章 12: Hallucination Or Problem? (1)
Linus rubbed his temples as the glowing system window floated in front of him, refusing to disappear no matter how many times he blinked. His head still throbbed from the earlier accident, but this screen, with its strange, game-like information, was making him question whether he had some kind of concussion.
Am I hallucinating? he wondered. The possibility felt more real than whatever this floating window was supposed to be.
He was still sitting on the cold floor of the airport lounge, feeling groggy from the impact of the fall. His mom, Marie, knelt beside him, her eyes filled with concern.
"You sure you're alright, Linus?" she asked for the third time, her voice tinged with worry.
"I'm fine, really," Linus responded, forcing a smile. He didn't want to cause a scene. If his mom thought something was wrong, she might insist on delaying their flight home, and Linus didn't want that. She was already on edge enough as it was. The last thing she needed was to think he had a concussion.
He tried to brush off the strange experience and focus on something else. "What happened to the guy who ran into me?" he asked, changing the subject.
A bystander nearby, who had been watching the scene earlier, chimed in. "I think that was some minor league baseball player. He ran into you pretty hard, but he didn't even look back. Just kept walking."
Linus could feel Klara bristling beside him. "Are you serious? How self-absorbed can you be, not even checking if you're okay after knocking someone out?" she fumed, crossing her arms in frustration.
"It's fine, really," Linus said, waving it off. "No need to make a big deal out of it." He didn't want any more attention than he was already getting.
Marie and Mats, his father, exchanged a look, both still unconvinced. Mats leaned in slightly, his normally laid-back expression more serious than usual. "Linus, we just want to make sure you're okay. You hit your head pretty hard."
"I'm fine," Linus repeated, trying to sound as reassuring as possible, even though the throbbing in his head hadn't completely gone away. Marie's eyes were still locked onto him, her usual cautious nature in full force. She wasn't going to let this go easily.
"Linus, you need to be honest. If something's wrong, we need to know now before we get on the plane. It'll be hard to do anything if we're in the air," she said, her tone serious.
Linus sighed, running a hand through his hair. He didn't want to lie, but he also didn't want to worry them. "I'm fine, really. No dizziness or anything like that."
Even though he said the words, he wasn't entirely sure if he believed them himself. That strange screen had him questioning everything, but he wasn't about to tell his mom about it. She would freak out, and the last thing he wanted was more fuss.
His family, though still concerned, seemed to back off a little, though Linus could feel their eyes on him every now and then. Even as they waited in the lounge for their flight, he could sense Marie looking over at him from time to time. It was both annoying and comforting, in a way—he knew they cared, but he wished they wouldn't worry so much.
Linus tried to close his eyes for a moment, hoping that the strange screen would vanish when he reopened them. But when he blinked again, the system window was still there, hovering in the same spot. No matter how much he tried to ignore it, it didn't seem like it was going away.
***
After what felt like forever in the airport lounge, Linus and his family finally boarded the plane for their first leg of the journey, heading to London. Linus slid into his seat, still feeling the weight of his family's worried glances, but he tried to shake it off. His head was still buzzing from the earlier hit, but not enough to make him feel like something was seriously wrong. At least, he hoped not.
As the plane took off, Linus leaned his head against the window, watching the airport shrink beneath them. The system screen still lingered in the corner of his vision, but he did his best to ignore it. Maybe it would fade if he just let it be.
Klara, sitting next to him, glanced his way. "You sure you're okay?"
Linus smiled at her. "Yeah, don't worry. I'm just tired."
She didn't seem convinced but didn't press the issue. She popped in her headphones, and Linus could hear faint music coming through them. The hum of the plane and the steady rhythm of the flight made him feel drowsy, and soon enough, he let himself drift off.
***
When Linus woke up, they were still mid-flight. He blinked sleepily, the faint glow of the system screen still visible. It was like it had become a part of his vision, never leaving, never fading. It wasn't urgent or overwhelming, just... there, waiting.
He shifted in his seat, trying not to think about it. His body felt stiff from sleeping awkwardly, and he could see his mom, Marie, looking over at him again. She smiled faintly when she caught his eye.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, keeping her voice low so as not to wake anyone around them.
"I'm fine, Mom. Promise."
Marie nodded but gave him that look—the one that said she wasn't entirely convinced but would let it go for now. Linus appreciated that. He didn't want her to worry more than she already had.
The flight went on quietly, with the occasional interruption from the flight attendants offering snacks and drinks. Linus tried to focus on anything but the system, scrolling through his phone to pass the time, but he couldn't stop his eyes from drifting back to it.
As the plane began to descend into London, Linus tried to shake off the weird feeling. It was probably nothing, just some lingering effects from the hit he took. Once they were back in Sweden, everything would go back to normal. Hopefully.
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