When I first died I was happy, no wait, that's wrong. I wasn't happy, I thought, I was sure, I was going to be happy. I didn't know I was dead, I thought that I was lost lost and I was just trying to find my way back home.
At first I ignored the way that people wouldn't look at me, and how sometimes I would drift through a wall, I didn't think anything of it. I was going home, wherever that was. I was me, whoever that was, but some day I would find my way back home. Somehow.
But then one day I woke up, it was when I saw a woman playing with her children. One of the children fell and scraped his knee right next to me, and I tried to pick him up and tell him a joke, to stop his tears but my hands went through him. I didn't get it at first, at first I just kept reaching out for him, but again and again my hands slipped through and then I realized, there is no touching for me, because I'm already dead. I'm already dead.
i couldn't take it, I couldn't just stand there so I ran away, as fast and as far as I could, going through buildings and people. I didn't care anymore, I just wanted to disappear, I didn't want to feel. I would rather be dust in the wind than a ghost, I didn't want to feel. So I screamed, and screamed, and screamed. But nobody stopped to look at me, to comfort me, to ask what was wrong. And no one ever would.

I never kept track of time, if I did I would've probably gone crazy, but I spent a long time wandering. Days, months, years, I don't know and I didn't want to. Sometimes I would go into people's houses and pretend I was part of their family. My sick little game that only hurt me even more, made me even lonelier, but still I did it. Over and over, every night I would sit at another dinner table and watch as the people around me lived, as I could not. I think it was starting to eat me up, make me angrier and angrier. I was burning up and I didn't even care.
One day I stumbled upon a beautiful brick house, elegant in its simplicity and decided to stay there for the night. I drifted in through the wall and saw that inside, someone else who wasn't supposed to be there was already sitting at the table. It was another ghost. I gaped in shock.
I could tell immediately that she was a ghost because of her white, almost clear skin and the way that her clothes and hair refused to move. She sat at the table silently, her hands clasped in her lap, she was looking at the wall where I was floating but I could tell that she didn't see me. Her deep brown eyes were blank, searching, but hopeful. She doesn't know that she's a ghost, I realized, she's just like I was.
A thought came to me; I have to wake her up. I have to wake her up, I don't want to be alone anymore, I don't want to be alone. I floated over to her and grabbed her face, I was amazed to find that I could actually touch her; it was the first time since I had died that I could touch something. I smiled, and I felt my chest pull tight.
'Wake up,' I said softy, she looked right through me, and if she felt my touch she didn't show it. 'Wake up!' I said, screaming this time, desperation seeping into my voice. She jumped a little but still refused to look at me.
I could've cried but I didn't instead I shook her; 'You're dead! Nobody can see you! You're not a guest in this house! You're a ghost! Wake up!' Then I saw it, something shattered in her eyes, breaking into a million pieces. I jerked my hand away, she was finally looking at me, but she didn't look as happy as I was.
'Why?' She whispered her face ashen, but I pretended I didn't hear her and grabbed her hand. 'Come on, let's get out of here, and let's go somewhere we can talk.' I pulled her along with me as I floated above the heads of passersby until we reached the forest which I had spent so many hours just sitting.
I stopped when we were in the thickest part of the woods and turned to look at her. Her expression was unreadable, 'I'm so glad I found you!' I gushed and she remained silent as I continued talking, 'I was getting so lonely, being a ghost is pretty depressing but it might be okay if I have someone to talk to!' I knew I sounded goofy but I didn't care, for the first time since I had died I was almost happy.
'Why?' She said, interrupting me, her eyes bore into mine and I was the first to look away. 'Why?' she repeated, louder this time. 'What?' I snapped, not looking at her, I was angry. I had finally found someone to talk to, why was she acting like this?
'Why?' She screamed and I looked at her, fluorescent tears streamed down her face and hit the grass, burning whatever they touched. 'Why did you make me see?! Why did I have to know?' She screamed, sobbing harder now, her face in her hands. She collapsed to the floor and I just stood silently, watching her.
She looked up at me, 'Why would you do that?' she whispered, and I didn't know what to say.
Eventually she stopped crying and stood up. 'I'm sorry,' I whispered, but she wouldn't look at me. 'I was just so lonely, I wanted someone to talk to. And isn't it better this way? Isn't it better to know than to search until the end of time?' I said and she looked at me coldly.
