Just a short Halloween themed story I'm writing to help with my writer's block. I can't imagine this story to go on for longer than 10-15 chapters. Enjoy! I'd just like to thank you all for the support on my other stories. It means a lot to me! :)
"Come on, Zane! It's a haunted house! Around Halloween!" Jay was practically having to shove Zane out the door. The white ninja was in the middle of developing a particularly delicious cake recipe for Cole's upcoming birthday.
"If you're that excited for this "haunted" house, I suppose I could interrupt my cooking. A fake haunted house won't phase me." Zane wasn't a fan of the supernatural, being as logical as he was.
"Don't knock it 'till you try it." Jay shrugged, and fetched Zane's shurikens for him.
Sure, he hadn't told Zane it wasn't a human-mad haunted house and they'd actually be heading into a legit haunted castle, but Jay had figured that was a minor detail. The first, and last, person to head into the haunted house hadn't come back. It was terrifying. Or as Jay saw it, a challenge.
Zane drove his cycle, Jay clinging on in the back seat. It was so cold next to the exhaust pipes, Jay thought he'd be frozen solid by the time they arrived. Zane seemed perfectly content, however, despite the chilly October air. With Jay's instructions, they rode deeper and deeper into the forest following a dirt road. When the rode ended, they trekked on foot. Well, if jumping through trees counted as travelling on foot. Finally, when Jay's feet felt like they were going to fall off, a manor made of moss-encrusted stone came into view. Butterflies erupted in Jay's stomach. Zane, on the contrary, seemed blissfully unaware of the danger Jay was catapulting him into.
"This is gonna be awesome!" Jay made fists at his sides.
"If you say so." Zane still had no faith in Jay's idea of a scare.
As the friends pulled open the door to the castle, Jay got a whiff of what smelled like decay and staleness. Zane seemed mildly impressed.
"Very realistic." Zane knelt down to fell some shrubbery growing from the cracks.
"Oh, there's something I forgot to mention..." Jay trailed off as a whisp of purple smoke rose from a throne sitting at the opposite end of the room. Zane ignored him, still inspecting the foliage. The smoke started to glow and enlarge, encasing the throne in a strange purple aura.
"Zane?" Jay said in a half-panicked whisper.
"Yes, what can I- Oh my!" Zane stood up, amused. "This is a big step from the quality I mostly see. It seems to be-"
"Don't you understand the danger we're in? This isn't a fake haunted house! We're in a manor! This is real!" Jay whisper-hissed.
"A real haunted house?" Zane gazed skeptically at his friend, and the throne. Just as he was about to criticize, a girl, wrapped in the same glow, rose from the throne and floated over to them.
Zane recognized what she was immediately. She was a lovaquis. Spirits who longed for love but never found it.
"Jay. On my count, run as fast as you possibly can." Zane said in a low voice, and the girl drew closer, inspecting the both of them closely.
"One..." She landed in front of Zane, her blue eyes staring strait into his. Zane didn't break the stare.
"Two..." Zane took a step back. The Lovaquis noticed the escape plan, and shot out her hand, which slammed the door shut behind them.
"Uh oh!" Jay gulped, and the girl used her magic to keep the frightened boys in their places.
"Who.. are you?" She asked, tilting her head at Zane.
"My name is Zane." He began, casting a glance at Jay, who seemed to be regretting asking Zane anything earlier that day.
"You are a robot, no?" She tapped on his arm.
"How did you...?" Zane stared, dumbfounded.
"I just knew." She shrugged. "So you don't die, yes?"
"I guess so." Zane folded his arms in front of him.
"Good, good. Humans die so fast." She sounded as if she blamed the lifespan on them. She seemed to cast Jay aside in favor of the immortal in front of her.
"Why do you ask?" Zane was genuinely curious.
"Well, the last one who came was too old. Didn't last." She, once again, sounded disappointed in all of mankind.
"How long was he here?" Zane looked around. The room seemed to have gotten brighter.
"Are you two love birds almost done?" Jay grumbled. Zane looked confused, while the Lovaquis danced happily in the air.
"Lovebirds! Yes! Such chemistry. I can feel it already." She grabbed Zane's head in her hand, and gazed dreamily into his eyes.
"Hey hey! I didn't mean it so literally!" Jay's stomach dropped as Zane looked, distressed, around the room, searching for escape routes.
Jay was slowly realizing what was happening. This ghost-girl had the hots for Zane, and it looks like she wasn't going to give him her phone number and set up a dinner date. She wanted to keep him here till the end of time. As her not-so-willing bot-friend.