Eric Saade – Hearts In The Air

Hushed whispers seemed to resonate in her ears, but at that moment, all she could see was the darkness. Her eyelids felt heavy and it was a struggle to have them open. It was as though the whispers got louder, and Wendy itched about to move and see for herself what the whispers were about.

“Do you think she’s okay?” Unfamiliar voices seemed to ring out.

“Does she have a third eye or something?”

Wendy had wanted to scream out that she didn’t have a third eye, one that could see the spirit world. She was born normal and she only had two eyes to begin with. She had wanted to shout at the top of her lungs, and yet her body remained still; as though paralysed.

“I wonder what she saw.” The unfamiliar voice spoke again but this time Wendy recognised it to be her new roommate, Seulgi.

“She’s cute, but I can’t believe that she’s able to see ghosts!” The girl didn’t seem to recognise this voice.

It suddenly happened, her eyes then popping open when she felt her fingers twitch. She quickly sat up straight and felt blood rushing all the way into her brains. Seeing the dizzy state that she was in, a pair of hands had supported her back and she turned to say her thanks.

“Thank you.” An unfamiliar face grinned right at her. Has she met this man before?

“You’re welcome.”

As she continued staring at him, it then hit on her that this was Seulgi’s twin brother; Jackson.

“Are you okay, Wendy?” She then came face to face with Seulgi who peered over her worriedly. “We were all taken aback when you fainted.”

Wendy recalled that she did faint, but she also remembered that she had stuttered out the word ‘ghost’ before she fainted.

“I didn’t say anything weird, did I?” Wendy rubbed her head that was throbbing.

Jackson and Seulgi only turn to face each other in sync, their eyes flickering with anxiousness. She didn’t know whether it was because they were twins, for the same movement they just did were comically the same. A part of Wendy had wanted to interrupt them and mention that she’d already heard them when she was unconscious, but a part of her also didn’t want to look weird in front of the new people she’d just met today.

“A-As if!” Seulgi laughed awkwardly.

“You said something about ghosts.” Jackson spoke over her voice.

The two were definitely twins, speaking at the same time. Or was that just from sheer anxiousness?

“Nice going, Jackson.” The former glared at her twin brother.

Wendy’s mind quickly thought of the handsome young man she saw earlier. He seemed a little happy at the fact that she could see him, and Wendy had wanted to crawl into a hole amidst it all.

Ghosts don’t exist. Ghosts don’t exist. Ghosts don’t exist.

“But that was the last thing she screamed.” Jackson too rubbed his head when Seulgi had hit him.

“It’s okay.” Wendy managed a small smile. “Ghosts, huh…”

Seulgi’s eyes perked up. “Say, are you sure you saw a ghost?”

The girl pondered thoughtfully. Will her new roommate even believed her if she said something about it? Not many people believed in ghosts after all, but seeing how Seulgi’s family were the graveyard caretakers, it might have given her some hope.

“I don’t know.” Wendy shrugged at last. “Do you guys even believe in ghosts?”

“Definitely.” Jackson chuckled. “Once, I saw a white lady hanging near a tree-“

“I saw my grandmother’s ghost before, does that count?” Seulgi butted in.

Wendy chuckled, relieved that they seemed to be receiving her well. She crossed her legs together as she sat deep in thought. Maybe it was best she’s truthful.

“Well, this ghost wasn’t like a ghost.” The girl nodded her head knowingly. “In fact, he looked more human than anything.”

“Boring.” Jackson scrunched his nose in boredom.

“So, what did he look like?” Seulgi urged her on.

Wendy then uttered seriously. “He was actually good looking. Probably about our age?”

She remembered his features distinctively and suddenly blushed. The young man was definitely handsome even though he was dead. Thankfully for her, he didn’t have an eye or two missing or anything.

“Not as good looking as me, right?” Jackson grinned while Seulgi looked on disgustedly. “Speaking of good looking people though, I’d better get back to the diner. Luhan will kill me if I take my time here.”

“Oh, right.” His twin abruptly stood up and dragged the young man with her. “You should go. Thanks anyway, for bringing Wendy here.”

“Wait,” Wendy too stood up. “You brought me here?”

“Carried you actually.” Jackson gave her a quick thumbs up. “It was no big deal.”

“Oh, uh, thank you. I don’t know how-”

“No, man.” He winked. “No repayment or like that. We’re friends right?”

“Friends…”

“Yeah. Any friends of Seulgi’s are my friends too.”

