Who’d have thought my sister’s graduation would end with me plummeting through the sky?

  Wind roaring, eyes shut, heart pounding while the ground rushed up. A blur of green, brown, and hard pavement. Eyes squeezed shut, I braced for impact.

  Would I die? Who could say?

  Would my sister miss me? Probably.

  Would my mother mourn me? I hoped so.

  But none of that mattered now. All that mattered was surviving the fall.

  And to think, it all started at Betty’s Flower Shop, where the sweet fragrance of fresh roses, lilies, and jasmine filled the air. I had only gone to pick up flowers for Stacey’s graduation, unaware everything was about to change.

  While waiting in line, an elderly woman sneezed and nearly dropped the flower arrangement in her arms. Thanks to my quick reflexes, I snatched the vase right before it hit the floor.

  She thanked me, smiling like I’d saved the world. Then the scream came—Lamont!—a voice like a car collision.

  I spun, and there he was.

  The same ghostly man from last night. Face pale, translucent, pressed against the window.

  He slammed his palms against the glass. “Orbralis needs you. You’re the one.”

  Betty never lifted her head from the register.

  “Not this lunatic again.” My pulse hammered. “Not here.”

  When I exited the store, though, there was nothing. No one. Just a wad of useless paper tumbling by in the afternoon sun.

  I booked it to my car, glancing over my shoulder the whole way, searching for the ghostly figure that had been stalking me. Hoping he wouldn’t materialize next to me.

  Spoiler alert: he did.

  “Damn it.” I gripped the wheel, my knuckles protruding.

  Then came that voice again. “Serves you right, bonehead.”

  How? I had no clue.

  “Not this again.” I didn’t turn my head. “Why don’t you go haunt someone else and leave me the hell alone?”

  He chuckled. “Because I’m not a ghost, but your guide,” the figure replied, then phased his hand through the glove compartment. “And if you don’t listen to me, your world is going to fry like a skillet.”

  I turned to him. The faint figure, translucent skin, same bright smile. His clothes were a mix of modern and old, his jacket hanging to his ankles. His age, at least sixty, reminded me of someone’s grandfather.

  “Well, you never told me who you were in the first place,” I fired back. “All you said was I couldn’t get rid of you.”

  The air seemed to ripple between us before he laughed. “Not until you make a choice. One that determines my fate.”

  I sat straighter, the skepticism clear in my voice. “I’m still not convinced you aren’t a figment of my imagination, old man.”

  “Oh, I’m real. Watch this.” He concentrated, his brows touching. A soft thud echoed, like a bass guitar strum. Then the glove compartment shot open.

  I swerved. “Holy shit!”

  I straightened the car, my heart beating a mile a minute.

  “I’ve been sent to instruct you,” he said, “and make sure the power transfer doesn’t burn you to a crisp.”

  I kept my focus on the road. “You’ll have to wait till I’m free. Getting to my sister’s graduation before it’s over is my main concern… and you’re distracting me.”

  “The clock is ticking, and you’re all I have at the moment,” he said. “Meet me after the graduation, and I’ll explain everything.”

  He vanished with a loud pop.

  I sat stunned, my world unraveling.

  When I got to the gymnasium, I searched for my mother in the sea of people. After walking down the aisle, she signaled me over.

  I sat beside her and passed her the flowers, still wary of my visitor from another world.

  “Thank you for grabbing them for me, baby.” She reached over and grabbed my wrist.

  The principal sauntered to the microphone. The auditorium was silenced. I zoned out, scanning the students.

  There she was, glowing beneath her cap and gown. A mirror image of the woman sitting beside me.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  When the ceremony ended, she ran to us in a burst of energy, holding her diploma in her hands.

  “Mom!” she laughed. “I’m finally done!”

  She grabbed Mom’s hands, almost bashful about graduating. Mom gave her the flowers while I stood to the side. “I’m proud of you, Stacey.” I gave a smirk. “Now maybe you’ll go away to school, and I can get some peace.”

  She punched me on the shoulder. “Stop acting… You know you love me,” she replied, rolling her eyes. “And maybe you should go away too… It’s what Dad would’ve wanted.”

  I rubbed my arm as my mom gave me a friendly shove as well. “You two stop it now and be happy for each other,” her eyes brimming with tears.

  She left with her friends, probably to get shit-faced, and I slipped into the halls of my old high school, searching for somewhere quiet to finish my talk with Cashius.

  It was Saturday, so the building was mostly empty. The only sound was my sneakers squeaking against the polished floor.

  I flashed to a few years earlier, walking these same halls with my friends—friends who had all gone off to college to do better things. Why I hadn’t gone too was still a mystery… to both me and my mom, who was so disappointed. She’d say things like, “Your father would’ve loved that you got a scholarship.”

  But after he died in the line of duty, all I did was play video games and smoke weed. School didn’t matter to me anymore. Let alone college.

  On the steps to the roof, I hesitated, thinking about how none of this was normal. Hell, it was downright weird.

  Here I was, in my old high school, looking for a transparent man straight out of a fantasy world. Someone who had appeared last night while I was playing the game was shouting at me to go with him.

  When I yelled at his sudden appearance, my mom knocked on my door, asking if everything was alright. I invited her in, half expecting her to freak out. But she didn’t even notice the old man in the long blue trench coat.

