Welcome back and thank you much for the positive response to the story :) Here is my song selection for this chapter: Fall Out Boy - Just One Yesterday
I know I'm bad news
For just one yesterday
I saved it all for you
I want to teach you a lesson in the worst kind of way
My headcast for the OCs in this chapter are as follows:
Cory Davis: Chris Cornell
Jessica Reid: Haley Bennett (redheaded)
Chapter 2: The ghosts of Seattle
"My wedding was supposed to be the best thing that ever happened to me," Leah began, finally stopping. They were out in the woods, far away from the buzz of Mystic Falls. Her long dress would catch ever so often on the low branches of trees or bushes, before it slipped through them, never ripping. "I was young and stupid, really. I wasn't in love with the man, but with the idea of him. He paid my family handsomely for me and we were meant to wed and begin our own life, away from this place," she paused, turning to him. "He killed me on our wedding night, threw my body away where nobody could find it and made me haunt this place until someone could." Leah pointed to a crooked tree, marked with a single, tattered white ribbon. "I can't ever leave. I can't ever get peace." She was buried there, he realized.
"Sounds like a proper bastard," Kol said, a little out of his depth. Map to a medium, that's what he wanted, not a whole bloody life story of another ghost.
"I'm not telling you this in vain," Leah frowned at him. "I'm telling you my story because if you want to go see this medium, you will need to leave this place. If your death has anything tying you down, you won't be able to cross the border of the town. Ever." That caught his attention. Was there anything tying him down in Mystic Falls? His revenge, perhaps. Yet, he wasn't against following the Gilberts wherever they went. So, perhaps he would be stuck to tailing them? In a certain radius, of course, seeing as he was able to walk around the town without much issue.
"I'm not certain," Kol replied.
"Well, you will find out eventually, I suppose," Leah said with a small sigh. "I met a ghost some two or so years ago, a man who was following his lover around. He told me how he was aiming to keep her safe and how he feared that she would do something drastic. Apparently, he'd contacted a medium who had spoken to his lover and she'd been immersed in sadness since," again, the ghost paused. "That's another thing to think about. Sometimes when we contact the living all that we end up doing is causing them to live on the boundary of death, not truly breathing, yet not with us still."
"I'm not seeking to do something of the sort," Kol shrugged. "Just need to get a message to my siblings." Leah looked up at him, suddenly her expression changing.
"That's the first lie you've told me," she said icily. Kol raised his eyebrow, his temper flaring.
"Now, darling, there's no need to-"
"You're new to this, so I'll let it slide," Leah interrupted and Kol felt a chill in the air. "We are big on honesty. You want to trick a ghost, you will have to do more than just flat out lie." Her eyes became empty of emotion and in a mere second, Kol was able to register that he was flying backwards, before slamming straight into a tree. He groaned, landing awkwardly. "Are you prepared to stop lying to me now? I've had a lot longer to practice these skills." Kol bared his teeth, lunging forward. Leah sighed, swiping her hand to the side, sending him flying yet again. "I'm not here to fight. I just want you to appreciate the help I'm willing to give."
"Darling," Kol groaned out. "I'm not too fond of being flung around for a silly little fib." Leah's eyes narrowed.
"Like I said, we're big on honesty around these parts. Most of us locals have known each other for a long time," she crouched down in front of him, reaching a pale hand for his face. "We've never had a vampire as old as yourself about, but I expect if you'd like my information, you could at least bear to be cordial for a few moments and respect our rules."
"Rules are meant to be broken," Kol groaned out. The ghost of the bride in front of him rolled her eyes with a smile.
"Like a petulant child," she chided. "Nonetheless, here's what I'll tell you. Head for Seattle, there you will find a ghost community who all know the local medium. She is a young girl, very skilled in the arts of communing with the dead. They say she's not only sensitive, but the best. Do not break the rules around there. They have a method as to how they work and they will tell you about them. If you listen, you will easily obtain what you need, whatever that is."
