18.98: An ONC 2023 Thriller

Chapter 6

SIX YEARS AGO

Liv kept busy. School, work, a short string of casual boyfriends, the occasional party if she couldn't think of a reason to get out of it. The day after the dark-cloud-voices-speaking-to-her nightmare, she told Helina never to play the ghost frequency when she was present, and Helina, despite her confusion at Liv's vehement response, abided by her wishes.

Helina didn't drop her pursuit of the frequency, however, and if she were in the mood for honesty, Liv would admit that neither did she. Her own investigations were purely intellectual in nature. She poured over research papers and dove into the study of infrasound, learning where it could be heard in the natural world—earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, ocean waves. She researched how humans could create it with sonic booms and wind turbines.

The part of her that would never forget the terror of that night yearned for a less horrifying explanation than that she had connected with a malevolent force.

She never quite found what she was seeking. The closest she came was this theory: the strange sensations induced by the ghost frequency were a byproduct of the body's reaction to that soundwave and nothing more. It may feel like a paranormal experience, but that didn't mean it was one. This explanation appeased scientists and therefore should have been an acceptable answer to Liv, but it seemed only to say something might be true without proving the other possibility false.

In August, a month before beginning their junior year, Liv and Helina moved off campus into a tiny two-bedroom apartment above a tea shop. They slept on futon mattresses that were only marginally better than lying directly on the wood floor and scored a great deal of their furniture from curb sides. It was a happy, if humble, start. They didn't have a lot but had what they needed, the bulk of which was better suited to ghost hunting than typical college living.

Not far from their new apartment was the high school Liv's sister, Penelope attended. On days when either Helina or Liv might be home, Penelope made it a habit to walk there after school, park herself on the brown corduroy couch the former tenants had left behind, and chat with them about their paranormal investigations.

"How many ghosts have you seen? Do you, like, exorcise them for people? Do you really think you're communicating with them or is it all fake? Can you hire me to be your assistant?"

Liv's responses were always measured. "Ghosts don't often appear, we aren't priests, you'd have to judge for yourself," and finally... "maybe later."

Penelope hated that last answer, and so, she argued her case. "It's not like you can't afford part time help."

Could they though? Business wasn't bad, and their YouTube channel had begun to take off. But they weren't internet sensations yet. They had to make choices: real mattresses or upgraded video equipment. Tuition or dining out. Putting a high schooler on the payroll might mean they had to do without a new piece of tech down the line.

"We'd love if you helped!" Helina said.

Penelope squealed with excitement. Liv gave a tightlipped smile and pulled her friend into the kitchen to speak privately.

"Can we afford this?" she asked.

"For a few hours a week, sure. Besides, your sister is into this. We'd be encouraging her interests. She'd probably work for free if we wanted her to."

"That wouldn't be right, though."

"No, no, I'm not saying we should take advantage of her, I'm saying, money isn't the real issue here, is it?"

Fuck, Liv knew that tone: she was about to be psychoanalyzed. "What do you mean? What else would it be?"

Helina glanced towards the living room and Liv did the same. Her sister, earbuds in, had occupied herself with something on her phone while the two of them decided her fate.