Clair obscure shadows danced across the bedroom as Rachel stared up at the ceiling. Mulberry light seeped into the room from the glow of the ENGINE at night. Rachel's eyelids were heavy, unable to sleep while her mind rewound yesterday's events. She glanced at Emily, who slept next to her, and then at the clock sitting on the nightstand. The cigarettes Elijah gave her were a sweet poison, numbing her anxious thoughts.
Rachel rubbed her face, then sighed as she sat on the side of the bed, staring out the window before grabbing the pack of cigarettes on the nightstand. She rubbed her hands through her hair, then lit a cigarette. Her shadow lagged behind her, a forgotten companion to her rising. Cigarette smoke swirled towards the ceiling as Rachel stared at Emily, who tossed and turned in her sleep.
The room compressed as Rachel walked towards the bathroom. She flicked the bathroom light on and off, testing if she could replicate what happened in Mel's smokehouse. The fluorescent lights didn't flicker mulberry, maintaining their natural yellowish-white glow. Rachel stared at the bathroom mirror, her reflection appearing normal as she splashed water on her face. She sighed, then undressed before hopping into the shower.
Warm water trickled down Rachel's soft, rosy skin as she grabbed a shampoo bottle. Her eyes burned when the chemicals got into her eyes as she applied it to her strawberry blonde hair. She stared at the showerhead as she let the water run through her hair and down her back. Her skin pruned as steam filled the bathroom while she washed herself. Rachel twitched like a cat as the temperature in the room dropped.
Ɇ₵ⱧØɆ₴ ₴₵ⱤɆ₳₥, ₴Ⱨ₳₮₮ɆⱤ ₮ⱧɆ Ⱨ₳ⱫɆ."
Rachel's eyes widened as she turned off the shower and peeked behind the shower curtain. Her heart raced as her eyes darted around the bathroom, but nobody was there. Water trickled on the marble floor as Rachel got out of the shower and grabbed a towel to cover herself.
"Ɇ₵ⱧØɆ₴ ฿ł₦Đ ₥Ɇ ₮Ø Ɇ₦ĐⱠɆ₴₴ Đ₳Ɏ₴. ₴ⱧɆ ₩Ɇ₳VɆ₴ ₮ⱧɆ ₮ⱧⱤɆ₳Đ₴, Ɇ₵ⱧØɆ₴ ĐɆ₵ɆłVɆ."
"Who is there?" Rachel muttered with wild eyes. Her muscles tensed as she glanced at the foggy mirror. "Emily?"
"Ɇ₵ⱧØɆ₴, Ɇ₵ⱧØɆ₴, VØł₵Ɇ₴ ĐɆ₵₳Ɏ, Ɇ₵ⱧØɆ₴, Ɇ₵ⱧØɆ₴, ₴₮₳₮ł₵'₴ ⱤɆ₱Ⱡ₳Ɏ."
Rachel trembled as she spun around the bathroom while her jagged shadow remained in place. "What the hell is happening to me?" she whispered to herself as she noticed her shadow walking towards the mirror.
Her heart raced in her chest; she wanted to run and scream, but shock froze her body.
"₵Ø₴₥ł₵ ₴ⱧɆ₦₳₦ł₲₳₦₴ ₮Ⱨ₳₮'₴ ₩Ⱨ₳₮." Rachel's reflection said as it tilted its head as if it had full autonomy.
Rachel's eyes bulged as she stared at what was supposed to be her reflection. Her heart pounded as she stumbled to the bathroom floor. Her reflection smirked at her as its body glitched as if it was struggling to render itself correctly. Mulberry glowed in its eyes, swirling with secrets untold.
"Ɇ₵ⱧØɆ₴ Ⱨ₳Ʉ₦₮ ₩ⱧɆⱤɆ ₴Ⱨ₳ĐØ₩₴ ₱Ⱡ₳Ɏ, Ɇ₵ⱧØɆ₴ ฿ⱠɆɆĐ ł₦ ₳ ₵Ɽ₳₵₭ɆĐ Đł₴₱Ⱡ₳Ɏ," her reflection sang. Its voice was ragged and distorted, like a vocoder was embedded in its throat.
"What the fuck are you?" Rachel asked her reflection.
The mirror glitched, twisting the scene of her standing in a rundown trailer home bathroom.
Rachel's eyes narrowed, with no recollection of where or what place her reflection was standing at. Her mind spiraled as the fluorescent lights hummed as they dimmed.
"Leave me alone!" Rachel screamed as she clutched her head.
"Hey, are you okay, Rache!?" Emily asked as she opened the bathroom door.
Rachel blinked as her fingers trembled as she pointed towards the mirror. "There's something in the mirror...it looks like me but it ain't me!"
Emily raised an eyebrow, then glanced at the mirror. "You seeing ghosts, Rache?"
"I don't know what the fuck it is!"
Emily scratched her head, then helped Rachel to her feet.
"I feel like I am losing my mind! My shadow moves on its own, I see shit in the mirror... I remember stuff nobody fucking remembers," Rachel rambled as Emily helped her out of the bathroom.
Emily paused as she bit her lip.
KNOCK... KNOCK
"Ay, is everything okay in there!?" Elijah yelled as he banged on their bedroom door.
"No.... everything is not okay!" Rachel whimpered as Emily opened the door.
Elijah exhaled a cloud of cigarette smoke as he stared at Rachel and then Emily.
