The Translucent Girl

Chapter 1

I took a deep breath as I properly looked out my bedroom window for the first time. Such a sad scene lay before me and I just couldn't shake the feeling that even though everything has changed, nothing really has.

"You sure you don't want to switch?" The unexpected voice of my roommate next to my ear almost startled me. Then again it's nearly impossible to startle me.

I continued looking at the urban setting just beyond the window glass. Emily's bedroom overlooked the park across from our apartment. The moment she walked into it she fell in love and I wouldn't dare take it away from her.

"Yes I'm quite sure, thank you."

I met Emily in preschool and even though our relationship is a little unorthodox, she is the closest thing to a best friend I'll have.

"I can't believe we've got our own apartment now." Em squealed excitedly. The corners of my mouth slightly curved upward at her giddy mood.

We stood in silence for a while just watching the happenings from our third floor apartment. We could be silent around each other without either of us feeling the need to say something and I adored that about Emily.

"So..." She cut the silence. "Have you seen anyone in here?" Another pause.

"No." I replied reluctantly. I briefly looked at the floor before facing her.

"No. Luckily not." She smiled at me, seeming a little bit more at ease.

"I'm going to get started on the kitchen, do you want to help me?"

"Yes, I'm on my way." So far we had the living room packed out and only had to finish unpacking the kitchen and our own bedrooms.

Lucky for me, Em didn't like to hoard stuff and preferred only essentials like I did, which meant we would most likely be unpacked by tonight.

Emily had invited George over, her boyfriend of two and a half years, to celebrate our new home with us. Our first night consisted of beer, wine, pizza and conversations about Em and Georges' jobs.

It was a good Saturday evening well spent.

Deciding to leave the scene as soon as Emily and George couldn't keep their tongues inside their own respective mouths any longer, I headed to bed. Even though their relationship irritated me sometimes, I knew that I loved them, each separately and together.

I awoke as per usual thirty-two past two am in the morning. I still couldn't quite comprehend why but ever since I was a child, I would be wide awake 02:32 am on the dot. The time I would fall asleep usually depended on how fatigued I was. Since I had only packed and unpacked the past few days I had a feeling I'd be up for at least two more hours this particular night.

I let out a heavy sigh as I thought about my sleepless predicament. Deciding not to waste my time in bed, I took my packet of mint cigarettes and a textbook and headed to our third bedroom which would end up being a study. The little room had a reading bench under the single window that allowed me to look at the park across our apartment building.

Taking out a cigarette, sticking it in my mouth and opening my textbook I made myself comfortable on the bench. I had no need for a lighter since I didn't really smoke...you see it's a metaphor...blah blah blah. With all due respect to the great Mr John Greene, I really just liked the way it tasted. Whilst reading through the psychological stages a patient who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness would have, my eyes lingered on the word depression. The word wasn't all that unfamiliar to me, in fact I felt quite comfortable with it.

Looking up after feeling compelled to do so, I noticed a translucent figure standing at the edge of the park. Upon looking closer I could make out the gender of said translucent figure. The girl with light hair wore a simple outfit consisting of leggings, a t-shirt, a cardigan and a pair of sneakers.

I was startled to find that she was looking directly at me, almost like she had been scrutinizing me as I had done her. I was caught off guard not because of her presence but the fact that she took notice of me.

I looked away for a second to place my cigarette back in its packet and when looking back found she was gone.

The feeling that I had company made me look into the room. My heart rate picked up immediately upon seeing the mysterious girl standing just a few feet from me. I was stunned, stunned to a constrained silence as she watched me with a grave expression. Although her beauty was mesmerizing, I couldn't understand why after 22 years with this ability, one of them had only now taken notice of me.

I jumped when she took a step towards me. After my initial shock wore off I took a better look at her. She looked angelic but her demeanour only revealed to me her sombre aura. She looked miserable to the point of tears.

Being only a few feet away she slowly extended her arm. Realising she was aiming for my face I stiffened. She hesitated a second before caressing my face with the back of her hand. I was startled to find that I didn't experience the stereotypical temperature drop or rise or even a slight breeze. I felt nothing as she touched me physically. The physical touch, however, were in tremendous contradiction with my emotional state.

I felt warm. I felt warmth and confusion  and sympathy towards her, radiating through me. I let out the breath I had been keeping and that seemed to have triggered the change in her. It was like a switch had been flipped and she had retracted her hand. A stone cold face replaced her earlier gloomy expression.

She briefly looked away from me before she gently turned and walked out of the room. I sat baffled for approximately a half hour, I'm not sure. I moved only to look out the window. Feeling strangely disappointed that I didn't see her in her previous position. I decided that I was tired enough and carefully retired to my bedroom. Upon getting under the covers I admitted four facts to myself: what had transpired in the room across from mine stunned me senseless; this girl riled foreign emotions in me; I was definitely not telling Emily about my earlier encounter and lastly I hoped, albeit unconsciously at first, I would get another glimpse of the beautiful translucent girl.

Sometimes I wondered if Em despises my so called gift as much as I did. I hated referring to it as a 'gift'. I'd rather define it as a strange yet still useless 6th sense. That's right...I called my ability to see the undead, that's supposed to be dead, a useless 6th sense. Right so after the discovery of my so called 6th sense, one might be compelled to ask the following questions;

'So you can see ghosts?' Yes...I, Roan Rawlings, apparently can. 'What do they look like?' Well like the living I suppose, just a lot more transparent. 'Do they come to you?' No. 'Do they ask you to help them to the other side?' Again, no. I have never seen anyone of them try to interact with the living. Ghosts are just there, it's as simple as that. Sometimes I'm not even sure they're aware of the living.