Clare's Story

Clare stalked through the halls, peering into the class rooms now and again as she went. Inside, her gaze fell on the usual sights of students in neat rows of seats, their attention focused ahead at what the teacher had to say. Clare knew the bell was about to ring, so quickly she made her way to the roof. Of course, she knew the door was locked as she approached; it always was, so she stopped and stared at it for a moment. This was no issue at all.

Phasing through the door, she just heard the bell sound the end of the day before appearing on the other side of her obstruction, appearing now in the open. She made her way to the edge of the roof and sat down, watching the crowds of people as they made their escape from the confines of the building. She stayed there; perched along the side of the roof until darkness finally fell over the area like a blanket, then decided she’d best move back inside.

As she meandered through the vacant halls and corridors, a noise suddenly required her attention as it beckoned to her. She turned abruptly, moving to the source of the breach in hear ears down to the second floor, only to find a person running from another ghost. Once more, she turned and attempted to move in the opposite direction, only to be pursued and hit by the ghost. Clare was knocked through the floor down to the first, managing simply to say, “Ouch,” in a more or less whisper.

Clare took a moment now to survey her surroundings. It was the girl’s washroom, and quickly she got up and started drifting towards the door. A single thought occupied her mind as realization dawned on her. How had that ghost been able to hurt her? She heard people talking outside, so she stuck her head through the door a moment, glancing around. Her eyes fell upon more people, one of whom was hurt. As she watched the scene, she thought that for a moment, one of the people had caught sight of her, made eye contact. “Eeep!” She shouted as she ducked back through the door, making quick for a corner in which to hide in.

"You scared the crap out of me! What the hell are you doing slinking around the school after hours!" She shouted up at him.

Jacob was startled by the response on the girl, her reprimanding voice piercing his ears and causing him to jump inside of his skin. He frowned slightly in response, wondering if she realised the irony of her statement.

"I could ask you the same thing" Jacob shrugged as he excitement died down. He fell back several steps and leaned against the wall adjacent to the staircase, casually resting his hands inside of pockets.

Jacob smiled coyly as he observed Melody tend to the other boy's wounds, following her eyes as she stared at his bare chest bashfully before turning sharply to face the other direction in embarrassment. After hearing about her reasons for being here, Jacob's lips opened to speak, "That's pretty dedicated of you, are you a kind of professional ghost hunter then?" Jacob asked in a tone that sounded as though he didn't entirely believe her. It was understandable, Jacob was still doubtful as to whether or not the black haired boy had actually met real-life ghost.

Abruptly they all caught a noise which sounded more like a squeak then a voice. "Eeep!”

His head snapped to location of the source, his eyes falling on a anonymous dark brown door. Carefully, he pushing himself of the wall and approached the doorway, his back almost hunched from the heavy sense of apprehension. He wrapped a trembling hand around the door handle, applying a light pressure to test the lock mechanism. To his surprise, the door fell open without resistance and he glanced in the direction of the others, anxiety masking his features as the tension rose, before he pushed the door aside, flooding the dark room with light.

"Hello? Anybody there?" He called

Ren rolled his eyes as the girl (Melody... a nice name) shouted at the boy as he came around the corner. Though the tall, lanky, young mans appearance had startled Ren too, he wasn't nearly as jumpy as the little blonde in front of him.

"I could ask you the same thing"

"Yeah, gonna have to second that one Melody," then he arched an eyebrow as he looked at her and watched her face light up a bright red as she looked back at his chest and then reached for her supplies, "I did ask you that earlier didn't I? You still haven't answered. So now there's two of us wanting to know," he felt a slight grin pull at his lips as she handed him the stuff and stuttered in the process. She was obviously nervous around him and smiled as he took the stuff from her hands, his fingers just barely grazing hers.

Ren took the peroxide and poured it on the cloth, all the while thinking of how much it was going to sting once he put it on the cuts. Looking up to the young man named Jacob, he offered him a smile as well and answered the question that had been asked earlier, "Name's Ren and I've seen you as well. Gotta love the Senior class. We get all the spooky rumors."

A sharp sound down the hall caught his attention as well as Jacob's and both boys looked towards the sound instantly. Ren, however, thought the noise belonged to the ghost that had gone downright a-wall on him. However, as Jacob went and opened the door to investigate, nothing came rushing out at him. Ren pushed himself up off the floor, using the wall as a brace to get back to his feet. Walking over to Jacob, he listened for a response after the boy had called out to see who was there. Nothing came, and nothing moved.

"Damn, I hope it's not another ghost... one is bad enough to deal with-"

The stairwell was right next to them and from the corner of his eye Ren spotted the woman who'd attacked him standing on the landing above them. Her features were soft once more, the earlier rage long gone. She was looking down at them in the darkness as the sun was well passed the school and most likely on its way down behind the mountains.

Tapping Jacob's shoulder, he got the boys attention and pointed to the stairwell where she stood. She looked sad, longing almost as she stared at them, her form wavering in and out of existence. Leaning over, he whispered to the taller Senior, "Doubt me now?" A hint of excitement in his voice, he couldn't help it. Things like this always gave him a rush.

However, her sweet form didn't last long and the transformation that happened earlier came again. Her eyes went black, her lips parting to show deadly sharp teeth, and her arms lengthening with claws for fingers. She came barreling down the stairwell with a menacing growl. Ren pulled Jacob away from the door and pushed him down the hall as the ghost hit the first floor.

"Run!" Ren shouted, wanting to get as much distance between themselves and the enraged ghost. What had her so pissed off, he wondered? Why was it, one instant she was calm and sorrowful and the next an enraged monster? He concluded that he was going to have to do some serious research if they were going to get anywhere with this problem.

"Yeah, gonna have to second that one Melody, I did ask you that earlier didn't I? You still haven't answered. So now there's two of us wanting to know."

Melody nearly dropped the bottle as Ren's fingers fleetingly touched hers. "I-I already said, I-I'm conducting weekly seances." She squeaked.

She continued staring down the hall as Ren introduced himself to Jacob.

"That's pretty dedicated of you, are you a kind of professional ghost hunter then?"

Melody looked at Jacob from the corner of her eye. "No I'm not, I just..." She closed her eyes and sighed. "Like ghosts I'm invisible unless I do something to draw attention to myself."

Just as she finished talking a they heard a shriek. Jacob went to investigate first, Ren forgetting about his injuries followed, but Melody's eyes were drawn to the stair case.

