[color=#8fa674]"Sorry I couldn't reach the phone, please leave a message and I'll get back to you."[/color] He was relieved, sure he was expecting she'd be in bed by now, but it was always nice to dodge a conversation with his mother.

[color=baa47f]"Hey mom, sorry it's so late but I'm just leaving now."[/color] As he said this he stepped out of the elevator and into the brightly lit lobby. [color=baa47f]"My flight leaves at ten tomorrow so I'll be around by dinner at your place. I sent Kenan's present ahead, text me if you got that already. I already wrapped it so just open up the shipping package and just stick it with the rest."[/color]

Just then the receptionist spied him making his way across the room and jumped up; [color=#fc9d9a]"Hey Koda! The Director said to request records from the Academy again! We're finally hiring some new interns can you believe it?!"[/color]

Koda smirked, amused by her glee, the both of them had been conscripted many times by now to do intern-level work such as delivering papers and fetching coffee and countless other mundane task that interfered with their actual jobs here. [color=baa47f]"I'll get right on it, how many does he want?"[/color]

He paused, halfway out the door just to hear her response; [color=#fc9d9a]"Three! But if you give him puppy dog eyes he'll push it to four I bet!"[/color]

He laughed, then called out to be heard; [color=baa47f]"Will do, bye Lauren!"[/color]

[color=#fc9d9a]"Bye Koda, have fun! Bring me back a souvenir!"[/color] Then the tinted black doors shut and he couldn't hear nor see inside the building anymore.

[color=baa47f]"Right, what was I saying?"[/color] He asked himself, remembering he still had the phone to his ear and was leaving a message for his mother. [color=baa47f]"Oh yeah, see you tomorrow, text me if you got the package, uh- good night? Bye mom, love you!"[/color] He hung up and sighed, feeling the exhaustion of his day set in. As it was his last day for nearly a whole week they had squeezed every drop of productivity they could from him, including holding him to the last possible minute, and even that wasn't enough as now he had homework in the form of trading emails with the Academy again so he could peruse their students for those few intelligent hard workers his boss would want to hire as interns. It would take hours to sort through all the files.

He began his nightly trek to the subway, perking up once more as he got closer to the stairs leading down. He'd seen the Ghost Girl down there twice so far, once when he was all alone and she had laughed at his dumbstruck face before vanishing around a corner, and again a few nights ago looking sad about something- and that had been just after those two deaths hadn't it? He hadn't managed to talk to her then, the subway had been more crowded and she'd been sitting out of the way on a ledge where no one else seemed to see her. He kept meaning to look into it, he'd even started to research ghosts a couple days ago, but that had been the only time he'd managed to do anything about it. He was always so busy, and while he'd thought about telling someone he always ended up distracted, and surprisingly the Ghost Girl didn't come up in conversation as much as he'd thought she would.

Then, just as he reached the top of the stairs, she appeared. He actually halted mid-step, staring at her for a moment, taking in her bright pink hair and green hoodie. There was something different about her, she wasn't just a girl, but maybe, [i]maybe[/i], she was a ghost. Koda didn't care, he just wanted to know, and this time she wasn't about to disappear on him. [color=baa47f]"Hey?"[/color] He asked more than questioned, wanting to say something, but unsure how to begin. [color=baa47f]"Uh, whats up?"[/color] He tried lamely, but she grinned at him suddenly.

[color=708090]"I have something for you, something you'll want."[/color] She said, her voice surprisingly relaxed. He half expected it to be faint or desperate or just plain creepy, what with the whole 'Ghost' part of Ghost Girl. He slipped his phone into his back pocket and started down the stairs, cautiously at first, then with more enthusiasm. He wasn't afraid, despite the fact that many said she killed people, instead he just wanted to meet her- and see what this 'something' was.

[color=baa47f]"Is this the part where you push me down the stairs?"[/color] He joked, but suddenly he realized his earlier thoughts were untrue; he was afraid, it was just buried deep beneath his curiosity and excitement, and now escaped in the form of a sarcastic quip- funny how the exhaustion seemed to evaporate the second a good mystery was right in front of him. He was content to let the fear be buried, no one ever learned anything by being afraid; [color=baa47f]"What've you got?"[/color] He questioned when she only smirked at his joke.

He took the last step off the stairs and found himself uncomfortably close to the girl, realizing he was very much in her personal space he quickly took a step to the side and shot a quick glance around the empty subway, scared that if he looked away too long she'd disappear and he'd be back to questioning his sanity. [color=708090]"It's called a Semblance,"[/color] she cupped her palms as if to catch a drop of water from the ceiling, but it wasn't water that landed in her grasp, instead it was a shadow. It warped and curled and for a second he thought it was just a small really black cat, but then the shadow was lit by some kind of inner light and while he blinked away the spots in his eyes it had reformed into... he wasn't sure what it was. It was curved in a way that made him think of the glass part of a motorcycle helmet, or maybe from a diving or space suit, but the glass was heavily tinted and shaped by lots of triangles melded together. [color=708090]"It's a mask."[/color] The Ghost Girl clarified with a secret smile. Koda felt like he was missing a joke, or maybe he was the butt end of one.

He shook his head, holding the 'Semblence' in his hands carefully, but ignoring it for now to focus on the girl. [color=baa47f]"I don't understand, are you really a ghost? How come you're talking to me? Not that I'm complaining! I just- I want to know."[/color] He tried to wipe off his 'interrogator' expression as his dad liked to call it, and replaced it with his most earnest looking puppy dog eyes.

[color=708090]"That will help you answer your questions,"[/color] she smirked, looking amused, but there was something else in her expression... worry maybe? Koda was never really good at reading people. [color=708090]"But don't wear it yet, wait for the others."[/color]

So. Others. That's not spooky at all, just the Ghost Girl summoning her ghost friends to come and kill him. He wondered if he would become a ghost if killed by a ghost, was that what she meant by others? The others who had died here?

...it would be pretty rad to be a ghost though.

Before he could get too far into that thought, the girl gave a loud laugh and shook her head. [color=708090]"The others are like you,"[/color] she explained, [color=708090]"you'll need them where you're going."[/color] Then, after a quick scan of his skeptical face, she turned and started walking away. [color=708090]"I'll be back, and when I get here you'll be waiting."[/color] He wasn't sure if it was a guess, or a command, but... he would be here, staring at the mask, waiting.