"the stars will go out

It was the night of the Gala.

And the blue dress I was supposed to wear tonight, the one that I bought exactly for this night, was seriously not my size.

I couldn't fucking believe it.

I was going to cancel my plans.

"Lia, you are not cancelling your plans," Nora stated, hands on her hips as she glared at me.

Currently, Mum, Nora and Helen were all in my room, watching me panicking the shit out of myself.

"I can't!" I rose my hands up in the air, causing them to somehow make one of Nora's opened nail polishes to tumble down the dresser and onto my dress. Hey, but it couldn't get any worse now, could it?

I looked up and my look of horror matched both Nora's and Mum's.

"You just ruined your dress." Helen snorted, shaking her head.

I slumped down on the floor, my face bare of any makeup (unlike Nora's), and my hair all straight and falling just past my shoulders.

"Okay, this is a disaster." I held my face in my hands, trying not to touch the big smudge of red nail polish on my dress. "Can I start crying now? This seems like the perfect moment to start crying."

"Oh God, you're pathetic." Helen groaned before stomping out of my room.

Nora started pacing around in her sparkly red dress, which frankly looked too hot on her. She looked just as beautiful as I looked horrible. "I may have a spare. But we'll have to go back to my house,0 then back here because all of our stuff is here." She rambled, clearly stressing out more than me.

Mum, on the other hand, looked over at me in concern. "Oh, sweetie," she placed a hand over my shoulder. "Maybe you should get up from the floor and--"

"There you fucking go." Helen appeared in my bedroom again, only this time she had a beautiful, really beautiful, dress in her hands.

No, it was stunning, I realised as I stared at the long silvery grey dress. Even Mum was left stunned, not even caring that Helen just used the f-word.

"Holy fuck, where have you been hiding this beauty?" Nora screamed and grabbed the dress from her, staring at it with wide eyes.

Mum ignored the f-word again. She was smiling widely, clapping her hands together. "Oh, that's the dress Helen wore to her Gala."

"And you're giving it to me?" I asked her, a little alarmed.

"Well, either I do that or hear your pathetic sobs echoing in this house." She rolled her eyes. I saw the way she was trying to hide her smile. "Also, this dress might go well with that necklace of yours."

She wasn't wrong. I nearly threw my arms around her when I tried on the dress, which strangely fit me all too well. And God, it really was beautiful. So soft as it hugged my skin, with small silver gems all over its bodice. I didn't even care about the spaghetti straps of the dress or the low neckline as the silver necklace Alastair had gifted me on my birthday rested snug against my skin.

"Don't you dare hug me," Helen said.

"So fucking hot!" Nora jumped up and down in her heels. "I wish I was your date tonight."

Mum was the same with the compliments, planting approximately five kisses on my face before letting me go. I was smiling so wide by the end, my cheeks hurt a little.

Once we were done with the little makeup and styling my hair into soft waves--all thanks to Nora--Nora left all dressed up to her house since her mom had demanded to take the pictures herself.

Mum didn't seem to mind since she herself had the family camera in her hands, ready to snap some pictures right as Alas showed up.

I quickly walked to the front door--alone--when the doorbell rang, ready to warn and lecture him about my really embarrassing mother, and opened it. Only to stop dead in my tracks and spend a really long moment to take in the sight before me. Alastair in a black suit.

Clearly, he was going to get a lot of stares today. And more than half of them might just be from me alone.

"Oh God, am I gonna be the ugly date to the really hot guy tonight?" I wrapped my arms around myself with a grin, not even caring that I was full-on ogling at him.

When I found his eyes, he was already staring at me with that breathtaking smile on his face. Then he leaned a little closer and I was secretly glad that he did. I was almost already dead-freezing out here.

"We can skip the Gala too," He suggested and his eyes seemed as dark as the sky above. "And then I'll convince you that you're anything but ugly."

A breathy laugh escaped my lips. I would've probably kissed him or said something in response but then I heard Mum calling me out.

"Mum's coming." I pointed out in a rush, pulling away. "Be ready to get embarrassed."

It was a rush of pictures and some more pictures, and Mum nearly shedding a few tears for absolutely no fucking reason, and Helen making that annoying face at Mum, and Alastair laughing like it was no big deal.

Right about the end, when we really had no more time to waste, I handed Helen my polaroid camera since Mum was still too busy gushing over the pictures she took, and stood outside with Alastair as Helen snapped one last picture.

This one, I realised, would be one of the polaroids I'll always cherish.

When Mum and Helen finally waved us goodbyes and when Alastair and I started making our way towards his car, he stopped me from opening the door and pressed me back against it. And then he cupped either side of my face and kissed me.

I overcame the surprise rather quickly and kissed him back, pressing closer and sliding my hands under his suit jacket, lips moving and needy. "Wow, I guess you really are eager to skip the Gala." I eyed him with a grin when he pulled back.

