A brilliant glowing sphere descended from the sky until it stopped in front of me. It took me a few seconds to realize it wasn’t emitting light. It was metallic with a mirror finish.

My mother had a pair of similar objects that you could twirl around in your palm. They were meant to be used as relaxation devices. This one was about four times the size of a beach ball.

I saw a distorted version of myself in it. My head was bulbous, and my black hair circled it in an almost comical way. It reminded me of a filter you used to make funny pictures.

The whole thing vibrated. “Hello, Azerail.”

How is it speaking? I thought.

I circled it and couldn’t find a hole anywhere.

“Hello?” I replied.

Part of it rippled and spun, splitting into a second smaller version of itself. The bigger side bloated and eight insectoid legs sprouted from it. Four tiny orbs, two large, two small, budded from the little section. They darkened until they were like miniature black holes. They seemed to pierce through my very being.

It was possibly the biggest spider I’d ever seen.

The arachnid landed, its legs making tinking noises on the sidewalk. It lifted one of them, which rose as high as my chest, and slammed it into my stomach. The limb impaled me and blood splattered everywhere.

Immeasurable pain wracked my body. I hung there bloodied and skewered. It used another of its appendages to slam me to the ground. Still stunned by the impact, I didn’t even struggle as it pulled me toward its newly grown mouth. It lowered its head, and its fangs stuck themselves into my chest. It lifted my body to its spiked maw and began devouring my head.

My screams echoed in my room as I woke up.

A voice whispered in my head, Remember your promise, little shambler.

Kumo? I thought.

No answer.

Was it invading my real-life dreams, or was it only a nightmare? The implications sent shivers down my spine.

There was a knock at my door, and it opened. Jennifer rushed to my bed and sat next to me. She ran her fingers through my hair.

“You forgot to take your pills, didn’t you?” she asked.

I sat up and buried my head into the crook of her neck.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I set my pent-up emotions free.

***

My consciousness swam as a rap on the door pulled me from my slumber. We’d migrated to the couch after my abrupt awakening earlier, and Mom's leg made a comfy pillow.

Jennifer pinched her fingers. “It’s Kevin.”

The room's orientation shifted as I sat up. My blanket came along with me when I got up. My vision spun, and I was forced to take a step, but my feet were tangled. I tumbled to the ground, hitting my knee on the side table.

When I glanced at Jennifer, her eyes were wide with surprise.

She leaned over and took my hand. “Are you okay?” she asked.

I curled up and clung to my knee. Stupid table.

There was another knock on the door.

“I'll go see what he wants,” she said and let go of my hand.

“No!” I screeched.

I stood, ignoring the pain. There was no way I would let him see me in my pajamas. I limped into my room and slammed the door behind me.

The next few minutes were a blur as I rummaged through my closet. I only had six outfits printed, and I didn't like any of them. I opened my menu and swiped through dozens of pairings until I found one I liked. It would take a few minutes to print, so I rushed into my bathroom and showered.

By the time I finished, my clothes were done, so I dressed and dried my hair. It took a while, but I didn’t want to look as horrible as last night.

I decided to wear jeans and a black t-shirt. The word “Ghoul” ran along the front of my top. The font was based on my favorite book with the same name. I snatched up my boots and moved to the center of my bedroom.

“Floor,” I said.

Lines of light slowly spread from my feet to the walls forming a grid.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“Invoke, seventy percent transparency, one-way, checkered layout,” I said.

Half of the lit-up pattern faded, revealing the spheres and sidewalks under us. I swallowed and forced myself to stare at the scenery below. There were people down there scurrying around like ants. My heart raced for a moment before I had to look away.

“Normalize,” I said.

The floor reappeared, and I relaxed. One day I would be able to stand heights again.

I kicked yesterday's clothes and my pajamas next to the disposal. The filters on the outfit were no longer active, and in the better lighting, I could see just how gross they were.

My door squeaked as I opened it. Everyone in the living room stared.

Kevin was seated next to Autumn on the couch, draining one of my orange juices down his gullet. I knew it was mine because I was the only one in the sphere who drank it.

If he was here for the reason I thought he was, he would need all the sustenance he could get.

“Hey,” I said.

Jennifer smiled at me from the kitchen. A cup of steaming coffee sat next to her at the table while she ate her breakfast.

Kevin smiled. “Hey, Azerail.”

A yellow light blinked into existence as I limped into the room.

