Chapter 20 - Moving forward

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After... The events of last night... Our classmates realize that moving on is their only option... Right?

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Kirari was hanging from the ceiling, which she recently discovered ghosts could do. Meanwhile, Ray was trying to find a way to escape.

Crystal rolled her eyes,"That's not gonna work, Ray."

"No shit, Sherlock. I'm just trying to find something to do instead of staring at myself in a mirror because I already know I look good. Better then anyone here at least." Ray hissed.

"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night." Crystal shrugged,"Or, well, you don't anyway so.."

"Bro, on top of my insomnia, I'm a goddamn ghost. I finally don't need sleep! And by the way, I don't like interacting with you guys that much because most of you are here because of me." Ray explained.

"Yeah, we don't like you that much-"

"Crystal!" Mew pointed.

"Hey, I appreciate the truth. It's something I couldn't give Stevie until the end." Ray shook his head,"Lying kinda sucks."

"I mean, it could've been worse. You could've stabbed her in the chest." Crystal shrugged.

"Nah, I would only ever do that to Teri, my 'favourite' classmate." Ray sent a smug grin Terishi's way.

"Love you too, Ray." Terishi rolled her eyes.

"Anyways... Back to mapping!"

"Yay.." Scorpius sighed.

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Jay was still locked in their room. Usually Terishi would knock on their door to make them come to breakfast but... They were stuck with her 'replacement' for now.

"Jay?" Daiko asked.

"Rrr... Yes..." Jay hadn't slept all night and so was huddled up in their bed.

"It's time for breakfast." He spoke softly.

"I'm not hungry." Jay mumbled.

"But you need to eat." Daiko told her.

"Just go without me.."

"Don't want to."

Terishi was stood watching the situation, almost yelling,"Get your ass to breakfast!"

"I'm not hungry." Jay repeated, hiding under their bed.

"Please..?" Daiko kept trying.

"No." The key slid under the door anyway as well as a white paw,"THE BITCH-

"Thanks you, kitty." He hummed, opening the door.

"I'm not hungry." Jay mumbled from under the bed.

Their stomach was starting to disagree with them, however, and rumbled quietly.

"You are." Daiko stated, stroking the cat.

The cat twisted and licked it's butt before starting to lick Daiko's hand.

"I'm not really." Jay snickered.

"Did you have to lick your ass before doing that?" Daiko looked down at the cat.

"Meow." The cat responded as Jay snickered again.

"Are you giving me an attitude?"

"Meow." The cat licked his face and ran off.

"This is why I'm a dog person." He wiped his hand on his jeans.

"I got one of those." Jay told him.

As if on cue, there was a bark and the dog slipped under the bed. Jay yelped as the dog ran back out with her shoe.

"Traitor!"

"Puppy!" Daiko gasped,"Two puppies in the school!"

The puppy dropped the shoe at Daiko's feet and panted, it's tail wagging.

"You wanna play fetch, bud?" Daiko raised a brow.

The dog didn't respond. It only ran back underneath the beg and attempted to drag Jay out. Jay yelped as in doing so it went flying with their sock.

"Leave me and my footwear alone!"

"It's trying to bring you out piece by piece." Daiko shrugged.

"I refuse!" Jay protested, scooting further under the bed,"Now give me my shoe back!"

"No." Daiko pointed.

"Why not?" Jay asked.

"Well, I only will if you come with me to breakfast." Daiko told them.

Jay sighed,"Fine, I'll come to breakfast. Just give me my shoe."

Jay pushed themselves out from under the bed and dusted themselves off.

"Here you go." Daiko smiled, handing them the shoe.

"Thanks." Jay put their shoe back on,"Okay, let's get this over with."

Daiko smiled and held the door open for them. Jay rolled their eyes and exited the room, the dog, Dixie, following them.

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Stevie seemed to be in the middle of breakfast, rooted to the spot, knife still in hand as Daiko and Jay walked in.

Jay didn't look directly at anyone, just sitting down,"Do I have to get something to eat? I'm not hungry."

"Just something little, okay?" Daiko begged, knowing this would be difficult as he turned and pulled something over his face... Teri's mask.

