A/N : Let the prank begin! XD
Six fingers were placed on the planchette. Steve had insisted on Chris and Jamie not taking part because he was convinced they would manipulate it. They didn't mind. For their plan it wasn't necessary. On the contrary, it was more believable when they didn't have their hands in it, literally.
"We hereby call all spirits who are near and willing to talk to us. Don't be afraid to make your presence known. Is anybody here?" spoke Chris as if he had done this a couple of times already, which he probably had.
An eerie silence surrounded the group of college students before a brisk gust of air blew through the library and engulfed them. Especially the girls couldn't suppress a shiver.
"Is a spirit present? Please give us an answer." Chris requested politely.
"Oh my God, it's moving!" shrieked Beth as the planchette slowly wandered to the left corner with 'yes' written on it.
"Okay, who of you is doing that?" Steve asked more annoyed than freaked out.
"I swear I didn't!"
"Me neither!"
"Nope, I swear!"
"Calm down, it hasn't even really started yet." Jamie told them matter-of-factly.
He couldn't hold back a slight smirk as he watched Jack, who was leaning over the table with his finger on the planchette and a wide mischievous grin on his face.
"Dear spirit, are you good or bad?" Chris continued.
Once more the planchette started moving, accompanied by incredulous murmurs of the group.
N…A…U…G…H…T…Y.
"Should we worry now?" Chelsea asked insecurely, waiting for an answer of her friends but causing someone else to give it.
M…A…Y…B…E.
"This isn't funny, guys!" Chelsea exclaimed and glared upset at her friends.
"We're not doing that!"
"Yeah, right, then who does? A ghost? I think not." the blonde girl reasoned to soothe herself.
Suddenly a cold wind blew around them again and purposefully extinguished the candles on the table.
"This is just a lame trick. You know what? I have enough, I'm leaving!" Chelsea stated both bitchy and scared and stood up.
"Chel, stop the drama and come back!" Steve yelled after her as she frantically stomped to the door.
"It's not a good idea to leave now! Spirits don't like it when you walk away from a conversation." Chris warned her.
"Too bad for them." the young woman shot back.
She reached for the doorknob, but quickly let go of it again, as if it had bitten her. Everyone winced when her high shriek rang through the library.
"It's ice-cold!" she shouted and pulled her sleeve over her hand to touch it again and tried to open the door, completely in vain.
"The door lock! It's frozen! We're trapped!"
"How did you do that?" Tommy asked Chris and Jamie, hoping they would admit it was all a well planned show.
The thought that it was a real ghost causing all of this sent shivers down is spine.
"For the last time, we didn't do anything. If you don't want to make the spirits even angrier then you better tell your hysteric friend to come back here this instant." Jamie sighed, doing his best to sound honestly concerned for their well-being.
"Nice acting skills." Jack thought with a crooked smile.
The group urged Chelsea to continue the Ouija session with them until she gave in, less than enthusiastic, and sat down next to her boyfriend again. Steve also started wondering how the two freaks managed to do all this. He refused to believe they were in the presence of a real ghost, it simply couldn't be true. Pondering on the possibilities he absent-mindedly watched Chris lighting the candles again. A sudden loud ringing ripped him out of his thoughts and made him flinch.
"Who the hell calls me at this hour?" he grumbled as he reached for the smartphone in his pants pocket.
His dark brown eyes widened when he saw the number on the display.
"Tommy? Why the heck are you calling me?!"
Bewilderment was written all over his friend's face.
"What? I didn't call you. Why should I? You're right here. And how the heck should I have done that without you noticing?" Tommy explained rationally.
"Whatever, but this is your number isn't it?" Steve spoke aggravated and held his phone towards him.
"Well, yeah, but-"
"Show me your phone."
"Why?"
"Just show me already, okay?"
His voice got louder and more impatient by the second, so Tommy decided it would be best to do what he wanted. Fed up with the course of this night he grabbed his jacket, which was hanging behind him on the back of the chair, and looked for his smartphone.
"The hell…I can't find it!"
"Maybe you put it somewhere else?" Beth spoke.
