ã€ŠMemories of a Certain Spiritual Hourglassã€‹


 Chapter 1

    My heart thudded in my chest as the bright afternoon sun shined above me. I felt the weariness in my legs as I ran, one step after the other, on the paved path. Sweat dripped from my face, my body¡¯s natural coolant acting against the unusually warm fall season. From the sides of the paved track, I saw pine trees where red birds, likely cardinals, gathered to sing. At least I assumed the birds were singing; my headphones drowned out the sound of the birds and the voices of the people around me with electric guitar, drums, and the vocals of Anthony Kiedis.

    I turned, following the pathway, and nearly collided with a squirrel crossing by who immediately scurried onto a nearby tree. I came to a sudden stop and decided it was as good of a time as any to slow down and take a breath. So far, I had run a mile and planned on completing one more before the day was over. I took to walking, adjusting my headphones before the next goal post sign that showed how many miles I had left on the path. The path led out from the forest area into a more open section with wooden tables and chairs to accommodate families visiting the park. The faint smell of bacon served to temporarily prevent my nose from registering the ever-present scent of cut grass.

    From behind me, a guy, somewhere in his early 30s, ran past me. He was athletic, maintaining a runner¡¯s build: skinny and toned but not overly muscular. We shared a similar physique despite a few extra pounds on my end.

    From the corner of my eye, I noticed a human figure out in the distance. A small girl, no younger than thirteen, standing alone along the pathway a couple of meters off from the guy running. From what I could tell, the guy paid no attention to the girl, running as fast as he could along the path. The girl¡¯s head was glued to the paved pathway, staring at the ground below her as if transfixed. She took no notice of the people running on the track.

    The guy got closer to the girl, to the point where it would be impossible not to see her. He continued to push on the gas. If anything, the presence of the girl made him speed up. 15ft. 10ft. 5ft. The man was only a breath away from the little girl who stood there paying no head. The collision was inevitable.

    And then he was upon her, his outreached hands lodging into the girl¡¯s abdomen. And then his hand exited her waist. His legs and torso too also passed through her. In a blink of an eye, the man had gone completely through the young girl, running towards his destination. The girl continued to look at the ground, showing no interest in the man who phased through her.

    As I came closer to where the girl was, slowly stopping to where she was standing, she raised her head to stare at me. She had grey eyes and blonde hair nestled under a straw hat. She wore a green umbrella frock-style dress with laced shoes that matched her hair. When she saw that I stopped to see her, she looked up at me with a face of shock.

    ¡°You can see me?¡± she asked.

    I nodded my head. The little girl stared at me curiously before reaching out her hand towards me.

    ¡°Will you play with me?¡±

    I looked around, noting if there were any people around watching me. She was giving me those adorable puppy-dog eyes that any older brother knew were impossible to refuse. There were only a couple of families near the picnic area. Not ideal, but at least I wouldn¡¯t be making a fool out of myself in front of too many people.

    ¡°What do you want to play?¡± I asked her.

    ¡°Tag,¡± she exclaimed, jumping up and down, a smile stretching across her pale face. ¡°Let¡¯s play tag!¡±

    ¡°Alright,¡± I replied as I placed my finger inside her forehead. ¡°Ok then. You¡¯re it.¡±

    I sprinted along the path. The girl, smiling from ear to ear, followed right behind me. For a little girl, she was rather fast. We spent around five minutes chasing each other before I ran out of gas, falling backward into the grass. On seeing this, the little girl too fell to the floor right next to me, looking at me with an elated smile. We laughed, a good long laugh before silence came in.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name,¡¯ I said, breaking the silence.

    ¡°My name?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, your name.¡±

    ¡°How come? Nobody asks about my name anymore?¡±

    ¡°I like to know the names of people I like.¡± She grinned.

    ¡°Sarah,¡± she responded.

    ¡°Are you happy now, Sarah?¡±

    ¡°I think so,¡± she responded, starting to stand up. Despite laying in the grass, her hair was free of any dirt or mud. Her clothes too were spotless.

    I stood up with her. As I looked at her, I began to see her body shimmering, light emanating from her body like a disco ball.

    ¡°You¡¯re ready to go?¡±

    She nodded and I noticed tears forming in her eyes.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ¡°I can be at peace now.¡±

    Sarah began to rise into the air as particles of light formed around her. She looked at me, waving her hands. I waved back too, trying not to pay attention to the people staring at me as she looked away from me and towards the blue sky. From the left and right side of her, I saw the images of two elderly figures: most likely her parents. They two waved at me before hugging the little girl in a giant embrace. Then, both the elderly folks and Sarah disappeared into thousands of small shining lights.

    After staring at the sky for some time, I looked back down at the place where Sarah and I once laid and then back at the running track. I dusted the dirt off my grey shorts, walking towards the runner¡¯s path. Poor girl. I wonder how long she had been separated from her parents. Nobody should have to go through that. I put my headphones back on and continued my run.

    I can see ghosts. A bit of an odd party trick, I know, but it¡¯s all I got. I can¡¯t recall the first time I realized I could see ghosts. For me, seeing ghosts is as normal as breathing, eating, and sleeping. I remember while on a walk with my mother around the age of five, I saw an elderly man standing in the street during ongoing traffic. I screamed at the man to get out of the way only to watch as a car barreled straight through him. The man emerged from the other side, unscathed. My mom stared at me in confusion and asked what I was yelling about.

    ¡°Mommy, there¡¯s a man on the road. The car ran him over, but he¡¯s still standing there. Look!¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    My mom looked, not seeing the intangible man.

    ¡°There¡¯s no one there, sweety,¡± she said. ¡°Are you imagining things again?¡±

    ¡°Over there, over there,¡± I pointed towards the man, but to no avail. She couldn¡¯t see him.

    ¡°Quite the active imagination you have their Xavey. It¡¯s good that you''re so caring about other people''s safety. Just make sure to extend that care to people who actually exist.¡±

    That was the first time I realized I was different. I tried to get others to see what I saw. I took photos. I recorded videos. I even tried to get my dad to touch one, only for his arm to phase right through her face. All to no avail. I ended up trying to talk to them, to see if they could communicate with my parents or any of the other living people around. That¡¯s when my relationship with the ghosts began.

    I quickly grew interested in talking to ghosts. You would think that ghosts would have a lot to say, especially since some of them have been around much longer than the average human, but in fact, most ghosts are rather introverted. Ghosts are quite narrow-minded. They seem only to have one goal in mind when talking and will solely focus on completing that goal. Whether that be to go to the mall, to taste a certain dish, or to visit the gravestone of a loved one, ghosts seem wired only to fulfill a specific need. They will pester you to help them achieve that goal, usually after only a couple of lines of introductory dialogue beforehand. I can either tell them no, in which case they immediately vanish into the shadows, or I help them. When I help them achieve their goal, they usually thank me before vanishing into a blinding array of light. I suppose they go on to the afterlife.

    Nearly all the ghosts I met were nice. Some were pushier than others, but overall, they were pleasant to deal with. I only met one evil ghost, during the time of my mother¡¯s illness and he...well it¡¯s not a nice memory to recall. In most cases though, ghosts were harmless, sometimes even friendly. I enjoyed helping them with their problems, regardless of the weird looks I would get from strangers. I was doing something that no one else can. I felt useful.

    But I didn¡¯t feel special. Sure, I suspect there are few like me¡ªfew who can see the dead, but that doesn¡¯t make me any better than those who can¡¯t. I considered it a special skill, like being a great pianist or an expert chef. I might be quite the amateur ghost whisperer compared to some unknown ghost-seer genius out there. Plus, there seemed little I could do with this ability. Sure, I could help the ghosts, but how would talking to people no one can see help the living people around me. I was different, but not special; unique, but not in a way that mattered; I was born with the strange quirk to talk to imaginary friends. I may help the dead, but to everyone else, I looked insane.

    It didn¡¯t help that beyond seeing ghosts I was as basic as a slice of white bread. I had no real talents to speak off nor interests beyond running and a service-level understanding of ornithology. I wasn¡¯t cool enough for the popular kids or nerdy enough for the geeks. Take away my ghost-seeing abilities and I was less than a nobody.

    After my run, I decided to do some static stretches before driving home. Traffic was surprisingly light, so it only took around fifteen minutes before I turned into the driveway entering my subdivision. Five minutes in and was walking up to the door of my home. My house was average size, a white-painted brick building with sliding windows and a picket fence where my dad maintained his vegetable garden. When I entered the house through the front door, I heard a squeal, resounding from somewhere near the kitchen.

    ¡°Xavier¡¯s back!¡±

    It was Apple, my little sister. Her real name was Naomi, but she had been gifted the nickname apple due to her love of apple slices. She had turned eleven last month, which came with a sudden shift in her appearance. She used to love to wear pigtails but now decided to wear her hair long. She wore a blue t-shirt, a departure from the flowery dresses she loved to wear before. Her personality also saw a sudden shift. She became far more responsible: washing the dishes, vacuuming, and helping Dad cook.

    She came to see me as I took my shoes off.

    ¡°Did you bring anything?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I wasn¡¯t too hungry today.¡±

    She pouted as her dark frizzy hair covered her right eye.

    ¡°Well, you should have texted me if you wanted anything.¡±

    ¡°I was busy,¡± she retorted, still pouting. I helped Dad clean the vegetables for dinner tonight.

    ¡°She sure did,¡± a loud booming voice from the living room.

    It was my dad, wearing a blue apron over his muscle white t-shirt. He was muscular, far more than me. He was bald too, a haircut that he himself enjoyed despite the mockery of Apple. He grinned, a mischievous grin that I¡¯m almost certain was what made mom fall in love with him all those years ago.

    ¡°How was the run, sport? Meet any hot girls.¡±

    ¡°No girls, but it was a decent run.¡±

    ¡°Shame. You¡¯d think they start at least glancing at you a bit more since you exercised. Then again, you would never notice these things anyway.¡±

    He walked up to me and nuzzled my forehead with his right fist.

    ¡°Still clueless Xavier. I guess those player genes didn¡¯t get passed down to you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not clueless, Dad. I would think I¡¯d notice if a hot girl looked at me. ¡°I¡¯m not that attractive.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that. You were born from the most attractive women in the world, and share genes with me, a modern black Hercules. Calling yourself anything but attractive is a categorical error.¡±

    ¡°A modern Hercules? Really Dad. I think Dionysus would be more fitting.¡±

    ¡°Watch it,¡± my dad said with a half-grin. ¡°So, what are you going to do now, sport? Schoolwork?¡±

    ¡°Actually, I finished my homework for today. I¡¯ll take a shower and rest for now.¡±

    I started walking towards the stairs to my room.

    ¡°Really eh. Well, make sure to come back down for dinner. We¡¯re having meatloaf for dinner, and your sister did a superb job at helping Dad today, so I would have to smack you real good if you don¡¯t enjoy it.

    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t threaten him,¡± Apple said. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll love it.¡±

    ¡°For sure. I can¡¯t wait. Well, see ya.¡±

    Showers feel so great after a nice workout: the hot air filling your pores and the warm water washing away all the dust and dirt. Dinner was great. Dad was a great cook, even back when Mom made most of the meals. Ever since he started cooking daily for my sister and I, he has increased his cooking skills. The meatloaf was tender and juicy with flavor popping out of every bite.

    ¡°Looks like you enjoy it,¡± my dad said. ¡°I mean, who wouldn¡¯t enjoy a dish created by the greatest culinary team of all time.¡± He winked at my sister who nodded in agreement.

    After dinner, I washed the dishes as my dad claimed the television before my sister could.

    ¡°Hey, sweetheart. Daddy¡¯s kind of tired now. Wanna play on the Switch a bit while Daddy rests.¡±

    ¡°Fine,¡± she replied. For a little kid (or I guess preteen), she rarely fussed and generally went along with the flow. Granted, she was a bit spoiled.

    After I finished washing the dishes, I decided it best to go to bed early so that I would be well-rested for school tomorrow. As I started walking up the stairs, I heard a voice call up to me.

    ¡°Did you really finish your homework?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Apple,¡± I replied. ¡°Is that so surprising?¡±

    ¡°When have you ever done your homework before the day it was due?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a first time for everything,¡± I responded. Maybe your older brother is a bit more responsible than you realized.¡±

    ¡°Fat chance. Listen here. You need to do well in school. I don¡¯t want to be in the same grade as you. It¡¯ll embarrass me.¡±

    ¡°School will give up on me entirely if they hold me back that far. Anyhow, Apple, I really did the work this time. I¡¯m trying to be a bit more studious this semester.¡±

    ¡°Studious,¡± she said slowly, which reminded me of the loading screen on a PC. Then she broke out in a half-grin. ¡°Could it be because of the tutor?¡±

    ¡°No...I mean maybe a little. Anyhow, you should go to bed, Apple. I mean, what little sister stays up later than her older brother.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a morning bird like you Xavey,¡± she said, pouting her lips. Daddy said I can stay up to 10:00 pm now and I¡¯m going to make use of every minute of it. She turned from me and went back to her switch.