Standing at the top of the stairs was a depressed woman, appearing like a shadow against a thin sheet waving in a breeze. She stood up, forgetting about the others, drawn to this sad woman, that is until she revealed a mouth full of sharpened teeth and pitch black eyes.

Melody froze in fear, "Run!" she heard Ren shout, bringing her back to her senses. Whipping around she picked up the first-aid kit, shoved it in her bag as she slipped on the floor. Shoving herself up from the floor, she grabbed the strap of her bag and pressed it against her chest, and ran past the ghost who reached out clawed fingers at her. With a ear piercing scream she threw herself to the floor to avoid having her face ripped open. Pushing herself to her knees she crawled towards jacob and Ren, pulling her bag alongside, tears filling her eyes and blurring her vision.

Please don't let me die, please don't let me die! Melody screamed inside her head, as she kept crawling away from the ghost woman.

A loud thud behind him caught his attention and Ren turned on his heel to face the other way. His eyes widened as he spotted Melody on the floor trying to crawl away in fear. It didn't take him a second to think through what he was going to do next. Sprinting back down the hall he slid to a stop and fell over her, protecting her with his back. His arms wrapped around her and held her tightly to him as he pushed them to the wall in the hopes of avoiding most of the attack from the ghost.

They hit the wall, his shoulder taking most of the impact. A second later and he felt the sharp cat like claws cut thinly across his other shoulder. Twisting even more, he brought his body down to protect her further. Twisting her around, he had her facing him now with one arm over her shoulder and his hand on her head to keep her down under him. The other arm was around her waist holding her right against him in an iron grip to make sure she wouldn't move.

After the icy air passed him, he looked quickly down the hall to see where Jacob was and the ghost. He spotted the boy still running, and the ghost hot on his heels. He watched in fear as Jacob's lanky form sprinted away. He was clearly a runner, something that Ren was lacking in. Sure he was fast as well, but he didn't have nearly the amount of stamina that Jacob seemed to possess.

"The classroom on the right Jacob!" He shouted down the hall trying to help the boy escape the ghost. If she lost sight of him, maybe that would help. Then it would turn her back to him and Melody, but he was already planning ahead. Still holding her he stood up and prepared to run down the hall to the stairwell and back to the second floor.

"We'll meet outside in ten!"

He turned to Melody and gave her a grin, "You all right? Good to run? Nothing twisted or anything? Don't have to carry you do I?" His voice was filled with teasing though he was genuinely concerned about her well being. If he had to Ren would carry the little blonde, she was certainly light enough.

"I've got a plan after this," he continued and winked at her before looking back down the hall to see if Jacob had evaded the ghost and prepared to run to the stairwell.

The bathroom door opened, allowing a light to cascade into the dark room, illuminating it directly in front of the door and just slightly into the shadows. “Hello?” A voice called, “Anybody there?”

Clare glanced back, her eyes locking onto a silhouetted form in the doorway, obviously belonging to one of the people in the hall. She couldn’t tell any features of the person right away, but she could tell they were peering into the room in an attempt to locate her. The girl quickly shifted into a translucent form that more or less hid her, but not entirely. She knew she was still able to be seen, so she curled up as much as she possibly could in the corner with her face pressed into the wall, simply hoping she wouldn’t be seen.

A low growl suddenly appeared behind her, and Clare was all too familiar with it from the previous encounter. The girl got up and bolted out of the room, phasing through whatever got in her way and into the group of scattered people who too were running from the ghost.

“We’ll meet outside in ten!” someone had said. Clare decided that she was no longer safe, so she turned abruptly and sped up a flight of stairs, to the next floor.

Jacob's eyes widened in fascination when Ren tugged at his shirt, drawing his attention to the ghostly apparition at the top of the stair well. He blinked twice, doing a double take to confirm that what he was seeing was real, still not entirely believing his own senses. More surprising though was her captivatingly beautiful figure Jacob felt it was hard to take his eyes from.

"Doubt me now?" Ren smirked, a hint of vindication crawling into his tone.

"Yeah, but i still don't see how a ghost like that caused those wounds," Jacob teased mockingly.

Abruptly the ghost changed, its form morphing into something out of a nightmare or bad horror movie. Jacob's stomach almost jumped out of his mouth as his eyes narrowed at her claws, "Actually you know what, nevermind, forget i ever said that."

"Run!"

Ren's shout jolted him into action as the ghost thing came after him. "Oh that's just not fair at all," Jacob cussed as Ren pulled him from the doorway. Forcing his eyes to peel away from the ghost, Jacob began sprinting down the hallway, the creature hot on his heels.

"This is madness!" Jacob yelled, reflecting dismally over the misuse of his athletic abilities. He ran for competitions, not to save his life.

“We’ll meet outside in ten!” Ren called from behind.

Ten minutes!? Did he expect him to keep this thing occupied for ten minutes!? Jacob blanched at the thought. He was already tired from his climb up the hill earlier, and he certainly hadn't anticipated anything like this to happen. Jacob navigated his way through the hallways, not even daring to look back as he tried to remember any routes he could follow. Strangely, despite the growing fear, Jacob felt unusually alive. The sensation of his accelerated heartbeat, the cool trickle of sweat down his face, despite how surreal the situation was he was thrilled by it. Losing this ghost, he could manage that easy. He wasn't the track and field captain for nothing.

No sooner had Ren finished his sentence did Jacob come bursting through the doorways in a mad rush, the loud bang of plasterboard slamming against brick heralding his entrance. He skidded to a halt besides them, almost leaving a comical trail of cloud dust in his wake as he supported his hands against his knees and recovered his wits. Realising he hadn't been disemboweled yet, Jacob gave a final glance at the door behind him, confirming the ghost wouldn't suddenly reappear before sighing with relief.

"You guys...are arseholes..." He wheezed, puffing out each word as the sweat dripped from his forehead. The adrenaline coursing through his body quickly subsided under the chilling light of the moon but Jacob's mind was still a mess of confusion as he pieced together everything that was happening.

Taking in one final deep breath, Jacob magically expelled all notions of fatigue before straightening his back to face them. "Now i've got no clue what is going on, but i hope you guys have good plan of some kind or i'm going to change schools immediately. I wouldn't study here for a million dollars. Not with a psychopathic ghost haunting the hallways."

