Hiya! Sorry! This was done by New Year's but I was without wifi until now. Had holidays at a place with no wifi and no neighbors for quite a few miles, but anyhoo, I'm back! With WIFI! God, I missed it. The only plus side me being without the internet was that I knocked quite a few books off my TBR list. Yay!
I'll shut up now and let you guys read, yeah?
It's Friday!
Thank the gods. Ben and Claire get to go hunting this weekend. On an actual hunt. With actual ghosts and monsters and such. Whatever it is the Sheriff is having them go after.
What are they hunting?
The Sheriff said she wouldn't tell them until they were there. That meant the whole trip is nothing but a training excercise, meaning they'll only be doing research while the Sheriff watches and critiques them, and maybe, just maybe, they get to help handle whatever it is they're hunting. Ben hopes it'll be easy. His throat is still healing. Yelling for assistance will be an issue should it come to that.
Claire has been texting him nonstop since yesterday. Running theories and scenarios past him, basically using him as a sounding board. Why can't she do that with Alex? Ben has school. (He's conveniently ignoring the fact Alex is also going to school.)
Better her than him.
Or at least that's what it should have been. But nope. Claire is texting him.
Beep!
Speak of the devil.
Ben heaved a deep sigh as he rolled over on his bed to grab his phone to see what the blonde wanted.
Do you think we're going after a chubacabra? -CN
Snorting, Ben typed back a message.
I seriously doubt it. We live nowhere near a chubacabra's habitat. -BB
How would you know, swiss cheese for brains. -CN
Ooh, nice one. Haven't heard that from you before. -BB
If I say anything meaner, Jody'll kick my ass. -CN
That's coz I'm her favorite. Deal with it, Novak. -BB
She treats you like you're damaged, you know that right? It's not because she thinks your aweseome or anything. -CN
Stung, Ben ignored her for the rest of the night. Claire says so many hateful and borderling cruel things to him, that Ben's grown used to her barbs, but that one was below the belt. He's not damaged. He's not. His dad took away him memory for him for a reason, most likely to protect him from something bad. Bad enough to do that to Ben and his mother.
He knows this.
But - but there are moments when Ben thinks maybe his dad is happy to be free of him. Maybe his dad forgot about him too and that's why he never came looking for him.
Unfortunately, this is one of those nights where Ben isn't too sure of his place with his dad. He left. He left Ben and his mom on their own, knowing monsters, demons and Lord knows what else could possibly be coming after them. The monsters and demons could have come after him and his mom anyway just to punish his dad for retribution. Any number of things could have happened to him and his mom while his dad was off living his life without them.
Aaaaaaand he's spiraling. Leave it to Claire to send him down this unpleasant path.
Ben sighed deeply, feeling suddenly exhausted. He shot a guilty look towards his backpack holding his homework for the weekend. He had planned to do his school work before the Sheriff took him and Claire on their first ever sanctioned hunt, not one they fell across by accident and acted like panicked morons that could have gotten them killed if not for pure luck. Not that Claire would admit it. She likes to cling to the idea of her being Ben's savior.
God, knows why it doesn't bother Ben as much as it should.
I'm going to bed, Ben texted to Maria and Logan.
He heard Maria make a vague, distracted noise to signify she got the message and he heard Logan blow a raspberry. It had him grinning. He really likes Logan. Whoever they adopt in the future is going to be a lucky kid.
BW
Ben woke up before the sun did. He took a quick shower and packed his bags before heading downstairs to make himself a quick breakfast of oatmeal and cinnamon toast with a glass of milk to drink. His lightest breakfast yet. Ever, actually. He usually eats something heavy, so heavy it sends him back to sleep only to awake again much later to eat some more.
He has a sudden vision of a huge food selection of breakfast foods spread out before him on a large marble island.
Ben blinked and the vision faded, leaving him bereft. So he did what anyone else would do in this situation, he ate his feelings. He just barely put his bowl in the sink when he got a text from the Sheriff telling they're outside.
Jotting down a quick note to Maria and Logan, Ben grabbed his bags and was out the door to the awaiting vehicle, making sure to close the door quietly and lock it behind him. Claire stuck her tongue out at him before sliding over after he tossed his bags into the back of the truck. Ben "accidentally" elbowed her on the side when he got into the truck, immediately making apologetic expressions and gestures.
Claire gave him the stink eye but didn't say anything because she had no proof he did that intentionally. On the plus side, she gave him a lot of room on his side of the cab for the next three hours.
Ben and Claire fell asleep the last twenty minutes to their destination, a small town - itty bitty, really - called Riptide. One of the residents claimed a poltergeist was haunting a house in their neighborhood. It would be up to Ben and Claire to not only find out the ghost's identity but to deal with finding the grave and salt and burning the bones.
The Sheriff woke them up by coming to an abrupt halt, jerking them against their seat belts. Ben whined about the bruising he undoubtedly has while Claire complained about the heart attack she's currently having. The Sheriff merely rolled her eyes before kicking them out to do their research.
Before she drove off, she yelled the name of the motel they're staying at and told them not to get thrown in jail, especially Claire. Ben smirked at Claire and stuck his tongue at her after the Sheriff drove off.
"I'm in charge," Claire stated. "We're going to the library to find any other clues if this ghost bothered anyone else in town." She strode off without checking to see if Ben was following her.
He wasn't. Ben has his own idea. Just because Claire's older doesn't mean she's smarter or better at hunting than him. Unlike Claire, Ben already knows how to research hunts and he knows how to talk to victims of supernatural creatures. He had a vague memory of talking to someone to get them to open up about something that seems ridiculous and insane. He thought he dreamed it after watching too many CSI episodes.
Turns out it was training by his dad. Thank the gods for that.
Ben waited until Claire rounded the corner before taking off in the opposite direction. He zipped up his hoodie, took out a notebook and pen, threw on an earnest expression and walked up to the house next door to where their supposed poltergeist is currently haunting. He suspects talking to neighbors first would be better than going straight to the source.
Those being haunted might be inclined to downplay what's been going on while neighbors would be more than happy to tell everything hinky going on. People like to gossip. Like a lot. Especially to strangers.
Taking a deep breath and plastering on a smile, