A Spirit Between Us (bxb)

Chapter 13 - First contact.

The room had fallen into an eerie silence, the kind that pressed against your ears and made your skin tingle. Finn sat on his bed, his heartbeat steadying, but the tension in the air hadn't lifted. Archie stood in the middle of the room, his eyes shut tight, hands at his sides.

"Stay calm, stay quiet." Archie had instructed, his voice barely more than a whisper, almost swallowed by the thick atmosphere surrounding them. Finn didn't dare move, his breath shallow, trying to follow the instructions despite the anxiety bubbling up inside him.

Archie's brow furrowed in concentration. He stood perfectly still, as if rooted to the floor, his rings glinting faintly in the light. His breathing was steady, controlled, as he began to call out in that same soft, authoritative tone that always made Finn's chest tighten.

"If there are any spirits in this room, I call upon you. Make yourselves known," Archie said, his voice calm yet commanding. His eyes remained shut, but his words seemed to shift the air around them, like a ripple spreading across a still pond.

Finn watched in awe, feeling a strange pull in the atmosphere. The air felt thicker, cooler, as though something unseen had stirred. He kept his focus on Archie, watching his calm exterior as he continued.

"I ask for you to speak, if you have unfinished business related to Finn or his situation. I offer you peace."

The words hung in the air, and for a moment, there was nothing, just the distant hum of the outside world. Finn's heartbeat thundered in his chest, but he stayed quiet, as Archie had asked.

Then, Archie's breath hitched, his body tensing. His head tilted ever so slightly, as if he were listening to something Finn couldn't hear. Slowly, Archie turned his head, his closed eyes now facing the far corner of the room. The shift in the air became palpable, like an electric current buzzing just beneath the surface.

"Who are you?" Archie asked, his voice barely above a murmur, but it was laced with curiosity and wariness.

Finn's eyes darted to the corner of the room, but all he saw was the shadowy outline of his trophy collection, the faint light from the window casting long, dark shapes. He couldn't see what Archie saw, but Archie's face had shifted, his expression tight with focus.

Archie's eyes fluttered open, and he stared at the corner, the ghost of a shape lingering in the periphery of his vision.

"Tell me your name," Archie whispered, his voice almost trembling.

Finn's skin prickled with unease. Whatever Archie was talking to wasn't the dark, twisted entity that had been tormenting Finn. This was something else.

Archie's expression shifted, his calm demeanor cracking into something more unsettled. His face contorted in confusion, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the empty corner of the room, as if trying to make sense of something only he could see. The seconds ticked by, and Finn's pulse quickened, the air around them heavy with the weight of something unseen.

Slowly, Archie twisted around, his gaze dropping to the floor behind him. His eyes locked on his backpack, which was lying haphazardly on the ground. "My bag...?" Archie's voice was low, more to himself than to Finn. "What about it?"

The question hung in the air like a challenge, as Archie waited for a reply only he could hear. His brows furrowed even deeper, a look of frustration creeping across his face. Whatever the spirit was saying, or wasn't saying, wasn't making any sense.

After a long, tense pause, Archie's eyes flicked up to meet Finn's, confusion still etched deeply in his features. "He's gone." Archie said, his voice quieter now, as if the presence had slipped away as silently as it had appeared.