He blinked once, the grey in his eyes looking darker, and chased my lips for another kiss. He kissed me hungrily, deeply, his hand sliding into my hair. "That," he whispered lowly into my ear, "and you look so fucking beautiful. I can't help it."

I smiled a little shyly when he looked at me. "Well, you don't look so bad yourself," I whispered, my fingers trailing up to curl around the back of his neck.

He smiled and dipped his head against my neck, placing a soft, warm kiss there. "So I've been told." I laughed softly and his hands gripped my waist, tugging me closer as he left another open-mouthed kiss near my throat this time. "You know, I'll be honest, I can't bloody wait to get this stunning dress off of you."

I felt my face heating up and he pulled away, his eyes on my necklace, his fingers softly holding the pendant. I shivered a little when his cold knuckles brushed against my collarbone.

"You're too beautiful for me, Ophelia." He whispered.

I looked up at him and smiled. Since I was wearing heels and nearly matched his height, I rose just a little on my toes and pressed a soft, long kiss on his cheek. "And you for me, Alas."

Then I shivered again, probably because of the cold this time, and Alastair, being the kind gentleman he was, took off his suit jacket and pulled me closer to place it over my shoulders.

I smiled up at him and he smiled down at me, placing a soft kiss on my forehead. "Let's go then."

******

The college management had rented out one of the halls near the beach, which firstly, not a great spot (but that was just me), and secondly, was right beside one of the oldest, most abandoned hotels in the whole of this city.

It all gave me a pretty creepy vibe.

Still, I ignored it for the sake of my friends--who crowded Alastair and I almost immediately--and my really hot date.

"You guys," Nora pointed an index finger at me, then at Alastair, "are the hottest couple out here. Sorry but," she hiccuped and the poor guy beside her, her date for the night, had to hold her from toppling over on the floor. "You guys are my OTP."

I almost laughed at her drunken self.

"And mine!" Steph piped in. She looked absolutely gorgeous in her champagne-coloured dress.

Tara did too, in her dark purple silk gown. "Why are you all not drunk yet? I thought this was a party!"

And soon, all of us were drunk. Well, except for me. Alastair didn't either due to his history with such drinks and the fact that he'd be the one driving later.

Overall, the night went amazing. Not once did I cross paths with Noah or Spencer or any of their friends. The entire hall was decorated with beautiful lights and chandeliers and tulips. I could see the red tulip petals everywhere. It was a beautiful sight.

When Alastair pulled me on the dance floor for a slow dance, I had to agree because he was smiling and looked so happy and carefree and I needed him like that. We danced and laughed and kissed and it was all so perfect.

Then as Nora stumbled next to me and I steered her towards one of the chairs before she threw up all over herself, Alastair's phone rang and he excused himself.

Which should've been fine. Except that he didn't return after a handful of seconds. Or minutes. Or the next hour or so either.

He didn't return at all.

I sat there beside Nora, looking around a little worriedly as the time passed by, trying to spot his face amongst the crowd. He hadn't left me a text either. Just the words I'll be back in a few before he had left.

"I should go see where he is," I told Nora once I made sure she had drunk enough water to sober up a little. She gave me a thumbs up and I stood up, trying to weave my way through the crowd and not topple over in my heels.

My feet ached a little by the time I reached the end of the hallway, still looking around, and still unable to search for Alastair. His jacket was still around my shoulders and I gripped it tightly as I stepped out of the hall and into the cold night.

I took out my phone and called him.

He left to receive a call, I thought. Whose call was it? Was it his aunt? Did she tell him something to make him leave so urgently without saying anything to me?

When the line rang and rang, busy on the other end, I hung up and looked around.

I was about to head back inside the hall, right when I spotted him. Or someone who looked exactly like him, familiar by the back of his white shirt. I figured it was Alastair since he was the only one here who wasn't wearing a tie. And then he started walking across the parking lot.

So I followed him.

As he crossed the street, his head angling towards the side just a little, I recognised his face even more and quickened my pace to catch up to him. "Alas!"

He didn't seem to hear me. I frowned a little when I noticed how much in a rush he seemed in as he darted past the street and into the first alleyway.

Gripping his suit jacket tighter around me, I followed him and the harsh cold wind blew my hair right into my face and into my mouth. For one second, I nearly missed him. But the next second, he was there and walking towards the nearest building.

I recognised it as the abandoned hotel and that creeped the fuck out of me.

I stopped momentarily and stared up at the looming structure. Why was Alastair going in there? More importantly, why did he seem in such a rush?

This time, I couldn't run up to him since the inside of the building was rather crumbling and falling apart. And heels really didn't seem to be the right shoes for an adventure like this.

With my hands pressed against the walls on either side of me, I stepped over fallen plaster and debris and followed Alastair's silhouette inside the building.

I don't know how long we walked but at one point, I just stopped and had to catch my breath. "Alas, where the hell are you going?" I shouted into the darkness.

