Finished

Chapter 16 – Nice to meet you

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Chapter 16.1 – The new resident

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She had expected Vincent to open the door when she rang the bell. After all, she did notify him that she was coming. Not that he needed it anymore, not now his mental powers had grown so much. He could easily feel her arrival before she would announce it and open the door even before she would ring the bell. It might have been Nicole, his sister, who lived here as well. But she didn't expect the door to be opened by an unknown brunette, dressed in a white blouse and a dark blue skirt.

"Oh, hello Jenny, please come in,"

she said happily.

Jenny hesitated for a moment, but entered the house after the girl moved aside.

"Um ... have we met before?"

"No, I don't think we have been introduced yet. But I've seen you around. My name is –"

"Hey Jenny!" Vincent greeted when he came around the corner from the kitchen. "I see you've met Charissa. She's our new tenant."

"Tenant? But ... this isn't a dorm. This is

your

house. How come you have a new

tenant

?"

"Uh ... that's a long story, Jen. For now, I'll introduce you to her."

She followed him to the living room and sat down in one of the seats. Vincent and the girl sat down on the couch.

"Well, this is Charissa," Vincent said. "We've met shortly after we've moved in here and we'd become friends soon afterwards. She's in need of a place to stay and we opted that she could get a room here. As you can see, she accepted."

"Well, that's a surprise. I didn't know you even

took

tenants in."

Vincent chuckled. "Neither did I, but well, sometimes things just happen." His tone grew more serious when he said: "You can trust her. She knows pretty much everything that has happened. She knows about our mindlink, she knows about telepathy. She even helped us in the warehouse."

"Wait – but I don't remember

seeing

her in that warehouse and I was

there

. Or is that another of those memories that were wiped clean? I thought you restored everything?"

"Oh, we did. Everything that happened, whatever you saw we had restored. But Charissa's ... a bit different," he said mysteriously. "Charis, would you give her a demonstration?"

She nodded and stood up, walking over to Jenny and offering her an extended hand. Jenny looked at it, mystified, then up to the face of the girl who was still only smiling knowingly, then looked back at the hand again. She took it – and didn't find anything. Her hand went through the extended hand completely.

What the hell? My hand went completely

through

hers.

She looked up and the girl was still smiling the same smile. Jenny was flabbergasted.

She tried again – with the same results. The third time she got an actual hold of the hand and Charissa shook it. Jenny looked over to Vincent with question marks in her eyes when the girl dropped the handshake.

"She's a ghost."

"She – whut?" Jenny brought out. "A

ghost

?"

"Yeah. I know that's hard to take in, but she's an actual ghost. It's the reason why you hadn't seen her before in the warehouse, but she was there. It's been only a few days since she has managed to make herself visible enough to put herself on display like this. Otherwise I'd have introduced you guys before.

You okay?"

Jenny was looking at the girl ludicrously. Then she smiled.

"A ghost. My, my, after everything we've gone through and this is what you hold out on me? Damn you, Vincent. You realize

I am

the one with the paranormal fetish, eh?"

"You accepted that easier than I thought," he admitted. "I was afraid you'd freak out – like Nicole and I did the first time."

"Don't underestimate me, buster. I've been into paranormal stuff since I could

walk

. This is like being thrown into Nirvana, man. Where did you

find

her?"

"I'm not exactly a rare species, Jenny,"

Charissa giggled.

"But I've been roaming the neighbourhood here for a while and sometimes I dropped by here. I didn't really have a place to stay, so when Vincent took actual notice of me, I was really happy."

"We managed to talk a bit to each other and after a while I started to

see

her, the way you do with a ghost – see-through and all. I was the only one being able to see her for some reason – I still don't know why – and we became friends. After that, she lingered here most of the time, technically making her a resident of the house."

"Ever since, Vincent has helped me out with all kinds of stuff and eventually we tried to see if I could make myself more visible and more solid, so he wouldn't be the only one who could see me. A few days ago that finally bore fruit, so here I am! Fully visible and I can even touch you! I'm so happy to finally meet you, other than just see you."