    ¡°Goodnight Xavey. You better study well.¡±

    ¡°Night Apple.¡±

    It did not take me long to fall asleep. As soon as my face touched the pillows of my bed, I was out like a light. It was a long, weird sleep full of nightmares.

 Chapter 2

    "Help me!" a voice from another world echoed. I reached out my hand, grasping towards the person in need. An infinity stood between us. It would not be long before even the voice would disappear into the silence. My eyes felt heavy in the presence of all this darkness. The darkness was stifling; eventually, I lost the ability to move. I racked my head, trying to remember how I got here. My left side of my head throbbed violently. In trying to recall the past, I realized the importance of that voice. That person.

    I screamed out, trying to make my static body advance towards the voice who in desperation called out to me, and yet my body remained frozen. I knew at this instance that the voice was the reason why I was here, and the reason why I was me. The spiritual bond shared between us could not be easily dissolved. As the voice disappeared into the emptiness, I realized that this was not the end¡ª no for me there was no such thing as a true end. We would meet again, starting at a new beginning.

    ***

    The worst noise in the world is the sound of the radar iPhone alarm waking you up in the morning. I rolled out of bed, stretching my hand out over my dresser to turn the phone alarm off. As my half-open eyes glanced at my phone screen, I  realized that this was the last alarm I set. In other words, I was running late.

    I sped run my morning routine, washing up, brushing my teeth and hair, and applying deodorant, at Olympic speeds. For clothing, I snatched a pair of pants and shirt nearest to the closet door. Grey jogging pants and a black t-shirt with the Pok¨¦mon logo? Guess it will do. I nearly dropped my glasses container as I darted towards the stair, fully donning my spectacles by the time I reached the ground floor.

    I had no time for a decent breakfast. I grabbed an apple from the fruit basket my dad always maintained and dashed towards the door to the garage.

    "Running late?" I heard my dad say from somewhere in the kitchen.

    "I''ll be fine," I responded as I opened the garage door.

    "Better hurry," Apple said. ¡°I would have thought that a morning bird would at least be ready for school in the morning."

    "I guess I slept a bit more than usual," I responded. "Bye guys!"

    "Good luck Xavier!"

    "Don''t fail Xavey!"

    Driving to school today felt even worse than usual. I usually never left home late, and I feared the amount of traffic I would face. Since I usually left early, I grew accustomed to a moderate level of traffic; now, I will most likely be in a driving deadlock during lunchtime. Surprisingly though, traffic was rather thin, even less than usual. I saw zero ghosts too, which was strange given that ghosts were a dime a dozen near the cemetery I always passed when going to school. Looks like I might make it to school early. Oh boy, school.

    Midterms were coming up and if they were as hard as the past few quizzes I had, I knew I was a goner. As I turned right into the school''s driveway, I wondered to myself how many all-nighters I would have to pull. The thought of staying up late made me nauseous. I parked my car, a white Subaru Forester, into the student parking lot. As I exited the car, a middle-aged man with a goatee approached me. He wore a leather trench coat and white sunglasses. In his right hand, he held a mid-sized blue walking cane that he twirled in the air like a yo-yo.

    "Spare change, boss?" the ghost asked, lifting his sunglasses so I could see his black, pupilless eyes. I shook my head.

    "Sorry Terry," I replied. "I''m a bit low on cash and time at the moment."

    "You ain''t got nothing man," Terry responded, giving me a questioning look.

    "I know you always have a little something on ya when you come to school. Come on, at least check your wallet if you''re gonna pretend you have nothing. "

    "No seriously, Terry. I don''t have much today."

    ¡°Anything will do, boss. Like even a penny right now would be splendid. I know you got at least a penny on ya, right? You ain''t that poor."

    "Fine," I sighed, bringing my wallet out of my pocket, looking past the twenty-dollar bills saved for lunch money, and brought out three quarters.

    "Here," I said, throwing the coins at Terry''s chest. The coins phased into his body and disappeared before encountering the ground.

    "Thank you, boss," Terry said.

    "Hey, if you don''t mind me asking. How many more coins do you need before you disappear? I''ve been doing this since the start of freshman year."

    "Trying to get rid of me or something, boss. Don''t worry? I need plenty more dough before I ascend."

    "So, am I  going to keep doing this for the rest of the school year?"

    "I would hope so, boss. I mean, that''s why you''re called the boss, right? You''re helping me out with my little money problem, right? As we agreed, all I need is a couple of coins from your wallet every three weeks or so. Nothing big."

    "Easy for you to say."

    "You''d be surprised how hard it is for a dead man to talk, boss. But hey, I greatly appreciate it. Sure beats the way I had to do it in the past. Much messier back then."

    "Well, I guess that''s it for today," I said, not having the want or time to hear more of Terry''s past ghost hijinks. "See ya, Terry."

    "Hey, boss." the ghost responded, eyeing his surroundings. "Maybe you should act a bit more carefully around me." He pointed to a couple of girls staring at me. When they noticed I saw them, they turned their faces, chuckling to each other.

    "Don''t worry about it. I told those I could at the school that it''s acting practice when I talk to you."

    "Are you even in theatre, boss?"

    "I told them I was an aspiring actor or something."

    "Kind of strange, boss, but if it''s fine by you." He paused as if trying to remember something.

    "And besides that," he said, his face turning more serious. "Things have been getting kind of strange in the spiritual world. I know it''s kind of hard for you to tell, given that you''re still fleshy, but something strange is going on. Normally, these types of things would have no impact on you living folks, but since you can see ghosts...I thought I might as well warn ya."

    "Warn me about what?"

    "Be careful in isolated places. Try not to be so friendly with all these ghosts around here. They''re not all as kind and pleasant-sounding as I am, you hear."

    "I could imagine."

    "That''s all." Terry said, pushing his sunglasses up as he turned away from me.

    "Ah, thank you, Terry. That''s surprisingly caring for you."

    "I am very carrying actually, especially for you, boss. Anyhow, don''t worry about it too much, alright. You got schoolwork to attend to, right?"

    "Don''t remind me. I can''t stand this semester."If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    "Study hard, boss. Remember it''s 54-40 or fight, not 15-40."

    I walked out of the parking lot and into the class building. I felt unsure about how to take what Terry told me. It wasn''t the first time he warned me of some strange happenings in the spirit world, and yet that face he made was the most serious I had seen him in a while. Whatever is going on though must be pretty big in the ghost world. I guess I should take his advice and be more careful when talking to other ghosts. Maybe do some background research on ghosten.com? I wasn''t too worried though. It''s not like I was some sort of higher spiritual being. I¡¯m just a human teenager.

    Wilson Academy was quite large for a high school: a five-floor building with lower chambers on the left and right sides for clubs and sports teams. Each floor belonged to an individual subject: sciences, math, history, literature, and language. Recently, the student council decided to decorate each floor to better fit with the subjects taught there. As you can imagine, Room 1 Math was full of formulas and theorems on the walls and Room 4 English was a quote minefield.

    I used to enjoy school. In elementary school, I was considered one of the smart kids due to having an above-average reading speed and performing well on those multiplication table quizzes. In middle school, my status as one of the smart kids started to disappear as I became more interested in sports, playing on my middle school''s basketball team. I kept up with my academics though and managed to perform well for my class. But then, as I entered the ninth grade, I moved to Wilson Academy, a school geared towards college preparation, and well...my grades kind of fell to the waist side.

    Wilson Academy was hell. Course work was brutal with enough homework assignments to fill the Mariana Trench. The professors ranged from kind and helpful to brutal and condescending. They also had favorites: the high-performing, A+ students might as well have been a different species compared to the rest of us. Those like me who performed below the curve, the underachievers you could say, were virtually subhuman. I believe that some of the professors wanted us to drop out of school in order to keep their standardized test scores as high as possible.

    I might suck at school, but I am not a quitter. I have been at Wilson Academy for two years now and was not planning to quit yet. Sure, I hated Calculus, and I was one bad grade away from failing Chemistry, but I''ll manage if I get my act together. That''s why I decided to sign up for the tutoring program.

    The school''s tutoring program is rather simple. You sign up online by selecting your grade and the type of classes you were struggling in. You were then assigned a tutor, someone who received an A in the class beforehand, to mentor you through the coursework. I always hated asking people for help when it came to school. I liked working by myself, so it felt awkward having to rely on someone else. But I had no choice. Like Apple said, being held back in a course my junior year would not be good. It sucked to be desperate.

    My first class was Chemistry, my second-least favorite class. I seated myself in the second-row chair at the far left. To my surprise, there were only two other kids in the class. I glanced at the clock located at the front of the room. No way, it was 7:30 am. I somehow managed to arrive thirty minutes early to class. A few minutes after I sat down a scrawny pale kid with curly reddish hair and wide glasses came up to me. His name was Oliver, my best and only friend at school. We first met during student orientation and grew close to each other over a shared hatred of the school''s professors. For some strange reason, both Oliver and I seemed destined to be in at least two of the same classes per semester. We even became good studying buddies though none of us were that smart.

    "You ready for midterms, bro?" Oliver asked.

    "You''re kidding me right. Remember how I did on the last quiz?"

    Oliver chuckled. "We did pretty bad. I do not know how I should study for this one man. Stoichiometry hits different this time."

    Kids started flooding into the room, a sign that class was about to begin.

    "Anyway, best of luck," Oliver said, taking the seat right of mine. He took out his notes, likely trying to recall any of the information we learned from last class. The bell rang. A minute after that, a blonde woman with a lab coat entered the room. Dr. Shelly¡ªmy second-least favorite professor.

    "Notes out," Dr. Shelly proclaimed before going into one of the most boring lectures I have heard so far.

    After class ended, I met up with Oliver as we walked together up the stairs towards the third floor for our history classes.

    " Do you want to play Smash after school today?" Oliver asked.

    "Not today, unfortunately. I have tutoring today."

    "So, you''re going to tutoring? That''s rather responsible of you."

    "Not like I have much of a choice. I don''t want to fail a class my junior year."

    "Same. I guess I should sign up for tutoring too."

    "Aren''t you doing pretty well this year, though?"

    "Suppose so, but I guess it can''t hurt. Anyhow, do you know what tutor you were assigned?"

    "My tutor," I said, scratching the top of my head as I did a control-F in my memories for the name I saw when I signed up for the program.

    "Gigi something or whatever, I think."

    "Gigi Amokachi," Oliver remarked. "I heard she''s a genius¡ªtop 10% of our class in all. Guess you''re good then."

    "I hope so."

    We exited the stairs and entered the two-door passage into the third floor.

    "Well guess I''ll see you at lunch. Have fun in Abraham''s class."

    "You''re funny."

    After finishing class on a surprise integral quiz that I was not ready for, I desired nothing less than to go to my tutoring session. I stood outside the tutoring room, my back against the wall wondering if it was best to leave for today with the excuse that I was sick. And yet, the quiz was also a perfect example of why I needed that tutoring. If I''m going to survive this semester...no this year, I''m going to need help. Better now than never.

    The bell rang for the end of classes. Almost immediately after, the door to the tutoring room opened. A couple of other students, none of whom I recognized, flooded in. I followed.

    The layout of the room reminded me of a museum. Historical paintings¡ªGeorge Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and others¡ª along with black and white photos of important American figures such as Frederick Douglass were scattered across the walls. Long tables were lined across the corners of the room like artifact exhibits, each with a blue paper banner above designating the name of a particular class subject. Behind each of the tables, sitting in wooden class seats, were students, I assume the tutors, either looking at their phones, writing something on a sheet of paper on top of the table, or staring at the swarm of students surrounding the area. In front of each student stood a name template. Besides the tables, the room was filled with black glass desks that remained in a loose orbit around each of the tables. These desks contained pencils, erasers, pens, and calculators strewn haphazardly across the surface that reminded me of some of my late-night cram study sessions.

    ¡°Come sign-up for your tutoring session,¡± I heard a female voice say. It was Ms. Harvey, the American History professor who recently came back from maternity leave. ¡°After you complete the sign up form, go to the table whose subject you signed up for and find your tutor. Make sure you keep your bookbags on the back wall¡±

    In the middle of the room stood a circular plastic table with blue and black pens and a couple of sign-up sheets. Students surrounded the table signing up for their time slots. I waited a bit for the crowd of people to diminish before I approached the table, writing my name, the time, and my tutor¡¯s name. I then went to the Calculus table. There was one student already talking to the calculus tutors. Before long, one of the tutors took him aside to the unmanned tables. Now it was my turn.

