Travis was in the office waiting for his schedule at his new high school. It was a big school, the only high school in town. He looked around the office at all the posters most of them were inspirational quotes. "Travis, Travis Rha?" Looking over at the receptionist, "Yep that's me." He stood up and walked over to her desk.
She handed him his schedule, "We have a student coming up to show you your classes and give you a tour of the campus." He took his schedule and glanced over it and nodded his head. He then headed back to the bench to sit and wait for the student to come get him.
He really didn't want to be here at school but it was better than being stuck in the house with his crazy aunt. It was the second week of school so things were still a little crazy in the office. Travis' aunt didn't talk about his parent and every time he brought it up she would change the subject so after the first week he stopped bringing it up.
But it didn't stop him from watching the news from his home town to see if they were ever found. He didn't know what was worse the thought of them being dead or just missing.
Where was it? Only the second week of school and Ollie was pretty sure he'd done something stupid and left one of his books back at the place he shared with his unlikely guardian. All he had to do was like text the guy or something but Ollie wasn't even sure he was awake at this point. Ollie rode a bike to the high school every morning and it was his main mode of transportation all over the small Oregon town. That meant he wasn't sitting around constantly relying on Ivar. Truthfully, there were full days where he and Ivar didn't even cross paths in real life, only contacting each other through terse text exchanges. Like... if Ivar was bringing somebody home or something, then Ollie knew better than to go home.
When he pulled at one of his textbooks, it loosened one that had been crammed in the crack behind the locker door, bringing a heavy math textbook crashing down on his foot. Letting out a curse under his breath, Ollie quickly bent down to pick it up. It was the one he'd been looking for. He stuffed it into his grey backpack and zipped it closed before slinging it over his shoulder. Just as he closed the locker door, Mrs. Pepperidge came clicking down the hall in her dark heels.
"Ollie, hun," she said with a smile. "We have a new student that we'd like you to shadow today."
Ollie blinked, then tightened his grasp on his backpack strap.
"Okay...?" There was a slight edge of a question in his tone, because Ollie wasn't exactly headed toward valedictorian or anything. He was just a freshman, a new kid in this high school... even if everybody here had been with him in the only junior high in town, too.
"He's a freshman," Mrs. Pepperidge said in an encouraging tone as she nodded toward the office down the hall. "Just like you."
"All right. I won't be marked tardy, will I?"
"It's already been arranged," she said as she walked with him down the hall. "Actually, the two of you share a lot of classes so it's just convenient."
Ah. The real reason. Not because Ollie was Kid of the Year.
When he entered the office, there was a few kids waiting around in the office, but it was the Asian kid that the school's counselor pointed to. "Travis," she said to the other boy. "This is Oliver. He'll be showing you around today."
"Hey," Ollie said by way of greeting. "You can call me Ollie." Oliver sounded so stuffy and old.
"Hey," Travis said casually as he stood up he was ready to get out of the office and get his day started. He tossed his backpack over a shoulder and slid his other arm in. He looked down at his schedule then, "So I guess I have math with Mr. Jones first period room 45."
This was his first year of high school and it was in a shit hole town and he knew no one he barely knew the lady he was staying with. This was the worst, he had a life, he had friends, he had his parents and that is all gone now. The social workers treated him like a child as if he couldn't understand what they were talking about when he was in the room.
He was a paycheck for this aunt she didn't want him and he didn't want to be with her. But the state forced him here and had no say. He could take care of himself if the gave him the check he would get a place and take care of himself he wasn't a baby he didn't need adult supervision.
"So what is there to do around here?"
"Me too."
So they weren't kidding when they said they had similar schedules. Ollie had memorized his own schedule by now, since it was the second week of school but he still leaned forward slightly to get a look at the schedule that Travis held. Yeah, pretty similar. Well, they were both just Freshman, right? So that made sense. They even had PE together. Ollie's least favorite class, if he was honest. He wondered how Travis felt about it.
As Ollie directed Travis out of the office and down the hall toward the stairs that led up to the math classrooms, he raised his brows slightly. Then he looked over at Travis.
"What do you mean? Around here in the school or Hazleton in general?"
"Cool," they had the same first period. This school was a very large it had multiple floors it was like one of those schools you see on the scary movies. He was sure the students had stories about ghosts in the boiler room or the closed off a wing due to an accident.
The headed up the stair and when Ollie, "Both," he laughed. "I have been going crazy being cooped up in my crazy aunt's house." She took him to downtown once to get groceries but other than that he just wandered the area around her house. There was a park about a block away be there was no one there his age so he ended up leaving.
"What do you do for fun?"
Ollie was the first kid he talked to since he had gotten to Hazleton and he didn't seem half bad. Now if they had some of the same things in common. Travis was not a trouble maker back home but he had a good life he had no reason to act out. He was going to push with his aunt to see how far he could get before she was done with him and sent him away.
He wondered where he would go after this. He really just wanted to find his parents he was sure they were still alive.
Crazy aunt? Ollie looked at Travis with a touch of trepidation. Was she really crazy or was that just his perception? There was a lot of weird things in Hazleton that a new kid like Travis wouldn't know about. Was Travis' aunt one of them? Or was she just as new as Travis? Or did she tell him about Hazleton and that was what made Travis think she was crazy--since he came from elsewhere...?
Ollie tugged on his backpack straps. His smile was rueful. Somehow, he doubted a guy like Travis was going to find what Ollie did for fun... amusing.
"I read a lot. I like science and Ivar... er, my guardian, he got me this lab kit thing..."
God, he knew he sounded like a right nerd now. He shrugged it off.
"Why? What do you like doing?"
Travis had a half smile on his face he could have pinned Ollie for a reader. Science was always fun it is pretty intriguing, not all the reading but the experiments. "I like to skate board," he shrugged his shoulders not sure what else to say. "But science is cool."
They made it up the stairs and Travis continued to follow Ollie. "Anywhere to go after school?" He needed to make friends and he wasn't going to do that by staying home. Back home he and his friends would go to McDonald's after school and get a soda and hang out in the parking lot and wait for the Jr's and Seniors to come by. He was slowly moving up to hanging with the older kids.
But Travis would never know now that he has to go to this stupid shit hole school. He was an out cast here. No one knew him or thought he was cool. He wasn't even sure what kids here thought was cool.
He turned to Ollie with exsitment, "I am sure there is some old abanded place that is haunted here. What you say to take me? After school?"
This town had a lot of old houses and buildings that fit the card. Plus Travis didn't scare easy he was some what of a hero back home. He lasted the longest at the old Miller plantation no one has beat his record of staying all night.
"Heh."
He could have pegged Travis for a skateboarder. He just had that look about him. As for the question about what to do after school, Ollie shrugged his shoulders. The thing was, Ollie sort of traveled around town whenever he didn't want to go home. If things were weird... he had to steer clear. And then there was the whole... sickness. Ollie had no idea what it was or why it happened or why he felt better when he curiously peeked at the nasty stuff on Ivar's computer but... He assumed it was just a guy thing. People always made jokes about guys their age not being able to get their heads out of the gutter.
"You want to go looking for spooks?" Ollie asked, somewhat incredulous. "Well, take your pick because there's like a hundred different places like that in town. Ever been to a super old graveyard before?"
