The younger Ghostbusters were all sitting together in a shady spot on the campus, having lunch. It was Eduardo's turn to choose the music, so he cranked up his favorite "alternative" station. Garret enjoyed it, & he believed Kylie did too, although she would never admit that she liked something he did. Roland looked like he expected his ears to start bleeding any second. The poor boy seemed quite relieved when a newscaster cut short Offspring.
We interrupt this broadcast for a special news bulletin. Central Park has been closed to the public, due to a police investigation. Details are scarce, but it has been confirmed that there are several missing person reports for that vicinity, as well as numerous reports of vicious dog attacks. No news as to whether these reports are related."
"Excuse me."
The gang gave a collective jump of surprise. No one had even seen the man walk up!
"Are you Kylie Griffin?"
Kylie stood up & nodded, her eyebrow arched in question.
"My name is Harold Hunter. I believe this is yours." He held her backpack out to her.
"Oh! Thank the gods! I was afraid I'd never get this back!" She picked up the other bag off the ground & handed it to him. This saved her the trouble of going to the "Lost & Found", but how had he ever found her, just sitting outside like this? Once again she felt the hand of fate... "There was no ID or anything..." she explained, somehow feeling bad for not making the effort he apparently had.
"No, I keep my wallet in my coat pocket."
She took a good look at the young man before her. He was a little older than her, a Senior to her Sophomore, maybe, or even graduate school. He was very classy, his hair slicked back, clean shaven. He was dressed head to foot in black with a crips white shirt beneath his sportscoat. He held a black bowler in one hand and a silver-headed black cane in the other. The last think she noticed was his smooth voice as it occured to her that he'd been speaking.
"...gise for running into you like that. You see, I was on my way to a very important appointment, and I was in quite a tizzy!."
"TIZZY?" Eduardo murmured to Garrett. Who says 'tizzy'?"
"Apparently he does, " Garrett sniggered back.
If Harold noticed, he didn't show it. "I hope you're all right?"
Kylie nodded numbly. This was the guy who'd run into her yesterday? She'd been furious then, but now... She couldn't even begin to believe that such a gentleman could be the same person! Or carry that kind of bag, for that matter...
"Please let me make it up to you, my dear. How about dinner tonight, say 7:30?"
There was something about the way he said "Say yes" that made the hair on the back of Eduardo's neck stand on end. It sounded like a command, not a request. Kylie nodded again. She seemed mesmerized by this guy!
"Ky, I thought we were going to study for midterms..." He stepped between her & "Harry", breaking their eye contact. Kylie blinked as if waking up. Then she focused on Eduardo, eyes narrowed.
"I can study with you guys for a little while and then go out. It's not like I need to study that much!" Eduardo sidestepped a little, stung.
Kylie smiled back at Harold. "Meet me at the Ghostbusters' firehouse. I know a great little pizza place down the street from there..."
"Ghostbusters? My, that sounds facinating! I can't wait to hear all about it!" Eduardo didn't like the look in Harry's eyes. He felt his lip curl. Harry payed him no mind. "Until tonight, my dear." He kissed her hand. He nodded to Roland and Garrett. "Gentlemen." He turned and walked off.
"Down, boy," Garrett whispered to Eduardo.
Kylie continued to stare in the direction Harold had taken long after the man had disappeared from view. Her eyes held a vacant look. Eduardo watched her, torn between the desire to shake her to her senses and chase after that guy, sink his teeth into his neck and--
What? Eduardo shuddered. Where had a thought like that come from? He cranked up Soundgarten and tried to loose himself in "Black Hole Sun."
***
As soon as Harold felt he was out of view, he opened the bag. And dumped the contents on the ground. And scrambled through them, throwing things about. And finally let out a cry of frustration.
"Louis!!! Where did you hide it?!?"
A ways off across the campus, Kylie realized with a start that she hadn't gotten the talisman back from Egon. Ah well, she would just have to ask him for it before she saw Harold that night...
***
Later that afternoon, she did just that.
"No, absolutely not."
"...What?" Kylie was completely thrown. She'd asked Egon for the necklace back so she could return it to its rightful owner! What was the problem?
