*Back to the present; it's late. Andre sits in his old room, unable to sleep due to a lot on his mind; as he lays on the bed and stares at the ceiling, he hears someone in the kitchen. He gets up and goes to see what's going on.*
Andre looks into the kitchen to see Cody talking on the phone, but he notices a strange-looking black cat sitting on Cody's shoulder. It seems almost like a liquid yet still solid * "Cody, what is with that cat? Is it a stray?"
Cody *He put the phone on hold and looked at the cat on his shoulder and back to Andre with a look of shock* "Dude, I didn't think you were awake....oh, and you mean Dex....*His eyes go won't as he looks to Dex and back to
Andre*
"Wait, you can see Dex!?"
"Uhhhh yeah, is that a problem? *Andre says, getting up close to Cody and taking a closer look at Dex*
*Cody's eyes light up as he puts both hands on Andres's shoulders with a serious face* "Dre, I know this is very random, but there's somewhere I need to introduce you to some people I work with ."
*Andre looks into Cody's eyes and feels this must be urgent* "Alright....but it's late. Let me leave a note for Grandma when she wakes up," *he says, opening a drawer, pulling out a sticky note and pen, and leaving a quick note*
Cody: "Oh, and uhh, this might sound crazy, but be sure to bring your baseball bat; it's uhh, just a precaution, you know."
Andre:*gives him a side eye* "You know you were saying this is making it a bit harder to 'trust' you." *he then goes to the back and grabs a wooden bat* "Alright, I guess I'm ready," *he says, following Cody outside to the car
*Cody: "Just trust me, man," *he says, getting into the car and setting Dex in the back right before starting up the car
Andre: *Follows in the car right behind him* "I hear you, man, don't worry," *he says, looking into the back to see Dex sitting peacefully; he reaches back to pet the cat, and upon touching it, he feels gelatinous and even lets out a wobbly meow* "Whatever you are damm your adorable" *he says with a slight chuckle*
Cody: "I'm glad you and a Dex are getting along so well," *he says, parking right outside Andres's workplace parking lot before getting out of the car himself
Andre: "Are you pulling a prank on me, dude? What are we here for?" *he says, getting out*
"If my hunch is right, just watch." *Cody claps his hands together as black bubbles surround him and Andre*
"What the hell!?" *Andre feels bewildered by being suddenly enveloped in this darkness
As Andre opens his eyes, he finds himself in what appears to be the exact spot through everything
"Andre, my dude, Welcome to the Spirit Side," *he said with his arms out in a kind of attempt to look cool*
"The what?" *he says, looking around and jumping back upon seeing what appears to be transparent people walking around*
"It's another side of reality where spirits go when they die," *he says, pointing at a nearby bench*
*He looks over to see what appears to be Transparent people talking* "....They look familiar," *he says, staring over*
"They're the reference for that painting I made recently," *he explains* "The two of them will be ready to pass on pretty soon; they simply wanted to spend a couple of months together."
"That's amazing. I'm happy to hear they found peace," *Andre says, looking over with a warm smile* " Though I don't know how ethical it is to use a dead couple for the sale of art," *he says, giving Cody a bit of a dirty look*
"Hey, I asked for permission...eventually," *Cody says, sighing* "But anyways, not all spirits end up like them. Some of their regrets run so deep they eventually change into something terrible...we call them."
Before he could finish his sentence, it was completed by the voice of a woman
The Young Woman speaks up "The Lost ones are what we call them, a little on the nose, but subtly isn't necessary." *A young woman tied up a dreaded bun, her beautiful dark skin shined in the moonlight as she looked at the two with her beautiful purple eyes* "But anyways, you're late again, Cody."
Huh!? But we were here at headquarters at 12." *Cody says confused*
"Cody, you were supposed to be here at 10. Did you skim through the texts again?" *she says, seemingly about to go into a full-on rant with him, but she notices Andre seemed zoned out* "Uhh, You good?'
Andre:*Snaps back* "Uhh yeah, sorry, just some Deja Vu," *he says upon seeing the same building he works at during the day in the real world * "I'm Andre, by the way." *he holds out his hand*
* the young woman shakes his hands and smiles* "I see. Well, don't worry about it. I'm
Nia. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance; let's head inside to introduce you to Mr.Davis and Dzzy."
"Oh dude, you'll love Dizzy, and Mr.Davis is a riot," *Cody says, being a bit pushy*
The inside of the building was mostly empty except for the meeting table nearby.
There sat two people: one was a Young woman wearing a hoodie and skirt with purple shoes, and across from her sat an older man who seemed to be in his late 30s wearing a black suit with red pinstripes and black boots.
A young woman and an Older Man The two were playing paper football as the woman scores another goal*
The older man becomes a little Downcast* "You sure you're a beginner usually? They aren't this good."
"Maybe, just beginner luck, Mr.Davis," *she says, trying to make her feel a bit better*
*As the two finished the conversation. Andre, Nia, and Cody entered the room.*
*Places her hand on her hips and looks at them with a disapproving* "You two said you were gonna go over my formations," *she says, telling the two off*
"We were going too; I promise we just got a little distracted, is all," *he says with a nervous laugh he says rubbing his slicked-back hair anxiously*
*Nods agreeing* "Yeah, what Mr.Davis said, but uh, who's that next to Cody."
"Oh, I'm Andre; I'm pretty sure Cody here must have mentioned me before; it's nice to meet you," *Andre says with a soft smile
The young woman runs up to him and hugs him* "Nice to meet you; I'm Dzzy, and you're right. Cody told me about you. He said you're a coffee addict, though," *she says, letting go and smiling*
The suited man walks up and holds out his hand* "Name's Leon, though most of the younger workers around here call me Mr.Davis, so whatever floats your boat, think of me as an assignment manager slash teacher thingy jing."
"Gotcha, I'm probably just gonna stick to Mr.Davis though, no offense, not a fan of calling authority figures on a first-name basis," *Andre says, shaking his hand*
*sighs, feeling and seeming defeated* "Yeah, Yeah, I get it." "So I take it Cody already explained the basics of Aura and Spirit Sides?"
Before his question could be answered, the sound of a bellowing alarm started blaring from their phones.
"Never mind, it's best to learn by demonstration. Just stick with me, Andre, alright?" *Leon says with a thumbs up and a smile*
"Just watch us, Dre," *He says with a smug face as Dex, the Black paint like a cat, jumps on his shoulders*
"Leave everything to us; Mr. Davis is an idiot," *Nia says as a purple owl appears and flies beside her*
"Yeah, it'll be cool, so just watch us go!!" Dzzy says with enthusiasm
After everyone said their peace, they all went outside to be met with a lion monster the size of a car, its body covered with glass and hanging out of its mane's red eyes glowed brightly as the moon illuminated its silver skin. The beast roared, looking to attack!
Chapter 3 End