Phanty

	You leaned against your desk while two students, a human girl and a vampire boy, wrote on your board. They both wrote notes and accidentals on a staff, written above the staff the girl was writing was the word “Phrygian”, above the boy “Mixolydian”. The boy put his marker down, and shortly after the girl followed. You looked over the vampire’s work.
	“Alright, this one is right.” you said, looking at the scale he wrote. You turned to the girl’s work. “This one is...not.” you said, scratching the back of your head. You hated telling people they were wrong, but it was your job. “Anyone else want to try?” you asked, turning to the rest of your class. No volunteers. “...Alright.” you said, checking your watch. “That’s class anyways. You guys can go.” Immediately the students began to pack their things, hasty to leave. “Study your modes!” you called after the already leaving students. You took an eraser and began erasing the illegible whole notes and flats off of the staves.
	You wondered how it ended up this way. What happened to those dreams of being a composer, or making experimental electronic music, or making film scores. Community College teacher? You didn’t even like to think about it. You put down the eraser and sighed.
	POP!
	The loud sound filled the air. It sounded like a light fixture exploding. Before you could even turn around, more sound filled the room. A frantic zipping sound. The room went from dark to a soft glow from through the windows and back over and over again. You spun around, the one constant light source standing, or rather floating, in the exact center of class. The blinds on the windows all zipped up and down, some papers flew through the air, some desks slowly scraped across the floor. All the light fixtures above us were cracked open and sparking.
	It was the ghost girl. You racked your brain for her name but it just wasn’t coming. She didn’t talk much, but she laughed at everything. She looked at you with huge eyes and a blank face and began slowly drifting, seemingly not even by her own accord, her books dangling from her slender fingers.
	“Uh…” you said, breaking into a cold sweat. You rifled through your papers and found the roster, tearing through the names to find hers. “Oh! Ph-Phantasma!” It didn’t stop her. She still just drifted towards you before coming to a stop right in front of your desk, looking up at you with those wide, evil eyes. She cracked a smile, and you were certain you were about to meet a painful end. But instead, in that instant, the shades stopped moving, the desks stopped scraping against the ground, the papers stopped flying around. The room was filled with sunlight from outside.
	Phantasma clutched her books to her chest.
	“...Hey teach.” she said softly, her cheeks flushing a deeper blue than the rest of her. You creased your brow.
	“...Hi.” you said. “Phantasma, right?” She nodded. You took a deep breath in an attempt to calm your pounding heart. “Your...grades are really good so far.” her smile grew.
	“Really?” she asked cheerfully. You nodded.
	“You’re smart.” you said. “Too good for this school.”
	“Well, this is the only class that I’m taking.” she said. You wondered for a moment if she even noticed the mess she made of your classroom.
	“It is?” you asked. “Why this?”
	“I just want to improve my organ compositions.” she said.
	“Oh,” you said. “You compose?” She nodded.
	“Yup. I’m composed of ectoplasm!” she said before tearing out in terrifying banshee-like laughter that caused the desks to begin moving and the blinds to creep up and down. “...but yeah, I do.” You swallowed hard to keep your voice from wavering in fear of this spectre-girl.
	“Well, that’s great.” you said. She smiled, wider than any human mouth should be able to smile. Her eyes remained wide open. They were huge, unnaturally so. She scratched the back of her head.
	“But, I came to ask...uh…” she looked up at you, face a darker hue of blue than it was a moment ago. “...when are your office hours?”
	“Tomorrow at noon to 1:30.” you said. A wry smile crossed her face, much different compared to all of the other insane, manic smiles that she usually wears.
	“Thanks.” she said, before drifting towards the door. “Oh, and sorry about your room…that happens sometimes.”
	“It’s fine.” you said.
	“I can help you clean if you want.”
	“No, no, you probably have places to be. I can clean.”
	“Oh, alright…” she said, drifting further back. “...Bye.” She smiled, and the window on the door behind her cracked. She turned to the door, then back to you, and giggled bashfully. “See you next class.” she said before swooping out the door.
	You let out a sigh and shut the door behind her. She was freaky. She could have just looked at the syllabus to find out your office hours. You silently noted that you hoped she’d never talk to you ever again, but, as she was your student, it was unlikely. You knelt down and started picking up papers.

