Artemis tapped the buttons on the register, sliding the money into the drawer. The woman at the counter pulled her bag of books towards her.
"Thank you so much." The old woman said, carrying the shopping bag out the door.
"No need to thank me..." Artemis said as the woman left.
"...just doing my job." Artemis finished with a sigh.
Artemis's boss stepped out of his office. "How many customers today?" Reuben asked.
"5 so far. There was another, but he didn't buy anything." Artemis answered, organizing plastic bags.
"And the books?"
"7 sold. Altogether $84.72."
Reuben rubbed his forehead. "I don't know how long I can keep this shop running with those profits."
"You'll find a way." Artemis replied. "You always do. Plus, Mrs. Martinez has her own job, so you'll get income from both."
"Ahh. What would I do without her?" Reuben said with a sigh.
"Dunno. Hey, I'm not gonna be here next Monday. Cause of Halloween and all." Artemis said.
"Leaving the shop...for candy? 16 es un poco viejo para eso..." Reuben said with a grin.
"You know, I take Spanish 4. And no, 16 is not too old to trick or treat. Iris is going." Artemis said with an eyeroll.
"Yeah, and I told her the same thing."
"Have a great night, Mr. Martinez." Artemis said as she turned to leave.
"You too, Artemis. No horror movies though. It's a school night." He chuckled.
"Ha! I would never!" Artemis called from outside.
The cold autumn breeze hit Artemis's face as she walked home from Omaha Books. Shoulda brought a coat. Artemis thought to herself.
The sky was getting dark, and a fog began to rise. Why did it have to be fog?
Artemis struggled to find her way home through the blanket of mist. And then, for just a split second, she saw it. A human shape, masked in wispy blue. A person stuck in the void between life and death. A ghost.
And then it was gone. No Artemis, don't go after the illusion. She told herself. Don't let yourself go crazy. There's no such thing as...
The air grew even colder.
...Ghosts?
No, it was just a hallucination. A delusion. Stupid freezing air and fog all getting to your head.
And yet, Artemis found herself walking to where the spirit had been.
There it was again! Artemis watched it phase through the walls. Straight into...
The most "haunted" house in the city.
Ok then, if this ghost is real, now would be the right time to check. Walk straight into the creepy building. Because that never ended badly for anyone. Especially not teenage girls blindly walking through a fog.
Guess I'm doing this anyway.
Artemis turned the rusted knob and stepped inside. But the ghost was gone.
Or so she thought.
ns 15.158.61.5da2
