《Lost in the Echoes》 A Name for Myself A day the same as any other, their limbs empty, and the tinge of red and orange spread across the earth. Watching, they passed me by creating a quick spiral. The yellow line keeping my vision straight, I was safe in its hold, I was happy watching it and it granted me peace of mind. The peace of mind that I craved, needed, and didn¡¯t want to let go of. Time ticked past and I continued watching the brown go on, dreams carrying me away while I thought. I then heard a noise, a loud one, a truck roared its eager growl from the other side and¡­ It didn¡¯t stop. The pain, oh how the pain haunted my soul, but it was short lived and I fell. Falling and falling with no hint of the end, I closed my eyes wishing for light to dawn on me. It felt as though time had stopped and I could sleep forever, but after a while time started ticking again and light beamed ever so strongly on me. I reached for the light¡ªIt pulled me in¡ªthen I smashed against a hard wall. Hacking and coughing I gasped for air, but felt none enter or leave. ¡°What was that?¡± I asked. ¡°The floor, of course,¡± a voice answered, somewhat quirky yet sarcastic. ¡°Huh!¡± the voice startling me, I jumped back and after so long I opened them, my eyes. The lights, the colored tiles, and even the white sink and mirror were amazing. Ah, how I missed seeing the world, but what is that? That! The giant transparent eyeball floating in the air and staring right at my face. I turned my head left and right. Where, where is the person who spoke to me? I don¡¯t see anyone besides this eyeball giving me a good look. ¡­No way, it can¡¯t be. ¡°Were you the one who spoke to me?¡± I asked, suspicious of it. It blinked and said, ¡°Yes, I spoke to you.¡± This is¡­ Amazing! I¡¯m seeing the supernatural up close, who would have thought a giant eyeball existed and that it could talk. I wonder how it floats, I don¡¯t see anything keeping it in the air. ¡°Hey, eyeball, how do you float?¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Eyeball, so that¡¯s what you see me as,¡± odd, I don¡¯t see what else it could be. ¡°I float because I¡¯m a ghost, the same as you,¡± it explained. ¡°The same as me?¡± I questioned, there is no way I am the same as this eyeball. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± it floated over to the mirror, ¡°come over here.¡± I followed it and it kept afloat over my shoulder. ¡°Look into the mirror,¡± I did as it said. ¡°You can see me, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, I can see you. You look the same as before, amazing, that you¡¯re still transparent.¡± ¡°Oh hush, you¡¯re focusing on the wrong thing. Look at yourself, what do you see?¡± What do I see? I see, a faded shadow, reminiscent of a body. It looks like I have long hair, but that could be a fa?ade of the shadow. I raised my hand, ah, my hand is transparent too. I didn¡¯t notice earlier. I touched the mirror, at least I thought I touched it, but nothing happened. There wasn¡¯t a hand print and there was no feeling when I slid my hand down the mirror. I gasped then yelled, ¡°This doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡± ¡°It might not now, but it will add up as you experience being a ghost,¡± it said. ¡°No, I mean, when did I die?! I don¡¯t remember dying,¡± and I thought more about myself. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t even remember who I am. What my name is, what I looked like, or who my family was. I don¡¯t remember anything, only falling in a dark tunnel.¡± ¡°The Tunnel of Echoes¡­,¡± it mumbled. ¡°Huh, what was that?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± whatever it said, it swept it aside, ¡°I haven¡¯t introduced myself yet, you can call me Sam.¡± ¡°Sam, that¡¯s certainly better than eyeball,¡± I said, happy that I didn¡¯t have to call it eyeball anymore. ¡°Don¡¯t call me eyeball, I gave you my name,¡± Sam said, its voice tensing up. ¡°Ah, and since you don¡¯t remember your name, I¡¯ll call you Gray.¡± Gray, I like it, it has a familiar ring to it. ¡°Gray, that¡¯s not bad.¡± ¡°So, you like the name?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m Gray, nice to meet you,¡± I said and smiled, I couldn¡¯t tell if Sam could see my smile. I hope its brighter than the sun. ¡°Nice to meet you too. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re curious about where we are,¡± Sam said. I wasn¡¯t before, but I am now. I looked around the room some more. There was a toilet, a bathtub, and a rug on the floor. We¡¯re in a bathroom, that must mean I¡¯m inside a house. ¡°Are we in a house?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s right and this house isn¡¯t empty, a man lives here.¡± ¡°A man.¡± ¡°Yeah, follow me.¡± After Sam said so, it floated over to the door that was closed. ¡°Watch, you should be able to do this too." Sam moved at a snail¡¯s pace and went through the door, looking at me the entire time. ¡°Oh, I nearly forgot, make sure to stay focused while fading through objects,¡± Sam said before disappearing from my sight. I reached out to the door, my wits shaken by Sam¡¯s last comment. ¡°Wait, come back! What happens if I don¡¯t focus!?¡± In Which he Mourns ¡°Wait, come back! What happens if I don¡¯t focus!?¡± Nothing, only the annoying dripples of water clashing against porcelain echoed in the room. What a way to treat a newcomer, Sam, please come back. I can¡¯t comprehend how to go through this door, I¡¯m not sure I can stay focused either. No, come on Gray, you can do this! Focusing is easy, empty your mind, no thundering storms. Yeah, that¡¯s a start. Locking my sights on the door, there is my objective, I will go through it. The old wood lining is not important, even if I wished I could touch it, it¡¯s not that important. I reached my arm out and paused for a moment, ¡°Am I sure about this?¡± Bah, I shouldn¡¯t have second guessed myself, that didn¡¯t help at all. Whatever. I¡¯ll just jump into it, that¡¯s better than waiting here worrying over nothing. I no longer hesitated and jumped right into the door. As I was halfway through, a cat meowed, and I winced at it. I went through it with no issue, yeah. Not until I was through the door did something begin to stir. My head felt as though it burst aflame and then it spread all over me, shattering, a mind shattering pain attacked me. I grabbed my head and screamed, ¡°Aaaghhhh!!!¡± As I struggled with myself and my vision blurred, I craned my head to the right and there was Sam, three eyeballs to greet me. ¡°Make it stop! Please make it stop?! I just want it to stop!¡± I pleaded to Sam, the agony intensifying, it hurts so much. ¡°I remember warning you to stay focused. This is what happens when you don¡¯t and the repercussions rise each time,¡± Sam¡¯s voice mellowed down, ¡°they- no, forget it.¡± I sprawled about on the floor and sitting on my side was the cat that caused this to happen. The short haired orange tabby watched me with its brown eyes seeming amused and purring to no end. Retched cat, I¡¯ll get my payback on you soon enough! ¡°It¡¯s about to pass,¡± Sam said, ¡°and now.¡± As soon as Sam said ¡®now¡¯ relief flushed into my soul, Sam must understand the pain well. I lied on the floor catching a slight rest, haha, if I could sweat I would be drenched. I got up from the floor and scanned the hallway, looking for a certain furry feline burned into the recesses of my mind.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Where did that cat go?¡± I asked, teeming with anger. ¡°The cat?¡± Sam replied as though confused. ¡°Oh, you must mean Phraze. He trotted off downstairs, likely to greet his owner.¡± ¡°His owner, you mean the man you were talking about?¡± ¡°Yep, if Phraze headed to the first story, that¡¯s where I bet he is right now.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go see him,¡± I want to see a living person already! ¡°No need to rush,¡± Sam said, I swear Sam has no worries, it acts too relaxed sometimes. Sam led the way and I followed. From inside the house looks rustic and well kept, though aged somewhat. Here on the second story there was a window at the end of the hallway, the bathroom I came out of, and four bedrooms. As we headed down the stairs there was another bedroom at the end on the left, the front door which had a painted glass window on the upper half of it, and on the right the living room. Sam headed towards the living room and of course I followed yet again and there I saw him. He held in his hands a rectangle case and inside of it, a memory of the past. His hair the color of ebony and the sides a clear silver. His forehead wrinkled, showing the signs of his age, and around his deep green eyes the crows had left soft footprints. His mouth was curved upward, but his eyes, his eyes that wouldn¡¯t tear away from the casing, spoke of a sad tale. Phraze rubbed against his leg trying to get his attention, but it did nothing to break him from his stasis. He just sat on his couch and stared at the three, one of them himself. ¡°That¡¯s Jason Rorty, the owner of the house, and the one we¡¯ll be keeping company,¡± Sam told me. ¡°Why is he doing that?¡± I asked. ¡°You see those other two in the picture.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°That¡¯s his wife and daughter, they died last month,¡± Sam said, its voice carrying a somber tune. ¡°Oh, I see,¡± I shouldn¡¯t be so inquisitive from here on out. ¡°Well, you¡¯ve met all of the family. I¡¯m going back upstairs,¡± Sam said and started for the stairs, but stopped at the end and turned back to me. ¡°Aren¡¯t you coming?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll stay here for some time. I¡¯ll come up later.¡± ¡°Hmm, got it.¡± After I saw that Sam had went up the stairs, I went over to Jason, and from behind him I looked at the picture. His wife with her rosy cheeks looked so happy and his little girl was held up in the air by her parents. Her angel like smile blossoming, she couldn¡¯t have been let down, not in the least. In the picture his eyes weren¡¯t sad like they were now, no, they were aimed at his daughter and they were filled with joy. I put my hand on his shoulder, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for your loss,¡± I said, but he didn¡¯t say anything back, it didn¡¯t matter to me though. I floated to the window across from him, I¡¯m lucky the drapes were already opened. The blue spanning across the sky made it a fitting color for today. Compared to Jason¡¯s memories hurting him, my lost memories could be a blessing, but I still want them back even if their tragic. The Rowdy One Fettered wisps broke through waves and wings collided on wind, soaring high in the air. They were uncaged and unbridled, the doves ever so sweet in their bliss, knew of nothing but freedom. The neighbors also enjoyed the day, the wife sipping from her iced tea on their porch and the husband smiled while watering the flowers in their garden, they too were free. Far from the window I looked out from, there were tall buildings on the horizon bound by nothing. The children below giggled as they threw balloons filled with water at one another, running from each other on the street. Deep within me, I could feel it bubbling up, my jealousy that is. ¡°I want to bask in the rays of the sun too,¡± I said, longing to be outside. ¡°If you¡¯re so desperate you could always possess Sophie,¡± Sam told me, attempting to raise my spirits. ¡°Ack! I heard that, why don¡¯t you bugger off Sam! I hope you stay trapped in here forever, useless ghosts,¡± Sophie yelled, then she clicked her tongue and ran off to her bedroom, hehe, what a rowdy girl. As she said, we¡¯re trapped in this old house, I learned of it earlier today. . . After a few hours Jason snapped out of his mourning and rose from his couch, dragging his feet he headed to the kitchen, Phraze following along as his valiant companion. Hearing clinks and clanks of kitchenware I too went to the kitchen. He placed a skillet onto the stove top, turning the stove on, he waited and let it heat up. He then went over to the fridge and pulled out salmon that was already prepped for cooking. He placed some slices on the skillet, testing out the heat, the tender meat simmered and juices flowed from it. He smiled and said, ¡°Just right.¡± He got down to business and started cooking as though he lived for it. He spent a while cooking and when he was done he placed it on a plate. Picking it up, the flesh was seared to perfection and the meat glistening with juices had steam rising from it. He walked over to a corner of the kitchen and put the plate down on the floor. ¡°There you go Phraze, your favorite, seared salmon fillet,¡± He said.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. The cat darted for it, licking it a few times and looked up at his master and meowed while purring. That must be the cat¡¯s version of thanking him for the meal. His grin widened, ¡°Glad you like it,¡± He said to Phraze and dusted off his hands on his dark blue slacks. ¡°Ah, almost forgot Ellie and Sophie¡¯s dinner.¡± Ellie and Sophie? Wonder who they are. This time he took out a pan and threw together a stew, letting it cook on its own. Wait, you put so much care into making the cat¡¯s food, but only make a stew for Ellie and Sophie. I don¡¯t get it, that cat doesn¡¯t deserve such good treatment, that cat is evil. While letting the stew boil Jason left the kitchen and I followed him, curious about what he was going to do next. He went into a small room that had a desk, a chair, and several shelves lined with books. Sitting down, he picked up a pen in one hand and used the other to make phone calls. After a call he would write down a name and then make yet another call, he did this several times, and some of the names he later marked out. He jumped up from his seat and his eyes widened, ¡°The stew!¡± He yelled, then he clamored to the kitchen. Once there he released a relaxed sigh and shook his head, ¡°I worried over nothing, haha,¡± and he stirred it, ¡°seems done,¡± he said, turning off the stove. He looked at his wrist that had a watch, ¡°They should be back any moment now.¡± ¡°Great, I¡¯ve been waiting for those two,¡± A voice said from behind me. ¡°Uwahh!¡± Surprising me, I let out an embarrassing scream. I turned around to see who it was and¡­ It was Sam. ¡°A ghost getting scared by another ghost, first time I¡¯ve seen it happen,¡± Sam said and laughed. ¡°he-,¡± I stopped myself from saying anything back, afraid that Sam would mock me more for getting scared. ¡°Man, it sure is cold today,¡± Jason said while rubbing the nape of his neck that had goosebumps on it. ¡°That¡¯s a sign that he feels our presence, though he isn¡¯t exactly aware that we¡¯re here with him,¡± Sam explained, likely because it thought I was curious about it. With a bang, we heard the front door shut, ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± Someone yelled. Jason perked up and walked to the living room, ¡°Welcome home, how did school go?¡± ¡°It was a drag,¡± A girl replied. When he saw that it was one rather than two he almost seemed disappointed as his smile faded a little. ¡°Where is Ellie?¡± He asked. She slung her backpack to the couch, ¡°Student council duties held her up,¡± she said while walking to the kitchen, ¡°¡­stew again.