Charlotte lets me into her room. It’s very cute. She has a computer at the left end of it, next to a desk which is scattered with colored pencils, papers, and many drawings she’s done. The one on top is a half-finished sketch of what looks like a black woman wearing a fancy, embroidered dress and wearing a necklace of pearls. Then, there is a bean bag chair, and a twin-sized bed that’s sitting on the floor without a bedframe. There are various little paper crafts hanging from the ceiling, and the open walls are decorated with what look like handpainted flowers. After taking a moment to appreciate her decorations, I enter the Metaverse.

Knowing full well that this apartment complex is a palace, I was not expecting to end up in a normal palette-swapped version of Charlotte’s room. Sure enough, I emerge in a dark, dingy chamber, lit only by torches on the walls. The walls are made of a plain gray brick, and at the front is a set of iron bars, implying this is some sort of sick prison. In front of me is a truly horrifying sight. A black man is hanging from the ceiling by his wrists, dressed in tattered peasant clothes. He appears to be unconscious, and there is a bleeding gash in the side of his neck. There is a woman clutching to his legs, whom I recognize to be Charlotte’s mom. She is dressed in a bizarrely skimpy outfit, a gold-coloured two-piece swimsuit, and she has a chain around her neck that connects to the wall. She appears terrified, her face pale, and she’s hiding and trembling behind her husband’s legs as if hoping he will shield her from view. I’m simultaneously aroused and disgusted by her appearance. Then, there’s Charlotte, who’s awkwardly leaning against a wall a few yards away. The palace owner doesn’t seem to have figured out what’s going on with her gender yet, as her appearance is a strange mish mash of masculine and feminine traits. She is wearing a dress with high heels, but has grown-out facial hair and very hairy legs, as if she were too lazy to shave them.

I stand for a moment, waiting to see if the family acknowledges me. When nobody does, I say, “Mrs. Viridian? I’d like to talk to you about something.”

“NO! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!” she screams at me. “STAY AWAY FROM MY FUCKING FAMILY!”

“Ma’am, I’m not going to hurt any of you,” I say, trying my best to be reassuring.

“I DON’T WANT ANY ADVICE!” she screeches. “I HATE YOU! FIX OUR DISHWASHER ALREADY!”

Well, I figured that wasn’t going to work, but it was worth a shot.

“You have anything to add?” I ask Charlotte.

Apparently, she doesn’t. She looks up at me, but doesn’t say anything.

“Okay, cool,” I say. I get out my phone and call Lucy.

“Hello, Ashley,” Lucy greets me.

“Hey,” I say. “Quick question. Can I read people’s minds, like Moloch does?”

“Well, I can,” she says.

I remember the time in Ms. Truman’s palace when she entered my thoughts. “Is there a way to extend that to someone else around me?”

“Yes, as long as you can find their core essence in the Metaverse,” she explains.

“And what is that?”

“Go to the same location they are in the real world. You should be able to find a tiny light, sort of like a lightning bug. Touch it with your hand, and then touch your pink gem.”

“Okay, one problem. I’m in a palace. Does this work with the cognitive version of the individual?”

“It might. Let’s try it.”

“Alright.”

I carefully approach Charlotte’s mom, worried that she might start screaming at me again. Thankfully, she doesn’t. I sit on the floor next to where she’s cradling her husband’s legs, trying not to look at any of her skin. Or really just any part of her, period.

“Is this close enough?” I ask.

“Try touching them,” Lucy suggests.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!” I say. I sigh, and then reach out my hand to gently grab her elbow.

For a moment, nothing happens. And then, I go dizzy, and the world seems to fade away.

Jason leads the way to Charlie’s apartment, since I don’t really remember where it is. Zoe walks beside me at the back of the line. For some reason she took her whole school backpack with her. I guess we might as well try and teach Charlie high school geometry while we’re there. He doesn’t seem like the brightest kid, he could use it.

“What do you see in her, Zoe?” I ask.

“Hmm? Who are you talking about?” Zoe says.

“Ashley. She’s always seemed like such a bitch.”

“She doesn’t seem that bad,” Kat comments. “Very businesslike, but in a cool way.”

“Yeah, ‘businesslike’ because she loves big business, amirite?” I say. “Bazinga.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Kat retorts. “And are you gonna tell me you’re a commie too?”

“I don’t really care about politics,” I explain. “But I think it’s really funny how upset people get about it. So I’m whatever the opposite is from the person I’m talking to. So if you like capitalism, then yeah, I’m a commie.”

“Bitch, I’m sending your ass to the gulag!” Kat threatens.

“Anything for Daddy Stalin!” I cry out.

Zoe breaks out into giggles. Jason looks around and says, “I wonder if any of the neighbors heard you say that. That would be… pretty funny actually.”

“But seriously though,” I say. “Zoe, why do you like Ashley?”

Her smile fades away again. “I know that she can be hard to get along with,” Zoe explains, “but she has a soft side. And she’s so brave, she stands up for her morals no matter what. I find that really inspiring about her.”

