The Boy on the Other Side

by Aki_kaze

  Nobody knew why he was targeted. All Keith wanted was to live a normal life. He hadn’t so far talked to any other spirits apart from Sam.

  After school was over, Keith quickly got on the bus. As usual, he was left alone. It took less than an hour to get home. Soon, he would get to see Sam. The spirit had become his anchor. He made his life not as suffering as it used to be. Every time they talked, his heart would be filled with cheer; every trouble in the world, forgotten.

  Keith looked out of the window, fighting the growing unpleasant feeling inside. He didn’t want to show his weak side to anyone. Nobody understood him; they had never been in his shoes.

  The three got off the bus. Alice held his hand as they walked into the house. Her kindness was loud and clear.

  Diane was preparing dinner. Her two kids headed straight to the kitchen to find some snack. Keith, on the other hand, hurried to his room to see the face he missed the most.

  The spirit was standing in his usual spot, gazing out of the window. When he heard the knock on the door, his eyes glistened, a warm smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

  “Sam, I’m back.”

  “Welcome home.”

  Sam’s smile was everything to him. As long as they were together, he could be happy. His heart told him so.

  Chapter Ten

  Don’t Show Up Like This

  Keith’s green eyes snapped open. It was all dark. For a moment he thought he got stuck in that storeroom again. He sat up and realized he was in his room. He tried to compose himself, squeezing his own trembling hands.

  “Sam.”

  “What is it?”

  A voice emerged by his ear. He almost let out a scream but could quickly cover his mouth. His heart was now beating so fast his chest hurt. He needed to calm down again.

  “Don’t show up like this.”

  “But you called me.”

  “You heard it?”

  The other flashed him a smile as a reply. “What’s the matter? Nightmare? Can’t get to sleep?” he continued, “do you know what I did when I had a nightmare?”

  The blonde lay down on the bed casually, as if he was the owner, whereas the real owner could only watch. Those two blue eyes still asked him the question. So, Keith lay down on his back as well.

  “What did you do?”

  “I did nothing. Because I never had one.”

  Keith was so close to hit the other but realized that the blow would definitely go through.

  “How’s that possible? You never had a nightmare?”

  “Nothing is scarier than reality.”

  The sentence captured his attention. Blue eyes looked up at the ceiling, gazing beyond into his past where Keith was afraid to visit. He feared whatever waiting for him there might took away the things between them.

  “Nothing is scarier than reality.” He agreed. It was not nightmare that took away his family.

  Keith closed his eyes. Sam’s face was the last thing in his mind.

  When he woke up, Sam was gone. The morning sun lit up the room. An occasional noise of car passing by was heard. He got up and stretched himself. He went to the bathroom to prepare for school.

  “Good morning,” Alice greeted him at the stairs. He replied accordingly. He was about to ask her about the girl he met in the library the other day, but John intervened.

  “You’re in my way.” John said and stomped down the stairs. Alice and Keith went after him.

  They had eggs, bacons, sausages, and bread as breakfast. The three ate in silence. Hector got up and put his coffee cup in the sink. He kissed his wife on the cheek before saying goodbye to the children.

  Diane sat with them, her hand holding a cup of coffee. The once relaxed atmosphere became tense.

  “Who knows anything about what happened?” Her question went unanswered, so she addressed them one by one. “John.”

  The boy shook his head. He insisted on his innocence, his face upset as his mother seemed like she still doubted him. “I don’t know. It can be anyone. It’s not a small school, you know?”

  “Alice?”

  “Alice doesn't know.” She seemed a bit down since she couldn’t be of any help.

  “Keith?”

  The boy flinched at the call. He didn’t want this issue to become a big deal.

  They heard the school bus arriving. The three of them hurriedly put the plates and the glasses into the sink. They had never been more eager.

  Diane saw them off at the house door. She told Keith to be careful and told her two children to help look after him.

  Out of his mother’s sight, John’s face turned sour. Keith got on the bus and walked to his usual spot, gazing out of the window. He then realized that something was off. He hadn’t met Sam since he’d woken up.

  The whole day his mind was on the blonde spirit. He was so worried whether the other was still in the house that he paid zero attention to any class.

