Phantom ~ [Simon Ghost Riley]

XVII. Pretending

The cool water circles around my tanned leg, causing it to tickle my skin a little. The sun shines brightly and it nearly burns my scalp. The top of my head feels hot as I touch it.

"Come in!" My brother yells at me from the lake.

"Mhmm," I mumble, "In a little bit. I promise."

"You're boring.." Oscar yells, floating on his back in the surprisingly clear water.

"I know," I say as I lift myself up from the edge. I get back to my bright blue towel and grab the book I had brought with me. My wet fingers cause the yellowish paper to stick, though I don't care. I want to continue the story nonetheless.

I put my headphones on and blast my music so loud, I can't really hear anything else. I immediately get sucked into the story, my surroundings fading with each word my eyes glide across.

I'm utterly lost in the moment when I realize I've flown through nearly 80 pages. I quickly throw my headphones off to look back at my brother. To my surprise, he's still in the lake. Though when I close my book, I notice an unusual look on his face.

"Oscar? What's wrong?" I ask, immediately worried as I get back to the edge of the lake.

"I feel a little bit weird," he says as he comes closer to the edge. And even though his skin is supposed to be tanned from the Italian sun we've been under all summer, he seems white as a ghost.

"Oscar, you look very pale. Are you okay?"

"-I'm not sure. My jaw feels weird," he says. I reach out for him and pull him out of the lake. It's when he stands in front of me that I notice his shortness of breath.

"Sit down," I say, my hand on his shoulder, "I'll get you some water."

I quickly head over to my bag to go and grab our water bottle. My brother talks some nonsense, though his voice suddenly fades away. And at that moment, I instantly know something is wrong.

I whip around to find my brother lying on his back, unresponsive.

"Oscar-" Panic ensues as I frantically search for my phone, "OSCAR."

In my frantic state, I flip my bag upside down. Pens, a sketchbook, a deck of playing cards, and my phone falls out. Within seconds, I'm on a call with emergency services.

"Oscar, please-" I cry out, his face now even paler.

"-Ace."

Ace.

Ace...?

"-Wake up," A voice pulls me from somewhere deep.

I wake up with a gasp. My whole body feels numb. Tears pool in the corners of my eyes and my entire pillow is wet.

"You're okay. It's me," A Scottish accent mumbles in the dark.

"-Soap," My voice breaks as I feel another tear roll down my cheek.

"Hey, it's okay," he says as he places a hand on my shoulder, "Come here."

I grab his hand and he gently pulls me out of bed. I fall into his arms, in desperate need of a hug.

"It's my fault. It's my fault. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. So sorry," the words come out before I can register what I'm saying. My self-hatred nearly reaches its maximum. I hate having anyone see me like this. Being a woman in the army is hard enough, constantly having to prove yourself in a male-dominated field gets tiring.

"Nothing to be sorry about, Ace," he says as he pulls us onto Ghost's bunk. Ghost, of course, isn't there. Though at this moment I'm glad he isn't.

I can't stop crying. The tears keep coming, unstoppable and uncontrollable. I feel like I'm falling apart, like I'm never going to be able to put myself back together again.