BTW, I will be using alternate point of view of characters for better emulation of the feel and vibe of the story. And I am always open to your suggestions.

 

JACE’s POV

 

Who is it?

 

“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, happy birthday! Happy birthday to you!”

 

Who is it? A girl keeps on singing.

 

“Stop!!!” I said as I woke up on my desk. I am in the library and I didn’t go home yesterday. I then get my phone in my pocket and check to see the messages from Aunt Pia. My phone reads 10 missed calls and 10 unread messages. I must have worried her, again. I sigh.

 

“It’s your birthday and you’re heaving a sigh early in the morning,” a female voice from behind speaks again.

 

“Who are you?”

 

“I don’t know,” she replies.

 

I get my bag and turn to leave.

 

“Wait! You forgot your present.”

 

I turn my back to see her but she isn’t there.

 

“Tada!” She surprises as I turn my gaze in front.

 

“Who are you?”

 

“I said ‘I don’t know’” she blurts again and immediately tied a black knot on my wrist. “There, now you’ve made a deal with me.”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“Uhhmmm… You will know,” she answers and runs ahead towards the door.

 

Who is this girl?

 

And then she walks past through the people along the hallway. I rub my hands on my eyes. She really is! Who is she? No. What is she?

 

I follow her, unknowingly entering my room, and then I suddenly hear a bang and in no time, confetti fall from the ceiling.

 

“Happy Birthday Jace!!!” my college classmates greet me. Oh yeah! It is my birthday. But I reply them with a nod and everybody shuts down as I proceed to my desk on the uppermost right corner, last column and last row.

 

“Jace Wilde, Year 3!” says the girl sitting on my chair.

 

“Get out of here!” I blurt and then everyone’s eyes are on me. What?

 

“As you wish,” she says and stands from behind.

 

“Who are you?” I ask and everyone’s eyes are on me again.

 

My female seatmate reluctantly speaks and says, “ A…Azumi Fuchigami, exchange student.”And everyone was staring at us.

 

“Your seatmate is so pretty,” utters a voice from behind. I turn my gaze to her and I see her face smiling.

 

“You? Who are you?” I ask the ghost-girl.

 

“Jace, what are you doing? Everyone’s looking at you,” Sage, who is front of me, whispers.

 

“What? We have a strange person in our class,” I tell him as I point to the lady beside me.

 

“A…Azumi?”

 

“No. Her.”

 

“Who?”

 

“This girl.”

 

“J..Jace, do you see someone I cannot see?” he asks. I frown and give him no reply.

Impossible!

 

“You can see me but they can’t,” she utters, again, from behind. Talking to the unseen would make me look weird to everyone in my class but why would I talk to her int he first place. Ah! If ever this is unreal, then let it be. I write something on a sheet of paper. “What are you?”

 

“Maybe I am a ghost,” she replies from the rear.

 

“Are you crazy?” I write.

 

“No. I came here for a mission.”

 

“You are crazy! Go away from me!” I hastily write.

 

“Make me! No, you can’t make me.”

 

“Who are you for?” I belligerently ask.

 

“You.”

 

“Don’t crack a joke!!!”

 

“It’s no joke. You don’t know how much I hate to do this either.”

 

“Go away then!!!” I write.

 

“I was left with no other choices but to stay with you.”

 

“Stay with me? What are you talking about?” I ask her.

 

“For now, I can’t tell you.”

 

What is this girl? A ghost? No! No! I can’t be imagining! I hit my head to the wall and I see everyone’s eyes on me again. This is real!

 

“You are not dreaming,” she says.

 

“What do you want from me?”

 

“I am not sure yet.”

 

“What?” I ask her.

 

“We’ll see.”

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It’s lunch break and I am walking with my friend, Sage, on the hallways to the cafeteria… with a nobody from behind.

 

“Booyaa!!!” The ghost suddenly appears.

 

“Go away from me!” I, too, suddenly blurt.

 

“Jace, you’ve been acting weird since this morning. Are you alright?” Sage asks.

 

“S…Sage, can you see a girl behind me?”

 

“What are you talking about? Are you kidding me?”

 

“I am serious,” I say.

 

“Jace, our mothers are best of friends and I have been your friend since we were young. I know when you’re normal or not…. Are you going crazy?” Sage speaks up.

 

“I am sorry. I think I am having hallucinations. I have to go home!” I say and run towards the school gates.

 

After a few minutes of running, finally, she disappeared!

 

“Woah! You’re such a good runner!” I suddenly hear a panting female voice from behind.

 

“You! Why are you following me?”

 

“I already told you. You can’t get away from me. I will be your shadow from now on so get used to it!”

 

“What are you really? A ghost does not get tired,” I curiously ask.

 

“Because I am not a ghost!” she speaks and finally puts on a serious face as she straightened her posture. “ Look here! I am on a mission to conciliate you with yourself!”

 

“You don’t know me and I don’t know you so stop bothering me!”

 

“Trust me. You’ll never get away from me.”