Travis shrugged his shoulders he wasn't looking for the spooks he just thought for sure they had one in this spooky town but guess they had many. "Naw, I never have we should go after school. I mean that's if you want too."
"There's not much to do at my place, I'm not sure how much more I can take of Aunt No." He let out a low sigh. "I really think she is like 100 years old and she likes to tell the same stories over and over"
Travis face could say it all, he dreaded the company of his Aunt No. The internet was what was keeping him alive.
"You'll like it. Lots of places to... er. Ollie off of."
Then he slid his gaze sidelong at Travis, trying to decide it Aunt No was a joke name for somebody who said no all the time or whether it was an ethnic name. There were a lot of people of mixed ethnicities in Hazleton so... He didn't want to be a jerk. There was no hint in what Travis said about her, though. Nothing about how she never let him go anywhere. Just stories.
"Scary stories?"
"I guess to some people they would be scary. But she is old and crazy and says she's a witch." He chuckled. "I mean she would have to be one to still be alive." He joked. Travis didn't believe in ghosts and witches. But he did believe is Aunt No to but crazy and losing her mind.
He wondered how the state could award someone so loony custody of a teenage boy. This was not thought out too well, the start was failing big time and they gave no fucks.
Travis continued to joke,"Do you think she put a tracking spell on me?" He wiggled his fingers mysteriously, with wide eyes.
"I don't scare easy, kid."
"You laugh about it now," Ollie said, raising his brows slightly. "But there's a lot of weird stuff in Hazleton. And, your aunt's not the only one who thinks she's a witch. They have whole covens and stuff. They even have meetings in the town hall on Fridays. Weird, right?"
Travis busted out laughing Ollie looks so serious when he said that, "Your joking right?"
"Right?" Studying Ollie.
Travis laughed but that was because he had no idea. He really had no idea. Ollie was betting that Travis' aunt was actually what she said she was or she at least thought she was. Ollie didn't know any witches at the moment so he couldn't say for sure what they were capable of doing. He just knew people in Hazleton believed in them to the point that they even consulted one on the weather and the news sometimes. It was surreal.
"Nope," he said. "This place is big time into the whole witch thing."
He had to be joking but Ollie didn't seem to be joking, Travis was trying to wrap his head around it. If Aunt No is what she said she is... would that make me one?
No! Never! He couldn't be a witch, why was he even thinking this? Maybe he is crazy like his aunt?
"So?" he said slowly, "If she is one, what would that make me?"
Surely Ollie had a good answer for this too.
"Part witch, I guess?" Ollie said with a slight shrug. It didn't have to be a big deal if he didn't make it one. He might have said as much, just to reassure him that he wasn't going to explode from not doing spells or whatever but that was exactly as the bell rang... And he realized they were the only ones walking down the hall. Almost everybody else was tucked away in their classrooms, save for one person at her locker, who was rushing to get some books into her bag before she trotted towards a classroom.
"Anyway, we can talk more about it after school," Ollie said, leading him to their first class and grabbing the door handle to open it for Travis. Good thing he had a note or he'd end up marked tardy.
The rest of the school day was pretty typical. Other than the part where he had to lead a new kid around, it was mostly like every other day. He didn't have a whole lot of friends his own age, and he had a sneaking suspicion that this whole set up had been produced by the faculty to make him a friend. It was still awkward as hell as he stuffed his books into a locker and waited for Travis to put his away.
"You got a bike or anything?" Ollie asked. "Or just a skateboard? The cemetery is up on a hill."
Travis made it through the day the two had a few more of the same classes, Ollie, it was weird having him shadow him, he wasn't a baby. But it was cool at the same time he was able to get directions and if he had a question it was answered. So that was a plus.
He took his skate board out of his locker and put his book in and locked it up.
"This is all I got." He held up his board. "What about you? Do you have a bike?"
"Yeah, it's how I get around town."
Otherwise, he'd be left trying to hitch a ride with somebody. There was only one bus system in the entire stupid town and it took forever to get from point A to point B on that thing. There were a couple lines on it but still, the town might have had a small number of people living in it, but they were spread out pretty far in some places. It wasn't like Hazleton itself was only a mile long--that was just the downtown area.
"You... wanna hitch a ride on back?"
"Yeah, I don't think it will be easy to get this skate board up a hill." He took his backpack off and clipped his board to it and swung it over his shoulder.
The two headed out of the school to the bikes, it seemed like a kid thing to do, go to an old spooky grave yard after school. It beat the hell out of hanging around the house with Aunt No. Travis was happy to be in school now even if he tried to zone her out she would just keep talking.
"So you really think I'm part witch?" He asked as he jumped on the pegs on the back of the bike he placed his hands on his shoulders.
"Yeah, why not?" Ollie said as he started pedaling them up the hill. It was a bit steep and he had to pump his legs pretty hard to get up over the steepest part--especiall with somebody on the back of his bike. But he made it over and before long, he could see it: the town's graveyard. Ollie kinda liked it there, since it was usually pretty quiet and deserted. The people who'd been buried here were usually hecka old and nobody was left to visit them or whatever. At least, at this part of it. There was a newer part down the hill to the east but that wasn't what they were checking out today.
"I've heard of witches living here," he said, "Not around here specifically but in Hazleton. They even have laws about witches if you go down to the courthouse."
"Wow, this is freaking crazy? I might be a dude witch. I wanna try a spell now," He chuckled. He wondered how it worked, did he always have magic does it turn on at a certain age? Did it have to be given to him through his parents? He didn't have his parents at the moment. Maybe this is why they went missing?
Travis refused to think that they were dead or that they left him. He never realized how much he missed his parents till they were gone. He felt so alone, he wanted nothing to do with them but now would do anything to have them back.
"Your lying, so Hazleton is cool with it like they welcome witches?"
He could see the graveyard up ahead, It gave him the chills just looking at it. But he was really curious now to find his families gravestones, it was like a history lesson.
His parents never talked about their family so it now made him wonder why. Was it because they didn't want him to find out he was a witch?
"I wonder if my parents are witches too, maybe that's why they are missing."
"Yep."
He nodded because it was true--Travis could totally be a male witch. They were a thing and there were a few covens or whatever they called them around Hazleton. It was a weird little town. He heard stuff when he was away, like when he went to Portland. People there were always whispering, like it was the new Salem or something. Hah... It wasn't, though. Not exactly. Salem was always the way it was.
"And yep," he said, because Hazleton was totally down with the witch thing. "I mean, it's kind of like the place where witches went to get away from persecution in the past. They gathered here and pretended to be... like fine. Normal and stuff."
As they arrived at the graveyard, Ollie slowed.
"Chances are at least one of your parents was, right? Especially if your aunt or grandma is one."
"I am really starting to like this place the more you tell me. I was thinking I was stuck in some hick town." Ollie was slowing down as the got to the gates, once he stopped Travis hoped off.
"Hey!" He furrowed his brow, "Don't talk like that, they're still alive. I mean I think they are, they have to be." His voice somber as he spoke of his parents.
It's not like Ollie knew what happened and how sensitive he was about his parents. They did just meet today. "And who knows if Aunt No is a witch or not. I really think she is crazy. Not saying crazy people can't be witches."
Travis kicked a few pebbles as they walked up to the gate.
Two boys were approaching.
