An eerie silence filled the room.

Florence pounded her head against the refrigerator, squishing the contact lens between her fingers. The blister on her shoulder blade burned as the fibers of her dress poked at it. Next to her, Stella covered her red eyes.

The pounding of feet across the floor as Aisling breezed past Jack standing at the opened doorway.

Sam arched his back, puffing his fur up, lowering his head to Stella’s lap. His pupils dilated.

“Florence, I think you should come as well.” Jack pointed with his thumbs at the main room behind him. “She needs you.”

Florence pushed her palm against the floor. But her leg muscles contracted, refusing to stand up. “Pardon me… I might need some help here.”

Sam licked his paws. “Very typical for a pleb.”

“Great,” Jack said. He tiptoed into the room, stretching his hand out to Florence. “Come on, what’re you waiting for?”

Florence grabbed Jack on the wrist. Then he pulled her to her feet, wrapping her arm over his shoulders.

Sam hissed.

“Now, what,” Jack said.

“Don’t come near me, pleb.” Sam bared his fangs. “You smell.”

Jack crept through the opened door, sneaking towards Yuze beside the oak dining table. The painting of a lily towered over her, trembling her lips. Her nails clicked on the floor.

Florence’s stomach growled as the citric fragrance wafted from squeezed oranges inside a crate at the corner of the room.

“Are you seriously going to ignore me like that?” Sam clawed the air. “I’m your master. How dare you disobey me.”

“Sure thing. Don’t really care,” Jack said.

In front of him and Florence, Yuze sweated bullets, soaking her clothes wet. She inhaled and exhaled at a fast pace. Her finger twitched, clicking her nail on the floor. Her legs and arms tremored.

Aisling kneeled beside Yuze. Then Aisling placed her palm on Yuze’s forehead.

Yuze slapped Aisling’s hand away.

Jack shrugged. “Any idea what the problem is with her?”

“I have no idea,” Florence said. “Maybe she is having a nightmare… or it could be somehow worse.”

“Are you sure about it?”

“Absolutely not.”

A scream rang throughout the room.

Yuze bolted upright, sitting on her bottom. Her chest rose and fell. The tremors of her limbs slowed down to a halt. She clenched her fist, draining the color out of her fingers.

“Did someone else just scream, or is it Yuze?” Florence asked.

“It was not Yuze or anyone in here,” Jack said. “Sounds more or less like a side effect.”

A thud echoed behind Florence.

She looked over her shoulder. Behind her, Stella and Sam peeked from the opened doorway. Their jaws dropped wide open.

“What’re you looking at, pleb? Isn’t it obvious that it isn’t me or her,” Sam said.

“She is not looking at you because of the scream.” Aisling folded her arms around her knees. “She is looking at you because of your thick skull hitting the doorframe.”

“How dare you disrespect me, pleb?”

“Did you forget who pays for your rent, food, and bills?”

“I did. But now I can’t because of you.”

“Look, we were just trying to do—”

“How dare you speak to your master like that?”

Jack whistled.

Sam extended his claws, kneading his paws on Stella’s skirt. “Hey, don’t interrupt me, pleb.”

“You ain’t finished yet?” Jack shrugged. “Anyways, that scream might be from either Florence or Yuze.”

Aisling smiled, pinching her chin. “Yup, that kinda could be a possibility,” she said. She cupped her mouth, coughing. Her face paled. “Well… what should we do now?”

“Perhaps we should just give her some breathing room,” Florence said.

Yuze nodded, wiping the sweat off her forehead. Her eyes widened. She cuddled herself, stumbling onto her feet.

“Yuze, you don’t have to force yourself like that,” Aisling said.

“Aisling, didn’t you hear what I said?” Florence asked.

Yuze limped towards the dining table, dragging her feet across the floor. She slammed her palm on top of it, hunching her shoulders.

“What now?” Aisling glanced over to the crate of squeezed oranges. “There’s kinda nothing else to do.”

“Continue our investigation,” Florence said.

“We kinda can’t go out there… yet. They’re still looking for us.”

