"It's easier to dismiss ghosts in the daylight."
- Patricia Briggs
~~~~~~~~~~

Louis' POV

Adele's putting on make up and I don't understand why as she's in her pyjamas and it's pretty late at night.

She's drinking wine again. I'm fairly certain that she drinks far too much. Every time she pours a glass I wait until she's left the kitchen and pour a little bit down the sink, just a little so that she won't notice.

This reminds me of that poet who lived here in the 18th century. I used to do the same for him. It killed him anyway, the drinking. I always felt oddly guilty about that, I always do if I haven't done enough to help them.

I watch fascinated as she coats mascara on her lashes, her full mouth hanging open as she does it.

She picks up her phone and begins to take pictures of her face, pouting and smiling as she does.

What on earth are you doing Adele?

"I've got 850 followers on instagram." She smiles proudly to Mr T.

I have absolutely no idea what she's talking about.

Followers? As in disciples, like Jesus?

Well I follow her every movement religiously so it doesn't surprise me that other people do. I wonder if they follow her when she leaves the house and why she doesn't invite any of them inside. She might not be so lonely then.

I hope they're mainly women that follow her.

"Which filter do you think?" She carries on. I stand at her shoulder and watch as the photo of her changes slightly.

The first one, it brings out the blue of your eyes.

"Hmm, yeah, my eyes do look nice in that one."

I freeze.

She's looking at the picture absentmindedly and I can tell she's a little bit drunk.

A-Adele?

I speak louder than I usually would and she looks up confused.

"Hello?" Her tone is sharp and she suddenly seems to sober up.

Suddenly she stands up and grabs Mr T.

"Do you hear it?" She whispers to him. "It's like a whisper from far away, I can't make out what it's saying!"

So that's what she hears. But I know she heard me just then, when she wasn't concentrating, she actually replied to me. I'm so excited, she's the first adult to talk to me in 300 years! I want to try again but I'm sure that she's to on edge now.

I watch as she sits down shakily.

I won't harm you Adele. I'd never hurt you.

I can't help but wonder why she's still here, she hasn't run away.

"Something's not right here." She inhales deeply.

Well apart from the fact that your two best friends are a cat and a 300 year old dead man that you don't know exists... Everything's fine.

She gropes for her wine glass and sits back. I can tell by her face that she's convincing herself that it was all a figment of her imagination but when she finally goes to bed it takes her a long time to get to sleep.

~~~~

Much as I hate to admit it, I'm beginning to think that Zayn is right. In the four months that she's lived here Adele has only been out once on a night and that was to dinner with him and his girlfriend.

She spent ages getting ready and she looked so beautiful in her shift dress that I just stared at her, drinking in the details of her face. When she got home she was so happy, her cheeks were flushed and she was smiling giddily. But since then things have just gone back to normal.

I mean, it suits me just fine to always have her company, but she can't see me. She thinks she's completely alone and that can't be healthy.

I just want what's best for her.

I always try to help the people who live here but I've not had to deal with anything like this before and for some reason I want to help Adele more than anyone I've ever met.

I hold a crisis meeting with Mr T and bounce some ideas off him.

Obviously he couldn't care less and I can't come up with a single workable idea.