Jacob looked left and right between Melody and Ren, his face suddenly becoming a question mark. "Wait, what happened to the other girl we found?" He asked, thinking back to the moment prior to his panic attack. He remembered spotting another girl hiding in the corner of the room, someone with dark luscious hair and pale skin. It was only a vague image, she almost seemed like a ghost herself, but he swore he'd seen her.

Two of the humans rushed past Clare and disappeared though a doorway into a classroom. Clare tilted her head for a moment, and then ran up stairs to the roof. She waited a while, listening to the noises coming from the front of the building and finally decided to look down to investigate. Her gaze fell upon a group of humans, talking amongst themselves. “You guys… are arseholes…” one had said. “Wait, what happened to the girl we found?”

Clare stared down, slightly shocked at the one who voiced their concern for her. Of course though, he’d of thought she was a human, no doubt. Clare sighed and looked at the other who was holding a book. The object seemed familiar, she was sure she’d seen it somewhere before. The thoughts didn’t dwell long before she shook of the thought, whispering to herself, “What are they doing?”

Suddenly though, a presence was behind her. She turned just to find the ghost from earlier.

The ghost started forward and slashed Clare across the chest, causing her to get launched from the roof. Falling to the ground had a familiar sensation about it, but she couldn’t quite think of where she remembered it from. The girl let out a scream on her way down, then impacted the rough ground with a thud, landing limp like a ragdoll. Shakily, she got to her feet and glanced around at those staring at her, probably somewhat bewildered. She then covered her face with her hands in a vain attempt to conceal herself, even though she knew it wouldn’t work.

Melody let Ren pull and guide her through the school, while she herself lost in her own thoughts, she heard him say something about the catacombs that had been mentioned in various rumors about the school. This isn't... Isn't doesn't seem like just some poltergeist ghost... This feels almost demonic! But I... Her thought was cut off by Ren.

"Jackpot. Now, how to get there. Jacob should be here soon. Then we'll discuss what to do about this ghost. Can't have her haunting the halls like she is. Dangerous to have a PMS'ing ghost." Ren said smiling at her.

All she could do was nod while she continued to try and compile and organize her own thoughts.

"You guys...are arseholes... Now i've got no clue what is going on, but i hope you guys have good plan of some kind or i'm going to change schools immediately. I wouldn't study here for a million dollars. Not with a psychopathic ghost haunting the hallways. Wait, what happened to the other girl we found?" Jacob's voice cut into her thoughts.

Melody shut her eyes, "Would you both be quiet and give me one minute, even just one second to collect my thoughts on what the hell just happened!" she shouted putting her hands on the side of her head.

Suddenly a scream filled the air, making Melody open her eyes. "That isn't me..."

Then with a thud and there was a girl, right infront of Melody. She watched as this strange girl got up unsteadily and glanced at her, Ren and Jacob. "Who..."

The girl covered her face with her hands and Melody stood looking at her confused.

"What are you trying to do... Wait... Did you just fall from a window? The roof?!" Meldoy asked, clearly worried and astonished someone had survived a fall with that kind of impact to the ground. "Are you hurt? What's your name? My name is Melody... I have a first-aid kit..." Melody reached her hand out to the girl.

Jacob burst out into the darkness from the school and rushed up to them panting as he did so. The taller boy glared at Ren and proceeded to curse at them to which Ren could only give an apologetic smile to. "Sorry, man. I did tell you to hide in the room but I guess you didn't hear me. I'll take the blame for this one then," he said. Then he arched a brow as the Senior continued on to the girl he'd seen in the bathroom before the crazed ghost attacked them.

"You mean you saw someone in there? Well crap," Ren ran his hand through his hair trying to think back to that moment and remember if he'd seen anyone too.

"Would you both be quiet and give me one minute, even just one second to collect my thoughts on what the hell just happened!" Melody shouted, startling him. He turned his attention to her with wide eyes as he fought to keep a smile from his lips. She was pretty cute when she was angry. If he'd learned anything from women though, it was best not to laugh in the face of an angry woman, no matter what. So he bit his cheek and kept the smile from his face.

A moment after silence fell for her to think properly, a sharp scream echoed in the air and her pretty eyes snapped open, her lips immediately forming the words of 'it wasn't me!'. From the roof top, a girl fell right between them all, her body bouncing in an awkward way before she got up. Ren's lips parted slightly as he stared at the girl in disbelief. He couldn't speak, so Melody did it for him, her voice falling over the words as they flooded the air.

"What are you trying to do... Wait... Did you just fall from a window? The roof?!"

As she continued with saying she had a first aid kit, Ren reached out and stopped her, "Wait! She just fell from the room, she should be dead by now!" His eyes turned to the girl who was desperately trying to hid behind her fingers but to no avail. Something was different about the girl, completely off and it sent chills and little red flags all across his skin.

"You are dead... aren't you?" he asked softly as he slowly put himself between Melody and the girl. He didn't think she would go completely insane on them, but then he hadn't thought that about the other ghost and he'd nearly gotten himself killed. So he stood there, every muscle in his body tense as he waited for the ghosts answer... if she could even answer.

Clare peeked over her hands as one of the humans started quickly asking "What are you trying to do... Wait... Did you just fall from a window? The roof?!" The girl looked astonished and worried then continued with more questions "Are you hurt? What's your name? My name is Melody... I have a first-aid kit..."

The girl named Melody started reaching out to Clare, but one of the other two humans had stopped her and said "Wait! She just fell from the roof, she should be dead by now!" and then proceeded to ask "You are dead... aren't you?"

The man looked very concerned and scared. Clare responded to his question with a simple nod and quietly responded to Melody with "I'm Clare."

"Sorry, man. I did tell you to hide in the room but I guess you didn't hear me. I'll take the blame for this one then," Ren admitted before surprise etched across the other boys features. The mentioning of the girl within the room had stunned him and for a moment Jacob began to question his own memory at Ren's complete lack of recognition.

Melody shouted then, her shrill voice breaking the silence abruptly as she reprimanded them all. Jacob saw Ren stutter in an attempt to contain his amusement, to which Jacob did likewise, finding the her sudden outburst equally humorous in contrast to their situation. An awkward silence gathered over them as the group began arranging their thoughts, before another scream startled them all as a figure fell from the sky.

The color drained slightly from Jacob's face as he stared with a mixture of curiosity and bewilderment at the sight, not quite comprehending what he'd seen. No normal person could've survived that fall but Melody beat him to his question, blurting out her alarm.

