Chapter 8: Knock

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Silence fell. Mira and I looked at each other before she asked again. "Were you expecting anybody?"

I shook my head. She grabbed my hand and pulled me along with her. The feeling of her hand reminded me of back then. I found myself reminiscing, and for a slight second there was a warm sensation welling up in my chest. I snapped myself back before I could fall any deeper.

Why was I thinking about that now? I just wanted to forget everything that happened and go back to my normal life. My simple life, one that got even more complicated now that she was back here! Mira was still tugging me towards her, when abruptly we were interrupted once more.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Mira shushed me before putting her eye up to the door. I waited in suspense, a cold shiver ran down my spine. She backed from the door and motioned me towards her. I slowly approached as my hairs stood up. Cautiously putting my eye to the peephole I looked.

"There's nobody there…" I said as I pulled my eye away. The other side of the door was completely empty.

"Look closer…" Mira said. "They left another gift for you…"

I turned back towards the door and looked through once more. This time I saw a piece of paper lying on the ground in front of my door, it was barely recognizable.

"A piece of paper?" I asked, turning towards Mira.

"Maybe it's a love letter from your secret admirer…" Sounding like she was only half joking, she had an unamused face as she said that. It was a sudden change in her attitude, one I wasn't used to.

No matter what it was though I decided that the best course of action was to just open the door and see what was written on the paper. I counted to three in my head and swung the door open. The hallway was completely empty and silent. The piece of paper was the only thing out of place.

I picked it up and quickly came back inside the apartment, shutting and locking the door completely. Mira was waiting for me back inside as I walked in.

"So what does it say?" She asked.

"I don't know, I haven't even opened it yet…" I retorted.

"Well open it and read it!" She still seemed upset. I didn't understand why, but it was written all over her face that she was upset about something. It was almost like she was jealous but that possibly couldn't be the case.

Deciding it was just best to continue, I ignored her remark and opened up the letter; reading aloud: "My dearest Jae, I hoped you liked my gift. I'm sorry for what happened, everything will be fixed soon…"

"Ohhhh so it is a secret admirer…" She gave me a weird look. "So who is it?"

"I don't know," I shrugged her off. It felt like I was getting interrogated now, but there really wasn't anyone I could think of that would send a letter like this. "I really don't know anyone…"

"You sure?" Mira was staring daggers into me now. "Not one of your exes or flings?"

"Yes! Really!" Why was she pressing me so hard? Even if it was someone I actually knew, why was she so invested into my private life?

"Fine I'll believe you for now…" It felt like I was just let off the hook for a crime I didn't even commit. But at least she stopped the interrogation. "Let's just see what's in the box."

"Don't waste your time, the box was just empty…" I replied back.

"What do you mean the box was just empty?" She turned around to stare in my direction.

"It means it was empty when I opened it-"

"What? Why would someone send you just an empty box?" Mira was pressing up against me as she asked. "Where's the box now?"

"It's just over there." I pointed towards the box that was now just in the corner of the living room. It was opened up laying on its side, but what was inside was nothing. Nothing was in the box, but at the same time it wasn't empty. I stumbled backwards. "What is that?"

An empty void filled the spaces that should have been. An unnatural darkness, darkness that stretched further than the dimensions of the box. And a hand, reaching out, trying to claw its way out. Mira grabbed me under the shoulders and pulled me up.

"Well no time to stay and find out!" Mira said. She made her way past the living room to the balcony door as I followed. Sliding the door open she stepped out and looked around. "Well it looks like we have no choice…"

She smiled. Oh no… It was the same smile from back then. She had another crazy idea in mind.

"What are you going to-" Before the words could finish coming out of my mouth she had already grabbed my hand, and jumped!

"Here we go again!" She yelled as we fell off the balcony of my three story apartment. I knew it, why does it always have to be jumping off a high area with her?!

As we were an inch away from meeting our sudden doom we froze in midair. The device on her wrist emitted a bluish aura that also surrounded us. It gently placed us on the ground and evaporated away.

"Why is it always with the jumping with you?!" I exclaimed as I got up.

"Well we had no other options…" She just gave a shrug.

"What about the front door?!"

"That's so boring…" She said as she turned away to start walking. "What's next? You want to go down the stairs?"

"Yes! I'd rather do that!" I cried out.

"Lame…" She continued walking down the sidewalk as I followed. "Are you sure your the real Jae? Cause the real Jae wouldn't say that…"

"Of course I'm real! And how would you know?! AND…AND WHAT WAS THAT THING BACK THERE!" I just blurted out.

"Geez calm down, it was just a joke." Mira replied as we approached the park right across the street from my apartment complex. "And I have no idea."

"Then why did we have to run?" I asked.

"Well whatever your past fling sent you, I bet it didn't want to be friends…" Mira started to press buttons on her watch again.

"I told you I don't have anyone like that…" I responded a bit embarrassed.

"Whatever the case…" She continued, still not fully convinced. "It was better to get out of there and reassess the situation."

"What about the situation? That thing is still in my house!" I pointed back. I had nowhere else to go besides back to that apartment with that thing. "How are we supposed to get that thing out of there now?"

"First we have to get back to the ship and after we'll figure something out," Mira turned back and gave me a comforting smile as she said this. "And Jae don't worry, we'll figure it out."

Those words coming from her didn't really comfort me at all, but I could tell she was trying to play nice so I went along with it. Walking close behind her, we finally reached the wide open empty field.

"It should be around here somewhere…" She pressed a couple more buttons on her watch. As she did, engines started to whirl and a ship became visible from the air. "There it is!"

It was the same rusted old ship we stole from back then. The door opened up into a ramp as a bright light emitted from the entrance.

"Alright let's head in!" Mira seemed to have gotten in a better mood from before as she pumped her fist in the air and started to run towards the ship.

"Wait up!" I chased after her as she ran. It was nice seeing the familiar ship again, only if my old friends could have seen this. I would have rubbed it in their faces. I was an arm's distance away from the ship when I heard a soft voice whisper from behind:

"Jae…I found you…" A cold shiver went down my spine. Her voice, it wasn't recognizable but it was tame but rigid. I turned around slowly to see a robed figure in the dark. The top of her face was covered by her hood, but as she kept talking I was able to see her cold breath. "Come back… I'll fix it…"

"Who are you?!" I yelled at her.

She kept walking forward calmly, as the shadows followed close behind. Reaching out her hand, she whispered: "Jae…"