“I understand your concern. But it wouldn’t help if we sit here and do nothing.”

Yuze rubbed the back of her neck. She twirled around with a smirk spread wide, giving a thumbs up.

“Hey, don’t you worry about it,” Sam said. “You’re probably going to get fired anyway. So, no point going back there.”

“She is kinda employed,” Aisling said. She shoved her hands into the pockets of her hooded shirt. Her eyes widened. “Did anyone see a lily around here, or did I drop it somewhere?”

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Florence scratched the back of her head, rustling her hair. “Forced employment, to be precise.”

“Honestly, I thought you were unemployed the entire time,” Jack said. “Since… you know… please don’t strangle me to death.”

Florence patted Jack on the back.

Aisling pointed at herself. “Is everyone going to ignore me or something?”

A static rang inside Jack’s television head. An array of red, blue, green, and yellow colors flickered on his fractured screen. He cracked his knuckle on the shell of his television, switching his monitor off.

Florence raised her eyebrow. “Pardon me, how are you doing it?”

“It’s nothing,” Jack said.

“Are you sure about that?” Aisling drummed her chin on her kneecap. “Or are you blushing?”

Jack raised his arm, pointing at the door with an electric warning sign.

Aisling spread her fingers out, placing her opened palm in front of her. “I’m just kidding… Please… you don’t wanna fire me.”

“Whatever,” Jack said.

Yuze thinned her lips, stumbling in circles. Her palm dug into the back of her neck. Her head swayed from side to side. She collapsed, thudding onto her bottom.

Aisling crawled towards Yuze as she planted her palm on the floor. Her jaw dropped open, tilting her head up, staring at the ceiling.

“Hey, you there or something?” Aisling crossed her legs. She poked Yuze on the cheek. “You alright?”

Yuze shook her head. She closed her eyes, slapping her face.

Florence turned her attention towards the painting of a lily hanging on the wall. “Actually… who was she again?”

Aisling shrugged. “Who?”

“I think… I mean, you’re going on with your investigation,” Stella said. “Please, tell me you don’t think it is me… I think.”

“Reese… that is her name.” Florence clicked her fingers. “Pardon me, Aisling, could you pull out that photo of the young lady and show it to me?”

Stella exhaled loudly through her mouth. She clenched her chest, wrinkling her blouse.

“Why?” Aisling reached into the pocket of her hooded shirt, taking a picture of that albino lady at the harbor. She showed it to Florence. “Even though we know who she is… it might not help us.”

“We need to find her,” Florence said.

“Why? She could be a victim. Not the ghost.”

“How would you know that? She certainly knows everything about you and me. You have seen her like a long time ago.”

“Yup. But being weird doesn’t mean she is the ghost we’re looking for.”

Florence flapped her mouth without speaking a single word, grasping her wrist. Her eyelids fell shut.

“And… there is kinda not enough evidence,” Aisling said.

“This is certainly why we should go out there now.” Florence pushed herself off Jack’s back, landing flat on the floor. Her muscles strained. But with all her might, she picked herself up, stomping the floor. She leaned her weight against the dining table.

“Hey, could you look at yourself in the mirror first? Once you see it… you’ll kinda get it.”

“I have been in a coma for a month, dreaming of her past. I can’t wait any longer.”

She placed the contact lens on top of the dining table. Her nails scratched across it. She limped towards the door with an electricity warning sign. Her footstep grew heavier as she stretched her hand out for the door handle. But before she reached it, a hug wrapped around her abdomen.

“Seriously, just think for a moment,” Aisling said. She dragged Florence backward, peeping over her shoulder. “You’re going to get yourself killed.”

Florence kicked her feet into the air, swinging her arms around. Her elbow smacked right into Aisling’s nose.

Aisling jerked her head back. She dropped onto the floor with a thud, pulling Florence along.

“Let me go,” Florence said. “Why are you stopping me?”

Aisling coughed. “If you want to return to your sister, then why do you stop at every opportunity to treat people?”

Florence and Aisling grappled with each other. They rolled sideways, rustling their clothes. Both of them slammed into the crate, squeezed oranges with a creak. Florence pounded her feet against the wall, jostling Aisling on the ribcage.