The girl nodded her head slowly at his words.

Friends… I made new friends.

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow at school?” Jackson’s question was to both girls this time. “I really can’t wait for orientation.”

“Of course, you can’t.” Seulgi sighed. “There’s literally nothing to do tomorrow.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” The man waved and started walking away. “Good night, girls.”

When the door had shut close, Seulgi had turned to the girl in wonder, and Wendy wondered if it was because of what had just happened.

“Ghosts, huh.” Seulgi led the girl to sit on her bed. “Must be crazy.”

“Definitely.” She agreed. “And he seemed happy about me seeing him too.”

“He talked to you?!”

“He did!” Wendy exclaimed excitedly. “It was really weird.”

“You have to tell me more!”

As if on bad timing, her eyes had darted to the wall clock in the room and it showed that it was already 10pm. Seulgi, who then realised that the girl had taken a look at the time, started scratching her head sheepishly at her sudden request.

“I mean… you can always tell me more tomorrow.” The girl shrugged coolly. “No rush. We’ll be seeing each other a lot more often anyway.”

“I don’t mind-”

“And we also have an early day tomorrow! So we should really head to bed early.”

At that point, Wendy made a mental goal at the back of her mind. Her new roommate obviously lacked in self-esteem, and Wendy was going to change that. Seulgi was just too sweet to be constantly anxious over people’s gestures like that. While she was also sweet, Wendy found it pitiful at the same time. The world definitely needed to see the greatness of her new roommate.

After all, she could already see it in just a day of knowing her.

“Sure.” Wendy just smiled it off. “You have a good rest too, Seulgi.”

She slipped under her own covers as the lights were switched off. She could also hear the girl rustle in her bed at the other side of the room and Wendy took comfort in that silence.

“Wendy?” She heard Seulgi call out to her in the dark.

“Yeah?”

“Sweet dreams.” The former giggled. “And don’t be dreaming of ghosts, will you?”

“Pffft.” Wendy had snorted. “You don’t get scared too, Seulgi. Sweet dreams.”

The girl unknowingly snuggled deeper into her blanket that almost covered her full body. Her eyes, however, were bared open as they tried to get use to the new environment. She silently cursed herself, wondering why she had snorted at Seulgi’s cautions anyway.

If anything, snorting was the last thing that the girl was to do in a situation like this.

What if he suddenly appears right in front of you?

As that thought passed by her, the girl had shut her eyes really quickly, suddenly afraid at what the darkness had to offer. She wondered if the ghost will appear again tonight and the girl felt the hairs on the back of her neck standing.

Feeling nervous and afraid, she shook her head as though in reassurance and psyched herself to go back to sleep. For a while, Wendy had turned and tossed in her bed; her ears taking in the silence the room offered.

She couldn’t put to why her heart still beat fast at this hour and the girl had wanted to dismiss it as being her new college jitters. She forced her eyes tightly close again and found that her body was already getting used to her new bed.

Just when the girl had wanted to fall asleep, Wendy heard a small sigh at the front of her face.

Her shoulders tensed, and she found herself frozen in her own bed. She wished that it was Seulgi, but her ears were pretty sure that it was the sigh of a man.

Wendy braved herself, wondering if it was the same ghost as before. She took a small peek from under her covers, and almost belted out in surprise at seeing a young man peering right down at her. Unluckily for her, no voice rang out as she opened to scream.

“Geez.” The young man suddenly stepped back in shock. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”

Wendy started scrambling about, quickly taking a seat at a corner of her bed. She pulled her covers up as a defense, and in the dark, she could make out that Seulgi was still sleeping peacefully in her own bed.

Her eyes darted back to her intruder, who still seemed to be catching his breath. Upon closer look, she realised that it was the same young man she encountered in the diner earlier today, although young man wasn’t quite a word to describe him.

“I thought you were sleeping!” The ghost started walking towards her. “I could have died!”

“B-But…” Her voice was soft and croaky. “Y-You’re already dead.”

“Look at that.” He rolled his eyes as he took a seat at her bed, and Wendy scrambled further into the corner. “You can talk. With sarcasm, I might add.”

When he noticed that started to widen again, the man had quickly jumped over towards her; catching Wendy by surprise. She could feel the touch of his hands covering , though she noted that they were really cold somehow.

The man widened his eyes as well when he realised he could touch her. He quickly snapped himself out of it and glared gravely towards her.

“Don’t scream.” He threatened her. “It’ll make things worse.”