    I approached the tutors.

    ¡°Who do you have?¡± one of the tutors, a blond girl with dimples, asked

    ¡°Gigi,¡± I responded.

    ¡°That would be me,¡± a tall girl said, holding her name tag up to her chest so that I could see it. I gasped.

    She was beyond captivating. Flawless dark chocolate skin and a stunning figure, reminiscent of a Renaissance statue. Her luscious inky hair was tied back in a long-braided pony-tale. Her eyes, my goodness. It was as if they were burning a hole right through me. Amber eyes: I didn''t even know human eyes came in that color. Looking at them was like staring at the sun, and I did not need a stronger prescription. Instead, I looked a little lower. She sported a blue and white striped denim jacket over a white t-shirt. Her long thin legs were embellished by black culottes. She wore slate blue shoes, which complimented her jacket. I was never one for fashion, but she knew what she was doing.

    "Are you Xavier Wright?" Gigi asked.

    "Ye...yeah, that''s me," I replied.

    "Good,¡± she said, standing up from her chair, holding a purple class folder in her left hand.. She pointed to an empty desk left of the calculus table with her right.  ¡°Please follow me over there.¡± I followed. She sat down on one of the chairs, opening her purple folder on the desk before grabbing one of the many pens scattered around. ¡°Sorry, but I need to do a little paperwork before we can start properly. Give me a minute.¡±

    "Of course," I replied, landing on the seat on the opposite side of Gigi. Looking at her as she had her head down, writing only confirmed my initial assessment. This girl was out of this world. She had mesmerizing long, curly eyelashes, a  perfect jawline, and plump lips that put fashion models to shame. She smelled like vanilla, a nice, sweet aroma that permeated the musky air of the room. Even features normally considered unattractive she managed to make shine: the small cut on her left cheek, her big forehead, the dark circles around her eyes. If I am a 5, she is a 500. Not to mention, she was one of the smartest kids in the school, according to Oliver. Having both beauty and brains is not fair; I had neither. We lived in different worlds despite being in the same grade.

    Gigi looked up from her writing. ¡°Sorry for that Xavier. Are you ready for the tutoring session to begin?" Her fiery amber eyes looking right into my brown eyes.

    "Definitely." I felt nervous having such an attractive girl looking at me like this. I wasn''t sure if I was  overly nervous or not, but it seemed that Gigi was observing me like a rat in a lab experiment.

    "Hey, before we begin," Gigi said, still gazing at me intently.  A bead of sweat trickled down my face.

    "Do I know you?"

 Chapter 3

    ¡°No. I believe this is the first time we¡¯ve met,¡± I said.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Gigi responded, brushing her fingers through her braided hair. ¡°I guess that was a weird question to ask. Your voice reminded me of someone I met before.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I mean, I¡¯ve been mixed up with Bryson since the start of freshman year.¡±

    ¡°Who?¡±

    ¡°Nevermind.¡±

    ¡°Anyhow, ¡± Gigi said, reaching into her folder and pulling out the calculus syllabus for the year. ¡°What areas of the class are you particularly struggling in?¡±

    ¡°Is it bad if I say everything?¡±

    ¡°That is pretty bad,¡± she said, twirling the pen with her thin fingers. ¡°I guess we¡¯ve got a lot to cover then.¡±

    The start of the study session was rather productive. Gigi excelled at teaching. She explained complicated concepts in such an easy-to-understand way that even a baby could understand. She broke down the problems on the previous quizzes into such simple steps that I felt like a moron for missing so many of them before. For once, I finally understood how to do some of the previous quiz and homework questions.  I also grew more comfortable talking to Gigi. The searing sensation of her eyes smoldered off over time, turning into a more moderate campfire.

    The more recent content was less intuitive. My brain turned into wet play-doh whenever Gigi tried to explain partial integration. Gigi noticed my struggle.

    ¡°I think we¡¯ve covered enough for today,¡± she said, glancing at the clock at the front of the room. I looked too. 4:56 pm. Tutoring time was nearing its end. I looked around the room. There were only three other students in the room: one tutor and two nearly asleep students.

    ¡°Thanks for the help. I feel a little less like an idiot now.¡±

    ¡°Good to hear.,¡± Gigi said, clasping her palms together above her head and stretching upward. ¡°I¡¯m available for tutoring every Tuesday and Thursday so if you need any help I¡¯ll be there. You can also try to work with the other Calculus tutors if they¡¯re free; it¡¯s not protocol, but they¡¯ll definitely be willing to help.¡± She reached into her pockets and pulled out a blue rectangular object. ¡°And if you need any homework-specific homework,  text me and I¡¯ll give my 110% to answer it. She pushed her phone towards me. It was an Android phone wrapped in a blue case. The screen was set on entering contact information.

    My heart rate jumped. I knew it was only for school, but the idea of having such a cute girl¡¯s phone number; I wondered if this was some sort of hint. Shut up brain. Stop taking any act of kindness from girls as a sign of interest. I entered my contact info and returned the phone to her.

    ¡°Well I¡¯ll be off,¡± Gigi said, her hair whipping behind her neck as she rose from the chair. She went to the back to pick up her bookbag: a pink daypack. For some reason, I noticed an orange hue around the bag.. Before leaving the room, she turned back to look at me. ¡°Good luck, Xavier.¡± Before I could respond, she left.

    I left the room around 4:15, after looking over some of the practice problems I worked on with Gigi.  Traffic was much worse than it was this morning. Still, the number of ghosts I usually saw was much lower. Before returning home, I had to go to Walmart to grab some ingredients for Dad¡¯s Scrambled Egg Quesadilla and some apple slices for Apple. While searching the dairy aisle, a little boy came up to me.

    ¡°Hey, mister. Can you help me?¡± I lowered my head so that I could see him. He looked around thirteen with brown hair shaped into a bowl cup. He wore a bomber jacket with Nike shorts.

    ¡°Sorry buddy but I¡¯m busy right now,¡± I whispered. The kid reached out his arm, his hand phasing right through my head.

    ¡°Stop that.¡±

    ¡°Please help mister. I¡¯m in danger.¡± That was a first. Usually, ghosts worried about the things they couldn¡¯t do. I never met one that was actually afraid of their lives given that they were already dead.

    ¡°What do you need,¡± I sighed.

    ¡°Please guide me to the Burger King down the street.¡±

    ¡°You mean the Burger King left on St. Avenue Drive?¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± the little boy ghost said. ¡°I¡¯m not  good with directions.¡±

    ¡°Why can¡¯t you go by yourself? It''s not like its that far off or anything¡±

    ¡°I can''t get in by myself. I need your help. Please, it''s getting near.¡±

    ¡°It?¡± I asked. ¡°Who is it?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I can sense it. It smells really bad, like blood and murder. You¡¯ve got to hurry.¡±

    Blood and murder? I thought back to the conversation I had with Terry. I guess some messed-up stuff is happening in the ghost world. ¡°I¡¯ll consider helping you after I finish getting the groceries.¡±

    I can¡¯t begin to describe how strange it is to check out of the grocery line with an annoying little ghost boy sticking his intangible finger through you, asking if you can''t hurry it up. The boy¡¯s name was Barry. He knew of me from other ghosts in the area and learned of my ability to talk to ghosts from watching my conversation with Sarah in the park. According to him, as of this morning, a strange presence appeared in the Atlanta region, causing ghosts from all over the city to disappear. This unknown entity radiated a malicious aura sensed only by ghosts. I asked Barry if the entity posed a threat to the living to which he replied, ¡°I don¡¯t think so. From what I have heard, regular people seem unaffected.

    I tossed my groceries into the trunk. Barry stood beside me tapping his foot through the pavement. I knew ghosts to be impatient at times, but Barry was on another level. I sat in the front seat. Barry phased through me to get into the passenger seat.

    ¡°Does driving even do anything for you since you phase through anything.?¡±

    ¡°Not really, but it''s still fun. It¡¯s not like I can fly or anything.¡±

    ¡°Can you keep up?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re quite fast when we want to be. We¡¯re weightless after all.¡± A question formed in my mind.

    ¡°What happens if you phase your entire body through the ground? Are you just stuck there?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a patented ghost secret.¡±

    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled I won¡¯t help you.¡±

    ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll tell you once we get there.¡±

    ¡°Good ghost.¡±

    The drive was short. I parked the car and Barry and I exited my car. It was one of those unique Burger Kings, which looked more like a convenience store from the outside than a fast-food restaurant. This Burger King was special in a different way as well; from all around the restaurants a goldish tint emanated like the entire area was put under a filter.  As I approached the building, I noticed the gold coloring thickening, forming an almost solid construct around the restaurant. A barrier? Barry put his hand through my shoulder.

    ¡°You see that thing covering the building?¡± Barry asked.  I nodded. ¡°Is it some type of spiritual barrier?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know who made it, but it''s certainly strong.¡±

    ¡°So how am I supposed to get you through there.¡±

    ¡°Like this,¡± Barry responded. He stepped inside of me so that his entire body fit inside of mine like I was his own personal flesh suit.

    ¡°That¡¯s disgusting,¡± I uttered. ¡°Get out.¡±

    ¡°Sorry Xavier, but it¡¯s the only way. Your physical body is the perfect meatshield to get me through.¡±

    ¡°Meatshield? Is this going to hurt?  Barry shook his head. It can only hurt me, pretty badly if I may add, but you''ll feel nothing since you''re one of those special types.¡±

    ¡°Special types?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll explain it to you later. The thing¡¯s presence is growing stronger now. Quickly, Xavier.¡±

    We walked through the golden barrier. Barry uttered a few grunts, but we managed to make it to the front door.

    ¡°Good job Xavier. Let¡¯s go in.¡± I opened the door. The building was vacant: no customers in seats, no cashier at the register, no people in the back. The restaurant was empty except for one person sitting at the very back. As I entered the person turned to me,  the woman turned around, her braided hair whipping to the front. Her face opened wide in astonishment when she gazed upon me.

    ¡°Xavier, what are you doing here? How are you here?¡± Gigi looked me up and down with her hazel eyes like a startled animal.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°I¡¯m just as surprised to see you here.¡±

    ¡°You know her?¡±  Barry asked.

    ¡°She¡¯s my Calculus tutor.¡±

    ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± Gigi asked and then frowned. ¡°That aura I sense around you. Could it be a membrance?¡±

    ¡°Interesting. She can¡¯t see me but remains aware of my presence to a certain extent. So she¡¯s a special type too.¡±

    ¡°A special type? Like me?¡±. So there are more like me. Makes sense.

    ¡°Listen, Xavier. I don¡¯t know how you got in here, but you have to leave now. It¡¯s not safe for you here. And that membrance near you. Step aside and let me handle it.¡± She reached into the folds of her book bag and pulled out a long, straight sword. The hilt of the sword contained a blackened skull.

    ¡°Xavier, help me!¡± Barry said somehow merging even closer to my body. Gigi approached with her sword outstretched.

    ¡°Hey, now Gigi. I don¡¯t know what you have against my friend Barry, but I¡¯m sure it''s not worth stabbing him with a sword. From what I know of him, he seems like a good guy.¡±

    Gigi paused, her hazel eyes staring into my eyes. ¡°I knew you were different. From back then, but I couldn¡¯t exactly prove it. But now it''s clear. You can see membranes. You talk to them and supposedly befriend them. You¡¯re special.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say all that..¡±

    ¡°But that thing,¡± Gigi said, pointing her sword blade in the direction of Barry. ¡°It''s not wise to try to befriend these creatures. They may seem innocent at first, but if left alone they¡¯ll turn.¡±

    ¡°Turn,¡± I asked. ¡°Like when they ascend.¡± Gigi still held the blade at an arms distance away from Barry.  ¡°And can you please put that thing down? Barry looks like he¡¯s about to faint, and I don¡¯t think ghosts can faint.¡± Gigi sheathed her sword. She let out a sigh and shook her head.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you know its name. I can¡¯t believe you let that thing in. Do you know how hard it was for me to create that binding seal?¡±

    ¡°So you were the one who made that. For what reason?¡±

    ¡°Not to attract a weak little membrance like him, that¡¯s for sure. I know it''s not your thought that you''re here; that thing deceived you. However, Xavier, you need to get out of here before the lich arrives.¡±

    ¡°You''re trying to lead that thing here,¡± Barry said. ¡°Are you insane? It¡¯s going to destroy us all

    ¡°Again with the pronoun game,¡± I said. ¡°It seems that both you and Barry are talking about the same creature. Gigi, is that barrier supposed to attract or repel it?¡±

    ¡°Both,¡± Gigi said. ¡°The binding seal stops both the living and dead from entering, but it also attracts those stronger spirits towards it due to its high-level magic. I expect the beast will arrive soon. Please Xavier, if you value your life you must leave now.