"I said no. Either he knows what it is, in which case I'm not about to risk it falling into the wrong hands, or he doesn't know, and we're protecting an innocent man."
"But.. but it belongs--"
"To the Garou family. And I dont think even they would want it back. We still don't know what this thing can do, Kylie, nor what this Harold fellow had planned for it."
"I dont think Harold is dangerous..." She sighed, giving up. "All right, we'll hold onto it until we know more. But what'll I tell Harold if he asks about it?"
Egon shrugged. "Pretend you don't know what he's talking about."
Kylie went pale. "You want me to lie?"
"Ooooo, not a good way to start out a relationship, chica..." Eduardo swallowed and took a step back when Kylie hit him with a menacing glare.
Egon ignored the exchange. "Kylie, we don't know anything about him. Are you wiling to risk the fate of the world over this?"
"Oh boy, here we go again," Garrett rolled his eyes. "'Fate of the world' is becoming as common a phrase around here as 'Maybe he's dead'." He smiled sweetly at Eduardo.
Eduardo growled back at him.
Egon's voice softened. "Get to know him. Try to determine his interest, if any, in the talisman. If it turns out to be harmless after all, you can give it back to him & say it must have fallen out or something."
She wasnt happy about it, but she knew Egon was right. She & the others settled down to study until her date arrived.
***
Harold hit Loius through the bars with his cane. "Where did you hide it?" he screamed at the canine. He struck again, connecting with Loius's skull this time. The animal went down with a yelp, then was silent. Harold was shaking with fury as he slid down the bars, his back to the beasts. He wasn't worried about them hurting him through the bars, not in the slightest. The rest of the pack huddled against the opposite wall, trying to get as far away as possible.
He could feel their aura, feel the pattern of wolf and human energy dancing together. It was this sixth sense that told him Kylie was high in metaphysical energy, that she was psychic and practiced magic-- that she was a witch. He remembered the taste of her aura, savored it, studying it's every nuance-- and realized something.
He turned to the wolves and started to laugh, slowly at first, then growing in his maniacleness.
"She has it! She's a Ghostbuster, she probably even knows what it is! I know she has to have it-- I felt one of your kind near when I was with her. I didn't even notice at the time, I'm so used to being around you. No matter. Soon she will be added to my trophies, along with the talisman-- and that NEW werewolf!"
***
We interrupt this broadcast for a special news bulletin. Central Park has been closed to the public, due to a police investigation. Details are scarce, but it has been confirmed that there are several missing person reports for that vicinity, as well as numerous reports of vicious dog attacks. No news as to whether these reports are related."
"Excuse me."
The gang gave a collective jump of surprise. No one had even seen the man walk up!
"Are you Kylie Griffin?"
Kylie stood up & nodded, her eyebrow arched in question.
"My name is Harold Hunter. I believe this is yours." He held her backpack out to her.
"Oh! Thank the gods! I was afraid I'd never get this back!" She picked up the other bag off the ground & handed it to him. This saved her the trouble of going to the "Lost & Found", but how had he ever found her, just sitting outside like this? Once again she felt the hand of fate... "There was no ID or anything..." she explained, somehow feeling bad for not making the effort he apparently had.
"No, I keep my wallet in my coat pocket."
She took a good look at the young man before her. He was a little older than her, a Senior to her Sophomore, maybe, or even graduate school. He was very classy, his hair slicked back, clean shaven. He was dressed head to foot in black with a crips white shirt beneath his sportscoat. He held a black bowler in one hand and a silver-headed black cane in the other. The last think she noticed was his smooth voice as it occured to her that he'd been speaking.
"...gise for running into you like that. You see, I was on my way to a very important appointment, and I was in quite a tizzy!."
"TIZZY?" Eduardo murmured to Garrett. Who says 'tizzy'?"
"Apparently he does, " Garrett sniggered back.
If Harold noticed, he didn't show it. "I hope you're all right?"
Kylie nodded numbly. This was the guy who'd run into her yesterday? She'd been furious then, but now... She couldn't even begin to believe that such a gentleman could be the same person! Or carry that kind of bag, for that matter...
"Please let me make it up to you, my dear. How about dinner tonight, say 7:30?"