When she didn’t answer – obviously because he was covering – his shoulder started to sink in relief.

“Look. I’m as weirded out about this as you are.” He continued. “First I died, and then nobody could see me for a long time. And suddenly, you came along and started pointing fingers at me, which may I add, is very rude of you.”

Wendy only looked on in horror.

“And now I find out that I can touch you?!” Mark groaned in disbelief. “A human, touching me! Can you believe it?!”

When she realised that he was waiting for an answer, the girl could only shake her head as a response.

“I’m either coming back to life or you’re going to die soon.”

The girl shook her head furiously at his sentence, for it was not in her best interests to die so soon, especiallywhen she just barely started college. If she was to die, Wendy rather it be when she was an old and crinkly elderly that already fulfilled her life goals.

The ghost continued ranting, and for a while, Wendy almost got used to his presence as well. He felt human like, and wasn’t actually scary to begin with. In fact, the man seemed like an average, typical young adult whom she always conversed with on a day to day basis.

The only scary thing about him, Wendy thought, would probably be how he was clamping shut right now.

“Anyway,” The man finally stopped ranting. “If I let go of my hand, will you promise not to scream?”

The girl nodded her head at the fair deal, and watched how he had left his hands awkwardly by his side. In the darkness, she could make out how conflicted his face looked, as though he had just done something wrong.

Wendy wondered if it was guilt from keeping her quiet.

Guess he’s only human.

“I’m sorry for doing that.” He mumbled quickly, but Wendy heard him just fine. “There was no other way to keep you from screaming.”

“I-It’s okay.” She stuttered back. It was really weird to be talking to a ghost.

“You don’t know how great it is to finally be able to talk to someone decent.”

Seeing the sadness that flickered in his eyes, Wendy wondered if it was difficult being a ghost. After all, she wasn’t sure if ghosts had always been self-absorbed in their loneliness in the first place. She couldn’t imagine a life where she was all alone with no one to talk to.

It was that depressing.

“So, uh, do you not talk to anyone else?” What a stupid question, Wendy.

“There were some others like me.”

Her face turned pale at the thought of it all. Sure she should have noticed it by now that the existence of other ghosts could exist as well. Seeing her horrified expression, the man had chuckled awkwardly.

“Though I guess you were better off not knowing that.”

“It’s uh… it’s cool.” Wendy tried to stifle in her horror.

Ghost.

Oh yes.

Many of them… Ghosts.

“I’m Mark, by the way.” He suddenly introduced himself again. “If I’m not wrong, you’re Wendy?”

“Yeah.” She widened her eyes disbelievingly. “How did you know?”

“Oh.” Mark grinned in amusement. “That girl over there kept screaming your name when you fainted.”

Wendy turned a quick pink, once again thinking how embarrassing it had been to faint right before dinner. She was sure that she wouldn’t be heading to The Diner anytime soon as well for she didn’t want people to remember her as the lunatic new girl who fainted.

Her fainting had practically been a social suicide.

The girl made a face. “I rather you forget about that, but yeah. I’m Wendy. Wendy Son.”

“Mark Tuan.” He replied, still smiling. “It’s nothing embarrassing about fainting, really. I would too if I was in your position.”

“Yeah.” Wendy finally loosened up around said man. “No offence to you or anything.”

“Hey, none taken.”

“So, uh… why have you come here?”

It finally seem to dawn on him that there was no actual reason for him to be hanging around Wendy, if you left out the fact that she’s the only human he could talk to, of course.

“I… don’t know.” He blinked. “It just feels nice to be able to talk to someone living.”

“O-Oh.” Way to make things awkward, Wendy.

“So, what was your life like so far?”

“Are you really asking me about my life story?” The girl laughed. “Right now? In the middle of the night?”

“Yeah.” Mark tilted his head in confusion. Was it really weird? “All the others seem to talk about are stories on how they died. Depressing, really. It’ll be fun to hear stories about people who still have an endless future to them. I do it all the time.”

Note to self: Mark may be an eavesdropper.

“So, uh…” Wendy muttered awkwardly. “How did you die?”

The man made a face, as if he already knew that that was what Wendy would have asked him first. He sighed a little, staring into the nothingness as he recalled his death.

“It was at a party.” The young man recalled. “A really huge one. It was practically the party of the century.”

He continued. “I just finished talking things out with my ex-girlfriend. I remember drinking the punch and falling asleep in my friend’s room. When I had woken up, there were police officers that surrounded me. I was so shocked.”

