Spirit

Chapter 18: Trusted
Two days past by and I haven’t seen Nathan since the day we hung out last. Irrationally, it made me very gloomy. I stayed home by myself, having nothing to do but sit around.
I sat on my bed reading King Lear. I wasn’t very into Shakespeare but I had the book for a couple of years and now would be a good time to start it. Once I understood the text and language of William Shakespeare, I faintly grasped the meaning of the book.
As I finished Act two, scene two, my doorbell rang. I sighed. And got out of bed. The doorbell rang again.
“Coming!” I yelled as I walked down the stairs.
The bell rang once again in response for me to hurry.
I unlocked the door and swung it open.
“Alex?”
“Natalia! Can I come in?” She asked, although she already invited herself in.
“Uhm… sure. The police let you through?”
“Yeah, I told them I had to help you study with the test next Thursday.”
“There’s a test next Thursday?”
“Yeah, but who cares!” Alex seemed quite exuberant and a tad bit paranoid. “I have to talk to you,” she said and sat down on the couch and started to bounce both her legs. She threw the text books in her hands onto the coffee table.
“What’s wrong?” I asked and sat down next to her.
“Okay,” she started. She seemed calm and serious now. “Don’t think I’m crazy, but a couple of days ago, I think I saw a shooting star coming out of your window. I don’t know if it was a dream or if I was seeing things, but something bright came out of your window!”
Oh no, I said in my head. “A shooting star?” I scoffed. “Don’t be silly, Alex.” I stood up. “Would you like something to eat?” I quickly asked and walked into the kitchen, trying to evade the many more questions she might ask.
I couldn’t tell Alex about ghosts because it was a secret and secrets aren’t to be told to people who couldn’t be trusted one-hundred percent. Keith warned me of the dangers of ghosts being exposed to the public.
“What was it?” Alex asked.
“What was what?” I asked, playing confused.
“That shooting star coming out of your room? I tried researching in the library, on the internet, but I couldn’t find anything that compares to what I saw! It was so amazing, and bright, and fast!”
“Alex, I’m sure it was nothing.”
“It was something, alright! And when I find out what it is, I’ll totally prove you wrong!”
I sighed loudly in defeat. It was better for me to tell her rather than her finding out on her own even though the chances were very slim. “Alex, what you saw was real.”
“I knew it!” She shrieked. “I knew it! I knew I wasn’t going crazy!” She jumped and gave me a tight hug. “But what was it?”
I bit down on my lip. “When I tell you, promise not to freak out or go crazy, okay?”
She smiled widely and nodded her head vigorously.
“I don’t know how to put this in a sentence that wouldn’t… frighten you. Or probably make you laugh,” I added.
“Just tell me!”
“Well… it’s kind of like a… doppleganger?”
“A doppleganger?” Alex scoffed. “So what? It’s like a phantom? An apparition? A poltergeist? A spirit? And undead soul? A… ghost?”
“Not entirely a ghost. More like a second hand ghost,” I explained. “Do you believe me?” In my mind, I was hoping she’d say no and drop the whole topic. Forever.
“That seems logical,” she mused. I sighed in defeat. “But what is a second hand ghosts exactly?”
“A half ghost, half human that is able to transform itself into either one.”
“So it can fly?”
“It can run,” I corrected. “Very, very quickly.”
“And where did you meet this… second hand ghost?”
I shrugged my shoulders “Someone brought me to him.”
We sat there in silence for a while as I waited for her response.
All of a sudden Alex’s face lit up like she got a brilliant idea.
“What?” I asked suspiciously.
“Wouldn’t it be fabulous if we told the media about this? All we need is pictures and we could be famous! I could see it now, ‘two girls discovered new speices of ghosts!’” She made an arch with her hands to make it look like she was reading a headline.
“Alex, we can’t tell anyone about this,” I said slowly, making sure she understood each word.
“Why not?” She argued. “This can be a great way to instant stardom! Maybe if that happens, my parents would lay off a bit.”
“You have no business in telling people about our existence!”
“Our? So are you….”
I sighed. “Yes. I’m like them as well. And if you tell anyone,” I elongated the word, “about the existence of second hand ghosts, we’ll all be killed.” I spread out the last couple of words so that she understood completely. “Do you understand that, Alex?”
“Why would they kill you? All they would do is run a couple of tests-”
“And after that what are they going to do?” I didn’t wait for her to answer. “They are going to hunt is down one-by-one and either quarantine us or kill us. I don’t need to be a genius to know that they will not let us live our normal lives. You don’t even know the danger of me just telling you.”
“It’s not like you ghosts are a threat or anything.”
I threw my head back and groaned. “Why do you need to be so stubborn, Alex? It doesn’t matter if we are a threat or not! What matters is that I trust you now and I need you to keep this a secret.”
She sighed. “Fine. I’ll keep it a secret for you. And because I don’t want you to be sent to a Area fifty-one,” she joked.
“Thank you.” I was relieved.
“So… will I ever be able to see a… ghost up close?” She asked and smiled angelically.
“I’ll see what I can do,” I sighed and smiled at her. “Remember, it’s a secret,” I reminded her.