I am The Ghost in Your House

I am the ghost in your house.

Hi, my name is Liam. I'm a fairly typical guy, average build, 6'2, hair colour? I'm not sure how to describe that as I've never seen it, you see; I'm invisible. No I don't mean that as some kind of metaphor, I'm literally invisible. I can see me and so can my parents, but that's probably because they're invisible too. To each other we're an iridescent soap bubble colour. My dad says that we can see an extra sliver of the colour spectrum that normal people can't and that's what we're using to see each other. I mean there's apparently only about 100 invisible people left in all of the western world although there could be much more, or less in the world as we're pretty hard to find.

My parents live in the town near by but I'm trying to find a place closer to school. As "opacity challenged" people, we can't exactly own property or rent so we squat in houses. Some of those houses are lived in, some are empty. Those are the best as we can talk openly without sign language because although we're invisible, we're not silent. Too many times I was on a train and coughed too loudly and my mom signed at me to be quiet. For transit we prefer the train as there's more room so it's easier to get on and off without bumping into people.

Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. Hi, my name is Liam and I'm currently going to school to become a Doctor. One time as a kid my parents and I were taking the train when we met an old invisible man who seemed to be quite sick. It was at that point I decided to become a Doctor so I could help those who can't be seen by regular Doctors. (See what I did there? (and there?)) I take the train from the town my parents live in to the city near by and attend the university. The university doesn't know of course but I sit in on all the classes and even swiped a schedule so I wouldn't miss anything. Fun fact, I have to wear gloves all the time because whenever something touches my skin it also becomes invisible. Whenever I want to steal something I take off one glove and grab it when no one's looking. I can hear my parent's words in my head "Make sure no one sees you grab something, don't be too loud, don't walk in fresh snow, don't walk in the rain." Or what? "Or someone from the government will hunt you down." I don't really know if the government knows about us but it's entirely possible.

Right now I'm waiting for the train to take me back home for the night. Near the end of the station there are less people so I usually stand there. Today however I'm finding it difficult to make it there. My stomach is off and I want to move as little as possible. The train stops, the doors open, and I almost bump into an old lady getting off the car. I have to perform a circus act to avoid touching her, it doesn't improve my situation but I crossed my fingers hoping the ride is quick. The train stops twice in my parent's town, once in the old section, and once in the new section where my parents are currently. I figure I could always get off one stop early and try to find a place to stop and then get back on the train after. This gives me some peace as I settle into a pair of seats where one of them appears to be wet. It's advantageous to do this as other people often avoid seats that look dirty, it reduces the chance of being sat on.

It doesn't take long for the train to make it to the next station which is good because I can't last much longer. Eating food laying around at fast food places is a good way to get a meal unnoticed but occasionally it has its downsides. I made my way to the only place that doesn't require a key to the bathroom, a small coffee shop near the station that seems like it's been around forever. I haven't gotten off here to many times but it's an interesting mix of people who have lived there their whole lives and fellow med students renting out old houses.

When I got to the shop the bathroom was currently out of order. I let out an audible "Fuck." under my breath. Some guy at the end of the line turned around to see who was there and was greeted with the seemingly empty space where I stood. It was at that point I noticed a girl in navy blue scrubs leaving holding two coffees one in each hand. Classes were done for the day so it seemed likely that she lived in one of the nearby houses that were rented out so I decided to follow her. I'd be lying if I didn't say I also found her attractive.

I walked down the street behind her trying my best to be silent. On a busy street it was easy but once we turned down a small side road I had to be careful. It looked like she had a good figure from behind but it's hard to tell in scrubs. A bit shorter than me, dark curly hair with a tinge of brown in it, I couldn't see much else until she turned to go into one of the houses. What a face, cute smile with a few freckles, I was hooked. She went up the front steps, unlocked the door, stepped in and closed it behind her. This was the perfect opportunity to slip in. I opened the door wide and left it open to make it look like the wind blew it open.

Girl "Dam, must not have closed it all the way."

