2024 Story Collection

The Hero Named Ghost and His Soulmate III

He looks up from the ledge of the roof he sat at near the end of his night. There had been a riot in the prisons that day. Multiple people were seriously injured and one guard was killed. He'd teleported him to the hospital as fast as possible, but the man was dead by the time the doctor made it to him.

It was hard to face the losses. No matter how much time passed, the pain was still there. It wasn't something one got used to, more so numb to it. Even on nights where there were no losses, he didn't sleep. Couldn't.

He always had trouble sleeping at night. His people never really slept unless they were sick or injured and they were nocturnal when they did sleep. He never really adjusted to that part of human life.

Times like this, when he was left alone with his thoughts, he missed his home planet. It was a beautiful place filled with dancing and singing. They were the performers of the cosmos, known for their incredible talents and intelligence. But he knew after what he did, he could never go back.

The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon to his right. He knew he needed to get moving. He'd promised his friend he'd meet him for coffee before work. He stretches a bit and as he is stretching his neck, he notices a figure in a window.

There was a woman who lived in the building across from where he sat. Sometimes he would catch her watching him. Normally he hated the attention, but for some reason, he didn't mind her. He noticed that she almost always was in front of an easel or with a sketchbook in her hand. 

He guessed she was an artist. A part of him wanted to teleport to her and ask her about her artwork-about her, but he knew that wasn't a good idea.

Most of the people in this city disliked him. Some even purposely attack him. He never understood it. He was trying to make this world a better place, just like any other hero. Sure, he wasn't as powerful or interesting as the heroes of other cities and unlike most heroes, who did a lot of press and interacted with the public, he kept to himself but did he deserve to be hated for that?

The woman's movement brought him back to the moment. He squinted to see better. She was waving at him, a smile on her face. He sat there in shock. They'd never interacted before. He wasn't sure what to do.

He manages to wave back a moment later. It made him feel better knowing that maybe, just maybe, there was at least one person in this city that didn't mind his presence here.

---

"Marc," his friend Simon called out. "What took you so long?"

"Traffic," Marc replied as he jogged to catch up to his friend, who was almost a full foot taller than him.

"We're going to be late," Simon says in a rush.

"Late for what?" Marc asked, confused. "They make the coffee for us fresh and it should stay plenty hot-"

"Not that. There is an art gallery that reopened right above the cafe and I want to be one of the first to get a look at it."

"A gallery?"

"You know Jessie, Leo's sister?" Marc nods. Of course he did. "She bought the building and has been renovating the place. Says she got a great new artist."

"Is Leo coming?"

"No way." Simon rolls his eyes. "Coach is forcing him to attend a mandatory practice every day for a month after what he pulled at the last game."

"I've never seen such an intense basketball game," Marc agreed.

"Here we are," Simon says, holding the door for Marc as he walks in behind him.

They walk in and order their drinks. While they're waiting, a voice calls out to them.

"Marc, Simon," Jessie greets them, hugging both of them. "I'm so glad you could make it."

"I wouldn't miss it," Simon replies with a wide grin.

"Marc, I haven't seen you in forever."

"It has been a while, hasn't it?" he agrees.

"You know that new artist we got," she asks, practically jumping as she speaks.

"Simon mentioned something like that earlier," Marc replies.

"She came in and brought so many beautiful pieces, I decided to give her the whole north room. She'd shown me a few smaller paintings when she first came in. Don't get me wrong, they were beautiful but relatively plain compared to what she brought in today. Her work is incredible. I think my agent friends are going to love her. I'm calling it now. She's going to be big."

Jessie continues gushing about her new artist while they wait for their drinks. Once they get them, she leads them up to the gallery.

"Hey Marc," Simon whispers as they get to the stairwell. "When we get up there, do you think you could sneak off on your own? I'd like to talk to Jessie alone-"

"Of course. No problem." Marc replies.

Simon had liked Jessie for a long time and had been hiding the fact that he knew they were soulmates. Mostly because in the beginning, she had a boyfriend, but once they broke up and Simon and Jessie grew closer, he wanted to ask her out.

Simon was what people gave the name romantic. They were quite rare. It was a term used for a person who wanted their soulmate to love them not because of fate, but because of who they were as people first. They believed them being soulmates was just the cherry on top.

Marc was not like Simon in that way. He knew that as soon as he found his soulmate, he wouldn't waste a moment and tell her immediately. He wouldn't take the chance of losing her by waiting. After all, he had traveled across the galaxy for her.

To be continued...

March 1, 2024