by Scott Kujawa
“The room is still free because I'm very selective about whom I want as a roommate. So far most everyone that has expressed interest hasn't met with my approval. Maybe you'll be that person.”
“I see. Well, my name is Christie,” Christie trailed off, waiting to see if the woman would offer up her name or step aside so that Christie could come inside to see the apartment.
“Sunny.”
Christie tried to hide her smile at learning that was the woman's name. As far as Christie could tell already, that name fits this woman but once Christie saw that the woman was giving her a steady stare, Christie knew she hadn't been able to hide her reaction as much as she hoped.
“Good to meet you, Sunny.”
“Well, come in anyhow, and I'll show you the apartment, and then we'll talk, giving me a chance to see if you are the one whom I want to live with.”
Christie nodded and stuck her hands into the pockets of her jeans. “All right.”
The apartment was pretty much what Christie expected. A kitchen area that was just large enough to move around in, a dining/sitting area, a bathroom that at least had a tub that could also a shower, Sunny's bedroom, and then the spare bedroom that might be Christie's. That room was something she thought of as typical. Inside was the space for a bed, some furniture, and that was about it. At least it had a small closet, which she would fill rather quickly once the moving company arrived with her possessions.
After spending a bit of time talking, Christie asked what was on her mind all along. “So, can I have the apartment?”
She was sure that the woman would say no once it seemed like there was a long silence without getting an answer to what Christie asked, so she was surprised when Sunny agreed that Christie could move in on a trial basis for a month.
“Thank you,” Christie burst out, feeling thrilled and relieved that she impressed Sunny enough that the woman agreed to give Christie a chance. “I'll try not to let you down. Besides, most of the time I'll be busy with my classes and the amount of homework that will come from them.”
Christie stared at Sunny, thinking the friend she had known for the last six months was pulling a fast one on her. Although Christie should have figured out that Sunny was a little different due to how Sunny acted and dressed. Even though Christie only met Sunny about six months ago when Christie answered the flier advertising Sunny's need for a roommate, Christie knew her friend moved to her beat. That became clear to Christie since Sunny always seemed to be dressed in clothing that was torn, had holes ripped into it, or wore clothing that looked like it needed to be thrown away. Sunny also had her brown hair braided into dozens or more smaller braids, which reached down to her the middle of her back.
“Let me understand what you told me,” Christie said while looking at Sunny with the same shocked expression that Christie had as she listened to Sunny. “You can talk to people who have died?”
“Yes. I kept it from you since I got no messages from anyone connected to you. At least until today.”
“Okay. Well… I don't know what to say. I guess this information doesn't change our relationship, but it sure has me shocked. Anyhow… what message does my grandma want to tell me?”
“You will meet someone soon, and the two of you will grow to love each other.”
“Okay,” Christie said, her thoughts racing as she thought about how this event might happen. “Um… is there anything more that might give me some idea on where I'll meet this person?”
Sunny's expression took on a far-away expression before she smiled and let out an amused laugh as she looked at Christie again. “I knew you would meet Alexandria in person once you filled out the application to the video game company and went on the interview that Bess and Melody insisted they wanted from you.”
“You're serious? I'll meet her there?! You're putting me on, aren't you?”
Laughing deeper now, Sunny shook her head. “I'm not, Christie. That is where you will meet her.”
“Okay.” Christie took a deep drink from the glass of wine she was holding while thinking still of what the two of them were discussing. “Um… how long have you been able to… talk to those that have died?”
“All my life.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. But I also don't go around announcing to people that I can hear messages from their dead relatives unless I'm at my shop, or one of the psychic fairs, or at one of the other events where people are more open-minded about receiving messages from those that have crossed over.”
“I see.”
Sunny smiled at her friend and shook her head. “You're freaked out, aren't you?”
Christie returned a smile to her friend and shrugged. “I don't know what I am. I don't even know if I believe you can do what you say you can do. It's something I've never thought about. Plus you know I'm someone that relies on science and technology. So maybe I am a little freaked out, but I'm not lying either when I said I'm not sure how I feel about you telling me you can get messages from people who have died.”
“All right, that's fair. As I said to you, I wasn't sure if I should have even mentioned the message to you, but your grandmother wanted you to hear that message.”
“I see,” Christie repeated. “I guess I'll find out if there's some truth to what you say if I meet someone at my internship.” Christie smiled some more before she laughed and leaned forward towards Sunny. “I can tell you one thing; I have such a crush on Alexandria. I can't wait to meet her, but so far, all I've talked to was Melody, her sister.”
Laughing with her friend, Sunny gave Christie a deeper grin. “From the pictures you've shown me of Alexandria, and all the times we've seen her in person, I can see why you have a crush on her. I can also admit to you that I have a little crush on her. Alexandria is beautiful, for a geek.”
“Hey! I'm one of those geeks, you know!”
