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[h1][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/QM7Acsi.png[/img][/center][center][color=006d75][b]POLTERGEIST[/b][/color][/center][/h1][/sup][/color][center][color=97cdd1][sub][i]DEC 17 2022 | Unknown place[/i][/sub][/color][/center][hr]

[color=e4e8ed][indent][indent][sup]Otto's spirit floated face to face with his own body. Something was preventing him from leaving. There was no calm, placid expression on his sleeping face. A daze he didn't seem to recognize overcame him. When looking around he didn't identify where he was. He tried to remember how he got there, but the last thing he could remember was going to bed with a college classmate. There was something, a message from his father, the contents of which escaped his mind. He knew he would leave when he remembered walking into Lionel's room. But he couldn't remember where to. As he watched his own sleeping body, he also didn't recognize the clothes that covered it. A pair of pants and shirt in a thick, white, fleece-like fabric with an almost antiseptic appearance.

With some effort, he was able to more effectively detach himself from his body to explore his surroundings. As he floated through the door, he found himself in a hallway with rooms with an entrance identical to the one he had left. Curious, he entered the first one and came across a girl with short black hair, fair skin, and a few piercings on her face. She wore the same tracksuit as him. The rooms, as little as he could remember, were the same. No big difference. He tried to recall if he was in a hotel or retreat, but he felt that was not the case. While exploring the other rooms, he found some other people. All dressed the same. He questioned his vision as he saw one of them with blue skin and the other with a pair of horns. He wondered if the four-armed girl was truly a person or one of the spirits he usually encountered. 

Even stranger than those people was the lack of spirits in the room, he had realized. He couldn't remember such an empty spot since he'd discovered his gift. The few souls he saw hid from him. Maybe, they weren't used to seeing a person who could look back at them. Like a magnetic wave, he had felt his body waking up. He could resist and maintain in astral projection. But he had decided to go back and find out what was happening. He was sure that as soon as he looked at the recent photos of his neglected iPhone XR, he would remember how he got there. Maybe he'd had more than enough to drink after all.

[b]"Alexa, play the [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtTlLKx-V9g&ab_channel=GoulartaStudio]Gimme Gimme Gimme remix[/url] on YouTube Music."[/b] Said Otto as he returned to his body. His muscles felt tired, and his head was extremely clumsy. He had never felt a hangover like this. Maybe someone had drugged him to drink the night before.

[b]"I'm not Alexa, but I can play a song if you want."[/b] The boy looked up and saw a small metallic sphere floating above him. Startled, he threw one of the pillows within his reach at the thing that didn't seem to move a millimeter.

[b]"Don't worry, Mr. Whitestone. I'll be your personal assistant while you're at the Istituto Nova per Giovani Eccezionali."[/b] The robot said explaining itself. 'Istituto Nova.' Otto remembered that name. His father's message on the phone seemed clearer. Now he remembered that the only reason he'd agreed to go out with Lionel was the fact he was going to spend some time in seclusion on a military program in the Italian countryside. He also remembered something about memory loss. But he wasn't certain.

[b]"I hope your transfer was smooth and that you were able to get enough rest."[/b] Otto still wasn't sure if the floating metal ball was a robot or if it was a speaker and someone was talking through it. The voice sounded very human. Alexa could never. [b]"Actually, I need to ask you to get dressed and to change for the opening event. You will have time to shower if you wish."[/b]

Otto did not object. He felt like he needed a shower to soothe his muscles. He felt extraordinarily tense. Glancing in the mirror he noticed how deep and purple his eyes looked. He took off his clothes with some difficulty. He hadn't stopped to realize how luxurious the place he was in was. He had grown up surrounded by fine items and knew how to recognize the level of detail and finish in the room. From the millimeter cut of marble to temperature-regulated lamps. The touch of hot water felt like a refuge. He still wasn't sure why he was there. But now he was resigned. He remembered his father's angry glare telling him he had a "duty to collaborate with international security". And that it was the least he could do after "electrocuting James Klark" all those years ago.

There was a wardrobe full of his clothes. Apparently, the staff at Istituto Nova had taken care of everything. The boy dressed and went to the room indicated by his robotic assistant where he found half the people he had seen in the other rooms.
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