The Muse Gang

Chapter three

At night, I went to check my mails. Heaven blessed, like a million people just sent emails and Ella had finally replied to my messages.

The least unexpected people just sent dm's. I was getting famous for something only God knew.

I sighed and swiveled my chair around to find someone. Someone was in my room!

Clearly not from the family. Still, I did not know him. About my age or a bit older, in cooperate clothing, just sitting, playing my puzzle.

I pushed myself from my seat and stared at him in disbelief and fear.

He dropped the game calmly and braced his elbows upon the table behind him, looking up at me, "Why the fear! As though you've seen a ghost?" He snickered at the last part of his sentence. He seemed human, so I asked, "Who are you? How did you get here and What do you want?"

The stranger replied nonchalantly, "The name's Marshall. By teleportation. And I need to speak with you."

I frowned and eyed him, "What!"

He stood and sighed heavily. Pacing up and down for a while, he finally faced me and took a demonstrative pose, "Uhmm, okay. This may sound weird but I'm not human. I... am your protector." I laughed wryly, "I'm getting pissed. Stop joking."

Suddenly, I heard mom climb up the stairs to my room while saying, "Hey Eddy, who are you speaking with?"

Mom was getting closer. I looked at Marshall seriously. I would be in another tight spot if mom found a stranger in my room at a time like this.

I managed to whisper, "You have to hide please. My mom would be angry seeing you here now. Worse if I can't explain who you are."

Marshall did not seem to budge. He just stood, "She can't see me."

I asked again, "What?!"

He waved a hand and returned to his seat, then watched me again, "Don't stress. She wouldn't see me. Only you can."

I heard mom's steps get closer that I could smell her. But this Marshall guy did not seem to budge.

I ran to my door inorder to stop her from getting in when she walked into my room. I immediately changed my running pose to a thoughtful one. I stylishly turned to Marshall who just picked up the puzzle again.

Mom looked around and nodded approvingly, "You've actually changed for the better. Your room is even cleaner than your sister's. Keep it up. But hey, who were you speaking with?"

I bent and picked my phone up from the bed, "Phonecall."

I don't know why I felt she was pretending not to see Marshall.

She whispered, "This is 11pm Eddy. Keep it down. Everyone's asleep. Good night."

I faked a smile, "Night mom."

She smiled shortly and left.

Immediately, I stared at Marshall in confusion, then pointed at the door and back to him. Did mom see him and pretend not to or did not see him at all?

Marshall shrugged and paid full attention to me, "I told you she wouldn't see me."

I bit on my lip, not knowing what to say to this Marshall guy, if that was his real name.

I tried to find my words, "What, What is going on?"

Marshall stood up again and walked up to me, "I'm your protector, only you or another host can see me."

I nodded slowly and curved my lips to a parabola, "Uhmm, okay Mr. Protector guy. Did I ever say I needed protection?"

Marshall raised a brow, "You don't need to say so. You are such a badass nerd in school that you are always getting into trouble with the Vikings. Dude, you need protection."

I glanced at him and placed my hands upon my waist.

Jerking my head up, I asked, "How'd you know about the Vikings?"

Marshall smirked at me, "You still don't get it, do you?"

I laughed. I was so not falling for this prank, "Okay. You are some kinda ghost or something who is my protector maybe from the underworld. Yunno, protecting me from the Vikings and all and can only be seen by me." He frowned, "Uhmmmm... ya."

I turned and started to my door, "Please then, I don't need your protection. Leave me alone."

I left the room. All the madness made me realize I was hungry. I had been in my room all day I missed dinner. So my destination was the kitchen.

I looked round and round, searching for anything possible to fill up my desperate muscle.

I then sighted a box of pizza. That's weird. My family was not a fan of that kinda food. So who got it. A sudden voice startled me.

Marshall said, "Eat it if you want. I know you are hungry."

I turned around and found Marshall staring at me as if I did not just tell him to leave me alone.

But one question!

I left the room before him and never saw him pass me. Then how did he reach the kitchen before me, and the pizza.

I screamed at him, "WHAT... are you?"

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He raised his hands to cover his face, then lowered them suddenly, "Peekaboo! I'm a ghost."

"What?!" I gasped.

I turned to the pizza box and watched it open, on its own.

A slice got detached from the rest, floated in air and came towards my mouth.

Marshall rasped, "Have a bite, it's beef."

