Chapter 05 [arc zero]

"Lin, are you in there? You didn't come out for breakfast and I'm a little worried." Karilyn's door cracked open, and she was met with the warm face of her roommate. The woman was holding a styrofoam cup of tea in her free hand. “Hello? Lin?”

Karylin flopped over to signal that she was awake to keep the woman from panicking. Initially, the two never got along with the other woman being a slob. She never washed any dishes and preferred to spend her night partying and drinking, whereas the brunette liked to clean the entire apartment nightly. They got along now after six months of living together, but the woman was still a messy person, just overall kinder. It took an intervention to get their relationship to what it currently was, and she felt happy that she cared about her well-being. 

She sat up and beckoned the woman to come forward. The tea smelled really good and considering the fact she had seen a woman seize it last night; she needed it desperately. The twenty-two-year-old had trouble getting any sleep because of that. As soon as she had gotten home, she’d googled the incident and felt her heart drop. Karylin had vomited when she read that the cashier who had seized a sixteen-year-old girl, had died. The hospital said it looked like she had a brain aneurysm, but witnesses and family were saying otherwise. 

The mystery of the girl’s death forced her to stay up late researching what could have happened. Her mind ran over the event multiple times until she felt dizzy and had to sit down. The woman debated whether she could have triggered the seizure. Maybe the stress of having to deal with another hyperactive customer was too much for the girl. She asked herself if her delivery was too strong, and if her tone made the girl anxious. All these doubts left her a tired, miserable mess that morning.

“Thank you for the tea, Sera.” She took the cup and drank a mouthful. It was a black tea the two had found at the farmer’s market a month prior. A taste of it left you with remnants of cinnamon and pumpkin. “I had a shitty night and I’m debating going to work today.”

Sera frowned and sat down next to her. The curvier woman was wearing her work uniform, having been recently hired as a hostess for a nearby Greek restaurant. She hesitated before asking. “What happened? You texted me that the game was fun and that the store was bad, but that you were fine now.” 

The twenty-two-year-old hugged herself and let out a depressed sigh. Sending that message was biting her in the ass. She had texted the woman that but she had been telling a half-truth. Yes, the game was better than expected and it enthralled her with its world. But once she realized the cashier had died, she put it down. The brunette even decided to return the DLC pack she had ordered and wallowed in her guilty conscience. Enjoying something that was involved with the death of a high schooler working her first job just was wrong. 

“I know that the surrounding circumstances are insane. But you couldn’t have done much to help. You’re a librarian, not a doctor. The authorities were called, and that’s all that matters, in my opinion.” Her roommate was careful to whisper and to have a sympathetic tone. She put her hand on her arm and squeezed it gently.

“I know. But I can’t help but feel like something weird was happening between us. You should have seen her, Sera. She suddenly stopped moving when I walked away and then dropped to the ground like a doll.” The brunette shivered and held herself as she remembered the terror in the girl’s eyes. “Her entire demeanor and personality shifted. It was like being near me made her become possessed by something.” 

Sera gave her a look. “That’s what happens with seizures, Lin. My younger cousin had one once and I honestly can only compare what I saw that day to the ghost girl from the ring. She contorted and looked like that, not because of you, but because she was having an aneurysm.” 

The twenty-year-old knew that Sera was right and that there wasn’t any conspiracy surrounding her interaction with the woman. She honestly felt like a drama queen, even voicing such thoughts. But there was a feeling, an itch that lingered whenever she rationalized what happened. The cash registers had all started to freak out during her seizure, and there wasn’t any explanation for that. Hell, on the bus she searched for any power outages in the area and came up with nothing. Even the guy whose hand she watched get burned wasn’t heard from.

Still, she didn’t want to sound any crazier than she already did. Karylin nodded and leaned back, taking in a breath as her chest tightened. “You’re right. I’m just having a moment right now. I should be getting ready for work instead of freaking out over this.” The woman struggled to believe her own words, but she had to go today. Bills were piling up, and they were struggling to come up with the money to pay them off. 

“Hey.” She was brought into a hug by Sera. The dark-haired woman gave a tender glance as she squeezed her tightly against her chest. “I will drive you to work today. You are way too freaked out to walk two blocks to the nearest bus terminal in one piece. I’ll even buy us dinner when you get home.” 

It was hard not to tear up a bit hearing the woman behave so sweetly. “You don’t have to waste your paycheck on me. I swear, I’m just having a moment. You don’t have to worry.” It embarrassed Karylin about her actions. She felt like maybe Sera was right and she had freaked her roommate out for nothing. 

Sera put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. “Karylin. Accept my offer and chill out. Everything will be fine after your shift, alright?”