"Wow," Jenny spoke in awe, before her eyes narrowed. "So I guess you already had sex by now?"

Vincent's smile disappeared as if he had been punched in the gut. Charissa's was beaming though, until she realized she was giving it away. Jenny sighed.

"I had imagined things would get to this after our event with Nicole, but really? Sex with a ghost?" Jenny said. "If I wasn't so elated about the fact that I'm seeing a ghost, I would be pretty damn angry by now, you know. How many other people did you have sex with while dating me?"

Vincent felt himself very small right now, now the cat was out of the box.

"Umm ... Nicole, Charissa and Talitha – although that doesn't really count because she forced me to break it off with you. Uh. And Larissa, I guess."

"You really have a broad view on the idea of dating someone, haven't you?" Jenny sighed.

He didn't dare say anything. He figured whatever he said he'd merely dig a deeper hole for himself.

Jenny threw her hands up in the air before she resumed her position and looked at him.

"After you had sex with Nicole I was watching that without feeling any real jealousy, I thought it was because of it being Nicole. I knew you've had sex with Talitha and I didn't get too angry about that because you explained how she had altered your mind to accept her as your girlfriend.

But you were fucking around even

more

? Seriously, why do you even

need

a girlfriend if you're sticking your dick in everyone else?"

He didn't speak. He didn't even dare look at her because he knew she was right.

Jenny was still sitting where she had sat down before, but now she had put one leg over the other and with crossed arms she was eyeing Vincent. Charissa felt very uncomfortable and didn't know where to look. She wondered if it was her fault that Jenny was angry at him, but then again, the sex was incredible. She couldn't wait to do it again, but she had enough sense to realize that he

did

have a girlfriend and that having sex with him wasn't exactly the nicest thing to do for Jenny. So guilt tormented her heart. And she wondered why she had allowed him to have sex with her in the first place, since she knew of Jenny even before Vincent had managed to see her. And she sure knew early on how she had become his girlfriend. So the question remained ... why?

It had been silent for a while now, until Jenny stood up. She lingered for a bit, looking down on these two and then left the house. And once again it became silent.

Eventually Vincent spoke: "I'm sorry, Charissa. I didn't know this would happen. It's supposed to be a happy day since you're now living with us as a tenant. I didn't want to wreck it this say, sorry."

"It doesn't matter,"

Charissa shook her head.

"I'm partly responsible for her getting angry after all. I knew you guys before you knew me. I knew about your relationship even before you admitted it to anyone else. Yet I still ended up having sex with you. I

blame

myself for letting me go that far, making me feel like I've intentionally tried to split you up. I should've known better.

I will go and apologize to her later. She deserves that. I'm obliged to do so. Now that she can see me and we can talk, I should do this like a real human and apologize."

"You don't need to – " he started, but Charissa cut him off.

"I do. I've only been fully visible for a mere few hours now. If I want to have a shot at

feeling human

I need to do this. And I don't want to be the cause for you two to break it up. You guys don't deserve to be split apart, the way how Talitha did it before. You just don't."

"It's more

my

fault anyway. I haven't slept only with you, but also with Nicole and Talitha. I mean, if I really loved her, I wouldn't be doing that, would I? There is something wrong with

me

for having sex with multiple other women while I should be focusing on my own woman. So if anyone should apologize, it should be me."

"That's true. But that doesn't mean I won't. In fact, I'll go right now. I'll be back."

Charissa made herself invisible to his eye – he hadn't seen that for a while now – and let herself drift through the door, to where Jenny was going.

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Chapter 16.2 – Pondering

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He knew how much she dreaded having to go through doors like a ghost. She had been working so hard to be able to become visible, to be able to touch things. She was elated when she was able to open a door and move through it like she used to be able to – like how

living humans

did. Going through the old way – it told him about how she felt about things. She was repenting in her own way.

His face was grim. He felt he had lost Jenny because he had been thinking with his dick. And worst of all, he thought that she was right. There was no reason to excuse him, to forgive him. He had screwed around, even with his own sister. And he was still wondering why. Sure, he loved her, but he had never thought of her as someone to have sex with. And that had changed recently.

