Private Finished mistaken faces

Adeloise had her eyes towards the school as she stood just along the walkway. She spent most of her summer break back home that standing in front of the school seemed strange again. It was only a few months though, or maybe it was because of the virus mishap just before the school year ended. That could be it.

Classes had yet to come but Adeloise wanted to familiarize herself with the school grounds again. At her ghost companions' insistence, Adeloise brought Adrien along while the younger ghost stayed behind to 'guard' her dorm room. Not that Stella could do much, considering she was a weaker soul than the other.

Skipping along the way, a blur of colors hiding among shadows under the trees caught the twelve-year old's eye as she walked along the elementary school building. Maybe it was her cousin-uncle! From behind it looked like it was him so that could be the case. Without giving warning to her ghost friend, she stalked her way to the person in question, making sure she wouldn't be noticed in her approach. Adrien whispered that he would have noticed her even if she tried to be stealthy.

Adeloise said nothing and all of a sudden she was in front of the stranger, peering to look at his face, only to realize it was not who she thought he was. "You're not Uncle Hal," she said curiously. The tone of her voice almost asked 'who are you and why do you look like him from behind?' "I could have sworn you were him!"

Adeloise grinned.

He wasn't her cousin-uncle, but he seemed very nice! The older girl didn't seem to understand the confusion in the boy's face -- not that she would have done anything about it. "My name's Adeloise!" she chirped, her voice bright and cheerful. She pointed to her side, to the spot where Adrien stood -- but for the boy, it was the green flame. She wasn't ever sure if anyone could, or could not see either of her companions, but she never forgot to announce their presence. "This is my friend, Adrien, if you can see him. He's invisible to a lot of people so I don't know about you."

She straightened up and took a step back, letting the younger boy have some air. He seemed to be around her height -- maybe taller -- but he had this air that made him look more mature than her. She would say she could actually be told than her, but definitely not any older than her Uncle Hal."I don't think I've seen your face around before. Are you new?"

"Mm. This is my second year here!" Adeloise responded proudly. It seemed like it hadn't been that long though -- but it was strange to have no recollection of having the same classes her old school friends in the past year. She'd met a few good friends now too who were definitely more special that she thought she could be; it made her rethink a few things.

At the mention of Adrien's ghost fire, Adeloise perked up with curiosity, almost forgetting how Henry's voice sounded almost skeptical. "Just like my brother!!" she exclaimed. "That's just his ghost fire. Not everyone sees him like I do, and there's a few people who don't notice the fire at all. I'm glad you see him! I'm a ghost whisperer you see, Adrien's a ghost. I can see, hear and feel ghosts like they're there physically." Adeloise didn't seem any fazed at how she'd explained her ability, nor how she had just seemed very casual about speaking of ghosts. "I'm 12! I'll be turning 13 by the end of September," she replied to him, straightening her posture to seem a little taller than she really was. "How about you?"

Adeloise giggled. Not the first person she'd heard from that didn't believe in ghosts; she always just laughed it off, but she couldn't ever feel upset about it. Ghosts were a mixed company, after all and not everyone liked being around disembodied spirits. She heard Adrien chuckled from behind her. "Oh, they're very real!" she told him, "Adrien came here with me from back home. I grew up with ghosts around me so it's kind of a normal thing to see them. Honestly, I can't really tell the difference between living people and ghosts most of the time.," she giggling, saying it with such honesty. She wasn't too ashamed to talk about how she fails to realize the difference.

The ghost whisperer seemed surprised as Henry told her his age. He was 4 years younger?! Her eyes were wide with wonder and curiosity, "You're tall!" she said with a little gasp in her voice. "You're just as tall as my Uncle Hal and he's twice your age!" Ah. She'd always thought she was small and cute but now that she thought about it.... Adeloise vaguely heard Adrien chuckling about how shortness ran in her family.

"Is your sister here too?" she asked out of nowhere. Clearly, she liked getting to know people her age, but in another case, Henry was much younger than her and it was already difficult to move into the island without anyone else. Well, she had her companions with her at least and they were pretty much family to her. "I have an older brother but he's back at home being... normal and stuff."

"That's what most other people say," Adeloise claimed, completely confident in her words. "But they're actually everywhere, but most of them can't interact with normal people. Some of them can reach out, like some ghosts in the island, but some of them need people like me to help them reach out." Adeloise seemed somber as she spoker the last few words. Her friends were those kind; they were weak and no one could see or feel them at all. But she could, and she guessed that was the reason why ghosts back at her hometown flocked her.

As Henry insisted that his sister and brother were taller than himself, Adrien reiterated Adeloise's shortness being a family trait. The girl waved him off, almost literally. To the other boy, it would have looked like Adeloise was fanning away the flame."That's really cool! My brother is the taller one in the family but I think it runs on Papa's side. My relatives on Mama's side aren't really that tall I think."

Adeloise looked back at Henry with a firm gaze, but in no way did it seem too serious. "Mmm, I guess I do miss home, and hearing their noise in the house. Sometimes it feels lonely being in a dorm, but I visit them a lot on holiday. I just got back a few days ago, actually."