I checked to see who had the audacity to watch us this early. Mrs. Smith’s name popped up.

Doesn’t she have something better to do? I wondered.

Then I immediately felt like an idiot because Autumn added me to her call. Mrs. Smith’s superior blinked into existence where I was going to sit.

“Hi, Mrs. Smith,” I said while changing my path to a chair next to Jennifer.

My boots made a loud thunk as they hit the floor. I hated mornings, especially when spiders decided my neck was a meal.

At least it wasn't him this time. I clenched my fist at the thought of my recurring nightmares.

Kevin's demeanor changed. He sat back in his chair, and his left leg swung around nervously.

“What was that noise?” Mrs. Smith asked.

Autumn rolled her eyes. “It was Azerail. She's always grumpy in the morning.”

“Not if I have my orange juice,” I mumbled under my breath.

Ordering a tray with only a drink was wasteful. If a bot was going to travel all the way to my house, I would make sure a whole meal was brought.

Jennifer caught Autumn’s attention and mouthed, “Nightmare.”

Autumn's jaw hung open for a second, and then she clamped it shut. Her eyes met mine, and a pained look spread across her face.

I stared at my feet, and for some reason, I felt embarrassed. To shake off the feels, I concentrated on getting my boots on.

It hadn't occurred to me that Kevin could have brought his own orange juice until then.

“The doctor knows what he needs,” Mrs. Smith said.

Knew it.

Kevin's mom's voice came from his phone and from our call, so it was disorienting.

“Mute,” I whispered. Her voice would only come from the phone now.

Autumn nodded. “Azerail knows this place extremely well. You don't have to worry.”

I sat, grabbed a boot, and snuck my foot into its confines. It was a process, but after the laces were snug, my foot never felt more protected.

Kevin's and my eyes met briefly. I gave him a half smile while fiddling with my other shoe.

“That's good…” Mrs. Smith said.

She hesitated.

Jennifer peeled herself away from her breakfast. “I assure you, Mrs. Smith, your boy is safe with Azerail.”

Paranoid much?

I did offer to accompany Kevin to get his specs. Technically, I wanted to talk to the doctor, too, so I wasn’t as selfless of a deed as everyone probably thought it was. How the heck was I going to explain that I was feeling other people's emotions to doctor Stevens anyway?

He’ll probably think I’m insane.

My second boot took a little longer to get on, but I finished eventually.

“You can watch us if you're concerned,” I said.

Mrs. Smith cleared her throat. “Last night, you went private when you were talking about him.”

I'd had enough. I didn't know these people, but they were getting on my nerves. I walked over to Kevin and proffered my hand.

He tentatively put his hand in mine.

I threw it away and grabbed the phone.

“Kevin?” Mrs. Smith asked.

I retreated to my room and closed the door.

The phone looked like something out of the early 2020s.

“Mrs. Smith?” I asked as I turned the device. I wasn't sure which end had the microphone. “Hello?”

A loud thump came from the other end of the line. “Where is he? Where’s Kevin?”

“Look through one of my mom’s eyes. He’s sitting next to them,” I said.

After a few seconds, which I assumed she was using to check on him, she replied, “Why did you take his phone?”

“Last night, we went in private mode because I got home much later than I should have,” I said.

“I heard that much,” she said.

I sat on my bed. “I was out late playing video games, and I got in trouble for it, so Mom put it on private.”

“Okay…” she said.

I sighed. “I also… confessed that I like him.”

Dead air.

“If you really want to know what we think about people without specs, look at the video logs from when I got home,” I said. When she didn’t respond, I continued, “We travel a lot, and not to just smart cities. We’re not like most of the people who live here. You can also check—”

“Okay, okay,” she interrupted.

I fiddled with my hair. “You can watch us if you want. Doctor Stevens and I talk a lot.”

“Why’s that?” she asked.

“I get nightmares and have…” What did you even call what I had? “Sensitivity problems with my implant,” I said.

“Is that common?” she asked.

“No,” I said. As far as I knew, I was the only one with issues. “You can read my records.”

She laughed. “You’re pretty straightforward, Azerail. I like that.”

“There’s only so many hours in the day, and I have things to do,” I said with a grin.

“Thank you for talking with me,” she said.

I got up and headed back into the living room. “Sure, no problem.”

Kevin took the phone as I handed it to him.

My piece had been said, so I went to the kitchen and checked the fridge. The orange juice was missing from my tray.

Yup, this was going to be another long day.

***