It was the first day of school, and Richard had asked his mother if he could throw a party and invite some of his friends since it was the first day of school. His mother agreed with it right away. His mother thought that he should have more friends since he was bullied in the past. Now, Richard is starting high school, freshman year. He was nervous but excited. He didn't know what to expect since he had never been to high school. Richard's mom pulled up to the Shoony Skeleton high school. He was not familiar with a high school ever being that name or even close to that. Richard hopped out and started noticing something weird about the high school. People looked weird and abnormal to him, but he just thought that was because he had never been to high school.

As he walked inside, people smiled at him, being friendly?or were they? He started to notice some strange things. People who smiled at him had big smiles, but that wasn't all he saw. Like vampires, these people also had fangs; some had nasty, significant scars on their faces, arms, and legs. Richard just kept walking and got into his first class, history. As people got closer to Richard to sit in their seats, Richard noticed how many people had eyes like cats, fierce, green, or orange, with their pupils being vertically-slit pupils. It was starting to make Richard think twice about coming to this school. Richard had to move and leave all of his friends back because a tragic thing happened to his father. He got into a car accident, being drunk and behind the wheel. Richard looked around as he got startled. The teacher was behind him, looking like she was staring into Richard's soul. Richard smiled slightly as the teacher looked up. Why was the teacher the only one that looked normal? Or so that's what Richard had thought.

The day went on. The day was finally over as Richard jumped into his mother's car. Richard didn't want to mention what he had seen at school because he didn't want to be called crazy. He was still excited about the party that his mother was about to throw. When they got home, Richard had only invited about three kids because that is who would talk to him and looked a little bit normal. At 5:00 p.m., his friends finally showed up. His mother was excited for him to have friends over. As she opened the door for Richard's friend, they ran to Richard. "HI", They all yelled, as they hugged Richard. Richard was happy to have friends that care this much about him, he introduced the house to his friends. Two of his friends were boys, and the other was a girl. (Which Richard adored)

Suddenly, there was a loud thud, which scared Richard and his friends. "What was that?" One of Richard's friends whispered, scared to say anything louder. "Let me go see what it was." Richard said, wanting to be impressive, but still scared. Richard slowly went up the stairs, where the loud thud came from. The stairs were squeaky as he went up them, which made him tense up more. When Richard was finally up the stairs, Richard just stared at the door knob for a couple of seconds. 'I have to be brave for her', he thought, staring at the door, hands and face sweaty. He then opened the door but didn't expect what he was about to see. He gasped. Richard saw his father for the first time in years. Richard stood there, out of disbelief, that his father was standing in front of him. Was that his father, though? Or was he just hallucinating? Richard went up to hug his father. Richard went right through him. That's when Richard realized that he wasn't hallucinating or going crazy. Come to find out; his father followed him to the new house, as a ghost after he had died. Richard was in shock. At first, Richard didn't know what to do. Richard, after thinking and staring at his father/ghost Richard tried talking to his father but quickly realized that he couldn't speak. Something was bothering his father and keeping him back from talking. Richard wanted to discover what was bothering him and why he couldn't/didn't want to talk. Richard started asking deep questions, like about the crash and about why he drank while driving. Richard began to get upset. He didn't get why his father would drink and drive because he had a son. "I needed you, why did you leave me? Mom and I miss you. Do you know how hard it is to get up and know that your father died from drunk driving?" After asking him many questions about the past and the incident, his father/ghost started making crying and angry noises. Richard's father disappeared into the wall and vanished. "I'm sorry." Richard whispered as he began to break down, falling to the floor and wailing. His mother heard him and started running up the stairs. "What's wrong honey?" Richard's mother, having a concerned look, was worried about Richard and wanted to know what was going on. Richard stood there, looking down at the floor, still surprised from seeing his father. Richard looked up at his mother. Before his mother could say anything, he ran and broke down again.

Richard's mother ran after him, tears welling up in her eyes. She hates it when Richard cries. Richard is close to his mother, and they talk about everything, so it hurts her when Richard doesn't want to explain the things that are hurting him. As Richard's friends saw him breaking down and starting to run out of the door, they followed behind him. They were worried and also upset that he was upset. As Richard's friends followed him outside, they crowded around him, where he lay on the ground. Richard's friend (the girl he adored) bent beside him. She kissed him on the forehead. "It's ok, let's take a walk and talk about this." She lets Richard take his time to calm down so that he can walk. She took him on a walk around the block, away from everyone and the house. They finally arrive where Richard's friends were. Richard's friend started small, asking how his day was at school. He didn't answer until she assured him everything would be ok with her. After three minutes of his friend explaining things, Richard finally started to explain his day. He lied about half of it. But then, it became more challenging to clarify when the touchy subject came back to mind. He knew he needed to get it off his chest since no one else was around. He started to tear up but kept the tears back long enough to explain. When Richard was done explaining, his friend was shocked but was willing to see what he had seen.

