Ghost of the Past: Chapter 4
Eren was sick for days. The coughs ruptured his throat, leaving it dry and scratchy to the point where it hurt to even eat soft oatmeal. His fever lingered with him most of the time, sapping his energy and keeping him bedridden. His parents would check on him from time to time, asking if he needed anything or some company while Mikasa was at school. He would always decline.
He didn't need any company; he had Armin. The ghost flat out refused to leave his side, fastening himself to the brunet at all times. It was strange how much Eren found himself getting attached to the blond, an unknown entity pulling them closer together and forging their odd, unusual friendship.
Much to Armin's relief, Eren soon began to get well. His fever broke and his sore throat subsided, leaving him feeling better than ever. His energy came back and he was done sitting in bed all day.
"Dad, can I go outside?" he asked as he pounded down the stairs, Armin trailing after him.
"I don't know," Grisha replied hesitantly. "Are you feeling any better?"
"Yeah, and I'm tired of sitting in my room all day. Please?" he pleaded.
Grisha looked to Carla, who nodded. "Alright—but before you do, go back upstairs and put on extra clothes."
"Okay!" The excited boy bounded up the steps, ran into his room and began to search his drawers for something warms.
"You sure are excited," Armin chuckled as he rummaged through his drawer of winter wear. Almost in a whisper, he added, "I wish I could feel the cold."
Eren stopped, his arm in midair holding one of his old sweaters. He turned to face the other, face dead serious. "You will, Armin. I swear I'll help you. In fact, we'll start today!" Overcome by new emotions, the boy speedily wrapped himself in the worn cloth and tugged on some warmer shoes.
"Eren," Armin sighed, "I appreciate the effort, but—"
"Please."
The two met eyes, Armin's pale, lifeless blue orbs staring into Eren's fiery green ones. "Alright," he said finally. "What do you have in mind?"
"The library," the brunet smirked. "We'll start there."
"I'm telling you, Eren, it's a waste of time," Armin huffed. "I've read every book in there on ghosts, spirits, demons, exorcists, you name it. If I couldn't find anything, I doubt you will either."
"Are you calling me dumb?" Eren questioned.
"No, just lacking in philosophy is all."
"We're going and you can't stop me."
"Well, that may be true," Armin reasoned, "but I can sit here and complain all day."
The brunet smiled. He would take the ghost boy's complaints over being alone any day. As they entered the small library building, Eren automatically began searching for the paranormal area, browsing various bookshelves before he felt a chilly hand on his shoulder.
"It's over here," Armin said, leading him to the correct section.
The two stood side by side as they scanned the bookshelves for anything that pertained to the topic, pulling out dusty books every now and then and tossing them into a pile on the floor. Eren briefly wondered if anyone else saw random books floating in the air before dropping, landing with a loud bang. Finally, after they had created a stack of at least fifteen different books, they duo plopped down on the floor.
"Okay, let's get started."
The rustling of pages and the occasional stir of one of the two boys switching positions on the carpeted flooring was the only sound to be heard. Eren concentrated with all of his might, words swimming around the pages by the time he even took a break. His eyes were heavy and his head felt fuzzy.
"Had enough yet?" Armin questioned, flipping the page on a book about haunting.
Groaning, Eren stretched, wincing at the stiffness in his legs. "There has to be something. There has to be…"
"I'm telling you," the blond replied, "there's nothing. There's nothing that will ever be able to save me. I'll be stuck here the rest of my… death, I suppose. I accepted that fact long ago."
The brunet lowered his voice to a low whisper, frustration seeping into the words. "Then why are we even bothering if you've given up hope?"
The other blinked, unsure of how to respond. "I… I don't know, really."
"Then find a reason to."
"A reason to what?"
"To fight, of course," Eren replied. "To win. To beat whatever force has it out for you. If you don't fight, you can't win. It's as simple as that."
Armin ran a hand through his messy hair. "I wish I could truly believe that there was a way, Eren, but I'm just not sure there is."
"We'll find a way, I promise! I swear on my life we will!" he grinned. "No matter how long it—hey, why are you crying?"
Armin, who was indeed wiping away a stray tear from his face, gave a small smile back. "Because I've never had someone who cared so much as you," he murmured. "Thank you, really."
"It's what friends do, right?"
"Y-yeah," the ghost boy sniffed. "Right. We should probably get back before your parents get worried about you."
