan to work? And how are you going to squeeze in time for homework?”

“Oh I can balance a lot on a time crunch!” Molly proudly declared.

“I was told that you almost failed your presentation on Lincoln because you were too busy helping everyone else out and you didn’t do your research on time. That’s not going to happen again, is it?”

“This won’t be like last time!” Molly promised. “I learned my lesson!”

****

Molly told her parents of her plan at dinner time, but they were not as on board this time, to her surprise.

“There’s too many businesses to cover in one year,” Pete told Molly. “You’d have to include stores that you might not agree with. Especially businesses like Irving the Illusionist–that was his name, right?” he wondered.

Molly grimaced at that. She wasn’t keen on supporting a pack of lies wrapped in plastic cups and metal rings.

“And this isn’t really a good time for you to take on too many tasks at once,” Pete warned. “We want you to be able to balance your school work and working for Grandma Nin with your social life, which you’ve more than earned–it’s not everyday you get to be in high school, so you should enjoy this time and all the fun that comes with it.” He shuddered. “Though I would gladly avoid another swirlie attempt on my life, like what Harry Gabrini did in sophomore year.”

“Why not offer to do one promo video for Grandma Nin as a test?” Sharon suggested. “And do a bit of research on promoting businesses online?”

“Yeah and you might want to cut your losses if you don’t get enough hits,” Darryl commented in-between bites of cantaloupe and blueberries.

“Oh I will!” Molly declared. “You’ll see!”

****

After a discussion with Grandma Nin over the phone, Molly approached Andrea to get advice from the expert in promoting.

“As much as I want to help you from start to finish, Molly, I got some things I need to do for my club,” Andrea apologized as the other girl had a notebook out and ready. “But I can email you some videos I’ve done for my family business to help out. Though I’m not sure you’d want to mention my involvement.” She lowered her voice. “I don’t think you’ll want to try to get my Dad’s sponsorship right now.” Her voice raised up.“Why don’t you come up with a strategy and then present it to me for critiquing?”

“Uh, ok?” Molly wished Andrea was a bit more helpful.

“Oh, and one thing, Molly,” Andrea cautioned. “You need to have a certain… oh… pizzaz you need to bring to keep your viewers entertained. And if you are serious about this, you need to stay on top of what’s trendy. Always.”

Molly jotted down her notes and headed off. Unbenowngst to her, Ollie had been watching the exchange with Andrea. He approached the blue haired girl who was startled to see him.

“You didn’t tell her?” Ollie asked Andrea.

Andrea shook her head. “And you didn’t tell her either, did you?” she asked back.

Ollie bit his lip and shifted his eyes. “I don’t want to say anything until I know for sure it’ll happen,” he admitted. “I just want things to be happy while they still can.”

“She’s not going to take it well if you have to hold off until the last minute.”

“She’s already been through a lot this year,” Ollie countered. “And right now would be a bad time to say anything. I can’t just tell her whenever I want.”

Andrea understood. “Well, just don’t hold off too long,” she cautioned.

***

Molly looked through the videos Andrea sent her. Andrea certainly had a knack for being an online influencer that Molly lacked–could there be any way to measure up to her?

Naturally all the videos Andrea sent were for Davenports–as well as some online promo stuff she did–and one video was that infamous Davenport’s on-demand commercial. Perhaps Andrea thought it was among her best work, despite how much trouble that app nearly caused. Molly had no problem watching it at first, but then she saw who one of the participants was and it was a major gut punch for her to see none other than Todd–back when he lacked his soul–just standing around doing the bare minimum while Andrea talked.

But Molly didn’t just see Todd–she saw Scratch’s empty, living human body.

Looking at the soulless Todd reminded Molly of his true connection to her, despite that they probably only exchanged a couple words up until he was whole again. It made her wonder–for the umpteenth time–why she never recognized Scratch’s face in Todd’s face, when it was so painfully obvious now. It made her wonder how different or easier things could be if Scratch was–

“No,” Molly shook her head. “I can’t rely on Scratch. I got to do this without him. He’s living his life, just as he should be.”

****

Doing the video was a lot harder than Molly thought. She tried to use Andrea’s videos as inspiration and boarded everything out. She talked with Nin about what they wanted to focus on for the restaurant, like what was the main specialty.

It crushed Molly when Andrea told her she needed to revise her ideas.

“I know you want to go for a family-owned business angle, but you need to sell your pitch to a wide audience!” Andrea warned. “Think of tourists who never been to Brighton or even tried Thai food! And what about variety? What about the vegans and vegetarians? The drinks?”

Molly was forced to revise with some more input from Nin, who was fine with showing off more of her food.

However there were some downsides to the task. First was that Molly forgot to study for a test on part of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ and it did not help that she only read the first quarter of the book instead of reaching the part her teacher expected the students to be at. To be honest, it was hard for Molly to enjoy a book that involved discrimination and social injustices, and which reminded her of how dark the world could be. To her dismay, she failed the test with a mere seven out of twenty five.

“Molly,” Libby gave Molly a warning look when she found out.

“It’s fine!” Molly protested. “I’ll study more next time!”

The second came the day of filming on a Saturday afternoon.

Molly enlisted Darryl’s help to film the video as she allowed her ‘Molly McGee’ energy to carry her through the takes, while an unhappy Sharon had to take down the Halloween decorations for a few hours. Filming the food itself was no problem, and a few volunteers ate Vegan Thai rice salad bowls or spicy curry (though no on envied the customer who had to eat multiple bites of the spicy curry) among the many offerings. But one shot would be ruined by raccoons chasing a screaming man just outside the window, someone would loudly sneeze, Grandma Nin would scold an unsatisfied customer, Darryl lost his grip on the phone, and even Molly flubbed a line or two. Still, she tried to keep up her energy for every take since her goals relied on this commercial being absolutely perfect.

Eventually, she finally got all the footage she needed and was ready to head home. Except by the time she got home she found Ollie leaving her house for some reason.

“Oh, hey Ollie!” Molly waved. “What’s up–?”

“We were supposed to go to the park for a date and then get to work on the fundraiser decorations,” Ollie reminded Molly. “Then your mom told me you were busy doing a commercial for your grandmother.”

Molly’s face fell. “Oh shoot, I did promise to do that!” Molly slapped her face. “Ollie, I’m so sorry! I’ll make it up to you somehow! Maybe next time–”

Molly winced. No, she couldn’t use those three words, after knowing what they led to for her friend.

“Maybe we could reschedule for tomorrow?” Molly asked instead. “We could do the decorations at your house?”

“We can’t go to my house,” Ollie shook his head. “There’s some stuff going on right now.”

“Oh,” Molly nodded. “Say… what have your parents been doing for work since they aren’t making those videos anymore? I thought your dad was entertaining the idea of having a root beer pub.”

“Mom’s been doing some online gigs with her social media and editing skills,” Ollie answered. “Dad is doing other stuff.”

Molly cursed herself for not thinking of including Ollie’s family for help. At this point it would be rude to ask Esther for help after today, wouldn’t it? “Well, I Molly McGee guarantee I will be free tomorrow!” Molly swore. “I promise!”

As Molly hurried into her house to work on the video and edit it, Ollie went back to his house.

Ollie noticed his sister June watching through the window and when he came inside, he noticed that she was on the sofa and holding Yixiao–a plushie of a reddish pink and white fox that their grandma gifted to her when she was eight. It was one of her most cherished plushies, but she either held the plushie when she was happy or sought comfort. The far off, troubled look told Ollie it was the latter and he knew why she had that look.

The boy sat down beside his sister, who sank into the sofa.

“You didn’t tell her,” June stated.

Ollie nodded. “And you didn’t tell Darryl, did you?”

June held Yixiao closer to her chest.

“I’m sure it’s not going to happen,” Ollie tried to reassure June. “Maybe some miracle will happen, and then everything will turn out alright.”

“What if it doesn’t?” June whispered.

Ollie held out his hand and June accepted it. She squeezed Ollie’s hand tightly and he didn’t care as he squeezed her hand back.

“Whatever happens, I’ll still be there for you,” Ollie promised. “That will never change.”

“You can’t always be there for me,” June pointed out.

“I will if I have to. You know I will.”

***

So in order to keep her promise to Ollie, Molly spent the rest of the day and much of night working on the video and editing it. She wished she had the computer expertise of Andrea, Esther, or June–the latter was not available since she was working on her own projects and made it clear that she was not at a point where she could be willingly interrupted unless it was an emergency.

She was driven to exhaustion and badly needed sleep once it hit one am in the morning, but she forced herself to keep going. Finally Sharon–who had a knack for knowing when her kids (and, at one point, a certain ghost) stayed up too late–had to order Molly to stop and go to bed.

Molly ended up oversleeping and barely made it in time to hang out with Ollie the next day. The girl was an utter wreck, but Ollie made no comment about her tired appearance. It took one cup of caffeinated soda for Molly to perk up and the two strolled through the park where they reflected on times long since passed, and picked up the occasional trash off the ground to throw away.

The two worked on making decorations at Molly’s house. Ollie took up most of the scissorwork (as he didn’t trust Molly to use the scissors safely at that moment) and Molly did the painting, drawing, and gluing. They made all sorts of Halloween ghouls, and unsurprisingly there were quite a few ghosts in the mix. Molly took inspiration from the scarier versions of the ghosts she met over the last few years and the designs certainly looked like they came from the Ghost World.

It took so much effort to avoid using too much blue on the ghosts.

The two passed the time by coming up with stories for the creatures–maybe Frankenstein’s Monster was working toward a medical degree, or the Wolfman was a detective trying to solve a mystery regarding a missing heiress and a lost ruby necklace.

“And this ghost was once a knight, but he now works in the Ghost World as a security guard!” Molly joked, causing Ollie to chuckle.

Finally they were done–a menagerie of Halloween creatures were relaxing in the McGee living room.

Once the date was over, Molly chugged a soda, finished off the video, got some input from Andrea after sending it for a critique, and then submitted it online.

****

Molly waited a whole week to see if her project worked. In the meantime, the Halloween fundraiser was a success–high schoolers purchased tickets to play games and won candy and vouchers for an extra day for late homework, or special discounts for upcoming games. Ollie and Molly’s decorations were praised, and they were equally happy. While the fundraiser didn’t earn the exact amount the community club wanted, they made enough to ensure that there would be kids who’d be able to buy a costume.

“Huh, not bad!” one student commented to Molly. “Though I admit I thought you’d use those projections you used for last year’s haunted house for the Halloween carnival.”

“Oh, well, that would have been hard to do!” Molly nervously laughed.

“So are you still doing that this year? It’d be hard to top those ghost effects.”

Molly was about to answer when she paled.

Oh no.

She never considered that!

“Oh!” Molly gulped. “Uh… yeah! The haunted house–!”

“Our siblings took over that!” Ollie jumped in as he came to Molly’s aid. “Trust me, I’m sure they got something good planned!” He gave a disbelieving Molly a thumbs up.

“What do you mean?” Molly demanded. “This is the first time I’ve heard about this!”

“You were too busy and they wanted to take over this time,” Ollie explained. “It’s top secret. I heard your brother had to really convince Principal O’Connor to let him and June do it.”

“I guess Darryl’s ‘credentials’ worked in his favor,” Molly grumbled.

As the two walked away, Ollie asked Molly. “You weren’t seriously considering asking the ghosts for help, were you?”

Molly was conflicted about that. It would have been nice to get supernatural help again for the haunted House, but she was trying to keep herself from that habit–she already got more than enough help from one ghost at this point in her life. “No,” she shook her head. “I can’t keep relying on ghosts for help.”

Later that day, Molly and Libby finally took a look at the comments together during a walk through town. Halloween was drawing near in Brighton with each passing day and a lot of places were decorated with images of witches, mummies, vampires, jack-o-lanterns, and, of course, ghosts. The illustrations and displays of fake ghosts were nothing like the real ghosts Molly had seen, but a part of her wondered for a split second if maybe–just maybe–

Molly looked back at the comments–most of them were positive, but–

“Why is there a ‘first to comment’ comment?!” Molly angrily protested. “That’s not a real comment! That doesn’t tell me anything like ‘Oh I want to go!’ or ‘I’d go if I lived close by!’”

“Well, at least you got five comments,” Libby offered as she looked at them.

“‘First to comment’ doesn’t count!” Molly yelled. “I can’t be the only one who thinks that’s stupid!”

**** A few weeks ago, back in Italy****

“What kind of person writes ‘first to comment’ on a video?!” Todd angrily demanded to Adia as he gestured at the seemingly offensive comment on his first video. “That doesn’t tell me anything! Not even any kind of constructive criticism! I’d rather hear someone say my face looks stupid than write something that dumb!”

****Present day****

“Huh, that’s weird,” Libby noted. “Molly, you do have a few thumbs’ up, but there’s a couple thumbs’ down.”

Molly looked and was baffled to see at least three thumbs’ down compared to the twenty five thumbs’ up that must have come from the locals. Sure the thumbs’ up outnumbered the thumbs’ down, but it still hurt a bit to see the thumbs’ down.

“Well, not everyone can be pleased?” Molly tried to laugh it off as she looked at the view count. It wasn’t as high as one of Andrea’s videos, much to her dismay. Then again, she wasn’t a big influencer with a bunch of ‘Fandreas’ like Andrea. If she did have that many fans, what would be her fandom’s nickname?

“Hey, why don’t you take a break from this goal for a bit?” Libby suggested. “Your grandma has a commercial online now, and it's too soon to tell if she’ll get more customers. If she sees more customers, then maybe you can go ahead and do more.”

Molly thought for a moment.

Molly really wanted to do a video for every business. But she secretly had to admit it was too much work just to cover one restaurant when she also had homework and stupidly missed a date with Ollie.

“I’ll give it some time,” Molly promised before the girls got up and continued walking. “Maybe after Halloween, I’ll try–”

“Uh oh,” Libby stopped and frowned as she saw something in the distance.

“What–?” Molly asked before she noticed one of the stores was having a ‘going out of business sale.’ But what made her heart sink was that it was the bath bomb store–which just so happened to be a store that Scatch loved.

“No,” Molly whispered.

The girl made a mad dash to the bath bomb store and bust in. Sure enough there were signs for a big sale and it seemed a few people took advantage of it judging by the empty bins and baskets.

“You’re going out of business?!” Molly panicked as she asked Claire–the store owner. “Why?! When did this happen?!”

“Unfortunately, Bizmart offers luxury items, and not just bath bombs,” Claire shook her head. “And with the rise of online shopping and no one wanting to buy bath bombs during the summer? Things weren’t looking too good for me and this place.”

“But you can’t close!” Molly protested as Libby came in. “You made a lot of people happy!”

A sad Claire chuckled. “I appreciate that coming from one of my favorite customers. You liked coming here a lot.”

“But I wasn’t shopping for myself, I was shopping for–!” Molly spoke when she felt a blow to her heart.

She always came to this store because Scratch loved the bath bombs. Sometimes she would buy one for herself, but it was always on behalf of the ghost who couldn’t show his face, or had the money to buy them himself. Ever since he left, she never came back for various reasons.

“This was my friend’s favorite store,” Molly’s face fell as she hung her head. “He’d be heart broken if he knew…”

“Maybe I’ve seen him?” Claire wondered. “Who was he?”

But Molly couldn’t answer that question, much like with Patty.

“I just had the idea of helping stores out by doing videos to post online,” Molly confessed. “If I had known about this sooner, or had the idea earlier this year, I could have helped you out.”

Claire gave Molly a bittersweet smile. “It’s ok,” she assured the girl. She glanced around the room and spotted a particular bath bomb. “Strawberry Sunshine was your favorite, right? I’ll let you have one on the house.”

Strawberry Sunshine was Scratch’s favorite. Her’s was Gummy Sweetness since it was candy scented.

“I’d like that,” Molly nodded.

Molly bought some for herself and for her mom. Libby did the same for herself and her mom. Molly made sure to buy at least a couple Strawberry Sunshine bath bombs and save them for as long as she could.

In the best case scenario, Scratch would come back in time to get one. In the worst… no, she didn’t want to think of that.

But right now she felt like she let him down in some way. She made a huge mistake in not finding out about the bath bomb store’s struggles in time, and not only did she fail Brighton by not doing anything sooner, but she failed her friend by not saving a store he loved. She didn’t know if it was a blessing or not that he would be unaware of the store closing, but she did and it hurt. It was like losing a part of him that was still here in Brighton with her.

****

As for ‘San Phra Food,’ little changed–it only saw the usual amount of customers. However, it was better than losing customers, which a few stores dealt with.

Halloween drew near and near, and most kids and folks opted to get costumes, decorations, and candy from Bizmart, or at the seasonal Halloween store that temporarily filled the empty shell of a building that had been Davenports. In the past, most folks got the candy from the grocery store or Davenports–the latter who once had a deal to sell costumes–and a lot of the local businesses were feeling the financial losses when the unwanted superstore stole their Halloween customers. Thankfully Bizmart had no claim over the yearly Halloween festival.

When Molly got home, she dressed as a fairy–a costume that was all homemade, though it lacked the embellishments and details she wanted to include, but couldn’t due to lack of time. Her parents had strictly bought their candy for trick-or-treaters from the grocery store, as they were doing their hardest to boycott Bizmart, like many Brightonians who never wanted the store in the first place.

To Molly’s luck, Adia posted a new video earlier, right around the time it still would have been Halloween in Europe and was unable to watch the video until she could sit in the living room while in costume. To Molly’s amusement, Adia had taken Scratch to Romania, but she was amazed at how beautiful the country was. Despite its ties to the supernatural, Romania–and Transylvania–had a rustic, country charm about it, and seemed frozen in a more ideal era.

“And in just half an hour, we’ll be at Castle Bran, which is where the inspiration for Count Dracula lived!” Adia said to her viewers. “Halloween isn’t an official holiday here in Romania, but it was fitting to come here on a holiday we celebrate back in America.” She looked off to the side and laughed. “Of course, the locals are generous when it comes to food.” Adia turned the camera to reveal Todd gleefully scarfing down sarmale, which made Molly laugh.

Molly watched as Todd got to see the legendary castle alongside Adia. She knew Libby would love to see the video too, just for the castle alone. She saw her friend in awe at the structure, the sights, and the rooms filled with past relics, furniture, and clothes.

“Hope you had some garlic on the way!” Adia joked to Todd as they took in a bedroom.

“What, you think a vampire is going to come bite me and turn me into one?” an amused Todd asked.

“Oh, now that would have been funny if you had been one,” Molly chuckled to herself. “Come to think of it, it would have been crazy if my family moved all the way to Romania and ran into a vampire instead of a ghost.”

Molly continued to watch the video all the way to the end. The sun was setting in the video, and this time Todd was eating a delicious looking papanasi.

“Say Happy Halloween to our viewers!” Adia nudged Todd as she held the camera up so that it faced the both of them.

“Happy Halloween to our viewers!” Todd beamed with a huge smile and waved back.

Molly paused the video on that moment. She stared at the man, whose soul she had embraced and loved so dearly, yet had never been able to actually embrace him as a whole, human being.

“Happy Halloween, Scratch,” Molly whispered to Todd, wishing that she could be able to say it to him for real.

*****

The Halloween festival was almost similar to last year’s, though there were hopes that no frightmares would return from those who remembered the truth behind that incident.

Having learned from her mistakes with the last costume, Libby dressed as a dullahan. Her face was well hidden, but the chest part of the costume allowed her better visibility compared to the giant gourd of last year. She recounted spooky myths and legends–be they local or from around the world–to those who needed a break from walking, and her flair for drama caught their attention.

Molly and Ollie helped manage a dart throwing game that was a hit with a few kids. This year they did not dress up in the same costume on accident–Ollie had opted to dress as a doctor this time around.

“A doctor helps people, but they can be scary to some folks, so I see it as a win-win,” Ollie explained as he adjusted the white coat that he borrowed from June. “I like yours,” he complimented Molly, while mentally thinking that she looked adorable as a fairy. The girl blushed as a couple elementary school girls chuckled at the exchange.

“Ah, young love!”

Ollie and Molly turned to see a familiar gothic couple. The man pushed a stroller containing an infant who had to be close to his toddler years and was clutching an unsettling baby doll with red hair.

“Hello!” Molly waved to Hidalgo and Gertrude, but was shocked to see that the woman was already pregnant–she looked like she could pop any day now due to how swollen her belly looked. “Another baby already?!” she squeaked. “When?! And how did I not notice–?!”

“We wanted our children to be closer to age,” Hidalgo explained. “Though even we were not expecting how soon this miracle came to be. Yet Octavius is fortunate to have a sister to play with.”

“We hoped little Emily would be an October baby,” Gertrude mused as she patted her pregnant belly. “Though perhaps a Dia de los Muertos child would be more fitting due to how stubborn she is. But it’s nice to see her personality already shining.”

“Well, congratulations!” Ollie waved.

“Thank you, young man,” Hidalgo smiled. “May good fortune favor you and your young sweetheart.”

The couple pushed the stroller and walked away.

“Lord Doom will have a new friend to love and protect alongside young Octavius!” the doll declared as he suddenly peered his head around the stroller. His well meaning grin came off as more scary than sweet, which made Ollie shudder. “The family grows by one!” Lord Doom joyously cried out as the stroller vanished.

“I wish possessed dolls were just a myth,” Ollie whined.

Moments later, Molly and Ollie looked to see Darryl and June manning the haunted house attraction–Darryl was dressed as a horror movie character, complete with fake blood, and June dressed like a nightmarish cyborg, though she insisted on not wearing makeup on her face.

“What was their theme?” Molly asked Ollie again.

“They ‘combined the atmosphere of a Japanese horror movie or video game with good old, well timed American jump-scares.” Ollie explained.

****

A fog filled the darkened room, with only a single blue light blub to illuminate the area. There was unsettling scraping sounds and an occasional popping sound that could be heard behind you one second, and then in front of you ten seconds later.

The young trick-or-treaters shivered as they held each other–unaware of the two invisible ghosts who also held each other–as a ticking noise slowly grew in volume.

“I can’t take this!” Geoff whimpered as he held Jeff for dear life. “When’s the scary part?! I just want it over with–!”

There was a loud ‘bang!’ and a projection of a screaming monster flashed in front of the terrified visitors–both alive and dead–who let out screams of fright.

***

“Oh yeah, it’s going to be a hit,” Ollie nodded when he and Molly heard those screams from outside.

Some time later, Molly offered to get Ollie and herself a hand-pie from the hand-pie vendor, which Ollie accepted. Molly got Ollie an apple pie while she got a strawberry one for herself. As Molly headed back to the dart throwing booth, she passed by some funhouse styled mirrors, a familiar flash of blue startled her and she turned her head to see a boy in a blue sheet with glow in the dark paint serving as the ghoulish face of a ghost.

Molly let out a sad sigh.

“We miss him too.”

Molly turned her head to see an invisible Jeff looking at her in understanding. He was invisible to all but those who knew the existence of ghosts and believed what they saw as truth. Geoff had gone off to look at some attractions, which Jeff was fine with since he wanted to speak with Molly alone.

“I’m never going to forgive Scratch for turning into a human and forgetting us ghosts without giving Geoff any proper closure beforehand,” Jeff admitted. “I hate to say it, but my sweet Geoff enjoyed being friends with Scratch, and I’m glad he had a friend, but….” Jeff frowned. “I just wish Scratch didn’t break Geoff’s heart.”

Molly frowned and looked down at the hand-pie–she remembered how much Scratch loved this treat and how much he loved Halloween. If she had known that Scratch would lose his memories of even last year’s Halloween, she would have ensured that everyone had a chance to say farewell to him–not just her.

“I try to keep him out of my mind,” Molly admitted. “I know I shouldn’t be thinking too much about Scratch, but then I remember things or see things that remind me of him when I’m not ready for it.”

“That’s the thing about grief,” Jeff murmured. “It’s also like a ghost–it haunts us. But if you can’t feel grief, then you aren’t human–you have to accept that its a part of life, and that it lets us keep loved ones in our hearts, or else you’ll be trapped in a mindset that will not let you live life.”

Molly nodded. “Like with Patty too,” she reflected.

Jeff frowned. “Molly, I understand you’ve been really busy with stuff, and I heard that a store Scratch loved closed, on top of losing him and someone else this year, is that right?” he asked. “Can I caution you about something?”

“Uh, yes?” Molly asked.

“Please be careful with how much work you take on from here on out. I don’t want you to overwork yourself, especially if it's for someone who ultimately doesn’t deserve it, because unfortunately there are such people in this world. You are at an age where you will need to be careful with who you trust and who you give your help to–trust me, I’ve seen it happen to others in my time as a–”

There was a scream.

Worried that the frightmares had returned, Molly ran to the direction of the haunted house. Jeff was about to follow her, but gave up–he figured his warning would be enough, and he and Geoff had a party in the Ghost World to attend to.

When Molly reached the haunted house, she skidded to a stop. No, there was no frightmares, but Gertrude was being escorted out of the haunted house by her husband while a nearby adult helped push Octavius’ stroller. The front of the woman’s dress had a noticeable wet stain in a specific spot.

“We may still have an October infant!” Hidalgo happily declared as he led his wife away. “Emily sensed the horrors of the haunted house and wanted to see them for herself!”

Molly’s eyes widened in shock as the family was quickly escorted to their car outside the festival grounds. Meanwhile, Darryl and June were a green in the face as they roped off the entrance and exit to the haunted house.

“We actually scared a woman into labor right in the middle of our attraction!” Darryl shuddered. “But I don’t feel like that’s a high honor to have!”

“And now we need someone to clean up the mess that shut us down!” June added with a shudder.

Molly wordlessly walked back to Ollie, who had also seen what happened. The two silently ate their hand-pies and were all too happy to continued running the game, if only to distract them from that particular scare.

No one would find out until the next day that Emily Wisteria DelToro-Jones came screaming and crying into the world–with a green soul inside her tiny body–at 11:13 pm on Halloween night, much to the delight of her macabre loving parents.

Chapter Text

Pete had been invited to an emergency zoom meeting with Mayor Brunson on November first, and Molly sat with her dad in the living room to hear what was going on.

“Apparently Bizmart is promoting a Black Friday sale!” Brunson complained. “We never had a Black Friday sale in Brighton! Even Maxwell Davenport respected the Thanksgiving traditions here enough to avoid holding one and save his sales for the following week! We don’t know how this will effect the community if stories of past Black Fridays in other towns are bad as is! Heck, someone had to go to the hospital in Mewline because of a Black Friday sale there three years ago! I can’t have that happening here!”

“Then what do you want us to do?” Pete asked.

“I need a small campaign to encourage people to not participate and instead try to focus on the community football games we have in the morning. Any ideas? That preferably doesn’t involve yelling into a megaphone at a bunch of people,” Brunson added. “That would be a waste of time.”

“I could make posters to post around Brighton!” Molly offered with a smile. “A little subtleness could work to remind folks to spend time with family instead of waiting in line for a sale.”

****

The next day, business was being conducted in the Ghost World at the floating isle where the recently chosen Chairwoman and the ghost council sat at the dark dais. Ollie and June–both in wraith forms–presented June’s new invention to the council.

“With this system, you should be able to immediately sort out wraiths from ghosts,” June gestured to a ghostly computer with a program running on it, as well as some gadgets with radars on them. “We gathered enough DNA and research to ensure one hundred percent accuracy.”

Though June didn’t have the heart to tell anyone–especially Molly and Darryl–that she still had some of Scratch’s DNA from his time as a wraith that was also put to use for her invention.

“And I compiled a series of questions and counciling tips you could use to help wraiths return back to their bodies,” Ollie jumped in as he handed a folder to Sally. “You can’t just force a wraith back into their body–you need to ensure they won’t abandon it again. If you have any social workers and therapists here in the Ghost World that could help, that’s even better.”

“Incredible!” Sir Alister exclaimed as he and the council took in the folder and the equipment. “You both just saved us a lot of trouble!”

“And lots of paper work!” Grimbella added.

The robed Sally looked through Ollie’s notes and smiled. “I wish there was a way to repay you both for your hard work,” she admitted. “Something you could have now instead of upon death.”

The Chen siblings’ faces fell.

“I don’t think you could grant the thing we want the most,” June admitted. “Not even a ghost could help us out.”

“Not only that, but the other thing I could ask for…” Ollie’s voice trailed off. He wished he could get Scratch to remember everyone and especially Molly–it was one gift he wished he could give her.

Sally knew what the orange soul was thinking and she give him a bittersweet smile. “I’m sorry, Ollie–there’s no power that I possess that can bring back Scratch’s memories. The only way that could happen is if you can find the correct things to trigger his sensory memories or if he dies and becomes a true ghost.”

A hushed silence fell amongst the council.

“Unfortunately, you humans probably knew him better than we ever did,” Bartholomew admitted. “We doubt anything from the Ghost World can awaken Scratch’s memories.”

“It’s so strange,” Lucretia added. “The one time we’d want to help Scratch, but we can’t.”

“I’m afraid if he is off traveling the world, then it would be impossible to find the right sensory memories,” Grimbella sighed. “And if you approached him as a spirit instead of the form he knows you best as, the likelihood of what you wish will be rather low.”

“Oh,” Ollie hung his head as June patted his back.

“We appreciate that information,” June thanked, even though she was saddened that not even the ghosts could be able to help. She remembered how badly she hyperfixiated on researching for a way to restore Scratch’s memories before he left, and not even she had much luck. Ollie and Libby had been the closest to cracking the sensory memory theory if it worked for Scratch once before, but all the attempts everyone tried failed miserably. June privately theorized that perhaps they were using the wrong triggers, especially if some of them had only worked when Scratch was trying to recall his human life. At this point, she didn’t want to raise anyone’s hopes up.

After saying their farewells, the siblings left via portal to return to their human bodies and left the council alone.

“So that’s it?” Sir Alister inquired. “We can’t do anything to help?”

Sally shook her head. “No,” she admitted. “But…” she looked up at the sky. “I wouldn’t call it quits on this story just yet. Something is coming on the horizon–I can feel it.”

Sally sensed something good… but also something bad. She knew the signs of when a storm was coming, but she wasn’t sure what kind of storm was heading their way.

***

While Ollie and June paid a visit to the Ghost World, Molly used time in-between songs in choir to doodle out a poster for Mayor Brunson in a notebook. All the while Mrs. Sato-Harrsion was trying to get the class’ attention.

“Now I know all of you are excited for auditions for the spring musical,” Mrs. Sato-Harrsion spoke. “But there is a music festival our high-school is a part of every spring, and we were lucky to have the bandshell so that we can perform to all of Brighton. I have finalized choosing songs for the event.”

“So what’s this year’s theme?” Marissa–a sophomore–asked. “Last year was ‘Courage and Kindness.’”

“The theme this year is ‘Unity,’” Mrs. Sato-Harrison answered. “Music has a very strong power over us–it can make us happy or sad. Certain songs are connected to memories from our past and can bring us back to those times. But one thing it can do is bring people together, no matter who they are, where they are from, or how far away they are. I chose songs with that theme in mind and a couple of the songs will have solos, so be prepared to audition for them when it is time. That is if you want to,” the choir teacher added with a smile.

Molly knew she could not afford to miss out on that performance, and especially with a theme meant to bring people together.

At that moment, Ollie burst into the choir room with his backpack in tow. “I was wondering where you were, Ollie,” Mrs. Sato-Harrison said as she made a correction in her notes and marked Ollie as ‘tardy.’

“Sorry!” Ollie apologized. “I had something to do and I lost track of time!”

It wasn’t until the last class of the day that Molly finished her design for the posters. At the same time, Lukas–a boy who had graduated from Brighton Middle School alongside Molly–approached her.

“Hey, my sister joined the newspaper club,” Lukas told Molly. “She’s in the same grade as your brother.”

“Wait, as in Gwen?” an excited Molly asked with a smile. “That’s great! I’m glad to hear that she’s joined!” Molly was proud to know that the newspaper she helped keep afloat was still doing well. “What is she covering? Fashion? Food? Sports? Oh, maybe the front page story! That was Libby’s department!”

“Uh, about that,” Lukas grimaced. “They cut out the front page story section.”

Everything came to a screeching halt.

“What?” Molly flatly asked.

****

“I appreciate an alumni stopping by,” Principal O’ Connor greeted Molly when she visited him in his office at Brighton’s middle school the next day. “But shouldn’t you be spending your minimum day having fun?” He then flinched and panicked. “Oh no, is it Darryl again?!”

“Why did the newspaper club cut the front page story section?!” Molly demanded.

O’Connor relaxed upon seeing that the visit had nothing to do with Darryl. “Well,” he began. “You and your friends set a really high bar with that story about the burgers not using turnips, despite claiming that it did. Also, it’s hard to get a good front page story without someone as talented as Libby was.”

“But it’s not that hard to get a good front page story!” Molly protested. “You just–!”

Molly internally cursed again–right. No one was as dedicated to seeking out the truth like Libby, who had Scratch’s help with that one story. No kid at this school was friends with a ghost besides Darryl and June.

“Libby never revealed how exactly she uncovered that big reveal,” O’Connor continued. “Some kids are worried that they could get in trouble or worse if they get too into looking for the story. That and the burger joint having to shut down as a result actually made some folks uneasy about the paper.”

“Libby uncovered a huge lie!” Molly protested. “Wouldn’t people rather know the truth?! They were angry when they found out!”

O’Connor couldn’t help but chuckle. “You’d be amazed how many adults would be quick to denounce the truth and stick to their own views, no matter how backwards they can be.” He then grew serious and continued. “But the paper was responsible for Brighton losing a business and we can’t have that happening again. Lastly, I know you wanted to focus on stories around Brighton as front page stories, but it's hard to do that as often as you had wanted,” O’Connor added. “The class president–or editor as you might prefer–was thinking of stories outside of Brighton, and if anything special in town came up like the festivals or something regarding a citizen, then it would make the front page news.”

“It won’t be the same!” Molly protested. “We are at a time where we need to highlight the best of Brighton! Stores are being shut down! People are going to fall for Bizmart’s Black Friday sale unless we can get them to focus on Thanksgiving! My grandmother opened a successful restaurant! One of Brighton’s citizens died awhile back and had so many stories that need to be shared! And someone recently moved away and he’s finally traveling the world with his best friend, and that’s a good tale of ‘it’s never too late to start living!’ The newspaper is missing out on so many stories! If I could just–!”

“I’m sorry Molly, but the club is no longer in your hands,” O’Connor shook his head. “As much as I appreciate the offer to help, I’m sure Brighton High needs you more.”

****

Molly completed making the poster and printed out copies. As she and her friends hung the posters around town, she angrily slammed the poster against the window of Weird Larry’s pawn shop.

She worked hard on making that newspaper thrive! She set a high standard because she knew it needed to be perfect so that it could last forever! She wanted her old school to have something to be proud of! She gave a part of herself to that group! To lose a part of it meant that effort was wasted!

She remembered her FaceTime with Adia and how she claimed she was doing an interview for the school paper. What if she tried to have a proper interview that she could have used as the front page story? Would that have been enough to keep the focus on things related to Brighton?

She could have ensured Scratch–no, Todd–’s story would not go unheard, and that he’d be a somebody. Even if Brighton couldn’t know that he was her friend, or all that he had done for the town, Molly would have granted Scratch the town’s respect he had as much right to as her family did.

So much good could have been done with that school paper and it was all going to waste! All because they thought they couldn’t measure up to what she set!

She had done the right thing… right?

Molly looked at her poster of a family of turkeys all happy together and playing football. ‘THANKSGIVING IS A TIME FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS!’ It said. ‘IT IS SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR!’

She was thankful for her family and friends. She was thankful for having a house to live in, and a wonderful town to be a part of and never have to leave. She was thankful that Scratch was able to live out his human life while he still had it, and doing what he set out to do, even if she could never be a part of his life anymore, and he was still safe. She had a lot to be thankful for, right?

“Don’t you dare try to pull that ‘count your blessings’ crap!”

Molly frowned at recalling Linda’s words. No, she had to be thankful for what she had. Otherwise–

“If you feel like you’re becoming someone else,” an all too familiar song suddenly erupted without warning, causing Molly to flinch. “If you’re losing track of you inside yourself.”

“No, no, no, no!” Molly cried as she dropped her posters and tape and slammed her hands against her ears as she shut her eyes. The music was coming from an oblivious college student who had the music cranked up too loudly on their phone as they walked down the street.

No! Please no! She didn’t want to remember the memory that song was tied to! Never again! It was starting to creep into her head against her will–like a shadow that wouldn’t leave her–!

“Molly?!”

Molly gasped as she found a concerned Ollie kneeling beside her.

Molly frantically shook her head. “Make it stop, Ollie!” she pleaded.

The boy helped Molly get on her feet and led her into the pawn shop. The skunk odor hit her nose, but it was better to attack her nose than to have her ears–and mind–attacked. The girl dared to let go of her ears as Ollie went outside to gather the posters.

“Everything ok, Molly?” Weird Larry–who once had Molly as his intern–asked in concern.

Molly took deep breaths to try to calm herself down. She forced herself to smile and think of other things.“Everything is totally normal,” she reassured Weird Larry, who was not convinced, but didn’t press the matter any farther.

****

As part of the community club’s tasks for November, Molly was supposed to help collect canned food for a canned food drive. Today was one of those days where Andrea just made one small contribution–in this case dropping off a few cans into a box–and made a live video about it where of course she’d be praised about doing it by thousands of viewers. However Molly let that slide, after learning from a certain past incident.

“Thanks,” Molly smiled, even though she wished Andrea could do more. In fact, she wished she had Andrea’s success at reaching out to others more than ever. How did Andrea make it look so easy?

“Just doing what little I can do,” Andrea smiled back before she frowned. “Especially while I–” she shook her head. “Say Molly? Can I talk to you and Libby after school at the ice cream place? It’s about something, but I don’t want it to be during school.”

“Sure,” Molly nodded.

When Andrea left, Molly looked at the collection of cans in the box and frowned. This didn’t feel enough–what good was it to collect small donations when more could be done? She had to talk to Maya.

At the next meetup during lunch, Molly expressed her thoughts to the club.

“I get that giving canned food is important and canned food lasts longer, but shouldn’t we be giving people less fortunate fresh food too?” Molly asked. “Why aren’t we giving them financial donations so that they can choose what they want to buy for Thanksgiving? Or helping out at the homeless shelter?”

“Yeah, that doesn’t seem like a bad idea,” Sapphire–a freshman who had graduated alongside Molly at the middle school–pipped up. “If it were me, I’d want to buy fresh corn and a turkey!”

“We tried the fresh food route and it didn’t work,” Maya confessed. “And when this club was formed, there had to be an agreement with the school and the parents that we had to let the adults help out the homeless. We can’t give them money and we aren’t allowed to volunteer at the shelters in Mewline or Perfektborg.”

This shocked Molly. “What?!” she yelped. “Why?! The homeless need the most help out of everyone! I was homeless too for awhile and we couldn’t get the house back until folks came to help us out–!”

“That’s because everyone trusted your family to use that money to save your house and not use it on anything else,” Lauren narrowed her eyes at Molly as she reminded the girl. “That’s not the same for most other folks–they either aren’t as well known or as trustworthy as you guys.”

“Wait, are you thinking that they’d just use the money for–” Ollie stopped himself, but everyone knew what he was thinking of. “But you can’t just judge someone based on things you hear about! What if someone needed that money to get help?! Not everyone would spend the money on–!”

“It’s not just that,” Maya interrupted. “We can’t help the homeless population because we don’t know what kind of issues they are dealing with–some of which we don’t have the right training or experience for. What if someone had mental health issues? How would we know what would set them off if they were upset? For the safety of the club members, it was agreed to let the adults help them, and I need to keep that promise to ensure this club isn’t disbanded.”

Molly could not believe what she was hearing. “I thought this club was supposed to help people!” she snapped.

“We do!” Lauren angrily snapped back. “Some of us want to help others as badly as you do McGee, but we have to be careful how we do it here so that we don’t lose credibility! Not all of us have a good connection with the mayor, or the Davenports, and we don’t have the insane luck that you do! Don’t make the mistake of thinking that luck is going to be with you all the time!”

Molly thought the day couldn’t possibly get any worse after that. She was proven wrong in a shocking way when lunchtime was over and everyone had to get back to class.

As it turned out, someone had flooded both the boy and girl restrooms in the section of the school that Molly and Libby were heading toward. A lot of students were shocked to see the janitor frantically working to unclog the toilets while a staff member had to come in to help him.

“Oh, that smell is so bad!” Libby complained as she and Molly and many others had to plug their noses. “Why do people still do those stupid online challenges?! Now no one can use the restrooms!”

The janitor grumbled as he wheeled out a garbage bin full of sopping wet papers that were used to clog all the toilets. Molly caught one look at what it was and her heart stopped.

It was the posters she made that she and her friends posted around town. There was at least six visible, wet, wadded up posters in the trash.

“Um, excuse me?!” Molly braved the smell and hurried to the janitor before he could go take the trash away. “Were all the toilets clogged with the same poster by any chance?”

“Yes,” the janitor sighed. “Each one had three posters stuffed in them along with some other junk.”

Molly felt as if the floor slipped out underneath her.

How was that possible?!

Who would even do that?!

And why use the posters she made?! Did they know it was her who made them?! Who would go around tearing off all those posters around town?!

Molly slowly turned her head. She could see a horrified Libby, but there were many other kids watching. It was hard to tell if they were there for the spectacle or for something more sinister.

Suddenly Molly didn’t feel safe–someone in school deliberately used her posters to clog a bunch of school toilets for reasons she could not comprehend.

*****

All Molly wanted to do when school ended was to go home and make new posters and have a word with her dad, which he would hopefully pass onto the mayor, but she had to keep her promise to Andrea.

Libby and Molly found themselves in the ice cream parlor with Andrea sitting across from them. Andrea only bought a small melon soda while the girls got small ice cream cones, and the blue haired girl was oddly withdrawn and even sad. Molly couldn’t find it in herself to complain about the posters upon seeing Andrea’s expression.

Only Libby had a bad feeling about this meetup, and she wished that Andrea had picked a different location–the ice cream place already was tied to a particularly bittersweet day that happened this year. “So, why did you wish to speak to us?” Libby asked as she was ready to get it over with.

Andrea took a small sip of her soda and mentally prepared herself.

“My family is moving out of Brighton,” Andrea finally exhaled and let out the secret she had been keeping for so long.

“What?!” Molly helped while Libby frowned in understanding, though she was still as shocked as Molly.

“My dad can’t manage all the branches from Brighton and drive to them every month. He decided that it was best to go to the one north of Champaign since it’s the closest to Brighton.”

“But isn’t that more than two hours away?” Libby asked.

“It is,” Andrea admitted. “The one upside is that it still isn’t too far away from here, and Alina is still an hour’s drive close by. And Champaign is a pretty city with lots to do, even if it isn’t Brighton.”

Molly groaned and held her face in her hands. “Bizmart closed down your dad’s business and now you have to move!” she grumbled. Now she had another reason to hate that stupid store! Why did this never occur to her?!

“Yeah, we can’t really re-open as long as Bizmart is just outside the town,” Andrea shook her head. “I hate it. And I hate that I took so much for granted–I really thought we could live here still, but…” She sighed. “If I knew, I would have done more to help out. I would have spent more time with you. Heck, I wish I wasn’t so stupidly obsessed with social media as I was in middle school if I knew…” The girl had to take another sip of soda as she reflected on her mistakes.

Molly hadn’t seen Andrea look so defeated or sad since her identity crisis. In that moment, Molly wished she had spent a little more time with Andrea too–she wished she had trusted Andrea enough to introduce her to Scratch, and maybe even invite her into the ghost friends group. Why did she not do that? She could have worked with Andrea more to figure out how to help more people out and enhappify so many–heck, it would have been something to see how Andrea could have used her skill sets to help out the Ghost World in a post-Chairman era. There were so many ‘what ifs’ that Molly was seeing that would now never come to be.

“Same,” Molly agreed as she nodded.

Libby smiled. “Brighton won’t be the same without you, Andrea,” she confessed. Andrea gave Libby a pained smile. “By the way, I owe you a huge apology,” she admitted. “I ruined your social life because I was stupidly obsessed with my name pronunciation. I should have let it slide and tried to be a real friend to you, especially when your parents divorced.”

“I’ve let it go,” Libby answered and smiled back.

“And Molly,” Andrea glanced to the other girl. “It would have been fun to work with you more. I’m sorry if I never did enough to help Brighton.”

There was a lot Molly wanted from Andrea. But in the end, it would be asking for too much.

“You got a lot of people together to save our house,” Molly reminded Andrea. “You made sure my family kept our forever home and that I could have a life here. I don’t think anything could ever top that, Andrea–what you did was more than enough.”

It was so strange–how much of Andrea effected Molly’s life? This girl unwittingly had a hand in bringing Molly closer to Scratch, as well as Libby, on that fateful first day of school. She unknowingly ensured that Molly could have more time with Scratch in helping her save the house. She even had in indirect hand in saving that first Christmas in Brighton. There were so many other little moments that came to mind and it stunned Molly at just how much of a presence Andrea had been.

Eventually all three girls parted ways and headed home. As Andrea was driven home, she pulled out her phone and only texted a few words to one specific person–

‘I told her.’

Andrea sighed and looked out the window. She took in the town that she took for granted and tried to take in all the details she ignored, while she still could. Just looking back on those videos would never be enough. For once, she wished her Dad hadn’t owned a huge business and instead had a normal desk job. She wished she had been a normal kid who didn’t get ponies or designer purses for her birthday. She wished she wasn’t a social media-obsessed teen. She wished she had treated everyone better. She wished she could stay in Brighton until it was time to graduate and go to a big university and prepare herself for a future involving both success and Alina.

****

That night, Molly stared at the painting she had done of herself and Scratch hugging. She reflected on the unexpected shift in her life–or rather, yet another unexpected shift.

This wasn’t like with Scratch, or like with Patty. Andrea wasn’t going to be gone for good, and she wouldn’t be too far away, even if two hours was a long drive. She still had Molly’s contact info and they could reach out to each other whenever they wanted. Scratch didn’t even know what Molly’s cell phone number was anymore, and even Molly had no clue what his–Todd’s–phone number was. Even if she did know and tried to reach out, he’d never recognize her number and assume she was a scammer.

This time around, the sting of having to lose yet another friend wasn’t as bad. But Molly could not believe her string of bad luck this year–now three friends had left Brighton in some way or another. When would it end? Wasn’t it enough to lose Scratch? To lose all the friends she was forced to say good-bye to with each move?

“I still have my family, I still have Libby, and I still have Ollie and his family,” Molly tried to reassure herself. But why was this reassurance not working as well anymore? Why did she not feel like she could she the optimistic side of things in this case?

“Everything is totally normal,” Molly reminded herself. “I can still contact Andrea. Nothing else is going to happen–I’m just freaking out. Everything is totally normal–”

Molly’s phone rang and the girl was startled out of her mantra. Curious to who it was, Molly was surprised to see it was Andrea. She accepted the call and greeted the girl with a “Hey, Andrea.”

“So,” Andrea began. “I was thinking of doing a couple more videos in Brighton, and I heard about what happened with those posters.”

****

“Are you sure you are ok?” Adia asked Todd as he slowly-gingerly–got up off the bench. They had been doing quite a lot of walking in the outdoors of Poland, and it had been more than Todd’s body was prepared for. His legs were not just sore–they were in agony.

“Yeah, totally!” Todd tried to laugh it off.

Adia wasn’t buying it. “It’s ok to stop for a bit–”

“It’s fine! I need to do a lot of catching up with you! I can’t miss out on one thing!”

Adia shook her head–her friend could be stupidly stubborn at times. “I need to take you back to the hotel,” she told Todd. “I’ll get you something at the nearest drugstore. Just tell me where it hurts and I’ll find the right medication for you.”

“Fine,” Todd sighed. He hated how his body was limiting at times at his age and it made him regret that he never went with Adia sooner–he was lucky he turned his life around while he was still at a decent age to travel. However he wished he had kept his body in better shape before traveling.

As the two friends rode a train back to the hotel, Todd reflected on his experiences thus far in Poland. It was a nice country and the food was to die for–the famous pierogi was just the tip of the delicious iceberg. There were some beautiful sights like the Royal Castle or the Tatra Mountains, and there was even a Croissant Museum! He was in heaven with that last place!

Although he was not ignorant to the more tragic side of the country–neither he or Adia visited the memorial and museum for Auschwitz, but he could almost sense the tragic air of the place even from a distance. It made Todd wonder why some people would willfully ignore history or claim it never happened–he saw a lot of that back in America.

Though, oddly enough, there was an air of tension in Poland that Todd was not expecting–especially in the east. Todd didn’t understand a word of Polish, but he could tell people were uneasy.

When the bus dropped the two off, Adia followed Todd back to the hotel long enough to see him reach the building before she went to look for a drug store.

“Ci, którzy się nie uczą, wkrótce zostaną ukarani!” a woman with a megaphone angrily yelled at people from across the street. “Euphrosyne pojawi się wkrótce! Ona w końcu przyniesie pokój na świecie!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Todd muttered. He couldn’t be invested in whatever that woman said if he didn’t understand her. It almost made him miss the states where there weren’t so many languages to keep track of–he wasn’t as good at keeping up with languages like Adia. Though thoughts of the states made Todd think of Brighton. Come to think of it, how had Brighton been doing without him? His absence probably didn’t make much of a difference to anyone.

When Todd got to his room, he kicked his shoes off and got onto the bed, where his body took relief in the break it was given. There was a lot of walking and hiking that he was not prepared for and he tried to force down his discomfort so that he could enjoy himself and not slow down Adia. There were some things she wanted to do that he was not into–he still wasn’t sure about that hang gliding idea–but he forced himself to go along with it since he owed her for all the times he turned her down. He couldn’t say ‘no’ to everything anymore.

Todd pulled his phone out and put on the reading glasses that he seemed to need nowadays. Then–for the first time since he left it–looked up his old hometown on his favorite search engine. At first it was the usual–the high-school sports team doing something, some city council thing, but then something caught his eye– ‘New Thai family owned restaurant opens in Brighton!’ His stomach thought first as Todd opened the article. It appeared that the new restaurant finally replaced Sam’s Diner after it shut down.

‘Former restaurant owner Nin Suksai was bored of retirement and decided to make her mark in Brighton by opening ‘San Phra Food.’ With the help of the town, local businessman Maxwell Davenport, and City Planner and Nin’s son-in-law Peter McGee, she and her family opened the doors to many eager customers.’

Todd noticed the photo of the family smiling at the camera–in addition to the short older woman, there was a mom and dad, a son, and–

Wait.

It was her–the girl from the bus stop. The one he addressed as ‘Moll.’

She was dressed in traditional Thai clothes and had a small, oddly melancholic smile as she stood beside her grandmother. Todd read the names of the family members listed and was stunned to see that her name was in fact listed as ‘Molly McGee.’

He got her name right after all? What were the chances?!

‘Of course, the McGees themselves have been behind countless projects for the community,’ the article mentioned. ‘The restoration of the bandshell, the wind turbine factory–‘

Hang on.

Todd tried to think–he was around when those events happened, wasn’t he? He knew about the bandshell, and he did see the first performance, although the details were a bit hazy since it was awhile ago. He knew a K-Pop band that kids loved performed at the venue.

Todd did some more searching and found some articles. Sure enough, Molly was involved with those projects. Hell, it turned out that she even won the special gig of being mayor for the day, courtesy of Brunson throwing a contest. Todd wondered how that turned out and something in his gut told him Brunson decided to bum off for the day. Some part of him felt a bit annoyed that Brunson knew that girl more than he did if the family worked alongside him, but then again Todd was never a social butterfly. More like an anti-social caterpillar.

But something was vaguely familiar about that last event. Was he there for it?

Todd noticed in the article about the factory that the family did a sort of campaign video for it, and he was able to find said video on Youtube. It was low budget of course (although he wondered what kind of fan the family was using for the wind because that didn’t seem low budget), but the girl put in all her energy and joy into it to the point that it didn’t feel like an act. She was truly that passionate about the project. He couldn’t help but smile along with her.

Maybe he heard Molly’s name somewhere and he didn’t recall where. He had been in such a daze during that time. Though something about the factory and the video felt familiar.

Todd saw that Molly’s recent video was a commercial for her grandmother’s restaurant. He clicked play and was treated to a video that was–well, it was ok. She showed off the restaurant and the displays of the food made him hungry (that alone sold him), and it was clear she was forcing herself to keep up her happy energy for what had to be the final take used for the commercial. But he liked that there was still a lot of heart and obvious hard work put into the video.

“So come on down to Brighton’s first Thai restaurant!” Molly promised as she smiled and held up a plate of dumplings. “So good, even the spirits give it their approval!”

Todd laughed at that last line. He had no clue why it was funny, but it somehow got to him and it felt good to laugh! Oh man, he felt really bad that he left before trying to eat at the new restaurant. He paused the video and looked at the girl one more time. Now that he knew more of her, she no longer felt like a stranger to him, even if they only met once.

It was sweet of Molly to wish him well for his travels. In another life, when he wasn’t such a coward, maybe he could have been friends with her before he had his big life changing epiphany. But compared to everyone else in Brighton, Todd Mortenson was just some big cowardly, socially awkward loser with nothing special about him. Molly would have taken one look at him and kept walking, or maybe would never notice him. She was probably in high-school now and wouldn’t care for some old rando she met at the bus stop that she probably already forgot about unless she recognized him from Adia’s videos.

Oh well, there was no changing the past.

Todd gave the video a thumbs up and was about to type in a compliment when something made him hesitate. He didn’t want to just type in something generic, but he also wanted to say something to let her know it was him and how he was doing.

But that was silly–what were the odds that she even remembered him? And would she find it weird that some middle aged man wanted to get to know her? And what if she saw his videos? Would she find him ridiculous? He knew from the comments he got on his videos that not everyone seemed to care for them. The fact that one person said that Adia’s videos were better without him still bothered him. Plus, something so personal didn’t feel like it should be a mere comment to a video.

Todd gave up. He probably should leave the girl alone–he didn’t want to come off as some creepy stalker if he said the wrong thing. (He also got the sense that her parents would be the type who would personally murder him before the cops could arrest him if they got the wrong picture. Especially her mother–he could tell she was the human definition of a mama bear.)

He took one last look at Molly and smiled at her. He then caught something–her screen name. It was baffling to him since it was a string of random numbers and letters–’N_H4PP1F13R.’ Huh, he thought it’d be something like ‘SunshineRainbows’ or something that was a play on her name.

He hoped Molly was doing alright, wherever she was now. He hadn’t forgotten that she saw him and listened to him and cared about him–for all she had done for Brighton, and for her one small moment of kindness toward him, Todd hoped Molly was happy and safe because she deserved it.

****

Andrea and Molly–with Ollie in tow–worked on one of Andrea’s final Brighton videos. Having learned of Molly’s Thanksgiving task, Andrea wanted to help the girl out.

“I totally get the love and irresistibility of a good sale!” Andrea spoke as she held an arm around Molly while Ollie held the phone up and filmed them. “But why bother waiting in line to fight for a good deal when you can spend time with loved ones? Besides–if you don’t know what to get for the holidays now, it helps to wait until the shopping craze dies down after the first week! Your refund has more time to expire if you hold off until after Thanksgiving week!”

“And usually your paychecks aren’t until toward the end of the month!” Molly added.

“So to all my fellow Fandreas, friends of Molly, and other veiwers, we hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!” Andrea beamed as Molly smiled alongside her.

“Got it!” Ollie gave the girls a thumbs-up and smiled.

“That was actually fun,” Molly confessed as Andrea kept her arm around her. “I wish we collaborated more often.”

“I agree,” Andrea smiled. She let go of Molly and accepted her phone back from Ollie.

“It would have been fun,” Ollie also agreed as he grew a bit melancholic.

Molly noted the sadness in Ollie’s voice. Was he upset at Andrea leaving, even though they didn’t hang out as often? Then again, he was someone who had to say farewell to friends too because of his family’s lifestyle.

“I’m going to upload the video at home,” Andrea informed the young couple. “And I’ll leave you alone for a bit,” she added as she eyed Ollie in particular.

Ollie and Molly waved farewell to the young influencer who headed home. “I’ll miss her,” Molly confessed. “A couple years back, I would have considered myself crazy for thinking that.”


“You two didn’t get along, did you?” Ollie asked.

“It’s a long story,” Molly admitted. She filled Ollie in as they headed to the park where they walked around. The boy was unsurprised that Scratch was a major character in a few of the stories involving Andrea, and just how much the girl had changed since meeting Molly.

Molly had finished recounting when she helped Andrea with her identity crisis when she noticed Ollie was unusually silent. He hadn’t even asked any questions. “Is everything alright?” Molly asked. She smiled and added “Is my brother being a bad influence on June?”

Ollie laughed. “Oh you have no idea what kind of stuff my sister made thanks to Darryl! In fact, they are finishing up a few things before Thanksgiving break is over, though she won’t tell me what some of them are.”

“That’s concerning,” Molly frowned. She was afraid to know what inventions June was building for Darryl.

“But it’s not my sister I’m worried about,” Ollie reassured Molly.

“What is it then?” Molly asked. “You’ve been acting kind of weird lately,” she noted. “You haven’t said much in the community club, you aren’t showing any interest in auditioning for the musical or spring festival, and I haven’t seen you helping around town as often–besides the time you helped me with the posters of course.”

Ollie wished he knew who tore Molly’s posters down and flushed them down the toilets. He wasn’t a violent person but the mystery offender was making him feel dark urges.

“And earlier when I talked about how we should just go to Bizmart on Thanksgiving and use a megaphone to talk to anyone waiting in line for Black Friday, you were really against it–”

“Because I want to spend Thanksgiving with my family at home while I still can!” Ollie blurted out. “I can’t just–!” He stopped himself but it was too late.

“What do you mean?” Molly, now more confused than ever, asked.

Ollie took a deep breath–he never wanted things to come to this. He had held off saying anything so long as he knew there was still a possibility that things would still work out. He knew Molly was already put through a lot this year–he did not want to add to her suffering. He was hoping for a miracle for his family, but things were not in his favor.

“First off this that my dad had to start working at Bizmart,” Ollie admitted, causing Molly to go wide-eyed with shock. “He was struggling to find work after my family had to quit the channel. He had an option to work at a factory in Florida thanks to family connections, but he has an allergy to the gloves they make there. He wanted to open up a root beer pub here, and Andrea’s dad was willing to be a business partner and investor, but that proved to be impossible if Mr. Davenport couldn’t be here in Brighton to help him. Mom couldn’t pay the bills on her own, and Dad had to get a job at the only place that would hire him.”

Molly felt a surge of guilt–would it have been better to let the Chens be ignorant and assume all ghosts were bad? They could have kept the channel running from home.

“And you know how I said Mom is working for Andrea’s dad?” Ollie forced himself to continue as he felt his chest tighten. “Well, he made an offer to both my parents. They had to take it since things were starting to get bad, and they couldn’t put it off any more.”

Molly was growing scared. “Ollie, what are you saying?” she asked as she pleaded that this was not going where she thought it was going.

Ollie’s mind was racing with so many thoughts. He thought of his sister and how happy she was to finally have a friend who loved and accepted her that she could hang out with. He thought of Scratch, who–alongside Molly–changed everything for him, had made him see the world differently, and who probably would have killed him for what was about to happen. He thought of how happy he was in Brighton and being accepted despite his family’s history with ghostly obsessions. He thought of the first time he met Molly and was almost instantly smitten with her when he learned just how much they had in common, in addition to seeing how cute she was and just how cute she could get when she was excited or spreading joy. He thought of how he envisioned a certain future upon graduating middle school and entering high school. He thought of all the things he had wanted and what he thought was guaranteed, and now all they were now were just the dreams of a naive boy.

“Andrea’s dad will only let my parents have the jobs if we are willing to move along with them,” Ollie’s voice cracked as he forced out the words he didn’t want to say. “Molly we can’t stay in Brighton anymore. My family is going to have to move.”

Chapter Text

Molly was in utter silence as she stared at Ollie. The November wind blew against both young teens as a harsh new reality fell over both of them.

“W-what?” Molly stammered.

“We didn’t say anything to you or Darryl and Libby because we were hoping it wouldn’t happen!” Ollie was now frantic after letting out the huge secret he had kept for too long and he was close to tears. “Mom and Dad thought something could happen before it came to that!” He gasped for air. “Molly, I’m sorry! I tried everything I could–I looked looking for jobs for them too, but I couldn’t find anything close enough to Brighton, let alone in Brighton! There was nothing in Mewline and there wasn’t even anything in Perfektborg!”

Molly was unable to speak. She had no clue what to say. Too many thoughts were racing in her head.

Losing Scratch was a huge gut punch. Losing Patty was even more unexpected. Losing Andrea was a sudden shock. But this?! Losing the whole Chen family, and especially her boyfriend?!

“Does Darryl know?” Molly quietly asked as she could only imagine how he would feel about losing his best friend.

“June is telling him as we speak,” Ollie admitted.

There was a silence.

“Molly?” Ollie asked.

Molly was still quiet.

“Please say something,” Ollie begged. “It’s bad enough that I–!” He shook his head. “Please just say something! I don’t even care if you get mad!”

Molly knew she needed to try to find the positive. She had to. She needed to find something before she could–

“Well it can’t be too bad if you are just two hours away!” Molly exclaimed as she tried to smile. “It’s not like you moved all the way across the country or to another country! You could visit on weekends!”

Ollie’s face fell. “We can’t afford to visit every weekend,” he admitted. “And my parents are going to struggle to pay for the new house for a while. I can’t ask them to drive and spend so much money on gas. June and I would need to ride a bus, but that would cost money too.”

“Well then maybe every other week?” Molly suggested. “Or maybe on holidays when there could be more time to hang out, like Christmas?”

“Unfortunately, we can’t do Christmas. It’d either have to be during February break or spring break. And then come summer, I’ll have to start driver’s ed and need to take a part time job so that I can save up money to visit you more often.” Ollie tried to think or a better solution. “I mean, maybe I could ask one of the ghosts to turn me into a wraith every other week, and we could still see each other–”

“NO!” Molly panicked at that. “No, I already had one person who lost his memories! I don’t want you to risk losing yours too! Especially if it's only to see me!”

Ollie nodded in understanding. “Right,” he agreed. “But I don’t know what else to say or how to fix this. I’m sorry,” Ollie hung his head as he felt his world falling apart. “I’m really sorry.”

****

Molly walked the second longest walk home that she ever experienced. Only one other walk could rival the silent bitterness of this walk, but instead of stars there were clouds and a cool wind that threatened to blow her away.

Molly reached the house in time to see Darryl running from the Chen household and when he reached the front door of their house, he slammed it closed behind him. Meanwhile, a sad June was on her front porch and staring after her friend. When she noticed Molly, the two girls only exchanged a brief glance before the young genius went back inside her house.

It only then occurred to Molly that she never hung out with June one-on-one that much. June was not a huge fan of the energetic impulsiveness that Molly used to live out her life. She had preferred to know things in advance, which could allow her to guess outcomes or prepare her for what to expect, which was ironically something Darryl provided in a way.

Molly entered her home to see her mom staring up at the stairs–Darryl must have stormed up into his room in a sad, angry fit. He had done that when he learned what happened to Scratch, and for a whole week he never forgave Molly for denying him a chance to say farewell. At least this time he was granted that right for June.

When Sharon turned to face her daughter, she knew from the girl’s expression that she had learned the truth.

Molly instantly broke down and rushed to embrace her mother. Her heart–already barely mended after all that it had gone through–cracked yet again as the world came to a complete and utter halt and she allowed herself to cry. Her mom’s hug kept her together, but the damage inside could not be mended that soon or that easily.

****

Word got out eventually that both the Davenports and the Chens were leaving Brighton. Reactions were quite mixed.

Those who were not a fan of the Davenports secretly thought good riddance, especially by those who secretly did not care for Andrea, while others were sad to see them go. Mayor Brunson was frustrated that, in addition to losing a respected family who had lived in Brighton almost as long as his did, there would be little to no financial help from the Davenports anymore.

Many a student who liked seeing Molly and Ollie together were in tearful hysterics as if the world ended. Meanwhile, a few boys who had none-too-subtlety eyed Molly–and how she was slowly growing in more than just beauty–knew that it was only a matter of time before they could approach her once Ollie left and she was single once more. Some were betting on how long a long distance relationship could last behind the young couple’s backs.

Meanwhile, the Chens were at a point where they would have to start packing. However, they were given some unexpected ghostly help by Jeff and Geoff.

“I can’t believe you guys are leaving too!” Geoff wailed and cried huge tears. “I didn’t even know you all that long! Well, maybe Reuben if you count that day I accidentally scared you!”

“You do know you can just portal straight to our new home and visit us whenever, right?” June reminded Geoff.

Geoff ceased crying and instantly perked up. “Oh you are right,” he beamed. “Well now I feel much better!”

‘If only I had that power to visit whenever I wanted,’ Ollie couldn’t help but jealously think. Still he had to keep a promise to Molly, as he could not afford to risk the same fate that befell the man who became Scratch. God, he didn’t even want to imagine a scenario where he forgot Molly and his entire family.

“Anyway, you deserve to have more time with your friends while you still have it,” Jeff explained to the family of four in their living room. “Anything you don’t especially need can be packed in half an hour by us.”

“We appreciate that,” Esther thanked the ghost.

“But why?” Reuben asked. “Don’t you have anything better to do than–”

“You are our friends too!” Geoff beamed, despite the sorrow he was feeling inside. “And friends help each other out! Ollie and June gave the Ghost World something to help us out, and now we’ll give something back to you!”

Ollie could only manage a small smile. He wished the ghosts could instead find a job for his parents that would let them stay in Brighton.

Everything that wasn’t immediately needed, like holiday decor, family heirlooms, and whatnot, were packed away first that day. There was a promise to help out more as time passed. As Ollie took in the way Jeff and Geoff organized and sent precious items into boxes, he couldn’t help but marvel at how much things had changed since his family came to Brighton. First they came to hunt ghosts, and now these same ghosts were helping them out so that they could hang out with their friends for just a bit longer.

***

Later in the Ghost World, the ghost couple sat in their living room in their recently restored bed and breakfast house.

Geoff gently patted Sharkie, who let out a sad whine as he rested next to the green ghost who sat next to his husband. The poor ghost shark missed Scratch, and while he was happy to live with Geoff and Jeff, he wanted to see the blue ghost once more and had no clue why he was missing. He was yet another soul who was unable to get a proper farewell with Scratch.

“I wish we could do more to help out,” Geoff confessed. “Why can’t we just get Scratch to remember, and find a way to keep Ollie and his family in Brighton?”

“Because even we have limits,” Jeff admitted as he put an arm around his husband.

“Scratch would have done something to help Ollie,” Geoff mournfully continued.

“He would,” Jeff agreed as he kissed Geoff on the cheek.

Jeff still remembered how upset Geoff had been when Scratch lost his memories. It was the saddest Geoff had been–the last time Geoff had been like this was when they were forbidden to save countless souls during the HIV/AIDS pandemic, due to how much misery and scares it gave to the original Chairman. He had to hold his beloved back from trying to accidentally scare the ghost-turned-man to death in a desperate attempt to get him to remember. He hated that Scratch still had a negative effect on Geoff and everyone else who knew him, even when he wasn’t around.

Mentally, Jeff hoped that Scratch wasn’t having a good time right now. If that idiot was being happy while his loved ones were suffering in Brighton and in the Ghost World, he’d kill him himself.

****

That Thanksgiving break would be the last week Ollie, June, and Andrea would have in Brighton before they all had to move.

Molly and Darryl had to watch alongside Ollie and June as the real estate agent Candace Green slammed a ‘for sale’ sign into the front yard of the Chen household. They both remembered one of the worst days they ever had as the agent gleefully spoke with Esther and Reuben.

“I’ve been having quite a year!” Candace exclaimed. “I sold the Davenport house weeks ago! And then this summer I helped sell off a house that belonged to some guy with a unibrow who said he’d use the money to go traveling the world! Can you believe it?!”

Candace missed how everyone winced at the mention of Todd.

However, the ghost friends vowed to spend as much time as possible while they still had it.

It would be difficult to chronicle how much the five friends did together, since almost every day was spent together. The video game sessions were longer, June and Darryl worked longer on experiments and testing out equipment, Libby discussed books to read with Ollie and Molly, and pizza and ice cream hang outs were more frequent.

Molly wished that she could make an itinerary of all the things everyone could do while there was still time. After all, she never had that with Patty and definitely not with Scratch. The truth was that it was painful to plan it all out, and–having learn from the past–she just wanted to be surprised with where things would go.

One day, Libby, Ollie, and Molly hung out at the rec center, where it once housed an old video rental store and a horror-movie loving ghost. The building was now full of games, colorful lights, and happy kids and family members. It was hard to believe that it was once haunted, and the memories of what used to be still lingered with the three friends.

As the three headed out of the center to get ice cream, they came across Gertrude, Hidalgo, and their family. They now had a double stroller and baby Emily was sleeping in the front while her brother sat in the back–with Lord Doom in his embrace.

“Congratulations again on the baby!” Ollie beamed and smiled to the goth couple.

“Yeah, and that she was born on Halloween!” Molly added with a smile.

“Emily is certainly a fan of the macabre, as we suspected!” Hidalgo confessed as he beamed with pride.

“We threw on some old horror films, and she was surprisingly attentive to them,” Gertrude spoke. “Especially during the murder scenes.”

“Oh that’s strange,” Molly shuddered. “Never heard of an infant that likes watching… horror… movies…” her voice slowed down as she, Ollie, and Libby found this detail to be quite suspicious. What kind of baby liked watching horror movies?

Ollie leaned in to take a look at Emily, who had awoke when she heard his voice. She had a mischievous smile and giggled when she locked eyes with him. He couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of familiarity about the infant.

“Was one of those films ‘Blood Mansion’ by any chance?” Libby asked.

“Well, that was certainly a favorite of hers!” Hidalgo laughed. “She was positively laughing with joy over the iconic death scenes! I take it you must be quite an expert on films if you know of that one, young lady!”

“Uh, we just heard about it from an old friend who loved it, that’s all!” Ollie quickly answered as he got up.

The friends watched the goth family go–

“WE BINGE WATCH THE FINAL DESTINATION FILMS TONIGHT!” yelled Lord Doom.

–And turned to each other in amazement.

“Emily is Blair?!” Molly squeaked. “But I–?! How was that–?!”

“I guess Blair got a second chance at life,” Libby guessed. “Reincarnation is always a possibility. Maybe she was allowed to since she died so young the first time.”

“And she gets to be with a family who won’t find her interests strange,” Molly warmly smiled at the thought. She looked at Ollie and told him “And she has you to thank.”

“Me?” Ollie stammered.

“Because you took her side and inspired her to open up when you opened up to us. Blair would have never found peace if it wasn’t for you, Ollie. Now she has a new chance at life.”

Ollie thought about that. “I guess I did,” he decided as he glanced toward the direction of the goth couple.

****

Meanwhile, Molly and Libby took time to hang out with Andrea. The girl threw a slumber party at her house–one that was long overdue for Libby, whose first time at such a party had not gone well for her. The girls watched some supernatural romance film on Andrea’s TV and ate popcorn. Molly found herself liking more teen oriented things nowadays and found herself really enjoying the movie.

“I wish I could do-over that time I ended up completely overtaking your guys’ movie,” Andrea apologized. “The original script was a lot more fun.”

“I’m still trying to figure out how you got Greta Gerwig of all people to come to Brighton,” Libby grumbled under her breath. In her opinion, it would have been a dream come true if Andrea was instead acquainted with Guillermo del Toro.

“By the way, who was the guy who played the ghost?” Andrea asked. “I never got his name or saw his face.”

Molly smiled. “Scratch,” she answered. “Scratch the ghost.”

“Huh,” Andrea guessed that was a nickname. “Sounds like a good name for a ghost.”

“Speaking of, there’s a ghost story by Oscar Wilde that mentions the name ‘Davenport at one point,’” Libby spoke up. “It’s called ‘The Canterville Ghost.’”

“Maybe I should give that a read,” Andrea decided. “I heard Wilde is a literary LGBTQ icon.”

What Libby didn’t want to confess was just how close to reality that short story was to the tale of Scratch and Molly.

***

Molly and Ollie walked through downtown Brighton as they took in the sights and reflected on the memories of each building, each street, and each landmark they visited.

They were heading to the cupcake place, but they first swung into Molly’s favorite arts and crafts store. Already there were Christmas related items on display, including the store’s signature miniature Christmas village which was a huge delight with the kids.

“I remember Scratch shrank down to wander through it,” Molly told Ollie. “He’d pretend to be ‘Frank the accountant’ and come up with scenarios with each store and each figurine.” She pointed to the figurine of the old man carrying parcels. “That is Bill–he’s trying to get the perfect gift for his wife because he broke her favorite china tea set.” She pointed to a couple of boys playing snowball. “Jason and Mark are just playing hooky from school.” Then she pointed to an old woman carrying bread. “Maxine was secretly a government spy in her glory days. The bread shop she owns is just a front.”

“And that one?” Ollie asked as he pointed to a woman singing carols next to a bank.

“Sarah-Belle, who always sings off key.”

“And that one?” Ollie pointed to a woman drinking coffee by a coffee shop.

“Oh, that’s Marianne–she’s waiting for her special someone for their first date.”

“Talking about my displays again?” The young couple turned to see the owner who asked them. She smiled as her green eyes gazed upon the displays. “It’s one of the best parts of the Christmas season for me.”

“It’s one of mine too, Eliza!” Molly beamed. “It enhappifies everyone in here!” She then looked around and noticed that there wasn’t a whole lot of Christmas related items on sale. “I don’t see as much Christmas stuff–you usually have more things out.”

Eliza’s smile faded a bit. “Well, I had to scale back after the Halloween supplies didn’t sell too well this year. Unfortunately that stupid Bizmart has arts and crafts stuff too. I’m lucky that a lot of the art supplies there are poor quality or else I’d be out of the business.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Ollie frowned as Molly scowled at the mention of that hated store.

Eliza sighed. “A lot of us business owners are reliant on the holidays. If Bizmart steals our customers during December, there’s no telling how many of us will still be standing.”

***

Thanksgiving in Brighton saw a beautiful display of red, yellow, and orange hues mixed in with the greenery of nature. The park hosted the annual community football game where many families came together to play before they could all go home for a delicious dinner or other traditional activities that meant a lot to them.

As feared by many, there was an enormous line of folks in front of Bizmart, with tents lined up and trailers waiting in the parking lot. Despite Molly’s efforts–combined with those by Andrea and her friends–the pleas to stay home had fallen on deaf ears.

Molly could not find it in herself to try to convince those people to go home when she and her dad checked on the store’s parking lot. She wanted to spend her holiday with her family–to try to fight corporate greed on this day didn’t feel right.

While it was nice to have Grandma Nin over for Thanksgiving, Scratch’s loss was heavily felt in the McGee household. Thanksgiving was one of his favorite holidays, if only for the food, but during his second Thanksgiving with the McGees he grew to value the time spent with family too. As her family played games and talked about family stories, Molly couldn’t stop thinking of how her parents had to fight Scratch off before he could eat the whole turkey at the first Thanksgiving, or how he tried to make a pumpkin pie on the second Thanksgiving, only for it to literally explode in the oven. He was bummed about that pie, given how much effort he put into it–and given his lazy nature, it meant a lot for him to try to get that pie right–and she had to console him.

How was he celebrating now? He was still in Europe with Adia right now, wasn’t he? Would he eat the equivalent of a Thanksgiving meal wherever he was? Could a part of him remember the meals he had with her and her family?

As the family sat around the table for dinner, they shared what they were thankful for.

“I’m thankful that I was able to stop doing those gig pig jobs and have a steady job that pays more,” Sharon thanked.

“I’m thankful we haven’t had to make any huge financial payments and can save money this year,” Pete thanked.

“I’m thankful to get to work the restaurant with my family again, and still have a few more years left in me to do it,” Grandma Nin thanked.

“I’m thankful for my greatest scheme yet,” Darryl thanked. When his parents glared at him, Darryl quickly changed it to “I mean I’m thankful I’m doing somewhat ok at school.”

“I’m thankful for…” Molly’s voice trailed off.

What did she have to be thankful for? She kept telling herself what to be thankful for this year. Why was it suddenly different? Maybe because a lot of her hard work this year was slowly becoming undone, and she was losing friends left and right when she thought that part of her life was over.

“I’m thankful for…” Molly tried again. “For…” She gave up and sighed. “For the things I’ve always tried to be thankful for this year.”

For once in her life, Thanksgiving wasn’t as special to Molly anymore.

****

Unfortunately, that Friday did not go down well. According to the news, there was a huge fight even before the doors could open, and a stampede ensued. It was said that it was practically a bloodbath once everyone got in the store and fought each other over toys and electronics. Someone ended up breaking a hand and another almost suffocated and an ambulance had to be called. Word got out that the store would be sued, but it was doubtful how successful that would turn out.

Molly didn’t understand–why would so many businesses take advantage of people’s eagerness to save money? Why would they not respect a holiday meant to be spent with family–or friends–and just shove such a sale onto the day afterwards? Those events would have casted a shadow on Friday night, when Andrea’s family threw a going away party, which was a much needed distraction. Everyone went, through Molly had to force herself to go since she was not a fan of going away parties. It was a grand affair, as expected from the wealthy family.

Most of the adults partied in the enormous ballroom-like room of the house, while the younger invitees hung out upstairs. Stories were swapped, pizza was consumed, and video games were played on the large screen. Andrea filmed everything, in her hopes of catching the memory of those she would have to leave.

Andrea was unable to hide her sadness. The young influencer had a small smile, but it was clear as day she was upset to leave.

“You aren’t going to post this online, are you?” Libby asked.

“No, it’s all for myself and for my closest friends,” Andrea confessed. “I don’t want all of my life to be filmed for all to see.” She looked at Molly. “Maybe in our new town, I can see how I can use my influencer status for good.”

Molly smiled. “That would be nice,” she agreed.

“Maybe once we settle in, we could try to do some sponsorships. Maybe my Dad could make enough money to start over in Brighton someday, or help Ollie’s dad with that root beer business.”

Molly thought for a moment. “Actually, I think I know someone who could benefit from that,” she answered. “Someone who is going around the world–you could make your store’s name worldwide if you struck a deal with him.”

Andrea thought about that. “It might be hard to give someone merchandise if they are going around the world, but I can see the potential.” She smiled. “I’ll consider it.”

****

Around that time, Todd was on the plane with Adia. They had just finished being in the Czech Republic, and right when Todd thought they’d be heading east or exploring more of Europe, Adia decided that it was best to go to South America since the December through March period was the best time to go.

“I promise we’ll swing back to Europe,” Adia assured Todd. “Just humor me for awhile.”

“Ok,” Todd agreed before he turned to his tablet where he could download books to read. He was currently reading a collection of Oscar Wilde books that seemed interesting.

“There is no hell but this–a body without a soul, or a soul without a body,” the book quoted from the writer himself. Todd couldn’t make sense of the saying, but something drew him to it.

Thanksgiving in the Czech Republic had been strange. No one else celebrated that American holiday, and Adia took Todd out to dinner, which was certainly a step up from all those years of eating a frozen turkey dinner, or going out to eat at a restaurant by himself on those days. But the holiday strangely made Todd feel homesick in a way he couldn’t explain, like something was missing, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. Even having Adia with him didn’t exactly fill the strange hole in his chest before it went away the next day.

He had no intention of telling Adia about his research on Brighton moving on without him. She’d suspect he was homesick and he was sure nothing good would come of it. He also didn’t want to tell her about Molly because he was sure she would take that the wrong way. Or maybe she’d be amused and find it cute that he found out that Brighton’s most optimistic resident had wished him well that day?

Though, come to think of it, Adia had acted a bit strange when they were in Poland. When Todd asked if they would go further east, she looked alert and suddenly brought up South America. She also hadn’t shown him the maps she wrote on. Actually, was it his imagination, or did Adia have them both skip a few countries? Ok, the middle-east he understood–he knew that there were countries were it wasn’t safe to be a woman or an American. Maybe he was reading to much into it.

Todd turned the tablet off, put away his reading glasses, and fell asleep as he reclined into his chair. It was going to be a long trip to get from here to South America, and there was no telling how the sudden change in location would effect his sleep cycle or body.

“There is no hell but this–a body without a soul, or a soul without a body.”

Why did that concept seem to familiar to Todd? How could it be hell to be without a body or a soul, and only have one thing or the other? Wouldn’t either way mean death?

****

The night before the Chens had to go, Ollie and Molly lay on a blanket in the backyard and stared at the stars. The sky was so clear that you could see many of the stars.

“Sometimes, I’d like to think there’s an alien out there trying to help others across different planets,” Molly confessed. “Someone like me trying to enhappify others, but on an intergalactic scale.”

“That would be great,” Ollie agreed. “June once theorized there’s a planet out there inhabited by amphibians. I do hope that’s possible, because that would be cool.”

“Grandma Nin joked that she had a family friend with a daughter who was friends with talking frogs back in Los Angeles,” Molly grinned. “I hope she was telling the truth.”

The two fell to silence as they mused on possibilities involving stars and aliens.

“Do you think a wishing star could listen to your wishes?” Molly asked as she and Ollie held hands.

“Well if ghosts are real, then anything is possible,” Ollie answered. “Did you wish for something?”

Molly frowned. “If I say it, it might not come true.”

Ollie could tell by the tone of Molly’s voice that it was a wish she truly wanted to come true–more than anything. He had a few guesses as to what that wish was, but he didn’t want to risk anything by making Molly say it out-loud.

Ollie stared up into the sky. He had a lot to wish for–that things could be undone so that his family would never have to move. To be able to come back to Brighton some day. To bring Scratch’s memories back before it was too late. To just end all the bad in the world. He squeezed Molly’s hand as he thought of all that he could wish for.

“If all wishes could come true, then there’d be a lot less suffering in the world,” Ollie could only say. “Everyone deserves a chance at happiness, and there’s a lot of people who don’t deserve to suffer. If I had all the power in the world, I’d fix everything that was wrong.”

Molly smiled as she looked at Ollie and wondered, “Do you think it could be possible?”

Ollie smiled back. “Well, I feel like it’d be possible for you. You are more powerful than a lot of folks realize. And I know that once you set your mind on something, you won’t ever give up.” He then grew worried–sometimes he worried about that part of Molly, as he’d seen how it could backfire on her. “Just, promise me something, Molly? Don’t take on too much, or more than you can handle. Especially if we aren’t around to help you.”

“I’ll be fine,” Molly reassured Ollie.

“I’m serious! I don’t want you get hurt, or overwhelmed when I’m not there for you! You mean a lot to me! If something happened to you while I was gone, and it was something I could have prevented if I was there, I wouldn’t forgive myself!”

Molly let those words sink in. They warmed her as much as they scared her.

“Thank you, Ollie,” Molly gently thanked. “That means a lot to me.”

****

Now came the time the Chens had to leave, on a cold morning when the sun was hidden behind gray clouds.

Everything had been packed up ahead of time thanks to Geoff and Jeff, though they left the actual moving of the items into the large truck to the movers who would take everything to the new house. The two ghosts watched on with Sharkie close by–all three were invisible as they took in the bittersweet moment.

“It was wonderful to have you as our neighbors,” Sharon thanked Esther.

“Likewise,” Esther agreed as both women hugged. “We need to stay in touch. There’s no telling what could happen.”

“I’M GOING TO MISS YOU AND YOUR ROOT BEER AND HOW COOL YOU LOOK MOWING THE LAWN!” cried Pete who was in tears as he hugged Reuben.

Reuben gently laughed and patted Pete’s back. “You were a cool guy too, Pete,” he admitted. “And a much better man than I could ever be.”

June and Darryl were hidden behind the truck. They had already done their farewells, but there was one matter that needed to be settled before they could part ways.

“Are you still planning on doing the operation?” June asked.

Darryl nodded. “There’s no holding back anymore,” he declared. “It has to be done.”

June nodded in understanding.

Finally, Molly and Ollie were nearing the moment they both dreaded as they stood outside Molly’s house. In all the time they knew each other, they never imagined this to ever happen.

“Brighton won’t be the same without you,” Molly quietly confessed. “Something changed when you came. Something incredible.”

“It was wonderful while it lasted,” Ollie agreed. “Out of all the places I’ve been to, I’ve had the best time here.”

“More than at the Winchester Mystery House, or the Stanley Hotel?” Molly smiled a little.

“Better than even a certain mansion in New Orleans,” Ollie smiled back. “Ghost chasing was an adventure, but getting to live life in one place like any other kid was everything to me, especially with you here.”

The two fell silent. It was hard to think of final words to exchange, especially when all the things they wanted to say would never be enough.

“So this is it,” Molly sighed. At least this time she had been given a warning. At least this time the goodbye wasn’t final or as uncertain. She then held out the bag she had been carrying to Ollie. “I made a gift for you,” she explained.

Ollie opened up the bag and pulled out a binder. The cover was a vibrant display of orange hues, with smiling faces and suns made of paper crafts attached to it, and a sunshine yellow notebook was already attached inside the binder.

“It’s for compiling plans and goals for helping out around your new town,” Molly explained. “Or for whatever you plan to do for this new chapter of your life. I thought a binder would look professional, but the cover would help brighten your day if you ever need it.”

Ollie smiled. “I’ll make sure to use it,” he promised as he hugged the binder to his chest. “So,” Ollie nervously began. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to visit for Christmas, but I also had something I wanted to give you too before it was too late.” He pulled out a small pink bag from out of his backpack and handed it to Molly.

Molly opened up the bag and gasped as she pulled out a silver bracelet. At the bracelet’s center was a pink cosmos flower encased in resin and surrounded by a silver band.

“This is so that there’s a part of me that can still be here with you,” Ollie told Molly. “You changed how I saw things, Molly. I want you to know that regardless of whatever happens in the future, you make things better for those you care about.” He smiled. “I hope that never changes.”

As Molly took in the bracelet and let Ollie’s words sink in, she realized where they were standing–in her driveway. Decades ago, her friend had to say goodbye to a special friend of his. Here a promise was made, and it was one that always stuck with him, even at the lowest points of his life. What she had with Ollie was something more than just friendship, but she still took inspiration from that memory she witnessed.

“I’ll make a promise,” Molly began with a smile. “Every time I wear this bracelet, see a brochure for ways to help my community out, or hear the song ‘I keep ending up with you,’ I’ll think of you. That way I’ll never forget you.”

Ollie smiled back. “Every time I see wildflowers, hear about turnipball, smell Thai food, or hear that song, I’ll think of you too,” he promised. “If I ever see or hear about Brighton, I will always think of you.”

Molly felt tears in her eyes and she tried to fight them back. “I appreciate that,” she replied.

Ollie was also trying to fight back tears. “And I promise that I’ll make sure I’ll be there in time for prom if some miracle doesn’t happen first.”

Molly laughed. “Same!” she agreed.

“I’ll do whatever good I can do for the living and the dead.”

“As will I!”

“And I’ll try to learn how to do turnipball just in case, even if I don’t get it!”

“You were still a good player!”

“No I sucked at it!”

Both teens laughed and cried at once. Both their hearts were cracking, despite all they did to fight off the pain. Life was not going to be the same for either of them, and there was no telling if what they had now could still be the same in the new normal they’d be thrown into.

The Chens all got into the car, but Reuben kept his door open as he looked at Ollie. “Ollie?!” he called out.

“Yeah, hang on!” Ollie yelled before he turned to face Molly one last time. “I swear I’ll come back to you,” he promised. “And when that day happens, I hope life is good to you, because you deserve happiness for all you’ve done for others, Molly.”

Molly smiled as her tears fell. “I hope life will be good to you as well, Ollie–you deserve to be happy too. Go and engoodify the world.”

“I think ‘enhappify’ is better!” Ollie let out a laugh before he leaned in and kissed Molly on the lips.

Molly tried to capture the sensation of the kiss in her mind for as long as she could. There was only one Ollie Chen in this world and no kiss could ever compare to his.

Ollie finally had to break the kiss and he squeezed Molly’s hand one last time before he hurried to his family car.

Molly and her family watched as Ollie got into the Chen’s car. With all four members inside, the car started. With heavy hearts, the McGees watched as the Chens drove out of the parking lot and drove down the street, with Ollie and June looking back for as long as they could. They watched until the car vanished as it turned down onto another street.

Molly couldn’t take it anymore–she rushed back to her house, which didn’t go unnoticed by the ghostly couple.

“She’ll need you now,” Geoff gently informed a saddened Sharkie. The ghost shark let out a mournful squeak of understanding and floated toward Molly’s window.

Molly went to her room and closed the door–and locked it for a good measure. She went to her bed, grabbed a pillow, and collapsed onto the bed as she covered her mouth with the pillow.

Molly screamed as hard as she could into the pillow, which muffled the sound out. She only took a breath to scream some more. Her head was full of anger, her eyes full of tears, her chest full of pain.

Time passed and Molly couldn’t handle screaming into her pillow more as her screams turned to sobs.

A soft, gentle nudge against Molly’s arm broke the girl out of her moment. She looked up to see Sharkie–the creature’s large, adorable, soulful eyes expressed concern for her.

Molly sniffed and set the pillow aside as she tried to rub the tears out of her eyes. Sharkie took that as his cue to float right into her lap and pressed his side up against her stomach and chest in an inviting manner.

Molly broke down again as she hugged the ghost shark. She cried and buried her face into the familiar soft, marshmallow-y texture of ectoplasm as the shark nestled closer into her and shut his eyes. She hadn’t felt ectoplasm since she hugged Scratch for one last time.

She still remembered Scratch’s hugs–they weren’t as warm to the touch as a human’s but there was still a warmth to it because that warmth came from within him. His ectoplasm had made him feel so soft and squishy when he hugged her. And yet she felt safe in his hugs–there was a firmness about them that made her feel secure. She badly missed Scratch’s hugs more than ever. She didn’t care that he was a human and could no longer provide the same ghostly hugs he was capable of–she missed the feelings they gave her. She could have used one of his hugs more than ever in this moment.

How would Scratch have comforted her in a situation like this? If he still had his memories, what would he say to her to heal the pain? Did he know what this pain felt like? But then he said he never experienced romance because he was afraid to try to give his heart to anyone.

“I get why Scratch never fell in love,” Molly whispered to Sharkie. “Because this hurts so much.” It was hard to say how much it hurt to lose Ollie, and not know if they could make a long distance relationship work. It almost felt as if their relationship ended, and she was struggling to tell herself that it wasn’t over yet–they still had a chance, if they worked at staying in touch. But what if Ollie found someone else in the new town? What if maintaining a long distance relationship wasn’t enough?

Sharkie let out a confused whine.

“It’s ok,” Molly tried to smile and shake her head. “It’s a human thing. You are lucky you are a shark that doesn’t know heart-break.”

She lost Scratch.

She lost Patty.

She lost Andrea.

She lost June.

And now she lost Ollie.

Each loss hurt so much that her heart could barely take it. Every time it had a chance to heal, it’d break all over again. Why did she have to keep losing friends and loved ones?

Molly hugged Sharkie tighter and cried once more.

***

Eventually night had fallen in Brighton.

Molly–who had been unable to eat much since the Chens left–looked through her window to see the now empty house across the street before harshly shutting the curtain over it. She would be unable to look at the house for awhile and she knew too much was coming up. She didn’t want to be distracted as she had winter finals and her grades hadn’t been doing so well in some of her classes.

Meanwhile at nine fifty nine pm, Darryl checked his watch one more time as he waited by his window. The sky was dark and cloudy, and he was dressed for the weather.

He waited.

Ten.

Ten one.

Ten two.

A reddish pink wraith then appeared before the boy. Geoff clearly fell for her lie of needing to grab something she left behind back in Brighton.

“You still got everything?” June asked.

Darryl nodded.

“Your parents will figure out it was you.”

“I don’t care,” he replied. “Take us to the location.”

****

June had carried Darryl and some equipment all the way to the spot in question.

They both turned to Bizmart–a store that was open up until midnight. There wasn’t as much civilians in the building at this hour.

June had the equipment set up and turned on her camera before hacking into the systems of the accursed store. The canisters the two had been working on were tucked in parts of the store (all thanks to June and her temporary ghost powers) and the contents from a few hidden tanks would also soon flow through the water sprinkler system. Special care ensured that nothing could be traced back to either of the two.

“Care to do the honors?” June asked as she gestured to the laptop.

Darryl nodded. He knelt in front of the laptop and looked at the screens where innocent shoppers were going about their day. They were in no harm–his target was something bigger.

“Bizmart,” Darryl darkly addressed the store. “I only got two words–screw you.”

He pressed a key.

The two friends watched as the top of canisters popped open and out spewed green gas. The water sprinklers above also began to spew out a liquid of a similar color. Within seconds, shoppers and workers screamed as their noses were assaulted by a special concoction that Darryl once created with help from Scratch–all of the most foul smells imaginable, from rotten food, skunk spray, and horseradish, among certain select ingredients. It not only engulfed the shoppers, but the inventory as well.

After five minutes, June pressed a button to jam the sprinklers–which would last for days, just as she ensured–and closed up her laptop as she floated next to Darryl. She watched as the customers and workers ran out of the building as fast as they could and screamed over the scent. It would be impossible to clean that smell out–they would have to shut the store down for a few days.

“Almost all the inventory will have that smell,” Darryl spoke. “No one will want to buy anything. And if they try to restock, we got enough to attack them again with the same smell. It’ll shut down Bizmart for good if we’re lucky.”

“Only one way to know,” June nodded.

The two friends observed their final prank before June had to go back to her new town. There was no telling what the future held, but they ensured that Bizmart paid a huge price for all the trouble it caused them and Brighton.

Darryl grinned and smugly gave the troublesome store a special mocking salute with both hands before June would take him home and they’d have to say farewell to each other for the time being.

Chapter Text

Word got out about what happened to Bizmart that following day. Because of how intense the foul smell was, the store had to be shut down for an entire week. However the real problem was that countless objects–especially anything that could easily absorb the smell or was near impossible to wash–had to be thrown out, along with certain food items that absorbed the smell and the liquid. Not even bagged bread was safe.

Because June and Darryl made sure nothing could be traced back to them–not even the best tech men could trace anything back to June’s computer, and all the canisters were quickly removed before they could be found–they were in the clear, while Bizmart’s manager couldn’t figure out who was responsible beyond pointing fingers. In the meantime, Brighton saw a slight boom in sales around town in the stores that had been there long before Bizmart stole their customers.

The McGee family of course had their suspicions that Darryl had a hand in the incident, but there wasn’t proof at the time.

Once Bizmart reopened a week later, and restocked most of the wares that had been ruined, the sprinklers went off, canisters released smoke, and the store was attacked by the foul smell yet again. This time, there was no questions as to who was to blame and Pete and Sharon grounded Darryl for the rest of the month. The boy–who refused to give up the name of his accomplice–didn’t mind as he felt that two incidents in a row was more than enough. His parents were forced to keep their mouths shut in public as the police investigated the incident and the case would ultimately be dropped. However, Darryl’s concerns were still minor compared to Molly’s that month.

Meanwhile, Molly found it hard to concentrate in school or get excited about much. She put in the effort to do school work and participated in choir, but she didn’t have anything new to share with the community club and she settled on an audition piece for the upcoming musical auditions that wasn’t exactly ‘the perfect song’ she had been looking for. She didn’t even notice how the boys were eying her more than ever before now that Ollie was gone, but Libby did, and she stuck close to Molly and was determined to protect her and let her heal at her own pace.

When December first officially began, Molly helped Sharon decorate the house for Christmas, as it was never too soon to prepare for the holiday season, and it cheered Molly up a little. In addition to the upcoming winter choir show for the high school, there would be a toy drive on Christmas Eve for families with low incomes, and Molly was looking forward to helping out in anyway she could, but her excitement had dulled down this time and she saw it as a need for something to keep her mind off the loss of the Chens.

Molly smiled as she gradually hung up each stocking for her family over the fireplace. One for her dad, then her mom, then Darryl, then herself, and then–

Molly stopped.

In her hands was a soft, dark blue stocking with Scratch’s name upon it.

Memories began to flood back to her–

“Ta-da!” Molly cheered as she revealed the blue stocking to Scratch.

“Oh great, an overgrown piece of footwear that I don’t need,” Scratch flatly responded with an unamused frown. “You know I don’t have feet, right?”

“No, silly!” Molly laughed as she flipped the stocking over to reveal the ghost’s name on it. “Every member of our family has a stocking! And if you are a part of our family, then you get a stocking too!”

Molly barely missed the jolt of surprise in the ghost’s face. It was as if he had never had a stocking before, even when he was once alive–

Molly stared at the stocking as Sharon put her arms around her daughter.

“We can still hang it up, for old times sake,” Sharon gently assured Molly. “He might not physically be here, but he’s still a part of our family.”

Molly thought for a moment.

“I’m not ready to do that,” she confessed and hung her head. “It’s bad enough he doesn’t remember and can’t message a ‘Merry Christmas’ to us.” There was just too many Scratch memories tied to Christmas, and Ollie moving away so soon didn’t help with the sting of it all.

The stocking was reluctantly returned back to the box.

As Molly went to her room, Sharon looked at the blue stocking and gently touched it. She sighed as she thought of all the family had gone through this year.

****

Molly was paired with Sapphire as they both worked on collecting toys for the toy drive that following Saturday outside one of the stores in the downtown of Brighton. Naturally the community club was offering help, along with decorating the school for the holidays and the winter dance. The girls were bundled up as the air was getting colder, and there was no telling when the snow would finally fall.

“I’m sorry about Ollie leaving,” Sapphire told Molly as they stood around the bin which was only half full. “He was sweet–better than most boys we know.”

“He is,” Molly sighed.

“I’d be careful if I were you,” Sapphire warned. “A lot of boys might come after you if Ollie is gone. I know Derrick hasn’t stopped looking at you since the school year began.”

Molly knew Derrick–he was an obnoxious sophomore that had been prone to saying some rude remarks to Ollie that bothered him, but they weren’t enough to cause any real harm. In fact, ever since high school began, a lot of boys had suddenly become a lot more rude and prone to acting out for some odd reason.

“I appreciate that,” Molly managed a real smile to Sapphire.

Moments later Molly noticed two homeless folks across the street, who had stopped to sit and rest against a wall while cautious citizens avoided them like the plague. Despite them being bundled up for the colder weather, she knew full well that they wouldn’t survive out in the open once it snowed, and winters in Brighton could be brutal.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Sapphire asked as Molly went across the street to the two homeless folks.

“Um, excuse me?” Molly began when she stopped in front of the two homeless folks. The woman in the red scarf was slumped over and it was hard to tell if she was even alive since her eyes were closed and her coat was so thick that you couldn’t see her breathing. However the man in the jacket with holes looked up at Molly. The girl almost winced when she saw how sunken and pale the man looked–in fact, his eyelids had a familiar darkness about them that reminded her of those who were without a soul. “There’s some pallet shelters here in Brighton,” Molly continued. “They could take you in if–”

“No,” the jacket-man flatly refused, much to Molly’s bafflement.

“But it’s going to get cold out here as time goes on!” Molly protested.

“Yeah, we know. That’s when we go south.”

“It’ll still be cold! With the shelter you–”

“They won’t let us take our stuff in with us!” spat the homeless man. “If we go to any shelter, the big shots will swoop in and throw away our things! No thanks!”

“But what if something bad happens and you can’t get help?! I’ve been homeless myself and I can’t imagine how worse things could have been if we lost our home during wintertime!” It was true–her family would not have survived.

The man snorted. “You must be one of those bleeding hearts that think they are doing good ‘helping us’ when it’s only for an ego boost, isn’t it?” He eyed the girl and her clothes which were not second-hand. “If you really want to help us, you’ll give us cash instead! Fifty dollars, to be exact!”

For a split second, Molly was about to do just that. She reached for her purse when she suddenly hesitated.

If Scratch was here, he would have stopped her. It wouldn’t have been the first time–the last time she saw a homeless person in Brighton and approached them, Scratch immediately grabbed her and pulled her away. They were still cursed, but she was unable to get him to take her back since he was at her side to begin with.

“There’s some folks you just can’t help, Moll!” he had warned.

“But he needs help! What if he’s sick?!” she retorted.

“I care more about keeping you from making a stupid mistake!”

Back then, she had wanted to point out that Scratch was technically no different than a homeless person (and didn’t say anything because she wasn’t sure if that had been the case when he was alive). But that made her think of when her family was homeless, and it was an experience she didn’t want to relive.

Suddenly a more cautious side of her grew worried–what if that happened again? Yes, her parents were making more money now, but what if something happened? What if the town couldn’t help them in their hour of need once more? What if they had to move? What if they went somewhere far away from the Chens and Libby and Andrea? And what if Scratch came back to Brighton while Molly was gone? What if he still forgot about her? What if she missed her chance to see him face to face one more time? He said he might come back for a visit, didn’t he?

“I can’t right now,” Molly admitted as she gave up in defeat while Sapphire approached her.

The jacket man snorted and shook his head as the woman in the scarf stirred slightly.

“Is everything ok?” Sapphire asked. She then noticed the woman. “Is she ok? She looks dehydrated.” The girl then pulled out a bottle of water that had yet to be drinked out of. “Hey, I got some spare water if you need any.”

The man then stiffened. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he warned.

But Sapphire didn’t listen and knelt beside the woman with the scarf. She held out the water bottle and was about to set it next to the woman, but then she suddenly lunged out and grabbed Sapphire’s wrist.

“HEATHEN!” the woman screamed at Sapphire and tried to pull her down. “SHAMEFUL HEATHEN!”

Sapphire screamed and tried to pull away as a horrified Molly quickly had to jump in and grab Sapphire while the man grabbed the woman to pull her away. However the woman had a tight grip as she then used both hands and her nails dug into Sapphire’s flesh.

“YOUR DAY OF JUDGEMENT IS SOON AT HAND!” the woman screamed at the girls. “THE SAVIOR WILL BURN YOU!”

“LET GO!” The man in the coat screamed as he finally pulled the woman free while Sapphire fell into Molly’s arms. He had to have a tight grasp on the screaming woman who threw out vile profanities at both girls and pulled her away.

“MAY THE SONG BREAK YOUR MINDS!” the red scarfed woman laughed hysterically before her companion could get up and take her away around a corner. “YOU’LL ALL BE PUNISHED!”

Meanwhile Sapphire was trembling in Molly’s grasp. Molly let go of Sapphire who looked at her wrist–the woman had a grip so tight that the wrist was already bruising and there were deep indents where the nails dug into the flesh, but it wasn’t enough to cause bleeding.