"You are dead... aren't you?" Ren asked softly as he pushed past Melody.

"I'm Clare." She introduced herself simply.

He knew he should've felt alarm then but Jacob's mind could only focus on the fact that this ghost looked completely different from the last one. Where there multiple ghosts at their academy? He thought with narrowed eyes.

"You're not the same ghost as the one which chased us, are you?" Jacob said then, more as a confirmation.

"Nope," Ren shook his head to answer Jacob's question even though it was directed at the girl who called herself Clare, "She's not the same one. She looks younger than the other one."

His eyes lifted to look at the school in the darkness. Clare's glowing figure slightly unnerving as he stood there. With the book still in hand, Ren turned it and opened it back to the page he was looking at. He handed it to Jacob along with the flashlight, "Here, look at this. The school's got catacombs beneath it. I think if we go there we can find some stuff on how to deal with ghosts and poltergeists. Wait.... poltergeists... I bet you that's what she is! That other ghost! That has to be it. It would make sense as to why she's attacking us randomly," Ren snapped his fingers as the idea came to him. His silky voice chuckled as he ran a hand through is hair.

"I think if we can get there, we'll be able to find stuff to fight against her and get her to move on," he finished with a shrug though he couldn't help his smile at the excitement of such an adventure. He looked back to the school grounds. Ren pulled out his cell phone and looked at the glowing numbers, 6:35 pm. He calculated how much time he had left before having to get back to his house where he lived. The elderly couple had him over for dinner every night at 9 pm and he didn't want to miss that or make them worry about him any more than they already did.

"Don't know about you guys, but I'm good to explore these so called 'catacombs' for a few hours," he grinned at them then leaned over the book that Jacob was holding and began trying to figure out where the entrance was. His finger traced the schools layout. The first floor was easy to navigate through, the entrance and then the long hall stretching down to the other end and the intersecting hall that stretched down horizontally and connected the staircase to the second floor. A single black mark was the only thing indicating an entrance underneath the school. It was located at a solid wall between two class rooms near the center of the building. Ren tapped the page and looked up at Jacob.

"Ready to go try this out?"

He hardly waited for an answer as he went back to the double doors of the entrance and slowly pushed them open. He peered in, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. It looked clear for the moment, but he didn't know when the ghost was going to reappear. Turning, he motioned to the others that the coast was clear and they should get moving. Ren led the way to the spot that was marked on the map and began feeling the wall.

"Alright, there has to be something here..." he muttered, mostly to himself but his voice carried through the empty hall.

"She's not the same one. She looks younger than the other one," Ren stated with a calm assurity. Jacob rubbed the bottom of his jaw line in contemplation as he stared at the Clare, as if he was trying to gauge whether or not she was dangerous. "Well, i can't say i'm not somewhat unnerved, but so long as my guts aren't being ripped apart i think i can handle things..." he said at last.

Ren turned to him excitedly then and Jacob's brows could only frown as an anonymous looking book was dumped into his hands. Without waiting the other boy flipped to a page and held a flashlight over it, drawing Jacob's attention to the contents, "Here, look at this. The school's got catacombs beneath it. I think if we go there we can find some stuff on how to deal with ghosts and poltergeists. Wait.... poltergeists... I bet you that's what she is! That other ghost! That has to be it. It would make sense as to why she's attacking us randomly," Ren clicked his fingers as if he'd stumbled upon a revelation. Abruptly he turned to them all, a look of determination setting into his features.

"Don't know about you guys, but I'm good to explore these so called 'catacombs' for a few hours, ready to go try this out?"

He didn't even wait for their consent. Jacob stammered in a mild confusion as Ren's dark figure rapidly shrank from his field of vision before sighing as he hurried to catch up with him.

"Damn, i don't know what i should be more afraid of now, you, or that ghost," Jacob snorted as he stepped besides Ren. Following the other boy's example, he began to investigate at the wall, not entirely certain what it was they should be looking for. "I know this might sound a little irrelevant, but doesn't a concealing wall sound a little cliched? Like something out of a movie almost..."

"Damn, i don't know what i should be more afraid of now, you, or that ghost. I know this might sound a little irrelevant, but doesn't a concealing wall sound a little cliched? Like something out of a movie almost..."

Ren gave a soft laugh at Jacob as he spoke, "Well I guess you should be more afraid of the ghost. I'm not trying to kill you."

He slid his hands all over the wall, but couldn't feel anything. Stepping back he cursed softly and brought his eyebrows down in concentration. One arm crossed over his still bloody chest, the other resting on top of it to hold his chin in curled fingers. He lightly tapped one boot on the wooden floor as he thought. With a slight nod, he had to agree with Jacob.

"Yeah, you're right. It is cliche... but, this school went through a lot of renovation's, so I guess it would make sense," he walked up to the wall again and began tapping his knuckles against it while his ear was pressed to the wall. He listened as he tapped all along the wall. As he went, the sound of solid wood behind the plaster was evident, then he tapped an area that seemed to echo. Ren stopped, looking at the wall. He tapped it again, then tapped the other side where it was solid. With a wry smile, he looked to the group.

"Found it. Now the question is... how the hell do we get in?" He'd felt the entire wall but hadn't found anything that would suggest a button or release, so he guessed that it was just a simple sheet of plaster or sheetrock that would be easily knocked down. "Well... I'll take the blame for this one," Ren said as he lifted his flashlight and hefted it like a hammer. With a couple of good smacks against the wall he'd made a hole large enough for his hand. Putting the flashlight away, he began pulling at the thin sheet rock that covered a dark entrance that went down under the school.

After several minutes, he finally made a hole big enough for all of them to climb through, though he was pretty sure Jacob would have to do some wiggling because of his height. Once inside, Ren turned on his flashlight and shined it down the stairwell. His yellow eyes reflected his excitement as he looked back to the others, his gaze settling on Melody as he was highly interested in her reaction.

"Ready for this? Lets find some stuff to deal with ghosts shall we?"

With that, he led the way down into the dark and dusty catacombs, fighting off cobwebs and dirt as he went.

"You're not the same ghost as the one which chased us, are you?"

Clare was about to answer when suddenly one of the other humans, the one holding the book beat her to it. “Nope,” he said, “She’s not the same one. She looks younger than the other one.”

