Chapter 2: Phantoms In the City
The 'system' had always been an unknown entity for Andrew, ever since he was a little child, that tingling box in the periphery never stopped.
'Perhaps, it has something to do with your future, Little Andrew... never ignore it' He recalled his mother's words, between both of his parents, his mother was always the one that seemed to 'believe' more whenever he told her his paranormal experiences. Unlike his father who despite being concerned, had no qualms in desiring to send him to a psychiatrist to see if everything was okay up there.
Dozens of times had his parents taken him to the best specialist who had said that there was nothing wrong with his eyesight and there should be no 'blue tingling dot'. The phantom-like bluish words were ones only he could regard. With years of time and growth, they drifted into the back of his attention and a fundamental part of his being.
The bustling streets of Manhattan and even his school had a lot more oddities to pay attention to.
...
'Help'.
Andrew would spend two hours in the library up to the point where the sun was about to completely drop, giving way to the night. That was, the days he had no part-time shift in McRonards. He checked the time on his phone bereft of caring messages or attention. It was almost 6:00 pm.
Students were allowed to stay as far as 8:00 pm since the campus had dormitories but he had chosen to remain in the Mayers mansion and make the long journey back home every day on his own.
'Help!'
'Ignore it... ignore it', He said to himself, all too used to this. Seeing things others couldn't see... hearing words others couldn't listen to. He ended up picking up his backpack filled with books and walking long strides to the campus' main entrance down the stairs. Ignoring the shadows looming at every corner, created by the reflection of the lights in the building. Hushing the whispers that seemed to become more and more accentuated by his ear, the hazy voice of a girl.
'Help! please help me!'
"Oh it is you, Mr Mayers, late as always... have a good evening" Upon reaching the entrance, Andrew finally encountered a familiar face. One he could guarantee was a living person. The security guard at the entrance. He was a rather bulky black man with a blue cap from a famous baseball team.
"Hmm... Mr Jackson. Do you by any chance hear anyone asking for help? the voice of a girl?" He asked the man whose countenance quickly changed. Andrew still needed to ask; what if the person was alive and was actually asking for help?
The man frowned and crossed his arms, glancing at the boy who had the attention of the whole campus for many reasons despite his failure of low-key behaviour.
"Eh? not at all... should I go and check?"
"Please, I was hearing the voice of a girl asking for help, actually... she was screaming" Andrew only wanted to make sure, what if a girl was being abused? the least he could do was alert someone more capable to sort out the issue.
"Don't scare me, boy... I'm not leaving right after you, this time it is my night shift and I have to stay until nine in the morning!" The man snorted but picked up his lantern nonetheless, heading inside.
Andrew gulped slightly, "Haha, not at all, Mr Jackson, there is absolutely nothing wrong... I'm just a little concerned, it could be my mind playing games on me".
"Your mind plays games on you too often, Mr Mayers" those were the last words of the guard before he head inside. Meanwhile, Andrew didn't know if he should feel reassured that he sent a guard to save a pitiful victim of abuse... or if he sent a guard to his doom at the hands of something much worse.
Regardless of whatever the case, he'd know by tomorrow.
**
**
The nights of Kingsbridge -the Bronx in New York- were opulent with nightlife, phantoms and sin occurring at every corner. Unconcerned about all of it, the boy walked onward towards the bus station. Not taking a limousine or being picked up by a security service. Instead, Andrew took the bus that was three stations away from his uncle's mansion, the Mayers' Estate.
The station was noisy with the same schoolers from other schools that had just come back from the game centres or their dates. Unless they were from Horace Mann's High School, no one knew who he was. His profile was as low as he could get.
This lack of fame and overflowing privacy gave Andrew the possibility to work part-time jobs in a McRonard a little far away from the school, still the same buss towards his place.
*Meow*
Looking at his phone and reading some book -about a valiant boy fighting against the odds of life, Andrew felt something rubbing against his leg, it was a little black cat. Like always he smiled and leaned down to pet it.
"I love you".
"No, I love you more!"
"Me more!"
"..." In the middle of the crowd waiting for the bus there was a couple, Andrew continued to pet the little cat who very eagerly rubbed itself to the boy's leg. He looked up at the couple; they were dressed in tattered attires and were kissing as if they were in the middle of their private hotel room.
Andrew thought it was just another one of those homeless couples in Manhattan. Most of them seemed to live a way happier life than the average office worker. Still, he sighed in a little disgust and jealousy.
'I guess it is not now and it won't be my time soon either... at least not until the next three years'.
Although he tried to ignore them, it was impossible... he was even more baffled at the fact that he seemed to be the only one in the crowd uncomfortable about it, he depressedly thought the reason was that he was the only one single.
Nothing farther from the truth.
The incoming lights of the bus attracted his attention and everyone else's in the crowd. The pair of lights shone in the night like the calling of the afterlife and it was then that Andrew saw the couple start walking forward, out of the pavement.
"BE CAREFUL!" Andrew yelled with the full capacity of his lungs!
!!!
The next thing his panicked eyes witnessed was the bus running over the couple; his eyes shivered in disbelief, and so did the crowd's eyes. However, those people were looking at him as if he was a lunatic.
"What's your problem, dude?!" One of the young boys screamed at him, even taking him by the collar, he had been the closest to Andrew and got scared the hell out of him when he heard the boy's shout.
The confused heir looked around to see everyone regarding him as if he was a weirdo, even from inside the stopped bus. His eyes travelled across the silent area, looking for the couple, looking for two corpses. He released his grip from the guy that had been holding him and ran to the rear edge of the bus to see the other side.
"He's a lunatic".
"Let him be, kids these days don't respect anyone".
Andrew ignored all of them; when he reached the rear end of the bus to see across the street, they were gone and the only thing that remained was a residual white light.
'N-No way...' After a period of time, his eyes travelled back to where the bus was supposed to be, except that there was nobody there anymore, the bus had left; having picked up everyone that was supposed to board at this station and leaving him alone in there.
*Meow!*
His blue eyes did a slow journey down to catch a glimpse of the same cat, rubbing itself to his leg.
'A-Are you alive? or dead? w-which is it?' He questioned with a slightly perturbed smile.
One could say that aside from 'hearing' and 'seeing' he'd be able to at least differentiate a ghost by touching it, however... Andrew had learnt the bad way prior that even the sense of 'touch' was no different.
He picked up the black cat in his arms and decided to walk home that night. It had always been a problem he had gone through since he was a kid. Alive or dead... at least in this city riddled with sin and wickedness, they were too hard to differentiate.
Along his way back he happened to come across a TV store with dozens of plasma screens that showed the image of a talking lady in a studio. Andrew ignored her silhouette in the broadcast, but he couldn't ignore her words.
"CMM BREAKING: THE MURDERER OF THE COUPLE WHOSE BODIES WERE IDENTIFIED AS HELEN BUFFORD AND ALONSO RIVERO LAST WEEK HAS BEEN FOUND LOOMING IN A HIDEOUT OF THE BRONX, HE AWAITS TRIAL WHERE ACCORDING TO SOURCES HE INTENDS TO PLEAD HIMSELF INNOCENT... HERE AT CMM WE CAN ONLY HOPE THE COUPLE CAN FIND PEACE IN THE HEAVENS AND SEE FROM ABOVE HOW THEIR ASSAILANT IS BROUGHT TO AMERICAN JUSTICE".
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone