The park was quiet, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows over the benches and winding paths. May drifted over to her usual spot beneath a large tree, her eyes scanning the familiar surroundings. Mrs. Green was already there, her delicate form perched primly on the bench as if she were waiting for an invisible bus. Ben lounged nearby, sprawled on the grass with a casualness that seemed almost lazy.
"Hey, look who's finally back from her living-world adventures!" Ben called out with a grin, propping himself up on his elbows. "So, how was your date with the fancy lawyer?"
May rolled her eyes but couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips. "It wasn't a date, Ben. And you know that."
"Could've fooled me," he teased, his grin widening. "What's the scoop, May? Spill it."
Mrs. Green looked up, her eyes twinkling with curiosity. "Yes, dear, we've been dying to hear what happened." She paused, then added with a soft laugh, "Well, you know what I mean."
May took a seat on the grass, her legs folded under her. "I saw her again. I actually touched her. I don't know how, but it happened. It was just for a second, but... it was real."
Ben let out a low whistle. "Touched her, huh? You're breaking all the ghost rules now. What's next? Moving furniture?"
Mrs. Green shot him a look. "Ben, be serious. This isn't something to joke about." She turned to May, her expression turning more serious. "May, are you sure it's wise to be getting involved like this? Touching things in the physical world isn't normal for us. It could mean... well, we don't know what it could mean."
"I know," May said softly, staring at her hands as if expecting them to show some sign of what had happened. "But it wasn't on purpose. I just—felt something, and then it happened."
Ben leaned back, his expression thoughtful for once. "Maybe you're just special, May. Or maybe there's something about this Lin person that's triggering it."
May glanced at him, frowning. "What do you mean?"
Ben shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe you've got some unfinished business with her. Or maybe she's got a vibe that's different from other people. She can see ghosts, right? Maybe that's got something to do with it."
Mrs. Green nodded slowly, considering his words. "It's possible. Some people have a natural connection to the other side, even if they don't realize it. But May, you need to be careful. If you get too attached, it could make things... complicated."
"Complicated how?" May asked, looking between them.
"Well," Mrs. Green began, her voice gentle but firm, "the more you interact with the living, the more you start to... slip, for lack of a better word. You could lose your sense of self, or worse, get stuck between worlds, unable to move on."
Ben nodded. "Yeah, like that ghost who got too attached to his old house. He kept trying to talk to the new owners, freaked them out so much they moved, and he was left all alone. He's still wandering around, lost and confused."
May shivered at the thought. She didn't want to end up like that, trapped in some endless loop of confusion and despair. But there was something about Lin that felt... different. Important.
"I get it," she said finally. "But I have to know why I can do this. Why I can touch her. Maybe it's connected to who I was... or what happened to me."
Mrs. Green's expression softened, and she reached out as if to touch May's hand, though her fingers passed through it harmlessly. "We understand, dear. Just promise us you'll be careful. Whatever this is, it's new territory for all of us."
"Yeah, don't go turning into some kind of ghost superhero or anything," Ben added with a grin. "Next thing you know, you'll be flying through walls and saving the day."
May laughed, the sound light and genuine. "I'll try to keep my cape in the closet, Ben."
The three of them fell into a comfortable silence, the kind that only old friends could share. May felt a sense of peace settle over her, despite the uncertainty that still loomed. Whatever happened next, she knew she wasn't alone. And that was something.
As the sun dipped lower, casting the park in a warm, golden glow, May made a silent promise to herself. She would be careful, but she wouldn't stop. There was something she needed to find, something that connected her to Lin, and she wasn't going to give up until she knew what it was.
---
Lin sat at her desk, surrounded by neatly organized stacks of files, each labeled with precision and arranged according to priority. The sleek, minimalist design of her apartment reflected her personality—everything in its place, no clutter, no distractions. The faint scent of jasmine from a diffuser in the corner added a subtle elegance to the room, and the soft glow from a modern lamp cast a warm light over her workspace.
Despite the perfect order around her, Lin's mind was anything but calm. She had tried to immerse herself in her work, flipping through case files and jotting down notes in her precise handwriting, but her thoughts kept drifting back to the café, to the strange girl who had disrupted her carefully controlled world.
Who was she? Even thinking about the encounter sent a ripple of unease through Lin. There had been something off about her, something she couldn't quite place. The brief touch they'd shared still lingered on her skin, a faint memory that refused to fade. Lin wasn't used to being thrown off balance, and the feeling was unsettling.
Her phone buzzed, breaking the silence. She glanced at the screen and saw Karen's name. A small smile tugged at her lips. Karen was one of the few people who knew about her ability to see ghosts, and she had a knack for lightening Lin's mood, no matter how tense things got.
"Still alive, or did you get buried under a pile of paperwork?" Karen's message read.
Lin couldn't help but chuckle. "Alive and surviving," she typed back. "Barely. Trying to get through these files, but my brain keeps wandering."
The reply was almost immediate. "Wandering where? To the land of unsolved mysteries?"
Lin hesitated, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. How could she explain this strange fixation she couldn't shake? "Something like that," she typed finally. "I met someone at the café yesterday. There was something weird about her."
Karen's response came with a string of emojis: a magnifying glass, a ghost, and a thinking face. "Weird how? Like 'I see dead people' weird?"
Lin smiled, shaking her head. "No, not that. She was... I don't know, there was just something off. Like she knew things she shouldn't. And when we bumped into each other, it felt... different."
"Different like how?" Karen asked. "Like sparks flying different or 'I need to call an exorcist' different?"
"More like... I felt her," Lin typed slowly, choosing her words carefully. "It wasn't just a normal touch. And then she disappeared so suddenly, it didn't feel right."
There was a pause before Karen replied. "Lin, are you okay? You sound... rattled."
Lin leaned back in her chair, staring at the perfectly arranged rows of case files. It was rare for her to feel this unsettled. She was used to having control, to knowing the answers. But this time, she felt like she was missing something crucial.
