roommate [shane/ryan]

👻 chapter ten 👻

⚠️ some content in this chapter could be triggering or upsetting to some readers, so proceed with caution ⚠️

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The day's final beams of sunlight streamed through Shane's window, bathing everything within reach in a warm glow. He glanced thoughtfully at the display as he sorted the materials he had been stashing in his closet for the past month. He felt serene. The rippling sensation that had been tearing through his soul lately had grown placid. As he handled the bundles of herbs, he couldn't deny the skepticism that still lingered within him. It was necromancy, after all. A month ago, Shane had no idea it existed outside of World of Warcraft. Now, here he was, setting up an altar in his bedroom.

Aside from gathering all the necessary materials, Shane still felt unsure about how to proceed with the actual ritual, so he enlisted the help of a friend. Her name was Safiya and he met her through a friend of a friend. She was tall and intimidating, her entire body clothed in black. They bonded quickly, but Shane's interest was particularly piqued by her mention of witchcraft during one of their conversations. He had texted her later that night, asking if she knew anything about ghosts. She texted him back rather quickly saying she had recently been dabbling, but was looking to get more experience. Perfect, Shane had thought in that moment, I have just the job for you.

He had a brief conversation with Ryan earlier in the day with the purpose of telling him that he was going to try and summon him. From his responses, Shane could tell that the ghost was excited. Even if he failed, the attempt was still there. Honestly, if he failed, Shane had the drive to keep trying until he could see Ryan face to face.

His stomach turned at the thought. He glanced at his laptop and before he could control it, his fingers were typing the name Ryan Bergara into Google Images. He had seen the pictures in the news articles he had read, but Shane never really thought to look closely at the boy he would hopefully be summoning that night. Upon expanding the first image, he found himself feeling smitten. Ryan was cute. His smile in the picture Shane found was just so endearing and he found himself smiling too. The thought of standing face to face with him, feeling his body's presence rather than his spirit's, excited Shane. He felt the tingling all throughout his body. His mind was tugged back into reality by the renewed sense of urgency that began to form.

Shane was ready to meet Ryan. They had been speaking for months at this point, but Shane was ready to see his face. He was ready to touch his skin and feel him there, to associate him to something other than a plastic kid's toy. He picked up his phone and sent a quick text to Safiya.

I'll be over to pick you up in 30, okay?

He bit his nails and set to the task of assembling this altar like he read he was supposed to. As he understood, he was supposed to ingest some of the herbs, so he set those aside. Saf will know how to do that, he thought. She's the witch after all. He figured he could probably do the rest on his own, so with the help of a couple wiki-how articles and some Google Image photos, he arranged the remaining materials in a somewhat coherent display on his floor. He stepped back to admire his work. Not half bad! he thought, smiling to himself. He thought that if Ryan was watching right now, he would also be pretty stoked. Suddenly, his phone buzzed and a message from Safiya popped up on the screen.

ok !!! i'll be ready, just knock when you get here :)

Shane smiled. He took comfort in the fact that he wasn't alone. This ritual was so beyond the scope of what Shane knew and was comfortable, so having a hand to hold made the whole endeavor much less scary. He had read online that rituals like this can be dangerous because they open a portal to the other side, but Shane did not feel afraid. Instead, he was eager and Safiya shared the sentiment. When Shane told her about his full plans, he expected her to run away and never speak to him again. Instead, she merely asked what research he's done so far. She was positively fearless and Shane really admired that about her.