Alana adjusts the camera on her cap while her friends prepare the rest of the equipment. She looks at the abandoned hotel building and her wristwatch.
"One hour until dark. Hurry up, I promised to have dinner at home today."
Toni rearranges the handheld camera while Arthur and Nathan adjust the microphone and flashlights.
"And since when are you a family girl?! I thought our project was more important."
Alana looks at him without any expression.
"A college project?! Let's do this right away because I want to go home."
Alana walks to the hotel entrance and pushes the door open, hearing it creak. The boys hurry after her and the four enter the room that is still lit by the sunlight that comes in through the window panes. The ones that were still intact or at least cracked.
Nathan passes her a flashlight and she lights the farthest corner of that first room, seeing some animal running away from under the threshold of another door.
The four of them approach the counter of what previously seemed to be where guests were served.
When Alana reaches out to grab the dusty book from the counter, Nathan slaps her hand, making her look at him with a questioning expression.
"Don't touch anything, remember?!"
Toni lights a door on the right.
"Let's split up. Me and Arthur on this side and you on that."
Arthur shakes his head, but already accepts defeat.
"Splitting up is never good."
"Come in."
Toni pulls the boy behind him and the two open the door to a room that seems darker than the lobby. Alana looks at Nathan, who continues to look at Arthur with the same expression as an abandoned dog.
"And now I've lost my boyfriend."
Alana ignores the boy's drama and lights up the door on her left.
"Let's just get it over with."
She opens the door and enters into the room that is darker than the previous one. Before Nathan can accompany her, the door closes by itself with a thud.
Alana's heart hammers in her ears and she tries to ignore the trembling of her hand when she tries to open the door.
"Nathan?!"
She hears muffled noises on the other side of the door and when she tries to open it, it gets stuck.
"Of course."
A cold hand touches her shoulder and Alana turns suddenly, coming across a girl shorter than her and apparently of her age.
"Who are you?!"
They both ask at the same time, and Alana dodges the cold hand of the girl who looks at her with a hurt expression.
"Where did you come from?"
Alana asks as she points the flashlight into the darkness of the room, searching for others.
"I live here. Why are you and your friends invading my house?"
Alana points the flashlight at the girl's face, who doesn't even blink.
"Why do you live in a run-down hotel?!"
The girl smiles and Alana almost forgets where she is.
"I've lived here for as long as I can remember."
Realizing that the girl wasn't going to move, Alana walks past her to reach the next door.
"Great. Stay away from me."
The girl follows her.
"What are you doing here?"
"A college project."
"I can help you."
"No need."
Alana opens the next door and enters a darker room. She spins the lantern around to make sure there is no one else.
"What's that blinking in your head?"
"A camera."
"So you're going to film my house?"
Alana is almost giving up on the whole thing.
"And that bothers you?!"
The girl shakes her head, delighted to have visitors.
"No, you can continue. You and your friends are not the first."
Alana takes the camera of her cap and films around, watching the green screen. When the camera passes the girl, the image on the screen does not change. Alana looks at the girl, making sure she is still standing there smiling, and then at the camera screen, which remains unchanged.
"Are you a ghost?! Why can't I see you through the camera?'
The girl turns her back to Alana and stares at the darkness that seems to spread even further through the place.
"How did you guess?! My body is around here somewhere, but I can't reach it.'
She turns and faces Alana, lowering her voice:
"I need help."
Alana lowers her camera, ending the recording.
"Have you died?"
The girl shakes her head negatively and for the first time, Alana can see her form flicker,
"Not yet. But my time is running out, I can feel it."
Taken by curiosity, Alana reaches out her hand and uses it to get closer to the girl. The other realizes what she wants to do and raises her own, touching palm to palm.
While the girl smells the fresh air, the breeze of a cloudy Sunday afternoon, Alana smells something long kept, the despair and helplessness of just being able to watch as everything changes around her.
A burning sensation begins to grow stronger and stronger in her hand and she is thrown back, falling on her back. The two watch the shape of the girl's hand grow weaker and weaker, almost transparent.
"It's started. They told me that as soon as I found a reason to live, I would start disappearing. I have to find my body before I disappear completely."
Alana's head is pounding with many questions but what really catches her attention is the other's "reason to live".
Why does she feel a strange need to help her?!
She gets up from the floor.
"What is the last memory you have of your body?"
The girl closes her eyes, trying to awaken any memory after so much time wandering around.
Nothing.
She opens her eyes and Alana sees her answer there. She takes her phone out of her pocket and presses the call button.
"Toni, change of plans."
*-*
They start entering any door they see, looking for any place where a body could be. They go up to the second floor and open all the doors until they have no more rooms to look in.
At this point, the girl's entire arm was transparent and her leg was tingling, warning her that she would be next.
She could only follow the haste with which the human beside her searched every corner.
Trying to help her.
Help her.
Her reason to live.
Without realizing it, she bumps into the back of the human who looks back.
"What else did they tell you?'
The girl hesitates and looks away to her transparent hand.
"We haven't looked on the top floor yet."
"You know it's not there."
The girl looks back at the human who looks at her anxiously.
Her reason for living.
"There's another way to find it, but there's a price.'
"Speak."
The girl takes a deep breath, feeling the tingling in her leg.
Alana watches the girl's leg turn transparent. Time is running out.
"If something wants to find out
In something you will have to exchange
If something wants to stop
A kiss you will cost
But be careful when deciding.
If time runs out,
Your body will transfer
And you will pass out."
The weight of those words covers both of them. Alana will have to make a choice and face whatever the consequences.
"I do. I give you a kiss."
She slowly approaches the other, placing her hands on her shoulders and bringing their faces closer.
The girl looks into her eyes, increasingly anxious as their bodies get closer.
Or what she could call a body.
The human holds her face with both hands and, in sync, their eyes close and their lips touch.
Before Alana can deepen the kiss, the girl disappears under her touch. When she opens her eyes, she notices the whole building begin to tremble, about to collapse. She looks around for the girl but finds no one and runs to the first floor and out, meeting her three friends.
"What's going on?!"
"I think it will collapse."
Alana takes a step back to the abandoned hotel that is starting to crumble. Toni grabs her arm.
"What are you doing?!'
"I have to save her."
"That will fall on you."
Alana tries to break free but is useless and the three of them watch as the whole building comes down.
A few minutes later, when the dust finally starts to settle, she sees someone beyond all the mess.
Her feet start running before her brain can process what she's doing.
The girl is waiting with open arms and a shy smile on her lips.
Alana pulls her against her and hugs her with all her strength, feeling the flesh and bone arms hug her back.
Their hearts race at the same pace.
"I thought I hadn't made it."
The two look at each other again and this time, Alana presses her lips with all force against the mouth of the girl who accepts.
The taste is somehow familiar to both of them.
When they move away, Alana notices the well nearby. She looks at the girl and before she can ask, the other nods.
"I opened my eyes and suddenly I was here. Waiting for you.'
"I was also waiting for you, Luna.'
The girl's name slips past her lips but neither of them are surprised that she knows that without the other ever having introduced herself.
It wasn't just a reunion in that life. It was the certainty of encounters that had already happened and those that would still happen.
"Come on, let's go home."