#again unedited

'Or are you afraid?', Lucas teased him. 'I thought you don't believe in ghosts.'

For Tyler ghosts simply couldn't exist. It wasn't possible. But Lucas believed it.

'I don't. But I still don't think we should do this.'

It wasn't about the ghosts. Just thinking about entering a lonely run down house made him anxious.

'What do we want here anyway?'

'Looking around of course. You heard the stories they tell about this place.'

Of course he did. One was crazier than the other. Strange things happened in this house, they said. Lost children, a mysterious murder and ghosts bound to the house for all eternity. Everything just stupid lies.

'You don't really believe in these stories, do you?'

'Why not? They could be true after all. You can never know. But we'll find out!'

He entered the building.

Tyler shook his head.

'You're unbelieveable.'

But then he followed Lucas into the house.

Of course they didn't find anything supernatural. The house was empty. No lost children. No bodies. No ghosts.

But a black cat, that made Tyler jump as he saw her, what made Lucas laugh.

'Giving the fact that you don't believe that there are ghosts here, you're pretty easy to scare.'

'Giving the fact that you do believe that there are ghosts here, we haven't seen many of them', Tyler countered.

Lucas stuck his tongue out at his best friend.

'Fine, maybe the stories about the house aren't true after all. But just because there are no ghosts here it doesn't mean that they don't exist.'

'Why are you so certain about that?', Tyler asked.

Lucas looked at him. 'Because I believe that everything is possible.', he said.

~~~

'That's... that's impossible.'

He must be dreaming. Or he was going insane.

This thing right in front of him... this couldn't be Lucas. Lucas was dead. And still... It looked like his best friend.

It was kneeling beside Tyler and looked at him with the same unbelieving expression.

'You... you can see me?'

The familiar sound of Lucas' voice made Tyler flinch. He gulped, then he nodded.

'This...' His throat felt so dry he could barely speak. 'This has to be a dream.'

Dream-Lucas gave him a small uncertain smile.

'It's not a dream Ty. It's real. I'm real.'

Tyler shook his head.

'N-no. You can't be real. You are...' He stopped before saying the word aloud. 'Dead.'

'I know. And I can't explain it either but somehow... somehow I'm still there. Or at least a part of me. Tyler please, you have to believe me.'

Tyler didn't know what to do. Believe him? Or rather run away?

His mind told him to run. This couldn't be true. Ghosts didn't exist.

And still, there was something inside of him that believed it. Or wanted to believe it. But how can something impossible be true?

'I can imagine that it sounds insane. That you believe it's a dream. I still can't believe it myself.'

He looked down at his hands.

'But... something happened and I don't know what or why but somehow I'm dead but also... not really. And I know it makes no sense but you're the first one who can see and hear me since the accident and...'

He was looking at Tyler now, starring him directly in the eyes.

'Please say something. Anything.'

Despair was showing on his face and even though Tyler still wasn't sure if he believed the whole Lucas-ghost-thing it made his heart ache.

Being near this thing felt damn familiar. It was the feeling Tyler always got around his best friend, just further away. As if he was there but at the same time... wasn't.

'It's... it's strange.' Tyler shook his head. 'It should be impossible but still... it feels like it's you.'

He examined 'Lucas' from head to toe. He looked like him. Talked like him.

If this was a dream, it was damn real. And if it wasn't... it was either a miracle or Tyler's grief made him go insane.

He held out his hand to 'Lucas'.

As the other noticed it, he understood what Tyler wanted to do and reached out as well. His hand almost toched Tyler's, then... went through it.

Tyler gasped and abruptly pulled his hand back.

'How is that possible?'

'I don't know.'

'Am I crazy?'

'Not much crazier than you already were before, I think.'

'Lucas' smiled. The smile Tyler had missed so much.

So he smiled too. Carefully.

He really hoped he wasn't dreaming. If it meant he could have Lucas back - even when it's just in a certain (really strange) way - then he wanted to believe it.

'And what now?'

Lucas thought about it. 'Now we find out why I'm here. And why you can see me now.'

'But first...', he said and his voice turned soft. 'You should go back home and rest. Today wasn't easy and I'm sure your mom will be worried. You're here for hours already.'

