The Phantom Crystal

Whispers

My leg bounces nervously as I sit at my desk, staring blankly at the wall before me. Rae and Casper dropped me off at my dorm in Bemidji an hour and a half ago and I just haven't been able to relax since they left.

Honestly, when I woke up after passing out last night, I was a little shaken but nothing too drastic. I was a little sore, rightfully confused, and dazed, but that was about it. And considering that the creature had put a large object into my chest, I thought that was pretty good.

My hand scratches at the center of my chest, a frown tugging at my lips.

Rae, understandably, wanted to contact Mom and Dad and tell them what happened, even going as far as saying that we should just destroy the Portal so nothing like that creature can come through ever again. Casper, thankfully, talked her out of destroying the Portal and I somehow convinced her that we shouldn't call Mom and Dad, let them have their time alone before meeting up with Ian. I told her I felt fine, just a little confused about what exactly happened. It took a little more persuasion than Casper needed but in the end, I won and we ended up just ordering a pizza and moving to the living room upstairs to play some video games.

I'm not entirely sure why I didn't want Rae to contact Mom and Dad about what happened, but a strange feeling in my gut kept telling me that it just wasn't a good idea. Rae had even ASKED me why we shouldn't contact Mom and Dad and all I could tell her was that they barely get time together and we just shouldn't bother them. Nobody got hurt and the creature left. A win-win in my book.

But is it really?

I stare down at my hands as they rest in my lap, resisting the urge to reach up and tug on the beanie on my head. When I woke up this morning I just knew something wasn't right and when I walked into the bathroom, I found my answer. Somehow, overnight, all of my bangs have turned a stark snow white. A major contrast to the rest of my dark brown hair. So many questions buzzed around in my mind as I examined the now white hairs. They are still soft like the rest of my hair, indicating that the hairs weren't bleached or damaged in some way, the hairs just merely lost their pigment.

My fingers intertwine and I squeeze them harshly.

Will the color come back? Is all of my hair going to just turn white overnight? Is this permanent? How on Earth am I going to explain to Mom and Dad about what happened to my bangs? Will they be angry? What if I try dying it to match the rest of my head?

A groan escapes me and I rock back in my chair until the back hits the leg of my lofted bed. So many questions and not enough answers. Biting my lip, I pull out my phone and open the camera. Tugging off my beanie, I stare at my image, moving my head back and forth. My short hair, sticking up in random spots, sways with each movement, only slightly. I take a lock of my bangs in between my thumb and pointer finger and lift it before letting the hairs fall individually. The hair is still soft and glossy like it was this morning.

"I mean, it's not a horrible look," I mutter, tilting my head from side to side. "I just now look like the protagonist of an anime." My lips quirk up. "Maybe I should dye it something weird, like hot pink or teal, and see if anyone notices." A weak chuckle slips past my lips as I place my phone down and tug my beanie back on. "Mom would shoot me for sure if I did that."

Shaking my head, I stand, shivering as I move. I scowl as my body trembles violently for a solid ten seconds before calming down. I angrily zip my dark green sweatshirt all the way up and tuck my chin inside it.

And this is another thing that is stressing me alongside the fact that my bangs no longer hold any pigment, the fact that I just can't seem to get warm. At first, I thought it was because the heat never turned on, but my room is directly above the heater and is one of the warmest rooms in the entire house and the heat was blowing on full blast. Now I'm wearing a tank top, a long sleeve shirt, a t-shirt, and a zip-up sweatshirt and I'm still cold. I even threw on a pair of my workout leggings under my jeans that I used to wear during baseball when it was freezing outside. And I'm still cold! How is this even fair? Is this how Rae feels all the time? She is constantly complaining about being cold. If so, I feel bad making fun of her for being a human popsicle because this is horrible.

Would it be too much to put on another pair of socks and some mittens? I glance at the window that sits between my desk and my roommate, Gavin's, desk. Pine Hall is one of the older dorms on Bemidji State campus and runs off of steam heat, which is honestly one of the worst ways to heat a dorm with. There is no way to control the temperature and the school seems to think that the rooms need to be at a permanent 90 degrees. Before winter break, Gavin and I would leave our window open with a fan blowing outside just to get some reprieve from the heat. Sure, the school started emailing all of us not to have our windows open because the pipes would burst but if they would just listen to us and turn down the freaking heat, none of us would have a reason to open our window in the first place! Since returning, I noticed a lack of any heat coming in through the vent that sits right under the window and I can't help but miss it. My nose scrunches. Gavin is not going to be pleased if I need to have the window shut because I can't get warm. He runs even warmer than I do. He even had to take two showers a day because the steam heat was making him sweat so much.

