Well, it's currently 2 a.m where I'm situated and I've just finished writing this chapter. No I haven't been working on it all night, started at 12.30 actually. So if you notice any bits that don't make sense or are just dumb, alert me to them, for they are probably the result of sleep deprivation.

I would have written it earlier but work and GTAIV have kept me rather occupied recently and I was detemined to have something posted up before I went to bed, no matter how poor the quality was. I can always fix it up tomorrow if it's too disgraceful.

Anyway, not a lot happens here. Ryan does quite a bit of worrying/introspection and has a conversation which might or might not be real. You be the judge.

And a quick thanks to everyone who has posted their thoughts about this story so far.

Ryan could not sleep. After overhearing the content of Elliot, Melissa and Jethro’s conversation his stomach was twisted with anxiety.

‘They think I’m to blame about this evening,’ he thought to himself. His thoughts were incorrect, as his alarm clock clearly showed it was 12.30 in the morning and therefore the events of the dinner party had technically occurred yesterday evening. ‘Even worse, they don’t even like me!’

He knew his roommates had ill-feelings towards quite a few people, particularly Kate, though he never expected he was one of these people. Elliot and Melissa had treated him with, what he considered to be, friendliness and goodwill. Was that all a façade? From what he had experienced, their behaviour in the presence of Kate was almost polar opposite to their behaviour when she was absent. At the party they had spoken to her with forced smiles and hidden remarks; nothing like the obvious hatred they expressed when talking about her in general conversation.

‘So why would they be any different with me?’ Ryan wondered in disgust. ‘I can’t believe I didn’t see this coming.’

Thinking about it now, he realised that there had been hints everywhere but he had been too ignorant to see them. Though, in truth, he never expected that his roommates would come to such a conclusion after only four days. He himself was still trying (and mostly failing) to understand their personalities.

Troubling thoughts like this continued to flood into his mind, causing him to toss and turn. Eventually he felt himself drifting off into sleep and away from these worrying thoughts for the time being.

If it wasn’t for an eerie chill in the air he would have found slumber. Instead, he stirred as the air around him began to share a similar temperature to penguins and ice. It felt as though he was stored away in a refrigerator belonging to a family of cannibals.

“Man, it’s freezing,” he complained, rubbing his bear arms feverishly in an attempt to keep warm.

“Perhaps you should put another layer on?”

The voice of an unknown male pierced the night, causing Ryan’s heart to stop for a split second before it exploded into a fit of frightened beats.

Trembling, Ryan sat up to face the source of the voice.

His body went deathly still as he located it..

A scream didn’t exactly burst from his mouth, instead Ryan let out an odd noise similar to air being released from an annoying balloon. An Urkel balloon. Fear engulfed him as he gazed through the darkness at the ghostly, transparent figure who was seated at the end of his bed. The ghostly figure was one of a young man, roughly around Ryan’s age who wore a smug look on his face.

“Hello Ryan,” the ghostly figure said.

Ryan continued to emit his odd sound before finally mustering up the confidence to ask, “H-how do you know my name?”

“I have been watching you,” smirked the ghostly figure. “Ever since you arrived here, I have been watching you.”

“Who are you?” demanded Ryan, his quivering voice eliminating any force behind this demand.

“I” said the ghostly figure dramatically. “Am Colin!” Dun-dun-duuuuh!

“Colin?” repeated Ryan in disbelief. “Oh my God, you’re dead?”

The ghost of Colin froze as though he was stunned by this announcement. “…what?”

“Well, I assume you’re dead, seeing as you’re a ghost and everything,” Ryan pointed out.

Colin looked down at his ethereal state and shook his head. “Oh yeah, I see where you’re coming from,” he laughed. “My bad. Yeah, I’m a bit deceased. Sorry, I was just confused as to how you figured that out straight away. You tend to forget about the whole transparent body thing after a while.”

“Really?” said Ryan, trying to come to terms with the fact he was communicating with a person no longer alive.

“Yeah, definitely,” replied Colin. “For instance, I went to say hello to my family the other day; ended up giving my poor old mum a heart-attack. Turned out alright in the end though. Mum didn’t recover and dad hung himself out of depression and loneliness. Now we all get to play Wednesday night Pictionary as a family again.”

“Um, yay,” replied Ryan, not sure how he was meant to feel about that story. “That sounds great.”