“I need to call my moms,” Sapphire stammered as she scrambled to get her phone out of her pocket.

Meanwhile Molly was shaken by what just happened as she led Sapphire back to the store across the street where several people saw what just happened.

She knew she made a horrible mistake. Her parents were going to be mad. Sapphire’s moms would be mad. Scratch would have been mad. There was going to be hell to pay.

****

Molly knew she shouldn’t have been surprised when Maya got word as to what happened.

The club’s president pinched her nose while Lauren glared at Molly. Maya took a deep breath and then faced Molly. “You didn’t listen,” she began. “I specifically told you why we are supposed to let the adults help the homeless. Your actions endangered Sapphire–what if something even worse happened to her?”

Molly was unable to answer.

“Some of our parents caught wind of what happened, and I have to do something at this point in order to ensure that our club isn’t disbanded. It kills me to do this, but I have no choice–you are banned from the club for the rest of December, and when we come back in January you will have two options. You can come back and do everything exactly as me and Lauren say. Or you can leave at any point if you feel that you can’t follow the rules.”

Molly’s face fell.

“I’ll think on it,” Molly mumbled.

****

Being temporarily kicked out of the club had one small positive–Molly had more time to prepare for winter finals. She was not expecting to have almost all of her classes have a final (not counting P.E. and choir) and she worked to study as hard as she could with Libby. However, she could tell that she was not going to do so well in a few subjects, even with Libby’s help.

“Promise me you won’t do anything on top of studying for finals, ok?” Libby pleaded as they worked in the library. “I know you like to get involved for Christmas, and the last couple of times–”

“I doubt anything will happen!” Molly laughed and shook her head.

Meanwhile, that following Friday, Molly and the choir class performed for the school’s winter concert. Her whole family, plus Libby, came to see her perform, and Darryl was going to record the whole thing to send to Ollie and Andrea.

If only the recording could be sent to one more person.

While the boys wore formalwear with the high-school’s signature colors for their vests and tie, the girls wore beautiful long black dresses, with a-line waistlines and short flowing bell sleeves. Molly felt that it was the first time she ever wore something all black and still felt good, though she opted to wear Ollie’s bracelet too. Even if he couldn’t perform with the group, a part of him was still there, close to her.

Molly’s group performed four songs, with two being Christmas themed while one was a winter piece and another was a musical song. Molly felt as if her very being could leave and float into the heavens as she sang–she didn’t have to stress out about the future or her goals, and she could forget the past. She was able to stay firmly in a moment in time where she could happily focus on just the music and singing her heart out alongside the classmates.

****

Molly was sure by this point that holiday festivities in Brighton were jinxed when the word got out.

“Almost all the toys for the toy drive were stolen,” Pete sighed to Molly after school one day. “Apparently the porch pirates decided to go big and take everything from the bins from City Hall, and the county police can’t find them.”

“Was it raccoons again?!” Darryl eagerly asked as Molly’s heart sank.

“No, it was actual people this time,” Pete shook his head. “Thank God we didn’t order anything this year.”

“Who would do such a thing?!” Molly angrily demanded.

“So, now what?” Darryl asked.

“Well, we did get one donation,” Pete began. “Except–”

****

Molly, her dad, and Mayor Brunson stared at the pile of ruined toys from Bizmart that were carelessly dumped into bins right outside City Hall. The stench from the mystery fluid still clung to the toys, to the point that one bird that flew by ended up dropping to its death when it got a whiff of it.

“We can’t accept these!” Mayor Brunson complained as he held his nose. “I wouldn’t give these to my worst enemies!”

Molly couldn’t help but be sad at seeing the ruined toys–they no longer had a chance to go to a child who would want them.

“So now what?” Brunson asked as he turned to Molly. “What’s the plan this time, Molly?”

“Plan?” Molly asked as Pete grew worried.

“Mayor Brunson, my daughter has midterm finals coming up!” Pete protested. “She already did enough help through the community club! Molly can’t–!”

“I can do it!” Molly eagerly grinned and saluted. “I don’t know how, but I Molly McGee guarantee I’ll get more toys!”

“Molly, you don’t have time for that!” Pete warned.

“But there’s going to be kids who wont get any presents for Christmas!” Molly protested. “I have to step in!”

Mayor Brunson smiled. “I knew I could count on you!”

****

And so Molly began her quest to get more toys to donate. While the local news already covered the toy theft incident, Molly tried to spread the word to various people. However….

“Sorry, but money is tight this year.”

“I already made a donation.”

“I can’t afford to buy anything above my budget.”

“Beat it kid!”

“What if whatever I donate gets stolen too?”

It didn’t work.

So Molly tried to approach the stores around town.

“I can’t really afford to donate anything if Bizmart goes back into operating again,” Eliza–owner of the arts and crafts store–apologized.

“Sorry, the toys are practically antiques and would break down,” Weird Larry apologized as Molly remembered that the scent of skunks likely clung to the toys here too.

“Ever since Bizmart lost a lot of customers at the start of the month, we ended up selling a lot of toys and need to restock,” the owner of another local store admitted.

“Last time anything from the dollar store was donated, they weren’t accepted,” the owner of the dollar store reminded Molly.

And of course getting anything from Bizmart was out of the question.

Molly was close to tearing her hair out. In a moment of desperation, she even checked in with Geoff and Jeff to see if there was any toys in the ghost world.

“Most toys in our world either hold too much sentimental value or are cursed,” Jeff bluntly told Molly.

Molly could not believe this. Why was it so hard to find toys to donate?! It then occurred to her–she could use her own money to buy toys! Yes, she knew she worried about losing the house again, and this made her a hypocrite since she didn’t give any money to those homeless folks, but this was a more concerning cause! Maybe just a few donations could–!

“No,” Sharon shook her head when Molly told her of the idea.

“What?!” Molly gasped in shock.

“I know you Molly. You will buy more than three, and I don’t think you know just how expensive toys can get during the holidays. There was a reason Santa wasn’t exactly giving you and Darryl everything that you asked for during Christmas.”

“Right, because ‘Santa’ always gave us clothes every year along with toys,” Molly deadpanned. Still her Mom had a point because Molly had yet to do her own Christmas shopping for her family, and there wasn’t time to make anything for them instead.

In a desperate move, Molly checked in with Darryl since he had connections that she was afraid to ask about.

“Mom and Dad confiscated my phone and computer,” Darryl confessed as he doodled in his notebook.

“Because you were the one who stunk up Bizmart twice!” Molly glared at Darryl. “Do you know how many people’s jobs were put at risk?! Even Scratch would have been against what you did if he was still here!”

Darryl glared at Molly. “You aren’t the only one who lost a friend because of that place, Molly,” he reminded her. “And I don’t worry about taking the moral high ground like you.”

“That doesn’t mean what you did was right!”

“Well, the rest of Brighton saw an increase in sales, and unlike Black Friday, no one got hurt! Its a win-win, isn’t it?!”

Molly would never admit that her brother was right to some degree. Instead she slammed the door close on the way out.

In a final bid, Molly called Andrea for help.

“Well, since Champaign is a huge city, and our town is big to begin with, a lot of our toys sold pretty fast and we have to order more wares and inventory,” Andrea confessed via FaceTime.

“But it can be possible, right?!” Molly asked.

“I’ll ask Dad and have him check in with Mayor Brunson, but I can’t guarantee any agreements. I’ll see if I can have someone paid extra to drive the toys to Brighton.”

Molly sighed in relief as she finished the call. Things were looking up after all!

She then turned to her homework and panicked–she not only neglected her homework during her frantic search, but she forgot to study for her finals! And she neglected practicing her song for the musical audition!

****

Molly managed to buy her family presents in record time. As for the finals… well… it wasn’t as good as she had hoped. Molly was able to get through two of them without any issue, but she especially struggled with two others and knew that one of them was going to get an ‘F’ for sure.

Her parents were going to be disappointed in her. She tried to balance school life with her goals and social life, but it wasn’t enough.

Later that Christmas Eve, Molly found herself and her family at the bandshell once again with most of the citizens in the audience. Snow was falling and the air was cold, but everyone’s spirits were high. As Mayor Brunson gave his usual Christmas speech, she enviously stared at the bins that the community club were able to fill without her. However, it was barely enough–at least two more bins were needed to meet the desired number.

If the truck driver from Davenports didn’t come, then only half the children in need would get toys while the rest would go home empty handed.

Molly panicked as she stood with her family and kept her phone in her pocket. A band performed on stage, then the Christmas carolers went next, and Molly found herself nervously scratching her arm–a habit that might have rubbed off on her thanks to a certain someone. Finally the phone rang and when Molly saw that Andrea’s name was on the screen, she quickly accepted the call.

“Oh thank cob!” Molly gasped as she felt a huge weight lift off her. “Andrea please tell me the truck is coming! I don’t care if it has to come tomorrow! I–!”

“There’s a problem,” Andrea answered.

Molly felt the weight return. “Wh-what?” she stammered.

“There’s a weather advisory that will last for several days. If any presents come, it won’t be until after New Year’s Eve, and Daddy had to choose between the presents and giving everyone a Christmas bonus. He chose the bonus because he wants to keep the employees as long as possible.”

Molly felt the floor fall under her.

“Molly? Molly, I’m really sorry.”

Without warning, she found herself getting shoved forward by audience members. She had no clue why, but Molly was being pushed away from her family and toward the stage where Mayor Brunson and several others were waiting.

“I’ll call you another time, Andrea!” Molly frantically assured Andrea before she hung up.

“Care to come on up, Molly?!” Brunson asked into the microphone with a smile.

Confused and worried, Molly got onto the stage and approached Mayor Brunson.

“Molly here put in effort to secure the rest of the toys!” Brunson spoke into the microphone. “And as she helped save our last few Christmases, we can count on her to save this one as well!”

Everyone–minus the McGees and Libby and her mother–cheered.

Molly stared in stunned silence at everyone. Oh no… that was right. All of Brighton had expected her to pull through for them, because she always did.

“So Molly, where are the toys?” Brunson asked as he turned to Molly. “Should we expect them on cue? Or just in time for Christmas morning?”

Molly’s face fell. The whole town had counted on her. They had fully expected her to save the day, just like the last two times.

Molly accepted the microphone from the mayor as she tried to think of what to say. Some part of her hoped for a last minute miracle.

Molly took a deep breath. “I appreciate that I mean a lot to you all,” she began. “I tried everything I could…” she gulped and braced herself. “But the toys won’t arrive until New Years Eve.”

There were shocked gasps from the crowd. A few faces were even dismayed and upset at the reveal, especially from the kids who had been counting on this drive. Molly McGee never failed–she always went the extra mile. But now, when a lot of happiness was on the line? She failed horribly, despite all she had done.

“I’m sorry,” Molly felt tears form in her eyes. “I tried–I really did! But I couldn’t do it this time! And the truth is–!”

She wanted to tell them the truth. It had never been solely her that saved the day when it came to Christmas–in fact, it had always been Scratch. She did all she could, but he was the one who had convinced Maxwell Davenport to see the error of his ways, and he was the one who made it snow when she got so stupidly obsessed about it. He likely would have gotten the toys for the kids at the last second and joked about being Santa afterwards, complete with ghostly headless reindeer and snowmen with flaming skulls for heads backing him up.

“The truth is…”

Molly shook her head as the tears fell and she dropped the microphone. She ran off the stage and rushed as far away from the bandshell and everyone else as possible.

She failed. She had given it her all and she failed.

She couldn’t tell Brighton the truth, because it would not make sense to anyone. Not even the man who held the soul of Scratch within him would understand if he didn’t remember.

She ran to her family’s station wagon where she broke down and sobbed. It didn’t take long for her family to reach her and take her away from the crowd and the people she let down. It was truly the worst Christmas she ever experienced.

****

Christmas morning was a melancholic affair for various reasons. Everyone was able to get gifts, but Molly had a hard time enjoying herself, knowing that she failed to make sure half of Brighton’s neediest children could also get gifts for Christmas that morning. Neither the gifts under the tree, the snow falling outside, or the music playing in the background could improve her mood.

“It’s ok, Molly,” Pete assured Molly as she quietly examined a lavender colored sweater her parents gave her. “Not everyone gets gifts for Christmas. As long as those kids have their loved ones, they can still have a good Christmas. Trust me–we McGees know this.”

“We couldn’t afford any toys on some Christmases,” Sharon told Molly. “But your dad is right. As long as we can spend time with loved ones, thats all we need.”

Molly sighed. “But I can’t even have that,” she admitted. “Not when most of them are gone.” She let out a bitter laugh. “And I feel awful because I know there’s kids out there who don’t get any toys and don’t have loved ones to spend Christmas with them.”

Her parents hugged her.

“It isn’t fair,” Pete agreed. “And you did the best you could. It wasn’t your fault, Molly–the whole town expected too much from you this time.” Mentally, he knew he needed to ask Brunson to stop asking Molly for help for awhile, for her own sake. There was no telling when she’d recover from recent events.

“It’s going to be ok,” Sharon assured Molly as she rubbed her back. “We don’t always accomplish everything we want to do–it’s part of life. I might not have gotten to be a musical artist, but I still have the best gift right here with me.” She gestured for Darryl to join in the hug and the boy–who was feeling melancholic himself–was eager to do so.

The family of four hugged each other closely. In that small moment, all was well.

Molly was able to finally smile on Christmas morning.

****

Later Molly chatted with Ollie. He had been able to settle into the new town, and so far everything was alright. He and June hadn’t had a lot of time to make friends due to adjusting and finals week, and they hadn’t had a lot of chances to reach out to their friends in Brighton.

“I’m sorry to hear about what happened,” Ollie told Molly through FaceTime. “I wish I had a way to help you.”

Molly smiled despite her sadness.

“So did you get into the musical or get any solos for the spring festival?” Ollie asked. “I know you wanted one of the solos.”

“The solo auditions will be when we come back,” Molly answered. “And as for musical auditions… I got too busy with studying for finals and trying to help get those toys. I didn’t give myself enough time to practice my audition song and I pretty much bombed my audition.” It was sadly true–Molly just didn’t have the energy or focus to perform the song the way she should have, and it wasn’t enough for her to even make the ensemble. “My chances of getting that solo are pretty low.”

“Well, maybe once you re-energize after the break, you’ll have the energy for the song,” Ollie suggested and smiled. “You have a really nice singing voice, Molly. You should get that solo–you more than earned it.”

Molly smiled and felt better. “I’ll give myself a break,” she promised. “And then once school starts, I’ll give Mrs. Sato-Harrison a perfect performance.”

“Ollie?” June asked off screen. “It’s almost time!”

“In a minute!” Ollie yelled at June. He turned to Molly and smiled. “I’m hoping next year will be better,” he admitted. “There’s no telling what will happen, but at least we all get a second shot. Anyway, I got to go help June set up her new equipment.”

“Ok,” Molly understood and waved. “Merry Christmas, Ollie!”

“Merry Christmas, Molly!” Ollie beamed and waved before the connection ceased.

Molly took a deep breath. She needed that conversation–it assured her that not all was bleak. She set the phone aside and went to her window to shove the curtains aside and open it.

Molly peered out of her open window and ignored the empty, unsold house across the street, and instead looked up at the snow night sky. It reminded her of the last Christmas when Scratch made it snow for the Senior Christmas event. She appreciated that gift, but some part of her wished she could have asked for something else. Something more physical that she could always have from him. The gifts she got this year were alright, but she knew that she would never get the one gift she wanted more than anything for Christmas.

She thought back to how the year started and how it turned out. She was sure it was going to be a good year, only–

Molly sighed as she looked up at the night sky. If her friend was somewhere in South America, he was probably seeing the same night sky. “I hope you are having a nice Merry Christmas wherever you are, Scratch,” Molly whispered.

****

Todd stared at the night sky. If his guess was correct, Brighton was seeing the same night sky.

“Well, how’s Christmas in Mexico?” Adia asked as she joined Todd on the balcony.

“Honestly? I think this is the best Christmas I’ve ever had!” Todd beamed back at his friend. It was true–after lonely decades of spending Christmas by himself, this was indeed the best one yet. He and Adia did some sight seeing and had tacos for dinner, and since that was his favorite dish, that was a huge bonus!

Even better–just a few days ago, he finally had someone interested in sponsoring him, and it happened to be the daughter of the family that owned the Davenports stores. He had no clue why Andrea Davenport reached out to him, but he knew she had the right skills for entrepreneurship and he accepted the deal. Adia had to coach him on a few things, but it seemed that he would be getting a much needed financial boost to keep traveling alongside Adia.

“Well I’m glad to hear that!” Adia beamed back. “I had to admit, I never would have imagined I’d be spending Christmas with you this year, but I’m glad to have been surprised!”

“Me too!” Todd agreed.

Adia took that moment to stretch out. “Well, don’t stay up too late,” she cautioned. “We need to catch that boat tomorrow morning.”

“Be there in a minute!” Todd promised. As Adia left, Todd turned to take in the sights before him.

To be honest… he had lied about something. Yes, Christmas Eve and Christmas morning had been fantastic. But like with Thanksgiving, he felt an unexplainable homesickness, as if he was missing something. He couldn’t figure out what it was–there was nothing in Brighton that he left behind to make him feel as if there was a sudden hole in his heart like he did now. But why did he feel like this?

Todd’s thoughts of Brighton turned to some videos and articles he looked up when he had a chance to be alone. When Andrea Davenport gave him that offer, he later looked at some of her recent videos to see what he was getting himself into. To his surprise, she had done a video encouraging people to stay home for Thanksgiving, and Molly McGee of all people appeared beside her to say the same thing. Was it possible the two were friends? Seeing Molly again made him happy. However, something had bothered Todd when it came to the other girl.

“It’s nice to work with you again, Mr. Mortenson!” Andrea exclaimed before she hung up. “I’m glad to return a favor after you helped with the demand ad!”

What did she mean by that? When did he help her? Then again, didn’t that girl have a habit of filming people regardless if they allowed it or not? Maybe he accidentally popped up in one, though he was surprised the girl remembered someone as unimportant and bland as him.

Todd shoved those thoughts away as he looked into the night sky one last time. “Merry Christmas,” he said to whoever was out there that needed to hear it.

****

A few days later, Todd was in Cuba alongside Adia. She had just taken him out on a boating trip and was going to take him on yet another adventure. By that point the strange hole in his heart from Christmas was gone and Todd was fully enjoying himself again.

Although he then decided to see how Brighton had been doing on one of his breaks and got an unfortunate surprise. Not only was there an article regarding how and why the toy drive on Christmas Eve had been a bust, but someone was mean spirited enough to post a video they took of the incident. It was how he learned Molly McGee had apparently been tasked to get the rest of the toys and how she was utterly crushed when she was unable to fulfill that in time.

Seeing how upset the girl was in that video broke Todd’s heart a lot harder than he expected. He could tell she cared so much about getting those toys and making others happy, and he had a strong impulse to give her a hug that she badly needed. He had an overwhelming desire to find however took the toys in the first place and–well, he wasn’t sure, but he was surprised at how violently angry he suddenly became (and wished there was an anonymous option for comments, because he wanted to say what exactly he felt to the person who posted that video). He wished he had a way to hit restart and help Molly and spare her of being humiliated on stage and online.

But that wasn’t Todd–he was not some knight in shining armor. He had never been one to help others out, and he only just learned of what had happened, so it was too late to help.

He forced himself into more adventures with Adia to distract himself from the ‘what ifs.’ Gradually he was able to forget about it, and he soon celebrated New Years Eve with Adia.

****

“You get the snacks, I’ll get the other stuff!” Adia told Todd as she hurried to go grab something for their next stop that following morning.

“Ok!” Todd yelled back as he went into the store. He found himself in a good mood as he decided to make the first day of the new year a good one. He heard somewhere that whatever you did on the first day of the year set the tone for the rest of the year, so he’d make today count.

Todd took his time to browse around the shop. A young lady serving as a cashier was drumming her fingers on the counter to some music playing on the radio nearby. Two woman hovered close by as they chatted about something in Spanish.

“Lamento escuchar sobre el colapso mental de Julian después de perder su trabajo,” a sympathetic woman told the other as Todd found a couple bottles of water.

“Ahora está despotricando sobre cómo este ‘ángel’ quemará a los malhechores y cantará una canción de gloria,” replied the other woman as Todd found the protein bars and took them to the counter will the song ended.

“I wish I remembered the Spanish I took in high school,” Todd grumbled to himself.

“A lot of us would appreciate that,” the cashier answered Todd in a voice that told him she was yet to be entirely fluent in English, but he admired that she learned a second language so well. Better than he ever could, of course.

Speaking of which, Todd couldn’t understand what the radio DJ was saying, but he caught a band name–Atomic Pink. He chuckled to himself–he heard of that band as it was a popular K-Pop group who toured America. According to the articles he looked up awhile back, they were even in Brighton twice! What strange luck his old hometown had. The music soon began to play and the singer began the song–

“Something good’s gonna come, yeah when you least expect it!”

That’s weird. He hadn’t heard that song for awhile. But Todd recalled hearing back when–

Suddenly something exploded in his brain as unexpected images flashed across his mind–

Despite that the newly made bandshell now had a bus sized hole–and a tour bus filling said hole–none of Brighton cared as the group of five young ladies sang and danced on stage. In fact, the town was showing of a dangerous amount of joy as they were swept up into the performance.

“Boom boom boom-when you least expect it!” the girls sang. “Here it comes! Boom boom boom-when you least expect it!”

He didn’t know what was more shocking–the sudden joy Brighton was experiencing or the fact that he actually went to the extent he did. Him–a lazy bum who only needed to put in the bare minimum to survive, and never really gave a crap about making anyone happy besides himself. He watched all from the sidelines alongside the girl who drove him into taking action, however the music was a bit loud for his taste and he had to keep his ‘ears’ covered.

“Scratch!” Molly happily exclaimed–her eyes shining in joy as she swung her arms open. “You saved the day!” She then proceeded to hug him–oh God it was too tight! Too tight! He couldn’t breathe! She was going to split him in half again! “You went the extra mile because you are a real McGee!” she declared as she loosened her death grip and pointed into his ‘stomach.’

“No!” he protested as he tried to shove her away. “No!” He finally succeeded in breaking away from her. “There’s a perfectly reasonable–!” Oh crap! He tried to correct himself. “Ah, explanation why I had to–!”

“Just embrace it,” Molly–not buying his excuses–practically sang as she went in for another hug–

He snapped awake with a gasp and found himself back at the store.

What just happened?!

What did he just see?!

Everyone in the store turned to the man with the unibrow as he gasped for air and clutched his chest. The cashier gave Todd a worried look and asked “Alright?”

Todd slowly let go of his chest and nodded shakily. “Yeah,” he stammered. “Uh–gracias,” he thanked. He wordlessly took the items and headed out of the store.

Todd found Adia waiting close by and slowly walked toward her. “Ready to–?” Adia asked but then hesitated when she saw the stunned look in her friend’s eyes.“Everything ok?” she asked.

“Huh?” a startled Todd looked at Adia. “Uh, yeah, I’m fine!” He forced a grin as he handed Adia her water and bar. “Never better!”

As Adia lead him to the bus, Todd replayed what just happened in the store in his head.

What on Earth just happened? He heard that song and then suddenly he had a vision so crystal clear it was as if he was right there experiencing it. He could still recall the performers and the bus sticking out of the bandshell, but he especially could easily recall Molly being happy for him doing something.

He knew that group did come to Brighton for the creation of the newly restored bandshell. He remembered seeing it–and come to think about it, that bus did crash through the bandshell–but he was sure he was not watching it all back stage. If anything he would have been in the stands with everyone else.

But the weirdest part was that in that scenario, he somehow was friends with Molly–the girl who saw him leave Brighton and who he never personally knew. But why? And what did she mean by him being a ‘real McGee?’ What did he do for her to regard him as a hero–something that he never was?

Even when he and Adia got on the bus, Todd couldn’t stop thinking about what he saw, and ultimately decided it had to be sudden wishful thinking or a happy daydream that sprung upon him. He heard that song and unwittingly imagined a happy scenario that never actually came to pass, especially if the girl Molly had been on his mind awhile back. He knew the vision had to be fake, because there was no way Molly McGee would have known Todd Mortenson well enough to affectionately call him ‘Scratch.’

“So,” Adia turned to Todd. “We’ll spend winter in South America, and then I promise we’ll return to Europe in the spring.

Todd snapped out of his thoughts and smiled. “Well we get to go to Paris?” he hoped.

Adia nodded. “Ah, but one thing–you still owe me a hang-gliding session,” she reminded him. “Just one session on our first stop in Europe and then we can go straight to France.”

Todd hesitated. He was still uneasy about doing anything super extreme, but he also liked what he got to experience when he was more open to life and trying new things. Plus he did owe Adia, so– “I’ll give it a shot,” Todd smiled.

Chapter Text

The third quarter of Molly’s freshman year was not especially eventful. Nor was her New Years Day–casually hanging out with Libby was a huge contrast from being put through a time loop, and last year didn’t fully set the tone that she had been after. While Molly had passing grades for two of her mid-term finals, she had gotten a D and an F in the other two. While her ban from the community club was finally lifted, Molly had no choice but to stop attending until she could get her grades back up. However, her failure to get the toys on Christmas Eve was still in her mind, and she wasn’t keen on taking on any big projects for awhile. Especially if she was at risk of disappointing all of Brighton yet again. She didn’t even want to know how bad her social standing in town had become.

Both Pete and Sharon–who were mad over what their daughter had been put through–had a word with Mayor Brunson to leave Molly be and to never put her on the spotlight before checking to see if she actually accomplished what he had her do ever again. Molly didn’t know exactly what happened, but she heard that her mom was practically shouting and cursing at the mayor.

Still, Molly was able to find joy in other things. She was able to get the solo she was after and was looking forward to the music festival in springtime, which would occur around Easter break. She still hung out with Libby and was more attentive to what Libby wanted to do and what she advised. On Valentine’s Day, Ollie surprised her with a special FaceTime video and talked about some romantic traditions his current town had, but he also wished her happy Valentine’s Day.

“I’ve been wearing the bracelet almost every day,” Molly smiled as she revealed the bracelet on her wrist. “I love it so much.”

Ollie smiled. “I’m glad you love it,” he replied.

And of course, Molly still looked forward to those videos of Adia and Todd. Especially the videos of Todd–she could tell that he wasn’t the best at promoting stuff when he had to mention Davenports as a sponsor. The poor guy had trouble working the travel backpack that had been offered to him for one thing. But Molly knew that he’d be getting that financial boost he needed to continue his dream.

One day in late February, Molly was watching one of Todd’s videos in the cafeteria, alongside Libby. He and Adia just got back from visiting the Galapagos Islands, and in his video he was trying out empanadas. He was in utter heaven over them, and Molly loved seeing that her friend’s love of food would never change, regardless of if he was a ghost or a man.

“Hey McGee!” a voice obnoxiously barked.

Molly and Libby groaned as they turned around to see none other than Derrick.

The boy laughed and continued to talk in a normal voice. “Why didn’t you accept my invite to ditch class and hide out behind the bleachers?”

“Molly’s trying to get caught up on school work–” Libby began.

“Wasn’t talking to you, Libs!” the boy dismissed the girl with a wave of his hand before facing Molly again. “Anyway, what’s the big deal? You’ve been moping around for months! Why not cut loose and have fun?!”

“I actually do need to get caught up on my work,” Molly replied as she tried to hide her irritation. Derrick had been pestering her ever since winter break ended and he wasn’t the only boy. In fact, Molly had noticed that a lot of boys seemed to be eying her lately, and not in a good way–it was the kind of look where she felt a need to wear a sweatshirt or jacket over her clothes at all times. “And ditching class isn’t my idea of fun.”

“And I take it Ghost Boy being a stickler for the rules was hot to you?” Derrick countered. Oh he knew full well about Ollie’s family’s history as ghost hunters–it had been a joke amongst some students at the high school. “Chen-Chen who always tells people off for throwing away one wrapper on the ground, and eats crappy vegetarian food?”

Molly’s fist clenched up. Oh how she hated this boy and hearing that demeaning ‘nickname,’ even more than ‘Ghost Boy.’ She would have rather dealt with Jinx all over again over a minute with Derrick. “Ollie is a sweet boy who does what’s right and is nice to everyone,” she slowly countered as she felt her anger rise, though she tried to stay calm. “He always is on top of his school work, doesn’t use his phone in class, and doesn’t be loud and distracting, or gives out awful nicknames. And there’s no way I’m ever going to date you of all people, so please leave me alone and find some other girl who likes boys who are rude and don’t care about school.”

Derrick stared at Molly and then let out a snort. His pride had been bruised, so he couldn’t help but say “Well I guess we all can’t be Chen-Chen–some bleeding heart who didn’t give a shit that his girlfriend is into watching videos of some ugly-ass middle aged guy.”

Something in Molly instantly snapped.

What happened next was lighting fast, but would be the talk of the school for a long time.

Within seconds, an enraged Molly had pounced upon Derrick. The shorter girl not only managed to grab the boy by the shirt, but landed a punch across his nose hard enough to nearly break it.

“TAKE THAT BACK!” Molly screamed as she kept a tight hold on Derrick, who grabbed his nose and tried to pull away. “TAKE THAT BACK!” she demanded again as she shook the boy as hard as she could.

“MOLLY!” Libby cried as she grabbed Molly and tried to pull her away as everything else went dead silent. Meanwhile every student watched on while a staff member rushed in to stop Molly.

****

For the first time in Molly’s life, she was suspended from school and she was too angry and upset to care about this fact, like her past self might have. Her parents were not happy when they confronted her that night.

“I know he upset you, but that was not the right thing to do!” Sharon explained. “Telling him to leave you alone was enough!”

“And it’s a good thing Libby is able to get you all you need from school, and that half of the assignments are online!” Pete angrily added.

“I don’t care about my stupid grades right now!” Molly snapped. “Derrick insulted Ollie and Scratch!”

“He’s a teenage boy with raging hormones and a massive Texas-sized pride, Molly!” Sharon countered. “He was trying to get under your skin to feel better about himself! They tend to do that! I’m sure your dad was no different at one point!”

“Wait, what?” Pete was genuinely surprised at the accusation.

“And you should care about your grades! We don’t want you to fall behind!”

“And what if I don’t get them up?!” Molly challenged her mom. “What will you and Dad do?!”

“Well, for one thing, we can ensure that you won’t get to see Ollie and June until summer! And we can confiscate that phone!”

Molly flinched.

“Until you can go back to school, I want to see that all your school work is completed, and that you took on extra credit to get it back up. I’m sure Grandma Nin won’t mind if you help her out for a few hours at the restaurant when you aren’t busy–I know from experience that she will not accept excuses.”

Molly hesitated.

“Fine,” Molly sighed. She got up and headed back to her room as her parents cooled down.

Sharon took a deep breath and crashed against Pete. She dragged her hands across her face as Pete wrapped his arms around his wife.

“Do you think we should look into finding a therapist for Molly?” Pete wondered. “With all that’s happened, she might need some help.”

Sharon let out a sad laugh. “How could she even begin to explain half the stuff she went through to someone who wouldn’t understand?” she asked. “How many people out there had someone who went from ghost to human and lost all their memories of them? And you know our daughter–she’d refuse a therapist if it would cost us money.”

****

Grandma Nin was not pleased when she heard the news. She didn’t just have Molly greet customers, but she also put Molly on the dreaded dumpling making duty.

Molly once again found herself frantically making dumplings, but this time during lunch hour when ‘San Phra Food’ was utterly packed. It was sheer insanity and she accidentally messed up a few of the dumplings in the rush. When she wasn’t on dumpling duty, she had to actually force herself to smile as she greeted customers and took them to their tables, which was not normal for her. She started to get a better idea as to why her mom hated the job as a kid.

One day, Grandma Nin forgot to take her daily medication and had Molly rush to the retirement house to get it. Molly took the task very seriously, but she still let out curses on the street over having to be put through it in the middle of an already hectic day. She didn’t even bother to greet the retirees who happily greeted her as she just wanted to get the task done.

“Here’s her medication,” Nurse Katie–a friendly, plump, middle aged woman–told Molly when they found her grandma’s medication in her room. “She just needs one pill with water and then she’s all good.” she frowned upon noticing how exhausted Molly was. “Hey, let’s give you a moment to catch your breath and get you some water.”

Nurse Katie gave Molly some water and a chance to sit down for a couple minutes. However, there was a nurse that passed by that Molly had never seen before.

“Oh, hi Georgia!” Nurse Katie waved and beamed at the fellow nurse.

Nurse Georgia just gave the older nurse a glance and continued on her way. Something about Nurse Georgia bothered Molly–no, she didn’t seem to be soulless, but something about her felt off, like she didn’t seem like the type who wanted to be in her profession because she liked helping others. But Molly of course didn’t have time to dwell on things once she finished her water. She shot up and hurried back to the restaurant as fast as she could.

****

Later that day, Molly collapsed onto her bed and shoved her face into her pillow. Her feet were killing her and she was mentally and physically exhausted. Oh, and she had a lot of schoolwork to get caught up on soon.

“Hi there Molly!”

Molly groaned into her pillow–Geoff popped in uninvited. Again. She didn’t want to deal with him today.

“Jeff and I could use someone to help decorate our Bed and Breakfast!” the green ghost happily explained.

“I can’t I’m grounded,” Molly grumbled without looking up. To be honest, she just didn’t feel like visiting the Ghost World, especially–

“Oh, but your parents won’t know the difference, right?! Well, ok maybe a little! But I was thinking–”

Molly was not wanting this. She just couldn’t.

“–Oh, and we have to factor in every room! Even the closets!”

She was going to scream.

“–Maybe we could go around town and pick out some samples! And maybe go get a treat, like at that coffee shop! Or maybe you could show me that hardware store in Brighton, and you could find good colors–!”

“No!” Molly finally couldn’t take it anymore and snapped as she moved her head away from the pillow, but refused to look at the green ghost. “You aren’t Scratch! I don’t want to hang out with you!” she snapped and waved a dismissive hand at Geoff. “Just go away!”

Geoff flinched in shock.

The green ghost frowned and slumped over. He created a portal and went through it.

When Molly realized what she had just done, she sat up in alarm. “Wait, Geoff!” she panicked. “I didn’t mean that! I’m sorry, I was–!” Oh no, no, no, no! “Geoff?!”

But the green ghost didn’t randomly pop out of nowhere like he did in the past.

“Oh no,” Molly held her face in her hands. She didn’t mean to snap at Geoff and think he was trying to replace Scratch! She realized now that wasn’t what he was trying to do. “Geoff? Please come back?” she pleaded.

But he still didn’t come back.

Molly hugged her pillow as her gaze turned to the painting of herself and Scratch.

She could no longer watch videos of him and Adia at school anymore when she went back–not while she was being mocked for it. Why did jerks like Derrick have to ruin one of the few things that still made her happy? Why couldn’t she have been calm? Why couldn’t she have been honest for once and told someone who Todd really was to her? Why didn’t she stay calm and actually listen to Geoff, or just told him she had homework to do too instead of accusing him of replacing Scratch? Why was she getting angry so easily? Why wasn’t she as optimistic as she normally was?

“What’s happening to me?” she worried. “I don’t feel like the same Molly McGee anymore, Scratch. Why am I like this?”

Silence.

“I wish I could talk to you,” Molly whispered. She felt tears threatening to form and she buried her head into her pillow. “I wish you could remember me. I wish you could get angry at me for hurting Geoff’s feelings, or getting into a fight.”

She was in danger of changing into someone that Scratch would never be proud of. Maybe there was an advantage in him not remembering her right now–he’d never see how un-Molly McGee-like she was becoming lately. Maybe when she finally got her grades where she wanted them to be, she could try to help the community out in small ways that wouldn’t take over chunks of her life, and go look for Geoff and give him a huge apology, and then she could be back to her old self.

She had a lot of work ahead of her.

****

Meanwhile, it was Adia and Todd’s last day in Brazil. They had been staying with a friend of Adia’s–a mother of two named Mirian that Adia had met in previous travels.

The youngest child–an eight year old named Marta–was bored out of her mind as Adia and Mirian chatted about something in Spanish. Todd–who couldn’t understand what the two were saying–was equally bored. He then noticed some tangerines in a bowl and, on a strange impulse, took three of them and began to juggle them.

Marta was suddenly enraptured by Todd’s juggling act and watched as the man effortlessly juggled the tangerines. Even Adia and Mirian ceased conversing to watch the act. After about a minute of doing this, Todd finally stopped and Marta clapped and smiled. He couldn’t help but grin and give the girl a dramatic bow while he was at it.

“When did you learn to do that?!” Adia demanded.

Todd realized what he had done and was startled. “I don’t know,” he admitted as he put the tangerines away. He had the grace of a drunken giraffe, so even he wasn’t sure how he learned that. Was it from watching too much TV?

Meanwhile, Gael–a teenage boy of sixteen–came into the house with a spiky looking fruit and set it down on the table. He said a few words to his mother and Mirian warned him about something before mentioning a ‘La Llorona’ which made something in the back of Todd’s mind buzz while Gael laughed at it. The boy then left and Mirian went to get a knife to cut open the fruit.

“La Llorona is a ghost, right?” Todd asked. He wasn’t sure how he knew that, but the name was familiar.

“The ghost of a woman who drowned her own children,” Mirian answered. “The reason why varies, but she regretted her actions and desperately sought for them once more, even in death. However, their souls passed on while hers forever wanders the lands. The legend might not be as popular in Brazil, but I still use her to warn Gael not to stay out too late.”

“I don’t believe in any of that stuff, but I pity the kids more than the woman,” Todd admitted. What kind of parent would do such a horrible thing? Anyone who harmed their child didn’t deserve to be a parent.

“I pity La Llorona as well,” Mirian replied. “You see, some ghosts cannot find peace until they fulfill their business or goals that they set out to do in life, and sometimes they will accomplish that. Unfortunately, ghosts who cannot fulfill their unfinished business are cursed to a painful, restless eternity and will be unable to move on.”

Todd couldn’t help but wince. Yeesh, that sounded terrible, even if he doubted ghosts were real.

“Anyway, enough talk!” Mirian beamed as she cut into the the spiky fruit. “We grow durians here in Brazil, and I’m sure you will be in for quite an experience if you’ve never had one before.”

Todd felt that he heard mention of a durian before, while failing to notice Adia and Marta quickly plugging their noses. What was so special about a–?

The durian cracked open and it didn’t take long for a foul smell to fill the room. The second the smell hit Todd’s nose, he was treated to the worst smell imaginable–

“Hey dad, what’s going on with–?” he heard Molly say, before she then cried out “Sweet baby corn, what died in here?!”

“Hey, that’s offensive!” he angrily told the girl and pointed an accusing finger at her as he entered the kitchen, only to get a huge whiff of an awful, horrible, indescribable smell. “But not as offensive as that!” he hissed in a tight voice as he scrunched his face up in disgust and melted–literally.

“The durian,” Molly’s dad tried to explain while her horrified brother could only stare at the offensive fruit and cover his nose “that Nin brought to–” he continued as he covered the fruit up with a bowl, but not before getting another whiff that made him gag. “Eat,” he finished–

“Todd?!”

Todd gasped as he was snapped back to reality, only to get another whiff of that fruit and he scrunched his face up in disgust. He ran out of the house where the air was fresh and clean.

Todd gasped for air as he stared at the trees. What just happened? He just got a whiff of that durian, which he swore he never smelled, let alone ate. And yet somehow it was all too familiar to him and suddenly he had an image of being with Molly once again. It was just like back in the store when he heard that song.

Ok, maybe the concert thing was wishful thinking, but why would he also want to imagine something so unpleasant as smelling that awful fruit?

****

A week or so after Brazil, Adia kept her promise and took Todd on a flight back to Europe. They first arrived in Portugal and the plan was to slowly move northward toward other countries.

As Adia went off to film something, Todd found himself craving something to eat real fast. Unfortunately, he didn’t have anything to help translate menus, and the battery on his phone needed a charge soon so he couldn’t look anything up on it. He then came upon a small cafe and spotted what appeared to be chocolate cake or chocolate bread. He decided to play it safe and get the cake.

“Oh you found something?” Adia asked as she stopped filming when Todd rejoined her.

“Some kind of chocolate cake?” Todd guessed as he held the treat in a bag. “It was called ‘Pão de Alfarroba.’”

Adia thought for a second as Todd unwrapped the treat and bit down into it.

“THAT’S NOT CHOCOLATE!” Adia panicked as Todd’s tongue told him that fact at the same exact time–

“WAIT! I CAN PROVE MY CLIENT IS INNOCENT!” Molly yelled as he was seconds away from having to take the nasty sock.

He and the family all watched as Molly raced to the kitchen and came back with a bag of something and took one of the items out. “Observe,” Molly ordered before shoving her hand with the item in it into his mouth. It tasted bitter and disgusting.

It was only a second too late that he realized that the girl gave him carob as he blew up like a balloon and his entire ectoplasmic body filled the entire house.

He was forced to suffer in large, humiliating silence as he crushed the entire family and eventually deflated… very… very… slowly. He was still trapped in a swollen, enormous state when the family got out, like he was Winnie-the-Pooh’s grotesque counterpart who could barely see out of swollen eyelids.

“I shared that confidence,” he grumbled, in a voice muffled by his swollen state, at the girl responsible for his suffering. He couldn’t even find satisfaction in towering over her and the rest of the family that drove him crazy.

“I’m sorry Scratch!” Molly apologized as she walked in with her arms out and open to hug him–

Todd snapped awake and found himself being pulled along the arm by Adia while being able to barely see anything past half swollen eyelids. In fact, his entire face felt like it was swollen and itchy, and he counted himself lucky that he spat the cake out before he could swallow it.

“Oh damnit!” Adia panicked as she quickly led her friend to a hospital. “I should have warned you that they grow carob here and use it in their food! That was a carob dessert you almost ate!”

****

Later that night, Todd was recovering from his allergy shot and the swolleness in his face faded. His vision was better, but he wasn’t in the mood for talking.

“I am so sorry, Todd!” Adia apologized for the umpteenth time. She knew Todd had a carob intolerance, but she didn’t know for sure how fatal it could have been, so she had to act fast. How could she have forgotten when it mattered the most?!

Todd grumbled and hid his face into the pillow.

“I’ll get you something safe to help bring the swelling down!” Adia promised as she got up to leave the room to look for something edible that was carob free.

Todd cursed his stupidity–it’d figure his allergy would come back to bite him someday during his travels. Also, his allergy somehow triggered yet another wishful thinking moment and this time he was absolutely sure that what he saw didn’t happen. Only Alice herself would eat something that would make someone grow so enormous that they’d fill an entire house. Although he had no damn clue why he’d imagine something involving his intolerance for carob.

By the next morning, Todd was able to recover completely and joined Adia in numerous adventures in Portugal. From the Monastery of Alcobaça–the final resting place of an infamous king and his beloved corpse queen–to the beautiful beach of Praia da Marinha, and to the incredible Douro Valley. His allergy–and thoughts of the strange daydreams–would soon be forgotten.

Eventually the duo headed off to Spain, and it was here that Adia revealed something surprising.

“So, this was where I wanted to do hang gliding,” Adia explained. “There’s some great scenery in Spain that you’d like. However, I thought I’d make the experience even more memorable and livestream it to the viewers.”

Todd nearly choked on the coffee he was drinking. “Livestream?” he asked. “As in everyone would be watching us in real time?”

“It would make things interesting!” Adia grinned. “I haven’t done it in ages! Not since you came with me!”

Todd was not entirely comfortable with that. On one hand, what if he lost his nerve at the last second? People would see him as cowardly, which he did not want. Plus, he wasn’t sure that he wanted all of his experiences seen by everyone. Sure, it was nice to be able to show off his accomplishments, but not all of them needed to be seen online, right?

“Besides, you might get more sponsors if people see that side of you,” Adia added. “And more sponsors means more money for traveling!”

Ok, she did have a point. Todd gave in and nodded. “Ok, but don’t show me if I do something embarrassing,” he warned.

****

And so, it was during the next video that Molly learned that Todd would try hang gliding for the first time, and it would all be live streamed.

“That’s incredible!” she smiled as she glanced at Libby–by that point her suspension was over and spring break–and the music festival–was getting closer and closer. She knew full well that students whispered about her incident with Derrick behind her back and liked seeing that she cracked, but in times like this, she did not care. “He always flew around as a ghost, and now he gets to do it as a human!” Molly had been slightly envious of that ability of Scratch’s when he was a ghost, and she was envious that he would get to hang glide since it did seem like fun.

“I wonder if Ollie and June know,” Libby wondered. “Maybe we should all watch it at the same time. Maybe we can’t all do it together, but we will do it in spirit.”

Molly thought over Libby’s words before she chuckled. “Was that intentional?” she asked. “‘Spirit?’”

“Oh!” Libby realized it and chuckled too. “I guess the ghost friends are as strong as ever if that’s the case!”

****

The night before the hang gliding session, Todd found himself nervous. Adia had gone off to swim in the hotel pool, while Todd–who was yet again sore from all the walking–was barely focusing on the TV. He said he’d do this, but his old fears were still creeping up on him. What if he chickened out at the last second before tens–maybe hundreds or thousands–of viewers across the world?

What if there were people in Brighton who would see the video? Sure, there was a huge time difference and most would rather be asleep than watch him, but this hang gliding session would either change their views of him and they’d see him as this awesome adventurer who deserved fame and respect in his hometown, or it would cement him as Brighton’s most cowardly citizen that ever lived.

‘How would Molly react if she watched me?’

Todd froze up. Where on earth did that thought come from? He shook his head. He really needed to stop thinking about that kid so much–he didn’t like how he suddenly had those daydreams with her in it, like he was that desperate or delusional for something that never was.

Todd turned off the TV and got up to stretch when he noticed Adia’s maps sticking out of her bag. He decided to grab them for the hell of it and took a look. At first there was nothing out of the ordinary until he noticed something odd.

Ukraine was crossed out. Russia was crossed out. Israel and the Gaza Strip were crossed out.

Why did Adia say she crossed out certain countries? Because they weren’t safe for one reason or another. Some countries that were crossed out made sense to him, like Afghanistan and North Korea, but what on earth happened with those other places? Wasn’t Russia a place they had wanted to visit as kids?

Todd folded the maps back up and put them back where they belonged. He pulled his phone and reading glasses out and did research on those countries. What he saw… well… it wasn’t good. War, greed, suffering… death. ‘Enough to generate a lot of misery,’ something whispered in the back of his head.

Hang on, when did any of this happen?!

Todd lowered his phone in confusion. How was it that it was only now he found out about them, especially if they happened years ago?! He wouldn’t have missed something this big! He was once a couch potato and even watched the news for Christ’s sake! His co-workers and all of Brighton would have been all about this!

Todd tried to think back to what he was doing when this all happened, but he couldn’t pin point a specific day. His life had become so monotonous and depressing that he was practically on auto-pilot for years. He was well aware enough to know what year it was, but why was he having a hard time recalling anything within the last few years? What the hell was wrong with him?!

“Oh, that was a nice swim!” Adia exclaimed as entered the hotel room with her belongings. “I’ll shower off real quick!” she promised and went to the bathroom while failing to notice Todd’s concerned face.

***

The big day came–it was a beautiful sunny day with no clouds in sight and a nice breeze blowing across the land.

Todd was secretly terrified out of his mind when he saw just how high up he and Adia went. The cliff they were on overlooked a lot of greenery and the city was a good distance away, and he would have appreciated it more if he didn’t have to fly over all of it.

“Hello everyone!” Adia greeted and waved into her phone–the livestream had officially started and she was grinning as if Christmas came early. “Today is the big day! For those who woke up early to watch this, I really appreciate it!”

Todd was nervously eyeing the black and blue glider he was going to be strapped into. Adia shown him some videos and he was not too keen over being strapped into a harness that was attached to a strap that was attached to the glider. He thought there’d be more–well–anything more than what he was seeing. He didn’t think he was going to be dangling in mid-air and only hold onto a bar for support.

****

Molly and her family were able to hook the TV up so that YouTube could be played on it for the occasion. They had to wake up super early to watch the livestream, which thankfully was not on a school day. While they were all tired, they were eager to see what their former family member was doing now.

“Ugh, lucky!” Darryl grumbled. “He gets to do cool stuff like this and we can’t do it with him?!”

“Maybe if you graduate high school we can take you hang gliding as a gift,” Sharon yawned as she and Pete drank their badly needed coffee.

“How are you feeling, Todd?” Adia asked as she directed the phone to Todd, who was putting a helmet on.

“Fine!” Todd answered as he gave Adia a thumbs up and forced a grin. “I’m totally looking forward to this!”

Molly frowned as she noted the way Todd’s voice rose and how he talked too fast–Scratch had a habit of that when he was lying. It was clear as day to her that the poor man was actually scared out of his mind.

She wanted to tell him it was ok–he didn’t need to do this if he didn’t want to. But at the same time she was sure that if he pushed through this fear–just as he did that fateful night–he’d be granted with a once in a lifetime experience.

“It’s ok,” she whispered. “You can do it, Scratch.”

****

“Oh, I’m glad you introduced me to these videos!” Leah exclaimed as Libby watched the livestream on her laptop. Libby had arranged her viewing position so that her pet turtles could get to watch the livestream as well. “Well, unfortunately I got to get back to bed, but tell me how it goes, ok?” Leah asked as she playfully ruffled her daughter’s hair before leaving her bedroom.

Libby smiled as she curled up and watched her laptop. She was not envious of Todd in this moment–that had been reserved for the Galapagos Island and Madagascar trips, where there were plenty of turtles and firm, safe ground.

***

June and Ollie sat together to watch the video in Ollie’s room on June’s laptop while their parents were asleep.

June examined the hang gliders in the video before she nodded. “Everything looks ok,” she told Ollie.

“I can’t believe we get to experience a part of Scratch’s adventures with him, even if we can’t actually be there,” Ollie commented with a smile. Deep down, a part of him still hoped that somewhere on the man’s adventures was the right trigger to finally make him remember what he left behind. Could flying finally be the key to unlocking the memories?

****

A few others caught wind of the livestream and were watching that early Saturday morning, from an envious Mayor Brunson to a curious Andrea (who knew this video could potentially strengthen the sponsorship, which her dad might like). By that point, Todd was slightly more recognizable to those who had noticed him in the past. Not all of them intended to see the whole thing, but they wanted to see what would happen.

***

Todd eventually found himself wearing a harness that was hooked to the hang glider about ten minutes later. He had a death grip on the bar and the part of him that was still afraid of everything was screaming to just get out while he still could.

He looked to see that Adia was whistling as she hooked her phone to some sort of contraption on the bar of her glider. The device would allow her to move her phone around without her needing to use a selfie stick the whole time. The phone was angled at him at that moment, meaning numerous people were watching him in that instant. Todd looked away as he tried to figure out what to do.

His heart was hammering in his chest and his palms were feeling as if they could be sweaty, which made him scared that he wouldn’t keep a good grip on the bar.

He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. He needed to think–

“Taking risks is what makes life worth living.”

There it was again–that phrase that stuck with him ever since he had his epiphany. It calmed him down and eased his fears.

Maybe he was overthinking this as usual. Nothing had gone wrong ever since he left Brighton–apart from accidentally buying carob bread and forgetting sun screen. And that time he forgot to bring proper hiking shoes. Ok, maybe there were a couple of things that went wrong, but at no point had his life ever been in danger. Not even when he and Adia boated above waters where sharks were known to frequent.