"You really felt like it was necessary to fling me about, when you were planning on giving me the information all along?" Kol leaned back into the tree, thankfully aware enough not to sink through it.
"I'm a sucker for a bit of dramatic flair, which I'm sure that you can appreciate," Leah replied with a smile on her lips. "Besides, if Lucy approves of you, I can't really go against her wishes."
"Didn't know that the little princess was the boss of you," Kol stood up, brushing off his clothes. Leah also rose, in a much more elegant manner. "I feel like I've been bloody lucky to have run into her, then."
"You don't run into Lucy," Leah laughed. "She chooses to show herself to you," the ghost turned away. "I wish you luck in your endeavors, Kol Mikaelson." And then, she was gone, leaving him standing alone, mildly miffed and rather confused in the middle of the woods. He hadn't told her his name at any point. The ghost community was beyond weird, Kol decided.
The train. He was forced to take a damned train. A stuffy, rickety, smelly, loud thing which he immensely abhorred. He missed the car he'd gotten after he'd been undaggered. The wonderous Austin-Healey had been a smooth, perfectly restored ride that he had enjoyed tremendously. Sitting in the back of the compartment heading towards the general direction of Seattle, along with many other humans heading here and there, he missed it more than he could say. He couldn't believe the gall Niklaus had to rob him of living through the 60s, if he was being honest. Some of the most beautiful pieces were made back then, when it came to cars. For sure, back when he was alive and breathing, he would indulge in a little purchase or two of a restored vintage. Kol was aware of his weakness for nice things. It was a constant balance between the blood, the mayhem, the debauchery and the possessions. All in all, he supposed that he was a hedonist.
Kol discovered another fact while he rode the train, which was that he didn't require sleep as a ghost. It wasn't like he had needed it as a vampire, either, but he definitely didn't feel even the slightest urge to doze off as a ghost. In fact, he felt wide awake and intoxicated by the interaction with his environment. So, attempting to dull his new senses, Kol tried to get used to his vampirism in his new state of existence.
Almost a full week later, he strolled casually and confidently into Seattle, aware that he was likely the most troublesome ghost to come into town. While he wasn't as proficient as using his vampire gifts as he'd been in his living state, he was certainly dealing with not phasing through objects much easier. And, to top it off, he'd discovered that he could touch other ghosts in a few little squabbles along the way. One had been an old acquaintance from back in the day, a nasty vampire Nik had made during one of his paranoid escapades. Though, the rules which applied in the world of the living had apparently carried on to the world of the dead, as well. Kol's age, coupled with his almost invulnerability as an Original, had made it easy for him to knock the daylights out of the other vampire. It had proven a tad of a challenge, as the other ghost had a little more control over his spirit abilities, but in the end, Kol had won the exchange. Musing on the topic, he figured that Leah had been a much more formidable ghost when it came down to it, easily flinging him about, while the vampire had only resorted to moving through objects at times.
While he was eager to learn about some of the newfound perks of his novel state, he wasn't too fond of staying dead. Hence, Kol was ready to meet this medium and get himself alive and kicking yet again. They would all rue the day they thought they could kill him without any consequences.
"S'cuse me, mate," Kol approached what was clearly another ghost. However, the tall man didn't even register him. He has a vacant look in his eye, staring ahead as he walked. Annoyed, Kol stepped into his path. "Look here, I just need some directions and I'll be out of your hai- oi!" The ghost bumped into him almost like a zombie, attempting to push through the interference and continue on his path.
"Hey, best move out of his way," another voice called out and Kol looked to the side to spot a man in his late forties. The ghost, obviously, was seated on the steps of a nearby house, casually flipping through his phone. His hair was a mop of dark messy curls and he was quite lean. He was wearing some casual jeans and a shirt, with a flannel on top, coming off rather unassuming. "That one gets violent if you don't let him circle the block on his schedule," the ghost pointed to the one currently attempting to push through Kol. But, the vampire was simply too strong for that.