“And by that you mean she’s an uppity ass bitch,” I say.

“Collin… are you a little jealous?” Kat asks teasingly. “Since she gets to spend time with your sister?”

That really pisses me off. “Yeah, I didn’t ask for my dipshit parents to run her out, so how about you shut the fuck up?”

“Whoah! I was not trying to touch a nerve there!” Kat says, raising her arms defensively. “Chill out, man.”

“She didn’t mean it like that, Collin,” Jason says calmly. “Breathe, okay?”

I take a deep breath. “Look. Okay, maybe I’m kinda jealous. But like, she also better be treating you well.”

“We all deserve someone who treats us with respect,” Jason says sympathetically. “Don’t feel like it’s up to you to ‘fix’ her, Zoe. A romance is not a substitute for therapy and genuine help.”

Zoe bites her lip, looking uncomfortable. “We’ve both changed a lot since we’ve started dating. I think I liked her at first because I liked the idea of this tough girl being able to protect me. But, I learned that I can’t just rely on her, and I need to be strong for myself too. I worried for a while that she still wanted to see me as this defenseless girl. But… the thing is, she’s trying. I can really tell she is. When I tell her what’s on my mind, she listens. That gives me hope that we can make it work. And she told me recently that she doesn’t know what she wants for her future, and that she only sees me in it. I feel the same way, despite everything that’s happened.”

“What a rollercoaster ride,” Kat comments. “I’m happy for you guys, though.”

I feel a little bad now. “Look, I wasn’t trying to tell you what to do. If you’re happy with her, that’s what’s important. Sorry for being jealous.”

“It’s okay, Collin,” Zoe says sweetly. “I know you’re just worried about me.”

“She sounds very… masculine in some ways,” Jason observes. “Which is weird since she’s a girl. But it’s some of the same stuff about feeling like you’re the ‘protector’ of your partner, and being closed off with your emotions. I’m glad to hear she’s moving past that now. Regardless of gender, any relationship should have its members on equal ground.”

“Well said, man,” Kat agrees. “Also, isn’t that the kid’s place over there?”

“Yep!” Jason confirms.

The four of us approach the door. I look around to see if Charlie or Bella or any other little shits are playing outside, but I don’t see anyone. Jason knocks on the door.

A grouchy looking woman answers the door. The moment the door opens, an overwhelming stench of cigarette smoke pours out.

“Can’t buy any girl scout cookies,” she croaks at us. “Bye.”

“Wait!” Jason says hurriedly. “Mrs. Wilson, it’s me!”

“Oh, I recognize you,” she says. “You’re the little Chinese boy who runs around in girl’s clothes.”

“I’m friends with your son, Charlie!” Jason explains. “I was wondering if we could talk to him about something.”

The woman sneers at us. “You’ll have to find him, he’s not here. Probably running around trying to catch ghosts again. That boy ain’t right.”

“Oh, okay!” Jason says. “We’ll see if we can find him. Thank you!”

She rolls her eyes at us, and then closes the door.

“I hate her,” Kat says firmly. “After we find Charlie we should come back and egg their apartment.”

“‘Egg’ their apartment?” Zoe asks, frowning. “Like, throwing eggs at it? We might get in trouble for that.”

“What’s life without a little risk?” Kat says wisely.

“I wonder where he's off playing?” Jason says. “I didn’t see him on the playground while we were walking here.”

“The cunt woman said that he was ‘catching ghosts,’ right?” I say. “Didn’t he say something about ghosts that one time?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Jason says. “He has such a big imagination!”

“Where was it that he said was haunted?” Kat asks, rubbing her chin as if trying hard to remember.

“Someone’s office,” I say. “Someone running the apartment?”

“That must have been Ms. Patel’s office,” Jason says. “We can try checking around there.”

A short walk later, we end up at the landlady's office. He’s nowhere to be seen in front of it, so we check around the back.

Then, we see something truly shocking and horrifying.

He’s not there either. It’s just a blank area of grass in between the building and the fence. Haha, did I get ya?

“Charlie!” Jason calls out. “Are you around here little buddy?”

“Maybe we can ask the landlady if she’s seen him,” Kat suggests.

“I… don’t think that’s a good idea,” Zoe says forebodingly.

“Why not?” Kat questions. “She’s not gonna kick Jason out just cause we asked her one question.”

“I don’t think we can trust her,” Zoe says cryptically. She starts looking from side to side nervously. “We should probably go look for him somewhere else, I don’t think he’s here.”

“Wait, shush for a moment. Do you hear that?” Kat asks.

We all fall silent. An air conditioning unit nearby is humming. I hear a raven caw in one of the trees.

“Uh, hear what?” I ask.

“I thought I heard a voice,” Kat says. “It came from inside the office. It said his name… Jason .”

“You guys think there’s any chance this place really is haunted?” I speculate.

“No, no way!” Jason says. “Ghosts aren’t real! Don’t be ridiculous.”

“You dumbasses!” Kat scolds. “It was probably Charlie! Jason had just called for him.”

“Why would he be in there, though?” I ask.

