CHAPTER FOUR

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Curiosity has eaten Summer. His presence was cold as a wind, his skin was pale, he had one test to past in Summer's brain before she comes up with a conclusion.

Summer leans her hand to touch his hand,

but she can't.

Her hand passed through him.

"Ohh..." Cyrus pressed his lips, closing his eyes as if he was expecting something to happen.

"Y-You're a ghost?!" Summer's lips trembled.

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Cyrus has never been so thankful to see Celis. The producer came just in time to catch poor Summer, who fainted cold probably upon the revelation. "I told you it's dangerous, Cyrus!" Celis raised his voice, thankful that they were in a dark alley where no one would look at him weirdly for yelling at a ghost, even. Celis pulls Summer up by her arms, careful to not let the girl fall onto him that would very much be hard for both of them.

"I didn't expect to see her here, okay?" Cyrus sighs.

"I'm not just talking about Summer, Cy..." Celis's voice softens, "You'd be into ashes if you're away from me, you know that." Cyrus hangs his head low, hearing the frustration on his friend's voice.

"Hey, you!" A deep voice came echoing through the alley, the police. Celis mentally cursed himself, he knew he had to think of something. "What are you doing to this poor girl?!" Celis had to make up something. He glances at his feeble transparent friend, who had a worried look on his face.

"W-What to do?!" Cyrus, despite his pale invisible figure, Celis could see him bite his lips, hands shaking. He was as nervous as he is, but being nervous was nothing if others can't see it. Celis sighed before lifting his head to look at the officer with a smile.

"Sorry officer, my sister had a little bit of a drink in broad daylight but, we're on our way home already!" Celis nods, proudly patting himself in the back for not stuttering.

"Sister? Do you have any proof?" The officer pointed his baton in front of his face. Celis knew he had to think of something, and something quick.

Celis couldn't help but be thankful when he heard Summer's phone rang, letting it echo through the entire alleyway. "Sorry, that's probably her friend," Celis said, looking down at Summer's open canvas bag. He leans his back towards the wall for him to dig through Summer's bag to take her phone, mentally reminding himself to apologize to the female about later.

Cadence...

"Summer, where are you?!" Cadence screams through the phone to which Celis wouldn't even be surprised if the officer heard her.

"I think that's the friend she's with during the concert?" Cyrus whispers as if the officer would even hear him.

"Hey Cadence, uhh... This is Celis, You know me right? Yeah, I'm picking Summer up, okay?" Celis heard a loud squeal to the point that he had to pull the phone away from his ear, "Uhh, See you," Celis ended the call before dropping it back to Summer's bag, "That should be enough evidence that we know each other right, officer?"

The officer's brows knitted. He raised two fingers pointing it to his eyes then to him, "I'm watching you, boy..." The officer says before disappearing to the crowd.

"That was a close call! I thought I was gonna die FOR THE SECOND TIME!" Celis could only glare at his friend. He was the one carrying the burden, not him.

"You shut up, Mister."

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Celis managed to arrange Summer on his back (with the help of the wall of the alleyway). Celis wore his AirPods to visible sight, this is a trick that he does to talk to his invisible friend without being called a weirdo. "This is all your fault you know," Celis says breaking the silence.

Cyrus looks at him with a pout on his lips, "You'll forgive me still, right?" Cyrus stood in front of the male, but Celis only rolled his eyes before passing through him (emphasize on "passing"). Celis felt the sticky puff of smoke upon "passing" through him, something that he rarely does. Cyrus could only frown and walk beside him once again.

"It's not like I have a choice, I'm the only one who can keep you alive," Celis whispers. "If I don't call your name, you'd turn into dust and you'd be wiped off from everyone's memory."

Celis Aragon, people know him as Zero, the composer slash producer of S.O.L., but he's someone more than that. He grew up near a cemetery, not because a family member was a worker or something, it's actually a funny story.

Back when Celis was around 4 years old, the government bought their old town to be the local cemetery, even providing everyone money and shelter in the city for the land. Celis's grandparents believe that land is the greatest possession that a person can have, and living in that land for almost 40 years, they stood by their choice and didn't sell their lot. Celis, as a child watched the entire town go down one by one until all that's left are grass for plains. He was 10 when he first met his first ghost friend, a kid around his age, only to know it was a ghost when he passed through their house walls. He was frightened, of course, that's when his grandfather told him about their (the ghosts) nature.

Cyrus was a weird case. He had seen ghost ascend forty days after death, but Cyrus has been with him for six years. Cyrus claims to have met someone who told him that He had a mission to fulfill, a key to find, but that's the only thing that person mentioned, nothing more. Ghosts would turn to dust if they're forgotten and that's Cyrus's case. No one remembers him to the point that Celis needs to mention his name every once in a while or else, he would never ascend.

"Do you think she's the key?" Celis mutters softly as he punches in his studio apartment's code. He was thankful that the walk was short towards his apartment, he can't really leave Summer be on a park bench, she deserves an explanation.

"She could be," Cyrus says hopefully as he watches the two enter his unit. He follows along behind them, as his friend brings the girl inside his small living room. "I mean there should be a reason why she can see me, right?" Cyrus examines the female's face, once Celis carefully lays her down on the couch.

Almond protruding eyes,

The warm ivory complexion,

Thin and pink lips,

Black hair falling perfectly on her shoulders,

'She looks... familiar...' Celis thought.

"What's on your mind, Cy?" Celis asks.

"She looks awfully familiar, Cel..." Cyrus looks up to him, "Do you think... she knows me?" Cyrus looked at him full of hope, a smile plastered on his lips. "You know before I died?" Celis couldn't say a word. He knew that the possibility was high as in the span of six years the male has never mentioned anyone who looks familiar.

Celis and Cyrus were close friends before Cyrus's death. They produced music together under the same company. Cyrus was supposed to debut with S.O.L. as the second vocalist and their music producer with Celis, but then just before their first hearing for their first single title track, Cyrus died from a tragic car accident. The accident was a horrible hit and run, the killer was never caught until now. Celis remembered sobbing when he saw his friend in his white open button-up shirt and blue undershirt enter the office building, but this time no one saw him. He knew his friend died. He remembered everything, Cyrus remembers everything about the company and his passion for writing, but he never did remember anything else; school? nothing. friends? nothing. family? nothing.

"You know I knew you for two years when you were alive, but you never told me anything about you except for your name and unrelated stuff you like," Celis says, "I guess it's too late huh?" Cyrus hung his head low. Celis cleared his throat and excuse himself to the kitchen to prepare some food when Summer wakes up.

Cyrus only sat there on the floor, arms folded on the couch while watching the mysterious girl sleep in peace.

...Who are you?