----------

	You walked into one of the school’s building, the Howe Building, the one your office is in. You nodded at the receptionist.
	“Hello, Professor Mous.” she said. You cursed yourself for forgetting her name.
	“Hey.” you said. You opened the door to the staircase and scaled the two floors between you and your office. You left the staircase and turned into your hallway, and who was there waiting at your door? She floated there, her back turned to you.
	“Aw, Jesus…” you mumbled as you approached her. You took out your keys, and began fumbling with the lock on your door, glancing up at the ghost. “...Hello, Phantasma.” you said. She didn’t turn around. Her only response was to slightly straighten up her back, and stare straight ahead. You creased your brow and turned back to the lock, unlocking it and opening the door. You glanced at her again.
	Her body was contorted in some way bodies shouldn’t be. She was inverting herself or something, her eyes and mouth travelling through her head, as her limbs all twisted around, little swirled of ectoplasm, or whatever it is that she’s made of, rising off of her.
	“Uh…” you said, looking for words. Her eyes surfaced and she blinked once, before they rolled over, her pupils locking onto you. She tried to stifle a snicker, but failed, beginning to laugh.
	“Good morning, professor!” she said, all shrill and wavery, still laughing at nothing.
	“...Hi.” you said, offering her to enter first. She did so, coming down off the laughter. You followed her in and shut the door behind you. She drifted around, looking at things on shelves, then loomed out of the window, facing away from your desk. You hung up your jacket and sat down. “What can I help you with, Phantasma?”
	“I’m older than you, y’know.” she said, not turning around
	“Oh…” you said. You weren’t very old for a professor. You remembered when you were even younger, and people called you a wunderkind, a child prodigy, some even said you were like Mozart on account of your age. It’s why you were so disappointed with how your life turned out. “Is that right?”
	“Yeah. I’m pretty sure I died in the 80’s, born in the 70’s.” she said. “Though there was time between when I died and when I woke up as a ghost.” She turned around. “I can’t remember anything from when I was alive.”
	“That’s a shame.” you said.
	“Maybe it isn’t!” she said, swooping close to your desk. “Maybe my life horrible!” She was smiling, beginning to laugh. “I could’ve been sick! Or maybe my parents were abusive, or I was murdered, or I was so miserable that I killed myself!” She giggled and sighed, a wistful expression taking over her face as she stared off at nothing. “...Or maybe it was nice…” Her smile snapped back into place, and her eyes snapped back to you. “How’d you get to be a professor so young?” she asked. You shrugged.
	“I went through school fast, I guess.” you said. “I was always pretty good at music.” She didn’t answer. She only stared. “...Did you have a question? Or did you just come to talk? Which would be fine…” She started giggling.
	“Charon takes people across Styx.” she said, her laughter growing.
	“...I—”
	“Anubis takes people to the afterlife! Shiva takes souls to Moksha!” She squinted her eyes and unleashed ear splitting banshee laughter. The blinds on the window shot up. “The Grim Reaper takes people to their deaths!
	“Phantasma—”
	“AHAHAHAHAHAHA!” She pointed a finger at your face. “I’m gonna take you somewhere, Anon Mous!” she screamed, as the shaded bounced up and the and the lights flickered on and off. You stood. This was the final straw.
	“I think you should leave.” you said in your sternest voice. She immediately stopped laughing, along with the lights and the shades.
	“Huh?” she asked.
	“Out.” you said, pointing at the door.
	“I-I didn’t—”
	“Out.” you repeated. Her surprised face descended into sad eyes and a wiggly frown. Her shoulders slumped and she descended just slightly before floating out the door. “And it’s Professor Mous.” She glanced at you, and then back to the ground, and drifted away. Pang of sadness struck you. She looked like she was about to cry. But she was just giving you what sounded like death threats, so you think she deserved it. You shut your door, and a slight smile formed on your lips. You were invigorated. You’ve never yelled at anybody, it was the most teacherly thing you’d ever done.

