Chapter 5: His weird and funny dressing

The sight of the girl before me left me in a state of disbelief. "am I going crazy or what?" I thought, my heart pounding in my chest. Meanwhile, Josh and the others were frantically shouting for a rope, attempting to pin me down. I struggled furiously to free myself from their grip, my mind racing.

"can't you see her?" I cried out, pointing in her direction, but none of them seemed to notice her ethereal presence.

"Please, I'm not here to hurt you," she said, her voice trembling, as she slowly approached me. I couldn't contain my fear and shouted, "No, stay away from me!" panic surged through me as she continued to draw closer. With no other option, I bit one of the people who held me tightly, forcing them to release me. I sprinted to my room with one thought in mind: the bibles could protect me from the malevolent spirit that was haunting me.

Once inside, I locked the door and hastily pushed my cupboard against it for extra security. Gasping for breath, I believed I had found refuge. My heart pounded loudly, but I sighed with relief, thinking I was safe from whatever had tormented me.

As I turned, my heart skipped a beat as I saw her standing behind me. "what do you want from me, you evil spirit?" I screamed, grabbing a bible from the ground and pointing it towards her.

"Please, I need your help. I'm not here to harm you," she pleaded, her voice quivering.

"help you? Why me? Why don't you go to someone else?" I demanded, still trembling with fear.

"Because you're the only one who can see me," she replied.

I stared at her from head to toe and then back at the bible on the floor, contemplating her words. "okay," I hesitated, my voice trembling.

"Really? You're going to help me?" she asked, a hopeful smile forming on her face.

Ignoring her, I grabbed another bible and cried out, "I bind and cast out any spirit in my life. Fire, destroy, destroy!" I repeated, calling upon the name of god, my eyes tightly shut.

When I cautiously opened my eyes, she was nowhere to be found. "is she gone?" I wondered, peering around the room. She had vanished, leaving me both relieved and perplexed.

"what are you looking for?" a voice suddenly said beside me, causing me to jump in surprise.

"can't you just let me be? I don't want anything to do with you or any spirit," I firmly declared.

"Really?" she asked, her face falling.

"yes," I replied sternly, tossing a bible in her direction. "I bind and cast out any spirit in my life, in the name of god."

As I called upon divine protection, my eyes squeezed shut, and I fervently repeated the words. Slowly, I opened my eyes, and she had disappeared.

"is she gone?" I asked myself in disbelief.

I gently opened my door, and as it creaked open, all eyes turned to me. My neighbors watched me with curiosity and concern.

"Jay, what's going on with you?" one of my neighbors asked as soon as I stepped outside.

"It's my village people that are after me, but my god is with me," I mumbled in response as I retreated to the bathroom. This time, there was no queue, and I entered immediately, still trying to make sense of the surreal encounter with the mysterious girl.

*******

The world had grown even crueler than I had imagined. He had turned my plea down without a second thought. I found myself back at the shop where I had last seen him. Seated on the pavement, I was invisible to all, left undisturbed to contemplate the harsh reality of my situation. My uncle, who had murdered his brother and his niece to seize his wealth and property, was a man without a conscience.

I closed my eyes, then opened them to find myself back in my house, precisely where I had landed when I fell from the top. Nine months had passed, but the memories of that day were as vivid as ever.

"What? Don't give me such a silly excuse!" I heard a familiar, angry voice shouting from inside the house. It was a voice I would never forget - my uncle Charles.

I followed the voice and entered my father's room. It was no longer my father's room; my uncle had taken it over. None of my father's belongings remained.

"Sir, it was a mistake. We searched everywhere for her body, but we couldn't find it. We're still searching," one of the men dressed in black explained.

Whose corpse were they searching for? I couldn't help but wonder.

My uncle's temper flared, and he walked menacingly towards the man dressed in black. In one swift, brutal motion, he stabbed the man in the chest, and blood gushed out of his mouth as the dagger plunged deeper. The man collapsed in a pool of blood, and I stood there in shock.