Vincent had been proud of his ethics. He had always believed that when you had a girlfriend, a fiancee or a wife, you should be sticking to that woman for life – or until it didn't work out after all. But you should always be fair to each other. That was his motto, the one he had preached to his friends when he had caught

them

cheating. And now he was doing it himself. He should be ashamed of himself.

And that's the whole thing,

he reminded himself.

It's not

me

. I've always been the faithful one, always the do-gooder when it came to relationships. So why am I doing this?

I should've been disgusted with myself for screwing my sister. Not even have I never seen her as a lust object – well, that's not entirely true, but I was younger then and everything with a cunt was interesting – but I've never been into incest. Yet I'm not disgusted with myself. I

know

it was wrong, purely by rationalizing I understand that it was wrong, despicable. But I'm not

feeling

it.

The same thing with Charissa. I know I shouldn't have had sex with her because I have Jenny, but it didn't

feel

wrong. Moreover, it

still

doesn't even when I think back and wonder if I would do it all over again. What is

wrong

with me?

But it started dawning on him that these things might have a connection with another incident he was in.

It feels too much of a coincidence for them not to be connected. I mean, she has been messing with my mind before. I've also been hospitalized – I've been braindead for a while too and Talitha was technically an amateur when she had fixed me up. Who knows what she has done which could trigger this unethical stuff I've been doing?

The problem is, even if I confront her with it, she wouldn't know if I was right. She had said that she did things on trial and error, so if she has done something wrong, she wouldn't know that. And Kevin said it wasn't his department either. Perhaps I should ask him whose department it is then. See if I can get myself a bit of a mind-scan to see what's

off

.

He didn't really want to think about if it turned out that there wasn't

anything

wrong.

* * * * * * * * * *

Chapter 16.3 – The Girlfriend and the Ghost

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Jenny had already reached her apartment ere Charissa had overtaken her, but she tought it was for the better. She didn't want to talk to her in public anyway, because she wasn't that confident in keeping herself visible for a longer period. She knew she could – she had proved it a few times now, but this was once again a very demanding day for her.

Besides, telepathy and ghosts weren't exactly subjects which should be discussed out on the streets. She was pretty sure that Jenny had a similar mindset about that. So when she approached her, it was only after Jenny had closed the door behind her – Charissa passing through same said door invisibly.

"Jenny?"

she said after she had made herself visible again, hopeful of the conversation she wanted to initiate.

"Charissa?" Jenny whirled around, showing surprise – but it was replaced with relief soon enough. "Sorry for that little argument back there. I didn't want to push all the blame on you, but it seems like you must've felt it like that."

"You're not to blame. After all, I

did

have sex with your boyfriend, despite knowing he was already taken. If there is any blame to take, I definitely should be blamed. I came here to apologize to you, if you would allow me."

She waved it away with her hand and kicked off her shoes, leaving them unorganized on the ground near the door.

"I'm not angry at you. To be honest, I'm not angry at Vincent either, although I really feel I should be. I realized that back there and got annoyed at myself. So I decided I should take my leave and figure out what's wrong, because I

know

I'm not the type of girl who can simply accept when her boyfriend cheats on her. It's not in my nature; I'm one of these girls who would kick his ass for doing so. Yet, I haven't. And that worries me."

"You're ... not mad at me?"

"I'm not. It surprises me more than you, really. So, don't feel bad about it and have a seat. If you are gonna live there, I'd rather be friends with you than having you avoid me. So, let's talk for a bit?"

The ghost girl nodded and strode to the couch nearby. Jenny noticed how the girl was sitting in a formal way, as if she was visiting a government institute rather than a friend. She smiled at that little detail.

"Do you

want

to be friends with me?" she asked, suddenly unsure about how this girl felt about her.

"I do!"

the ghost exclaimed and her posture changed to amplify it. She was leaning forward now, intent on making Jenny understand.

"I've been watching you and Vincent for a long time and I really felt close to you, like you were already a friend – only one who couldn't see me. I was afraid you wouldn't like me being there."

