If Atem Lived in my Head

Why are You Haunting Me?

Atem followed a few steps behind, his eyes trailing over the place he seems to have come from.

"What's that?" he asks pointing to a car.

"It's a car." I whisper to him, trying to keep my voice low so that Reese won't hear me.

"What does it do?" Atem asks completely oblivious to the fact that he hasn't told me why he's haunting me yet.

"You drive places in it." I explain casting a glance at Reese. Reese is completely captivated by the sights. I'd be too if I wasn't so distracted by Atem.

"Who is this young man?" Atem asks "is he your husband."

"Husband!" I sputter. Reese turns wide eyes on me.

"What?" he asked although he had to have heard me.

"Nothing." I shake my head." I was just... singing."

"Singing?" Atem smiles "you are a performer then." He crosses his arms and smiles at me "please, let me hear."

"No way." I snap.

"What song has you yell husband?" Reese looks at me strangley. I glare at Atem as I open my mouth.

"Dear future husband, here's a few thing you need to know, if you want to be my one and only all my liiiiiife." I sing exaggeratedly and Reese breaks out laoughing.

"You always have a song stuck in your head, Nuni." He laughs
thank god I'm so weird. It's easier to play things like this off.

"Yep." I laugh nervously

"That was beautiful." Atem smiles at me... why did a ghost's smile make my knees so weak?

"Thanks." I breath back, hoping Reese didn't hear but he's already lost in the sights again. "So..." I decide to just address the elephant in the room "why are you haunting me?"

"Haunting you?" he looks genuinely confused, I'll give him that much.

"That's what this is... isn't it?" I ask. "That's why you're a ghost?"

"A... ghost?" Atem looks at himself as if he expects to find something out of place on him. "you mean a spirit?" he smiles.

"I guess." I shrug, semantics.

"Yes, my spirit was stored in that puzzle on your neck. Destiny leads the one who is meant to help me stop a great evil that is to come."

"Great evil?" I ask.

He nods. "You must be the chosen one."

"Unless my mother is this evil you speak of... I think I picked this up at a flea market and I'll probably have to give it away to the real chosen one sometime down the road."

"Nuni, the puzzle is not something that is merely found, destiny decides where it goes." Atem tries to explain.

"So..." I fiddle with the puzzle draped around my neck. "I'm not being haunted?" I just want to be sure.

"No, destiny has brought us together and together we will prevail against all the great evil that threatens this peaceful world."

I had to hand it to Atem, the guy was inspiring. I almost believed him.

"Alright, Atem." I play along anyway "we're in this together."

"In what together?" Reese decides he wants to listen to me now,

"Sight-seeing." I cover quickly. "Theres nothing that can stop us from seeing it ALL!" I grab Reese's arm and point to the sky dramatically. Reese just laughs.

"You're insane, Nuni." He walks on ahead.

"Oh, you have no idea." I snort, glancing at Atem who seems confused again.

"Is he courting you?" Atem asks.

"You are awfully nosy." I narrow my eyes at him.

"It's just a question." Atem gives me a look.

"No." I answer just to make him stop looking at me like that. "Reese is my friend."

"You are very close with your...friend." Atem smiles as if he knows something I don't.

"That's what makes him a friend." I roll my eyes at Atem.

"Why not tell him about me?" Atem asks.

"Because he'll think I'm totally insane and if you knew my life then you'd know asking him to put up with anything more would be unfair." I tell him honestly. If Atem was going to be stuck in my head then he was going to see what my home life was like.

"I think you'll find out soon enough why he, as you called it, 'puts up' with you very soon." Atem smiles that same smile and I reach out to shove him but he slips easily away from my hand.

"Shut up." I grumble.

"Over there!" Reese exclaims dragging me behind him. Atem follows and I cast him a withering glare.

Oh what does he know about anything?