My uncle turned to the other men. "Someone should find me Lisa's corpse, or it will be your families that end up like this," he commanded, and the men nodded. "Get this body out of here and clean up the mess," he added before leaving the room.

I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed. My uncle's statement echoed in my mind. They had lost my body, but how could I find it now? How could I return to my body? Countless questions raced through my mind, and I struggled to hold back tears.

"Oh God, please touch the heart of that boy to help me," I whispered as I disappeared from the scene and reappeared in the boy's compound.

*****

As I stepped out of my house, Josh couldn't help but comment, "This time your dresses are all mixed colors."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes playfully and reply, "I know that nothing I do is ever okay for you."

"Seems like you have another interview," Josh observed.

I smiled brightly in response, locking my door. I held my briefcase, which contained my CV and, of course, a Bible just in case I encountered any more ghosts.

My grin stretched from ear to ear, as if I had just won the lottery. Josh noticed my joyful expression and couldn't help but ask, "Why are you smiling like that?"

I had to come up with a plausible explanation. I couldn't tell Josh the real reason – that the ghost girl had left and didn't seem to be coming back. He wouldn't believe me. So, I replied, "I just have a good feeling about today."

With that, I walked out of the compound, ready to face whatever the day had in store for me.

*****

I sighed in relief as I arrived just in time to see him. It seemed like he was about to leave, and I would've missed him if I had been any later.

The thought of confronting him again crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it. I couldn't afford to have people label him as insane, not again. Instead, I decided to follow him discreetly. He hailed a taxi, and I did the same, even though I couldn't physically touch the car. I simply floated in thin air to ensure he wouldn't notice me.

It had been months since I had talked to anyone, and I felt incredibly lonely. Letting this guy go again was becoming increasingly difficult. "I'm getting off here," he suddenly said, drawing me out of my thoughts.

I glanced at him, taking in his mismatched attire. He wore a white shirt with a black tie, brown trousers, and shoes of indistinguishable color. Despite the odd combination, he still managed to smile.

*****

I hailed a taxi and soon reached my destination. A strange feeling of being followed lingered, but I brushed it off as my mind played tricks on me, still shaken by my morning encounter. "Clear your mind, Jay," I mumbled to myself. I needed this job, and I didn't want anything, not even absurd thoughts, to get in the way.

Approaching the reception, I asked the girl behind the desk about the interview location. She briefly scanned my attire, and a smirk seemed to play on her lips as she pointed in a direction. "That way," she replied calmly.

I walked away, feeling somewhat annoyed by her judgment of my clothing. I couldn't help but question her sense of fashion. "Isn't this outfit wonderful?" I asked myself out loud, drawing some attention from those around me. Someone chuckled behind me, but I chose to ignore it and continued walking. I was quite confident in my style.

Taking a seat, I settled in to wait for my turn in the interview.

******

I couldn't help but laugh quietly to myself as I followed him. "Goodness, how can someone dress like this for an interview at such a high-class company?" I thought, still amused. I concealed my laughter to avoid giving away my presence. Jay had no idea that I was observing him.

He sat down, seemingly waiting for his turn, while I perched behind a wall where he couldn't spot me.

Minutes drifted by, and he still hadn't emerged from the interview room.

******

Sitting through the interview was incredibly challenging. The interviewer not only criticized my clothing but also posed questions I struggled to answer.

"Did you hear what I just said?" the interviewer asked, snapping me out of my deep thought.

"No, sir," I replied instantly.

He informed me, "This is a written exam, and you need to score at least 70% to secure the job." I nodded and returned to answering the questions.

"You got the third answer wrong," a voice echoed, and I glanced at the interviewer, who was engrossed in his phone.

"Most of your answers are incorrect, and you'll need to revise them to sound more professional and gain favor," the same feminine voice offered more guidance.

I turned to respond, but my shock froze the words in my throat. It was the ghost girl. "Hah!" I screamed out involuntarily.

"Any problem?" the interviewer asked, looking puzzled.

I quickly composed myself and whispered in my ear, "Don't make a scene, or you'll lose the job." I tried my best not to freak out, with the ghost girl's presence being both surprising and unsettling.