Ellis sat at the base of a tree, one knee drawn up to his chest. He gently rolled a seed over to a squirrel, who eagerly took it in her twitching paws before going still as the boys approached. Ellis watched them, too. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the squirrel flee up the tree. His gaze remained on the boys, though. Then he slowly stood up.
They probably couldn't even see him--most people didn't. But he had a strong, strong feeling about one of them. He heard Aunt No, which gave him pause. He heard the word witch--that gave him more pause.
"Just being a witch can make some people crazy," he remarked, and he was surprised when a head turned in his direction. They can't see me. It's just a coincidence he looked this way.
Travis stopped in his tracks looking to the direction the voice came from. Bewildered to how everyone in this town knew about witches. It was like he walked into a spooky movie. So much was happening so fast. He wasn't complaining he thought this town was going to suck the life out of him. The first day of school he learned a lot more then he thought he would. He was looking into his family and it might just lead him to his parents.
"I believe you, my Aunt No is way out there." He grabbed the straps of his backpack and looked at the guy standing by the tree. His clothes were odd looking like he was dressed in old clothes like from the early 1900's.
"What are you doing out here?" He asked curiously
O-oh.
Now they were both looking at him. Ellis couldn't believe it. He felt his own chest, as if he had become solid to the real world just by being stared at. Of course, his hands still felt his chest. It wasn't as if he phased through himself. The dark haired kid responded as if he were a normal person and that made Ellis feel... strange. Happy. But strange. He half smiled, then happened to catch the other kid's discerning stare and his smile disappeared.
"I'm just... I'm always here," he stammered. "What are you doing out here?"
He would much rather look at the dark haired one. He seemed... familiar, somehow. He looked a lot like somebody Ellis used to know, back when he was still alive. The other one... Ellis didn't like the way he was looking at him so he avoided looking back at him.
It must have been the energy that was manifesting as the harvest was nearing that both boys are able to see The ghost that Travis had no idea was one one. Ollie just looked at him oddly not saying a thing.
"Ollie is just showing me around," he pointed his thumb out and pointed it toward Ollie.
It was odd Travis wondered what he meant but he is "always here" He got the chills and creeped out as his gaze fell on Ellis. He was giving him a weird vibe, and Ollie seemed to dislike him as well.
Travis looked around the graveyard, "So do you work here or something?"
He laughed.
"No... I don't work here."
But the more he looked at him, the more he realized that he was looking at one of his own. They were talking about No. They were talking about witches. His face paled and he looked downward, at the ground. He appeared solid and real for the moment but in that second of uncertainty, he briefly flickered out of sight. When he looked back up, the boy with the light hair was taking a step back, staring at him like he was about to throw up the sign of a cross at any given moment.
Quickly, Ellis put up both of his hands, as if that somehow showed them he was safe and not going to harm them.
"Rha...?" he asked the dark haired boy. "Are you Rha family...?"
Travis nearly jumped out of his skin when he ghosted out. He stumbled backward and tripped and fell on his ass. His hands in the mud from the reason rain.
His eyes nearly popped out of his head. When he said his last name. "How...?" He said as he slowly stood up. He reached a hand out as he neared the ghost. He wanted to touch it, he had no idea why.
His heart raced as he inched closer to where the ghost was standing.
"Are you a...?" his index finger was nearly touching him.
"What're you doing?!" The fair haired boy grabbed onto his friend and pulled him away, just as he was about to make contact. Ellis stared holes through that interloper, unhappy with his interference. If Ellis could only make contact, he could show his blood relative what might happen to him. Did he not feel all the changes in the air? Did he not realize?
"I'm not going to hurt him," Ellis said indignantly but the fair haired kid held onto his friend like he didn't believe him.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he neared him he was like in a trance he was drawn to him.
Ollie grabbed him and it snapped him out of it, "What? he yelled back. A little irritated he wasn't able to touch him. It was like the ghost was calling to him like whispers in his ear. He couldn't make out what they were saying, the whispers stopped when he was pulled away.
He was still feeling weird, everything felt weird, he felt really confused. He seemed friendly but Ollie seemed to think otherwise.
"Are you a ghost?"
"I..." Gee, this guy went straight for the point, didn't he? Ellis thought it boded well for him in the near future. His gaze was caught briefly by the flicker of another ghost nearby but then he turned his gaze back on the Rha boy. He knew who he was; their blood called to him like a siren. Mirroring how he would have acted in life, Ellis stepped forward and wrung his hands together in worry.
"Yes, I'm a ghost," he said, also getting to the point. "And you're a descendent of my family. I need to warn you... don't... go... don't go to the party...!"
Then something touched the very core of his soul and he immediately let out a cry, crumpling to the ground before he vanished.
"Party? what party?" Travis could believe he was his family, he could feel it he might not be able to explain it but he knew he was cool with him. Ollie, on the other hand, he looked like he was going to shit bricks and wanted nothing to do with the ghost. Before he got an answer to any of the many questions he had the ghost was gone.
"Did you hear him" He looked to Ollie for reassurance that he was not losing his mind. He was almost in a panic "What party is he talking about?" Travis was now pacing, he wanted answers. "Why did it seem like he was trying to warn me? What's going to happen to me?"
Running his hands through his hair he was a little freaked out and not just by the ghost. He was now questioning his whole life.
"Yeah..." He heard him but he didn't think he quite believed what he was hearing. That thing was definitely a ghost, though. There one moment, the next... not. And what was happening to him before he disappeared? It looked like something was hurting him. Did ghosts still feel pain? That didn't make sense to Ollie. He frowned and crossed his arms over his chest, then glanced back over at Travis.
"I don't know. There's a lot of parties this time of year. Harvest stuff, bringing in the new season, Halloween..."
What was the most alarming was they why he cried out like he was in pain. It put the thought in his head that they were not alone and something didn't want him to be warned about the party. Maybe his Aunt No could help them out with some of his questions.
"Well, I guess I'm staying in, no party's for me. I wonder how long I will have to hind from parties?" He creased his forehead pondering if it would be just this season or age? He wondered if he had like a coming out witch party and that's what he was warning him about. Maybe it's more of a curse than a blessing to be a witch.
This was a lot to take in but he felt like he was holding up pretty well for just finding this all out. A thick fog rolled in almost out of nowhere, a breeze mustered up and the dead leaves from the nearby trees, rustling was coming from all direction and a large gust of wind hit Travis. He covered his face to keep debris from his face. Once the wind passed he turned turn to Ollie, "Maybe we should get out of here."
He was spooked goosebumps erupted all over, he rushed to Ollie's side for protection. looping his arm around Ollie's.
"Yeah... sounds like... an idea..." Ollie said, somewhat distracted by the weird fog rolling in. Nothing like being in the middle of a creepy cemetery when a storm decided to break the sky. Ollie shivered, not liking the look of the cloud cover any more than Travis apparently did. Lifting a hand as he winced against a sudden wind, he started to say they should leave just as Travis made the suggestion.
"Yeah," he agreed, then leaned slightly against Travis' arm looped through his. "Let's get my bike and get the heck out of here."
When he turned back toward where he'd left his bike, however, he found that it was conspicuously missing. And when he looked around, there didn't seem to be anybody else in cemetery with them, no sign of anybody stealing it. Ollie stared. Then he looked at Travis. Without having to say anything, he grasped onto Travis' wrist and started heading down the hill they'd come up at a sprint. To hell with this place--he wanted out. Now!