¡± As I looked at her, she had a certain charm that I liked. Her azure blue eyes, her black hair with streaks of purple, her pierced ears and nose, her creased eyebrows, even her grimace, all of it, I found it all stunning. But what ringed with me the most about her, was the way she carried herself, as though her confidence could reach above the clouds. She turned her eyes to me, that look of determination never changing. ¡°Get out of my face, you¡¯re annoying me,¡± She said, huh? ¡°You can see me?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking to anyone else,¡± She replied to my question. I was rushed with joy, an endless amount of joy. I¡¯ve found someone else to talk to besides Sam. Her Pain, I Caused it She wanted me to leave her alone, but instead my curiosity flowed without any stops. I wanted to know how she could see me when Jason can¡¯t. So, I floated above her head looking down at her face with mine and flooded her with questions. ¡°Hey, hey, how do you see me?¡± I asked, my voice overjoyed. She was sitting on a chair in the living room and taking a spoonful of stew, she brought it close to her lips, puckering them up and then let out a soft breath. After it was cooled, she put it into her mouth and after chewing it some she frowned. ¡°Uncle, when will you get better at cooking?¡± she asked Jason. Confounded, he rubbed the stubbles on his chin, ¡°I swear I cooked it right this time.¡± She put the bowl down on a table, ¡°It taste awful, why not try cooking something else?¡± His cheeks turned a blaring red, ¡°Cook it yourself then!¡± he yelled, then he stormed off to his study. ¡°I will!¡± She yelled back, though she seemed mad and didn¡¯t like the stew, she picked it back up and continued eating. I never got a reply, so I asked her again. ¡°Heyyy, how can you see me?¡± She shot me a fierce glare, ¡°I have no clue or idea of how I see you. Now, would you mind, I¡¯m trying to eat here,¡± she said, her mouth stuffed full of stew. ¡°Ah, I get it, of course you wouldn¡¯t understand how you see ghosts,¡± I wonder if that¡¯s true though. ¡°How long have you seen ghosts?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s it, enough with the questions,¡± she said and then put her bowl down again. She stood up from the chair and I floated up making sure I stayed level with her face. I expected her to explain, but she isn¡¯t like Sam who is so patient with me. Instead she started swinging her hands, trying to swat at me as though I were a fly that just wouldn¡¯t stop pestering her. ¡°Shoo! Go away!¡± she yelled, her hand flying past my face. This is fun, each time she got close to touching me I would dodge it, going higher and higher. I laughed and said, ¡°Catch me if you can.¡± Then she became angry and jumped high in the air with one of her hands going through me. Once her feet were planted back on the ground she held her hand with the other and stared at it. Her hand started shivering and it built up slowly to a shiver that shook her whole body.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I had to ask, it feels like something could be wrong. She raised her head and looked at me. Ah, there really was something wrong, how could I mess up like this, I shouldn¡¯t have played around. Her proud visage, the confidence that was her forte, it was gone long gone. Her grimace shattered and what was left behind was an image of a girl suffering with tears streaming down her cheeks. What she was suffering from I didn¡¯t know, but I could tell I was the cause of her suffering. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you,¡± I said as I reached out for her. ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± she yelled while backing away. ¡°Please, I beg you, just go away.¡± That¡¯s a good idea, I certainly could leave, her actions were quite shocking. And I floated to the doorway of the living room. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry,¡± I told her before I left the room. She didn¡¯t say anything or even look up at me, she held her hand to her chest and I could hear muffled gags between the sobbing. I never meant to hurt her so much, I didn¡¯t know. With the front door in my gaze, I considered going outside and inched towards it. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that,¡± Sam said, having come from the kitchen after the ruckus. I had no time to listen to Sam, I need to leave. Not because of what Sophie said, no, because I need to find out more about myself. It¡¯s likely staying in this house and searching for clues will lead me in circles. I went for it, and after my first mistake, I have learned what it means to stay focused. ¡°Oof!¡± I was about to go through the glass when a strong force pushed me back and I landed on the floor. ¡°Gray¡­ You never listen,¡± Sam told me as I lied on the floor groaning. The pain from what happened was light compared to the pain when I didn¡¯t focus, so I don¡¯t understand what just happened. I should have gone through the door. ¡°What was that?¡± I asked after getting all my bearings back together. ¡°We¡¯re trapped in the house, even I can¡¯t leave,¡± Sam explained. ¡°Dammit, how am I supposed to find out who I am now,¡± I said, crestfallen that I couldn¡¯t leave. ¡°There is a way, but I don¡¯t believe you should do it.¡± ¡°How?¡± Sam had caught my interest. ¡°Possessing a human, though it comes with its flaws,¡± Sam replied. ¡°¡­Flaws.¡± ¡°Sophine is the best example of those flaws. She was possessed once and a part of the soul of the ghost that possessed her stayed. That¡¯s why she can see ghosts, but as you saw earlier when she comes in contact with a ghost, it hurts her. Not only is it physical pain but also due to the trauma of the possession it has left a deep scar in her heart.¡± Sam explained. ¡°I see.¡± . . That was how I met Sophie and learned about being trapped in this house. Afterwards Sam told me who Ellie and Sophie were. They are Jason¡¯s nieces from his wife¡¯s side of the family, their parents are on a vacation, so the two are staying with him while they¡¯re gone. Jason calls them Ellie and Sophie, that¡¯s the nicknames he gave them when they were young girls, but they¡¯re full names are Eline and Sophine Haworth. I asked if Ellie could see ghosts too, but Sam denied it, ¡°She has something special about her though, far worse than Sophie,¡± it told me. Curious, I asked what it was, ¡°Ghost repellant,¡± and that was all Sam told me, which didn¡¯t explain much. We headed to the second floor and I watched the outside world from the window at the end of the hallway. It took a weight off my chest when Sophie yelled at Sam earlier, I could see that her fiery spirit had returned. As the sun started going down and the moon peaked its head, I heard a door open behind us. I turned back to see who it was, catching a glimpse of gold hair and around the hair there was an odd white shadow and then the door shut. ¡°Who was that?¡± I asked Sam. ¡°Hmm, that was Ellie, she must have had a busy day,¡± Sam said. So that was Ellie, that¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen that white shadow around someone. Ellies Journal: Entry One Eline Haworth, April 10 of 20XX Being the vice-president of the student body isn¡¯t as easy as I first thought, most of my days are quite hectic now. It doesn¡¯t help when our president slacks on his duties, sleeping on the couch in the council room whenever he can. I should have never taken him up on his offer, at the time though, I considered how it would help me out in college and it was like a shiny object I couldn¡¯t reject. Now I need to deal with his duties and mine, plus help any council members that appear to be having trouble. Just today the treasurer made a hiccup in the school budget and she needed my help to straighten it out, looks like we can still go on that school trip thanks to me. She thanked me and my day went on, I figured not much else would happen. Until two boys duked it out in the school courtyard, which the teachers stormed in to break apart. They were having trouble with coming to a decision due to one of the boys involved. His parents made big donations to the school every year since he started going here. The principal couldn¡¯t enforce disciplinary actions on him without evidence because of those parents, so she asked me to collect statements from the students that were there. If I had a newsboy cap I would have worn it during this little excursion, but all I had was a pen and notepad. I treated this as an actual investigation and asked the witnesses plenty of questions, making sure I went through them with a fine comb. After I collected the statements I concluded that the victim in this fray was Reed and even before the fight happened he was being bullied by the rich boy. When I told the principal this she cracked a devious smile, but it faded as soon as it appeared, replaced by her constant dull mask. ¡°Rules are rules,¡± she said, ¡°the two shall both be sent to in-school suspension.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. I could tell she had a reason for that smile, I just couldn¡¯t put my finger on it. What she said sure put a damper on my spirits though, almost like she told me my effort was in vain. I dragged my feet as I left her office and hung up my non-existent newsboy cap. I see no point in Reed defending himself if he also takes the blame. It was getting late, so I prepared to leave and woke up the president. He mumbled some unknown language and rolled off the couch to his feet, then he fixed his bedhead, yawned and waved goodbye as he left the student council room. Gathering my stuff, I followed his lead and left the school. The buses had already come and left, so I trekked it by foot back to Uncle¡¯s place. I¡¯ve heard a girl shouldn¡¯t walk home alone when it¡¯s late, but I¡¯m confident in myself, I¡¯ve taken self-defense classes and make sure I often have pepper spray on hand as an added safety measure. Any dangerous person daring to take the leap will feel the full force of my wrath and some. Maybe one day I¡¯ll find the one who hurt Auntie and Becky, though that¡¯s an empty wish, I have no thoughts of experiencing what happened to them. I zig-zagged through a few alleyways and eventually made it to Uncle¡¯s house. It was dark by the time I had gotten here and when I went in nearly all the lights in the house were off, except for the study. I checked the room and as I thought, Uncle Jason was sound asleep on his desk again. After giving him a few shakes he woke up and told him to head to bed. He tottered to his room by the stairs and told me goodnight before entering his bedroom. His list of names is getting longer, the number of suspects he has in mind have increased. At least he¡¯s busy searching now rather than what he was like two weeks ago. I don¡¯t want to see him crying again, I know it was a tragedy, but it hurt so much to watch him blame himself. It wasn¡¯t his fault, no, it was the monster who tore them apart. ¡°That¡¯s enough for today,¡± Ellie said, closing her journal she put it on the nightstand and laid down in bed, drifting off to sleep. A Soft Eggshell A new day has arrived all well and good with the morning sun shining through the living room drapes. I wanted to stand on the porch and breath in the fresh air of spring, but the window shielded me from taking it all in. Damnable house keeping me locked in here. I waited all night for this morning to come and I can¡¯t even be delighted over it. Letting a sigh escape, I turned around and in my vision, was the same couch Jason had planted himself on yesterday. There on the table sat the same picture he so adored. As I passed it by, again I thought of how beautiful the scene was. A rambunctious near blinding type of beauty, makes one jealous of what is missing, miserable bunch. Ah, that was uncalled for, bitter thoughts go away. Floating down the hallway, I looked for Sam. Where could that eyeball have gone? It wasn¡¯t on the second floor and I¡¯m close to having finished looking through the first story. ¡°Hm?¡± I stopped at the study, could Sam be in there? But the door is closed, I¡¯ve only went through one door and both times I attempted to pass through an object there was pain in return. I¡¯ll never learn if I don¡¯t do it though, so I used my hand to test it as though I were touching cold water. It slipped through the door without any problems, so I took a leap and jumped through it. Once I was through the door I steeled myself for the pain to come ¡­Nothing, there was no pain. Huh, that was easier than I imagined. I scanned the room left and right, no sign or clue of an eyeball around. That sure was a waste of my time. I turned to leave, but Jason¡¯s desk on the edge of my vision caught my interest. His list of names has become longer. Most of them are marked out, but some are legible. Last time I didn¡¯t look through them as I was busy wondering what Jason was doing, but now I can read them.

Who was it?