 

“Are you a monster?”

 

“I am certainly not! And neither do I know who I am and what I am… but I am here to show you who you are,” she speaks with conviction.

 

“You’re crazy,” I say as I turn my back and walk away. And no time… I hear no reply from behind. I look back and there’s no one. Then, I look ahead and there’s really no one. Was I dreaming all this time? I shake my head and walk straight home.

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“Jace! I am glad you’re here… But did you run from class?” Aunt Pia asks.

 

“It’s nothing. We have an agenda today, right?” I say.

 

“Yeah, but are you sure you don’t want to attend your class?”

 

“I’ll change my clothes and we’ll go straight there,” I just say. I am not really sure of what’s happening today but I’ve got something else to do.

 

I then walk upstairs to my room. As I open the door, I can’t help but get shocked.

 

“You! What are you doing here?” I ask the ghost-girl who’s looking from my window.

 

“I told you, you can’t get away from me.”

 

“Are crazy or you’ve just got nothing better to do with your life?!” I shout at her.

 

“I wish I am that.”

 

“What?”

 

“You’ll understand if you let me stay with you,” she says with her arms crossed on her chest. I raised an eyebrow to her and we both stare at each other.

 

“You ran away from school and you said you’ve got some other agenda… Are you not supposed to change your clothes?” she speaks and I raised another eyebrow.

 

“You want to see my body?” I strikingly tell her.

 

“Hahah! Really? You !” she says and disappears out of nowhere. What is she really up to? I can’t possibly be dreaming.

 

Nonetheless, I changed to my old white clothes. It’s been three years I am wearing the same attire on the same very day. Good. I am still me. I haven’t grown much… maybe.

--------------------------------

Aunt Pia already had the car prepared to the cemetery. Right! We’re going there.

 

“It’s been three years dear,” Aunt Pia says as the engine’s on the roll. She’s sitting beside me on the back seat. I nod. And again, in no time, the ghost-girl appeared and now she’s sitting beside the driver.

 

I cringed and she looked back gesturing a “shshshshhshsshhuuushhh.” Right, Aunt Pia might think I am crazy, as well. What do I do?

 

“Just let me ride along,” she says. What else can I do? I don’t know. Perhaps, if I let this day pass and wake up tomorrow, she’s gone.

 

Minutes went by and we’re here. Today’s my mom’s third death anniversary and my 21^st birthday.

 

Aunt Pia and I… and the ghost-girl stand in front of my mom's burial ground.

 

“Does it bring back memories?” Aunt asks but I said no reply.

 

“Your mom always wanted you to be happy… Jace, do you think she’s happy right now?” Aunt Pia speaks again. She’s always been there since I was young and she’s getting real old. If there’s someone I still trust after my mom’s death, it is her. Even if we don’t talk a lot, she understands me well.

 

“I don’t know,” I say. “Maybe she’s sad that she left me.”

 

“But could you make her smile again?” The ghost-girl utters from behind.

 

“She’s dead,” I voice out.

 

“When can I see Jace, again?” Aunt Pia asks as she heaved.

 

“Aunt Pia… whatever happens to me, I will still be Jace,” I reply.

 

“Jace… it’s been three years since everything happened. Can’t you let go of everything? You know, I can be your mom…” she cries. I know she has always been there for me and I know she knows that she can’t be my mom. But I can only understand how she’s being tormented by the sight of me, deviating from who I used to be. But I just can’t keep my old track. It strikes me every time, and it’s better to get away from it.

 

“Aunt Pia… please… please don’t get tired of me,” I can only tell those words to her. I know she’s always been tired but she never did. And I can only ask her to stay… And she’s the only one I can ask to stay.

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We finally decided to go home but the ghost- girl seemed not to be there. I don’t care about her anyway.

 

As the car is running, Aunt Pia speaks her heart again. “The last time we had a birthday cake on the table was four years ago… Can we have another one today?”

 

“You can but I will go somewhere else,” I say.

 

“Again… Jace, you’re already 21, please stop growing the hate inside you,” she says as she finally looks at me. She can’t look at me straight to the eyes since my mom passed away. But only she can if it’s something that matters to her. And now she’s real serious, I don’t know a word that I can tell her.

 

“Your father called me today. He said he wants to meet you,” she says after no reply.

 

“Really?… I thought he forgot me,” I say. I know I am brash and I must be.

 

“When will you stop acting like a kid? This is the real world, Jace! You can’t run away forever. He is still your father and you--”

 

“Stop!!!” I yell. “Mister, please drop me here!” I order and he does. I can’t let my ego boil to her but I just can’t take it.

 

I am now standing on the street and in front of me is a cafe. It’s my mom’s cafe business when she was still alive but my dad sold it to somebody thinking I would be set free from my mom. He never understood me and I have no guts to understand him.

 

I cross the street and decide to enter. I see a familiar face from a while ago.

“Good afternoon! Welcome to Andromeda Cafe,” Azumi greets. 

 

Park Bo Gum as Jace