Sharing Space with a Ghoul

Treasure

Void
The sun shone bright, birds sang, the flowers danced, the trees even looked perky. It was a postcard-perfect day in late spring! The kind you did not see many of, the kind that made sour hearts sing and grumpy faces smile while toes tapped. So bautiful! So perfect! So... nausiating.

Irie stared out the second story window of the little red farmhouse style home. There was no smile on the grey face framed by long, lanky black hair, and the thin lips pulled down in the exact opposite of a smile. His bare toes were definately not tapping against the hardwood floor. He turned away from the window and faced darkened "sitting" room. A table, couch, and bookcase were all that decorated the spartan room, and a computer stood in the corner by the bookcase. The blueish screen glowed brightly, giving him all the light he needed as he crossed the floor and checked his email once more. No new emails from the landscaping companies he'd reached out to.

The pretty little red farmhouse at the edge of the small village was just as picturesque as the day. Eell-kept, if a bit weedy in the landscaping and tall in the yard. He paid someone to come and keep the landscaping neat, but recently, they had gone bankrupt or something. He was not sure, and he did not care. All he cared about was now the place would look terrible, and that would make people notice. The actual owners of the building had offered him a lower rent if he took care of the landscaping and other maintanence. He'd taken the offer and used the spare cash to hire someone else. The inside he kept up himself. Plumbers and electricians were a last resort. No one entered the house unless there was no other choice.

Until now.

After living alone for a little over two months, Irie had learned that no matter how advanced the day's current technology boasted to be, there were some thing that simply could not be done over the internet. Almost everything, but not quite. Dealing with landscaping was definately one thing. Also, his business was not doing as well lately as he'd hoped, meaning it was getting harder and harder to pay the rent on an entire house, even if it was a smaller house. Moving out was not an option, so he decided to open it up for a roommate. A very well vetted roommate who would have to agree to a certain list of chores as well as half rent. An amazing number of aplicants had applied, but he'd quickly chopped the list in half. In less than a week, he'd narrowed things down to one last applicant.

He looked at the email one last time before going to the window. She should be arriving any minute now. He stood watching the road and waiting. He was good at waiting. Very good.
 
„Noooo, nononono.“ Luella, better known as Lulu, moaned as she stared at the dead phone in her hand. She slumped forwards in the seat of her truck till her head hit the steering wheel. She remained like this for a moment, before springing back up with a determined expression. “It’ll be fine. How hard can it be?” She told herself, tossing the useless phone onto the passenger seat, restarting the engine and pulling away from the curb.

15 minutes of randomly driving through the streets later, she had to admit that finding her new house without the navigation system on her phone was actually very hard indeed. She couldn’t even ask someone wandering the sidewalks because she couldn’t remember the address and had, of course, not listened to her mothers advice to print out the email beforehand. It really was just her luck that her car charger had broken the week before and she hadn’t gotten around to getting a new one yet. Had she known this would happen, she would have packed a powerbank in the essentials she had piled in the back of the truck, but had naturally assumed she could just charge her phone when she got there.

Thus she was driving around aimlessly, eyeing each house she passed in the hopes of recognising the grainy picture she had pulled off google maps. What kind of roommate advert didn’t have pictures of the outside of the house anyway? She hadn’t thought much of it when replying to the ad, but now it was not helping her situation. What if google hadn’t been up to date? She was looking for a red house, but perhaps it was a different colour now. She shook her head vigorously, making the twin braids of honey coloured hair whip around her. By the time they had settled, the dejection in Lulus gaze had receded and she was back to scanning the streets with renewed vigor.

Only two streets later, she let out a triumphant shriek. The house was still painted red and she vivdly remembered that large front window. Admittedly, the photo she recalled had been from the inside, but it was unmistakably the same window. Pulling into the drive, she noted that no other car stood there. Was her roommate not home at the moment? It didn’t matter, she could explore the garden if she had to wait a little.
Hopping out of the car, she did a little wiggly dance in celebration of her achievement, then skipped up the steps to the porch to peer through the frosted glass of the door and ring the doorbell.
 
He watched the strange woman dance around in his garden. Ah. This must be her. He hadn't expected her to be quite so... female. For some reason, he had expected a more matronly person, someone who wouldn't be interested in snooping around, rather only in sitting and watching her "soaps" when she was not working. Oh well. He would just have to lay down the rules, and he could kick her out, if need be, though he'd rather not. Hunting through potential roommates was tiring and boring.

Ding Ding!

