Rena stared at her reflection, her heart pounding in her chest. The girl with short brown hair and dark swollen eyes had vanished, leaving Rena questioning her sanity. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.
"It's just my imagination," she muttered, splashing cold water on her face. "Get a grip, Rena."
A few minutes later, she dressed up and went downstairs for breakfast. Her mother, a kind-faced woman with warm brown eyes, was setting the table.
"Morning, sweetie. Huh... you look a bit pale. Are you feeling okay?" her mother asked, concern etched on her face.
Rena forced a smile. "I'm fine, Mom. Just didn't sleep well."
Her mother handed her a plate of pancakes. "You sure? Maybe you should stay home today ."
"No, really. I'm okay," Rena insisted, not wanting to worry her parents.
During breakfast, they talked about mundane things—her father's work, her brother's soccer practice—but Rena couldn't shake off the eerie feeling from the morning. She finished her meal quickly, eager to leave for school and distract herself.
At school, Rena tried her best to act normal, but her friends noticed her pale face. Kiara was the first to ask, her voice filled with concern.
"Rena, are you sure you're okay? You look really tired," Kiara said, gently touching Rena's arm.
Rena shrugged it off. "I'm fine. Just a rough night, that's all."
Jessy chimed in, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "You're hiding something. You can tell us, you know."
Rena shook her head. "Seriously, it's nothing. Let's just get to class."
Their math teacher, Mr. Thresse, decided to give them a surprise test. Rena, usually good at math, found herself struggling with one question. She knew the process but was confused about the formula. After 15 minutes of fruitless effort, she was about to skip the question when she heard an unfamiliar voice.
"The formula is cosθ = | l1 l 2 + m1 m2 + n1 n2| ."
Rena looked around, bewildered, but no one seemed to be talking. Her eyes darted across the room, and Mr. Thompson noticed her distraction.
"Rena, focus on your paper, not on your classmates," he scolded. "No cheating."
"I'm not cheating," Rena mumbled, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. She quickly wrote down the formula and continued with her test.
After class, she asked her nearby classmates if they had helped her with the question, but they all denied it. A shiver ran down her spine as she realized something weird was happening.
During lunch, Rena's friends questioned her again, their concern evident.
"Rena, come on. Tell us what's going on," Jessy demanded.
Rena forced a laugh. "I told you, I'm fine. Just a bit stressed, that's all."
Kiara wasn't convinced. "If something's wrong, you can always talk to us. We're here for you."
Rena nodded, appreciating their concern but unwilling to share her strange experiences. "Thanks, guys. Really, I'm okay."
Back home, while Rena was changing out of her school uniform, she heard her mother calling.
"Rena, I'm going grocery shopping. Can you keep an eye on the house? Your father and brother will be late because of Ryan's soccer match."
"Sure, Mom," Rena replied, slipping into her comfortable home attire.
In the kitchen, she made herself a sandwich and remembered her chemistry assignment was almost due. Chemistry wasn't her strong suit, and she found herself struggling with a particularly tricky question.
"You don't even know such a simple question? " the same unfamiliar voice mocked.
Rena's eyes widened with shock, her hand freezing in mid-air. The pen she was holding clattered to the floor. Her body was covered in goosebumps, and tears welled up in her eyes as she looked around, seeing no one.
"Who's there?" she asked, her voice trembling. Silence answered her. She picked up the pen with a shaky hand, trying to calm herself.
A few moments later, she heard a throat clear. She froze again.
"Um, no need to be scared. I don't mean any harm," the voice said.
Rena grabbed a paper cutting knife, holding it defensively. "Who are you? Where are you hiding?" she demanded.
"Wait, please. I really don't mean any harm. And you probably can't see me because I don't exist physically," the voice explained.
"Stop joking around and show yourself!" Rena insisted, her grip tightening on the knife.
The voice sighed. "I can't. I'm already dead."
Rena laughed nervously. "Don't make me repeat myself. Show yourself, or I'll... I'll make you a ghost for real!"
"Even if you don't believe me, I'm already dead. For some reason, I'm inside your body ," the voice said.
"Inside my body?" Rena whispered, her mind racing. Suddenly, she remembered the old school building and room 3B. The dizziness, the shuttlecock—everything came flooding back. She couldn't overcome the shock and fainted.
