"I think I am a better ghost than I am a human being"
- Mikko Kuorinki
~~~~~~~~

Adele is in the shower, singing along to some strange music.

Matthews mother always played loud music that hurt my ears but this is softer. I stand outside the door and listen as she sings along and it makes me smile.

Suddenly the bathroom door opens and I quickly apparate into the living room.

That was close.

See, I have sort of self imposed rules, the main one being that I give them their privacy.

Of course, over 300 years there have been a few instances where I've caught them in various states of undress but I do try not to.

They didn't ask for me to be here. Heck, I didn't ask for me to be here.

During the 60s a couple lived here and they were always walking around naked, I couldn't help that. I just tried to avoid them as much as possible.

I can hear Adele moving about in the kitchen and I appear just feet from where she's stood.

She's wearing a long vest top with these little shorts.

I like your shorts Adele.

I say it quietly, winking at her. I can't resist talking to her when she's right here.

She turns and begins to fry eggs for her breakfast.

I miss food, not that I feel hungry or anything, I just miss the taste and sensation of eating. It was different when I could eat of course. Food was boring then, it looks so exciting these days.

I stop and remember something that Matthews mother used to cook all the time.

Hey, Adele. Did you know you can get meals in little plastic trays? Like whole meals... You just put them in the micro thingy and they come out ready to eat!

I wonder if she doesn't know about this because she seems to cook everything from scratch.

She sits down and begins to eat, humming along to the radio between mouthfuls. I sit next to her.

You love music don't you? Niall used to love music. He was my best friend. He lived here in this house, I left it to him after I died.

I tell her everything. About watching Niall grow old, seeing him cry for me when he thought he was alone. Standing next to his bed on the day he died, finally thinking that he was going to join me.

I don't know why he didn't. I've asked Him of course but he just speaks in riddles. He does it on purpose to sound clever. You can just tell. He's a right smarmy git.

Adele is washing up and I stand beside her. A curly strand of hair has fallen from her ponytail and I touch the end of it lightly.

She reaches up to stack the plates in the cupboard.

Everyone needs a good friend I guess. I've got you and Mr T. But you don't really have any friends do you? I can't understand why because you're beautiful and kind. It makes me wonder... What's happened to make you so reclusive? But it's okay, you've got me now, I'm here for you.

Suddenly she steps backwards and walks straight through me.

Crap. I was stood too close.

I know what it'll feel like. Like she's plunged into icy water.

The plate she's holding slips from her hands and without thinking I catch it before it hits the floor, holding it a few inches from the ground.

I look up at her and her eyes are wide with shock.

Opps.

I guess a plate hovering in mid air would be cause for alarm. Slowly I lower it to the ground. She's backed up against the sink, one hand raised trembling to her mouth.

I back away, hands up in surrender, as if she can see me.

I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I never meant to scare you.

Before I can stop her she's gone, scrambling to yank the front door open.

I run to follow her but of course as soon as I run outside I'm back in the kitchen.

I try again and again but it's no use.

~~~~~~~~

She has to come back, if only for Mr T, she wouldn't leave him.

I'm sat in the hallway, playing with dust balls. Mr T is sat next to me pretending not to be interested in what I'm doing.

I'm telling him about the family who lived here in Victorian times, how they had a little girl called Jennifer. I used to play tea parties with her. She couldn't pronounce my name so she always called me 'You-e'. Gradually she started ignoring me, referring to me as her imaginary friend, until the day came that she just couldn't see me anymore.

Mr T yawns and closes his eyes and I chuckle.

Sorry if I'm boring you pal.

The front door clicks and I'm in there before it's even opened, standing a safe distance away.

"Haunted?" That annoyingly handsome estate agent enters the room and my heart lifts as Adele follows him, looking round carefully.

"Yes! The plate was floating in mid air!

He looks at her disbelievingly.

"I didn't imagine it." She sounds unsure and he studies her carefully. "You think I'm crazy don't you?"

He touches her arm and I feel a spike of jealously. It surprises me because I usually love these little human interactions.

"I don't think you're crazy Adele." He says softly. "I just think that maybe you're working too hard and not socialising enough, do you know anyone in the area?"

She shakes her head and tears fill her eyes. I want to comfort her but I can't. Zayn can though and he pulls her into a hug.

"Look, why don't you come out with me sometime?"

Her eyes widen and she blushes furiously. I'm so tempted to spoil the moment by knocking something over or making a painting smack the back of his head.

"I-I... Okay. That'd be great!" She gives him a wide smile and his perfect bloody face opens in a wide grin that shows a row of white teeth.

I roll my eyes.

"Great! Perrie is an amazing cook, you should come round for a meal!"

"Perrie?" She frowns.

"Yeah, my girlfriend!"

Adele's POV

I watch out of the window as Zayn drives away.

God I'm such a dork. I can't believe I thought that this Greek god was asking me out.

Thankfully he didn't seem to pick up on my hesitation so no one witnessed stupid little Adele getting her hopes up.

Mr Tibbles is ecstatic to see me but I guess it's because he wants feeding. He's been acting so oddly lately, usually he's all over me but recently he's been sat on his own, purring away.

I feel a bit nervous going into the kitchen. I'm sure I didn't imagine it. I know I didn't.

My sister laughed when I turned up in a panic last night and I tried to talk myself round.

But it's not just the plate. Sometimes I hear things.

Well, not exactly. It's as if I'm stood somewhere quiet and I can hear someone murmuring from another room, but somehow the sound is close by. Sometimes I don't even hear anything, I just feel it. Like that feeling when you know someone is watching you. Plus there was that time that I saw a blue spark whizzing down the hall.

When I first moved in things kept moving around. I told myself that I'd done it but I'm so not sure if that's true. Even now, things always seem to be where I need them. I usually just dump stuff then spend ages looking for it but since I've lived here things seem to move in the night.

The image fills my head of something slowly moving across the dark room of it's own accord while I'm sleeping.

Oh god I'm freaking myself out now.

I take a deep breath and enter the kitchen, Mr Tibbles impatiently heads over to his food bowl.

It smells sweet in here. Just a whiff of a pleasant smell, I have to inhale deeply to catch it. It reminds me of sunshine and meadows.

That's the thing, the reason I came back. Whatever is happening here doesn't feel bad. It feels like for the first time in years, I'm safe. Whatever it is, my imagination, the house, or whatever else it could be, it gives me a safe, warm feeling