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Felipe, with his head of orange hair with black streaks, is chatting up a Jazzer and a few Flows as Arpeggio comes up. The garish hair was his decision for october, celebrating the end of the month spookiest with candy orange hair. Its barely one step down in the loud scale from yellow, white and orange candy corn color schemes. "You gonna dress up in a costume this year?" asks one of the Flows to his companion.
The other Flow shakes his head. "Nah. Halloween's for satanists and whores."
The others chuckle. Felipe says, "Actually, I celebrate the holiday for the exact same reason."
They all laugh and Arpeggio has to smile to himself. "Fel?"
"Oh hey Pege. 556 and Rifkin from 498 are gonna catch a coupl'a horror flicks at his place. Wanna come?" He jerks a finger at Jazzer 498, aka Rifkin.
"I'll decline. I'm not one for horror movies." Arpeggio didn't really take in many movies for that matter. Even though he and Felipe had a decent amount of time to themselves between shifts, the raven-haired young man spent it writing music or reading. Felipe, on the other hand, had been watching a number of horror movies this month to get into the mood. He told him it was tradition.
"Hey, 42," asks one of Flow 556. "You believe in ghosts?"
His other teammates laugh. "Man, Arpeggio probably doesn't believe in weird shit like that."
After a little thought, Arpeggio shrugs. "Actually, I don't really know. I mean, I've never seen one, but that doesn't mean they don't exist."
Felipe smiles at him. "Well, I'll catch up with ya'll later. What's on the menu?"
"We're gonna clear out the Elm Streets tonight, you're welcome to leave after 4."
The orange haired boy laughs. "I'll keep it in mind." He and Arpeggio walk down the corridor to their main office to clock out. "Pege?"
"Yes?"
"You really dunno if you believe in ghosts?"
He shrugs again. "Like I said, I don't one way or another. I've never seen one but I know people have done before. Not my place to make a decision without knowing."
"Even things you can't see?"
Arpeggio shakes his head. "I guess if I can't see it, I dunno about it really being there."
Felipe nods. "Yeah…but things we know are real can't be seen too. You know, like music." He gestures widely with his hands. "Can't see it normally, but its there."
"But I can hear music."
"Some people say they can hear ghosts too." Felipe shrugs and they keep walking. "I suppose that's what makes ghosts and supernatural things scary, when you can't see them there."
"Do you believe?"
"Sure do…. I'm kinda scared of them…you never know if they're a bad or a good ghost, you know?"
The raven-haired boy looks at him. "I wouldn't know about that kind of thing. Fear, I mean."
Felipe lets him pause.
"I don't feel fear really. Its…been bred out of me." Arpeggio, being part of the Tchaikovsky's Children program, was not only bred to be a top musician in the Music Corps, but was also trained to be a top notch soldier, should he ever need to be. Even at a young age, most of Arpeggio's emotions had been shaved down to basic emotions of placid, calm, cold, and very rarely ruthless.
Hearing that, Felipe frowns at him. "Sorry to hear that."
Arpeggio glances at him, seeing a slight edge of melancholy in Felipe's eyes, so he gives him a pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. It doesn't really bother me."
Felipe nods. The only thing is…it does bother him. And deep down, Arpeggio knows that too.
~~~
Its late in October, and Felipe is in the apartment, in the living room, watching a couple movies. Arpeggio comes in, bringing a tray with hot chocolate (and Kahlua) and a bowl of puffed corn snacks. He sits next to him, and sips from his cup. "What's this one?"
"Something italian from the giallo style. Profundo Rosso. Might be up our alley…its got a musician in it. Its got pretty colors. "
"An odd thing to say about a horror movie." They watch in silence, until something suspenseful happens, and Felipe leans forward. Suddenly, he jumps, crying out in a small frightened yelp. Arpeggio can hear an odd underlying tone of enjoyment in the yelp though, and while the scene was certainly suspenseful, he didn't react at all.
"Have you seen this movie before?" asks Arpeggio, as the movie plays and Felipe takes in a couple handfuls of the puff corn.
"Yeah. Like…maybe 4 or 5 times. Its really good, right?"
Arpeggio hasn't seen enough movies to really make the decision, but he does admit it looks very well done. "I think so…. But if you've seen this movie, don't you know when all the jump scares happen?"
"Well, yeah. But that doesn't make me stop jumping. Its…its part of the experience, I guess. Its better of course when you're with other people, 'specially people who scream a lot."
Arpeggio can't really understand the feeling, and sits back to watch, but Felipe leans back too. His head is tipped slightly, barely touching Arpeggio's.
"I know you said you don't get scared and stuff…but its fun to be around someone who is, right?" asks Felipe. He sounds a little worried, as if he's concerned he's wasting Arpeggio's time.