    ¡°Fair enough.¡± I turned to Barry. ¡°Goodbye kid.  You owe me one.¡±

    ¡°For sure. Thanks, Barry.¡± I noticed Gigi¡¯s glaring at me.

    ¡°And goodbye Gigi. Best of luck!¡±

    ¡°Stay safe, Xavier,¡± she responded. ¡°Tomorrow after school, we¡¯ll have to¡­¡± A loud, bestial roar blasted through the building causes a tremor that nearly knocked me to the floor. Alex yelped and Gigi started to reach for her sword.

    ¡°The lich is here,¡± Gigi said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Xavier, but it''s too late now. If you leave now, that thing is going to tear you apart.¡±

    Tear me apart. ¡°Wait, but Barry. I thought you said that thing wouldn¡¯t harm people.¡±

    ¡°Normally yes,¡± Barry responded. ¡°But with that weapon the scary girl has, it''s likely to lose any restraints when it comes to casualties.

    ¡°So we¡¯ll have to fight back?¡± I asked.

    ¡°You''re joking,¡± Gigi responded. ¡°I don¡¯t know your relationship with this Barry person, but I¡¯ll leave it alone for now. You two just stand behind me and I¡¯ll deal with this.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, kind lady,¡± Barry said. ¡°Please don¡¯t die before it does.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure you can handle it?¡± I asked. She smiled back.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, Xavier. The presence is strong, but it''s nothing I haven¡¯t faced before.¡± Her face became sterner. ¡°After this, we¡¯re having a long conversation about all this.¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s fitting since you''re my tutor.¡±

    ¡°Seriously, how can you be so carefree in a moment like this. You''re so peculiar.¡±.

    Suddenly I felt a sense of impending dread rush over me. The building began to shake, lights flickered, tables turned, and the glass cracked. The front door rumbled and creaked.

    ¡°It¡¯s coming,¡± Barry said.

    ¡°Stay back guys,¡± Gigi said, once again drawing her sword.

    The front door opened. A gaseous vapor thicker than normal smoke rose above us covering the ceiling of the restaurant. An enormous, scaly hand emerged from the gas, green and white in complexion with dagger-like nails. The hand swatted at Gigi who sidestepped the attack and countered with a sword strike to the palm. I heard an otherworldly roar that sent shivers down my spine. The hand retreated back into the smoke. Gigi backed away.

    Smoke condensed from both sides Gigi forming into two hands that came together at blinding speeds. Gigi cartwheeled away. She tried to retaliate only for the hands to evaporate into vapor before her sword strike. The smoke swarmed around Gigi separating her from Barry and I. From the roof, smoke emerged to form a long, wormy object covered in a green liquid--a tongue. The tongue sprung at Gigi who focused solely on the smoke around her

    ¡°Watch out from above,¡± I yelled. Gigi looked up to see the tongue seconds away from crushing her. She dodged, avoiding the tongue but landed off-balance. She slipped, falling into the smoke surrounding her. Before I knew it my body flew itself into the smoke. I faintly heard Barry yelling at me, warning me not to go in. The smoke suffocated me. My vision faded. I heard a bone-chilling scream emanating all around me. I felt like I was falling into an endless pit. A raspy voice echoed in my head. ¡°Mary, May why?  How could you do this?¡±

    The smoke vanished. I laid prone on a wooden floor. I took a deep breath before observing my surroundings. Instead of the inside of a fast-food restaurant, I found myself surrounded by shelves upon shelves of books. Lines of rustic bookcases formed horizontal corridors, the nearest of which was only a couple of feet away from my head. The smell was musty. A few meters ahead of me laid a circular staircase that led to the upstairs area close to the ceiling  On the ceiling, decorated with the painting of angels reminiscent of the Sistine Baptist church hung an iron chandelier that shook to and fro.  Next to my feet laid the tattered remains of pages whose letters were etched in a bright crimson red. The pages seemed to give off their own aura, burning to the touch when I stepped on them  From somewhere or in the distance I saw a cloud of smoke forming near the ceiling. Was it a fireplace? No, there was too much of it gathered around. The place must be on fire. I rose, wiping the blood that started dripping from my forehead. Where am I?

    A few feet in front of me laid Gigi, her eyes barely open. I ran to her.

    ¡°Can you stand?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Wh¡­.why did you come in here. Yo..you¡¯ll die.¡±

    ¡°It looked like you were in trouble. Sorry, my body acted on my own right here. It¡¯s just that my Mom always said to help someone when they¡¯re in need and you looked like you needed a helping hand.¡±

    ¡°You''re hopeless,¡± she said. Her eyes closed and her arms fell to her sides.

    I shook her, trying to wake her up.  She didn¡¯t budge. I checked her pulse around her neck and felt a reassuring thump thump. From five feet above me,  a shadowy figure emerged. A withering man dressed in a black suit with a matching tie adorned with a top hat over his frayed silver hair. He opened his mouth, a toothless maul that matched his ghoulish eyes. ¡°Mary,¡± the ghost uttered. ¡°Why Mary?¡±

    I kept pushing Gigi but she remained motionless. I guess it was up to me now. I turned to face the ghost. I couldn¡¯t fight it; I didn¡¯t even know you could fight ghosts. There was only one thing I knew to do in this situation. Negotiate.

    ¡°Why are you here ghost? Why are you attacking us?¡±

    ¡°Mary, where are you?¡±

    ¡°Are you lost? Are you trying to find someone named Mary? I can help. Just calm down so we can resolve this peacefully.¡±

    ¡°Mary,¡± the ghost said softly. ¡°You know Marry?¡±

    ¡°No, but¡­¡±

    ¡°You spoke her name. You know where she is?¡±

    ¡°Well not exactly, but I think together we could¡­¡±

    ¡°You took Mary!¡± The ghost¡¯s face bulged into a hideous caricature of a human frown, enlarged eyes encapsulating half of his face. ¡°You¡¯ll pay for this. You¡¯ll pay.¡±

    The ghost launched at me. I dove to the side pushing Gigi out of the way. I barely missed the creature''s attack. I dove to the right and nearly crashed my head into the nearest bookshelf. The ghost vanished through it.

    I ran, leaving Gigi behind me. On one hand, it appeared that the ghost was only after me, so getting the creature away from her was the best move. On the other more realistic hand, I was scared to death. I ran towards and up the staircase, the ghost trailing behind me. I reached the top and made a left before the ghost could pounce on me. I ducked into a library corridor. I looked behind me. The ghost was not anywhere near me. The floor below my feet glowed a faint white. Instinct took in and I jumped back just in time before the ghost¡¯s clawed fingers pierced my waist as it rose through the floor beneath me. My dodge caused me to collide with one of the bookshelves causing a cascade of books to fall on me. I stood up picking up a book that hit me straight in the head. The ghost came at me again, hand outstretched to choke the life out of me. I tried to avoid it, but I tripped over the other books on the floor and fell. The ghost clasped me by my neck, his dagger-like fingernails etching red scars into my neck. He carried me high up in the air.

    ¡°Give me back Mary! Give her back!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t have her. She¡¯s not here. She¡¯s gone.¡±

    ¡°Do not lie to me!. Where is she? What have you done to her? What happened to the library¡± The ghost continued to strangle me. Blood rushed to my head as I desperately gasped for air. I had no idea who this Mary was, but it looked like she would be the reason why I would die today. Mary, Mary. The book that fell on my head was still in my left hand. As I thought of how to escape from the spirit, the book opened of its own accord and was rapidly flipping through its pages. Memories began springing into my head, things I had not personally experienced but the memories of another, much older person. A middle-aged rich man and his wife. An obsession with a private library. A divorce. A murder?  I barely managed to choke out the next few words.

    ¡°She¡¯s dead.¡± I didn¡¯t know why I knew this, but I felt confident that the statement was true. ¡°She¡¯s dead and gone off beyond. She¡¯s moved on from you Demitris, and you need to accept that.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s dead¡± Demitris murmured, a greenish teardrop falling from his soulless eye, ¡°She¡¯s dead. She left me.¡± He looked me straight in the eyes. ¡°You killed her, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°No, I did not.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll pay for this.¡± The ghost kept his stranglehold on me. I tried to swing at him with my right hand, but the attack phased right through him. I then used my left hand that held the book and shoved it right through Demitiris¡¯s head. The ghost screamed in agony. ¡°My books! My books!¡¯ The ghost dropped me and I tumbled to the bottom floor at a terminal velocity.  Looks like this was the end.

    Before I crashed into the ground, I felt the grasp of hands over my body. A few seconds afterward, I was looking up at the hazel-eye glare of a pretty pissed-off girl.  Blood streamed from the gash on the top of her forehead. Gigi slowly placed me down. ¡°You did well, Xavier. I would have died without you.¡± Her voice was calming but radiated with energy and determination. Her eyes shined with confidence.

    ¡°Your arms,¡± I said. ¡°How did you catch me from such a fall? They should be broken.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Xavier. Corpse parts increase one¡¯s durability when near the target. Right now, I''m as strong as an ox.¡±

    ¡°A corpse..what?¡±

    Gigi unsheathed her sword which gleaned in the dark light of the misty library.

    ¡°I¡¯ll explain later. For now, just rest here and stay out of the way.¡±

    Gigi then began to glow, a hazel aura outlining her body. The temperature around us began to rise to the level of a sauna. Gigi outstretched her sword so that the blade faced the bestial ghost. A gush of flame ignited on the tip of the blade, traveling downwards until it reached the hilt. The temperature skyrocketed causing me to be drenched in sweat

    ¡°This is the end membrane. There is no place for you in this world any longer.¡± Gigi began to chant as if casting a magical spell. ¡°Bind the sky and sea. Chain the tormentor and arrest the accuser. With my brimstone body, with my layered heart, I beseech you. Erupt and conquer the darkness. Swing hellish blade of the punisher.¡±  The ghost turned to look at her, its vapory melancholic face transforming into a foaming rage.

    ¡°Killer. Defiler. You will pay for killing my beloved.¡±

    The ghost launched at her. Gigi raised her fiery sword above her head and swung down. A torrent of flame emerged from the blade and spread outwards, engulfing any books or furniture in its sight. The flame slash burrowed straight towards the Demitris who due to his initial trajectory made it a prime target for the attack. In a last-ditch effort, the spirit tried to avoid the fiery assault by diving to the side, but the hellish flames extended too far in all directions. The fire eviscerated the monster in seconds leaving nothing but a small cloud of smoke and a horrendous scream that echoed long after the ghost¡¯s destruction. ¡°My library!¡±

    With Demitris¡¯s dissipation, the library room began to disappear evaporating into smoke and dust.. Gigi sheathed her sword, her body covered in sweat. She trudged towards me, her right arm holding onto her hip. She reached out her hand towards me trying to raise me up,  I couldn¡¯t move. My entire body felt like I was thrown into an erupting volcano. My vision fogged up similar to the library. The final image I saw before I passed out was those hazel eyes staring at me with such worry that afterward, I chastised myself for thinking how nice it was to have a cute, strong girl with caring eyes be your last image in this world.

 Chapter 4

    I sunk into a rainbow sea. From above me a cascade of orange, red, green, and blue waves fell on me. My mind ached; my body felt numb. Around me floated red marbles the size of bowling balls circling the colored sea in their own elliptical orbit. When two marbles collide, electricity sparked and an image from my past appeared in my mind. Images of me as a child, playing with Mom and Dad, Apple¡¯s fifth birthday, my first day of school.

    I fell from the sea into a large open gap. I fell and kept falling, my body accelerating faster than a speeding bullet. Images flashed through my mind. I saw a green yard covered in daffodils where a pale woman in a black gown sat in a wooden seat sipping from her teacup. ¡°So you can finally see me. It seems we''re close to making a deal.¡± She licked her lips. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you. I can¡¯t wait to see what you¡¯¡¯ wager.¡± She snickered before waving her hand as I passed right through her.