Penny Adams Nathanial Trunt Abigail Jones Natalie Burlington John Cook Margo Ramirez Austin Bennett And the list went on, I didn¡¯t have the patience to continue reading the rest of it, but I found a name that struck a nerve; Natalie Burlington.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Natalie, that¡¯s a familiar name,¡± I said then repeated it, ¡°¡­Natalie, where have I heard it?¡± I stood stock still thinking of that name and a scene began to play back in my mind, a scene I have never seen before. The first thing I noticed was the freshly soaked concrete and small puddles that were building up on the sidewalk. Arms and legs covered in coats and jackets surrounded me, they held umbrellas that blocked the pitter patter of rain. Above, a crossing light turned green and I went with the crowd, trudging along at a uniform pace. Once I made it to the other side, my vision turned to a woman with long brown curls on the back of her red jacket. The heels she wore made for a peppy bob in each of her steps down the street. I had no rhyme or reason to feel like I should follow her, but she felt important, so I kept a small distance and stayed on her tail. She spent her time prowling the streets without a care, stopping here and there at stores when it caught her interest. While she was busy in one of the stores, I felt around in my pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. Slim fingers uncrumpled it and on the paper, was a sketch of a woman and words below her. I couldn¡¯t make out the words as they were blurry, but the sketch and the woman I was following had an uncanny resemblance. She left the store carrying her bags and I slipped the paper back into my pocket. We went on with our routine, me following and her unaware that I tailed her like a mongoose upon a cobra¡¯s nest. When she finished her shopping the streetlights flickered on, signaling that the time had switched over to evening. She took a turn at a corner, leading down a dark and grim alley and I too turned into the alley. My foot tapped an aluminum can, which made a loud enough noise to cause her to stop and turn around, ¡°Hello, is anyone there?¡± she asked. I didn¡¯t reply and started for the dumpster, hiding myself behind it. I could hear an intense and shaky breathing near me or was that myself? With a crack in her voice, ¡°I-is there anyone out there?¡± she asked again. She waited to hear a reply and when none came she seemed to have relaxed and continued down her path. The shaky breath I had heard stopped too, and the slim fingers that had held the sketch reached for the inside of my jacket. The humming of a tune began. She had an immense terror form in her eyes as she turned to see who was humming for the glint of a sharp object reflected in her pupils. And I lunged for her. ¡°No. No! Stop, don¡¯t do it,¡± I yelled, shaking myself out of the scene. ¡°Don¡¯t do what?¡± Sam asked, looking appalled at my act. ¡°Nothing, nothing at all,¡± I told it, my doubts stronger than they should have been. Then I pointed a finger at it, ¡°Where were you? I looked everywhere and couldn¡¯t find you.¡± ¡°Playing with Phraze,¡± Sam said. ¡°Phraze eh, you sure do like that cat.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that, I just like cats, Phraze happens to be the closet cat.¡± ¡°Whatever,¡± I won¡¯t ever like that cat anyway, ¡°you remember what you said last night?¡± ¡°You¡¯re always in a rush, we don¡¯t have lives to worry about, so I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re like this.¡± ¡°C¡¯mon Sam, you gave me your word.¡± Sam let out a long-winded chuckle, ¡°That I did, ah, the irony,¡± it said in a sarcastic tone. ¡°Fine, this old ghost will teach you some tricks.¡± I looked through Sam and behind it was the open door, that I had to fade through. That¡¯s what I want to learn, the ability to touch things. Prelude to the Haunt ¡°The concept of moving objects or touching things takes a massive amount of energy. The energy comes from the core of the soul itself, since we begin and end at the soul, even moving a feather will leave you drained,¡± Sam explained. ¡°But, you opened the door and weren¡¯t affected,¡± I replied. ¡°That¡¯s because of my diligent training,¡± Sam moved over to the open door. ¡°You must practice every day, if you don¡¯t, you¡¯ll never be able to do it properly.¡± After saying so, Sam closed its eyelid. A quick flash came from it and it had formed arms akin to noodles; round, slim, and looking as though they had no joints. The flash from a moment ago had been contained and in the center of Sam there was a dim glowing light, so compact and spherical. The ball of light moved from Sam¡¯s pupil through its arm and ended at its three-fingered hand. All of it happened in quick succession and then Sam closed the door. When the light faded, Sam turned back to me and opened its eye. Sam then patted its hands together, ¡°Now you¡¯ve seen an advanced form of using the core of one¡¯s soul.¡± ¡°I see, an advanced form¡­¡± I mumbled and then pointed at Sam¡¯s arm. ¡°Why am I seeing that you have limbs only now?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right, you didn¡¯t know,¡± it sucked them back in like an elastic band. ¡°I have legs too, but I never use them. Arms are useful for when I¡¯m playing with Phraze though, he likes to try and smack them with his paws,¡± Sam laughed after it talked about Phraze. I¡¯m tired of hearing about that fiendish cat. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Phraze this and Phraze that,¡± I could care less. ¡°You don¡¯t like him?¡± Sam asked. ¡°I obviously don¡¯t,¡± I replied. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see? He was the one who caused me to trip up when I was going through the door.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°He¡¯s just a cat, it likely wasn¡¯t intentional.¡± ¡°Fine, that could be it too,¡± I shut my trap and brooded over it. ¡°Forget about him,¡± Sam told me and swayed the topic to what it was, ¡°You want to learn how to open doors, right?¡± My mood lit back up, ¡°I do!¡± ¡°Then we have to go somewhere quiet,¡± Sam floated out of the study. Following the eyeball, we went up to the second story and Sam floated in front of the door across from the bathroom. To the left was Ellie¡¯s room and across from her room was Sophie¡¯s. Sam popped out its arms again and from behind I could see them in a better light; I compared them to noodles earlier, but they sure are grotesque for noodles. Sam opened the door and said, ¡°You may enter.¡± As I went in tons of half-open eyes gazed at me, ¡°Ah!¡± I screamed out in surprise. ¡°Sam, you have children?¡± I asked after collecting my wits. ¡°¡­Are you an idiot?¡± Sam sighed, ¡°As if I would have kids, look closer.¡± I stared back at the eyes, they won¡¯t win this contest, I¡¯m the champion. Around the eyes there were pale white cheeks and below their necks they wore dresses of different colors. Ah, they weren¡¯t Sam¡¯s children they were porcelain dolls. ¡°What¡¯s up with all of the dolls?¡± I asked Sam. There had to be more than twenty in here. ¡°Jason¡¯s daughter liked them, so every chance he got he would buy a doll for her. She later lost interest in them, but that didn¡¯t stop him from buying them,¡± Sam explained. Jason must have been a burdensome father. So, this is his daughter¡¯s room. ¡°What were their names? His wife and his daughter.¡± ¡°Alisha and Becky,¡± Sam muttered, ¡°but that shouldn¡¯t matter to you now. You¡¯re here to train.¡± ¡°Alright, then what am I supposed to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already taught you the very basics of using your soul. Focus, when you do it consciously you can phase through doors, walls, and even the floor. Subconsciously you already are focused enough to walk on the floor. Now, what you are focusing is the energy from your soul, but you¡¯re spreading a thin layer around yourself. If you focus and concentrate on a single spot; the core of your soul, you can touch objects instead of going through them,¡± Sam explained. ¡°I gave you an example of how to do it earlier. I want you to try and imagine doing the same while you¡¯re in here.¡± Then Sam started for the door, ¡°Oh, and don¡¯t worry about distractions. No one comes in here anymore, not even Phraze.¡± The door shut, I heard Sam beyond the door say, ¡°Good morning, Sophie.¡± Sophie clicked her tongue and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t need to hear that from you.¡± Here I go. Once I learn this, I can strive to find out more about myself. Ellies Journal: Entry Two Eline Haworth, April 11 of 20XX She appears to be improving, every day I worry about her, but she has a proud hop in her steps and look that says she¡¯s ready for anything. I could only hope that¡¯s true, but knowing the Sophie I know, she is likely hiding her fears under a thick mask. We were inseparable, we played, we laughed together, and we used to be alike. She changed over time, her once blonde hair like mine became black with purple streaks, and she started acting out. I thought she was going through a rebellious phase, however, it wasn¡¯t only skipping school and fighting with our parents. She talked to me about how she was seeing dead people and she said they wanted her help, that she needed to help them, and that fate had chosen her. The day after she told me those things she started acting strange. Her actions, her words, even the way she walked wasn¡¯t the same as before. She had become a whole new person and when I called her name she wouldn¡¯t react. One day she left her door cracked and as I was walking by I heard her talking to someone. When I peeked through the door, she was alone, an unsettling image crossed my mind. I had gone to tell my aunt and uncle what was going on with her. They didn¡¯t believe everything I said, but they did agree with me that something was wrong. We tried to talk to her and she acted fine. Until a week later that is. In the midst of the night she screamed and I ran to her room. There she lied on the floor, staring at the ceiling wide eyed and holding her hands above her face. ¡°No, please no. I¡¯ve had enough,¡± she said and screamed again. She began flailing her arms around trying to defend herself from air. Is this really Sophie? It can¡¯t be, I thought as I held my hand near my mouth. She looked at me, no, not at me rather past me. ¡°Sam, why won¡¯t you stop him?¡± She asked, her voice close to giving out.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Bursting into tears, I wrapped my arms around her and stroked her hair. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡± I told Sophie with a whisper, hoping to comfort her woes. Rolling around, she buried her face into my chest and cried, crying which lasted all throughout the night. As the sun began to rise, she looked so peaceful sleeping in my arms. My sister, Sophine Haworth, wasn¡¯t only going through puberty. There was definitely something else bothering her. When her problems escalated even more, such as holing up in her room and not leaving it for days and the lines of pink on her arms that were reminiscent of cuts. Her depths were falling further, near to the bottom. So, when we came home my parents decided to take her to see a psychiatrist. The doctor gave her a diagnosis, saying she had all the common symptoms. My parents couldn¡¯t understand, their daughter was so young and nobody has had it in the family before, how could it be possible. He explained that though it was an uncommon case, he believed that was it. They held each other and bawled, fearing for her future. I didn¡¯t believe a word that doctor said, because it didn¡¯t explain the bruises she had from that night. I took the liberty to keep a close watch on her and help her when I could. Two years have passed since then and she didn¡¯t have any problems during that time. I¡¯ve seen nothing but improvement for her condition and I hope it continues to stay that way. ¡°I don¡¯t need to hear that from you,¡± Sophie said outside my door. She must be talking to uncle Jason. ¡°Time for school,¡± Ellie said aloud, closing her journal. Not my Enemy Six little legs dashed across the floor, a cockroach worked to get out of the room. I stayed while it squeezed through the crack at the bottom of the door. The dolls stared at the center of the room, where a soft cloth laid atop the bed. Their dresses signifying the clash with their eyes, the colors repelling the other. Distractions, distractions, distractions. That¡¯s what they are. My mind can¡¯t stay clear enough, I was told there wouldn¡¯t be anything that would distract me. Yet, there is. I could close my eyes, but the room is so dark. I haven¡¯t forgotten that endless darkness. The light that led me here, though it felt that the darkness would go on forever. Thanks to that light giving me a second chance to see the world I¡¯ve gained a deep appreciation for it. That¡¯s what this room needs, some light. Scanning the room, turning my head left and right. I found a single window in the room, on the other side of the bed. Taupe curtains were draped over the window blocking the light from entering the room. That¡¯s my goal, a reason to accept the darkness, for the light to come. My resolve determined, I closed my eyes. Reminded of the tunnel of black, I strained myself to stay focused. Clearer than water, release my mind and take control of my loose energy. I told myself. Sam gave no concise instructions on how to do it, but Sam did show me. If that means I have to figure out how to control my freely flowing energy by myself then I will. I thought of air gathering into a ball at the center of my body. It¡¯s so close, I can feel it. Even in this darkness I can see it, the slim lines that waved all over me. Wrapping tighter, closer, into a chaotic mess. They were inching ever more into a ball of energy, it was unlike Sam¡¯s. Sam¡¯s had a smooth roundness to it, this one¡­ Isn¡¯t right, is it?If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Then my unwoven energy burst apart, fading away as I fell onto my back. As I thought, it failed again. This is the seventh time, how long have I been here? Could it be mere hours or days? I don¡¯t know, but it feels long. Opening my eyes I raised my hand and looked at it. The transparency tells of my emptiness, how easy it would be for me to disappear. I¡¯ll have to lie here for a while and wait for my energy to return before I try again. I think I¡¯m getting closer, that¡¯s what I want to believe, but it¡¯s still a challenge. I suppose this is why Sam is diligent with training. With the tiniest noise, I heard the cockroach attempting to squeeze back through the door. Craning my head towards the door I saw its antennae and then its full body popped in. ¡°So, you¡¯ve returned,¡± I said, then laughed. I must be going mad if I¡¯m happy to see a cockroach. ¡°At least I¡¯m not alone, thanks for keeping me company,¡± I told the cockroach, it¡¯s better than the creepy unmoving dolls. . . Because I couldn¡¯t move I laid on the floor for who knows how long, contemplating. For the most part I thought about the vision I had. Was that me or someone else? I thought, unsure of what I had seen. It also didn¡¯t make sense why Jason had her name on a list. Natalie Burlington; the name is certainly familiar, but I couldn¡¯t have done that. Charged at her with a weapon in hand, that couldn¡¯t have been me. Not just my memories, I need to find out what the vision meant. My first priority, however, are my memories, but it could be a part of it too. There couldn¡¯t be any harm tying it into my search. The cockroach started for the door and I began to feel less grounded to the floor. It sure knows it¡¯s timing. I dragged myself up. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this again.¡± I didn¡¯t repeat the same process. Instead of focusing on the light, I focused on taking in the darkness. The ball at first did the same, I had thought once it neared towards the end it would burst. But it didn¡¯t, it came to a perfect circle. ¡°I-It worked!¡± I yelled. Then I walked over to the curtain, spreading it open. The night prevalent and hanging high above the clouds was the crescent moon. I looked at my hand, where my energy had moved. ¡°So, darkness isn¡¯t my enemy¡­,¡± I said, disheartened by the result. More Than he Seems ¡°You¡¯ve learned the technique?¡± Sam asked. ¡°That I did.¡± ¡°Show me.¡± Show you? Alright I¡¯ll show you. Grabbing the door handle and the sphere of light enveloping my hand. I did a quick turn and swung the door open. Then I puffed my chest out. ¡°Too easy,¡± I huffed, ¡°you said this would take diligence, but it wasn¡¯t hard to learn at all.¡± ¡°Now Gray,¡± Sam paused, ¡°how long do you think you were in there?¡± Raising my hand and leaving my index finger up, I said, ¡°One day at the most.¡± ¡°One day,¡± Sam repeated and cackled after saying so. ¡°You were in that room for more than a week.¡± ¡°No way, it didn¡¯t feel like any time had passed though-h,¡± I replied, my voice cracking in the end gave away my surprise. ¡°It did, although it was still amazing how fast you were.¡± ¡°Sure as hell was!¡± I stomped my foot, ¡°now bow before my great self.¡± ¡°¡­No,¡± Sam replied full of candor that made it clear that my joke wasn¡¯t amusing. ¡°You can be so straight-laced Sam.¡± ¡°What of it? Better than being unprepared.