She turned around putting her coffees on a near by table and closed the front door. I must admit I almost forgot about why I followed her while watching, I was a little too entranced by her. She then grabbed some very large textbooks, the coffee, put some headphones on and muttered something about studying for a test tomorrow while heading upstairs. I knew this was my opportunity to be alone so I found a bathroom in the basement and did my business.

After that I decided to check out the rest of the house. TV room downstairs, main floor kitchen behind the stairs, and a sitting/dining room behind that. I was standing looking out the back sliding door when I felt something soft brush up against my leg. "Holly fucking shit!" I said as I just about jumped three feet in the air. Turns out this girl has a cat. Pets are strange as dogs tend to be fearful and bark but cats seem to have no trouble seeing us. If fact they'll often stare at us for no reason. Maybe you had a cat stare off into a corner, maybe it was staring at me.

I reached down to pet it and noticed a name tag, "Boots." That worked for a black cat with some while on it's paws. "Hi Boots." I said softly giving it back scratches.

I heard the front door open again and someone else entered. Another girl walked in carrying her text book and shouted to the house "El? Where are you? Are we goanna study or not?" I herd no response from the girl I followed. New mystery girl sighed and muttered "She's probably got headphones on..." She then took off her boots and made her way up stairs.

I thought that this might be a place I can say, at least for the night. I could sleep down stairs on the couch and not disturb her. I'd be lying if I didn't want to see more of El, she clearly had enough money to afford this place by herself. Of coarse I didn't know that for sure but I wanted to justify it to my parents as to why I'd stay somewhere else... maybe for more than a night? I texted them (yes they're stolen phones shuh!) and let them know I might have found a closer place to stay.

Before I made my way up stairs I took off my shoes and left them in the basement laundry room. As soon as my skin wasn't touching them they popped into existence. At least that's what it would look like for a normal person. While yes I had socks on, there were intentional holes for my big toe so it could keep my shoes from looking like a ghost was walking around. Why doesn't the floor disappear when my feet touch it? Don't ask me, I don't know. I crept up the stairs to see what they were doing and went to the door, I herd talking behind. The door was closed over so I couldn't open it without arising suspicion. Lucky for me Boots had followed me up the stairs and opened the door for me.

El "Oh there you are boots! I was wondering why you didn't come up here."

Other girl "I love your cat! Are you going to get another one?"

El "Nope one's enough, why do you ask?"

Other girl "Well with your dating life, I wouldn't be surprised if you turned into a crazy cat lady!"

El replied somewhat forcefully "Very funny Amy. Remind me why I invited you over again?"

Amy "Because we need to study for the quiz tomorrow and you wanted me to keep you company since your roommate left? By the way I'm currently looking for a place, just saying."

El "Yea this house does feel less empty with you in it." Then she looked down at boots "And you too!" she gave them a good pet.

Amy "Well maybe we need to have a party here, introduce you to a couple of guys!"

El "I mean, maybe..."

Amy "It's settled then! A Halloween party at Eleanor's house tomorrow! Maybe I'll even invite Josh for you!"

Eleanor blushed a little "He's hot but I don't think I'd ever end up with him."

Amy "Who cares where you end up, I'm just trying to get a girl laid!"

I'll admit this was an interesting topic of conversation. Someone like me doesn't meet many others that can see me let alone others that are interested. I think it goes without saying I'm a virgin but boy have I seen my fair share of sex. Being invisible does have it's perks and being able to walk in the room when people are doing it has always been too tempting. BDSM, Old couples, one night stands, other people from the university, I've seen it all.

A Halloween party seems like a good opportunity to talk to Eleanor. For you see, Halloween is the one time of year where I can be seen. Not actually seen, but I can wear a costume with a mask, well, two masks cause the first turns invisible. Halloween was tomorrow so I'd have to find a party store and a costume soon. I went down stairs to look up stores and sleep on the couch.

The next morning, I woke up early and decided to get some PB&J from the kitchen. Eventually I will "grocery shop" and replace some of the food I'm eating, but for now it'll be fine. I looked around and noticed there wasn't much food, and all the bread was moldy anyways. Looks like Eleanor could use some fresh food, maybe I will get some sooner rather than later. It wasn't long after I finished some stale cereal when I herd the sound of a phone drop up stairs.

