Earth's Scattered Children

Chapter 3: The Ghost in the Shadows

I woke up with a headache and a slight fever. Peter brought me breakfast in bed and watched me eat it as if he was afraid I'd been starving to death, which might have been the case seeing as I was a little thinner than I should have been. After I had eaten I felt much better, so I got up and explored the quarters, although there wasn't much to see. There was a small kitchen, a little area with two armchairs And a screen on the wall designed to look like a fireplace, a little bathroom with a shower and two bedrooms. The only thing that interested me was the little bookcase that was in one of the bedrooms. It's hard to find paper books nowadays, and this place had a full shelf of them. I sat there flipping the pages and looking at the beautifully illustrated pictures. Most people didn't care much about reading anymore, and the artwork wasn't usually very good because, well, if no one's gonna read it anyway, why take the time to draw a nice picture for it? The soft paper felt nice on my fingers, and I wondered why people prefer little screens that you scroll your finger across over lovely wooden pages. The ink letters were much more pleasing to the eye than the ones you see on those little reading tablets. Suddenly I realized how silly it was that I was making a big fuss over a book when I barely knew how to read, but I couldn't get myself to put down the vintage item with its silky pages. It wasn't until Peter called me for lunch that I realized I had been studying the books for hours.

At lunch, Peter introduced me to his brother. Apparently his name is Stan (well, it's actually Stanley but he prefers to be called Stan). He didn't talk at all through the whole meal except when he yelled at Peter to stop talking with his mouth full. He wasn't very fun to be around, as everything seemed gloomier when he was there. I asked Peter why he was so grumpy all the time, but he just shrugged his shoulders and said,

“He's been through a lot more than I have. He doesn't like being stuck with me either. We never really got along very well.” Being stuck with a little brother didn't seem like a good reason to be grumpy to me, but maybe that's just because I always got along with my brothers pretty well. Thinking about my brothers made me feel depressed, and the fact that peter was so similar to my little brother didn't help. I started to realize so many similarities between them- the way he always gave me the ridiculous smile, that sparkle in his eyes that never seemed to go away, and his hair was even a similar shade of brown. I felt my eyes water up as I remembered all the things I used to do with my brothers. Running through what was left of the fields, exploring the attic that was filled with antiques and little vintage nick-nacks. I even missed getting into fights with my oldest brother when he wouldn't let me do whatever silly, dangerous thing I was trying to do. I was replaying an old memory of playing pirates with a few of my brothers in my mind when suddenly I heard a worried voice say,

“Are you alright?” I suddenly returned to reality and realized a small tear was making its way down my cheek. Peter was looking at me awkwardly, obviously not sure what to do.

“It's nothing.” I responded, wiping away the annoying little tear. I decided a nice walk might cheer me up, so as soon as lunch was over I cleared my spot and left the quarters.

I strolled up and down the ship's hallways, exploring all the little rooms and corridors. I discovered the ship had a mall and a greenhouse (which I spent a lot of time in- everything was so green :3) and it even had a gym! There was no one in the gym, so I had it all to myself. I studied all the machines and tried out the treadmill that instantly speeds up and slows down as you do. I was about to leave and check out more of the ship when I got the eerie feeling that I was being watched. I turned around and saw a little girl lying in the corner of the room, partly hidden by the shadows. I felt a terrible chill run down my spine. I was certain she hadn't been there just a second ago. There was something strange about the little girl- her skin seemed pale as death and her bleached, unwashed hair covered a large portion of her face. Her clothes were tattered and dirty and she was wrapped in a thin, ragged blanket. The most startling part of her appearance was her cold, icy blue eyes that looked a lot like the eyes of a husky, but much brighter. They seemed to glow from the shadows, and it was frightening. I felt like running away as fast as my legs would carry me and never coming back, but she looked more terrified and confused than I was, so I decided I shouldn't just leave her. I walked slowly and cautiously up to the little girl and asked,

“Are you alright? What are you doing here all by yourself? Are you lost?” She nodded her head slightly, keeping her eyes fixed on me without even blinking. It felt eerie, but I told myself she was just a little girl and there was nothing to be afraid of. I Reached out my hand and said softly, “I can help you find your way. Just tell me where you need to go.” She hesitated for a minute, then gave me a little smile. I still felt uneasy, but I couldn't help but smile back. Suddenly fear struck me again as her ice-cold hand gripped mine. It felt like I was holding hands with death itself. As soon as she had touched my hand it felt numb with cold, and soon my whole body began to shake as the terrible chill spread through me. The little girl's fingers were clammy and felt more like a liquid than a solid. I panicked and ripped my hand away, and while doing so tripped on my own feet. My head hit the floor hard, causing my vision to go fuzzy. I sat up, dazed and looked toward the corner where the little girl had been sitting, but she was gone. I brought my hand over my mouth, holding back a scream. I wanted to believe she had run away after I fell, but I knew that wasn't true. Even if she had managed to sneak past without me noticing, she wouldn't have had enough time to get to the door, even if she had run at high speed. I panicked and dashed out of the room, heading straight for Peter's quarters. As soon as I got there I barged through the door, smashing straight into Peter and knocking both of us to the ground. I was shaking so hard it was hard to get up, but I managed. I stood there shivering as Peter studied me carefully as if something on me would explain why I was acting so strange.

"What are you so scared about?" He asked finally, "Something happen?" I didn't respond. If I told him what happened, he might think I was crazy. I was starting to think it might not have really happened myself. What if I was just imagining it? If that was the case, why did I get that icy cold feeling? There were so many things I couldn't explain. I stood there silently, attempting to calm myself down. Peter continued to stare at me, his expression looking somewhere between worry and pity. He felt my forehead as if he thought my behavior might have been influenced by a fever, then suddenly looked even more worried than he had before. "Maybe you should get some rest." He said, then led me to my room. I wanted to resist, but I was getting pretty tired and I figured it was best to take a nap. When we got there, I sat on the edge of the bed and stared directly into Peter's eyes as if there was something in them I was trying to find. It seemed strange. I had met Peter less than two days ago, yet it felt like I had known him for years. Maybe it was the similarity between my brothers and him.

I couldn't look away from Peter's shining brown eyes. They seemed too pretty to be real, especially compared to the rest of him. Even the way his pupils got wider and thinner like a cat seemed to add to the beauty of those chocolatey spheres. Peter seemed confused and slightly awkward, his cheeks a bit pink as he asked,

"Is something wrong?" I realized I  must've been looking at him rather strangely, and I slowly lowered my gaze until I was staring into my lap. He put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Get some rest. I'll check on you before dinner." He gave me a little smile and left, closing the door behind him. My head was spinning and my eyelids felt heavy, but I didn't sleep like he told me to. Instead I lay awake on my bed, revisiting everything that had happened in my head. There was only one answer I could find to explain what was up with that strange little girl- she must have been a ghost.