----------

	“I blew it, Sibella! He hates me now!” Phantasma said, her head in her hands. Sibella put her hand on the spectre’s shoulder.
	“Oh Phanty, I’m sure that isn’t true.”
	“It is!” she said, her head springing up. “You should have seen his face!”
	“Maybe he was scared of you.” Winnie said, peering out the window of Sibella’s bedroom, where all five girls sat, talking or in little Tanis’ case, watching Aladdin.
	“You can get scary sometimes…” Elsa said. “Like when you do that poltergeist thing and make stuff fly around the room.”
	“I can’t always control when that happens!” Phantasma said, throwing her arms out.
	“Well, did you do it when you were talking to him?” Sibella asked. Phantasma, embarrassingly blushing a dark blue bit her lip and looked at her friends.
	“...Yes.” she said.
	“Well, that’s why.” Winnie said. “You freaked him out.”
	“Nu uh!” Phantasma said. “He didn’t even care the first time!” Winnie snickered.
	“You did it more than once?” she asked. Phantasma sighed, letting out wisps of chilly ectoplasmic breath.
	“Yes.” she said, before laying back, floating a few inches above Sibella’s bed. “And now he’ll never like me. I just don’t get it, I thought things went well yesterday…”
	“Well, what did you say to him today?” Elsa asked.
	“Uh…” Phantasma said, thinking. “Well, I said stuff about being a ghost…”
	“What about being a ghost? Like, a funny story or something?” Sibella asked. Phantasma shook her head.
	“No, more about how I can’t remember being alive, but maybe that’s for the best because my life could have been miserable.” she said. Sibella pulled her feet in to sit criss cross.
	“Don’t you think that’s a bit heavy for your second conversation with him?” she said.
	“Well, he didn’t seem to take that part bad.” Phantasma said.
	“What did you say that made him ask you to leave, then?” Winnie asked.
	“Uh...I said something like ‘Anubis takes people to the after—”
	“Anubis?” Tanis asked, smiling, her attention pulled away from her favorite movie. “I know him.”
	“We know Tanis, you’ve told us before about Anubis and Horus and Ra.” Elsa said.
	“And Osiris! He’s the one who told me I could come back to life.” she said, before turning back to the tv.
	“So what did you say?” Sibella asked.
	“I said, ‘Anubis brings people to the afterlife, The Grim Reaper brings people to their deaths, and I’m gonna bring you somewhere.’ But he kicked me out before I could ask him to come to the cafe.”
	“Oh, Phanty, you didn’t say that, did you?” Sibella.
	“Yeah...and I was laughing a bit…”
	“Were you doing that scream talking thing that you do?” Winnie asked.
	“...I might’ve been...and I think the blinds were moving…”
	“You were doing the poltergeist thing as you said that stuff to him?” Phanty sullenly nodded. Winnie shook her head, chuckling.
	“Phanty, he probably thinks you want to kill him or something!” Sibella said. “You need to talk to him.”
	“He doesn’t want to talk to me…” Phantasma said.
	“He’ll understand, this was all just a miscommunication.”
	“Yeah, just talk to him.” Elsa said. “This is the ‘guy of your dreams’, right?” Elsa said chuckling and making air quotes. Phantasma sighed.
	“Alright, fine. But if this doesn’t go well, I’m dropping the class.” she said.
	“You already know that stuff anyways.” Winnie said. “By the way, what’s this guy’s name?”
	“Anon Mous.” Phantasma said. Sibella furrowed her brow.
	“What’s his middle name?” she asked. Phantasma shrugged.

----------

	 You stood, leaning on your desk, looking at the student roster as the students slowly meandered in. And then she did. You were waiting for this. She drifted in, and you think she took a little glance at you, and like the figure of steel fisted, absolute authority you are, you didn’t even look her. She slowly drifted to her seat. The clock hit 9:35, and you shut the door. The five minute grace period was over, but you probably wouldn’t mark anybody who came in a little bit later as tardy. You’re not that much of a hardass. Without even a glance to the ghoul, you began your lesson.
	Even when someone joked, Phantasma didn’t laugh or even smile. She usually always smiled, no matter the occasion. Now she just looked down, took notes, and took the occasional glance at you. You felt the tickle of guilt once again. You’re pretty sure she wanted to kill you, why would a murderer be so sad that her victim told her to leave the room? Maybe it was some kind of weird suicide pact so that she could have a ghost friend. But you weren’t gonna kill yourself for some crazy poltergeist girl. You pushed whatever bad feeling you had to the back your head.
	“Alright, I hope you guys looked over modes, ‘cause that’s what we’re doing today.”