Todd took a deep breath as he heard Adia confirm that she was about ready to go.

“Ready?!” Adia yelled to him. “I’ll be right behind you!”

Todd turned to look at the cliff, and the deck that people launched themselves off of. He took a deep breath as his grip on the bar tightened.

He could do this.

He ran as fast as he could without stopping.

Just before there could be nothing below his feet, he launched himself off and pinned his legs together, just as he was instructed.

***

Ollie whooped in delight as June calmly watched with a smile.

****

Libby cheered and accidentally startled her turtles into sticking their heads back into their shells.

****

The entire McGee family was delighted and proud to see what the man had accomplished.

“Holy crap, he actually did it!” Darryl exclaimed.

“Language!” Sharon chided, despite that she was grinning alongside Pete.

Molly exhaled a long held breath and watched as Adia followed after her friend. She was smiling as a spark of joy that she hadn’t felt in a long time rose in her chest. She was proud of her friend for overcoming his fears and getting to live out his life.

***

Todd maintained a death grip on the bar for half a minute and his heart rate was still high. It took him a few moments to actually process what he was doing.

There was no crash or sudden mishap–he was gently soaring across the sky. The wind was rushing against him and roaring in his ears, but it felt secure, like it would keep him protected and slow his descent.

The scenery below him was breath taking–was this would it would be like to be a bird? To freely soar over everything without a care in the world?

The last of his anxieties faded as he felt a lightness within him. He took a risk–a huge risk–and it paid off. He laughed as he realized what he did. He faced his fears yet again and what he got was better than he expected. He glanced at Adia and though it was too far away to see her face, he was sure she was happy.

He finally somehow found the desire to go live out his life, and fulfill his dreams alongside his best friend. He no longer had any regrets–he was living life to the fullest. Maybe it had been a bit later than he would have liked, but better late than never, right?

****

The McGees watched for about ten more minutes before Sharon and Pete needed to head back to bed.

“I have to help Grandma with the restaurant,” Sharon told the kids.

“And I got yard work to do before it gets warm,” Pete added. “Let us know if we missed anything.”

As their parents went upstairs, Darryl turned to Molly. “Are you going to watch the whole thing?” he asked.

“It’s more fun to see it as it’s happening at the same time,” Molly answered as she hugged the couch pillow closer to her body and smiled. She wanted to feel as if she was right there with her friend–they were half a world away from each other, but she was with him in spirit and she wanted to see every second of his experience.

Scratch didn’t remember what it was like to fly, so this must have been him experiencing it all over again. She remembered the feeling of flying herself. It was one thing to fly as a ghost, but what was it like to fly as a human?

Even as people in her time zone went back to bed, and assumed they would see the rest of the livestream another time later when it was completed, Molly stayed put and watched.

****

It was sometime later that Todd realized he was not going to return to the earth anytime soon. It was a very slow, gradual descent. He wasn’t in a rush, but he wasn’t expecting things to be so slow.

He still held onto the bar–he had no intention of letting go, considering the harness was the only thing keeping him attached to the glider. He glanced back to Adia, who was still behind him, and then looked back.

Todd closed his eyes to try to savor the feelings he had now while he still could. The wind rushing against him, the weightlessness, the effortless gliding, the–

–He soared across Brighton and scowled at all the humans down below. No one could see him–a speck in the cloudy night sky, looking for a poor sucker or two to scare.

So what if he couldn’t remember what it was like to have been alive like them? He was sure it had been no different than how he was now. At least he could laugh at them because he had abilities that they could only dream of, like flying over their stupid, oblivious heads.

Some days he hated them. He hated seeing how happy and ignorant they were to their eventual fate. They didn’t have to worry about being bound to The Chairman and the four old coots, or else face eternity in the Flow. He laughed at those who stupidly wasted the precious gift of life and cursed those who lived it to the fullest. He flew over them all, knowing that at least any misery he caused them could give him some satisfaction–

Todd gasped and grabbed his head–and then panicked and quickly grabbed the bar. He thought he heard Adia call out to him but he was too far from her.

What was that?!

No, he knew this was like those last few times, where a random daydream would pop into his head, but this was different. There was no Molly this time. Instead there was a sudden stab of overwhelming anger and bitterness that overcame him for a split second.

Todd shook his head. Whatever the hell that was, he didn’t like it. Even on his worst days, he never thought such dark thoughts. They felt like the thoughts of someone completely different from him–

He heard Adia yelling at him and glanced back–

–In time to see a large flock of birds come soaring at him.

***

“TODD!” Adia could be heard screaming out in warning behind the camera.

Molly stiffened in alarm and she and her brother gasped as the flock struck Todd’s hang-glider. She stood up and stared at the screen while the hug on the pillow tightened.

“Please no, please no, please no!” Molly frantically whispered.

She had wished for her friend’s safety! It was all she had asked for! She pleaded to whoever could hear her to please let that wish stay true and let Scratch fully live out the life he only just gained back!

****

A terrified Todd screamed as he felt several birds brush past him or crash into him and the ropes and cables that kept him attached to the glider. Out of pure instinct, he tried to swat them away.

“STOP!” Todd screamed as his anxiety more than just sky rocketed and he blindly hit whatever he could. He didn’t even realize that he stopped locking his legs in the right position and was frantically kicking at whatever he could. He couldn’t even hear Adia screaming for him as he unwittingly caused the glider to rock back and forth.

One of the cables on the harness unexpectedly snapped and Todd felt his body–and the glider–lurch to one side.

His panic increased.

In desperation, Todd grabbed the bar, but he grabbed the end closest to him and unwittingly added weight to that side, and the glider tilted too far to that same side. It began to angle almost straight down toward the ground and began to pick up speed.

Todd frantically tried to reach for the other end of the bar–to hopefully tilt the glider back to its right angle–but he couldn’t reach and even when he managed to grab onto something, he kept slipping back down.

There was no way in hell he would get the glider back into the right position in time.

Adia screamed as she tried to angle her own glider to get to her friend–and in her own panic, she swung an arm out with too much force and knocked her phone loose from the contraption it was strapped in.

The phone plummeted to the ground, toward the rocks down below. It twisted and turned, and all who could see what it saw were treated to a world spinning out of control until the device hit the rocks and shattered upon impact.

****

The video came to a stop.

The live stream ended.

Ollie had an arm around June as he covered his mouth with his free hand. Both siblings stared wide-eyed in horror.

***

Libby shook her head in disbelief at what she just saw.

It didn’t–it couldn’t have–

****

Darryl had both hands over his mouth as he stared in wide eyed horror at what he thought he just saw.

Molly stared at the screen. Her mind went utterly blank and the pillow she had been clutching for dear life slipped out of her grasp and fell to the floor.

Chapter Text

Todd was screaming as he held on for dear life while the glider plummeted further and further down to earth. No matter how much he tried, he could not get the glider to tilt back to the right side. In less than ten seconds he was going to be a bloodied smear on the grounds of Spain.

This was not how he wanted his life to end! He took back what he thought earlier about no regrets! He still had so much to live for! He still needed to see the entire world with Adia! He wanted to do the things he had always wanted to do but had been to cowardly to accomplish! He–!

He finally was able to get a better grip on the other end of the bar.

Todd’s heart rate slowed down as the glider began to tilt to the correct angle. He gasped for air–for once in his life he was thankful he wasn’t on the petite side as his position returned to normal. He took another deep breath and looked ahead–

The glider was heading towards an enormous electricity pole–more like a tower–with power lines strung out in different directions.

Todd screamed–

Without warning, there was a sharp tug on the glider that nearly caused him to lose his grip. He ended up flopping upward before he began to spin out of control. He held on tight–

–He screamed as that lying green asshole’s tornado spun him round and around, away from Molly. He tried to stay calm as–

–His heart was pounding–

–“Did someone call–?” he smugly asked Molly–only to find himself getting sucked into a spinning fan and he felt his entire body get sliced to chunks–

–He was going to vomit–

–He tried to hold on as tight as he could to her hand as they found themselves spinning in a cycle of souls who failed to appease The Chairman. If there was one thing he could do right after failing Molly, it was to make sure that she’d never spend eternity alone–no matter what, he’d always be with her–

Todd crashed to the ground and agony erupted throughout his entire body as the air was knocked out of him.

He couldn’t scream–he was struggling to gasp for air. He couldn’t move–he could barely acknowledge the dirt and grass, or the sharp stinging sensations on certain areas of exposed skin.

He was dead or dying. He had to be–there was no way he survived–his last moments were to be in utter agony. He was scared even to the end of his life.

“Just in the nick of time!” a woman’s voice exclaimed before she let out a sigh of relief. “Whoo whee! I could only imagine what kind of Death Day story this would have made!” she exclaimed.

He tried to turn his head, but it hurt to move it. Everything just hurt.

“I don’t know how you knew, but I owe you one–wait no?” the woman sounded confused. “Oh… right. ‘Don’t tell anyone I stepped in to help.’”

What was going on?!

A flash of black stepped into his view and his eyes slowly glanced up to see a tall, black cloaked figure looming over him. He couldn’t see their face under the hood, but a pair of pink hands was wrapping up a long glowing lasso around an arm.

Oh God… it was Death itself. Herself?

Todd’s breathing quickened in short staccatos as his heart rate went up. It grew so loud that he didn’t hear what Death was saying as she threw her hands over him and gestured as if casting a spell. When she stopped and knelt down to his side, he tried to wriggle away, only to experience a burst of pain in his body that made him cry out.

“Shh, it’s ok Scratch,” the woman’s voice from the cloak gently spoke as a pink glowing index finger moved toward his head. “You’ll be fine.” Her finger then made contact upon his forehead and her touch felt like something oddly familiar and yet not quite.

His body grew numb upon her touch and the pain was fading away. His breathing and his heart rate slowed as he grew limp. His eyelids began to get heavy.

“Someone higher than me–higher than any force in this whole wide world–says you aren’t ready to become a true ghost just yet. Because it might do more harm than–”

Todd’s eyes finally shut while his heart kept beating inside of him.

*******

“I don’t know how or why, but I’ve never felt better!”

Todd had no clue where this burst of energy came from, but he liked it. No, not just liked it–he loved it! When was the last time he felt this way?! One moment he was just making a huge dent on his couch and watching TV like usual, and then the next he was on his front porch, but filled with happiness and a burning desire to leave everything behind and see the world instead of the usual pangs of dread and terror. He was practically running around his living room as he called Adia and told her the good news.

“This time I’m going to do it!” he promised. “I won’t just say it, I’ll do it! I won’t show you proof until I have it Ads! You’ll be seeing a picture of me literally anywhere else in the whole wide world before you know it! It’ll be the very first picture I’ll text you!”

No response.

“Adia?!” Todd laughed. “Are you speechless?! I know I’m calling after–!”

Wait… how long had it been since he contacted Adia?

“After….”

Wait a second… something was wrong. Todd’s excitement dimmed and the huge manic smile on his face slowly faded.

Still nothing from Adia.

“Adia?”

Todd moved the phone away and was stunned to see that the screen was blank. “Wh-what the–?” But that didn’t make sense. He just dialed her number and heard her voice! Did the phone suddenly die mid-call? He tried touching the phone’s screen, but it wouldn’t turn on. He tried again, but still nothing. How on earth–?

Wait… no this was all wrong.

He was back in Spain, after flying and falling to what he thought was his death. Not back at–

Todd looked up and found himself back in his old house, but everything was colored in monochromes as if he was on the set of an old black and white sitcom, and he was the only splash of color. He was back where he started, in a house that became a prison of his own making.

“What the–?” Todd looked around in confusion before looking down at himself. For some reason, he was wearing the bland monochrome work outfit that he seemed to favor for reasons he couldn’t understand. The outfit might have suited his old self, but it felt wrong for the man who had seen more of the world in nearly one year than he ever saw in all of his fifty something years of existence. He impulsively touched his face and then slapped it, only to feel pain. He looked around but he was still in the same place.

Ok, this had to be a dream. A very hyper-realistic dream. That was the only way to explain… well… a few things. Maybe he was still in bed at the hotel and he and Adia hadn’t done the gliding session yet.

Todd saw his front door and something urged him to open it. He was not keen on spending his dream in his old house so he did, only to find a bizarre sight. The whole neighborhood was also in monochromes, along with the starry night sky. And standing in the middle of the asphalt road, was–

“Molly?” a confused Todd asked.

The girl who haunted his mind was there, staring intently at the house and desperately, yet hopefully waiting for something, judging by her intense expression. She was the only speck of color in a dull, monochrome world, alongside him, though he nearly blended into the world with his drab clothes.

“Molly is that you?” Todd asked as he stepped further out of the house. Why was Molly in his dream? Or wait, was this yet another one of those daydreams? However, something was off–it felt like he was actually living through it, unlike the last few times.

Strangely, it was as if the girl couldn’t see him, even if he was right in her view. Her face suddenly crumpled up as tears formed in her eyes, she hung her head and hugged herself. The poor girl looked as if her whole world had ended. The sight nearly broke the man’s heart and he wanted nothing more to comfort her, but before he could do anything, Molly ran away as big colorful flowers suddenly began to sprout all around her from out of the asphalt road.

“Wait!” Todd pleaded and rushed after the girl, who kept running as the flowers sprouted after her, like she was a nature spirit. However, Todd could not catch up and she was getting too far away until she turned a corner. He only had the trail of flowers as his guiding point and hurried as fast as he could.

He eventually turned that corner, only to find himself on a street that he knew was never supposed to be there–not for a few more blocks. On that street was the house Adia grew up in, where he spent numerous childhood memories.

The trail of flowers led to the house, and the girl rushed towards the house and darted through the front door.

He hesitated and wondered why–oh right. Molly’s family moved into Adia’s house. Looking back, that was quite a huge coincidence, and Todd himself had never been in the house since Adia moved away. But why was Molly and Adia’s old house in this dream?

Todd hurried after the girl and went inside the house.

The interior was modern compared to how it was originally decorated when it was just Adia and her dad, and yet it all looked oddly familiar to him. Somehow Todd knew this was how the house was meant to be arranged and something about it felt comforting. In fact, he felt strangely more at home in this house compared to the one he used to live in–he could feel it down to his soul.

However there was no sign of the trail of flowers. Where did Molly go? Todd searched the house, starting with the first floor.

He searched the living room and the kitchen. Nothing out of the ordinary, but he realized that the layout perfectly matched up to the daydreams he had when he smelled the durian and ate the carob bread. Everything was placed exactly as it had been in those two visions, from the throw pillow to the appliances.

Todd chuckled as he looked around the kitchen–he had lots of fun baking with Adia in here when they weren’t playing games. And didn’t they play video games on her old NES in the living room? He hummed a strange melody that randomly popped into his head as he searched the house and felt as if he were playing an epic hide and seek game.

He looked everywhere-the basement, the office, the guest room, and the bathrooms. Though something about the downstairs bathroom gave him a weird sense of dread as if he had to clean the whole room. He looked upstairs in the guest bedroom, the master bedroom, and what appeared to be a boy’s room. The latter room seemed to be for a middle school aged boy and he couldn’t help but chuckle when he saw an Atomic Pink poster of the lead singer on the wall. Right–Molly had a brother too in her family.

The strange thing was that Todd felt as if this experience was all familiar to him. Like he explored this house for something very specific. Well, he hadn’t found Molly yet, but…

Eventually there was a room he hadn’t searched yet. Todd looked at the ladder that lead to the attic–the ladder was down and the door was open as if it were just for him. He took a deep breath and went up the ladder.

He knew he found something close to what he was looking for, yet was still stunned. The attic room was the only room in the house and in the entire dream that was fully in color, and not only that but a girl had definitely turned it into her own room. Strangely, he wasn’t bothered by the change in the room that held his most sacred memories–in fact it was here where he especially felt at home. But there was still no sign of Molly.

He walked around and took everything in–the banner on the ceiling, the parasol in one corner, the bed full of plushies, the dollhouse on the ground–

Todd stopped and knelt beside the dollhouse to take a better look at it. “Must have a good floor plan,” he chuckled to himself. He wasn’t sure why he was drawn to the dollhouse, but it looked nice. Though why did a teen girl need a dollhouse in her bedroom?

Todd got up and then noticed a painter’s easel where a towel was carefully laid over the painting. “Huh, guess you’re a bit of a Van Gogh, aren’t you, Moll?” Todd wondered as he went to the easel. He took the towel and carefully lifted it off the painting, which he examined.

Molly had painted herself hugging some sort of small marshmallow blob of a creature, who hugged her back. The creature–whatever it was–was a light blue, with a big nose that was a slightly darker shade of blue. He had two cutie bits, and his eyes–represented by two yellow lines–were closed and set in deep black sockets. The two were lovingly embracing each other as if they were best friends–

Molly wouldn’t know that he peeked. She made a big deal about him not seeing the painting so his interest was already strong as is. His curiosity just got the better of him but he knew she’d get excited about that silly festival and Brunson giving her family that huge turnip trophy while he’d watch right next to them as usual, and she would probably forget that she was supposed to show him the painting later. So he looked while she was away.

He let out a small laugh when he saw the image of the two of them hugging each other. There was a time he would have mocked the image and think she was being delusional, but this painting reached the depths of his soul and made him feel things that he embraced once again. It made him reflect on how far he had come thanks to her.

He smiled and couldn’t help but say “The dream team you and me–”

“–For all eternity,” Todd finished as he kept the smile.

He was startled at what he just said and saw, and his smile dropped and turned into a gasp of shock. “Wait, what?” Todd shook his head. “No, that can’t be right… there’s no way…”

Did he… actually know Molly? Not just as an acquaintance but as a friend?

“No that can’t be right!” Todd shook his head. “I would have remembered being friends with Molly if I was! She wouldn’t have acted the way she did at the bus stop! She–!”

Wait… Todd looked at the painting again–that was not him that Molly was hugging. Sure, the creature had a big nose like his, but it was not him. Why did he think the creature was him in that daydream? Was it some kind of symbolic representation of himself? If Molly did know him, why wouldn’t she paint him as how he actually looked? Sure, he didn’t have a good enough of a face for–

The air was suddenly cold as he had been dropped into the arctic. Todd shivered and rubbed his arms before he looked up.

Instantly the room had changed. Now it was completely empty, minus the cobwebs, dust, moldy boxes, tattered purple curtains by the window and the strange blue glowing blue creature that floated in front of the window with their back turned to him.

It was the creature Molly was hugging in the painting–Todd could tell who it was, even with their back turned. Something about that blue, cartoonish creature unnerved him. Something about it seemed… familiar… Too familiar, even…

Todd held his breath as he rubbed his arms for warmth.

“This is all your fault,” the creature suddenly growled with a voice that sounded oddly similar to Todd’s, as if he stole the man’s voice and made it his own.

“I don’t understand,” an alarmed Todd nervously replied as he took a step back.

“You were still around,” the creature-with-his-voice continued as the bitterness crept into it. “I didn’t want to go back to being alive–I was happy with my afterlife. I was going to lose everything if I did. I was afraid I’d forget her–I told her a long time ago that I’d hate to forget her.” He let out a sad laugh as if it were a painful joke. “I only listened to her because I believed in her more than I believed in myself.” The creature slightly hunched over. “But I was right,” he hissed.

“I fought it off as long as I could,” he continued as Todd grew uneasy. “I saw her in the middle of the street, and I was stuck in the air as my body and soul rejoined as one. She was crying, and all I could do was smile to her when all I really wanted was to hug her one last time. I stupidly thought that maybe I was worrying for nothing–that I’d remember like everyone else did. That I’d go see the world, stay in touch, and see her again before my time was up.”

The creature then slammed his fist into the wall near the window with a loud ‘bang!’ that made Todd flinch.

“Why?!” yelled the creature. “Why did I have to forget?! She remembered! Darryl remembered! Libby, Ollie, and June remembered! But I couldn’t?! What did I do wrong to be punished like that?! Who in the world said that I was the one that had to forget everything and not even remember a single damn moment when I got my body back?! I lost my family! I lost my friends! And I lost her!” The creature then turned part of his head to glare at the man over his shoulder. The black and yellow beady eyes were set in dark sockets and they burned with sheer, overwhelming hatred that caused Todd to back away. “I lost the best part of my afterlife because you were still around! You should have been six feet under but no, of course you screwed that up! Just like everything else! And now I’m stuck with you!”

“What do you mean?!” Todd felt more afraid than he ever had been in his life as his voice came out in a broken tone as he tried to back away. “Who are you?!”

The creature let out a bitter laugh. “You still haven’t figured it out yet, Dead Eyes?!” he spat. “Or are you that deep in denial?!”

“No, I don’t understand!” Todd was getting angry, despite his fears. “Tell me!” He ordered. “Who are you?! Why do you sound like me?! What do you mean by ‘afterlife–?!’”

In a blink of an eye, the creature was suddenly directly in front of the man. The creature expanded and his features distorted until the screaming Todd found himself staring into the face of a grotesque abomination with hideous eyes, jagged large teeth, and talons that dug into the thick flesh of the man’s arms when he grabbed him.

“YOU SHOULD HAVE JUST DIED!” the monster screamed in a distorted voice as the world began to shift and turn into neon colors around him and his captive, who screamed and tripped and fell onto the floorboards. “YOU PATHETIC, STUPID COWARD! WHY DIDN’T YOU DIE?! YOU DIDN’T REMEMBER WHEN WE LAST SAW HER! WHEN WE LAST SAW THEM! WE HAD ONE LAST CHANCE TO REMEMBER HER BEFORE IT WAS TOO LATE! YOU DIDN’T EVEN LET ME HUG HER AS A HUMAN AND EXPERIENCE WHAT IT’S LIKE TO FEEL HER HUG WITHOUT FEELING LIKE A STRESS BALL THAT’S GOING TO POP! I WANTED TO LET HER KNOW HER FRIEND WAS STILL IN THAT MEAT-SACK OF A BODY! I OWED HER THAT! AND YOU TOOK THAT AWAY FROM ME!”

Despite his fears, Todd felt himself crying, but not because he was afraid. It was as if the monster’s pain became his own. As he was forced to look, he saw that enormous teardrops were leaking out of the monster’s eyes and down his twisted face.

“I’VE SEEN IT! YOU’RE OUT THERE BEING A HAPPY IDIOT, WHILE SHE’S STRUGGLING AND FAILING! AND THE WORST OF IT IS THAT YOU SEE IT TOO, BUT YOU WON’T REACH OUT TO HER! YOU STUPID COWARD, YOU AREN’T EVEN DOING ANYTHING! YOU DON’T KNOW HOW IMPORTANT SHE–!” the monster’s voice cracked from sorrow. “I HATE YOU SO MUCH I–!”

The abomination suddenly flung Todd across the floorboards and right into a wall. The impact hurt like hell, and it took Todd a moment to push himself off the floor.

“I hate you… I hate you…” the monster whimpered.

Todd looked up and saw that the monster was now huddled in a corner and crying. He held his lower half to himself like a pair of knees and was rocking back and forth like a small child. It was something Todd knew well, and despite his fears he was still crying silent tears alongside the monster and felt an intense heartache that he only experienced once before in his life.

“She gave up on me,” the monster moaned in despair–his voice only slightly distorted now. “She has all that she wanted back home. She still has her family and other friends. She won’t want me the way I am now–not some stupid, happy idiot who forgot all about her and doesn’t realize what he left behind.”

Todd wasn’t sure what to say.

“I just want to see her again… I was gone for too long… I don’t care if she hates me. I just want to see her one last time. But you’re still here, and I’m stuck inside you, and once you go around the world and see everything, it’ll be too late.”

“Are you talking about Molly?” Todd dared to ask.

The monster let out a ghastly howl, spun around, and shot straight towards Todd’s chest and grabbed him by the shirt.

“LET ME OUT!” screamed the monster as he raised his free arm as high as his could while Todd screamed in fear. “LET ME OUT!” The monster repeated as he dove his arm toward Todd’s chest–

–the floor broke apart and Todd screamed as he fell out of the monster’s grasp and fell into the swirling blue vortex beneath him.

****

“Todd, it’s ok!”

Todd gasped as he rose up from the hospital bed while Adia grabbed him by the shoulders.

“It’s ok!” Adia frantically assured Todd. “I’m here! You’re fine! You’re safe!”

Todd’s heart was hammering as he tried to catch his breath. It took him a few minutes to calm down and come back to reality as he slowly took in his surroundings. He wasn’t in Adia’s house anymore, but in a hospital somewhere in Spain.

Adia worriedly stared at the man as he ran his hand through his hair and looked at himself. He was still dressed in the outfit he wore for traveling, but there were bandages here and there. “Adia?” Todd finally asked as he looked at the woman.

Adia let out a relieved sigh and dove in to hug her friend. “Oh thank God!” she sobbed as she held the man even tighter. “Thank God!” she repeated.

Todd let out a sigh and hugged his best friend back.

After a few minutes of hugging, the two parted ways. “You survived the fall, but you had some scrapes and a few rocks embedded in you that the doctors had to get out,” Adia answered. “You need to stay overnight in case infection sets in.”

Everything replayed in Todd’s head. So the gliding session and the fall–and nearly getting barbecued by a power line–did happen. “I actually survived,” he repeated in disbelief. “I can’t believe it.”

“I couldn’t either,” Adia was wiping her face as her tears fell. “Oh, God, I was terrified when I saw you–!” She took a deep breath. “I hadn’t been afraid in so long until I saw what I saw. If you didn’t made it–if you died–I never would have lived with myself! I pressured you into that stupid hang gliding thing, made it into a big social media event, and almost got you killed!”

Adia held her face in her hands as her body trembled. Todd reached out and gently rubbed her arm. He hated seeing Adia so upset–he was used to seeing her be so fearless and confident. The only times he could recount her being like this was when she broke the news about the move when they were kids and when her father passed away. Yet she was always the one who did the reassuring.

“I’m still alive,” Todd reassured Adia. “And it’s not your fault–I wanted to try to live a little even though I was scared of doing it. If anything, it’s my fault for not saying how I felt. And I admit that it was fun when I wasn’t… well… you know…”

Adia let out a weak laugh. “I blame myself for a lot,” she admitted. “I didn’t help you make more friends before I left Brighton, I never spent more time with Dad before he passed away, I never bothered to come to you even once when I kept begging you to go on the trips, and then I just cut you off for ten years instead of just talking things out with you and seeing if you needed help. And if I had been responsible for you dying–” she took another breath.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Todd tried reassuring Adia once again.

They sat in the hospital room for awhile, trying to comfort each other.

“I’m going to have to get a new phone,” Adia groaned. “I knocked my old one off my glider and it fell. I’m lucky everything on there was saved to the iCloud.” She sighed. “Actually, I need to take a break from filming our travels and posting them online. For now, I just want to spend time with you.”

Adia got up and stretched her legs. “I’ll get you something to eat that isn’t hospital food,” she promised. “Just hang tight, Scratch.”

Todd smiled. “I’d appreciate that.”

Adia went to the door, but then hesitated. “Before you woke up, you were talking in your sleep,” Adia admitted.

“Hopefully not about passwords or secret crushes,” Todd joked.

“No,” Adia shook her head and frowned. “You… I couldn’t make sense of any of it, but you were angry and kept mentioning a ‘she’ and a ‘her.’ And the last thing you yelled before you woke up was ‘let me out.’”

Todd’s eyes widened in shock.

“LET ME OUT!” the voice of the monster echoed in his head.

“Todd?” Adia asked. “Is everything–?”

Todd shook his head. “I’m fine,” he lied. “I just… had a nightmare about something.”

Chapter Text

Todd couldn’t shove it aside anymore–some part of him was convinced that he knew Molly McGee. He wasn’t sure how or why, but some things were not adding up. He needed to get to the bottom of this before he lost his mind.

Thankfully Todd’s phone was in the hospital room with him, and had a good charge. He decided to research all the events Molly and her family were involved in, and with a paper and pencil on hand (as requested to a nurse) for notes, he began a search to see if anything sparked any familiarity.

Todd researched the last festival that happened before he left. Sure enough, Brunson had given the Molly and her family a huge turnip trophy, and when Todd looked up a video on the event, he winced when the girl was nearly crushed by the trophy. That thing looked as if it weighed as much as he did. However, the dream version of him had thought that he’d be with the family and there was no sign of him on stage with them.

Todd researched three past holiday festivities–the day it suddenly snowed on Christmas for the senior-family Christmas event, the festival that Maxwell Davenport contributed, and the bizarre Hanukkah incident at the bookstore when the power last for nearly eight hours during a massive blackout. Something in the back of his head told him he had been to all three events, but nothing was coming to mind and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Todd looked up the incident with the Tugbottom statues, and to his surprise not only was Molly in the photo standing next to the mayor in front of the Sally Tugbottom statue, but he recognized himself from the backside, holding a bag of cups. Right, there was supposed to be a potluck–didn’t Brunson get pissy about him bringing those cups? Wait, he actually remembered that? Todd grimaced as he wrote a note to ask Brunson about the statue incidents on the paper.

Todd only stopped when Adia came in with some food that she brought, as well as his phone charger. They chatted for a bit and ate, and after reassuring her that he’d be fine on his own while she’d go look for a new phone, Todd went back to his re-charged phone.

He then came upon a story about how the Brighton Lemmings softball team finally won against the Mewline Skylarks, and Molly was one of the photos. It didn’t surprise him that Molly might have been behind the win somehow. However, there was a photo angled with the stands in view, and Todd was able to see himself in the stands, though he looked mopey and pale as he rested his face in his hands. Brunson was also in the photo watching the game too.

Todd tried to think back–he vaguely remembered that game and being surprised that the Lemmings actually won. But he couldn’t remember much else. He wrote a note to ask Brunson about the game.

Finally Todd looked up the bandshell and combed through a few videos. There was quite a few solely of the truck breaking through the bandshell, or just Atomic Pink performing, but no sign of him with Molly. However he knew this was a big one, so he wrote another note for asking Brunson about it.

*****

After getting out of the hospital and spending one more day in Spain, Todd combed through Andrea’s videos. Lots and lots of videos. Dear lord, the girl made a lot of videos–how did she even have a social life?! However, nothing was of true interest to him until he found a ‘Davenport’s on demand’ video and, out of gut instinct, played it.

To his shock, he saw that he was in that very video–Andrea used him as an example of a customer using the now defunct app. Seeing his past self look so miserable and barely doing much in the commercial made him wince, but that wasn’t the issue. The issue was that Todd didn’t recall agreeing to doing an add for Andrea. In fact, he couldn’t recall that day period.

Todd wondered if his life had been so monotonous that he just wasn’t paying full attention to what he was doing outside of work. Normally he would not have agreed to doing that add since he didn’t like being filmed back then. Then again, it was impossible for a normal person to remember every day of their life and he was no exception. Todd decided that perhaps it was just sheer luck that he was filmed. Otherwise why on earth would any influencer choose someone as bland as he was for a commercial?

However, while Molly popped up in a few of Andrea’s videos, there weren’t any more featuring himself. But now he needed to ask Andrea some questions, in case there was a way to reach out to her and if she knew something.

*****

Unfortunately, the friends would have to postpone the trip to France and especially to Paris. It turned out that there were some locations that had to be closed down for a bit due to repairs and security concerns. Adia suggested to head over to the UK, starting with Ireland, and Todd agreed to it, though he was rather on edge about being in the plane after what nearly happened to him.

Todd tried to be excited, but for some reason he just couldn’t this time. It wasn’t just that he wanted to get to the bottom of his daydreams, but he just felt this pang of guilt, like he shouldn’t be enjoying himself so much.

“I’VE SEEN IT! YOU’RE OUT THERE BEING A HAPPY IDIOT, WHILE SHE’S STRUGGLING AND FAILING!” the monster’s accusation echoed in Todd’s head.

That was another thing–Todd was struggling with sleeping lately. That feeling of guilt, and that burning need to know answers wasn’t doing favors for his mind.

Sometimes he thought he’d catch a glimpse of the monster in his nightmares, and then he’d wake up before the monster could try to jab his hand into the man’s chest. And what did he mean by ‘Let me out?’ Why would he yell those words out in his nightmare that day?

Todd tried to nap for the rest of the flight. Instead, he was plagued with blurry nightmares of a figure in black and a swirling green vortex that he feared for reasons he couldn’t explain.

****

Nothing slipped past Adia. As an explorer it was in her nature to notice details. The two had been in Ireland for a couple of days when she noticed that Todd wasn’t as excited as he normally was. In fact, he looked tired and lost in thought, and whatever excitement he showed was faked. A familiar darkness was threatening to form around his eyes, and there was a faint hint of his old self about him.

The truth was that by that point, Todd had been trying to figure out how to reach the people he needed to contact halfway across the world. He tried to show interest in Ireland as he anxiously waited for his chance to make contact or do more research, and by the time he had a window of time to make private calls, it was always too late. And still the nightmares were plaguing him.

Adia had enough when Todd couldn’t even get excited over something as simple as the ulster fry for breakfast before they could head off to their destination. She took Todd aside and sat him down at a table. “First, I need to get coffee in you,” Adia told her friend. She made sure to order him a strong coffee blend and waited until he drank enough to be alert.

“What’s wrong, Todd?” Adia asked.

“What do you mean?” Todd asked back.

“Something has happened ever since the gliding incident,” Adia began. “You aren’t as talkative and excited, you seem more distracted than usual, and you haven’t talked about where to eat even once. And you like food! And you haven’t done a single video yet.”

“Neither have you,” Todd countered as he began to scratch his arm.

Adia took a deep breath. “Am I forcing you in anyway?” she asked. “Are you done and want to head back–?”

“No!” Todd protested. “No I’m glad you are getting me to keep going! I’m not ready to go back to Brighton–!”

“Then what’s wrong?” Adia asked. “You are starting to act more like your old self. Something is bothering you. I don’t want to put you in a position where you feel uncomfortable or scared for your life, after what happened with the gliding incident.”

Todd thought over how Adia was reacting. He thought he could keep it a secret, but the truth was that he could not enjoy himself anymore, so long as he had a huge mystery over his head.

“There is something bothering me,” he confessed. “Actually, it's been bothering me for awhile, but it was never a problem until now. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know what you would think of me, or you’d think that I’d want to go back.”

“Then talk to me,” Adia gently told him. “I’m your friend–I’m here for you. I wasn’t there for you the way I should have been, but I’m here now and I want to help you.”

Todd gave his friend a small, appreciative smile. “Well,” he began. “It all started the day I left Brighton…”

And so Todd told Adia everything. He talked of when he first met Molly at the bus stop. He talked of seeing her in articles and videos about Brighton, he talked about the weird daydreams he had, and he talked of his nightmare. Nothing was left out and it felt nice to finally let it all out.

Todd sighed. “I know, it’s ridiculous,” he said. “I’m probably projecting onto this kid I only met once.”

“What is it that you fear the most out of all of this?” Adia finally asked.

“A lot!” a frustrated Todd threw out. “Either I am delusional and all of this was in my head or I actually did know that kid and somehow forgot all about her! I can’t tell what’s real and what’s not, because a lot of the details don’t add up! Maybe she’s only a dream that some stupid old guy like me came up with to try to put something in the void of what little life I had back then!” Todd let out a sad laugh. “There’s no way she would know me–I didn’t do anything meaningful in Brighton to be worth remembering for anything good!”

Adia thought for a moment. “Can you show me a picture of her?” she asked. The name ‘Molly’ sounded familiar, but she couldn’t figure out why.

“Uh, yeah,” Todd agreed before he looked up the family photo of the Thai restaurant on his phone and showed it to Adia.

Adia’s eyes widened in surprise when she saw the girl and immediately recognized her. “No, it can’t be…” she murmured as it all came back.

“What?” Todd asked.

“I’ve spoken with this girl before,” Adia informed Todd. “She was trying to interview me for her school newspaper while I was whale watching.”

This shocked Todd more than anything he had experienced thus far.

“It was last summer–in fact it was sometime just before you called me up,” Adia explained as she looked at the photo. “We didn’t get a lot of questions answered since the wi-fi was awful, but I remembered she asked about you specifically. I told her about how you got your nickname and that the games we played inspired my adventuring.”

“She asked about me?” Todd was stunned.

Adia frowned. “She asked me about how you died,” she admitted.

Todd felt his heart stop for a brief moment. “Died?” He was dumbfounded. “Why would she ask that? Why would she think I died?”

“I don’t know,” Adia replied. “She said that as if she was sure it happened, but I knew that couldn’t be the case. Though it scared the hell out of me for a bit,” she confessed.

Todd didn’t understand. So Molly was at least aware he existed before the bus stop… but she thought he was dead? Why would she think that? Was he that much of a nobody that she’d assume he was dead?

“YOU SHOULD HAVE JUST DIED!” The monster screamed at him. Those words, and that talk of an afterlife, and memories of the gliding incident made the man shudder.

“So now what?” Adia asked. “I don’t have her number–I lost it when my phone broke–”

“No!” Todd panicked. “No, I can’t try calling her! What if I have this all wrong?! What if she thinks I’m a stalker?!”

Adia nodded in understanding. “Well, who else could we reach out to?”

Todd groaned. “I was planning on asking someone…” he began.

*****

It took awhile due to the drastic differences in time zones, but both Adia and Todd were able to contact an old friend of theirs.

“Hello?” Stu Brunson called as Adia put her phone on speaker. “Mayor Stu Brunson speaking–”

“Yeah, it’s me, Todd,” Todd cut in. “Todd Mortenson.”

There was a choking sound on the other end. “Todd?!” a shocked Brunson cried out.

“And me,” Adia addd. “Adia Williams. Remember me from when we were kids?”

There was a pause, followed by a quiet “Holy shit,” and then “Yeah, I do!” Brunson stammered. “I wasn’t expecting–holy crap–”

“And I’m not in the mood to hear about past grudges,” Todd bluntly added. He then knew he had to play his cards carefully. “I just had some questions about–”

“Oh yeah, you showed up in Adia’s videos!” Brunson gasped before he let out an amused chuckle. “Congratulations! Once some of Brighton started to recognize you, you became a bit of a small celebrity over here!”

Todd felt an odd surge of smugness where there should have been shyness in regards to that. He ignored it as he let Brunson ramble on.

“I watched a little of the livestream, but only about the first half hour. That looked like a lot of fun.”

Adia and Todd winced. Apparently not everyone saw how that video ended.

“Ok, I’m going to ask you some questions,” Todd began. “I need some clarification about some things that happened. Just to double check, there was a statue unveiling ceremony–”

“Are you still bummed about me getting angry about the cups?” Brunson demanded.

“But it happened, right?” Todd pressed. “And there was a girl there too? Didn’t she say that it was Sally Tugbottom who did all those things instead of her blowhard of a brother?” Whoa, ‘blowhard?’ Where did that come from?

“Oh, Molly!” Brunson sounded a bit more chipper. “Yeah, she and her friend Libby uncovered that there was a mix up. I know you were there both times.”

Todd felt as if there was more to that investigation that even Brunson wasn’t aware of. “And I was there at the softball game when the Lemmings finally won, right?” Todd asked.

“Yeah, you were there too,” Brunson commented. “That was a surprise. I wondered if the ball was possessed half of the time!”

“Oh that’s wonderful!” Adia beamed. “I don’t think that team won very often ever since I left.”

“That’s because we didn’t have our best pitcher,” Brunson complimented Adia, and for a split second all three remembered the old days.

“Ok, I’m going to ask another question,” Todd continued. “Do you recall ever seeing me around Molly? Maybe during a town hall meeting with you or when the whole town came together to help buy back that house?”

There was a long pause.

“Uh no,” Brunson replied. “I never saw you appear at any town halls. And I definitely didn’t see you when we all came together to help her family, which is weird because I thought you lived a few blocks away from the McGees.”

That’s what Todd was worried about. However he thought of that memory with the bandshell. “Ok, now I have another question and it might sound insane,” Todd took a deep breath. “When the bandshell was constructed, there was that concert, right? And a bus crashed and a k-pop band performed.”

Brunson laughed. “Yeah! We thought we were going to get Kenny Star!”

“Did I do anything to help with that by any chance? Maybe something wildly out of the ordinary? And did you see me standing backstage with Molly?”

There was a pause.

“I have to be honest,” Brunson confessed. “If you did anything to help, it would have been news to me. I didn’t see you help build the bandshell, and I’d be impressed if you had the contacts to get that band, but as far as I know, you didn’t do anything. And I know Molly was off by herself backstage–I saw that with my own eyes.”

Todd’s heart sink.

“Are you sure?” Adia asked. “You said Molly helped a lot of folks in Brighton. Was Todd one of them in any way? We’re asking because Todd has been having some memory issues.”

“I’m sorry, but I do not recall Molly having ever been around Todd. In fact, Todd, you kept to yourself to the point that I never saw you hang out with anyone. Sure, I saw you at a lot of events, but you acted like a zombie and took on this weird, low monotone with your voice which honestly creeped the hell out of me and a lot of other folks. We couldn’t even tell if you were all there in the head.”

That confused Todd. He acted like a zombie and a low monotone voice? Even Adia was shooting him a confused glance at that.

There was a pause. “Is there a reason why you are asking this? Should I pass a message along to–?”

“No!” Todd panicked and yelled. He then realized his mistake and calmed down. “I mean, no. It’s just–” he pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to think but gave up. “Like Adia said, I was just trying to make sure I was remembering something correctly.”

Todd allowed Brunson a few more minutes of chatting and letting him know what he and Adia missed. It was the usual boring stuff–not much changed with Brighton–but Todd felt a small homesickness as he heard of some festivals and holiday events. When the two concluded the call and Todd hung up, he held his face in his head and tried to think.

“Todd?” Adia asked.

“I don’t understand,” Todd shook his head. “Why can’t I remember things?! Why would I remember them incorrectly if I wasn’t there?! And why would I act like a zombie?! I don’t remember doing that!”

“Maybe you could ask another person,” Adia offered. “Don’t just rely on one person.”

“Way ahead of you,” Todd answered as he felt a spark of hope.

****

The two tried another contact, which took a bit of work, but they were able to reach Andrea Davenport. They let the girl get excited over who was calling her for a bit before they could continue the investigation.

“I don’t think I saw Molly hang out with any adults in Brighton, besides her parents or whoever she was helping at the time,” Andrea admitted. “She was either on her own or hanging out with everyone else.” She chuckled. “Actually, she and her brother formed a group with some of their friends called ‘The Ghost Friends.’ I was never a part of it, but it looked like they had fun.”

Adia chuckled while Todd snorted. He thought that was an odd nickname for a group.

“Oh wait, that reminds me,” Andrea paused. “No wait… it couldn’t be…?” She then continued. “There was a time when I made a movie with her, Darryl, and Libby. There was another person with them, but he wore a sheet for his costume since they were playing a ghost, so I never saw who he looked like. What did she tell me his name was…” Andrea’s voice drifted off as she tried to think. “‘Scratch?’”

This shocked both Todd and Adia and they looked at each other. That was Todd’s childhood nickname! What if–?!

“Do you know if there’s a copy of the movie?” Todd asked as he felt his excitement rise. “Do you remember how tall the person was?” Could it be possible–?

“I don’t have access to it,” Andrea admitted. “I kind of took over the film,” she guiltily confessed. “So whatever was salvaged likely belongs to Molly or Libby, and Molly doesn’t have it on her social media accounts and neither does Libby. I think their friend was around their height, but I don’t know if he ended up in the movie or not.”

Todd’s heart sank. It had been a long time, but although he was not very tall, he was still nearly a whole head taller than Molly–that he remembered. Of course he wouldn’t seem useful or theatric enough to help out some kids with a movie back then.

“I also do remember you agreeing to that commercial,” Andrea told Todd. “But for some reason, I couldn’t get you to act excited, so I just filmed you as you were.”

“Did I sound weird when I talked by any chance?” Todd pressed. “It’s ok–you can be honest.”

“Yeah, it was, like–” Andrea gave herself a second. “‘I feel elated to be in your commercial,’” she droned in a low, deep voice that sounded more robotic than human. “It was really strange, but I didn’t ask why since you seemed depressed,” Andrea admitted as her voice returned to normal. “Honestly? It was a little jarring to hear you speak like a normal person in your videos.”

Todd was now really confused.

“We really appreciate your help, Andrea,” Adia took over and thanked. “We would like to keep this conversation a secret for now. If something comes up, we can let you know.”

“Ok,” Andrea nodded. She let out a sad laugh. “I’m glad I could help a little bit.”

****

It was while Andrea was happily chatting with Alina on a FaceTime that she realized she made a mistake and cursed.

“What’s wrong, Blue?” Alina wondered.

“I forgot to tell Mr. Mortenson that Molly was the one who suggested I reach out and help sponsor him,” Andrea admitted.

“Well, maybe he’ll reach out to her at some point,” Alina suggested. “If not you could wait a bit due to the time zones, and then reach out to him.”

Andrea sighed in relief. “Thanks, Red,” she thanked the love of her life.

****

Todd was losing hope.

He found himself staring at the starry night sky once again, out on a balcony with Adia. The air was cold and he was bundled up.

“Why not just ask Molly herself?” Adia asked.

Todd shook his head. “And have her parents arrest me for bothering their kid?” he asked. “I’ve already pushed it by asking two people, and who knows that they think of me.” He sighed. “You probably think I’m insane.”

“No,” Adia answered. “I don’t think you are. I just wish I could be of more help.” She smiled. “And Scratch? I’m sure any kid who got to know you would love to have you as a friend.”

“No,” Todd replied. “You know how I used to be–no kid would want to be friends with that guy. Especially if I was acting like a zombie and talking like a robot like those two said I did.”

Adia frowned. “I don’t believe that,” she replied. “Sometimes the right people don’t come into our lives right when we want them to, but I think you do mean a lot to someone else besides me. You’ll figure things out and make the right call in the end.” She glanced at the night sky. “Well, I’ll need to get to bed soon. Don’t stay up late and make a wish on the stars for too long.” Adia cautioned as she went back inside.

Todd breathed in the night air as he gazed at the stars.

He had no clue what he wanted anymore. He was content with the new direction in his life, but now he was unsure. He thought to all those daydreams of Molly, those videos and pictures of her, and he thought of her seeing him off. She was happy, yet sad. If they had truly knew each other before that day then why didn’t she say something? He couldn’t imagine someone like her could have ever wanted to have been friends with him. If he forgot her then why could he forget someone so wonderful? If he had someone like her in his life, he could have found his newfound zest for life a lot sooner.

“I wish…” he began as his sadness grew. “I wish I hadn’t been so closed off and alone all those years. I wish…” he sighed. “I wish I had been someone special to someone else besides Adia.”

But no star would ever listen to him–not someone who didn’t believe in ghosts or wishing stars, and who was a fifty something year old who was well beyond the age of wishing on stars. That version of Molly in his daydreams might have been no different than Pinocchio or the Velveteen Rabbit, but she would never be real. He had to let her go.

****

Todd wandered alongside Adia on a street in the small town. Easter was coming fast and everyone was looking forward to it. Everyone except him–it was yet another holiday that lost its spark as the years passed.

“The time is soon at hand!” screamed a person with a sign as they hovered on a street corner. “Euphrosyne will burn away the evils in the world and sing the song of glory!”

“Oi, shut your trap!” an annoyed civilian yelled at the sign-holder. “No one cares!”

“She will burn naysayers like you first!” the sign holder yelled back.

“Not before the cops beat your ass out of the street!”

Adia glanced back at the sign holder in confusion and saw that the sign said ‘She will burn all!’ before the fight between them and the civilian grew physical and violent. “That’s weird,” she commented. “Is it just me or have we seen a lot of those people in our travels ranting about some kind of upcoming doomsday?”

Todd just hummed and shoved his fists into the pockets of his blue jacket. He barely paid attention and didn’t care about something that could make him feel even more down than usual.

“Todd?”

The man looked at his friend and realized what he was doing. “I think I might need some time to clear my head for a bit,” Todd admitted. “You go on, I’ll just stay in this part of town for awhile.”

Adia was reluctant to leave her friend alone, but he never had a lot of time to himself since he traveled with her. “Ok, just call me if anything comes up,” she cautioned.

Adia went off to a different direction and left Todd, who aimlessly wandered the street.

To him, this almost felt no different from how he lived his life in Brighton, and yet he couldn’t snap out of it, no matter how hard he tried. Nothing was making him happy right now and he hated feeling this way.

He had to snap out of it. He couldn’t be upset over–

Suddenly a strong wind crashed into the man and nearly knocked him over. A few other people yelped and hurried away as the wind blew into them while Todd yelled and darted into the nearest shop to avoid the wind.

When Todd regained his bearings he looked around to find himself in some sort of spiritual shop with various jewelry and stones, in addition to fancy scarves, candles, statuettes, and carvings. A cashier with fiery red hair didn’t look up, but asked “Breezy day today, sir?”

“Uh, yeah,” Todd answered as he decided to kill time and look around. Nothing in particular struck him, though he admitted some of the wares were neat. At least the wind knocked him out of his depressed state long enough for him to focus on something else. As Todd passed by the cashier, he saw a small, stone circular display or platform on her right side on the counter. The platform was adorned with six stones, in the colors of two different shades of green, pink, orange, yellow, and blue.

“Admiring the story?”

Todd looked up to see the cashier smiling at him as her blue eyes shone in interest.

“Story?” Todd asked.

The woman looked at the stones. “Yes,” she answered as she pointed at the yellow stone at the very center of the platform. “The golden princess binds them all together,” she spoke and then pointed to a mint green stone. “Her brother the mint green trickster causes much trouble.” She pointed to the light green stone. “The turtle green scholar helps to guide the princess.” She then pointed to the pink and orange stone which were spaced away from the first three stones. “But awhile ago, her sweet sunrise prince and his clever sister the sunset magician moved away. It was a sad day for those left behind.”

“And the blue one?” Todd wondered.

The woman touched the blue stone which was farthest away from the rest. “The blue knight,” she answered. “A title so earned because the princess inspired him to be brave and because he saved her multiple times. He’s been in a bit of a sleep lately but he’s struggling to wake up.”

“Never heard of that story,” Todd admitted. He wandered some more until he came upon some pendants. All of them bore a marble green stone, and some had designs around them, or were bound in silver. One pendant caught Todd’s attention–a heart shaped pendant with a silver tree upon it. “Not much variety with the stones, is there?” Todd asked upon taking the heart pendant as the woman left the counter and stood next to him.

The woman looked at the heart pendant in Todd’s hand. “That is Connemara marble,” she explained. “A stone that only comes from Ireland. It is a stone for healing and providing peace and balance. And that tree upon it is the Tree of Life–it serves as the connection between heaven and earth, but also the mind and body,” she paused and looked at Todd. “Life and death, and the physical with the spiritual.” She then chuckled. “Are you intending on giving it to a special someone?”

Todd stared at the pendant in his hand. He had no one back home to give gifts to. If he had– “I don’t,” Todd shook his head as he felt his sorrow rise. “I wish I had someone to give gifts to, but I don’t.”

The woman took Todd’s free hand without warning. He looked at her in confusion as the woman held his hand and starred intently at it. After a few moments, she looked at Todd.

“Your heart knows the truth,” she told him. “Molly McGee is indeed a dear friend of yours.”

Todd flinched and backed away. “Wh-what?” he stammered. “How did–?!”

“In fact, if the heart and soul are one and the same, then your soul knows Molly more than you might realize,” the woman smiled. “I believe I told you myself that you have a good heart, Scratch.”

Todd was now increasingly confused and uneasy about this woman. “Who are you?!” he demanded. “How did you know about all of that?!”

