Chapter 12

30th May 2019

RENEE

I gasped when I woke up, taking in gulps of air as the world shook before my eyes. The tears flowed freely, leaving round splotches on my pillow. I didn't try to control them, my mind only running back to the dearest friend I'd lost.

Truffles.

Clover and Mike barged into my room, probably since they heard me crying. As Clover threw her arms around me, Mike pulled a chair for him to sit on, watching me anxiously.

"Renee," He said, "Maybe talking about it would help."

I nodded gingerly, wiping my wet face with a soggy tissue. Clover sat comfortably on my bed like she was at a sleepover in my room. She probably must be, since it was early in the morning.

"What did Truffles say?" She asked slowly.

I paused, thinking of the bits that I should tell Mike. He didn't know about the realm, and I didn't want him to think I was mad. It was already bad enough that I was injured, but seeing things was beyond what I stood for.

"She said goodbye. And that she'll always love me," I said, and hid my face in the guise that I was crying.

My brother gave me a hug, and I caught a glimpse of Clover behind his back, with a 'really?'

Damn, sometimes I forgot that Cloves could see right through my lies, that she was not someone I could fool easily.

I gave her a sheepish look, before resuming to cry again. Mike watched me with sympathy, and coaxed me with a, "It's alright, Renee."

"You need sleep," Clover said firmly, though she was pointing to my brother behind his back. "You've been crying all day, and your eyes need rest."

"Yeah, she's right," Mike yawned. "Goodnight you guys."

He left my room, but not before stealing a glance at Clover, who was blushing furiously.

As soon as Mike exited, I turned to Clover giving her a questioning look. "What happened between you and Mike?"

Clover blushed, twirling her hair dreamily. "We were hanging out in the attic. And then, we kissed."

"Woah, so soon?" I stared at her in shock. "Mike just told me that he had a thing for you!"

Clover widened her eyes but grinned widely again. "Did he? Aww..."

"Yeah," I nodded, smiling at her, feeling happy for her. Cloves finally got what she wanted.

"He's leaving tomorrow," Clover said abruptly, her eyes staring at a faraway point. "It's going to be long-distance for a while."

"Why is he leaving so soon?" I asked her puzzled.

"He needs to go back to his channel," Clover sighed, braiding a tiny section of her hair. "Nevermind, that's not important."

"Why?" I asked, but Clover huffed at me, tossing the braid away.

"What did Truffles really say?" She asked with a serious expression.

I quickly filled her in on the details, the day of the car accident, the two girls who could see my Spirit and had planned the whole thing.

"Why would anyone want to kill you, Renee?" Clover asked me. "Do you have an enemy?"

"No... Unless you're talking about Ned who wants to get better grades than me."

"Ahh, who knows. Maybe he's hired people from the Spirit Realm to hunt you down." Clover waved her hand mysteriously.

"That's the thing Cloves. Those people were flesh and blood humans. And yet, they could do magic and see spirits." I sighed sadly.

"Wait, I'll check my Grandma's book." She pulled the battered book out of her bag, carefully turning each page.

"Do you always carry it with you?" I asked her, and she stuck her tongue out at me.

"Hmm, there's no mention of humans doing magic. They can only perform magic if they are spirits." Clover looked puzzled.

"Then I'll ask Noah when I make the Realm," I pulled out a little notebook, scrawling the word magic in it.

"You mean your future boyfriend?" Clover smirked.

"Well, his girlfriend just came to take Truffles to the Spirit Realm, so I don't know what you're talking about." I started in a steady voice, which only rises higher, making me sound hysterical.

Clover stared at me in shock. "Did she say that she was his girlfriend?"

I fidgeted uncomfortably. "Um... She said they're really close. And she knows that I'm trying to create a Realm."

"Oh... Maybe they're just friends." Clover said in an attempt to convince me.

I think of the Spirit Girl, her perfect makeup, her pink dress showing off her curves, her wavy hair making her look like a barbie.

She was everything I never was.

How on earth would Noah notice someone like me, when he could have someone like her?
Logically, he was a teenager too, and that was all they saw.

"I don't think so Cloves. Besides if she thought I was a threat, she'd have to be mean to me, right?"

Clover didn't reply, but she looked like she was in deep thought. Finally, she glanced at me, a small smile on her face.

"There's only one way to find out, Renee," Clover stated.
"Create the Realm, and ask Noah directly."

*****

I spent the next few hours making fine adjustments on my meditation stimulator, while Clover gave me company, using the time to read her grandma's book. Once in a while, she would randomly tell me spiritual facts that she found interesting.

