I couldn't even begin to describe the pain. It felt as if every single nerve in my body was being burned, then electrocuted, frozen, and burned again. I think I remember screaming, but I could hardly hear it over the ringing in my ears. The ectoplasm in my veins felt as though it was on fire. Heat washed over me entirely.

I had shut my eyes the moment the pain began, but I could still see the lights flashing, whites and reds especially. There was a lot of red.

And then, just as abruptly as the pain had begun, it was over. I collapsed on the floor of the cylinder, tears rolling down my face, my eyes still scrunched shut.

After a moment I drew a shaky breath. Oddly enough, the warm feeling didn't pass. It didn't feel bad now, just… strange. My skin was tingling, and I pulled himself up to a sitting position with a groan.

What just happened? I opened my eyes, and blinked a few times as the world came into focus. Everything seemed… a lot brighter. I squinted, shading my eyes with my hand. Where was I? I don't remember seeing this part of the ghost zone before. It looked like some kind of science lab, reminiscent of the different homes of long dead mad scientists.

It was eerily quiet as I stood up and walked out of the cylinder. The moment I did, there was a distinct zapping noise behind me, and I whirled around to find a swirling green portal. I blinked in surprise—hadn't there just been… no it couldn't be, could it?

I ran towards it. Could it actually be a portal?

I looked around, and then flew to the other side of the science lab, trying to fully grasp where I was.

Correction: I tried to fly. The moment I stepped off the ground, instead of flying to the other side, I fell onto the cold floor.

I noticed my hands then. My gloves were a different colour, and on closer examination I realized that my entire suit had inverted its colour scheme. Then my arm. Where the ghost hot-dog had bit me… instead of ectoplasm seeping out of the wound, there was a strange red liquid. What- What the heck was going on?

There was a mirror in the lab, and I quickly ran to it. It wasn't just my suit that was different. My hair had turned black, my glowing green eyes now dull blue—if I didn't know any better, I'd think I was a human.

I almost laughed at the thought. Then, as if to prove to myself that I could, I moved to shoot an ecto-blast at the mirror.

Nothing happened.

I pointed at it again, concentrating my energy and… still nothing. Panic flooded through me. Where- why couldn't I do that?

I tried to turn intangible, invisible, anything, heart sinking when I couldn't. This was impossible. It was literally impossible! I couldn't be human! I was a ghost, I was already dead! Something that's dead can't come to life, for pariah's sake!

But still, this warmth, this feeling deep in my chest I—I put my fingers to my neck… and found a pulse. My heart was beating, even somewhat erratically.

"My heart is beating." I said softly, as if trying to convince myself.

There was no way. Absolutely none. Nope! This was a dream. But then again, ghosts didn't have dreams, we didn't even sleep. I gulped, and took a step away from the mirror.

My eyes darted from object to object in the lab. I picked one up. Fenton ghost eradicator™. I looked at a few others, and realized with a start that nearly every item there was meant to hunt down ghosts.

Fear and sick curiosity flooded my brain. So this was the human world… and I was human. No I wasn't. Nope. I glanced at the portal. I knew I should go back right away, but damn if I didn't want to know more about what was happening. What this place was really like.

I held up my hand again, and then pulled off my black glove. I flexed my fingers. My apparently human fingers. But no, I couldn't be. I was dead.

I glanced once more at the portal. Could I even go back if I was like this though? I leaned against a counter, and a gun fell off the table and onto the floor, shooting out a ball of ectoplasm. I let out a gasp, and dived behind a counter.

I heard someone shout "GHOST!" from the staircase I'd spotted in the lab.

"Jack, sweetie, there aren't any ghosts in the lab. The portal isn't working yet, remember?" The second voice sounded as though she'd explained what she'd said a million times. I could hear their footsteps getting closer, and closer… I took a shuddering breath, thankful that I'd hidden.

"Mads, look!" The man said.

"What is it, Ja—oh my god! It's… it's working! How did—Jack, did you do this!?" I peeked behind the counter, watching as a woman in a blue hazmat suit walk up to the portal. She poked a finger at the swirling green vortex.

"Did I?" A man I assumed was named Jack said.

"Oh Jack, now we can move forward with our research! This is amazing!" The woman hugged Jack, facing me. I quickly moved back behind the counter, milliseconds too late.

I heard her voice a moment later, loud and threatening, "Show yourself you manifestation of ectoplasmic scum!"

She was going to kill me. First few minutes in the human world, and already a human was going to kill me. Why didn't I listen to the others? I was only fourteen, too young to die again.

"See, I told you there was a ghost!" Shouted Jack.

I could hear the sound of a gun being loaded, "If you don't show yourself, I'll blast this whole place to pieces!"

I gulped. She'd probably do it too. I glanced at all the weapons and most likely explosive materials in the lab, and then with a shudder stood up. If I was going to be killed, I'd rather do it with some dignity.

I turned to face the two humans, and the woman tilted her head, looking me over before putting her unusually large gun down.

"What's a kid doing in our lab?" Jack asked, and then turned to face me, "What are you doing in our lab?!"

"Wait," I said hesitantly, "Y-you're not going to shoot me?"

"Of course not!" The woman responded, "We'd never hurt humans. Now, can you explain what you're doing here or do I have to call your parents? Are you one of the kids Jazz is tutoring?"

Jazz? I stared at the pair of them in front of me. What they'd said had proved beyond a doubt that I was no longer a ghost.

I was no longer a ghost. Truth be told, I wasn't sure what to do with that knowledge. What happens now? I can't go back. But I can't stay here either, these people, they were dangerous.

"Well? Are you going to answer me?"

I blinked, "I um, I'm… what you said?"

She scoffed, "Jazz is going to get a real talking to. She knows that visitors aren't allowed in the lab! Come on, let's get you upstairs. And might I mention boy, that suit you're wearing is really quite fashionable."

I glanced fleetingly at the portal, before tentatively following the woman as she walked towards the stairs. Me and my damn curiosity. It killed the cat and apparently, it brought me to life.

As I walked up the staircase, it really dawned on me. I was alive. I was alive. Excitement flooded through me, and I broke out into a grin. I get to see the human world, and none of the humans are going to try to kill me.

But despite that, I still felt this egging notion that all this was wrong. That I shouldn't have stepped into the cylinder. I shouldn't even be here.

But I was, and I don't think that at that point I could have changed that.

(A/N: Yes, this is another chapter. However, don't hold your breaths guys, I'm still not sure if I'll make this a full-length story or not ^^))