“What happened afterwards?”

“They started saying that there was some kind of drugs in the punch. I panicked, of course.” Mark scrunched his face in annoyance. “I told them that I didn’t know there were drugs in the first place. I mean, come on. I was at the peak of my life. Why would I even want to take drugs?”

“Uh…”

“Anyway, they didn’t listen to me. I started panicking more and tried to shake the shoulders of one of the officers. You know, to prove my point. But you probably already know what happened next.” The young man muttered bitterly. “My hands just passed through him. It was the weirdest day of my life. When I turned towards the bed, I saw that my body was there, cold.”

“Wow.” Wendy exclaimed. “You must have thought it was weird.”

“Nah.” He sighed. “It hit me really early that I was already dead. Of course, I tried every method there was to return to my body but it proved futile. I merely accepted that fact and roamed around. It was really strange, because the living couldn’t see me at all.”

“If it wasn’t for the drugs, you would still be alive, I guess.” She gave her sympathy.

“Not really. The drugs itself hadn’t been fatal. Apparently there were some chemicals in my stomach beforehand from something I drank before that coincided with them. I guess it was just time for me to go.”

Wendy nodded her head at his words, empathising with him as sincerely possible. Like Mark said, he was at the peak of his life and dying was probably the worst thing to have happen to him. If Wendy had been in his shoes, she would have probably felt the need to come back as a ghost too.

“How did you found out?”

“I sat at the lab the whole day.” Mark puffed out his chest with pride. “I was really thankful that they investigated my death with such vigour.”

Note to self-2: Mark is definitely an eavesdropper.

“So what now?”

“Tell me about yourself.” His eyes lit up excitedly.

“Right now?”

“There’s no better time. Unless you want to be seen as a weirdo who talks to herself tomorrow.”

“You…”

“Come on.” He continued urging her as he plopped himself down deeper in her bed. “Don’t be shy.”

“You’re far too comfortable for my liking.” Wendy frowned. “I didn’t know ghosts were this pushy.”

Mark rolled his eyes dramatically, sighing as he heard her complains. Was it really difficult for a simple and honest guy like him to want to hear a girl’s life story?

“Just out with it, Wendy.”

“Pu-shy.” The girl frowned deeper. “But fine. There’s really nothing much to know about me. I’m starting college life tomorrow, that’s for sure. Hmm… I came from Canada and wanted to study here because this was where my grandma used to live.”

“Boring, next.”

“Ergh.” Wendy felt like slapping the guy. For goodness sake, they were practically strangers to begin with! “Hmm, my parents wanted me to go to a college in France but I didn’t want to, obviously.”

“Still boring.”

“Oh, um!” She tried to please the young man. Wait, why was she doing this again? “I uh, listen to KPOP?”

“Why would I want to know that?”

“Well you wanted to know something.”

“Tell me something juicy. Your deepest darkest secrets or something.”

“You…” Wendy pointed a finger to his ghostly face. “You’re really nosy. Why would I want to tell a practical stranger my darkest secrets?”

“It’s not as if I would tell anyone.” Mark pouted and Wendy was lost in his handsome features for a while.

No, Wendy. Don’t be fooled by his paranormal charms.

“You might tell someone.”

“Dead people can’t talk remember?”

“You can!”

“Oh.” He wanted to agree but stopped immediately. “Well, it’s not as if I could tell anyone. I mean, nobody can see me if you recalled our conversation just now.”

Wendy still didn’t budge from his words. “But you can always gossip to the other ghosts.”

“Oh right.” He rolled his eyes at her. “And who would they be able to tell?”

“Uh…”

“Yeah. Exactly.” Mark grinned widely. “No one living because dead people only talk to each other.”

“Either way!” She protested. “I don’t want to be at the center of attraction of a… a supernatural gossip club!”

“But you already are. They already know that you can see me.”

Wendy gasped in horror as the sudden thought of other ghosts being interested in her small, uninteresting yet fruitful life. She secretly wondered if they will haunt her, but a part of her also wanted to know what they were like.

Were they human-like or were they like what she had always imagined them to be?

She wished they were like Mark; harmless, though the talkativeness has to go.

“Are they going to come after me?” She looked on worriedly. “I… I don’t think I can handle so many ghosts in my life. No offence, but I think one is more than enough to last me a lifetime.”

“They won’t.” This time Mark scooted closer and Wendy had retreated back in surprise.

Does this guy not know the meaning of personal space? Maybe his sense of personal space disappeared when he died.

