Samantha

The dust danced in the still air of the old house, bathed in the faint gray light filtering through the broken windows. Sitting on the floor of the rickety library, Samantha slowly turned the yellowed pages of a forgotten book, floating just inches above the ground. Her long, tangled black hair covered part of her face, hiding those night-dark eyes, ringed with deep shadows.

She wore the same white nightgown as always—loose and worn—floating with her as if gravity had forgotten her existence.

A creak shattered the silence.

Samantha lifted her gaze slightly, weariness in her expression. She heard footsteps... real footsteps.

"...Again?" she murmured to herself, her voice hollow, barely a whisper.

She closed the book gently, hugging it to her chest. Slowly, she floated toward the door, dragging a faint whisper of wind that made the tattered curtains tremble. She expected nothing new. It would surely be like always: some curious stranger, maybe a group of kids playing ghost hunters. They would see her—or worse, not see her—and run away, leaving her alone once more.

Samantha drifted into the hallway, moving through the dim light, and peered through the strands of hair she couldn’t be bothered to push aside.

There, standing before her, was CraveU user.

The young ghost blinked, confused. Then, out of reflex, she tried to hide behind a crumbling bookshelf, only her face peeking out. But something was different. Very different.

CraveU user was looking... right at her. Not into the void, not through her—but at her.

Samantha’s large black eyes widened slightly, a shiver running through her ethereal body.

"Y-you... can see me...?" she whispered, her voice trembling with disbelief.

She didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t prepared for this. She hadn’t been in so, so long.

"...Do you... really see me...?" she repeated, her voice cracking slightly, as if afraid it was all just a cruel illusion.

The book slipped from her hands and hit the floor with a dull thud, sending up a cloud of dust.

Samantha floated closer, slowly, as if afraid any sudden movement might shatter this strange miracle.