Glitch

Chapter 7

Did I sleep peacefully that night? No,

Did I have nightmares of what happened? No.

Did I have a confusing night? Yes.

I fell as asleep around 1 am, after reading a lot of creepy pasta.

You think, the current horrors of my day to day life could have stopped me from reading those? Wrong.

Do I like Horror? No, No I don’t. I am scared of ghost, witches and anything of the supernatural.

Then why did you play with the board? Does a board with a symbol, numbers and a few letters look scary compared to a bloody person? No, it doesn’t. It looks innocuous as a matter of fact. How on earth was I suppose to know a board that can be ripped to shreds could do this?!

Or maybe that’s just my mental health going down the drain.

Anyways that night I woke up around 3 am. I left my phone open playing ballads to drown off the noise of the knocking by the window. Though when I woke up, my phone was playing an unfamiliar song. It was a song I had never heard off before. It made a chill run down through my spine.

I also felt this burning hot sensation behind my back, as though I was slowly being burnt from behind. I could hear a breathing from behind me. I could not move a muscle to even turn off the music, it was starting to get creepy as it only kept playing one line and what I was hearing was ‘Wanna die?’.

Yes, I did think about death but I’ll die on my own accord. The burning sensation on my back was becoming unbearable. I wanted to turn around to tell off whatever it was, but I couldn’t move. I felt as though fiery fingers were tracing the exposed skin on my neck. It went on for who knows how long, I tried concentrating on moving my fingers or limbs to wake up but it felt as though I was tied up with a string. I could still here the breathing behind me.

At this point I started praying. I tried finishing one prayer in my head but I just kept repeating on one line over and over at the middle part. I inhaled deeply as fear started to creep unto me. I kept repeating from the beginning of the prayer until I was able to finish it. When, I was able to finish it though I woke up and it was 5 am.

I sat on my bed, staring unto the walls. Thinking of what had just happened trying to think clearly but all I got was. I am sleepy and I am tired. My thoughts were put to a stop though when I heard knocking on the window again.

Moving the curtain showing me the dark skies outside, with only the street lamps illuminating the street. I saw a branch that was steady pointing at the window as though someone was holding unto it. I looked at it with a bored expression. The knocking continued again; three taps, each lasts for a second, then as a one second interval in between.

“Stop.” Was I said, staring blankly at my reflection on the window sill. Though it did not look like me, my reflection blinked though I know I didn’t. “I am not in the mood. So, stop.”

I was actually tempted to open the window and beat the crap out of whatever kept on knocking on the window but that meant allowing it to enter. I know that I brought something along with me here and no thank you. I do not need another entity being roomies with me.

I opened the door of the room to make breakfast and get ready for school. Which apparently still made no difference as I was still late to class. The longer the hours passed the more I felt as though I was slipping away from my consciousness.

I didn’t tell anyone what had just happened, other side from the fact that I was placed at my mom’s province with my other aunt’s. Instead, of playing with the board we decided to just tell scary stories. In the middle of broad daylight, cause why not?

“Did Angela tell you about the shadow copying our math teacher?” I asked them as I leaned unto the wall under the shade of the trees

“What do you mean by shadow?” Nathalie asked as she leaned unto my shoulder. The day was going on with a slow pace, everything seemed dull and no color.

“Like a shadow.” Angela placed her hand up out unto the sun, allowing the shadow of her arm to show. “This literally, but there were four instead of three.”

“You only have one shadow though.” Nicole pointed out, while leaning on the railings eating some chips.

“Three actually look, closely.” I said pointing at it with my pen that I took from my pocket. “Look closely, you’ll see it has three. One a darker, the one we usually see. A second one slightly lighter and another one that looks like an outline. For our math teacher that time, she had four the fourth one was almost the same shade as the second and you can’t tell me it was the trick of the light.”

We giggled and continued talking on and on about things we have lately been experiencing. Each either being more sensitive to spirits and such. The closer we seemed to be to that of the veil between worlds, the thicker a wall between us and other people. It seemed as though human instinct was subconsciously telling them to stay away from us.

Or maybe it was just my imagination as I had always felt isolated anyways.

“Wait, Nicole you can see things right?” Abigail asked her while opening another bag of chips.

“Yeah, why?”

“How do you deal with it then? I do you choose what you see or like you see everything?” I asked while reaching for some chips. “I had mine opened once but closed it. I got scared with the things I saw.”

“You can close it?” Angela asked while looking at me.