"I don't know. I mean, fear causes a fight or flight instinct. Its not exactly something that's…enjoyable…."
"Fear's…a funny thing. I mean…well, considering…." Felipe trails off and smirks. Arpeggio flushes slightly and shrugs. "That's different, I know. And that's enjoyable. But…the other kinda fear, the kind about things you can't see or don't know if its really there? The scary kind of fear?"
"I'm not saying I'm entirely fearless, Fel," Arpeggio qualifies. "I mean…I've been afraid before…afraid of…I guess more important things…." His hand brushes Felipe's and eventually tangles his fingers in his. "I've felt scary kinds of fear…like…losing you…."
Felipe leans his head against Arpeggio's. "Yeah, but its not the same kinda fear…I'm talking profound fear. Profundo timore. Fear that comes from the most primal parts of you, deep inside, the illogical kind."
"Fear of the unseen."
"Kinda."
"…no." He sounds disappointed.
Felipe and he watch the movie until the end credits, and the orange haired boy stays curls against the other boy until Felipe speaks.
"Fear like that is…like…like a crescendo; you hold your breath, you tense your muscles, you lean forward and wait and wait, and then fear is like the bass drop and everything breaks and sometimes you laugh cuz you're so relieved, other times you feel the rush. Fear is an adrenaline rush…biologically, yeah, but its a rush that some people really like."
"Fear…is a bass drop?"
"A kinda drop that hits you in the stomach like first time love, but harder."
Arpeggio smirks and stretches. They turn off the tv and get ready for bed.
"You're not gonna be up all night, are you, Fel?"
Felipe chuckles. "Nah, like I said…I've seen these movies tons of times."
The next morning, as Arpeggio is enjoying a cup of coffee, Felipe wanders in, red-eyed and sleepy.
The raven-haired boy chuckles. "Up all night, worrying about a killer?"
Felipe chuckles, getting coffee. "Yup."
~~~
Its a couple nights from Halloween, and every night Arpeggio and Felipe have been watching movies, sometimes until the early morning. Arpeggio seems to be studying the movies, and Felipe, an aficionado of the horror genre, rents different styles and subcategories, exposing him to all sorts. This night, as Arpeggio sets down some milk tea and a couple cookies, Felipe has found a different kind of movie, with security cameras and handhelds.
"What's this one about?" asks Arpeggio as he sits next to him.
"Its part of a series. Kinda like…demonic possession, but the gimmick is that its all on non-cinema quality cameras…they get more interesting as time goes on though. But the sound work in these movies is amazing."
They're curled up on the couch and watch, though Felipe complains a bit later that the movies give him motion sickness when its in its handheld scenes. Arpeggio, sharp-eared, winces at the sounds of a high frequency noise.
"What is that??"
"That's how you know the demon thing is gonna show up. Even if you get the clue, its escalating. You don't know when it will get worse or how."
"A hi freq? Its…unpleasant."
"That's what some people say what a ghost or demon sounds like."
"Sounds like??"
"Yeah. Sometimes…some people say they hear that sound before or when strange things have happened. I've heard it once too…when something happened to me."
Arpeggio turns the volume down, no longer invested in the fictional ghost story when presented with a real one. "To you?? You mean…something supernatural happened to you once?"
"Kinda." Felipe glances at him. "Its…a weird story though. I doubt you'll believe me if I told you."
"Why wouldn't I?"
Felipe shrugs. "Well ok, but its not really a real story…. So it was before I got drafted…I was living in a boarding house in SF…. Its was one'a those old houses with a couple floors and real narrow."
Arpeggio mutes the tv, but doesn't pause it. Felipe shifts, moving his cell phone out of his back pocket to his hoodie's pocket.
"Well, its old and creaks and shit, so i didn't pay it much mind. I was getting ready to sleep, so I'm in bed and lying down, and that's when I hear that noise…."
"The hi freq?"
"Yeah. It was soft at first then got loud…but it was sudden, you know? I thought someone maybe turned a tv on or something…."
Arpeggio opens his mouth to ask about it, but there's a high noise, like the sound of a tv going on, like in the movie. Its soft at first but it grows louder so they both hear it. Felipe frowns and looks at the tv, but the tv displays a huge yellow MUTE in the upper corner. They both look at each other, and Arpeggio unmutes it, but it continues, so he shuts the tv off.
"Weird," Felipe says, but shrugs.
"Tv's probably fussing," the blue-eyed boy says, putting the controls on the coffee table and turning back to Felipe.
"Anyway, I'm lying there, and I hear footsteps, walking on the ground floor. Cuz I lived on the second floor, by the street, so I though maybe its the house mother, yeah?"
"It wasn't the house settling?" asks Arpeggio. He's enraptured by the story but he doesn't admit it.