Things were getting weirder and creepier by the minute. Talking to ghosts, creepy storm rolling in, and now the bike was missing. This was starting to feel like a horror movie.
Travis grasped onto Ollie's hand once they picked up speed. They were both thinking the same thing. It was time to bail before things got worse. His pace picked up and so did his breathing they were sprinting now. The wind was rushing by his ears, his hearing was off due to this and it increased his paranoia, he scanned their surroundings as they made their way to the large iron gate.
His throat felt like it was on fire from how hard he was breathing. his chest was pound, his blood was pumping so fast the adrenaline was kicking in the hairs on the back of his neck were spiked. He couldn't help shack the feeling they were being chased. He was too scared to look back to find out. "I am officially creeped out!"
"Me too," Ollie gasped, turning his head to see that the entire graveyard was covered in thick fog that was continuing to roll down the hill like a creature itself. What the hell? Shivering, Ollie continued back down the hill and nearly tripped on his own foot in the process. By the time they made it to very bottom, he was too afraid to look back again. That creepy sensation was crawling up his back now and he didn't want to see what might have chased them, either. All he cared about was getting through the gates and away--as far away as they could get.
"Where do you live?" Ollie asked. "'Cause I live down that street."
He pointed down a nearby winding street that continued down another hill. It wound down to an apartment complex where he lived with his guardian. He had no idea how Travis might react to him... not many people seemed to like him. But if he didn't live closer, it was their best bet to beat the impending storm.
"I live on the east side, so your place is closer. Travis had never been on this side of town he knew his neighborhood and the way to the school. He regretfully knew the way to the graveyard too. They had made it down the hill and were almost through the gate, thank god it was still opened, He feared whoever took Ollie's bike might have locked them in.
Travis looked to where Ollie was pointing, his place was much closer. He wasn't sure how long he could keep running but he was scared if he stopped whatever was after them would get them. So he kept pushing through the fatigue. He heart was pounded even harder. They were running a pretty good speed but Ollie was much taller so he was a bit in the lead almost pulling Travis along.
"How much further?He said." I'm dying I am not super fit." Exhausted his words came out breathlessly. His hand still grasped tightly onto Ollie's.
"A little further."
The hill wound down towards the edge of downtown Hazleton, where several of the crappier buildings in town stood. A cluster of them formed a trailer park and then a little further down was an apartment complex that stood three stories tall. Oliver led Travis through the crackling, yellowed grass toward an apartment building toward the middle of the complex, then headed up the old steps, made of cement. On the second floor landing, he started down the stone hallway toward an apartment almost near the end of the hall. The entire complex had the faint scent of weed laced in the air.
Fishing out his keys from his backpack, he opened the door to the apartment and was met by a television playing some basic cable tv show. A familiar form sat on the couch, looking like he had been out at some point during the day, since he was dressed. Ollie dropped his backpack by the door.
"This is my friend, Travis," he said, by way of introduction. "Travis, this is Ivar." To Ivar, he asked, "Did you see that weird fog?"
Ivar sat up from his chair as he was met with a strang face after Ollie walked in, he raised a brow and grunted messing his wild hair up, then sitting back. Ivar kicked his feet up on the coffee table. "Nope." his voice cracked and he coughed loudly. He didn't bother to even ask about it, it had no concern to him.
"Did you eat boy?" He asked in his raspy voice he looked over at both boys, he was hungry and he didn't want to go out, so the boy could get food. Not caring about the weird fog Ollie had just asked him about all he cared about was getting food in his empty stomach. He rather sit and wait for the kid to get home then get up and get his own food.
Ollie was used to it, Ivar made the money but the kid did all the other stuff for him, paying the rent, getting the food, and paying the bills. It's not that Ivar couldn't do it but he had Ollie to do it so he did it if he didn't they didn't eat or have power. Ivar was teaching him to be a man, Yep that's what he was doing.
"Yeah," he said, because he was hungry but he was hoping that Ivar saw the weird shit going on outside. Letting out a sigh, he looked over at Travis, then beckoned for him to follow him into the kitchen.
"Do we still have that pasta and sauce?" Ollie asked as he opened up the dry food cupboard. He knew Ivar was alluding to him going back out to bring him food but fuck that. He didn't want to leave when he just got back and he doubted Travis did, either. There was too much weird shit going on out there. Plus there was a ghost wandering around. And something that had power over ghosts. Like the kind of power that could hurt them. They could probably do a lot worse to guys like him and Travis!
Seeing that they did have a packet of pasta and a jar of sauce, he looked over at Travis. "Are you hungry?"
Travis's tailed Ollie into the kitchen, he was a little intimidated by Ivar so he quickly rushed by him and leaned up against the counter as Ollie looked for food. This day was more than he could take in. He couldn't help but feel like he was part of something big, like his parents going missing was tied into him being in Hazleton. Just yesterday he thought he was a normal kid living a normal life.
"I don't know," Ivar answered back, he really didn't know the boy did the shopping.
Shrugging his shoulders he answered, "I could eat," he walked over to Ollie. "Do you need help?" He didn't know what to do with himself, he still was freaked out about what just happened to them. Whatever happened to his ghost relative looked bad, like someone or something was trying to silence him. This was alarming to think that he was involved with the undead,
How did they know him or about him? What was going to happen to him at the party if he did go? Why was he brought here? These and many more questions filled his head as he watched the water boil.
"Are you going to tell him?" Travis asked in almost a whisper. He wondered if Ivar knew about witches, he was a lot older then Olli and he knew of them.
"Nah."
He didn't need help. He had been fending for himself--for the most part--for the majority of his life. If he wanted something, he had quickly learned he had to get off his ass and do it for himself. Anyway, Travis was a guest so it would've been weird to put him to work. Plus, spaghetti was easy. It was like the easiest meal in the world to cook, if one HAD to cook anything. Setting a pot over the stove with water, he perched next to Travis to wait for it to boil.
Then he looked over at Ivar. Was he going to tell him? He toyed with the sleeve of his shirt for a moment before clearing his throat.
"You believe in ghosts, Ivar?" he asked.
"Yeah, don't you?" Ivar said in a scratchy voice he lazily looked over to the boys in the kitchen. "Just don't get too close they like to possess people this time of year. So if you value your body sire clear." Not all ghost where bad but Ivar wasn't going to encourage the kid to play with ghosts.
Ivar had a colorful bunch of friends all sorts, he knew of many creatures most dark a few light, never know when you'll need a favor.
"What about you, kid? Do you believe in ghosts?"
"Who me? Or Travis?"
Because Oliver didn't know what he thought anymore. Before all this, he sort of scoffed at the idea of actual ghosts. Like, he liked the scary stories and stuff and he had a few to add to the campfires with friends. But in the end, he wasn't sure he actually believed in them. Then there were the scary witches... Not just the lady ones but the men ones, too. They seemed real and magic was proven real--he'd seen it! So... now that he'd seen a real ghost...
He shrugged.
"I do now. We saw one at the graveyard. Do you think it was trying to possess Travis?"
"Both of you, well mostly you boy, you grew up here. Him I would know if he knew but you, you should be given this," He mentioned around them.
Tilting his head both eyebrows lifted," Humm." He scratched his chin as he thought for a while. "Yeah, maybe." He shrugged his shoulders.
