“Then… ghost wind.”
“That’s not even a thing.”
Before I could answer, the lights went out completely. No flicker. No warning. One moment the apartment was lit. The next it wasn't.
The apartment dropped into darkness so fast my brain struggled to keep up. One second I could see Nina on the couch. Next, I couldn’t even see my own hands.
“Eva,” Nina said, her voice shaking a little now, “I hate this.”
I laughed nervously. “The power probably just died.”
Right after I said that, something moved near the kitchen. It wasn't loud, but it sounded heavy. The kind of sound that made every rational explanation pack its bags and leave.
The apartment was colder than before. Not freezing exactly, but definitely the wrong type of cold. Like standing too close to an open freezer.
Then came the whispering. So faint at first I thought it was coming from outside. But no, it was inside the apartment.
Nina heard it too because I heard her sit upright on the couch. “Eva.”
“Yeah?”
“What the hell is that?”
“I was hoping you knew.”
The whispering grew louder for maybe two seconds before stopping. Then something breathed in front of us. Slow and heavy, close enough that every muscle in my body locked up before my brain could catch up.
“Oh my God,” Nina whispered.
The candles exploded back to life. Flames shot upward all at once, filling the apartment with warm gold light so fast it hurt my eyes. Someone was sitting on my coffee table. And I stopped breathing.
For one absurd second, my brain got stuck on completely useless details. The black clothes. The dark hair falling across his forehead. The gloved hand resting against his knee like he'd been sitting there all night waiting for us to catch up.
Then I saw his eyes. Glowing red. Not a trick of the light. Not a reflection. Just glowing. People’s eyes should not do that.
Nina made a noise that sounded medically concerning beside me. But neither of us dared move.
The stranger's gaze moved around the apartment. The candles. The wine bottle. My poorly executed attempt at accidental summoning. Then his attention landed on me.
His expression shifted. Not angry but visibly offended.
“…Vanilla candles?” he said.
For a second, I thought I'd misheard him.
“What?”
“You summoned me with vanilla candles?”
Nina pointed at me so fast it might as well have been rehearsed.
“THIS WAS HER.”
“I DIDN’T KNOW SUMMONING WAS REAL.”
The stranger closed his eyes and rubbed a hand across his face as though I'd personally given him a headache.
“This is humiliating.”