There's the sound of footsteps running, and they both look at the door. Felipe rolls his eyes and points to the door. "Not like kids like that…. Like…walking though, real slow. And I thought…well, maybe granny's lonely and was going to go to her room, after cleaning up downstairs. And they sound like they're coming up the stairs, and my room's like…right by the stair case. First door on the right. But the steps are kinda strange."
"The stairs are?" asks Arpeggio.
"No, the footsteps," Felipe says, chuckling. "The stairs are pretty normal. Its like…well, you know that your footfall sounds different when you're heavier or not, yeah? But these steps don't sound like granny."
"How so?"
"They sound…kinda…less heavy. Not as heavy as her…but not like a kid, right?"
"I don't follow."
Felipe frowns and thinks. "…they sounded…weightless."
"That's impossible…because you said they made a sound. Can't be weightless and have footsteps."
"I didn't say it made sense. I told you you might not believe me." Arpeggio looks confused, and Felipe admits its a cute look. "So anyhow, they're coming up the stairs, real quiet…and then--"
Suddenly, there's a loud crash from the kitchen. Felipe nearly jumps out of his skin, barely swallowing a yelp of surprise. Arpeggio snaps his head to the sound, but calmly frowns at it.
"The dishes," they both say, and as Arpeggio gets up, Felipe pauses, then follows cautiously.
Inside the kitchen, the dish rack looks in a slight disarray. The dishes have shifted and a couple have fallen to the floor. Nothing's broken, owing to the material of the dish set, some version of pyroceram. There's a single broken glass in the rack, where a pot had crushed it, so Felipe, sighing in relief, starts to clean it out as Arpeggio brings a trashcan.
"Scared the shit out of me," the orange haired boy chuckles.
"This wouldn't have happened if you stacked the dishes up properly." They toss the glass away, and run the water to get the tiny shards out. Felipe leans against the sink, setting his phone on the counter, as Arpeggio sits in a kitchen chair. "So?"
"So what?"
"Go on with your story."
Felipe blinks at him, smiling incredulously. "You're really into this scary story stuff now, aren't you?"
"I'm curious. I've seen the movies, but this is the first time I've ever heard a story from someone I know."
"It might not even be real, though," his partner says.
"Are you making it up?" asks Arepggio, surprised.
"What if I am?"
"Well, I'd still like to hear how it ends…at least for my peace of mind."
"Are you scared?"
The other boy pauses and thinks about it. The whole story, excepting the interruptions like the dishes or the noises, was very similar to a rising crescendo, escalating, and he admits he wants to get to the end, for the peace of mind of knowing the end. "I don't know. I don't feel it, but I still wanna know how your story ends. Whether or not its true…but if you said its true, I'll believe you."
Felipe gives him a small smile and continues. "Well, I'm listening to it, and I think it sounds weird, but then I hear the steps come to my door and stop. And I'm straining to listen…and I don't hear nothing, even breathing. I figure I would, but…just…nothing…."
Arpeggio is watching Felipe, but something catches his eye. Next to Felipe is the kitchen window, which faces the city, and faintly he sees something in it. He points.
"Fel, look."
Felipe turns around and looks, where what looks to be a faint white reflection is on the glass. It looks vaguely like a head and shoulders but its not distinct and its gone quickly, even as the boys are looking to find the source.
"The hell was that?" asks Felipe, and his voice is a little frightened.
"You saw it too?" Arpeggio comes to the window and looks out, touching the glass to see if its dirty. "Can't be anyone out there…we're on the 6th floor. Think it was a reflection?"
Felipe is looking on the counter, moving objects, trying to create the reflection, but nothing happens. "F-from what??"
"The tv?"
"Its in the living room, Pege…and its not even on or facing us…."
Arpeggio, not finding anything, shrugs. "Maybe a passing plane then, reflecting off the dirty glass."
"You're rationalizing something that can't be rationalized," Felipe says.
"Why can't it be rationalized? Maybe we're tired. We've been up really late, we're imagining things from low sleep." He smiles sheepishly. "We're scaring ourselves silly, talking about ghosts."
"I guess so." Felipe sits on the counter and Arpeggio fetches their mugs of tea.
"Don't wanna talk about it anymore?"
"Are you scared?"
"Apprehensive, but I'd argue I'm more into the story than scared."
Felipe makes a face and sips from his cup. "Ok, well, I'm lying there, listening and then my door starts to open real slow…."
"Not like the wind pushed it open?"
"Nuh-uh. The knob turned. Wind can't turn knobs. So I pretend I'm asleep and I shut my eyes kinda so I can squint and see, and there's no one there. Like…the way the door's built, you can't open the door and not be seen at all…even if you used your arms and stood in the hall, you'd still see the arm….so the door is opening, and there's no one there."
