Truth Be Told

"Yoink!" Dustin whispered triumphantly, snatching the keys to the bus. They had been sitting in Skaggz hat, which was laying on the table by his elbow. Skaggz was chatting with the divine Miss April in the ballroom while his band secretly signed contracts with the graveyard minstrels. Dustin almost felt guilty for taking the bus without asking permission first, but the feeling soon passed when he saw the look of anger and worry on Courtney's face.

"Let's go!" she cried, striding towards the front door.

Stepping in front of his wife, Paul declared, "Hold up! What about Alex? Maybe you should st--"

Looking down at her cooing daughter, she said, "You're right." She kissed Alex's forehead. "Take good care of her while I'm gone." Despite Paul's best efforts to babble out a "But I should go instead while you stay with her," Courtney ever so gently placed Alexandria in his arms. As the baby grasped her mother's finger, Courtney said, "You be a good girl for Daddy while Mommy saves her best friend from psycho dead actors, okay sweetie?" Alex burbled back a noncoherent reply, but her mother was sure that it went along the lines of, "Sure thing, Mommy! I love you! And I'll be sure to poop extra for Daddy!"

George, Paul, and Alex watched as Courtney, Dustin, and Carolyn got on the tour bus. Paul waved Alex's little fist as the huge vehicle pulled out of the driveway and onto the road. "I feel so terrible," confessed Paul.

"Why?" asked George. "Because your wife's best friend is in mortal danger?"

"No, because my daughter's only a month old and already she's had a messed-up childhood. But I feel pretty bad about Myrriah, too." He sniffed and looked down at Alex. "Uh-oh, sombody needs a changing," he announced in a sing-song voice. George just gave the mortal an odd look as the young man walked to his car to get the diaper bag.

The ghost's azure eyes scanned the overgrown lawn. "Well, the grass is looking nice and---Somebody knocked over my birdbath!" Before he could lay blame on anyone, he felt an odd tingling in his head, like an oncoming headache that couldn't decide which lobe to attack.

George...a voice called tauntingly. George... We need to talk, George!

Clutching his head, the spook staggered into the mansion. "Where are you going?" Paul called. After he finished cleaning Alex, he picked up the girl and dashed in after Gracey. "What's wrong, George? You don't look so good." Briefly, he thought this over. "I mean, for a dead guy, you don't look so good. A little more transparent than usual." He grinned.

Hair uncharacterisically messy, George turned to him. Voice dripping with sarcasam, he replied, "I'm being paged." Upon seeing Paul's confused expression, he sighed. "Walk this way."

Paul followed behind him, staggering in a perfect imitation of George's weary walk.

George rubbed his temples. "That kid is going to be the goofiest child on the planet." He walked through the seance room door. Thankfully, the mortal opened it before attempting to step through. The usual objects were floating around the room. There was something more violent about the movements of the flying instruments, though. The tamborine smacked into the drum, which in turn crashed into the harp. Erratic and annoying notes filled the air. "In a foul mood?" Gracey asked to growling head in the crystal ball.

"Would I call you if I was in a good mood?" Leota demanded. Swiveling around, the psychic turned to the aristocratic spirit and the young father. Her ruby red lips curled up into a sweet smirk. "Ah, Mr. Burton. It's been a long time."

Paul instinctively clutched Alex tighter. "Should we even be in here?" he asked George. "I mean, this woman nearly set the forces of evil loose upon the world!"

"Quiet you!" Leota snapped. She sighed. "George, as much as this pains me, I must come clean. You see, I'm responsible for the Hollywood ghosts being here."

"What are you talking about?" demanded George. "I put the ad out!"

"Yes, you did. But they weren't going to come." She lowered her voice, speaking in a mystical tone. "The ghosts of the Hollywood Tower Hotel are confined to it, until a week before the night of their deaths. It's part of their curse. For a week, ending on Halloween night, they can roam."

"So why did they come out here? How did you contact them?"

"I'll answer the latter first." She nodded to the phone.

"Oh."

"I convinced them to come to our mansion. They would help set me free in exchange for their own freedom. I just needed them to get my spell book."

George's shoulders sagged. "Sally must have taken it when she and Little Leota were in the library."

Leota nodded. "I told them I had a spell to work for them. I lied, of course. Who knows? I might actually have one that could work for all of them." If she had shoulders, she would have shrugged. "But," she turned serious again, "Sally has found one. There's a spell that would set her free, but it would require a sacrifice to take her place. And that sacrifice would be--"

"Ms. Harolds!"