“You don’t remember the fortune teller from Italy? The one who you helped pick up her cards for?”

Todd was startled as the memory of that day came back to him. “Wait,” he looked at the woman. She didn’t have the mask, but her eyes and hair was familiar. “That was you?!” Of all the coincidences in this world, he’d run into that lady yet again?!

The woman placed a hand over her heart and nodded. “My name is Madame Saorise,” she introduced herself. “I can see the past, the present, and the future of any soul I read. Today is the day that I said we will run into each other, and in a few moments you will be a point where you are ready to finally listen.”

Todd let out a disbelieving laugh that was a tad meaner than he meant it to be. “No you can’t possibly–! This is a joke, right?!” Todd glared at the woman. “You aren’t spying on me, are you?!”

Madame Saorise let out a laugh of her own. “Ok, let’s try something,” she offered. “Look up the video you did when you ate pizza in Italy and see who commented. When you figure out their user name, you will get another ‘daydream,’ as you call them.”

“Yeah, ok, lady!” Todd laughed. “I’ll humor you,” he decided as he pulled out his phone and did just that. He scrolled though his videos until he found the video in question. The truth was that he rarely bothered with comments since he was nervous about what people would say, and there wasn’t a whole lot of comments on there–

He then saw it.

“I feel that my days will be enhappified when I watch your videos,” someone with a familiar user name had written. “I look forward to more and learning more about food around the world.”

’N_H4PP1F13R.’ That was Molly McGee’s user name.

Todd was stunned. Of all the people who could have commented, and that he actually knew in real life, it happened to be Molly. “She actually watched my videos,” he murmured. “This whole time–”

Molly McGee had been seeing his adventures. It was likely she still did.

‘She didn’t forget me,’ he thought. ‘She was watching me this whole time.’

Something stirred in the man’s heart at the thought. The girl who wished him well and haunted his mind had seen his adventures and wanted to see more of him. Not some daydream version, but the real Molly. Todd couldn’t help but smile and then he looked at the user name.

’N_H4PP1F13R.’ Why was that name familiar? “En,” Todd slowly deciphered the name. “Ha… ppif… ier–”

–“I sent that to ’N_H4P–oh,” he realized when he read out loud the name of the player on Smile Valley Farm.

“Did you get it?” Molly smugly asked him.

“Yeah, I got it. Okay,” he answered with slight annoyance.

“Yeah,” Molly scooted closer to him. “When you say it out loud, it goes…”

“‘Enhappifier!’” They said together, though hers was more enthusiastic.

“I was proud of that one,” Molly continued–

Todd stared at the name in shock. “Enhappifier,” he repeated. “Enhappify…”

He thought he made that word up. It just came to his head that day.

Todd accessed the account and looked at how far back the oldest video was in Molly’s account. It was long before he even had his epiphany–almost two whole years ago.

“It was never my word,” Todd realized out loud. “It was always hers… She always said it.” He looked at Madame Saorise who had a knowing smile. “Then I actually–?”

“They were never daydreams or wishful thinking,” Madame Saorise answered. “They are memories–your memories. Your friendship was real all along.”

They were memories… they were real… the Molly who knew him well enough to call him by a nickname was–

“But they don’t all make sense,” Todd admitted. “If those are memories, then why am I doing things that shouldn’t be possible, like flying or blowing up? Why wasn’t I seen with her anywhere in public? How do I know what’s real and what isn’t?”

Madame Saorise frowned. “I can help answer that, but we need to access a crucial sensory memory first. And I’m sorry, but it’s a memory I’m sure you’d rather not remember.”

Chapter Text

Todd found himself in a small parlor room and it was the kind of room you would expect from a fortune teller, complete with no windows, some supernatural artwork on the walls, a fancy table, and a crystal ball in-between him and said fortune teller who apparently was the real deal.

“So just to be clear, you can see everything?” Todd asked Madame Saorise as they sat across from each other in chairs.

“I can,” Madame Saorise confirmed. “I have seen the end of the beast with one eye, the downfall of the false emperor, and the coming of those who would bear the three titles of calamity long before they have occured.”

“I don’t get what any of that means,” Todd bluntly replied.

“They would not matter to you. What should matter is the spirit of joy who overthrew the king of misery,” Madame Saorise smiled. “The spirit of joy of course being Molly–you may not recall yet, but she is a very special soul with powers unlike any seen the realm of the dead.”

Something about that sounded oddly familar. “Why can’t you just make me remember everything?” Todd asked.

“The only sensory memory that would do such a thing is unfortunately not within my power,” Madame Saorise appologized. “In fact, its not a sensory memory you can access so easily, and certainly not while you roam the world.”

Well that was frusterating to hear. “Ok, then what is the memory you need me to access?” Todd asked.

“Give me your phone,” Madame Saorise instructed.

Confused, Todd obeyed. He watched as the fortune teller whispered something as she brushed her fingers against the phone. Suddenly it let out a sound indicating that someone just texted him. “When you see what it says, you must say the three words you swore never to say again,” Madame Saorise instructed as she held the phone out. Todd took the phone back and looked to see that Adia had texted ‘Ready to go?’

Oh… no.

No, no, no, no.

He found himself scared as he knew that text all too well, and how he responded to it the last time he saw it. He couldn’t go through this again. “I can’t do that!” he protested. “I swore I’d ever say that ever again! Especially not to Adia!”

“Do it,” Madame Saorise commanded. “This is the only way to get your answer.”

Todd gulped as he looked at the screen. His fingers trembled as he nervously typed the words ‘Maybe next time.’

He hit ‘send’ and waited.

The dots appeared…

And then–

–They vanished and he felt as if a hammer struck him in the heart.

She finally gave up on him.

He knew it would be coming someday, but he didn’t want to believe it. But Adia finally gave up on her coward of a ‘friend’ and with that went the last light in his life. He collapsed deep into his sofa as his phone slipped out of his hand. He didn’t bother to look at the TV, and he didn’t want to get up. He didn’t want to do anything but just sit there forever. If he grew hungry, he wouldn’t even bother to get up for a mere bite.

God, he felt so…. Numb.

He felt felt a silence fall as everything around him slowly faded to nothing.

He felt a strange lightness in his body as he shook his head and felt the tears leak from his eyes.

Todd barely noticed the blue glow that started to form around him as that lightness continued. He felt as if something within him was starting to detach itself from his body inch by inch. It made him feel both lighter than air, and yet heavy and tired all at once.

He lifted his head back… and he rose from his body.

He barely paid attention as his soul rose out of his house and into the sky.

He barely paid attention as he wandered the streets for days and accidentally scared quite a few people.

He sought comfort and drifted to the only place he ever felt truly happy in his life-Adia’s old house. Specifically the attic.

It took him a long time before he registered what he had become… what he always had been in a sense. He felt it in his new form long before he saw his reflection, or when the Ghost Council came to collect him. He was now truly a ghost. He was officially dead–

A shocked Todd dropped his phone onto the table.

“That wasn’t Adia,” Madame Saorise casually confessed. “I just put a little spell on the phone to make you think she was texting you.”

“I was…” Todd stammered. “I actually died?” He looked at his hands–human hands, not glowing blue, cartoonish ghost hands–and panic rose. “But I’m here!” Todd protested. “I’m alive! I can feel my heartbeat! I–!”

“You didn’t actually die,” Madame Saorise gently cut in. “You became a special type of living ghost called a wraith. It’s a rare phenomenon that happens when you give up your soul due to overwhelming depression or a sense of great despair and a lack of will to live. Meanwhile your body remains alive, but is reduced to an empty, emotionless shell that lives out their days without you. You were a wraith for almost ten years until you gained your body back.”

Wait.. ten years?! He lost ten years of his life, because–?!

“Why would I want to be like that for ten years?!” Todd demanded.

“Because wraiths who stay away from their bodies for too long lose their memories as humans. Molly was the one who helped you gain them back, but she didn’t know your true name, nor that your body had been wandering Brighton or even stood right before her in some cases, for the longest time. To her and everyone else, you had always been ‘Scratch the ghost.’”

Todd flinched.

He thought of the creature from his nightmares–how it sounded like him and vaguely looked like him. The creature… the ghost… was him.

“Why did I forget all of it?” Todd asked as he remembered how the monster–the ghost–was upset over something crucial. “If Molly really meant so much to me, why would I forget her?”

“Honestly I don’t know,” Madame Saorise sighed. “It does not make any sense to me as to why you were the exception. I suppose you were gone from your body for too long that something had to be corrected. They all tried to help you remember, but were all using the wrong sensory triggers. Instead you started to find them on your own on accident.”

Todd felt so many things at once in that moment. Anger, frusteration, sadness, and a painful realization. It had always been another version of him that Molly had adored–not Todd Mortenson. She never did those things with the real version of him–just a part of him that he didn’t even know existed until now.

“Then Molly never truly knew me,” Todd bitterly reflected. “You know, I’ve had nightmares of some kind of blue monster who was yelling at me for ruining his afterlife and taking Molly away from him. Maybe it was never about me,” Todd let out a laugh and ran his hands through his hair. “It was about someone else. I was never the one in her painting, and I wasn’t the one who saved that concert or played games and made movies with her. It was a ghost who could do the things I never could. No wonder I couldn’t remember any of it–they were never my memories to begin with. I’m just seeing snapshots of a life that was never my own!”

“Why would Molly still follow your adventures?” Madame Saorise pointed out.

“Because she wants the other guy, not me!” an upset Todd cried. “Not some loser who wasted his life! God, I get it now! She was at the bus stop because she was looking for a ghost!”

Madame Saorise stared at Todd in disbelief and slapped her face. “You are an idiot,” she murmured. “You have no idea how you even got your body back in the first place.”

“Well it probably doesn’t matter anymore does it?!” Todd snapped. “Because I’m not the person she–!”

“Then why are you still alive even now?!” Madame Saorise angrily demanded as she stood up. “Did you think it was a miracle or luck that you surived your gliding accident?! Which I had forseen back then?! You were supposed to die and join the Ghost World as a true ghost, Todd Mortenson!”

Todd felt a chill go up his spine as he calmed down.

“Molly had wished for your safety for as long as you traveled the world! She wished upon the wishing star and the Wish Granter heard her wish! He granted her wish and worked alongside the new Chairman to make it a reality! She said both your true name and the name she knows you as upon making that wish! She loved and accepted you as Todd Mortenson, flaws and all, long before you decided to become human again, and she still feels that way! Your self-loathing is an injustice to the sacrifices that she’s made for your happiness and it’s an injustice for what is yet to come, you foolish oaf of a man!”

Something in Todd twisted in worry at that last sentence. “What do you mean?” he asked. “What is yet to come?”

Madame Saorise calmed down as she sank back into her chair. She took a moment to compose herself. “Have you heard the name ‘Euphrosyne’ at any point in your travels?” Madame Saorise asked.

Todd was confused by that question, but then he realized something–he actually heard that name before. “Yes?” he asked. “I mean, there was some doomsday-cult person yelling that name on the street not that long ago. But that’s just crazy talk!” he protested. “What does this have to do with me?!”

“Euphrosyne–the version they claim to be Euphrosyne–is a prophesized entity believed to bring peace to the world. Some that many say might even cleanse the world of all the evils it has seen,” Madame Saoirse shook her head. “But these people who are screaming and begging have no idea that such a thing not realistically possible, even for a god, and the version of Euphrosyne they desire will be born out of suffering. They see her as a goddess of justice and wrath instead of what she truly represents, especially when they failed to notice a crucial detail that contradicts what they believe. You see, Euphrosyne is in fact the name of one of the three Charites in Greek mythology–specifically, the Goddess of Joy.”

Todd thought over what he just heard. Then he realized it–somehow he was able to figure it out, either because of the memories he was gaining, something in his gut telling him, or because of what the fortune teller mentioned earlier.

Goddess of joy… Spirit of joy…

“Molly is their doomsday goddess?” he asked, hoping that this wasn’t true.

Madame Saorise nodded, to the man’s horror.

“But she’s just a kid!” Todd angrily protested. “And she’s the happiest person on the planet! She’s not Euro-Eurp–whatever!” He gave up trying to pronunce the name right. “How?! Why?!”

“She’s not happy right now,” Madame Saorise answered. “You’ve seen hints of it in your searches of back home, haven’t you? She surpresses her sorrow–she has lost so many friends before she came to Brighton, and ended up losing more. But not just you–she has lost others in your absence. And her goals to bring joy to others is not exactly going the way she wishes, be it by misfortune or human error, and is adding to that suffering. You see, a heart that is broken can be healed with time, but Molly’s heart has been broken too many times, and the more a heart breaks, the harder it is to help mend the cracks. Unfortunately, there will be one more incident coming her way.

“In a few days time,” she began. “There will be an incident in Brighton. An incident, though born from human malice, will not cause any death, but someone close to the girl with be caught up in the moment and Molly will assume the worst for their fate. This misunderstanding will lead to the final heart break that she will not be able to endure, and this time there will be no one there for her in her hour of need. A few minutes after that incident, the girl known as Molly will cease to be and in her place will be a powerful spirit who will indeed try to heal and fix all that is wrong in the world. But instead she will only have an unfinished business that will never be able to be completed and she will never be able to find peace in the afterlife. That is the goddess of wrath that those fools are unknowingly praying for. Or she will be once she is no longer of this world.”

Todd let the words sink in.

He kept thinking back to Molly seeing him off at the bus stop, who tried so hard to help her community out, and took time to watch his adventures. That Molly was more real to Todd than the one in his lost memories. He could not fathom a world without someone like her–someone who was meant to inspire people to do good and bring happiness to those who needed it.

“Is she going to die?” Todd asked as he feared the worst. But the fortune teller didn’t answer, and his heart sank even further.

Molly was going to die. Molly was going to turn into some false goddess. Molly was going to face an eternity of suffering.

“And you can’t do anything?” Todd asked.

Madame Saorise shook her head. “But the question,” she began “is what will you do, knowing what you know now? You say this girl only cares about a version of you that no longer exists and that you believe that you don’t truly matter to her as you currently are. What is she worth to you now?”

Todd stared at the crystal ball as he thought. He had spent a lifetime being afraid and not doing anything meaningful. There were very few times he had taken a risk on something.

“Taking risks is what makes life worth living.”

He had felt comfortable telling Molly his dreams and goals that day. Something about opening his heart to her felt right to him. What he was feeling now felt right to him.

*****

Adia was reading a book outside one of the pubs as she waited for Todd to come back, but she didn’t have to wait for long. The man came walking back to her, but something was different. There was a determination in his eyes, but it wasn’t the excited kind that he had developed. It was a more quiet determination as if something crucial was on the line.

“Everything alright?” Adia asked.

Todd paused and took out a peice of paper that was carefully folded. He unwrapped it to see the heart-shapped pendant bearing the tree of life resting within it.

“Take it,”Madame Saorise told him. “For luck.”

Todd looked at his best friend, who he promised to travel the world with, and finally did after so long. “I need to go back to Brighton,” Todd told Adia. “There’s something I have to do.”

****

Madame Saorise hummed to herself as she went to the platform near the cash register.

“Show the way so we can see,” she sang a certain song. “Show the way the world could be.” She carefully pushed the blue stone away from the edge and moved it a couple inches closer to the yellow stone. “If you can do it, so can she. If she can do it, so can we.”

****

It was night when Todd and Adia reached the airport in Dublin. One red-eye flight and he’d be back on American soil before he knew it.

“Are you sure you don’t need me to go with you?” Adia asked.

“I got to do this alone,” Todd answered. “I don’t know what’ll happen, but it might be easier if one celebrity isn’t around,” he tried to joke.

“I hope everything goes right,” Adia sincerely told her friend before she hugged him. Todd returned the hug back as she added “Don’t be in a rush. Take your time.” The two parted ways. “But be careful,” Adia added. “America has been a bit weird about tourists lately.”

“I will,” Todd promised. “I promise I won’t do anything stupid. Just don’t go to Paris without me.”

“Good luck,” Adia smiled and waved. She should have been upset that he was leaving so soon, but she was proud of how far Todd had gone since he started the journey. She believed that he was making the right decision.

Todd waved before he turned around and headed to the airport’s entrance. He wasn’t sure what was waiting for him back in Brighton, but he hoped he wouldn’t be too late.

Chapter Text

Elsewhere, several hours and a few time zones away, Molly was still in school and barely concentrating as Mrs. Sato-Harrison instructed the choir class. She had managed to sing along, but her voice was barely in harmony with everyone else, and her solo just didn’t have the same enthusiasm that she normally brought to it.

“Now I know our concert is this Saturday at the start of spring break,” Mrs. Sato-Harrison began. “But I want us to have a chance to practice at the bandshell on Friday after school. And yes, I know it will be a minimum day, but I’d like to have as many of you as possible while we have this chance. Once the festival is over, then you are free for the rest of the break.”

A few students groaned, though others were interested. Seconds later, the bell rang and the students got up to leave.

“Molly?” Mrs. Sato-Harrison asked as she approached the girl before she could leave.

“Yes?” Molly asked.

“Are you feeling up for the solo?” Mrs. Sato-Harrison asked. “It’s just that you don’t seem as passionate when you sing lately, as if your mind is elsewhere. Is everything alright? If you don’t want to perform it–”

“Everything is totally normal!” Molly protested and forced a laugh and a smile. “I promise I’ll be an enhappified performer before the concert!”

However, once she left the classroom, Molly dropped the smile and sighed.

“What’s wrong with her?” one choir student quietly asked his friend as they saw Molly go. “She was fine after she came back from suspension, and now she’s been out of it like someone just died.”

“Hey, Molly!” Sapphire greeted Molly when the two crossed paths. “Are you ever coming back to the club? A lot of us miss you! In fact, we don’t have to be a part of the club to hang out! We could hang out in the library or go to the ice cream truck after school some time.”

Molly nervously tightened her grip on her backpack. “I don’t know,” Molly answered. “I’ll think on it,” she lied as she hurried off.

She wasn’t sure if she should be a part of the club anymore. She let down so many people lately, and what if she couldn’t set out to accomplish any goals again? What if she ended up getting someone in trouble like last time? And what if she did want to hang out with some of them again? What if she got too close to any of them, only for that person to move away too, or worse?

*****

Libby glanced at Molly as the girls did homework at the bookstore. Well, Libby at least did it, but Molly was absent mindedly just looking at the notes and barely absorbing the information. This worried Libby, but she was noticing other things ever since that ill-fated Saturday morning.

“Molly, are you getting enough sleep lately?” Libby asked as she noticed how Molly’s eyes had a darkness around them.

“Huh?” Molly glanced up in confusion. “Yes, I have.” she answered.

Libby grew worried. “Molly, I won’t be able to watch your practice on Friday. I have to prepare for that slam poetry contest Mom and I will be doing.”

“That’s ok,” Molly shrugged. “You have things to do.”

Libby’s suspicion grew. “Molly, please don’t do anything crazy while I’m not around,” she pleaded. “I know things haven’t been–”

“I won’t!” Molly angrily snapped. “Geez, I’m not going to launch myself off a building or ride a bison!”

Libby felt as if she were around a living bomb that could explode at any moment. She had a feeling that Molly’s reserved, erratic behavior had something to do with that livestream, but she was afraid to talk about it. Libby knew something was seriously wrong when Ollie called her out of the blue and said that Molly wasn’t answering his calls and texts. He was the only one of them brave enough to try to see if there had been any updates from Adia or Scratch–no, Todd–’s videos.

“There hasn’t been any videos since that livestream!” Ollie worried. “I actually tried to leave multiple comments, and there was no reply!”

The fact that their grouchy, yet lovable ghost hadn’t returned as the blue specter they all knew him as, was not helping. Libby wanted Todd to be alive, but what would happen if he somehow regained his memories and learned about all that happened when he was gone? Or what if he did die? What if he actually moved on like Patty or reincarnated like Blair? It would be nigh impossible to find him if the latter happened.

Libby tried to imagine Scratch reincarnated as a baby–a really demanding infant that consumed food like there was no tomorrow–and snorted at the thought. Ok, that was a mental image she needed for a laugh, but it was not a theory she’d dare mention to Molly. Molly would just have a mental break down if that happened.

****

The McGees were not ignorant to Molly’s recent behavior.

They all noted that Molly’s appetite had changed since that morning. She barely ate much, and Sharon was worried that Molly was skipping lunch at school. There wasn’t any drastic changes, but some of Molly’s clothes were looking a bit looser than usual. She also tended to keep to herself and when she did go out, she didn’t have the same energy she usually had. Her grades–which were finally at an ideal level up until the incident–had suffered and gradually went back down and a few concerned teachers had emailed Pete and Sharon about this.

As they all ate dinner, Molly barely listened to the conversations amongst her family and picked at the salad. Normally she’d happily talk about her day, but she hadn’t said a word at the table in days.

“The animal shelter is taking on volunteers next week,” Pete told Molly. “Is that something you’d like to do?”

Molly let out a "Mmm," sound and didn’t look up. It was not the reaction they were all expecting.

“Grandma Nin thinks business will grow in the summer,” Sharon tried. “You might be able to save more money for bus tickets and go see Ollie.”

Molly just quietly ate her salad.

“We might dissect frogs in science,” Darryl lied as a test to see if that would rattle Molly. “Didn’t you skip out of that because you thought it was disrespectful?”

Molly flinched but didn’t say anything.

After awhile, Molly excused herself and went to her room.

“Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned the frogs,” Darryl sighed to his parents and left to put his dirty dish and utensils away before going to his room.

Pete turned to Sharon. “We have to get Molly a therapist as soon as we can,” Pete warned his wife. “I’m worried about what will happen if this continues.”

“I’ve been looking,” Sharon answered. “But so far no luck. I tried to see if there were any ghost therapists who’d have a better grasp on the situation, but apparently they are all too busy right now.”

Molly’s breakdown after Patty’s funeral was still on Pete and Sharon’s minds. When Molly emotionally shut down after the ill-fated livestream ended (which Darryl told them about), it was almost worse. They wished they had a way to know what actually became of Scratch, but at the same time they were afraid to hear the truth. While Darryl had been horrified as to what happened, they were able to talk things out with him, but Molly…

“What do we do if he died for real and isn’t coming back?” Pete whispered. “It wouldn’t be like with Patty.”

“We all will be there for Molly,” Sharon answered. “You were there when Dad died, and that meant a lot to me.”

“But what if we can’t reach out to her and she refuses any help?” Pete worried. “She lost so many friends as is. I admit, I’d rather have her be in a normal teen phase than be out of our reach.”

Little did the couple know that the family’s beloved former ghost was on his way back to Brighton in that very moment.

*****

Todd fell asleep on the plane at some point, and he was trapped in a dream once again.

In the dream, the sky was grayish-purple, the streets of an unidentifiable town were abandoned and… giant flowers with thorny stems were everywhere?

“Whoa, I guess nature won,” he commented as he drifted past flowers as big as a car. But where the heck was he this time? Was this another dream where he’d see the ghost again?

Wait he wasn’t actually walking–he was floating. He looked down and though he couldn’t find his feet, he saw a light blue something just hanging off the ground instead–wait–hang on– He held his hands up and was alarmed to see glowing blue hands instead of human hands.

“What the–?!” he gasped.

“Praise her!”

He turned around in alarm to see some very sketchy looking people kneeling on the ground and holding their arms up in worship.

“Praise Euphrosyne!”

“Praise her song of glory!”

He felt his ‘blood’ turn to ice as he looked out beyond the worshipers. The sky was darker in the direction he came from and he saw a distant figure almost as tall as a skyscraper.

The figure was a black being with a young feminine shape with three tendrils of black ‘hair’ and flowing ‘bangs.’ The lower half of her form looked like the skirt of a rainbow that bled out of her black body and gradually brightened down to a flower petal shaped hem and nearly reached the ground where a field of flowers overtook the landscape. She gave off a glow of varying colors, and the half of her form gave off a glowing yellow light that felt oddly familiar to the smaller soul down below.

Her eyes then snapped open–they were more like pink and white vortexes that took on the shape of demonic butterfly wings. She threw her head back and her mouth literally and painfully split apart across her face. She then began to emit a horrible sound that made the blue soul slam his hands upon his ears.

He gritted his teeth and kept his ears covered. Dear God, was this the ‘song of glory?!’ It was the song of hell! When he opened his eyes, it appeared as if the humans weren’t even bothered–in fact, it was as if they were in a weird ecstasy over the song. He dared himself to try to listen as Euphrosyne sang her ‘song of glory,’ but the poor being sounded as if she was in emotional agony.

“EM TON MA I! EM TON MA I! YFIPPAHEN! YFIPPAHEN! ESAELP ENOEMOS! YITNRETE LLA ROF! YITNRETE LLA ROF! PLEH DOG HO! TRATSER TIH OT YAW A EREHT SI?! TRATSER TIH OT YAW A EREHT SI?!” she sang as streams of rainbow tears gushed down her eyes. “TRATSER TIH OT YAW A EREHT SI?!”

“PRAISE HER SONG!” the worshipers cried for their agonized goddess.

“PLEASE STOP!” screamed the blue soul who couldn’t take it anymore. “PLEASE–!”

Euphrosyne ceased singing and turned her stunned gaze toward him. “SCRATCH?!” her voice desperately cried out.

He froze in alarm. No, that wasn’t ‘Euphrosyne,’ it was–

–There was a sudden jolt and Todd was snapped out of his dream and back to reality. He gasped for air and once he calmed down, he found himself in his seat on a plane heading back to America. He looked at his hands and sighed in relief when he saw they were human hands.

Right–that was just a dream. Molly still had time before she’d turn into whatever that thing was. ‘A corrupted ghost,’ something in the back of his mind told him. ‘That’s what will happen to her.’

Todd took a deep breath and shut his eyes. It looked like he was going to live up to what he said to Molly before leaving–he was coming back for a visit after all. Just hopefully he wouldn’t be too late.

****

While Todd was able to sleep the whole way across the Atlantic, he was forced to wait at the airport for a few hours before he could fly from New York City to Chicago. The shift in timezones was gaining on him, but he still able to look out the window and take in the fact that he was back in his home country.

He didn’t dare leave the airport and instead stretched his legs as he wandered around for a bit. He couldn’t afford to waste a minute–if what the fortune teller wrote was accurate, he needed to get to the right time zone as soon as possible. Thankfully she had provided him with a sort of ‘cheat sheet’ in her notes in order for him to quickly get to Brighton. In the meantime, he noted how some folks heading to other countries looked happy while those that were here to visit America looked a little on edge.

“Do not speak of where you have been at the airports or in the big cities,” Madame Saorise wrote. “Especially not to any authorities. America has not been so kind to outsiders lately.”

Come to think of it, there had been quite a few people on Todd’s travels that gave him and Adia dirty looks. It was only when he found out what was happening back in America that he understood–recent people in power were not so favorable toward certain folks to the point that even overstaying your visit was dangerous. And wasn’t Molly’s grandmother an immigrant? He felt himself worried even more.

He could see why Molly would be tempted to try to change the world with such things in mind, if given the chance.

*****

One flight to Chicago later and Todd was finally in the correct time zone. He marveled at the airport he was in–to think that the last time he was here, he was excited for the grand adventure ahead of him. He smiled with pride as he knew he would have told his old self that so far he had accomplished quite a lot. He then frowned as he realized that he didn’t know that he’d come back under grave circumstances.

The set of directions told him to wait until the next hour to take the bus, instead of just rushing off to it. He was eager to get going, but his gut instinct told him to wait. Once he did, he not only saw that some construction work had just been finished, but he was one street away from the station when he noticed that a piano had apparently crashed onto the street from an apartment building several floors up.

Suddenly he was glad he waited.

Anyway, he got to the station and onto the bus in the nick of time. Within less than half an hour, he was finally out of the city.

Todd stared at the sights from his seat window. God, it felt like eons since he rode a bus out of Brighton and to the new phase of his life. He watched as the urban areas slowly turned into the familiar countryside before his eyes. He was worried that if he came back to Brighton, he’d be tempted to never leave again, but he didn’t feel that way any–

“Excuse me?”

Todd turned his head to see a little seven year old girl.

“You’re that man in the videos my teacher shows my class, aren’t you?” the little girl inquired in a sweet little voice. “The one where you travel with Adia around the world?”

Todd was startled. “Uh, yes,” he answered and the little girl lit up.

“I knew it!” The girl lit up with joy and turned to her parents who sat close by. “Mommy! Daddy! Look! It’s Adia’s friend, Todd! From the videos Mrs. Nguyen shows us!”

“Oh!” the girl’s mom let out a surprised gasp. She then gave Todd an apologetic smile. “Sorry, but Dia is right,” she confessed. “Her teacher does show the videos to her class to help them learn about the world.”

“But I like the ones with you in them!” Dia cheered. “I like how you like everything and how much you like the food! The Africa video is my favorite since you got to meet the zebras! I love zebras!”

Todd was stunned. He never actually met a fan face to face–besides Molly–and he didn’t think it would be a child. “Oh, thanks,” he shyly thanked Dia.

“Right now we are going to Brighton to visit my cousins and grandparents!” Dia excitedly told Todd. “I’m traveling like you!”

“I’m actually from Brighton,” Todd admitted. “I grew up there.”

Todd found himself passing the time by chatting with the family a bit and answering Dia’s questions. It was surreal to him to feel like a celebrity, and while some part buried deep inside him wanted to be smug about it, he was instead more humble and modest.

“Is there anyone you are seeing in Brighton?” Dia asked.

“Yes,” Todd answered. “But I’m not sure how meeting her will go. She wasn’t happy to see me leave, and I think she’s still not happy.” He couldn’t tell the child what else happened or what he suspected.

Dia quietly thought for a moment. “Maybe you should give her a hug,” she offered. “When I feel sad, a hug always makes me feel better. Then maybe she will feel happy again.”

Todd smiled. “I don’t know if that will work, but I’ll do what I can to help her,” he promised. “But ah,” he realized something. “Maybe don’t tell anyone I’m in Brighton just yet? I want to surprise her.”

Dia nodded and placed a hand over her heart. “I won’t say a word until I leave or until you say it’s ok!” she swore.

***

The scenery began to look familiar to Todd, even as the sky took on sunset hues–he knew the turnip fields, the distant water tower, and the buildings. Eventually the bus finally came to a stop and Todd waited until everyone left the bus before he finally got off and took his first steps back in Brighton.

It was jarring being back home after spending almost a whole year traveling parts of the world. He was so used to such splendor and fantastic sights that it was a shock to his system to be in such humble surroundings. He felt like a stranger in a place so familiar. But he certainly wasn’t the same man who left.

Todd took note that the bus stopped in front of a certain bench near the coffee shop. This place had been forever branded into his memories since it was the last place he had been in Brighton. This place took on a new meaning for Todd, knowing that he had someone to see him off that day.

But now? There was no one to greet Todd and welcome him home. He felt a slight pain in his heart as he saw Dia and her family happily reunite with another family who had been waiting for them. The knowledge made him feel lonelier than he had ever been before, and if there truly had been others in his life that he had forgotten about, it made the sting worse. Was he better off not knowing he had lost something?

Todd called for an Uber and didn’t have to wait long until someone could drive him to the motel. He wished he could be able to return to his house, but a family lived there now and had made it into a home. Brighton may have been his town, but was it still home if he no longer had any ties to it beyond memories and his bank account? Ok, and maybe a place where he had stored important documents–he couldn’t just get rid of everything now, could he?

Todd eventually checked into the motel and the lady behind the desk was stunned to see him. “Wait, you’re that guy from those videos with Adia, aren’t you?” she asked. It seemed as if she didn’t recognize him from when he still a fellow Brightonian.

“Yeah, and I’d like to keep it a secret,” Todd pleaded. “There’s someone I want to surprise.”

Todd dropped his suitcase off at his room. After a quick shower and a badly needed shave, he went out to wander his old hometown to get some items, something to eat, and get some exercise in. Though not before he threw the hood of his zipped-up jacket up and threw on a face mask (that he bought in Chicago) to cover part of his face. He didn’t want to be recognized just yet.

Todd swung by a favorite taco stand to get some tacos he liked, long after the dinner rush was over, and he got a few items from the grocery store that wouldn’t have to be stored in the mini fridge in the motel room. He had noted the large Bizmart store when he came into town, but he had developed a strong distaste for the store and avoided it.

“Nice to see you guys are still running, despite that eyesore outside of town,” he commented to the cashier.

The young man snorted. “There’s talk that it might not stick around for long,” he answered. “A lot of folks here have boycotted it, and then someone let off actual stink bombs that stunk up the place and ruined a lot of stuff in it. Word got out that they tried giving the toys that they couldn’t save to the toy drive and that pissed a lot of people off.”

Todd wondered who let off the supposed stink bombs. Sure, he felt bad for whoever had to work on those days, but a mischievous part of him gave the person his secret approval.

Todd left the store, and crossed the paths of a goth couple with two infants in a stroller–

“BUY ONE GET ONE HALF OFF SALE! HECK YES!”

–Todd flinched and turned around to try to find the source of the oddly familiar heavy metal voice. But there was no one who fit the description. He shrugged and continued on his way.

Todd had nothing better to do. He saw ‘San Phra Food’ and as tempted as he was to go in, he wasn’t sure how Molly’s grandmother would react if she saw him. Did the other version of him even know her? Was her family angry that he forgot about them too?

As Todd passed the restaurant, Sharon was inside and trying to get Grandma Nin to stop for the night.

“You can’t run this place late into the night!” Sharon protested. “And you need to stop complaining about the government in front of your customers!”

“My rules, my rights!” Grandma Nin countered. “And what will they do? Have me deported for expressing myself?! The joke is on them! I’m old and can say whatever I want!”

“Please tell me you aren’t like this at the retirement house!”

“If you really want me to return to the house at an earlier hour, you need to get rid of that nurse! She gives off a bad aura!”

*****

Todd found himself near a place he thought he’d never come back to. He stood across the street from his old house, which was in far better condition in the new family’s care, and the lights through the window were bright and warm.

By this point it was dark out and Todd knew he should call an Uber and get back to the motel. But he remembered that strange dream after the gliding incident–the one where he saw Molly standing outside of his house. Why was she looking so intently at it? Why did she break down and cry in his dream?

If what the fortune teller said was true, did Molly ever truly learn who he really was before he had his epiphany? Not this ‘Scratch the ghost’ but as Todd Mortenson?

Todd closed his eyes and tried to think back–he tried to summon any memories that were buried deep within him…

No matter how hard he tried–and God, he was trying harder than all those times he tried to leave his house–nothing was coming to mind.

Damnit, why couldn’t he remember?! How would he know for sure that Molly would have loved some weirdo who lacked joy in his–?!

–“It wasn’t the funnel cakes that unlocked Scratch’s memories,” O—— explained as they showed the video that was taken and pointed to the glum man that he had attempted to possess. “It was this guy.”

“Todd Mortenson,” L—— explained as she stepped forward. “Lifelong Brighton resident.”

And in the moment he heard that name, it all began to come back to him.

“Todd Mortenson?” a disbelieving Molly asked as she got up. “No way!” she grabbed the tablet. “Why would this rando unlock Scratch’s memories?!”

Everything was coming together…. All flashing forward…

“Look at him!” Molly showed the screen to her friends who knew the truth. “He’s got no joy, no mischief! There’s nothing behind those eyes!”

She was going to figure it out… She was already unwittingly describing him as he truly was–

“It’s like he’s got–!” it then hit Molly. “No soul,” she finished as she lowered the screen.

“Because he’s me,” he quietly finished in a low voice.

Of course… he was never truly dead, nor a ghost. Now it made sense.

“Scratch?” Molly worriedly asked.

“I remember now,” he confessed. “I remember everything.”

He told her everything so easily, like it was all a sad song–his hopes, his attempts, his failures, his mistakes and how it all lead to him losing his friend and losing his soul. He was forced to bare everything to her–not as Scratch, but as Todd. As his true self–the self he always hated. And now that he remembered, his time as a ghost was suddenly a lie–a happy dream where he could be all that he wished he could be–

“She did know who I was,” Todd quietly realized.

As he feared, Molly had once been no different than everyone else. His soul didn’t occupy his body at the time, but she still assumed that he was a dull nobody, and said his true name, but not in a way that he liked.

Todd sat on the sidewalk as he stared at the house. He felt some deja vu–

He stared at his house, feeling that same inability to move onward. His mind had been tossing and turning with thoughts and he wasn’t sure what to do. He was not surprised that Molly found him and she quietly sat beside him as she took in the house that still contained his living body.

“I wonder what my life would have been like if I hadn’t always played it safe,” he bitterly wondered out loud. “What if, when Adia said ‘Come join me?’ I said ‘You got it! I can put my microwave dinner back in the freezer! I’ll be right there!’ Instead of ‘maybe some other time?’–

Todd truly felt like himself in those memories–that wasn’t Scratch, but that was Todd speaking to Molly. And for whatever reason, despite knowing her friend was not some amazing ghost who didn’t have to worry about death, she followed him back to his old house and–

And then what?

Was that how it would happen? How he got his body back? Then why would he willingly give up remembering Molly? Why would he want to lose someone so wonderful as her? Why couldn’t he be allowed to remember both his life as Scratch and as Todd and have the best of both?

Todd got up and walked away. He wasn’t ready to remember any more, and some part of him was afraid to remember the rest of that night. For all he knew, maybe Molly secretly was angry that he forgot her all that time, and didn’t want to see him.

Or what if some part of Molly was still on this street, waiting for him to fully remember her?

Todd wasn’t sure how someone like him could save Molly from her fate. If he failed her as a friend, what if he failed her as a rescuer? He was not a knight in shinning armor. He was not her Scratch, but at the same time he didn’t feel like Todd anymore–neither the one who stayed at home or the one who explored the world. He was somewhere stuck in between.

But if she was suffering, then he couldn’t just make her happy again so easily, because that’s not how things worked. He had until a certain time period tomorrow to figure out how to help her before she died and turned into an apocalypse goddess.

*****

Meanwhile, Molly returned to her room and let out a deep breath. She had hidden the painting under her bed on top of the box where she kept the things that made her sad, and thrown a blanket over the doll house, while her curtains were still drawn and kept her from seeing the purple house that no longer had Ollie and his family.

She didn’t want to talk to anyone. She just didn’t want to face or hear what she feared the most.

After that ill fated morning she had desperately waited, despite her fears. She waited for an update from Adia’s videos. She waited to see if a blue ghost would suddenly burst into her room.

But there was nothing.

The more she waited, the more she was losing hope. She still remembered her horrible epiphany after Patty’s funeral–that Scratch might now live a life without regrets and never come back. Was it possible that it happened? She had pleaded that it wasn’t the case–that he’d come back as a ghost because he still had things to do and that if he died, it would have been all too soon. That he’d come back to her.

‘But isn’t that selfish of you?’ An inner voice had asked. ‘To wish that he wouldn’t live a fulfilling life? To die and stay a little longer only for you? Isn’t it bad enough to hope that he’d drop everything and return to you when he’s alive? Maybe you should have let him turn his back on being alive again.’

She had prayed and wished for his safety, and how was she rewarded? By watching what was likely his demise. If he hadn’t come back as a ghost yet–

She didn’t want to acknowledge it. Some small faint part of her wanted to stubbornly believe he survived. But why hadn’t Adia updated her videos and said what happened? Why hadn’t he made any new videos yet? What if–?

Was it Molly’s own fault that Scratch was fated to die so soon? Could he have stayed on Earth longer if he didn’t go back to fulfill his life without regrets? Why didn’t she fight harder to help Todd remember her before he left Brighton? And if by some miracle Todd survived and ever came back, would he even want to be her friend?

Molly shook her head as she tried not to think of that. “Everything is totally normal,” she tried to tell herself. “Everything is totally normal,” she repeated as she glanced into the mirror–

–A black entity with red and orange swirling vortexes shaped liked demonic butterfly wings for eyes stared back opened its glowing yellow mouth as the outlines of its form flickered like a great orange flame.

“LAMRON YLLATOT SI GNITHYREVE!” It’s singing was more like a painful, indecipherable shriek. “LAMRON YLLATOT SI GNITHYREVE!”

Molly screamed and backed away as she slammed her hands over her ears.

“Molly?!” an alarmed Sharon–who came back from the restaurant–swung the attic door open and popped her head into the room. She saw her daughter and hurried into the room and grabbed Molly by the arms. “Molly, what’s wrong?!”

Molly snapped back to reality and let go of her ears to stare wide-eyed at her mom. She turned to the mirror but the entity was gone. Her mirror only reflected herself staring back at it.

“Molly?” Sharon asked.

Molly took a deep breath and felt her heart rate slow back down. “It’s nothing,” Molly lied. “I just saw a spider.”

Sharon wasn’t entirely convinced. “Are you sure–?”

“Yes!” Molly firmly lied again. “It was just a spider! A huge spider! One that makes Heidi look like a tiny hairy baby!”

Sharon chose not to press any farther. She looked around the room and noticed something was off. “Where’s the dollhouse?” she asked.

Molly merely pointed to where it was hidden under the blanket. “I can’t handle looking at it and I can’t hide it with the other things that makes me sad,” she confessed. She then gave in and added “I don’t mind donating it, or if you just hide it from me.”

Sharon took in a sharp breath of air. “Are you sure?” she worried.

“Take it!” Molly’s command was more desperate than she wanted. “Just–please!”

She turned away so that she wouldn’t see her mom take away the dollhouse. She couldn’t handle it being in the same room anymore, and what if another ghost tried to take it? She ignored how it felt like a stab in her heart to get rid of the dollhouse.

Molly waited until Sharon left the attic–with dollhouse in her arms–and closed the door. “I don’t want to see anymore ghosts,” Molly stated, in case the entity was still nearby. “Not unless it’s Scratch or someone who can tell me where he is.”

But would it make her life magically better if he did come back? Did she even want him back now? How would he react if he saw what became of her? She didn’t want him to see her the way she was now–not some depressed, violent girl who lashed out in anger, and who couldn’t make the world a better place no matter how hard she tried.

****

Todd slept at the motel and dreamt of the abomination in the empty attic room again.

The monster was glaring at him, but this time Todd felt no fear, now that he had something to be even more afraid of.

“Do you even know what you are going to do?” the monster demanded. “You don’t know her as well as I did.”

“I don’t,” Todd calmly answered. “I guess I’ll need to start all over again. I don’t think I could ever be the person she wants–or the person she deserves–but I’ll do what I can to help her.”

“She won’t want you,” growled the monster. “It’s me she wants. It’s always been me. Not some pathetic human who didn’t know her and abandoned her.”

“Not this time,” Todd answered. “I’m not going to leave Molly.”

“You’ll fail! You won’t be able to save her! Your only option is to let me out! You aren’t her first forever friend! You never were! It was me! That aimless corpse that wandered around town?! That was you! What did that version of you ever give her?! Nothing! In fact, that version stole me from her!”

But that ‘aimless corpse’ never was him. It was a perfect example of who he once had been, but that was not him.

“I’m not you,” Todd admitted. “But I’m also not going to hide in my house again. This is who I am now,” he declared as he slammed a hand over his chest. “I don’t remember everything–and I’m scared about what will happen to me once I do.”

And what would happen to Todd if he regained all the memories? Would he forget himself again to make room for a different set of memories? A different person? Would he truly die this time?

“I know what it's like to fall into despair. I know what it's like to feel hopeless. I know all the bad all too well and I wouldn’t wish that on Molly.”

The monster glared at Todd.

“But I think I get it now,” Todd looked the monster in the eye. “This isn’t really just my soul talking to me isn’t it? It’s myself hating myself, right? Some part of me deep down that’s regretting things I don’t fully remember? Well I don’t want that right now. I need answers and I don’t need you confusing me because it’s annoying as hell.”

The monster smirked. “We’ll see which one of us is right,” he answered. “But she doesn’t want to see you.”

Todd was well aware of that. He wasn’t good at planning things ahead, but he knew full well that he could do more harm than good if he wasn’t careful. “As long as she makes it past tomorrow, then I don’t care,” Todd answered as he headed toward the attic ladder and headed down.

“DON’T YOU DARE WALK OUT ON ME!” the monster roared, but Todd slammed the door shut before he could chase him down.

***

Todd’s alarm on his phone went off at seven in the morning and he woke up feeling refreshed. He grabbed the list of instructions alongside the heart pendant and read what he needed to do.

‘Go to the bandshell around 12 pm. The school choir will be there to rehearse for the music festival. Molly will be there.’

Todd held the pendant to his chest and took a deep breath. In a few hours time he would reunite with the girl who saw him leave Brighton. In a few hours time, her life would be at stake. There would be no ‘maybe next time’ this time.

Chapter Text

Molly sat in history class as she finished up a test she had little confidence in, turned it in, and stared off into space.

This was not how she had envisioned high school when she came here. Her grades were all over the place and she had been actively avoiding Derrick out of worry that he’d retaliate against her for nearly breaking his nose and humiliating him in front of students who now saw her as ‘the girl who snapped.’ At no point had Maya or Lauren tried to get her to come back to the club besides Sapphire. She could not find it in her to contact Ollie or Andrea, yet she still wore the former’s bracelet. And every story where she’d hear so much bad happening in the world made her think of all she learned in history and wonder ‘Why is no one learning from the past? Why is nothing changing and people are still suffering?’ Such thoughts made her feel unable to do anything.

A part of her was looking forward to the rehearsal after school, but she didn’t fully have her heart set on it. Not only that but Libby and her entire family was planning on going to the concert tomorrow to hear her sing, which added to the pressure. She was worried about letting them down, but at least she didn’t have to worry about letting down the whole town again.

Once upon a time, that would have been a huge relief for Scratch, wouldn’t it? Her letting so many people down? Because then the misery levels would go up and he’d be safe from the Flow of Failed Phantoms a bit longer. She thought of one of the first times she failed and couldn’t rely on Scratch to save the day–

Molly wandered into her room and sighed as Scratch filed his ‘nails’ with a nail file.

“So, how did saving those baby quails go?” Scratch asked, referring to some small creatures that he and Molly found in the park, and where Molly had forced him to look for the mama quail. He had no choice since he was bound to Molly by the curse and got a lot of bruises and was chased by dogs for all his troubles. The moment Molly dismissed him from duty, he bolted back to the house.

“Well, I got them into the box and called animal services,” Molly told Scratch. “But they weren’t happy when I said that I was holding them and touched them. They told me that now it's likely their mom will reject them,” she hugged herself. “I didn’t mean to do that. I was just trying to keep them all together and safe from predators. And now their mom won’t want them anymore because my scent is all over them!”

Scratch stopped filing. He had nothing to snark about in this case, especially when he saw just how disappointed Molly was in herself.

“I didn’t mean to split a family apart,” Molly mumbled. “I thought I was doing the right thing.”

Scratch wasn’t a hugger by nature–hell, he hated hugs no thanks to people like Molly and Geoff who had no sense of personal space. But something deep in him knew Molly needed comfort and when she set her bag down and her back was facing the ghost, he swooped in and hugged her from behind. Or at least he tried to hug Molly, because he instead found himself clinging to the girl for dear life when she got up too fast.

“Whoa, whoa! Slow down!” he protested as Molly turned her head in confusion.

“Aww, are you giving me a ghost hug?” Molly realized with an appreciative smile.

“Well I can’t really hold it if you keep moving around! I don’t have anything to brace myself!” It was true–the short ghost was forced to hold on and press his lower half against the girl as tightly as he hold while his face was poking over her shoulder.

“Well can’t you make yourself grow legs? I saw you kick a ball at some cans and you made a leg out of your ectoplasm.”

“It takes a lot of mental effort to do that! Plus I look stupid if I do it wrong–!”

Molly let out a small chuckle at that memory. She appreciated that he tried.

If he was still here, would he have–? No. She needed to stop thinking of ‘what ifs’ in order to save her sanity. No one was going to watch the rehearsal–Libby was practicing for that poetry contest, her Dad was out of town for a county meeting, her Mom was busy with the restaurant while Grandma Nin needed to rest at the retirement home after being on her feet all of yesterday, and Darryl was going to go to a friend’s house after school.

Why did Darryl make it so easy to move on and make more friends? He never talked much about June and certainly not much about Scratch since they left. By now it was almost like they never existed to him, except for a few moments here and there.

Molly closed her eyes and rested her head in her arms. She just needed to survive today and tomorrow and then she would stop thinking on the past. Even if Scratch had survived, there was no way he’d want to come back to Brighton now, and if he was a ghost again, he would have been here by now.

The bell rang and it was time to go. Just one more period and then she could get to rehearsals. Molly wandered the halls when someone accidentally bumped into her and caught her bracelet on the mesh on their backpack.

“Wait!” Molly panicked as she felt a strong tug and the bracelet strained from the pull. Luckily the student stopped long enough for Molly to detach the bracelet from the backpack and make sure it was still safe. Thankfully it was.

****

Todd made it to the bandshell a few minutes early. Even though he remembered being here, this was the first time he felt that he was actually at the bandshell.

He stood on the stage as he took in all of Brighton. This was possibly one of Molly’s biggest achievements and he felt a surge of pride for the girl. At least he was able to remember a little of one of her accomplishments, and if he was lucky he might get to see another one–

“Wait a minute,” Todd realized. “How am I supposed to approach her?!” he panicked. “She knows what I look like! What if she thinks I remember everything?! Or what if she doesn’t want to see me?! What if she already moved on and doesn’t want to be seen with me?!” Crap, he didn’t think that far ahead! He slapped his face and groaned. “Way to go, idiot,” he complained as the ground shook.

Wait, what?

Todd looked and saw a stampede of what had to be Brightons’ entire raccoon population dashing across the park with bags of trash in their teeth by the tens or hundreds. Some of the little bandits were even running towards the stage and got onto it.

Todd screamed out an epic curse and darted to the door that lead to backstage. He leaped into the darkness and shut the door behind him.

The raccoons were practically laughing as they crossed the stage.

Meanwhile Todd tried to calm down as he used his phone as a flashlight to look around the room for a switch and flipped it on before he could take in his surroundings. A lot of equipment was still in here, including some decor for a recent turnip festival.

Todd then noticed a large mascot head type of mask–big enough to completely cover a person’s head–in the shape of a purple and white upside down turnip. He took it and moved it around to see an over-exaggerated smiley face with big bulging white teeth and black eyes with screens that hid the wearer’s eyes from view.

“Well, at least one of us is happy,” Todd grimaced before he realized what he was holding.

“Oh!” he gasped before he laughed. “I guess I got a plan B now! I am a genius!” He lifted the mask up. “Yes you are!” he gave the mask a high falsetto voice and moved it up and down as if it were nodding in agreement with him. “Why thank you!” he thanked the head before he chuckled and did a little spin of glee. Thank the higher powers that this place’s obsession with a vegetable no one liked worked in Todd’s favor.

Huh, it sounded quiet outside.

Todd went to the door–mask under an arm–and opened it.

The stage, and the surrounding grassy area, had turned into a trash wasteland. There were wrappers, plastic bottles and cups, banana peels, and other assortments of unwanted objects scattered around as far as the eye could see.

Todd’s smile dropped and his heart sank. Molly would be unable to rehearse for tomorrow’s concert on such a stage. And what if her choir group couldn’t perform tomorrow? Or what if the class decided to cancel rehearsals and he lost sight of Molly?

Todd backed into the room and only just started to think when he noticed the trash bin and some cleaning equipment nearby. Ok, that was a bit convenient too, but perhaps he could finally give something back to Brighton. He had nothing better to do other than wait.