~~~

In the exact moment Tyler opened the door, his mother came running to him.

'Where have you been Tyler? I was worried.'

She hugged him.

'School called. They said you ran away. Are you alright? What happened?'

She looked at him with worry.

Tyler closed his eyes.

'It's all right now, mom. It was just... too much for me. I needed time alone.'

'I can understand that dear, but please don't scare me like this ever again, you hear me? When no one answered my calls I thought... I was afraid you... I'm glad that you're alright darling.'

She hugged him again. Tyler tried to calm her down.

She must've been really worried. Tyler was angry at himself for not thinking about her. She probably thought he would do something stupid.

He couldn't judge her for thinking that, not considering how bad his state was after Lucas died.

'It's okay mom, I'm fine', he assured her.

'Does dad know what happened?'

Suddenly he was worried. His dad wouldn't be appealed to hear about it.

'No. He's still at work. And no one will tell him, don't worry.'

She smiled at him and ran a hand through his hair.

'Are you hungry?', she asked then. 'I can make you something to eat.'

Tyler nodded. "Thanks, mom."

~~~

'You would never hurt yourself, would you? Not because of me and this stupid accident. Please say you wouldn't.'

It was the first thing Lucas said when Tyler came back into his room. He wanted to grab Tyler's shoulders, but his hands slipped through him.

Tyler closed the bedroom door so his mother won't hear something.

Then he asked: 'Why do you think I would?'

'I heard what your mom said. And I know what she meant. She thought you would hurt yourself. I know she wouldn't fear this to happen if you wouldn't give her a reason to fear it. So?'

Tyler looked down. 'Lucas you don't have to worry about...'

'Answer me.'

'No, I wouldn't. Never again', he whispered. 'It's just... since you died I'm feeling pretty bad. When you're feeling like this everything might be possible. That's what worried my mom. But I never tried it, I promise.'

It was the truth. Tyler looked at Lucas, who nodded. He believed him.

'Good. I never would've forgiven myself if you had.'

He turned his back to Tyler, walked to the window and looked outside.

Tyler, who didn't know what he should do, sat down on his bed.

For a moment there was silence, then Lucas talked again.

'I'm sorry you have to suffer because of me', he whispered.

Tyler wanted to tell him not to apologize. And that none of this was his fault. After all it was Lucas whos life was ended so early.

But Lucas didn't let him say it.

'I know what you want to say, but it is my fault anyway.'

He abruptly turned and faced Tyler.

'Maybe that's the reason I'm still here.'

'What do you mean?', Tyler asked.

'Do you remember? When we were nine years old and your parents had their first really big fight so you ran away? You were suddenly standing at my doorstep, crying so much it was almost impossible to calm you down.'

Tyler nodded.

At that time the fights between his parents had started to become worse. On said evening it was really bad, more than ever before. He was so scared that he sneaked out and ran to Lucas house. Lucas and his parents needed hours to calm him down.

'And do you still remember what I promised you back then?'

Again, Tyler nodded.

How could he ever forget it? He was more surprised that Lucas still remembered.

'You said that you'll always be there for me...'

'No matter what will happen. Exactly.'

Lucas walked towards the bed.

'I meant it. But then I died and you needed me more than ever. And I couldn't help you. I wanted to of course. I followed you and saw how you were hurting. And I wished nothing more than being able to talk to you, tell you everything will be alright and that... But it wasn't possible. Until today.'

He squatted down before Tyler, who was still sitting on the bed, so they were eye to eye. He looked at him determined.

'Maybe that's my task. Maybe it's my chance to keep my promise.'

.

So that’s the point where I abandoned this story.