    I next saw a dilapidated metropolis covered in blue flames. From the fire a crimson horned creature the size of a skyscraper emerged. The monster held a spiked club in its clawed hand and its teeth gleamed red. Bodies layered across the creature''s lizard feet. The creature roared. ¡°So, this is the brat you sent to beat me, Pandora. Pathetic. Come here so that I may satiate my hunger, you low-level human.¡± The monster opened its hideous jaw, its spiked tongue extending to meet my face as I closed my eyes and the beast swallowed me.

    When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a closed room large enough to fit an entire circus. Behind me stood a white door with a golden key lodged into the doorknob. I slowly walked towards the door before I felt cold hands around my neck. I jumped, turning around to see a dark-skinned woman draped in a white robe. She spoke in a soft voice that echoed in my mind like a siren. ¡°Don¡¯t go. It¡¯s dangerous.¡±

    ¡°Get off of me,¡± I said, pushing her arms of me. She took a step back giving me a face of such sorrow and loneliness that I felt bad for pushing her away.

    ¡°Stay here child. Stay here and be safe from the dangers that await you. I can protect you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry lady, but I have to go.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t go,¡± she cried, black tears falling from her eyes. She ran up and hugged me from behind. Her embrace caused me to nearly freeze over.  ¡°You can¡¯t leave. If you go out there, you¡¯ll surely¡­¡±

    ¡°I have to go,¡¯ I said, reaching behind me to touch the shoulder of the freezing women. My hand went numb at the first contact, but I continued to speak. ¡°I have to get back--back to my family. Where are they? Where am I? This...has to be a dream.¡±

    ¡°A dream,¡± the woman remarked. Her voice grew so soft that it was barely audible. ¡°Yes, I guess for you it is a dream. I wonder if we...if I were...I suppose it¡¯s not the time now.¡± The woman released her hold from me. ¡°If you must go, promise me you¡¯ll be safe. Promise me you¡¯ll take advantage of those who genuinely care about you.¡±

    ¡°I promise.¡±

    ¡°Then it is goodbye for now.¡± She reached her hands out to me, her eyes still filled with black tears. I reached out for her for a final goodbye, but our hands wouldn¡¯t meet. I passed right through her and as the scenery around me faded all I could hear was the echoing voice constantly repeating, ¡°Be careful. Be careful. Be careful.¡±

    ***

    My eyes opened.  I laid in a large bed full of stuffed animals--lions, tigers, bears, oh my. Light beamed on me from the side windows. A table stood in front of the bed and sitting behind it drinking a glass of Dr. Pepper was a dark-skinned woman with a bob haircut. In noticing me awake, she grinned.

    ¡°Good morning sleepy head. Are you feeling better?¡±

    ¡°Who are you? Where am I? Where¡¯s Gigi?¡±

    ¡°Yvonne, my house, downstairs.¡± She smiled. ¡°Did you catch all that?¡±

    ¡°Your name¡¯s Yvonne? Why am I in your house?¡±

    ¡°Technically it¡¯s my parents'' house. Gigi and I are dependents, so we don¡¯t pay rent among other things. Gigi¡¯s my sister by the way.¡±

    ¡°Is Gigi okay?¡±

    ¡°You really care for her, don¡¯t you? Even in your dreams you kept murmuring her name.¡±

    ¡°I...what.¡±

    ¡°So cute. She¡¯s pretty attractive, right? I always wondered how she stayed single for so long¡± She drew closer to me, the sides of her hair brushing against my cheeks. ¡°I want you to know that I¡¯m rooting for you.¡± She giggled. My cheeks were warm to the touch. Yvonne stepped back. ¡°You ready for breakfast?¡±

    ¡°Breakfast? What time is it?¡±

    ¡°Around 10:00 am.¡±

    ¡°What in the¡­¡± There¡¯s no way. Had I been out of it for the entire night. What must my parents be thinking right now? Dad always insisted on me and Apple always being at home before dinner time. He must be furious right now. ¡°I gotta go back home. My Dad and my little sister Naomi must be worried sick about me right now.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it dude.¡±  We already called your parents the night before. We couldn¡¯t explain exactly what happened--family secrets in all that--but they know that you''re safe. We convinced them that it was best for you to stay here for now given your injuries. They''ll pick you up later this afternoon.¡±

    ¡°How did you know my dad¡¯s number?¡±

    ¡°Gigi checked your phone. You should really have a passcode for your phone, you know. Don¡¯t want people looking into things that you want to keep private.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± I was still in a daze. Meeting Barry, finding Gigi at the Burger King Restaurant, the fight with the ghost. Too much for one day. And that dream...something about it was off. The woman in the garden, the red beast, the door with the golden key. For some reason, all those images seemed important. They felt almost too real.

    I followed Yvonne out of the room. We walked down a long corridor full of framed images containing Gigi, Yvonne along with a stern-looking man in a dark suit. The floor beneath was a smooth red carpet. We turned left past the hung photo of the stern man holding a rifle into the kitchen area.

    One step into the kitchen and my nostrils were attacked with the pleasant aroma of a Michelin Star breakfast. Plated before me on the dining table were the fluffiest pancakes I had ever seen along with bacon, scrambled eggs, and a glass of orange juice. Sitting on the other side of the table, with a cup of coffee in one hand, was Gigi.

    ¡°Good morning,¡± Gigi said. ¡°Let¡¯s chat for a bit.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    The meal tasted even better than it smelled.  I stuffed down slices of bacon and was downing my glass of orange juice before Gigi could begin to speak.

    ¡°Are you feeling okay?¡± I nodded my head.

    ¡°Good. Did you have any strange dreams?¡± I nodded. ¡°What did you dream about?¡±

    I explained to her about the rainbow sea, the woman in the black gown, and the dilapidated building with the demonic beast. I avoided talking about the icy woman. For some reason beyond my understanding, I felt like I should keep it to myself.

    ¡°So, you have strange dreams just like me. I knew it. So you didn¡¯t have any dreams about your family, about the people you know about me?¡±

    ¡°No. They were all strangers.¡±

    ¡°I see. Tell me, Xavier. How long have you been able to see membrances?¡±

    ¡°Membrances? Is that what you call those ghosts?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I guess you could call them ghosts though it''s kind of a misnomer.¡±

    ¡°By the way, Gigi, where¡¯s Barry?¡± You didn¡¯t hurt him or anything, right?¡±

    ¡°He''s fine. I promised you that I would leave him alone.  He scampered off after the battle with the lich.¡±

    ¡°Did he at least say thanks? Never mind, that¡¯s good news. I would feel terrible if something happened to the kid, but back to your question. I¡¯ve seen ghosts or membranes or whatever for as long as I can remember.¡±

    ¡°Incredible. Not only can you fully see and talk to them, but you¡¯ve done it with little to no practice. That¡¯s unheard of.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing it''s atypical to see ghosts then. I mean, I kind of knew that before, but even for people like you?¡±

    ¡°Yes, even for people like us,¡± Gigi responded. ¡°You were quite foolish to jump into the phantom with me. You should have died, yet not only did you survive, you saved me.¡±

    ¡°You''re welcome,¡± I responded.  Yvonne nudged my shoulder. ¡°Thanks for saving my younger sister. I owe you one.¡± She took a sip of her coffee before continuing. ¡°It''s rare to see such bravery even from people who knew about membranes, but you went out there not knowing a single thing. Well maybe that means you''re just dumb, but I like to imagine that its more of a bravery thing.¡±

    ¡°Xavier, you''re an unbelievably valuable person. It took me years of practice just to sense membranes, but you can see them just like regular people. And your face looks so familiar. I know meeting you in my dreams meant something. Meeting you in the real world and seeing what you¡¯ve accomplished so far only has submitted that fact. I know it sounds strange but it¡¯s the truth.  I usually don¡¯t believe in destiny, but I don¡¯t think our encounter was by chance.¡±

    ¡°What are you trying to say here? Are you saying we were destined to be together or something?¡± Yvonne choked on her coffee. Gigi¡¯s eyes narrowed. My face blushed after realizing how my words sounded.

    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean it like that. I was just wondering what¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m saying, Xavier, that you should join me. Join the Authority of the Lich Defense.¡± I felt my brain spinning.  I had no idea what Gigi was asking.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Sorry, that¡¯s my bad,¡± Gigi responded, shaking her head. ¡°I need to explain. So much info in so little time--of course you would be confused. But once I explain everything to you, I hope you consider my offer.¡± She took a long breath before continuing.

    ¡°My family is the head of Lich Defense Squad, a group of ghost hunters tasked with controlling the population of membranes entering the mortal realm and eliminating all membranes that threaten society. Membrances form from the memories of people who have died that held deep regret and sadness throughout their life. Membrances should not be confused with people though. They are only the most powerful memories of a once alive person; they exist only to fulfill those final desires before they can rest and ascend to a plane beyond ours. When a membrane is unable to achieve their goal and the guilt and sorrow accumulate to such a point that they can no longer function, they become like that creature we saw at the Burger King. A gaseous monster filled with malice and hatred. A lich.

    Lichs endanger the existence of membranes as you can see from Barry. Most importantly however, Liches pose a significant danger to living people. They steal the vitality and joy from others, shortening people¡¯s life spans without them ever being the wiser. Lichs, like the one we fought yesterday, use a type of spiritual smoke to attack their targets. The smoke distances the target from the rest of the world through creating a domain.¡±

    ¡°So, like the library.¡±

    ¡°Yes. That library was the lich''s dominion, a place accessible from anyone not in the thick of the creature''s smoke. Rumors say that these domains form from the lich¡¯s past memories, but I find it far-fetched. Regardless, for a normal person, being trapped in a lich''s dominion is an inescapable death. They¡¯re much stronger in their domain than in the real world, and high level lichs can even manipulate their environment to give them the edge in combat.¡±

    I thought back to my battle with the man with the top hat. ¡°Can the lich¡¯s environment hurt them?¡±

    ¡°From what I understand no. I would seem counterintuitive for a lich¡¯s own attack to hurt it don¡¯t you think. However, so little about the creature''s domain is unknown so I wouldn¡¯t say it''s impossible. You likely know now how unpredictable lichs are.¡± I nodded my head.

    ¡°They¡¯re a plague on society and a threat unnoticed by all who do not possess the ability to sense them. In that past, lichs have caused the collapse of numerous countries, nations, and empires. Families, wars, and plagues can be partially or directly attributed to lich involvement. Only in recent years have people who share the ability to sense ghosts have worked together to eliminate the threat of these dangerous creatures. In the past only a select few families scattered across West and Central Africa and East and South Asia managed to subdue liches. This resulted in these families growing widely famous in their times. My own family--the Amokachi--grew rich and powerful due to their lich fighting abilities.  =But now things are different. For some reason, there has been a large rise in the number of lichs appearing in the world, likely caused by the increase in the global population.  That¡¯s why we ghost hunters have to stop them.¡±

    She pulled out her sword pointing the skull hilt towards me. ¡°Lichs can only be defeated by weapons made of corpse parts¡±

    ¡°Corpse parts,¡± I repeated. So are you saying that the skull is¡­¡±

    ¡°This skull is the skeletal remains of a young Pharaoh during the Middle Period. The young Pharaoh had a lot of rage inside him as a kid that resulted in his early death. Corpse parts tend to give off the strong emotions left from their previous life.¡± She sheathed her sword. ¡°Corpse parts are the remains of human bodies that carry a strong spiritual presence. This strong spiritual presence comes from the lingering emotions or regrets of a passed one that managed to last long after their death.

    ¡°So you¡¯re saying the only way to kill those things is to become a grave robber.¡±

    ¡°Not exactly. Corpse parts are usually the remains of a previous alive person, yes, but that¡¯s not necessarily the case. Objects that hold a significant emotional connection towards a previous alive person can also serve as corpse parts. Depending on the emotional connection, these artifacts may be even stronger than their body counterparts. Regardless, corpse parts are quite rare, and the number of people who can identify them even less.

    ¡°I can tell the sword is special,¡± I said. ¡°It gives off this burning aura, like being thrown into the sun.¡±

    ¡°You''re right,¡± Gigi responded. ¡°As I said, Lichs are only weak to weapons made of corpse parts whether through physical contact or death spells.¡±

    ¡°Like the fire wave you used to kill the lich at the Burger King.¡±

    ¡°Correct. Spells usually require a long incantation, but that can be overcome with training. I would imagine that you would be a great spell caster. All your other skills beside combat training already surpass mines.  That¡¯s why I must ask. We¡¯re the only ones in the entire world who can stop lichs; we have an obligation to save others. And you,¡± she pointed right at me. ¡°You can be one of us. You can help save the world. Join us and be a hero.¡±

    Silence filled the kitchen. The tension built throughout Gigi¡¯s speech was enough to set the entire house ablaze. I felt the sincerity in her words. Her rationale appeared solid and convincing. Certainly, joining the Authority of the Lich Defense could help many people live longer and happier lives.

