The Phantom Crystal

Nerves and Frost

A soft murmur fills the lecture hall as I nervously shift in my seat. Olivia isn’t here today, waking up feeling sick and full of lower back and pelvis cramps. A large part of me wants her to feel better and I plan on swinging by her dorm with a hot chocolate and another, smaller, part of me wishes that she was here, just so I can have someone else’s opinion on the ‘Ian-knows-about-my-hair’ situation.

The meeting last night went over pretty well. Rose introduced everyone to me. Bubba, a broad-shoulder junior, is the president and welcomed me with open arms, happy to have another new member. Nat, a jock-like sophomore, has taken over the club’s job of technician alongside Victoria, a black-haired junior, and Hope, the strawberry blonde senior. Jen, a tall purple-haired junior, Tim, a lanky senior, and Lea, a red-headed senior, are the researchers of the group while Rose is usually the one who locates the haunted places that they visit.

Overall, they seem to have a good system in place and Ian always is ready to help them get permission for their hunts if needed and guidance about the ghosts and Ghost Dimension.

Speaking of Ian...

My eyes flicker to the front of the room where Ian is typing away on his laptop. He gave us a short reading assignment and a single-paragraph answer today during class. I already turned mine in, Phantom laughing at me when I waited for Ian to walk away before I placed it on his podium.

Since he saw my hair last night, Ian’s been oddly silent. He only jumped in when Rose brought up the possible places for hunts that I provided for her, merely saying that he could help with reaching out to gain permission. But otherwise, he hasn’t said anything to me. So, I can’t tell if he’s mad at me for hiding my hair or if he’s actually okay with it.

‘Why are you stressing so much about this?’ Phantom asks, appearing in the seat next to me, resting his chin in his palm, his crimson eyes flickering between me and Ian. ‘Does his opinion really mean that much to you?’

My head tilts toward the Phantom, letting him know that I’m listening. Do I really care that much? I worry my bottom lip as I glance at the man who my parents are proud to call their best friend. My fingers drum on the table in front of me, pausing briefly when I feel something cold and wet. Glancing down, I wince as I notice frost spreading across the surface of the table. I scrub viciously at the fern-like pattern before anyone can notice.

‘I do,’ I say mentally, leaning back in my seat. ‘He’s been in my life as long as my parents and my sister. His opinion has always mattered.’

The Phantom turns and studies me, his gaze piercing and causes my skin to prickle. My eyes narrow when a small smirk forms on his lips and he stretches his arms over his head.

‘Well, if you’re really worried about it, sweetheart, why don’t you just go up there and talk to him about it?’

My shoulders tense when Phantom’s arm lands on the back of my chair. He doesn’t look at me but I can just tell he’s merely doing this to get under my skin. Phantom’s fingers tap on the back of my bicep.

Pursing my lips, I look back at Ian. The older male suddenly stops typing, as if sensing my stare, and looks up, his glasses perched on the end of his nose. His ice-blue eyes land on me and heat spreads across my face at being caught. For a brief second, I think I see a smirk form on Ian’s face but I blink and he’s looking back at his laptop.

I scrub at my face as Phantom chuckles next to me. He pats my arm.

‘Just talk to him, darling,’ Phantom states, humming as he stretches again. ‘I’m sure you’re overthinking all of this and that he’s not as worried about a single strand of discolored hair as you think he is.’

‘It’s not just a single strand!’ I snap as the Phantom starts to fade back inside me. ‘My entire bangs are white!’ A huff escapes me when Phantom vanishes with a small chuckle. ‘Cheeky bastard.’

Rolling my eyes, I slump in my seat as three more people stand from their chairs and walk up to the front to place their paragraphs in front of Ian. He smiles at them when they approach and scans the crowd behind them.

“Anyone else still writing?”

Nobody answers and Ian nods, scooping the papers up.

“Good, well, that’s all I’ve got for you today,” Ian states, his deep voice carrying easily around the room. “I do have another reading for all of you that will be due on Friday, which will be on D2L for you. If you still haven’t received your book yet, please tell me and I will send you a copy of the reading and will help you find the book.” Ian smiles and waves a dismissive hand. “Have a great rest of your Wednesday.”

Instantly chairs are shifted back and backpacks are swiftly being filled and shouldered. The rustle of jackets fills the once quiet room and I remain where I’m sitting, content to just allow everyone to exit as I track Ian as he moves over to his messenger bag, shoving the papers inside of it.

When the crowd starts to thin, I slowly stand and shrug on my jacket. I’ve forgone the hat, seeing that Ian’s already seen it and now that I can control my shivers and the cold, I don’t see a point in it. Grabbing my bag, I sling it across my shoulders and make my way up front. I do have to sidestep a couple of stragglers before I finally reach the wooden podium. I pause, waiting for Ian to look up from his bag.

As I wait, a familiar shiver courses down my spine, and I tighten my grip on my messenger bag strap. Turning, I scan the room, frowning as I don’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Ian and I are the only ones left in the room and voices of other classes being released echo in from the hallway.

“Jackie?”

I jump and spin around, heart leaping when I notice just how close Ian’s gotten while I was distracted. His eyes flicker over my face before shooting toward where I turned from.

“What were you looking at?”

Biting my lip, I glance over my shoulder.

“I, uh, not sure?” I answer, hesitant about what to say. “I thought that I felt something but I did watch some scary videos last night, so I might just be kinda jumpy right now.” I offer the older man a smile. Ian chuckles lowly, shaking his head causing a single strand of white hair to shift out of place.

“Of course you would. Someone who’s gone on actual ghost hunts and some web videos freak you out.” Ian tsks, a wide smirk on his face as I roll my eyes, shoulders relaxing. “But I’m guessing that’s not why you came up here?”

Instantly my relaxation vanishes and I shuffle around, eyes dropping to the carpet. I secretly wish that Phantom would reappear and lighten the mood but he’s giving me this moment. My stomach swoops and rolls as I try to form my words properly so that I’m not stumbling or stammering like the absolute mess that I feel like I am right now. My shoulders jump to my ears when a hand lands on my head.

“Jackie?” Ian asks quietly, stepping closer when I refuse to lift my head.

My eyes widen when another shiver wracks my body. My head snaps up and by the scowl on Ian’s face as he searches around the room, I’m not the only one who felt the chill go through the room. Ian’s fingers flex in my hair as he finishes his scan but doesn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

Ian’s shoulders relax slightly and he looks back down at me. He smiles at me.

“All right, Jackie, now what—“

“Am I interrupting something?”