****

The entire choir class was stunned to see all the trash scattered around the bandshell and the surrounding land in front of it. It was a trash-apocalypse all around.

“WHAT THE HEY?!” a horrified Mrs. Sato-Harrison yelled.

“Must have been the raccoons again,” Jordan–a tenor–sighed. The others muttered in agreement.

“Only in Brighton,” Harris–a baritone–mused.

“So are we still going to rehearse?” Ariel–an alto–asked.

“I don’t–!” Mrs. Sato-Harrsion stammered. “I–! Hang on and let me think!” she yelled. “I can’t let you all leave while you are still under my supervision!”

Molly sighed as she saw all the trash. Great–another example of her hard work coming undone, given how often she and Ollie cleaned up Brighton. At least she didn’t pick up all the trash beforehand this time. She figured she would just go with the flow and if she got to go home without rehearsing–

Wait. Someone was picking up the trash by themselves.

Molly’s curiosity rose as she saw one adult using a trash picker to collect what he could and put it into a large plastic bag. He wore a blue jacket that was zipped up and, for some reason, a turnip mask that looked like one of the masks from last year’s festival, which covered his whole head. Was he the janitor or custodian?

A small flame of empathy flickered in Molly’s chest. The poor man had too much work ahead of him if he was all alone, and she knew that experience all too well. She knew she had no reason to help him, but she didn’t feel right just leaving one person to struggle by himself.

Molly ignored her teacher and classmates and headed to the stage.

****

Meanwhile, Todd was so busy picking up the trash and quietly humming to himself that he didn’t hear someone coming from behind him.

“Is there any more trash pickers back stage?” a familiar voice inquired.

Todd felt his heart leap and something rose in his chest while a warmth spread through him that felt both familiar and not quite at once. He turned around to face the very person he had been looking for.

He instantly recognized Molly. She looked tired out as if she hadn’t gotten much sleep, and she looked a bit thinner than she normally did, but it was very much still her.

“I can help,” Molly gently offered.

Todd stared at her. What should he do? What if the girl recognized his voice?

He nervously jabbed a thumb to the backstage door. Molly nodded and went to the room, and seconds later she came out with a bag and trash picker.

“It’s not fun when you are doing it all alone,” she admitted as she used the picker to grab a wrapper and put it in the bag.

Todd couldn’t stop staring at Molly. It was truly her–not someone from lost memories of a forgotten life, but the real Molly. The one from the bus stop and from the videos he saw. He wasn’t prepared as to just how happy he was to see her again, even if he didn’t fully remember his past with her and that she didn’t know it was him.

He realized he was staring for too long and resumed work.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Sato-Harrison noted what Molly and the mystery janitor was doing. She thought for a moment before turning to the class. “If everyone can help out with cleaning the trash, not only will I dismiss you all early, but I promise we will have a movie day when we get back from break.”

That was enough for the students to hurry off to find trash bags or else check to see if there was more equipment in the backroom.

****

A few minutes had passed as Molly worked alongside the mystery janitor. Weirdly enough, the work was making her feel somewhat alive again. Even seeing some of her classmates helping out put a small spark back inside of her–she was starting to feel like the old Molly.

“This is going to sound crazy,” Molly began as she spoke to the janitor. “But I think I needed this. Helping to clean up used to make me feel better.”

The janitor looked at Molly, but didn’t say a word as that turnip face smiled at her. Molly was reminded of an animated movie she and Libby watched, where there was a voiceless scarecrow with a turnip for a head. However, that character was secretly a handsome young prince under a curse, while this man–well, he was on the short side, had some weight to him, and obviously was not young or a prince.

“It didn’t feel right to leave you to do this all by yourself,” Molly continued as she picked up a soda can and threw it into her bag. “I get how it feels to do something all on your own and people depend on you too much.”

The janitor tapped his finger on the picker for a moment. Then he snapped his fingers and instantly took out his phone. Molly watched as he typed something and then showed the screen to her. “Thank you,” he had typed.

Molly managed a small smile–a real smile. She then frowned. “Wait, why can’t you talk?”

The janitor flinched. A couple seconds later, he typed on his phone again. “Was sick. Lost my voice,” was the next message he showed to her.

“Oh,” Molly understood. Then she couldn’t just expect him to talk while they worked together–she would just distract him from his work. Well, she wasn’t sure what else to say and went back to picking up trash.

Unbenowngst to her, this gave ‘the janitor’ enough time to think of what to say next, and he began to type on his phone when he had it. He waved to Molly and held his phone out again to show her ‘You sing in choir? So did I in high school.’

“Yes,” Molly answered. “I also–” she stopped. Maybe he already knew about that fiasco with the community club. “We have our music concert tomorrow and the theme is ‘unity,’” she said instead. “I have a solo, but…” she hesitated.

‘Oh that’s great!’ The janitor eagerly typed on his phone. ‘I hope I get to hear it!’ Molly couldn’t see it, but she could sense there was a genuine smile behind the mask’s painted smile.

“Well, if I don’t screw that up too,” Molly sighed. “Or Mrs. Sato-Harrison gives it to someone else since I haven’t been doing too well on it lately. I’ve been kind of–” Molly frowned. “It’s ok, you don’t need to know.”

The janitor stared at Molly for a bit as she continued picking up trash. He then typed something and showed the screen to Molly moments later.

‘I wasn’t brave enough to audition for solos or musicals or plays at school. I get being afraid.’

In that moment, Molly wished that the janitor didn’t have to use his phone to talk with her, now that he had her full curiosity. “I’m not afraid,” Molly assured him. “I just have been dealing with a lot lately.”

‘Anything that needs help?’

Molly smiled in appreciation. “Thanks, but it’s not like that,” she answered. “It’s hard to explain.”

The janitor paused in thought. Then he typed ‘I have moments like that.’

****

Todd found himself paying closer attention to Molly as she got back to work. This was not exactly the same girl in those earlier videos and at the bus stop–something was wrong about her behavior.

He then noticed that despite what Molly said, she was missing a light in her eyes that he normally saw. She was more guarded and self-doubtful. This couldn’t all be because of him, was it? He remembered the Christmas Eve video, and that fortune teller said she had been suffering, so then maybe it wasn’t about her losing him. What happened to her?

There was something else that Todd was starting to notice. Molly had that tired look around her eyes, but she didn’t act tired out. Also her coloring was noticeably paler than it should have been. He knew most folks around here would get a bit pale when winter came in and folks stayed indoors, and Molly looked like someone who wanted to be outside and enjoy the sun. Was she not getting enough sunlight or was she sick herself? Also the unusual hint of red in her hair (most likely from her father) wasn’t as vibrant as it had been in his lost memories.

“Is there a reason you’re wearing a mask?” Molly wondered.

Crap!

Todd hastily typed on his phone ‘Sick made me look terrible. Not sure if still contagious.’ He then showed her the message.

“Oh,” Molly nodded.

‘Don’t want you sick. Hope to hear you sing tomorrow with everyone.’

“Well, if you want to, you could stick around and listen to us rehearse.”

Todd smiled a smile Molly couldn’t see. Suddenly he didn’t mind having to hide his face and his voice–he was given a chance to know Molly all over again, without the knowledge of who he once was in each other’s way. ‘Yes,’ he texted. ‘I would like to.’

***

Clean up was almost done. Mrs. Sato-Harrison had her teacher’s aid set up the keyboard and she had a few students go get some risers ready. Molly was still working alongside the janitor and a couple of her classmates were nearby singing some tunes, though they weren’t facing her.

One of the girls picked a song on her phone, alongside her friend, and once the music started playing, she began to sing “If you feel like you’re becoming someone else.”

Molly flinched and dropped her picker as she gasped, which alerted the janitor.

“If you’re losing track of you inside yourself.”

Molly slammed her hands over her ears and stared at the grass. She tried so hard not to listen to that cursed song or make a scene like she did last time as she tried to think anything but that memory.

“If you’re out of practice like a cactus on a shelf.”

The janitor looked between Molly and the singer. It took him a moment to realize the song was what was bothering Molly and he went to the girls.

“Go explore, get out your door–”

***

“Hey could you stop that song?” Todd only tilted the mask up enough for his mouth to be seen as he quietly asked the girls. “I think it’s bothering your classmate.”

The singer stopped, noticed Molly, and winced as turned the song off. “Oh yeah,” she admitted. “That’s like a bad trigger for her for some reason.”

“I heard her ex went out of his way to make sure that song was never played at our school for special events,” the other girl added.

That confused Todd as he put the mask back down and glanced at Molly. ‘Live a little’ bothered her that much? Why?

Todd went to Molly and tapped her on the shoulder. Molly glanced up at him before noticing that the girls were not singing and she uncovered her ears.

“Sorry about that,” Molly nervously apologized. “It’s just that I can’t stand that song. I mean, I used to love it!” she confessed before she let out a tired laugh. “But not anymore. Not after that night when Sc–” she stopped herself and went to pick up the picker, but Todd carefully grabbed her by the shoulder.

A startled Molly turned to face Todd, who knew that she was hiding something.

***

Molly took a deep breath. She couldn’t hide this one thing anymore. Maybe she was sick of keeping secrets from those outside the small ring of those who knew Scratch and wanted to finally tell someone something close to the truth.

“I had a friend who used to live here,” Molly admitted to the janitor before her. “He and I were very close. He had a huge life decision to make regarding if he wanted to stay in Brighton or go see the world like he once wanted, and in the end he made the choice that was best for him.” Molly wasn’t sure how to word the exact truth, but tried anyway. “He was so happy that he ran into his house and I waited for him to come back out. I thought he was just caught up in the moment and wanted to call his best friend, so I left him alone. I was waiting across the street for him.”

****Nearly one year ago***

Molly could hear how excited Scratch–Todd?–was in his house as he happily called Adia to tell her that he was going to travel the world for real. Lord, he was so happy that he didn’t realize how loud he was with his TV off, to the point that Molly could hear him through the walls. He had been at it for about half an hour and she decided to wait under the safety of the streetlight on the sidewalk. What was she thinking, stopping in the middle of the street earlier? If a car came and didn’t notice her, then she’d be the ghost instead of Scratch.

“No I feel fantastic!” the man in the house joyfully exclaimed. “Better than that! I feel like I can take on the whole world!”

He hadn’t noticed Molly or went back out to see if she was still there.

What if–? No it was too early to tell. He was just caught up in the moment.

“I got things to do! I got to sell this place, get rid of that dump of a car, and shove my letter of resignation into my boss’s face!” he laughed at that last part.

Once he was done, he’d realize she was still here waiting for him… right?

“Well, got to get to work! Night Adia! Or day! Or whatever time it is where you are!” Molly then saw his shadow turn off the phone.

Molly held her breath.

The man in the house then laughed as he threw his arms out. “If you feel like you’re becoming someone else!” he sang. “If you’re losing track of you inside yourself!”

Wait, what was he doing?

“If you’re out of practice like a cactus on a shelf! Go explore, get out your door! Live a little!”

Molly was forced to wait and listen as her hope began to crumble away. The man was joyfully singing the entire song and dancing around his living room. She waited, hoping that he’d just come bursting out for the grand finale and run to her.

“Do, do, do, do-do-do, do!” he loudly concluded as he turned the lights off at the same time Molly’s hope died.

She was so sure that he wouldn’t forget. She and everyone else remembered when this happened.

But Scratch had been right. What he–and Molly–feared came to pass.

Her face fell and tears began to form as she ran back home.

***Present***

Oh… God…

She had been waiting for him outside on that street that whole time.

Todd had been so happy that he never checked to see if anyone was still on that street.

Molly let out a bitter laugh. “Ironically, he used to hate that song,” she added as she fought back tears. “Especially when I sang it. He used to hate it when I’d sing at all, like every day was a musical. But looking back, now I know why he hated the song–he was too scared of living and it reminded him in some way of what he was afraid to do.”

The irony was that was exactly how Todd felt about that song during the worst times of his life. And now he found himself hating that song all over again, but for a new reason.

Todd wasn’t sure what to say–what could he even say? He was hating himself more than ever. How many times was this girl suffering when he was out being happy around the world? How many moments were there when he could have set aside time to comfort her when she needed someone to listen to her, if only he could remember her? He then pulled out his phone and typed something with trembling fingers and then showed it to Molly.

‘They were a real jerk. Not a good friend. You don’t deserve to be forgotten and abandoned.’

“He didn’t have a choice!” Molly angrily protested. “Scratch didn’t want to forget me! I told him he couldn’t live the way he was any longer! I told him that taking risks was what made life worth living!”

The memory slammed into Todd’s brain–

“Yeah, I’m afraid,” he admitted before a horrible thought struck him. “And you should be too! As a ghost, I forgot my human life. So what if as a human I forget my afterlife?!” he asked as Molly’s face fell.

“And me,” she realized.

“Yeah, and then where would your perfect life be, huh?!”

“I’d miss you Scratch,” Molly answered. “So much. But maybe you won’t forget,” she tried to be optimistic yet again.

“But maybe I will!” he protested as he tried to fly away–he didn’t want to be human again if it meant losing Molly, and that was reason enough to not go back to that body–but the girl stopped him.

“But maybe you won’t!” she continued. “Ok, you’re right! It’s a risk!” she admitted as she took his hand. “But taking risks are what make life worth living! Taking risks is how you actually know you’re alive! You didn’t stop playing it safe when you became a ghost, Scratch. You hid yourself away in that attic, shut yourself off from the world, and never let anybody in. You weren’t brave, you were scared of being hurt, being rejected–”

“Being left behind,” he glumly admitted.

“Yeah, but that’s not who you are anymore,” Molly assured him. “You’ve changed! You’ve made friends! You’re brave now! Brave enough to share yourself with the world!” She paused as she began to tear up. “And even if you forget me, I know you won’t forget that.” She finished as she smiled, despite her tears falling. “You can’t stay here, Scratch,” she told him as she reached out and touched his cheek. “You got to live your life,” she encouraged as he rested his hand over hers.

She was right.

He hated to admit it, yet he didn’t want to lose what he had. He was scared that he’d lose everything, and maybe he was worrying over nothing.

But in the end–

Scratch sighed and asked “Why do you always got to be right, Moll–?”

The man stared in amazement at Molly.

“Taking risks are what makes life worth living.” That phrase he always heard in his head, ever since leaving Brighton–the words that encouraged him to keep going and finally live life to his fullest–had come from Molly.

He never had his epiphany out of the blue. No, his life changed because this girl became a part of his life when he was at his lowest, and gave him the encouragement that he needed.

Molly sniffed and Todd snapped back to reality. She looked as if she was on the verge of crying again and was trying to compose herself.

“As long as he is happy, then I know I did the right thing,” Molly confessed as she rubbed her wrist and then tightened her grip. “But that last I heard of him, he was in a bad hang gliding accident, and I don’t know if he survived or if–”

There was a sudden tiny snapping that alarmed the girl.

****

Molly glanced down in alarm and saw that the clasp on Ollie’s bracelet snapped off and the precious jewelry fell to the ground. Crap, that was right–that one student’s backpack caught on the clasp. She accidentally weakened it and yanked it completely off the chain.

“No!” she cried in alarm as she quickly grabbed the bracelet up. She examined it and, to her dismay, the clasp seemingly could not be reattached so easily.

The janitor then quickly pulled something out of his pocket and held out a hand for the bracelet. Confused, Molly handed the bracelet over and watched as the man revealed a pretty green heart shapped stone pendant with a silver tree on it. He used the clasp on the pendant to latch onto the bracelet’s links and then hooked it onto the other end of the pendant. In the process, he was able to attach Ollie’s bracelet onto something that would kept it from falling off or go missing. He took the broken clasp and put it in his pants pocket for safety.

Molly stared in wonder at the pendant and bracelet now intwined before she looked at the janitor and was about to thank him.

“Ok class!” Mrs. Sato-Harrison called. “It’s time for warm ups!”

Molly bit her lip. “Could you perhaps hang onto it for me until after our rehearsals?” She asked. “I mean, if you are still around?” To her relief, the janitor nodded. “Thanks, I just don’t have any safe place to put it right now,” she admitted. Not even her backpack or pockets were safe at this rate.

As Molly headed to the stands, she found herself confused. Why did she trust that mysterious man? Why was she so willing to open herself up to him? And who was he?

***

Todd momentarily headed to the backroom to take the mask off for a bit. He wiped away the silent tears that had been mercifully hidden from the girl.

His life had changed for good because of Molly. Even when she had every right to let him stay a ghost and not forget her, she had willingly let him go and wanted him to live and find happiness. Every day of his travels outside of Brighton was all thanks to her, but something went wrong and she was now in a worse state compared to when they were last face to face.

She deserved to be a part of his life–a real life while he was still a flesh and blood human, and not a ghost. He thought his life was perfect when he started traveling the world, but now it felt as if it would never be complete until Molly–and everyone else he once knew–was a part of it again.

But something was still missing–he didn’t have all of his memories of when he was a ghost back. He didn’t know how he became friends with the girl or what exactly that friendship was like beyond a few select memories. Without those memories, he was not a whole person, nor the friend Molly once knew. If he unmasked himself to Molly right now, she would assume he remembered everything and he’d end up letting her down. How long had she been hoping he’d remember when he was on his adventures–?

Wait, she said ‘hang gliding accident.’

Todd’s stomach dropped–he forgot about that. If Molly saw all his adventures, then she would have seen that video. And based on what Adia said, Molly would have seen him when he–

Oh. No. Did Molly think he died? For real?

Oh damn, he never did any post videos to reassure people that he was ok because he was too busy researching the past. Adia never did the same because she was traumatized and just wanted to focus on the both of them. But Molly would have assumed that if he died, he’d become a real ghost, right? Why was she still worried? Did she think he’d abandon her or still forget her in death?

Todd quickly took his phone out and texted Adia ‘Did you assure your followers I survived?’ and then put the phone away. He had no time to do it himself–he was still on a time limit.

Todd checked to make sure he still had the pendant and bracelet and put them in his breast pocket before he put the mask back on. He stepped back out in time to see that the students were on the risers and their teacher was already playing the music to their first song. Todd took a spot on stage where he could face the students–and Molly–and watch them.

The first two songs were alright. Classy, and nothing Todd had heard before, but they were nice to hear. However his focus was on Molly, who occasionally noticed him as she sang with the others, but didn’t make any other reaction.

After the second song ended and Mrs. Sato-Harrison gave her critiques, she then clapped our hands. “Ok, onto the next piece!” she happily declared. The students became more alert and excited–whatever the song was, it was obviously a favorite of theirs. The teacher took to the piano and began to play a very 90’s sounding song.

Todd straightened up and watched as the kids began to sing the intro. One boy stepped forward to sing part of the song as the others sang backup.

“I got myself a notion,” the boy sang. “And one I know that you’ll understand. To set the world in motion, by reaching out for each other’s hand.” The rest of his classmates joined with him. “Maybe we’ll discover, what we shoulda known all along, yeah. One way or another, together’s were we both belong.”

The boy stepped back as the entire choir sang in harmony.

“If we listen to each other’s heart, we’ll find we’re never too far apart, and maybe love is the reason why, for the first time ever, we’re seeing it eye to eye!”

No wonder the kids seemed excited about this song. Todd almost missed when Molly stepped forward and realized this was the solo she mentioned.

****

Molly had a hard time singing her solo lately because it was too tied to what she hoped and wished for. But her new thoughts of Scratch made her wonder–what if he actually survived? She clung to that small hope as she set her voice free.

“If a wall should come between us,” Molly sang. “Too high to climb, too hard to break through. I know that love will lead us, and find a way to bring me to you.”

“So don’t be in a hurry, think before you count us out,” Molly sang as the others joined with her. “You don’t have to worry, I won’t ever let you down.”

***

He felt a surge of happiness when he heard her sing. He felt he had heard her sing many times before, and her voice was a welcoming sound to his ears. If there was a time where his past self didn’t care for her singing, then he wanted to tell that version of him that he was a complete and utter idiot.

“If we listen to each other’s heart, we’ll find we’re never too far apart, and maybe love is the reason why, for the first time ever, we’re seeing it eye to eye!”

He didn’t know if it was the song or what he was feeling that made him think. He had to take the stupid mask off and reveal himself to Molly–he had to let her know that he survived. He didn’t care if he couldn’t remember everything–maybe there could be a way to regain the memories, and maybe not, but what he was feeling in his heart was real and that was enough for him.

He stood up and faced Molly as the kids sang the third verse.

“If you’re ever lonely, stop! You don’t have to be–!”

Molly noticed Todd and shot him a confused look.

He took a deep breath and placed his hands on the mask.

“After all it’s only a beat away from you to me! Take a look inside and you’ll see!”

He began to slowly lift the mask up–

“OH SHIT!” one student yelled.

A startled Todd let go of the mask as Mrs. Sato-Harrison fumbled the piano keys and stopped.

“FIRE!” the same student yelled and pointed.

All eyes and heads turned to see a noticeable smoke cloud rising from somewhere in the town beyond the bandshell.

“I’m sure the fire department is on their way!” Mrs. Sato-Harrison reassured the students as she turned to the keyboard.

However, Molly was intently staring at the smoke as if trying to figure out where it was. Then she froze up and her eyes widened in alarm before she got off the risers, ran to the edge of the bandshell stage, and jumped off it.

Todd then remembered–something was supposed to happen around this time, and someone close to Molly was going to get caught up in it. Was that fire the cause? He scrambled to his feet and jumped off the stage before he ran after Molly. He thanked Adia for making him walk and run so much during their travels because otherwise he’d never be able to keep up with Molly.

As Todd followed Molly he grew worried–who was the person whose life was at risk and whom Molly would assume that the worst would come to pass for?

****

Molly couldn’t stop running.

Her desperate plea of ‘Please no, please no!’ was on repeat in her head.

It was minutes, but it felt like forever as she ran. Others were gathering at the spot in question.

She then came to a stop and froze in terror.

The senior retirement house was on fire. More specifically, flames and smoke were spewing out of one wing of the building.

Some citizens had gathered to watch on in confusion and horror. Numerous retirees had gotten out or were else escorted out by staff and brave citizens who helped out. There was an ambulance nearby and a police car, and fire fighters were already trying to put the blaze out.

Molly raced toward the crowd and looked around. Where was her grandmother?! Was Grandma Nin safe?! She then noticed a worried Bobby, who had escaped alongside a shell-shocked Linda.

“Bobby, what happened?!” Molly frantically demanded as she raced to the older man.

“One of the nurses started the fire,” Bobby grimly told Molly as the masked janitor finally caught up to Molly some ways away. “A fire broke out and the alarm was disabled, so we didn’t know there was a fire until we smelled the smoke.”

“And some of us aren’t as fast as we’d like to be anymore,” Linda worried.

“A nurse started the fire?!” a horrified Molly asked. “Why would they do such a thing?!”

There was angry screaming and everyone turned to see that the cops had apprehended Nurse Georgia. Molly’s eyes widened in shock as the nurse cursed and screamed profanities at everyone.

Oh no… Molly had a bad feeling about that nurse when she saw her. But why would she want to burn down the retirement house?!

Just as the nurse was shoved into the back of the police car, Molly remembered why she ran. “Where’s my grandma?!” she pleaded to Bobby, just as the janitor–or Todd–walked toward her.

“CLEAR THE WAY!”

All eyes turned to see that Nurse Katie and another staff member came running out and were carrying a short, elderly woman who was slumped over with her eyes shut.

“SHE INHALED TOO MUCH SMOKE!” Nurse Katie yelled.

Molly felt her heart stop and her world come to a screeching halt once more when she recognized who Nurse Katie was carrying.

It was her Grandma Nin. Her Grandma, who didn’t seem to be moving or visibly breathing.

Chapter Text

Molly could only watch as Grandma Nin was placed onto the stretcher, and even when her grandma was laying down it was still hard to tell if the older woman was breathing.

The paramedics gathered around Grandma Nin. “Still breathing!” one of them told the others when he checked for a pulse.

But Molly was too far away to hear that crucial detail–especially over the fire and worried chatter–as her fears increased.

“No,” a disbelieving Molly slowly shook her head.

For most of her life, she only saw her grandmother through a screen and a small handful of visits, due to being on the move so much. She didn’t even get to see her grandmother in person for most holidays or birthdays. It was only recently that she could see Grandma Nin whenever she wanted, and the old woman didn’t have a lot of decades left in her–

Molly watched as paramedics took the stretcher–and her grandmother–to the ambulance. The whole time, Nin wouldn’t even move a muscle or get up to yell at the paramedics for being careless.

What if Grandma Nin never woke up? What if her soul didn’t go to the Ghost World?

Molly hadn’t even seen her grandmother since the time period she was suspended, and hadn’t worked at the restaurant since the ill fated live-stream. What if that was to be the last time she saw her grandma when she had other, better, chances, only to stupidly waste them?

“No,” Molly repeated.

It was when Grandma Nin was placed into the ambulance and the doors were shut that Molly finally reacted. “NO!” Molly yelled as she began to run to the ambulance, but Bobby grabbed her wrist.

“Don’t!” Bobby protested. “I’m sure she will be fine!”

“No she’s not!” Molly yelled as she tried to pull away. “She could die! I have to be with her before it’s too late!” Her panic increased when she saw the ambulance start up.

“Her chances won’t be so good if you slow them down!” Linda warned the teenager as the ambulance let out its warning siren.

“Molly, let’s calm down!” Bobby pleaded as the ambulance began to head off. “Let’s call your–!”

“LET ME GO!” Molly screamed and snapped at Bobby as she pulled her arm free. As the older man briefly stumbled, and Linda had to dive in to grab him and help him stay upright, Molly dashed towards the ambulance which quickly pulled out of the parking lot.

As Bobby regained his footing, he and Linda were stunned to see a man in a turnip headed mask run after Molly.

“Who the hell is that guy?” Linda wondered.

“I don’t know,” Bobby admitted. He just hoped that whoever it was, they could get to Molly because neither he or Linda had the energy to go after the girl. They also knew from Nin that Molly’s mental state was already delicate as is due to a series of extreme misfortune.

****

Molly could not stop running–she couldn’t let the ambulance leave her sight. The whole time, she could see people she lost since coming to Brighton flashing across her mind. She could hear a lot of them as clear as day as waves of memories pounded into her head–

“Arrevederci, Moll!”

“No regerts.”

“It would have been fun to work with you more. I’m sorry if I never did enough to help Brighton.”

I want you to know that regardless of whatever happens in the future, you make things better for those you care about. I hope that never changes.”

There were people she lost or unwittingly pushed away or ensured they would never come back. Geoff… Andrea… June… Patty… Ollie… Scratch–

–And now her grandmother.

Was that her fate? To keep losing people when she wasn’t ready to say goodbye? It had been like that her whole life. Every person only stayed for a short time. What about those she had left? Libby would someday leave to a university and move to become a famous writer. Her brother would either be a businessman or a criminal and leave to a big city. She would have to someday leave her parents, who would eventually die within fifty or sixty years, and there was no guarantee that they would remain as ghosts.

And what of Grandma Nin? She did all she wanted to in life–she was going to die without regrets, but Molly would lose her chance to see her one last time if she didn’t catch up to that ambulance! She wasn’t ready to say good-bye yet again!

The girl’s heart–a heart that was cracked into too many fragments from being broken too many times over, and barely holding itself together–frantically beat in time to her steps.

Meanwhile Todd–who forgot to take off the stupid turnip mask–was desperately trying to keep up with Molly. He knew this was it–he could feel in his gut that something bad was going to happen if he let Molly out of his sight or if he couldn’t reach her.

“MOLLY WAIT!” he finally yelled.

Molly flinched when she heard that familiar voice.

Was that–?

She shook her head and she kept running.

No, it wasn’t Scratch–if he died and became a ghost, he would have instantly come back. But he hadn’t come back–he died without regrets and was never coming back. She naively held onto her hopes and wished on a star for nothing.

She was such an idiot. No–she was a selfish idiot.

She always tried to be optimistic, and look where that got her.

Todd knew something was wrong when not even his voice alone reached Molly, and he kept running. Fortunately he managed to catch up and, after three attempts, quickly grabbed the girl’s wrist.

“Let go of me!” Molly whipped around and yelled at the masked man. He tried to reach for his mask to pull it off and reveal his identity, but Molly yanked him so hard that his hand was pulled back. “I can’t take it anymore!”

All the anger that had been building up inside her finally broke out.

“I’m tired of pretending that there was never a fifth family member who was with us!” Molly yelled at the masked man. “I’m tired of trying to do good and work on making things better when all the bad stuff in the world keeps happening or undoing all that I do! I’m tired of saying goodbye and losing people I’ll never see again! Do you know what that’s like?!”

Todd used his free hand to grab Molly’s wrist. She was enraged and he had no clue what to do, but he could not let her be alone.

Molly screamed and shoved herself right against the man. He lost his footing and let go of Molly as he crashed down into the pavement. The mask protected his skull but the back of the mask still cracked and for a split second Molly was initially horrified at what she had done.

But then she remembered the ambulance and turned back to keep running.

Todd gingerly got up and finally took the mask off. He threw it to the side, got up, and ran after Molly, who turned a corner. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to keep up but he forced his body to keep moving.

Molly felt that she could make it. Somehow she would!

Once that ambulance saw her it would let her see her grandma. She needed to cross the upcoming intersection and get across the street.

Todd’s body was starting to hurt, but he refused to give up-he was not going to abandon Molly and let her down like he did to Adia all those years ago.

Molly began to cross an intersection, but failed to notice the oncoming car–

Todd finally turned the corner in time to see the car–

The car desperately skidded to a stop and a frightened Molly looked to her side in alarm–

The car finally stopped just inches from the girl’s legs.

“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, KID?!” the driver popped his head out the window to angrily yell at Molly, whose heart was hammering as she realized what almost happened. “LOOK BOTH WAYS!”

Todd finally felt his heart beat again and he let out the breath he held out of terror.

Meanwhile a shaken Molly stumbled to the other side of the street and the driver took off when she was safely on the sidewalk. The girl had to collapse her side against the nearest building and catch her breath at the same time Todd reached the asphalt on the other side of the street.

Todd tried to catch his breath. His sides and legs were sore from the running he put himself through. He tried to call out to Molly, but his throat was too dried out and he needed to gasp for air. He almost had a heart attack when it seemed that car was going to hit Molly and for one moment he thought he failed.

Molly was too lost in thought to see who was across the street from her as she rested against the building and felt tears in her eyes.

She wasn’t going to make it. In fact, she was going to die in trying to reach her grandma–her grandma who wasn’t going to live and would move on without a single good-bye or a final happy memory. She failed, just like she failed at the Christmas donations, preventing Bizmart from ruining so many businesses which lead to losing friends, preventing people from going to Black Friday, from protecting classmates, or noticing that Nurse Georgia was trouble and acting on it. She even failed trying to reach out to Scratch one last time before it was too late. She could have started all over again and befriended him, even if he lost his memories of her, before he left, but she didn’t. Scratch died without knowing who Molly was to him, Patty died before she could met Scratch and learn of ghosts, and Grandma Nin would die without Molly getting to say good-bye.

Molly crumbled as her tears fell and she let out a wail of despair. She felt the weight of her losses and failures press hard and heavy upon her and she held her face in her hands. She couldn’t stop herself, and she didn’t want to.

She wasn’t good enough… not good enough to make the community or the world enhappified… not good enough to keep friends and loved ones…

Todd was still trying to catch his breath as he was forced to listen to the girl’s cries. He could feel her pain down to his soul and it broke his heart. He didn’t know the exact extent of how much Molly was suffering–or had been–but he could see and feel it.

He felt the deja vu of this whole moment–him looking across the street to Molly who was on the other side–

“The dream team you and me?”

“For all eternity.”

–He remembered now–

He took a deep breath and plunged into his human body.

He didn’t resist this time as he levitated in the air and was covered in light–his soul slowly rejoining his body inch by inch and atom by atom. He slowly looked up to see Molly, who had stopped in the middle of the road as if she were going to come to him. He wished she could, because he physically could not go to her in that moment.

A large part of him hoped she was right–that maybe he was worrying for nothing. All he wanted in that moment when he was human–and still knew he could remember–was to hug her. Not a hug from a ghost made of fragile ectoplasm, but a hug with his real body and his real arms. A hug he thought would never be possible. A hug where she wouldn’t have to hold back anymore.

He smiled instead–he smiled with his human face for what had to be the first time in more than just ten years. A smile that was only for the girl, who tearfully smiled back at him. If he had to do everything all over again–whatever happened next–he hoped that Molly would be in his life once more.

Scratch finally gave in and closed his eyes–allowing the merging of his body and soul to finish at last–

Now he remembered–the last memory he had before he forgot everything.

He was once again standing across a street, forced to watch Molly crying her heart out, but this time she no longer had any hope in her heart, nor was she aware that he was right there with her.

Molly was still crying as she held her face. Was this her fate? To be alone no matter what she did? She thought her optimism and complete selflessness was her curse, even to certain folk, but–

“That’s my real curse,” she whispered as she gave in to the awful truth. “I’m always going to be alone.”

She sniffed and rubbed her eyes as a strange lightness overcame her. She looked down–wait, why did her tears look like liquid rainbows? Not clear, reflective fluid, but actual rainbow colored liquid that shimmered in the light?

Molly stared in confusion–unaware that the tear stains on her face were also rainbow colored–as the lightness in her body increased.

Then Molly saw it–and so did the man across the street. Her hands–no her entire body–was giving off a soft golden yellow glow.

The man instantly panicked as he realized what that light signified and that the fortune teller never confirmed that Molly had to die to assume the fate that was yet to befall her. He knew all too well what was about to happen, because it happened to him before.

Molly was going to lose her soul. Molly would forget everything and everyone and herself. Molly was going to become a corrupted ghost with no chance of fulfilling her unfinished business if she couldn’t remember what she would lose.

Molly stared at her glowing hands–she knew what was going to happen–she was going to lose her soul, just like Scratch did. She finally hit the point of despair that would allow her soul to slip away. Unlike him, she knew what was going to happen if she left her body… but…

She was tired of being so helpless… she couldn’t accomplish anything as a human anymore… and if she would end up forgetting her life… then again, she couldn’t handle her losses anymore. Maybe not having to deal with the pain anymore wouldn’t be so bad.

“Maybe I’m better this way,” Molly admitted as the glowing rainbow tears fell from her eyes. “Maybe I’m better off as a ghost.”

“No,” Todd ‘Scratch’ Mortenson desperately pleaded and shook his head. He couldn’t hear what Molly said, but he knew from the look on her face that she was about to give into her despair and give up her soul.

Molly shut her eyes and threw her head back. She surrendered and let her soul detach from her body inch by inch.

“MOLLY!” the man who was once a ghost screamed as he summoned up enough energy to run across the street and finally reach the girl who brought him back to life.

Molly let out a breath of air as she began to feel the last of her being detach and her body gave off a stronger glow–

–And Scratch tightly embraced her from behind.

Molly’s eyes snapped open in a panicked confusion as she felt the unfamiliar pair of arms around her. Her soul was loose enough to fly out, but the arms kept it–and her–locked in place. Meanwhile the owner of those arms was feeling memories coming back, but he struggled to keep his focus on the only thing that now mattered in the present–

–The Ghost World in all it’s ethereal beauty–

“Don’t go!” Scratch pleaded as he kept himself firmly planted to the ground and his arms tightly around the girl. “Please don’t go!”–

–The Ghost Council, the Chairman, The Flow of Failed Phantoms–

Molly tried to pull free. “LET ME GO!” she yelled. Why couldn’t people just leave her be?!

–Geoff, Jeff, all the ghosts of Brighton and the Ghost World, even Jinx–

“NO!” Scratch protested. “I’M NOT LOSING YOU AGAIN!”

–Nearly ten years of loneliness and bitterness of an unfulfilled afterlife no different than when he was alive–

Molly let out an inhuman cry as the glowing increased. She was clawing at the air as her soul tried to escape the body it no longer wanted to inhabit.

–Scaring away everyone and only feeling small bursts of amusement before the emptiness crept back in, and not even food could fix it–

Scratch could feel it–Molly’s soul was so powerful, that it was starting to detach his own soul from his body as it strained against him. Yet he held on tight even as his own body began to give off a faint blue glow and he felt the sensation of detachment he only felt once in a dark moment of his life. What if he couldn’t keep her soul from escaping? What if he lost his soul yet again–?

–The McGees pulling into his house, and Molly bursting into the attic–bringing in sunshine and joy when he wasn’t ready for it–

“If you do this!” Scratch warned. “If this is really what you want, Molly, then I’m going with you! I’ll curse you and bind you to me all over again if I have to!”

–No matter how much he tried to get rid of the energetic girl, she wouldn’t leave. In desperation, he invoked a curse–

“Wherever you go, whatever you do, for the rest of your days, I’ll be there! Remember when I said that the day we met?! I won’t even try to run away this time! Wherever you go, whatever you do, for the rest of your days, I’ll be there!”

–And instead it would become the best mistake he ever made in his existence–

Molly slowly calmed down upon hearing words she only heard once before. “Wh–what?” she stammered.

“I was able to finally live my life and experience more than I could ask for in a whole year, and I will gladly give it all up if it means you won’t have to be alone!” Scratch swore and meant it with all his heart. If he couldn’t stop her fate and she was going to become an apocalypse goddess regardless of what he did, then he sure as hell would not let her suffer a lonely eternity. “Because you were the best thing to happen to my life, Molly!” he confessed.

Molly slowly looked down to see a familiar pair of glowing blue arms embracing her. However, the more she looked, the more she saw that while the blue glow was real, the thick arms were covered in a familiar blue jacket and the hands were very much human.

“Wherever you go, whatever you do,” Scratch now desperately repeated the plea as he shut his eyes and fought the urge to cry. “Wherever you go, whatever you do.”

Molly felt herself slowly coming back–the lightness slowly fading and the golden glow dimming–as she touched the arms around her in wonder. Even if they looked different, she knew those arms–she knew this embrace.

“Wherever you go, whatever you do.”

It couldn’t be–could it?

“Wherever you go, whatever you do–”

“Scratch?” Molly dared to ask.

The desperate plea stopped when Scratch heard his name.

Slowly Scratch loosened his hold as Molly turned around to face him at last, and the light from his own body faded.

Molly stared in shock.

His gray-green eyes–his human eyes–were looking at her with a familiarity that she hadn’t seen since they were black and yellow and set into deep black sockets. That look hadn’t been there the day he left Brighton, but now–

In a moment of desperation, Molly reached out to touch the man’s face and make sure she wasn’t dreaming. He let her hands touch his cheeks, his hair, his unibrow, and even his nose which was one thing that had always been the same regardless of if he was a ghost or a human.

Molly’s hands trembled as she slowly moved her hands away. “You,” she stammered. “You’re really here.”

He was there cleaning up the bandshell, watching her sing, and trying to help her. He was here holding her, keeping her from flying away, and looking at her as if she were the whole world.

Scratch smiled. “In the flesh,” he promised. “Pun fully intended.”

That was all it took for the golden light to vanish–for Molly’s soul to reattach itself back into the body–and for the girl to break down as she threw her arms around her friend and hugged him as tightly as possible. And in turn, the memories finally and fully returned back to Scratch.

The countless memories didn’t come with the abruptness Scratch normally experienced–no, they gradually flowed into him like a river and filled in all the gaps. Every day in which Molly had been part of his existence–the good and the bad–all came back. With every memory that came back, the love inside him was able to grow and a hole that he never knew was there since that fateful night was filled at last.

Molly kept crying as she hugged Scratch, and this time there were real human tears that flowed from her eyes. All the agony and sorrow that had built up was finally undone and all she could do was break down and allow herself to release all her emotions. But now there was a joy she hadn’t felt in so long, which had been chipped away over the year, and her shattered heart could barely hold it together.

Scratch–his memories now fully back–returned the hug that Molly had been denied. He also cried and buried his face into her hair as she held him close. He had missed hugging her and being hugged by her, and while it was not the same as before, he was able to feel the intensity of her joy and her love this time and he wanted it all.

“I’m sorry!” Molly cried as she buried her face into the man’s chest. “I was being so dumb! I–!”

Scratch tightened his hold and gently shushed Molly. “It’s ok,” he assured the girl. “It’s ok,” he repeated.

No one had been there for him when he lost his soul. This time he was there for another when it mattered. This time he crossed the street with his arms waiting to embrace Molly and give her the reassurance that it was still him, even if he was a bit different now.

****

Halfway across the world, Madame Saorise gently pushed the blue stone until it was right next to the golden-yellow stone.

“And so the knight saved the princess once again,” she mused and smiled as she felt a wave of peace overcome her. The former ghost accomplished one step, but he still had some work ahead of him–he needed to help mend and heal the girl’s broken heart. The fortune teller was confident that he would do so.

****

The firefighters had finished taking the fire out and a lot of folks were still outside figuring out what to do.

“Patty would have been on the front lines trying to get the others out,” Linda guessed.

“She would have,” Bobby agreed. He looked at the old woman and added “She would have been upset about the poker table burning down, but she’d use her winnings to get a new one.”

“She would!” Linda laughed and then sighed. “I owe you a huge apology for getting between you and Patty. I kept the both of you from so much and you could of had kids and grandkids–”

The former biker held his hand up in peace. “It’s ok,” he assured Linda. “What’s past is past. And to be honest, Patty and I never fully had our hearts set on having kids, but the friends and family we got instead makes up for that.”

Linda felt a calm come over her at last. “Yeah, I guess she never did seem like the type to raise kids,” she realized. “She would have been too restless to be a stay-at-home mom.”

Bobby smiled and then noticed something. “Oh good!” He exclaimed and his smile widened in relief.

Linda–and a few others turned to follow Bobby’s gaze to see Molly holding the hand of the now maskless man who went after her and led her back to the seniors. It appeared as if the color in her face and hair was slowly returning, though the girl now truly looked tired out. The man had given Molly his blue jacket to wear, which looked ridiculously enormous on her, while his colorful shirt that he wore underneath said jacket was revealed.

“I’m sure your Mom or your Dad got the word about your grandma,” Linda assured Molly when she reached her and Bobby. “And Nin is a tough ol’ thing–I’m sure she’ll survive.”

“Ok,” Molly nodded.

“You get some rest, ok?” Bobby cautioned Molly, to which the girl also nodded.

“I’ll make sure of that,” the man–Scratch–promised the old man. “Thanks for trying to keep an eye on her, Bobby.”

“You’re welcome,” Bobby answered with a smile. However, it wasn’t until a few moments later, when Molly and Scratch walked away, that he turned to Linda and wondered “Wait, how does that guy know me?”

Linda stared at the backside of the man who kept Molly close to him. “Isn’t that the guy who looked like a zombie and talked like a robot?” she realized. “Damn, I knew I’d seen that huge nose and unibrow somewhere!”

****

Mrs. Sato-Harrison was packing things up in her car when Molly came up to her at the bandshell. Some students still lingered around for fun, but most of them left for home. A few students noted that Molly came with Scratch and were looking on with interest, but she didn’t care what they thought in that moment.

“Oh, here’s your backpack,” the choir teacher revealed as she returned the backpack to Molly. “I held onto it just in case.”

“Thank you,” Molly thanked as she accepted her bag back. She then hesitated. “Uh… I still want to do the solo tomorrow,” she admitted.

Mrs. Sato-Harrison nodded. “As long as you are rested up and take care of yourself,” she agreed. “But if you change your mind, it’s ok to let me know first. Your well being matters right now.”

Molly then turned to Scratch who just used his phone to call an Uber–there was no way in hell the both of them could keep walking in their state, environmental concerns or not. “Alright,” Scratch held his hand out. “We got a few minutes to rest on a bench, and then we can go home.”

Molly accepted the former ghost’s hand as he realized what he had said.

Brighton was always his town, but that house with the attic and basement, the centipede problem, the bathroom he hated cleaning, the four people who lived there, and all the memories he made regardless of if he was Todd or Scratch was his home.

He knew this was the real truth as he sat on that bench and let Molly fall asleep against him while he wrapped an arm around her. The jacket he lent to her provided enough weight and warmth to help her rest peacefully for the first time in weeks, and she was slowly, gently, breathing in and out as she slept. Molly perfectly fit next to his human body as she did when he was ghost shaped, and while he couldn’t just carry her in his arms and fly her back to the house anymore, he was ok with that. Now that she was safe, he needed to take care of her since the others likely wouldn’t be back at the house for awhile.

Todd ‘Scratch’ Mortenson took in a deep breath as he felt at peace–he was whole once again and was finally going home.

Chapter Text

It was a quiet drive back to the house as Molly still slept and Scratch’s mind was full of a lot of thoughts and questions and realizations as the girl rested against him. He was still trying to adjust to the fact that he was bigger than her as a human after his regained memories told him it was once the opposite.

A lot had happened while he was gone, and meanwhile he was still trying to readjust to the person he now was, now that he had all his memories back. It wasn’t like when he lost his memories the first time, when he completely forgot his human life. He had a set of memories right in the middle of his life and his human side was still trying to adjust to that.

Scratch didn’t know where to even begin, but he knew his focus was to get Molly to the house, take care of her, and make sure she wouldn’t lose her soul on his watch. There was no guarantee that she was out of the woods just yet, so he held her hand in case her soul would escape without warning.

Eventually the Uber driver dropped them off and Scratch carried Molly’s backpack as the girl struggled to wake up and kept a hold on his hand. She was still trying to get used to the fact that it wasn’t soft marshmallow-y ectoplasm, but instead a real human hand that bore calluses and was a lot thicker and larger than her own that she was holding.

Scratch glanced back across the street and noticed that the Chen household bore two cars now, and neither of them looked familiar. Since when could they afford that? He was about to ask when he heard an audible growling sound from someone’s stomach and for once it wasn’t him. He looked back to see Molly wince with embarrassment, but then he noticed that she was thin. He saw it before, but now he saw that the girl looked as if she’d be underweight if she lost five more pounds, but thankfully she was nowhere close to the ghosts who died of starvation and malnutrition. No wonder his jacket looked too big on her.

“First things first,” Scratch began. “You are getting something to eat. I’ll make something and then you can rest in the meantime.”

Molly mumbled something in reluctant agreement and nodded before opening the door.

For Scratch’s soul, it had almost been a whole year since he was in that house. For him as a whole, living person, it was decades. Yet he felt more at home here than he had anywhere else, even in that house he once lived in. He actually needed a second to let the fact he was back in the house and seeing it with his real, living eyes, sink in.

“Is there anything I can make you?” he asked. “Not a light snack, but an actual meal?” He would have cracked a joke, but he sensed this wasn’t a good time for that.

“Maybe a grilled cheese sandwich,” Molly decided.

****

Molly didn’t want to sleep. She wanted to see with her own eyes that Scratch truly was back in their house, and she could tell that he was different now compared to the last time he lived here, and not just because he was human.

She half expected Scratch to raid the kitchen the moment he entered his favorite room of the house, like old times. Instead he went straight for the ingredients to make the grilled cheese and–to her surprise–he even got a can of a tomato soup that he heated up on the stove. When he finally did get into the cupboards, it was only to browse and then grab a bag of nuts and then get her a glass for some water. He kept looking back at her while the soup and sandwich were on the stove, but he never once got even a single cracker or carrot for himself. She wondered if that was the side of him that was Todd taking over, or if it was something else.

As much as Scratch wanted to start asking questions, he knew he needed to wait. Cooking was helping to keep him focused on one thing at a time and reminded him of how he had to go beyond his comfort levels to help the McGees when they tried to pay off that hospital bill. Thank God this was minor in comparison.

Footsteps echoed down the stairs.

“Ok, I’m gonna swing to Jake’s house!” Darryl hollered from in the hallway.

Molly turned her head towards her brother’s voice as Scratch glanced back in shock. Yet before either of them had the chance to tell Darryl to wait, the boy was already through the front door and out of the house.

It was surreal for Scratch. He was so close to meeting yet another lost family member, and if he had been a bit quicker–Wow, he had a lot of faces to reunite with, didn’t he?

“Maybe we should wait until everyone is here,” Molly spoke up. “That way no one misses out.” She didn’t mind waiting–a small part of her wanted to have time alone with Scratch.

Scratch nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” he agreed at the same time Molly pulled her phone out and saw that she missed a call from her mom. The girl replayed the message her mom left.

“Sorry Molly, but Grandma Nin is in the hospital!” Sharon’s frantic voice told the girl. “I am closing the restaurant for the day and will try to get to her! I don’t know when I will be home, but stay in touch!”

Molly felt a wave of guilt when the message ended. It was truly fortunate that Scratch came back in the nick of time. Though that was something she had a lot of questions about.

Scratch thought of Molly’s family as he kept an eye on the sandwich before it turned too black. Molly may have easily accepted him back, but what about her family and friends? He now remembered that they tried to awaken his memories before he left. Did they give up and move on from him? Were they happy he wasn’t around anymore?

He turned off the stove and reminded himself that Molly mattered more right now. If they all hated him now, then fine, but he had important matters to address first.

“You’re going to need to eat more than just this,” Scratch told Molly as he handed her the plate and bowl, as well as the glass of water. “You need to get more protein and healthy fats in you and thats where the nuts will help.” It was something he learned from Adia during his travels, in order to keep his energy up during times when there was no large meals to have. “If you want to be in that concert, then we can’t have you fainting from hunger on stage.”

“You’ll actually watch me sing,” Molly realized out loud and was stunned that such a thing was now possible. She never imagined Scratch would actually be there.

“And I won’t wear that dumb turnip mask this time,” Scratch promised with a smile. His face was different, and there wasn’t any crooked green teeth in that smile, but it was very much his smile. “Or make myself invisible. I mean, sure, I can’t just hover over everyone’s heads anymore, but at least I’ll actually be seen this time.” He then pointed to the sandwich. “Now can you please eat? I’ll feel more relaxed when you do.”

The second Molly took the first bite of the sandwich, something in her body turned on and she began to devour the meal with an eagerness to eat that she hadn’t had in so long. She never realized just how little she ate lately until she had the meal–she barely ate lunch at school, and yet still had room for more.

As Molly ate, Scratch took the bracelet and pendant out of his breast pocket. He figured the bracelet had importance to Molly somehow, so he took his phone and reading glasses out and tried to see how he could fix it and read online instructions for help. After awhile, he heard a little high pitched “Huh?” and looked up to see Molly staring at him as if he grew a second head.

“I thought the glasses were just you being dramatic,” Molly spoke. “You actually need them?”

Scratch nodded. “I had a hard time reading closeup around the first few years I was a ghost,” he admitted before he snorted and shook his head. “I completely missed the fact that I was somehow still aging despite assuming I was dead. But then again having that desk job with the screen staring and all that paperwork never helped.”

“I actually like them,” Molly smiled. “You look good with glasses.” She sincerely meant it. Even if Scratch looked different, there were things about his human form that suited him or still looked the same, much to her relief.

“Thanks,” Scratch smiled and went back to work.

It wasn’t easy trying to fix the bracelet–especially with his thick fingers–and he had to get a tool out of the garage. But eventually he managed.

“Is that pendant something you got for yourself?” Molly as she noticed the pendant. “I always assumed you’d wear one of those gold chains, like one of those sleazy business men or criminals in movies wear.”

Scratch snickered at the mental image. “That sounds more like what my old self would have worn,” He replied before he paused and looked at the pendant. “I think,” he realized “I wanted to get it for you. I didn’t have enough of my memories back at the time, but something deep inside me wanted to get it.”

That got Molly’s attention. “When did you start remembering?” she asked.

