-- Alex --

I follow my parents into the new house. It's huge and spooky, but that means there will be more room for my books. Thinking about this, I choose the bedroom with built in bookshelves, tell my parents they can have my stuff arranged however they like, and head out the door. Surely there's a library in this town...

Yes, there is. Dusty and in need of attention, but it's there. Clearly I'm not the first to discover this, though, because there's a young woman sitting behind the librarian's desk.

"Um... hello?" I say.

"Oh! Hi! I'm Brie, and I'm the librarian. What's your name?" 

This is a bit too much attention for my liking. I mumble my name and speed-walk off to find a book. I pull an interesting-looking one off the shelf and collapse in the floor.

Opening the cover, I discover writing inside. It's barely legible, and I stand up to take advantage of the light coming through the window.

--

I'll finish this when I have a chance to go back and reread Dandelion's charrie. :)  

Cara-Lee~

I walk ethereally past the newly inhabited houses of Ashmire, glancing into the windows from afar. Finally, I make it to my own home, and all the lights are off. The humans must be asleep. With a sigh disguised as wind, I float up to the third of the four floors. The girl sleeps there; I want to see her. She is asleep peacefully in her warm bed, a different bed than the one I was - never mind that. I notice how youthful she looks, and just how innocent. Being murdered and kept from Heaven changes a person, and looking upon a free spirit can really jolt a person out of their own reality. I want to touch her so badly, to feel her warmth and life, but that would leave a Mark. The Mark of a ghost. It would appear on her hands, only seen by other Marked people and by ghosts. It's the sign of someone who has a good heart, but it's terrifying. Like white flame, it appears as a representation of whatever is most important to the ghost - in my case it'd probably be a cross - on the backs of both of the Marked person's hands. My attention snaps back to the girl as her blanket falls from her bed. Immediately, she flinches away from the cold air of nighttime Ashmire. Without thinking, I scoop up the blanket and spread it across the girl. Then - oh, I was trying to be so careful! - the girl stirs, and my ghostly hand just barely touches her cheek. White crosses appear on the girl's hands. Shoot.

~~

Hm. Constructive criticism?

Nihil says urme. NOPE 

I stare out the window at the darkening street, thinking about my new home. It's nice, and it's beautiful, but there's something eerie about it, and all the other houses as well. And the name. Ashmire. A lovely name for a town, but it doesn't sound welcoming.

I go downstairs. "Mom, can I go and look around? I know it's dark and everything, but - "

My mother shakes her head. "Not now, Agnes. I just don't want you out on so late an evening."

That's what she says, but I know that secretly she thinks that Ashmire is just as mysterious as I do. "OK, Mom," I reply, and, picking up my cat, Pumpkinsoft. head upstairs again.

I sit for a long time in the windowseat, gazing up at the stars and waiting for Mom to call me and Dad to dinner.

Suddenly I think I hear a creaking sound, like someone coming down the hallway. Is it one of my parents? But then I heard a sound as of two young voices talking cheerfully. What is going on? I'm too scared to move.

The voices pass my door: "Big and beautiful, it'll be perfect -" then stop abruptly. My heart is pounding harder than usual.

"Time for dinner, Agnes!" 

Does any kid live in my house?

*Looks back at the other pages*Ok, found my kid! (I knew Mary was connected with Caleb but I didn't know he moved into her house)

~Mary~

Footsteps. I look out the window of my old room on the top floor. People. Alive. I can't see any of them clearly but I get excited. One of them reminds me of - someone I knew. I sadden and tears fill my eyes as I remember a long time ago. 

...

I remember something. I remember when Christy called us all for a meeting. I was thinking, remembering as I usually do. She said she saw footprints.   

Footsteps. I quickly hide behind my bureau. I see him. I feel happier than I have in a very long while.

~

So... Coroline, did you mean me when you said "alzarine" or is that a different person? if it is, then i can edit this post...

Sorry!  