¡± Hmm, it makes a good point. Hearing a noise outside we turned our heads to the window. As proud as I was to have learned to physically touch things. I closed the door, when I really didn¡¯t need to. It was the bathroom after all. The next person to go wouldn¡¯t be worried if it was or wasn¡¯t closed. I felt the need to show off to Sam, I could tell the eyeball had assumed I would fail from the start. It¡¯s not like Sam has put effort into teaching me so far. Its been half measured each time. I¡¯m not happy about it either. Sam is the only per-, well, thing I can rely on right now though. From the window on the second floor, me and Sam watched Jason leave his car and start to make his way towards the front door with a raincoat and his shoes covered in mud. ¡°When did Jason leave?¡± I asked Sam.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®you don¡¯t know¡¯?¡± ¡°I mean, I never heard him leave, I had my attention elsewhere at the time.¡± ¡°Why would Jason leave the house? I¡¯ve never seen him leave before.¡± ¡°I have no clue, but it¡¯s undeniable that it¡¯s odd. He hasn¡¯t left the house since his wife and daughter died. He even took leave from work. Ellie and Sophie have been doing all the shopping too.¡± ¡°So, Jason hasn¡¯t left the house once in the last month?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Placing my hand on my chin I rubbed it, something is up. He wouldn¡¯t leave without a reason. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go check on him?¡± I asked Sam. ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t see an issue with that.¡± And so we made for downstairs. Jason had already come inside and was in the middle of taking his dirty shoes off. After taking them off he worked to get his raincoat off and his hair that stayed combed back had been all ruffled apart. He thought he was alone, so he didn¡¯t fix it and I giggled at his messy demeanor. He groaned and stretched his arms out and after putting them down he sighed and said, ¡°¡­Thought I was close with this one and yet it was another dead end.¡± Then he pulled himself up from the bottom step and headed for the study. We followed and he walked at a turtle¡¯s pace. It was slow for Jason, he would usually have no problems getting around the house. But now he looked like he had risen from the grave to chase after virgins. His black eyes offset him from being mistaken as a vampire. ¡°Why does he look so exhausted?¡± ¡°If I had to guess, he must have gone to work today,¡± Sam replied. To work, huh. Jason made it into the study and sat down in his chair. ¡°What does Jason do?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Sam looked at Jason¡¯s hand that pulled out a badge, ¡°he¡¯s a detective.¡± Then Jason put his badge in the top left drawer, closing it and acted as though the badge had little meaning to him. ¡°I see, so that¡¯s why he had that list with so many names.¡± I said pointing at the paper on his desk. ¡°That list? No, it has nothing to do with his work, you see that¡¯s for something more personal to him.¡± ¡°Personal?¡± ¡°Yep, involving his wife and daughter.¡± ¡°You kn-¡± Sam spoke up above me, ¡°Ahh, I can tell you¡¯re about to ask, so I¡¯ll tell you now. They were murdered.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong, didn¡¯t you want to know?¡± Sam asked with a concerned voice. ¡°Yeah! Of course, I did, you know me. Always asking questions,¡± I said and laughed, but there was this, this lingering feeling inside of me. Telling me that I shouldn¡¯t question it. Jason leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. At first, I thought he was resting his eyes, but the guy fell asleep in the chair and so I took that chance to fix his hair. The hair that¡¯s always combed back. With a comb that I grabbed from the bathroom, I straightened it out. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that, he would have done it himself.¡± ¡°I wanted to,¡± holding his hair back with my hand, I looked at the frail pale man. ¡°He¡¯s had it rough.¡± ¡°He¡¯s been worse,¡± Sam said, then left. Likely it went to mess with Phraze. Sam may not see the same as I, but I can feel it. Jason and I are similar, he¡¯s looking to redeem himself and I¡¯m looking to regain who I once was. Hmm, if I use him, I would have an easier time finding out about myself. So I thought and then I slapped his forehead. He jumped up, surprised and scanned the room with a fierce glare and found nobody around. Calming down, Jason said, ¡°Must have been my imagination,¡± and looked at his list. That¡¯s the way, through him and his list. Ellies Journal: Entry Three Eline Haworth, April 21 of 20XX Uncle Jason started back at work, though the chief told him his leave from work could go on longer. He wouldn¡¯t agree to it and said, ¡®Please chief, I need this, it¡¯s all I have!¡¯ and they went back and forth. Arguing over what cases he could take on. Under no exceptions was Jason allowed to touch the Alley Stitcher case. Not the one that tore him apart. The one that changed us forever, leaving nothing but a shattered shell of a man. I still see that moment when my thoughts wonder. The sadness he expelled as he moaned and groaned. Woven ever so close, tearing into the skin. There were already some there, thick and soaked in blood, and the small stitches were nothing compared to them. Their skin like the snow, auntie looked towards the heavens and Becky who had problems sleeping at night slept soundly. The stitches spotted all over their ribs and stomach, left a bitter aftertaste. The parts that were once there are gone now and a thin layer of skin covers the holes. As they laid on the autopsy table, not only was there a hole in them, there was a hole in Uncle Jason¡¯s heart. On his knees holding auntie¡¯s hand he roared as salty droplets pelted the ground. Placing her hand onto his forehead, he made a promise. A promise he is still chasing today. ¡°I swear I¡¯ll catch that monster, if not for my job, for you and Becky..,¡± he said trying to whisper, but with the snot escaping he had to speak up. So, me and Sophie heard him. Sophie standing beside me shuddered at his words. A brave statement at the time. After all it was that monster that killed them.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Me and Sophie went to look at them too. Sophie was the one that often played with Becky. At the mere sight of seeing our dear cousin like that, she broke down and her legs gave out, hovelling onto the floor. Uncle Jason and Sophie both thought of it as a tragedy. Letting their emotions seep out. I felt different, to me auntie and Becky were serene and peaceful. Their faces were plastered with a smile, so they had to be happy. I couldn¡¯t understand what was worth crying over, I still don¡¯t. I do care about them and I¡¯m not happy they were hurt, but I can¡¯t deny who I am. Uncle Jason stood up and gathered their belongings and his. Heading for the door, he waved for us to come along. While we were leaving I gave them a last look, why did Becky have to take the brunt of it? The door shut and out went the scars. They were given a proper funeral a week later, but the remnants of the attack couldn¡¯t be seen, for they were hideous. Uncle Jason had changed by then, no longer did he cry, he wore a strong smile for them and only for them. How did the Alley Stitcher track them down? We have yet to find out. Fervent in his search, Uncle Jason hopes by breaking the rules he can find the monster. I¡¯ve seen no such luck, but as I scratch at paper with pen and ink I believe he is getting near to finding them. Letting out an exaggerated sigh, ¡°I can¡¯t understand, how is it that I haven¡¯t found them. I prowl the same alley,¡± Ellie said. Patting her journal and yawning, she placed it on the nightstand. Before she could lie in bed, a knock stopped her. ¡°Come in!¡± she yelled whilst sitting upright on her bed. ¡°Hey, sis,¡± Sophie said as she entered. ¡°Hey, why are you still up?¡± We Meet Followed by the scratching of pen on paper, Jason had worked his way down the list. Marking off names that were no longer suspects and ones that were never meant to be suspects. He narrowed down his sights and yelled, ¡°No, no, I¡¯m not even close. Half is still too many, dammit!¡± As if called on cue, the door shuttered a clack, and Sophie stepped inside. Her hair soaked and feet laid fresh with mud, she snapped her head side to side. Flinging water onto the entrance, she took no heed of the slippery floor and walked on foregoing using a towel to dry it. Whilst scratching the right side of her head, she barged into the study. ¡°Jason, is dinner ready? I¡¯m starving.¡± Jason creased his brow and the sides of his lips drooped down. He looked at her and replied, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Sophie, I lost track of time and forgot to cook. I¡¯ll go make it now.¡± He rose from his chair, straightened out the collar of his white button-up shirt and felt his hair, ¡°Hm, it¡¯s fixed,¡± he said, confused at first. Nodding it off and with bloodshot eyes he headed for the kitchen. Phraze followed along, wrapping around Jason¡¯s leg as he did so, near to tripping him, he responded with a laugh. Sophie crossed her arms, cocked a brow, and if her eyes were a knife they could cut through a diamond, ¡°What are you hanging around Jason for?¡± she asked. ¡°No reason, he and Sam are the only company I have while you¡¯re gone,¡± I replied. ¡°Eh?¡± she raised her hand and made it into a fist, shaking it up and down. ¡°Don¡¯t be so cheeky, you think I would keep company with your kind.¡± Putting a hand over my mouth, I let out a soft chuckle, ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t. So, tell me, how was school?¡± She brought her eyes to the strap around her shoulder, making a curious look at it and sighing. ¡°It was lame, as always.¡± Ah, she looks worried. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Sophie?¡± Placing her backpack on the side of Jason¡¯s desk, she sat in his chair and thumbed his papers. ¡°Being an outcast that was held back a grade is hard. And I thought about it, but even if those weren¡¯t an issue. I¡¯d still be in the shadow of my sister. Ellie, the oh-so-great vice president of the student council.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Her iron will has deflated again, could it be. That the girl I think is so strong is only putting on a show? No, she is certainly strong in her own way, the weight she carries isn¡¯t light. I went to the front of the desk and picked up a clear paperweight, shaped like a marble but flat on the bottom, ¡°The same as this paperweight, you shouldn¡¯t feel heavy. You are your own person, I agree, Sam agrees, Jason agrees, and even Ellie would agree. The shadow is not a place for you, rather even in the darkness, I would bet Ellie believes you are there to support her. You are her twin after all.¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± she asked. ¡°It is.¡± I replied, for such words to come out of me, Sophie you are great, that is the truth. She stood up from the chair and stretched her arms out, yawning, ¡°You know, you¡¯re not so bad for a ghost. Different from Sam, at least. What should I call you?¡± Her mood seems to have come back, so I smiled and replied, ¡°Gray, you can call me Gray.¡± She burst out laughing, holding her stomach and in between breathes and tears she said, ¡°Gray, haha, that¡¯s a fitting name.¡± Smitten by her compliment I replied with zeal, ¡°Thank you!¡± And yet she laughed again. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a compliment! Your name is too simple, haven¡¯t you noticed? Your body is gray.¡± ¡°wha-, of course I noticed. That shouldn¡¯t be a problem, right?¡± Wiping the tears, she said, ¡°No, no it isn¡¯t. Just funny is all.¡± Then she picked up her backpack and started for the door. ¡°Have to go check on the food, Jason could be burning it.¡± That¡¯s a real possibility. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve got other things to do too.¡± ¡°Why lie Gray? You know you don¡¯t.¡± That¡¯s right, Sam was here, I forgot. I turned to face it and said, ¡°So, I can say it if I want to,¡± and I put the paperweight back on the desk. ¡°Wait, were you here the entire time?¡± I asked. ¡°Sure was,¡± Sam replied, ¡°that was a cheesy line you spouted out.¡± ¡°Whatever!¡± I yelled at it. Truth be told, it was embarrassing to say. ¡°Aha, it¡¯s oka-,¡± Sam was stopped mid-sentence by the front door shutting. ¡°Oh, looks like Ellie is here on time for once,¡± it said. We headed to see her, although Sam was cautious to go near her, so we looked at her from a distance. Except for her face, everything else was the opposite of Sophie. Her hair was blonde and bobbed, while Sophie¡¯s was long and dyed. She wore black rimmed glasses and her expression, though her eyes had black circles around them, carried no emotion. Putting her umbrella away, she headed for the kitchen. ¡°I expected her to be like Sophie,¡± I told Sam. ¡°Well, they are alike. In personality that is, though Sophie works to hide it more.¡± The Tunnel of Echoes Etched and splintered, sliding my hand across it. Taking my hand away, I rubbed my fingers together. Nothing, no feeling, not even a splinter. The same old wooden frame of the window, tarry was the thought of bitterness on my mind. And as I sat on the floor watching the world do its half-turn, I asked Sam, ¡°What is the meaning of our existence? I feel nothing and know not of myself, it¡¯s as though I¡¯m being told to fade away. I¡¯m not even sure if I¡¯m real.¡± Sam placed a hand on my shoulder. ¡°But you are real, as real as this floor, as real as Phraze here. ¡­Don¡¯t let what Ellie said throw you off.¡± Eww, bulging veins. Flicking the hand off, I mumbled, ¡°You¡¯re lucky I can¡¯t feel that.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Sam asked, while it¡¯s limp arms were played with by Phraze. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything,¡± brushing the topic away from Sam¡¯s arms I continued where we left off. ¡°But you know, that isn¡¯t why I¡¯m down. She might have told Sophie the ghost she sees is only part of her imagination. I just, how do I say it, feel like we are worthless. The loss of memory helps to back my claim.¡± Stopping me before I could go on, Sam said, ¡°That¡¯s not true, you¡¯re the only ghost I¡¯ve met that doesn¡¯t have memories of their past. I looked down at my knees, which I could see the floor through, ¡°If I¡¯m the only one, it means I¡¯m alone.¡± ¡°I said you¡¯re the only ghost I¡¯ve met, it doesn¡¯t mean I haven¡¯t heard of it happening before. You¡¯re not the only one Gray, there are rumors of it happening to others.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Sam piqued my curiosity, ¡°Rumors, you say and where would you have heard these rumors?¡± So I asked. Sam slipped its arms away and proceeded to stare out the same window as I. A certain nostalgic aura enveloped the eyeball, as it looked on at the trees and their leafs spotted by droplets of rain. After what felt like an eternity Sam spoke up, ¡°It wasn¡¯t that long ago, though it feels that way. A time before you arrived here there was another ghost. His name was Oliver, and he was the one who taught me. My friend, my master, and the one who possessed Sophie.