The color of the sky mimicked Rachel's swirling emotions as dusk began to set. Street lights flickered on as she parked her dented Miata in the driveway. As they exited the car, she noticed her mother in the living room window.
"Rachel, what happened to your car?" she asked as she met Rachel and Emily at the front door.
"Mike dented it trying to serenade me, but I handled it," Rachel replied as she hugged her mom.
"Handled it?" Rachel's mom asked with a raised eyebrow. "With whose money?"
Emily chuckled. "No, she meant handled with a well-deserved slap."
"And he even tried to gaslight me to think the break-up was all my fault. Where is Dad? He will laugh when I tell him this," Rachel asked as she walked into her living room.
"You must be Emily; Rachel won't stop talking about you. Please stay for dinner; we are having my famous Meatloaf and roasted potatoes. Oh, and Rache, can you get your father out of his man cave while I get Emily situated?"
Rachel nodded, then looked back at Emily, who was busy talking with her mom. "We already got a quick bite on the way here, but I won't pass on your meatloaf."
She stopped briefly, looked around her, sighed, and headed towards the basement. She was too stuck in her head to notice that her shadow wasn't moving in unison with her as the wooden floorboards creaked under her feet. Football merchandise and movie posters cluttered the basement walls. Her barely visible reflection was that of a grinning static doppelgänger on her father's large television. Her reflection grinned too wide; its hollow eyes glowed faintly. Static crackled around its edges, distorting its features until it looked almost human—but not quite.
She stared at it, and it stared back at her. Her heart began to race as she looked at her father, who seemed oblivious to her reflection on the television. Her clammy hands rubbed her neck, and so did the static-like reflection on the screen. It did not go away when she rubbed her eyes, but it was still there.
"Dad...what is that?" Rachel muttered with wide eyes as she started to step back up the stairs.
Rachel's dad turned the television down and gazed at her with raised eyebrows. His head darted towards the TV and back at her, and then he shrugged. "What is what?" he asked as he rubbed the nape of his neck. What got you all spooked?"
"You can't see it?"
"See what?"
Emily went down the stairs and noticed Rachel breathing rapidly as she looked at the television. "Hey, look at me," Emily instructed as she snapped her fingers to get her attention.
'You guys don't see that?" Rachel replied as she pointed at the television.
Emily stared at the television for several seconds with a stoic expression. Then she looked at Rachel's father, who shrugged at her. She sighed and shook her head, then walked over to the television. "Did you see a spider or something?" Emily asked as she looked at the screen and then down at the carpet.
Rachel blinked heavily and rubbed her head. "You guys don't see the thing on the television?"
"What is the football game?"
"Dinner is going to get cold if yall don't get your butts up here!" Rachel's mom yelled from the top of the staircase.
"Fine, fine," Rachels dad groaned as he turned off the television and headed upstairs.
"We will talk about it later," Emily insisted as she touched Rachel's shoulder and guided her back upstairs.
The dining room was filled with the delicate and rich aroma of perfectly cooked Meatloaf and roasted potatoes as Rachel's dad. Emily helped set the mahogany-wood dining table. Rachel bit her nails as she noticed Emily staring at several of her childhood photos.
"Rachel was such a cute and well-behaved child growing up. She was also a chubby kid," Rachel's mom said as she set the utensils.
Emily glanced at Rachel, who had a distant gaze in her eyes, avoiding eye contact.
"So Rachel tells us you are a very talented musician and artist," Rachel's dad said as they began to eat.
"Lies," Emily replied as her eyes lit up as she took a bite of Meatloaf. "This is good, Mrs. Harper."
"I am glad you like it. But seriously, you should come over more often. You are always welcome here, and I know a few people who can help you get into a college with an excellent art program.
Rachel's eyes narrowed as the light flickered overhead. Her eyes drifted towards the streetlights outside, their warm yellow light illuminating the road.