"No, I'm 100% sure I put it in there. It's not there anymore!"
Everyone scanned their surroundings with increasing suspicion and nervousness. Tamara was the first to detect it. With eyes as big as saucers and trembling fingers she pointed at the far end of the room.
"G-guys, l-look!"
The others quickly mimiced her shocked expression. In the corner next to a giant book shelf they saw Tommy's phone floating in mid-air. Jamie and Chris grinned at the Guardian of Fun, who was casually leaning against the wall and holding the small device in his hand.
"No screen lock, tz tz tz, how careless." Jack remarked without looking up and dropped it.
Collective gasps echoed through the library when the smartphone fell to the ground like a stone. Tommy immediately hurried towards it to check if it was broken and let out a relieved sigh when he realized it was still intact.
"Okay, enough of that bullshit!" Steve bellowed and stood up, his hands firmly placed on the table.
His anger did little to hide his growing insecurity.
"Whatever you planned to do, stop it!"
"Don't tell me you're afraid?" Jamie provoked him with a smirk.
"Afraid? Hah, keep on dreaming. I'm just worried about my friends' well-being. Don't you see how scared they are?"
"Actually I think this is the most exciting thing that ever happened to me. It's like being in one of those creepy movies."
"Shut up, Louis, no one asked you!" Chelsea slapped the back of his head.
"Could you please stop arguing, spirits don't like yelling." Chris warned them with skillfully faked worry.
"And I don't like spirits! What are they gonna do about it now, huh?" Steve challenged the invisible powers and attempted to sit back down in his chair energetically.
Unfortunately a certain spirit had pushed it away from him and the dark haired student landed on the hard floor with a thud.
"Ouch, damnit!" he groaned as he rubbed his hurting backside.
Just as he had stood up again a book hit him on the head. A thin one. After all, Jack didn't want to seriously hurt anyone.
"Arrgh, what the heck!? Stop that you idiot!" Steve shouted at no one in particular.
Okay, maybe a slightly thicker book this time. And a medium one. And one which was definitely on the heavier side. Smaller ones for the rest of the teenagers. Nobody should come away empty-handed. Louis had the smallest book flying towards him. Jack appreciated that he liked his show.
"Okay, okay, STOP!" Steve screamed on the verge of insanity.
"If we continue with the Oujia, will they take a break from attacking us?" Tommy asked Chris.
"Depends on how angry you made them." the boy with the glasses shrugged.
"But it's the only way to end this. Never walk out of a Ouija session without saying goodbye or the spirits will stay with you…maybe forever."
With a growing headache and no energy to argue anymore, Steve ungrudgingly put his index finger on the planchette, just like the rest of the group. By now they all had accepted the fact that Chris knew what to do.
"Can I ask a question?" Chelsea said hesitantly.
After an approving nod she went on and talked to the unseen being.
"Why did you attack us? What have we done wrong?"
Once again the planchette started moving as if guided by an invisible hand.
N…O…R…E…S…P…E…C…T.
"And why didn't you throw books at Jamie and Chris?"
F…R…I…E…N…D…S.
"You know them?" Louis inquired curiously and surprised.
"I know a lot of spirits. I'm sort of well-known among them." Chris spoke nonchalantly.
"What he said." Jamie agreed.
"Did you tell them to freak us out?" Tommy wanted to know in a reproachful voice.
"No, spirits do what they personally want. They don't follow orders."
This statement didn't help against the increasing worry about the entities holding a grudge against them and possibly sticking to them from now on. Beth was the first to voice her concern.
"Will they leave us alone after we're done here or, you know…make our life a living hell?"
"Maybe you should ask them directly." Jamie suggested.
"Alright, uhm…dear spirits, are you still mad at us?"
K…I…N…D…A.
"What do we have to do so you'll forgive us?"
B…E…..N…I…C…E.
"Oh come on, this is a farce!" Steve, who had gradually regained his composure, shouted out in annoyance.
"Who is this, the ghost of the Super Nanny? Trying to teach us manners?"