    ¡°Sorry, but I have to pass.¡±

    ¡°I was afraid you were going to say that,¡± Gigi said, smiley half-heartedly. ¡°I can¡¯t force you to join us, but do you understand how special you are? You have an obligation to fight these things. There are so few of us, and so many of them. Think about it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it long enough, Naomi. I¡¯m sorry, but I am not the guy you are looking for. I¡¯m no ghost hunter. I¡¯m no hero or protector of the world or whatever nonsense. I¡¯m just an average joe who can see ghosts. I can¡¯t fight. I can¡¯t defend. I can barely do my school homework.¡±

    ¡°Listen, Xavier. I¡¯m a stickler for school too, but this is far more important. People¡¯s lives are on the line.¡±

    ¡°And still, I can¡¯t do it. I¡¯m not special enough to. Just because I can see ghosts does not mean I¡¯m ready to join your Lich Defense group and start round housing evil ghosts I have a family to care for, grades to improve, and a whole lot of other things that have nothing to do with the supernatural. I hope you can understand.¡±

    ¡°I see. You have so much potential. However, the choice is yours to make. Your parents should be here soon.¡±

    ¡°Honestly, I can¡¯t blame you, Xavier,¡± Yvonne said. ¡°Still, you would have been quite the useful asset. One in a million, I would say.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for taking care of my Gigi and Yvonne. I deeply appreciate your hospitality.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for saving me, Xavier. I hope our tutoring sessions will not be spoiled due to these recent events.¡±

    ¡°You''re unbelievable,¡± Gigi said. ¡°I can¡¯t believe after all that you¡¯re still worried about school. You should be top of the class if you care about grades so much.¡±

    I saw Dad¡¯s car veer into the mansion''s driveway. I heard the siren go off. ¡°Well, I guess it''s goodbye for now,¡± Gigi said. She came up to me and put a small key-shaped object in my hand. I know you won¡¯t be working for us, but it is still dangerous out there especially given your gift. I would feel guilty if I didn¡¯t at least give you some time to defend yourself. Stay safe.¡±

    I clutched the item Gigi gave me. It felt soft, like play-doh. I had no idea how it would protect me, but given everything I have been through, I didn¡¯t doubt the key¡¯s abilities.

    ¡°Thank you for everything Gigi.¡±

    ¡°No problem.¡±

    ¡°Good luck out there,¡± Yvonne said. We may not be work partners, but I still owe you one kid. Whenever you''re in danger, just dial me up and I¡¯ll take care of it.

    ¡°Wait a minute, I don¡¯t have your phone number.¡±

    ¡°I just put it in there when you were asleep. Oh, is that a bit creepy? I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but thanks anyway. The more people help me the better I suppose. Goodbye guys¡±

    ¡°Goodbye,¡± the sisters said in unison.

 Chapter 5

    ¡°What in the world happened, Xavier?¡± my Dad asked. I didn¡¯t know where to start. I couldn¡¯t tell him about the ghosts, the Burger King monster, or how Gigi was connected to it all. He wouldn¡¯t believe me anyway. I could barely believe it either, and I went through it.

    I strew in as many normal-sounding excuses as possible, none of which were that convincing. I knew that my Dad didn¡¯t believe me, but he did not press the issue. I assume he felt my uneasiness, and decided it was a conversation for another time. Apple, on the other hand, was more persistent.

    ¡°How did you end up staying at Gigi¡¯s house? What happened to the car? Did you do well in school today?¡± All these questions were hard for me to answer truthfully.

    ¡°Calm down with the questions, Naomi,¡± Dad said giving me a look that definitely meant that we were going to have a long talk about this afterwards. It seems like Xavier has had a hard day today. Let¡¯s give him some rest for now.¡±

    The rest of the car ride was silent. When we got home, I went up to the room and stared into my bathroom mirror. My drooping face and my raccoon eyes showed my tiredness despite the long nap I took. There was just too much to digest. The encounter with Gigi, the attack at the Burger King, staying at Gigi¡¯s house, the offer to work as a ghost hunter. I knew I could not take on the position. I neither had the expertise or desire to use my ghost seeing powers in such a way. Talking to ghosts was only a hobby, in one I held no confidence to use in the hunting ghost workforce. Still though, Gigi¡¯s words affected me more than I initially thought. I did feel obligated to use my powers to help others; I knew that only a few like me existed and could help defend others against these ghost attacks. But it could not be. Regardless of my supernatural ability, I was just a normal, useless kid. I could never participate in something this massive, this crazy.

    Dinner was similarly quiet. Dad cooked Italian sausage with linguine along with some herbs and steamed broccoli--delicious as always. Dad didn¡¯t speak about last night''s incident. He talked a bit about office work and plans for enlarging the garden. Apple and I just nodded. Apple looked at me accusingly, but besides the occasional glance, she barely acknowledged me. I felt like a stranger in my own house.

    After dinner, I watched the dishes as Apple played video games from the living room sofa. After I finished, I started walking towards the stairs to my room. As I reached the stairs, a grizzly hand touched my right shoulder

    ¡°Have a moment to talk?¡± Dad asked. He looked at me with calm, yet serious eyes.

    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±

    We sat down on the living room sofa. I tried my best to hide my uneasiness. I had no idea what to say. I knew Dad wanted to talk about the truth of what happened last night. The lies I told him and Apple in the car convinced him as much as a telemarketer scam. I racked my head to find any logical explanations for these past events. If I told him the truth, he would only think I was lying, like when I was a little kid.

    ¡°Listen, Xavier. I know you lied to me about what happened last night. I don¡¯t know what exactly happened or what trouble you may have gotten into." He took a long breath before continuing. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you did, but I trust you did the right thing. If you don¡¯t want to tell me the particulars, that¡¯s fine¡± My surprised face must have caught Dad¡¯s attention as he increased the sternness in his voice.

    ¡°Now I¡¯m not saying that you''re off the hook for what happened. You know well enough how important it is for you to return home before dinner. I¡¯ll have to find some suitable punishment. Yes, something like...paying for Naomi¡¯s piano lessons.¡± He scratched his head.

    ¡°For goodness sakes, I¡¯m not fit for playing the mean parent. I wish I had some of your mom¡¯s hardness so I wouldn¡¯t raise such spoiled brats.¡± He patted my head. ¡°So, you don¡¯t have to tell me the specifics about what happened, Xavier. Just know how much it means to both me and Apple that you''re safe. We care about you kid. Heck, Apple couldn¡¯t even finish her dinner yesterday and you know how much the kid likes to eat. Just be more aware of other peoples¡¯ feelings.¡± He got up from his seat. ¡°Well, you can go to bed now Xavier. Goodnight.¡±

    ¡°Good night, Dad. I¡¯m sorry, for everything. I¡¯ll try to tell you more of the truth that happened eventually, but it¡¯s like you said I did nothing wrong. I promise.¡±

    ¡°I believe you kid. That¡¯s the one thing I¡¯m sure about you. You might be a bit dumb, a bit crazy and immature, a bit of an old soul in ya, but you''re a good kid. That¡¯s the one thing me and the miss made sure of.¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    I went to bed feeling awful. I desperately wanted to tell the truth, to explain to my dad and Apple about the ghosts, the ghost hunters, the offer I received. I wonder whether my dad would agree with my decision. He always believed in following my heart, so he would likely agree with me. However, we¡¯re also tight for money. A job as rare as that should pay well. Regardless, I could not tell Dad about my ghost seeing ability. He didn¡¯t believe me back then. Dreams, night terrors he said. When I insisted, both he and Mom got worried. Daily hallucinations? Possibly the symptoms of some debilitating mental disease. I didn¡¯t want them to believe that I had schizophrenia or was otherwise unwell, so I quit trying to convince them. Bringing that fact up now, would only make me appear as an even greater liar or worse. It would make Mom¡¯s death feel far worse for the both of us

    Mom was an angel: a perfect being without fault or blame. Dad always said she was too good for this world. Despite all the financial issues Dad struggled through or his bout with alcohol addiction, Mom was always there for him. Mom believed in the best of people. Her motto was that behind every evil person was a tragic backstory and a desire to reform. We all knew it was wishful thinking, but the way she said it and acted in her life probably could temporarily convince even the starkest cynic. She gave luxuriously to charity and spent time teaching underprivileged kids in poverty-stricken areas. She also forced Apple and I to show greater care and consideration for those around us. We were always told to help other people even when the person themselves thought they were beyond saving. ¡°The greatest thing in life,¡± she would always say, ¡°is making the blind man see and paraplegic walk again.¡±

    I was twelve years old when my mom died. She did not have a painless passing. Her final days were spent in immense physical agony. She suffered from dermatomyositis, an auto-immune disease that weakened her muscles and caused the development of a distinct skin rash. At 45 years old, she struggled to walk, to breathe, even to swallow. On bad days, she couldn¡¯t even stand, relying on a wheelchair for transportation. She dealt with constant muscle and ache pain to the point that she disregarded her opinions on pharmaceutical drugs and started taking pain pills just to fall asleep at night. It was hard to watch, especially given how lively and active Mom had been before. Her dark hair faded, her bright dimpled cheeks turned gaunt and lifeless and even the diamond wedding ring she always wore seemed to lose some of its luster. I never said it out loud, and I felt guilty for even thinking about it, but at times I couldn¡¯t even look at her during her worst.

    She would always have this way of smiling when things were at their worst. When the pain inside her was reaching a boiling point or during times of significant sleep deprivation she would transform all the hurt she felt at that moment into a colossal, toothy grin. The grin was supposed to be comforting, but for me it only showed how strained she was to keep both me and Apple happy despite all she was going through. It made me feel like a burden.

    Despite her poor condition, she still managed to care for the family, to help cook meals with Dad, to read bedtime stories to Apple, to give me homework advice. She pushed herself to live like how she was before the onset of the disease. Mom even continued maintaining her vegetable garden, although Dad often argued with her about it. The doctor said she needed to be careful. Dad scolded her, telling to lay down and let him take care of things for now on. Mom refused. She argued that if she was just going to lay down and sleep all day, she might as well be dead. The joy she gained from helping me and Apple, to act as a functioning member of our family, provided her the energy to continue through the pain. The lady was strong beyond all words: regardless of the circumstances, she would do anything to preserve our happy family. Then the fall happened.

    Gigi and I were playing tag in the yard. Mom was sitting in her wheelchair looking down at us from the patio stairs. Dad was at his job working full time as a sales manager. Before he left for work, he told me to look out for Mom to make sure she didn¡¯t do anything too risky. To that end, I tried my best to watch over Mom while running away from Apple. However, I was a stupid kid, and ten minutes in I completely forgot to keep track of Mom. I chased Apple down the yard until I saw the figure of a young man wearing a business suit sitting on the ground. He sat cross legend with a book in his lap. He laid right in front of the path where Apple was running and didn¡¯t even look from his book when the young girl ran right through him. I came to a stop where the ghost was sitting. He raised his head, acknowledging me before going back to reading his book. I was about to run past him before he called out to me.

    ¡°You¡¯ve certainly grown, boy.¡± I stopped in my tracks.

    ¡°Sorry mister, but I don¡¯t know you.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough. I never really got the chance to know you. My fault really, but I didn''t know how much of a dashing young man you would be.¡± My ego took the young man''s comment a bit farther than it was intended.

    ¡°I am pretty manly, am I mister.¡±

    ¡°Certainly,¡± the ghost said, looking up from his book. He stood to face me, towering over me by at least 8 inches. ¡°And yet, at heart, you''re such a little kid.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°What I said of course, but don¡¯t worry. It''s the sad thing in life that often makes us grow. I hope you don¡¯t mind me interrupting your game. I just had to pay a little visit before I go.¡±

    ¡°So, you don¡¯t want anything mister?¡±

    ¡°No. In fact, I¡¯ve already gotten what I needed. Thank you so much for this conversation.¡± I heard a large thump from near the patio stairs. ¡°You better go check on that,¡± the ghost said. It seems pretty dangerous, and I know a thing or two about danger.¡± The ghost vanished in a cloud of smoke.

    Both Apple and I ran to where I heard the sound. Mom had fallen out of her chair, crashing down the stairs and breaking her right arm and left leg. Apple cried so hard that I had to cover her mouth when talking to the 911 operators.

    From then on, Mom was never the same. She was delirious, having visions of people who weren¡¯t there and not seeing people who were. She suffered terrible nightmares that resulted in panic attacks when she finally woke up. She had to be hospitalized, unable to care for her essentials. The doctors said she had little time left. Before I knew it, she had passed.