“Sure is,” nodded Colin. “Being a ghost isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. There are all kinds of benefits; for starters, you can do this.” Colin stuck his arm into his torso until his hand appeared on the other side.

“Sweet party trick,” said Ryan, acknowledging that what was going on in front of him was cool in a horrifying way. “Can I put my hand through you as well?”

“Well you could, but the idea of having another male’s hand deep inside me sounds a little gay, don’t you think?”

Yeah, that is a valid point” agreed Ryan. “Guess I’ll reframe then. Um, so why are you here exactly? If you don’t mind me asking, that is.”

“Meh, I was bored so I decided to come see how things are going with my replacement,” explained Colin. “Not too good from what I heard earlier.”

“You heard that too,” muttered Ryan. “Yeah, things aren’t looking too bright. I thought I was doing pretty well but it turns out they all hate me.”

“They don’t hate you,” said Colin in a condoling tone.

“Yes they do.”

“Actually, you’re right, they do hate you, but that’s because they’re hateful people. They hate everyone, even each other, so the fact that they dislike you isn’t your main concern.”

“What is then?” asked Ryan.

“Melissa, Elliot and Jethro, they fear you,” explained Colin. “They fear what you may do to the balance they think they have in their lives. They are respected amongst their peers, they only have to pay fifty dollars a week for an apartment which could hold half the Vatican, things are perfect for them, and they see you as a threat to this perfection.”

“I’m no threat though,” replied Ryan innocently.

“Aren’t you?” grinned Colin. “You’re different to them, Ryan, like I was. You don’t hate Katherine, you don’t possess the belief that you’re the greatest person in existence, and in the end that may just be enough to destroy their Utopia.”

“I don’t quite understand,” said Ryan, frowning in thought.

“Never mind, I don’t wish to get involved. What ever will be will be, I guess,” shrugged Colin, before smirking again. “Besides, what happens from now on couldn’t possibly be worse than what happened last night at the party.”

“You were there?” Ryan half asked, half groaned.

“I’m always here; I see pretty much everything that occurs in this apartment.”

“That’s pretty unsettling.” Ryan shivered. “Wait, does that include the bathroom?”

“What!? Oh God no, that’s wrong! Plain horrible!” shouted Colin, sticking out a translucent tongue at this idea. “Don’t worry, I’m not the sort of dead person who pervs on you while you’re busy having a shower. Melissa’s a different story though! Ha ha, am I right?” Colin raised his transparent hand as though he was expecting a high-five. Ryan just stared up at the ghostly hand until Colin finally lowered it. “Sorry, forgot about that again.”

“Don’t worry about it,” replied Ryan. “In fact I’m feeling a bit guilty now. I should have at least made half an effort to return your high-five instead of just leaving you there to hang. Sorry, but having a conversation with a ghost has just shaken me up a little.”

“Yeah, it does that to people,” said Colin. “The one’s that actually stay to talk, I mean. Most people run away screaming whenever they see a dead person talking to them. But I think speaking with a ghost is an experience every person should have at least once.”

“Yeah, so far it’s been interesting,” nodded Ryan. “It’s like The Sixth Sense except it’s not terrible. Now, if this isn’t too personal, how exactly did you die?”

“Unexpectedly,” answered Colin. “Seriously, the whole death thing just came right out of the blue.”

“That’s not exactly what I meant….” started Ryan.

“Yeah, I know it isn’t,” said Colin. “But where’s the fun in just telling you?”

“Well, I really wasn’t looking to get enjoyment out of it,” said Ryan. “It would just let my mind rest a bit easy. I mean, Elliot, Melissa and Jethro won’t talk about you and it turns out your dead, so naturally I’m feeling a bit of trepidation.”

“If it makes you feel any better, my death was an accident,” said Colin, gliding a finger over a brass bed-knob located on the end of Ryan’s bed. There was a distinct dent in the metal. “I don’t think you’ll be dying any time soon if that’s what you’re worried about. This room isn’t cursed or anything. Though if you did die we would be able to go ‘haunt’ hot ladies together. How awesome would that be?”

“Um, not very,” replied Ryan.

“Oh, so you’re one of those people who enjoy living,” said Colin with a roll of his eyes. “Very well then, I won’t disturb you for any longer.”

“Wait, you’re going?” spluttered Ryan. “You can’t go yet! You haven’t told me anything! I’m facing all these problems and you’re the only person alive….sorry….who can help me!”

