Diary of a Ghost

March 10, 1978

"Felix!" Sophie called from the top of the stairs, "Can you help me with this?"

    He got off the couch and went upstairs, going to help Sophie zip up her dress. It felt weird, bittersweet, that it wasn't Rosemary doing this for her. It was all Felix's fault that Sophie's prom was going to be the way it was. She would have fun, of course, with her friend, Jenny, but Jack and Rose were missing it. There would be no silly pictures with her parents, no stern talk to the male date (not that Sophie had one) from Jack on the drive there. Nothing.

    "Oh Felix, don't cry," Sophie turned to him, hugging him. She looked and sounded like her mother, "I'm not leaving you just yet."

    "No, no, Soph," he hiccuped and wiped his tears away with the back of his hand, "I'm just... you look like your mother."

    "Do I?" She smiled.

    He nodded and kissed her forehead, "Uhm... when's Jenny supposed to get here?"

    Sophie checked the clock on her vanity, "10 minutes. Her dad's going to drive us."

    "Okay," Felix smiled at her, "Are you all ready to go?"

    "Just need to finish doing my hair, and then I'll be ready."

--

    Jenny picked Sophie up at exactly 5:45pm. She drove a Buick, the newest model of whatever it was, with pastel pink paint. Sophie found it adorable, and had dressed to match. She wore one of her aunt's old dresses (Uncle Felix had been... less than thrilled), baby pink with no sleeves and a wide skirt that she had trouble fitting into Jenny's passenger seat. Jenny was wearing a suit with a pink tie, and heels, her hair all done up in curls. In the dying light of the afternoon sun, Sophie was struck by how beautiful her friend was.

    "Get in, Soph! We've got a party to get to!" She grinned at her and laughed as Sophie jumped into the car, waving goodbye to Felix, who stood nervously in the doorway. He smiled and waved at them until they lost sight of him.

    "Was that your dad?" Jenny asked as they turned onto the main road. Sophie shook her head.

    "No... no, uhm... my dad and mom disappeared when I was in middle school. That's my uncle, Felix."

    Jenny was quiet for a second, "Sorry if that brought up any bad memories."

    "It's alright, Jen! You didn't know," Sophie patted her arm, "Oh, and thanks for driving me to the banquet hall. Uncle Felix actually doesn't have a car."

    "Isn't he like... an important businessman?"

    "Yeah," Sophie chuckled, "But he gets up every morning and bikes to the bus station in town. The one out here doesn't go by where he works."

    They talked a little bit more as they sped through the middle of Saint Juana's forest, but Sophie mostly looked at the sunset over the trees.

    She felt like someone was watching her from the underbrush as they passed by that little sideroad that everyone said led to an old nuclear bunker. Then Sophie blinked and they were at the banquet hall in the middle of downtown Brighton. Jenny parked, getting out of the car to help Sophie out.

    "M'lady," Jenny offered her elbow to her friend, who took it, a grin on her face, her cheeks tinged red.

    The venue was beautiful, decorated in an admittedly wonderful theme, "Butterfly Garden." There were paper butterflies hung from the ceiling, and flowers (both fake and real), everywhere. Sophie had to take a moment just to look around before letting Jenny drag her to the snack table.