"What is it?" Omar asked.

  "I got accepted."

  Roy scrolled past the acceptance line to the logistical details: Report to the designated docks at Cairo Airport, 8 AM next Sunday. Transport to the island academy will be provided.

  "So all three of us got accepted. That's awesome!"

  "Awesome, right," Roy said sarcastically.

  'Looks like you will finally stop running,' the voice slithered through Roy's head.

  "Shut up. I'm not in the mood for you right now."

  "What did I say?" Omar asked, confused.

  "Not you," Roy sighed.

  "Oh, right. You need to find a better way to communicate with them, so nothing embarrassing happens at the academy. Or at least keep it in your mind."

  "I know, I know."

  "Don't forget tomorrow," Omar said.

  "I won't."

  The Next Day

  Marie woke up and finished her morning routine with her family, then started getting things ready for Silvergate. She was in the middle of organizing her clothes when her phone rang.

  Buzz.

  Omar's name flashed on the screen.

  She picked up.

  "Hello, Omar. What is it?"

  "Hey, can you come to a place? It's really important. I'm sending you the location now."

  Marie's phone buzzed with the address. She looked at it and blinked.

  A five-star hotel.

  "Why?" she asked, suspicion creeping into her voice.

  "It's Roy's birthday. I got us a room at a five-star hotel to throw him a party. There's really good food, and there are a bunch of places around it we can check out afterward. If you can make it, it would be great."

  Marie paused, processing.

  "Sure, I'll come. But why didn't you tell me before? I could've gotten him a present."

  "Because Roy doesn't like presents," Omar answered flatly.

  "Of course he doesn't," Marie muttered.

  "See you there!"

  The line went dead.

  Marie stood there for a moment, staring at her phone. Then as soon as she finished what she was doing, she grabbed her jacket and headed out. On the way, she stopped at a small bakery and picked up a cake: a simple one to eat, not as a birthday cake or a present.

  Marie arrived at the hotel and made her way to the room number Omar had sent. She raised her hand to knock, but before her knuckles could touch the door, it swung open.

  Omar's face appeared for a split second before a pillow smacked into the back of his head with enough force to send him stumbling forward.

  Marie took a quick step back as Omar fell to the floor with a thud.

  She stared, wide-eyed and thoroughly confused.

  "Oh, Marie! You're here."

  Marie looked up.

  Roy was standing on the bed, pillow in hand, grinning like an idiot. His hair was messier than usual, but his face looked... different. The dark circles under his eyes were gone. His posture was relaxed. He looked like an actual teenager for the first time since she'd met him.

  Omar groaned as he pushed himself up off the floor.

  "Don't get used to it. He only looks like this once a year."

  "What does that mean?" Marie asked, still standing in the doorway.

  "Come in and you'll understand," Omar said, taking the cake from her hands with a grin.

  Marie stepped inside cautiously.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  The room was a mess. Pillows were scattered everywhere. The blankets were half off the bed. There were snack wrappers on the table and two empty soda cans tipped over on the nightstand. It looked like a tornado had gone through.

  Omar sat down in a chair near the window. Roy sat on the bed, crossed his legs, and hugged a pillow to his chest, resting his chin on it. Marie just stood there, looking between the two of them.

  "So," Marie said slowly.

  "I have many questions."

  "And they will be answered," Omar said with a knowing smile.

  "That's why I didn't want any of this," Roy muttered, though there was no real heat in his voice.

  "I told you," Omar shot back.

  "She's part of the team now. You can't keep hiding everything."

  "Sure, whatever you say. But I'm not explaining anything."

  Marie crossed her arms.

  "So, will I actually get some answers?"

  "Sure. What's your first question?" Omar asked, leaning back in his chair.

  "First of all, what were you two doing before I came in?"

  Omar sighed.

  "I wanted to go to a restaurant and celebrate his birthday there like a normal person. But Roy refused. We... didn't find a middle ground. So we've been having a pillow fight for the last ten minutes."

  Marie looked at Roy, who shrugged unapologetically.