"Please don't do that." Jay sighed, not looking at him and instead staring pointedly at the table.

"Sorry.." He apologized, taking it off.

Jay fiddled with their fingers and Daiko sighed, looking down as Stevie gently slid a small plate over to them. Jay blinked and Stevie looked down as well. She wanted to say something but every fiber of her being was stopping her.

"Uhm... Hello?" Jay raised a brow.

"Hm? Oh, sorry.." Stevie shook her head.

"Uh... Yeah... Hi..."

"Hi.."

"Uhm..."

"Well mates, you guys are fucking awkward." Scott pointed out, stood in the doorway.

Jay spun around,"Have you been watching us?"

"Aye." He nodded strolling in.

"Won't even deny it." Jay sighed,"What do you want?"

"Tae difuse the tension, I cannae stan' it." Scott shook his head,"Speak tae one anither."

"Is your mouth okay?" Jay asked.

"Eh?" He blinked.

"Your mouth. Is it alright?" Jay repeated.

"Why do ya ask?"

"You're, uh... Talking funny." Jay told him.

Scott stood up, walked outside and screamed before walking back inside, taking his seat.

"Sorry aboot that."

"Uhm... Okay, then.." They fidgeted.

"Is ma accent really that bad?" Scott whispered to Stevie.

"You're fine, Scott." She assured him.

"So, uh... Hi.."

"Oh ma god, say yer names or I'm gonnae lose it!" Scott exclaimed.

"I'm Jay." They spoke quietly.

"Stevie."

"See? Now that wasn't so hard, wis it?" Scott looked at them both.

Jay shrugged.

"I get that Ray erased twa people but c'mon, that shouldn'ae stop you both fae talking." Scott pointed.

Jay paused for a moment, then resumed staring pointedly at the table.

"Scott, you're not helpi-" Daiko began.

"I am! They'll never talk if I don't make 'em." Scott rolled his eyes.

Guilt poked it's head over the table and stared at Jay, who could feel it staring but couldn't stare back because it would look like they were staring at nothing. They cleared their throat into their sleeve and coughed a muffled 'Go away' that was too quiet for the others to hear.

"Look, let t-" Daiko tried again.

"Naw, Dai!" Scott pointed,"They need to make up. They huvnae even fallen oot really but they need to make up anyway."

"For what?" Jay protested, feeling a flash of irritation; they didn't want to be there anymore.

"Because you're aw so fuckin' tense! If we could aw just tolerate each other we wouldn'ae end up wae mare bodies!"

"I am not tense!" Jay protested again, though it.

"Ur too!" Scott pointed.

"Am not!"

"Ur too!"

"I refuse to dignify this conversation with another answer." Jay insisted.

"I disagree." Scott shook his head.

"I'm going back to my room." Jay got up and pushed their chair in,"I'll eat later."

"Jay." Daiko sighed.

"Daiko." Jay gave him a hard stare.

"Sorry, I'll just bother you." Daiko changed his mind, leaving before they could.

Jay returned to their room, done with this bs and Stevie sighed, launching her fork across the room.

"Well, that ended well." Scott spoke.

"Get fucked." Stevie stormed off.

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Jay opened the door to their room only to return to a bit of a mess. Jay grabbed the heart-shaped locket they had from her chest of drawers. They took out a picture of them and their sister, Candle, their expressions almost identical in unimpression as they stared at their brother, Raurie, ruffling their other brother, Grayton's, hair. Spring, their mother, stood in the background as well as a hole in the picture where it had been burned. Jay placed the picture down, folded the poetry as small as they could, popped it into the locket and put it on, holding the locket in their hand.

"You'll always be close to my heart." Jay whispered.

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Daiko hurried back to his room and slammed the door behind him, quickly covering his face with Terishi's mask.

"I can't fucking do this!"

"Can't do what?" A ghostly voice whispered in his ear.

Daiko's eyes widened,"Ray!?"

"Who else?" A barely visible Ray asked.

Daiko shook his head,"Nope, I'm seeing things.

"Aw, did me killing Teri really fuck you up that bad? Pathetic." Ray chuckled.

"Shut up!" Daiko snapped at him.

"Or else what? You'll kill me?" Ray taunted.