  When he got home, he rushed back to his room, which was uncommon of him because it was John who would always be in a hurry.

  “Sam.”

  The boy called the other’s name as soon as he arrived in his room. He found no one.

  “Sam.”

  He called again. But nothing happened. The other told him just yesterday he could hear when Keith called him. Why didn’t he answer now?

  He put down his bag and took off his uniform jacket. He walked out of his room, his hands folding up the sleeves. He heard the TV noise coming from downstairs, and then John’s laughter. He heard the music playing softly in Alice’s room. He kept walking and then stopped under the attic door.

  “Sam, are you here?”

  He climbed up the ladder carefully. He turned on the flashlight from his phone. The sun was setting, and it was getting dark. He sneezed, hands fanning away the floating dust before him.

  “This way.”

  Keith jolted. He turned towards the voice source and found Sam sitting in the corner.

  “You were here all the time?” He went to sit down next to the other. He found a paper box nearby. He couldn’t help looking inside it to see what was there.

  “Well, I was trapped in this house. I couldn’t really go anywhere else,” he said flatly, “you were looking for me?”

  His eyes now gleamed with mischief, suddenly getting interested in Keith.

  “I’m just surprised I haven’t seen you all day. Your annoying face is always there when I wake up.”

  “Did you miss me?” Sam asked, grinning wide.

  Suddenly, some feeling he couldn’t quite grasp emerged. But before he could think about it, Sam put something down before his eyes, catching his attention.

  “What is this?”

  “You never play it before? Who first makes it collapse, loses.”

  “Who told you I never play it before?” Keith gently pulled one block out and placed it at the top of the stack.

  “I’m impressed.”

  As Sam was trying to do the same, Keith asked, “how do I know you’re not cheating. Your hand can go through it.”

  “Why should I?” He frowned, his voice unhappy at the accusation. “Your turn.”

  The two took turns pulling out the blocks as the tall stack got more and more unsteady. Keith needed to focus more on each choice he picked. As he was placing a block atop, the wooden stack collapsed.

  “You make it fall!”

  “I thought I did fine. Let’s play another game.”

  Keith didn’t realized how much time had passed. He laughed heartily when the blonde made the stack fall. He was so engaged in the game that he didn’t hear someone climbing the ladder.

  “What’re you doing, dear?”

  His smile froze. He turned to the attic door, seeing Diane, her face lined up with concern.

  “Nothing.” He rose to his feet, brushing the dust off his clothes. Diane’s stare remained on the wooden game.

  “Playing it by yourself is no fun. You should invite John and Alice. It’ll be more enjoyable
that way,” she said, “But, first of all, dinner is ready. You should come down.”

  “Umm. Okay.” His eyes flicked between the pile of wooden blocks and Sam. He didn’t want to leave him alone, but Sam showed no sign of following him down the room. “I’ll be back.”

  “Did you say something?”

  “No. Nothing.” He denied before going after her.

  “Don’t forget to wash your hands.”

  “Okay,” he said, giving the attic another glance before leaving to the kitchen.

  The time he spent in the attic flew fast. Two hours in there was nothing compared to two hours in classroom. He decided that he’d go up there again after dinner.

  He quickly finished his tomato paste penne and put away the plate.

  “Why don’t you play Jenga in the living room?” Diane suggested before he could leave.

  “We have Jenga?” John asked.

  “Keith found it in the attic. You should play with him.”

  “In the attic? How could I miss it?” He muttered to himself before telling his mother, “I’m not going to play with him. I told my friend I’ll play an online game with them. I’m leaving.”

  John left his plate in the sink and dashed upstairs before Diane could say anything. She then turned to Alice, who promptly refused.

  “I’m busy,” she said, giving Keith a knowing smile. The girl knew that Sam existed and that it wouldn’t be good for them to play a game in an open space.

  Diane looked disappointed. She turned to Keith, about to say sorry, but Keith quickly dismissed it.

  “It’s okay, Aunt Diane. I’m leaving then.”

  As soon as Keith could escape from the kitchen, he went straight to the attic. It was completely dark outside, making the room all the more creepy. He dispelled his fear and called the other boy’s name.