Jenny chuckled – an emotion she really shouldn't be displaying now considering how she should be feeling really angry – and it annoyed her once again.

"Well, aside of our mutual friendship with Vincent, I've always been a sucker for the paranormal. I think I've wanted to see a ghost ever since I was seven years old or so. Actually seeing one right now is making me feel all giddy, to be honest. So my apologies if I eye you sometimes like a newly gained toy."

This time Charissa chuckled.

"Whatever you want to know, just ask away. I'm sorry if I might not be able to satisfy your curiosity, because I feel like I've not been an actual ghost – not the way how they usually are being portrayed."

Jenny had sat down in one of the chairs and furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"

"Vincent and I had discussed it once before, but while I'm obviously dead, I don't really encounter many other ghosts. If I'm a ghost, I should've met plenty of other ghosts here with the same fate. Yet, in the past year or so I've only met

two

, both who scurried away from me whenever I approached them. It's like I'm not a full ghost or so, perhaps only a partial spirit.

Also, I don't

feel

dead. I still have my human affinities. I still feel the need to be loved, to love, to watch my tv-shows, to eat a delicious chocolate bar. I still feel uncertain, insecure like when I was still alive. Those aren't particular properties of a ghost depicted in literature."

"Hah. You probably have read only the H.P. Lovecraft ones or so," Jenny laughed. "There have been more stories about ghosts than you think. It isn't all

Ghostbusters

and

Poltergeist

, there have also been stories about ghosts who have lingered due to a particular romance or so. One of my favorites was that movie with Patrick Swayze:

Ghost

. It told about a man who lingered around his true love and she eventually noticed that he was still there.

So you see, it isn't only hauntings and evil ghosts display, it's just that most people believe to. If you can't see someone, yet you feel that there is something around you and it is giving you evidence by knocking things over or displacing objects, most people would feel it's malicious. People are ignorant and the thing people are most scared of is the big unknown. It's part of how the entire 'horror' genre came into place."

"That's ... comforting, actually."

Charissa admitted.

"Thank you for giving me some relief."

Jenny smiled wickedly. "Relief? Which reminds me ... did you enjoy the sex?"

"You've got to be kidding!"

she cried out, crossing her arms in front of her chest, as if Jenny was looking into her heart with a special device.

"I thought you weren't angry at me for that?"

Jenny held up her arms. "I'm not. I'm just ... curious." She scratched her head for a moment, looking into the distance. "There have been a few guys I've had sex with, but with Vincent ... it's like it's ... special. Like there is some sort of

extra

when we have sex. He's not

doing

anything special, but it

feels

like he does.

Considering how you generally can't discuss this with anyone else who has sex with him, I have myself a special case here. You've had sex with him and we're not on bad terms. So I'd wondered if you felt the same way I did. And yeah, I know, it's a weird question. But that's me all over – doing silly things."

"It's not really a question of whether he's doing anything special ... I just haven't had sex before Vincent. I was a virgin before he made love to me."

"Seriously? You died before you got laid?" Jenny blurted out. "Wait. Stop. That came out wrong."

Charissa smiled.

"Don't apologize. People die. Some before they have reached their goals, other afterwards. I think I wasn't one of the lucky ones, seeing how I'm officially still only a few days short of my eighteenth year. Which was a little over a year ago."

"I'm merely stunned about how you've managed to keep your cherry intact for that long. I sure didn't manage to avoid having sex for that long. I think I've lost my virginity back when I was 16 or so. If you don't count that giant dildo I've been using. And you're way prettier than I was at that age – fuck me, you're the same age I am if you count the time you've floated around. You're nineteen and you look like you're not even 17. If I were a lesbian, I'd have raped you on the spot myself."

Charissa laughed, but Jenny saw her cheeks turn red. She thought it adorable. This girl was a beauty. Her dark brown hair, only slightly wavy – just enough to give it volume without making it thick – her deep brown eyes, that petite nose. She could easily understand why Vincent would want to fuck her. Too easily, actually. She could almost see him standing behind her, cupping her breasts and sticking his dick in her pussy. She shook off the image. Right now it was girl time.