Irie was downstairs at the doo before the second "ding" ended. He stood at the door for a moment, staring at the shade he'd placed over the glass window that made up the majority of the door. Shades covered every window, and both doors. It was better that way, though he doubted she would keep it there. Maybe he should open one or two first. That might be good. Let in a bit of light.

No. He was stalling. He took a deep breath, steeled his shoulders, and reached out for the doorknob. The metal chilled under his touch, and he slowly turned the knob. The door creaked open on little-used hinges, and he stepped back into the shadows as much as he could to avoid the light spilling in from outside. He didn't say anything. He stared at the bright, happy creature on the front porch and waited. He could have spoken, but... words were not easy to form when you are staring at your deepest nightmare behind a foreign danger.
 
Lulu backed up a bit as the door opened slowly, not wanting to step on her new roommates toes immediately. The hinges protested their use a little and she immediately thought of sifting through her truck for a small bottle of oil she vaguely remembered throwing in there at some point to ease their working. But randomly leaving her roommate standing at the door without so much as a hello seemed a little too rude, so she filed the idea away for later.

Due to the brightness of the day outside, her eyes weren’t accustomed to the gloom inside the house. Infact, it was like looking into a black hole. Even the light streaming into the entryway didn’t seem to reach half as far as it usually should. Lulu couldn’t even see whoever had opened the door for her. Not stumped by this, she smiled widely and chirped, “Uh, hi! I’m Lulu – I mean Luella – Whittacker. I’m supposed to move in today. Are you Irie? She said she would be here when I arrived, but there’s no car, so...”

The whole thing came out a bit more like a question than she had meant it, but it was rather off putting to talk to a seemingly empty doorway. No matter how many times she blinked, her eyes didn’t seem to want to adjust and let her see more clearly.
 
So... bright! So much light, and more than that, so very cheerful!. Wait, keep it together, Irie. Keep it together. He needed this. Do not scare this one away! And stop acting like a dramatic whimp. He took a steadying breath.

"Yes," he said, his voice a low, feathery whisper. "You are at the correct place. I am Irie. Please, come in. Close the door behind you." He retreated back into the room. "The light switch is there on the right."

He moved to the center of the room and placed his hands in the pockets of his black pants. His shirt was a slightly greyer black, not that it showed much, and everything was slightly rumpled. He peered at her through his hair. What would she do now? He only now realized she had called him a "she." Oh dear...
 
The answering voice seemed to almost come out of the ether. Lulu still couldn’t see its originator, and the insubstantial, wispy quality didn’t help matters. Was Irie always like that, or just shy meeting a new person? Still undeterred, Lulu stepped forwards into the dark doorway, chattering on as she did so.

“Oh I’m so glad. My phone died on the way here so I wasn’t even sure if I was in the right place, and then there was no car outside so I thought you might be out. Are you lending your car to someone? Should I free up the driveway later? I really don’t mind parking on the street. Should I take my shoes off?”

She paused, using the light from the entrance to find the light switch and click it on before closing the door quietly. Getting no response to her question, she left her sneakers on and padded after Irie, through a small hallway with several closed doors, into what seemed the main living space.

Lulu took a moment to look around, matching the reality to the pictures she had seen on the ad. There on her right was the kitchen, its countertops tidy, or empty, she wasn’t quite sure and past that on the left, a step lower than the kitchen area, the living area. She noted the blinds covering all the windows, even the large bowed window that had so appealed to her and helped her find the place at all.

Another thing that was hard to miss was the distinct lack of furniture in the place. It made the dark figure standing in the middle of the room look rather lost and lonely. Seeing her new roommate properly for the first time made Lulu pause. She was clad in all black, with long dark hair that fell forwards into her face. Lulu supposed it somewhat explained the curtains, it seemed her new roommate was rather into goth or something similar. To each his own she suppposed.
She hopped down into the living area to join Irie, holding out her hand. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you in person. I look forward to living with you!”
 
Irie wasn't sure what to do with all the questions she was asking, and - in his opinion - she wasn't giving him long enough to answer. Meaning, she wasn't waiting at least five minutes after each question. He stood quietly, letting her get used to the space. Perhaps he should have called in more furniture... Or at least a couch. Maybe.

Then she held out a hand. He stared at it. For a moment, he couldn't remember what the gesture meant. Then he remembered, and felt foolish. Had he really been out of touch with people that long? Wow. Still, he wasn't sure he dared touch her. It might not turn out well.

