Zander’s Second Year of Law School
Age: 23
Jade slipped out of her bed before sunrise. Dark circles under her eyes were a mark of the long hours at her new job. She moved like a zombie to the bathroom, and then to get dressed, not even bothering to put on makeup before heading out the door.
College graduation had come and gone, and Jade's mother had not followed through on her promise to explain the strange occurrences.
To survive, Jade numbed herself to everyday life. She went through the motions in a trance. She got behind the wheel of her car and merged onto the highway and signaled to switch lanes without thought. She cut herself off from everything that gave her pain…and pleasure.
Jade exited the highway a few towns over. She didn't react when half a dozen floaters passed through the crisp morning air as she waited at a stop light. Over the past two years, her mind learned to filter the oddities or at least not react to their appearance. When the light turned green, she turned into a drab parking lot of a boring brown office park.
“Happy Thanksgiving,” the pudgy security guard said as Jade scanned her badge at the door.
She paused and gave him a confused look. “What?” Had she forgotten what day it was?
“Everyone gets out at three today for tomorrow’s holiday.” He smiled, but Jade didn’t return his excitement to head home early.
A chill crept up Jade's spine as she entered the building, but she brushed the anxiety aside. She reminded herself that she was immune to the holiday fear that used to grip her.
Jade took at a seat at her unadorned cubicle. The carpet, walls and chair were differing shades of taupe, depending on their level of filth. It was a government job that wasn’t flashy and paid little.
Jade moved her mouse and her computer exited sleep mode. After the multi-factor authentication logins, Bobby, Marcus and herself smiled from the background on her screen. She quickly clicked the email icon and the happy trio disappeared.
She had set the picture when she began the job after college graduation. It seemed like a lifetime ago. Their lives were different now. They were less intertwined.
This was the first Thanksgiving she was spending without her brother and her cousin. Marcus had been accepted into multiple graduate schools, but had chosen the one farthest away from Woodpine. He might have elected to put miles between himself and his family, but at least she knew where to find him. Jade wasn’t sure where Bobby slept most nights. He was supposed to graduate from college in the spring, but he had a penchant for failing classes.
Jade started the software program she would use for her usual boring tasks. She wasn’t sure if it was her mother’s or her own actions that had pushed Marcus and Bobby away. She sighed in resignation. She might have been lonely in her new mundane existence, but she was protected from the threatening insanity of her own mind.
“Jade?” Her boss, a plump middle-aged man with a receding hairline, motioned for Jade to come over. She pushed back her chair and walked the five paces to his office. Her face was blank as she waited for his request. “What are you working on today?”
“The forensic analysis on the Brown case.” Per the usual protocol, another employee had input the biochemical findings of a crime scene into a database. She typically spent her workday searching the data for patterns and connections, isolating her from interacting with people. Jade felt no connection to the work. She sat at a desk before sunrise and manipulated data until sunset.
Her boss nodded. “The Brown case can wait. I need you to organize the files in Department L. We have a site visit by the regulators on Monday.”
Jade agreed to complete the task and headed to Department L, which was a massive room in the back of the building. She heard rumors that the “L” stood for Leftovers since it seemed to be a catchall of file cabinets, spare desks and abandoned projects.
She was used to being tasked with the grunt work. She suspected it was because she never complained. That made it sound like she should have been rewarded for rolling up her sleeves, but she also never asked for anything challenging. It was a job and nothing else.
Jade stepped inside and surveyed her surroundings. The windowless room was a maze. Setting the documents straight and putting the case folders in alphabetical order would take her the whole day. She made her way around metal filing cabinets and crept past three tables stacked like the leaning Tower of Pisa. She pulled over a tilted chair, which screeched along the floor, and sat down in front of a box of files.
She spent a couple hours flipping through the loose pages, deciding which reports needed to be digitized and which reports could be thrown out. The dim fluorescent lighting made her eyes burn. A sharp pain was building at her temples and an ache grew in her lower back.
Looking at the pile of reports that needed to be classified in the company's software program, Jade decided to shift gears. She gathered the papers and carried them over to a desk in the corner with an ancient computer gathering dust on top. She found the on switch and the computer crackled to life.
Settling in the chair, she began typing the details for the report when she heard the first creak. It squeaked like the opening of a rusty door. She whipped around and squinted at her surroundings. The bright computer screen blurred her vision. If there was someone in the room with her, she didn’t see them.
She wanted to call out and ask if anyone was there, but she couldn't remember any of her co-workers’ names. She had ignored her team, intending to distance herself from everyone around her, but now she was regretting it. She scanned every inch in sight, but furniture partially blocked her view.
Everything was still and silent. She took a deep breath and told herself firmly that she was alone in the room. She turned back to the computer and began entering the title of the next case file.
“This way,” someone whispered nearby. Goosebumps crawled up Jade's arm. Convincing herself that she was alone was no longer an option. This time, she turned her head slowly, hoping not to draw attention to her presence.
She was upset that she let this happen. She was usually skilled at blocking the strange occurrences that haunted her. She must have spent too much time in the secluded department. She was tired and irritable from the mindless work, and it lowered her defenses.
