All bolded words mean that a ghost is speaking.

- ¦ -

The moving truck arrived around 1 o'clock in the afternoon. A woman and a man climbed out of the truck and started to remove boxes from the storage compartment. As they carried their belongings into the house, a young boy, looking about four, played in the yard. Sitting crosslegged in the grass, he fiddled with his action figures, not paying attention to his parents' actions. Mrs. Lu had already begun to unpack the cardboard boxes her husband brought inside. She absently observed the empty house.

The family had been forced to move because of Mr. Lu's mother falling ill. So they packed up everything and purchased a house big enough for her to live with them so that they could take care of her properly. The family had heard their fair share of town rumors and gossips circulating about the house.

That someone always died.

People said it was caused by a demon so evil that it was banished from hell, something not only bodiless and formless, but souless and merciless as well. The rumors had existed ever since the original owners, the unfortunate Kim family, had built the house in the 1950s. But the deaths in the family had happened so long ago that people forgot to fear the house. Until now, that is. The recent incidents inside the house, a mother-daughter double homicide, jogged people's memories, and the fear and rumors returned.

They'd also had the last name Kim-

Mrs. Lu shook her head to clear it of such dark thoughts, instinctively glancing through the open front door to her youngest son. Her eldest, Luhan, had stayed behind in China, wanting to finish his schooling before moving. He only had a few weeks left so his parents allowed him to stay for the time being.

Hearing a cry, Mrs. Lu whipped her head towards the direction of the sound. Her son, Hui, was squealing in delight at the neighbor's corgi. Releasing a shaky breath, Mrs. Lu went back to unpacking her box. She'd been so deep into her thoughts that she hadn't noticed that she hadn't noticed her husband enter the room.

"You alright?" Mr. Lu asked, taking in her pale face and trembling hands. She simply nodded in response, knowing that if she spoke, her voice would be terribly shakey. Though he didn't believe her, he nodded anyway and went back outside for the last few boxes. They had helpers coming over later to help with moving the furniture into the house.

Mrs. Lu made her upstairs with some boxes and placed them inside her room to sort through later. Stepping into the bathroom, she took in her ashen skin and sighed. She the water faucet and splashed some cool water onto her face before patting her face dry. While her face was buried in the towel, a loud thump was heard behind her, accompanied with a low muffled chuckle. Slowly straightening up, she glanced behind her and saw what appeared to be a dark figure before it disappeared around the corner. Following it, she found herself alone in the hallway. Rushing to the window, she found her husband speaking animatedly with the old couple from across the street.

If that wasn't Chaung, then was it- No, Ziyi, you can't think that way. She scolded herself sharply, heading back downstairs. The rumors about the house were already getting to her.

- ¦ -

As Kai played with the mind of one of the house's new residents, Jaera was outside playing with another. She'd always loved kids and had wanted to be a preschool teacher for as long as she could remember.

Hui hadn't noticed her at first, not until he dropped his toy and she’d decided to pick it up for him. He stared curiously into her glowing yellow eyes, her body nothing but a white, transparent blur that could barely be seen in the bright sunshine. Though she knew he wouldn't be able to see it, she still smiled at him.

"Here you go," she said, handing him his fallen figurine. He accepted it, tilting his head at her.

"Who are you?" he asked, fascinated by the figure in front of him. She smiled again and held out a barely perceptable hand. He accepted it with a giggle.

"I'm Jaera."

- ¦ -

"Mama!'

Turning around, Mrs. Lu saw Hui racing towards her, beaming brightly. Bending down to his level, she chuckled at his wind-swept hair and tried to comb through the tangles with her fingers. "Mama, I invited my new friend to dinner, is that okay?" He asked, his voice breathy and excited. Mrs. Lu's hands paused in her son's hair. She looked at him curiously.

"New friend?" She asked, receiving a quick nod in response. Eyeing her son in confusion, she asked, "Who is it?" She was almost certain that no children lived on this street. All of their neighbors were quiet and elderly.

"Her name is Jaera, I just met her outside. She said she lives nearby." Hui explained with a smile.

Mrs. Lu, not knowing anything about the girl, reluctantly gave permission for Jaera to join them for dinner. Hui quickly hugged her and ran back outside. She followed behind him slowly and leaned inside the doorway. She watched in confusion as Hui talked animatedly into seemingly empty space. As her husband walked past her with a lamp, she grabbed his arm to stop him. “Honey, have you met Hui's new friend?" She asked him absently, still watching her son converse with the air. Mr. Lu followed his wife's gaze and chuckled in amusement.

"Oh, that. Yeah, he “introduced” us earlier."

Noticing his wife's worried gaze, he flashed her a wane smile. "Sweetheart, he's only four. It's perfectly normal for him to have imaginary friends." The worried look never left her face. Mr. Lu narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Don't tell me those ghost stories are getting to you." He joked, trying to cheer her up. 

Awakening from her daze, she lightly shook her head and headed back inside, but not before glancing over her shoulder to her son one more time. For a brief moment, she could have sworn she saw a pair of yellow eyes. Rubbing her temples, Mrs. Lu walked into the kitchen and began to prepare dinner for her family and Hui's special guest.

As she stirred the pot of noodles, a sharp clank was heard behind her. Jumping in surprise, Mrs. Lu turned around to find empty air. She forcefully returned her attention to the pot, the back of her neck tingling. Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she found a shadowy figure curiously watching her. Glowing red eyes met her star