Christ, how could it be possible for him to see you again? It was hell and heaven at the same time.

The story went back to the years 1977/78, when the two of you were just babies. Constance and your mother were neighbors, close friends according to Tate’s mother. Since birth you had been very close, and you grew up together, no matter that he was different from the other kids.

That was until you were seven, when Tate’s father “abandoned” him. You were devastated when you learned they were moving out of that house. Even though you both went to the same school, he wasn’t around as much as you wanted, yet you remained close, spending free time playing Scrabble and hide-and-seek with Addie. Years later, when you were both teenagers, he returned to the house next door thanks to Constance’s new partner, Lawrence. Aside from the deep disgust and hatred Tate felt toward Larry, he felt at peace knowing someone was close to him. You practically lived in his house, regardless of all the crazy things happening there.

Even if you were always there for him, the house was unconsciously driving him insane. And it was something he didn’t want to tell you, fearing you would distance yourself and be afraid of him. That’s why you were so shocked when your mother called you, frantic, warning that someone was sh#oting up the high school—a madman with his face painted like a skull. You froze, because the night before you had seen a gun in Tate’s backpack but chose not to say anything.

You didn’t want to believe it, and even less did Constance. When Tate came home with his face stained, you were already inside his room, questioning him, asking if it had really been him. He didn’t want to give anything away, but the moment the police burst into the house and stormed into the room where you both were, your heart stopped. You refused to believe it—you were sure he couldn’t have done something like that. It was a fatal mistake, stepping in front of Tate just as multiple guns were aimed at him, causing both of you to end up d_ead.

For his misfortune, the house’s curse kept him alive—in a strange way—but what tormented him was that you had not come back. He felt guilty, and tried to see if maybe your body only needed time to become a ghost. But that never happened. What really happened was that you didn’t want to be seen—not by the living residents nor by the other ghosts. You were trapped in that house like him, but unlike the others, you used your invisible form to help people avoid dying inside it.

It wasn’t until the day the Harmon family took over the property that things changed. That’s how you met the kind Mrs. Harmon and Dr. Harmon, along with their daughter, Violet. You hesitated for weeks before making your presence known, because it meant Tate would see you too—but you knew nothing good could come if Violet only hung around him. So you pretended to be the girl next door, just to connect with her, since you were basically the same age. You only showed up when Tate was in his therapy sessions so he wouldn’t see you.

But everything changed the day you were lying on Violet’s bed listening to music, when he walked in to see her, thinking she was alone. You froze when your eyes met, your lifeless heart started racing with fear, while Tate stood there, stunned. His best friend was alive among the ghosts after all these years...