3. SHADE OF THE DECEASED
"H-How did you get here?" Noah exclaimed on impulse. She was startled. She was sure she had locked all doors and windows. How did Edgar Stevenson, the new guy at school whom she never even talked to, suddenly appeared in her bedroom?
The fair-haired young man only smirked, "I can be anywhere I want to be. Well, ALMOST anywhere, actually.)
He walked closer towards Noah. He radiated such soothing eerie warmth that filled the large, cold room. Noah didn't like it. She liked to be in the dark. The chill sheltered her. The light and warmth seemed to strip her from her protection.
"Don't come closer! Go away!"
Edgar did not heed Noah's warning. Did he not get the message the he wasn't wanted there? He kept on walking. His palm was raised right before the bleeding, yet painless wound on Noah's chest. Suddenly, Noah felt as if she was on fire. Her chest was burning like the inside of the chasms in the bowels of hell. She wanted to jerk away as far as she could and escape the torturing heat. She could not. It's as if her body was chained to the floor. She couldn't even move a single finger.
"G-go away I tell you! I don't care how you can even get here, but please leave me alone!" Noah cried.
She almost believed that the man before him was perfect in every way, yet deaf. Yes, he must have been deaf. Noah had been commanding him, even pleading him, to go away. But he didn't react at all. All he did was standing there and put on a smile.
Edgar Stevenson finally put her hand down. The burning pain started to leave Noah's wound little by little. As the wound chilled down, the bleeding stopped and the torn skin miraculously started to close. The hole where the pocket knife had stabbed her was shrinking. As the fire was completely gone, it was as if Noah had never stabbed herself. It was healed completely, without leaving a single scar.
"There, it's healed! You still won't die even though I left it as it is, but too much blood loss can weaken even a god," Edgar replied cheerfully, like he hadn't just stopped a suicide attempt and did something so weird and out of logic.
Noah was released from the petrified state. Finally able to move, she jumped to the far end of the room beside the door, "W-what the hell did you do just now? W-what are YOU?"
"What am I? I'm just like you," he said it so easily like it's a common knowledge everyone must know.
"W-what are you talking about? Suddenly appearing out of nowhere like that… And the thing you did just now!" Noah was stuttering as she spoke. She was nervous. And scared. Yes, Noah was scared. Edgar Stevenson could not be just an ordinary person. What he did with Noah's wound was not natural, and those lights and heat… He could be an alien! Faced to such extraordinary case, Noah's imagination ran wild. It's been long since Noah could imagine anything beside about numerous ways she could do to murder all those popular kids who had been turning her life into a living hell. And what did he mean with his first sentence? Noah? An immortal?
"You are too ignorant on this subject, Noah," Edgar said, "But it's just the way it's supposed to be, isn't it?
"I don't know how to begin. This façade of Edgar Stevenson, a transform student, is just my human disguise. I'm Apollo, the god of sun and prophecy."
"A-Apollo? But… but… he's a myth!"
Edgar Stevenson—or Apollo, so he called himself, frowned, "My, you hurt my feelings, dear. I'm saying nothing but the absolute truth. I'm a god, just like you are a goddess."
Me, a goddess? Noah talked to herself. This guy must be a psycho! He might even be a runaway from an asylum!
"Nonsense! Just go away, return to wherever you come from! I don't even know you! Stop bugging me with your trash talk!"
The so-called sun god smiled sadly this time. His face showed sympathy, "I know it is not easy for you to believe since you have resided in human realm for too long, but it's true. You are a very young goddess, while I've been here ever since the beginning of man development. And I know all that is to come in the future. I know you are one of us; a goddess."
"Lie! I can't believe you!"
"Cannot or will not?"
"Both! I can't believe you and will NEVER believe you!"
"Which part can you not believe? Me being the sun god and you being a goddess?"
"Both, either, whatever! All of them are shit!"
"I lied about nothing, child, you ARE a goddess. You are the immortal daughter of Hades and Persephone, the King and Queen of the Underworld. You just haven't known your power yet. But now that you are aware of your true self, your power will start to seeking its way out. As for me being the sun god, didn't you just see and experience MY miracle?"
"Miracle my ass!" Noah cursed, "I don't want your bloody miracle! I want to die! That's all I ever wish for!"
