It was like dealing with the worst feeling of vertigo ever in her life.
Lumi felt as if the very fabric of reality was peeling apart around her. She managed to drag her eyes away from the floating boy to see if her friends were seeing the same thing. Lorna's jaw had fallen open in shock and Iris had a frown marring her features. Iris opened her mouth making an attempt to say something. Something stopped her. She began to sway on her feet before lilting to the side. Lorna hurried to catch her preventing her from falling.
"Okay," the tanned girl dragged out the word. "We all see the floating boy, too right?"
She began to look around. None of the beach goers were nonplussed.
"Is this a mirror trick or something?"
Lumi turned back to the boy.
He floated above the wooded ground, unnoticeable to any of the other beach goers. He wore a sharp outfit that consisted of pure white pants held up by a deep black belt, figure hugging long sleeved shirt tucked in that was paired with a sunset red cloak. His skin was unblemished from any acne or scars. His hair seemed to be made up of black silk. Lumi realized that was floating in a hazy sphere, one that was both translucent and solid. Regardless, the three girls were the only one who could see him. A lot of those walking by them on the boardwalk was giving them strange looks for supposedly looking off into space.
The boy was glaring angrily at Lumi.
"Um," the silver blond haired girl began awkwardly. She turned slightly to Iris and pulled the other girl towards her. "Can we help you?" She figured this would be the best way to start a conversation without anyone thinking she and her friends were crazier than they really were.
The boy's frown deepened. "Are you talking to me?"
Lumi almost threw her hands up in frustration. "Yes," she said, her eyes flicked from the boy back to Iris.
"This is really freaky," Lorna commented. "Like, is this a mirage? Are we hallucinating?"
I wish, Lumi thought.
Iris placed her arms around her and planted her head in the crook of her shoulder.
"What the heck is going on?" She took on the guise of a girl who needed comforting. Lumi ran her fingers through her hair and even Lorna joined the impromptu group hug.
"Amazing," said the prince. He had to be a prince. He had a regal air to him. His pompous tone also added to this image. "Even when you converse with me you never pay attention to what I actually have to say."
Lumi did not understand—nor did she like—the judgmental tone in his voice. She didn't even get how she could offend him. Yeah, he didn't get her full attention, but they were out in public and she and her friends were the only ones who could see him.
Maybe that was a sign that they should run...?
"You've had a lot of nerve still causing trouble in a new world," he was continuing his tirade in Lumi's direction, which just caused the girl more confusion. Seriously, what had she done to make him upset?
Iris pushed herself in front of the other girl, not even bothering to continue the charade.
"Listen here, prick," she growled at him. "I don't know what problem you have with my girl, but you need back up." Lumi felt her heart lightened at the show of camaraderie. It seemed as if their earlier argument had been forgotten.
The prince just sneered at her. "How lovely. Your friend's skin shows how dark your heart truly is."
"Whoa!" Lorna jumped in front of the both of them. "What was that, Puto?"
The prince frowned at her. It was obvious by the disdain in his gaze he was questioning their intelligence. Which incensed the girls further.
"My name is not Puto," he corrected her. "It's Prince—"
"Prick?" Iris finished for him.
He chuckled at her. Again, his attitude showed that he was questioning their intelligence. "No, it's Prince Caspar."
"Hold up," Iris interrupted him.
"Now there is no way he shares the same name as my boy Caspar the friendly ghost," Lorna lamented. "Not Caspar."
The prince paused, not even deigning to meet that with a response. Instead he turned to Lumi. "Did you decide to find some new brainless minions? Based on their moronic babble you have to use minimal efforts to get them to do your bidding."
The girls all stared at him with varying degrees of shock.
"Quiero patearle el trasero," Lorna reached for her hair, wrapping it into a ponytail.
Iris was in agreement. She reached for her earrings. "I don't give a damn if he's a ghost." She placed the gold hoops in Lumi's outstretched palm. "I'm using the power of the holy ghost to whoop that ass."
Lumi, breaking out of her stupor and realizing that they were dealing with more than they were prepared for, reached for the two girls and stopped them. "We don't even know if we can hit him. We may just pass right through him and get hurt ourselves."
The prince—Caspar, she had to remember his name was Caspar—scoffed at them.
"Well," he mocked. "They have your propensity for violence."
"And you still have the propensity for stupidity," Iris shot back. "When are you going to understand that we don't know what you're talking about?"
The prince now glared at her. "You don't have to feign your innocence. If you're in league with her," here he sneered at Lumi. "Then you're just as corrupted."
Lorna broke into rapid Spanish, her face flushed red with anger.
"Is she using some sort of witchcraft?" He gave the tanned girl an accusatory glare.
Lorna was so offended she couldn't even form words for a few seconds.
"La Bruja?!" She screeched. "El estupido es acusa para de brujeria?"
Lumi had decided that. Was. Enough.
Grabbing the arms of her friends, she began to march them away from the boy. "We will not stand here and have what could be no more than an apparition taunt us."
They didn't even make it two feet before disaster struck. Lumi found herself unable to move as some invisible force had grabbed her from behind and had begun to drag her back the way they came. She struggled against the intangible grip, but it was to no avail. She was lifted up and dragged backwards, towards the pompous prince clawing at the air for her freedom. The last thing she saw was Lorna screaming her name, rushing after her before darkness closed in.
She heard the thump of a body thumping on the ground before even sound faded.