“Well, I can’t say I’m not somewhat unnerved, but so long as my guts aren’t being ripped apart I think I can handle things…” the other replied again. It was a bit rude, Clare thought, but she didn’t blame him.

She watched now as the book was passed between the two, the one who was holding it just prior saying, “Here, look at this. The school’s got catacombs beneath it. I think if we go there we can find some stuff on how to deal with ghosts and poltergeists. Wait….poltergeists….” The boy suddenly brightened as if an idea had just struck him, some random inspiration. “I bet you that’s what she is!” he concluded finally, “That other ghost! That has to be it. It would make sense as to why she’s attacking us randomly.”

Clare looked at the human, tilting her head somewhat. “It hurt me,” she said simply.

“Don’t know about you guys, but I’m good to explore these so called ‘catacombs’ for a few hours,” the other said again, taking a moment to point out its location. “Ready to go try this?” he questioned as he made his way back to the entrance, opening the doors. He waited just a moment, motioning for them to follow before leading the way to where the map specified. His hands groped along the walls in search of something, saying in the process, “Alright, there has to be something here…”

The other stepped forward now to assist, asking something, but Clare didn’t catch it. She had tuned out and was now staring at the wall, at a certain point. Suddenly though, the boy who carried the book managed to stumble his way into her line of sight, feeling around for a moment before finally finding what he was apparently searching for. He slammed his flashlight down against the wall several times to produce a hole in which he could fit his hand through, then he began to pry at the remainder of the thin wall before finally he had a large enough space for everyone to proceed through. He looked content now as he spoke. “Ready for this? Let’s find some stuff to deal with ghosts shall we?” He then made his way through the opening and down the dark passage, Clare following silently behind.

Jacob's eyes narrowed as Ren's knuckles rapped lightly against the wall facade, undoubtedly searching for some hollow opening. Ren's efforts were eventually rewarded with the sound of a deep echo, causing Jacob to raise an eyebrow in mild surprise.

"I'll be damned," he said, admiration creep into his tone.

Looking around, Ren then asked the obvious question on all of their minds, "Found it. Now the question is... how the hell do we get in?"

Gazing up, down and all around, Jacob could see he was right. No clear indicators, protrusions of panels of any kind were visible on the wall face. Ren had likely come to the same conclusion as well as Jacob saw him draw back his flashlight like a dagger. The athlete's eyes widened in alarm as the realisation of what Ren was about to do hit him, "Well... I'll take the blame for this one."

After several minutes of grunting a hole barely big enough for him to pass through emerged. Jacob sneezed involuntarily as the dust creeped up and sank into his nostrils, encouraging him to wave his arms in an attempt to disperse the particles.

"Gee, i appreciate your effort," Jacob's snarky comment snaked its way towards Ren as he frowned at the size of the hole.

"Ready for this? Lets find some stuff to deal with ghosts shall we?" Ren said then, the excitement barely contained within his voice.

"Well, i forgot my containment unit back at home, but i figure what could go wrong, right? Let's do some ghost busting!" Jacob responded with mixed enthusiasm. As he did so he noticed that Clare had chosen to join them, the girl's ghostly presence scaring him briefly as she appeared out of nowhere. "My god woman, please don't scare me like that," he blurted out instinctively. His eyes narrowed again as he thought about Clare's reason for joining them, failing utterly to comprehend her. Slowly, he worked up the nerve to speak to her, "What's your story anyway Clare?" he asked as they descended into the darkness.

Melody silently followed the boys to where Ren was proceeded to bash a hole into the wall and following behind Jacob into the darkness.

"Well since she's a ghost, the end result was her death. And from what I understand about ghosts, most don't remember their death and sometimes they don't even remember the life they had while living." Looking back at Clare she added. "I don't think you really have to share your story, after all you have only just met us. Even ghosts don't necessarily reveal their story to those they've just met."

Turning back she could just make out Ren with the flashlight, and began to rush forward, stumbling all the way.

“My god woman, please don’t scare me like that!”

Clare was caught slightly off guard by the human suddenly yelling at her before quickly he had changed the topic to ask her about her story. About to answer, Clare contemplated this, but was beat by Melody who cut in quickly saying, “Well since she's a ghost, the end result was her death. And from what I understand about ghosts, most don't remember their death and sometimes they don't even remember the life they had while living.” She glanced back now before finishing. “I don’t think you really have to share your story, after all you have only just met us. Even ghosts don’t necessarily reveal their story to those they’ve just met.”

Clare nodded in thanks to Melody for her understanding before saying, in a sort of whisper, “Thanks… and yes, I don’t remember anything…” She then watched as Melody rushed over to the other man with the flashlight.

"Hey, check this out guys!" Ren called as his flashlight illuminated dusty books and scrolls on shelves. What his focus was, though, was a healthy stack of pristine white slivers of paper with black symbols on them. Leaning forwards he looked at them and picked up one to examine it further. The characters on the paper looked like they were Chinese or Japanese. His love for other cultures coming into play as he eyed the paper carefully.

Looking to the side, he set down the paper and brushed some dust off a book that lay on the shelf next to the papers. The old binding was worn out and the gold writing was hard to read, but he thought it said something along the lines of 'Ghost's and Mythology'. Putting the flashlight in his mouth, he picked up the book and went and sat on a crate while brushing the book off and carefully opening it. His eyes scanned the pages as he began reading the small print.

Taking the flashlight from his mouth, he flipped through the pages slowly until his eyes rested on a drawn picture of the same piece of paper he'd just picked up. Carefully he read through the section. Then he lifted his eyes to grin at Melody who had come rushing towards him in the darkness.

"Looks like we might have to test out some stuff," he said and lifted the book to show her the page. His finger tapped the picture, "This says those are talismans and they were used to ward off attacks from unearthly creatures ranging from ghosts to werewolves. The writing on the talismans tells you what they're used for, all you need to do is have good concentration and a good amount of energy and you're golden," he said with a smile.

Then he laid the book down next to the talismans as he picked one up and gave a short laugh, his smile fading, "Only problem is I can't figure out if this is Japanese or Chinese characters. Either way, I can't read them..."

Ren sighed, his head dropping with his chin to his chest in defeat. After a moment he picked the book back up and turned the pages once more, "I'll keep reading this and see if I can find more on ghosts and how to get rid of them. Do any of you have another flashlight? I've only got the one... Maybe Clare can help us find stuff?"