"Best stay away from them all." He sat back in his chair and reclined it.
"Just make sure the kids not already possessed."
Travis jumped up. "Hey, what are you saying old man?" He looked to Ollie, he didn't think he was possessed, did he? He was creeped out by Ivar they way he spoke and his accent was freaky.
"I am just saying you could have a ghost in you already." Ivar snickered.
"You know it's me right? The ghost left and I didn't even touch him." Travis whispered to Ollie.
Oliver raised his eyebrows. Already possessed?! The thought of it made his heart jump into his throat for a second and he turned completely away from the stove to stare at Ivar. ...And Ivar seemed less than concerned about the whole thing. It was just like him to stir up shit, scare the living daylights out of people, and then calmly sit back and watch the world burn. Oliver frowned.
"Yeah, I know it's you," Oliver scoffed. The truth was, though--how could he? He'd only just met Travis. For all he knew, that ghost totally hitched a ride in his body and came back with him. It gave Oliver the shivers but he tried to shake it off. Turning back to the spaghetti, he dumped the sauce into a pan and tried to smooth out his brow. Worrying too much about all this wasn't going to help anybody, after all.
"You almost touched him, though. If I weren't there, you probably would've."
He was relieved to hear Ollie believed him, he really didn't want to be out on the streets alone with the fog and ghosts out. He didn't know the town very well and or anyone to help him. He douted Aunt No would come get him, that's if she can still drive or owned a car. He was thankful to have made friends with Ollie, it made the creepy little town a little less sucky. It was just the first day they met but it felt good to think he had someone to call a friend.
Travis softly rolled his eyes, he did almost touch the ghost and he probably would have if Ollie didn't pull him away. He just felt like he was trying to tell him something not hurt him. It was hard to really explain it felt like he knew him he was drawn to him. He was trying to warn him of danger Travis really felt like he was in danger now. Maybe it was a lie to get him close enough to possess. Just an hour ago he didn't believe ghost existed so it could be true, Ivar could be right, he could already be possessed. But he didn't feel any different. "No, I wouldn't have!" It was a lie but he felt kinda stupid for being stupid trying to touch a ghost. He didn't know what he thought he was going to happen.
"He seemed nice, I don't think he wanted to hurt us." He added defensively. For some reason, he felt like he had to defend the ghost.
Oliver tilted his head as he regarded Travis in just the same way Oliver's third grade teacher used to look at him when he said something she knew was a lie. He even slightly pursed his lips, as if he disapproved of the way Travis tried to hide the truth. Travis so would have touched that thing if Oliver hadn't been around to grab him and tell him things were way off the charts in creepsville.
"Of course he seemed nice," Oliver retorted. "I bet most ghosts seem nice when they want something. It's when you don't have anything to offer them that they get all evil and try to pull you into the afterlife or whatever."
With all the weirdness happening--with the thick, almost sentient fog, and the creepy moods in the whole town, he wouldn't put it past some jerk ghost to play it sweet to get what he wanted out of Travis. All he had to do was lure him in and then... wham! Body taken over or soul sucked out and where did that leave Travis?
"You're just lucky I was there, is all."
The way Ollie looked at him made Travis retract like a child being scolded lowering his head opening his mouth to speak but nothing came out and Ollie continued to call him out. He rubbed the back of his arm and shifted side to side. "I just wasn't thinking. I guess." Travis was upset, it's because he felt like he was being attacked like he knew anything about this? That alone should be a reason for Ollie to take it easy.
He needed someone to care about him even if he didn't think he needed it. He was reckless and acting out. He was hopeless without his parents, They were his only family and he would lose everything if he lost them so we wondered if his life was worth living anymore. He put himself in danger and Ollie showed he cared, and Travis could see he really did care. He was a keeper.
"I won't be so stupid next time," he playfully smacked Ollie. "K? I promise." Travis looks up with apologetic eyes and gave Ollie a very forced smile; like a six-year-old class photo, say cheese~ type.
"Next time?" Oliver crowed, smacking Travis right back. Odd how they just met but they were already comfortable enough in one another's presence to go around smacking one another. Not hard, but... Well, Oliver wasn't normally one of the Good Old Boys--the ones who ran around with a big crowd of friends, horsing around wherever he went. No, Oliver was more the studious type, despite a weird streak inside of him that countered his personality. He hadn't spoken much about it but he felt it tugging on him, pulling him in a direction he didn't want to go.
He wondered if Travis felt like that, too.
People said that turning into a teenager meant a lot of changes and whatnot but the thing was, sometimes Oliver really felt alone. Like nobody else in the world understood his thought process or how he felt. Then he remembered that adults claimed all teenagers were like that. Maybe they were but it sure didn't seem that way from the outside looking in.
"You planning to go back up there?"
"No!" He snorted. He did want to go back but he wasn't going to tell Ollie that. That ghost wanted to warn him about something and Travis wanted to know what it was. He couldn't just let it go. This ghost gave him hope. If he parents are dead wouldn't the ghost be able to contact them? The last thing he wanted was for it to be true but he needed to know. Not knowing was killing him, there were no bodies so they could still be alive.
"Why would I go back there?" Oliver knew nothing of his life and that he had gone through. He wanted Oliver to know but he wasn't going around telling everyone his business. In time things would be shared, just like this meal that Ollie made for them.
"Was that your first time? Seeing a ghost?" It was Travis first time and he was still in disbelief. He was so close to touching him, "I wonder want he felt like?"
Oliver shrugged. He had no idea WHY Travis might go back but he seemed pretty interested in this ghost business. Oliver didn't fully believe him when he said he wouldn't--but if he did, Oliver hoped he'd bring somebody along. And since he barely knew anybody... who did that leave? (Oliver, of course.) Sighing, Oliver checked the noodles to make sure they were soft enough before bringing the heat down.
"Yeah." He scrunched his brows up for a few seconds. "Why? Have you seen a lot of ghosts around?"
Travis shook his head, "No, he was my first." Oliver was his only friend and they had just met he wondered if he really wanted to be his friend or if he was just a headache. He didn't have to hang with him so he must have wanted to be his friend. The things he worried about were odd but he just wanted to be excepted in this new town.
Travis looked over his shoulder at Ivar, to make sure he wasn't listening. "My parents are missing." He picked at his thumb. "That's why I am here with Aunt No, they couldn't find anyone else to take me. I am thinking magic has something to do with this."
"And maybe that ghost can tell me more about my family? I never questioned why my parents never talked about there families." He couldn't help but worry for his parents they might be in danger. Ollie knew more then he did he was going to need him.
Oliver went still at the mention of long gone parents. Missing. That wasn't new around here. Magic wasn't either. It could be possible that the two were mixed up and he nodded silently at Travis before he turned to a cupboard to pull out a couple of old ceramic bowls. They were the type that always smelled earthy, no matter how often they tried to clean them. Oliver had gotten used to the scent over time. It wasn't like it really affected the taste of the food, anyway.
"The ghost?"
Oh right. It seemed to know Travis. He knew what family he was from. Maybe it was a psychic ghost though! Or a malevolent one trying to trap him!
"Maybe," he said slowly. "But you have to be extra careful when dealing with magic and ghosts, okay?"
