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MidReal Story
Swimming in a Sea of Girls
Scenario:My friend Mia invited me to a swimsuit party. But the moment I arrived, I realized something was off. Everywhere I looked, there were only girls—laughing, chatting, and having fun in the pool. And then I realized—I’m the only guy at the party.
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Jamie Carter
the only male guest, friends with Mia, average build with short brown hair, curious and slightly awkward.
Adrianna Blair
one of Mia's closest friends at the party, friends with Mia and some of the other guests, petite with curly red hair, witty and protective.
Mia Thompson
host of the party and Jamie's friend, friends with all the guests, tall with long blonde hair, outgoing and confident.
I stared at my phone, reading the text for the fifth time, still not believing what it said.
Me, Jamie Carter, going to an all girls’ party.
I was the only dude invited.
Mia had sent me the text out of the blue, telling me I had to come and that she would send a car for me.
I didn’t know what to say.
I had friends over, and we were in the middle of a game.
I couldn’t leave them for some crazy ass swimsuit party.
Besides, I had never been to an all girls’ party.
I was pretty sure I didn’t want to go.
Mia was my friend, though, and she never invited me to anything.
I knew she was friends with all of the girls who would be there, but I wasn’t friends with any of them.
I sat on my couch, phone in hand, watching my friends argue over their game moves.
My thumbs hovered over the keyboard, trying to draft a response.
I typed and deleted "sure" three times.
It seemed too casual.
I typed and deleted "no thanks" twice.
It seemed rude.
Finally, I settled on "OK" and hit send.
Right after it went through, my phone suggested an emoji.
I didn’t think about it—I just tapped the cat face and sent it too.
Then I realized what I had done and felt my stomach drop.
The message status changed to "delivered" then "read."
Three dots appeared as Mia typed her response back.
I gripped my phone tighter, already regretting the cat face.
"Jamie, why did you send a cat emoji?" Mia's text popped up, followed by a laughing face.
"I panicked, okay?" I replied, trying to sound nonchalant even though my heart was racing.
"Well, now you have to come," she shot back. "The girls are dying to meet the guy who sends cat emojis."
I groaned and threw my phone down on the couch cushion.
I had to go now.
I got up and went into my room to change into my swim trunks and a loose t-shirt.
I kept glancing at my phone, hoping Mia would send a follow-up text canceling the invitation.
But nothing came.
I looked in the mirror, fidgeting with my hair and trying to decide if I should wear sandals or sneakers.
I grabbed my beach towel, put it down, picked it up, and put it down again.
My window was open, and I could hear the guys hanging out in Dave’s backyard across the street.
They were probably wondering why I had bailed on them.
I went back to the living room and pulled out my phone.
I sent a quick text to the group chat explaining that I was heading to a pool party.
"You're ditching us for a bunch of girls?" Dave's voice came through the group chat, dripping with mock disbelief.
"Yeah, man, what's up with that?" added Tom, clearly amused. "You better come back with some epic stories."
"Trust me, I'm as confused as you are," I replied, trying to sound more confident than I felt.
I paced around the living room, checking my phone one last time.
I grabbed my beach towel from the couch and headed for the front door.
As I passed by the window, I heard more laughter coming from Dave's yard.
I hesitated, wondering if I was making a huge mistake.
The notification sound broke me out of my spiral - it was Mia, saying she was almost there.
My hands were sweaty as I double-checked my swim trunks and t-shirt in the hallway mirror.
I stuffed my phone in my pocket, slipped on my sandals, and slung the towel over my shoulder.
A car horn honked outside.
I opened the door to find Mia leaning out of the passenger window, grinning.
"Get in, Jamie," she called, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Are you sure this isn't some elaborate prank?" I asked, hesitating on the porch.
Mia rolled her eyes.
"Come on, I'm not going to make you walk all the way back to the car. Now move it."
I gripped my beach towel tighter and forced my feet to move down the porch steps.
Mia leaned out the window, waving impatiently as I approached.
Behind the wheel was Adrianna, Mia's friend, who gave me a curious look before glancing back at the road.
The back seat was empty except for a pile of pool floaties and bags of chips.
My hands felt clammy as I reached for the door handle.
One last chance to bail...
But Mia's eyes met mine, daring me to get in the car.
I slid into the backseat, squeezing between a giant flamingo float and the bags of chips.
Mia turned around in her seat, grinning at me.
"You're coming to a swim party, Jamie. Just like the ones we always have."
She glanced over at Adrianna, who was watching me through the rearview mirror.
"It's a volleyball tournament, and we need one more player. You can't let us down."
I nodded, trying to make sense of it all.
Adrianna glanced in the rearview mirror again, her expression unreadable.
We hit a speed bump, and I felt something smack me in the head.
I looked up to see the flamingo float had fallen on me.
Mia burst out laughing, and Adrianna joined in.
I tried to laugh too, but my voice cracked awkwardly.
Mia turned back around, still chuckling.
"Sorry about that. I guess we should have warned you."
She reached behind her seat and pulled out a bag of chips.
"Want some?"
I took the bag from her, but when I opened it, I realized it was upside down.
The contents spilled all over my lap.
The girls laughed again, and this time I joined in for real. "Sorry," Mia said as she pulled out another bag of chips.
"I guess we need to work on our snack distribution skills."
I glanced up at Adrianna through the rearview mirror.
She was texting someone while driving, which made my stomach drop a bit.
I reached down to collect the chips from the floor, my fingers brushing against something hard and flat under the seat.
Curious, I ran my hand along it.
It felt like a metal catch or something.
I glanced up to see Mia and Adrianna talking about volleyball teams, their voices low.
I took a chance and pressed on the catch.
It moved slightly, and I heard a faint click.
I pulled it harder, feeling around with my fingers until I found a small latch.
I flipped it open and pulled out the metal catch, revealing a hidden compartment in the seat.
My heart pounded as I realized what I might have found.
I glanced up to see Mia and Adrianna still engrossed in their conversation about volleyball strategies.
I carefully pulled out the contents of the compartment - a white envelope that had been folded in half.
The edges were worn and yellowed, like they had been there for a long time.
A thrill of excitement mixed with fear ran through me. Should I grab it?
Adrianna slammed on the brakes for a red light, throwing me off guard.
I quickly pulled my hand back out of the compartment, leaving it slightly open.
"Damn traffic," Adrianna muttered, staring at the road ahead.
Mia was still texting, oblivious to what I had just found.
I glanced around nervously, wondering if anyone else had seen me.
I carefully reached back into the compartment, trying not to make a sound.
My fingers closed around the envelope, and I slowly slid it out.
The paper felt brittle, like it might crumble in my hands.
I tapped Mia's shoulder, holding up the corner of the envelope.
She barely glanced at me before going back to her phone.
Adrianna checked her mirror again, and I quickly shoved the envelope under my towel.
The car was silent for a moment as we all waited for the light to turn green.
I sat there, my heart pounding in my ears, the envelope pressing against my leg.
Mia finally looked up from her phone, noticing my tense expression.
"What's up, Jamie? You look like you've seen a ghost."
I hesitated, then blurted out, "What do you know about hidden compartments in this car?"
Mia's eyes went wide, and she looked over at Adrianna, who was still staring ahead.
"Jamie, you need to be quiet right now," Mia said, her voice barely above a whisper.
I felt my face heat up.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to say anything. I just found something in the seat."
Adrianna glanced in the mirror again, her eyes meeting mine.
I quickly dropped my gaze, my hands tightening around the envelope.
The light turned green and Adrianna pulled out ahead.
I could feel Mia's eyes on me, but I didn't look up.
Instead, I kept my focus on the envelope under my towel.
I heard a strange noise coming from it, like a low hum.
My heart raced as I slowly lifted the edge of my towel.
Underneath was a faint blue light coming from the envelope.
I tried to cover it up again, but it started glowing brighter.
It was illuminating the lines of my hand, like a tiny flashlight.
Adrianna pulled into another red light and glanced back at me in the mirror again. The light grew brighter, seeping through my towel and onto my lap.
I tried to shove it back under my towel but it was too bright now.
Mia gasped and turned around in her seat, staring at me in shock.
Adrianna slammed on the brakes again and turned around too.
"What are you holding?" she demanded harshly.
I swallowed hard and carefully opened the envelope.
Inside was a small piece of parchment paper that looked like it had been weathered by the elements for years.
The edges were worn and brownish-yellow, with strange symbols etched into them.
The blue light from inside was coming from the paper itself, illuminating the lines and symbols etched into it.
As we watched, one of the symbols began to glow even brighter than the rest of the paper.
Then another symbol lit up, then another, forming a line across the parchment. I realized that they were creating a map - not just any map, but a map of our town - complete with familiar landmarks like Main Street and the library and even our house - but with strange markings scattered throughout that I couldn't recognize.
Mia let out a small cry behind me as she took in what we were looking at.
Adrianna grabbed my arm roughly.
"What is that? Where did you get it?"
She sounded angry and scared all at once.
I held the parchment up, trying to make sense of the symbols.
"It was in a hidden compartment in the seat. I found it when I was getting the chips."
Adrianna tightened her grip on my arm, her nails digging into my skin.
"Look at the map," she hissed.
"Where are we?"
I studied the parchment, tracing my finger along the line of symbols that formed the streets.
It looked like we were somewhere near downtown, and there was a pulsing blue dot that seemed to be pointing to a specific location.
I followed it with my finger until I reached the edge of the parchment.
It looked like it was pointing to a location just two blocks away from where we were right now.
I pointed at it, holding up the parchment for Adrianna to see.
"Here," I said.
"It's pointing here."
Adrianna let go of my arm and turned back around in her seat, looking over at Mia with a worried expression.
The car remained stopped at the red light as cars honked behind us. I continued to study the parchment, tracing my finger along the route that it seemed to be pointing out.
The first stop was just two blocks away, but there were several other stops along the way that stretched all over town.
I showed it to Mia, who bit her lip nervously as she took in what it meant.
"We have to check this out," I said, holding up the parchment again for Adrianna to see.
"Let's go."
Adrianna nodded and turned right at the light, following the map to the first location.
I held it steady, watching as the blue glow illuminated our faces in the darkening car interior.
The dot glowed brighter and brighter as we approached, lighting up the symbols and lines on the parchment.
As we passed underneath streetlights, I could catch glimpses of Mia's worried expression in the front seat and Adrianna's white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel.
The flamingo float shifted behind me with every turn, its plastic making a strange squeaking noise against the leather seats.
When we were almost on top of the dot, the symbols on the parchment began to spin around again, rearranging themselves to point to a new location.
The dot grew brighter and a high-pitched whine filled my ears.
Mia clutched her ears, wincing.
"Make it stop, Jamie! What is this thing?"
Adrianna's voice was tense as she glanced back.
"We need to figure out what it's leading us to before it draws more attention."
I carefully placed the parchment on the dashboard, trying to study it without getting a headache.
The symbols were spinning around in a blur, making it hard to see what was what.
The blue light reflected off of the windshield, making it even harder to read.
I leaned forward between the front seats, trying to get a closer look at the parchment.
My elbow knocked against Mia's shoulder and she flinched away, still covering her ears from the high-pitched noise.
I tried to follow one of the symbols that kept repeating itself - it looked like a crescent moon with three dots on its edge.
Mia's voice was shaky as she spoke, "I've seen that symbol before, in my grandmother's old books."
Adrianna's eyes widened, and she quickly asked, "Do you know what it means?"
Mia hesitated, then whispered, "It's supposed to mark a place of power, where something ancient is hidden."
The car was stopped at a red light, and I saw Mia fidgeting with her bag in the front seat.
The blue glow from the parchment illuminated her face as she dug around, pushing aside her phone and wallet.
Her movements became more frantic as she dug deeper into her bag until she finally pulled out an old leather book.
Its cover was worn and creased, etched with the same crescents and dots that were on the parchment.
I reached out to touch it, and as soon as my skin made contact, the symbols on both items began pulsing in sync.
The strobing effect inside the car was intense, making it hard to see what was happening.
Mia clutched the book to her chest, shaking her head no.
I stared at the pulsing book in her arms, the parchment's blue light filling the car.
The strobing effect made it look like an old film reel, as if I was watching a black-and-white movie.
The flickering light made it hard to see what was happening, but through the flashing, I noticed a faint shimmer in the air next to Mia's shoulder.
It started as a wisp of smoke that gradually took shape.
At first, it was translucent and ghostly, but it became more solid with every passing second.
The air inside the car grew colder, making goosebumps rise on my arms.
A soft whisper cut through the silence of the car, "I can guide you."
Mia's eyes widened as she turned to face the partially formed figure beside her.
I gripped the parchment tightly, and as I did, the ghostly figure solidified.
