A Veil of Mist

CHAPTER 6 ASSIGNMENTS

Daria watched him in her rearview mirror. His actions had been creepy, yet he felt safe. Ever since she had been younger, she had been great at picking vibes and had never failed at reading people. And even though her first impulsive instinct had been to break his nose, she didn't feel unsafe around him.

Yet, she had lied to him. Daria was going home, or atleast that's what she had planned to do until a last minute instinct overcame her, and she took a sharp left. Home to her didn't mean comfort and peace. She felt uneasy and restless, her anxiety clawed her insides incessantly every time she was home. Her twin sister running away had consumed their mother with so much grief that it had eventually killed her. So she began filling her days with as many tasks as possible before heading home to merely sleep. In the mornings she was out the door as soon as her eyes opened, staying only long enough to shower on some days. More often than not, she lived in the apartment she had rented to hide from the world. Only the thought of not wanting to abandon her father kept her from moving there permanently.

Daria stopped at her destination—an abandoned industrial complex. The parking lot had four other cars, all covered with a fine layer of dust and dew that had already started to set in that night. A single flickering street lamp stood over Daria's parking spot.

She grabbed her flashlight and phone from the passenger seat and headed towards the building where no light shone through any of the windows across the three floors. The entrance was padlocked shut but Daria walked past it towards the right edge of the building. There in the corner, hidden within the shadows, was a small door. Curtained in shadows it looked like the entrance to a different, more magical world. The door opened without much protest under her weight and a staircase descended into darkness.

The staircase led into a huge room lit up by a combination of tubelights, floor lamps, sconces, and an obnoxious looking chandelier. A boxing ring sat in the far right of the room and a series of tables on the left. A small area was sectioned off by fogged glass at the end of the seating area.

Celeste?" Daria called out, walking towards the glass cabin. She shed her jacket and slung it neatly across the back of one of the stools. It didn't matter to her whether or not Celeste was there, she had made her mind to stay. Settling into a chair, she opened a laptop and pulled up the internet browser.

"Daria, what are you doing here at this hour?"A voice spoke from behind her. Daria turned to see an old lady's face peeking at her from around the glass partition.

"I wanted to train a little."

"But you already trained today!"

"I know! But Celeste, I haven't seen anyone in so long —I think something is wrong with me!" Daria hung her head.

Celeste put her hand on Daria's shoulder. "Sweetheart," she said softly. "There is nothing wrong with you. You should be glad you have your life back. Use this time to live; do things you can't do while seeing them."

Daria blinked and responded with a slow nod. How could she explain to Celeste that seeing ghosts and spirits had become akin to breathing. "I met someone today. He was... strange."

Celeste sat down next to her. "Strange? How do you mean?"

"Well, for one, he followed me out of the restaurant. Then he insisted I let him walk me to my car, despite me landing a hard kick, which I'm sure broke his nose."

"That's my girl!" Celeste let out a short laugh. "What did he look like?" she asked.

"Handsome." Celeste had a wide smile that made Daria blush.

"No, I mean, not like that."

"What? You mean, he was not handsome?"

"No, he was! But I mean he stood out, otherwise I'd never mention it."

"Of course! So, what did his handsomeness look like?"

Daria rolled her eyes and gave Celeste a small shove. "For starters he was wearing a black leather jacket. Or it could've been some other dark colour, it was too dark to see properly." Daria's blush deepened as she continued, "he was tall and had the most gorgeous deep brown eyes you'd ever see. And such depth to them Celeste! Like if you stared long enough, you'd reach into their pits. His hair was disheveled, like he needed a haircut, but it also suited him that way."

Celeste held a pinched expression.

"What is it?" asked Daria.

Celeste pursed her lips. "Did he give a name?"

"He did! I thought it was a strange name too. I - I can't remember it though."

Celeste narrowed her eyes. "Go home now Daria. It's too late in the night and there are far worse things out there than a few lost souls."

Daria wanted to argue, but she knew there was no arguing with that tone. Well enough, she thought. She could use a good night's sleep before heading out to that wretched cruise with her father.

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