Phantom minds © Livesta

Dedicated to Sharon, because she is really sweet and a great author :D

A picture of Nora on the side bar

Gathering. Nora guessed that Midori had put it nicely when she said that. It was nowhere a formal gathering. The house was crowded with too many people and she found herself standing between durkards. Reece wandered off once they arrived and there wasn't even a single person she recognized.

"You look lost." She heard someone shout near her ear. But, the voice dissipated with the blasting music.

"I thought this was a gathering." Nora looked at Gael. He was standing behind her with an half-empty bottle of vodka. His hair was a complete mess, but so was he.

"It is a gathering. This is my welcome party for you. Come with me?" He took hold of her hand and pulled her away from the crowd.

"To where?" She stopped to free herself from his grip. "And, don't touch me."

Gael gulped down the vodka like it were water and dropped the bottle to the ground. The shattering of glass made Nora jump in her spot. For a minute, the room went silent, except for the blazing music and all eyes were on them.

Nora anxiously looked between the crowd and Gael. But, even his eyes were intensely piercing hers. Not liking the spotlight shed upon her, she crouched to pick up the broken pieces. Gael bent over and stopped, "Don't."

"Someone will get hurt." She said, darting her eyes from him to the ground.

"Let me do it." He stood up while trying to maintain his balance and disaapeared into the crowd. When he came back, he had a trashbin.

His quivering hand reached a piece of glass when Nora said, "You're drunk. You'll hurt yourself."

"I said, I'll do it... Nora, stop." He tried to pull the large chunk of glass from her hand. When she refused, the large chunk cut into her skin. She hissed. Blood gushed and ran down her palm.

Gael's gaze was fixated at the running blood as he formed a fist and the remains of the glass crumpled under his grip. Nora stared at him wide eyed as his drops of blood formed a pool on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Nora exclaimed, trying to get back his attention. However, neither his eyes nor body responded in any manner. "Gael?"

"Gael!" She shook his shoulder.

"Huh?" His trance died and he looked up at her. She was taken aback when she found tears in them.

"You hurt your hand. You're bleeding."

"I'm fine." He got back to his feet and stormed out of the room, not before grabbing another bottle of vodka.

The next morning, Nora loaded her plate with breakfast. Vegetables, mashed potatoes, chicken and milk. It was an hour before she took her first law class. The cafeteria had started to fill up with students and she was busy balancing her food and the bag dangling from her shoulder.

"Hey, Nora!" Someone from the crowd called. "Over here!"

She searched for the source of voice and found the skinny frame of Midori waving her from a table, across the room. Noticing that she was alone, Nora's eyes wandered around Midori, as though searching for something. It continued until she reached the table.

"Morning." Nora took the seat next to Midori.

"It's lovely, isn't it? Warm and bright... What are you doing here so early?"

"Just wanted to look through the campus. What about you?" Nora gulped down a sip of her milk.

"Have been waiting for Gael," Midori sighed.

"Where is he?" She tried to sound casual.

"I don't know. He was supposed to be here by seven-thirty. Eh, what happened to your hand?" She pulled Nora's hand and started examining it.

"A little accident. Just a small cut." She said ignoring the bandage wrapped around her palm.

"I didn't see you at the party?"

"Oh, I left early."

The screech of the chair made Nora look away from Midori. A tall boy was sitting at the seat diagonal to her. Gael plunked his bag on the chair beside him and leaned on the table, staring at his strapped hand.

"Morning, Gael."

He ignored Nora's greeting.

"You're late. And geez, what's wrong with your hand?" Midori enquired.

"Nothing."

"Gael, your breath smells alcohol. You didn't booze this early in the morning, did you?"

He just shrugged as Nora stole a glance of him. She wished she hadn't. His eyes were crimson with bags under them. His shirt had uneven creases and there were dry blood sticking his bandage.

Gael ignored her gaze and unzipped his bag. He tossed a plastic bag to Midori and said, "Give this to Reece and tell her we're done."

"But-"

"Just do it, ok?"

"Look, this on and off thing between you two needs to stop! If she's really a headache, why don't you man up and deal with this on your own? I'm not taking this sh*t from you anymore and I'm done playing negotiator for both of you." She retossed the bag to him.

"Fine!" He said through gritted teeth. The table wobbled as he got to his feet and slung the bag over his shoulder. When he pulled out his phone from his pocket, something slipped. But, he seemed to have unnoticed it.

"Gael?" Nora called when he was walking away. She bent down and picked the small packet of herbs that slipped his pocket. "You dropped this."

Her face remained passive, but eyes cold as she displayed it to him. Color drained from Gael's face when he realized what she was holding. He averted his gaze from her and snatched it before pacing out of the cafeteria.

When Nora turned to Midori, she found her staring wide eyed at his disappearing figure.

"Midori? Are you sure he is ok?" Nora sat back.

"I don't know. He usually avoids me when is going through something rough." Her tone was coated with worry.

"He is into drugs."

"It thought it was just excessive alcohol." She shook her head in perplex.

"Something must be bothering him. How are things with his family?"

"He doesn't have any."

"And, Reese?"

"I don't think it's about Reece. She is a nice girl and she loves him. But, Gael always keeps messing up. I don't know if he's not happy with their relationship or he's just a manwhore."

"Why would you say that?" Nora was curious now.

"His antics... He not only just break up with her every now and then, but keeps hooking up with other girls even when he is with Reece."

"Doesn't she know?"

"Not everything. Just about a couple of hook ups. They're more apart than they're together."

Ever since she met him, Nora couldn't draw a conclusion about Gael. Every new meet-up gave her a new information about him and they had been different from one another. Her perception of him was never constant. He was a prankster. He was a druggie and alcoholic. He moodswings and tantrums... Which was the real Gael? She had no clue. She one thing for sure. He was a puzzle and solving him would be easier said than done.

On her way to the dorm, Nora picked up a newspaper and coffee. It would help her stay active to complete her assignment, despite the tiresome six hours spent in class. When she was in the lobby, she greeted the receptionist with a good evening and continued to carry herself to the elevator.

"Ms.Gillis?" But, the receptionist stopped her. "Someone dropped a parcel for you." She was holding a gift-wrapped box.

"For me? Did they mention who?"

"No, just a well-wisher."

"Oh." Was there something really bizarre about this or was it just Nora's delusion? "Thank you, Mrs. Wong."

It had been hardly two days since Nora arrived at Kingsburg. Forget well-wishers, she had roughly befriended a couple of people and she was already receiving a present? It wasn't even Christmas. This just wasn't wacky, it was crazy.

She tore the wrapper once she was in her room. It was a velvet jewelry box. To Nora's utter surprise, there was a keychain inside. Atleast, it looked like one. A golden plated phoenix stared right at her and a carving on its elongated tail, which read, 'Pull me.'

She did.

A pendrive. That's what it was.

Nora hurried to her desk and flipped open the laptop. When she connected the drive, there was only one file that came into view. It was a video.

Click.

At first, it was dark and some shuffling could be heard. Then, the light from the ceiling was switched on. It revealed a middle aged man, and an obese doctor. The man was tied to a chair with a rag wrapped around his mouth. An ECT machine stood next to him. That was when she noticed the doctor holding electrodes.

A muffled high-pitch scream left the man's lips when the doctor pressed the electrodes on either sides of his forehead. Once discharged, the man's body fell limp. Again, when the doctor connected the electrodes, another scream echoed.

Nora looked away from the screen as a tear escaped her eyes.

Dad...

Whoever had sent that was either a friend or a foe.

Next update will be after Christmas!

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