The blue strobing light illuminated it, making it visible next to Mia.
The ghost was an elderly woman in old-fashioned clothes, her face stern but familiar.
I glanced out the window and saw that other drivers were staring at our car, mesmerized by the pulsing blue light.
Adrianna pulled into an empty parking lot and killed the engine.
The ghost reached toward Mia's book with a pale, wispy hand.
My heart pounded as Mia hesitated, clutching the book to her chest.
When the spirit spoke again, its voice sounded like rustling leaves.
"Trust me."
Mia's hands trembled as she slowly extended the book forward.
I watched as the ghostly woman took the book, her transparent fingers tracing the worn leather cover.
The blue light pulsed brighter, illuminating intricate patterns on the book's surface that I hadn't noticed before.
She pressed specific spots on the book in a deliberate sequence, and with each touch, a clicking sound echoed through the car.
The sudden noise made all of us jump in our seats.
A small panel in the book's spine popped open, revealing a folded piece of paper tucked inside.
The ghost carefully extracted it, causing ripples in the air.
As she unfolded the yellowed document, I realized it was a detailed map with X marks and annotations written in faded ink.
Mia leaned closer, her voice barely above a whisper, "Is this... is this the map to the lost city?"
The ghost nodded solemnly, her eyes meeting mine with an intensity that sent shivers down my spine.
"You must follow it," she said, her voice echoing like a distant memory, "for it holds the key to your destiny."
I leaned forward between the front seats, studying the map as the ghost traced routes with her translucent finger.
The old paper crackled as she unfolded another section, revealing more X marks scattered across familiar streets.
When I pointed to the nearest location, my finger passed through her ethereal hand, sending a chill down my arm.
The ghost's voice was filled with urgency.
"Each X marks an ancient artifact. You must collect them all to unlock the path."
Mia clutched the book tighter, her eyes wide with wonder.
Adrianna started the car, her hands trembling on the wheel.
As we turned toward our first destination, the parchment's blue glow intensified, illuminating a condemned building downtown.
Mia glanced at Adrianna, her voice trembling with excitement, "Do you think it's really there, waiting for us?"
Adrianna nodded, her eyes fixed on the road ahead, "If the ghost is right, we might be closer to the truth than anyone's ever been."
The ghost interjected softly, "But beware, others seek these artifacts too, and they won't hesitate to stop you."
I clutched the glowing parchment as we pulled up to the condemned building.
The evening sky was painted with hues of orange and pink, casting a surreal glow on the scene.
The ghost faded in and out beside Mia, her translucent form flickering like a dying candle.
Adrianna killed the engine, plunging us into an eerie silence.
Through gaps in the wooden boards covering the windows, I spotted movement inside - quick shadows darting past.
The parchment's blue light intensified, pointing to a side entrance partially hidden by overgrown bushes.
I reached for my door handle, ready to rush in, but Adrianna grabbed my wrist.
"Wait," she whispered urgently, "we need a plan."
The ghost nodded in agreement, her ethereal form flickering like a warning signal.
As we cautiously entered the condemned building, the ghost led us through dark hallways, the parchment held out like a flashlight.
Its blue glow revealed crumbling walls covered in symbols I'd seen before - ancient markings etched into the stone, echoing the patterns on Mia's book.
Mia walked close behind me, clutching her book tightly, while Adrianna kept watch from the rear, her eyes scanning for potential dangers.
The ghost guided us deeper into the condemned building, navigating through a maze of broken dreams and forgotten memories.
We reached a sealed metal door hidden in the basement, adorned with more of the familiar symbols.
Mia approached cautiously, her book trembling in her hands.
As she placed it against the door, matching symbols on both items lit up like stars aligning in a celestial dance.
The metal creaked open, revealing a swirling vortex of blue energy that seemed to pull us in like a gravitational force.
I stared at the swirling vortex, my heart pounding in my chest.
The parchment in my hand pulsed stronger, its blue light matching the rhythm of the portal.
Papers and debris floated past us, sucked into the glowing abyss, as if trying to reach the other side.
Behind me, Adrianna whispered warnings of the unknown dangers that lay ahead.
The ghost's form wavered in the energy field, her translucent hand gesturing for us to move closer.
I took a hesitant step forward, feeling the portal's pull strengthen.
Small objects began to fly into the vortex, drawn by an otherworldly force.