After reading through a lot of the 13 Ghosts fictions I have come to realise that the seventh ghost; The Pilgrimess isn't mentioned as much as she deserves so this fiction will focus on all of the ghosts including her…..

Throwing Stones In A Glass House

Chapter 1 - Job Satisfaction

Good evening. For those of you who don't know me my name is Clive Hawkins, some call me a Psychic, others call me a Freak, my Parents called my Special. I however prefer the term Seer, its a more accurate name for me and it sounds cooler. I was born in Cheshire, England before moving to America when I turned 18.

Introductions aside I was hired by Warren Kriticos, the son of the acclaimed ghost 'buster' if you will. Cyrus Kriticos, he wanted to rebuild his father glass home and once again collect the twelve spirits of the black zodiac and I was with him every step of the way. In a small way I felt remorse for the souls, trapped again after being released. They never saw me while being captured, my telepathy was strong enough for me to call them out without any trouble whatsoever and after the last ghost was captured and placed within the basement, however I fear my guilt has got the better of me as I have repeatedly gone against Warrens orders and have attempted to free the trapped ghosts to no avail. Im just glad Warren never found out.

"Clive." Warren stood beside me and patted me on the shoulder. "Here it is." He indicated the finished glass house. "My uncles life work! Its been fun using your powers but Im afraid I lied, I don't want to collect the thirteenth ghost or open the eye of hell. I wanted to trap those ghosts and never let them out, and seeing as you like them so much you can join them…. that will teach you to try to free them behind my back."

"How.. how did you know?". I stood dumbstruck and began to step forward before two of Warrens men restrained me and held me down as Warren hovered a small device in front of my face. "This random number generator will decide which ghost you will spend the remainder of your days with." I nearly suffered a heart attack from fear. If that generator gave me the wrong number I would be dead meat for the more hostile ghosts trapped in the basement. "Oh I wouldn't worry dear Clive." Chuckled Warren. "Think of it as a game show and Im the host, but instead of losing money… you lose your life."

The numbers between one and twelve were whirring back and forth until it got slower and slower and landed on a very uncertain number. Warren looked at it and frowned, not sure what to make of it. "Seven." He said aloud. "Not what I was hoping for but so be it, at least you'll die of starvation." He made a gesture to the two men holding me back and they began to drag me into the completed glass house, I tried to struggle but it was in vain. Soon we were on the first floor above the containment cubes, I was held over what appeared to be a trap door leading into one of the cubes.

Warren waved at me. "Goodbye dear friend, have fun with the Pilgrimess." with that he snapped his fingers and the trapdoor opened. I yelled as I fell through the floor and landed smack bang in the middle of the cube, Warren didn't bother with the special glasses I could easily see the ghosts without them due to my power.

I shuddered as the form of a young women began to materialise before my very eyes, her hair was long and matted while her arms and neck were restrained with an ancient pair of wooden stocks and she didn't look very happy to see me.

With a loud cry she ran at me. I ducked out of the way while she tried to lunge at me again this time she landed a hit on my stomach and sent me to the floor. She shouted and tried to hit me, I put both hands onto the wooden brace she wore and pushed as hard as I could keeping her back. For a good five minutes we kept at the small duel, however the woman spirit yelled once more before relenting and moving to the corner of the cell, she crouched down and bowed her head and began to mumble words I couldn't hear, I stood up slowly and felt around my ribs to check none of them had been broken. I was then hit by confusion. 'Why has she given up so soon?' I thought to myself as she continued to mumble.

I decided to let her get on with it while I scanned the other cells and sure enough the forms of the other ghosts began to appear, the First Born Son followed by The Torso, The Bound Woman, The Withered Lover, The Torn Prince, The Angry Princess, The Great Child, The Dire Mother, The Hammer, The Jackal and The Juggernaut. They all stared at me with blank, unreadable expressions, then I heard a voice from above.

"Take this freak it might help." Yelled a worker who threw an old book down the trap door before shutting it and taking off laughing.

I clenched and unclenched my fists before losing my patience and punching the walls. "Don't call me freak!" He didn't hear me, but the ghosts did, some were smiling faintly at my burst of rage, one looked worried, the withered lover but the poor woman wasn't like the others… she was kind, caring and considerate. Which reminded me of the spirit I was sharing a cube with. I had to talk to her, see if she would reply.

I stepped forward confidently as she rose back up from crouching her back still too me. "Good evening miss."

The Pilgrimess immediately turned around and growled at me, I held up my hands. "Its ok I wont hurt you, I promise."

The woman sneered again and stepped forward. "What do you think you are doing in my cube?" she asked with a dark tone, I looked over the cube, it was covered with leaves and cobwebs making it seem older than it actually was.

I tried to let go any indications of fear and shrugged. "Honestly? I don't know. Warren being a complete Benedict Arnold might have something to do with it. Didn't you see me fall in through there?" I pointed upwards, she didn't bother to look.

"If I cant kill you." She inquired in an irritated tone. "Then what can I do?".

I went to say something but drew a blank, for the first time in my life I actually didn't know what to do, I felt an overwhelming urge of complete despair surge through me, I backed away to the wall and sunk down until I was sitting on the floor, I put my head in my hands and sighed. "I don't know." I fought back a tear. "I really don't know, Warren told me he would release you to rest in peace, not trap you again, he probably even found out I was trying to break you out when no one was looking.

The Pilgrimess then looked at me with wide eyes. "You mean that person that tried to open my cell and free me.. was you?" She asked in surprise.