"Finally, a sentient being!" Kol threw his hands up, moving out of the other ghost's way. "What's with all of the ghosts 'round here? Half of them are bloody bonkers!' he hopped up the sidewalk and stopped in front of the other ghost.
"Big city, big problems," shrugged the man. "Cory Davis, a sentient ghost," the man, Cory, extended his hand to Kol in a rather friendly manner.
"Kol Mikaelson," the vampire accepted the handshake. "What's the deal around here? I came from a small town in Virginia all the way here and back there all the ghosts I met were pretty talkative." Cory shrugged, hopping to his feet from the steps of the building.
"Different ghosts, man," he said. "Some of us here are talkative, but over time I suppose we fall into patterns and become just apparitions," Cory raised an eyebrow, looking him up and down. "You're a vampire, ain't you?" Kol would be lying if he said that he wasn't pleased with that observation.
"Original, more like," he smirked at the other man. "You a witch?"
"Oh, no, no," Cory shook his head, his dark curls bouncing all over the place. "I was shocked out of my mind when I found out that there were, you know, ghosts, vampires, witches, all sorts of stuff. That was after I died, though."
"Werewolves, too," Kol added.
"Oh, man, I really missed out when I was alive," Cory laughed, waving a hand to get Kol to follow him. "Wanna get a drink?"
"Can we even? Considering our current… predicament?"
"Yeah, I've got you man, no problem," Cory laughed. "There's a local watering hole just a few blocks away. And, before you ask, I've got no idea how it works. I've just been filing it away as witchy stuff I'll never understand," the ghost led him down the street, passing through people without problems. Kol was still having issues with that, aiming to avoid the passersby.
"Well, if it's available to ghosts through witch means, it's either spelled to the Other Side or there was some sort of a humongous death toll in it, so it transferred across the line on its own," Kol speculated more to himself than to the other ghost. He was in his element when it came to explaining or understanding witch things. That had been his area of interest for a millennium or so, after all. He was familiar with all sorts of magic and he was, very humbly, considered a genius in the area of spell making.
"Witchy stuff, in other words," Cory shrugged. "Here we are," he pointed out after a bit of walking, showing Kol a dark, slim door with an eerie lantern glowing a pale green above it. 'The Hallow' it said on a swinging wooden sign which had obviously seen better days.
"Creepy," the vampire noted.
"That's kind of our jam now, man," Cory chuckled, pushing the door open. Kol noted how the ghost could interact with the wooden door, but not with the rest of his surroundings. Indeed, the small pub in the dark alley was definitely on the Other Side, at least with one foot.
The inside was loud and dark. Kol could see very well due to his vampiric abilities, so he had no problem giving the place a once over. A bar in the middle, behind which a Victorian-looking gentleman was mixing shakers and pouring whiskey, rows and rows of dark wooden seats against the walls and tall one-legged tables throughout the middle of the space. The pub was packed with people, no, ghosts, standing around, talking, drinking. There was even one in the corner with a beat-up guitar, strumming it gently and singing in a low baritone. Kol caught sight of a jukebox next to the man, but he didn't know what the machine was used for.
"This way," Cory led him with a wave through the throngs of chatting ghosts, all manner of injuries still visible on them. "Hey, Charlie, can we get some booze down here?" the man asked when he hopped onto a barstool at the counter. The Victorian gentleman nodded mutely, grabbing two shot glasses and filling them to the brim, before sliding them down the bar to Cory. "Here you go, man. To the glorious death!"
"Cheers, mate," Kol replied, taking his glass and raising it. Cory stopped him, shaking his head.
"Gotta toast," he said.
"To the glorious death? Kind of morose, no?" Kol chuckled, but Cory shook his head again. "Alright then, to the glorious death," he clinked his glass against Cory's.
"To the glorious death!" Kol was ashamed by the way he jumped in his seat, turning to see the whole crowd of ghosts cheering the same toast.
