Nevada, USA - 1991
As he walked down the brightly lit hallways of Liberty High, Adam stared at the rows of metal caskets entombing the mainstream knowledge printed on pages of extinguished life and bound by hardcovers of dogma. Words seeking to maintain accepted levels of reality at best, and spread viral programs of deceit at worst. Or at least that is how he felt after consuming copious amounts of conspiracy theories on online forums and chat rooms over the weekend under his online pseudonym, dimensionalwalker369.
Whatever the case, he knew the truth stretched way beyond the boundaries of those institutional walls and transcended the gateways of the ruling structures of this planet. He knew because he had died at a young age, only to come back to life with troves of what was now ungraspable knowledge. Knowledge that moments prior to his return to the physical had felt as natural as his eyes decoding the tinge of the light spectrum coating the hallways of his mental confinement. Gray. Gray walls of despair.
"Adam. Earth to Adam. Snap out of it." Quince's voice pierced through his contemplation.
Adam blinked and refocused on the present. "What is it?"
"You were daydreaming again."
"Oh, I guess I was."
"Come on, we gotta hurry up. We're gonna be late for Physics again."
"Go ahead, I'll catch up in a minute."
"Okay, it's your trip to the principal's office," Quince said before rushing off to class.
Adam made his way to the men's room. As he entered, an eerie sensation enveloped the small space, sending shivers down his spine. Standing by one of the sinks was Fabian, an enigmatic senior who had transferred just a week ago. He was tall and slim, with long black hair tied into a ponytail. If nothing else, Fabian's presence gave Adam hope that he was no longer the school's resident weirdo. Fabian had both hands firmly planted on the sink, his gaze locked onto the mirror.
"Hey, Fabian," Adam ventured a greeting, but his words fell on deaf ears. "I'm not really in a chatty mood eith—"
Before Adam could finish his sentence, Fabian sprang into action. In one swift movement, he grabbed Adam by the collar and pinned him against one of the stalls.
"Hey, what the heck?!" Adam protested.
"It's you! I've been looking for you," Fabiam declared, eyes wide.
"What?!"
"It's you!"
"Yeah, you said that." Adam struggled to free himself from Fabian's grip. "I'm not sure what you're on about, but clearly, whatever you smoked this morning is making you act crazy. So how about you let me go and..."
"I've been looking for you. We have been looking for you."
"Oh, okay, so you found me, haha. How about you let go of my shirt, and we can talk about it?"
Fabian's heavy breathing gradually subsided, and his grip loosened. The moment his hands released their hold, Adam made a dash for it. He burst through the bathroom door and sprinted toward his classroom, colliding with Bob, the school's retired cop turned security staff.
"Adam, what's wrong with you?! You could've hurt someone."
Adam picked himself up. "Sorry, Bob. I had a creepy encounter and just wanted to put some distance between me and—"
"Who, Adam? What happened?"
Adam stopped himself from saying Fabian's name, not wanting to get him in trouble, to avoid his weidrness turning into fury. "Nothing, nothing. It's just... It’s just that I saw another ghost again, that’s all."
"No kidding! And who was it this time? The old lady and her dog, or was it the old general? Oh wait, don’t tell me, was it the wolf-like creature?!"
"No, none of them. A new one," Adam offered him an awkward smile.
"Niiiice, you're going to have to tell me all about it later. But right now, you've got to get to class."
Bob was the only person in school who believed, and even appreciated, Adam’s ghostly encounter stories. Not even Quince, his best friend, fully bought into his otherworldly experiences.
Adam finally arrived at the classroom, fashionably late as usual, and his teacher wasn't pleased.
"Adam, didn't I say that the next time you were late, I would send you to the principal’s office?"
"You did."
"Okay, then, off you go."
He caught a glimpse of Quince as he turned to leave, receiving Quince's I-told-you-so glare.
The hard plastic seat was as pleasant as the school’s secretary, who was now staring at Adam with evident disgust, as though he were guilty of a capital crime.
"Hi, Mrs. Bell."
"Hello, Adam. Another one of your episodes, is it?" She curled her lips in disapproval.
"No, I was late for Carol’s class again."
"How many times do I have to tell you boys not to call teachers by their first name? It's Mrs. Anthony."
"Right, Mrs. Anthony. Sorry."
Adam contemplated which book to pretend to read, to avoid seeing the swirling, cloudy energy around Mrs. Bell's head. He had been able to at times see energies and auras around people since he was around eight or so. He then noticed an unusual scene unfolding. A general in full military attire emerged from the principal's office, accompanied by a girl wearing oversized oval sunglasses and a delicate polka dot headscarf. She flashed a gentle smile at Adam, and before he knew it, he heard her say, Hi.
Adam's eyes widened in bewilderment. She had just spoken to him in his own mind. How is that possible?! He thought, receiving a soft giggle from the girl, even though she had disappeared from his sight. To his further surprise, he could still sense her somehow.
Hmm… are you still there? He said in his mind.
Yes.
Adam jumped off his seat.
"Adam, what's wrong with you, boy?! Don't you start with your crazy antics. I don’t have the patience for it today." Mrs. Bell admonished him.
"Sorry, Mrs. Bell. I'm okay; it's nothing."
"It better be nothing."
"Adam, I'll see you now," Principal Rosa announced from her half-open office door.
The cushy leather seat in the principal's office was a lot more comfortable. Principal Rosa exuded a subtle yet commanding presence, like the calm surface of the ocean masking turbulent depths. Adam found it oddly comforting.
"Hello, Principal Rosa."
"Hello, Adam. So, what's the story today?"
"No story. I was just late again to Mrs. Anthony's class."
"You mean Carol. You know she hates it when you call her Mrs. Anthony."
"Yeah, I know."
"So, what are we going to do about this pesky tardiness habit of yours?"
"Hmm... I'm not sure."
"Well, what do you think we should do?"
"I guess you could let me off with a warning," Adam said, offering a tentative shrug and squinting his eyes.
"Nice try."
"Okay, I guess a reasonable punishment would be to go to after-school detention and only be let out after finishing today's chapter and homework."
"Sounds reasonable to me."
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