“No fighting in here,” Jack said. “If you ain’t going to stop, I’ll kick you out of here.”

“Go ahead,” Florence said. She grabbed Aisling on the forearm, pulling away from her hold without budging.

“Please, you don’t wanna do it.” Aisling smiled, wrapping her legs around Florence’s hip. “Pretty please.”

Stella clutched onto her skirt, fidgeting the fiber between her fingers. “I mean… you’re going to get hurt.”

“Good… keep doing it, pleb.” Sam rested his head against his paws. “Very good indeed.”

Aisling smacked her feet off the floor, sending her and Florence flying up.

Florence’s head smashed into the wall with a thud. Her limbs fell limp. Her jaw dropped open. A ringing tone echoed inside her ear channel. She blinked, gritting her teeth as her cheeks poked against Aisling’s ginger ponytail.

“Just use your head for a moment,” Aisling said. She forced Florence’s hand behind herself, interlocking with each other. “Please.”

“Pardon me, do I really need a reason?” Florence asked.

“Stop being like this.”

“Like what? Helping anyone else in need, including my sister, by the way.”

Jack stomped towards them in pounding footsteps. He grabbed Florence’s and Aisling’s nape, picking them up like a mother cat and lifting their kittens off the ground.

Florence groaned. “Let me go.”

“Don’t throw us out,” Aisling said. “And don’t fire me… Since, you know, this is probably my last one.”

Jack trod towards the door with an electricity warning sign. “Don’t worry about it. Those other two will support you.”

“This is absolutely wonderful,” Florence said.

Aisling shook her head, widening her eyes, staring at the cracked monitor of Jack’s television head.

Jack kicked the door wide open. A creak echoed into the room and through the tunnel filled with pebbles outside.

“Wait a second.” Aisling stretched her arms and legs, pushing her feet and hands against the door frame. “Let me explain.”

“You’re going to get caught anyway,” Jack said. He twirled around, tossing Florence and Aisling over the dining table.

Stella yelped, covering Sam’s eyes.

“Yes, good,” Sam said. “Get those plebs out of my sight.”

Florence and Aisling landed on their backs with a thud.

“This is your last chance,” Jack said.

Florence grunted, spreading her hands out. “Kick me out of here, at least.”

“Do you have you have a death wish or something?” Aisling asked.

Yuze crawled under the dining table. She reclined her head onto the knuckle, smirking at Florence and Aisling.

A loud pop reverberated.

“Pardon me, what was that?” Florence asked. A tingling wetness soaked her shoulder blade, passing through the fiber of her dress.

Aisling tilted her head. “What’re you going on about?”

Florence sat up. A tingle ran through her spine as a liquid oozed down her skin.

“Well… the good news is that you got something else to worry about,” Aisling said. “The bad news is that your back is bleeding.”

“This is absolutely wonderful.” Florence rubbed her forehead. “I need to drain it.”

“Do you mean I’ve to… you know?”

“Pardon.”

Florence turned her head towards Aisling, raising her eyebrows.

“Your back is kinda bleeding,” Aisling said.

Florence smacked her face with her palm. “That is it? Well, I guess the blister must be drained before I can clean it.”

“This is… do you actually wanna do it with my mouth now?”

“Pardon me, what are you going on about?”

Jack stomped over to the dining table. Then, a crack echoed through the air. He hunched over, rubbing his lower back.

“Jack, be careful for once,” Aisling said.

“Actually, there is someone else.” Florence pinched her chin, staring at her toes. “Renee… I think. Maybe… she got something to do with it.”

The dining table suddenly flew towards Florence.

Aisling knocked Florence down.

Florence closed her eyes. Her cheek slammed onto the floor.

The dining table crashed into the wall behind Florence and Aisling. Splinters of wood clattered across the surface, stabbing into the fabrics of their clothes.

“Jack, what was that for?” Aisling coughed, muffling it. She pushed her palm on Florence’s head.

“What? But… that ain’t me,” Jack said.