'No. It's not better, and I want you to go away, I don't want to see you.' I reached out a hand but she slapped it away. 'Will you forgive me?' I said, starting to get angry, I was starting to not even want this girl forgiveness.
'No, I'm not going to forgive you.' She said looking straight at me, that's what did it. I felt something inside me snap and I picked her up and shook her. Her eyes widened with shock. 'What are you doing!' she screamed and I glared at her.
'You are all that I have, and vise versa, I'm not letting you go that easily. So forgive me right now!' I saw he mouth twitch despite herself. 'What?' She said. I shook her harder.
'Right now! Forgive me!' Her eyes widened but after staring at my serious expression she started laughing, I let her go and watched her as she laughed until she cried. 'Alright,' she said finally, 'I forgive you, I don't know why but I don't feel angry anymore.' I smiled and held out my hand.
'Are we friends?' I asked, and she sighed. 'Sure. It's not like I have a choice, you would probably strangle me until I said yes.' She said and held out her hand. I smiled and shook it, and to my surprise she smiled too. I guess she doesn't completely hate me.
'Then I suppose I should introduce myself, I'm'..' I trailed off, 'Actually I can't remember who I am. I don't even know my name. Do you?' She shook her head sadly.
'Then why don't we name each other,' she looked up at me curiously. 'What do you mean?' She said and I was surprised by the change in her expression, before she had been fierce looking but now that the anger was gone I saw what was underneath. With her small body and wide brown eyes and hair she looked like a little girl. Her eyes had such a lost feeling about them and her posture showed that she was shy and embarrassed about her earlier outburst. What an odd person, I thought, not that I was one to talk.
'If we name each other it could strengthen our bond as friends,' I said seriously and she giggled. 'I really want to hate you, you know, but I just can't. I wonder why that is?' She said smiling slightly and I smiled back; I liked her better this way. She stopped laughing and beamed at me, 'Alright, I'll name you first.' I nodded and she closed her eyes, I was curious about what she was doing but I didn't interrupt her.
Then after a few moments she opened her eyes and smiled, 'What were you doing?' I asked curiously. 'I was going over all the things I know about you so that I could choose a name that fits your personality.' I grimaced, I had a feeling she would use this chance as payback.
She took a deep breath, 'Okay, you're name is Alice.' I blinked at her. 'Uh, why would you name me that?' I asked slowly, as if she were mentally challenged. She rolled her eyes, 'Because Alice in Wonderland was my favorite movie when I was a kid. And you remind me of Alice,' I snorted and she continued, 'Think about it, both of you have a curiosity that overpowers everything else, if you didn't then you wouldn't have been wandering from house to house like you were. You also have a selfishness that drives away any doubts, you just do what you want not thinking of who it will hurt,' I flinched when she said that but didn't stop her, 'And finally you're brave and strong. If you weren't then you would've left when I told you.' I looked at her, my eyes softening. I guess she really isn't mad at me anymore, I thought. When had this happened? I used to be hated, that I could remember, nobody liked me back when I was alive. Had something changed in me after I died?
She smiled at me and crossed her arms, 'Okay, your turn to give me a name.' I looked at her silently for a moment. She radiated innocence and under all her initial coldness for me I could feel a warmth underneath, I couldn't say how I knew this but I felt that underneath it all she was truly a kind person, despite being dead. I looked into her deep chocolate brown eyes and instantly I knew exactly what her name should be, 'Your name is Coco.'I said simply after only a few seconds, I saw her face fall and I laughed.
'Why would you name me that?' She asked, sounding upset and I grinned, 'Well you just seem like a warm person and your eyes are the color of chocolate, so you remind me of hot chocolate. Also you look like you would taste good with marshmallows.' She blushed bright red and I laughed. 'Hey, you can't complain, you named me after a cartoon character; I think I'm allowed to name you after a chocolaty beverage.' She was still blushing but she smiled a little.

'You have a point there,' she said and I gave her a friendly slap on the back. 'that's the spirit!' but I hit her a little too hard and she went sprawling on her stomach.

Coco stood up, frowning. 'That was really mean,' She said, not looking at me. I sighed, 'I'm sorry Coco, I won't'..' I trailed off and stared blankly at her arm. She turned to look at me, 'What? You won't what?' I pointed to her arm with a shaky hand, 'Coco, you're'.. peeling.' She looked down at her arm and screamed, she saw it, her ghostly white skin peeling back to reveal real, human skin. She looked at me with wide, frightened eyes. 'Oh my God Alice you're face! It's peeling too!' I touched my face lightly, and sure enough, it was peeling. I could feel the cold falling away from my cheek and I gave a small gasp. What's happening? God? What's happening?