"She thinks she saw a ghost," Emily explained as Elijah walked into the room.
"What in the flying fuck is all the racket!?" Sarah yelled as she entered the room in an oppressively pink nightgown.
"Ghosts, apparently," Elijah quipped as he searched the bedroom.
Sarah cackled. "Oh, that is rich. Did someone hear too many horror stories living on the streets?"
Emily rolled her eyes as she comforted Rachel, as she cried. "It's actually Rachel, and the only ghost will be you if you don't shut the hell up."
"What's going on?" Shiyu asked as she entered the room.
"Hallucinations," Sarah cackled, then left the room as Alice, Arthur, and Amos entered the bedroom.
"Did you say ghosts?" Amos asked with a raised eyebrow. "There is no such thing as ghosts."
"Then I don't know what the fuck it was!" Rachel replied as she rocked on the side of the bed. "I know I saw something... I am not fucking crazy."
"Nobody is saying you are, Rachel," Elijah replied. "Where did you see it?"
"In the bathroom," Emily responded for Rachel as she rubbed her shoulder.
Elijah nodded, then walked towards the bathroom, magnum in hand.
"Hey, where are you going, Rache?" Emily asked as Rachel abruptly stood up and walked towards the door.
"I need air and a cigarette," Rachel replied as she left the room and walked down the hallway.
"Hey, wait up," Amos said as he and Alice followed.
"Please... I just-"
"Just wait up."
Rachel turned around and sighed.
"Let's take a walk," Alice suggested as she wrapped an arm around Rachel. "Don't worry, we don't think you are crazy... weird stuff has been happening to us as well."
"Really?" Rachel asked as they walked into the living room.
"Yeah, ever since Hotel Sin... things have been off."
"Mostly déjà vu," Amos explained as they headed towards the balcony. He stared out at the skyline before crossing his arms and leaning on the wall. "And I think I know why."
"I've been getting a lot lately as well. You think it's connected?" Rachel asked as she lit a cigarette.
Amos nodded. "I am certain it's connected, and I think you know how."
Rachel raised an eyebrow, then averted her gaze from Amos.
"You already suspect her, huh?" Amos asked, then glanced at Alice.
Rachel shook her head as she sat down against the wall.
"Look, I know you two got a thing going on, but-" Alice said as she looked at Rachel.
"It's not her... I literally sleep with her every night and nothing happens."
"It only happens when she is around Rache."
Rachel shrugged. "And what of it?"
"We ain't saying Emily is a bad person, Rachel...you don't gotta defend her. We are saying she is more than what she implies she is," Amos replied.
"Yeah...that's why she is chosen," Rachel replied as she smoked. "If you think you're going to make me turn on Emily and make me suspicious, it ain't going to happen."
Alice shook her head and crossed her arms. "We ain't saying that; we're telling you to pay attention... something definitely off about her."
"Ahem... sorry if I am intruding on a delicate conversation," Arthur said as he stepped onto the balcony. "We got a bit of a problem."
"What is it this time?" Amos asked.
"It's about our dear friend Lex."
Rachel raised an eyebrow. "What about that creep?"
"Well, you see," Arthur muttered as he rubbed his white beard.
"OH HELL NO!" Sarah yelled.
Rachel stood up and followed the others into the living room.
"Is everything okay?" Alice asked as she watched Sarah storm into the living room.
"No, everything is not okay!" Sarah growled as she threw a bottle of liquor at the wall with all her might. "Guess what Elijah found?"
"I assume it isn't a ghost?"
"No, even worse," Sarah grumbled as her nostrils flared, then tossed a spy camera at Alice. "That little short dick Lex bugged my penthouse!"
"How the fuck did he do that?" Amos asked as Alice handed him the broken camera.
"He must have installed them when I was doing tours. I haven't lived here for years," Sarah explained. "I am going to strangle him to death when I see him."
"Never thought I would agree with a narcissistic flamingo," Emily quipped as she entered the living room.
"Please don't. I would rather not see both of you turned into a Hollow," Arthur replied.
Rachel glanced at Emily as she leaned on the wall. Her eyes lowered as Amos and Alice's words cut through her mind, poisoning her thoughts with suspicion. She removed the thought like a tumor as she closed her eyes and breathed.
"I am going to check our wheels, then we're leaving," Elijah grumbled as he exited Sarah's penthouse.
"You good, Rache?" Emily asked as she approached Rachel.
Rachel glanced down at the floor, then forced a smile as she looked into Emily's emerald eyes. "I guess."
Emily nodded, then glanced back as Shiyu was grabbing a collection of books from the bookcase.
"Hey Emily...is there anything you might keep a secret?" Rachel asked as she rubbed her neck.
Emily turned her head and raised an eyebrow. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"It's just... a week ago I felt like I had everything figured out. The ENGINE's game, Lex spying, me seeing whatever the fuck I saw... I just hope you're not hiding anything."
Emily nodded and hugged Rachel. "I get it... nothing is as it ever seems."
Rachel looked into Emily's eyes as she ran her hands through her hair.
"I will get our stuff. Meet me downstairs, alright?" Emily asked.
Rachel nodded as she lit a cigarette. She stared at Emily's shadow as she turned the corner and vanished from sight. Emily's shadow seemed unnaturally large compared to everyone else's. The shadow was distorted and jagged underneath the dimly lit light. Rachel's heart fluttered as she stared down at her own, which echoed Emily's abnormal, long shadow.