  "Okay," Marie said, moving on.

  "Second question. Why does he look like this?"

  She gestured at Roy, who was currently making shapes out of the bed's comforter.

  "You remember ghosting?" Omar asked.

  "How could I forget something that's affecting my life?" Marie said.

  "The voice hasn't appeared since the fight, but I still get visions from time to time."

  "Right. So here's the thing," Omar said, his tone turning more serious.

  "The reason Roy is the way he usually is: the constant tension, the whole 'I hate everything' vibe. It's because of ghosting. The voice and the visions make it almost impossible for him to sleep properly or do things normally."

  Marie frowned.

  "Yeah, I could guess that much."

  "But today," Omar continued, "his birthday, is the one day all of that leaves him alone. We don't know why. It just... is. Every year, on this day, he gets a break. The ghost goes quiet. The visions stop. He gets to be normal."

  Marie turned to look at Roy, who was still sitting on the bed, now stacking pillows into a small tower.

  "Wait," Marie said slowly, returning to look at Omar.

  "I thought you only found out about ghosting recently. How long have you known about this?"

  Omar glanced at Roy. Marie followed his gaze.

  Roy didn't look at either of them. He just kept stacking pillows.

  "I didn't think things would go this far," Roy said quietly.

  "I didn't want to give out a lot of information."

  Omar let out a long sigh and slapped his forehead.

  "Roy, we've been over this."

  "Hey," Roy said suddenly, hopping off the bed with renewed energy.

  "Want to do something fun?"

  "What kind of fun?" Marie asked warily.

  A mischievous smirk spread across Roy's face. Before either of them could react, he grabbed both Omar and Marie by the hands and bolted toward the open window.

  They were on the tenth floor.

  "Hey, hey, what are you doing?!" Marie shouted, trying to pull her hand free.

  But Roy's grip was iron.

  "Roy, no..." Omar started.

  Too late.

  Roy jumped.

  Marie screamed as the three of them plummeted through the window and into open air.

  But instead of hitting the ground, they sank into the shadows.

  The world went black for a heartbeat. Then light burst back into existence.

  They landed on the top floor of an unfinished skyscraper. The construction site was empty, no workers in sight. The building was skeletal, open to the sky, with nothing but steel beams and concrete platforms.

  Marie was still screaming when her feet touched solid ground. She opened her eyes slowly, heart pounding.

  And froze.

  In front of her stretched the entire city of Cairo, bathed in the golden light of the setting sun. The skyline glittered. The world felt vast and beautiful.

  Roy was already sitting on the edge of the platform, legs dangling over the side, completely at ease.

  "This is beautiful," Marie whispered.

  "Yeah," Roy said simply.

  "It is."

  Omar walked over and sat down beside Roy, legs swinging. Marie hesitated for only a moment before joining them, sitting on Omar's other side.

  The three of them sat in silence, watching the city they were about to leave behind. The streets they'd walked a thousand times. The life they'd known.

  In a few days, it would all be gone. Replaced by an island academy, rigorous training, and a future none of them could fully predict.

  "Oh, right. I almost forgot," Roy said, breaking the silence.

  He turned to Omar with a lopsided grin.

  "Happy birthday, Omar."

  Marie blinked.

  "Omar? Isn't today your birthday?"

  "Oh, he didn't tell you?" Roy said.

  "We both share the same birthday."

  "Wait, what?" Marie looked between them.

  "Both of you?"

  "Yep," Omar said, leaning back on his hands.

  "Same day, same year. That's how we met, actually. Same birthday party when we were kids. Our moms were friends. But I care more about his because it's the only day he gets to rest."

  "It's annoying," Roy said, though his tone was light.

  "He never lets me forget it."

  "That's... actually kind of sweet," Marie said, a smile tugging at her lips.

  Roy shook his head, but he was smiling.

  For a moment, the three of them just sat there, the wind tugging at their hair, the city sprawling endlessly below.

  They sat there until the sun disappeared completely, and the city below became a sea of lights.