Her wide eyes scanned the room again, looking for the source of the voice. She wanted to disappear into the furniture. Rising to her feet, she took two soft steps until her back was against a file cabinet.
“Hurry up,” the voice said from the other side. Jade's body tensed. She should have been prepared for the voices once the security guard reminded her that it was Thanksgiving. The holiday was a bad omen.
What was she going to do? Jade began to panic. Sweat dripped down her back. Her boss probably forgot that she was even in Department L. The voices could get worse, and she was trapped in this windowless room.
She had to do something. She crouched down to the floor and inched around the file cabinet, looking for a clear path to the exit. She sucked in her breath as an eye floater formed on one side of the room. It moved slowly past the leaning stack of tables and behind a pile of manila envelopes.
She bit her lip, expecting the floater to appear on the other side, but instead of a black dot, a detached shadow of a person stepped out. Jade covered her mouth to hide the squeak of shock that threatened to escape.
Her body shaking, she shrank back to the corner. Was this shadow the source of the voice? Was it the only one?
In answer to her silent questions, the shadow glanced out the door, and headed back inside Department L. “Come on, the coast is clear.”
Two more floaters crossed the room and became life-like shadows. Jade’s eyes welled with tears. She feared that months of blocking out the strange experiences had caused them to grow and explode in one vulnerable moment. She inched under the desk, pulled up her knees and wrapped her arms around them.
Half a dozen eye floaters appeared and Jade began to whimper. The sound caught
the ear of one of the shadows.
“Who's here?” a stern voice asked. Jade silenced her cries and the effort caused her whole body to vibrate.
“Let's hurry up,” another voice said.
“We need to get the rest through this safe zone before the PMI show up,” a third voice chimed in.
Jade cowered in the corner. This was the final act of craziness. She had officially gone insane.
Zander pulled out a chair at the bar and sat down. It was his second year of law school, and he wasn't going to spend another Thanksgiving Eve with his nose in his books. The first year was notoriously rough, but that was behind him. He had straight A's, and he was going to enjoy himself.
It felt peculiar not to be in Woodpine with his family for Thanksgiving. His parents had been happy to save on airfare, but he would miss spending time with Rayley. She was likely going to graduate magna cum laude next spring, and he wasn’t sure where her next step in life would be. She would have her pick of careers, and that made him happy.
“What can I get you?” the bar tender asked.
“I'll have a beer. Whatever you have on tap is fine.”
“Make it two,” someone added from behind him. Zander glanced back and saw a stocky brown haired guy take the seat next to him. Something about him looked vaguely familiar.
“I'm sorry, do I know you?” Zander asked.
The guy held out a hand. “I'm Marcus Vanderbilt. We met a few years ago through my cousin, Jade.”
Marcus had seen Zander enter the bar and had debated approaching him. The whole point of picking this school was to get away from Woodpine and make something of himself.
Marcus didn’t have many friends from high school or college. He learned from a young age that kids shied away from people who saw things that others didn't. They thought he was odd, and they weren’t wrong. Seeing eye floaters and shadows and hearing voices was not normal. He believed he was tainted, or perhaps he was carrying something evil, like a disease.
The two people Marcus was closest to, his cousins Jade and Bobby, battled depression and mental illness. Was it far-fetched to believe it was his fault? Was it his presence that attracted the shadows and caused the bags under their eyes? The guilt weighed on him as the two of them dealt with their own problems. He knew he wasn’t doing them any favors by hanging around Woodpine.
So why did he decide to approach Zander? There was one person who could rope Marcus back to Woodpine, and that was Zander’s friend Vicki. Marcus couldn't get the sexy firecracker out of his head. Even if she didn’t remember his name, she was Marcus’s hope that something could be different. She was the reason he wanted to do something better with his life.
He needed to hear how she was doing. With visions of the brunette beauty filling his mind, Marcus had decided to say hello. What was the worst that could happen? Marcus bit his lip with uncertainty. Was Zander going to be his next victim?
Zander's eyes widened at the mention of Jade. A heart-warming sensation filled his body, like it always did when she came to mind. “Oh, yes. You saved me from getting a black eye from her younger brother when he was hitting on my friend.”
Marcus smiled but looked apologetic. “My cousin is impulsive and argumentative.”
“And all muscle!” Zander added. They both laughed, which was a sigh of relief for Marcus. It reminded him that Zander had always been warm and approachable, unlike the other guys Jade had hung around with in high school.
Riding that wave of comfort, he brought Vicki into the conversation. “Your friend, Vicki, deserves better than Bobby. Are they still together?”
Zander was surprised that Marcus remembered Vicki's name. The altercation was two years ago. “I don't think so.”
Marcus looked happy about the news, but a wave of guilt flooded Zander. He hadn’t seen much of Vicki over the last two years. Zander had been busy with homework, research papers, attending teacher’s office hours, and an internship with a professor last summer. Rayley provided updates, but they weren’t always positive. Zander shook the melancholy thought from his head and asked, “Are you here for law school?”