Travis watched as Oliver moved to the cupboard grabbing some bowls out. Travis could tell Ollie wasn't joking around. "Well I think that's a given but where do you think I can get information on my parents?" He was new so he had no ideas where to start, "Maybe the hall of records? You think that's a good place to get started?" He wasn't good at the Scooby Doo mystery stuff.
He continued to watch Oliver prep the food, He tried his best to stay out of his way. He wondered why Ollie was with Ivar and if he liked it The man looked like a creep. Travis didn't really trust him he did, however, trust Oliver.
"Shit! Aunt No is going to have a fit. She might have the whole police force out looking for me." He hadn't thought to call her when he got out of school and now it was dark and a creepy fogs took over the town. "I should call her."
"Maybe."
Or... maybe it WOULD be quicker to talk to the ghost. The only problem was, figuring out whether or not the ghost was telling the truth or not. Ghosts could be every bit as manipulative as adults could be! Er... adult HUMANS, anyway. Or adult... anythings, he guessed.
Once the bowls were laid out, he dished out three bowls of spaghetti. It wasn't, like, the tastiest thing ever or anything but Oliver was proud of his burgeoning cooking skills. They wouldn't have been so necessary if it weren't for his desire to eat more than takeaway and things that came in a cardboard box.
"Oh yeah... You probably should. She might think something happened to you." He edged a bowl over to Travis. "But eat before it gets cold. Cold spaghetti is disgusting."
Tavis took the bowl that was pushed his way. "I'll call her after I eat. Thanks for the food." He tried not to laugh at the way he said, "Cold spaghetti is disgusting." It was true it's just the way he said it made him laugh.
He ate it up it was good to his surprise, Not to hurt Ollie's feeling but he didn't expect that. "This is really good." He said as he took the last bite of his spaghetti. "You must teach me." He praised Oliver.
"Excuse me, while I call Aunt No," Travis said as he walked to the corner of the kitchen, sure he was going to get yelled at.
"I know," he said with an amused glint in his eyes. He was good and he knew it. He glanced over at Ivar, who wasn't saying much. Finishing up his own bowl, Ollie took the two bowls over to the sink and ran the water over them. While Travis moved to a quiet place to call his aunt, Ollie drifted into the living room and perched on the arm of the couch.
"You don't really think a ghost got him, right?"
"Him? I don't know nor do I care." He looked over at Oliver, "What was it that took you to the graveyard?" He asked in a raspy voice the kid could have been summoned there by other forces for all he knew. He wasn't to worry about the fog he didn't feel he or the boy were in any harm.
He looked back t the TV, "Just follow your gut kid, he's your friend. Do you think the ghost got him?" He handed the kid his bowl and let a large burp out.
"I just think it's cool... at least, when it's not weird and spooky."
Normally, he didn't think of the graveyard as weird or spooky, either. He couldn't remember having come across any ghosts before. Now all he could think about was how that kid looked real but he also had an otherworldly feel to him. Ollie was certain that his new friend wasn't a ghost and he had grabbed him before he could be touched. If he was possessed, then he'd know. He would have seen it happen! But then, he barely knew him so... maybe he wouldn't know. He frowned, not liking that weird feeling of being sure of something but having a slight niggling doubt in the back of his mind. (So how sure was he, really?)
Taking the bowl from Ivar, he blew out a breath, shook his head, and turned away. Some help Ivar was!
"No," he said. "Even if it did, it didn't seem like a mean one."
Travis got off the phone with his Aunt, she was angry he didn't come home or call. He wasn't used to having a crazy Aunt to report to and he was sure Aunt No wasn't used to have a child to look after. But they were going to have to get used to it until parents show up or he turns 18. He was hoping for the first one he is sure his parents are still alive and not dead. He would feel it if they were. So he had hope.
Walking to Olli, "Ah, she is pissed and wants me home." He was hoping Ivar would give him a ride seeing ass the fog was creepy. He didn't want to ask outright, he had just met the man. It would be different if they knew each other for some time. "Do you think it is safe to go out?" He almost wanted to go back to the graveyard before home. To see if he could find his ghost and get the warning out of him.
"Oh. Okay."
Ollie glanced over at Ivar. It wasn't like he had to ask permission or anything, so he wiped his hands against his jeans and nodded his head toward the front door.
"I'll take you back. On my bike."
He didn't answer the question about whether it was safe or not--he didn't even know if it was. But there was definitely a thick and nasty fog blanketing the area. It almost looked like nothing was outside when he peered out the window. He glanced again at Ivar, also hoping he'd intervene and offer Travis a ride but he didn't.
"Come on. Let's go." He grabbed onto Travis' arm and pulled him along with him toward the door.
Making a face "Uh, about your bike..." He trailed off. He didn't want to say anything about it getting stolen at the graveyard, it in case he didn't want Ivar to know. His hand was grabbed and he followed Oliver.
Iver didn't even bother to look at them nor pay attention. He was a big boy he could take care of himself both of them.
"Ugh." Ollie pulled a slight face. Yeah, his bike. He slanted a sideways glance back over at Ivar but he had nothing to say about it. He seemed to be ignoring the pair of them and concentrating on whatever was on the TV. Something in the news. Ollie let out a sigh and pulled Travis out with him.
The last thing he wanted was to go right back out into the fog but since he was with Travis and Travis needed to get back...
"We should swing back by the graveyard," Ollie said. "On the way back. Is your place... er your aunt's place, is it by the graveyard?"
Ivar was in his own world he knew the kid wanted a ride he just didn't feel like giving him one so he just ignored them. It's not like the kid bothered to ask.
He was pulled outside, and Ollie seemed annoyed. It made Travis feel bad that he was going out because of him. If they never went out they wouldn't have to go back into it. But they kinda had no choice. He wasn't about to try his luck with his Aunt No.
"Oh, yeah her place is passed the graveyard the opposite way to your place. So we should pass it to get there."
"Do we WANT to though?" Ollie mused. They hustled out of there last time and now they wanted to go back in? Well... The bike was the best transportation Ollie had so... He didn't know, though. The bike might just be lost forever. It had just disappeared so the fact that it might be where he last left it wasn't likely. Probably not even ghosts, he told himself. Probably just stupid bullies.
As they approached the graveyard, Ollie's bravery began to wane.
"M-maybe I don't need it after all," he started, looking at the entrance to the graveyard with trepidation. He was just about to suggest they go around it to get to Travis' aunt's house when he heard the sound of a shriek. Or a shout. But... it... sounded like a girl? Ollie looked over at Travis.
"Did you hear that?"
Travis just looked at Ollie, not answering but his face spoke for him. The look of fear and guilt cover his face he wanted to see his ghost again but he was still freaked out about the whole thing. It was the fastest way to get home so they made the walk, as they neared the graveyard goosebumps erupted and for good reason.
A look of panic covered his face, "Yeah, but what is it?" He turned his head so he could listen better. Was it someone in danger? Some crazy stuff had been going on so it could be plausible.
He could see flashlights in the graveyard off in the distance. He couldn't make out what was being said but he could hear voices echoing in the night. "You see that?" He asked Ollie about the lights.
"...yeah."
Ollie saw it but he didn't know that he wanted to. Were they ghost lights? Ollie heard about those. Nibbling the inside of his lip, he tried to square back his shoulders and watched the lights and voices for a long moment. Then he blinked and tilted his head.
