Mom clapped her hands, grinning "Now, that is the spirit! Alright. You have three hours and thirty minutes. Game is on. I will be watching~." With that, she vanished into a golden mist.
Alright, game plan time, thought Melanie to herself, Chaos is neat, but for the chaos to be effective, it has to be carefully placed. But first resources. Mom had a good point that I should probably use some ghosts for the scares. But ghosts are, while not rare, not common either. Most move on. I have several options for where I could find some. Shadow Travel made life convenient although it was exhausting.
First, the cemetery, a classic. Not as effective as one might think. Many people nowadays are easily pleased and willing to move on, but there are still a moderate amount around. They tend to be quite stable as well, easily controlled and willing to follow orders.
Second, The Tower. Benefit of living in London, you have access to one of the most haunted locations in good old England. They are kinda stuck up, but they were the nobles of a bygone age, and have a lot of experience. She might need to beat them into obedience, but there is a value of experience to benefit from.
Third option, catacombs. These are mostly spirits whose sanity has degraded, simple minded, almost feral. She could easily find a dozen or more, but they were dangerous. She was respected by spirits, but they are so simple minded that she would need to keep a close eye on them, else they might decide that feasting on the living is appealing.
Melanie knew that she should probably try to get some expert scarers, but honestly, she had little patience for the nobles. The cemetery then. Besides, she knew some of them. Call her a walking stereotype, but the ghosts really saved her ass with some of the history exams. A lot of them were also thoughtful, having developed philosophical tendencies. She learned a lot from them.
Tipping her umbrella tip against the ground, she waved cheerfully goodbye to her father, who sat at the dinner table drinking coffee with a bemused look, before sinking into the shadows, running through the Shadow. Not a shadow, but the Shadow, the source of all shadows that encroaches onto the mortal world in the absence of the sun… or light in general. No need to give the Gasbag a bigger head.
Swiftly, she appeared inside the complex, breathing quite heavily, her breath visible from the change from warm pad to the cold, cold land of the dead She didn´t mind the cold, she actually loved it. It made everything feel so much more real.
"Alright then, time to catch me a motley crew. First, let's see if I can summon the ghosts to me. You practised it, Mel, you can do it!"
With a deep breath, she focused on her connection to the spirits, sending a pulse carrying the message of "The daughter of the queen of spirits demands your attention and services. All those brave enough to heed my call, appear before me. All those are boring enough to not enjoy a good scare, please stay away." Not the most creative message, but it would do.
She surprisingly did not have to wait long. The first ghost to appear was however not one she expected. She expected people but what she got was a Hound, large enough to be eye level for her, growling slightly as it approached, each step of the mighty paws making a noise. Yet, it was clearly a spirit, lacking actual mass.
"Hello Brutus~" She didn´t want to waste time by establishing dominance over it. She wouldn´t harm it, naturally, but felt that she really couldn´t escape the pretend fight incoming.
With a yelp, she dodged as the beast leapt towards her. Rolling forward, she saw how it made a sharp turn, using it nigh weightless body to it´s advantaged as it jumped from grave stone to grave stone towards her.
Melanie knew what she had to do. Mother had explained certain tricks with handling dogs.. mostly to placate the pouting Melanie as she was told she couldn´t see Cerberus.
Waiting for Brutus to jump her again, she moved just slightly out of the way before grabbing the dog´s hind leg and tail, letting the umbrella fall to the ground. With a small yell, as to not disturb the other occupants too much, she flipped the dog on it´s back and began to drag it around by it´s tail.
It desperately wanted to get back on it´s feet, but she didn´t allow it. Soon enough, it whined, before releasing two barks. Their signal of submission. Letting go off the tail, Melanie offered her hand, palm up, to the dog. It grinned in that doggy way, before slapping her hand with it´s paw.
"It seems that you and good ol Brutus grow closer by the night. Little Blossom." An old and raspy voice came from behind her. She turned around with a smile, picking up her hat with a smirk.
"Hello, John. How are you doing? You are up for helping me out ?" The ghost in question was an old man, the classical grandpa with a long beard and large hat.
"Quite well.. Though you know how it is, things rarely change around here, so I wouldn´t mind a chance to go on a walk."
"He is right, you know?" Came a firm, feminine voice that made Melanie groan. She heard that this Graveyard often had a visitor or two, but she could guess who it was.
A second, more well looking ghost appeared. This one was a lady, clear to see by the posture. She died by decapitation, as the long line around her neck attested to.
"Anne Boleyn is my name, I greet you, princess, and offer my assistance with nary a thought. Anything to relieve me of these bores."
Melanie gave a polite smile at that."That makes two then. Perhaps a trio should be enough for my mission."
