"Are you sure that you're going to be okay?" Zeanne asked one last time when we reached my house.
I looked at the fenceless two-story house in front of me with a wide parking space and a huge lawn. Strangely, the house looked so familiar and I was pretty sure that I've seen this house before but I just couldn't remember when or where.
"I'll be okay. No worries." I removed my seatbelt and reached for my duffle bag from the backseat. "Thanks for dropping me."
There was a look of disappointment on her face but she didn't say anything and just nodded. So I got out of the car without turning back and felt like a huge jackass after I heard her drive away.
[Can't you be a little nicer to her? I understand that she's not the woman you're in love with but this woman seriously loved the man that was here before you.]
I was not in the mood for her nagging. "What's the password?"
[...0705]
I dialed the numbers on the electronic door lock and froze when I realized what the numbers were. "July 05. It's Zee's wedding date. What does that number mean to Arthur here?"
When she didn't answer after a full minute of waiting, I stormed inside the house and tossed my bag on the sofa. "Come out."
[...]
"Come out, now. We have to talk properly."
[Say 'please'.]
I cursed inwardly. Not that it made a difference if I cursed out loud because she could hear my thoughts. So I clenched my teeth and humored her. "Please."
As soon as I said the word, an arm snaked over my shoulder and when I turned my head, I finally saw her again after a couple of weeks of feeling like a lunatic for talking to an imaginary friend.
She turned her head to me with a huge grin. "It's nice to be back home, isn't it?"
"It's not MY home." I corrected her then I noticed something was amiss. I looked at her again and she stared back at me quizzically.
"What?"
Our faces were close to each other and our eyes were on the same level. "Have you always been this tall?"
She looked puzzled by my question at first, then she laughed. "Of course not, silly. I'm floating. Otherwise, I could not put my arm over your shoulder."
Floating? I looked down and my eyes widened when I saw that her feet were indeed hovering above the floor. "Get down. And don't hover when you're around me."
Her arm slid off from me as she lightly landed on the floor with a pout. "Spoilsport."
I frowned. "Does Arthur let you hover around like a ghost?"
She shrugged. "I never needed his permission to do anything. He can't see nor hear me."
"Then... how come I can see you?" I knew that these were not the questions that I should be asking at the moment but it felt like I had to address this issue before anything else. I had to make sure that she's not some kind of vengeful ghost who's planning to use me for her revenge.
"Because I let you see me, duh!" She frowned at me. "And will you stop associating me with a lowly ghost? It's insulting."
My jaw dropped and she crossed her arms before throwing herself on the sofa. "You mean… ghosts really do exist?"
"If you mean spirits of the departed according to popular belief, then no." She shook her head to my utter relief. "There's no such thing. What humans claim to see are not ghosts but Rogues."
"Rogues?" I heard her say that word many times before but I still don't know what that is. I sat beside her and leaned my back, feeling my entire body slowly relax.
She looked up at the chandelier and I did the same. "Hmmm… How do I explain this in simple words."
"Try me." I chuckled. "Not that I'm bragging but I'm on the smarter side of the spectrum."
"I beg to differ." She shot my ego down almost instantly. "I don't think a smart person would waste his second chance at life by being a martyr."
I could not find a good rebuttal to her accusation. "Hit me with your layman's terms then."
She smirked then she started explaining to me what a shadow and a rogue were, complete with hand gestures.
"Every human born in this world is born with a shadow. The purpose of that is to keep the balance of light and dark in this world and avoid chaos. You can think of us as traveling companions. We keep a record of every word, thoughts, and deeds."
She briefly glanced at me to see if I was still following. I nodded and signaled her to continue.
"Right before a human dies, a reaper will severe the thread that binds us with our subjects. That allows us to submit our records to the higher-ups for judgment and request for a vessel to use in collecting the human souls. With that, we put their spirits to slumber. Only then can we go back into Darkness and wait for our next subject."
I nodded even though it felt a little weird because the concept sounded awfully familiar. "So… You're like our guardian angels?"
"Puahahaha! Hell no!" She sat up and threw a fist at my arm while laughing. "Guardians are of a completely different species and they don't necessarily guard humans. They each have their own duties to fulfill. Very busy people, I tell you."
"I see." It's funny that I was listening intently to all this nonsense. But the more I listened to her, the more things actually made sense. Weird.
But what's important is that she's not a vengeful ghost.
"Also, unlike Guardians who are bound to the promise of absolute obedience, we Shadows have the freedom of choice as humans do. Our boss doesn't mind us roaming on Earth as long as we don't cause trouble. And the Shadows that roam without a subject are called Rogues. And the only way for them to return to Darkness is to put a human spirit to slumber. It's a non-negotiable prerequisite."
"By putting a human spirit to slumber...you mean?"
She grinned and swiped her thumb across her neck. "Death."