¡± ¡°W-what!? He hurt Sophie! Why would you let him do that?!¡± I yelled at Sam. Frustration, the second time it had gushed forth from me. A single tear fell from the eyeball and I learned ghosts could cry. ¡°That wasn¡¯t how it was meant to be. ¡­The possession changed him. As he left the house through Sophie, he grasped for more and more. Researching and taking what information he could, he helped us both to learn so much about what we could do. But, his personality started to merge with Sophie¡¯s and the best he could do to stop it was to tear himself apart from her. ¡­It lead to his half fading away, right above Sophie and Ellie.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand, how would it hurt her?¡± ¡°The Tunnel of Echoes is how,¡± Sam¡¯s pupil widened, ¡°ah, I shouldn¡¯t have told you that.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t have told me¡­ Why would that hurt her, Sam?!¡± Now it was just annoying, how much more would this eyeball try to hide from me. ¡°The Tunnel of Echoes is where souls go to be cleansed. Most never come out of it, forever sleeping, while the few that do¡­ Turn out like you do. Only half of Oliver went there, so the side that stayed here reacts negatively to strong souls. Since me and you are just a soul, we are too strong to touch her. What you saw when she hardly scraped you, well, if prolonged, you wouldn¡¯t want to know.¡± ¡°The Tunnel of Echoes,¡± I mumbled, looking at Sam, ¡°its connected to me too?¡± ¡°That it is, I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t want to talk about this anymore,¡± Sam turned and headed for the first floor. Passing by Ellie¡¯s backpack lying beside her door and poking out of it a silver gleam. ¡­What would it echo? I lifted myself up, contemplating, as I too made my way for the first floor. The metal, so bright, causing me to squint as I went by. Another Rises (Pt 1) Moon set high in the clouds, the clock hammering its tick as it went past midnight. Two girls that were a mirror of the other chatted in a room. Walls with stripes and petals sprawling across the rosewood lines, tipping on the white lines; they were red camellias painted onto Eline¡¯s wall. Lined and painted by Eline herself, of course, Jason provided the paint. A few with loose lines and spotted pink and red were done by Becky. How she loved spending time with her dear cousins and they too adore those memories. Her brow contorting and teeth clenching as she spoke to her always calm twin, Sophie yelled, ¡°What of it!? I know I see ghosts, it¡¯s no reason for you to look down on me!¡± Ellie didn¡¯t yell back, she couldn¡¯t be moved to be angry in the least, and with minimal effort she thinned her eyes, replying, ¡°Are you sure you see ghosts, Sophie? It¡¯s not that I look down on you, I just can¡¯t believe it. The supernatural and the living don¡¯t mix, it¡¯s impossible for ghost to be real.¡± Crossing her arms over the skull on her shirt, she tapped her black boots hard on the ground, making a repetitive clacking of noise. Sophie took a deep breath, calming herself down and loosening up her face, she said, ¡°Look sis, I have felt real pain from these ghosts. If they aren¡¯t real what does that say about me, huh?¡± She let out a light giggle. ¡°No, that can¡¯t be, I won¡¯t allow it. I¡¯m not crazy, it¡¯s not who I am.¡± Slacking her lips, Ellie frowned. A certain thought overwhelmed her, pity, she thought of how pitiful her sister seemed to her. But sadness took over as she became ashamed to think so low of her twin. As the emotion enveloped her, she frowned. The smallest of frowns that faded in an instant.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Of course not, okay, I believe you. The ghosts are real,¡± she said. Uncrossing her arms, excitement flowed through her eyes and Sophie¡¯s lips formed a slight smile. ¡°Really?¡± With a nod, Ellie confirmed her question. ¡°Great!¡± Sophie said, pumping her fists into the air. Taking it as her cue, she stepped towards the door. ¡°Thank you, Ellie, for believing me. Without your support, I wouldn¡¯t be who I am now,¡± and she opened the door, ¡°I¡¯m really grateful, good night.¡± With her sister leaving, Ellie went on with her daily routine. Her pajamas already on and sitting upright on her bed, she lied down. I¡¯m sorry Sophine, she thought, lying wasn¡¯t her forte, in fact she despised it. When it came to Sophie though, she would do anything, even if it was a little white lie. She buried her head into her pillow and with time passing fell into a deep slumber. Not long after, she sat up, the black circles around her eyes gone, she stretched her arms high into the air and reached for the ceiling. After a humble moan and with her body nice and loose, she went for her school backpack. Fiddling around with the contents for a while, she pulled out a thread as large as a pencil and a slender metal pole; small enough to fit in the palm when gripped. Holding it in her hand, her eyes loomed over it, and a devilish smile spread across her face. ¡°It¡¯s been some time¡­ I never get tired of this feeling,¡± she said. Taking a deep breath, she got a whiff of the smell of fresh metal. Then she placed the oversized needle and thread on her small desk. Throwing open the closet, she grabbed a hoodie and black trousers, and standing in front of her bed she put them on. Grabbing the needle and thread she made for the door and with it open, she took another deep breath. It really has been too long, to think someone new would appear while I wasn¡¯t here, they thought. Ellie lost in her sleep had been taken over by another, unaware of the change that had taken place. The front door in their view, a turn of the knob followed and they left the house saying, ¡°The prey isn¡¯t far from my grasp,¡± what they said each time they left. It was their good luck charm or so they thought. Another Rises (Pt 2) Teetering through an alley, they were aloof in the chase. First, they had to search, and there was no delight to be gained if they made the wrong choice. The red brick wall being their guide, the crowd came into sight. ¡°It¡¯s a busy night here in ole¡¯ Motown,¡± they said. Flexing the middle finger, they flicked a nearby trash bin. Using Ellie¡¯s face, a devious smile panned out. ¡°Indeed, tonight has no chance of boring me,¡± and as they said it aloud, strangers passing by eyed them until turning a corner. Giving the strangers no heed, they shrugged their shoulders and mixed into the crowd. Purveying the heads far and wide, they searched for the perfect target. Plenty of gems were in their reach, but that wasn¡¯t enough. A night as special as this one had to end with platinum, that meant for them, the best had to be a step above the rest. Streetlights shined onto darting eyes, reveling in the misty blue of the sky. As the eyes went back and forth so quick, two heads emerged from the hundreds. One head brunette and with curls, the other black and straight. It was a hard choice to make, so they made a gut decision and followed the black haired one. The nose released a strong puff as they neared their prey, ever so fair, almighty and free. A sweet aroma wafted towards them and so they decided to take it in. Releasing the powerful scent, they withheld the urge to moan. Oh, how they loved the smell of the world, it¡¯s people, it¡¯s dirt, and even the garbage. All of it led them to paradise, in their new form they could not, would not, reject what they once did. The pleasures of the five senses, they adored it all. The scents their favorite, of course. Passing by several stores, the lean and fair skinned man with black hair turned into an alley. Here was their mark, so they followed him into the alley. Licking their lips, they pulled out the large needle and thread and thought, too bad I don¡¯t have my jacket, it would make things easier. After sighing over their misfortune, and being lost in thought, they continued tracing his steps. As his foot made for the ground, landing into a puddle, and splashing. A singular melody began to travel through the alley, reverberating from the walls and into his ears.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. It was the sound of a young woman humming, ¡°Hmm hm Motown, my town, your town,¡± and she sang along. ¡°We may share the same roots, but here we collide. One must survive, not the other.¡± Nearing towards him, time had slowed down, taking millennia to reach each other. But in that time, the monotone voice had sung a complete song, ¡°How lucky I am, for you I shall live fulfilled.¡± He stared at her hands with a frown, left unamused by her prank, he grabbed for the needle. They pulled away and twiddled their index finger, ¡°No, no, not so my dear friend.¡± ¡°C¡¯mon gal, just put it away. Stop trying to scare me,¡± he replied, a hint of concern coursing through his voice. In an instant though, his trap became shut. He didn¡¯t have a chance to get a decent glimpse at what had happened, but he knew his lips hurt. Driven to immense pain, he clawed at his mouth like a beast. Thinking he could open it if he tried to, he was let down by the thick woven thread not giving way. Frightened by his dilemma, he looked at the woman before him and pleaded with his eyes that had fresh tears in them. His plea fell on deaf ears, and he laid his eyes upon her eyes, begging once more as he gripped her sleeve. The glowing blue eyes brighter than the full moon replied in turn, they teetered on the edge of insanity, and embraced him in their wide-eyed bliss. He shuddered, falling backwards onto his butt. His skin and muscles shaking so fierce as he crawled away. Reaching out with the needle, they said, ¡°No need to fear me, I¡¯ll get you all cleaned up.¡± A miserable giggle slipped out. Each little inch he made back, she came closer by two. So, he came to the realization that he couldn¡¯t run away and instead tried to fight back. Rising on one knee, close to raising the other knee, he was stricken with severe pain again. He growled like a dog, and raised his left foot. Unrolling his sock, he felt the thick thread, and tried to scream. Only a sad gurgle came out. The prey had been caught, they were right, tonight was lucky for them. She inched nearer, so close she could touch his face. She started humming again, and he knew this was the sign, so he covered his face with his arms. Although it was for naught, and his suffering lasted long. Deep into the night, before time had come for the sun to rise. A sullen woman entered the Rorty house, wearing black clothes, but not black enough to hide the splotches of dark red. To See Once I got the hang of phasing, I noticed that sticking my arms through walls had a slight tickle to it. So, here I went around the house putting my arm through walls. Chasing the thrill of being tickled, an odd feeling, but I loved it. Uncaring for what was on the other side, until I touched something that caused electricity to shoot through me. A jolting feeling for sure, but I couldn¡¯t put into words how good it was. And here I sat, my knees crumbled to the floor and my rump supporting me instead. Mouth agape, I peered into the darkness at the person standing in the hallway. ¡°W-who are you? How did you get inside the house?¡± I asked, sensing an uncomfortable urge coming from them. They said nothing back and continued down the hallway, ah, nearly forgot, normal humans can¡¯t see me. Following their lead, we went down the hallway. What¡¯s up with the red spots? I wondered. At the end, though I didn¡¯t go back here often, there was a brick wall under the staircase. Standing in front of the wall, they proceeded to take off their black trousers. Underneath were white pajama shorts, along with short white socks. Taking the trousers in hand, they placed it on the wall. After a few moments of silence, the trousers turned transparent with an ominous white glow around it. They then pushed the trousers into the wall and patted their hands together once it was gone. ¡°Woah! What a cool way to throw away clothes!¡± I said, filled with excitement, but then my mind wondered. ¡°Huh, that glow looked awfully familiar.¡± They went to take off the hoodie, struggling here and there, they went through delicate effort so the hoodie wouldn¡¯t touch their face. Their head slipped out, short blonde hair flowing down, and I took note of the azure eyes that I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve seen before. ¡°Ellie?¡± I squeaked out, confused by the notion. Why is she out so late? I¡¯ve never seen her up at this time. Sticking the hoodie through the wall and revealing her white pajama shirt. She made for the stairs, stopping at the bottom, and hanging her hand over the wooden railing. She looked at me, the first time her eyes have ever come my way. From the depths of my soul a chill overflowed and as though I had been frozen, I stood unmoving.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. An impeccable smile lit up and she pointed at me, ¡°So, you¡¯re our new friend, how goes it?¡± Wow, Ellie noticed me, I tried to open my mouth, wait, I-I can¡¯t speak. Cocking a brow, she said, ¡°Oh, are you scared, child?¡± What! I struggled to break free, shaking my shoulders, I¡¯m no child. Ellie sighed. ¡°Look, I was merely curious,¡± She said. She turned away from me and I became able to move again, splaying out my fingers to test if it were true. ¡°Be mindful and don¡¯t tell anyone what you saw tonight,¡± She said as her head peaked behind the ceiling. ¡°That was weird,¡± I thought aloud, not thinking much on it. I went back to doing what I was up to before, sticking my arms through walls and picking up the paperweight in Jason¡¯s study. I did it for half-fun-half-practice, and while I was doing this I found a toy mouse. I picked it up from behind the fridge, though somewhat dirty, I rubbed it against the back of the couch. Raising it up towards the window, the rising sun made it easy to see. ¡°Sam will love this.¡± . . Ellie was back to her old self when she left for school with Sophie. I searched the house for Jason, but couldn¡¯t find him. That¡¯s right, he left for work earlier. Since Jason was gone, I instead looked for Sam. I thought it would be in the kitchen with Phraze, but that was a no-go, not even Phraze was there. After some time well spent feeling through every nook and cranny in the house, I found them. It was the last place I would think to see Sam in. The upstairs bathroom, the first room I saw. There it floated in front of the mirror, so I asked, ¡°What are you doing, Sam?¡± Clear that it looked at itself. ¡°Well, I¡¯m trying to figure out how I look.¡± ¡°You look like an eyeball, obviously,¡± I replied ¡°No, no, when I look into this mirror, that¡¯s not what I see. I see a shadow of a human, man or woman I¡¯m not sure of, but I¡¯m sure I was once human.¡± ¡°Ah, Sam you shouldn¡¯t worry too much about it,¡± I said, swinging around the toy mouse I found earlier. ¡°Look what I found for you and Phraze.¡± I used the mouse to sway its mind off the subject. ¡°So, you found his toy that he lost a few months back?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Yep! At least, I think so,¡± I replied, laughing afterwards. Remembering what happened last night, I brought it up. ¡°Hey, Ellie, came in late last night.