“It was around New Year’s Day in Cuba. That one Atomic Pink song that they did for the Bandshell was on the radio and the memory of that moment came back.”

Molly was stunned. “Then the sensory memory theory was right,” she realized. “We were just using the wrong triggers.” Of course ‘When you least expect it’ was a song that Scratch would of had good memories associated with it. Why didn’t that ever occur to them?!

“Not all of the memories were great,” Scratch admitted. “I forgot how bad durians smelled until that made me remember back in Brazil, and then I accidentally ate carob and remembered when you decided activating my allergy to prove my innocence and get me all bloated was a good idea.”

“Aww, but I got to hug you when you were giant sized!” Molly smiled fondly at the memory.

Scratch took his glasses off and sighed. “I’m sorry it took so long, Moll,” he apologized as he set the glasses aside. “I was second guessing myself and thought I was projecting some happy scenario onto a girl I met at a bus stop.” He then had to confess “I was looking at articles about Brighton at one point and I saw the one about your family opening that restaurant.” He then smiled. “Congratulations to that. I hope I can be able to go there while I’m here.”

Molly’s heart leaped at this.

“Anyway, I recognized you in the photo, and then I found myself finding you in those old YouTube videos,” Scratch then hesitated. “I found out what happened on Christmas Eve,” he admitted, to Molly’s sorrow. “Someone recorded and uploaded it, and I’m not going to forgive them, and I’m not going to forgive Brunson for putting you through that.” He knew he had to tread carefully when he saw how crushed Molly was over that memory. That old selfish side of him liked that he knew Molly better than Brunson ever could, while his other half was dismayed Brunson put a high expectation on Molly and assumed she’d come through on Christmas of all times.

Scratch then handed the bracelet back to Molly and the girl sighed in relief as she held the bracelet to her chest. “Ollie gave that to you, didn’t he?” Scratch asked. He could sense it when he saw the look in her eyes.

Molly froze at the mention of the boy’s name and glanced down at the bracelet. If she hadn’t been so lucky today, she would have lost it forever. “Yes,” Molly nodded. “He did.”

“So where’s Swoopy Bangs?” Scratch asked, and couldn’t help using the nickname for nostalgia’s sake. Ollie would have been the most likely to have reached out to Molly before it was too late, so where was he? When the former ghost noticed how Molly’s face fell and her eyes dimmed, his protective side flared up and he demanded “Did he break your heart?! Because if he did–!”

“No!” Molly quickly protested. “It’s not that!” She could tell the man had a lot of questions, and she couldn’t just brush them off–not after what almost happened.

And so, she told him everything.

Molly talked about how high school went, the loss of Patty, how Ollie, June, and Andrea moved away, how a lot of things went horribly wrong–she couldn’t stop herself. She told Scratch about how she nearly endangered Sapphire and was unable to promote the stores in order to save them, and his face fell when she said the bath bomb store was a casualty to Bizmart. She confessed to punching Derrick and getting suspended after he insulted both Ollie and Scratch to her face.

For that last part, Scratch felt a little proud of Molly, but he knew that if he were still a ghost, he would have traumatized the little shit to the point that the teen boy’s hair would turn white.

The more Scratch heard, the more he understood why Molly was driven to despair. Though when Molly got to her watching the livestream, a lot of things all clicked together.

“You thought I was gone for good when I had that accident,” Scratch quietly realized. He now remembered that not everyone became a ghost if they lived a happy life, free of regrets. It was a gut punch when Molly’s face crumbled as she nodded and looked about ready to cry all over again.

Scratch had been dangerously close to ensuring that would happen–he thought he could be able to die without regrets during that flight until reality smacked him in the face. And how would he know for sure he’d get his memories back if he became a true ghost and died for real?

“I didn’t want to think you were gone for good,” Molly whimpered. “I thought I could let you go, but I never could, no matter how hard I tried. In a way, it was like you did die when you left, but I’d always see you living your life, and sometimes it was worse if I couldn’t speak to you again.”

Scratch got up and went over to hug Molly and the girl tightly hugged him back. “We should have worked on a plan before I got my body back,” he realized. “This all could have been avoided.” Christ, they could have gone over all the sensory memories everyone could have used! Why didn’t he think of that?!

“I should have done more to make you remember me,” Molly whispered. “I should have reached out to you. I saw all your videos, and only made one comment, but I could have done more.”

Scratch hugged her tighter. “I should have reached out to you too,” he admitted right back. “That whole time, I thought you’d reject me because I thought I’d just be some stranger to you, and when I started remembering you, I thought it was just me having delusions of a life I wanted but never had.”

“I wouldn’t!” Molly shook her head. “In fact, I–!”

Molly’s cell phone rang and a quick glance revealed that Libby was trying to FaceTime her.

The two friends broke the hug so that Molly could accept the call, but Scratch moved out of the camera’s view as he wasn’t sure how the reader would react. Molly accepted the call and Libby’s worried face was revealed.

“Hey, Libby,” Molly let out a tired, yet happy smile.

“Oh thank Cob!” Libby sighed in relief. “You’re still here!” Libby then continued.“Anyway, I heard about what happened to the retirement house. Is your grandmother ok?”

“My mom is at the hospital with her,” Molly answered. “But I’m not entirely sure just yet.” She grew thoughtful and asked “Is your slam poetry going ok?”

“Oh yeah!” Libby beamed and angled the camera to reveal a certain green ghost. “Geoff stopped by to give constructive criticism. I mean my mom does to, but you know how intense she can get!”

Molly nervously gulped and nodded.

“Oh hi, Molly!” Geoff waved.

Scratch stared at the phone. Two more people had yet to know he–

“Hey, Geoff with a G,” Molly smiled. “Uh,” she frowned. “I’m really sorry about those things I said to you that day. I wasn’t in a good headspace.” If she had a chance to repair a friendship, she would take it, even if Geoff rejected her.

“Aww,” Geoff smiled. “But I do understand. I didn’t read the room again, and got you at a bad time.” He then frowned. “And I’d never try to replace Scratch–no one can. Not even my beloved Jeff–though he wasn’t happy that you snapped at me, but I can put in a good word for you. But I wouldn’t want anyone to replace Scratch too, because he’s one of a kind! Sure, he was moody a lot, and there was that time he wanted to ditch the seminar and almost got us in a lot of trouble–and that time he lied and said he was sick–actually that was a lot of times–oh and then there was that time he crashed a taco stand into that ice sculpture Jeff worked so hard on, and then–!”

“Ok, we get it, Geoff!” Scratch finally snapped. “I did a lot of stupid stuff!”

On the camera, Libby’s eyes widened and Geoff’s jaw literally dropped.

Scratch panicked and slapped his hand over his mouth, but it was too late.

“Molly,” Libby slowly began as Geoff pulled his jaw back up. “Did we just hear that correctly?”

Molly smiled, angled her phone, and flipped it so that the camera now faced Scratch.

“Er,” the man slowly let go of his mouth as he stared at the shocked green duo. “Hi?” He awkwardly smiled and waved. “Long time no see?”

Three seconds passed.

Then the FaceTime ended.

“Did they just–?!” Molly glanced at the screen as Scratch whispered a count down to himself. “Well, I guess they’ll call back soon.” She glanced at Scratch a moment later. “What are you doing?”

“Nine, ten, eleven,” Scratch counted. “Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one–”

The doorbell rang.

“Twenty one seconds,” he noted. “That’s how long it took.”

The two headed to the door, but Molly hadn’t yet opened it all the way when Geoff burst through and glomped Scratch.

“I MISSED YOU!” Geoff cried as he tightly hugged Scratch to the point that the man let out a breathless gasp and gritted his teeth. “I TOLD MYSELF I’D WAIT UNTIL YOU DIED FOR REAL BUT IT FELT LIKE FOREVER!” Geoff gushed out jets of tears as he squeezed Scratch even tighter, and the human’s eyes looked ready to cartoonishly bulge out. “AND YOU ACTUALLY REMEMBERED ME! THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST DAYS OF MY AFTERLIFE!”

“I’M GOING TO DIE FOR REAL IF YOU DON’T STOP SQUEEZING MY ORGANS IN!” Scratch yelled back at Geoff as he freed his arm and tried to shove him away. “LET ME GO!”

“Sorry!” Geoff apologized and quickly let go of Scratch, and the latter crashed onto the floor. He winced and said “Oh, yeah… I’ll need to remember you’re still alive for a few more decades.”

“I missed you too,” an already exhausted Scratch admitted as Molly helped him get back up. He then turned to Libby who was still in shock and he relaxed. “Hey, Libby!” he smiled. “Nice seeing you aga–!”

Libby also practically tackled Scratch and hugged him. Not as tight as Molly or as Geoff did, but there was more intensity behind her hug than usual. She had nothing to say–she just held her hug as she, like Molly, took in that Scratch was back.

Scratch gently patted Libby’s head. “I missed you too,” he admitted as he hugged the girl back. “I was able to remember a lot about turtles thanks to you. It was something that just stuck with me, like Molly’s ‘enhappifying’ word.”

Libby paused and looked up at Scratch with a strange look.

“Everything alright?” Scratch asked. “I know I had a hell of a makeover, but I promise I’m still the same guy that got to see your bunker and investigate with you.” He laughed. “I can’t believe there was a time we were fighting over Molly and now I’m happy to see you again!”

“It–” Libby began but wasn’t sure what to say. When Scratch forgot all about them, it was like her dad leaving her mom all over again, but worse since she lost someone who did care about her and was interested in spending time with her. But this time Scratch came back, and not only that, but this reunion was something close to how she had once always hoped her reunion with her dad would go until he brushed her off, like usual. She smiled and shook her head. “I’m just happy you are back, Scratch,” Libby said. “I think the world just got a bit brighter.”

Libby let go of Scratch and glanced to Molly. She noted that her friend seemed a lot happier and brighter in the FaceTime, and now she knew why. She wasn’t as devoted to her religion as some people in the synagogue she and her mom went to, but she knew she’d send God a huge ‘thank you’ for this miracle tonight.

****

“Euro–what?” Molly was confused.

Molly and the others were sitting in the attic room, where Scratch revealed to her what would of happened if she had left her body as she snacked on the nuts. The whole time she sat next to him as close as she could and took in the fact that it was the first time that they were in the room together once more, but this time they were both humans. And yes she still had on Scratch’s jacket–he made no attempt to ask for it, and it gave her an additional comfort.

“I don’t understand how people would not realize the name Euphrosyne is actually from one of the three graces,” Libby–ever the knowledgeable one–noted. “Was it irony, or did they think you would have brought a certain kind of joy through destruction?”

“I’ve been around longer than any of you and even I didn’t know that name,” Geoff admitted. “And if the Chairman had still been around, he wouldn’t have allowed Molly to roam the world as a ghost if he knew about her powers sooner.”

“But how did all those people know about me?” Molly asked. “I’ve never head of any of this until now, but they did.”

“Some people in our world have a special foresight that not all of us have, like Scratch’s fortune teller,” Libby guessed. “Some are as powerful as Nostradamus, and some only have a vague sense that something is coming.”

Molly curled up closer to Scratch and hugged her knees to her chest. “But I don’t want to be a goddess or a corrupted ghost,” she murmured. “I don’t even know if I could be able to fix everything that’s wrong with the world. There’s so much wrong that I wouldn’t know where to begin. It was one thing to try to help one town over a few years.”

“Well, what was your plan if you left your body?” Libby asked.

“I don’t know!” a frustrated Molly exclaimed. “I just wanted to leave Brighton! I felt like everyone was going to leave me, and I didn’t want to remember everything anymore because it just hurts so much!”

Scratch put an arm around Molly’s shoulders–he had been right to assume she couldn’t be easily healed in one day.

“It wouldn’t have lasted for long if you went to the Ghost World,” Geoff told Molly. “I don’t know if you already know this, but June worked on making a device for us to detect wraiths, and Ollie helped us organize some therapy work so that we could redirect wraiths back to their bodies. So that–” he paused and looked at Scratch.

“What happened to me doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Scratch quietly finished. If only he had someone like June and Ollie to have redirected him back to his body before he forgot his human life.

“But I wouldn’t have gone there,” Molly admitted. “I don’t know where, but it was starting to be too painful to even think about ghosts.”

“We never would of stopped looking for you if you left,” Libby told Molly. “You are too important to a lot of people. In fact, you brought everyone together and made so many lives better. It would have sucked if we were just stuck with a shell of yourself and lost the real you forever.”

Molly winced and buried her head into her knees. She didn’t deserve her friends or family if she was going to make them suffer.

“She’s right about all of that,” Scratch quietly agreed. “If you left your body, I would have even gone as far be a ghost again to look for you.”

But Molly knew she would have robbed Scratch of precious time left he had as a human. “How do I know you were just trying to get me to stay when you said you’d go with me if I lost my soul?” Molly bitterly asked Scratch.

“I was being one hundred percent serious,” Scratch promised. “I got screwed over by not being able to remember you when I got to be human again. You think I’d want to play it safe yet again when I had the chance to have you back in my life? And those dumb doomsday people never said you had to be alone.” He remembered that nightmare of the corrupted Molly and how she was still in agony despite being so powerful and feared. “I really would have gone as far as to curse myself to you again so that wouldn’t happen.”

Molly felt a stab of guilt. She shouldn’t have doubted her friend–she didn’t want him to sacrifice anything for her sake, and he already gave up time that could have been spent with Adia just to keep her from flying away. But he had gone as far as to take on an eternity in the Flow of Failed Phantoms just to keep her safe.

“I came back because your life was on the line,” Scratch told Molly. “And now I’m here to help you as long as I’m needed.”

“We’re here too,” Libby assured Molly as she placed her hand on her best friend’s shoulder. “All you have to do is reach out and we’ll listen. I know all too well we can’t fix everything in a day, but we can help you one step at a time.”

There was a lot that was going through Molly’s head. She felt guilty, she felt relief, she felt sorrow–she felt so much. “I don’t know…” she began.

“And not just that,” Scratch added. “I think after all that’s happened, I’m sure you’ll want help with other things. I don’t know when your grandma will leave the hospital, but I’m sure your family could use a bit of help. That is if they’ll still want me.”

“They do,” Molly promised. “We all did.”

Libby bit her lip and regretfully admitted “Unfortunately, I do need to get back home. Mom will freak out if she finds out I left without saying anything.” She turned to Geoff and added “Could you take me back home? Preferably at a slower pace this time? I felt like I was on a roller coaster and was going to puke.”

“Count on it!” Geoff promised and saluted.

Molly got up and finally–after so much time–opened the curtains and opened the window so Geoff could take Libby home. However the green colored duo turned to Scratch one more time.

“I’m glad you came back,” a happy Libby told Scratch. “It means a lot that you did, right when we needed you the most.”

“Oh I can’t wait to tell everyone the good news!” Geoff squealed. “Even the Ghost Council was bummed that they couldn’t help you remember! They’ll all be so happy for you!”

Scratch raised a skeptic unibrow at this. However the mention of the Ghost World reminded him of something. “Sally was the one who saved me from dying via gliding that day,” he began. “Someone was with her that apparently knew what was going to happen, but I couldn’t see them,” he recalled what the fortune teller said. “Someone called the ‘Wish Granter?’ Is there a ghost who goes by that name?”

Geoff gave Scratch a cryptic look. “Buddy?” he began. “I think I know who you are talking about, but I don’t think you’d believe me if I told you who they are.”

“What is that supposed to mean?!” Scratch demanded as even Molly grew interested. “I used to think ghosts weren’t real! Nothing’s gonna shock me anymore at this rate!”

Geoff let out a nervous chuckle. “Maybe another time I’ll tell you,” he promised.

And with that, Geoff took Libby back home.

Scratch closed the window and looked around the room before he noticed something was missing. “Where’d the doll house go?” he asked.

Molly grimaced and hugged herself as she averted her eyes. “I had a hard time looking at it after awhile,” she admitted. “And then I was worried that another ghost might try to move in, so I had mom put it away or else donate it.” She felt the urge to cry all over again–if she had known Scratch would come back, she wouldn’t have done that. What if that hurt his feelings?

Instead, understanding dawned on the man. Scratch knew all too well the need to get rid of things that gave him pain–his real house was the biggest example.

“I made a lot of stupid choices,” Molly apologized as tears threatened to form again. “I’m not full of joy anymore. I hurt people and I did things that I now regret. I’m sorry, but I’m not the same Molly McGee anymore,” Molly further apologized as she realized she was still bitter, even toward Scratch when he was back in her life. “I tried to stay good and positive–I really did–but I just got so angry and hopeless, and then I didn’t think you’d want me either–whether or not you remembered me–if I wasn’t–” she shuddered. “I was so awful to you earlier when you were trying to help me–”

Scratch went over and gently held the girl’s face in his hands. She looked at him as he told her “Anyone in your situation would have felt that way. You have a right to feel angry and feel those things, and they won’t change how I feel about you, Moll. You loved me, even on my bad days, didn’t you? Well I feel the same way about you, because that’s how much you mean to me. Even when I didn’t remember everything, you were someone I wished I could have known better, and you getting angry or being sad wouldn’t have changed that.”

Molly felt herself ready to cry all over again as Scratch hugged her close and she rested her head into his chest. His broad arms felt so comforting and safe when they gently wrapped around her.

“You are still the same kid that came bursting into this room and into my life like a colorful tornado of sunshine and rainbows,” Scratch promised. “You always will be that kid to me, no matter what. Even ten or twenty, for eighty years from now.”

Molly closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh as a few tears managed to escape. “You’ll always be the same to me too,” she admitted. “And I’m glad your hugs are still the same,” she added, which earned her an appreciative chuckle from Scratch.

“Is there anything you’d like to do before everyone comes home?” Scratch asked. “Besides clean the house and make a huge dinner, or clean the bathroom, because I am not ready to do those again that soon.”

Molly laughed and it was a sound that Scratch wanted to hear since he could hear a small bit of her joy in it. She then shyly asked “Was there anything that happened on your adventures that wasn’t shown on those videos? You looked like you were having so much fun and there had to have been more.”

Something stirred in Scratch’s heart. He remembered how he once despaired over the fact that he had no one back home to share stories with, yet never knew what he left behind. He never realized that in some way he would need Molly as much as she would need him once he came home.

Scratch smiled and promised “You have no idea what else I got to see. I didn’t even get any videos of the trips I had by myself until I ran into Adia again.”

And so the two friends sat on Molly’s bed and the girl listened as Scratch told her everything. Not a single detail–or even a single meal–was left out. This time he truly was the great adventurer with stories to tell, instead of thinking he was until reality slapped him in the face like that fateful day. He told everything to Molly with an excitement similar to what he had at the bus stop when they last saw each other. He told her all the the things he had wanted to share to someone and he felt happy that he accomplished the things he once was afraid to attempt.

And his reward? Molly was listening with great attention. The more she listened, the more the light was returning to her eyes and her smile was widening. As she asked questions, her voice slowly gained a bit of the energy she used to have.

In turn, Molly was happy to hear and learn how much fun Scratch had in his second chance at living. She enjoyed hearing every experience he had, but she was happy that he was genuinely happy. This was the thing she knew she would never regret, even back then–helping her friend get a chance to truly live and find happiness.

Time passed until the sun was about to set. Scratch had only just began talking about getting to see wild animals in Australia when the two heard voices downstairs–the rest of the McGees were home.

The former ghost felt his heart rate go up. The rest of the family he had come to see as his family was down there, but he wasn’t sure what would happen. “You better check in with them before I come down,” he cautioned Molly. He knew Grandma Nin was a higher priority for the family and especially for Sharon.

Molly nodded and went down.

First she passed Darryl’s room and was shocked to see that the boy was in there with his headphones on. “How long were you home?” she asked.

“I was dropped off half an hour ago,” Darryl replied.

“You had those on the whole time?” a stunned Molly pointed to the headphones, to which the boy nodded. He unwittingly missed a chance at an early reunion yet again.

She shook her head and went down stairs.

Sharon was quietly whispering to Pete in the kitchen when they turned to see Molly. Sharon looked utterly exhausted from all that happened, but she smiled as she greeted her daughter with a “Hey, Molly.”

“How is Grandma?” Molly–still worried for her grandma–asked.

“The doctor said she’ll need to stay at the hospital overnight to be safe, but she will be able to make a full recovery,” Sharon answered. “I don’t think she will make it in time for the concert, but we will record your performance for her.”

In that moment, Molly realized the full weight of the consequences, had she allowed her soul to leave her body, or if Scratch hadn’t been there to stop her. She would have made her family suffer more than they already did by nearly losing Grandma Nin. She would have lost more than she could ever realize.

Molly rushed to her mom and tightly hugged her. Sharon returned the hug and gently stroked her daughter’s back. They both had a lot on their mind, but they also both needed that hug for their own reasons.

When Sharon and Molly finally parted, Sharon looked Molly over. “You seem to be looking a lot healthier,” Sharon spoke as she noted her daughter’s healthier appearance. Then she noted the jacket which was far too big on Molly, and would never fit her or Pete. “Did you stop by a donation store?” Sharon asked.

“And looks like you ate some food,” a relieved Pete noted as he saw the dirty dishes in the sink. “Hopefully you didn’t have to wait too long for dinner–I’ll start it in a minute,” he promised.

Molly knew that this was it. “Before you do that, Dad,” Molly began, “could you, Mom, and Darryl wait in the living room? I have something to show you.”

“Ok,” Sharon agreed as she and Pete shared a curious look. They went to the living room while Molly hurried up stairs to tell her brother the same thing.

“You better have won the lottery for us,” Darryl cautioned Molly, who managed a smile as he went down stairs.

Molly waited until Darryl was gone until she went to the attic ladder and opened the door. She nodded to Scratch and once he was out of the room and down the ladder, she took his hand.

“I guess this is also a second chance,” Molly quietly realized. “The family getting to meet you all over again.” There was once a small moment–long ago–where she tried to imagine what would happen if she brought Scratch home to everyone as a human.

“Is it bad if I want to scare them for old time’s sake?” Scratch asked back. Some part of him wanted to relive that moment, though he could imagine either Pete or Sharon punching him or worse in retaliation before realizing who he was.

“I don’t think you could scare a fly the way you are now,” Molly admitted, which earned her an insulted frown from the former ghost. “But are you ready?” she asked.

Scratch hesitated and then nodded. It was better to get it over with.

Molly slowly led Scratch back down stairs and then peered into the room where her family was waiting and her parents were quietly talking about their day while Darryl was on his phone looking at stuff. Oh boy, were they going to be in for a huge surprise.

Well, it was now or never.

Molly gently squeezed Scratch’s hands and then slowly pulled him into her family’s view.

Sharon was the first to see Scratch. She was in the middle of telling her husband something and then stopped completely the moment she saw Scratch and her eyes widened. Confused as to what caused his wife’s reaction, Pete turned his head and let out a strange gasping sound and his jaw dropped. Finally Darryl looked at his dad and wondered why his parents were reacting so strangely, and then turned his head. The phone dropped out of his hands and his eyes widened when he saw who was standing next to Molly.

Scratch looked back at the rest of the McGees as he held Molly’s hand. Each member invoked specific memories, from when he tried to scare them all out of the house to when they desperately tried to awaken his memories before he left their lives. He was hopeful, yet terrified–could they truly accept him as he was now?

“Uh,” Scratch gulped and nervously waved. “Hi?” But no one said anything, which made him more nervous. “So in case you’re wondering, yes I have my memories back,” he began. “I know I ran away and didn’t give you all any proper good-byes like I did Molly, and I know I should have talked things out with all of you before I did what I did,” he winced as he realized just how many people he unwittingly hurt. “And I get it if none of you want me back, and–”

God, what was he supposed to do? He was feeling like a little kid that did something horrible and was trying to owe up to his mistakes. “I’m sorry I never said goodbye and that I forgot all of you!” Scratch blurted out. “I don’t know what I could do to make up for all the wrong I did to you all, but–!”

Scratch was cut off, because Darryl somehow shot up lighting fast and, before he knew it, he was being hugged by the boy.

“You stupid idiot!” Darryl cried as he hugged Scratch. “You ran away without saying anything, and then Molly got to say good-bye and we didn’t?! Do you know how much that hurt?! Do you know how many times I wished I could tell you all the pranks I pulled off since you left?!”

The confession threw Scratch off a bit, but he let out a small chuckle and patted the boy’s shoulder before he returned the hug. “I’m already looking forward hearing about the schemes I missed from my favorite partner in crime,” he reassured Darryl. “And yeah, I am a stupid idiot.”

Molly watched as her parents got up and approached Scratch. Even in human form, he was still much shorter than Sharon and especially Pete, and the hints of gray hair and the age lines on him were more noticeable. They waited until Darryl was ok with parting from Scratch, and the man nervously eyed them. Even if he was older than them, Scratch really did act as if the couple could have been his parents to some extent.

Instead, Pete and Sharon were both smiling. The more emotional Pete was already tearing up as he drew Scratch into his and Sharon’s embrace. Sharon–still shaken from nearly losing Grandma Nin–tightened her hold on Scratch.

“You actually came back!” Pete cried. “Oh God, you don’t know how much we missed you!”

“Welcome home, Scratch,” a relieved Sharon told Scratch.

Scratch was in shock that he was easily accepted back, and yet he knew he should have known better from this family–his family. He closed his eyes and hugged the couple. “Thanks,” he quietly thanked. “I missed you all too.”

It didn’t take long for both Molly and Darryl to join the hug. The entire McGee family hugged their former house ghost and long lost fifth family member, and Scratch felt more than being finally home in being surrounded by their acceptance and more.

His old self–back when he refused to share the house with anyone–would have hated this. He would have felt like he was being crushed to death in a suffocating sappiness, especially while still having a form that could barely handle the hugs of one energetic girl. However he now wanted this moment because it meant he was now truly home and found his home once again. He was loved and accepted in body and soul–Scratch was home and Todd found a home.

Meanwhile, Molly felt as if a lost part of her now fully returned. Her family was safe and now they were whole once again.

Chapter Text

For the first time in a long time, a fifth plate was set at that dining table, and it wasn’t because it was the holidays, or because of muscle memory. For the first time in a long time, Scratch remembered how the best kind of dinner was one shared with people you regarded as family, even if it wasn’t as spectacular as any of the food he ate around the world, but it tasted just as special. For the first time in–well not as long, but it had been awhile–Molly was able to eat everything and get seconds, much to the relief of everyone else.

Although it was almost concerning that for once it was Molly that ate everything off her plate in record time, rather than Scratch. (Though Pete and Sharon were also relieved that their daughter was eating more once again.)

Of course, now that Scratch actually had a true place to return to in Brighton, he had to go back to the hotel and cancel his reservation, as well as bring his things back to the house. Molly insisted on coming with Scratch since she didn’t want to waste a second without him, but Sharon had her get showered and changed at home since she still needed to rest up for the concert. Instead, Pete and Darryl went to help Scratch and had a chance to further catch up with him (Darryl especially being happy to get some more time to catch up with his old pranking buddy).

Once Scratch was back and could reside in the house for a certain amount of time that had yet to be fully determined, he wanted to hear everything that he missed from the family and they happily shared it all out in the living room. Every missed school event or prank, every special projects, every incident at the restaurant, and every little moment that he would have liked.

When the family started talking about an incident that happened during winter break, Scratch then remembered something. “Did that last curse actually stick?” he asked. “I know I was being funny when I said ‘toboggan–’”

All of the McGees instantly sneezed on cue.

“Oh,” Scratch guiltily bit his lip. “Err, yeah, I guess I shouldn’t have done that. I don’t think I can lift it until I kick the bucket for real or else fall through a ghost portal.”

“It’s ok!” Darryl assured Scratch. “It gave us something to remember you by.”

Molly guiltily looked away. There had been times that winter where she heard that word more often than she would have liked and was close to narrowly cursing Scratch out for making her remember that day one time too many.

“We were worried for a moment we heard about the gliding incident,” Pete confessed. “I mean, I hope that won’t ever happen again if–”

“Oh, hell no!” Scratch paled and grimaced as he swore. “I don’t care if even Adia tries to get me to do it! I am not so much as touching a glider ever again! I’m pretty sure that will be how I die, and I’m not ready for that! That is not going to be my death day story!”

The family let out a huge sigh of relief. They were happy Scratch could still be a human and they didn’t want him back as a ghost until a few more decades.

“Yeah,” Darryl agreed. “I wouldn’t blame you.”

***

Even though he was used to residing in one specific room of the house, Scratch had to accept the guest room instead. It had been one thing to share the attic with Molly and reside within the dollhouse as a ghost, but it didn’t feel right to do so anymore, knowing he was a grown adult with no actual blood relation to the teen girl, who needed her full privacy now.

Before he got to bed, Scratch hesitated and looked at his hands.

What if this was all just a pleasant dream? What if he woke up and it turned out he imagined reuniting with Molly and her family? What if he was still traveling the world with Adia? Or what if his second life as a human wasn’t real? He thought of his dream self–that ghost in the attic, desperate to escape his body and reclaim what was his. What if he still wasn’t fully himself and that phantom tried to escape upon seeing what he now had?

Scratch gently rubbed his thumb against one of his palms and could feel the sensation of touching his own human skin. “I’m still me,” he told himself. “I’m going to be here when I wake up.”

He turned the lights off and went to bed.

Sleep slowly came to Scratch, and he was so close to falling into the realm of dreams when he heard a soft knock at the door. He instantly knew who it was, and got up to open the door. Even in the darkness, he could make out Molly, dressed in pajamas and wrapped in a blanket from off her bed.

“Um,” Molly shyly, quietly began. “Is it ok if just this once I can sleep in the same room with you, like old times?”

Scratch caved in–some part of him was afraid that the girl’s soul would still slip away, but also he understood why Molly asked him. “Ok,” he agreed and let her in.

Scratch slept under the sheets of the bed while the girl slept on top of them, yet was still covered in her own blanket. Molly curled up close to him and though he couldn’t see her in the dark, he could sense her worries.

“You’ll still be here when I wake up, right?” Molly–also fearing that a lot of what happened today would only be a dream–quietly pleaded.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Scratch promised, much like the day when the McGees got their home back and he decided he knew where home was.

“Thanks,” Molly quietly murmured and finally fell asleep. In turn, Scratch also fell asleep.

For the first time in a long time, both the former ghost and the girl were not plagued by racing thoughts in their sleep, nor nightmares. Their souls were at peace.

***

Upon confirmation that Scratch had never seen any videos of her performing for high school online, Molly was happy to show off the flowing black choir dress to him.

“I’m not a fan of black, but I can make an exception for this!” Molly beamed as she spun for him, and her bracelet was fixed and back on her wrist where it belonged.

Scratch was silent as he thought of the version of Molly from his nightmare–one half rainbow and one half black. The dress reminded him of that nightmare, but this was a Molly who was happy and would not sing out of pain.

“I have something that could add a bit of color,” Scratch offered as he pulled out the heart shaped pendant from his breast pocket.

Molly was in awe of the pendant, but asked “Are you sure you don’t want it?”

“Like I said,” Scratch reminded Molly, “the part of me deep down that always remembered wanted to give it to you. It was always going to be yours.”

He helped put the pendant around Molly’s neck, where it hung after he clasped the ends together. When she turned to face him, he saw that the pendant was right where it was meant to be and looked lovely on her. He wasn’t sure how much her actual heart was healed, but the light in Molly’s eyes told him it was currently doing fine.

***

For the first time, Scratch was seen participating with the McGees for something in Brighton. He no longer had to hide himself from the living and though the side of him that was Todd was still a bit nervous, he kept himself grounded and stayed with the McGees, as well as Libby and her mom when they came to watch alongside them. Though his ghost side was annoyed that he could not just fly up toward the front row anymore.

Most folks didn’t notice anything different when they saw him sitting with the McGees in the fold up chairs they brought with them, though a few people who recognized him did do a double take. However he eventually eased up as Libby re-introduced him to her mom, Leah, who was excited as she revealed that Libby introduced her to the videos of him and Adia. Scratch was happy to freely converse with Leah, though Libby had to step in to twist the truth as to how she knew Scratch in the first place.

“So if you two didn’t get along at first, what finally turned things around?” Leah wondered.

“Uh,” Libby shared a knowing look with Scratch. “We had to work together to get Molly out of a tight spot.”

It was strange for Scratch–he was once used to going to these community events as a way of doing something in some attempt to live a life and get out of the house, and in another time he was used to ruining such events just to keep his scare record up. Now he was here with a true purpose and was here for another, and he almost forgot that he did like these events.

The concert soon started up as the director–alongside a few music teachers–introduced the theme.

“Unity connects us together, no matter who we are or how far away,” the director began. “It brings us together and gives us a sense that we are not alone and that we aren’t so different from another. Music is a special way of uniting people, should we have a favorite song or band, should it raise our spirits, or should it helps us remember what is good and what is most important. And sometimes we might be in agreement if we do not enjoy a specific song that always plays on the radio,” he added, earning some laughter from the audience.

The old Scratch would have mocked the speech and gotten ready to possess some instruments. The current version of Scratch agreed with it, having experienced such power of music in unexpected ways.

The bands and choirs alternated with the performances, be they from the local church choir, a middle school band, a young chorus of elementary students sweetly singing a couple tunes, and so forth. But for Scratch his main focus was on the high school choir and Molly McGee shone the brightest of the students. She was looking a lot more healthier and happier this time as she sang along with the others. He had the luck of hearing the group before but now he had the greater luck to hear them again, while Sharon recorded the performance with a digital camera.

Molly felt her spirits were high, just as they had been when she first started choir. Knowing that Scratch was finally back in her life restored her passion and joy, and while she wasn’t sure what would happen in the future, she only wanted to focus on the here and now. The class began to sing ‘I 2 I’ and Molly felt as if she now truly connected to the song and her solo. Somehow the bond she had with her friend prevailed and set off the miraculous domino effect that brought him back home.

“If a wall should come between us,” Molly sang her solo with her newly regained joy and all the energy it gifted her. “Too high to climb, too hard to break through, I know that love will lead us, and find a way to bring me to you.”

“So don’t be in a hurry, think before you count us out,” Molly sang as the others joined with her. “You don’t have to worry, I won’t ever let you down.”

She looked at her family–restored and whole–as her entire class sang in wonderful harmony.

“If we listen to each other’s heart, we’ll find we’re never too far apart, and maybe love is the reason why, for the first time ever, we’re seeing it eye to eye!”

She wasn’t sure if she was still whole, but she felt it for that moment. And even when the song ended and she saw everyone clapping–even Scratch who expressed his excitement and pride for her as he clapped with them–she still felt it.

It felt like forever until Molly could leave, and once she and her choir group did their bows and went off stage, she grabbed the skirts of her dress and ran full force to everyone. She got hugs from her parents, and then Darryl, and especially Scratch, whose eager hug was tighter than she expected–a perk from having a solid human body–but she enjoyed it.

“I’m glad I got to see that!” Scratch beamed at Molly. “And I’m glad I got to hear you sing up there! That was one of the best performances I ever saw!”

Molly smiled. “Probably not as good as some of the shows you saw around the world,” she replied.

“They didn’t have you in it,” Scratch told Molly. “That’s an important difference.”

“Hey, there!”

Everyone turned to see the mayor approaching with a smile.

“Well, that was–!” Brunson began until he noticed who was with them and his jaw dropped. “Todd?!” he gasped. “When did–?! How–?!” he stammered. “Hang on, since when did you know the McGees?!”

“Since they first came here!” Scratch happily and truthfully answered before he smugly added, “Which means I knew them longer than you!” And then without warning, he actually grabbed Molly by the hand and yanked her away as he made a run for it.

“Whoa, what are you doing?!” Molly protested.

“Making sure he doesn’t rope you into another huge task job that’ll be hard to do!” Scratch answered. “You still need a bit more time before that!”

****

There was some debate about how to get to the Mewline hospital and maybe get Grandma Nin out of there, but then squeeze in six passengers in the station wagon. While Scratch reluctantly offered to stay behind, the entire family refused, and so Pete and Sharon went to get Nin and bring her over instead. They decided to tell her about Scratch’s return on the way back, so that she wouldn’t be shocked.

Upon returning, Sharon cautiously stayed behind an annoyed Nin–who was told not to do any strenuous activities that would leave her fatigued for a few more days–when they came into the house. Then the old woman came into the living room where her grandkids and Scratch were, the latter watched as they tearfully ran over and hugged Grandma Nin.

“You survived a fire!” Darryl proudly declared, even though it was clear that the thing scared him.

“You’re ok!” Molly cried as she was thankful many times over that her grandma was still alive for just a bit longer.

“A mere fire can’t take me out!” Nin boasted with a chuckle. “I stubbornly cling to life so that I may see what you two will become!”

The kids let go of their Grandma Nin, who noticed Scratch as he awkwardly scratched his arm. “Ha! I recognize that face!” Nin laughed. “Life looks good on you, Scratch!”

Scratch wasn’t sure what to do. He wanted to hug the old woman in a tight hug like old times, but considering he was now inhabiting a thicker, stronger body, what if–?

“You better not treat me like a little fragile baby again!” Nin warned as she sensed why Scratch was hesitant. “I got enough of that the first time, and the hospital staff was even worse!”

Scratch gave in with a sigh and a smile as he went over to hug Nin. He actually had to bend down a bit to hug her this time, but he didn’t care. “I missed you and your food,” he told her. “But I think I missed you more.”

The old woman laughed and patted Scratch’s shoulder. “Oh, I’ll make sure you get my cooking when you stop by the restaurant!” Nin promised. “I don’t have any ingredients here or at the retirement house, which I hope to get back to soon!”

“Uh, about that,” Pete began as his mother-in-law let go of Scratch. “A few rooms burned down and there’s some electricity and wiring that needs an upgrade. Your room is fine though!” he quickly added.

“But the small library isn’t,” Sharon admitted. “A lot of the books are gone and a wall was burnt to nothing.”

“Damnit!” Grandma Nin cursed. “I was in the middle of a good romance series, and Fabrizio was just getting the courage to propose to Julia!” She grew serious. “So when can it be fixed up?”

“Not anytime soon,” Sharon reluctantly answered. “Pete got word on the costs, and it’ll take a long time to get the money for it.”

Scratch silently watched as the family chatted with Nin, and Molly and Darryl sat beside her. He was thankful that Nin was ok, and that the fortune teller had the sense to let him know she would be ok. He was thankful that he stopped Molly so that she could see that her grandmother lived. He knew that Nin was the focus for now and didn’t want to barge in.

“Did you go to Thailand yet?” Nin soon asked Scratch and snapped him out of his thoughts. “I saw a few of your videos and heard some things from Molly.”

“Uh, not yet,” Scratch admitted. While he was traveling, he did feel an urge to visit Thailand, but for the longest time was not sure what drew him to that place. With his memories back he now understood where that desire came from.

“I have some recommendations for places to visit, should that ever happen!” Nin told Scratch. “It’s been a long time, but I have fond memories of places from my childhood!” she then inquired “When will you head back?”

“I didn’t give that a whole lot of thought,” Scratch admitted. “But maybe for a few more days.”

Molly felt herself falter a bit before she reminded herself that she shouldn’t expect Scratch to come back home forever. “I guess we can make the most of that time,” she decided out-loud.

Some time later, when Nin needed to speak to her parents, Molly sat outside with Scratch.

“I don’t think I could thank you enough for stopping me before I ran away,” Molly confessed. “I just assumed the worst when I saw what happened to Grandma Nin.”

“Which I understand,” Scratch replied. He then winced as he thought “Maybe if I had died during that gliding incident and came back, I could have stopped that fire from happening.”

“But someone decided you needed to live,” Molly pointed out. “Maybe they knew it would have been too mean if you died right as you started living.”

“Yeah, I suppose,” Scratch nodded.

Molly sighed. “I wish there was a way to repair the damages,” she said. “Normally I’d be all on this with some kind of fund-raising idea, but after all the failures I had, I just lost my creative drive and energy. I’m worried I won’t be able to make much of a difference.”

Scratch thought for a bit. “I wish I could help somehow,” he said.

“No, you can’t rob a bank again,” Molly warned.

“Credit union,” Scratch reminded her. He thought for a bit more before he realized something. “Wait a minute,” he mused as he looked at Molly. “When will the restaurant open back up?”

“Well, it might tomorrow,” Molly answered. “Why?”

Scratch pulled out his phone. “I think I have an idea that’ll combine what we both like,” he told Molly.

*****

Ollie was browsing through his social media on his phone in his sister’s room while June worked on something on her computer. Out of instinct, he looked at a certain YouTube channel one more time since he saw an update from Adia assuring her followers that her friend was ok and that he just needed some time to himself for a bit.

What Ollie saw on the channel made him do a fantastic spit take of his father’s homemade root-beer (with hints of caramel).

“Hey!” June protested as she turned to her brother. “Don’t spit on my bed!”

“Scratch made a new video!” Ollie told June as he set his soda down.

“Oh?” June wondered. “Well, I’ll watch it later–”

“No, you need to see this! You won’t guess where he is!”

“The Bermuda Triangle?” June guessed.

Ollie went to June and showed her the screen, which displayed a video that was uploaded a few hours ago. She stopped typing and her eyes widened when she saw the location on the thumbnail and the title–

‘Revisiting Brighton and eating locally for fund raising!’

The siblings looked at each other and looked back at the screen as Ollie clicked the video.

“Hey everyone!” the man they once knew as Scratch happily waved to the camera as he sat down in a familiar restaurant. “I decided to revisit my hometown of Brighton, Illinois! Not only did I want to try some new local dining that I missed out on, but I wanted to give something back to the place I grew up in after a recent disaster happened!

“Anyway, I’m here at ‘San Phra Food’ which is family owned, and as someone who likes Thai food, I wanted to give this place a try!”

“You don’t think–?” Ollie wondered as Scratch continued talking.

“I don’t have my hopes up,” June tried to be realistic despite her own hopes.

“So there was a fire at the local retirement house,” Scratch began. “Luckily everyone wasn’t hurt, but a good part of it burned down to the point that a few seniors lost their rooms as well as the library.”

Scratch talked of the page where viewers could donate money, and how much would needed to be raised, though any amount would be nice, and Ollie couldn’t help but feel proud for him using his channel to do such good. Of course the moment the food was placed in front of Scratch, he gleefully eyed it and began to eat one of the dumplings that came with the Pad Thai. The moment Scratch had the dumpling in his mouth, he slowly ate it as he became lost in thought. He still had that look after he swallowed the dumpling.

“It tastes,” Scratch hesitated. “It tastes wonderful,” he decided with a smile. “Like something that makes you think of home in the best way.”

The Chen siblings hopes were rising dangerously as the man further described the meal.

Eventually Scratch finished the meal (thanks to a cut to ahead of time) and was very satisfied, with not a single morsel left on his plate. “Before I go,” Scratch began. “I think a good friend of mine wants to remind everyone why I did this video one last time.”

“Hi!” Molly greeted as she suddenly appeared in the camera’s view and nearly tackled Scratch out of his seat as she hugged him.

The Chen siblings’ jaws dropped and June let out a mouse-like squeak.

“Don’t forget the go-fund me page for ‘Brighton Retirement House restoration fund!” Molly reminded the viewers as she smiled. “So that my grandma’s friends can get their rooms back as soon as possible, please! They would like that very much!”

Scratch laughed. “What Molly said!” he agreed. “By the way, Molly is the granddaughter of the owner of this restaurant, and she was the one who inspired me to finally start traveling the world! So it would mean a lot for us if you help our community out!” Both he and Molly waved to the camera. “Thanks for watching!” he finished.

“Thank you!” Molly added.

June paused the video before the timer ran out, so that both she and her brother could take in what they were seeing.

Scratch remembered.

Scratch found Molly again.

One of his videos now forever immortalized the two’s friendship and proof of their reunion for all to see.

Ollie let out a breathless laugh as quiet tears feel. He hadn’t felt this happy optimism in so long, and he was happy for both Scratch and Molly. “He remembers!” he exclaimed. “He got his memories back!”

“I guess something on his travels must have triggered his memories!” June theorized with a huge smile. “Something that we missed!”

The two were silent as they thought.

“How much do you have saved up?” Ollie asked.

“Enough for one bus ticket to get there and get back,” June replied.

“Same!” Ollie confirmed before he and June rushed out of June’s room. “Mom! Dad!” Ollie yelled. “You won’t believe this!”

That night, a family who once hunted ghosts and who would have gleefully captured a certain blue ghost instead celebrated a happy miracle of his full return. Both Reuben and Esther were more than happy to help their children get ready, though Esther made a phone call to Sharon to let her know the good news–and to keep it a secret to surprise the others.

****

That morning, Molly, Scratch, and the rest of the family checked to see how much progress the donation page made. To their surprise the funds were already over half of the initial goal.

“I guess you being a celebrity came in handy!” Sharon remarked as she grinned at Scratch.

Scratch nervously chuckled. “I think it was more me being in Adia’s videos that mostly helped,” he replied. “I’m got good at doing online stuff beyond those food vlogs.”

When most of the family left, Molly scooted closer to Scratch. “What about the comments on the video?” she wondered.

Scratch went to the video and scrolled down to the comments section. Together he and Molly read a few.

‘Oh that’s so cool your home town is close to mine! Of course I’ll help!’

‘I know we have a rivalry with Brighton, but this Perfektborg-ian will help you!’

‘My grandpa was in a similar situation and he would have wanted to help Molly’s grandma out.’

‘I didn’t realize you two were friends! I’ll have to let my Fan-dreas know about this! I want to help Brighton out too!’

‘My family also owns a Thai restaurant in LA and I’ll gladly help out. Seeing your friendship with Molly reminds me of a close friend who inspired me too. I’ll let the others back home know of this.’

‘OMG that food looks so good! I’ll have to go down there and try it!’

‘LORD DOOM APPROVES OF YOUR FIREY PASSION TO HELP!’

‘Remember us from the bus? Our daughter saw this and she wants to tell her teacher and classmates so that they can help out!’

‘My sister and I watch the videos with you and Adia, but its cool to see you helping your friend and community out. You remind us of our great uncles (who also travel).’

‘I know Molly does a lot of hard work helping our town out, so it’s nice to see that she’s got some help.’

The two scrolled until they saw that Adia had commented as well.

‘So proud of you, friend. You’ve come a long way and now you are using your passions for good.’

Scratch smiled as he felt that pride, but in a good way. “Looks like a lot of people in the world still care, Moll.”

Molly nodded in happiness. If she could, she could personally meet each one and thank them.

‘LOL first to comment,’ the first comment on the video said.

Molly and Scratch let out loud, annoyed groans at the same time.

*****

Most high school students would be happy to leave for spring break, but Molly was fine where she was. She wanted to hang out with Scratch like old times as long as he was still here.

Molly and Darryl wandered around town with Scratch to show off what kind of changes had been made, and eventually Libby joined in. Although they stopped by what used to be the bath bomb store so that Scratch could have his own way of saying farewell.

“May it rest in peace and bring fond memories to all who frequented it,” Scratch solemnly declared as he saluted the store.

“I was able to get a few bath bombs beforehand,” Molly promised Scratch. “Including your favorites, and the ones you still haven’t used. Maybe you could get to take some with you?”

“I don’t know if the airport will let me,” Scratch answered and frowned.

“Yeah, you won’t believe how alert those security guys are,” Darryl agreed, which earned him a questioning glance from Molly, Libby, and Scratch. “I mean from what I read!” Darryl nervously laughed.

There was some laughter from behind that Molly recognized. She nervously turned her head to see Derrick with a few friends laughing as they kept throwing pebbles at some innocent nearby geese. However the bully could sense Molly was looking and turned his head in her direction. The dark look he gave her was a clear warning that he hadn’t forgotten that she nearly broke his nose in front of the school and she quickly looked away.

Scratch noticed Molly’s intense discomfort and glanced back to see the group of teenage boys laughing and snickering in her direction, as well as the look Derrick gave her–it reminded him a bit of Jinx when she had wanted to be especially sadistic with him. However there was something oddly familiar about that boy.

“Which one was the kid who was making fun of both me and Ollie?” Scratch whispered to Libby.

“The tall one,” Libby answered. “But it doesn’t matter, you can’t do anything about it.”

Scratch looked at the boy again as he and his ‘buddies’ went back to throwing rocks at the geese. Then it hit him.

“I used to scare that kid several times when I was a ghost,” Scratch remembered. He then snickered “In fact, he had a very specific fear! What are the odds that he’s still afraid?”

“Scratch we can’t turn you back into a ghost just for one scare!” Molly protested as Darryl grew interested.

“Oh no, I don’t need to do that,” Scratch promised as an excitement his soul hadn’t felt in ages slowly came back. “I just need to call back an old friend.”

*****

The teens finally gave up harassing the poor geese and headed in the direction they last saw Molly.

“Got any plans for that Molly chick?” one boy asked Derrick.

“Oh, I got something in mind when we get back next Monday!” Derrick replied. “She can kiss whatever social status she’s got left before the school year ends!’

“Isn’t that a bit overkill?” the other boy nervously asked. “She was already down before break started. Maybe you should lay off for a bit and then just go back to tearing off posters like you did last time.”

“If she humiliates me publicly, then I get back at her!” Derrick snapped.

One boy nervously chuckled while the other shrugged as they continued walking alongside Derrick.

However something grabbed Derrick and lifted him off the ground. The teen screamed but something unseen muffled him so that his friends couldn’t hear him. He was then taken back in the direction he came until he was dropped off near a tree.

“What the hell?!” Derrick cursed and looked around.

There was a cute cooing noise and Derrick turned around–

–Only to come face to face with an enormous, terrifying Sharkie in all his glory.

Sharkie let out a horrible roar and lunged after the teen, who let out a shriek so high in pitch one would almost doubt he went through puberty yet.

“SHARK!” Derrick screamed. “THERE’S A SHARK!”

He ran so fast that not only did he run past his friends but he missed seeing Ollie and June making their way down a street, and the baffled siblings watched as Derrick ran away.

“Only in Brighton,” June remarked.

“Home sweet home,” Ollie agreed with a smile.

Meanwhile, Molly, Scratch, Libby, and Darryl had watched everything from a hidden spot. Scratch was howling with laughter while Darryl stopped recording the video he took of the incident.

“I have valuable blackmail material,” Darryl gleefully declared.

“Oh I missed that so much!” Scratch laughed and had a hard time breathing. “That kid watched ‘Jaws’ one time and was traumatized for life! Turning into a shark and randomly popping up on him never got old! He couldn’t go to the lake for years!”

“Well, being afraid of sharks is a special kind of fear,” Libby remarked.

Strangely for Molly, she didn’t mind the whole thing. She almost missed that side of Scratch and seeing her tormentor scared was a nice bonus. She smiled as Sharkie returned to his smaller, cuter form, and crashed into Scratch.

“Oh I’m so glad to see you again!” Scratch cooed as he hugged the ghost shark who happily nuzzled him back. “No shark in the world will ever compare to you!”

The McGee siblings laughed, and even Libby chuckled, as the grown man treated Sharkie no differently than a beloved dog, and that was the scene the Chen siblings saw when they finally spotted them.

Ollie and June were stunned. Even if they knew the truth, it was still tricky to take in the miraculous sight. Ollie couldn’t help but smile in happiness upon seeing that Scratch was truly back.

Darryl was the first to look away and notice the Chen siblings. He was shocked and stared for a few moments until June let out a huge grin and ran to him.

Darryl slowly walked before he broke out into a full run, and only Libby was the one to notice Darryl’s escape, though she was shocked when she saw who was down the street. The moment Darryl and June met, June tightly hugged him–she normally wasn’t a hugger by nature, but in this case she full on was.

