Scattered Souls

Chapter 21 - Me Who?

There was absolutely no sign of Xypher in the last three days. I had tapped on the teapot a few times: before campus, after campus, before bed. However, there was still no sign of him. He had started making appearances more frequently and now all of a sudden he just disappeared. Like completely disappeared. No random appearances. No requests for kisses.  Nothing.

Was he okay? Did he have an issue with the connections he mentioned? The tune of Strange Enchantment no longer played either. I was seriously starting to wonder whether I had imagined the whole thing. That couldn't be possible right? I mean the teapot was real after all. That has to mean that Xypher's appearance was very much real as well. He felt quite real. Surely he would've mentioned if his existence was only for a certain time period, right? He couldn't have left out such a major piece of information. Or was it because he could only grant a certain number of wishes, or rather make a certain number deals, before he had to return? I tried to think back about how many wishes I'd made thus far.

Surprisingly enough there was no sign of Jordan in the last three days either. Last I heard, from the campus grapevine, he was still recovering from his accident. Apparently he was far too broken to make a return to campus. And he made no attempt to communicate with me after his text the other night. Which was a huge relief no doubt. I guess Xypher did fulfill his end of the deal after all. Jordan had left me alone, just as I had requested. However, the major question playing on my mind at the moment, where did he disappear to? Was he perhaps upset over how I reacted to the kiss? Like it was just to get Jordan off my back? I just didn't want him to get cocky about how much I'd enjoyed it. Now I wish I had dropped the whole ice queen act. The worst part was that all I could do was sit and wait for him to reach out, when and if he chooses to. 

When midday finally arrived, I decided to pack up my stuff and head home. It felt like the right thing to do, considering how unproductive I was at the moment. My mind was too full for me to even stay awake during my lectures, let alone focus on any of them.  I figured I'd be more productive after getting the rest I needed. These past few days I also experienced waking up in the middle of the night, almost as if I could sense Xypher's presence around me, however, when I woke up I was disappointed to find the teapot was closed in it's usual spot on my dresser.

When I got home, I used my last bit of energy to drag myself to my room and then I dived into bed as sleep engulfed me instantly.

I woke up to the tune of Strange Enchantment playing softly in the background. I instantly jumped out of bed, my body reacting faster than my mind,  with my mind still processing what was happening.

There was no sign of Xypher, just the tune continuously playing. I was still a bit groggy while my eyes scanned the room and I was surprised to find Jordan sitting near my widow. I don't know how to describe it, but the look he had in his eyes was somewhat distant. Much different from his usual look.

"Jordan?" I questioned,  needing to confirm if it was really him or if this was a dream.

"I thought you were..." I trailed off. 

"You thought I was Xypher." he said.

I stood frozen on the spot. "You know about him?" this was so confusing.

He stood there in complete silence.

"How do you know about him?" I went on, realizing he still wasn't saying anything.

"Robyn, there's something you need to know." I've been hearing this phrase so often recently.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I'm not Jordan." he stated.

I could feel the perplexed look on my face grow more prominent. His words made no sense at all, even though I was trying really hard to process what he was trying to say. What was he even trying to say? How is that even possible? Was he having an identity crisis at the moment?

"What does that even mean?" I had to ask.

"It means that I'm not Jordan. The guy you were crushing on. It's me." he looked too serious to be pulling a fast one on me.

"Me who?" this was far too much for my foggy brain to handle.

"It's Xypher." he claimed.

"What?" I screamed out, looking at him like he was crazy.

"That's not possible." I declared. "It's not possible, right?" I whispered, no longer knowing whether I was talking to him or myself.

"Just like how it's not possible for me to appear from that little teapot on your dresser?" he asked, smirking.

"How do you know about that?" I demanded. "How do you know about Xypher?"

"Because I am Xypher. I am your gift." he stated.

"This is the first time I've been let out of the darkness in years." he added,  beaming. The look of pure excitement on his face made his declaration slightly believable.

"This can't be real." I said in disbelief, backing away from him.  "No, this can't be real."

I kept repeating that phrase as my mind started feeling even more foggy and my legs started feeling like jelly. I felt the now familiar darkness engulfing me again. Only this time it wasn't because of the teapot, it was because my mind felt like it was being overloaded.