"Leave me alone, Ray." He sighed.

"Can't do that. According to you I'm not here, meaning I'm a part of your imagination. Your fault, not mine!" Ray grinned.

"You could do so many things as a ghost yet you chose to make me feel like shit?" Daiko sighed.

"What the fuck do you expect me to do? Talk to dead people? More than half of them are there because of me in the trial or just straight up killing them! Stevie would probably die if I popped up in her room and I definitely need to mess with Akira after this."

"Couldn't you be like, helpful? Tell me who the Mastermind is or something?" Daiko questioned.

"I mean, I could.... But that won't be any fun. Also, who told you about the Mastermind thing?" Ray shrugged.

"Well, I just assumed there was one and assumed again that you knew."

"Yeah, that sounds about right. It's Dimitri. No one will believe you but it's him. I'mma go mess with Stevie now because I'm bored and she doesn't want to get rid of me." Ray vanished.

"Okay, good talk." Daiko sighed.

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Stevie was sat in her room now. Whatever Scott did had blown up in his face and made their problem ten times worse. A slowly fading Ray fazed through the wall behind her, waiting for her to notice.

"Can you believe how fucking dumb he is? Obviously they won't want to talk after what you did." Stevie crossed her arms.

"Yeah, Scott ain't the smartest." Ray commented.

"Ray, if you want to talk with me then you stand in front of me." Stevie sighed.

"Don't feel like moving. Giving people trauma and several emotional breakdowns is tiring, you know?"

"I'm in a bad mood with you." She pointed.

"Uh, excuse you but I didn't ask." Ray scoffed, making it his new goal to be the bitchiest person he could be.

"Being a pain now, huh? Murder two of my friends and I'm the asshole?" Stevie asked.

"I'm sorry, Princess, but I was bored and had been hinting at it the entire fucking time! You're telling me you didn't expect it?" Ray raised a brow, finally appearing in front of Stevie.

"Part of me did but I never thought you'd go through with it." Stevie admitted.

"I always do what I say, ma chére. From killing my uncle to even taking over the crime world! I mean, I am a man of my word." Ray hummed.

Stevie turned away from him and pulled her knees into her chest. Ray sighed, realising that instead of pissing her off, he was making himself feel guilty.

"Come on, now. Don't be like that-"

"Shut up!"

"Come on, Stevie. You're making me feel bad.." Ray sighed.

"Good.." Stevie mumbled.

"Look, I told you when I was alive that killing made me feel like shit, right? That still is true. But what I didn't tell you that is that it also gave my life purpose, for seven years." Ray explained,"And without purpose... Who am I? I want to leave a mark on this world. I want the world to know and fear the name Ray Luciano. So when I was locked up in this damn school, I lost my purpose. And losing your purpose that you have been working for, for seven damn years, is complete bs. It drives you mad."

"But Ray... We could've gotten out of here together, we could've helped you find a new purpose." Stevie told him.

"No one was getting out of here... Or so I thought. But Stevie, my love, you can get out, so it seems. I can't tell you anything, for that would be me messing too much with the two worlds but I have told someone already. Just please, listen to Daiko." Ray pleaded.

Stevie looked down,"Alright.."

"I can see my presence is making you uncomfortable so I assume it is time I take my leave." Ray sighed, mentally cursing at how weak Stevie made him feel with such few words and actions, as he slowly backed away.

Stevie bit her lip and grabbed her pillow, starting to cry into it. Why was she crying? She shouldn't be...

"No, no, no, no, no, please don't cry! Stevie, it'll be okay. You'll get out of here and find a new love and you will live happily ever after." Ray tried to reassure her.

"I can't do it.." She shook her head.

"Stevie Hendrix, look at me. You can do any damn thing you want and no one can fucking stop you. Do you understand? Worst case scenario, it doesn't work out so just try something incredibly similar and cheat the system!" Ray joked.

"I'm not strong like you, Ray."

"Yeah, your ten fucking times stronger, okay? I may have physical strength, but you have the strongest willpower I have ever seen. You argued with me for hours on me sleeping just to prove your point." Ray reminded her,"I thought I was stubborn but you take the cake, by far."