Melody glanced over the page Ren had turned to show her and tapped her lips with a finger.

"Only problem is I can't figure out if this is Japanese or Chinese characters. Either way, I can't read them..."

Melody giggled. "Well lucky us, we got me. My father is Japanese, not only do I know how to write and speak the language, I've actually gone to Japan numerous times to visit his family..." She trailed off as the memories of spending time with her parents on those trips creeped into her mind.

"I'll keep reading this and see if I can find more on ghosts and how to get rid of them. Do any of you have another flashlight? I've only got the one... Maybe Clare can help us find stuff?" She heard Ren say.

Melody gentlely shook her head free of her memories. "I have a flashlight." She answered, slidding her bag from her shoulder and opening it she dug out her flashlight.

Holding it in her hand she looked at Ren and stepped beside him to look over the book pages, pointing at one of the characters she said. "That's Kanji, Seishin for spirit, and this one here," she pointed to another character on the next page. "Is Akuma, meaning demon."

"Well lucky us, we got me. My father is Japanese, not only do I know how to write and speak the language, I've actually gone to Japan numerous times to visit his family..."

Ren grinned at her as he turned to the book while she fished out her flashlight. A second later and she was right next to him, brushing against him gently. If he didn't know any better, he'd have thought the little twist in his stomach was from not eating earlier. However, her closeness was what caused it and he was thankful for the darkness to hid his light blush.

"That's Kanji, Seishin for spirit, and this one here," she pointed to another character on the next page. "Is Akuma, meaning demon."

His grin widened and he couldn't help himself, he just had to say something, "Well, would you look at that. She's pretty and knows Japanese. I don't know which is more attractive... both I think," he teased her. Then turned his eyes to the talismans on the bookshelf. He took a handful of them and put them in his back pocket. "I think these will be of some use to us then."

He flipped the page as he continued reading, looking at a picture of a ghost and another right beside it of an apparition that looked demonic. His eyebrow rose as he stared at the page. Reading through the section he figured that what they had been dealing with wasn't exactly a poltergeist but a ghost who was being possessed by a demon's presence. It was big difference. A poltergeist was a being already evil in nature and in death continues to haunt and cause chaos to those in it's area. This was a ghost who was being used by a demon because of some weakness unknown to them. Either way, if they could exercise the demon from the ghost, then she should be able to move on and rest in peace.

"Hey Melody, do you think any of these talisman's will help us exorcise a demon? I guess... which one's are for protection and which ones are for fighting?" He asked her as he took another handful of the papers and handed them to her.

“Thanks… and yes, I don’t remember anything…”

Jacob looked ever so slightly disheartened by the lack of a proper response from Clare, his brows creasing over his eyes, but he'd nodded his understanding at her situation. "Can't be helped then i guess," he said before trudging on after the others.

Ren's exclamation caught his attention quickly, making his eyes snap in the direction of his flashlight as the boy yelled to them all. The light revealed shelves of ancient books and dusty scrolls, a scene he'd never thought he'd see outside of a horror movie. Jacob gulped down his anxiety, his hands clenching inside of his pockets as he too leaned forwards to inspect them alongside Ren. Unfortunately his eyes were met by complete gibberish as he utterly failed to comprehend the language written on the transcripts. Fortunately, Ren and Melody seemed to be ahead of him.

"I'll keep reading this and see if I can find more on ghosts and how to get rid of them. Do any of you have another flashlight? I've only got the one... Maybe Clare can help us find stuff?"

Melody pulled a flashlight from her bag in reply whereas Jacob slid out his smartphone from the depths of his pockets.

"Thank god for the modern age," He smirked before frowning as he watched the both of them step forwards in a bid to find more clues, "Though i can't read Japanese or Chinese anyway." Ren's voice rose over them then as the other senior continued to read over the books.

"Hey Melody, do you think any of these talisman's will help us exorcise a demon? I guess... which one's are for protection and which ones are for fighting?"

"Fighting? You don't mean traditional fighting do you? Don't people usually perform some ritual?" Jacob commented unnervingly, showing his ignorance of the topic.

"Fighting? You don't mean traditional fighting do you? Don't people usually perform some ritual?"

Ren tapped a finger against the book as he considered Jacob's words. Then he turned the page as he finished reading it, "True. I guess that is how it's done, rituals and such. Usually performed by priests, but I don't think we'll get a priest to come here and exercise the school... Priests and such have things that protect them when they're dealing with ghosts and demons. However, I don't see that ghost up there letting us perform some long ritual without trying to stop us. I think we'll have to do fighting of some sort."

He turned and gave Jacob a sly grin, "That's what we've got Melody for. She can read these and tell us which ones to use."

As he spoke he handed some of the talismans to Jacob as well. He wasn't sure how they could use these things, but he was determined to find out. It was their best shot at getting rid of the demonic presence and sending the ghost on her way. Ren looked down to Melody giving her a wink as he knew that he'd put her on the spot without meaning to. Hopefully the girl wouldn't be too mad at him, after all, they'd just met.

"Hey Clare?" Ren called, looking through the bookshelves to see if he could see her, "Did you find anything that could add to this little bit here?"

"True. I guess that is how it's done, rituals and such. Usually performed by priests, but I don't think we'll get a priest to come here and exercise the school... Priests and such have things that protect them when they're dealing with ghosts and demons. However, I don't see that ghost up there letting us perform some long ritual without trying to stop us. I think we'll have to do fighting of some sort. That's what we've got Melody for. She can read these and tell us which ones to use."

Jacob's arms buckled as Ren abruptly dumped the talismans in his hands, his eyes still wide with surprise. He was still recovering his wits after listening to Ren's nerve racking statement. It made sense certainly, but that didn't exactly mean he was thrilled to hear it. His mouth hung open ajar slightly as he turned his eyes back to Ren, raising an eyebrow.

"That sounds...lovely," he stammered, his voice holding none of the confidence he was used to exhibiting. "Or we could just leave for today and call a priest tomorrow..." his voice trailing off as he frowned.

Quizzically, he looked back down at the talismans. How the hell was he even meant to use these? he thought narrowly, More importantly, are they really going to work?. His mind went into overdrive. If he died here would he become a ghost as well? That's the last thing he'd want . He held one of the dusty objects up closer to his face for inspection, twisting and turning the talisman over in a hopeless bid for knowledge. He felt incredible out of his depth at the moment as the others continued to scan across the bookshelves, looking for clues.

