Chapter 3

  Her name was Gloria, born a peasant girl but died as the King’s consort. Not an inspired or original story, but one we all understand - the struggle for a better life, a softer bed and more servants.

  Her climb to royalty (adjacent) had been cruel, but she followed her own ethical code, which allowed for anything short of murder. In fact, she had betrayed the majority of the court, thus only the King and Chrysanthemum, the King’s daughter, attended her funeral. Chrysanthemum hid behind round teary eyes but she had been the culprit that had poisoned Gloria’s tea. Regardless, Gloria was not surprised when she awoke in Hell after her sin-filled life, face disfigured after coughing up the poison. The acid had burned the lower half of her face as it had spilled out of her mouth during her death thralls.

  Gloria was currently being reminded of her hatred for Chrysanthemum as a figure cowered before her scarred visage.

  “For fuck sake”, Gloria cursed, pinching the bridge of her nose as a headache began to throb. She had come to see what caused the commotion and was now confronted with a “new-born”.

  ——

  Unfurling from a fetal position, which, in my defence is a natural response to a ghost attack, I ventured a look from between the fingers that covered my eyes. A foot tapped impatiently in the air. Taking a steadying breath, I spread my fingers wider until the ghost girl was in full vision. On closer inspection she was in her early teens, maybe a year or two older than my reincarnated age. Her face was still a terror, but my surprise had worn off and now I felt rather foolish.

  “Get up and stop gaping”, the girl scoffed.

  I stood, knees still shaking, and pretended to brush off dirt from my pants while trying to get my bearings. By the time I stood up straight, the girl's face had digressed from disgust to derision. She wasn't fooled at my weakness.

  “Just my luck”, the ghost girl snorted, “Lost I presume? Refusing to accept your current reality? Too sweet to go to Hell?”

  Before I could even respond with an offended gasp, she continued, “you know you are a ghost, right? float THROUGH the walls” she explained, as though I was an infant. “THROUGH. THE. WALLS.” she repeated, while drifting into the ceiling, her head and torso disappearing into the stone.

  “I can… float?” I wondered aloud. I then proceeded to jump, seemingly the logical starting point. This elicited a choked laugh from the ghost girl who was now upside down, only her head and shoulders protruding from the ceiling. Mirth warming her expression as a look of understanding filled her eyes.

  She floated to the ground, shaking her head.

  “Floating is not like flying, there is no flapping of wings or running before take-off, instead it's like undressing. Imagine your weight as a dress, then imagine taking it off. Then imagine each of your cells spreading apart. Like a deep yoga pose stretching your limbs, and now imagine that feeling in every cell and part of your body. Allow the air and yourself to become one, and then relinquish both weight and form.”

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  I followed the ghost girl's instructions and was surprised when an alert screen (similar to an iPhone alert) popped down from the top of my vision.

  “Phantom state initiated”

  Upon assuming the phantom state, the uniform I had crumpled in my hand fell to the floor, my hands now only faint outlines.

  The ghost girl cocked her head to the side, seeming puzzled, and asked, “How new-born are you?”

  “New-born? Oh, I don’t know. I was unconscious for a bit, but since then, a couple hours maybe?”

  Her expression softened further.

  “Malcom, the old nurse who takes care of new borns, can be prickly on his best days.” She leaned down to pick up the uniform. Instead of holding it, the uniform blurred and then vanished into thin air. “Inventory pack" she answered the unasked question, "He should have given you one along with the blazer and skirt.” She shook her head in disapproval.

  “Normally the academy assigns a senior to introduce you to The System, but you are between intakes. So, they probably hadn't planned a proper induction. Hmm, quite the oversight. Anyways, I’ll be your senior for the day – I’m Gloria by the way.” She looked around the dark corridor and grimaced, “Always so dreary down here, let’s get out of the crypts yah?”

  I put Malcom’s name to memory, ranking him high in my “humiliate at a later date” list. Then asked, “The crypts?”

  “It's like a hospital for the dead, gotta make sure we stay properly lifeless - the only living souls here are the condemned.”

  The nuances of Hell escaped me and the rules were oxymoronic, but I was missing too much foundational knowledge to delve deeper. School, despite my initial rebukes, was appearing increasingly pragmatic.

  “Okay, now untether yourself from the ground and float up.” Gloria continued.

  It took a few minutes, but I felt something snap then began to sink into the ground - focusing harder I directed my body up and, to my delight, rose towards the ceiling.

  When I began to phase through the stone, my vision blackened and my other senses came alive, I could sense the Earth surrounding me. It was how I imagined bats echolocate. I could sense that there were several different hallways above and below, and a vast open space (which I assumed to be the sky) a few hundred feet above. I moved in that direction, accelerating as I became comfortable with the sensation of Earth passing through my body.

  Ten meters from the surface, I saw something flash red in my periphery. My “Soul” bar was at 1%. In tandem with the alert, I felt the Earth around me starting to stick to my bones, weighing me down. I felt a layer of dirt between my skin and my muscles, foreign and uncomfortable like splinters across my entire body. Without having it explained, I knew that coming out of phantom state while immersed would be excruciating if not fatal. Fuelled by panic, I raced for the surface and just as my Soul bar emptied, I reached the surface - shooting from the ground I launched into the air, solidifying a few meters airborne. “Phantom state deactivate” flashed in my vision as my weight returned, gravity all too eager to embrace me. I hurtled towards the ground, impacting with a comical crunch.

  My health bar depleted to half, but I was otherwise fine. My pride, however, was sorely bruised as I heard Gloria wheezing in laughter. Tears spilling from her eyes.

  As far as the dead rising from crypts went, having the undead launched into the sky from their grave like a catapulting rock was admittedly funny.

  I could feel pearls of laughter bubbling up within me as well, and soon we were both clutching our sides in stitches.

  “Damn girl”, Gloria managed after the laughter died down, “you really know how to make an entrance.”