I stepped back in fear, "Leave me alone."

Running out of the kitchen, I suddenly lost my appetite.

I heard Marshall sigh but he still remained there.

It was just a picture of my imagination. There were no such things as ghosts, protectors, guardian angels, spiritual muses or floating pizza. I was hallucinating!

I made it to the library and locked the door quickly. After I did that, I turned around and faced the main library.

Huuuhhhh...

Good riddens, Marshall stood, leaning on one of the shelves.

He looked up from my dad's book and grinned, "You humans have such a great taste of ideas. Yeah, I was saying something and you walked out on me. That wasn't very nice..."

I could not let him finish. I ran out of a library and heard him sigh even harder this time. Now I returned to my room and locked the door. I looked around this time and sighed with relief when I did not find him there. My staggering legs walked to the bed when the dick called me from behind.

He spat, "Edward, you are acting so rude. Who in this world runs from a ghost who can just teleport to where you just plan to go to?"

I then turned and took my time to look at him, except his magic, he was clearly human, "I'm sorry. I just feel it's a dream. I'm going crazy. You're not really here."

Marshall shrugged, "Not surprised. Same way the rest freaked out when they had a rendezvous with their muses."

"You are not the only muse... Protector? What do you call it?" I played along, talking to my illusion like a maniac.

Marshall narrowed his eyes at me in a "what are you talking about" kinda way, "Excuse me! Just like there are humans, there are muses for many of them, good, bad and some who don't give a fuck about either." Question Two.

If you were a normal kid and some supernatural stranger met you and began speaking in a language you knew nothing of, what would you do? Pass out? Most would.

But me... I was a different kind of kid, in every sense of the word.

I flowed gradually, "So like every human in this crazy world has a muse?"

He swayed his head from side to side, "Well, ya but not all are supernatural and spiritual like us. Muses in general are meant to be a source of motivation to their hosts.

Muses like us... we are the best sort of motivation anyone can wish for. Still somehow, we are far less than the humans in this world. So we are just distributed to a handful. Congratulations on your engagement with the muse society by the way."

I glowered at him. Why would an awesome muse like this guy be given to a failure like me?

Just so you know, I do not still believe he's real. Still flowing with my imagination.

I bit my lip as I always did when confusion hit me, "So what governs these distributions?"

He laughed, his shoulders vibrated, "Hah! Nothing! We choose our hosts depending on how we see them."

"So what do you see in me?" I asked. No! That was a good question. What did he see in Edward Hanson. The guy with a cute diary.

He frowned, "What?!"

I inquired again, "How do you see this asshole in front of you. Or do you guys pick lame people?"

Marshall inclined his head and smirked at me, "We do not judge like you crazy humans do. We analyse the inner you. Check for those attributes you lack and the ones who need our kind as company. You are a nerd, timid, non-chalant, crazy, bullied. I'm Marshall, the fierce one. So I noted you needed me."

I paused. I got the gist now.

Good for bad.

Hmm, I nodded, "So there are kinds of you?"

Marshall began to walk away, "You have a lot to learn and you will, but not today. Go to sleep. When you need me, just call me" he faced me again and took backward steps, lifting his first two fingers to tap his temple, "Up here, in your head. And I will come. Call me anytime since you are the only one who senses me."

"But I have more questions. I am not even sleepy yet," I rushed to say.

Contrary to a reply I expected, I found myself tucked up in bed suddenly.

Okay. That was the fourth weird thing that had happened to me lately. I never walked to the bed myself. Then how did I end up in bed while still talking?

I don't think there is still room for all those questions when I had an illusionary protector before me who could make pizzas fly.

He stopped and slipped his hands into his pockets, "I don't think you should still have all those questions when you know the answer to them. You have a muse, a helper. So I can do anything I think I should do for you."

I now got it, that explains why my homework was always done, or why Victor could not hit me with the bat. And why he ended up in underwear before the whole school. Marshall did those.

As if he had been reading my mind, he confirmed, "Yes. I did those. Now go to sleep, tomorrow is another big day. Call me anytime. Goodnight Eddy."

And then he left. Like all of a sudden, I could not see him.

Maybe he just vanished. Was it just me or did I just talk with a ghost? Maybe the world was right after all, I was crazy.

However, I dozed off and concluded it will all be over by the time I woke up. It was all a dream.