"I do not shake hands," he finally said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "It is... I don't." Well, so far so good. He hadn't completely freaked her out yet. He stood for a second then continued, "There is not much here. The last tenants took everything. Even the things they were not supposed to take. It was a confusing time, but now you may bring in whatever you wish."

He fell silent. That was a lot of talking all at once! Now he was tired.
 
“Oh, um okay. Sorry.” Lulu withdrew her hand, feeling just a tad foolish, and mirrored Iries posture, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her trucker style jacket. She was glad of the change of subject, directing her attention around the bare room again.

“Hey that’s fine, just means we can really make this place our own home right?” She wandered over to the large window and peaked past the blinds, then spun around, leaning back on the sill and holding out both thumbs and forefingers like a frame, capturing different areas of the room.

“We could get one of those huge couch landscapes, or maybe beanbags. Get some lights in here and make this room absolutely perfect for a girls night in.” She wanted to dance around Irie, or at least grab her hands or something to pass on some of her own enthusiasm, but thought it might not be so welcome, so instead asked,

“Have you been here long? I don’t think I could have withstood the temptation to buy a load of stuff, but I guess you have your own room to deck out first. Most of my stuff is supposed to be coming tomorrow; I really hope they stick to their schedule, seeing as I just have some of the essentials in the back of my truck for now.”
 
"My room is upstairs," Irie told the girl, leaning back a little from her enthusiasm. By the shadows, was this what it was like to be alive? He couldn't remember any of the previous tenants of this place ever being so... vibrant! He found it unnerving. And yet, at the same time, drawn to it. He found himself hoping she would stay while also hoping she would leave his half of the building alone. He'd gotten used to actually having space. Yet it was nice to have someone around. It got lonely here alone, not that he'd ever admit that in exactly those words.

He shook himself, realizing he'd gotten lost in thought. "This floor is entirely yours. The, uh, the kitchen will need to be shared, but I do not eat much. I will mostly be upstairs. When you need anything. There is a door at the top of the stairs. Just knock."

Okay, this miscommunication had gone on long enough. He'd have to tell her. She couldn't really leave without losing a lot of money, but if she was set for cash, maybe that wouldn't be an issue for her. Still, prankster though he was, he felt uncomfortable letting her keep going on like this. "There is one other thing. I think you misunderstood something." He reached up and carefully moved the hair from his face, feeling like he was lifting a shield. "I am not a female."
 
The first thought that flitted through Lulus brain at the words ‘I do not eat much’ was ‘yeah I can tell.’ Irie was taller, sure, but probably weighed less than she did. The thought was blown clear from her mind though as the rest of what had been said registered properly. She had to stifle a squeak of excitement. All this was hers? The ad had specified a separate bed and bathroom as well as the shared kitchen, but not mentioned that this glorious room was practically for her exclusive use. Sure, Irie would pass through to get to the kitchen, but she didn’t mind that in the slightest. She wouldn’t have minded if it was a shared space and the main area Irie hung out in, it wasn’t as though she was antisocial or anything.

She wondered briefly if Irie was partly secluding herself upstairs for her sake. Even if not, she hoped she could coax her downstairs sometimes for shared food or just to talk a bit. That was what having a roommate was for after all, as well as sharing rent of course. She was about to nod and smile and internally plan her first ‘being social’ attack, when Irie went on, pushing back the long dark hair and correcting a now rather embarrassing assumption.

Lulus hands flew to cheeks she was sure were a flaming shade of red now. “Oh my – I am so so terribly sorry! I just assumed- I mean - Irie could be a girls name right? You probably think I’m so stupid right now. I feel really stupid. I just assumed a guy would want another guy as a roommate I guess. I’m really sorry, I hope I didn’t offend you or anything…”

She peeled her gaze away from the floor at her feet and glanced cautiously back at him. Even with the hair out of the way, the face revealed wasn’t strikingly masculine. A little shadowed around the eyes that any girl would have covered up and with a strong enough jawline only lightly shaded with stubble, but otherwise… No, it was a guys face. She couldn’t kid herself into thinking anyone could have made the mistake, that one was definitely on her.
 
Irie gave her a moment to process then let his hair fall back down, hiding behind it once more. He shoved his hands back into his pockets feeling awkward. Normally, this would be where he'd press forward and tease her mercilessly about the mistake, but... oh, he just didn't have the energy. Besides, he needed her. As much as it grated on him, he needed her.