“They won’t come near you as long as I’m here.” He gave her a thumbs up. “So you have nothing to worry about.”

“Why?”

“Because…” She saw him blush a little. Can ghosts even blush? “Never mind about the specifics, but they won’t come near you as long as I’m here. But I do want something in return though.”

Wendy secretly hoped it wasn’t money.

“What do you want?”

“I want to ask for your help.” Mark uttered seriously, different from the expressions he had been giving her just now. “I want to know why I can’t seem to move on.”

The young man continued. “Ghosts apparently move on to the other side once their goals or whatever is accomplished. It has been 2 years since I’ve been dead, almost 3, and I guess I’m sick of just roaming around.”

“You want me to help you accomplish your goals?” Wendy asked.

“Yeah.” He nodded his head. “I don’t know if this is a coincidence, but you’re the only one who can see me. And you’re enrolling into Summer Valley, right?”

“Yup.”

“I was from Summer Valley, too.”

“Like that wasn’t obvious.” She muttered under her breath, her eyes glazing over the Summer Valley’s varsity jacket that he wore.

“Just listen, will you?” Mark groaned. “Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah. Since you’re a student here, you’ll be able to access most of my information with ease. Just… help a guy out, please? I don’t know why I can’t move on when there was practically nothing that I really wanted to accomplish.”

“But you just said you were at the peak of your life.” Wendy pointed out. “Maybe that’s why you can’t move on. You can’t really complete the things that you’ve wanted to do.”

“I wasn’t interested in anything to begin with, anyway.” He scratched his head sheepishly. “Though I guess maybe there were some things or people that I am worried about.”

She recalled that Mark had talked about an ex-girlfriend and wondered if he had been worried about her.

Lucky girl.

“There are too many people though.” He then pondered thoughtfully. “I’ll have to go list them out.”

“Right now?”

“Obviously.” He looked at her as though she had just asked something stupid. “It can’t be during Christmas.”

“Ergh, just go.” Wendy waved him away as she slipped back into her sheets. “You can come find me when you’re done. You are a ghost after all.”

“I’ll be nearby.” Mark chuckled. “Wouldn’t want the other ghosts to latch on to you after all.”

“On another thought, maybe it’s best if you just stay here…”

The man laughed and patted her head. It was strangely comforting although his hands had been cold. She noted he treated her as though she was a younger sister. Mark after all, did remind her of her older cousin back in Canada.

Wendy also secretly hoped that his hands would have stayed there but all good things have to come to an end.

“They wouldn’t come near you, trust me.”

“How sure are you?”

“Very sure.” He chuckled again. “Contrary to popular beliefs, ghosts are actually more afraid of a lunatic, fainting girl than other ghosts.”

“Har har. Very funny.” The girl rolled her eyes at his dry jokes.

“Just sleep, Wendy. I’ll come see you tomorrow. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” She greeted him back. “Oh, Mark?”

“Yeah?”

“Please don’t haunt me in my dreams. I’m already tormented enough as it is with no absolute choice in supernatural matters when I’m awake. I wouldn’t want you to be in my dreams too.”

“You wished, Wendy, you wished.”

On the other side of the room, more rustlings were heard on Seulgi’s bed and Wendy quickly scampered off to sleep. From her narrowed eyes, she could make out her new roommate tossing and turning in her sleep and Wendy wondered if Seulgi had been awake all along.

She also hoped she wasn’t for that would mean that Seulgi must have heard her conversation with Mark earlier on. Will Seulgi think that she’s crazy? The girl did mention that she believed in ghosts, though.

When she made no further movements, Wendy sunk further into her bed, relieved that Seulgi was actually asleep and not awake like she thought she was.

Tomorrow will be a long day, Wendy thought, for not only will she have to make new friends and juggle her new found studies, she also has to look out for a certain dead boy.

Wendy hoped sunlight will come sooner, for no matter what Mark says, she still could feel watchful eyes watching her at the corner of her room. For now, however, she quickly fell into slumber.

If she had only been a little more aware, Wendy would have noticed that Seulgi was wide awake in her bed; her mind racing to take in everything that she had just heard.

Tomorrow definitely have to come sooner; for Seulgi needed to know who Wendy had been talking to for the past one hour.

a/n here's the 2nd chapter! as you can see, mark's death is still mysterious.

seulgi's awake and curious :D

jackson is a cutie xoxo

Wendy's orientation in the next chapter will prove interesting (;

thank you for reading!