“Maybe they found him playing around here and he got in trouble,” Jason guesses.

“I’m going to go in and check if he’s there,” Zoe says.

She walks up to a backdoor to the office. She tries the doorknob, but it’s locked. She then knocks firmly on the door and says, “Charlie? Are you in there?”

Well, so much for “we can’t trust the landlady.” If she’s in there, she 100% knows that we’re here now.

The door opens, and the one who answers it isn’t Charlie, or even Ms. Patel. It’s a tall, rugged-looking man, with a black jacket and a very short buzzed haircut.

“Whoah,” I ask. “Who the fuck are you?”

“I’m a maintenance worker,” the man says. “What are you kids doing hanging around here?”

“We’re looking for a little boy named Charlie,” Zoe explains. “Have you seen him around here?”

“I haven’t seen any children hanging around,” he says. “This is the main office, you know. It’s not a playground.”

“I know, it’s just… we heard someone’s voice coming from inside, we thought it might have been him.”

“You probably just heard me. I sometimes hum to myself when I’m working.”

“It didn’t sound like humming, though. It sounded like saying someone’s name. Did you say that?”

“I was saying the lyrics to a song. You probably just misunderstood me.”

“Maybe. It’s just that, I’m really worried about Charlie. You know, this apartment complex isn’t a safe place for children.”

“What are you talking about?”

Jason, Kat, and I nervously glance at each other. What is she doing, telling all this stuff to this random guy?

“I’ve heard that, sometimes, children disappear here,” Zoe explains. “I’m worried Charlie could be the next one. That’s why we’re trying so hard to find him.”

The man looks at her suspiciously. He then looks between each of us. “Do you kids live around here?”

“I do,” Jason says quickly. “I’m sorry, we’re not trying to bother you. We can go look for him somewhere else.”

“I don’t think it’d do any harm to check here a little bit, just to make sure,” Zoe says stubbornly. “Is it okay if I do that? Sir?”

“I can let you in to look, if you’re really concerned,” the man says. Something’s not right; there’s something threatening about the way he says it. “But I’m telling you, there’s no way that kid got in here and I didn’t see it.”

“That’s okay. I’ll be quick,” Zoe says. “Can you let me in?”

“No!” I say, quickly going to Zoe and grabbing her arm. “Zoe, can we go look somewhere else? Please?”

“Your little brother has the right idea,” the man says, nodding at me coldly.

“It’s okay, Collin,” Zoe says, making eye contact with me. “I know what I’m doing. How about you guys stay out here?”

“No!” I say. “I have a bad feeling about this Zoe. Come on, please.”

“Just let the others know I’m looking in here, okay?” Zoe whispers softly.

“What? Why do they need to know?” I question. Zoe angrily shushes me.

“Who’s this ‘they?’” The man asks, turning on us with an intimidating scowl. “Are there more of you?”

“None of your business!” I say. “Zoe, I’m…”

It’s dark. A storm rages overhead. The sky is an unnatural shade of blood red.

Around us, the simple apartment complex is gone. Now, we stand in a sweeping courtyard, where all the bushes are dead and dried up. Many yards in front of us is a Victorian-era mansion, which flashes ominously with each lightning strike. All around the roof, bats flock, screeching.

I turn to face Kat and Jason. Both of them look like how I feel. Their faces drained of blood, their eyes and mouths open wide in shock and disbelief.

And then, I jump several feet at the sound of a gun firing right next to me. I whip around to see Zoe, a fierce look on her face, holding a gold-plated shotgun, and dressed like some kind of queen from a foreign country, with a bunch of gold, white, and some fucking necklace thing, I don’t know what to call it. And a tall man in a dark cape is shooting her with a flamethrower, but she jumps over the fire like a fucking acrobat and the man is knocked onto his ass by a bolt of fire from what appears to be an armadillo walking on his hind legs.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?” I yell.

“Where is he?” Zoe shouts at the caped man.

“CHARLIE!” Jason screams out. I whirl around again to see the same sandy-haired little boy, except he’s got duct tape over his mouth and he’s being dragged along the ground by a different man in a cape. They are heading towards the side of the courtyard opposite from the mansion, where there is a large, foreboding gate, and a white van on the other side.

“He’s over yonder, Zoe!” the armadillo says in a deep southern voice. “They’re taking him away, we must be quick!”

Zoe sees him too, and immediately gets her phone out of her pocket and thrusts it into my hands. “Huddle around each other. Press the red app. Go tell the others what happened and that I need backup.”

“Zoe!” I say uselessly. “What the fuck?”

“Just do it!” she says sternly. She runs past us and in the direction of the van. The armadillo follows.

“Look at that!” the man who was fighting with Zoe says from the ground. I recognize his voice as being the same as the one who had answered the back door. “We found our little heroes at last!” He starts pushing himself back up to his feet.

“Collin, the phone!” Kat urges me, her voice panicked. “Press the app! NOW!”

“WHAT THE FUCK?” is all I can say. I hurriedly scramble with her phone, and I see an ugly ass red app. I touch it with my finger, and…