He didn't reply. Shivering now, I looked around and nearly missed his shadow running towards the end of the crumbling hallway, that led out into the open, and straight towards the sea.

I took a few unsure steps forward. And I also ended up twisting my ankle thanks to my high heels, nearly falling down if I hadn't gripped onto the metal railing around me.

"Ouch." I hissed, managing to tear the end of my dress along a loose nail on the wall as well and scrape my leg in the process. "Fucking hell."

Helen would kill me when she sees this.

Stumbling and tripping towards the end of the hallway, I stumbled onto the dry sand of the beach, a little glad that I was out of that creepy darkness.

The sea and the sound of the crashing waves didn't really help the rush of adrenaline within me. Then I took off my heels and sighed in relief before looking around for Alastair.

Only that he was nowhere now.

I turned around and tried looking everywhere. But he was nowhere.

"Alas?" I whispered and gazed at the empty sea in front of me, frowning.

And then I nearly got a heart attack when I heard someone behind me. "Ophelia!"

I turned around with wide eyes, a hand over my heart when I saw Alastair running towards me. Then he was gripping my arms. "What in the bloody hell are you doing? I was calling out your name but you were running away like crazy! Are you all right? Why would you not listen to me?"

I blinked, confused, and only managed out a, "what?"

"You were running towards the sea like your life depended on it!" He gripped my arms a little tighter and I recognised the wild look in his eyes. He looked scared.

"I was..." I trailed off when I looked around. The sea did seem closer. "I was just following you. You were in front of me. Is this...supposed to be a joke?"

It was his turn to be confused now. "You were following me." He repeated my words, staring into my eyes like I had grown two heads.

"Yeah."

"But I was back there in the hall when I saw you walking away." He said, frowning now.

I opened my mouth, then closed it shut. A small nervous laugh escaped my lips. "Okay, maybe you're pranking me. Was it Nora? Did she or Tara or Steph force you to prank me? That's so not cool, Alas."

His frown deepened. "Ophelia, I'm not lying. Andrea called and I couldn't get the signals in the middle of the hall. But I was right there near the doors."

You weren't, I wanted to say. "You were across the parking lot and then you started rushing inside that building behind you and I followed you here." My eyes were wide. "Are you trying to freak me out on purpose?"

"I'm not..." He trailed off, his eyes on me. "Why would I do that? Why would I run into that bloody building?"

"I don't know." My voice fell to a scared whisper. "I swear to you, Alas, I really saw you. I saw your face. I tried calling out your name but you didn't reply. And then you disappeared right...here. And I followed you out here to the sea."

He paled a little. Or maybe it was just the moonlight. "Don't say that."

"No, but I'm not lying."

"You're telling me that you saw someone who looked just like me, and I was leading you into the sea." He let go of my arms, but then gripped them again, almost as if scared I might blow away. "You'd have drowned! Have you even seen how bad the tide is right now?"

Sure enough, I noticed how harsh the waves were, crashing violently around us. I would've drowned.

Suddenly, my mouth went dry. "I don't..." I stepped a little closer towards him, my hand reaching out to touch the softness of his white button-up. He felt plenty real. "I don't understand. I swear it was you I saw."

He waited a few seconds before pulling me into his arms, closer and closer until I was pressed against him and he had his arms around me. I noticed how his heart was beating as wildly as my own.

"What if I hadn't seen you running towards the sea?" He whispered, more to himself than to me, and I noticed that he still sounded scared.

I was too, so I hugged him back. Then I glanced over at the sandy spot where I had followed him just minutes ago, the Alastair who had seemed in a rush to get here, the Alastair who hadn't looked back even once. The Alastair who hadn't seen me.

That's when I noticed something sticking out of the wet sand. Something small and dark.

I tried pulling away from Alas, but he held on, still too scared.

"I see something there," I told him, placing my hands on his arms.

"What?" He held onto me, frowning. He glanced over at the sea then back at me. "Ophelia, there's nothing--"

"Come with me." I gripped his hand and tugged onto it, slowly walking towards the sand ahead of us and he followed.

"Ophelia," he sounded reluctant.

But as I reached the spot, my eyes rounded in sudden familiarity as I picked up the object halfway buried in the sand. Then I turned around and showed it to Alastair.

His eyes slowly widened a little too.

"It's the cassette," I whispered, and I recognised it. I had spent days staring at it in my room. I'd recognise this one anywhere. "The one with the melody Cass taught you."

And somehow, amidst the whole horror of it, I realised that it hadn't been him that led me here to the sea. I looked up at Alastair and the way his face paled told me that he was thinking the exact same.

It wasn't Alastair who had seemed in a rush as I followed him here just moments ago.

They looked so much alike. But that hadn't been Alastair at all.

----------

what if ghosts are real and all around us?

Crystal Xx.