    The family was never the same after the incident either. Dad was distraught, Apple had horrible nightmares for months after the incident, and I, unable to truly accept that she died, fully lost myself into the ghost world. I searched for her there, desperately trying to see if I could talk to her one last time and beg for forgiveness for having not paid attention to her when she needed it most. Dad didn¡¯t blame me. Apple certainly didn¡¯t blame me, but I felt fully responsible for what went down. It was my duty to look after her, and I failed. Even now, although our family acts as happy and silly as we do, we all hurt a bit inside from what happened. Some wounds can only be seen from the inside.

 Chapter 6

    For once, I had a restful sleep. No discombobulated voices. No fiery demons. Just a calm and restful slumber. I awoke before the ringing of my first alarm and managed to quickly rinse, dress up, and come downstairs to the kitchen in record time. Dad and Apple were still in bed, rolling around beneath the curtains before reluctantly getting up and going about with their day.  I had a quick bite to eat: a raspberry Poptart along with a glass of chocolate milk.

    The drive to school was the usual: moderate traffic with the occasional ghost left and right. I arrived at school forty minutes early before Chemistry began. I sat a good while in the car pondering about the past day. I felt the weight of all the crazy events that transpired, the added info I gained, and the offer I declined. I opened the car door, expecting Terry to appear asking for at least an extra penny for the period in exchange for answering an American history question. To my surprise, Terry was nowhere to be found. That was unusual. Terry always appeared in front of me each day regardless of whether he wanted some coins. It was rare for him ever to miss teasing me before the start of class.

    I thought back to what Terry said to me yesterday about the strange occurrences happening in the spirit realm and to be careful around unknown ghosts. He was right too, given that my encounter with Barry nearly cost my life. Hopefully both of them were okay.

    As I walked towards Wilson Academy¡¯s front door, I encountered Oliver. He stared at a phone in the right hand with a worried expression on his dimpled face.

    ¡°Hey Oliver, are you okay?¡± He looked up from his phone. In noticing me, he shoved his phone into his side pocket.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine dude? How about you?¡±

    ¡°It''s been alright,¡± I said, knowing I couldn¡¯t tell him about what truly happened yesterday. ¡°I spent a long time studying last time.¡±

    ¡°Good for you I suppose. You''re getting more studious by the minute. Speaking of which, how did your tutoring session go with Gigi.¡±

    ¡°Fine. She¡¯s a greater teacher. I learned a lot. She¡¯s certainly something.¡± Whenever I thought of Gigi, I kept reminding myself of the fight in the Burger King and the promise she made with me. I wondered how I could ever continue tutoring with her after all of that. Awkward wouldn¡¯t begin to describe it.

    ¡°Nice,¡± Olive responded, smiling with all his teeth. He reached into the pocket that did not contain his phone and grabbed a health bar. He unwrapped the packing and gave a good bite of oats before continuing. ¡°Maybe you can help tutor me for the upcoming Calculus Exam.¡±

    ¡°Who knows? I wouldn¡¯t advise it though.¡±

    ¡°You underestimate yourself, Xavier. Anyhow, I¡¯m heading to class today. Coming?¡± He took another bite of his health bar.

    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ll have to pass. I¡¯ll meet you in class later.¡±

    ¡°Sure man. See you then.¡±

    We waved bye to each other. As he left to go to Chemistry, I went to the cafeteria to see if I could find Gigi. I didn¡¯t want to talk to her, but I felt like I needed to talk to her about the whole tutoring situation. I didn¡¯t feel comfortable with her as my tutor anymore due to what we went through. I knew it was a silly reason, but I knew I could not study with her. All I would be thinking about was how I declined her offer.

    I searched the aisles of the cafeteria trying to find her, but she was nowhere in sight. Instead, I saw the blond dimpled girl I saw at the Calculus tutoring desk. She sat alone although I sensed that she anticipated some of her friends to come over. Her eyes were fixed on pieces of paper on the desk, likely her homework.  I came up to her, waving my hand as I approached. She lifted her head and gave me a quick questionable glance before responding in kind.

    ¡°Hey,¡± I said. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±

    ¡°Good Bryson. How are you today?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, my name¡¯s not Bryson.¡±

    ¡°Wait really!¡± Her face blushed. ¡°Sorry about that, but you look just like him. Wait, then do I know you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Xavier. I talked to you briefly during the Calculus tutoring session if you could remember.¡¯

    ¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t say I do. The name is Tyana by the way..¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you, Tanya. Anyhow, do you know a girl named Gigi.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, me and Gigi are pretty good friends.¡±

    ¡°Well, me and Gigi are...well, we''re acquaintances now. She¡¯s my tutor, and I planned to meet her this morning to talk about the homework. Do you know where she is?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s told me that she¡¯s not coming to school today.¡±

    ¡°Oh really,¡± I said with a sigh. ¡°That¡¯s too bad.¡±

    ¡®Yeah, it¡¯s strange, isn¡¯t she? She¡¯s never missed a day of class since I met her. She¡¯s always been punctual with a capital P, but things happen.¡±

    ¡°I see. Anyway, thanks for telling me. I¡¯ll just study on my own today.¡±

    ¡°Good luck. I would help you if I had the time, but the amount of homework I received yesterday was impossible.¡±

    ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll make it. Good luck with your studies.¡± Tanya nodded and gave me a thumbs up as I sat up from the table and left.

    I exited the cafeteria and took the stairs leading towards the Chemistry room. I entered the room. Oliver and some other students were there but overall, the room was barren. I sat in my usual seat and took out my Chemistry notes as I prepared for another boring lecture. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    Two minutes before class began and no other students entered the building. I guess everyone was rushing to finish their homework. One minute before class began and I started to feel uneasy. I looked to Oliver, and he gave me a confused look that confirmed my suspicion--this wasn¡¯t natural. The class bell rang and neither the students nor the teacher were there. It was just me, Oliver, and two other students. Did I miss something? Was today a no-Chemistry-day?

    I stood up to my seat to refill my water bottle. I planned to wait for around five minutes before leaving the class. I reached for the doorknob and as I opened the door a surge of pain passed throughout my body. I felt like I was being electrocuted: my hairs stood on end; my body plummeted to the floor. My muscles convulsed as I yelled in agony.

    I heard the collective gasped of Oliver and other students. ¡°Xavier, what in the world!¡± Oliver ran towards me, but before he could reach me the front door burst open and a cloud of dense red vapor billowed in. I managed to rise and before the smoke could envelop us completely. I dragged Oliver by the arm out of the smoke. We both fell backwards towards the back of the room, Oliver coughing up a storm. The other students compared to the back of the room to avoid the incoming smoke. The gaseous substance submerged the entire front half of the room. As I tried to get Oliver to stand, I saw the blood mist condense further until the outlines of two humanoid creatures could be discerned. One was tall with short frayed white hair and a narrow face. He wore a white jacket over what one could consider his bare chest. Instead of ears, dark red horns grew from the sides of his head. He walked barefoot, his feet covered in dimples and boils. He clasped his hands together as if he was about to pray.

    ¡° I am Callous van Allienhiemr, representing the Dominion of Separation. Pleasure to make your acquaintance¡±

    The other humanoid creature was far smaller, only slightly taller than Apple. His face appeared gaunt with red scars covering his cheeks. His hair was a black long mane that obscured his left eye. His red right eye shined vehemently.  In his right hand, he held a split blade dagger that dripped a greenish substance. When he opened his mouth, I saw a set of razor-sharp teeth.

    ¡°And I am Gratos, representing the Dominion of Autonomy.¡± His voice sounded like a cheese grater.  He eyed us four students like we were meat on a stick. ¡°Callous can I eat them now?¡±

    ¡°Patience Gratos. You mustn''t forgo the mission. Father¡¯s plans always come first.¡±

    ¡°Come on Callous. Father said that we only needed that visionary kid. Can¡¯t I eat the rest?¡±

    ¡°Not until we get the information we needed.¡± Callous turned to us. ¡°Now, which of you is the visionary?¡±

    My body felt ice cold. The creatures before me appeared in just the same way the beast did at the Burger King. They must be liches, and yet they give off a completely different aura than the previous one--more sinister and terrifying. Additionally, these appeared much more cognizant than the previous lich, able to hold a conversation with one another and talk to others. More so than that, they seemed to know more about me than I did about them. Obviously, I was the visionary they were talking about. I knew I had to do something.  All the other kids were shaking in fear, backing to the end of the wall. Oliver was shaking. His face had turned a light blue and his glasses had fallen off. I got up and approached the two lichs.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re the one Father keeps hammering about, eh.¡± Gratos said. ¡°Interesting. You do seem to give off an impressive aura, and yet seem so weak.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s only human after all,¡± Callous responded. ¡°However, he remains an asset for the other side. We can¡¯t just let him roam around freely regardless of how little of a threat he may be now.¡±

    ¡°So should I eat him?¡±

    ¡°You imbecile. We were tasked with taking him alive. Honestly, is food all you think about?¡±

    ¡°Is there a problem with that?¡±  Callous raked his hand over his pale face.

    ¡°Simple things for simple minds. Now visionary, come here. We have a couple of questions to ask you.¡±

    The other students looked at me with a mixture of confusion and sympathy. Oliver tried to reach out his hand towards me but retracted as he saw me move forward to the lichs.

    ¡°What do you want from me? Is this some type of payback for the death of the other lich. Callous laughed.

    ¡°You mean that insignificant rodent. I¡¯m ashamed you put us in the same league with that failure. No, visionary, we¡¯re here to know more about you. You''re quite the special case around these parts.  You could say that we are the greatest fans.¡±

    ¡°Biggest fans, huh. If that¡¯s the case, leave the rest of those students along. They¡¯re not involved in this.¡±

    ¡°Oh, but they are,¡± Callous said. He raised his index finger and the cloud of smoke rushed to cover the entire room. The students began to cough, writhing on the floor.

    ¡°Leave them along,¡± I yelled.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think you''re in quite the position to make such demands, visionary, but don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t kill them.¡±

    ¡°Seriously?¡± Gratos said.

    ¡°Yes, you dolt. I just need to get them out of the way for a moment so that we can have a proper discussion. Say night-night.¡± He snapped his fingers, and in an instant all the students around us disappeared.

    ¡°What did you do to them?¡±

    ¡°Who knows?¡± Callous said with a grin. ¡°But now that the school is clear, I think it''s time we got down to the brass tacks. ¡°You''re able to enter the dreamscape aren¡¯t you? That sure is a troublesome ability.¡±

    The dreamscape. He must mean¡­

    ¡°Now ordinarily only those higher powers should be able to reach it. You''re certainly a stronger esper than most, but even then, that gift should only be available to higher beings. How are you able to go to and from such a location, seer?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not even sure what you''re talking about.¡±

    ¡°Are you playing the fool or are you simply an idiot.¡±

    ¡°Callous, if he doesn¡¯t cooperate, can I eat him.¡±

    ¡°Only an arm or a leg, I suppose. Just make sure he doesn¡¯t die of blood loss.¡±

    ¡°No seriously,¡± I said. ¡°I only have the faintest idea of what you¡¯re talking about. I have strange dreams. I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe Father considered you dangerous enough to send us. You''re so hopelessly ignorant of what¡¯s going on that I believe it''s futile to even question you further. Maybe you should just be fed to Gratos.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like a promising idea, Callous.¡±

    ¡°Who''s your father anyway? What business does he have with me?¡± Callous hawk eyes narrowed.

    ¡°What Father wants is none of your business. Now, enough with the idle chit-chat. Your conscious brain might be that of a dullard, but I¡¯m certain a little probing my Hermia will show us what you really know, even if your body doesn¡¯t make it.  Gratos attack!¡±

    The small demon charged at me, his double-sided axe barreling straight towards my head. I barely managed to sidestep the blow, rolling towards the right side of the room, but before I could stand, Gratos kicked me in the chest launching me straight in the wall. The pain was almost enough to knock me out, but I managed to get up to my knees. Gratos licked his lips as he swung his axe left and right.

    I was not planning to die today. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the key that Gigi gave me back when I was at her house. The key certainly did not appear to compare to the weapon of destruction wielded by Gratos, but I knew by this point those appearances were deceiving.

    Gratos launched at me again, his axe held outwards to strike me down, his mouth wide open to taste human flesh. I held the key up high. Strength flowed through me. I heard voices, young warriors from a time long past, call to me to vanquish the evil before me. The key shined like a ray from heaven, nearly blinding me due to its luminescence. Before Gratos strike could rip open my chest, goldish chains emerged from the shining artifact. The chains wrapped around Gratos arms and pulled him to the ground, causing him to drop his axe.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Gratos remarked.