“What do you think I am? A guidance councillor?” said Colin as he stood up from his seated position on Ryan’s bed. “No, I’m afraid you’re going to have to grow a collective set of balls and sort this out yourself. Besides, it’s getting early. About time you wake up.”

“Wake up?” Ryan replied. “What do you mean?”

But Colin was no longer there. Ryan looked around his room in confusion only to see that weak sunlight was making its way through the slats in his blinds, lighting his room with a golden haze. He blinked a few times in an attempt to register this; only a second ago everything had been as black as night.

“Wake up….” Ryan murmured. “Wait a second…was that all just a dream? Oh my God, what a cop out!” As much as he wanted to believe he had just engaged in a conversation with a ghost, his mature brain told him he was thinking like an idiot. Ghosts were about as real as Santa, the Tooth-Fairy or a decent Nickelback song. “It sure was vivid though…”

Gazing at his alarm clock he realised what the time was. 5.30 a.m. The only other time he had been awake this early was when his father had woken him up so they could both appreciate how peaceful his brother, Dennis, looked in his sleep.

Still feeling a bit shaken at the authenticity of his dream, Ryan climbed out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. He glanced around nervously before he hopped in the shower, hoping that Colin wasn’t watching.

“It was a dream!” he told himself again as he soaped up his torso. “Colin’s probably not even dead. He’s probably off having fun gathering pickles in Venezuela or whatever it is he’s doing.”

As much as it was a relief to know he hadn’t been visited by a ghost in the night, it still did not subdue the horrible feeling that churned about inside his stomach.

“Melissa, Elliot and Jethro going to have their chat with me today,” he groaned to himself. “They’re going to ask me to leave. But I’ve got no where to go. I can’t go back home…I hate that place! Besides, my Dad’s probably rented out my room to some Sudanese exchange students or something.” Ryan finished up his shower, climbed out and promptly began to towel himself dry, as you do.

His dream may not have solved any of his problems, but it did provide him with a new outlook. “Maybe they are worried that I’ll rock the boat,” he mused. “Maybe I can convince them that I can change. I’ll do anything, conform to anything, just as long as I don’t have to go back home!”

As Ryan entered the living area he was relieved to see that no one else was awake yet. Everything was silent except for the snoring of Alex who had slipped off the couch overnight and was now laying face-first on the floor.

“I’ve got work at nine,” Ryan reminded himself as he prepared a breakfast of cereal. “If I can avoid all conversation this morning then I can postpone the inevitable till this afternoon. Might give me some time to come up with an attack plan.”

But even thought of even making eye-contact with one of his roommates made him sick with nervousness. After he had devoured the entirety of his cereal, he was quickly out the door and on his way to work, despite the fact that B. Keller’s Musical Emporium didn’t open for another three hours.

“I’m such a little bitch,” muttered Ryan to himself as he hopped on the early bus destined for his place of work.

“What was that dear?” replied the elderly woman he had sat next to near the front of the bus.

“I said ‘it’s a lovely day, isn’t it?’” lied Ryan, now wondering why he had sat next to the elderly woman when the rest of the bus was practically empty.

“Oh yes, lovely indeed,” the elderly woman agreed. “I’m on my way to the bingo hall. They’re serving pancakes this morning.”

“Fantastic,” said Ryan with a forced smile. There were only three types of people who were awake this early in the morning; old people, drunken people waking up in the gutter after a night out, and people running from the truth.

Ryan’s bus ride was soon over as he arrived at B. Keller’s Musical Emporium. Surprisingly, Mr. Keller was already out the front of the store with a mug of coffee in his hand.

“Ryan!” he barked as soon as he caught sight of his employee. “I couldn’t help but notice that you’re late for work. Again!”

“Uh, I’m three hours early, Mr. Keller,” replied Ryan. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“I live here,” explained Mr. Keller. “I have a bungalow situated in the roof. It’s cosy.”

“I…didn’t know that,” said Ryan, his mind concerned with different thoughts.

“Would you like some coffee?”

“Sure, that would be nice actually.”

Mr. Keller proceeded to spill the remainder of the coffee in his mug on Ryan’s shoes. “Ha! Funny. Now get to work!”

Ryan sighed, not really in the mood to question Mr. Keller’s actions, before heading into the store to clean tubas for a few hours.