It took a lot of restraint from Libby to not yell anything to the Chens, but she grinned at them and went over to Darryl and June so that she could quietly greet the latter first, knowing full well who’d rather meet Ollie first.

“Ah, ok, that’s enough!” Scratch laughed as he gently shoved Sharkie away. “I’m sure you’ll keep an eye on Molly for me for a bit when I have to go!” He watched as Sharkie went over so that Molly could pet him. Upon noticing Darryl and Libby were missing, he looked around until he noticed where they were–but more importantly, who was with the two.

Ollie shyly waved to Scratch while Darryl and June kept hugging and Libby approached June.

Scratch–who hadn’t expected to see the Chen siblings in person during his stay upon learning what happened–felt his heart soar as he smiled at Ollie before turning to the distracted Molly. “Hey Moll,” he informed her. “It looks like I’m not the only one who came back to Brighton.”

“Huh?” Molly looked up, but Scratch just kept his smile and pointed off to the side. Molly glanced over and was stunned when she saw the Chen siblings.

Ollie’s smile widened when his eyes met with Molly’s. He went over to the girl as his sister and Darryl finally stopped hugging.

Molly couldn’t believe her eyes. This all had to be a dream right? It was one thing for Scratch to come back, but–

Ollie finally stopped in front of Molly. “So,” Ollie began, “I was planning on coming back in the summer, but I figured we’d come back now if there was a chance to everyone to be back again.”

Molly felt a tightening feeling inside her, but in a good way.

“Moll–?” Ollie asked, but the girl suddenly lunged forward with an intense ferocity and hugged him.

“This is actually real,” Molly whispered. “You came back too.” No matter how brief it would be, everyone that mattered to her the most was back, and it was all she could dare to ask for.

Ollie returned the hug and held Molly close. Even if they had to be miles apart, his feelings for Molly hadn’t changed. He had seen the bracelet still on her wrist and had a feeling it was the same for her. “I promised I would,” he whispered to her.

Libby hurried over and hugged Ollie as well. It wasn’t long until June and Darryl came over and joined in with their own hugs until there was a small group of happy young teens embracing one another. In that one moment, it was like the time between November up until that day never happened.

Darryl was the one who opened his eyes and saw that Scratch was standing and watching them all in their group hug with a smile. “Dude, get in here!” Darryl ordered as he grabbed the man’s wrist and pulled him in.

“Yeah, you’re still a part of the ghost friends,” Libby looked at Scratch and smiled. “It’s not a complete set without you!”

Scratch understood the ghost friends hadn’t been whole in a long time. He thought they’d all outgrow him because he was just an adult instead of a ghost (ok, he was still an adult in that case too), but they hadn’t. He gave in with a relieved smile and hugged whoever he could. “Good to know,” he replied.

The rainbow of blue, green, light green, yellow, orange, and pink was complete and the ghost friends were whole once more. Scratch was no longer a ghost, but his soul was happy remembering he had more friends than he could count on both hands.

Chapter Text

Molly knew that–for a short time–everyone that mattered to her was back in her life. She wanted to make the most of it somehow, but wasn’t sure what kind of forever memory she could make.

Luckily Molly’s mom was quick to suggest something simple. “Maybe just camp outside?” Sharon asked. “It would be hard for so many people sleep in the house.”

Naturally the kids were all eager to get everything for later that night, and Libby’s survival habits ensured she’d have a tent or two to contribute. They all took Scratch along with them so that he wouldn’t miss out on a single second. A small self-conscious part of him wondered if they were all ok with him–a middle aged guy–hanging out with them in public, but as the group all happily chatted with him, he gradually forgot about that and soon it felt like old times again.

“I bet you could get us some things behind our parents’ backs!” Darryl gleefully realized. This only earned the boy concerned frowns and glares from all but Scratch.

As the ghost friends went through the grocery store to find all the food and supplies for the outdoor camping event, Molly had to allow Scratch to get a chance to speak with Ollie and June. Scratch started with June, who happily talked about what kind of gadgets she had worked on while Darryl added in something if he was involved.

“So you made a device to detect wraiths?” Scratch asked June. “Geoff told me about it.”

“I did!” June proudly confirmed.

“I had to be a wraith a few times to help her collect samples,” Darryl added. “June had to a few times too, but especially when we pranked Bizm–” he slammed his hand over his mouth but it was too late.

“I heard about what happened to that store,” Scratch said with a smirk. “Wish I was there to have seen it. Or helped.”

June reluctantly admitted “I… might have turned into a wraith to help with that one after we moved. More than once. We know it wasn’t good!” June added. “We took advantage of the trust of the supernatural and risked losing our memories, but–!”

“You wanted to see each other face to face,” Scratch understood. “Not just hear a voice or see a face on the phone. I would have given anything to do that with Adia when I was a kid.” A part of him almost wished he could do that now if he was going to be going away from Brighton for a long time after this.

“We won’t do it again!” Darryl swore. “Promise!”

Scratch wasn’t sure what to say since that gave him things to think of. Instead he smiled and asked “So tell me how pranking Bizmart went. Give me all the juicy details and leave nothing out!” The way Darryl lit up told Scratch that he had been dying to tell him for quite some time.

As Scratch caught up with the youngest members of the group, Ollie approached Molly. Libby, who sensed where things were going, was all too happy to give the two some privacy and went to look for some soda.

“So,” Molly shyly began as she faced Ollie. “You saw that video?”

“I did,” Ollie answered. “I’ve seen them all, but I think that’s now my personal favorite of Scratch’s videos since it also has my girlfriend in it.”

Molly blushed and smiled. “It’s now my personal favorite too,” she agreed.

“I was happy for the both of you when I saw that,” Ollie continued. “I was hoping he’d come back some day, and him remembering you made it even better.”

The two stared at the boxes of cereal they unwittingly stopped in front of, and tried to think of what to say.

“I’m glad you came back too,” Molly smiled. “It’s like a dream come true, having everyone again, even for a short amount of time. High school just wasn’t the same without you. I did my solo for the festival, and I was lucky Scratch was there, but it would have been even better with you around. Luckily my family has a recording I can send you.”

“My new school isn’t the same without you,” Ollie replied. “I lost count of how many times I saw something that you would have liked or get excited about.”

“Same here,” Molly agreed, though she reminded herself to never tell Ollie about the incident where she punched Derrick.

“Molly, can I ask you something?” Ollie asked. “Was there a reason you weren’t responding to my calls and texts since… well… that incident?”

Molly flinched and guiltily shifted her glance to the oat containers. “I wasn’t in a good mind set, Ollie,” she admitted. “I just went through a lot and… I… kind of shut down. Even before that I wasn’t being my best self, and I just spiraled downward even more… But I’m fine now!” Molly forced a smile and a laugh.

Ollie sensed that Molly was hiding something. Something was not adding up. When Scratch came back, why didn’t she contact him and June, given how much it would have made her happy, and especially considering he’d be among the first to know, knowing Molly? Why didn’t anyone else? Yes, there was the fire and Molly’s grandmother going to the hospital, but there was something else.

****

Scratch was able to listen to Ollie’s side of things as everyone returned to the house. He wasn’t surprised that Ollie was still doing whatever good he could in the new town, though he was a bit more surprised that he was good friends with Andrea. Also, wow–to think there’d come a day where he’d owe Andrea for helping him get closer to regaining his memories of Molly.

“There’s not as many ghosts in the town, but Geoff and Jeff, and even the council stop by for a visit once in awhile,” Ollie told Scratch. “It meant a lot to our family, since we had to leave everyone else behind.” He then wondered “So… can you see ghosts that are invisible to everyone else again? Because–”

“–If you see a ghost long enough for your mind to not pass it off as a trick or a dream, they all stay visible to humans,” Scratch recounted. “Yeah, I got that back–I saw a few ghosts around Brighton that were surprised to see me again. The others also told me about Blair getting a second shot at life,” he smiled. “Good for her.”

However, Ollie looked as if he wanted to say something, but kept it in every time he looked at everyone else. Especially when he looked at Molly who was just happy to listen and see him interact with Scratch.

It wasn’t until everyone returned to the house that Ollie pulled Scratch away to the basement as everyone else got things put away and organized.

“So what’s up?” Scratch asked as Ollie nervously stared at him. “Are you already asking for Molly’s hand in marriage?” he couldn’t help but joke.

Ollie practically jumped a mile into the air and made a sound like an old car trying to start up as his face turned red. “I-! No!” Ollie squeaked and slammed his hands over his face. “Oh God, it was bad enough when Mom said she was hoping for grandkids! I’m not even graduated from college yet and I’d have to ask for the ring Dad gave Mom, and–!” Ollie cut himself off and faced Scratch who was amused by the whole thing (and liked that he could still scare someone to a certain extent). Even when Scratch was a human, Ollie could recognize that smug grin all too well.

Ollie gulped and decided to just get it over with. “Something happened while we were gone, didn’t it?” he asked. “I know about the fire, but there was something else, wasn’t there? I could tell Molly’s hiding something.”

Scratch hesitated for a moment. “Yeah, there was,” he finally answered, realizing that he couldn’t keep this a secret–if more people knew the truth, the more secure he’d feel with leaving Brighton and Molly. He gave Ollie an abridged version of what he told Molly, Libby, and Geoff, and Ollie’s face fell.

“I screwed up,” Ollie whispered as he hung his head.

“Whoa, what?” Scratch asked.

“I should have done more to help my family out so we could have stayed in Brighton. I should have worked harder to figure out your sensory memories and used the right triggers. Or I should have gone to Brighton when that gliding incident happened. I should have been there for Molly, but I wasn’t. When you left, I swore I’d look after her–that whatever would happen, I’d be there for her and make sure she’d be happy. I let her down and I let you down.” Ollie hugged himself. “I’m sorry, Scratch–I guess I wasn’t that great of a boyfriend to Molly.”

“Hey, none of that was your fault!” Scratch protested. “You did all that you could! We all were just dealt some bad cards! I lost my memories and you guys had to leave so your parents could still make money and give you and your sister a house! And you were at least there for Molly when you could be, right?”

“I thought I was protecting Molly when I held off telling her that my family would have to move for as long as I could!” Ollie cried. “And when Patty died, Molly was in denial that she moved on and would never become a ghost! When Geoff and I had to tell her the truth, it broke her and she stressed out about the same thing happening to you! If Molly had turned into a wraith, I would never forgive myself because I would know that I didn’t do enough to stop that from happening!” Ollie took another breath and looked at Scratch. “Would you rather that I never see her again?”

Ok, that was the last thing Scratch was expecting to hear. He shook his head as he placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You didn’t hurt her,” Scratch told Ollie. “Maybe you should have told her about the move a lot sooner, but a lot of the other stuff was unavoidable. I think you’ve done all that you could, and I swear you are like the most loyal, ideal boyfriend a teen girl could ask for, and there’s no way she’ll give you up that easily. And hey, at least you’re only a couple of hours away from her if something serious happens, instead of bouncing around the world like me. I know you’ll still be able to be there for her when I can’t be.”

Ollie looked as if he was about to tear up when he dove in and hugged Scratch. The old Scratch would have been embarrassed on the teen’s behalf, but instead he returned the hug.

When Ollie let go of Scratch, the boy let out a smile. “Sometimes I can’t believe you’re still the same ghost that insulted me and thought I was dead weight,” he admitted.

“Don’t remind me of stuff that’ll make me change my mind,” Scratch warned with a scowl.

****

In his desire to help, Scratch went to the garage to look for the bag of charcoal Pete used for his grill. He found the bag and fondly recalled the times he stole a steak or two off the grill (in his defense, it was really good steak). He grabbed the bag and turned around when he saw something that caught him off guard.

The doll house was resting on top of a couple plastic containers next to the tool box.

Scratch let go of the bag and went to the doll house that he once resided in. His fingers gently brushed against the surface and he peered into the room where he once slept in and hid several snacks. He let his mind wander to memories tied to the place and almost missed it when he heard the door open.

“Are you having a hard time finding the–?” Molly’s voice began before it cut off. Scratch looked up to see Molly staring in shock at the doll house.

“Mom didn’t get rid of it,” Molly whispered. She went to the house to take it in–she was so sure she would never see it again, much like the soul who once lived in it. Molly took a deep breath and smiled. “It’s still here.”

“Maybe if you have a kid of your own, they’ll want it,” Scratch suggested.

“Oh, it’ll be an important family heirloom by that point!” Molly laughed.

“By the way, is this how you guys named the restaurant?” Scratch asked. “Because ‘San Phra Food’ sounds an awful lot like ‘san phra phum.’”

Molly nodded. “To remind us that all are invited to come, be they alive or dead, and make them happy,” she answered. “And to not forget you.” She then remembered something important.

“I got to show you something!” Molly exclaimed, grabbed Scratch’s hand and pulled him out of the garage. They went past Ollie and June catching up some more with Libby and Darryl while playing games, and headed up to the attic room, where Molly searched under her bed.

Molly found the painting and pulled it out under her bed to show Scratch, who recognized it. “This was the painting that I was trying to hide from you, and wanted to show you after the festival that day,” she explained. “I tried making a similar one before, until you were infected with joy and sneezed rainbow snot on it–” she chuckled and redirected herself. “But anyway, I wanted to make something in honor of our friendship and all you did for me.”

Scratch took in the painting. “I actually snuck a peek at this before that day,” he confessed. “And after I had that gliding accident, I had a dream where I saw this painting and it brought back more memories. That was when I was starting to realize that I was friends with you.”

Molly’s eyes widened. “It brought a memory back to you?!”

“But I didn’t get why you made me a ghost at the time,” Scratch continued as he scratched his arm. “Then I saw a version of me that was angry at myself for forgetting and still being alive, and hurting all of you.

“I thought I was being a delusional idiot who was trying to imagine a life I wanted but never had,” Scratch continued. “A life where I wasn’t just boring, cowardly Todd. And the more I remembered, the more I thought you only saw and loved a better version of me, and not who I really was.” He nervously chuckled. “You were right when you thought my body was just a random person with no joy or spark. If ghosts were never real, and I never became one, that’s all I would have been to you. It’s easier to notice a ghost than it is to notice… well… just some guy.”

Molly’s face fell. In some way Scratch had a point–she completely missed him as a human before she learned the truth. But the more she began to think–of bodies, of wraiths, of whole people–

“Was I still Molly to you when I became a wraith that first time?” Molly asked.

“Oh that scared the hell out of me!” Scratch answered. “I thought you–!” he shuddered. “No, you were still that same kid.”

“And my body was just a shell,” Molly pointed out. “So was Darryl’s when he was a wraith. My soul was the one who still had everything that made me Molly McGee, and went to the Ghost World to save you. I never remembered what my body went through and no one saw her as the real me.”

“And your point is?”

“I still got to know Todd,” Molly answered. “He is the first person I ever met and befriended in this town. He might not have been in his body at the time, but I still got to know Todd because his soul was always with me. He didn’t remember who he was and went by a nickname that was important to him. He still liked tacos and strawberry soda, he still loved all kinds of food, and he liked games. He got scared like anyone else, and still struggled with things when I met him. But Todd can also be a fantastic friend and I and so many people are lucky to have met him. He was the one person I needed to help the most in Brighton, but I never could until I knew his whole story. And… I hope…” Molly’s voice slowed as she put the painting down, “that you know now that I’ll always love you, whether you are human or ghost, or if you go by ‘Todd’ or ‘Scratch.’ And wherever you go, whatever you do,” Molly smiled knowingly, “you are always my friend.”

Scratch smiled and went over to Molly as a final heavy stone he carried inside him finally went away. He scooped her into a hug–he could never get enough of doing it, especially since they were more valuable now than ever before. He no longer felt as if one side of him was Scratch and the other was Todd. A name was just a name–he was always the same person to those who mattered to him the most. “I love you too, Molly,” he gently confessed. “Wherever you go, whatever you do, you are always my friend too.”

Molly smiled and tightened her own hug.

After the two parted, Scratch took the painting and propped it against a wall. “I can’t take it with me, but at least I got something to help out,” he told Molly as he angled his phone at the painting and took the picture. They both looked to see that the phone got the picture and they smiled.

“Maybe we can take a few more while you are still here,” Molly suggested. “I got so many of you as a ghost, but now I can have some of you as a human.”

Scratch nodded. “I could use a few more photos of the one place I know I’ll always come back to,” he agreed.

“Wait, what?” Molly asked.

“There’s no way this’ll just be one visit,” Scratch swore. “I don’t know how I’ll make it work, but I want to at least come back once in awhile. Maybe even once a year if I can help it. And maybe I can bring Adia next time so that she’ll get to meet you all.”

Molly grew excited, but then she began to worry. “What if that keeps you from fulfilling your dreams?” she asked. “I don’t want to do that to you. I know you can’t be in every part of my life, and so far you only spent one year around the world and have so many places left to go to. What if I accidentally cause you to have unfinished business and you can’t move on?”

Scratch sensed what she was about to get into. How much distress did he accidentally cause Molly when she learned that truth? What if… what if… ?

“You won’t,” Scratch promised. “Because I fully intend on becoming a ghost again when I die for real.”

“But how?” Molly worried. “You have to have unfinished business for that to happen!”

“Right–because mine will be waiting for you to become a ghost for real too.”

Molly was stunned. “Wh-what?” she stammered.

“I’m already half a century old and likely won’t still be alive by the time you’re my age, Moll. I want to see who you’ll become and what you’ll accomplish, and I want to be there waiting for you, whether or not you’ll have unfinished business yourself. I don’t want to completely pass on to the after-afterlife by myself, and maybe if I’m lucky I can get a few years of doing ghost stuff with you and whoever else sticks around.”

Molly closed her eyes and tried to imagine that–a life where she would accomplish all she wanted and more. A life where she would be remembered for doing so much good. A life where maybe she’d have kids and grandkids of her own, and she’d hopefully be as good of a mom and grandma as her own mom and grandma were. And somewhere in that timeline, Scratch would be a ghost again and stubbornly tether himself to the Living and Ghost Worlds.

And one day, when her soul would leave her body for good, she’d get to hang with Scratch. No boundaries between living and dead would stand in the way of their friendship–she’d get to soar across the skies of both the Living and the Ghost World with her friend.

“The dream team you and me!” Molly laughed as she opened her eyes and returned to the present.

“For all eternity,” Scratch promised.

*****

Neither Molly or Scratch could recall the last time there had been an family outdoor BBQ in the McGee backyard.

Nin was invited and came bearing snacks, while Pete managed the grill and Sharon organized the table. All the kids, plus Scratch, played a game of softball, after Ollie practically got on his knees and begged to do anything but turnip-ball.

And honestly? Scratch was thankful he didn’t have to possess a costume or the ball.

At one point, Nin happily confirmed that the donations had grown and, thanks to some help around Brighton and the county, there was enough to start rebuilding.

“My fellow retirees and the staff are forever thankful to you, Scratch!” Nin told the former ghost. “They are proud of what you have done, and they asked me a lot of questions regarding how you knew my granddaughter! Luckily David’s family didn’t need to ask when they donated, and they are happy that you are a part of our lives again!”

“That’s–!” Scratch began but wasn’t sure what to say. After a lifetime of going almost unseen by all of Brighton, this gratitude was all new to him. “That means a lot,” he said. “Even though Molly was the one who prompted me to get the idea.”

“I don’t have the social presence you do,” Molly pointed out. “But now you are a hero to Brighton, and everyone sees how wonderful you are.” She smiled as she let that thought sink in. Scratch was no longer invisible to Brighton–they could finally see him and what he was capable of. They all could finally see him as her friend.

“Yeah, just don’t tell them about the times Scratch scared everyone,” Darryl quipped. “Or stole food from countless events.”

“Hey!” Scratch snapped. “Can I enjoy feeling like a hero without you reminding me of that stuff?!”

Even Geoff and Jeff came to fly in and see how Scratch was faring in his second chance at life.

“Everything is as it should be again!” Geoff cried in happiness as he tightly hugged Scratch, who just let him do so. “I’m so happy for you!”

“Thanks, buddy,” Scratch smiled and patted Geoff on the back before the green ghost let go of him. He turned to face Jeff, only to find the the muscular ghost was glaring at both him and Molly.

“Guess he’s still mad at me,” Scratch nervously noted under his breath.

“And me,” Molly noted in an equally nervous tone under her breath.

“Congratulations,” Jeff managed to say before his face became scary. “But one more strike and that’s it for both of you!”

“Got it!” Scratch let out a thumbs up as Molly frantically nodded.

“Also, the council wanted to check in too,” Jeff added as his face returned to normal and pointed at four ghosts who suddenly appeared and who Scratch was not too eager to see again.

“Oh come on!” a frustrated Scratch let out.

“Ugh, well that didn’t attitude change!” Lucretia sniffed.

“We still can’t believe that you of all ghosts were still alive,” Bartholomew shook his head in disbelief. “You have no idea how many rules you broke.”

“But we admit we are somewhat happy for you,” Sir Alister added. “Mainly because you won’t cause us trouble for a few more decades.”

It was hard to tell if the green ghost was serious or not.

“Wait,” Scratch then remembered something and grimaced. “You guys didn’t free you-know-who from that canister, did you?”

“Oh, Jinx?” Grimbella asked. “No, we’ll do you a favor and give you all some time before we can free her. She was a terrible chairwoman and we prefer the new one.”

There was a collective sigh of relief amongst everyone.

“Anyway, we have work to attend to!” Sir Alister declared as Bartholomew made a portal. “Please do us all a favor, Scratch, and try to stay alive for at least another decade! We still have to reverse the damage you caused to numerous landmarks in the Ghost World!”

“And catch up on numerous paperwork that should have been filled out while you slacked off!” Lucretia added.

“Farewell!” Bartholomew waved farewell as the council flew into the portal, which vanished.

There was a long pause.

“Well, that just happened!” Darryl finally pipped up.

Later on, everyone gathered around to eat, and no one minded how eager Scratch was to devour a burger–though not without trying to inhale it whole, thanks to a ghostly instinct that returned. To everyone’s surprise, Ollie and June had each hidden a six pack of their Dad’s homemade root-beer in their bags and revealed them.

“This is dad’s latest,” Ollie proudly revealed as he placed his six-pack on the table. “He managed to–!”

Without even wasting a beat, Scratch took a bottle, popped it open, and began drinking it down.

“Anyway,” Ollie continued and let that moment slide. “He just needs to get one recipe down before he can try to open that root beer pub. He’s keeping an eye out for spots around Brighton, in case there’s a chance we can move back.”

“Really?!” Darryl grew excited while Molly tried to stay calm. She was afraid of luck being pushed too much, but she was still hopeful.

“Oh that would be great!” Scratch finally said after finishing half the bottle. “Also, this is way better compared to the last time I had one of these!” He told Ollie. “I can taste the vanilla in this one and the carbonation is perfect!”

“Well, our parents still need to save up money in case that happens,” June said. “And they are keeping an eye on how things are in Brighton, so they know they can have a business that’ll do well. Once in awhile we help out, and we got some goals locked in for when it is time. Andrea is willing to help out too if things go as planned, and her Dad might be willing to be a business partner depending on a few variables or two.”

Eventually dinner was finished and all the food was stored back in the house before raccoons could get to it again, although one crucial task needed to be complete.

“We need a new family photo, and this time you’re in it!” Molly declared as she took Scratch to where her family and Nin were gathered in the living room.

“Oh, it’ll make a nice addition to the living room!” Pete eagerly agreed.

“Are you sure?” Scratch nervously asked. “People will see it and–I mean, it’s obvious I’m not–”

“It would mean a lot to us,” Sharon gently told Scratch. “We see you as family and we hope someday everyone will see you as family to us.”

“Yeah, we want a photo with you in it!” Darryl declared.

Libby skillfully organized each family member so that the image would look perfect. Molly and Darryl were placed upfront. Pete and Sharon were behind their kids, Nin was positioned by Darryl (though she needed a stool to stand on), and Scratch was positioned by Molly.

The former ghost began to feel at ease, especially as Molly took his hand and squeezed it. He remembered he was home, and that he would now have a forever memory to carry with him on his travels to remind him of how far he came.

Everyone smiled, though Molly’s smile was the happiest as Ollie did the honors of taking the photo.

*****

As the sun began to set, Grandma Nin had to be taken to the retirement house, but not before she had one last thing to Scratch. She stood beside Sharon, who would drive her back, and she held Scratch’s hand.

“You made my family whole once more in coming back to us,” Nin smiled to Scratch. “You are a part of this family, and I am forever thankful to you.”

“And I’m thankful to you too,” Scratch answered back. “I thought I was going to hate you all at first until you mentioned that San Phra Phum and about offerings for ghosts. Molly has a lot of good traits from you, Nin, and I’m thankful she never gave up on me.”

Nin nodded. “Does that Ollie cry when he gets overly emotional like Pete?” She suddenly wondered. “Because my husband was also like that!” she snickered well-meaningly.

“Actually yes,” Scratch answered. Apparently the Suksai line had more than just stubbornness running in the bloodline.

****

Everyone sprawled out on blankets as they took in the starry night sky in the backyard, with a moon perfectly hanging amongst the dazzling stars.

June and Libby took turns revealing facts about the stars–both scientific facts, and what they symbolized respectively. Pete was getting the grill ready for s’more making while Sharon worked with him.

Scratch rested on the ground alongside the kids as he listened to Libby and June. He had seen this sky so many times in his travels, and he wondered how often Molly looked up at that sky and thought of him. It would always be one thing they would have, wherever they were.

Molly also stared up into the sky as she and Ollie held hands while she rested besides Scratch–she wore the bracelet and necklace both gave to her. She thought of that time she made such a huge deal out of seeing that comet on a similar starry night sky, and would have told her old self that sometimes even the small, mundane memories would hold just as much value if you remembered them above all else.

Tomorrow, she would have to let Scratch go back to fulfilling his dream of seeing the world. The day after that, she would have to let Ollie and June go back to their parents a couple hours away. For tonight, everyone was all together, and it was a memory she wanted to keep.

“Do you think I’m supposed to still become some goddess?” Molly wondered out-loud. “I bet a lot of people were relying on me to show up about now and do something.”

“No,” a few were quick to say.

“Even if you had to, you are in control of when,” Libby assured Molly. “That’s the thing about fate in stories-its bound to happen, but only you can control when and how it happens.”

“If I got to be honest,” Scratch added, “those people don’t deserve you, Moll. What they wanted wasn’t the kind of person you are.”

“If that does happen,” Ollie started as he gently squeezed Molly’s hand, “you know you always have us to help you. You have lots of people who will be here for you.”

Molly gently squeezed Ollie’s hand back in appreciation.

Soon it was time for s’mores, and to Molly it was a perfect way to help close out the night. Her parents had not forgotten Scratch’s appetite and made sure there was enough for everyone while–unsurprisingly–Scratch happily consumed three s’mores.

“I don’t think I had one of these in so long!” Scratch moaned before he had to take a swig of water to wash down the remains. “Not even during traveling!”

“I don’t think most countries know s’mores are an American delicacy,” June pointed out.

“I don’t think we’ve had any since last summer,” Ollie commented. “We tried microwaving them, but it doesn’t taste the same.”

“Agreed!” Libby nodded as Darryl shoved a gooey, burnt, triple decker monstrosity of a s’more that earned the sole approval of Scratch and no one else.

Everyone lost track of time as they told Scratch everything they could about how they were doing, and he in turn shared a few stories and had their full attention. It was only when a few yawns were emitted that everyone was forced to go to bed, or, in the case of a few, the tents that were set up.

Scratch found himself resting in-between the McGee siblings in one tent, while Libby was with the Chen siblings–the latter group knew that the former would want to stay with Scratch for as long as they could. Darryl had already crashed and fell asleep, but neither Scratch and Molly were ready to sleep just yet.

Molly stared at the former ghost before a thought occurred to her. She moved closer to Scratch and rested her head against his chest, with her face facing his.

“Uh, kid?” Scratch wondered. “You know I can’t turn into a giant pillow for you to sleep on anymore.” Ok, that was something he did miss–along with being able to eat whatever the hell he wanted without worrying about calories.

“I want to hear your heart,” Molly murmured, which caught Scratch off guard.

Molly closed her eyes as she felt the man’s chest rise up and down and kept her ear right where his heart was. It was faint but she could hear his heartbeat for the first time.

Ba-bum. Ba-bum. Ba-bum.

Molly’s arm wrapped across Scratch’s sternum and seconds later Scratch wrapped his arms around her.

“I’m glad you survived,” Molly said. “I got to spend time with you as a human, and you still get to live your life out.”

“Same,” Scratch smiled. “I mean, sure it would have been fun to go back to the old dynamic we had, but I wouldn’t have been able to help your grandma and I wouldn’t have gotten to hang with you guys in public.” In truth, he doubted it would have done anyone any good if he died so soon. “And I got to survive your intense hugs.”

Molly laughed at this and Scratch smirked.

Yes, he had to go back to Adia and traveling, and yes things could have gone back to what used to be if he died. But if short moments with Molly and everyone in Brighton also meant that he got to experience living alongside her, then he was in no rush to become a ghost for real. He could still be there for his forever friend, wherever he went or whatever he did.

Chapter Text

It had been about a couple of weeks since he left Brighton, but Scratch had returned to Adia and was now in Paris–the one destination he wanted to see above all else. And he was loving every moment of it–the sights, the sounds, and of course the food. He didn’t even care if he used too much of an exaggerated accent for his video when he ate a croissant–he was just that happy. In fact, recalling his time as a ghost further loosened him up and furthered his enjoyment of his experiences.

Although as it was getting closer to calling it quits for the night and heading back to the hotel, Scratch swung back to the bakery to get one more croissant.

“A midnight snack?” Adia joked as Scratch put the treat wrapped up in paper into a paper bag.

“Nope,” Scratch shook his head. “Just a little in-joke.” He searched his pockets until he found what he was looking for and pulled it out–a blue whistle with scales attached to a string of colorful beads. He put the whistle to his lips and blowed.

Five seconds later, a ghost portal opened up and out came Sharkie, who nearly crashed into Scratch. Adia watched in amazement as the ghostly creature happily nuzzled her friend, who patted him.

“It’s good to see you too,” Scratch smiled at Sharkie. “I’ll need to remember to call you the next time I get to visit the ocean.” He figured that Sharkie might like to see the Polynesian Islands when he and Adia would swing by there in a few months.

“I’m still not going to get used to this,” Adia confessed as she patted Sharkie. Scratch had taken her aside when he returned and told her everything that happened to him, and it took a surprise visit from Geoff to back up Scratch’s story.

“Ah, it’s so good to meet my buddy’s best buddy!” Geoff had happily greeted the then shocked Adia and shook her hand. “I always wanted to meet you! And hey you’re green like me! We’re the green besties!”

Adia had lots of questions, and Scratch promised he’d gradually answer them. She wasn’t in any rush since Scratch admitted some things would be harder to explain. However, she was happy to finally know why Molly had reached out to her that one day, and why she played such a role to Scratch while he was slowly recovering his memories–she’d be forever thankful to the girl who looked out for her best friend and gave him the encouragement and help that Adia should have given Scratch all those years ago.

“Make sure this gets to Molly when she’s not busy with school,” Scratch instructed Sharkie as he held the bag out. The ghost shark gently grabbed the bag with his teeth and went back through the ghost portal.

****

Half a world and several time zones away, Molly and Libby had just got done with another class.

“See you again at club, Molly!” Sapphire waved to Molly. “Good to have you back!”

“I can’t wait!” Molly replied and waved back. Ever since her reunion with Scratch, she looked healthy and her weight was back up, her grades went back up, and she approached Maya and Lauren and voiced her desire to return to the community club. Maya had been impressed by the video Molly had done with Scratch and the club voiced their desire to have the girl back. As a bonus, Maya decided to reconsider Molly’s original plan of doing videos for businesses who needed help.

Molly and Libby heard the sound of a ghost portal opening up above their heads. They looked up to see an invisible Sharkie smiling down upon them with a bag in his mouth.

“You don’t think–?” Libby wondered as she looked at a smiling Molly.

“I do,” Molly nodded and hurried to a spot outside where no one could see Sharkie, who followed after her alongside Libby.

The girls found a spot near some bushes and Sharkie let Molly take the bag out of his mouth. She opened it and looked in to see a couple of items wrapped up in paper, along with a postcard. She took the postcard, which depicted the Eiffel Tower, and her smile widened as she flipped it over to see the words ‘Bonjour, Molly!’

Molly let Libby look at the postcard and opened up the biggest item, which turned out to be a red French beret. She automatically put the hat on and unraveled the other item, which turned out to be a fresh, French croissant.

Molly smirked–Scratch remembered how insistent he was on pronouncing the word ‘croissant’ a certain way.

“No way!” Libby laughed. “He cheated and got you a croissant!”

“And it’s fresh!” Molly showed the treat to Libby. “Aww, I can’t eat it all right now! But I can take a bite!” She did just that and her eyes widened in delight before letting out a happy moan. “So good!” She then thoughtfully offered Libby a piece on the other end, but the girl laughed and shook her head.

“When I go to Paris as a big time writer, I’ll order one all for myself!” Libby declared.

It wasn’t until around lunch time that Molly could finish off the croissant. But before she could do that, she had an idea, she put the beret back on.

“How do I look?” Molly asked.

“Perfecto!” Libby declared.

Unbenowngst to Molly, Derrick was heading toward her from behind, with a can of energy drink and opened bag of chips that he was about to dump all over her. He still intended to make good on his promise to humiliate Molly, and was going to do it with a lot of people around to watch.

However, Sharkie was still with the girls and saw Derrick. He hadn’t forgotten Scratch’s command to keep an eye out for Molly, and angrily growled at the teenager as he took on his ‘scary mode.’ He charged towards the boy and only turned visible long enough for Derrick to see him. Derrick stopped, but had no time to scream as the ghost shark charged into his stomach and turned invisible once more as the boy fell to the ground with a terrified yell, and ended up spilling the chips and drink all over himself.

“Bonjour!” Molly flashed a peace sign as she held the croissant and grinned as Libby used Molly’s phone to take her photo. Libby handed the phone back to Molly, who smiled at the photo and sent it straight to Scratch.

***

Scratch was watching a French film on TV when his phone went off. He turned it on and saw Molly’s message. When he saw the photo of Molly with the beret and croissant, he grinned.

He could finally keep an eye out for things he wanted to give to friends and family back home. Molly told him she was fine with just postcards, but he would make sure she’d get a few special things from him if he saw anything especially amazing that she would want. He probably shouldn’t rely on Sharkie to help him all the time, but it was safer than using a ghost portal himself… unless of course there would ever be an emergency that called for it and he hoped that would never come to pass.

He no longer had to end his days on each trip longing for something he had forgotten about. He was now at peace. Not even his ghost self ever visited him in his dreams anymore.

****

Of course, Molly and Scratch stayed in contact with each other. Even if they were thousands of miles away, they were still a part of each other’s lives.

The small, scared of Scratch that was buried inside him was worried that Molly would lose interest in staying in contact with him–she was growing up after all–but his faith in the girl was always proven correct. She never missed a chance to FaceTime him. No one missed a chance to FaceTime him.

Sometimes it would just be him talking to Molly, but some times Adia would join and the two would connect fantastically. Adia was happy to hear the stories about Scratch’s time with Molly when he was temporarily a ghost, and enjoyed a lot of them. Well… at least until she found out about how Scratch had been mistreated by a few ghosts. Especially one in particular.

“I’m going to kill her,” Adia flatly declared in a deadly serious voice after hearing all that Jinx had done to Scratch.

“Jinx is already dead,” Scratch pointed out.

“Then I’m going to double kill her and make her wish she never touched a hair on you.”

Other times Molly got Scratch caught up about things around Brighton. One time she was with Libby and they gleefully revealed to Scratch that they found his year book photo at their school, with Libby in particular flashing the picture that Molly sent to her to show to Scratch.

“Oh God, no!” Scratch yelped and winced at his awkward younger self. “Get that away!”

“I want to see!” Adia barked out a laugh as she hurried toward Scratch. He got up and tried to keep the phone out of Adia’s grasp, but the tall woman snatched it up and grinned as she saw the photo. “Oh you were such a cutie!” she cooed. “I’m surprised no girl snatched you up!”

“Damnit, stop looking at me!” Scratch yelled as he tried to get the phone back while Molly and Libby laughed on the other side.

“Can you please stop fighting?!” Libby suddenly pleaded. “I think I’m going to hurl seeing all that motion!”

Still, despite his embarrassment over the moment, Scratch would look back and be thankful he could experience it to begin with.

He finally had the best of both sides of his life–living and ghostly.

****

Things slowly, gradually improved around Brighton.

In time, the retirement house completed its repairs, and Molly was happy to see that not only did the kids currently running the Brighton Bugle paper cover the story, but the retirees were happy to help film a big ‘thank you’ video to send to Scratch for how much of a help he had been in raising the funds. (And they expressed hope that they would get to see him again, though Molly had a sneaking suspicion some would meet Scratch when they’d become ghosts). Furthermore, the new library was re-named in honor of Patty and bore her name on a plaque above the entrance.

As for the nurse who caused the fire? Well, according to the story, she was prone to dark thoughts and apparently took offense to some things regarding her job. The memory of her was long lone, and the staff vowed to make sure they would double check the backgrounds of potential hirees.

“You and your friend did a lot for us,” Bobby thanked Molly as they took in the library. “You both would have made Patty proud.”

Molly smiled. “It’s too bad she never got to meet Sc–Todd,” Molly corrected herself, knowing that not everyone would get the nickname. “Patty didn’t know it, but he was a big help in reuniting you both. In fact, he was really excited when he heard you used to be ‘the bad boy of Brighton.’ He wanted to wear a leather jacket and everything!”

Bobby smirked and declared “Well, maybe I still got it in me!”

Meanwhile, there was some interesting updates regarding Bizmart that Molly initially didn’t follow until she heard the news from Libby.

“Well, the air conditioning would have issues and people would get freezing cold,” Libby told Molly. “Then supplies would get misplaced. They hired a security guard, but after five nights he quit because he claimed a green lady kept appearing in the cameras and would scream at him. And then all the wares were scattered everywhere as if a tornado hit it.”

Molly thought for a moment. “Oh no,” she scowled.

****

“Nice work everyone!” Darryl grinned as he slapped hands with Sonya Davis, Ezekiel Tugbottom, Howlin’ Harriet, and numerous ghosts of Brighton. His sister had ways of helping out Brighton, and he had his own.

***

Eventually Bizmart had enough and shut down after losing so much money thanks to too many incidents. Especially since there was no proof as to who caused them. Initially the empty store was left as an insult to the town, but the next day it was destroyed almost overnight as if a strong tornado went through it.

“I guess you did something good for the town,” Sally grumbled to a smug Ezekiel when she got wind of the incident in the Ghost World.

Mayor Brunson and Pete McGee were all too happy to let Maxwell Davenport know that he was free to reopen a Davenport store in Brighton. In turn, Maxwell gleefully pounced on the chance to have his personal favorite store back, and many former Bizmart employees were happy to get new jobs ASAP. And in turn, the whole town was happy that the building that housed Davenports would not be yet another seasonal Halloween store. (No offense to those Halloween stores, of course.)

And among those who Davenport wanted to send over to Brighton to help run his store? None other than Esther and Reuben. It was that very summer, toward the end of July, that the Chen family could happily return to Brighton. They couldn’t get the old house back, but found one within their budget that they were more than happy to take.

Both the Chens and the McGees happily returned with open arms almost as soon as the Chens came back.

“I missed hanging out with you!” Pete emotionally declared as he held Reuben’s hands.

“I missed you too!” Reuben smiled and laughed.

“I grew peppers so hot that they’re practically illegal!” Sharon declared to Esther.

“Oh I got some good stuff!” Esther also declared as she held up some rare pepper seeds.

“We are going to be in high school together and create so many crimes!” Darryl happily declared as he hugged June.

“Ok, but just know that I’ll only go to prom if you take me as just a friend,” June cautioned. “And you’ll help get me into that computer club Molly and Libby told me about.”

“Oh we are going to have the most epic prom prank planned when that day comes!” Darryl swore. “But no pigs’ blood, because I don’t want to humiliate any girls with psychic powers and pay with my life!”

Ollie and Molly stared at each other. Both of them were trying to make sure they were not having a dream.

Molly was the first to break the ice as she beamed with joy and rushed over with her arms wide open. Ollie scooped her into his embrace even before she could fully hug him, and he held her tight.

“This is really happening,” Molly murmured. “You’re staying in Brighton.”

Ollie nodded and held Molly close. “I can’t believe Darryl and June, and all those ghosts ended up bringing us back,” he whispered.

Molly laughed. “Oh, I’ll still punish him in the future,” she replied, but was too happy to be angry.

It would be a couple of hours before Ollie and Molly could hold hands and wander off somewhere for private time to catch up with each other. But Libby–who came to reunite with the Chens as well–noticed the two leave and she made sure to take a photo of them.

“This aught to make him happy!” Libby grinned as she texted a picture of Molly and Ollie holding hands and walking away to Scratch.

****

Scratch had only been asleep for a few hours when he got the text. He groggily got up to take a look and when he saw the photo, a huge smile formed on his otherwise tired face.

“Guess things are finally back the way they’re supposed to be,” he commented. He happily recalled Molly meeting Ollie, as well as that dance (and he ignored his involvement with it), and how he and Libby tried to help Molly make a grand gesture and ask Ollie to go official. He was happy to have his memories back and be able to recall the details. Now it was only a matter of time that he’d see the prom photos. After that? Well, who knew. He would not be surprised if those two ended up married someday.

*****

Time gradually passed. Summer came and went, and Fall came upon Brighton. By that point, Esther and Reuben had made enough money to finally open Reuben’s dream root beer pub in Brighton.

A lot of people came in to help. Not just the McGees, or the Davenports (who were eager to have business partners), but many Brightonians, from Libby and Leah, to the retirees. Even a few ghosts were happy to help, which was a delightful surprise to the family that once hunted the ghosts. The pub was built in record time and some folks donated a few arcade machines and a pool table to help add some fun to the place. Even Sharon created a few paintings that were on display, and Esther and Reuben offered a small section of the wall where Sharon could sell some of her paintings.

“We couldn’t have done it without you all!” Reuben thanked as he and his family stood together on opening day, surrounded by their friends. “I never thought this day would come, and I’d like to thank every soul who helped us get to this point!” He raised his glass. “Thank you!” he cheered.

Everyone hollered in delight as they raised their glasses.

Some time later, Ollie approached Molly as she took a few pictures of the root beer pub. “Going to send those photos to Scratch?” he asked.

Molly nodded. “I’ll need to wait for the right time, but I’ll make sure he gets them!”

“My family is more than happy to give him free drinks if he does a video for us when he gets back,” Ollie told Molly. “Your videos have helped a lot of businesses out, and the one you made for us helped, but a little celebrity boost wouldn’t hurt.”

“Not unless Andrea does a video first,” Molly noted. Andrea’s investment in the pub would involve doing a video for her social media, and Molly knew full well that any attention would count. In fact, Andrea was filming everything while Alina stood by her side and drank a root beer.

Though Molly had Scratch to thank for her own small social media success. He had made it a point to include a link to her YouTube page during that fundraising video and Molly had seen a slight increase in viewers since then. Lately she had seen even more as she had done more videos for Brighton.

Molly noticed Mayor Brunson talking to Reuben and Esther and smiled as she remembered something. Apparently at some point, Scratch had choice words with the mayor and while she had no clue what they were, Brunson sheepishly told Molly that he would make a point to ask her for her help, rather than just assume she would always help out. Even though her parents already spoke with Brunson, it was nice to know that Scratch also made sure she wasn’t getting overworked.

****

The Halloween carnival came and Molly and Ollie helped run the haunted house like old times. They let the ghosts have an encore and help scare the visitors.

“Ah how delightful that was!” Hidalgo praised when he, Gertrude, and their small family approached Molly and Ollie. “I rather missed our spectral friends!”

“Octavius and Emily enjoyed it very much,” Gertrude agreed as she looked down at the toddler–with Lord Doom in hand–and baby in the double stroller. “Emily especially seemed quite happy for her special birthday.”

The baby dressed as a green and black bat giggled, and Molly and Ollie smiled back at her. “I have a feeling she’s going to be special,” Ollie told the couple.

“Oh we know!” Gertrude smiled as she and Hidalgo took the children away–

“TELL BEATRICE SHE STILL OWES ME MONEY FOR GHOST BINGO!” Lord Doom yelled at Molly and Ollie.

–and Ollie and Molly smiled at each other.

“I’ll go get some hand-pies,” Molly offered. “Strawberry?”

“Strawberry,” Ollie agreed, and Molly headed out.

Molly headed toward the hand-pie stand and passed by the numerous trick-or-treaters. She was no longer filled with a sadness this time around when she took in the Halloween decorations. She was at peace again.

Molly accidentally bumped into one trick-or-treater–they appeared to be a short kid, dressed in a long blue robe adorned with silver stars. “Oh, sorry!” Molly apologized and was about to continue when the robed figure grabbed Molly by the sleeve of her costume. Molly turned in confusion and faced the figure, whose enormous hood was drawn over their head and face.

The robed figure pointed a white gloved finger up at the sky. Molly looked up, but all she saw was a beautiful, starry Halloween night sky.

“I wonder where Scratch is right now,” Molly mused out-loud. “He must be staring at the same night sky.” She tried to look for the star she once wished upon, but couldn’t find it.

Strange, didn’t Scratch mention that a ‘Wish Granter’ heard her wish?

“Hey wishing star,” Molly began. “Wish Granter–whatever you are–if you can hear me, I just want to say thank you. You kept Scratch safe, long enough for him to keep living his life. And to come back to me,” she added. “I don’t know what I can do to repay you, but I promise I will keep doing whatever good that I can.”

“Aw, you don’t have to repay me,” a high pitched, cartoonish voice assured Molly. “Seeing the both of you happily reunited is more than enough.”

Molly froze in shock. That voice came right where the robed figure was–that voice sounded an awful lot like–

Molly looked back to figure, only to find that they were gone. However she did notice a little black mouse scampering away to a safe spot between two tents, away from human eyes.

Molly watched as the mouse left from view before she glanced at the stars. “No… it couldn’t possibly be–?” Molly shook her head. No there was no way the person was who she thought it was. Perhaps the trick-or-treater was that good at doing cartoon impressions.

Molly knew she had to get to the hand-pies before they were gone, so she hurried on ahead. But if one could listen closely, they could hear the faint whistling of ‘Steamboat Bill’ amongst the merriment of the guests and trick-or-treaters, until it gradually faded away.

****

It would be some time later, on a nice, pleasant day, that a long awaited moment would soon arrive.

At the bookstore, Libby would read Edgar Allen Poe to the amusement of Gertrude and Hidalgo’s small family, while Leah would be busy working on a short story her daughter encouraged her to submit for a contest.

Darryl would help June with testing out one of her inventions by the water tower–a water bottle rocket that would explode and douse everyone below with water. It would be perfect for summer.

Pete and Sharon helped Reuben and Esther set the root beer pub up for a small welcoming party that would happen later in the day. They happily talked of the future and their hopes and dreams for all their children.

Molly and Ollie wandered the park as Ollie picked a wild daisy and placed it behind Molly’s ear.

“I definitely missed this when I was away from you,” Ollie admitted. “I never had much excuses to pick wildflowers.”

“I missed this too,” Molly smiled as she pulled out her phone to take a look at herself.

“You know he’ll text you when he’s here,” Ollie reminded Molly.

“I know, I just want to see the flower in my hair,” Molly told her boyfriend as she took a look at herself with the selfie mode. She was not the same thirteen year old girl who first came to Brighton, and the spark in her eyes was not as intense as it was back then. She was even a couple inches taller now. However, she still wore the bracelet Ollie gifted to her.

Molly thought back to what she thought was an intruder ghost, that night before she almost lost her soul to despair. Was that ghost her, if she had given in to her despair? She certainly felt like that at the time. But she didn’t see a prophesied doomsday goddess with a hard to pronounce name reflected back at her in the phone’s screen. Nor did she see a girl who was worn down by a series of heartbreak and misfortune. Instead she only saw herself–a young, living teenager, who wore a flower gifted to her by the boy who swore he’d come back to her, along with the heart shaped pendant gifted to her by the friend whose love for her guided him back to her in the nick of time.

Molly took a deep breath and smiled. “I am me,” she declared. “I am Molly McGee.”

In that moment a text message appeared on the screen with a ‘bing–!’

‘Five more minutes.’

Molly gasped and grinned. “Five more minutes!” she cried. Before Ollie could do anything, Molly was already darting toward a certain spot in town.

Elsewhere, Scratch sat on the bus and watched as the scene outside changed to familiar surroundings. This time Adia came with him–she wanted to see her old hometown, as well as the girl who gave her best friend the courage he needed to finally live.

Though Adia wondered if perhaps Scratch had truly started living when Molly came into his life and challenged him in the best possible ways. Judging the way he came alive when he first spoke of that fateful day when Molly first entered the attic–since he never showed that much energy when he talked about the time period of his life before that day happened– Adia figured she was right.

“I bet she’ll be right there at the bus stop,” Adia guessed.

“She will,” Scratch smiled.

Once upon a time, when Todd ‘Scratch’ Mortenson rode the bus back to Brighton, he was guided by an instinct and a need to save the life of a girl he couldn’t fully remember. Now he knew that he was coming back home to see Molly and everyone that mattered to him. Wherever he went, whatever he did, a part of his heart would always be in Brighton.

Molly ran almost non-stop toward the bus stop. Her joy and her endless energy carried her back to the place where there was once a bittersweet ending to an important chapter to her life. This time the bus stop signaled a new chapter of a promise that was kept, thanks to a wonderful miracle. She could practically hear voices in her head–the living, the dead, those gone for good, and those she had yet to meet–cheering her on for the big moment.

Molly finally came to the bus stop at the same time the bus–the bus that once pained her heart so much–appeared and came to a stop by that old bench.

Molly patiently waited as the riders got out one by one. Ollie had caught up, but he waited several feet away, knowing that he could not interrupt this one moment for the girl who stole his heart.

And then Scratch came out.

He had seen Molly waiting, just as he knew. He impatiently waited for everyone else to get off. When it was finally his turn, Scratch practically leapt off the stairs and dropped his suitcase to the ground as he raced to Molly with open arms and a huge smile.

And like a star shooting across the sky, Molly crashed into Scratch with an equally happy smile. Her arms automatically wrapped around his thick body and tightly hugged the man to the point that he could feel it down to his blue colored soul. In turn, he tightly hugged the girl with enormous human arms that were perfect for hugging her back.

Scratch smiled joyously as he hugged Molly and held her close. An important part of his world was in his embrace and whether he was a ghost or a human, she would always be that way to him.

Adia smiled as she picked up her friend’s suitcase for him. Upon noticing Ollie, she smiled and waved at him, and the boy waved back to her as everyone–Pete and Sharon, Darryl, Libby, Esther and Reuben, and June–came to the bus stop with happy smiles. They would all wait their turn to greet their friend and watched as he embraced their Molly.

“Hey, Molly,” Scratch gently greeted.

“Hey Scratch,” Molly greeted back. “Welcome home.”

The former ghost laughed and nodded. “It’s always good to be back home,” Scratch agreed.

The wall that once unfairly came between the two friends was no more. Wherever they would go, whatever they would do, for the rest of their days, they would always have each other.