"Wait," he said, lifting a hand. "They sound... familiar..."
But even as he was saying that, a light suddenly flashed in his face and he put up both hands.
"H-hey!"
As the lights burned his retinas, he tried to get a better look at the people standing in front of them. Then his mouth formed a small o. He recognized the girl, at least.
"Iris?" He put his hand up over his eyes. So the guy had to be... "Sam?"
"Oliver!?" Suprised to see him and the new kid. She tried to hold back her excitement, they had been talking about talking to him and now this was their chance. He was shocked to see them here out so late and in the dark. It's wasn't safe Iris knew it but she had Sam and his gun so she felt pretty safe. Now that she thought about it these two are lucky Sam didn't shoot them.
"What are you doing out here?" She asked with some attitude she crossed her arms and tilted her head to the right. "Hmmm" she raised her brow.
She looked at Sam if it wasn't dark out he could see that her cheeks were beaming red. Now that she was in front of the new kids she crumbled, she was no longer confident, she wanted Sam to ask. Seconds ago it seemed so easy to be like "Hi, Travis you want to be our friend, and oh yeah Oliver can join too." She stepped closer to Sam like he would protect her from embarrassing herself in front of Travis.
Slyly she slides her arm around his and his locking arms with him she wears a bright smile.
Samuel had the gun pointed at the blur in the fog but when their voices reached them and they cleared the fog, he realized that it was just their classmates. Knowing that, he slowly lowered his hunting rifle. The safety wasn't even on so if he had a twitchy trigger finger, he might've just added a new ghost to the graveyard. Realizing that, he half smiled at the two boys, letting out a somewhat nervous laugh.
"Oh yeah, hey guys." His cheeks burned as Iris slid her arm around his. "What're you doing out here?"
"Ollie is walking me home but he came here looking for his bike." Travis had no idea who he was talking to but they knew Ollie, so the must be from the school. "We were here after school and his bike went missing." he shrugged his shoulders and looked at Ollie then back at the others. Iris was clinging to Sam it made it look like they were a couple witch sucked Sam had bids, oh well she is cute but he isn't that kinda guy to still someone's girlfriend.
They hadn't found Ollie's bike but they were found Sam and Iris, "What are you guys doing here? And what's with a gun? You hunting?" Not every day you run into a classmate with a hunting rifle out in the dark with his girlfriend?
Travis wondered, were they going to kill someone?! He started to worry a little. He really didn't think they could outrun bullets.
"Yep," Samuel said with a slight smirk. Was the new guy scared of his gun? It seemed like city slicker types always were. At least, that's what Sam's dad said. The gun was lowered now, though, and Sam discreetly clicked the safety back into place. Just in case.
Then Sam tilted his head and eyed what looked like a bike resting against a grave. "Wait. You mean that bike?"
How could they miss it? It was right there!
Travis gave him a wry smile, great they were hunting let just hope not people. "What?" He looked over, "It wasn't there I swear." Travis looked at Ollie for validation. The ghost must have brought it back. Not like these two would know anything about the ghost, or would they?
"That's it right Ollie?"
It would be much faster to get home now and for Ollie to get all the way back to his home. It was really nice of Oliver to walk him home he was being so selfless he would have to go home alone. Maybe his Aunt would drive Ollie back. Which would be a long shot seeing that she was pissed at him being out. But she wasn't as heartless as Ivar making kids walk in the creepy fog. She might even know what was going on.
"What are you guys hunting?"
"Right," he said skeptically, not believing that they hadn't seen the bike sitting right there. But Ollie did look kinda perplexed as he walked over to it and ran his hand over it, as if not sure he was actually seeing what he saw.
"Yeah," Ollie said, sounding a little dazed. "This is my bike." He mumbled something else that Sam couldn't hear. Meanwhile, Sam regarded the new guy, Travis. Then he looked down at the hunting rifle he was carrying. Yeah, it probably looked like they were out in the fog... worst time ever to hunt. And in a human cemetery. Pretty weird, he thought.
"Bad stuff," Sam said with a shrug, as if they were caught doing this kind of thing all the time--no big deal. "Like... ghosts and stuff."
His eyes almost jumped from the sockets, "Ghost!?" Yeah yelled. "What do you need the rifle for then?" He was a little perplexed to what a bullet would do to a ghost that has no solid form the bullet to penetrate.
Iris chimed in, "The gun isn't for the ghost it's for protection from other things." She had a hand on her hip her tone pissy. She didn't like the way Travis questioned them and what they were doing, was she really sure she wanted him to join them? She could maybe train him to behave and no when to bit his tongue.
"We are looking into the fog, you guys know anything about it?" Iris asked.
Travis only knew the fog came at the same time as the ghost that had talked to them vanished other than that he and Ollie had known nothing else. Travis wasn't even sure his ghost had anything to do with the fog. Maybe the could call him out and ask him.
Ollie didn't buy what they were telling them. Rifles for a ghost? The bike hadn't appeared out of nowhere. They probably took it earlier for some reason and then put it back when they left. Or... something. Whatever was going on, Ollie was half certain they had something to do with it. And half... not so certain. It was just that Ollie was the quiet weird kid in school. People seemed to like him well enough when they were alone with him, say for a group project. But beyond that, they seemed to think he was weird. They... didn't like him. They talked about him when they thought he wasn't listening.
So he was suspicious; Iris and Sam were probably screwing with them. Haha, have some fun with Ollie and the new kid.
"No," Ollie said after a moment. "Why would we?"
Iris shrugged, "Just asking I am not accusing you of anything." They had no clue where to even start. "You want to join us?" She motions at herself and Sam, "The more the merry is what they say, right Sam." She smiled at Oliver and Travis. She couldn't help but feel like Oliver was putting a wall up as if she and Sam were there to pick a fight with them.
"I overheard my parents talking about the fog and how a lot of people have gone missing and some showing up dead. So Sam and I are going to find out that the hell is doing this." He said almost in an all might voice as if they were superheroes saving the town.
"Yeah."
He gave the other two a wary look, though. Yeah, the more, the merrier. If those two weren't weird creeps or anything. Like most of their classmates, Sam had heard the things that circulated around the school in regards to Ollie. He didn't know anything at all about Travis except that Iris seemed awfully interested in meeting him. Sam shifted the rifle in his hands, still with the safety on. Not that it would matter, the way Ollie was looking at it.
"Safety's on," he said to Ollie, who let out a nervous laugh and ran a hand through his messy curls.
"I know."
Yeah right.
Ollie looked over at Iris. "I heard about the missing people, too. They kinda gloss over them on the news. But why are you guys starting in the graveyard?"
"Why the graveyard? To check for the walking dead why else?" He laughed at her bad joke. She then looked around to make sure they were alone. "We are going to the mortuary to check out the last victim they will be put to rest tomorrow." Yeah, it was creepy but they were not telling the public the cause of these deaths. They kept all super news quiet with cover-ups, bear attacks were used a lot and gas leaks.
Iris' father is one of the cities lead homicide detective, she admired her father and looked up to him doing her own detective work with Sam.
"You two coming? Or is this too scary?" She taunted the two to provoke them to come along.
"Of course we're coming!" Ollie scoffed, before elbowing Travis and whispering to him, "We should go with them, right?"
