Not in This Body

Rhodes rotated his arms and neck. He didn't realize Vanya vanished, but he felt his body changing. He glanced at himself and found himself in a white straitjacket. However, the binds were undone, and chains dangled from his sleeve, extending his reach.

The doctor stared at the costume. It looked symbolic on him. "Yeah, whatever. I'm just going to do Vanya a favor and win a prize. I still want to unleash my rage…"

One person came into his view, and Rhodes caught the person freeze. After all, a ghastly apparition of a dark-haired patient in a straitjacket was suddenly standing in the main lobby. The patient even had a spit guard obscuring his mouth. His supposed dark eyes were off-white, and the skin around his eyes was both red and black. Even without levitating, Rhodes had become a monster.

"…let's see who gets to be the first to jump out…" 

The patient charged at the person holding the flashlight. As more people saw the rampaging beast, a series of screams came.

…

In a distant manor, the next morning…

A woman sauntered along the hallways. Her heels clicked against the floor, creating a sound that heralded her coming. Her hands were on chest level, holding onto a folded clipping from a broadsheet. She stopped before the last room in the wing. Knocking came to the door, courtesy of her dainty hand. The diamond ring on her pinky gleamed differently as if reacting to a seal.

As she expected, a sound barrier shrouded the bedroom. The person using it didn't want anyone disturbing him. However, she came here specifically to have answers.

"…if you don't open the door now, I will break every barrier you put up. I will also get the birds to sing you a melody until you carve your brains out." She didn't yell or call out loud. She simply spoke to the door as if her voice would go through nonetheless.

"What do you want?" A voice flitted from behind the door. The man in the room opened the door with a crack. It was just enough for him to find her standing before his room.

The woman looked at him and frowned. "Open the door wider. I have something to show you… and ask you. Don't make me turn this into a demand."

The man pulled the door back, letting her inside. "You better have a real problem…"

If one were in the room with them, one would notice their resemblance. The two people had the same hair, the same eyes, and the same T-zone. They were undeniably siblings. However, the woman donned an elegant lilac dress, paired with black high heels. Her brother only wore a loose brown long-sleeve shirt and black joggers.

"Take a look at this for me." The woman handed the man the folded newspaper clipping. She sat on the bed's edge. "Dad wants us to investigate it later in the day. Prepare to leave the house."

The news clipping was about the fourth victim of a strange case. Grooms would often collapse and die on the very altar during their wedding day. A peculiar rumor had also circulated about the victims cheating on their partners. The matter was divine intervention, they said. However, to the man and his sister, it was nothing but ghost activity.

"…I'd rather sleep." The man yawned and stiffly walked toward his bed. His arms dropped to the sides, and the clipping slipped off his weak grip. The paper littered the floor between him and his sister. "Find Kippy and ask if he wants to play outside."

The woman bent down gracefully to retrieve the clipping. "…a dozen people broke into the mansion last night. However, they said they saw an asylum patient instead. Black hair, white straitjacket… That's not one of your transmogrifications. Did you invite another vile entity into the mansion? What were you thinking? Do you miss Dad so much you are trying to cause trouble?"

He snorted in response. He reached to the sides of his hips and knees as if tampering with something. "I protected the mansion. You're welcome."

"…you keep on dream-walking this past week. Are you looking for something?" The sister sighed and massaged her forehead. "You just returned from overseas. Why don't you rest for now and spend time with us instead? You've been on your bed all day. What's the point of getting your legs fixed if you're not going to walk around?"

"I don't want to walk around… at least not in this body…" The man snorted and carefully lay down. His weight was on his arms instead. His legs even fell as if mere extensions of his torso.

The sister got up from her seat. "One of these days, someone will break that astral body of yours. Don't ignore the one you can keep for long. I'll investigate the groom cases alone. If I take Kippy, he might crash the next wedding."

The man closed his eyes. "No need to fear her. She's gone. She won't disturb any more weddings. Just find a name for the reports."

"…what exactly did you come here for?" The sister huffed and walked out of the room.

She folded the clipping thrice and slipped it into her dress's shallow pockets. When she looked up, she spotted an older female walking on her own in the adjacent hallway. With a gasp, she called out, "Mom? I thought you won't be here in another three days."

"Kathy." The mother faced the daughter jogging across the hallway. "Did you visit your brother? I heard he's been dream-walking almost every day since they got here."

"He is. I don't know what's going on with him." Kathy sighed and smiled at her mother. "Can I help you with anything at all? I received a mission, but I'd rather leave later when traffic dissipates. This place has turned into a tourist spot. I can barely cruise on the streets since cars are everywhere. Didn't you have a hard time getting to our house?"

The mother chuckled. She gave in to Kathy's need to link their arms. They also walked together. She hummed. "Don't speak ill about progress. Also, not really. I just finished speaking to Ring Garden's management. They seem to have demands."

Kathy sighed almost the same way her mother did. "Common men… they think they can be so eccentric. Just like that guy from the wedding. Ugh, why would he marry a wedding dress?"

"…Rhodes married a wedding dress?" The mother hummed and held her chin. "Joan Wester didn't make it then. How unfortunate."

"You know him, Mom?" Kathy hummed in curiosity. She then sighed again. "…but still… that's the worst kind of wedding that I've ever attended. Do you know? Even Selina couldn't make eye contact with me. She invited me to the wedding to build connections, but no one was even in the mood for a reception. I also heard the groom left the venue right after the wedding."

"It's that bad, huh…?" The mother patted her face with a palm. "I was hoping it was a happy wedding. After all, the Wester family and the Coles family have been so tight. Also… it's Rhodes…"