----------

	“Seriously guys, memorize your modes.” you said as your student packed their bags and left. You looked down at your desk, packing your own.
	“See you, professor.” one student said as they left. You waved. You closed the latch on your briefcase, locked it and looked up, and there, right in front of you, you didn’t even see her come, was Phantasma. Her face was a bit sullen. Your chest tightened in start.
	“Jesus.” you mumbled before remembering your cold authority. You turned and began to putting on your jacket.
	“Uh, about yesterday...I think I might have freaked you out a little bit.” she said.
	“Ok.” you said, purposefully not making eye contact.
	“I just wanted to say that I didn’t mean to…” You chuckled.
	“You didn’t mean to?” you asked, making eye contact with her now.
	“No, I-I promise!” she said.
	“Oh really?” you said. “So the Grim Reaper takes people to hell, but you didn’t mean to freak me out?”
	“I-I didn’t mean it like—”
	“And you’re gonna take me somewhere, but you didn’t mean to freak me out?”
	“I—”
	“Where are gonna take me, Phantasma, huh? Where?” you asked. “To Hell? The Fields of Asphodel?” She bit her bottom lip and said nothing. “Where?”
	“T-to the cafe…” she said softly.
	“To the…” you said. “...Oh...like for coffee…” She nodded.
	“I’ve been working myself up to ask you for a while…” she said. You thought back for a moment about how sad she was, how it must have felt to be on the receiving end of your ‘steel fisted authority’.
	“Aw, man…” you said. “I’m really sorry…” You looked at your watch. “Uh...this is my last class of the day…” She glanced up at you, twiddling her fingers. “Maybe, if your free, I could buy you some coffee…” It occurred to you that this was a student you were asking out. “...as an apology.” Her inhumanly big smile flashed back onto her face.
	“Ok!” she said. You smiled.
	“Alright, let’s go.” you said, walking out the door. She swooped to your side and phased her arms through yours and held onto it, your arms interlocked. “Uh...maybe, let’s wait until we’re out of the building.” you said, shaking your arm out of her grasp.
	“Ok.” she said with a giggle.

----------

	The two of you walked/floated out of the cafe, laughing about something Phantasma had said. You’d learned a lot about her during your little cafe date. About her friends, and her old school, and her pet dragon, and the military school next door to where she lives. She wasn’t nearly as crazy as you thought she was, though that isn’t to say that she’s not a little bit crazy. She just happened to be a really cheery, bubbly girl who happened to be a ghost and was creepy sometimes without really meaning to be.
	“Well…” she said, coming down off her laughter. “I should probably go and catch a bus.”
	“Oh no, I’ll give you a ride.” you said.
	“Really?”
	“Yeah, I’m sure you don’t live too far out of the way.” She giggled.
	“Okay, if you’re sure”.

----------

	You drove along the bumpy off-road, thick trees of either side of you. It had begun to rain since you left, and you feared that you might get stuck in the mud. You tried to conceal your worry, so as not to make your passenger feel bad, since she could just float home, and probably wouldn’t be able to help much with a stuck car.
	“I thought you really hated me.” Phantasma said, chuckling.
	“Well you did freak me out with all the poltergeist stuff.” you said. “I thought you wanted to kill me so that you could have a ghost friend or something.” She leaned closer to you.
	“Are you sure that’s off the table?” she asked before breaking out in her shrill laughter that she does pretty often. You forced a chuckle, still hoping that your care would make it too her place.
	“Are we close?” you asked.
	“Yeah!” she said. “It’s coming any second now.”
	“Alright…” you said, coming to the mouth of the forest you were driving through. Standing before you like a sentinel, clouded behind the rainy fog, was a huge looming hill, topped by a dark, decrepit mansion.
	“There it is!” Phantasma said giggling. You peered up at it.
	“That’s where you live?” you asked. “...Jesus.”

----------

	The two of you stood on the steps of her house, the freezing cold rain drenching you, and the bone chilling wind freezing you. It all just went through her. She started laughing.
	“I forgot my keys.” she said, laughing. “Isn’t that funny!”
	“Hilarious.” you said as she rang the old timey doorbell. After a moment, the huge door began to lurch open. Phantasma turned to look at you. “I’ll see you later.” Her brow furrowed.
	“What are you talking about?” she asked. “You have to come and meet my friends!” She grabbed your arm and pulled you inside.
	Stretching up over you was the inside of a huge hall, with huge window on the opposite wall. And standing in front of you was a small werewolf with orange hair, wearing a flannel shirt, sleeves rolled up. She smiled, showing her sharp teeth.
	“Ohhhhh.” she said, chuckling. “This is Mr. Professor Anon Mous, isn’t it?”
	“...Yes.” Phantasma said.
	“Hi.” you said, as the werewolf approached you, her nose twitching, mischievous smile on her face.
	“This is Winnie.” Phantasma said.
	“Hi, Winnie.” you said as the wolf circled you.
	“Hi, Professor Mous.” she said.
	“You can call me Anon.” you said, smiling nervously. “I even let my students.” Winnie straightened up and looked at Phantasma.
	“Well, case and point, right?” she said, laughing.
	“Winnie, stop! You’re bugging him.” Phantasma said.
	“Oh, it’s—” You were interrupted by a poofing sound. Up at the top of the staircase stood, among dispersing purple gas, a woman with purple skin, purple hair, a purple dress, and two vampire fangs jutting out from her lips.
	“Sibella, look who it is!” Winnie said. “It’s Professor Mous.” Sibella gasped.
	“This is him?” she asked. Phanty nodded, somewhat reluctantly. “Oooh.” the vampire said as she descended the steps. She frolicked towards you and and shook your hand with both of hers. “Hi, Mr. Mous, it’s so nice to meet you, I’m Sibella, one of Phanty’s friends.” she said excitedly.
	“Hi.” you said. “You can call me Anon.”
	“Oh.” she said. “Ok, Anon.” She giggled, and beamed at Phantasma. “Winnie, you’re not bothering him are you?”
	“I’m not doing anything!” Winnie said, stepping back next to Sibella. Sibella laughed.
	“Oh, you should’ve heard Phanty last night.” she said.
	“Sibella!” Phanty said. Sibella rose an eyebrow.
	“You really drive her batty.” she said.
	“Let’s go, Anon.” Phantasma said, yanking you away.
	“Wait, Phanty!” Sibella called after her. “He has to meet Elsa and Tanis!” Phantasma didn’t answer.
	“What’s your middle name?” Winnie yelled.
	“Yancy.” you yelled back. The last thing you heard before Phantasma pulled you into another room was Winnie’s laughter.