"Ugh, again. I am so glad the Reactor will be up and running by the end of the week. Getting tired of this crap." Rachel's dad muttered as he got up.
"I am going to go help your dad with the breaker box. You girls have fun, and make sure you two don't oversleep. You still have school in the morning," Rachel's mom said as she smiled at Rachel and Emily before leaving the dining room.
Rachel gazed back up at the flickering lights above her, fixating on their consistent on-and-off rhythm. Then, she refocused her attention when she noticed Emily getting up from the table.
Silence lingered in the air as Rachel stayed in her dining chair and Emily started to wash the dishes. "I think our house is haunted, Em," she said. "Either that, or I am losing my mind."
Emily chuckled as she put the dishes in the sink. "Ghosts are not real, Rachel."
"They just retrace," Rachel bluttered with a raised eyebrow. The lightbulb overhead flickered and glowed while the streetlights outside flickered on and off.
Porcelain shattering on the ground ripped through the silence as Emily dropped a plate. Her eyes drifted towards the streetlights and then at Rachel. She then walked towards the speakers and pulled them from the extension port.
"What are you doing, Emily?" Rachel asked.
Emily rubbed her neck. "I heard on the news that this type of stereo can cause electrical fires when there is a power outage," she explained and laughed. "Hey, are you up for a night drive?"
The lights flickered as Rachel glanced at the speakers, then at Emily. "Wait, were we not supposed to talk about something?"
"Not that I recall. Where is all this coming from, Rache? You have been really out of it since we left the arcade."
Rachel shook her head, her eyes drifting towards the carpet as she attempted to recall a conversation with Emily in her car. "Something about nightmares?"
Emily crossed her arms; her eyes drifted towards the flickering streetlights outside. "It really isn't a big deal, Rache. Just forget about it."
"ɎɆ₴ JɄ₴₮ ₣ØⱤ₲Ɇ₮ ₳฿ØɄ₮ ł₮. JɄ₴₮ Ⱡł₭Ɇ ɎØɄ ₳Ⱡ₩₳Ɏ₴ ĐØ," A mechanical voice hummed in Rachel's head.
Her eyes widened as the streetlights flickered to an ominous red.
"Fuck my life, not again," Emily muttered out loud as she sighed as she noticed the kitchen light flickering red. The speaker near Emily turned on despite not being connected to a power outlet.
BRRRZZZZTTTTT
I wake up where the shadows hum,
A broken train on bruise-colored drums.
Rachel and Emily's heads turned sharply toward the speakers.
"What the fuck?" Rachel froze mid-step, her breath catching. The lyrics hit like a punch to the gut—they're familiar but wrong. She remembers snippets from Emily's sketches and eaten pages:
"No, no, no, no," Emily muttered with wide eyes as she saw a streetlight flickering an ominous red that matched the song's rhythm blasting from the speakers.
Threads unravel from my fingertips,
They whisper secrets I can't commit.
My reflection splits, a hollow grin,
Eyes like static, skin so thin.
Every mirror shows what I've erased,
But ghosts don't vanish—they just retrace.
A sharp pain throbbed behind Rachel's temples. Flashes of memory crashed over her. A tall Latina woman full of hate was pointing the barrel of a gun at her. A fire alarm blared as she rushed down a school hallway. A Static Crown and A Static Bride. Watching her static doppelgänger collapse as Emily, with mulberry eyes, smashed her face in.
Her hands trembled as she listened to the music." Emily... why does this sound like you?" She mumbled.
Emily's forehead dripped with perspiration, and her hands were clammy as she gazed at the pulsating red streetlights engulfing the entire neighborhood that slowly began to creep toward Rachel's house.
The red glow seeped through the windows like spilled ink, casting long shadows across the walls. It hummed faintly, vibrating in Rachel's molars like a tuning fork.
Rachel stared at Emily, but her mind was elsewhere. Her eyes dilated as fragments of familiar yet alien memories rushed through her. "Emily...why did that sound like you?" Rachel muttered as she curled into a ball on the stairs.
