3 3| Ezekiel the Ghosts

"So you are telling me you have been meeting a mysterious man whenever you go to work at night?" Adriano gaped as I nodded. We were at a café a few minutes away from the lab just in between my office and his. We came here often during our lunch breaks that it had somehow became a daily routine.

"Yes, at first I found it strange, but it is quite nice. He is very intelligent. I had no idea the Palace had employees who could think for themselves," I shrugged. It was true. For the past two weeks whenever I went to the Palace to study the plants at night Ezekiel would appear and we would have long conversations about the work I was doing. He understood the plants just as well as I did and it was extremely rare to meet someone like that.

"And you say you've never seen him during the day?" Adriano raised his eyebrows. I hesitantly nodded once again afraid of what he was going to say. "You aren't talking to a person, that's a fucking ghost."

"Don't start it's a person," I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Cloud be serious. He doesn't even dress like Royal employees or the Royals themselves and he is always barefoot. Maybe he is someone who got killed on Palace grounds and it haunting the place. Maybe he was the past botanical scientist. We all know he went missing," his eyes were so large I was afraid they were going to fall out of his eye sockets.

I wanted to dispute his claims, but he had a point. The last scientist who worked for the Palace went missing and that was when they recruited me. Plus Ezekiel always said he was my assistant what if it was the truth. "Oh my soul," I covered my mouth realizing that it just might be the case. I was talking to a ghost!

"Before we jump to conclusions we have to ask around about this Ezekiel guy," he nodded as he had a thoughtful expression on his face, "tonight when you go to the Palace try to touch him. If your hand doesn't faze through then he is real, but if it does then he is a ghost."

"What do I do if he is?"

"We will notify the King, it's the only way," he covered his mouth with his hands, "Maybe the ghost is trying to see if you are a worthy candidate so he can take over your body. Maybe he wants to be a physical being again."

"But compared to him I'm an ant. I'm the king of gingers after all," I chuckled at mine and Adriano's inside joke. The first time we met in primary school he told me my hair was so red I must have been the king of gingers. I punched him as soon as he finished his sentence and from then on we knew we were going to be best friends for life.

"Maybe he had always wanted to be a ginger," he pursed his lips and shrugged.

"I doubt it, I haven't properly seen his face but he is by far better looking than myself."

"Shut up you're the cutest little peanut. With freckles dusted on your nose," he tapped my nose with the tip of his finger.

"I'll fight you. I have to get back to the office, see you later for dinner?" I stood up, put on my coat and grabbed my backpack.

"Of course, I'll get us ramen noodles," Adriano smiled knowing they were my favourite.

"You're the best," I ruffled his hair before leaving the café. I hopped onto my bicycle and cycled back to work. In the building I worked in, there were three other departments that also worked for the Royals. It was their personal representatives and journalists, their personal engineers and aquatics team for their ponds or whatever they needed them for.

The only person I was close to was Gino, who worked in the personal representatives and journalists department. Before I made my way to my lab I went a floor up and headed for Gino's office. If there was one person who knew everything to know about the Royals it was definitely him.

I knocked on his door and waited for a response. Soon I heard 'Come in' and entered. Gino was always dressed sharply in a designer suit and his blonde hair was always cut to perfection; a long quiff and trimmed sides. We met when I started working here and clicked. Plus he and Adriano got along extremely well which made things much easier.

"What can I help my favourite scientists with today?" he smiled after we hugged. I sat down on his couch as he prepared two shots of espresso for us.

"I think there's a ghost haunting me," I spoke honestly.

He sighed and shook his head as he walked over to me holding our small cups, "Did Adriano fill your head with his nonsense, because if he did I will slap him. You two have always been paranoid."

"It's not paranoia it is facts Gino," I exuberated since he was not taking me seriously.

"How did you come to this conclusion?"

"You know I started working at night at the Palace. Every time I go to study the plants there's this man, his name is Ezekiel and he always shows up when I start working. I can never see his face and he doesn't dress like any of the Royals or Royal staff. I've never heard of him before either," I pitched my case as he just stared at me.

"Cloud there are like three people I know who work at the Palace with the name Ezekiel. Stop stressing," he laughed at my frowning face. I wanted to believe, but something told me I was truly dealing with a ghost. I just felt it deep within my gut that there was no way a normal human being would be so secretive about all of this.

"Okay. I guess Adriano did get in my head after all," I chuckled and scratched the back of my head pretending to completely let this go.

"Exactly. Enjoy time with this new guy. You never know what the future holds," he winked suggestively. I simply stared at him wondering what he was insisting until it hit me! He thought I was into Ezekiel!

"I'm not attracted to men like that," I laughed slightly petrified he thought I did.

"I know," he shrugged and sat down by his desk, "I'll see you and Adriano tonight after your shift at the Palace. Please don't do anything stupid Cloud."

"As if I would ever," I held my chest faking shock. Gino rolled his eyes before waving me away with his hand. Apparently he had a meeting with someone important from the Palace in a few minutes so I was not allowed to bother him any longer.