----------

	“I’m sorry about that, Anon.” Phantasma said. “...Professor Mous?”
	“Anon.” you said.
	“Ok.” she said. “They can be annoying sometimes.”
	“I didn’t think they were too annoying.” you said as she slowly descended down onto her bed. You sat next to her.
	“Well, I do. I hate them sometimes.” she said. She glanced at you and smiled. “But I’m glad you like them. That would’ve been a dealbreaker.” You chuckled.
	“So, Phanty, huh?” you asked. “That’s your nickname?” Phanty started giggling.
	“Yeah! Do you like it?” she asked, drifting closer to you.
	“Yeah, it has a nice ring to it.” you said. Her ethereal head leaned down onto your shoulder. You swallowed hard.
“I’m dropping your class.” she said.
“What, why?” you asked.
“I can tell you feel weird about this.” she said. “If I’m not your student, you won’t feel weird. Don’t try to talk me out of it.” She giggled. “I already know all that stuff anyways.” You smiled.
“Thanks.” you said.
“No problem.” she said softly, her voice all high and quavery, though it was always like that. She drifted even closer to you, and planted her cool foggy hand on top of yours, and looked up at you with her huge sparkly eyes. She slowly moved her chilly spectre hands up the length of your arm and around your shoulders, slowly moving towards your face. She giggled, and you felt her wintery breath touch your face just before her lips touched with yours.
You could feel her soft lips and all, but this didn’t feel quite like a kiss. She sort of enveloped you, like a mist in the winter. It was like you’d touched your lips to a cool lake whose surface was hidden in a wispy fog. You felt her wrap her other arm around you back, and pull her nigh-weightless body closer to you. Her lips began curving into a smile as the two of you kissed. One of her finger brushed against the back of your neck, like breath or rain. You put your hands on her lower back. Her body was so malleable. It held up to some force from your fingers, but you pushed hard enough and it gave way, breaking like a membrane, allowing you fingers to feel the gel-like stuff she was made of, and then plopping back together, ripples moving across her back when you hastily pulled your finger from her. She giggled, it must have tickled. You took a breath through your nose, and felt all the cold mist that Phanty emits move in and out. Her fingers grasped at your shirt and she let out a little sigh, and disengaged. She opened her eyes with a soft smile, looking up at you. She gently leaned in and hugged you, and you wrapped your arms around her in reciprocation.
Her skin was cool, and she smelled like rain.

----------

	You stood at the door, Phanty floating next to you.
	“Are you sure you’ll be okay driving in that?” she asked.
	“Oh, I’ll be fine.” you said, not even believing yourself. Phanty smiled.
	“Okay, if you say so.” she said. “Bye.”
	“Bye.” you said. She opened her arms. You leaned in hugged her quickly.
	“Aww!” said all of her friends who sat around the room, some genuine, some facetious. You looked at them.
	“Bye.” you said awkwardly as you walked out the door, into the rain.
	“Bye, Anon Y. Mous!” Winnie called after you. You waved, and with a last glance at Phantasma, walked out into the rain, the door closing behind you. You couldn’t stifle the smile as you walked through the mud to your car. Now, you just hoped you’d be able to get through this alright.