"Rachel, snap out of it!" Emily shouted, grabbing her shoulders. But Rachel's eyes are hollow, unseeing. Panic clawed at Emily's chest. "Not here. Not now. Not again."
The once haunting, dark pop tune suddenly changed to a lo-fi jazz instrumental with synth wave elements. Rachel's now glowing mulberry eyes noticed almost invisible strings hovering in the air. The strings were attached to everything and herself. They passed through walls like they were not composed of anything physical, and when she moved, the strings attached to her also moved.
Time seemed to slow down for Rachel as she gazed around the living room. Outside working on the circuit breaker, her parents moved like they were set at half-speed. The strings attached to them floated in the air, loosening and tightening with their muscle movement. Her eyes widened when she noticed Emily had no strings attached to her.
"I've done this before," Rachel muttered as her heart raced and her body shook like a wobbly microwave plate.
"ɎɆ₴ ɎØɄ Ⱨ₳VɆ," A mechanical voice hummed in her mind as the red light flickered overhead. "฿Ʉ₮ ₩łⱠⱠ ɎØɄ ₣ØⱤ₲Ɇ₮?"
Rachel's eyes darted from side to side as Emily rushed towards her. "You have no strings, why?" Rachel asked as Emily shook her.
Emily's words were muffled as the jazz continued to hum in her head. Her body froze up, her thoughts cutting her psyche like poison-tipped daggers. Her distant gaze fixated on Emily's lack of strings and the strings attached to her hands. She felt watched, like everything, and everyone was gazing at her.
Free yourself from the strings,
Wear the static crown, let it hum,
In this fractured throne, you'll become
The weaver of worlds,
the breaker of seams,
Or the ghost in the code, lost in dreams.
Rachel's hands stopped trembling as she forced herself to confront the thoughts swirling in her head, and then tranquility rushed over her. A smile formed on her face as her heart slowed down to a normal rate. She gazed at Emily, whose eyes widened as she stepped back.
"Don't listen to it," Emily muttered as her eyes flickered mulberry momentarily.
"It's not hiding secrets; you are Emily. Why don't you have any strings?" Rachel asked as she absentmindedly gazed at the strings attached to herself.
"You can see them, why are you not freaking out?"
"₩ⱧɎ ₳ⱤɆ ₮ⱧɆⱤɆ ₦Ø ₴₮Ɽł₦₲₴ Ø₦ ⱧɆⱤ ł₦ĐɆɆĐ?"
"Why do you have no strings, Emily?" Rachel asked again.
Emily frowned as her eyes drifted from her gaze. "You don't get it. I am trying to help you."
"Keeping me in the dark is not helping me. You assume I am too weak to handle the truth!"
₩Ⱨ₳₮ ł₴ ₮ⱧɆ ₮ⱤɄ₮Ⱨ?
Emily's mouth opened, but no words came out; her eyes blinked fast as she stood silent.
Rachel glared at Emily and then stormed upstairs to the bathroom. She hesitated briefly as she turned on the light. She stared at her reflection, which stared back at her.
"₮łⱤɆĐ Ø₣ ⱤɄ₦₦ł₦₲ ØⱤ ₣ł₦₳ⱠⱠɎ ₣ⱤɆɆł₦₲ ɎØɄⱤ₴ɆⱠ₣ ₣ⱤØ₥ ₮ⱧɆ ₵₳₲Ɇ ɎØɄ ฿ɄłⱠ₮?" Her static doppelganger asked as it stared back at her in the mirror.
Rachel rubbed her face, and so did her reflection. The jazz music continued to hum tranquility in her soul as she stared at her reflection, who grinned no more.
₩ⱧØ ₳ⱤɆ ɎØɄ? It asked.
"I am the Static Bride," Rachel replied as she mentally freed herself from her own mental nightmare.