"No... I told you, ghosts don't exist."
"Yees!! They do!! I told you I saw it!"
Cough... Cough...
"Nathae, are you ok?"
I cover my mouth and nose with my hand, my eyes tear up slightly. "I knew the air here was bad, but..."
"That's what it means to live here. You'll get used to it. I think the ghost and its friends make the air all foggy like this."
"...No, idiot, it's because there are dozens of factories nearby, people burn trash to stay warm, and there's dust everywhere."
"Nah... It's not possible."
"It's chemistry..."
"It's what?"
We are here because Rhys kept telling me about some ghost that recently appeared where she lives. It has been a few days since we met; the more time I spend with her, the more I realize how similar she is to Patea, and that's probably what makes me want to stay with her. Also, since that day, I haven't met Victoria. The palace is big and... I think not even she wants to talk to me right now. I likely hurt her.
As we progress into Cable Street, I can see all sorts of people: poor, homeless, and clear criminals. I believe they are most of the population here. You can even see some street artists juggling, using stilts, and playing instruments; the first two are kids, 10 and 11 years old respectively. Everyone is good at entertaining the crowd, it's not limited to just perform, they also talk and thank when they are given money. I believe these sorts of things are some of the best entertainment you can find in these zones so they have a decent audience. The general situation though is exactly what I was telling Victoria about—nobles can't expect to keep treating people like this... they'll seek revenge eventually, in one way or another. I think that's what Jack is aiming for. For this, I feel like a hypocrite. I mean, my parents were no different than any other nobles, so when I say that they deserve this, I should technically mean my parents as well... But I can't bring myself to do it... I can't think of them as deserving it... Not that anyone really deserves to die... But... I want to kill Jack... I... I don't know what to do or think...
"Nathae... you are spacing out..."
"...Sorry."
"Is something wrong?"
"No, it's all good."
"Mh... Well, we are here. I thought we could wait in this bar, The Ship, since the ghost appears only at night." She is clearly not convinced but she drops the topic.
"...Sorry, I don't trust entering, given the people around here..."
"Yeah yeah... All the people here are bad..."
"Wait... I didn't me—"
"Do as you want." She enters.
I can't enter here. I think Rhys misunderstood me. I didn't mean that everyone here is bad, but there are clearly a lot of criminals. They'll recognize me and I didn't even tell anyone I was here. It's already risky on the streets, let alone inside a bar full of people. I sigh and walk away from that bar. I'm also assuming Jack is within the lower class, so if I'm lucky I can find something about him.
The air is still killing me. I take out a handkerchief and keep it pressed on my mouth and nose to filter as much as it can. The closer to night it becomes, the harder it is to see. If you add darkness and the fog together, I bet in a matter of hours I won't even be able to see one meter in front of me. I walked a lot, but now I think it's better to go back and look for Rhys.
---
It's 20:03:11 when I return in front of the bar. I wasn't kidding when I said I wouldn't be able to see anything. If Rhys is two meters in front of me, I wouldn't be able to notice it's her. In addition, some streetlamps don't even work. I check inside the bar from a window. Inside it's all illuminated, so I can clearly see everything, but it doesn't seem she is inside. I try to check the area around, moving from a trash-fire to the next to maximize my visibility.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!" ??!
I jog closer to the source of the scream, and even if briefly, I see a silhouette running. I can't even tell if it's a man or a girl from it, but... I heard the scream... The voice is clearly that of one street artist I saw today, the one who was juggling. I don't wanna walk closer though, it might still be dangerous. I turn around to walk away, but...
Tic... Ciaf... Ciaf... Tic... Tic...
Seems someone was walking and stepped on some mug. Uh... Weird... Lemme check something... I can detect the intensity of the sound of each step. The closer the sound is, the higher the intensity is, so by knowing the difference between the two intensities, I can calculate the distance between the two steps... It seems to be around 99 cm... That's a lot. If I calculate the height of that person based on this, it comes out roughly 230 cm. Is there someone this tall?
I turn around to check and... Oh, the ghost. It is some meters away from me. I can barely make out the silhouette, but the shape is the classic one—a crystal-clear sheet on someone's head. It goes all the way to the ground... I find it absurd how this can scare someone, but you'd be surprised to know how superstitious people here are—between magicians, mentalists, fortune tellers...