Laughing some more, Sunny smiled at her friend some more. “I know you are, Christie. It's not like I can tease you that much about that since I look like a hippie.”
“True, you crazy witch.”
Now it was Sunny's turn to give a strong, “Hey!” which only made Christie smile at her friend before the two broke into joint laughter since they knew neither was trying to hurt the other.
For a while, Christie was silent as she digested the news that Sunny could hear from spirits that were dead. At last, Christie looked over at Sunny and gave her friend and roommate a thoughtful smile.
“So… does that mean all those stories of vampire, shapeshifters, and everything are also true?”
“Don't be an idiot,” Sunny said with a grin. “You can't believe those things are real.” Sunny shook her head in amazement before she shrugged. “Although I can't say. If they are true, I've met none of those stories.”
Christie breathed out a little easier. “All right. I thought I'd ask because you've opened my mind to something I never thought about.”
Sunny nodded and added, “However, the stories about magic users are true.”
“What? Really?”
“Maybe… or maybe not.”
Christie stared at Sunny a bit longer. “Sometimes you drive me crazy and make me rethink my agreement to live with you.”
Those words only made Sunny laugh even harder, causing Christie to stare at Sunny with a put-off expression.
Chapter Three
Alexandria held her face in her hands as she sat at the desk in the library and peered down at the book open before her. The smell of its parchment pages filled her senses while she carefully turned the pages of the tome that looked like it would crumble under her touch if she didn't treat its pages with care.
Alex, as she was known to most everyone else, arrived at the library early, so she could be one of the first to get inside once the doors had been unlocked once the curfew was lifted once the sun rose and spread its light across the city. That was also how the guards knew to open the gates, allowing travelers to enter.
Now, she was frustrated be
cause she wasn't finding what she had come here to research. “It's got to be here somewhere. I'm missing something,” she said, tapping her fingers against her cheeks as strands of her blond hair fell forward because the strands escaped from the headband she used to push them back and out of her face.
“Shush,” came a moment later from one of the others that sat nearby.
Looking over that way, Alex gazed at the old lady and cringed at being chastised, and behind her glasses, her blue eyes looked away a moment later. It wouldn't do to mouth off to someone that could be her grandmother.
The book she wanted to read that was why she had come to this library. The knowledge contained in the book would help her learn where she needed to journey to next. If only Alex could figure out what part of the book contained the secret to that location and so far, she hadn't been able to figure that out.
It hurt that she wasn't sure if what she was trying to accomplish was something she wanted to continue. This journey had been one of terror, peril, and more but, her natural curiosity kept her from giving up her quest. She also wanted to prove to herself that she could complete this quest when others had failed.
She didn't pay attention to the first time that her name was called, nor the second, third, fourth, or more calls of her name she heard but didn't acknowledge. That was until a loud, “Alex!”, came from right next to her. That call finally pierced her concentration and caused the blond to yank off her headphones and grunt out a “What?!”
Alex turned her head and glared at her sister, the one who had been trying to get Alex's attention for some time, it seems.
“You got lost in the game world again, didn't you?”
A little blush filled Alex's cheeks at those words. She knew there was a lot of truth in that statement, and she didn't want to agree that her sister was correct that Alex had done as Melody claimed.
“Maybe,” Alex answered once her sister had laughed herself into small hiccups. “But what did you want, Mel?”
“You forgot, didn't you?”
“What?”
“You made dinner reservations -”
“Oh, gods! What time is it?”
Melody's laughter returned as she smiled at her sister. “Don't worry; I brought you out of the game world in time for you to get ready and not be late… if you get moving right now.”
“Thanks, Mel!” Alex called as she dropped her paperwork, headphones, and whatever else was in her lap onto the desk and rushed off. “I'll see you tomorrow or later tonight, depending on how tonight goes!”
“Enjoy yourself, Alex!” She heard Melody call back as Alex stepped out of the front door of the video game company that the two of them ran together. On her way out she also greeted those that called out to her, giving them back the waves she received or calling back to whoever if they spoke to her. However, her mind was on the dinner date she had later tonight. But first, she had to get home and get ready for that date.
It was autumn, and it was the time of year that Alex loved the most. The way the air smelled differently, it being filled with the smells of pumpkins, apple pie, and other scents she always thought of being at this time of the year. The sights of Halloween decorations being put up, or the way the leaves had changed colors, and more was something else that Alex loved about this time of the year. Plus the way the air seemed to have gotten cooler that added to her love of the months that lead up to the first snowfall.
But most of all, Alex just loved that idea that people were willing to dress up their houses and themselves into all the things she had added to the world she created and worked on every day. Even in the video game, there was a Halloween celebration.
All those thoughts and feelings were with her as she walked along the street towards the restaurant where her date was waiting for her. Alex had rushed home and gotten ready, finding a pair of light gray slacks to go with the white shirt and black vest she settled on before she slipped on a pair of short heels. After giving her blonde hair a brush or two, it was pulled back again, and she was off to meet her date.