Anne however had other ideas "Mistress, may I recommend Edward and Richard? These young boys could enjoy leaving the their crypt once or twice, and children are a staple of horror nowadays."
Melanie considered. She had a ghost dog, a decapitated lady and an old man. She could use some children in the mix, they always make for great scares.
She gave a nod, waving her hand as she spoke "Show me to them."
"Most certainly. They are over at their crypt. Follow me." With a curt nod, the former queen moved, before promptly vanishing through the ground.
Melanie looked at the ground, before stating blankly "Ah. Once more I curse my lack of neat walking through walls powers. Alright, the hard way it is."
She closed her eyes, trying to get a mental ping on the locations of the ghosts around her. She then focused on the one moving away from her, waiting for it to stop. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the shadows.
She nearly coughed from the dust in the air as she stepped out of them inside the crypt.
But first, she had to regulate her breathing. Control yourself to control the encounter the movie says.
She was breathing heavily at this point. Right, she needed either to get better endurance or learn how to do breaking and entering like other people. Maybe she could moonlight as a lady thief, flex a bit on the Hermes kids. Now, where are the boys...
She quickly found them at a staircase, and she was displeased by what she saw. Oh, she was used to gruesome sights. She was probably one of the only people who saw how an entire human was dissected at her age, but still, seeing the handsome cute faces of the boys so malnourished, seeing the look in their eyes.. She didn´t like seeing people
She waved cheerfully to them, calling out "Hey there, fellow kids. Lady Anne might have already explained why I am here ?" Hopefully she had. Melanie was not sure how to talk to them.
"You want us to scare people?" Their voices were meek, and insecure.
"Pretty much. I am being tested, and I could use some help. You in ?" She gave them a foxy smile, leaning forward.
"But is scaring people not mean ?" Came the question. And it was a valid quesiton.
Melanie made a so so motion. "Not really. See, these people want something to happen, they seek fear and they seek adventure. We are just providing it."
"But we can´t leave."
"Why?"
They wordlessly pointed behind her.
Holding a groan in, she turned around, her eyes narrowed as a woman, fully white, descended from the ceiling. This was no spirit, not a real one. This was a monster. With a sigh, Melanie unleashed the blade. The woman looked like a corpse ready to fall apart.
Well, tonight was a time for firsties. First major scare, first quest, first beating up a monster.
She was just about to start the encounter with a quip, but before she could, the being screeched at her loud enough to rattle the dust off the stones in the room.
"Okay, what the bloody hell is a banshee doing here? Regardless, bloody ow!" Melanie gritted out, her ears ringing, a slight trickle of blood running down.
Melanie eyed the surroundings, half expecting her mother´s security force to bumrush the bitch. They did not. No luck that they would hang around during a quest. Proving yourself and all that, but still bloody annoying right now. Well, she had own minions.
"Oi, Brutus. Help me beat this bint and I will take you out for a walk the next few nights." While not an art taught by her mother, proper encouragement does indeed help out quite a bit.
Just as the Banshee was about to scream again, she was tackled from behind by Brutus, landing both of them on the ground grappling with each other. Well, she was never a fair fighter. The dog wouldn´t be able to hold her long. He had no weight while she did, but long enough for Melanie to have a running start. Just as the banshee was about to get up, she swung her blade like it was a bat, the celestial bronze tip hitting the monster in the temple, sending it sprawling on the floor.
Not stopping, Melanie continued to pounce on the banshee, alongside Brutus. However, now that the spirit was aware that there was a second combatant, it put up more of a fight. Melanie was honestly surprised how physical it got. Still, two against one was not advantageous for it. Their tactic was to keep it busy enough that it couldn't gather the breath to scream. And a lot of dirty fighting. When Brutus was chokeslammed by it, Melanie slammed her her blade into it´s leg, allowing the dog to kick it in the face. Seeing it on it´s knees, she quickly pulled the blade out of the leg, grabbing it by the head and put it to it´s throat, growling.
"Try to scream, and I will make sure you will never again. Bloody hell, I should kill you, but I have use for you. Help me out this evening, and I won´t cut you up like you are a pig. You will never return here. Deal?" Melanie really didn´t care too much, but she figured she may as well try to get something worthwhile out of this. Despite being a monster, a Banshee was still a spirit after all.
The banshee raised a hand, and gave a thumbs up. With a clicking sensation, she felt how her authority of spirits asserted itself over the banshee. Stepping back with a sigh, she had to resist spitting out a droplet of blood from her slightly busted lip. She wouldn´t taint a grave more than she had to. Monsterous spirits like Banshees and Poltergeists were the most annoying to subdue.
Soon enough, the group was gathered outside. Old Man John, who talked to the interested looking Banshee about the art of taxidermy and Anne and the two kids who played around with Brutus.