“Can’t be helped then, I guess,” the man had said. The explanation of her past, or more so why she couldn’t explain her past seemed to suffice for now. Clare watched him rush to catch up to the others.

The other man, the one with the flashlight now spoke up, calling everyone’s attention to some dusty books and scrolls on a shelf. He proceeded to pick one and open it, flipping through the pages carefully. “Looks like we might have to test out some stuff,” he said finally.

Clare had blanked out while the other boy was talking to Melody and the other human, and without realizing it she had begun walking around the shelf. Her gaze was traveling over the books and scrolls, but never really settling on one. “Maybe Clare can help us find stuff?” A voice brought her back to reality and immediately she twisted around, taking a moment to register the words before nodding silently.

“Thank god for the modern age,” the other human said. He then produced an odd object from his pocket and lit it up. Clare dismissed this for now and turned her attention back to the shelves as she began scanning for something of use. After a moment, she found her attention pulled towards a necklace with a simple black rock embedded in it. Clare tilted her head at this, unsure of what it was but noting that it seemed to glow or shine. It seemed familiar, but she shook it off when the human with the book called to her.
“Hey Clare?” he said, “Did you find anything that could add to this little bit here?”

Clare’s eyes shifted from the one who questioned her, to the necklace before finally she replied, “I couldn’t find anything, but if course it would be more helpful if I could pick things up.” The sentence dropped near the end, a saddened tone creeping into her voice.

“I couldn’t find anything, but of course it would be more helpful if I could pick things up.”

Ren tossed her a wry smile through the shelving, catching her filmy form as she moved, "Don't worry Clare. It's alright. I think we've got enough here to give this a shot," he said, snapping the book shut. From what he'd read, in order to exorcise the demon from the ghost, they were going to need to use the talismans that he'd found. One was for shielding them, the other for casting out the demon in the ghost. The only thing was, he didn't know which was which. His eyes fell on Melody then, she knew Japanese and was counting on her then to tell him which one to use.

"Ready to go free this ghost woman? I think she's about over due for leaving," he asked the little blonde next to him. He wasn't going to force them to follow him, but he started for the exit. His pocket filled with the little white sheets of paper. His heart was beating rapidly as he walked. Both from excitement and a bit of fear. Ren would call himself a fool if he wasn't afraid with the thought of what he was about to do next.

A strange thought filled him, since when did I become a ghost hunter? It was a legitimate question, but one answered only by his love for investigations and solving things. Mysteries were his favorite thing to read about and he usually had figured out 'who done it' before the book ever finished. This excursion was no different, except he was playing the detective in reality and trying not to get hurt in the process. He stopped in mid step then, looking down to his bare chest that he'd completely forgotten about during the last hour or so. The blood had dried and the cuts were probably in dire need of being cleaned. With a grimace he looked back to the doorway he'd created and then down to his chest again.

"Damn," he muttered as he pulled the loose shirt aside to see the extent of the cuts. The white cloth was stained with dried blood that made the fabric stiff to the touch, "Before that," he said as he turned around to Melody, "Do you still have that first aid kit with you?" He said with a small smile as he flapped the shirt in order to get her attention to what he meant.

Melody was looking over the symbols on the talismans when Ren spoke to her.

"Hmm?" She glanced over to see Ren gently flapping his torn shirt, her eyes widened as she saw the dried blood.

"Oh god! We should have taken care of that sooner!" She said dropping the talismans she held.

Dropping to her knees she yanked open her bag and pulled out the first aid kit. "Sit and get rid of that shirt." She said sternly while pulling out cloths, wrapping and the peroxide bottle. "Jacob any chance you have a spare shirt for Ren?"

Mad and impatient, more at herself, she reached for and grabbed Ren's hand, and gave a firm pull. "I don't know what possible infections you could get from a wound made by a ghost, so even after I bandage you up, you better keep an eye on it."

"Ready to go free this ghost woman? I think she's about over due for leaving,"

Jacob's eyes shot upwards at Ren as his voice reached him, the senior's comment causing his lips to pull into a slight smirk. He noticed something then about the boy, something about his fear, or the lack thereof to be more specific. Ren seemed excited, eager almost to see this through. It was an aura Jacob had noticed that the boy gave off ever since the first ghost came down the stairway to attack them. Glumly, he looked back down at the talismans in his hands and frowned, still unsure what exactly he was meant to do with them. Squeezing his the objects within his palm, he found a sort of resolve boiling within him as he thought back to the wound across Ren's chest. If the other senior still insisted to see this through after even that, then maybe they should.

His chest heaved a sigh as he stepped up after Ren, running a hand through his matted hair only to pause as Ren twisted back to them, a nonchalant smile playing across his features as he flapped his shirt to draw their attention. "Do you still have that first aid kit with you?"

Melody stumbled to assist him, dropping her talismans in her haste to reach him and causing Jacob to roll his eyes. "Jacob any chance you have a spare shirt for Ren?"

A short crisp sound of unzipping followed before Jacob's sports jacket landed besides them. "Unless he wants to wear my sweaty gym clothes, he'll have to do with that for now, even if it is a little too big for him," Jacob smirked, "And i've never heard of a ghost infection either, so i think you can rest easy in that regard. More importantly, seeing as you're the only one who can read japanese," he paused, bending down to pick up some of the talismans Melody had dropped before waving them in his hand, "If you could tell us anything about how to use these, that should hopefully prevent us from getting more serious injuries."

"And i've never heard of a ghost infection either, so i think you can rest easy in that regard. More importantly, seeing as you're the only one who can read Japanese. If you could tell us anything about how to use these, that should hopefully prevent us from getting more serious injuries."

Ren gave a soft laugh even as he winced from her cleaning the cut. The peroxide bubbled across the cuts and he ignored the slight burn that it caused. Reaching out, he slowly removed the shirt and tossed it aside. He left it off to allow Melody to finish cleaning and bandaging the cuts. They weren't too serious and that he was grateful for. With a smirk on his lips he watched the blonde before him as she dutifully worked, "Well, at least I've got a pretty nurse to look at," he said to her, hoping to catch her off guard.

"And yes, if you could tell us which ones are more for defense and which are used to fight off a demon, that would be great," Ren added as he sat there. Then he looked up to Jacob and gave him a short nod, "Thanks for the jacket. You sure you'll be alright? I can just put my shirt back on, nothing wrong with that. It's cold tonight, wouldn't want you getting sick or anything."

Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he read the green letters across the screen, 8:25 pm. He was going to be a bit late getting home, that much was for sure. Even so, he shrugged and waited to be finished with the little blonde before him. Ren had to admit, the girl was cute, and even more so when she was flustered. He wondered why exactly she'd stayed so late at the school. She'd already told him her reason, but he had a feeling it was a little deeper than that. He didn't dwell on it though, knowing that if she wanted to say anything about it, she would. Besides, they'd just met, why would she spill all her thoughts on him right then?

"So," Ren started as he sat there while she worked, "anyone know any ghost stories?" he grinned with a laugh.

"Well, at least I've got a pretty nurse to look at," Melody blushed and let her hair fall to cover her face.

"My mother taught me, she's a nurse..." She whispered, then cleared her throat. "Once I'm finished patching you up, I'll hand them out. And what i mean by a ghost infection, is with their ectoplasm, which is what ghosts, or spirits, have covering their body, allowing them to interact with the 'real' or physical world."

Drowning out the sounds around her, she started bandaging Ren's wounds and went over the symbols on the talismans in her head, sorting out defensive from offensive.

"So, anyone know any ghost stories?" She heard Ren laugh as she finished tying his bandage.

Melody gave a half laugh. "No ghost stories here." She sat back. "The only stories I know are of a sad girl who hates her divorced parents and would rather have friends no one else but her can see."

"Thanks for the jacket. You sure you'll be alright? I can just put my shirt back on, nothing wrong with that. It's cold tonight, wouldn't want you getting sick or anything."

"You know what, i will likely be cold, but i don't really mind at the moment. Too much excitement and fear in me to notice the cold," Jacob returned with a shrug. "Besides, should you really be concerned about me in your state? You're going to be even colder than i am with half a shirt," he finished with a smirk.

Jacob sighed as he continued to watch Melody's fretful impression of medical aid, mild amusement coloring his features. The least she could do was at least try to not make it so obvious she was flustered. It amazed him that she seemed so composed about their ghost situation yet the moment something involved direct contact with Ren she lost it. He listened to their conversation with interest as Melody explained the mechanics of a ghost infection. "Once I'm finished patching you up, I'll hand them out. And what i mean by a ghost infection, is with their ectoplasm, which is what ghosts, or spirits, have covering their body, allowing them to interact with the 'real' or physical world."

Her words were ultimately lost on him. He'd never been particularly adept at science, but he understood the basic premise and so allowed her to continue with her treatment unabated. "So, anyone know any ghost stories?" Ren laughed jokingly as he waited for her finish.

"No ghost stories here. The only stories I know are of a sad girl who hates her divorced parents and would rather have friends no one else but her can see."

Melody's reply initiated another frown over his curt features as he realised she referencing herself. Jacob's hands fell to his hips as he tried to divert them past the awkwardness of the subject, "Don't even joke about that," he chiding the other boy before glancing warily at Clare, "If i see or hear about one more homicidal ghost i'm going to freak out."

Ren felt his smile fade as he listened to Melody's words. There was obviously more to the girl than he saw and he felt a twinge of sorrow for her as well as regret for asking the question. He hadn't wanted her to feel depressed for any reason. As she finished tying the bandages, he pulled on the jacket that Jacob had offered him and zipped it up. The jacket was much to big for him, but he didn't really care, it would do well for its purpose.

"Don't even joke about that. If i see or hear about one more homicidal ghost i'm going to freak out," Jacob commented, giving Ren a bit of a 'look' in the process. He noted it and bit his lip in response. Clearing his throat he looked between them all as he stood up and put on a smile though his nerves were writhing beneath his facade.

"Well, now that I'm patched up, lets go put miss pissey back to where she belongs yes?" Ren started back towards the hole he'd created, his flashlight bobbing up and down as he walked. In a matter of moments he was back out into the hallway where he shined the light down one way then the other. There was no sign of the ghost or anything else out of the ordinary so he turned to the others and motioned that it was alright to come out. After a moment, he turned down the hall that led to the front of the school.

"Lets go this way and see if we can find her. Last time I encountered her on the second floor, so I think her domain in between the first and second floor. If we can catch her, we can try these talismans and send her on her merry way," he said as he walked towards the staircase that led to the second floor. Once he got there, he immediately shined his light up the stairs to the landing, but he didn't see anything. Turning, he pointed the flashlight down the hall that intersected the one they'd just come from. Still nothing was seen. With a quick glance over his shoulder to the others, he shrugged and started up the stairs.

Once he was at the landing, he flashed the light down the hall. Finally he spotted her, hovering outside the second to last door at the end. About the same spot he'd encountered her the first time. Without moving the light, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out the papers with the Japanese lettering on it. Unsure of how it worked, he tried the first thing that came to mind. Putting the paper between his fingers, he held it out and thought as hard as he could on ridding the ghost of the demon inside her. After a long while of standing there most likely looking like an idiot, nothing happened and he expelled his pent up breath.

"Damn... this is going to be harder than it looks," he said as he dropped his hand down to his side and let his head fall forward. With a sigh he stood like that for a moment, then lifted his head to see the ghost coming down the hall at them. His eyes widened and his heart rate accelerated. "Oh... shit," he cursed and lifted the paper again, this time thinking about being shielded and how much he did not want to cut again. To his surprise, as the ghost pulled back to swipe her claws at him, she hit something solid about a foot away from him and the group. Ren could feel the hit, a sensation that was hard to describe filled his body. It was the only thing that told him that she'd hit something.

Then the paper disintegrated in his hands. His heart jumped to his throat and he quickly grabbed another. Looking at the symbols, he noted that they were different than the one's he'd seen and decided to try his earlier approach. This time, something did happen and the ghost pulled back from them. She emitted a loud inhuman scream as her ghostly figure arched backwards. The little paper between his fingers glowed a bright yellow hue as the ghost in front of them continued to scream. Finally, as the paper disintegrated, the woman fell forward and looked up at them. Her beautiful face looked directly at Ren as her lips moved without making any sound. Then she faded into a bright blue sphere and whisked away.

Ren let out a loud breath and looked back to the group. With a grin, as well as his heart thudding in his ears he laughed slightly, "Wow. Well then guys. Welcome to Mist High hu?"

- Part 1 -End-