Before anyone could tell him to shut up the windows burst open, one after the other, each one with a loud bang and icy cold wind blew through the entire library, encircling the group in a freezing grasp. Now Jamie knew why Jack had told him and Chris to better put some extra layers of clothes on. Books fell out of the shelves, notes swirled around and the wind howled as if it screamed insults at the rude teenagers, Steve in particular. When another heavy book was thrown against his head he finally realized that there was no rational explanation for this and he had to stop pretending it was all just a lame trick. If he wanted to admit it or not, what was happening here was reality. Cold, harsh and creepier than anything he had ever experienced, because he couldn't see his opponent. He couldn't hear it, couldn't touch it, couldn't make out from which direction it came from or what its next move was going to be. And that freaked him out. He only wanted it to finally stop.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry! You hear me, I AM SORRY!"
As soon as the words had left his mouth the wind subsided and books as well as sheets of paper stayed lying on the ground without moving furthermore.
"Are you satisfied now? I mean, please accept my apology and let us part on good terms. I promise I won't harass your friends anymore. Deal?" the black-haired student forced himself to say, even if he felt the urge to bite his own tongue for it.
Y…E…S.
The group sighed in relief. Chris and Jamie sent an inconspicious smile to Jack, who grinned victoriously. He had succeeded in teaching the bullies a lesson and had them begging for mercy. He almost felt guilty for scaring them, but then remembered how much mocking Chris had to endure. No, they deserved the payback.
"Is there anything else you want to tell us?" the boy with the glasses asked eventually.
The planchette moved fast and formed the longest reply they had gotten during the entire session.
W…I…L…L….B…E…...W…A...T...C…H…I…N…G….Y…O…U.
"Good he's on our side." Jamie thought.
Various gulps could be heard from various nervous teens while they kept staring at the letters on the wooden board. Chris, despite enjoying the most entertaining night he had ever witnessed, decided that it should end now. They had achieved what they had planned to after all.
"Dear spirits, thank you kindly for your time and will to talk to us. We will leave now and let you return to your realms. Goodbye!"
Hesitantly the rest of the group bid their farewells, rueful and relieved that this horror scenario was finally over. The planchette was let go of and chairs pushed back as the dumbfounded students wasted no time to escape from this eerie place. If they could ever set foot into the library again without being reminded on the events of this night was unlikely. Suddenly Chelsea gasped as a worrisome thought struck her mind. Hadn't the door been locked earlier? What if it still was and they were trapped here? What if-
"Oh, it's open again. Phew." she noted as she pushed the handle down.
Tamara, Louis, Beth and Tommy followed her out with Steve being the last one to exit.
"Hey, Steve!" Jamie addressed him and the taller boy halted in his tracks without bothering to turn around.
"You meant what you said, right?"
There was a short silence before he replied, his voice tired and low.
"Yes. I have no clue what the heck was going on here, but I won't risk it happening again."
With that being made clear he stepped out of the library and walked towards his friends who were waiting for him in the hallway. Jamie glanced through the glass window in the door to make sure they were out of sight and hearing.
"Wow, Jack, you surpassed yourself this time!" he turned to his friend and gave him a high five.
"Did you see their faces? That was hilarious!" Chris joined in cheering.
"It's been fun! Haven't pranked anyone like that before. I doubt they'll ever bother you again." the Guardian of Fun smiled mischievously.
"I surely hope so. It would be more than a little strange if this night didn't have any effect on them. " the blonde teenager remarked.
"Anyway, lets clean up this mess. It's way past midnight and we got lectures tomorrow." Jamie noted.
As much as he hated to sound like a boring and responsible adult, he was dead tired and had to get up early the next day. He would have prefered to hang out with Jack a while longer, but his weary mind had other plans. And putting all the books and papers back where they belonged would take some time as well.
"Don't worry about that, I'll take care of it myself. You two go to bed and get some sleep." Jack offered.
"Really? That's nice, thank you!" Chris said gratefully as he picked the Ouija board and the planchette up from the table.
The day had been exciting beyond his imagination but he couldn't ignore the fact he was exhausted and badly craved the comfort of his bed.
"You sure you don't need help?" Jamie asked.