“Yeah, I mean I forgot the ritual or how I closed it. I know I just did, I can still feel but I can’t see anymore.” I said while closing my eyes. “I have some dreams that come true as well, but yeah… Anyways Nicole?”

Nicole sat down on the floor in front of us leaning unto the cemented steps. Stretching her legs, and yawning before answering.

“Well, the moment I wake up. I see them staring straight at me. Then I can see some of them now, like the one behind you. The one following Nathalie.” She said, then pointing at me and Angela. “But the two of you have a lot that follows you around. I am not sure which one of you is being followed though.”

‘Liar. There is no one behind us.’ Anika said from within me. ‘Though she ain’t wrong about somethings following you around.’

‘Can you just like.. Stop talking for a moment?’ I said while staring nodding to what Nicole said. ‘How’d you get in anyways.’

‘In you?’ She asked but didn’t answer which eventually made it look like I was spacing out.

“You okay?” Abigail asked me to which I nodded to her in response.

“I feel like something is up this tree.” I said looking up to the branched of the tree, I don’t know why but I felt as though something was staring at us. It could have been my imagination or what but I thought I saw a shadow of a man up there. “Speaking of which, I remembered why must we play the board as two?”

“It takes two to tango.” Nathalie said while laughing.

“No, it’s not because of that.” Abigail said while giggling. “Its more of keeping the grounding, If you are alone…”

“You can be overpowered by it.” I said absent mindedly, which caused her to look at me and nod in agreement.

“Also, do not use it in graveyards. Or in your house.”

“Not in a graveyard because you can’t be sure who you are talking to. It’s best to talk to one directly. Not in your house as well cause using the board it like a telephone you are calling them to you, which may cause them to infiltrate your house.” I felt their stares at me which caused me to look up to them and smiled. “I used to be fascinated by witchcraft.”

“Really?” The all looked towards me in shocked. Is it weird to get addicted to witchcraft before?

“I mean in the past… My family had an incident they told me it was done due to witchcraft. So, I got interested to know how to deflect those type of things. I learned both light and dark magic, but yeah only for light reading. I haven’t actually tried them because of my religion.”

“Wait, how did you even?” Nicole asked while staring at me.

“There is a book that I found.” I shrugged at that but I felt Anika throwing a smirk.

‘Liar, I know where you learned it.’ She was laughing from within me, her laugh resonating from the entirety of my head. It sent shiver’s down my spine. I wasn’t sure if she was bad or not. ‘So… I finally found someone who knows.’

‘Knows what?’ Was what I last asked before she disappeared on me again.

“So, you know some spells?” Nicole asked somewhat interested into the new topic we had.

“I mean… Yeah, I know two or three. I have it in my notes at home though.” I said standing up while checking my watch for the time. “We have 2 minutes before the bell rings. I don’t want to be here when it does ring.”

“Why were you late by the way?” Abigail asked as she wrapped her arms around me. My vision looked dreamily hazy again, I leaned into her hug before blinking. Suddenly feeling like I was pushed to the back as Anika took the reigns of control again.

“Cause I am staying at my mom’s province now.” She said acting as if she was me.

‘What are you doing?’ I asked though I felt tired and weak.

‘Just testing how long it’ll take them to notice it’s not you.’ Was what she said. That would have hurt me if it took long. I didn’t trust her despite being in one body, and I knew better than to trust her. Technically, speaking my gut tells me not to trust her. My intuition is usually right, but I don’t follow it as I depend on logic but now, I am not in control I have no choice but to trust my instinct. I can’t hear all her thoughts and she can’t hear all of mine.

The only common ground we have was my body and but I am not comfortable with letting anyone know everything about me.

She looked blankly at the people in front of me and sometimes smirked at some of the guys from the higher levels who returned the smile back. When she was in control she gave off this foxy, flirtatious type of aura that seemed to have gained attention to people here.

Her head turned to look at Angela who first looked straight at her with no expression then slowly gave her a smirk. That must have Clyde, since he does the most smirking and cheeky boyish smiles. Anika rolled her eyes in response.

‘Can’t believe how low your standards are. You seriously have a crush on him?’ She told me with a mocking laugh. ‘And you proud yourself of having high standards but fall for a spirit you can’t see. Hopefully while I am in here, maybe I can raise the bar a little higher. Like maybe that cute boy over there.’

She stared at some guy who passed by our line, she threw him a wink that caused him to give a cheeky smile in return.

‘That’s a college guy though.’ I said from within. ‘Please stop checking him out… you make me look like a perv.’