Stevie looked down, shaking her head.

"Okay, this is gonna fucking hurt but..." Ray mumbled before, for a total of 10 seconds, Ray became solid and gave Stevie a hug.

Stevie clutched him tightly. She knew she'd have to let go but she didn't want to. Ray gave her a quick peck on the forehead before becoming transparent again.

"I'll be right back." Ray sighed, floating out if the room.

A brief yet extremely loud,"AAAAAAH!" could be heard before Ray entered again.

"Are you... Okay?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.

"I mean, pain is pain but hugging you is worth it." Ray grinned.

"Is not, don't hurt yourself." Stevie pointed.

"Then don't have an emotional breakdown. And I can't tell at you because you're too cute and apparently I'm weak to that, even as a ghost." Ray chuckled.

"Bit hard when all your friends are dying." Stevie mumbled.

"But you can stop that!"

"It's hard when people don't want to interact with you." Stevie shook her head.

"I'll have Teri sort out Jay. Now what would make you feel better, hm? Another hug? Flirting? Me leaving? Or more depressing talk like we're doing right now?" Ray asked.

"Try flirting, I bet you can't." Stevie shrugged.

"You're right. But if me making a fool out of myself will make you feel happy, why not?" Ray sighed, knowing he was going to regret this,"Before I start this shit, I need to leave the room real quick. It's getting quite hot in here, probably because of you."

Stevie covered her mouth to stop her from laughing.

"Did you know that if you secretly like someone in the same room as you, pretending to lose oxygen might be a way to get a free kiss? I never knew that and the fact I don't have to pretend is even better, cuz you truly take my breath away." Ray gave her a weak smile.

"I should've had you do this sooner, it's hilarious!" She giggled.

"Anyway, I heard nothing lasts forever so... Will you be my nothing?" Ray tried the oldest pickup line he could think of.

"Of course I will." Stevie nodded.

"Yay, one finally worked. Anyhow, I'll give you one last one, my personal favourite. Are you a campfire because you're smoking hot and I want s'more." Ray tried.

"Well, unless you figured out a way to become solid without hurting yourself, I'm not giving you any more." Stevie told him.

"Yeah, I'm done with this. I've lost all dignity in one go." Ray fell to the floor dramatically,"Feeling any better?"

"Much better." Stevie nodded.

"Glad to hear it. Mind if I use your roof for a bit? I need to try to figure out how to solidify without feeling any pain." Ray asked her.

"Uh, alright." Stevie nodded.

"Ok, love you, bye." Ray went upside down and floated to the roof.

After trying seventeen different methods to solidify, he finally found one that wouldn't hurt him.

"Well, there is one but if I solidify, only a person I choose will be able to see and hear me. So I'm basically your  guardian demon." Ray informed her.

"Great, that's what I've always wanted." Stevie smiled.

"Plus, I look incredibly handsome so when you want something to do, you can just stare at little old me." Ray pumped his fist,"The flirting hasn't stopped, let's go!"

"I could just look in a mirror." Stevie shrugged.

"I-I mean, you're not wrong. I would rather stare at you than me." Ray chuckled as he solidified.

"Right, now what?" Stevie clasped her hands together.

"There are many things we could do, actually. Kiss, cuddle, get married." Ray joked,"But on a more serious note, you should probably go talk to Daiko and I should head back to limbo for a bit. Up to you."

"Get your ass back to limbo, they'll start asking questions." Stevie told him.

"Fine, fine. I personally don't care if they ask questions, I'll just say I was making out with a tree. They'll believe me, they think I'm practically insane." Ray shrugged.

"Whatever you say." She chuckled.

"Well then." Ray kissed her hand,"Until we meet again, ma chére."

And he faded away.

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"I'm back." Ray floated in.

"How was the girlfriend?" Terishi asked.

"Sad, but I made her feel better by reassuring her and shit. Not much else." Ray explained, avoiding the subject of flirting.

"That's definitely what we saw." Terishi nodded.

"You guys were watching? Erm, well, you see here-" Ray stuttered.

"You were flirting~" Terishi teased.

"No- Was not-" Ray started yelling gibberish before running off.

All Terishi and the others could do was laugh at him as he ran.

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