"I WANT TO DIE," Theresa sighed, voice quiet enough so only she could catch it.

Delilah had known her roommate for one day now and yet the girl had shown so many different moods that she was now sure they would be best friends forever. They were sitting in their first lesson, Introduction to Astronomy, and yet she felt like she had no idea what her professor was talking about. He was going for two hours already with no break, Theresa having given up an hour and a half ago.

"I know it's the first day," Theresa whispered," but this class makes me think of dropping out."

"It'll be fine," Delilah promised her, squeezing her hand happily," we'll do a study session tonight before the eclipse, I have some calming tea which is infused with special herbs."

"Weed?" Theresa said with wide eyes.

"Care to explain to the rest of the class what's so interesting that you're interrupting me?"

Theresa's gaze snapped to the front, slightly panicked, but Delilah could only focus on the ghost who came through the wall behind the professor. The guy started scanning the room determinedly, before shouting, the sermon her professor was giving them drowning out behind his voice.

"Is there a Delilah here?" he said," I heard there's someone who can see ghosts and wants to help us around here." He floated to the front row, coming close to the students there as he waved his hand in front of their faces. "Hello? Is it you?"

She stood up, offering the professor an apologetic smile as she took her bag, the ghost's eyes flicking up to her.

"Can I be excused?" she said," I need to go to the toilet for a second."

"Hey!" Theresa whispered at her, grabbing her sleeve before she could leave," I almost forgot to say because you distracted me with the weed tea thing, but we can't do a study session tonight. There's a frat party to start the year off, we'll be going -"

The ghost's face popped up right in front of her, so close she could count his eyelashes. "Are you Delilah?"

"Yes," she replied, Theresa immediately flashing a bright smile at her.

"Alright!" the ghost grinned," it took me so long to find you. Okay, so I have this close friend of mine, we kind of left things rough before I passed -"

She didn't say anything else, instead walking out of the room as the ghost followed behind, continuing his story. Halfway through he was suddenly pushed back, Mateo having appeared out of nowhere, a frown on his face. They were about to get into a fight when Delilah stepped in between, unable to touch them but letting her gaze speak for itself.

"What are you doing, Mateo?" she asked gently, looking at his brooding face," I thought you were wandering the campus."

"I was," he said," so you could get to focus completely on your lesson. I know how much you've been looking forward to this, Delilah, so this guy can wait for a moment before you do anything for him."

"Who are you to say something?" the ghost frowned," I don't remember asking you."

Mateo raised an eyebrow at him, before letting a smile make it's way on his face. Though the ghost blinked in surprise, Delilah knew that wasn't a good sign at all. Still, he kept himself in, not moving as he spoke again.

"Delilah is too nice to say no," he said," but I can say it for her. So get out of here and come back after her lesson, before I -"

"Let's calm down," Delilah intervened, warmth clear on her face," you worry too much for me, Mateo, it's fine. I'm the only one who can do this anyway, so it would be selfish not to." She turned to the ghost, nodding at him. "So, I just need to contact your friend? Can you give me a general description of him?"

"He actually attends this university," the man said, looking a bit nervous at the fact that Mateo was glaring daggers at him over her shoulder but continuing on still," his name is Jonathan, he's like a bit shorter than me with dark hair, really gives off the vibe like he's on crack, but he assured me he wouldn't -"

"Cut to the chase," Mateo interrupted him.

"If you give me his surname, I'll be able to find him," Delilah said assuringly," I'll call out your name when I do so, you can come and tell me what you want to tell him."

"It's Hoffman," he said," but how will I be able to hear your voice when you're not nearby?"

"You will," she simply told him.

He nodded at her thankfully, Mateo immediately parting his lips to say something once he had left, but someone else started speaking before he could. She turned around at the mention of her name, smiling immediately once she saw who it was.

"Roshan," she said," why aren't you in class?"

"I was," he sighed," but the man started talking about quantum physics, so a part of me died within. Why I chose to do the same study as James, I still don't know." He looked at her, amused. "Why are you out here though, Delilah? Skipping class so early as well?"

"No, just heading to the toilet," she said, before playfully pushing him back to the direction he came from," but take me as a sign of the universe that you should go to your next class."

"Ugh, I hate the universe," Roshan sighed, but he complied anyway, waving at her.

"Wait!" she said suddenly, something coming to mind," I'm searching for someone, can you help me before you go?"

"Again?" Roshan said, though he didn't look that bothered by it as he took out his phone," you're always searching for the most random people, Delilah. How you do this without me at times when you don't even have social media, I don't know."

"I prefer connections in real life over virtual ones," she shrugged, hooking her arm through his after," and it's Jonathan Hoffman."