Travis puffed up his chest as if it would make him look any tougher, "Hell yeah, we should go!" His voice squeaked and he brought his hand up to cover his face as he cleared his throat. That ruined his macho look but he continued to walk upright shoulders held high. He was scared a little but he didn't want them to know. They all acted like this was a walked in the park, let's go break an entry and play with a dead body, sure why not if a girl could do it so could Travis.
The four of them made there way up to the mortuary Iris took her backpack off and took out a small pouch it had a picklock tools in it. This was a small town they didn't have high-tech alarm systems. Once the lock was picked she opened the door and said "Dude's first." Waving her arm like Vanna White. She handed Ollie A flashlight, so he wouldn't be in the dark.
Travis stuck close to Ollie he wasn't all too familiar with him but he knew him longer than he did Sam, 'Kid with a gun with daddy issues?' And 'Prissy, cute princess'. He looked around, the walls were white and it smelled very foul he covered his nose and mouth with the sleeve of his sweater. He began to feel very uneasy.
"I guess that means me," Ollie said, taking the flashlight that was handed to him. Great. So he was the one who had to lead them there. Still, even if he was kind of creeped out, he was also curious. He and Travis had already seen a ghost, so there might be others lurking around. Hopefully not the same one, though. It wasn't all that intimidating to look at but it was still weird how it seemed to know Travis somehow.
"So... what exactly do you think we're going to find in here?" He glanced back at Sam and Iris. "Something we can actually kill with that gun?"
"We are looking for answers, the corps should fill us in." With her ability, she was able to pick up fragments from the recently deceased. Her sight becomes their sight it didn't work all the time she was still learning how to channel her power. "Like I said the gun is for protection. Make a left and head downstairs that's where the body should be." She knew where to go she had done this before. Ollie didn't no this, so this could easily look like a setup but it wasn't she really wanted to befriend them.
If she was able to channel the spirit this would be an experience for all of them, Oliver and Travis would be in on her secret, a secret Sam and her parents only knew. It was stressful she had no idea if she could really trust them with this she knew nothing about them. This was her idea to have them join, she might have alternative motives that Sam wouldn't approve of so she left them unsaid even though she felt like he knew but pretended not too.
Once they got to the door Iris made her way to the front. He palms where sweaty and her breaths became short, "Whatever happens here tonight stays with just us four." Her tone got serious, she nodded at Sam, he knew the drill he would pull her out if things got scary. The victim's name was Maria Shaw and she was brought in last night, Iris didn't know what to expect when she opened the door but what she saw was heartbreaking. The room was filled with more bodies that she had ever seen before in her life.
Turning to Sam quickly she grabbed on to him for comfort, it was like something out of a history book, rows and rows of dead bodies. Her heart ached to think of all the people that were affected by this attack. "There are so many, Sam."
Oliver sure didn't seem happy with his role in the investigation but he went on ahead and did as he was told. Sam felt himself relax a little. All right then. They were all in this together. Although he could safely say that this wasn't the first time they did something like this. Like... getting this close and personal with the bodies. He'd been with her before when they were looking for answers from the dead. He could tell that wasn't the case with Oliver and Travis, though.
Sam knit his brows together and held the gun up for protection, just in case.
Nobody living was inside with them. It was just the four of them. Oliver let out a sigh up ahead and turned the light toward them, right in Iris' face.
"Yeah, all right. Whatever you say," he said, though his tone was quite skeptical.
"Shh," Sam said back, pushing the flashlight away. Then he turned toward the rows of the bodies. They were pretty... uh, dead. "Which one's the right one?" he asked Iris.
"Hey! do you mind." Iris put her heads up to block the light from her eyes. Oliver really had no idea what he was in for. She was kinda proud at this moment she got to shine and show off her ability, she felt it would impress Travis and catch his attention. "Her name is Maria Shaw and that's the fun part we need to find her let's check the toe tags." Sifting through the body's was hard for her. She had to try her best not to channel the other spirits many of them wanted to make contact it took a lot out of her to block them out.
Once Maria was located, Iris pulled the sheet away from her face slowly once her face was reviled she placed one hand on her forehead and another over the corpse' heart. She began to meditate calling Maria to her. It wasn't easy fighting the others off but she kept trying to reach Maria that's when she was hit with a rush of memories. It was like watching a horror movie as she watched Maria's last moments alive.
Iris jerked and muttered broken words and she made contact with the spirit. She was able to witness what happened but making it out was the hard part. She jumped back as Maria took her last breath in the vision. Gasping for air he knees buckled and she fell.
"They still have toe tags?" Ollie wrinkled his nose in disgust. Not what he signed up when it came to playing Scooby with the others. (Didn't they usually run into fakes, anyway? A bunch of Not Ghosts? God, he didn't want to deal with more actual ghosts.) Still with a wrinkled nose, he watched as Sam poked a leg and peered at its toe.
"Gross," Ollie said aloud. He wasn't touching any dead toes. Things got worse when Iris pulled the sheet off this dead lady. By then, Ollie had backed away a few paces, holding the light in their direction but turning his head away.
"Kind of a prissy one, aren't ya?" Sam asked with a grin. Ollie ignored him and crossed his arms.
A weird energy filled the room and Ollie tried his best to ignore that, too. It felt stifling, though. Hard to breathe, like the air itself was heavy with the weight of spirits. Ollie didn't see anything but he was glad not to. But the minute it looked like Iris was being possessed, he dropped the light, swearing under his breath. Sam was right next to her the whole time, catching her as she fell and grinning wildly the whole time.
"Did you see that?" he asked Ollie and Travis, as if they were blind and saw nothing.
This was over Travis' head he just stuck to Oliver's side, and he thought Ollie was a strange kid but these two were something else, he wondered if Iris was a witch too with what she was doing to the body. Not that he knew for sure if he was one or not. Whatever she did things were getting weird in the morgue. It was like all the oxygen in the room was being sucked out it was hard to breathe.
Something was happening to Iris and Sam just stood there smiling the whole time, and to think Oliver thought he had been possessed by a ghost he would have been able to tell. Nothing like that happened when he met his ghost. He was concerned, was it okay to be possessed by a ghost it had to have some kind of side effect this couldn't be good. And they way Sam acting like it was normal she must have done it a lot.
"Is she okay?" was his answer rather than comment on what he had just seen, he really didn't know what he just saw. Iris was is Sam's arms as she regained consciousness She looked up at Sam as she processed the information she just gained. "Reapers did this," she said in almost a whisper. There was nothing she or Sam could do to stop Reapers, they were out of there league their lives where in danger once you were marked by a Reaper there was no way out death would be knocking on your doorstep soon after.
"Yeah."
She was okay, but Sam sounded somewhat distracted as he watched Iris. The way she looked was probably scary to the other two but Sam had seen enough of it by now to be used to it. He watched her for a long moment and then when she came back to her body (as Sam thought of it), she stared at him and he stared back. For a moment, he thought they were having a moment but then she spoke and it was just about the usual business. Disappointment made him swallow hard but he understood and he nodded to show that he did.
Reapers. She told him about them before. A shiver ran up and down his spine.
"Then we should get out of here," he said, urgency filling his voice. The more the realization hit him, the more he knew it--they had to leave or they were all in big trouble. "Now. We should go now."
(FINISHED, on to something else?)