Arpeggio frowns. "Are you sure you didn't dream it?"
There's a scraping sound, and the boys both look, though Felipe jumps a little. The frames of some photos on the wall are moving a little, scraping against the wall.
"Wind," Arpeggio says thoughtfully, but its not really an explanation nor a rationalization, more like an observation.
Felipe looks concerned, but his partner doesn't seem ruffled, always calm with that placid look on his face. "Air conditioner, maybe."
"Yeah."
Felipe swallows shakily and continues, taking strength from Arpeggio's calm. "So…I'm keeping my eyes shut, but I can feel someone there, but at the same time I know there isn't anyone there…. Then…I can't stay pretending so I finally open my eyes, and the room's empty…but…."
"But…?" asks Arpeggio, his voice quiet now, almost hushed.
"Then I hear someone in the room say something…its real quiet, but it definently comes from the room…."
The other boy leans into his partner, holding his breath.
"It was a woman's voice that said, 'There's no one here.' "
Arpeggio is looking into his deep black eyes like the bottom of an ocean. "That's…it?"
Before Felipe can answer, the kitchen table jerks and jostles. Felipe glances up, and Arpeggio, startled, jumps and looks. The table suddenly moves towards them, with jerking movements, and Arpeggio suddenly blanches and grabs Felipe by the arm, puling him behind as if to shield him.
The table catches the edge of the kitchen rug and it wobbles then tips over. Arpeggio, trembling, lets out a single cry of genuine terror. The two boys catch their breath as the table sits on its side, a small whirring noise coming from the feet and legs of the table. The raven-haired boy blinks, then cautiously approaches the table, and sees small rolling wheels on the feet. The legs of the table have small machines on them, which are connected by wires to the wheels and other bits.
Arpeggio turns to Felipe, whose no longer small and frightened, but sitting on the counter with a sheepish smile on his face.
"…gotcha…?" he says quietly. There's a hint of embarrassment in his guilty face.
As relief flows into Arpeggio, he rights the table and approaches Felipe with an unreadable look on his face. "Youuuu…."
"Yeah…me."
"This…you did this?"
"Yeah…." He hops off the counter and faces his phone to him, where there's what looks to be a touch control panel app on it. "I put springs in the frames and one in the dish rack." He moves the dishes aside to show him a small contraption underneath. "The app controls the remote control table wheels, and the sounds were just signal jacked from the phone to our speakers."
Arpeggio, now no longer frightened, frowns and shakes a finger at Felipe. "The hell."
The orange haired boy sighs and his face openly shows guilt. "I'm..I'm sorry, Pege. I know that was mean but…."
The other boy interrupts him. "Fel…yeah, that was a dick move but…. I…think I know why you did it. Its cuz of what i said awhile ago, isn't it? That I don't…feel fear like…you do sometimes."
Felipe nods, still looking guilty.
"You weren't just trying to make me feel like an ass."
"No! I mean, yeah its funny…but…I wasn't trying to jerk you around and mess with your feelings…. I mean, I was…but…not maliciously…."
Arpeggio leans against the sink next to him, giving Felipe a pat on the knee. "I was pretty scared…I really was, you know."
"Really?" asks the other boy, looking glum.
"Yes. But…but its ok. Because I was really, honestly frightened for a split second. I was scared of something I couldn't see or control, or even be able to comprehend…. And to be honest…for the first time, I really felt like a normal person. Like feeling things normal people feel, instead of just being calm all the time. I know…I know I have trouble with all that…and its because of how I was raised, but you gave me a chance to see that despite that…I still got human things inside me." He smiles ever so slightly at Felipe. "And to be honest, you're right…after it happened…it kinda felt good. All the stress finally going away and dropping out suddenly."
The other boy smiles at him. He's happy he was able to give that much to him. "The kinda fear that skips dropping to your stomach, keeps going and comes around to spank ya on the ass?"
"I wouldn't go that far. It was a hell of a bass drop…."
"So, was that a true story?"
"…yeah. It really was. I told you it didn't have a good ending."
"Sometimes a real story has the only ending its meant to."
"Yeah, but you can't make that into a movie or even a scene."
They chuckle a little as the wheels to the table finally stop whirring.
"You know, Fel…it was weird. I realized, when the table was coming at us, and I felt that fight or flight instinct…the first thing I did was try to protect you…. Really…strange."
"Prolly cuz…I'm delicate." He grins at him like a cat.
"Dummy." They look at the table as Arpeggio glances at Felipe. His face looks the same, placid and calm, but his eyes are sly and twinkle slightly in deep blue mischief. "Hey, Fel?"
"Yeah?"
"…Think we could rig a couple tables in the MC cafeteria with these things…?"
"Funny you should ask…."
Dio (10/25/13)
All art, characters and story belong to Dio.
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