Anyway, it keeps getting closer... "Hey gho—"
I sense someone running close. I quickly turn in that direction and... she grabs me by the waist, lifts me, and starts running... Yeah, Rhys is surprisingly athletic.
"Weren't you mad?"
"Only a bit."
"I didn't mean that in a bad way... Sorry."
"I know you didn't."
"Also, the ghost isn't dangerous."
"Duh! It's a ghost, it is!"
"..." As she runs, I notice the ghost stops before entering some trash fire's luminosity.
---
She runs for a few minutes and stops before a house. I can't make out any detail though. It's also surprising how well she can stay oriented despite the circumstances.
"I live here, do you wanna come in?"
"It's late... I should go back to the Palace..."
"Not with the ghost around!"
I sigh... "At least drop me." And so she does.
We eventually enter her place. Inside, it's way more clear, but it's a mess—it's an abandoned house. Some windows are shattered, but she placed some wooden planks on them. Some fog still enters, but it doesn't bother me as much as it did outside. The house has only one floor, lights don't work, and the water isn't properly filtered... I genuinely feel bad for her.
"What's with that face? If you don't like it here, you can leave..."
"It's not that, I was just looking around. How long have you lived here for?"
"Well... I'm 14 and..."
"You are 15 years and 6 months old, Rhys..."
"What? Really? Well, I'm not good at math, so I might have missed something... Anyway, I've lived here for several years... Right after my parents passed away..."
"Did your parents die?"
"Yeah... I didn't really understand what happened, I was young, but I think we all got some kind of illness. They couldn't pay for all of us, and so they decided to lemme get the medicine, saving me."
"I had no idea..."
"It's fine, don't feel bad. I'm skilled enough to live alone, and these kinds of things always happen here. It might be new for you, but that's how it is on this side of the city. We saw tons of people today. I bet most of them already lost their parents. A lot of kids live alone and, if they are lucky enough, they might even escape and make a fortune somewhere else. I honestly don't expect to live much longer—even if I change zones, who would give me a job? A woman, without education, without experience, who can maybe steal something at most, not presentable and without a tooth. It's just not realistic, but it's fine. I'll live my life to the most anyway."
She looks and smiles at me. She probably notices how stunned I am... I don't know myself how to feel... Sad? Touched? I don't know... I just...
"Rhys... Do you wanna come to the Palace with me? They won't find out, I'll do my best to hide you..."
"No, but thanks."
"...No?"
"I won't be a burden to you. Don't worry, really, I'll be fine. Just promise me you'll bring me some tasty meals from time to time, ok?"
I hug her arm and bury my face in her shoulder. She is much taller than me. "I do..."
---
"So the ghost doesn't exist?"
"I told you... What kind of ghost would walk?"
"I didn't see the legs though."
"There is a reason it only appears at night and doesn't move close to lights."
"Because night is scary for us and light scares the ghost?"
"No... It just doesn't want to get seen. With the light of the day, you would spot the trick instantly, while the night and the fog make up the best setting for it."
"Mmmm... I trust you, I guess."
"Tomorrow I'll show you proof, I promise."
I'm genuinely hungry since we didn't have dinner, but I can't tell her that. I decided to spend the night here. It won't hurt, and tomorrow morning I'll solve this whole thing about the ghost. Right now, I'm too tired.
"Nathae, take this." She gives me some bread. She also has some for herself.
"You stole it from the bar, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I thought I couldn't make you eat what I usually do... It's the best I could take... Sorry.
"Wow... "No... It's more than enough, I really appreciate it." I eat. It's not the same as I have at the Palace, but I believe for some people it's top quality here. It's soft and tasty enough.
"Don't worry. And take the bed, I'll sleep in another room." She stands up.
"Good night then... And thanks."
"Night." She leaves.
Calling this a bed is a stretch—it's a mattress on the floor with a thin blanket. She'll probably sleep on the floor. I don't recall seeing any other bed or couch. I wanted to stop her, but sometimes you just have to accept someone else's generosity. If they decide to do it, then it's disrespectful to refuse. It's the same as making a gift to someone and they say 'Keep it'.That said, I slowly and with difficulty fall asleep after finishing eating.