Jack had already put his staff aside to collect some books from the ground and merely nodded in their direction.
"Yeah, no problem. I'm not tired yet and this is no big deal."
"Alright, thanks! I'll see you again soon, right?" the brunette boy wanted to know in a hopeful manner.
"You bet!" the frost teen smiled.
"Is next week okay? I'd like to check if those bullies are behaving well."
"Sure! Can't wait." Jamie beamed and waved him goodbye.
"Bye, Jack! And thank you again!" Chris exclaimed as he walked out of the door.
The Guardian of Fun looked after the two students before continuing to tidy up the library.
"Yep, that was a good prank." he smirked to himself.
On tuesday in the following week Jack knocked on the half-opened window to the dorm where his two friends were working on their assignments.
"Hey, guys! So what's up, tell me the news!" the white-haired immortal asked straight-forwardly, right after he had entered.
Jamie, who knew exactly what his friend was so curious about, wasted no time and grinned at him triumphantly.
"Steve apologized to Chris in the cafeteria, only one day after the Ouija session. You should have seen the looks on the others' faces, especially when Chelsea and the rest joined and admitted they believe in paranormal things now. They told more of their friends about what happened and everyone got curious and asked for more information. Chris has been in pretty much demand since then."
Aforementioned teen smiled both sheepishly and happy.
"It's so cool! I've never had so many people approaching me to tell them about ghosts and stuff. It feels nice to be finally taken seriously."
"Then mission accomplished, I'd say!" Jack cheered and leaned back on the windowsill, pleased with himself for once.
"Definitely!" Chris exclaimed and thanked the young guardian again for his support.
"No big deal. I'm glad I was able to help."
"Can I ask you something, Jack?" Jamie suddenly turned towards his best friend who nodded nonchalantly.
"Sure."
"Why didn't you let us tell them about you? You could have gained a few new believers that way."
In fact the Guardian of Fun had explicitly rejected that offer when they had been planning the course of events before the Ouija prank. There had been other details to discuss, so Jamie hadn't elaborated on it furthermore. But since then the question kept showing up in his mind and he had to get a rational answer. Jack always craved for more people believing in him, so why had he deliberately missed the opportunity?
The winter spirit sighed and fidgeted a bit with his staff while searching for the accurate words concerning his decision.
"Well, yeah, but in this case it was better that way. Our goal was to end the bullying, nothing else. I don't need someone like Steve believing in me. It might surprise you, but for some reason I still can't stand that guy."
"Oh, no surprise at all." Chris affirmed from his seat at his desk.
"And you gotta imagine, what would instill more respect? An invisible force of spirits, who are completely unpredictable and could be everywhere at every moment. Or, well, me." the frost teen added for consideration.
"I 'm not exactly terrifying."
"I'd like to maintain the contrary, but eh, nope, you're really not." Jamie agreed and Chris nodded in confirmation.
"No offence, but you're an extremely nice guy. I get your point, Steve and Co. aren't impressed by friendly people. When they can never be sure if something is around they'll behave better than when they can see whether you're here to defend us or not." the wearer of glasses reasoned.
"Indeed." Jack spoke and glanced at the pile of books on the students' desks.
"Much work I assume?"
Annoyed groans echoed through the room as the two boys were reminded of the tasks they still had to finish today.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'." the young guardian chuckled and stretched his limbs.
"I better leave you be then, will pass by soon again if you don't mind."
"You're always welcome, Jack." Jamie smiled and got up to give his friend a short man-hug.
"Yes, looking forward to seeing you again!" Chris beamed excitedly and waved him goodbye.
"See ya!" the Spirit of Winter shouted as he jumped out of the window and let the wind carry him to his next destination.
He hadn't and wasn't going to tell the other guardians about his prank. Freaking out teenagers wasn't really a part of his job description and he doubted they would condone such behavior, no matter what reasons he had for it. And still, he didn't regret it. It had served the purpose after all. And it was fun.
A/N : I hope you enjoyed this fun story! I'm already working on the next arc, which will definitely be on the more dramatic side. Stay tuned!
As usual, I'm grateful for every new review, favourite and follower! :)
