~Ending the Haunt~
Chapter 10
Fried stood completely frozen, watching the girl in front of him. 'This is her territory- let her make the first move', he thought as the girl took silent, slightly shaky steps to him. All the while, they never broke eye contact. Slowly he kneeled before her when she was within range for him to just grab. But he didn't. No words were spoken. Small hands, the smell of blood and dirt on them, reached forward to cup his cheeks in a chilled hold. The touch was light, almost like he was some strange thing and she was curious about him.
Up close now, Fried could tell she wasn't blind. He has seen blind people before- just as they finally lost their sight or years later after the event. And this girl didn't have those eyes. Anyways, she wouldn't have been able to walk around, let alone kill a man and attack a family. "Hello," he softly whispered, hoping to avoid spooking her and risk the chance of getting attacked. She merely shoved him to the floor before running off, her bare footsteps no louder than that of a mouse. Bewildered, he stayed where he was sprawled on the wood in case she wanted him to stay where she left him. A few moments later, she came back carrying a beaten up dark blue book. She pushed the dusty book into his chest before dropping to her knees, leaning forward with her hands pressed against the floor.
"Do you want me to read this?" The mage even pointed to it for emphasis.
She nodded slowly, almost as if she didn't completely understand the question but it sounded good. Carefully opening it, he started to silently read the slightly messy cursive handwriting. As the words flowed into his brain, his eyes widen while his heart seemed to beat increasingly faster. From over the top of the small book, he peered at the girl. Her head was tilted slightly and he could see her nose slightly flare as though she smelled something strange. The girl whipped her head up, facing the window.
An animal like growl bubbled out of her throat, before the preteen prowled on her hands and knees to the cracked window. Her shoulders became tight as if she was getting ready to attack or be attacked. Fried followed her lead and looked outside, his heart stopping for a moment. There was a man out front wearing a simple black suit and holding a flashlight in one hand and a gun in the other. He looked average and plain, someone who you would pass by on the street and not think twice about. But the worst part about this seemingly unimportant man was the small black claw mark tattooed on the right side of his neck. That mark only meant one thing- this man was one of his father's underlings. Cursing mentally, Fried had to take a moment to wonder how his father found him so fast before it was wiped away. This was his father he was up against, after all.
The green haired man turned to face the snarling girl and quietly- quickly- whispered, "Hide." She looked as him blankly, as if the word- the very concept- wasn't something new to her. And given what he just learned from that book- her mother's diary of all things-, he wasn't surprised. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he looked her straight in the eyes as he gave her instructions. "I need you to hide. That man is dangerous and he wants me. But he'll hurt you too. So go hide. Please?" There was that uncertain nod of the head again. Fried leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She needed one.
Fried carefully walked out of the room and outside, his sword drawn and runes dancing under his fingertips. "There you are, "the underling said when Fried came into view."It is time to come back home." The gun was raised and pointed at him.
"That place is not my home." And with that, Fried casted a quick spell over the earth. Vines shot up and reached to grab the enemy, spikes embedded everywhere on them. The man jumped up, the vines following him like bloodhounds, and fired a couple of shots at Fried. One glazed his cheek and the other one hit his thigh. The Fairy Tail member grunted before casting another spell. There was no time to cast any of his "rules" so he had to make do with quick spells to buy time.
A few minutes later, and just as he was about to cast another spell, the now rough appearance man stilled. With a sickening 'crack', the man fell dead. "You..." breathed Fried. Standing over the dead man was the "ghost". She ran up to him and looked up at him, her eyes blinking owlishly. Fried shrugged off his now tattered coat and wrapped it around the thin child to keep her covered from the now chilly wind. "Thank you."
Her mouth twitched before it was made into an awkward, lopsided smile. She pointed to the side to a bush, which now had his bag leaning against it. "Do you want to come with me?" The man pointed to himself and then down the road. He knew it would be even more difficult and dangerous for him and for her to bring her with him. But he couldn't just leave her here. She nodded, curiosity painted in her eyes. Fried gathered up the girl into his arms before grabbing his bag. The girl nuzzled her face into his throat, a purr rumbling in her chest.
"You know, you need a name."
Looking up, Fried couldn't help but smile. He pointed up at the sky, and the girl's eyes followed his finger. There was the moon, shining, clouds falling apart in front of it. "Isn't pretty?" She nodded, seemingly awestruck.
"How about we name you Selena?"
A moment passed before the now named Selena hugged him tightly. Fried hugged her back just as tightly. As soon as they were out of town, he was going to drop an anonymous tip to the police. And they will find the diary and learn the truth about this house. The sole witness to a story about a boy and a girl and a father who murdered the boy, drove the girl to suicide from grief, and the child who was locked up in the walls of the house and learned to survive like a frightened animal.