When Rena came to, she heard her brother Ryan and her father calling her name. She blinked, disoriented, and saw their worried faces.
"What happened, Rena?" her father asked, his voice full of concern.
Rena rubbed her temples, trying to gather her thoughts. "I just felt weird and dizzy. Must be stress," she lied, not wanting to worry them with the truth.
They seemed to accept her explanation, but Rena could tell they were still worried. She forced a smile and reassured them she was fine.
After dinner, Rena retreated to her room, feeling slightly calmer than before. Exhaustion took over, and she fell asleep quickly.
The next day, Rena decided to take a day off from school, claiming she was feeling unwell. Her father and brother went to work and school, and her mother busied herself with laundry.
Rena sits in her bed, her mind racing. "Are you still there?" she asked aloud.
"Yes ," the voice replied.
Rena took a deep breath. "Who are you? Why are you inside my body? Are you really a ghost?"
The voice sighed. "I too used to be a student at Westbrook High. And I was your age when I was killed. My soul was somewhat trapped in room 3B. I think it's been three years since I saw the outside world."
Rena hesitated, her voice trembling. "So, you're the ghost everyone talks about? The one from the old school building?"
"I think ...Yes," the voice confirmed.
Rena's eyes filled with tears. "So, I'm cursed. This is it for me. Oh, Dad, Mom, Ryan, Jessy, Kiara... I think this is the end for me." She clutched her chest dramatically. "Was I a good daughter? Dad, you always worried about my future, but now I don't have one. Ryan, I won't be able see your final match anymore. Kyle, I never got to confess—"
"Stop being so dramatic," the ghost interrupted, sounding exasperated. "You're not going to die."
"What do you mean 'not going to die' huh ? I..I'm cursed! I'm possessed by a ghost!" Rena wailed, starting to mutter, "I don't want to die, I don't want to die..."
The ghost, unable to take it anymore, controlled Rena's hand and slapped her face lightly.
Rena gasped, her eyes widening. "Did you just slap me?"
"Yes, because you're being ridiculous. You're not going to die okay," the ghost said, annoyed.
Rena's anger flared. "Stop controlling my body!" But then she realized she was arguing with a ghost. Her eyes widened, and she started praying, "God, please free me from this evil spirit. Save me, save me..."
After a few moments, Rena stopped praying and lay down on her bed, exhausted. " So what's your name? Why are you a ghost? Who killed you?" Rena sat on her bed, staring at the ceiling.
The ghost spoke. "You seem calm now, so I should probably introduce myself. My name is... Huh. What was my name?" The voice trailed off, and Rena could almost hear the wheels turning in the ghost's head.
After a few minutes of silence, Rena's patience snapped. "Don't tell me you don't remember your own name," she said, her voice dripping with suspicious.
"Maybe, yes. Sorry," the ghost replied sheepishly.
Rena sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Great. Just great. Well, we can figure that out later. You remember who killed you, right?"
The voice fell silent again, and Rena felt her frustration mounting. She waited, tapping her foot impatiently. After a few minutes, she couldn't take it anymore.
"You haven't forgotten your killer too, have you?" she asked suspiciously.
More silence.
"Oh, come on! Speak!" she demanded, her voice rising.
"Umm, Rena, don't get angry, okay? I think I lost my memories," the ghost admitted.
Rena's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you freaking kidding me? You don't remember your name or your killer? What the hell am I supposed to do with you?"
The ghost sounded genuinely apologetic. "I know, it's a bit of a mess. But I really need your help. I want to be free. Please."
Rena let out a frustrated scream and stormed downstairs. She found the punching bag in the garden and started hitting it furiously. The ghost tried to calm her down.
"Rena, hitting the bag isn't going to solve anything."
"Shut up! I don't need advice from a useless ghost!" she yelled, her fists pounding the bag until it finally broke.
The ghost sighed. "Well, that was productive."
After exhausting herself, Rena went back to her room, her face flushed with anger. She glared at the empty space where she assumed the ghost was.
"You're completely useless! You don't remember anything! How the heck am I supposed to help you if you can't even remember your own damn name or your killer?"
The ghost tried to defend itself. "I know it seems hopeless, but I need your help to regain my memories. Please, Rena."
Rena rolled her eyes. "Oh, sure. I'll just magically help you remember everything. Because that's totally something I'm capable of."