“No, I’m a psychology student, working toward a master’s degree in social work,” Marcus said. Zander thought it was a curious coincident that Jade's cousin attended the same school. It was miles away from Woodpine. Were the fates connecting Zander to Jade by putting her cousin in his path?
He always thought about Jade on Thanksgiving Eve, even though there was no chance of running into her this year since he was staying at school. Then, as luck would have it, Marcus showed up. It was an odd sign from the universe.
Marcus’s breath got caught in his chest as he watched the reflection of an eye floater in the mirror behind the bar. It bounced slightly like it was lazily walking behind him. Should Marcus bail on Zander while he still could? It might be for the best.
Marcus swallowed the lump in his throat and gave Zander a forced smile. Marcus could escape Woodpine, but he couldn’t escape the haunting shadows. He prayed that Zander wasn’t prone to the same sickness he had infected his cousins with. Otherwise, Marcus was bound to leave a trail of unhappy souls wherever he went.
“The teachers are tough here. I hope you're not scared of being called on in class. The Socratic method is highly enforced,” Zander warned.
“That doesn't bother me. I'm used to speaking off the cuff—” Marcus brought his fist down on the bar. “Come on! That was a foul!” His eyes were on the television that hung over the bar.
Zander followed his gaze and watched the replay from the basketball game. With the same amount of indignation, Zander said, “That referee should be thrown out!”
“Basketball fan?” Marcus asked.
“I watch all sports. I don't discriminate.”
A smile widened on Marcus's face. He leaned back to get comfortable in his chair. “I think we are going to be fast friends.”
Being with Marcus felt familiar to Zander, like they were meant to meet outside Woodpine. They slipped into easy conversation about the game, their favorite players, and surviving school.
After their second beer, Zander built up the courage to ask the question that was weighing on his mind, “How's Jade doing?”
Marcus faced Zander. There was a pain in his eyes. “Not great. She's working at a dead-end job that she hates.”
Zander's shoulders slumped as his thoughts were overcome by Jade. Things seemed shaky the last time he saw her. He had hoped she was able to find happiness. He wondered if this was his sign from the universe meant to spur him to do something. He took out his phone and sent her a text.
The shadows were coming in groups now. They didn't even attempt to keep their voices down. Jade thought surely someone in the office would hear the commotion and come to check it out, but it had been hours. Everyone must have left for the holiday. She was alone with these beings and unprotected against whatever was pouring into the room.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She managed to pull it out and read the text.
Hey, Jade. Thinking of you on Thanksgiving Eve. Can’t believe we didn’t run into each other! I hope you are doing well. -Zander
It felt like warm liquid filled Jade's body. She wasn't alone in this strange world. Someone was thinking about her. She covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut until it was over.
* * * *
Chapter Five: The Thanksgiving Eve When the Stars Aligned
Zander’s Third and Last Year of Law School
Age: 24
With her pointer finger, Jade dabbed a layer of foundation on to her face as she leaned against her dresser. She focused on her reflection in the mirror in her childhood bedroom. Her day-to-day life hadn’t changed much in the past year. She was still dragging herself to the boring government job. However, her outlook for the future had changed. She was determined not to let the mind-numbing hours in front of a computer screen show on her face.
Despite the drab sameness during the work week, Jade smiled at her refle
ction. This was the first time in months that she was going out for fun, and she wanted to look good. No, not just good—sexy.
As if to mock Jade's self-confidence, a black spot outside her window caught her eye. Jade took a deep breath and straightened her spine. She would not be pulled down the rabbit hole of strange occurrences today.
Jade pushed last year’s experience with the human-like shadows emerging in Department L to the back of her mind. Zander’s text had given her the courage to escape the room, get in her car, and drive home. Feeling trapped with the monsters was a traumatic blur that she would never revisit again.
Fearing the pain of re-living the night, Jade didn’t tell a single person and vowed never to speak of it again. Besides, who would believe her? She went back to the office on Monday, but refused assignments in Department L, claiming the dust bothered her allergies.
The strange occurrences were minimal during the rest of the year. She could almost pretend the dots and shadows were a figment of her imagination. Of course, Thanksgiving made that more difficult.
Jade had taken off from work for the holiday week. She didn’t want to take the risk of being cornered in a back room as the shadows and voices circled. Thanksgiving caused chaos, and she wanted to stay as far away from the demons as possible.
“Is that what you're wearing tonight?” Jade's mom asked as Jade applied the last touches of eyeliner to the corner of her eye. Jade put the pencil down and tugged at the bottom of her light blue sweater.
“Yes, why?” Jade asked, eyeing her reflection in the mirror. She braced herself for the comment that would knock her down a peg.
“You look…nice. Is the extra effort for someone special?”
Jade kept the internal wall in place. She wasn't sure what game her mom was playing. “Maybe.” Jade hedged, fussing with a curl and waiting for the dig from her mother's back-handed compliment.
“For Zander Stein?” There was a glint in Jade's mother's eye. Jade wasn't sure how her mother found out, but it irked her. She had no right to go snooping around for details about Jade's life.
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