Phantom [h.s]

Twelve

I fall asleep in the car on the drive home. Something about the long drive and my parents waking me up earlier than my body is used to just made me crash.

"Jane, we have arrived at our destination, which is home, as the nice lady on your mother's cellular phone just told us."

I groan at my father's odd wake up call. "Couldn't you have just told me we were home, like a mildly normal father would have?"

"Negative. I am not a mildly normal father." He grins at me.

I drag myself out of the car, rubbing my eyes and scowling at my father.

Harry told me to meet him in the clearing, so I duck around the house and head down the path. About halfway there I break into a jog, my feet hitting the forest floor. Birds chirp and the sun beams down from above. I feel my hair fly back with the wind, and it's an exhilarating sensation.

I slow my pace when I reach the clearing.

However, when I look around, the meadow is empty. Not even the family of rabbits from the other day are in sight.

"Harry?" I call, but no one answers.

Where is he? He told me he'd meet me here.

I trudge back up the path, disappointed.

I go to my room once I get back into the house.

I open the door, and sure enough, Harry is still sitting in my room, the same place I left him. He looks so calm and content reclining on my in pillows, his face relaxed and his eyes closed lightly.

His eyes fly open when the door clicks shut behind me.

"Sorry," I say.

"It's alright."

I shift my weight. "Were you..sleeping?"

He lets out a dry laugh. "No, I was just seeing if maybe I could...you know, sleep this time."

"No luck?"

He shakes his head. "Haven't slept since I was alive. Which is ironic, since most people think of death as a deep, everlasting sleep."

"But you don't feel physically tired, do you?"

"No. I do miss dreaming, though."

He smiles wanly.

"I ran into Jenna at the farmers' market," I say, changing the subject.