An Enchanted Night

9*Ghosts

Adam is grinning from ear to ear as they race away from the purple sedan, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He turns to glance at his sister before releasing another short howl. She returns a grin and says, "See, wasn't that fun, rebel?"

"Just like old times," Adam responds and focuses back on the winding road.

"I think you should take this note down, 'Listen to sister more,'" she boasts.

"Ha, ha. Never."

She squeezes his torso in response and lays her head down on his left shoulder. Without speaking, he knows what she's thinking. I love you. They call it their 'wolf cub sense,' but he knows it really trickles down to the time they shared together for nine months in utero. Split from one egg, they are quite literally one half of the other.

The rest of their drive is silent, save the constant hum of the motorcycle's engine. When Adam turns off the main road onto a dusty, grass-covered dirt road, the silence is broken. Booming music can be heard from speakers hidden in the woods, farther down the road. In a couple of minutes, they will be engulfed by teenagers and young adults.

Adam brings the motorcycle to a slow stop behind a row of parked cars and gently turns to wake his sister, expecting to be greeted by the top of her auburn head. Instead, his eyes meet the dark, dirt road. He quickly glances around, searching for her presence. He feels like he's been chasing a ghost all night.

"Hey, man," a voice calls, interrupting Adam's frantic search. When his eyes find the source of the voice, Adam is relieved to see it's Benji. The last time he saw Benji in person was a couple of months ago, at graduation. The short, dusty-blonde hair he had is now almost to his shoulders.

"Benji, it's been a while, man. Your hair really grew since graduation," Adam says as he walks over to him.

"Yeah it started with laziness, but now I kind of like it," Benji chuckles. "You know, I'm happily surprised to see you here. Just like I was at graduation."

"Well they practically handed me my diploma for free after I missed so much school, I felt like I should go to thank them for their patience."

"And what about tonight?" Benji questions, raising his eyebrows.

"You invited me," Adam replies matter-of-factly.

Benji gives him a look, "That doesn't always work."

"Tonight, it did. And, I mean, you've arranged a tribute for my sister. I can't pass that up," Adam shyly smiles.

"I'm really happy you're here, man," Benji says as he gestures with his head for Adam to follow him. "I hope you're able to get up there and sing for her. I think it'd really help you in the healing process." One of the things Adam always appreciated about Benji was his no-nonsense conversations. He always said exactly what was on his mind.

"Me too, but I can't say I'm not nervous," Adam admitted.

"You've never been nervous to sing before," Benji points out.

"I always had her," Adam begins, "and I didn't have this weight of a thousand pitying and judging eyes. I know what everyone is going to be thinking while I'm up there."

"I know this is easier said than done, but don't worry about them. You've got people out there supporting you."

Adam gives Benji a sincere smile, "I know." The way Benji looks at him in response, confirms that he knows what Adam meant with those two words. Thank you, Benji, for everything.

The pair continue down the narrow path, following the light-lined trees. Within a couple of minutes, they walk out into a good-sized clearing and are surrounded by hundreds of people waiting in front of a small, make-shift stage. The music is significantly louder here, as they're near enough to see the speakers now.

Benji is still leading the way, seemingly headed to a specific spot. It soon becomes clear where they're heading as Adam recognizes a few familiar faces. Adam begins to slow his pace as anxiety overtakes his body. When Benji reaches the group ahead and turns to announce Adam's arrival, he's shocked to find him gone. He finds Adam frozen a few paces behind, and gives him a small nod of encouragement. Adam looks around the group of guys he once called friends and notices the hesitation in their eyes. They're nervous to be around him, too. They're not sure how to act, what to say, either.

They look like they've seen a ghost.