I dragged my feet back to my lab as I wondered how I was going to handle this situation. On one hand Gino was telling me to act completely normal about the whole situation and just go with the flow, whilst Adriano made me believed I was being haunted by a supernatural entity. My brain told me to follow Gino since he was the wisest out of us all, but my gut told me to follow Adriano. It always ended up going well one way or the other.

Therefore I took out my laptop and googled ways to connect with a ghost. Some said I were to burn sage that if it were a bad spirit it would be chased way, some said I were to burn different types of dried herbs to connect with the spirit and bring fresh fruits as an offering. I was to wear nice neutral colours because they said it made the spirit feel as ease seeing something bright and airy.

Considering I had nothing to do at the office I packed the equipment I would need and raced down to the supermarket to get all the herbs I would need plus a fruit salad. I guessed after being dead for quite some time one would be hungry so I brought two just in case. I also went to buy a few new shirts and light jeans, since everything I owned was a bit darker than what was recommended.

Adriano came by and helped me pack my things in his car since he often dropped me off for work then came to pick me up. I did not mind riding my bike at night, but he insisted to be safer. At least he cared, but forced me to watch a dumb show he had discovered hours prior. As I made my way to the new work station I noticed a figure sitting under a tree. My heart rate immediately picked up as I took steps closer to who I figured to be Ezekiel.

When he heard me approach he stood up and greeted me. I greeted back with a smile and for the first time in days the moon finally shown from above the clouds allowing me to see his face a bit better. He was terribly handsome and I was just pointing it out. I could not see his face clearly enough to say he looked like someone, but it was enough to make me insecure. I had been sassing a handsome person for the past few weeks.

"You look nice today," Ezekiel chuckled as I laid my equipment on the floor. I nearly fainted when I realized he had complimented my LIGHT clothes. I was dressed in a white hoodie and light blue jeans that nearly looked white if you stood a distance away from me, with blue converses.

"Thank you," I smiled nervously and took out the sage. It had been dried and wrapped in some sort of yarn to keep it all together. Whilst Ezekiel was looking away I quickly lit the sage with a lighter I had bought earlier today. I pointed it in his direction hoping he would not turn around soon.

"What…are you burning something?" he turned around and chuckled.

"It's a test for the plants," I laughed and tried to improvise, "I wanted to… umm check their carbon intake."

"I think you would need a controlled environment in order to do that," he tilted his head to the side and walked past me to one of the trees. He had no problem with the sage therefore he was not an evil ghost here to take my soul. I quickly blew the sage out and threw it back in its little container.

Now was time for step two, "Would you like a fruit salad?"

"You're offering me food?" Ezekiel laughed once again. I had no idea what was so entertaining about me trying to connect with him if he was a ghost. In my opinion he should be grateful I was first trying to connect with him. I could have just been crazy and sprinkled him with some holy water then called it a day.

"Yes, aren't you hungry?" I did not want to be rude and impose. If he had been dead for a long time he must have been hungry.

He kept quiet for a few seconds before answering, "I guess so."

"I have a more berry kind and a more mango infused fruit salad. Which one would you like?" I took out the two bowls with individually wrapped utensils.

"Berries. They're my favourite," I could see his perfectly white teeth as they shone from the moonlight. He must have been bloody handsome when he was alive. I handed him the bowl and we sat down. Distance between us again as we ate silently. "So why the sudden night picnic? Is this some sort of date?"

I nearly choked on my food when he said that. I cleared my throat and laughed, "I don't date ghosts."

Oh.

Shit.

"Wait you think I'm a ghost?" he crackled up once again and lay down on the grass.

"Well it only makes sense. You only come out at night and I don't even know what position you work in at the Palace. Plus one of my friends said the same thing…" at that point I was rambling away trying to cover the embarrassment I felt.

"You told one of your friends about me?" he sounded intrigued and rather surprised I would mention him to anyone.

"Yes, then I also told Gino who told me I should just let it go, but once I have something in my head it's hard to let it go," I scratched the back of my head regretting not listening to Gino. He was always right and I just had to follow my dumbass best friend Adriano.

"Gino? The Royal publicist?"

"Yes."

"Hmm interesting," he shrugged, "Well to answer you. I work close with the Royal family. You have nothing to worry about. I am very much alive."

"Well that's good. It would have been a shame. You are a very nice person."

"Thank you very much Cloud. I have to leave, do not fear I'm not going to wonder off into a cemetery or something," he stood up and stood next to me as I was still sitting down. "Have a goodnight Cloud. I look forward to our next meet." Unexpectedly he ruffled my hair without his hand fazing through!

I looked up to him like an amazed little boy and smiled, "Goodnight Ezekiel. Sorry about the whole ghost thing."

"It's understandable. I can be a bit mysterious. Thank you for the fruit salad it was delicious."

"My pleasure." With that he nodded and walked off into the darkness. He was real! He was actually real!