"Okay," Eren agreed, gathering a few books off the ground he hadn't gotten to. Armin picked up a few as well and the two headed to the library check out area. The librarian, a middle aged blonde woman, gave a strange glance to Eren's side, probably trying to make out Armin. She blinked her eyes a couple of times and checked the books out.
As the two walked out of the store, the brunet's eyes caught on a nearby store. "Armin, is that a bakery?" he asked, excitement in his eyes.
"Yeah, but—"
"Come on!"
"Wait, I'll drop my books!"
Eren pulled Armin along, getting odd looks from the few passers-by. As he burst into the store, he let the sweet, intoxicating aroma of freshly baked goods fill his system. "I haven't been to a bakery in forever!" he exclaimed to the blond. "It smells amazing in here."
"I wish I could smell it," Armin answered with a sad look.
Eren's mood was instantly dimmed. "I'm sorry," he frowned.
Armin just nodded. "It's okay."
"Hello there," the woman from the counter said. She looked rather young and had brunette hair pulled into a high ponytail, along with a matching pair of brown eyes. "Welcome to the Blouse Bakery, can I get you anything?"
"Oh, I'm just looking," Eren responded, setting his books on a nearby round table.
"Can I get you any samples?" she smiled. He decided he liked her.
"No ma'am, but thank you," he said.
"Okay, let me know if you want to try anything."
"Thank you."
The duo walked up to the counter, examining the many choices of delicacies. "Any favorites?" Eren whispered to Armin, who was looking at a piece of carrot cake.
"I don't know, they're all really good. I remember I used to love coming here. I think I liked one of the muffins the best. Wild blueberry; it was incredible. The blueberries are handpicked and the muffin batter is homemade."
Eren dug his hands into his pockets, trying to find any loose coins. He found that he barely had any; in fact, he couldn't even buy a piece of bread. He was just about to trudge out of the store when the clerk spoke again.
"See anything you like?" she asked in her nice voice.
"Yes, but I don't have enough money for it, though," he sighed. "Thank you for letting me look." He stood.
"Which is it, sweetie?"
"The blueberry muffin."
The woman reached under the counter and grabbed one of the blueberry muffins, picking the biggest and best looking one. "Here you go. A treat for the road." She smiled again.
"O-oh, thank you so much!" Eren exclaimed. Fishing into his pocket for the change he had pocketed after losing hope of buying anything, he placed it all on the counter. "I'm sorry, I know this isn't much but I don't want to take it for free."
"Thank you, dear. I hope you enjoy the muffin. By the way, do you happen to know a girl named Sasha?"
"Oh, yeah," Armin said. "This is Sasha's family bakery. I forgot." Seeing Eren's questioning look, he added, "Sasha Blouse. She's in your class. Always with Connie Springer."
The brunet remembered her at the mention of Connie. Long, brown hair always in a ponytail and brown puppy dog eyes, just like her mother who, he figured, was the woman behind the counter. "She's in my class," he responded, repeating what Armin had said.
"Are you the one that just moved here?"
He nodded. "Yes ma'am. My dad is a doctor and we move around a lot. I'm Eren Jaeger."
"You live in the Arlert's old house, correct?"
Gulping, he answered, "Yes."
"Be careful of ghosts," she grinned. "They say there's one that haunts the house. If you ever have any trouble with them, you should contact one of the Renz family members. They're firm believers in God and I think they'd be able to chase out any ghost that could still linger. They have a daughter named Christa, who's also in your class."
Eren saw Armin gulp. "Thanks for the information," he said quickly, scooping up the books he had set down and exiting the store before Mrs. Blouse could say anything else. "Are you okay?" he asked his friend, who looked a little shaken.
Armin managed a weak smile. "Yeah. It's just the thought of exorcism scares me. We don't know what could happen. I like to know all of the possibilities of something before doing it."
The brunet completely understood his friend's nervousness about the topic. He doubted he would want to be exorcised if he were in his position. Like Armin said, it was just too unpredictable—and that was if it could even work. Though hearing that the Renz family could be of use…
"Armin, we need to talk to Christa," Eren stated.
"Huh?" He looked confused. "Didn't we just agree that we shouldn't try exorcism?"
"I'm not saying we're going to try it; I'm saying we should ask them for information. Maybe they actually have something that can help."
"…But no exorcism, right?"
"Right," Eren nodded.