I quietly crept up to see what was going on and was pleasantly surprized that Boots had already opened the door for me. When I peered in I was greeted with a sight I never thought I'd see so soon, El was watching porn on her phone and rubbing her clit. My eyes widened as I stared at her hand tightly gripping herself rubbing in a circular pattern. I could barely see her face from this angle and without thinking opened the door further so I could step in. She stopped immediately and looked up. She looked right at me... Till she said "Dam cat freaking me out." And went back to it. Now in the room I could get closer. Looking at her was a thing of beauty, fairly fit body, c cup boobs I guess, tightly trimmed pubic hair. I mean, I think so, she's rubbing pretty fast now. I see her gasping as she continues to build. That's when I noticed a dildo that had fallen out, it was laying at her butt. I wondered if I could join and lightly grabbed the dildo with a gloved hand. She was moving her hips up and down as she rubbed herself. With each motion she made I raised the head closer to her opening. She must have felt it because she started to push against it. I herd an "Oh Fuck!" from her as the tip slipped in. Then she started to cum. I could see her pussy pulsate on the dildo as she came so I slipped it in a bit further. After some heavy breathing she started to relax and locked her phone.

El "I'm not sure how you did that dildo, but thanks. You just made my morning."

She got up and went to the bathroom before she got dressed. That was me, I made her morning. I'm sure that if I could be seen, I'd be blushing. I stood there in her room for a minute taking in the sights. She had some posters on the wall, some of bands, some medical. She had a small bed and a little desk on the opposite side of the room cluttered with text books. I started to walk over to see what they where when I herd her coming back in the room. I started to watch her get dressed, this always feels the strangest to me. Almost more intimate than sex, knowing that she's not expecting me to be watching her. She walked closer and reached for the top thee text books on the desk and I moved out of the way. Thank goodness that her hardwood floors don't seem to creek.

Then she started to move towards the door to go downstairs. I followed but ended up stepping on a loud creek on the floor. "Shit!" I thought. El stopped and whipped her head around then stared into the seemingly empty space. She frowned and continued back down the stairs. Most people are willing to brush off strange things they see or hear in order to get on with their lives. El's frown filled me with excitement and regret. It was exciting to be perceived after so much hiding away. I felt bad knowing she had to push past that. As we made our way down stairs I realized I made a huge mistake. I left one of the cupboard doors open I had taken the cereal out of.

Eleanor stopped dead in her tracks. Looking at the door then around the room.

El "I swear, if there are ghosts here they better piss off. The least you could do is make my coffee."

She then proceeded to start the coffee machine and stare into the room while she waited for it to make her "breakfast."

El "I guess if you were responsible for this morning you can stay. Just no more creepy shit."

She was right, I had done some creepy shit. I should have left then but I couldn't, I had to stay. Besides with the Halloween party tonight I could actually talk to her. Eleanor added some cream to her mug and started some more into the kitchen.

El "If you can make some ghost shit happen at the party tonight I might let you do a little more than stay."

She gave a smile then seemed to get uncomfortable and started packing up for another day of classes. "I don't even know why I agreed to this party, it's not like I have time to decorate." She mumbled to herself.

That was it, I could decorate the house for her while she was in classes. I could help her while she was away, earn my keep so to speak. After El left for classes I left for the grocery store. I brought a large bag I found in her basement. It has to be fairly big as I need a fair amount of stuff. Luckily there was a store near by that should have just about everything. I walked in and looked for a costume first. Eventually I found a green skin suit and a skeleton jump suit with a separate mask. The green suit would cover my entire body and the skeleton suit would be visible. A couple of gloves and a hood and I'd be good to go. Then I picked up some decorations and food and made my way to the door. It had those detectors that would probably go off. I waited for an old lady to be going through and went too. Sure enough it went off but the guard waved her through. Once I was back at El's house I threw up the decorations and stashed my costume in the laundry room.