  All she did was smile, tell me to keep it down, and let me know dinner was ready.

  Stunned, I was sure I was losing my mind.

  Now, gripping the handrail, my heart fluttering, the same ideas crept back in.

  “Lamont, you’re going insane,” I breathed.

  But somehow, I took the next step. And then another. Until I found myself committing to the ridiculous idea that maybe—just maybe—the old man wasn’t a figment of my imagination.

  When I reached the entrance, I was fully committed to hearing him out. See what he had to say about Orbralis. If it was somewhere I wanted to go.

  Since Dad had died, I didn’t want to do anything. Maybe there, I could have some fun. Get into some adventures. I don’t know, maybe find myself.

  I pushed open the door, letting the wind hit us as we stepped outside.

  “Okay, I’m here,” I said. “Now start explaining.”

  He phased into view.

  “Well, as I told you last night, Orbralis needs.” He paced around me with deliberate steps. “I’m here to bring you back and begin your training and hopefully guide you.”

  “Bullshit. Why me? Why was I chosen?”

  “Your constitution and grit mostly, but mostly because I like you.”

  Constitution? That wasn’t enough for me to believe the wild-ass story he was telling me. It was bad enough that I entertained him this far. See-through or not.

  He stopped inches from my face, his expression unreadable. “I can tell you more once we’re there; for now, you’ll have to take my word.”

  “Your word? I don’t even know you, old man. And now you’re trying to whisk me off to some fantasy land with some half-assed story about Orbralis needing me… Sorry, but I pass.”

  “Lamont, I’ve wasted valuable time to speak to you. Time I could’ve used to choose someone else. If you don’t come with me, I’m as good as dead.”

  I searched his face. “Dead?”

  “Yes, it selfish to ask. But you’re my last hope… And I know I just can’t ask you to leave your world behind at a moment’s notice, but it’s dire that you help me.”

  Tears were welling in his eyes as he inched forward. “If you come… it will be a journey of a lifetime.”

  I froze, the weight of the situation crushing me. Was this real? Was I dreaming? Or worse, losing my mind? The idea of this old man dying because I said no to his request seemed too absurd.

  Cashius floated beside me, flickering in and out of existence before lowering himself to sit cross-legged.

  I stared at him, sweat beading on my forehead. “If I say no, you die. If I say yes, I leave everything behind.”

  “Exactly,” he tensed.

  Mom’s tearful smile flashed in my mind. Stacey’s laugh. Even my ex’s frowning face. If I vanished, would they think I’d abandoned them like Dad? Or worse? But staying here and rotting away on the couch didn’t sound all that appealing either.

  “I’m telling you, it’s a world unlike any other. One filled with wonder. Just walking there is a dream come true. Kind of dangerous, but still breathtaking. I think you’d be perfect for it. It’s why I picked you. If you complete the mission, you’ll be returned right to this very spot like nothing happened. If you fail, well, we’ll see. Now—”

  He paused, putting a hand to his ear like he was listening to someone. His expression darkened. “Wait. I’m picking up something urgent.”

  “What is it?”

  He glanced upward, his face tightening with urgency. “Ten seconds to respond. Either I’m dead, or you’re headed to Orbralis.”

  I hesitated, thinking of all I was leaving behind. My mother, my sister, and my ex-girlfriend, who probably wouldn’t mind my disappearance.

  Thinking it over a second, I responded. “Well,” I exhaled, the words heavy on my tongue. “I guess I’ll go.”

  The words barely left my lips before a white light exploded around me, erasing everything. It was so bright it burned. I threw up my arms to shield my eyes, but it didn’t help.

  The light peeled my body away in layers, stretching every particle to its limit. The fragments of my life dissolved into mist. Then… weightlessness. The ground ripped away, and I was falling, screaming into a sky I didn’t recognize. Mom’s voice. Stacey’s graduation cap tumbled in the wind. Then, nothing. Disoriented, I reached out but grabbed only empty air as the fragments vanished into the mist.

  Still grasping at nothing, my ears rang with a screeching mix of fragmented conversations burned into my mind. My old gym teacher. My ex’s laughter. Twisted and jarring.

  I grabbed my ears to block the noise, but the sounds kept beating against my temples, gnawing at my sanity. Louder and louder it went, like a broken TV. So confusing, I couldn’t make out anything.

  After what felt like an eternity, it stopped, and all I heard was silence.

  I stared out at nothing. Fear and blackness—and then that faded too.

  In my mind, I saw my mother’s eyes and my father’s face. My mother, crying. My dad, shaking his head firmly from side to side.

  Then the ground was ripped from under me. Sudden and violent.

  “CASHIUS!” I shouted, flailing wildly, but only the void answered.

  There was no up or down, no left or right. Only motion and uncertainty.

  I tried to peer through the veil, but all I could see was darkness.

  Then, without warning, I started to make out small things: a bird, wind rushing around my body, and light.

  I blinked, and the ground surged toward me, fast, like waking from a dream. My stomach twisted, bile rising. Panic flooded my system.

  If this was death, it was a shitty way to go.

  Suddenly, a cloud blotted out the sun.

  Then I saw it. The jagged silhouette of a city unlike anything on Earth—and realized the mistake wasn’t going. It was thinking I’d survive.