A sigh of relief escaped Armin's mouth. "Okay," he agreed. "But not today. We need to get back home."
Smiling, the two began the walk home. The muffin was gone in less than five minutes. As Eren talked and walked contentedly beside his best friend, he didn't even think about the fact Armin had said 'we'.
"Where have you been, Eren?" Mikasa questioned him the moment they stepped into the house.
"On a walk," Eren answered, brushing past her and going towards the staircase.
Mikasa followed. "Mom and Dad have been worried sick. They're out looking for you now," she sighed. "Where were you walking?"
"None of your business, Mikasa!"
The girl winced and retreated, murmuring something about going to find their parents. Eren's mouth formed a thin line. He hadn't meant to sound so harsh; sometimes it just came out that way.
"Apologize to her," Armin commanded, leaving no room for an argument.
"Mikasa." His sister turned at hearing her name. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you," Eren voiced.
"It's okay, Eren." She then returned to putting on her jacket and went out the door, shutting it softly behind her and leaving the two alone.
Silence hovered over them for a moment, the brunet still looking at the door. "Why do you always act as if there's a problem when she's around?" Armin asked.
Eren ran a hand through his windswept hair. "It's hard to explain. You'd know if you had a sibling."
"I don't think it's just that, Eren. What's the real reason?"
He hesitated before answering. "It's just… I don't know. She's always been better at me than everything and it seems like my parents sometimes favorite her over me—and she's not even their own child!"
"But she loves them like they were her own parents. And she loves you like you were her own brother, too," the blond reasoned.
"Yeah…" Eren admitted. "What do you want me to do?"
"Love her back. Be her friend."
"I do love her!" Eren argued.
"Do you love her because you're supposed to love her, or because you love her?"
The boy's mouth was open, staring at the figure in front of him. Had he really been able to analyze him that quickly? "You're right," Eren mumbled. "I'll… I'll do better."
Mikasa wasn't all that bad, really. In fact, she was caring, kind, and loving, as Armin had said, towards their family. He was just now realizing what a jerk he had been to the girl, and he vowed to be better.
"Good," Armin nodded, ending the conversation. "We should wait down here for them to return. In the meantime, we can help wash dishes."
The blond dragged Eren—who was actually just about to comply—into the kitchen, where they began scrubbing the grimy bowls and plates in the sink to perfection.
They got the job done quickly and efficiently, minus when Armin splashed Eren with the sink water but Eren couldn't get him back because the water went right through him.
"No fair," the brunet pouted, teasingly shoving his friend.
"It is to fair," Armin chuckled. "I'm dead and you're alive; I can at least splash you with water and get away with it."
"Cheap."
"It's true."
They had just finished when they heard the front door opening, signaling the arrival of the rest of Eren's family members. "Eren?" Carla called out.
"In here, Mom!"
His parents and Mikasa were in the kitchen in a split second. "We were looking everywhere for you!" Grisha exclaimed as Carla hugged her son. "You said you were just going on a walk!"
"I did!"
"Where?"
"In town."
Carla sighed. "Honey, we thought you meant in the area. You have to tell us before you wander into town! What were you thinking?"
"Sorry," he muttered. Armin gave him a small smile before exiting the room and, from what Eren could hear, going up the stairs.
"We're going to have to punish you. Your mother and I will think of your punishment," Grisha said, walking out of the room. Carla followed and he heard the two go into their bedroom and shut the door.
Mikasa spoke. "Eren, I—"
She was cut off by the boy pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. He felt her nod after a moment's hesitation. He didn't know what else to say; he had always been bad with words. He let his actions speak for him which, sometimes, got him into trouble. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "Do you want to come up to my room with me?"
Mikasa pulled away and nodded, a small smile on her face. The two bounded up the stairs, Eren hoping Armin would be okay with him playing with Mikasa for a while. Surely he would be. After all, he had encouraged this.
Once they hit the top of the stairs, they ran to the boy's room, Eren flinging the door wide open, going in, and flopping on the bed next to its fellow occupant. Armin barely even looked up from his book, which he seemed deeply immersed in. Turning around, he saw Mikasa still standing at the entrance. A look of pure horror was on her face.
"What's wrong, Mikasa?" Eren questioned, brows furrowing.
Her only response was to point a shaking finger at Armin.
Whew! I feel like my chapters are getting shorter every time. Don't worry, the next one will be longer for sure. Thanks for reading!