Roshan's fingers froze above his phone, a curious gaze in his eyes. "There's no need to search for him, I met the guy in my dorm yesterday. He's apparently the head of some fraternity here, if you want to meet him, he'll for sure be at his party tonight."

The doubt she had had about attending the party Theresa had mentioned now was gone. Alright, she'd be there and relay the message, before continuing on to see the eclipse alone. She hugged Roshan in goodbye, the rest of the day passing quickly without any further disturbances. It was probably Mateo who kept them at bay, but she didn't say anything about it because he clearly thought he was doing it sneakily. It was when she and Theresa were walking back to their dorms that James and Roshan caught up to them, Roshan giving Theresa air kisses as he introduced himself.

"Come on now, James," he said, eyebrow raised," don't just stare at Delilah all day and say hello."

"I'm not staring!" James exclaimed, cheeks tinting red, but he complied anyway, offering Theresa a hand. "I'm James, a friend of Delilah's. Take good care of her, please."

"Oh, uhm, hello," Theresa stammered, accepting his hand and holding it for a second too long. Once she realized she let him go, scraping her throat. "Anyway, I'll see you guys tonight."

"Where are you going?" Delilah asked, but Theresa was already practically running away from them. She called out after her roommate, confused. "We're going in the same direction, Theresa!"

"That was weird," Roshan remarked amusedly.

"You'd think she saw a ghost or something," Mateo said as he floated beside her," get it? Because I'm here?" When she didn't respond, he laughed about it himself. "God, I should have been a comedian. The world really missed out."

"How was your first day of class, Delilah?" James asked, ignoring the situation completely.

"It was ni -" she began, but her head whipped to the right.

A woman was screaming to her right, so sharp it felt like the air was breaking around her. Still, James and Roshan both gave no reaction to it, proving to her what she needed to know.

"I'll be right back," she promised, taking their hands in hers," I want to hear all about your first day as well, yours too, Rosh, so give me just a second."

"Where are you going?" James frowned," I'll come with."

"No, it's fine!" Delilah reassured him, already off towards the source of the sound.

"Don't go chasing butterflies again, Delilah," Roshan called out after her.

"Have you never seen a horror film?" Mateo yelled as he followed along," let's not go towards the sound of screaming."

She didn't have time to reply, sprinting off campus and letting the echoing scream guide her. Her university was right in the center of the city, a row of trees and a fence separating her from the bustling crowd outside. Without any hesitation she slipped into one of the alleys there, which was much darker and a lot less busy. After what seemed like an eternity but which had probably been three minutes tops, she stopped in one of the alleys deeper in the city, Mateo cursing once he saw what was happening. The walls of the alleys were high, only trashcans and occasional gates there every now and then, all of them seeming to be connected in a maze of backstreets.

It was the man was holding a woman at gunpoint which caught her attention though. The ghost which had been screaming around them, stopped when she locked gazes with Delilah, a sigh of relief leaving her lips.

"Thank God you're here," she said, voice panicked," I had hoped I'd get you to come. This is my daughter, please help her."

"How the hell is she supposed to help?" Mateo frowned, gesturing wildly at the woman," do you all think she's bulletproof or something?"

"I loved you, I truly did," the man said, voice breaking, barely audible through all the shouting ghosts around her," but if you're so set on breaking up with me, we can be together in death, at least."

At the moment he cocked his gun, she scraped her throat, his gaze snapping from the sobbing woman in front of him to her.

"Don't surprise the man when he's holding a weapon!" Mateo exclaimed, trying to grab her and pull her along futily, his hands going right through her. "This is a stupid idea and that means a lot coming from me. Why the hell does this man even have a gun?"

"Let's talk," Delilah said soothingly, staying in place as she studied the man," I can see in your face you've been through a lot. Did she hurt you?"

"Yes, she did," the man said, eyes wild as he waved his gun around," if you can see it so well, why are you interrupting me?"

Delilah parted her lips, but at that moment the woman jumped to grab his gun, everything suddenly going by very fast. The world spun around her as a shot loudly pierced the air and even though she knew it had hit her, the realization didn't dawn until she crashed on the floor. Mateo seemed to be shouting louder than the woman, the sky shattering above as she closed her eyes.

When she opened them, it was whole again.

The brief pain she had felt was gone, a man kneeling beside her. She wondered where he had come from, with his black cloak and tired eyes, but when he stretched out his arm and let a scythe appear in his hands, she knew who he was immediately. He locked eyes with her, offering her a hand, but when she took it and the guy who had shot her started screaming as well, his eyes widened.

"You're alive," he said," how?"

"Are you the Grim Reaper?" she gushed, squeezing his hand as she smiled up at him," please, I'm your biggest fan, can you autograph something for me?"