"Drink up," Cory grinned, chugging the alcohol in one go. "Charlie, one more round here, please," the ghost called out after sighing in joy as the drink warmed him. The bartender nodded mutely again. Kol tossed his drink back, enjoying the familiar burn of the alcohol down his throat and the warmth in his stomach. Soon, his glass was full yet again.
"Welcome to Seattle, cutie," greeted a female ghost with a bullet wound in the middle of her forehead as she flagged down the bartender for another beer. She smiled flirtatiously at Kol.
"Thanks, darling," he retorted with a smile of his own.
"Kol, Ashley," Cory introduced. "Ashley, Kol."
"Sexy name," Ashley, a rather pretty young thing if he might say so, added, leaning on the bar in a way that accentuated her curves. She was wearing a cheerleading outfit, as far as Kol was informed on the topic.
"My charm doesn't end at the name, love," he flirted back. Distractions, yes, he could accept a distraction or two on his way back to the world of the living.
"Come join us, if you want," Ashley invited, pointing at the spot where three more female ghosts were giggling around a tall table, all rather attractive. "Show off some of that charm." She offered him one more teasing smile before grabbing her beer and walking away with a sway to her hips.
"Bad news, that one," Cory told him, inspecting the whole situation with a smile and a shake of his head. "She'll pull you in, they'll finish you off, and you will be tied down in their female wiles for the better part of the next decade." Another drink. "Hey, Governor," Cory piped up after a few moments of mindless chit chat.
A ghost was standing next to Kol, on his other side, by the bar. It was a tall one, wide shoulders and bushy beard, his clothes looking familiar to the vampire. He'd pinpoint the man's death somewhere before he was daggered last. The ghost, called Governor, apparently, nodded to Cory, then to Kol, then flagged down the bartender for drinks, putting two fingers up.
"That bad, man?" Cory piped up, inspecting him. The Governor moved slowly, not as slow as the ghost Kol had met before seeing Cory, but much slower than any of the rest within the establishment. It took him a while to tilt his head to the side, showing off his sliced throat and then head off with his drink, leaving two shots on the bar. "Well, that sucks," Cory sighed. "Pick up those, won't you? Looks like Governor wanted to give you a welcome."
"What's wrong with him?" Kol asked, pushing the glasses over to them.
"I've heard folks call it transition, but I have no idea what it is," Cory replied. "It's just, after a long time some ghost stop talking, move in patterns and forget about the people they were. We call those apparitions. It's not a pleasant state, but we're all heading there unless we manage to fix whatever is holding us here and move on. Looks like Governor's the next to go."
"Sounds nasty," Kol agreed, sipping his drink. "Too bad for your mate." Cory shrugged, sighed and moved towards the next topic, talking something about the local get-together for the ghosts of Seattle, but Kol wasn't listening. He now realized that he had a time limit. He didn't fancy the idea of becoming a mindless apparition, so he knew that he had to speed up this medium business and get himself a witch, a powerful one at that, as soon as possible.
"Say, mate, I heard there's a medium somewhere about here?" Kol finally asked after a few hours of chatting about this and that with Cory. He'd found out that he quite liked the ghost. Cory had died from a heart attack, rather unexpectedly, leaving behind a girlfriend and his brother. He had been haunting the city since then, a little too wrapped up in the music scene to leave. He had confided how he had been a guitarist in a rather popular band.
"Ah, Jess," Cory nodded. "She's great, though she's got a bit of a waiting list. You need to get a message across?"
"Was looking to contact a witch," Kol replied, remembering Leah's warning. Cory sipped his drink, musing in silence for a second. "A ghost from Virginia told me that I'd be able to get in on the rules here and contact the medium."
"Well, there's a few rules," Cory started. "Don't disturb her at work or when she's out with friends," he counted off with his fingers. "Her bedroom is off-limits as is the bathroom. Sessions are held in her living room, three hours every day. Ghost communication is sorted according to priority on green, yellow and reds and ummm," he squinted, thinking. "Ah, right, don't skip in line or you won't be able to talk to her."
