Chapter 2:

Voices

I glared at Lucy as she thoughtfully munched on a biscuit while reading the research my torturer had gathered. She hasn't spoken to me since she brought me here and that was almost over fifteen minutes ago. How dare she ignore me. How dare they ignore me. I snorted.

"How many visitors did you find in this house George?" She asked before taking a sip from her tea, her eyes never leaving the sheet of paper in her hands.

"One, according to the papers. Someone was murdered here." I rolled my eyes at him. She had already asked this question on the way here, how many more times must she ask it?

"Blah blah blah. There isn't just one ghost here." I sneered as Lucy stiffened at my words before looking at me from the corner of her eye. Lockwood looked at her over the tops of his lens before turning his gaze to me or tried to see me through the table. He was always observant of Lucy when we have a case, perhaps it's because she can 'hear'. I believe it's more.

I sniffed at Lockwood's attempt to see me. I still sat on the floor by Lucy. He was standing in front of the stove which was behind the table that sat in the middle of the room. It was a small circular table and it was in a small kitchen, well small to them.

Lockwood looked at Lucy as she stared at me. "What did it say?" Lockwood asked in a soft voice as I smirked and wiggled my eyebrows at her. George stood and leaned over the table, trying to get a better look at me as he adjusted his glasses. I glared at him before sticking my tongue out. He always wanted to know what I say. Even if they are insults.

"Go throw yourself into a well, I'm sure you'll float." I grumbled as Lucy raised an eyebrow at me.

"Something about more than one ghost."

"Well, yeah." George snorted. "Considering he told us about the Poltergeist more than a few seconds ago." A grin curled my mouth as I felt the beginnings of the manifestation of the cluster of dead women. It was too faint for Lucy to sense right now. Georgy, Lockwood and Lucy, all, knew about the poltergeist and a specter. What they didn't know was that the said specter was more than one murdered female.

You said you loved me. A soft feminine voice echoed as it drifted into the room and all around the house followed by the sound of creaking floor boards. You'd promised that you would love me, so why? I felt a smile curl my lips as everyone now stared at me; Lucy's eyes glazed over. It was only nine O'clock and yet it was already happening. So why is there more than one?

"Don't let it touch you Luce." I whispered as I watched the pale ghost fog slowly travel into the room like the rolling waves of the sea. I looked at Lucy to see her snap her attention to me before springing to her feet and snatching her rapier free, swinging in front of her before she froze then glared at me. I laughed at her. I turned my attention to Lockwood to see his hand on his own rapier.

I rolled my eyes at him. All ways so clam, so macho, so . . . I glared at him. I couldn't think of anything else to call him. I'm sure they'll come to me later. I blinked as Lockwood and Lucy reached for their bags, rummaging around for their chains. They had packed spares with them. Their first chains already set up in other parts of the house.

I quickly looked at the ghost fog, seeing it retreat as if sensing the intentions of the two. I looked at George. I scrunched my nose in disgust. He was still munching away on biscuits without a care in the world. "Are you sure it was just one ghost George?" Lockwood asked calmly, looking at his fat friend. I sighed.

"Of course, Lockwood doesn't believe me. Not even George knows about the Specters." I would stiffen if I had a body when I released the words. I looked at Lucy to see her glaring at me. I fought a smile the threatened to curl. I only feed her tidbits when I wanted them to know.

"How many?" I just stared at her blankly. Too bad I don't have a body. I almost miss being able to express myself.

"How many what?" She growled softly as she kicked me.

"How many Specters?" I grinned at her as she snarled.

I scrunched my nose and studied her. "You shouldn't make faces like that one, yes that one. It makes you look ugly." An unidentified sound escaped the back of her throat as she kicked me again, much harder, and sent me spinning towards Lockwood's feet. He was watching me as I smiled innocently at him. He just sighed and looked at Lucy.

"There is more than one Spector." Lockwood frowned at her words as George quickly finished his 'nth biscuit. I frowned and studied George. If I didn't know any better, I would think he was pulling them from thin air. I sighed miserably as Lockwood stepped over me.

I froze when I felt someone pick me up. I turned to see George's fat hands cleaving to the sides of the silver-glass, his grip holding me as he brought me to his eyelevel. I growled. "Put me down you disrespectful fat pig! You are nothing –"

"Hush!" Lucy hissed as George plunked me on the table before gathering his messy papers into a neat pile. I spun inside the jar till I was upside down, watching George pick them up and replace them into files he had grabbed them from.

"I'll suck the life from your bones. I'll feed your remains to the ghosts hungry enough to consume flesh. I'll torture you when you slip into the next life." I grit my teeth as the sound of creaking floorboards returned.

A smile curled as I looked at Lucy. She was standing by the door, chains over her shoulders as the temperature suddenly dropped, forcing a startled squeak from George while a soft growl from Lockwood who was already reaching for his saber.

Why is there more than one? Why did you choose us? Can't we go home now? WHY!? A jarring scream, with several voices that almost sounded like one, rattled the house and made Lucy cringe away from the door while tightening her grip on her sword.

George squawked at the sudden sound, dropping all his papers. Lockwood stiffened as his eyes widened while his glasses slid down his nose, preparing to fall off. I smirked at their reactions before I started laughing. Lucy glared at me over her shoulder. I laughed harder, she glares quite a bit when it came to me. I would be breathless if I still had a body. "Now that's romantic." I teased as she rolled her eyes.

I watched as George ducked down below the table out of sight but I could hear the rustling of papers as he gathered them. I turned my attention to Lockwood and Lucy. They both were staring at the billowing ghost fog before Lucy dropped turned her attention to me. "Take me with you." I whispered as she raised an eyebrow.

"Well?" I snapped after a few moments of her staring at me before I pouted. "If you leave me here, I can't help you find the source." I already knew where they were but where was the fun in telling them when you can watch them get chased by several Specters. A smile spilt as Lucy released a soft growl before grabbing the handle nestled at the neck of the jar I rested in.

Alarm raced through me when she dropped me into the bag. Sure I liked being carried around but I didn't like being dropped as if I was nothing precious to begin with. Sure I was dead but I didn't want the jar to crack and break. If it did, then I could no longer hang with Lockwood & Co. "Don't drop me." I huffed as she released a soft snort before placing me at the entrance of the kitchen.

"Hey!" I protested as she ventured forward without me, the thickening ghost fog rolling around her ankles, Lockwood followed shortly then George. "I don't want to miss all of the action!" I whined even though I could pretty much see around the entire house thanks to me being dead, but she didn't need to know that. "Fine! I won't tell you where the source is." I grumped. And it's in a hidden room too. I could feel a dark smile as I watched Lucy slump her shoulders before Lockwood mumbled something to her. She said something in reply that made him turn and glare at me before he said something to Luce before they continued onward.

"Fine." I sniffed haughtily, sticking my so called my nose into the air. "Have it your way. This will just be much more fun when you are hunting for the hidden source." I was tempted to cackle darkly but just sniffed instead. I don't want to give Lucy the pleasure of know that it irked me about being left behind.

I could feel George's gaze burning into me as he glanced back at me before picking up the bag and following behind. I bristled and grit my 'teeth' at the feeling of his back being pressed against the fabric of the bag. "Hey, hey, hey fatso. You know you are no good right? You know Lockwood could do well without you? You're not even wanted here." I growled as Lucy huffed, her body taunt.

I could sense the glare she gave George before she continued onward. "Now where do we go?" He asked as I hissed in protest.

"You shouldn't speak." I mumbled only to get another glare from the Burnette. I huffed. Nothing was going the way I wanted it to.