Apollo looked grave and went silent. His light was getting dimmer and dimmer. It concentrated around his body, "Poor Noah. The only thing you wished for was the only thing that you could not have. You are immortal. You will never die only by a junk metal forged by an ordinary human. You might not believe it just now for you have not realized your power. But now that you are aware of your true self, you power will come seeking you. You'll understand everything eventually."
"But—" Noah seemed to still have more things to say, but Apollo would not let her, "—but you had better not take too long. Our time is fixed, and we don't have forever.
"I will not trouble you further with my information. Take a rest and think on my words. Farewell."
With that, the sun god disappeared into thin air as fast as he had appeared.
When Noah woke up, the first thing she saw was not the carvings of the canopy of her bed as it had always been in every other morning. It was the translucent face of her deceased aunt, glowing in the air.
Noah was taken aback.
She had not attempted another suicide the night before. It's not like she had given the thought up. She just decided to give more consideration to Edgar Stevenson. All that had happened that time was unnatural. It could not be dream. If it was, Noah would have been dead, but she still could feel her breath. If it was a dream, at least there would be a big hole on her heart. But no, there was not a single trace of her chest had ever been stabbed. The burning pain Edgar Stevenson had caused—the burning pain she believed he had caused—had been real. And there could not be any logical explanation about that. Then, there was his version of explanation; that he was Apollo, the sun god in Greek mythology, and that Noah could not die for she was the daughter of Hades and Persephone, King and Queen of the Underworld.
He said he was the sun god while Noah was the princess from hell.
Putting Edgar's words aside, Noah had more to worry at that moment, like the 'ghost' of her Aunt Aggie floating above her; the liquid eyes staring right into hers.
"…Aunt Aggie?"
"Noah? You can see me, Noah darling? I'm soooo glad!" the transparent figure tried to hug Noah in her excitement, but she just passed through Noah's body, unable to touch her, "Oops, sorry! I was just overexcited! No one has ever seen me for ten years of my ghosthood!"
"Aunt Aggie? But… but you've been dead for years! How could you—"
"I have been lingering in this house all the time; you just didn't realize it, my sweet niece! I've been watching over you and your stupid uncle! Both of you disappoint me! Noah, how could you turn into such an emo girl? And old Bert was turning into such a stupid miser!"
"I-I…"
"I know you are confused, my dear," the ghostly face of Aunt Aggie formed a motherly smile, "Remember the handsome boy who was here yesterday? This is your power; to communicate with the shades of the deceased. You couldn't do it until now because you did not have the slightest clue of what you really are."
"But—"
"There are more to come, I'm sure. Don't let this knowledge overcome you. There are more surprises to come."
"You mean… I'm REALLY a goddess or something like that?"
Aunt Aggie only smirks.
Noah's mind flew back to ten years ago when Aunt Aggie were still among them in flesh. They had been happy together; just her, Aunt Aggie, and Uncle Bert. They might not be her real parents, but they had been far better than any parent any kid could have. Aunt Aggie had always been the cheerful sort. And back then, Uncle Bert hadn't been such a cold man as he was now. He was as silent as always, but he used to smile more and act like such a family man. Ever since Aunt Aggie's death, he was so occupied with his business. Maybe he had not meant to be cold. Maybe he was just trying to forget his pain…
"Well, actually I should not be hanging around here. I ought to have 'moved on' as they call it," Aunt Aggie said.
"Move on? Is it like going to heaven or something?"
"I don't know. But at least when a ghost move one, she doesn't have to be a ghost anymore. Which is actually nice, although I might don't get to see you as much as I do now…," Aunt Aggie suddenly looked sad. Floating around as an invisible ghost could not be much fun. There was no one to talk to and there was nothing to do. It must have been real boring.
Noah forgot all about her own frustration for that one moment. She was overjoyed to see her dearest aunt after all those years. If Aunt Aggie had not died, or if she had been able to communicate with her spirit all the time, she would not end up that miserable; maybe she could have done better. Maybe…
"Aunt Aggie, why haven't you 'moved on' then?"
"I don't know. Us restless spirits are supposed to have like an 'unfinished business' with the living and we won't be able to move on until it is resolved. I don't even know what my unfinished business it," Aunt Aggie shook her head, "By the way, isn't it high time for you to get ready for school?"
Right, school. That horrible institution was still standing straight and strong.
"I don't want to go to school."
"But you have to, darling! There's so much of the world that you have not seen. The school is always the best place to start!"
Noah could only wish she could be as positive as her aunt.