"She sounds like a real stick in the mud," Kol murmured, drinking more. Cory laughed at that, shaking his head.
"Nah, man, she's real cool," he said. "But, you know, she's alive, so we gotta accept that she's got her own life to think about, as well."
"How long is this waiting list, exactly?" Kol asked with a smirk. Something about rules had always made him want to mess them up.
"Here we are," Cory stopped in front of a sketchy-looking building, floors and floors of flats extending up. "Jess lives on the ninth floor, so it's a climb. Let's see if we can get you on her docket," the ghost led the way, minding the fact that Kol was still getting used to his newfound undead life, as they took the stairs slowly.
"This place is a dump," Kol noted, looking at the various graffiti on the walls of each and every floor they passed.
"It's expensive to live in Seattle," Cory shrugged. "Jess has a job, but it barely gets her the necessities she needs. I feel for the girl, man. I mean, back when I was alive, I was lucky to get enough cash from my gigs to keep me a minimum rent apartment, and I was sharing that with my girl, Sarah," Cory waited for Kol for a second, then they continued climbing. "I bet you got some vampire fortune to your name, no?"
"Fortune, certainly," Kol laughed. "I've accumulated some property here and there, but nothing too fancy. You ought to see my brother's hoard, now that's money fit for a king. He's got places all over the world being maintained for when he deems it that he's in for a vacation. I'm more on the humble side, if you compare me to him."
"I get the feeling that your humble and my humble are two very different definitions," Cory laughed. He stopped in front of the apartment number 45 door and nodded his head towards it. "This is it. I'm afraid we'll have to phase through. You ok to try it?" Who knew that a single door could look so daunting?
"Let's give it a go," Kol said with a nod, stepping up to the door.
"Just focus on the walls and you'll start to see the door as something like fog or mist, then you go through it," Cory told him, sticking his hand through the door, then pulling it back out.
"It's about separating and selecting the dominant essence in my mind," Kol chuckled, offering a more precise explanation. "It's a basis of locator spells and protection spells, not too hard." Though, not exactly the same as magic, and Kol knew it. Locator spells used the essence of the item or person being sought while protection ones focused on strengthening the very nature of the item being reinforced. Phasing was more like locator spells, but in reverse, he had to focus on everything but the door.
"It'll come to you," Cory promised as Kol tried for the tenth time to put his hand through the door, only to be met with solid wood.
"Well, I'm a bit short on time, mate," the vampire growled, annoyed. "Can't exactly afford to be here for the whole week, attempting to get through a stupid door."
"Let me see if I can get Jess to open it for you," Cory patted Kol's back, slipping through the wood like it was no feat at all. That left the miffed vampire standing in the hallway, in silence, alone. He groaned, turning in a circle, but managed to keep himself from pacing like a caged animal. A century in a coffin, then a few brief months awake and breathing and finally this miserable existence. Needless to say, Kol was done with the whole entirety of the nonsense. He wanted to be back in his body, taking full advantage of all of his killer machine abilities. Just as he was getting ready to sit down on the steps and give his revenge plans a few more details, the door of apartment number 45 swung open.
"Where's your buddy, Cory?" Jess, as introduced by Cory, was a petite woman. She was a redhead with freckles all over her face and somewhat narrow eyes, yet together those features seemed oddly alluring. Her hair was complete mess on top of her head and she was wearing Bugs Bunny plush pajamas, which all made her kind of anticlimactic as a medium in Kol's mind.
"What the bloody hell are those?" Kol finally managed to say, his eyes drawn to her feet when she stepped out into the hallway. The woman was wearing two fluffy, plush, pink dragon claw slippers.
He was doomed to be a ghost forever if this was the medium in charge of his fate.
That's all folks!
As always, I love hearing what you thought of the chapter :D