They showed up at Richard's house after about an hour. Richard's mom was glad to see him back but kept her distance since Richard's friend told her to let them take this. Richard walked into the house and up the stairs, his friend following every step. Richard took a minute as they got up to the door and opened it. His friend's jaw dropped. There stood a 6'4 man with green eyes, short hair, and a beard, and it looked just like the man that Richard had explained. Once again, Richard tried to talk to him, but this time, something happened. Richard's father put out his arms to hug his son. Richard wasn't sure about it, but the nod from his friend assured him for going for the hug before he lost it. Richard started walking up to his father. As Richard did, his father wiped a tear from Richard's face. When Richard found out he could feel his father's touch, which felt cold but pleasant, Richard hugged him tightly. His father hugged him tighter; he hadn't felt this in years or to his remembrance. Richard started to break down again before his father let go. After a while, Richard's dad started to disappear slowly but quietly. After Richard's father was gone for good, Richard's mom started climbing the stairs. She heard Richard yell for his father and was curious why. Richard had to explain everything to her in bits and pieces. Richard's mother started to break down. Richard's mother knew why he was drinking and driving. She told Richard something that he would never forget: Richard's father shot and killed Richard's baby sister when she was only about a year old while Richard was at school and young. Richard got told that they sent his baby sister to the state because they didn't know how to deal with her, so Richard believed that all of his life until now. Richard, with wide eyes, didn't believe this or he didn't want to believe it. Richard knew his dad, he wouldn't dare harm a little child. Or that's what Richard had thought.

For years, Richard's father was hiding who he was all along. His father was in the vietnam war shortly before he got married. He was shipped away with some other guys in vietnam to fight a war. Richard's mother didn't know this at the time and fell in love with a guy that she thought was a handsome, intelligent guy. A year had passed of Richard's mom and dad being married. Richard's dad, one night when it was rainy and unusually dark, started screaming and punching the walls, putting fist-sized whole in the wall. Richard's mother woke up, out of fright, and tried to hold him. Richard's dad tried to fight the urge of her trying to call him down until Richard's dad heard something that he didn't want to hear, "I'm pregnant." Richard's mom said, without hesitating. Richard's father stopped dead still and looked at her with disbelief. That's when Richard's father started drinking, heavily. It would be so bad, some nights, that he wouldn't go to sleep until 3 a.m. Richard's mother couldn't take it but she was carrying their child and she didn't want her child without a father.

The day came where Richard's mother had her first child. It was a beautiful baby girl, with her dad's eye color, green, and chubby cheeks in the face. Richard's mother adored her, on the other hand, Richard's dad hated her. He wanted a boy, not some immature ugly girl. Richard's mom went off to work, as she had to because Richard's dad wouldn't work and Richard's mom knew that the baby had to have food and clothes on it's back. Richard's mom had a fast food job, nothing special and not a really good pay check. She was barely keeping the house bill up. Richard's dad was suppose to take care of the baby. Richard's mom named her Isabella. Isabella was about 1 now, still in diapers, and still crying and annoying like any baby child or a 1 year old would be. One Richard's mom was at work, Isabella wondering off around the house, out of Richard's dad's site. When he looked up, she was gone. He started freaking out, screaming for her name. The next thing he knew, he was running around the house to see Isabelle climbing up the steep hill that was in their front yard. Richard's dad got furious at the fact that Isabella ran off without asking or without any warning.

Richard's mom works a full time shift, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. at night. She usually gets home, has to feed Isabella and put her to bed, occasionally shower her. This work night was going to be something that she wasn't going to look forward to. She knew she could trust Richard's dad with Isabella. Or could she. She got off her long 9 hour shift and headed home. She had a feeling she didn't hardly like, but she ignored it, thinking that it was nothing. When she pulled into the driveway, after 25 minutes of driving, she couldn't believe her eyes. Richard's father was standing there with Isabella in the front yard, laying dead still. Richard's mom seen the pool of blood that ran down the yard, where Isabella was on the hill, playing. Richard's dad yelled and said, "She should have been the child that I wanted.", and laughed. He threatened that if she says anything about this incident that he would have her killed too. Richard's mom had no choice but to bury her own child, deep in the woods beside her house. Richard's mom would cry and cry every night. Richard's dad would always be drunk, like usual. One peaceful morning, Richard's mom shouts in joy. Richard's dad wasn't around at this point in time, because he got a job to be away from the house. She decided not to tell him and keep it a secret. As the months went on though, her belly was getting bigger and bigger.

She decided to finally tell him and this time, he didnt say or do anything, he just carried on like nothing was said. After about 10 months, her water broke. This time, she drove herself to the hospital, she didn't think Richard's dad deserved to see her new baby. She wanted to be surprised about what gender it is so she didn't know at this point in time. After a long 20 minutes, she had a baby boy. Richard's dad rushed to the hospital as soon as he seen she wasn't anywhere in the house. He didn't seem upset that he didn't see the birth of their new baby boy. Richard's mom and her new baby boy went home, she was not going to stay away from this child at any point. She decided to call her new baby boy Richard. Richard had his dad's nose but his mom's eyes, which were big and blue.

Richard's dad, one dark and cold night, got in his truck and scurried out of the driveway. It was like a normal drive, and Richard's mom just thought he was going off somewhere like he always does and he will be back except she didn't know he was drunk at the time. Richard's dad, drunk and unable to really focus to drive, swerved off a road on the mountain he was going down, he didn't know he went off a drop off until it was too late. His car went off the edge of the road, rolled 5 times and landed, top first, into a big, flooded river. His car rolling caused him to be knocked out, causing him to drown in the river his truck fell into. Nobody found him. The next morning, his truck was found on a river bank. His body was not in it, and his body was never found. Richard's mother wasn't as sad as she thought she would be because of how bad she was being treated. She found a babysitter to babysit Richard and so she could start working again.

Richard couldn't believe the story was true. It was just too much for him to handle. He hated to hear that his dad was a murderer or that he had a baby sister he will never see or that he drowned. Richard, standing there in disbelief, was proud of his mother for keeping up with him for that long and he thanked her for keeping him alive as many years as he had been, which is 14 years old now. Richard then realized how much of a fighter his mom was. Richard was also glad for knowing the truth and getting all of it out so it was not still trapped inside his mother, forever haunting her.