Once upon a time, I was a candy-crush sweet student in the whole school; twittered around the others pretending to be the happiest girl, just to find myself to be the most foolish girl among all. The people who adored me, back-bitted me the most. The people who seemed to hate me, also back-bitten me. Hilariously, my situation in school was not tolerable, yet I lived; I had to. Because, nowadays, backstories about getting bullied are pretty normal. So the whole story of my school will sound pathetic.
I would clearly see how everyone treated me like; a joke. I wasn't as fast as everyone else; I was a twit. An overprotective and over dramatic family slowed down my maturity; couldn't blame them for being so. We lived in a serene society where children went missing once a week. Slums were around every tall building, the image of where we lived was chaotic and slummy. Even after being a middle class family, we lived there without an appropriate plan. My parents took time to settle their marriage too. Thus, instead of ensuring a safer society, they ensured a safer cage for me and my brother. It's obvious that you cannot make a society safe alone.
Having so-called friends around me was easier than staying alone back then. Besides, it took me 6 years to realize my surroundings, including the teachers who used to judge me by my childish behavior. Their judgement was exaggerated through my so-called friends' opinions reported to them. Still it was cryptic how and why they had an issue with me and even kept it a secret as if I was really troublesome.
A year before graduating high school, I met someone who was real. The only year of my life that went well because of him. The moment when he gave me his napkin and stepped aside to ease me, I started to overcome, just for that year. I needed more, at least I wanted more.
I wished for it more. But I couldn't continue; after graduating from high school, I had to break the tie from everyone and everything related to it. It was my biggest mistake and I regretted it a lot since then. My therapist did nothing but took my money and time. I needed him back, the person who used to push me to the lighter era, I needed that person back in my life. So, I went on a mission myself, and it was to find him with whatever I had. The stupidest thing is, I didn't have his cell number. All I have is his words and memories of a couple of moments we spent together.
However, if we start talking about the backstory about the Charles Mansion rather than about my school life, it'd be easier to know where the whole thing is going.
So, Mr. Charles Wiener, a man of several assets and immense wealth; He had a son, Charles Willes, who would have been the CEO of Mr. Charles Wiener's 'X' corporation if he hadn't committed suicide. Once, he lived in that haunted building where he killed himself. Though the officers suspected that it wasn't a suicide, it was still stated to be the suicide case and so, closed it for good. It was too obvious that they were forced to close the case. Meanwhile, Mr. Wiener's nephew, Stephen Darcy, was fond of the mansion from the beginning and he was one of his perilous threats in his prosperity on the way of business; more like a competition of fortune. Moreover, Mr. Carlos Tine was also quite a competitor. After Mr. Willes's death, Mr. Charles Wiener willed the assets to Mr. Weston, as Mr. Wiener was Mr. Weston's godfather; not to mention, Mr. Weston was a man of mystery himself.
While Charles Willes, the then future CEO of the 'X' corporation, was alive, he was trying to build his own career as a philosophical writer at the time. He was quite different from other businessmen in his house. He was known as the 'Billy Fishers', one of the most well-known and recently popular writers. But no one knew his actual identity or how he looked until he died. He also had fame on social sites through his fake poet-name. I, as well as the others, followed him. I was one of his biggest fans and of course not completely unknown about his true identity. I knew his partial, and even his inner identity.
Now about that night, I remember, we went to the mansion to investigate the rumors of the people who lived there, especially the statement of Dr. Melisa Frost, who lived there for almost a year. She was able to resist there for 10 months after sensing such spiritual existence. It was our last chance to do something that followed our purpose, only if she was right.
When I entered the mansion, it felt familiar. I didn't remember exactly why. However, after I had entered the flat-5C, I heard someone whisper. I had to look inside the room. I stepped a foot in the room and then I heard it clearly, "Loren?"
Someone was calling me by my real name which was uncertain. The voice sounded somewhat familiar too. When the person eventually appeared visible on my torch, I was too flummoxed to act normal, not because it appeared from nowhere, but because I knew him well and I was looking for him for 2 years.
Only he and my family called me 'Loren'; unless everyone called me Lora by name.
- Karl?
- Loren, what are you doing here in the middle of the...
- Where the hell have you been?!
I had to whisper to him; it was better not to tell anyone else about us. So, I muted the audio recorder and paused the camera and continued our conversation. He started talking again,
- You can't stay here.
- Why? Do you know how much I had to go through to find you?
- You're here to find me?
- Of course not!
It was a peculiar feeling, why would I look for him in the middle of the night, moreover, in a haunted house? I whispered with more grip,
- Are you that stupid? I'm in the middle of an investigation!
- On what?
- You shouldn't be here!
- You're repeating me.
- Listen to me! There could be any sort of spiritual existence here. You better get out now. Or we could just leave together with the team. It's too dangerous to...
He didn't listen to me till the end; maybe because he knew what we were looking for, maybe he wanted to show me what we were dealing with. The next thing he did was, stepped close to me, and stirred his hand on my shoulder; his hand went right through my shoulder. Had it neither touched me nor made me feel anything but cold.
I don't remember what happened after that. The only thing that came through my mind is that I'm lost. It is still a mystery if it was really Karl, or that ghost just fooled me.