Beep! Beep! Beep!
Even with the sound of the alarm, Max still wasn't getting up from his sleep.
"Brooo, wake up already!" Jimmy cried, shaking Max's body violently.
Max shared the same room with his 7-year-old brother, Jimmy. Truthfully, it very hard for Max to sleep sometimes when he has to deal with his little brother's snoring , but he had to manage
He squinted slightly before finally opening his eyes. The first thing he saw was a young boy with huge blue eyes staring right down at him.
"Ah—get off me!" he snapped, shoving his little brother off his chest.
"Ouch… My head," he murmured, rubbing his temple as he groggily sat up in bed.
"Whoa! Bro, what happened to your hair? When did you dye it, wasn't it black just yesterday?"
"Dye? What the hell are you talking about?" Max snapped back.
He rubbed his eyes a few times to get rid of the sleep…but then he froze.
'Hold on a second…'
Max paused, his hand still in his hair. His gaze darted around the room. His bed, the walls, his half-wrecked wardrobe, everything looked the same.
"Im…in my room? But…how?"
something in his chest suddenly twisted, and panic began to crawl up his spine.
He stared at his palms for a few seconds
"Was it all just a nightmare?"
Rubbing his hands over his torso, Max was checking if he had sustained any injuries
"Ha! I'm alive, I can't believe I'm actually alive!" Max yelled triumphantly , almost as if he had won a lottery
Finally, he cast his eyes onto his little brother who was utterly confused by his Max's strange actions
"Hey, bro… why are you staring at me like that?" Jimmy asked.
Without warning, Max pulled his little brother into a tight hug, so sudden that it caught Jimmy completely off guard.
"Whoa, what's this for?" Jimmy mumbled, squirming a bit.
"Jimmy… you're not hurt, are you? Please tell me you're okay. Where's Mom?"
"She's in the kitchen," Jimmy said, blinking. "Now hurry up and get breakfast, or we're gonna be late for school."
Adam quickly glanced at the alarm clock
"7:15? Shit, I'm gonna be late"
PING!
A soft chime suddenly echoed in his head, and before he could even wonder what it was, a glowing blue panel materialized in front of him. It hovered in front of him like a hologram from a movie, with glowing neon-green text
Max froze, his breath fought in his throat as he read the message
[Congratulations, Host. You have been granted the Ghost System.]
Max's heartbeat spiked. His palms grew clammy, and sweat began running down his temple as he read the words again and again.
'What…what the hell is this' he thought
On the top right corner of the panel, Max noticed a small but visible 'X', and just as he focused on it, the notification suddenly vanished
'What?' He thought 'Maybe this is all a dream or something. Yeah, thats all it is, it's all in my head' He thought to himself
Jimmy noticed the change in his brother's face. "What's wrong, Max? You look like you've seen a ghost."
The word ghost echoed in Max's mind again and again. His breathing began to grow shallow, his chest tightening as if he were about to suffocate.
Images began to flash through his head—the woods, the strange ritual, that creature that appeared before everything went black.
Everything was coming back to him
He rushed to his drawer, swiping the pile of books aside. "Damn it, where is it?"
Max finally pulled out an old, cracked mirror. He only took One glance and his breath hitched.
He was utterly stunned by his appearance
His once pitch-black hair was now snow white, a sharp contrast to its previous darkness. His dark brown eyes had now taken a faint green hue, and his skin also looked pale, almost too pale.
"What the hell?" Max muttered in disbelief, his finger slightly pulling down his lower eyelid as he stared in the mirror
"See? I told you your hair was white!" Jimmy'a face lit up with a mischievous
Before Max could respond, a knock came at the door.
"Sweetie, hurry up and get ready for school! You're gonna be late!" his mom called out.
Max's heart jumped as he heard his mom's voice. He darted to the door, pressing his back against it with a loud thud. The last thing he wanted was for her to walk in and see him like this.
With his white hair and ghostly skin, she'd probably think he was seriously ill, and he knew she couldn't afford another hospital bill. She had already spent most of her savings treating Jimmy's illness last week.
"Uh—coming, Mom! You can go on ahead without me!" he stammered, voice trembling.
"Are you sure you're okay, honey?" she asked, worry lacing her tone.
"Yes! Yes, I'm absolutely swell! Nothing to worry about! Jimmy will be downstairs in a sec!" Max blurted out in a rush.
"…Alright, if you say so," she said hesitantly. Still, a mother's instinct told her something was off. "Maybe it's just puberty," she thought.
Max exhaled in relief as her footsteps faded. He turned and glared at his little brother, who was now sitting quietly on the bed.
Crouching down to meet his eyes, Max whispered, "Listen carefully, Jimmy—"
"Are you sick, bro?" Jimmy interrupted, tilting his head.
"N—No, I don't think so," Max muttered. Truthfully, he had no idea what was happening to him. Aside from the white hair and pale skin, all he felt was a dull headache.
"Listen," Max continued, voice firm. "I don't fully understand what's going on, but whatever happens, don't tell Mom about what you saw."
"The hair? Or the pale skin?" Jimmy asked innocently.
"No, not tha—"
"The eyes?"
"No! I mean—yes! Just… don't tell her anything weird about me, okay? Got it?"
Jimmy placed his little hand under his chin like he was deep in thought.
"You didn't say 'pretty please."
Max's jaw clenched, irritation evident on his face. Even now, his brother found a way to be annoying.
"Sigh. Fine. Pretty please. I'll even get you some candy on my way home from school today, alright?"
Jimmy's eyes sparkled instantly. "DEAL!" he said, grinning from ear to ear.
With that, he hopped off the bed and ran downstairs, leaving Max alone with his thoughts.
Max looked back at the mirror, his reflection staring right at him, pale, strange, and unfamiliar. He couldn't help but whisper
"What the hell… happened to me?"