As it happens, it's Mr T that ends up changing everything anyway.

~~~~~~~

It's the middle of the night and I guess I should be doing some ghostly type stuff, rattling chains and lurking in corners or something but I'm actually playing with dust balls and stroking Mr T.

I've noticed something strange lately. I don't have to concentrate at all to make things happen. Yesterday I made a dust ball glow bright gold. I'm trying to experiment with this again but Adele is so clean that there isn't much dust.

Mr T gets bored and wanders away into the kitchen. I sigh and go to follow him. As I'm walking past the mirror I notice something extraordinary.

I can see myself.

I stare, mouth wide open.

I can actually see myself.

This has never happened.

I can usually see myself in the way that you can, I can look down at my arms and legs etc but I can't see my reflection.

I stand for a minute gazing at myself, drinking in the details.

Well, if you go three centuries without seeing your face you're entitled to a moment of vanity.

God, I'm pretty gorgeous.

I mean, not to sound big headed, but I never realised when I was alive what a handsome guy I am.

I wiggle my eyebrows and wink at myself.

I'm waiting because this is huge. I know He will turn up at any minute. He's come for much smaller things than this is the past so I'm certain that he'll be here any minute.

I ignore the noises from the kitchen. Sounds like Mr T is having his own little party.

Where is he?

"Haz?" I whisper, my eyes never leaving my face. I wave to myself and laugh in delight. "C'mon Hazza! You've gotta see this!"

At this there is an almighty racket from the kitchen. Even I start in shock and I hear Adele jump up out of bed.

Before I can move she's opened the door, looking terrified down the hall, straight at the mirror.

It okay though. She won't be able to see me.

She let's out a long, piercing scream as her eyes lock with mine.

Well then.

Guess I was wrong.

We stare at each other, I don't turn round, I just watch her through the mirror. Her whole body is shaking and I really have to move, like right now, this is breaking all the rules and I need to get away from this mirror.

But she can see me. Adele can actually see me now and I don't want that to end. I want her to see every detail of my face so that she knows who I am.

"What do you want?" She can barely speak for fear.

I just smile softly at her, trying to reassure her, then reluctantly, I will myself to disappear.

She screams again and I break another huge rule by turning the hall light on so that she's not stood in darkness screaming away. This seems to scare her more though. Damn.

Suddenly there is a huge commotion at the door, it sounds like someone is going to cave it in if it's not answered soon.

I can tell Adele is too scared to walk past where I'm stood.

"Open the bloody door before I phone the police!" A voice booms.

She's not going to move so I sigh and appear next to the door.

I can't help but laugh as the man who was taking a run up to the door falls in the hallway looking confused.

"Is anyone here?" He calls.

I look him up and down. He's tall and classically handsome. Blonde with soft brown eyes.

Adele appears at the top of the stairs, still shaking, and I notice his eyes lingering on her legs. The t-shirt she's wearing is quite small and he ogles at her underwear. Dirty git. I glare at him, powerless to stop him. Well, unless I want to terrify Adele even more.

"Are you alright? I heard screaming?" He directs this statement at her crotch as she descends the stairs sobbing.

She gives a loud cry and trips towards him. He reaches out and grabs her before she hits the floor, holding on just a second too long, his hand brushing her breast as her helps her stand.

Anger is rising within me and the lights flicker.

Even I jump at that.

Did I do that? What's going on?

Adele whimpers and clutches him as I try and calm myself down.

I need Him to come and explain but there's no bloody sign of Him.

At that Mr T, the cause of all this, struts of out the kitchen clutching that bloody rat in his mouth.

I'm going to kill the smug little bugger.

~~~~~

They're sat at the kitchen table, cradling a cup of tea each. We've learnt that our knight in shining armour is our neighbour and he's called Derrick. Pretty stupid name if you ask me, but of course no one does.

"So, let me get this straight... You opened your bedroom door and there's some dude in the hall... But he just disappeared. Like... vanished?"

Yes you imbecile, she's told you that three times already

Adele nods. Her hair is tangled around her face and her eyes are wide.

"Like disappeared? In front of you?"

I roll my eyes.

"Yes" she whispers.

"What did he look like?"

"It was dark..."

"You said that you were looking at him for ages" Derrick rubs one of his hands through his hair.

"I was... H-he was medium height I guess. Dark hair, really piercing eyes, but I couldn't see the colour. He had really defined cheekbones. Actually he was..." She pauses, "..Beautiful."

My grin is so wide that if I could feel pain it would ache.

Well thanks babe. The feeling's mutual

"He smiled at me so gently... I don't think he wanted to hurt me."

I swear I'd never hurt you Adele.

Derrick snorts.

"Right. So you wake up in the middle of the night and some Romeo is stood in your hallway, then he vanishes?"

Derrick laughs and I mimic him. Quietly though.

"I guess it sounds crazy" she sounds so unsure and vulnerable that my heart aches a little.

"You got that right!"

Shut up Derrick

"Look," he smiles at her and places his hand over hers, "I think you've been sleepwalking. It's common."

"Yeah. Maybe." She doesn't believe him.

"I could stay over, on your couch? If it'll help?"

No thanks pal. You can leave now.

"Um... Are you sure you don't mind?" Adele asks in a small voice.

"Of course not!" He smiles at her sympathetically and she gives a tentative smile back.

This makes no sense at all. I've been looking after her for months but she feels safer with some unknown idiot in the flat.

Derrick stands up and walks out of the room and Adele goes to follow him. I'm just sat, defeated.

She turns back frowning and addresses what she believes to be the empty room and what she says next shocks me to my core.

"I know you're there," she whispers, "I can feel you."