"Alright, gather up. I will lead you to the location that we will haunt. Please, try to be stealthy on the way there. We will have about thirty minutes to prepare once we arrive. Any complaints? No? Great."
With her own little ghost train coordinated, Melanie began her march.
"Welcome to Stonewall Primary. The most mundane school ever. So, given that they will come towards eleven, how about we begin the set up?"
She waited for the group to settle down before explaining. She had once more broken into the School. Really, it was laughable easy if you knew where the keys were. "We have seven scare opportunities, and the reason why I grabbed you people is that you are sane enough to be capable of scaring people. So, how can you do?"
The kids went first, not moving, but they projected a giggling sound, demented and deranged, around the room.
"Perfect. Next." Melanie smirked, clapping her hands.
Anne simply lifted her head off her shoulders before rolling it over the floor. It stopped right before Melanie, it´s eyes rolled up, a swollen tongue hanging from it´s mouth. Melanie laughed with glee at that.
"Horrific! Banshee- wait, no, I know what you can do. Just keep it unnerving, not lethal. John, you are next!"
In response, Melanie felt as if she was hit by a shock wave, vertigo setting in and her head spinning, nonetheless, she applauded.
"Terrific! And I will finish them off if they aren't scared off by you. Brutus, you will be just yourself. No tackle, you hear?"
No, she was absolutely not rubbing her hands in evil glee, no sire. She did notice however that Anne looked at her with a smile.
"Is something?"
"You are just adorable with all this evil planning and glee, my princess."
"Darn right I am. Now, here is the plan..."
Soon enough, a group of five entered the school, their access made easily by the unlocked doors. They were all in the same age group 10 to 11, and were led by a massive kid. Like, nearly round.
The horror began as soon as they stepped in. Melanie appeared behind them, slamming the door shut, before shoving a board between the handles, making sure they won´t escape before they are properly scared.
Then the giggling and the singing began. "Little pigs, little dirty pigs, brother, I hunger for little pigs." It was almost like the princes were speaking directly into their ears, yet impossibly away. They could almost feel the cold breath on their necks. They ran like the devil itself was behind them, directly into a classroom.
Said classroom was haunted by Anne. Just as they opened the door, there she floated just behind the desk, like the horrific fusion of a maths teacher and the spectre of death. Her head was on said desk, and started to scream at them in old English. They stumbled back, and the door slammed shut. Then a hand slammed against the door window, Melanie´s head appearing in it, seemingly in a panic as she hammered against the window. Then besides her, the head of Anne and that of the banshee appeared, before opening their mouths as if to bite down on her.
Vertigo hit the group, and in that moment of blurred vision, a horrible scream sounded through the school, just as red liquid spattered against the window. They scrambled away. Then they heard the growling sound of a great beast at the end of the corridor.
They booked it towards the exit, which now stood open. Just as they left, screaming and crying, they turned around and saw the entire group standing in the entrance, Melanie, seemingly bloodied, waving almost cheerfully, mouthing "We will be back~", before the doors closed with a bang.
With a chuckle, Melanie wiped the red paint they stole from the art room off her face, before holding her hand for the group to high five.
"Good work, everyone. Excellent teamwork."
Everyone gave her a high five and seemed to be energized. Honestly, that was to be expected. Spirits feed off emotions, so scaring was literally like a good meal to them. Then the clock struck twelve. Smiling softly, Melanie spoke up, genuine apologetic.
"Sorry, guys, but I need to go collect my bounty. Can you clean up ? It will creep them right out if nothing seems amiss. And Banshee, you are released, but you know the deal ?"
It was John that spoke up. "Mel, we spoke and have reached an agreement with her. It was kind of a miscommunication anyhow." The old man noted, looking at the Banshee with a smile. One of the kids asked "Are we gonna scare people again soon? It was fun. We could become a group! The graveyard gang! Or the nobility of horror!" The energy her fellow 10 year old had was adorable, although she was concerned that she might have created an addict.
She tipped her hat while responding "I wouldn´t be opposed." Anne nodded with a slight smile "It was fun to change the locale once in a while. How about you, Brutus?" The woman leaned down, petting the dog.
Melanie paused, before nodding to herself. "Alright then. We will make it official later. Still, I have to collect my bounty and you have to clean up."
A collective nod, and she vanished into the shadows and arrived quickly at the door to her pad. Unlocking the door, she was surprised at how dark it was. She was sure she had left some lights on. Just as she took her first step in, she was blinded by sudden light, releasing a cry as her eyes were burned by the bright light.
"Oi, I told you fuckers to turn it up slowly!"
The voice of her mother rang in her ears, and vision slowly returned. What she saw was heart-warming. Her entire living space was colourful, decorated in a festive manner.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
Ah, that was why that date was important.