There was something about the way he said "Say yes" that made the hair on the back of Eduardo's neck stand on end. It sounded like a command, not a request. Kylie nodded again. She seemed mesmerized by this guy!
"Ky, I thought we were going to study for midterms..." He stepped between her & "Harry", breaking their eye contact. Kylie blinked as if waking up. Then she focused on Eduardo, eyes narrowed.
"I can study with you guys for a little while and then go out. It's not like I need to study that much!" Eduardo sidestepped a little, stung.
Kylie smiled back at Harold. "Meet me at the Ghostbusters' firehouse. I know a great little pizza place down the street from there..."
"Ghostbusters? My, that sounds facinating! I can't wait to hear all about it!" Eduardo didn't like the look in Harry's eyes. He felt his lip curl. Harry payed him no mind. "Until tonight, my dear." He kissed her hand. He nodded to Roland and Garrett. "Gentlemen." He turned and walked off.
"Down, boy," Garrett whispered to Eduardo.
Kylie continued to stare in the direction Harold had taken long after the man had disappeared from view. Her eyes held a vacant look. Eduardo watched her, torn between the desire to shake her to her senses and chase after that guy, sink his teeth into his neck and--
What? Eduardo shuddered. Where had a thought like that come from? He cranked up Soundgarten and tried to loose himself in "Black Hole Sun."
***
As soon as Harold felt he was out of view, he opened the bag. And dumped the contents on the ground. And scrambled through them, throwing things about. And finally let out a cry of frustration.
"Louis!!! Where did you hide it?!?"
A ways off across the campus, Kylie realized with a start that she hadn't gotten the talisman back from Egon. Ah well, she would just have to ask him for it before she saw Harold that night...
***
Later that afternoon, she did just that.
"No, absolutely not."
"...What?" Kylie was completely thrown. She'd asked Egon for the necklace back so she could return it to its rightful owner! What was the problem?
"I said no. Either he knows what it is, in which case I'm not about to risk it falling into the wrong hands, or he doesn't know, and we're protecting an innocent man."
"But.. but it belongs--"
"To the Garou family. And I dont think even they would want it back. We still don't know what this thing can do, Kylie, nor what this Harold fellow had planned for it."
"I dont think Harold is dangerous..." She sighed, giving up. "All right, we'll hold onto it until we know more. But what'll I tell Harold if he asks about it?"
Egon shrugged. "Pretend you don't know what he's talking about."
Kylie went pale. "You want me to lie?"
"Ooooo, not a good way to start out a relationship, chica..." Eduardo swallowed and took a step back when Kylie hit him with a menacing glare.
Egon ignored the exchange. "Kylie, we don't know anything about him. Are you wiling to risk the fate of the world over this?"
"Oh boy, here we go again," Garrett rolled his eyes. "'Fate of the world' is becoming as common a phrase around here as 'Maybe he's dead'." He smiled sweetly at Eduardo.
Eduardo growled back at him.
Egon's voice softened. "Get to know him. Try to determine his interest, if any, in the talisman. If it turns out to be harmless after all, you can give it back to him & say it must have fallen out or something."
She wasnt happy about it, but she knew Egon was right. She & the others settled down to study until her date arrived.
***
Harold hit Loius through the bars with his cane. "Where did you hide it?" he screamed at the canine. He struck again, connecting with Loius's skull this time. The animal went down with a yelp, then was silent. Harold was shaking with fury as he slid down the bars, his back to the beasts. He wasn't worried about them hurting him through the bars, not in the slightest. The rest of the pack huddled against the opposite wall, trying to get as far away as possible.
He could feel their aura, feel the pattern of wolf and human energy dancing together. It was this sixth sense that told him Kylie was high in metaphysical energy, that she was psychic and practiced magic-- that she was a witch. He remembered the taste of her aura, savored it, studying it's every nuance-- and realized something.
He turned to the wolves and started to laugh, slowly at first, then growing in his maniacleness.
"She has it! She's a Ghostbuster, she probably even knows what it is! I know she has to have it-- I felt one of your kind near when I was with her. I didn't even notice at the time, I'm so used to being around you. No matter. Soon she will be added to my trophies, along with the talisman-- and that NEW werewolf!"
***