~Liana

Of course, We are called to a stupid meeting because of some stupid footprints about stupid humans because of stupid dumb rich people and that stupid disease and stupid doctors and stupid money and I could maybe just maybe rest in peace if I was allowed to talk to them. Maybe I could mark one of them. i'm the newest one here but definitly the one who is the most sick about this place!

I wish that I could just kill those doctors. I wish that someone would help me, save me from this mess. The other goasts just are too cautios. I was a theif. I jump first look later. 

By now it's night. I see Cara-Lee walk by the houses and then fly up to on window. She enters. 

I walk to the house and wait in the shadows. 

She comes out loking frightened.

"BOO!" I yell and startle her.

"Liana..." She mutters

"What is it?" I ask. I am not letting her avoide this one.

"Nothing" She says quickly. Too quickly.

"Don't make me call a meeting. You know I would" I say pressing her.

"Well...."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No idea how she would react to that. 

@Rogue take it from here! 

Adam~

I float through the house quietly, trailing my hand along a wall. It has been a melancholy morning. I hear a thump, voices floating in through a window that has been left slightly open. My head snaps up. These are not the voices of the dead.

"Mom, can I go and look around?" My breath catches, and I make for the door, meaning to investigate. However, before I've moved very far, I hear the ringing of a bell echo through the town. It's coming from the theatre. Giving a small sigh, I decide that I must go to the meeting before investigating these voices. Christy could be in trouble. I float quickly to the theatre. I'm among the first to arrive, as my home is close to the theatre. I smile at Christy, who looks shaken. Once everyone has arrived, she begins telling us why we were called.

"This morning," she says, "I was walking through the lobby of the theatre and I saw footprints." Unable to help myself, I give a small gasp, and hear it echoed through the other ghosts. Christy continues, "There was someone in the lobby this morning. And whoever it was must have heard me singing, because they turned and ran back out the door." Though most of us are still in shock, Liana speaks up.

"And what does this have to do with us?" Cara-Lee argues,

"I think what Christy's trying to say is that she thinks these could be the people that could help us all... well, you know. Besides, I've seen some humans, too. They moved into the mansion today!"

"So what do we do?" asks Edward.

"I think we should wait before we show ourselves," says Christy. "I just wanted to warn you."

"Really? We're just going to sit here and wait while this opportunity goes by?" Liana says. She and Cara-Lee begin arguing, and I turn to Christy.

"Christy," I say, "I hate to ask, but could you please adjourn the meeting before this gets too out of hand?" I wave vaguely at the scene behind me. Christy nods.

"Oh- of course. Meeting adjourned!"

After a quick goodbye, I make my way for home. When I arrive, I see a truck in the driveway. It's a very large vehicle, larger that those I usually see pass by on the road just outside of Ashmire. I open the front door and step inside, closing it behind me. Although I try to be as quiet as possible, with the knowledge that I am now not the only being in the house, it appears that one of the new residents hears me anway. A woman walks into the room, looking around nervously. I hover by the door, silent and still, willing myself to be unseen. After checking the door handle, the woman leaves.

I float up the stairs to the attic, which is where I usually sit in the night. I have no need of sleep, but I sometimes pretend that I'm dreaming. Now, however,  the room looks slightly different. There are new boxes scattered across the floor, less faded than the ones from my time. I float to the back corner of the attic and open my box. It holds things and photos from my short life. Most precious to me, a framed photograph of me and Angela. We stand in the rain, soaked but smiling. Hers is the only face I remember with startling clarity; everything else has become little more than a blur. I replace the frame in the box and close the flaps. Then, settling down on the dusty floor, I await dawn.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

@Jithkeeper

I'm assuming our charries are connected. Does Agnes have a charrie sheet? Forgive me if I just didn't see it. Sorry, this is pretty long!