"Yes. Sally has duped the others into believing that that one sacrifice will set them all free." She closed her eyes, a look of fury taking over her features. "My daughter is there! If Sally wants to bring someone with her, she'll sacrifice my daughter along with the mortal!"

George furrowed his brow in thought. "If you needed the book, why not have L. L. get it?"

Leota smirked. "She wouldn't bring it to me. She's got a stronger will than I do. You've taught her well."

"She's knows mutiny will not be tolerated in my mansion. The girl's a quick learner. L. L. is much more intelligent than you give her credit for." He smiled. "Dustin and Ms. Crossent are on their way."

Chuckling dryly, Leota retorted, "Oh yes, that nervous wreck of a driver and the spineless singer. Hmm." Once again, she closed her eyes, this time to concentrate. Hair floating with the movement, she tilted her head from side to side."Courtney is with them, and well as those three bumbling idiots."

Paul blinked in surprise. "I didn't even know they had left."

Gracey shrugged. "They're hitchhiking ghosts. Hopping unexpectedly into automobiles is their specialty."

"To be perfectly honest," the fortuneteller stated with an arched eyebrow, "I probably would have traded them for the freedom of the hotel ghosts. Honestly, who would miss those imbeciles?"

Looking back at the medium missing a body, the master said, "Me. Thank you, Madame Leota."

Grinning hopefully, she asked, "Do I get time off for good behavior?" If she had hands, they would have been clasped.

"Hmm, well considering something really terrible might happen because of you, no. Toodle-loo, Leota!" he called cheerfully and waved. With that, he led Paul out of the room. "I had a feeling she was up to something. She's been in a good mood. She was singing yesterday."

"What is the deal between you two?" Paul asked after George shut the door behind them. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you had been a couple once."

George merely cocked an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. "Another story for another day perhaps, Mr. Burton. For now," he looked down at Alex, who was having trouble keeping her eyes open, "I believe there's a crib somewhere in here."

"You were going to WHAT?" cried Dustin.

Carolyn bit her lower lip and twirled a lock of her blond hair nervously. Ashamed, she sighed and said, "Sacrifice her. But I didn't want to do it! Sally came up with it! I was the only one who backed out of the plan. Originally, we were just going to trick some ghosts into going back with us."

The driver felt his heart sink as one question came to his mind. He knew the answer, but felt he had to ask anyway, no matter how much it hurt. "Which ghosts?"

"Well..." Carolyn stared out the window, feeling too guilty to look him in the eye. "To be honest, Dustin, you were our first pick. You just seemed so gullible and naive. I knew you liked me, so it would have been easy for me to lure you back." Tearing her gaze away from the glass, she sobbed, "I'm so sorry! I knew I couldn't do that to you! You're so sweet and kind and honest!" Looking back down at her lap, she muttered, "Everything I'm not."

Dustin glanced over at Carolyn. Tears were streaming down her pale cheeks. Holding onto the steering wheel with one hand, he wiped her tears away with the other. "I forgive you," he whispered.

Sniffling, she smiled and looked up. "Thank you. I really am sorry."

"Just curious, who were some of the others you had in mind?"

"Oh, those three grifters."

"Hey!" yelled an indignant voice from the backseat. "We 're not grifters! We're entrepreneurs!"

As one, Carolyn, Courtney, and Dustin turned around to see Ezra, Phineas, and Gus sitting in the back of the bus. "Where did you come from?" the one living person demanded.

"Well," began Phineas, "there's a theory that states that millions of years ago, we began evolving from single-celled organisms--"

"We hitch," Gus said simply. "It's what we do."

Turning her attention to the window, Courtney said, "We're making pretty good time."

Grinning in the rearview mirror, Dustin explained, "If one doesn't want to take the scenic route one just, well, does what we're doing now. Ghost vehicles don't have to obey the rules of the road."

"I gathered," Courtney mumbled, still staring downwards. The road whose rules they didn't have to obey was at least one hundred feet below them. "Ooh, look! A flock of seagulls!"

"Where?" Phineas asked. "I love that band!"

Shaking his head with a sigh, Dustin continued on. They were almost there. Unfortunately, he nearly sideswiped a jet carrying an aging eighties rock group in the process.