  “The switch is there.”

  Keith turned his flashlight the way Sam told him and found it. But he soon found out it was not working anymore.

  “Perhaps I need to change the lightbulb.”

  “You are not scared of the dark, right?” Sam asked, mischief hinted in his voice. Keith shook his head. Dark, small spaces did remind him of the accident though. But he was with Sam. He had nothing to be afraid.

  “You are two points behind me.”

  “Not for long.” The spirit smirked. He took out one block and put it atop the stack with skillful move, unlike Keith who needed to concentrate on every action so much that he didn’t even dare to breathe.

  “Hahaha. You make it fall.”

  Keith frowned. He was positive the block he chose could be easily pulled out, but when he moved it, it instead caused the stack to crumble.

  “How is that possible?” he wondered, his hand setting up the stack, “You first.”

  After a while, his eyes grew sore as he needed to peer through the darkness with only a phone flashlight. He also started to notice someone’s trick.

  “You cheated.”

  The accused one glared at him, eyes wide. “What did I do?”

  “You moved the block when it came to my turn. You think you’re a ghost and you can get away with that?” The boy hit the other’s arm. It went through. “This too! Cheaterrr.”

  “How’s that cheating?”

  “Cheaterrr—Ouch!” Keith rubbed his forehead where the wooden block Sam threw at him landed. “See? You cheat again.”

  He grabbed the nearest thing and threw it at Sam. It went through. But he didn’t stop. At least he could still annoy the other.

  “Fine, fine. I give up,” Sam said, “Stop it. You’re disrespecting a spirit.”

  “Disrespecting my arse.” Keith grabbed a doll nearby and threw it at Sam. When it fell to the ground, it gave out a laugh. “That scary thing is also yours?”

  The spirit raised his eyebrows. “You are not afraid of ghosts but a laughing doll?”

  “Oh, it’s getting late.”

  “Don’t change the subject.”

  “I should go to bed.” He stood up, brushing the dust away from his clothes. “You’re staying here?”

  “Can’t sleep without me, huh?”

  That earned him an eye roll. “Goodnight, Sam.”

  “Have a nice dream, Derringer.”

  Every day, when Keith arrived home after school, he would head to the attic. Sam had got many other toys beside Jenga: boardgames, card games, and more. He wondered why John couldn’t find these things. But the spirit told him that he hid them when his cousin went there.

  For Keith, he was not playing by himself in the attic. He was with Sam. But for Diane, she grew more and more worried, seeing the boy isolate himself in such a place.

  “Keith,” Diane called him before he went upstairs, “can I have a minute?”

  He glanced back upstairs one more time before leaving for the living room. Alice and John watched as he walked away.

  “What is it?”

  “How’s school going?”

  “Same as always.” It was an honest answer, indeed. Nothing changed. He was still a weirdo whom no one wanted to come near. The school still couldn’t catch the culprit for that storeroom incident. Diane though didn’t get the hidden meaning of his reply.

  “Good,” she said, “and, at home. Is there something bothering you?”

  “No. Everything’s fine.” His answer didn’t help ease her worry one bit. But there was nothing more he could do. “Can I go now?”

  “Yes. But please don’t go to the attic yet. Let me clean the room first. It’s dusty. You can get sick.”

  He wanted to protest. But, seeing the look on Diane’s face, he could only nod and left to his bedroom. When he opened the door, he saw Sam in his usual spot, gazing out of the window. He didn’t understand the meaning behind his action, but believed it must be something important to Sam. Perhaps it might be related to the other’s death.

  He totally forgot that Sam didn’t belong in this world anymore. Although they could see each other, they could not touch. Although they could stand by each other, something was always in their way, keeping them worlds apart.

  Chapter Eleven

  The One Beside You

  “Keith, wake up.” The call sounded so distant. Whose voice he couldn’t tell. “Keith.”

  His eyes were heavy, his body aching. He felt hot and cold.

  “Are you sick?” The voice asked. He realized it was Diane’s. She gently put her hand on his forehead. She said, her voice filled with concern, “your body feels hot. Don’t get up. I’ll be back.”