A Surprise at the Apartment

Well, this was abrupt. I stared at her, confused. “What do you mean, I can’t run from it anymore?” I asked. “What is my destiny? Could you be a little more clear on that?”

The mysterious woman sighed, searching for the right words. “Do you believe in reincarnation?” she asked suddenly.

Startled by the question, I answered bluntly. “Not really, no. With all due respect, what does that have to do with your being here?”

“A lot.” Shao Len fixed me with a penetrating stare, shifting on the bed. I shivered in her gaze. It’s like she could see right through me with that gaze. “The theory of reincarnation is that souls are reborn, over and over, gaining new experiences, paying karmic debt… and when there are no more lessons to be learned, the souls go to a place very much like Heaven for eternity.”

“What does this have to do with me?” I asked, trying to see where she was going with this. I had a nagging feeling I knew, right in the pit of my stomach. I was leaning against the doorframe of Hideki’s bedroom with my arms crossed. I knew I looked defensive.

“Before I continue with this, can I please have some water?” Shao Len asked Hideki, who was on the other side of the doorframe, watching. Startled, Hideki nodded, and walked towards the kitchen to get a bottle of water.

Shao Len’s gaze moved back towards me. “You might want to sit down for this.” she advised. “Ah, thank you.” She took the bottle of water from Hideki after he unscrewed the lid for her.

That feeling in the pit of my stomach just grew a lot stronger. I knew I wasn’t going to like the answer she was about to give me.

Shao Len took a long drink from the water bottle. I moved and sat on another part of the bed so that she could face me while she spoke. Shao Len closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened them, and started to speak. “I mention reincarnation because I am you.” she said bluntly. “I am you from the fourth century in China.”

I rose, backing away from her. “I’m trying to be open-minded about this, but isn’t that pushing it a little far, Shao Len? If you’re me, how can you and I be in the same place at the same time? That doesn’t make sense! In fact, none of this does..”

“I can’t explain it either.” Shao Len answered. “All I know is that I felt I was needed here desperately.” She stood up as well, her black hair rippling behind her.

“Why?” I started to ask, then saw her put the water bottle down on the wooden nightstand. She began to untie the belt holding the robe together.

“Wh-what are you doing?” I squeaked, starting to back away from her into the living room.

The robe fell to the floor. Hideki nearly dropped the Snapple iced tea he was drinking.

“Hideki, will you please compare something for me?” Shao Len asked. “You know this woman’s body very well. Compare the body language, facial expressions, and movement of the two of us.”

Hideki merely nodded, blushing.

I took in the figure of the woman standing before me. Small, nicely rounded breasts. A flat abdomen. Legs that were not too long. Straight black hair that fell to her hips. Earnest dark brown eyes, and a half-smile on her lips. She was a cutie. And the expression *was* eerily similar to mine.

“She’s right, Michelle.” Hideki spoke, eying Shao Len with lust. “Her movements and body language are exactly the same as yours. There may be something to what she says.”

“I don’t know..” I hedged. I did not know how to take this. It was all happening too fast. “Let’s just say I believe what you’re saying.” I began, “And you are my incarnation. Why are you here?”

“A good question.” Shao Len nodded with satisfaction, putting the robe back on and tying it securely. I noticed her lack of shyness in getting undressed around me. Could what she’s saying be actually true? She settled back onto Hideki’s bed, grabbing the water bottle and taking another long drink. “How do I put this delicately? I’m here because both your heart and your life are in danger.”

“How so?” Hideki asked, moving back into the bedroom.
Shao Len searched for the right words to answer with. “Michelle… have you noticed that you seemed to be getting depressed easily? That you seem to be fighting with your friends and family more and more often? You feel consuming jealousy and bitterness, and have repeated nightmares?”

I considered for a moment. “Yes, yes, yes, and what does the last one have to do with this?”

“Plenty. But I’ll talk about the other things first. Darkness corrodes, little by little. It eats away at you, leaving nothing but darkness in it’s wake. There are a lot of feelings, darker feelings, that you’ve never expressed, and they are slowly corroding you. What had started out an insignificant problem has grown and taken a life of it’s own. You have a lot of trouble controlling these emotions?”

I nodded, and Shao Len sighed. “This is why I’m here. To see that these emotions don’t consume you, and to help you move on from them. But there is another facet to this problem. What those emotions are attracting.”

“What are they attracting?” Hideki asked.

“Ghosts, basically. Dangerous spirits that feed on that kind of negative energy. You are a medium, a person who senses spirits?”

“How did you know that?” I asked in surprise.

Shao Len smiled. “I’m you, remember? Even in my lifetime, you had those abilities. Negative emotions attract spirits that have been overcome by the darkness. Evil spirits, if you will. It’s like food to them, that energy. And they will do whatever it takes to keep getting that kind of energy. Surely you must have noticed these malevolent presences around you?”

I nodded, shuddering. I remembered all too clearly. Presences that reeked of malevolence, always seeming to be watching. I’ve noticed them a lot the past two months. I’ve also noticed that my mood swings have been getting worse.

Shao Len yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. “But the rest of the details can wait for another time. I will set wards so that these evil spirits can’t attack us while we sleep. We should be safe.”

“Would they attack?” Hideki said, yawning himself. It was five AM, and dawn was poking through the windows.

“They would try to attack *her*.” Shao Len answered, rising from the bed. I did likewise. “Once these people feel that they’ve got a target to harass, they won’t let go without putting up a fight. But like I said, I’ll put up the wards.” Shao Len began to walk wearily towards the guest couch. “Oh, Michelle. One more thing.” she called over her shoulder. “Look behind your back. You might find something interesting.”

I paused in the middle of taking off my clothing in Hideki’s bedroom. What did she mean by that? This person is definitely cryptic in her messages. I walked to the full-length mirror in the living room, clad only in a shirt and underwear. I twisted so I could see what my back looked like. And felt my mouth drop open in surprise. Attached to my back were transparent, white-feathered wings, trembling and flexing. Where the hell did *they* come from?