Tucking my hands into my sleeves, I kneel in front of my drawers that are just to the left of my desk and open my sock drawer. If it comes down to it, I'll just layer up. It's easier to take layers off than it is to add layers, so if I am still a human popsicle by the time Gavin returns, I'll just take to wearing multiple layers of clothes. Sure, it'll be more laundry for me, but I prefer some shivers over drowning in sweat. That's just nasty.

I pull out a folded pair of thick socks that my grandparents gave me when they found out I was going to Bemidji and I quickly slide them over the first pair of socks I am already wearing. I just get the second sock on when the door handle jiggles and in walks Gavin. I smile at him.

"Hey, Gavin," I greet from my spot on the floor.

The tall blond jumps as he shuts the door before turning and smiling down at me. His normally tan cheeks are flushed red from the cold and wind, his short blond hair standing up in multiple directions from his hat. Dark brown eyes crinkle in the corner as Gavin readjusts the strap of his backpack.

"Hey, Jack," Gavin says, walking over to his closet just right of the door. "I almost didn't see you down there. Why are you sitting on the floor? The futon not good enough for you?"

Chuckling, I stand, trying hard to hide my shivering. "Nah, I was just putting on some socks, so it's nothing against your futon. I just haven't made it over there yet. How was your flight?"

A groan escapes the taller male. Smirking, I lean against the counter behind me.

"That good, huh?"

"You have no idea," Gavin grumbles, shrugging off his jacket. "My first flight got delayed because they were having engine problems, making us 30 minutes late in landing in Austin. Then it started raining so hard they had to delay our second flight because lightning kept hitting the runway! I was supposed to be here two hours ago." Gavin snorts and plops down onto his black futon, the springs creaking a little under the football player. "It was like something was trying to make it so I couldn't make it back. I mean, I love my folks, and it was great to see my little brother and sister, but I almost forgot just how hot and weird Florida is. Everyone in Minnesota is so nice and the people in Florida just don't give two shits, ya know?"

I laugh. "I can imagine. I met quite a few characters the last time I went to Florida."

Gavin grumbles something that sounds like 'No s**t,' but his arm is now covering his face, so it is a little muffled and hard to understand. Taking pity on my tired roommate, I walk over and slide my boots on.

"I'm gonna run over to Walnut and hit up the Convenient Store. Wally's is still closed until tomorrow, so I can pick up a pizza or something if you want?"

Gavin lowers his arm as I grab my lanyard from its spot on my loft's leg. "Yeah, that'd be great. I'll treat us to supper tomorrow. I'm just so fuckin' tired. And I still gotta text my mom that I made it."

"Sounds good," I state, halfway out the door. "I'll be back."

Without waiting for a response, I shut the door behind me and walk down the quiet hallway. Living on the first floor has some perks and disadvantages. It usually has the highest amount of traffic with people cutting down the hallway to reach the far staircase since it's the only way to access the lounge room on the fourth floor. But it also means there are fewer stairs for me to walk when accessing the basement to reach the tunnels connecting Pine to Walnut.

My steps echo around me as I reach the basement, cutting through the silent Rec area and push the door leading to the tunnel system open. I bite my lip as a blast of cold air hits me and uncontrollable shivers wreck through my body again. Grinding my teeth, I stuff my hands into my pockets, fighting to stop the shivers. BSU could have at least turned on the heat today, knowing that most of their students would be returning today. But nope.

"I bet this is our punishment for complaining about the heat," I mutter, trying to ignore how my footsteps echo in the empty tunnel. I should have grabbed my headphones so I could listen to music. My eyes flicker around at the peeling paint on the walls and floor of the tunnel.

I don't even know how many times I have walked this particular tunnel but I always get this weird and eerie feeling whenever I'm alone in them. The feeling lessens when other people are walking the tunnels but it just never fully goes away. There is just something about being inside an old concrete tunnel by myself with only my footsteps filling the deafening silence that is just so unnerving and makes me want to constantly look over my shoulder. I once mentioned this to Mom and Dad, and they told me that it's just because I'm really sensitive to energy and because the tunnels are rather old, they have collected a bunch of energy from all of the students who use them every year.

I, personally, think it's because our Community Advisors and Residental Advisors have told us about rape cases that have happened in many of the tunnels. Humans are disgusting.

I turn right at the junction in the tunnel only to stop as the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and a blast of cold air rushes around me. What on Earth was that? Turning around, I stare behind me, scanning the empty tunnel. That's when I hear it.

Whispering.