The Medium
Disclaimer: I own nothing
A/N:
Chapter 7 (Legacy and Prison)
"You want to do what?" Emerald stared blankly at Beck from across the bar, so he stared back without repeating himself. He wanted a job at the place. Preferably security. He was aware his age made things difficult, but this was for research. "I mean maybe I can talk to Laura about getting you to work maintenance for a bit, but she wouldn't go for bouncer."
"I understand, though I don't see why age would stop her when already she's hiring underage workers for a job that really shouldn't have underage workers." He jerked a thumb to the stripper working a pole on stage and watched a smirk form on Emerald's lips.
His eyes drifted down to an amulet that was hanging from her neck and he started to furrow his brow. The amulet was a fancy crescent shaped, emerald color gem with small specks of color glittering from within. "That is a very nice necklace, by the way." Emerald glanced down and lifted the necklace in her hand, smiling gently.
For a moment he thought the necklace glowed, whether it was reflection or his mind playing a trick on him. "Thanks. Grandma gave it to me when I was a little girl. You remember how I told you grandpa started opened a bar here?"
"Yeah."
"There's a little story to this necklace, grandma told me about." Beck took a sip of his new glass of soda as Emerald took the empty glass beside it and started to wash it out. "My family has always had success in this particular area, Grandma has a theory and says it involves this thing." Emerald walked back to Beck, giving a gentle sigh. "I don't really believe the legend all that much, part of me does, but overall I think it's a fantastic story."
Curiosity piqued, Beck set his glass down and leaned forward, studying the gem. "What's the story?" The two older men gazed at the gem, smiling bright as Emerald removed it from around her neck. She leaned forward, holding the gem carefully in the palm of her hand as she pushed it towards Beck.
"Grandma says our family has always lived in this spot, dating past even the original settlers. Dating back to one of the original Indian tribes in this area, and maybe further out than that." Beck raised his eyebrows and curled a finger over his lip. "One of our ancestors came across this trinket buried here, and soon found great success-becoming a tribal chief. Grandma always said over time, this amulet has brought peace, it's brought protection and happiness."
"Very nice."
"Yeah, I mean I believe you have to find your own happiness and that you can't get it from a simple object, but I won't deny I love the story behind this." Emerald returned it to her neck and cupped a hand over the gem. "Grandma gave it to me, like I said, when I was little, and told me that it would always grant me protection against evil."
"Another legend?"
"Yeah, but the funny thing is whether it was Grandma and Grandpa, Mom and Dad, or even their ancestors…this thing has always been around when they made a success out of something." Emerald leaned forward, sliding her hands out along the bar. "I have it now, but look at this place. Look what it's become…"
"If it were yours, you'd change it? Get rid of the strip club?"
"I'd help all the girls here find their way, but yeah this wouldn't be a strip club. I'd return it to what it was once, into the vision Dad and grandpa had, with my own twist on it too. They had something they brought to put themselves into the place, and I'll do the same. If anything, I'd love to be able to bring my husband and children here."
"You're married?" He looked at her hand and frowned. "Why no ring?"
"Laura won't let me wear it. She says a married bartender has no place being here because bar patrons need to be able to feel like they can flirt and so forth. I don't allow it, however, but I keep the ring off just to appease her."
"Understandable."
"That being said, she apparently still sees some value of having the original owner's kid around as a manager-I have no clue why."
"Same reason she had my birth father as head of security, I suppose." Emerald's lips formed an oval and her eyebrows rose high. "The whole 'keep your enemies close' thing."
"Jack? Jack is your dad?"
"Yeah, birth father anyway…I only just found out about him." Emerald leaned over the bar, perching her elbow on the surface and curling a hand under her chin. She frowned at him and moved her eyes up and down, studying his appearance.
"I'm a little shocked I didn't see it, but yeah there's a little of him in you." She leaned back, patting her hand on the bar surface. "Tell you what, you're wanting to work here, I'll hire you. I've got full control of my bar at least, you can help me in the daytime when it's not busy. I get more focus on the bar during the daytime hours, you can clean up behind the bar and start learning the trade if you'd like."
Beck grinned wide and nodded, eager to take up the job. It could help him discover more about the place and the ghosts within it, then he could figure out how to save it. "Great. Also, between you and me, Jack is working on shutting down the strip club, getting it away from Laura."
"Okay. Then maybe if that happens I can buy this place back. If I can't find my dad's will, I can at least buy it. I'd take a hit in my savings just on that and remodeling, but it'd be worth it."
"Hey, anything to help the rightful owner." Beck extended his hand, smirking bright as he watched the smirk form on Emerald's face. "Because I'm helping my birth dad too, so I'm wanting to help you."