"It is alright. I am not offended," he mumbled in his feathery voice. "I did not think it would matter, but that was not a smart assumption. I hope this will not be too weird for you. I just needed a bit of help with the rent and... just some other chores. I needed someone to help me deal with... landscaping stuff. Things." His voice faded away. He was growing weary of talking and focusing. Social skills were like muscles, and his had atrophied. He stood staring at her and probably coming off as supremely creepy.

Abruptly, Irie turned away and started toward the stairs. "The place is yours. I'll let you settle. Sorry. Not much food in the kitchen."

Actually, no food at all. He could eat, but it didn't taste very strong, and he felt like he was eating shadows. Once he'd learned he didn't need to eat, he'd stopped wasting money on take-out and home delivery and put the money toward the house. Not eating save a ton of money.
 
Despite Iries assurances that it was alright, Lulu felt mortified and somehow sure she would only mess things up further if she spoke anymore right now. She knew she was a bit of a chatterbox and prone to talking or acting before thinking things through properly and really really didn’t want to put her foot in her mouth again. She was supposed to live with this guy for the foreseeable future; she really didn’t want to make things more awkward.

Not that they were that awkward now. She didn’t give a damn if she lived with a guy or a girl. They had separate bathrooms and weren’t doors invented mainly to ensure privacy if you wanted it? Give it a couple of days and she was sure she would be on the phone with friends or family, caught up in fits of giggles as she retold the situation.

In her peripheral vision, she saw him turn away and once again, her mouth was the first to react. “I really am sorry.” She told his retreating back. “And I don’t mind that you’re guy, I mean, it’s not going to be weird for me at all, I have two brothers so…” She clamped her jaw tightly shut before any more words could slip out.
 
He felt the embarrassment rolling off her, but she seemed to be taking it all surprisingly well. Perhaps this would not be as horrible as he feared after all. He paused when she spoke once more. She had two brothers, what did that mean to him? Oh! Oh, right, it meant she was accustomed to sharing space with members of the opposite sex in a non-romantic setting. That was good, he supposed. Right? Yes, that was good.

"That is good," he said, his mouth echoing his thoughts. "Um. There is not much else to tell you. If you need anything... upstairs. I'll be. Yes. Welcome."

Then he all but fled up the stairs. Probably rude, but he considered it polite that he was using the stairs at all. He closed the door behind himself and let out a slow breath. Ah. Much better! Peace. Peace and quiet. He roamed slowly through his rooms, looking around as if she might have done something to them without having even been up here. Nope. All was still the same. Black-out curtains on every window, a dusty, unused bathroom (again, not a need, although he did sometimes play with the shower), and a light curtain over the balcony railing. His bedroom held only a couple of articles of clothing that never wore out that he used over and over and over again. Primarily because he had not figured out how to actually wear other clothing, and it was too much of a bother to try. Couch, computer, table, and bookshelves. The balcony he had lined with as many bookshelves as he could fit, and they were crammed full of books. There were even stacks of books on the floor, more books in his living room, books in the bedroom, and he'd turned the closet into another bookshelf. Books everywhere! Quiet, informative, useful books that did not raise a fuss.

Irie went to the bedroom and laid down on the bed covered with a thin sheet. He looked up at the ceiling with a sigh and closed his eyes. And disappeared.
 
The moment the door clicked closed behind Irie, Lulu collapsed to the floor in a heap, not even noticing the strange way her new housemate was talking. Braced on her hands, she leaned backwards and stared up at the ceiling. “Way to make a good first impression…” she mumbled to herself. Irie was probably already regretting taking her as a roommate. Looking upwards like this, she noticed for the first time the curtains installed around the edge up the balcony upstairs. Huh, Irie really was a private person apparently; blinds on all the windows and curtains blocking the view upstairs even inside the house. She wondered what was up with that.

Still, he had said that the downstairs was hers and that she was to settle in, so that was what she was going to do. And no way was she living in a dark cave of a house. Getting back to her feet, she tugged away the blinds from the large window in the living area as well as the one in the kitchen, even going so far as to open the latter to let in the fresh spring air as well as the bright sunlight. While doing so, she also spotted a ring of keys lying on the kitchen counter, which she pocketed with a smile. Poking her head through the other doors downstairs she found her allotted room and the bathroom beside it. Here too, she pulled open all the windows before skipping out to her truck and starting to lug her things inside.

Seeing as most of her stuff would be coming the next day with the movers, the whole endeavour didn’t take too long. By the time she was done, her phone, which she had plugged into one of the sockets in the kitchen first thing, had hardly charged up halfway. Still it was more than enough for her to play some music to sing and dance along to while she unpacked the few clothes she had already brought into the closet, made up her travel futon in one corner of her room and piled what felt like a mountain of instruction manuals and hand books beside it, most of which bristled with colourful post-its.