After all that work I got bored and watched some TV, a dangerous task if you ask me as I had no idea when El was going to return home. That's when boots came to the couch and started looking for attention again. They eventually walked on my lap and laid down for some scratches a cuddles. After about 20 minuets I herd someone at the door. "FUCK!" I thought as I jumped up grabbing boots under my arm. As someone fiddled with the lock I found the remote and turned off the TV just before the door opened. Heart racing, I watched El come back in while removing her backpack. Halfway between taking it off and placing her backpack on the floor El looked right at me in horror.

El "BOOTS!"

I realized I was still holding the cat with a gloved hand meaning they're visible. To her it must have looked like Boots was floating mid air. I quickly (but gently) threw Boots to the couch beside me.

Amy came up behind Eleanor in the doorway "What happened? Did he bring you a mouse?"

El stood there in shock, she saw her cat levitating, just hanging there.

El "I... I thought I saw... It looked like Boots was floating for a second there."

Amy "Ohhh creeps! Black cats on Halloween are a special sort of magic!"

El "I guess... I mean it almost looked like..."

Amy "Could you stop being freaked out for a second here and help me bring in some stuff?"

El "Sure..."

Amy stopped before leaving and looked around. "I thought you said you didn't decorate?"

El "I didn't decorate." El looked around with Amy and also noticed the decorations I put up.

Amy "Well then, (In louder voice) We thank you ghosts!"

El looked like she was unsure of how much of a joke that was.

Amy "That's good then, it gives us more time to get ready. I'll get the costumes from my car."

El stood there in silence for a bit then said "Thanks for the decorations, maybe just keep the cat on the ground please."

Amy came back in and they went upstairs. Boots and I followed them into El's room where they stripped down to their underwear and started to put on their costumes. Amy dressed up as a sexy pirate, Eleanor put on a jumpsuit to look like a cat.

Amy "I thought we were going to choose sexy costumes to get laid."

El "I'm not worried about that."

Amy "In that suit I would be."

El "What happens happens. If you do find a cute guy there's an empty bed just down the hall."

The doorbell rang downstairs and the girls jumped up.

Amy "People are arriving!"

I watched them run downstairs and open the door. Over the next few minuets I watched a slow trickle of people flow through there. That's when I made my way downstairs to the basement laundry room to get dressed. I picked up the green suit as it popped out of existence to almost everyone but me and put it on. Then the skeleton costume over top with the gloves, hood, and separate mask. I looked like a regular person in a costume. I made my way up the stairs to see that the house had gotten quite full.

It was a strange surreal feeling having to push past people, normally I try and avoid all contact. I passed a girl I had seen in class dressed in a sexy witch costume to make my way to the kitchen. She gave me a strange stare as I passed as if to say "Who the fuck are you?" That's when I saw Amy in the kitchen talking to some guy I'd never seen before dressed in a cop costume. I looked around for Eleanor but couldn't see her. I decided to get some punch and ask Amy, while approaching someone else knocked over one of the chip bowls but I was able to catch it.

Amy "Nice save! And the BBQ ones too! Thanks..."

Me "Liam, I'm in my first year looking to meet some new people."

Amy "Well thanks again." She looked down at my drink and then at my face. "Looks like your goanna need a straw with that mask." She reached over to one of the drawers, pulled out a box, and handed me one."

Me "All right! Thanks Amy! BTW Where's the person who lives here?"

Amy "I think she went upstairs to put her cat away... Hey how'd you know my name?"

"Oh Shit" I thought and came up with a smooth line "I've seen you around!" Not technically lying. I left the kitchen before she could ask anymore questions. Next I went up stairs which was pretty dark with no lights turned on to find Eleanor chasing Boots in the hallway. Boots turned around and started running to the stairs. That's when I picked him up.

El "Oh thank you! He really didn't want to be locked in the spare bedroom!"

Me "No problem, right place right time I guess."

Boots seemed to recognise my sent and started to relax.

El "He seems to like you!"

I smiled and looked at Boots head on. Then I decided to be a little cheeky. I stood beside El and turned my arms so the skeleton print was against Boots. You could barely see my arms but still make out Boot's silhouette.