Chapter 3

It was eleven a.m. as Follia lazily watched the deep moody umbra the autumn sun cast onto the walls of class 2-C. Though one could say the shadows created a depressing atmosphere, honestly, it made the dull room playful and full of life.

The room buzzed with conversation, creating a lively accompaniment for the scene she was observing. Follia watched the scampering of little shadows, as they played a game where they hopped in and out of shadows larger than themselves. The little creatures played their shadow hopping game without arousing the suspicion of the 29 odd people in the room. Well, most of the time.

"Huh?"

Sometimes, one would move a little too fast, earning the quick and almost precise glance from a girl who always seemed to look right after one made it to cover.

"What is it?"

"I thought I saw something run across the room..."

"Eh? You must be daydreaming again!"

"Y-yeah"

The group was a mix of woodland creatures, fish, horned humanoids, and many other silhouettes, to say she knew what these little creatures were would be a lie. They all looked different.

The little creature was scolded for drawing unwanted attention, then, they all returned to their game as if nothing happened.

Follia couldn't remember what year it was when umbra began to invade her life. But, she did remember the hatred they evoked by simply existing. She truly hated them. They weren't malicious, nor did they cause serious harm, but, to put it simply, these creatures destroyed the familiar world she was living in. They terrified her because they confirmed that her curse was real.

Her time here was truly infinite.

Reality merged with figments of her imagination. They clashed with each other, driving her nearly insane.

She hated the things and wanted to stop seeing them everywhere she went. But, as time progressed, she was able to see more and more into that lesser-known realm.

Some call it the spirit realm, so that's what she called it.

Who was she to change the rules?

Though most people cannot see it directly, the spirit world affects the 'natural' world. When a person is born, they have no connections to the spirit world. But, as a person makes decisions during their life, they attracted the attention of certain spirits. The more they repeated a certain behavior, the more a spirit would merge with said person.

As far as Follia could tell, merging led to two things, a 'demonic' possession, usually caused by grief or jealousy from one of the parties, or the ability to interact with the spirit world.

Though these cases were not rare, they were usually mild.

No stopping time or invisibility here.

But, it did make judging one's character much easier.

With just a single glance, she could tell if someone was up to no good.

Of course, that was thanks to whatever unnerving spirit was looming over said persons shoulder.

Follia was snapped out of her daze when a loud crash coursed through the room.

"Omg, are you okay?"

Follia looked up to see a girl hurrying to pick up the contents of her pencil box.

"Let me help."

She had a fluffy pink ball placed on her shoulder. It glanced at the girl, annoyed that she made such a ruckus during its nap.

"I-It's fine I got it."

"Why're you so clumsy Eve?"

"It's like you're cursed to just keep falling over!"

The little fur-ball rolled its eye, 'why do people always assume it's a curse? Some people were just naturally oafs.'

Follia closed her eyes and placed her head on the desk.

The lack of sleep was finally getting to her. She stifled a yawn.

How long has it been since she's seen such a harmless looking spirit?

***

It was dusk by the time Follia made her way home in the chilly evening air. She slackened her pace as she thought of all the horrific things a girl like her could experience on her way home. Though the thought was morbid, she'd rather not have to go through that tonight.

Or any night actually.

Her problem was with the street she lived on.

Though streetlights illuminated the main roads, she didn't live in the best side of town. In just a few blocks, most lights weren't on, creating many possibilities. A few months ago, she was on her way home, the sidewalks were uneven, and she tripped, cracking her neck against the pavement. The worst part of it all was the abominable neck-ache, which lasted for weeks. A stray cat jumped onto a balcony and dropped a pot of basil onto her head. Robbery and murder were also a possibility. Follia walked at a procrastinating pace, watching cars fly past her on the busy road.

'Should I eat out?'

The smell of the restaurants and food stalls serving at their peak hour made her mouth water.

"It's alright to treat myself now and then! But how much can I afford?"

Follia's mood dampened, she hadn't been paid yet this week.

In reality, she didn't need food to survive- Who was she kidding? Food was the only thing she looked forward to in life! That and death.

The thought of going home to eat a measly meal of rice and salted cabbage made her, in plain words, sad.

What other option did she have though?

She bit the inside of her cheek, suppressing to hunger that shook her frame.

Follia began her depressing trek home. Completely forgetting about the mess she had left for herself to clean up later.