She surveyed the room one more time with a satisfied nod, then moved back to the kitchen. Rifling through the cupboards, she was rather glad that she already possessed some kitchen utensils as Iries kitchen was rather understocked. A glass of water in hand, she peeked into the fridge to find it totally und utterly empty, which received a raised eyebrow directed at the ceiling and the occupant of the rooms over her head. “Not much food huh? What do you eat? Dustbunnies?” Closing the fridge again, she downed her water and grabbed her phone, googling grocery stores nearby as she headed for the stairs.

At the top of the stairs, she knocked lightly on the door. Not immediately getting an answer, she knocked again, then cracked the door open, peering inside. “Irie?” Curiosity gnawed at her. She wanted to see the rest of the house, wanted to see how Irie lived up here, but unsure if he would condone her just bursting into his space.
 
The music sang through the house, drifting up through the balcony, weaving its way through the books and into the bedroom. Irie shifted a bit in his restful state. It wasn't exactly sleep, but it was rest, almost like a doze. It was the most human thing he had left. He enjoyed it, often spending days resting just to pass the time and feel more human.

"Irie?"

Wait, she was here! In his space! Still at the door, but here! The shock confused him enough it took him a second to bring himself back to the present. He drifted to the door at high speed and cautiously peered at the set of eyes looking in at his room. "Um. You need something?" he asked.
 
Lulu was rather surprised when Iries face popped up quite suddenly infront of her. It was like his opening the front door all over again, she couldn't see anything in the gloom of his room. She hadn't even heard him move to the door. Trying to seem unperturbed by this, she said, "I was going to go out to get some groceries, you seem to be all out of pretty much everything, so I thought I might give you a ride or just bring you something back if you like." She was tempted to add on "You look like you could do with some food." at the end, but for once managed to reign in the urge to blurt out whatever came to mind.
 
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He drew back. The thought of going out literally pushed him back a step. He stared at her, his thin lips the only part of his face visible behind the lanky hair. He said nothing, standing away from the door as if she brought Outside with her. Finally, he realized he should say something. Speaking was generally required to convey thoughts.

"No," he whispered, surprisingly forceful for a whisper. He took a breath and continued in a normal-for-him tone. "I do not go out. I stay. The house needs to be looked after." He turned slightly, looking to the books. "I am fine. I do not need anything. Thank you. Kindness."
 
Lulu watched the little of Iries face she could see recede further into the darkness of his room. For a moment she thought he was going to get a coat or his wallet, but then the refusal came almost hissing out of him. Even the slightly more normal sounding half explanation he offered didn’t help the hurt that flashed up in Lulus chest. His tone made it quite clear how he felt about her offer. This time she also noticed his choppy way of speaking. Was it because of her, or something else?

“Hey, its okay. Noones forcing you to go out if you don’t want to.” Lulu hoped her voice sounded calm and soothing, rather than reflecting her confusion. She debated going into the room properly, but quickly decided against it. He hadn’t even wanted to shake her hand, somehow she doubted he would want her coming into his room, no matter how good her intentions. She settled for asking, “Are you sure you don’t want me to bring you anything back? I really don’t mind.”
 
He needed to be calm. To not offend her or creep her out. Unusual for him. Normally, that was what he was trying to do, but now he had to try not to do it. He was highly confused. Except for what to bring back. He did not have to think long.

"Sharp cheese and wine," he said. "Strong stuff. Please. I can give you money for it. Lots of cheese."

In another life, he never would have thought to ask for cheese and wine, but pungent cheese and strong wine were both powerful tastes that lingered and, in the case of the wine, burned. It was easier to taste than most other foods. Some spices were good, but some reason cheese was one of the easiest things to taste and paired well with wine. Ugh, he sounded like such a snob. The type of people he used to make fun of. Until his "fun" landed him here.
 
In any other situation Lulu would have at least giggled at hearing his request. It was lightyears apart from anything one might usually expect. Now she only nodded and repeated “Cheese and Wine. Gottcha.”

She paused, then added, “Will you be okay looking after the house while I’m gone?” It had been the main reason he stated for staying, and while she was pretty sure it was just a pretext hiding something else, she wanted him to feel like she was listening and taking him seriously. She had seen something on TV about psychologists using the facades their patients built up as both a way to understand them as well as possibly get through to them. She was by no means a psychologist, but maybe she could try something similar.
 
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