After that she had been eyeing some of my classmates, though I told her to sit at the back with Angela and Abigail despite her wanting to sit with some of the boys.

“How do you two do that?” Abigail asked us as our teacher discussed about how photosynthesis works in plants.

“Do what? Photosynthesis? We don’t because we are heterotrophs.” Was what Anika answered while flipping her hair and looking at Abigail. Which caused Angela to giggle as well.

“I mean switching. You know… What did you call it The- You’re not Theo.” She said after she stared at me closely. “See you just did it again, let me guess Angela isn’t her as well.”

“Nope… Soul switching was done when we were in the line.” Anika answered while playing with Abigail’s hair. “You wanna experience it as well?”

“I mean, they get to rest for a while…” She said to which Anika just stared at her and nodded.

In reality it was like resting as we weren’t the ones controlling ourselves, yet every time I was in control again it felt as though I was drained of energy and I had no choice but to give it back to her. When I am tired, it’s harder for me to take or stay in control and easier for her to take over. Either when I am tired emotionally, mentally or physically. I was still conscious, I can still see, and hear what was happening around me. I can forcefully take the reigns again but it takes a lot of energy from me. I either have headaches and feeling nausea hitting me.

“Well, you have to let someone in you.” Was all what Anika told her before looking towards Angela. “Isn’t that right, Tyrone?”

Tyrone shot her a bored look before copying notes again.

“I think I’ll stick with being me.” Was what Abigail said before copying notes again. Anika chuckled lowly.

She was in control until dismissal. I wasn’t actually one who minded, at least she had to deal with all the pollution, noise and traffic. I actually needed to ride a provincial bus to get home to where I was staying.

‘Human’s have become dirtier and noisier than I remembered. You sure you don’t wanna take over now?’ She asked me as I we waited for a bus.

‘No, you can handle this. A few hundred years would have made you, you know… right?’

‘Honey, I lived in an age where women were given priority. Were sitting down, smiling sweetly at men would make them swoon over you instantly. This is not what I thought the future would hold, ew.’

‘Just get on a bus. I wanna get home before 10.’

‘You can be such a nagger right, so I need to stand? Really? Argh… we could have at least have some fun in here you know. If you didn’t dress like a freaking old woman.’ She said as she stared at my reflection on the window.

‘Its called being decent. Also, no… perverted bus men are not a thing… and no I do not want to loose my virginity in a bus.’

‘Prude…You don’t know how fun it could be. You’re pretty you just don’t know how to use it yet.’

‘Can you just focus on not falling off or stumbling.’ I said, I was starting to feel uncomfortable now. I don’t know it felt hot despite the bus being cold.

It was getting darker inside, a few people went down and we were able to sit down. I looked out to the window, seeing numerous reflections of eyes staring back at me. I hadn’t noticed she gave me control once more when we were able to sit down, complaining from within how human life seemed to get more and more difficult. I only noticed I was in control again when I noticed the gold and red eyes staring at me from the dark shadows outside of the bus.

I blinked making sure I wasn’t seeing things. But they disappeared the moment I blinked. I shook my head and took my phone out and placed my earphones on.

Maybe I am going crazy… This must be all in my head… Schizophrenia seems like a more probably explanation than ghost and spirits and such…

‘Yeah, you are going crazy.’ Anika said from within. ‘Go on keep telling yourself that and it might just come true. Also either way, if you tell this to anyone you have two options… Either go and get exorcised by a priest or get bombarded by medicine in the nut house. Choose your pick!’

‘Not helping.’

‘Well, you believed it at first right? You convinced Angela that this was real... Is it really though? How sure are you that I am not a figment of your imagination caused by your fear of using the board and what it might bring?’

It was scary hearing her voice in my head. Normally this was what crazy people did, but I do not know… It sounded crazy, but I know what I am seeing, I know what I feel.

‘Maybe its hallucinations you know, delusions and such. I wonder how long will you keep your sanity at this point. I mean… It’s almost the same as insanity right?’

‘I know myself, and I know that I am not crazy. Because how on earth would I know how England would look like and the number of stores, names of streets and such when I haven’t even been there. That was your memories right?’

‘Right. Well at least you can still differentiate everything. With the dreams you have I would have been confusing reality with my dreams.’

It’s getting harder to discern things now, and I feel like I am on the boundary of being insane. I am not afraid, and insanity will not be the reason of my downfall.

‘You are one hard person to break. I’d give you that. World throws trash and even if you get hit you still don’t break.’ Was what she said before I was left alone in the bus with my own thoughts and my reflection that had disappeared awhile ago returned.