This world....
Is not even pretending at all. My mother.... Here.... Wasn't what she was like in the real world.
She put her mug down on the table and stood up. Circling around, till she reached my side.
"So you're able to see her." She said, giggling, looking down at the child's ghost under the table.
"What are you talking a-about?" I denied it.
Deny it as much as possible. But my voice cracked at the last part. I let out a dry laugh.
But mama wasn't buying it. She patter my cheek, then suddenly gripped both, tilting my head towards where the ghost was.
I was forced to look at it.
But it wasn't smiling now. The ghost was looking at my mother with such fear.
Maybe....
Or longing.
Then mother's voice went softer. Gentler.
"Look at her. At that child's ghost. She's your sister." Then tears fell down her cheeks.
I..... have a sister?
But I was an only child. Wait... Right.... This isn't the real world. It's a parallel world.
[TASK UPDATED: HELP YOUR SISTER, FROM THIS WORLD TO CROSSOVER.]
The missing soul of the family. It was her.
I stepped back and let out a deep breathe. Then hold my mother's hand in comfort.
"I see her. So... she's my sister?" I looked at her again, and crouched.
"Yes. And until now, we haven't figured out....how she died. Actually, I can't see her. But I can feel her." Mother hugged herself.
She was looking at the air in front of me. All along, it was a bluff. She was, breaking. And seeing me react to something like that, made her hopeful somehow.
I offered my hand towards the ghost child. But she shook her head.
[COMMUNICATION SKILL ACTIVATED]
"Come here little one. I'm your big brother, Anthony. How about you? What's your name?" I didn't retracted my hands.
My mother was now sobbing, hearing me say something. Talking to something she couldn't see but feel.
"I'm....Alicia. I'm seven." She said.
Alicia, looked at me intently. Like I'm some kind of a miracle that happened in this household.
"You can see me.....you can hear me... But why? Why now brother? You all ignored me before." She was now crying.
And it shattered my heart.
She felt ignored.
The me in this world probably couldn't see ghosts or other entities. Might not even have a system like mine.
I still opened my arms towards her. She was hesitant. But I was patiently waiting.
And finally, she jumped into me. It was unbearable for me to see the state of her head. So I used my skill to hide it away from my line of sight.
I wrapped my arms around her. And somehow, I was able to touch her.
Unlike the previous ones who just passes through me. Or the gesture of putting their hands on me but just felt the coldness. Not something solid on my shoulders.
But her? I felt it.
"Alicia. Brother's not gonna ignore you ever. We're gonna find the root cause of your..... situation."
I couldn't utter the word death. Maybe she's still not aware that she's one.
I slowly stood up and carried her with me. And sat her on my lap, as I continued eating my food.
She wasn't asking for any. When I tried offering her some. Just because, I felt bad eating alone.
My mother moved back towards her chair and looked at me. Hand, on the air, holding something. While my other hand was using the spoon to eat.
Alicia was looking at our mother too, smiling. Then looked back at me.
"Brother. Why is mama crying? I'm here. Why is she not asking me, if I'm hungry?"
Her innocent question nailed my guess. She does not know she's dead.
How long have she been in this situation?
"Mama's asking. Aren't you mama? Didn't you ask Alicia if she had eaten already?" I looked at her with pleading eyes.
Hoping she'll get it. That she play along. Just for now.
"Y-yes..baby, are you hungry? I was just about to ask you." She forced a smile, looking at the air.
Estimating her gaze towards what she thought would be Alicia's eyes.
Alicia beamed instantly. Looking at me with such, bright, innocent eyes.
"Mama, I'm not hungry. I've never been hungry. Since.....since..." She paused.
Alicia was thinking pretty deeply. Like she forgot the when, the how, and why.
She's trapped in her own memory of playing hide and seek perhaps. Since she was under the table.
I was strangely calm.
Not because I'm detached. But because I wasn't given the time to process what's happening properly.
And in front of Alicia, I need to act like she's still here. That she's still around. In flesh.
I don't know what'll happen if she finds out she's just a ghost trapped in this world.
I let it sit for now.
Mother and I pretended that we were just having a normal family breakfast together.
I'm relaying Alicia's words to mother in a way, she'll not notice as to why, I have to repeat what she says.
Until...
"Brother, who's that little guy on your shoulder?"
I totally forgot about Millien. Right... He was always sitting on my shoulder.
I leaned closer and whispered to her ears. Since mother can't see Millien.
"He's a friend. He can be your friend too." I said, smiling.
But Millien wasn't.
"I'm not gonna babysit her." He said firmly.
After the issue with Paula, he was being grumpy. All the time.
To the point, he would always jab at me for hiding a fact about Paula crossing over.
"I didn't say anything. Or do you think, because Paula isn't around, nobody will be able to spin you around?" I told him with a wicked smirk.
"Don't you threaten me. I'm not some pushover." Millien said crossing his tiny arms.
"I see. Threaten huh." I looked at Alicia and smiled even wider. "Sister...wanna play spin?"
That alone made Millien think twice to act so proud around me.