I just nodded as I slunk even lower, I then felt several clunks and bangs as the young woman sat down next to me… well tried due to her being locked in the stocks, I flinched and backed away slightly, she curved an evil smile as I sat on the opposite side of the cube. After what seemed like a couple of hours I dozed off and woke later to find the ghost still sitting there watching me I sat up. "I never even got to find out more about you." Then I looked at the book, the woman looked too. I picked it up and quickly began thumbing through the pages before I got to a crucial page. "This is the book warren was telling me about, it tells me all I need to know about each ghost." I looked around. None of the other ghosts were paying attention to me and were looking in different directions while they tried to break out of the cubes to no avail.

I skipped forward to the entry of the seventh ghost. "The Pilgrimess." The Pilgrimess looked up with a curious expression. "The seventh ghost of the black zodiac. Name Isabella Smith." She looked ready to cry as I said the name.

"Thats a name I haven't heard in years." She said quietly. I resumed reading…

"Born 26th may 1667, Died 17th october 1675." I said quietly. "You're 18, same as me." I remarked with a small smile. Isabella shed another tear and smiled slightly. "Moved to england….. Shut out from the town…. Accused of witchcraft….. Starved to death." I said the last part with remorse, but this time Isabella had broken down and was crying uncontrollably, I was shocked I didn't know ghosts could cry.

I slowly went over to Isabella and put my hand on her shoulder. "Its ok Im here." I said quietly. Isabella calmed down after a minute of crying and I sat facing her with genuine look of kindness and care. A face I hadn't worn in a while. "Isabella. Im sorry about what happened to you, being wrongly accused just because you were different."

Isabella looked away from me and sniffed. "Its not like you would understand anyway, they hated me for not believing in god and not going to church, I wasn't being hateful I just never believed any of it I mean so much pain has happened because of it and I guess my defiance cost me my life too."

I was shocked, here I was sat with a young ghost around my age who was pouring her heart out just for me. "Isabella in a way I do understand before I moved from england I was picked on because of my weird nature and my ability to see things others couldn't, they called me crazy and beat me up, took my money and threw stones at me." I said fighting back tears.

Isabella began to smiled. "When they locked me up in the stocks they threw stones at me too."

We both looked into each others eyes, sorrow and kindness took over and I touched my forehead to Isabellas, being a seer I could also touch ghosts as well as see them without the glasses. "Isabella its ok, they cant hurt you ever again."

After a minute of what I would've called a friendly hug, which would've been easier without the stocks Isabella sat up straighter and looked at me expectantly.

"What?" I asked confused.

"You've already read enough about me, now tell me about you."

I frowned. "Less than four hours ago, I dropped in and you tried to beat me up."

Isabella rolled her eyes. "I thought you were a threat, I was only defending myself, now stop putting it off and tell me all about you…. please."

I smirked and thought for a second. "Well…. my names is Clive Hawkins, I was born in England same as my mother and father."

Isabella quickly asked. "Whereabouts in England? Before I moved I was born in London."

"I was born and raised in Cheshire."

Isabella continued to smile as I told her all about my life, the remainder of the night we told each other stories from our childhoods and lives, before I knew it we were sitting closer together and finally I asked her one question I had been itching to ask.

"Is there anyway to get those stocks off you?"

Isabella sighed. "Sadly without the key they will never come off."

This is where I smiled as I dug into my pocket. "Obviously you have never heard of the old art of lock picking." I took out a metal lock pick and a small thin rod, I kneeled down next to Isabella. "Now if you will hold still please this take long."

After two minutes of fiddling and tinkering the ever resounding snap of success sounded as the lock was broken and the ancient wooden stocks fell of Isabella, she sighed heavily as her arms, shoulders and neck relaxed instantly. After a small stretch she looked at me and ran towards me.

I cringed but all I felt were her arms around my waist as she hugged me tightly. "Clive, you've freed me from the stocks. Oh thank you thank you!" She yelled happily.

I weezed comically as she increased her grip around my waist. "Isabella Im glad I helped you but could you please…."

She realised and let me go quickly. "Oh sorry its still weird not knowing my own strength being a ghost and all."

I held up my hand. "No its quite alright although I wish I had some food in here with me I need to eat something while I think of a way out of this cube."

Isabella looked sad. "Please don't leave me alone in here." She said quickly.

"Who said it would just be me walking out that door?" I said with a wink, she may have been a ghost that previously tried to kill me, but she was growing on me and she was my age and kind of cute…..

I snapped out of the self induced trance as I found a packet of wine gums in my blazer pocket, I held up the packet as if I was holding the cure for world hunger. "Yes oh thank you maynard!"

I looked to see Isabella showing off her freedom from the stocks to all the over ghosts. "Look! Clive got me out of the shackles. Im free from them."

The Jackal just smirked and waved his contorted arms around. "Oh hoo bloody ray!" He yelled. "You get freedom but I still have a birdcage stuck on my head!"

"Im so happy for you dear." The withered lover said from her cube next to Isabellas.

I had zoned out as I continued to read through the book titled 'The Arcanum' I thanked god that I was fluent in latin and spells alike otherwise this book would have been nearly unreadable, and as I continued to read my excitement grew, there was a spell that could teleport me to another room in the house.

"Isabella! Ive found a way out! A spell that will transport me." She hugged me again.

"Oh dear all of this good news I might end up fainting." She said as she swung her arms around enjoying the freedom of movement.

"And I will free everyone else too!"

I then heard a deep rumble that sounded like laughter coming from the Hammer. "You sure you wanna let me, Ryan and Horace out?"

I looked over to them, I thought about it and no I didn't want them loose… well not yet, but what if I could change them?….

There we go nice and long and for those who don't know the Pilgrimess look up Xantha Radley, she played the ghost in the film and in my opinion she is fine, but I digress read, review, criticism welcome, flamers can sod off, il update when Im bothered and goodnight :)