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"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the start of a new life. Brendon and Jack entered today as individuals but will leave today as husbands. They have asked you, family and dear friends, to be their witness and celebrate this union with them..." The priest keeps rambling on about what a beautiful day it is and how blessed we all should feel to be a part of this. I roll my eyes at Brendon, who smirks back at me. My little brother always was patient than me.
Brendon looking at me makes his husband eye me and roll his eyes. I send the pair a cheeky smile before checking my phone (I should really put that thing on silent). It had dinged earlier and I hadn't had the chance to see what idiot had sent me an email on my day off.
Dear Ms Kole
Terri Micheals has given me your email so I could contact you about doing a shoot for my new line of clothing I plan to bring out in fall, next year. Your recent works have inspired me to grow bolder with my designs and I have the feeling that you would be able to put them in just the right light.
[...]
I hope to hear from you soon so we can plan our collaboration.
Sincerely
Robert Nimonde
I squeal, a little bit too loud, but luckily I get the timing right as my brother just very intensely kisses his new husband. Applause sounds through the church and then the newly wedded couple walks out, followed by the contents of the entire church (minus the priest, who sighs and goes back to his little room at the back of the church). I walk in the back, taking pictures of the crowd before climbing up to the tower so I can take some pictures from above.
Climbing the tower gives me some real Rapunzel vibes, making me wish I hadn't just chopped my long brown hair off to just over my shoulders. My hand unconsciously goes to my hair and I gaze outside for the dramatic effect before ginning to myself and climbing further. The things I do for my baby brother.
***
After having spent half the afternoon up in the church tower and the park taking pictures of the newlyweds, I am so glad to kick off my heels and get the thousand-and-one bobby pins out of my hair. "Long day, huh?"
A short man sits down on the other couch in the hotel lobby and smiles at me, showing me he means no harm. I grimace and massage my scalp for a moment before putting my hair up in a loose bun. "You could say that. I don't think we've been introduced?"
"You're right, we've not. I'm Alexander Sondinu, but you can call me Alex. I'm Jack's older brother." He stands up to shake my hand and I mimic him, introducing myself as Brendon's older sister. "I've heard a lot about you, Ms Kole. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." I scoff at that because honestly, who could be excited to meet me? It doesn't really matter. Alex and I start sharing stories about our younger brothers, laughing at their weird antics and commenting at how well the pair fits together. I smile brightly at Alex and am just about to offer him a drink when an incoming email makes me jump. I mumble an apology before grabbing my phone.
Dear Ms Kole
I am terribly sorry to be sending you another email so quickly but I'm an important man and I wish to know your answer asap.
Please contact me on the following number or visit me in my office:
[...]
Sincerely
Robert Nimonde
With a scoff, I shove my phone back in the side pocket of my camera bag. "What a dick," I growl before explaining the situation to Alexander, who shakes his head. "Men like that are really a disgrace to the human race."
"To the human race? You mean there's more than just the Muggles?" I jokingly raise my eyebrows, but Alex's face remains serious as he nods. "I'm very serious. You've seen it, Char. You've been taking pictures of them all day." I shake my head and take my camera out of its bag, looking through the photos. At first, there's nothing out of the ordinary but then I start seeing shades of colour that I'm pretty sure I did not see while taking the pictures. "I- I don't understand. What is this Alex?"
Alexander straightens his back and a serious look crosses his face. "Would you mind coming with me? I can't explain this very well, but I have a friend who can."
**Charming ST, 985h**
"So what you're saying is, I died and came back a spirit?" I sit back, sipping my cup of tea and staring at the men in front of me. There's three of them. Two tall young men and Alexander. Alexander told me they were old. Very old. Twins that had fought in wars and slain kings. I honestly don't know if I can believe them.
Alexander is like them too. Like us, apparently. Dead. Spirits. Ghosts that travel between the realms, guiding others to their rightful places. Though, not ghosts. The twins, Charlie and Andrew, had died and had been brought back because they had a certain importance to the world. A duty that went farther than their short lifespans as humans. The Creator had talked to them through the winds, showing them their way. In time, they say, The Creator will talk to me too. It was a miracle Alexander was there to see me "change" (or die, just call it what it is, guys).
"Yes, your body fell out of the church tower and you died immediately. The Creator must have seen potential in you and brought your spirit forth," Andrew explains, sitting back and crossing his legs. His hand rests on Alexanders' knee and the two men smile at each other lovingly. "So he doesn't decide when we die, just if we come back as these... spirits? And what is this potential you keep talking about? Like, seriously? This guy gets to decide that?"
"Okay, okay, so The Creator is not just some guy. He's like a god. Like the humans believe in their one true god. I don't say he is the only one, but he is the one who keeps interfering with human and spirit business." Charlie rubs his face while trying to take a sip of his piping hot coffee, making me giggle. In response, he pulls a face and sticks out his tongue.
"Very mature."
***
There's a reason I tend to avoid men. One of those is because they make my job harder than it's supposed to be. Another is because the men I meet tend to change things in my life quite drastically. Like meeting Jack Sondinu, who turned my baby brother into the sweet guy he is today. Like meeting my photography professor at university, who made me fall in love harder than I'd ever had. And meeting Alexander, Charlie and Andrew. Showing me the ropes of being a spirit alongside my "human" life.
I took a juggling course in high school once "for funsies", never realizing how hard it would be until I stood there with three soft little balls in my hands, trying to keep them all up in the air. The anxiety of dropping one of those little balls while standing there on that stage (yes, we had to perform at the end of the course) now feels similar to the life I'm living now.
Daily meetings with the three other spirits, photography sessions with clients, business dinners with potential long term clients, and lots of other appointments leave a lot less free time than I had ever imagined. I mean, listing this all in my head, it makes sense, but still. Andrew has been spending the most time with me, teaching me about my new responsibilities and abilities that I may have gained. Good thing he is, because almost setting one of the models on fire is not a good way to end a career. I mean, very memorable but not great.
***
There's also the case of having to face Brendon and Jack. The couple had gone off on their honeymoon as soon as their wedding photos had been taken, but are now back on solid ground (an island in the middle of the ocean is not solid ground in my opinion). The two came knocking on the door of my apartment on literally the evening of their return with the question if their photos were ready. Now, of course, they're ready, but have a little patience people!
My brother and his lover spent most of the night over at my place, drinking my favourite wine and eating all my salt and vinegar chips, gushing over how cute they looked in their suits. For some reason, I promised to deliver the pictures to their mothers free of charge. The things you do for the people you love, seriously.
"Mom will love these, Char, really," Brendon beams, waving one of the pictures in the air like it's a trophy. "She was telling us about how it was Alexanders' idea to climb the tower in the church- Have you met him? He's Jack's eldest brother, isn't he, hun?" Jack nods excitedly and goes on about how much he adores his brother. I nod absentmindedly. So it was Alexanders idea to climb the tower. The tower where I fell. The tower where I died. The tower where I became a spirit.
He had been the cause of my death.