"Hey, did you know about the ISA? The International Spirit Association? They were founded back in 1694."

"Time runs the same across all the Realms... Well, that's easier to process."

"Every Realm exists as a higher projection of the preexisting one... Does that mean the Spirit Realm is directly above us?"

"It's done," I announced, after three hours of hard work, and listening to Clover's constant chattering.

Clover stopped talking, her eyes round.

"I used the helmet to see Truffles, but it stopped working after a point... So now, hopefully, it stays for a longer time."

I placed the helmet on my head, after plugging it into the socket. Fastening the straps, I cranked up the generator, to increase the amount of current, which was actually very low, 0.00001 Amperes.

A blue-white spark ran through the helmet, soon forming a network with other similar sparks. As the forcefield was formed, the sparks coalesced to form a central core, the one that soon entered my head, aiming directly for my pineal gland.

"Good luck, Renee," Clover said in a hushed whisper, now locking the door to my room and closing the curtains. Anyone who saw me now would be scared out of their mind.

I mean, I had electricity running through my head.

Of course, the current was mild, hardly harming my human body, but strong enough for my mind. I'd created this type of electricity for my science project, and I finally realised how useful it could be.

It would help me create a Realm.

I closed my eyes, thinking of the meadow once again.

Creating the grass springy, and the flowers in full bloom.

Making the wind blow softly, creating small ripples in the grass, and blowing my hair on my face.

Causing the sky to stay in an orange sunset, set against the deep blue of dusk on the other side.

Imagining myself walking through the meadow, treading lightly to not trample on the flowers.

I found a pile of large rocks to sit on, bending my leg and leaning my back against the edge. I realised that I didn't need my crutches, since my leg looked perfectly alright. The wind caressed my face, bringing in the sweet scent of honeysuckle.

This was bliss.

"Noah!" I called out, hoping that he had heard me.

There was no reply.

Maybe my realm had to be stronger?

I opened my eyes, feeling deflated, as Clover looked at me worriedly. "Increase the current," I told her, pointing to the dial on my helmet.

"Okay," Clover replied, turning the dial. "0.00002 Amperes, that's enough?"

"Yup. Keep increasing it by two until you reach 0.0001. Don't increase it after that." I instructed her.

I closed my eyes and meditated on the Realm again.

Why was this so hard?

I created the meadow, making sure that the grass was soft.

The flowers, with the air smelling of honeysuckle.

The sunset, with soft orange streaks on the sky.

I sat on the same rock, feeling it to be much solid than last time. Everything feels realistic, more than what it had been.

I soaked into my surroundings, giving detail to everything that I saw around me. It was like increasing the resolution of my camera, sharpening my vision, making everything of a high definition quality.

I extended my hand towards the horizon, and added a few trees and shrubs, making the place as intricate as possible. Beyond the trees, I added faraway mountains which are snow-capped and have clouds floating about them.

Tapping my foot on the ground, I made a small creek erupt. The water bubbles over my feet and moves through the rocks, eventually forming a small stream. Little fish surround my feet, tickling me, which causes me to giggle.

I gazed at the water, seeing a clear reflection of myself. My face was scarred, the dark circles under my eyes gave me a hollow look. My usually straight hair was matted, and I did my best to comb the knots out. It looked way better, and I sighed contently, positioning myself to sit on the rocks that bordered the stream.

As I watched my face, I slowly noticed the scars disappearing. My eyes widened at the change, bordered by dark circles, which unfortunately don't disappear.

Despite this, I liked the way I looked, calm and collected. The accident may have hurt me physically, but it did help me see who I really was.

What I really wanted.

"You've been staring at your reflection for the past five minutes, and I've been telling the world that you aren't a narcissist." Said a highly sarcastic voice.

I turned to see Noah walking towards me, a bright grin plastered on his angled face. He was wearing a blue t-shirt, one that perfectly matched his eyes. His hair appeared to be neatly combed, but he ran his hand through it, messing it up again.

"Congrats, Renee. You've done it." He said appreciatively, extending me a hand and helping me up from the rock.

"Thanks, Noah," I smiled at him, as I grasped his palm, raising my head to look up at his face. He was a lot taller than I'd realised, towering over me like some sort of a giant.

"I've got a lot to ask you," I tell him seriously, "But do you have the time for it?"

Noah gave me a one-sided smile, removed his watch, and tossed it into the water.

"I've been waiting for this moment for days," He gave me an intense look.
"Trust me, we have all the time in the world."

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