"Tell you what. You help me get my family's bar back, and you will always have a place to work here if you want." She shook his hand and nodded. "Just be aware, I only want you cleaning up-don't handle the alcohol until you're actually twenty-one. Okay?"
"Understood. By the way, my sister-well, semi adopted sister, now legitimate sister-in-law has a dad that's working on a case against Laura…If you were willing to talk to him, maybe you can provide some witness accounts, evidence and whatnot."
"I'll give it a thought."
"Great! Detective Gary Malone, you'll want to look him up. Maybe provide him with a list of underage strippers being forced to work here and whatnot. I know a lot of people would be put out of work and all, but you'll be that much closer to getting your family's life back."
"Yeah, I'd have to let go of a lot of people an anyway. I have a few people I'd consider keeping, people I know are loyal to me and want a change. Hell, our head chef would rather cook the menu options my family had rather than the slop we're forced to serve now."
"Thanks." Another customer sat down, so Emerald went to tend to the customer. Behind Beck, a stripper walked up to him. She was remarkably thin, had a youthful face and long blonde hair. Beck glanced over his shoulder and frowned at the girl. Emerald's father and grandfather watched him, looking at the girl as calmly as possible. "Hello."
"Hi." Her chest heaved and her lips trembled, tugging at the strands of strawberry blonde hair glued to her lips. She had a cold sweat running down her body and pale eyes. "Help me. Help us."
With Emerald at the other end of the bar and no one within earshot, Beck bowed his head and focused his stare on the glass. His voice lowered to a whisper and he released a soft sigh. "How can I help?"
"We're trapped, all of us. We can't leave."
"How about Emerald's family?"
"They're bound to her, not this place, they are free to go anywhere they like, but we are bound here. We can't leave, we can't cross over. Emerald's grandma can't even come in here, there's too much pain."
"Emerald's grandmother."
"She's an angel," answered Emerald's father. Beck flinched at the sound of the man's voice, not expecting him to speak up. "Like that amulet, like her grandfather and myself, that woman watches over Emerald…but she can't step foot in this place."
"A guardian angel. It makes sense a place with as much Theevil energy as this would keep a guardian spirit at bay. That's what the amulet is for, isn't it?"
"Emerald may not believe the legend that gem has, but it protects her. With as much as every ancestor that held it can, they watch over her. They watch over this land."
"I'm going to help your daughter and your family to reclaim this shop." Beck closed his eyes for a minute, then returned his attention to the stripper. "And I'm going to help you, and all the spirits trapped in this place to cross over."
"That's going to be a challenge." Beck turned his eyes towards the man and furrowed his brow. "They can't cross over, something is keeping them from doing it. Just like something is draining the energy and life from the living that work here, the ghosts trapped here are being drained as well. When they say they cannot leave, they truly cannot leave."
"My mother has left this club multiple times, as has a girl by the name of Jenny."
"They have attachments elsewhere." The man crossed his arms and shook his head. "If your father is Jack, then I am sure I know who your mother is-she is one of the few strippers that managed to escape this hellhole. She died elsewhere, and lived enough of a life to have attachments elsewhere."
"True. What about Jenny? She killed herself here, her parents were murdered here."
"Is there anyone she might have attached herself to beforehand?"
"Yes. Jack and his son, Jason."
"Then she is able to leave this club. Many do not have outside attachments, and something here-something very evil-traps them here. Eventually all of the ghosts here will be gone, but they won't cross over."
"You mean like oblivion of some sort?" His stomach tightened as he remembered Leroy's punishment. "It's forbidden for a ghost to send another ghost that way, and only the grim reaper can destroy a ghost."
"Not necessarily only, you just acknowledged other ghosts can do it. That means other powers are able to…something absorbs the energy and essence of the spirits trapped here, of the dead and the iving. Whatever energy doing this cannot touch my daughter, she's been safeguarded by her ancestors and by us." He pointed to him and to his father. "She is protected, but for how long?"
"That's a very good question…" He took a deep breath and sighed. "Do you know anything about Jenny's parents, by the way?"
"I do."
"Laura murdered them?"
"Yes. Her mother's trapped in back halls of the club, a chained spirit. Her father is one of those that can leave the club, but he always comes back. Moving freely between here and the cemetery, forever searching for his daughter."
"Can they cross over?"
"Like the others, they cannot."
"Shit…" He needed to figure this out, and fortunately the more he was here the more he'd be able to research. Still, he acknowledged the need to be careful. He had to be strong, to prevent whatever force present from destroying him as well. It was going to be an uphill battle, that much was certain, but he wasn't going to give up anytime soon.
So what are your thoughts here? I
