"Life always leaves signs. We're just too exhausted to notice them."
👻👻👻
The night sky was spitting a fine drizzle. The streetlights flickered faintly, as if they were hesitant to stay on at all.
Maya took a deep breath. Her body was spent, her eyes heavy. She'd put in a full day at campus followed by an extra work shift. All that was left was a crushing exhaustion and the desperate need to get home fast.
Today was her last day as a student. All her campus activities were finally wrapped up. It felt great, even if the relief was outweighed by the sheer weariness.
As usual, Maya walked toward the bus stop where she always waited. Tonight, the stop was dead quiet, unlike any other day. The only person there was a girl sitting on the bench, her face pale, her hair covering part of her cheek.
"You look tired too, huh?" The voice, a faint murmur, suddenly broke the silence right as Maya sank down beside her.
Maya turned her head. "Yeah..." she replied curtly, trying to be polite even though her head was pounding.
A small conversation began. They talked about the scorching heat of the day, how impossible it was to find time to rest, and other light topics that usually pass between two strangers. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until Maya stood up as her bus arrived.
"Oh, I forgot. We've been talking all this time and we don't even know each other's names," Maya said with a slight chuckle.
"I'm Maya. What's yours?" she asked.
The girl looked up at her, her listless eyes seeming to hold something back.
"Kirana," she answered simply.
"Alright, Kirana. See you around."
Before stepping onto the bus, Maya glanced back and heard the girl say softly, "Can... can you help me?"
The phrase sounded strange. Maya wanted to ask again, but the bus driver was staring impatiently, urging her to hurry. Maya could only manage a small smile before stepping onto the bus.
Even though she tried to brush it off, the girl's last words kept circling in her mind throughout the ride home.
Suddenly, Maya's heart gave a strange little thump. She closed her eyes, trying to push away the unsettling feeling creeping into her chest. She pulled her jacket tighter. The fatigue piled up on her shoulders and in her eyes, and she finally gave in to sleep during the journey home.
The truth was, Maya wasn't an ordinary girl. Since she was a child, she often saw things others couldn't. At first, she thought it was a never-ending nightmare, but as she grew up, she learned to accept that she was an indigo.
Spirits had always approached her, whether to simply ask her to relay a final message or to reveal a truth they had left behind. She was used to it—but used to it didn't mean she was comfortable with it.
It was common for her to feel disturbed. The spirits would appear while she was working, studying, and even in her sleep, they would often visit her through dreams.
Tired...
That was all she could feel.
Tired of her activities as a human, and tired of being bothered and visited by the spirits.
Other indigos she knew often advised her to control her abilities, to give herself a break so they wouldn't interfere with her daily life. But no matter how hard she tried, she always failed.
Maya finally gave up. Perhaps the drawback to her gift was that there was never any real time for her to 'rest.'
Twenty minutes later, her phone vibrated, signaling she needed to wake up or she'd miss her stop.
It took her about 30 more minutes to get home.
Once she was home, Maya immediately went to clean up and make some food. She hadn't eaten since noon, and her stomach was beginning to rumble.
After she finished, Maya decided to sit in the living room, eating and watching TV.
At first, everything felt fine. Maya had even completely forgotten about the incident at the bus stop.
The TV show she was watching ended, but she wasn't done with her meal. She started flipping channels, looking for another program.
But then, everything went sideways.
When the screen showed a news program, Maya froze, stunned by the report.
There it was, the headline, clearly displayed: "A college student was killed in a tragic accident this afternoon. Her body is missing; only a pool of blood remains at the scene..."
Maya was motionless.
The victim's photo was right there.
Pale face, hair covering part of her cheek.
This...
This was...
The face of the girl who had been sitting next to her at the bus stop bench.
Maya rubbed her eyes repeatedly, making sure what she was seeing wasn't a hallucination.
Curious, she finally opened her phone and searched on social media. Usually, news of this nature spread quickly there.
It was true. Even one of her friends had posted the news. The accident happened at 6 p.m., exactly four hours before she arrived home.
No wonder the bus stop, which was usually crowded, had been so deserted. The only person there had been that girl.
Maya leaned back in the chair, setting her plate on the table. She had lost all desire to continue eating.
Thinking back to what happened, everything now made perfect, awful sense. The face that looked slightly pale, the vacant stare, and the plea for help she had spoken.
Maya pressed her hand to her forehead. When she was extremely exhausted, she often had trouble distinguishing between a living person and a spirit or a ghost in disguise.
"You're zoning out again, aren't you?" a woman's voice said. She was now standing behind Maya.
"What do you think?" Maya asked.
"She asked for help, didn't she?"
Maya nodded.
"If that's the case, you need to ask yourself. If your heart is moved to help her, then do it like you always do. If not, then this isn't your fight."
"I know."
"If you already know, why are you asking?"
"Will you help me, too?"
"Of course. When have I ever not helped you, Maya? I'd help you even if you didn't ask, especially when you're in trouble."
The heavy look on Maya's face instantly brightened. As if finding a new light, Maya looked more energized.
"Great. Then I'm going to sleep for two hours. Wake me up later."
"Hey, you have an alarm, don't you? Why tell me?"
"It feels more effective if you do it. Think of it as your rent payment here," she said with a giggle.
"You jerk!"
"Oh yeah, by the way, your clothes look very clean today. Much better than your usual grubby look."
The woman just smiled. "Thank you for the compliment and the insult. I've decided. I'm not waking you up."
"Ohhh, fine. Then I'll lock you up again. Maybe for longer than last time," Maya replied carelessly, lying down on the bed.
The woman clenched her fist, stamping her foot on the floor. "Fine, fine. I'll wake you up in two hours."
Maya smiled. That threat always worked on her. Though it sounded cruel, it was the only way she could get the stubborn, arrogant woman to comply.