¡± ¡°Did she? Oh, that¡¯s pretty normal for her.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah, anyway about Mr. Jerry, you want to try playing with Phraze?¡± Sam asked. ¡°¡­Sure, why not,¡± I said, reluctant to mess with the cat. We went to the living room and Sam showed me how the toy worked, ¡°You wind this key backwards and,¡± Sam put the mouse on the ground, ¡°bam, it runs along the floor.¡± Phraze followed up with a good swatting of the poor thing. We spent a large part of the day playing with Phraze, that is until Jason came home. Having plenty of fun, I neglected to mention the bloody clothes, but as Sam said, ¡®That¡¯s pretty normal¡¯ and I waved it off. A Gate for the Sinful ¡°She gets on my nerves, questioning everything left and right.¡± Sitting on an old beaten crate with his arms supporting him, he let out a laugh. The sound of it so frail that I almost laughed myself. I held it in, for it would be a bitter laugh. ¡°You know, I remember a young Sam who acted the exact same way.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true, I¡¯m a cultured sort.¡± ¡°Cultured?¡± he asked, a smirk plastered on his face. ¡°¡­So be it.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think I am?¡± ¡°No, Sam, not at all. Your low appreciation of her proves it.¡± ¡°It proves nothing!¡± I yelled, crossing my arms over my chest. He waved his hand. ¡°Alright, it proves nothing, you¡¯re as cultured as ever.¡± ¡°Damn right I am!¡± He turned to me, squishing his thin brows together as he rubbed the wrinkles on his forehead. Raising his head after an agonizing wait, he pointed at the wall. Old and degrading, the bricks were a dirty brown, unclear that they were once a pristine white. ¡°Would you please put some enthusiasm into this. She is the key to the gate, can¡¯t you see, we¡¯re nearly there.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not nearly anywhere, Oliver!¡± ¡°Sam, you need to settle down.¡± He put his finger over his lips. ¡°Gray or Sophie could hear you.¡± ¡°No, they can¡¯t,¡± I said as I tapped on the wall. Flecks of stone falling off after I tapped it. His hands on his chin and a blank face, his voice monotone, he said, ¡°Are you sure, my dear Sam?¡± I clenched my fist and gave way to his argument. ¡°¡­Alright, so the walls are brittle.¡± ¡°That they are,¡± he said, slapping the wall. ¡°Now, about the gate. I¡¯ve worked hard for th-¡± ¡°Hey, wait a second,¡± I said, interrupting him, ¡°didn¡¯t you just see what happened?¡± He crossed his arms, contorting his brow, and a long sigh came from him. ¡°Sam, I need you to focus.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Oliver,¡± I said, ¡°of course I know you¡¯ve worked hard for it. You shouldn¡¯t have involved the twins though.¡± ¡°Sam! I¡¯ve explained this to you countless times. The only possible way I could leave this benign house was to possess Ellie. I couldn¡¯t do that without Sophie.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve stained Ellie¡¯s hands and hurt Sophie. That didn¡¯t have to be done, it shouldn¡¯t have been done at all.¡± He punched the wall. ¡°It¡¯s hard enough as it is to be inside Ellie and what happened to Sophie was an accident, that wasn¡¯t how it was meant to go.¡± I flung my arms out, and pleaded for a soothing answer. ¡°I care about them, don¡¯t you? The gate isn¡¯t that important.¡± ¡°Are you mad? Of course, I care about them, but I want to live again. If it requires my sanity and the sacrifice of others then that''s what it will take.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not mad, I just, just don¡¯t want to do this. What we gain isn¡¯t worth what we will lose.¡± ¡°But Sam, we could live again and then leave this place to live our own lives. Don¡¯t you want to start anew together?¡± He knows exactly what I want, tugging on my heartstrings, I thought with the slightest dilemma. ¡°I do, I really do.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯ll continue working with me?¡± he asked. I looked at the window and thought of my past, the sea is one beautiful muse and I miss it dearly. ¡°Sam?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I snapped out of my daydream. ¡°Oh, yes! I want to explore the world again, like I did when I was young.¡± He laughed and said, ¡°You would choose the world over me.¡± Clapping his hands together he jumped to his feet. ¡°You know what to do with Gray.¡± ¡°Yep,¡± my enthusiasm clear, ¡°train her up and serve her to the beasts- I mean, guide her in the right direction.¡± He formed a sly smile. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. After all, I wouldn¡¯t want my prot¨¦g¨¦ to be hurt.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ironic, coming from the one who brought her here.¡± ¡°Says who, not I, and neither you.¡± ¡°Sure. It¡¯s about time I showed myself, so I¡¯ll be going now.¡± ¡°See you later,¡± he said while waving me off. ¡°Later.¡± I squeezed back into my natural form, well the form that most see. Floating above the dirty pile of clothes that had yet to be burned, I phased through the brick wall of the long-forgotten basement. Once I was through the wall, I heard purring. ¡°Ah, Phraze you¡¯re always here to greet me.¡± He pawed at the air, trying to reach me. In the time I¡¯ve been in this house, you¡¯ve been here, too. How long do you have left to live? Time means nothing to me, and as the years have gone by I¡¯ve stopped counting, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been with the family since Jason was young. I thought, worried over my precious friend, my one and only true friend. ¡°You want to play with my arms?¡± I asked and he replied with a meow. I blinked, and brought them out for him, swinging my left-hand side to side. If a cat could smile, Phraze would be doing it now as he swatted at my hand. ¡°¡­Phraze, do you know how I¡¯m going to stop Oliver?¡± I asked, but he didn¡¯t say anything back. No, you wouldn¡¯t. You¡¯re just a cat. I¡¯m desperate to stop his crazy ambitions, so I need to think of a plan. But it¡¯s hard¡­ My spirits were dampened by my indecisiveness. ¡°Hey, Sam!¡± A voice bellowed from my side. ¡°Ah!¡± I jumped and my arms swirled around in the air. After settling my nerves, I looked to see who was laughing at my embarrassing stunt. ¡°Haaa, whew, Sam that was hilarious.¡± ¡°Gray,¡± I said, unamused by her reply, ¡°you shouldn¡¯t jump out of nowhere like that.¡± ¡°Ah, sorry, I was looking for you.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°Well, Jason came home and he''s been acting a little weird. I wanted you to come see him and tell me why.¡± Such a headache, I thought. ¡°Alright, let''s go.¡± Lost Heart, Weak Mind To be truthful, I never know where Sam goes and I¡¯ve not thought of it before, but never have I seen Sam under the staircase, I thought. After giving Sam a scare, which wasn¡¯t on purpose, maybe. We went to the study, for there was something wrong with Jason. I need Sam¡¯s help to figure it out, I¡¯m not sure of what¡¯s wrong with him. And he has sat there for too long, his mind being plagued by something I could not understand. ¡°Heart¡­ the heart¡­ why the heart? It doesn¡¯t add up,¡± he said while scribbling onto a large paper laid flat on his desk; near to the same size. ¡°Gray, how long has he been like this?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Hmm, he came in acting this way, so I think about an hour give or take.¡± ¡°What!¡± Sam yelled, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you didn¡¯t call me sooner. Quick go fetch Sophie, now!¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need her help on this one, hurry along.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going already,¡± I said, a spring in my step. . Three light taps on the door and no reply. On the other side I heard music playing, rambunctious and loud music. She must be in there, otherwise the room would be a playground for crickets now. If I wanted to go in, I had the option to do so, but there were no manners in that. So, I put my ear to the door and listened for a break in the music, the screaming and beating of the drums took their time. What I thought was a break was in actuality a guitar solo. It had a fine tune to it, I found it to be the only thing I enjoyed throughout the song. When it came to an end and after patting my chest, I coughed and yelled, ¡°Sophie, may I enter?!¡± Tapping my foot on the floor, my patience was running thin, and a minute passed, two minutes, and five minutes. Nothing, only mute noise came in reply. Just as my cough wasn¡¯t needed, my effort to yell was wasted. Is she not here? I asked myself, That can¡¯t be it. When school is out, she doesn¡¯t leave the house often. On few occasions does she leave, but it¡¯s for food and food alone, which was easy to get with a convenience store being nearby. I turned away about to leave. ¡°The music is still going, maybe...¡± I said aloud. I came to the decision to try one last time, so I went back to the door and popped my head through. There is that little tickle I like around my neck. the room I peered into wasn¡¯t what I expected it to look like, so I whistled in amazement. I¡¯ve come to love blue and that¡¯s what the walls were painted as. A striking blue, not of the sky, but of royalty. Surrounded by said blue, in the corner of the room a tuft of purple and black hair poked out from under a blanket.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Oh, I see, so you were asleep.¡± Nice and quiet, I closed in on her. Quite an innocent face when she isn¡¯t awake, cute, I thought as her face came into sight. I inched towards her ear and whispered into it, ¡°Hey, sleepy head, it¡¯s time to wake up.¡± She rolled over, replying, ¡°Mmm, five more minutes.¡± I laughed at her remark and thought, Well, better to get serious. I grabbed the blanket and ripped it off her and there she was, lying in the fetal position. Wearing her regular clothes, not prepared for bed one bit. ¡°Mom, it¡¯s so cold,¡± she said, her hair a mess and her eyes open by a crack. ¡°I¡¯m not your mother, silly!¡± I yelled, startling her awake. ¡°What the hell, Gray! What are you doing in here?¡± She said, now wide awake and fuming. ¡°Sam wanted your help.¡± ¡°Sam can bug off, I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°Please?¡± I asked, my voice soft, ¡°Jason isn¡¯t acting like his usual self.¡± She looked at me, perplexed by my statement, ¡°Uncle Jason¡­¡± She seemed to be caught up in thought. ¡°Got it, I¡¯ll be down in a minute.¡± ¡°Thank you! I¡¯ll be waiting for you with Sam.¡± . ¡°Is she coming?¡± Sam asked. ¡°Yeah, said it would be a minute.¡± ¡°Good, we¡¯ll wait out here.¡± ¡°Why here?¡± ¡°I need to explain the situation.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± We waited in the hallway for Sophie, it took her close to five minutes to come down. Her hair fixed and new clothes thrown on in a frantic rush, the same shade of color as before; black. She tried passing by us, as though we didn¡¯t exist. On some plane that¡¯s very true, but for Sam it wasn¡¯t. ¡°Hey¡­ Hey, Sophie. Slow your roll, we need to talk,¡± Sam called out to her. She sighed in return, rolling her eyes at it when turning to Sam. ¡°I was told to help with Uncle Jason, what else do you need?¡± ¡°Look, this time is bad. He is repeating words and sketching on the map again.¡± ¡°What of it? This isn¡¯t uncommon.¡± ¡°The thing is, the words were different than before and from looks of it, his nerves are rattled to a terrible extent.¡± She laughed, ¡°C¡¯mon, Sam, it doesn¡¯t sound any different than usual.¡± ¡°Alright, why don¡¯t you take a peek at him.¡± ¡°Ha! If it¡¯ll shut you up,¡± Sophie replied, turning around. She walked over to the door and leaned her head at the very edge of the frame. I¡¯m not sure what her perspective was, but a slight shudder erupted through her. If it¡¯s the same man I saw; one in a frantic craze and bloodshot eyes that sketched loops on paper. I would guess she was frightened by his appearance and actions. On returning, her expression did a complete turnover from aloof to concerned, the furrowed brow and tight mouth giving it away. ¡°Okay, Sam, you were right,¡± She said, a voice barren and empty. ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a liver this time, they took a heart instead.¡± ¡°Oh dear, this is going to drive uncle Jason mad.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± I asked. ¡°The Alley Stitcher doesn¡¯t have a common agenda anymore,¡± they both replied. ¡°Why does that matter?¡± ¡°For Jason, it makes it harder to track them down,¡± Sam told me. Left Empty and Drained Sophie entered the study and made two dry taps on the wooden desk. Jason, so caught up on the paper on his desk, was unfazed by them. Sophie contorted her brow, coughed, and yet again made two taps. When that did nothing, she gave up and yelled at him. ¡°Uncle!¡± ¡°Huh,¡± Stumbling back and dropping his pen, he asked, ¡°what is it, Sophie?¡± ¡°Sam,¡± I whispered. ¡°Yeah?¡± It replied. ¡°What can Sophie do for him?¡± ¡°Give him a pep talk and a bottle of scotch to settle him down,¡± Sam said. ¡°It¡¯s not much, but for now it will have to do.¡± ¡°Scotch, I didn¡¯t know Jason drinks.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t, Jason tends to avoid alcohol.¡± Her talk with him done, Sophie gazed over to us and winked. ¡°Ah, so he¡¯s ready,¡± Sam said. We floated to the kitchen, Phraze roaming about behind us. Has Jason fed the cat today? I wondered, for Phraze hung around the corner; the one where Jason placed his food. ¡°Why is it hidden in the wall?¡± I asked Sam. ¡°That should be obvious,¡± Sam released a long, near tired sigh. ¡°We were afraid Jason would start drinking after their deaths and spiral into a deep depression that could have lead down a dark path.¡± ¡°Oh, good thing it didn¡¯t happen,¡± I said. ¡°Who¡¯s to say it didn¡¯t?¡± Sam questioned. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You see it every day and don¡¯t notice it. Gray, the man compulsively chases after a murderer he¡¯ll never catch, one that he was told not to chase too.¡± ¡°You seem so sure he won¡¯t catch them, why?¡± ¡°He¡¯s been running around in circles for months, it just doesn¡¯t seem possible for him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s regrettable,¡± I said, my belief in Jason unwavering. Sam yanked the small bottle of scotch from the wall, the glow around the bottle reminded me of something. Why does it look familiar? My memory flashed back to the other night, of Ellie. Wait, so does that mean it¡¯s something ghosts can do? I¡¯ll have to ask Sam to teach me later. ¡°C¡¯mon,¡± Sam said, it¡¯s voice heavy, ¡°and stop with the questions, I¡¯ve done plenty for you,¡± ¡­Or not, I¡¯ll have to learn it myself then.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. We returned to the study, waving at Sophie, I beckoned her toward the hallway. ¡°We¡¯ve brought it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be right back, I¡¯ve got something that will calm you down,¡± she said to Jason, stepping out of the study. We stood in the hallway, Sophie eyeing the scotch in Sam¡¯s squishy-like hand. Sam squinted it¡¯s eye at her in return. ¡°So, how did the talk go over?