Myrriah was backed up against a wall of the maintence room with Gilbert standing threateningly in front of her and L. L. "I just know you'll love your stay here at our fine hotel." He watched her darting eyes. "Every possible exit is blocked and locked, my dear girls. Which offers you this chilling challenge: to find a way out!" The actor cackled.

"Real original, buddy," Myrriah snarled. "If you think I'm going through with this nonsense, think again!"

"Well, really, what choice do you have? You're going to die in this place anyway. Might as well make it quick." After cupping his hands around his mouth, he called out, "Ready, Dewey?"

"Ready!" Somewhere near Myrriah's head, a little circle lit up and there was a little "ding" noise. Cobwebs covered whatever was glowing.

"I seriously doubt every means of escape is--Ahh!" The wall behind her opened up. She had been standing against a pair of elevator doors and hadn't even realized it, thanks to the darkness. Tumbling into the elevator, she saw Dewey the bellhop shimmer into being.

Pushing a button, he announced, ""Welcome to the Hollywood Tower hotel...we hope your stay is an uplifting one. If you should need anything, please drop in and give us a scream. We're dying to have you. Going up!" Myrriah tried to get up before the doors closed, but didn't make it in time. L. L., though, was able to jump in after her. Furiously, they both tugged at the doors and punched buttons. It was all in vain. The elevator began to ascend.

"Oh my god," Myrriah whispered, staggering back. Suddenly feeling weak, she slid to the floor. "I'm going to die. I really am going to die! I get brought back to life just to deal with all these freakin' problems for thirteen freakin' years, just to die again! In an elevator!" Burying her head in her arms, she started to cry. "There's no coming back from this one. It'll hurt, won't it? Hitting the floor and the ceiling like that? That's what they're going to do: Take the elevator up and then drop it." By now she was hysterical. "Maybe if I jump up at the right second, maybe if my feet aren't touching the floor when it hits... No, that wouldn't work! I'm going to di--"

"SNAP OUT OF IT!" L. L. screamed.

Suddenly, there was a loud groan of metal. The elevator slowed, and then stopped. "Blast!" Gilbert shouted from somewhere below. A little intercom in the elevator that had been playing old, ironically pleasant music, became silent. Then, Sally Shine's chipper voice chimed in. "I'm ever so sorry for the delay, but we are experiencing technical difficulties. Your elevator will be moving momentarily...momentarily to your demise! MWAH-HA-HA-HA!" It clicked off.

L. L. watched the sobbing young woman, anger bubbling to the surface. The little ghost was sick of the mortal's whining. "What happened to you? When did you start giving up so easily? You were the one who rallied everyone together when the mansion was about to be demolished! You were the one who kept a cool head! You were the one who came up with the plan! You were the one who rushed in to save your friend when my mother went all psycho! Now you're sittig here, crying? Oh, you're going to die. Boo-freaking-hoo! I'm dead. At least you got to live to be an adult." Sitting down next to Myrriah, she put a hand on her arm. "I know it's scary. I'm scared too. I don't want to watch you die an agonizing death. Shutting my eyes won't block out your screams."

Realization dawned on the woman. "You're right," she groaned. "It's not helping anything is it?"

"No," L. L. agreed flatly.

"I've been a real downer haven't I?"

"Yes."

"Oh, no!" Myrriah moaned. "I've gone emo!"

"And you're a bit of a Mary Sue, too."

Myrriah glared at Little Leota, and then looked up at you, dear reader, and then back at the dainty spirit. "Let's not go breaking the fourth wall, shall we?" With assistance from her trusty cane, she pushed herself up. "Now," she sniffed, "this place can't be too sturdy, right? There's got to be a way out, an emergency exit. Every elevator has one. It's usually in the ceiling." Just as she began to really examine the room, it lurched, sending her crashing to the floor.

The intercom turned back on and Sally gushed, "Hello again! We've located the problem and have fixed it. Enjoy your grisly death! Toodles!" With squeaks and shrieks, the machinery came back to life. Trying to ignore the rumbling underneath her, Myrriah asked, "Elevators only go up and down right?"

L. L. gave her a look that clearly said that she thought that Myrriah was the most stupid person she had ever met. "Yeah."

"Then why does it feel like we're moving forward?" She stood up and dusted herself off.

Furrowing her brow in confusion, L. L. said, "Because...we are?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought." With a little "ding", the doors opened...

A/N: Sorry this took so long to get to. If you haven't yet, please read and review my new Haunted Mansion story, "Destiny at the Haunted Mansion"!