Chris III

Would you believe me if I told you this day would come? That I felt the universe pull me towards this direction? I’ve always known, just never when. But it’s here now. Every day has been leading up to this. There’s no word or phrase to describe it but it’s been driving me mad. Why here?

Today is the day I meet Lyle.

The Ghost.

The boogeyman.

I walk beside Andrew, Lyle, and four other people in a long hallway at an industrial warehouse just outside of Seattle. I have no idea why I’m here or what Lyle wants with me but I do know he wants to use me just as he uses Andrew. This is where I'm supposed to be.

Lyle is a scary man but his words have charm. I can see how he so easily can influence everyone around him. Everyone respects him. Out of the group of four bodyguards, Lyle himself is the most intimidating. There's only one taller than him. A built black man named Acid. He's the one who picked me up. I wasn't given much of a choice. I wasn't told why I was meeting Lyle either.

The room we enter is large and filled with tables being used for chemistry. I immediately know what I’m doing here now. I watch as all the chemists turn their attention to us. They're all women but that’s not what I pay attention to. At a desk near the far back of the lab sits the woman with white hair. She’s staring at me.

It’s the same.

The drum beat in my heart begins again. It starts to suffocate me again.

Do you know who she is?

Why is her presence so strong?

Lyle is in the middle of explaining what I’m doing here, but none of that matters. I don't pay attention. I point to the angel woman and ask, “Who is she?”

“Uh? Sorry?”

“To the woman with the white hair, who is she?”

Lyle laughs and signals the woman to come towards us. As she does, it becomes clear she’s not a woman, but a young girl, barely any older than us.

Everything about her is white. She is so pale, paler than Lyle as if she’s made of porcelain. Her irises are a slightly darker shade of white than her eyeballs. The only color they have is her pupils, a void black. They're not round but more oval. She has her perfectly white hair in a ponytail with bangs that cover her forehead. I spot a small scar in the middle of her forehead through the smallest opening. She’s quite literally a ghost. Her existence should be impossible.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“This is Sessions, why the interest?”

I heard that name before. It's an urban legend. Session is just a myth about a ghost from the time when Winter was plentiful. Sessions is who you call if you ever need it.

Her eyes do not waver from mine. The intimidation that Lyle possesses disappears, overtaken by the presence of this girl. It’s not malice, not even pressure. It’s the pull of the universe again. I was meant to meet her.

“Why is she here?”

“I’m giving you the offer of a lifetime and this is what you focus on? Man, Andrew, you weren’t kidding when you said he’s weird.”

She doesn’t say anything either. Her eyes dart to Lyle and she smiles.

“Sessions is my partner, my right-hand girl. Seems you have a good eye or sense or whatever. She can't talk so don’t freak out. Sesh, want to introduce yourself?”

She signs, “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve been waiting. My name is Marina Lightyear, thanks for coming.”

“Through your phone dummy, no one here knows what you're saying.”

Why did she bother? Did she know that I know ASL? How? Is that why she gave me her name? What does she mean? She’s been waiting? This is all too much for me. She's who I've been being pulled towards. Does she know that too?

What do you think? Are you just as confused as I am? You, the observer, do you know who Marina is? She shouldn’t exist. The universe tells me this, it's why it’s been pulling us together. But why?

“Don’t think about it too much,” she signs.

Can she read my mind? Is she an observer just like you?

I turn to Lyle, “I’ll do it. I’ll perfect your Winter. I'll make it pure.”

Lyle laughs, “Looks like you have someone crushing on you, Sesh.”

Marina finally pulls out her phone and writes down, “It’s nice to meet you,” on the notepad app.

-

I ask Andrew, “What do you know about her?” on the way back home.

He laughs, “Don’t tell me you actually want to hit that. Don’t get me wrong, she’s fine as hell but she’s a freak mute.” Andrew pauses. “Hmm, maybe you two are perfect for each other.”

“Answer the question.”

“I don’t know anything about her. She’s like the co-boss. When Lyle isn’t around she runs the show. She’s nice enough I guess, more chill than Lyle.”

She’s been looking for me.

“You should come back to school. Stop involving yourself with them.”

“Bit hypocritical after you just agreed to reverse engineer Winter for them. Besides, the fun’s barely starting, no?”

Making Winter isn’t my intention. I know far too well how dangerous the drug can be. There’s a reason why it’s been nearly wiped from existence. Only fake knockoffs remain with very few real vials left. I've gone through the high. It's not safe.

No, what I want is to get close to Marina. She isn’t human, like me. Everything about her screams at me. Or maybe it’s screaming at me because it's infatuation. I never had those feelings towards someone, I wouldn't know. I have to learn more.

For the first time in my life, I recognize the emotion of excitement.