Intermission - Envy.

His kind was extremely rare, even by supernatural standards. Humans have their tales about them, the most common ones depicting them as envious entities who seek to steal someone’s place in life for themselves. Doppelgangers, doubles, they called them. He was a spirit born from such a creature.

He had forgotten his own name already, having spent many years pretending to be other people. This was back when he still had a body, and it was originally done for the sake of survival. With time, however, as he jumped from life to life, he began to resent those who had more than him, who were happier and lived more comfortably than him. He made them the target of his next life.

After becoming a spirit, most of his worries faded. He didn’t have to worry about his pursuers, didn’t need to worry about being found out, didn’t need to worry about food or shelter. The only thing he needed was a host, a human in which to live. But a lifetime of envy leaves its mark.

For spirits like him, the only sustenance they need comes in the form of energy born from the human mind. In his case, what he needed was energy born from the excitement and fulfillment of taking what was someone else’s. The more his host desires said things, the sweeter the energy that fed him. Yes, a Spirit of Envy thrives when their host wishes for something that belongs to another and takes it for themselves.

That this Spirit of Envy found Julian Jenkins was no coincidence. He had been patiently observing him for the last month. After all, the boy was very close to the perfect state of emotional weakness he needed to possess him. All that was left was a single, strong enough event to open him up. Several came in succession, and the Spirit of Envy got his chance.

He infiltrated Julian’s mind. He saw the desires of his heart and mirrored them to him in the form of dreams. The boy wanted a certain other’s popularity, so he showed him dreams of himself surrounded by many close friends. The boy wanted wanted a certain other’s women, so he showed him dreams of passionate lovemaking while surrounded by their erotic bodies. The boy wanted a certain other’s artistic skills, so he showed him dreams of performance success. Then, as the boy felt fulfillment in his heart, the spirit took it all away in an instant.

“You want this, correct? You want his friends, his women, his skills. You can have it. All you have to do is take it. They will believe you are him, they will come to trust you, and as they do, you will take everything. Be patient, be subtle. In time, you will claim everything he owns and everything that he is.”

Julian smirked in his sleep, excited for a new day to come.

That morning, he woke up feeling refreshed. His body felt somehow lighter. When he went to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror, he was startled and shocked. For a moment, he didn’t see himself there, but saw the very image of Oliver Brooks. The wavy black hair, the gray eyes, the broad shoulders and toned arms. Julian blinked and saw himself again, the blonde and handsome Julian Jenkins.

Slowly, he began to understand what was happening as the Spirit of Envy whispered in his mind. It was an illusion, but a powerful and convincing one. When he wanted to, others would see him as Oliver instead of Julian. They would hear his voice and be convinced they were in the presence of Oliver Brooks.

To Julian, this all came as sudden knowledge. He didn’t understand why he was capable of this clearly supernatural ability, nor why he understood it, but he felt… excited. He laughed in his bathroom, hands on his face as if to try and hold back the giddiness.

His mind immediately went to someone in particular. Milana. Yes, she would be the first one he would steal. He would shower her with affection, kiss her deeply and make love to her in ways her boyfriend never could, and then she would realize it was Julian all along and choose him instead!

That last thought was accompanied by a faint but sharp headache. It was short, and so Julian paid it no mind. He didn’t realize it was a warning from the spirit, a message telling him to be patient.

Excited for what the day had ahead of him, Julian drove his car to school far earlier than usual. He was used to getting there with the bell, but that day he arrived 30 minutes earlier.

At first he considered it a waste. There was no one at school yet save for the staff. There wasn’t even anyone to try his new powers on, just to see if they truly worked as he believed. He weighed his options, considering if he should go to his classroom and wait there, go to the music room or wander around until he found someone to test his new power. In the end, his curiosity won and he began to walk around the first floor, aimlessly searching for someone.

It was then that he heard the sound of hurried steps coming from one of the hallways. He peeked from a corner and saw her, walking at a quick pace.

Milana Aliev.

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