She lay down on her bed, muttering to herself. "Great. I'm stuck with an amnesiac ghost. My life couldn't get any better."
The ghost, undeterred, continued pleading. "Please, Rena. I promise I'll remember something soon. Just give me a chance."
Rena ignored it, deciding to focus on anything but the ghost. She picked up her phone and started scrolling through social media, trying to find some distraction.
"Rena, are you seriously ignoring me?" the ghost asked.
"Yep. Because talking to a ghost with no memory is so much fun," Rena replied sarcastically.
The ghost sighed. "I get it. I'm not the most helpful ghost. But I'm all you've got."
Rena snorted. "Lucky me."
The ghost fell silent, and Rena felt a twinge of guilt. Maybe she was being too harsh. But then again, dealing with a ghost wasn't exactly something she had ever prepared for.
"Alright, fine. I'll help you. But you need to start remembering things, fast," she said finally.
"Thank you, Rena. I'll try my best," the ghost replied, sounding relieved.
Rena sighed, lying back on her bed. "Yeah, yeah. Just don't make me regret this."
The next few days were a mix of frustration and bizarre moments. Rena tried to go about her daily life, but the ghost's constant presence made things complicated.
One morning, Rena was brushing her teeth when the ghost suddenly spoke up. "Hey, I think I remember something!"
Rena nearly choked on her toothpaste. "What? What do you remember?"
"Um... I liked playing badminton," the ghost said.
Rena spat out the toothpaste and glared at the mirror. "That's it? You remember a freaking hobby?"
"Hey, it's a start!" the ghost protested.
Rena rolled her eyes. "Great. My ghost likes badminton. How helpful."
Later that day, she was in chemistry class, trying to focus on a particularly difficult equation, when the ghost piped up again.
"By the way, I think I was good at chemistry."
Rena clenched her pen so hard she nearly snapped it. "Seriously? Can you maybe remember something useful?"
The ghost sighed. "I'm trying, okay. And also it is not as entirely useless as you say, since you are so bad in chemistry. Maybe I can help with it."
Rena muttered under her breath, " yeah right.....Of all the ghosts in the world, I get stuck with this one."
During lunch, Kiara and Jessy noticed Rena's strange behavior.
"Rena, are you talking to yourself?" Kiara asked, raising an eyebrow.
Rena forced a laugh. "No, just... thinking out loud."
Jessy looked skeptical. "You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, just dealing with some... personal stuff," Rena said, shooting a glare at the empty space beside her.
Back at home, the ghost tried to be helpful. "Maybe if you go back to room 3B, it might trigger some memories."
Rena sighed. "Fine. But if this doesn't work, I'm done."
That evening, Rena snuck into the old school building, making her way to room 3B. The ghost was silent, and she could feel the tension.
"Alright, we're here. Now what?" Rena asked, looking around the dusty room.
"I... I don't know. Maybe touch something?" the ghost suggested.
Rena rolled her eyes. "Sure, why not." She started touching random objects in the room, feeling more ridiculous by the second.
Suddenly, she felt a strange sensation. "Wait, I think I remember something," the ghost said.
Rena's heart raced. "What is it?"
"I think... I think I was a top student here. And... oh, I remember! I had a favorite teacher. Mr. Harrison!"
Rena frowned. "Mr. Harrison? The janitor?"
"No, he was a teacher when I was alive. Oh wait, you're right. He did become a janitor later," the ghost admitted.
Rena sighed. "Well, that's something, I guess."
The ghost sounded hopeful. "See? We're getting somewhere!"
Rena couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, at the pace of a snail."
Over the next few weeks, Rena and the ghost continued their bizarre partnership. Slowly but surely, the ghost started to remember more details. It wasn't much, but it was progress.
One evening, as Rena was doing her homework, the ghost spoke up again. "I remember my favorite book! 'To Kill a Mockingbird.'"
Rena chuckled. "At least you had good taste."
The ghost laughed too. "Thanks, Rena. For putting up with me."
Rena smiled. "Yeah, well, you're kind of growing on me. Just... try to remember something useful soon, okay?"
"Deal," the ghost replied, sounding determined.
As Rena lay in bed that night, she realized that maybe, just maybe, having a ghost as a companion wasn't the worst thing in the world. It was weird, frustrating, and sometimes downright infuriating. But it was also kind of... fun. In a strange, supernatural way.
To be continued...