Cara-Lee~

"Well..." I leave my sentence hanging in the air. Liana puts her hands on her hips, ghastly thin and boney. It's not hard to imagine how sick she was when she died. "Fine. I was watching over the girl that just moved into the mansion while she slept-"

"That's not creepy at all." I shoot her a 'You have no idea how bored I am with being dead' look.

"-And her blanket fell."

"So?"

"Well, you know how cold Ashmire gets at night."

"... Yeah." Her eyes are filled with the coldest nights when she was sick. Her family didn't have enough money to pay a doctor, I'm guessing they didn't have a ton of money to spend on blankets and coats, either.

"So I picked it up to put it back on her, when she moved in her sleep and-"

"YOU TOUCHED??" I fly to put a finger on her lips.

"Shhh!"

"Sorry... But you Marked her?"

"It was an accident!" I say, my distress creeping into my voice. To my surprise, Liana's face lights up with joy.

"Maybe she can help you! Help you Rest!" She cries. "I've got an idea; we're going to have to tell the others to Mark their children." A gleam fills her eyes. She thinks she's going to be free. She thinks she's finally going to Rest.

~~

And the ball is rolling. 

@Aquamarine, sorry I got confused I meant your name. I'm I correct in saying that your charrie used to live in the house Caleb moved into, and they eventually become friends?

Sorry it took awhile to start I was unexpectantly busy this week.
Edward~
The ringing of a bell arouses me from my book. Oh well. I geuss I have to go to this meeting. Its got to be something important, the bell is only used for emergencies.
I silently float down the streets until I get to the theater I see all the other ghosts sitting around.
"This morning," Christy begins, "I was walking
through the lobby of the theatre and I saw
footprints."
Adam gasps loudly.
"There was someone in the lobby this morning. And whoever it was must have
heard me singing, because they turned
and ran back out the door," she continues.
I'm not sure whether this is good or bad. Or what to think at all about this.
"And what does this have to do with us?Leana blurts out.
Cara-Lee argues, "I think what Christy's trying to say is that
she thinks these could be the people that
could help us all... well, you know.
Besides, I've seen some humans, too.
They moved into the mansion today!" "So what do we do?" I ask, the obvious question.
"I think we should wait before we show
ourselves," says Christy. "I just wanted to
warn you." "Really? We're just going to sit here and
wait while this opportunity goes by?"
Liana says. They start to argue over what to do.
Adam quickly asks for the meeting to be adjourned before the fighting gets out of control. Smart move.
"Meeting adjourned" Christy says, and we all begin to file out of the theater.
My mind is blazing with all kinds of ideas. What is happening, why, what to do about it. I just need to think and sort things out. I float up the stairs to my library attic when I think I hear human voices downstairs. Could there be living people in my library also?
~~~
@Kitten, could the voices be Alex or Brie talking?

@Other people playing kids, are any of your charries likely to go to the library and encounter Alex?

@Dandelion, did you have a name in mind for Edward's wife? I'm calling her Liana in this writing, but it can change.

-- Alex --

I can barely make out the words inside the cover, but I grab a sheet of paper and try to transcribe it anyway. 

This bo~~ is a w~~~~~~ul t~~e of mys~ery and dec~~tion. It rem~~ds me of how E~~~a~~ and ~ us~~ to pl~~ a g~~e involving hid~~g and ~~ving clues. ~~ always us~~ to l~ve ri~~~es!

Picking back up the book and paper, I head over to Brie and ask her if I can check out the book.

"Yes, of course! I hope you like it! I always liked old books. Do you like old books?"

I shrug, casually swinging my hair around to cover my face. Standing there impatiently, I wait for her to eventually take out the card (this library still uses cards?!), write my name on it, and place it in a box. Finally I thank her, take the book, and head back to a comfortable corner to read this mysterious book. As I sit down, I hear a creak, like someone is standing right next to me. But there's no one there, except perhaps a slight shimmer in the air. I blink a few times, and it's gone. Shrugging this off, I open the book and immerse myself.