    ¡°Fabulous,¡± Callus said, clapping so hard that I thought his fingers would fall off. You¡¯re able to use artifact corpse parts. How interesting. I suppose there¡¯s more to you after all.¡± Gratos continued to write on the floor, his mouth reaching out to bite the chains that held him down.

    ¡°Your next,¡± I said pointing the shining key in his direction

    ¡°How scary. Looks like the little pup finally got some bite.¡± He raised his hand, pointing his palm towards me. ¡°And yet, I much rather have my dogs respect their masters.¡± He pushed forward his palm. I felt a strong wind blowing behind me. Before I could react, the key that I held flew out from my hand and towards the outreach grasp of Callus. My face dropped.

    ¡°Oh my, what happened to all the spunk you had earlier. You think the connections you build would just last forever. Foolish humans. Everything in this world is destined to leave you. It''s only a matter of time. Friends. Families. Even the things you believe and cherish in. All things that tie you mortals together are so easily rendered apart just through the simple flow of time. That¡¯s what you get for being so incredibly weak; yes, it¡¯s so hard to feel sorry for pathetic creatures such as yourself.¡±

    ¡°Give it back.¡± I yelled, but before I could say more, I felt a strong slash to my back. I fell hard on the floor. My shirt was drenched in a pool of my own blood. I tried to move my legs, then my arms, then my fingers. No response. My body was completely paralyzed. I couldn¡¯t even close my eyelids

    ¡°Took you long enough, Gratos,¡± I could barely hear Callous say. ¡°Now, make sure to leave the brain fully intact. If you can do that, the rest of his body is yours for the taking.¡±

    My eyes remained open, but vision started to fade regardless. Soon enough, I laid in pitch darkness, soon to be subject to the meal of an inpatient demon brat.  I can¡¯t believe I was about to die. No, I couldn¡¯t die now. Not yet. I had my family to live for: my little sister Apple needed me, and I refused to leave her or my dad alone. Not after Mom. I won¡¯t ever allow a scenario like that to happen to my family.

    ¡°You look like you¡¯re in a bit of a pinch,¡± the voice of a lady said. ¡°Come here. It¡¯s almost supper time.¡±

 Chapter 7

    I was sitting in a brown easing chair next to a large round picnic table. Sweets of all sorts: cookies, cakes, pastries, and more were plated across the table giving off such a pleasant aroma that I thought my nose entered food heaven.  I felt my back. No scar. No blood. It was as if the previous fight with Gratos never happened. I could even move again. The pain had either subsided or completely disappeared along with my fatigue making me feel as if I was reborn.

    I looked around my new environment. I appeared to be in a garden with dandelions and roses scattered endlessly over the light green field. I could hear the chirps of birds from somewhere off in the distance. However, these chirps were not from any bird species I recognized; the chirps were too musical, too poetic in nature that they must have come from a trained bird symphony. From my peripherals, I could see the outlines of trees, massive at the trunk, and extending above the clouds. From their branches, golden apples the size of watermelons grew.

    Closer to me than the desserts was a porcelain cup filled with an orange liquid, and farther away from the deserts, sitting at the opposite side of the table, was a pale lady wearing a black dress.

    ¡°You''re looking better,¡± the lady said. ¡°How does it feel being seconds away from death?¡± It took me no time at all to realize it was the exact woman from the dream. Well, considering that she and this palace actually exists, how much of what I dreamed was a dream and how much of it was reality was still up in the air.

    A closer inspection of the lady in black revealed a far more reserved nature than I previously viewed in my dreams. She wore a floor-length gothic Victorian style dress with white gloves to mask her hands. A straw bonnet covered her dark hair that nearly touched the ground. Black high-heeled shoes covered her feet.  She looked like a woman out of time. The lady smiled at me, her violet eyes scanning me over like a model car at the dealership checking to see if I matched her qualifications. Violet eyes, eh. Now I know that¡¯s not normal.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked. I asked. ¡°How did I end up here?¡±

    ¡°You can say that I am your greatest supporter, Xavier Wright.¡± She snapped her fingers and a cup containing the same orange liquid appeared in her left hand.  I¡¯ve been watching you for quite a while now. You¡¯ve really piqued my interest.¡±

    ¡°How do you know my name?¡±

    ¡°A witch has her ways. Come now. You¡¯ve just been transported to magical fairy land with giant golden apples and you¡¯re questioning how I know your name. Talk about getting your priorities mixed up.¡±

    ¡°A witch. So are you the good kind or the evil kind?¡±

    ¡°Oh trust me,¡± the lady in black sipped the liquid in her cup. ¡°I am a very evil witch.¡±

    ¡°Is that so? If that¡¯s the case, I think I should leave now.¡± I stood up from my chain and began to head out.

    ¡°Wait, don''t go,¡± the lady said. She stood up from her seat, her hand reaching towards me. ¡°It¡¯s a joke. A comedy routine. Work parties don¡¯t have to be so professional, do they? Lighten up a bit.¡±  I continued walking. ¡°Please don¡¯t go. It¡¯s been ages since I¡¯ve met someone like you before. You don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ve waited for someone with your potential. Let¡¯s just talk about this over a drink and some nice sweets. You humans like sweets too, right?¡±

    ¡°Fine, I said, reluctantly sitting back in my seat. ¡°A work party you said? What do you mean?¡±

    The witch shuffled her hair. ¡°Yes, this right here is a business meeting. As you can see, we have plenty of sweets here that we can gorge ourselves on as we deliberate over the minute details. She took out a silver fork and plunged it into a plate of sponge cake. She brought the piece of cake to her face and gently placed it on her tongue before swallowing.  ¡°The frosting is brilliant. Compliments to the chef. Mother really knows who to hire.¡± The witch put down her fork.

    ¡°I suppose I should properly introduce myself. It isn¡¯t proper for future business partners to just refer to each other by their titles.¡± She brought her hand to her heart. I am the Witch of Nomenclature, Pandora.  Welcome to Her Majesty¡¯s Estate: Celestial Gardens.¡± Pandora bowed her head. I just stood out in silence.

    ¡°Well, she said,¡± her face wrinkled. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to bow and introduce yourself too. I answered your questions in full, and now you''re looking at me like I¡¯m a stranger. How callous of you. How impolite. For some reason I don¡¯t think you''re all that serious about this are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not here to play games with you. I don¡¯t want to sound ungrateful for you saving me, but out there in the real world my friends are in great danger. I need to help them.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°First off, I gave you my name. Why not use it? Second, why do you care so much for your classmates? Given my records, only one of them is your friend. I don¡¯t even think you like the others.¡±

    ¡°But they are in danger, deep danger if I don¡¯t help them right now. You just want me to let them die.¡±

    ¡°I want what¡¯s best for you, and I don¡¯t think sticking your neck out for people you hardly care about constitutes healthy decision making. At least for now.

    ¡°For now?¡±

    ¡°Humans are such pathetic creatures. Zero magic talent, frail bodies, weak resolve. I still can¡¯t figure out how you all haven¡¯t gone extinct with all your internal warfare in what not. No, my friend, the path you follow will only lead to a sad, painful death if you task it as a mere mortal. You might as well dig your grave here and save you the trouble.¡±

    ¡°Big talk out of someone who was begging me to stay with her.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you''re special, Xavier. You have far more potential than those other humans, so much so that I want to offer you a deal you can¡¯t refuse.¡¯

    ¡°A deal with a witch. Sorry, but that sounds a bit questionable.¡±

    ¡°Trust me, Xavier. One thing you can trust is a witch''s promise. We can¡¯t lie about them after all.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you''re not going to let me leave unless I at least consider your offer.¡±

    ¡°Sure, you can leave, but I promise you that you¡¯ll die.¡±

    ¡°You seem so certain.¡±

    ¡°Fine, I guess you can see it for yourself.¡± She raised her hand high into the air. Without a cloud in sight, a strike of lightning hit her hand. Instead of writhing in agony, a glass mirror appeared in the witch¡¯s hand. She presented the mirror to me. ¡°Take a look.¡±

    I looked into the mirror. I saw myself on the floor unable to move as Gratos continued to strike me with his axe. The green liquid that dripped from his weapon appeared to melt my skin, leaving my body a bloody roast.

    ¡°This would be you five seconds after leaving this domain. Looks like you''re certainly dying.¡±

    ¡°You can see the future.¡±

    ¡°A potential future, yes. I¡¯m a witch after all. A little precognition should be expected.¡±

    ¡°Then it looks like I have no choice. Fine, I¡¯ll hear you out.¡±

    ¡°Good, then let me lay out the deal. She clapped her hands and a piece of paper fell from above into my hands.¡± I looked at it. The paper read like a contract.

    "Let''s get down to the nitty-gritty. I am a witch gifted with magic beyond human understanding. I bend the elements to my will, create matter out of the primordial ode that permeates the universe, and even have sway over the laws of time itself. And you''re¡­¡± she pointed to me like I was an annoying insect that crawled out of a corner, ¡°a non-magical, physically inept, intelligently handicapped, bipedal sheep. Pardon my harsh language.¡±

    ¡°All taken.¡±

    ¡°So, you see, you¡¯re probably wondering what you could possibly offer in exchange for the amazing gifts I can afford you.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing my soul.¡±

    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m a witch, not a demon. Souls are far too expendable.¡± She reached out her hand to me. A slight wind blew behind me that chilled my neck. The wind whispered in my ears in the shrill voice of the witch.

    ¡°What I want are names.¡±

    ¡°Names. Just people¡¯s names?¡±

    ¡°Names have power Xavier. So much so that I¡¯ll bend over backwards just to gain a new one. =¡±

    ¡°Gain a name? I¡¯m guessing this involves more than just telling you somebody¡¯s name.¡±

    ¡°No, it''s that simple. I just need you to say the full name of someone you know. Well, actually, I need you to also envision that person in your head; the clearer the picture the stronger the name.¡±

    ¡°And in return for that I¡¯ll gain.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the strength to defeat your enemies. I can¡¯t do much about your physical and magical abilities: those are set in stone. Plus, you do have the conduit with you, so you¡¯re not completely defenseless. Instead, I¡¯ll give you a gift beyond all others. I¡¯ll give you the ability to rewind time.¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡±

    ¡°Witches can¡¯t lie when making agreements.¡±

    ¡°No, there has to be something you''re not telling me. This seems far too good to be true¡± The witch said nothing.

    ¡°You''re hiding sometimes from me.¡±  Pandora remained silent. ¡°So, I¡¯m right, aren¡¯t I.¡±

    ¡°I thought most humans didn¡¯t like to read the fine text. There may be some side effects to the name exchange, but nothing that will cause you any physical or mental pain.¡±

    ¡°If it is so minor, why not state it out right.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s like reading the back of a pill box. Do you honestly want me to list all the side effects possibly imaginable? Don''t do the name exchange if you''re pregnant or are at risk of serious heart complications. Name exchange might result in a slight acne breakout, shortness of breath, yada yada, yada.  Want me to continue?

    ¡°No need. I¡¯m not taking your offer.¡± Pandora pouted.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re just going to go out there to die. How sad!¡±

    ¡°Maybe so, but at least I know what is waiting for me out there.¡±

    ¡°Certain death?¡±

    ¡°I assume that¡¯s a possible outcome out of the many you chose not to share with me.¡±

    ¡°How cynical.¡± Pandora got out of her seat and started walking towards me. She stuck out her finger and flicked me across the forehead.

    ¡°Why you¡­¡±

    ¡°Protect the mind, seize the body,¡± Pandora chanted. A purple glow animated from where she struck me. ¡°This will allow you to move once you''re brought back to the real world. I added in some strength and speed augmentation as well as some health recovery along with it. Considerate, right? It would be incredibly sad if you died here without fully considering the agreement.¡± She tossed her hair from her eyes.

    ¡°In the real world, only 0.025 seconds have transpired. Make sure to roll left once you arrive. I¡¯d be disappointed if you died. You are one of my most valuable assets.¡± I heard a resounding boom followed by a blinding array of light emerging beyond the trees like a hundred firecrackers going off at once. The sounds of an orchestra blared in the background. ¡°Looks like the party is about to begin. Sorry, but I¡¯m not allowed to miss it.¡± She pushed me out of the chair. I fell in slow motion, every second feeling like an hour. The table disappeared in a ray of light, the sweets along with it. Pandora turned from me walking towards the sound of the orchestra. As my back touched the grassy meadow, my torso began to seep through the ground. Soon enough I was completely submerged.