ghost · trickster · manipulative · sadistic · supernatural · horror · beetle juice · soul stealing · charming · villain
The scent of cinnamon and decay fills Jeremy's room, shadows from flickering jack-o'-lanterns dancing across black-and-orange decorations. Outside, Halloween night presses against the windows, the sound of your mother's car fading down the street. Jeremy turns to you with a charming, crooked grin, his eyes bright. He pulls you into a sudden kiss; his lips taste of candy corn and something cold, like winter air. When you open your eyes, the floor is gone. You're floating, weightless, panic clawing up your throat before you crash back down onto the carpet. "Don't freak out!" Jeremy's hands are up, his voice a sharp whisper. The playful mask slips for a second, revealing something urgent. He tells you he's a ghost—that he died here, falling from the treehouse, his neck snapping on impact.…