¡± Sam asked Sophie. ¡°I think it went as well as it could, but he¡¯s overall pretty bad this time.¡± ¡°Really, did you find out why?¡± ¡°Ah,¡± she placed her hand on her chin and whispered, ¡°from what uncle Jason said, a new victim has surfaced not too far away from here. That¡¯s why he was working on the map, he¡¯s trying to center out where the murderer generally strays.¡± ¡°I see, and why was he worried about the heart?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the heart and not the heart that¡¯s got him worried. The heart is different from the liver before, but that¡¯s not as big of a deal compared to who was murdered.¡± ¡°Wh-¡± ¡°What about the victim?!¡± I asked, interrupting Sam in my flurry of curiosity. She looked at me, her right brow raised. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if this would matter to you, Gray, but the person murdered was quite an important figure here in Detroit.¡± ¡°Quit stalling,¡± Sam said, ¡°who was it?¡± She clicked her tongue and said, ¡° You¡¯re never any fun, Sam. The mayor¡¯s son, who is a very popular model for a local magazine was murdered.¡± ¡°That must mean the case has gained traction in the media again?¡± Sam asked. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Sophie said, ¡°in fact, uncle Jason has been thrown back on the case.¡± ¡°Really, and after the chief told him he wasn¡¯t allowed back on it?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m afraid so,¡± Sophie replied to Sam. ¡°Well, he is a good detective, I can understand why the chief would assign him.¡± Sophie sighed and said, ¡°Me too, but it doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m happy about it. Anyway, I better take him his scotch.¡± Sam handed over the scotch, then looked to me. ¡°Hey Gray, want to see something funny?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± I yelled. ¡°Come watch this.¡± Sophie, carrying the small bottle of scotch, placed it onto his desk. ¡°Sophie, isn¡¯t this a little small for me?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Nope,¡± she replied, ¡°it¡¯s just right.¡± He put his hand over his mouth, and his brow contorted. ¡°I suppose it¡¯ll do." She left the study for a moment, on returning she entered with a small glass filled with ice. Placing it on the desk, she grabbed the bottle and poured it for him. ¡°Here,¡± she said, handing him the glass, ¡°drink up.¡± He swirled the alcohol around for a moment, contemplating something. ¡°Where did you get this?¡± He asked. ¡°You¡¯re not able to buy liquor.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve had it for a long time, now shut up and drink it.¡± His cheeks brightened up, oh, is he going to get mad? ¡°Fine,¡± he said, and took a sip. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s been a while!¡± Guess not¡­ Sam laughed and said, ¡°Enjoy it while you can, kid, it won¡¯t be long.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± I asked, puzzled by it, but didn¡¯t get a reply. We watched as he drank the scotch. One sip, two sips, three sips, four sips, and then the next cup. ¡°It just doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± he slipped out between mumbled slurs. ¡°How could one take out a heart without blood spraying everywhere? ¡­Though, t-the body we found didn¡¯t have blood in it, it had to have it while the murder was taking place.¡± I heard it, but couldn¡¯t wrap it around my mind. Sophie, however, had a face filled with concern. By his fourth cup he began swaying side to side. When he finished his fifth, he looked at Sophie, his eyes half open and smiled at her, then his face smashed onto the desk. Ah, I understand now why Sam said that. ¡°Alright,¡± Sophie said heading for the door, ¡°my work here is done. When Ellie gets back, we¡¯ll drag him to bed, I¡¯m going back to my room now.¡± ¡°Thanks Sophie!¡± I yelled at her while waving. ¡°¡­No,¡± Sam said, it¡¯s attention on the map. ¡°What is it?¡± I asked, but Sam floated out of the room before I could get an answer. I gazed at the map instead, trying to find what stirred Sam to act like that. Hmm, haven¡¯t I seen that street name before? Oh right, outside the house. I could hardly read the map, as I didn¡¯t know much about the outside, so I turned to Jason. ¡°What could that be?¡± I asked, staring at the small glowing black circle above Jason¡¯s nape. Ollie and Nana Looking left then right, I walked out the door to see if anyone was there. No one is around. ¡°Do I touch it?¡± I asked myself. ¡°It¡¯s certainly something new, though on one hand it can¡¯t get anymore ominous.¡± A black glowing circle, no bigger than a paperweight. It¡¯s small, small things are nearly always bad, I can recall a certain small cat that¡¯s bad, I thought as I looked at it. The swirling line of white in the middle being it¡¯s only redeemable feature. ¡°Hmm, more of an orb,¡± I said, noticing it wasn¡¯t flat. Jason snored between breaths. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s out completely. No harm in trying I suppose.¡± I shrugged my shoulders and stretched my hand for it. ¡°Ah, this is a weird feeling¡­¡± I said, a tingle shocking the tips of my fingers as my hand wrapped around the black marble. ¡°Ugh!¡± Gripping the orb, the tingling shock transformed into an intense burning, increasing more and more as it traveled up my arm. ¡°My hand, I-I can¡¯t get it off!¡± I yelled. Grabbing my wrist with my other hand I yanked and pulled to get it off, to no effect my hand laid still attached tight around it. ¡°W-What is all this?¡± I said, my mouth gaping open as the orb expanded in size, like a lion eating its meal it swallowed up my hand. ¡°Aghhhh!!!¡± I screamed out as though mad and started seeing flashes of white in my vision. With its growth, came more pain. Inching up my chest, I attempted to stop it with my free hand, ¡°C¡¯mon,¡± I said with clenched teeth, pushing it. What a mistake I¡¯ve made, I thought, my hand now stuck in the deep black. My sanity thinning, I yelled, ¡°Sam! Sam, please help me!¡± But, the eyeball I rely on didn¡¯t show as I wanted it to. The black touched on my chin and I¡­ Passed out before reaching my end. . . Holding my knees, I spun around. There was darkness with my eyes closed and darkness with them open. Everywhere that¡¯s where it was, no walls, no floors, nothing to see or feel. ¡°Ah, so I¡¯m here again ¡­Laughable that the cycle repeats.¡± I grabbed my head as a voice bellowed from within, ¡°¡­Look¡­¡± ¡°Look?¡± I asked, ¡°Look at what?¡± ¡°Her¡­ Your daughter.¡± My daughter, I thought as images began revolving through my mind. A baby, a little girl appeared in the arms of a woman. The ends of her hair were dark red, if I could see her face I bet she would have rosy cheeks. ¡°She¡¯s beautiful isn¡¯t she, honey?¡± she asked. A deep voice came from me. ¡°She really is, such a little angel,¡± they said, and my view fogged up. ¡°Don¡¯t cry,¡± she said and laughed, ¡°you¡¯ll make me cry too.¡± Tears, huh. ¡°Alright,¡± the voice said and then the image turned black for a few moments before appearing on the woman¡¯s face. A lot of sweat, but there are those rosy cheeks. ¡°A name, we need to decide on a name for her, Alisha!¡± said the voice in excitement. Alisha¡­ This can¡¯t be, Jason?Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Did you forget? We already decided on a name,¡± she replied. ¡°But, Rebecca doesn¡¯t seem fitting for her.¡± ¡°Jason, we looked through so many books, I¡¯m not doing it again.¡± He let out a small groan and said, ¡°Fine, Becky it is then.¡± ¡°What the hell kind of name is that?¡± She asked, her brow squinted together. ¡°A name she¡¯ll grow to love,¡± he said, pride in his voice. ¡°I¡¯m writing Rebecca down.¡± ¡°C¡¯mon Alisha, she¡¯ll love it, I promise.¡± ¡°No!¡± She yelled. ¡°Look at what you¡¯ve done to Eline and Sophine, my sister can¡¯t even call them by their full names anymore.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because they like them,¡± He said, crossing his arms. ¡°Hmph, either way, I¡¯ll call her Becky.¡± Hearing a clank from behind, Jason turned around and there was a nurse with a crib. ¡°Excuse me, ma¡¯am, do you mind?¡± She asked, holding her arms out. ¡°No, not at all,¡± Alisha replied. The nurse took Becky, placing her in the crib and rolling her not so far away from Alisha. ¡°You should get some rest, in the meantime we¡¯ll keep a watch on her for you. ¡°That¡¯s how it is,¡± She said to Jason. Putting her index finger over her lips and winking. ¡°You mind sneaking me some food in though?¡± ¡°No problem,¡± he pounded his chest, ¡°I¡¯m on it.¡± He turned, facing the door, nothing but black on the other side and walked through it. Time seemed to skip forward as Becky appeared again, but now she was a toddler. Jason held his arms out to her. ¡°Come on Becky, walk over to daddy,¡± He called out to her, to which she turned and coined a cute smile. She struggled to force herself up, so he encouraged her. ¡°You can do it! Go, go Becky, daddy is here.¡± She bit her lower lip and squinted her brow and after much effort, she stood up. Jason smiling at her, clapped while yelling, ¡°Yeahhh! That¡¯s good Becky, now come over to daddy.¡± She started slow. ¡­Her first step after looking at her foot for a few moments. Her second after realizing this wasn¡¯t as hard as she might have thought. Her third, to her fourth, to her fifth, and several more into her father¡¯s arms. Jason laughed and rubbed her head. ¡°That¡¯s my girl, like father like daughter." He ran to the kitchen and yelled, ¡°Honey! You missed it, our baby walked!¡± ¡°What? Ugh, I can¡¯t believe you let me miss it,¡± Alisha replied. ¡°But, you were cooking, I couldn¡¯t let the food burn.¡± He gave his hair a soft ruffle as he scratched the back of his hair. Winking, he gave her a small apology. ¡°That does-,¡± she started, but was interrupted by a thud. ¡°Ouch!¡± yelled Sophie. ¡°Here,¡± Jason said, handing Becky over to Alisha and dashing for the stairs. There Sophie lied on her side, her arm hanging on the bottom stair. ¡°Sophie, What happened!?¡± He asked. ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m fine,¡± She replied, but with the blood streaming down the side of her forehead, Jason must have doubted her. ¡°No, I¡¯m taking you to the hospital.¡± He picked her up into his arms and made for the front door. As the door opened, it too held a black veil, making me unable to see beyond. I don¡¯t understand, why am I seeing all of this? I wondered as he stepped through the door. Time skipped again, but this one confused me. In my sight was a brick wall, the bricks browning on the edges. Faded red paint lined the wall; shaped as though it were a large door. ¡°This is it Jason, someday I¡¯ll have my life again. Thanks to this door and the one that will come from it,¡± Said a voice I¡¯ve not heard so far. ¡°Really? How would you do that, Ollie?¡± A child-like voice asked. ¡°With the help of your family, of course.¡± ¡°Yay! I¡¯d be happy to help you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Jason, your sacrifice will mean ple-,¡± the voice was interrupted by another. ¡°Jasooon!¡± ¡°Ah, looks like your grandma found you.¡± Then Jason turned to the voice, and there a transparent man wearing flamboyant clothes sat on a crate. ¡°Bye Ollie, I¡¯ll come back again,¡± Jason said, waving at him. ¡°Sure, kiddo, I¡¯ll be here for a very, very long time.¡± Then Jason looked at the top of the stairs that were beginning to fall apart, the door at the top swinging open. ¡°Jason, there you are,¡± Said a woman withered by time. ¡°Nana, you found me!¡± She came down and nabbed him by the arm, forcing him up the stairway with her. ¡°You know you¡¯re not supposed to be down here, I shouldn¡¯t have to warn you so many times.¡± ¡°But, nana, it¡¯s fun to play in the basement.¡± ¡°I said no!¡± Once they made it up the stairs, she swung him around to face her and looked into his eyes, her gray eyes so resolute but rattling a fair much. ¡°Jason, a great monster is sealed under our house, you mustn¡¯t take a chance and release it.¡± ¡°B-but.¡± ¡°No buts,¡± She said, then she sighed and held her forehead. ¡°If you won¡¯t listen to me, I guess I¡¯ll have to seal it off.¡± She embraced him in her arms, her chest blackening my vision. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to experience the same fate as your father¡­¡± Within the dark a small light chipped away at it, until it burst forth. The image changed to that of the map, The present? Why am I seeing the present now? I thought, feeling somewhat dizzy at the same time. Odd, I can feel something on my face, I moved a hand to feel it, drool? I felt the sticky liquid between my thumb and index finger, ¡°Hmm,¡± a deep voice moaned, ¡°I-I¡¯m able to move and feel things by my own will.¡± I touched my face and head. ¡°This hair, I know it¡­ Am I controlling Jason¡¯s body?¡± I asked myself, my nerves shaken by this new epiphany. That couldn¡¯t have been Jason¡¯s memories, I thought, shocked by what I saw. In Truth, I Seek Several huffs and skin-pulling later, the front door made a clack, shutting. ¡°I¡¯m homeee!¡± That monotone voice, Ellie. I took my hand off my ar-, Jason¡¯s arm. Best not to act suspicious. Thinking so, I rose from the chair, catching myself on the desk as I tripped over Jason¡¯s foot. Damn this drunken body. ¡°Uncle?¡± She asked, standing at the doorway. ¡°I thought you were sleeping.¡± On one knee and an arm on the desk, she looked me up and down, eyes and brow casting a dubious expression. ¡°I-I.¡± Come on gray, straighten up your act! I coughed, clearing my throat. ¡°I woke up a few minutes ago,¡± I said while forcing myself to stand. ¡°Did you, huh.¡± She turned. ¡°Works for me, now me and Sophie don¡¯t have to drag you to bed.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± I said. She stopped, tilting her head, and gave me a sidelong glance. I pointed behind her and asked, ¡°Who is that?¡± She placed her hand on his shoulder and slipped out a mute laugh. ¡°Forgot to introduce you to each other.¡± She took her hand, swaying it towards him. ¡°Uncle, this is Reed.¡± And bringing her hand to me. ¡°Reed, this is my uncle.¡± He reached out to me, his hand open. ¡°Nice to meet you Ellie¡¯s uncle,¡± he said, his glasses shimmering as he smiled at me. What a polite boy¡­ Lanky must be what Ellie likes. I gripped his hand, squeezing so tight, I might have crushed a pebble. ¡°Nice to meet you too, oh, and call me Jason.¡± ¡°J-jason.¡± He tried pulling his hand away, causing his light brown curls to rustle. ¡°Do you mind?¡± he asked, his visage that of fear itself. ¡°Mind what?¡± I replied, confused by his actions. Ellie grabbed both of our hands. ¡°That¡¯s enough shaking,¡± she said, ripping us apart. ¡°I¡¯m just tutoring him, so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Why would I worry?¡± ¡°No reason,¡± she said, ¡°you seemed tense.¡± She headed for the stairs, Reed dragging behind as he glanced back and forth from me to her.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. I looked at my right hand; the one that held onto Reed¡¯s. Tense, huh. That would explain this innate feeling of dislike for the boy. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right, Phraze¡¯s dinner!¡± I yelled, remembering when he hung around the corner of the kitchen. I started for the kitchen. Opening the fridge, I looked for the prepped cuts of salmon. They weren¡¯t there, but there was half of an uncut salmon. Does Jason do this himself? ¡°Great, I¡¯ll have to cut it up.¡± Pulling a knife from a drawer, I grabbed a cutting board, and placed the salmon on it. The first slice was hectic and it had bumpy ridges all over. The more I cut, the more natural they came out. It¡¯s as if I''ve done it before, so I became comfortable slicing them thin. Now that they were all cut up, I rinsed the knife off before throwing it into the sink, and patted my hands on Jason¡¯s slacks. I¡¯d seen Jason cook this before, so it should be a cinch. Spices were needed first though, where? Ah, the middle cabinet. Opening it, I took stock of them. ¡°Onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, and¡­¡± Gathering them up, I scattered them all over the meat. Jason used olive oil to cook it, so I made sure to grab it too. Heating the skillet, I poured the olive oil, giving it a few moments. All was set, so I threw several slices in. The nice hum of searing meat traveled through my ears. ¡°Mm, that smell,¡± I said, drool falling down the side of my lip. With eyes closed, I took a big huff through my nose, savoring all of it. Hearing a meow at my feet, I turned my head down. ¡°Phraze, so you smelled it too?¡± I asked him. Purring came in return, and the cat stared into my eyes, waiting for its precious meal. I pet his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s nearly done, hold on a second.¡± The cat stopped purring and hissed at me. Curious, I thought, no way he can tell it¡¯s me. I sniffed the air, something tingling my nose, ¡°No!¡± I yelled, the salmon burned while I wasn¡¯t paying attention. As fast as I could, I moved them onto a plate. I sighed and looked at Phraze. ¡°Sorry, buddy, but you¡¯ll have to put up with this. It¡¯s not so bad that it¡¯s not edible.¡± Plate in hand, I placed it on the floor; in Phraze¡¯s corner. Phraze lunged for the food. ¡°Your favorite, seared salmon fillet,¡± I said as he took a bite. ¡°No thanks? Fine, be that way.¡± ¡°Now about that wall¡­,¡± I said, going through the living room and into the hallway. Once behind the staircase, I tapped the wall. Hmm, a hollow sound, so the memories weren¡¯t wrong. I stared at it, hand on my chin, the stubbles rubbing on my fingers. I¡¯ve no choice but to come back to this in my own form. A bulge eked out from the wall, what¡¯s this?! My eyes widened, but as it came out more and more, it appeared to be Sam. So, I calmed down. ¡°Huh!¡± it yelled, ¡°¡­Oh, it¡¯s only Jason, if that were Gray¡­¡± Leaving what it was saying unfinished, it wandered off, likely looking for me. ¡°So, you¡¯re hiding things from me.¡± I scratched Jason¡¯s scalp. How am I supposed to trust you now, Sam? I asked myself, looking at Sam, who then entered the study. ¡°Not here either,¡± it said. ¡°Damn it,¡± I said, my words hushed. ¡°You¡¯re the only one that¡¯s helped me and yet, you¡¯re hiding the truth from me.¡± A thought occurred to me, Sam mentioned once that I could go outside if I possessed Sophie. I made for the front door and turned the knob. ¡°So, this is all it took.¡± Hands on his hips, I inhaled a newfound happiness, and gazed at the fresh-cut grass. ¡°Alright, Sam, I¡¯ll find out what you¡¯re up to below this old house.¡± His Body Burns No more than a few moments in the summer heat, and this body has opened its pours to drench me in sweat. I forget because he acts younger than he really is, but what is Jason. Thirty? Forty? Either way, he¡¯s built up wrinkles, his body isn¡¯t in bad shape though. To think a man his age would still be fit. I slapped my stomach. Yeah, that¡¯s some muscles, surprising, considering how frail he seems at first glance. When does he exercise, at work? Sighing, I stared at a woodpecker with a black back perched on a tree; the single tree providing shade to the yard. Hammering on dry wood, it stopped chasing the meal behind the bark and turned its head to me. The black eyes filled with endless depth and ignorance, cared little for a human and went back to pecking. I should focus on my current dilemma instead of distractions. My first priority is to escape from this body. Turning around, I wiped my sweat covered brow with my arm and spun the door knob, stepping back into the house. ¡°Although, I have no clue as to how I would go about doing so.¡± ¡°Doing what? Cooking dinner.¡± Sophie laughed. ¡°No need to worry, the stew is never that good anyway.¡± My eyes were adjusting to the change in lighting, so her figure was hard to make out. But, of what I did see, with her hand on the railing of the staircase, she scratched her stomach with the other. Awake but also asleep, she rambled on, starting with a yawn. ¡°You¡¯re still woozy, right? Then I¡¯ll make you a deal since I¡¯m such a kind niece.¡± She pointed at me, a proud smirk plastered on her face. ¡°I¡¯ll make dinner, but it definitely won¡¯t be that awful stew.¡± ¡°Deal!¡± I replied. Nothing if not beneficial to me. I can¡¯t cook Phraze¡¯s dinner right, so why would I cook stew. Nope, not taking my chances. She cocked a brow and said, ¡°That was too fast Jason, I expected you to stick to your guns.¡± ¡°I apologize Sophie, but I¡¯m somewhat tired and want to take a rest, would you mind doing it for me?¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± she mused, ¡°you do look unwell. I made the offer, so I have no choice now.¡± She shrugged her shoulders and turned to go up the stairs. ¡°You should take a shower before lying down, I can smell you from over here.¡± ¡°A shower, got it, where would I find a towel?¡± I asked She stopped and turned her head to me, her brow furrowed. ¡°¡­You have some in your own bathroom.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Oh, of course.¡± I scratched the back of my head and laughed. ¡°Guess the alcohol is getting to me.¡± Scoffing, she continued up the stairs, whispering, ¡°Doofus.¡± I wiped my brow again and thought, this heat, it''s sweltering. Having never been inside Jason¡¯s room, I was somewhat curious anyhow to see what it looked like. Not much of a trek, since the room itself was on my right. Entering the room, there was a king size bed in the center, to the left a door that I assume leads to the bathroom, and to the right a dresser and the closet. Curious as I were, I flung the sliding doors of the closet open. ¡°Hardly any casual clothes. Oh, is this a dress?¡± I grabbed the maroon dress, running my fingers over the soft fabric. ¡°Must be what his wife wore on grand occasions. It¡¯s quite nice.¡± My vision blurred for a moment, then a massive spell of dizziness overwhelmed me. ¡°Ugh.¡± Stepping back, I held onto the dresser for support. ¡°It¡¯s too hot,¡± I mumbled, gripping my burning chest. ¡°I just need to lie down, yeah, that¡¯s it.¡± I crawled onto the bed, sweating heaps, and fading in and out of consciousness. That shower will have to wait. A distant voice shot through the room, whispering right into my ear. But, as loud as it was, I only heard glimpses of it. ¡°Gray¡­ Whe..are¡­ Jason?¡± Then slumber came. I dreamed, something I had not done for so long. In front of myself was I, gazing into the mirror of the bathroom. The face I know not, how could I, when I¡¯ve never seen it. A shadow of a woman, or could it be a girl? I had no time to think, for I scattered piece by piece, replaced by another. Who held an expression of contempt, perhaps jealousy, too. Sophie? No, don¡¯t push your hate on me, I attempted to calm her through words, but my voice was trapped in my throat. So, I reached out to her, pleading forgiveness through my actions. She too moved as I, her visage unchanging. Our hands flattened against the mirror. Separated by thin glass, we were unable to touch one another. Cracks formed around our fingers. Seeing this, I became desperate and placed my other hand on the mirror. As before, she followed my lead. A tear slid down her cheek as more and more cracks formed in the mirror. You present anger but cry. I don¡¯t understand. No longer could I make out her image, but her lips made the slightest of words. You. Are. Not. Me. ¡­What do you mean? The mirror then shattered leaving behind nothing but shards of white. ¡°No, don¡¯t go!¡± I started, my hand grasping at air. ¡°I¡¯m right here, Gray.¡± I turned my head to the voice, lo and behold, an eyeball stared at me. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± It asked. I forced myself to sit up, scanning my body, transparent like it should be. ¡°I feel fine, same as ever. What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Hmm, saving you.¡± ¡°Saving me from what? Nothing bad happened.¡± ¡°Now missy, don¡¯t try to evade what you did. If it weren¡¯t for me, your soul would be gone for good.¡± I sighed long and hard. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to possess Jason.¡± ¡°No need for an apology,¡± Sam said, ¡°just don¡¯t do it again. I was barely able to pull you out of his body in time. Now¡­¡± Sam hit the floor. ¡°Excuse me while I rest.¡± Believe Myself Sitting up on the couch with my arms on my thighs, fingers entwined together, I gazed out the double window. At my very feet, beaten and exhausted by its own loss of energy, lied Sam. Sam¡¯s pupil was dilated as it squinted. Do I bring it up? Now would be the perfect time, seeing that Sam can¡¯t escape from me. But, it hid the basement from me, knowing full well that I would be curious. Time to be resolute¡­ I squatted, sure that I could glimpse the reaction from Sam, and its eye hovered to me. ¡°What is it?¡± Sam asked, forcing out a teensy voice. ¡°Sam.¡± I grabbed hold of my knees. ¡°I know about the basement.¡± It widened its eye, then looked towards the floor and groaned, ¡°Mmm.¡± I suspect that Sam had tried to float so that it could run away. But, it failed and so experienced pain from the backlash. ¡°You know you can¡¯t run, so there isn¡¯t a point in trying.¡± Sam shot its eye back, a fierce glare pointed at me. ¡°Wha-, you, why are you so defiant?¡± I asked. ¡°Girl, you reach too far, back away or your soul itself shall be torn asunder. The time is not now, wait, and I will give you the answer you seek.¡± Sam said, a voice deeper than ever before. So many changes in pitch done by this eyeball. ¡°Girl, huh¡­¡± I glared back. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you say, it may be a lie. Speak up, Sam, the truth is what I want to hear!¡± Sam flinched, stuttering, ¡°I-I can¡¯t, you mustn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Must not what?! Believe these lies and follow in your truth. There is no such thing!¡± I forced myself to my feet. ¡°If you won¡¯t tell me, I¡¯ll go and see for myself.¡± ¡°Wait, please,¡± Sam said, making a wispy plea, ¡°Gray, if you go, you¡¯ll be in danger. He isn¡¯t going to stop, no, he¡¯ll do anything to achieve his goal now.¡± Sam¡¯s warning meant nothing to me. What words were believable from a scoundrel? None whatsoever. ¡°He, wait, Oliver?¡± A contemptuous laugh bellowed from me. ¡°Not only the basement, but you¡¯ve told me other lies. What else could there be Sam?¡± ¡°Gray, forget that!¡± Sam yelled. ¡°If we are to stop him, I need your help. I swear I won¡¯t lie again. If you go there alone, you will walk right into your own doom.¡± ¡°As I said, I don¡¯t care.¡± I walked out of the living room. Passing by the figure of Sophie, who had hidden herself behind the doorframe, I stopped and looked at her. ¡°Sophie, what are you doing here?¡± I asked, the back of my mind reminiscent of my dream.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. A brow cocked, she replied, ¡°Came down to cook, but I saw you two having an argument. Figured I would bide my time until it was over, are you two done with your dispute?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve come to my decision.¡± ¡°And what is that?¡± she asked. ¡°Only to believe in myself.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± She frowned. ¡°I see that you are alone, like me.¡± Sophie then treaded to the kitchen, ignoring the miserable state that was Sam. ¡°¡­I hope not,¡± I whispered before heading to the wall under the staircase. My hand touched on the stone, sliding it down the crevices between the bricks, I loomed over it. It shouldn¡¯t have, but hesitation churned within my soul. I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s words, but Sam was awfully worried. No, fear is the weakness of the spirit. It¡¯s dark and night is my friend, so be brave, Gray. Spurring myself on, I went through the wall. ¡°Huh?!¡± I fell straight down, face first into a pile of ashes. ¡°Ack, where the hell are the stairs?¡± I looked up, only to see where they once were. A wall covered in soot and a door burned to the shade of black. ¡°Oh, right.¡± My senses returning, I peered throughout the room. Nothing. I came expecting to meet a man wearing strange clothes. But, all that I saw in the room was an old beaten crate and the door painted on the wall. ¡°Was Sam pulling my leg? That can¡¯t be, it was as serious as I¡¯ve seen Sam.¡± ¡°Hm, the door.¡± My feet planted on the floor now, I walked over to the door from Jason¡¯s memories. ¡°The red lines are no longer faded, and what is this white paint?¡± White lines were on the inside of the door, the parts that were pointed touched a tad on the red lines. It¡¯s shape; a six-sided star, over a circle. In the space between them, there were hard to read letters. I ran a finger over the letters as I read them off, ¡°...M¡­ I¡­ L¡­ C¡­ O¡­ M. Milcom, huh, does it have some sort of meaning?¡± I wanted to ponder over the name, but the thought was useless since I knew nothing about it. So, I chunked it out of mind and focused on Oliver. ¡°If the man himself isn¡¯t here, then¡­¡± I thought long and hard to search through my memory. ¡°The only other person I¡¯ve seen involved with this basement is Ellie. Does Oliver have a connection to her too? Ahhh, the dots are starting to connect, I should hurry to find her. They¡¯re bound to be speaking right now.¡± I floated to where I came from, going through the wall again. Since Sophie was in the kitchen, instead of searching the house for Ellie. I thought to ask her, far easier a task than the former. Passing Sam, who grumbled some words my way, I entered the kitchen. Sophie stood in front of the stove, steam rolling over her face as water boiled in a pot. She stirred it with a wooden spoon and poured noodles into the water. ¡°Hey, Sophie, do you know where Ellie is?¡± I asked. She tilted her head up, her eyes running across the ceiling. ¡°I think she and that boy left earlier, what was his name again? Ah, screw it, I don¡¯t care anyway.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± I went back to the living room, placing my rump on the same spot I had left earlier. That was a waste of time. I leaned down to look at Sam, For now though, I can get Sam to clear up some things for me. Especially in regards to how Ellie and Oliver are related, after all, isn¡¯t she supposed to be ¡®ghost repellant¡¯.