Stepping inside, Alex looked around and smiled at the greeter who smiled at her first. “Hello,” Alex said before she added, “I'm supposed to meet with Juliana Hazelwood. Is she here yet?”
“I just seated her, Alex. So you're not late, for once.”
Alex grinned at Elly and nodded with a smile as she felt a little color fill her cheeks due to her embarrassment and because Elly knew her that well. “You always take care of me,” Alex said as her smile turned into an amused and warm grin. “Just don't tell her you do that for me. Okay?”
“Of course, Alex. You know we all pretend that you have everything under control when we both know it's Melody that has the compulsion to be on time and to control every aspect of her life.”
Alex nodded again while she still grinned at Elly. “That's so true. Now Juliana has noticed that you and I are having a conversation, she's looking a little anxious about that. So when you're ready...” Alex trailed off, seeing that Elly picked up another menu and said, “If you will follow me,” with her usual warmth and professionalism.
After setting Alex's menu down in front of her and telling them that their server would be with them to take their drink orders, the greeter left the two of them alone. Alex slid into place across from Juliana and smiled a little.
“So you're Alex....” the brown-haired woman said.
At the same time that Alex said, “Hi, it's nice to meet you, Juliana.”
Seeing what they did, the two paused for a moment before they broke into happy laughter, which they were still doing when the server came by. The way he looked at them set the two of them off again since he was looking at them with such puzzlement and with a look that showed he wanted in on the joke but if they tried to explain why they were laughing, it would only leave him even more confused.
Unfortunately, the rest of the date turned out to not be as good as Alex hoped. It started when Alex ordered one glass of Merlot and was told that Juliana wasn't happy that Alex wanted that one glass of wine. Then came another comment or two about the chicken with vegetables that Alex decided upon for dinner when Juliana only settled on having a salad. It hurt either that each time Alex tried to have a conversation with Juliana, Alex was interrupted because her date had to check her phone. The nail that set off Alex's annoyance was when Alex was talking about her business, and what she did for a living and all she was told was that video games were for children and anyone that spent their time playing them needed to grow up. As for an adult that created a video game world? It was clear that all Juliana had was disdain for that idea and that she thought Alex was wasting her time and her life.
Not wanting to spend any more of the night with the woman she met, Alex took out her portion of the bill and left it on the table. She stared when Juliana wasn't even going to include any tip for her half of the meal. Feeling disgusted at seeing that, Alex covered the rest of the tip which led to the two of them having heated words with each other. Luckily they parted then since Alex had enough, and she kept her feelings to herself until she was alone or away from Juliana.
When she arrived home, Alex gave her head a shake while pulling out the cork on the bottle of red wine she had opened the other night. Once she had glass in hand, she made her way to the bathroom and filled the tub since she felt like she needed a soak before she called Melody and ranted about how the date had turned into. Sometimes Alex envied her sister because it seemed that Melody never had the same troubles when Melody went out a date with one of the men that Melody became interested in or when a man was interested in Alex's sister.
After putting her hair up into a gathering at the back of her head, Alex set the glass within reach and sank into the warm water, letting out a sigh of pleasure. Leaning her head against the back of the bath, Alex swallowed some of the wine and let out a second sound of pleasure. That bottle of red was one she enjoyed a lot, and she had the thought to order a few bottles soon, she wanted to keep it on hand for herse
lf or have a few spare bottles in case she needed to give them as gifts.
“Mel, hi!” Alex said with warmth after she had her phone call Melody's number.
“You're back early. I take it that the date didn't go well?”
“Do they ever, Mel? I don't know why I keep putting myself through this. Just once I'd like to have a good time, you know?”
With a laugh, Alex repeated to Melody what had happened and how things had progressed for the hour or two that the date had lasted. Alex heard Melody's laughter, sounds of contempt or disgust, and the usual sounds that Alex knew Melody liked to make each time that Alex talked about the dates that always seemed to turn into disasters.
Alex threw herself into her work again after that last date that had turned out so badly; there were some new ideas she wanted to test and add to Dyalessia. The new area she was creating would be a silly place for the players to explore. Sure it was another dungeon like the other dungeons that were spread across the game world, but this one would only stay in the game for about a month before it would be blocked off again until next year. Alex only wanted the dungeon around for that long and for once a year so it could be something the players looked forward to experiencing. It would also give them something else to do instead of the usual dungeons that everyone went through over and over again.
This dungeon would be brightly lit with the walls colored in blues and greens to make it more soothing instead of the dark, dingy lighting that most of the dungeons that can be found in Dyalessia. So Alex worked on placing lanterns and magic lighting that helped make the dungeon bright as she wanted. The light in those magical fixtures was a light red and yellow.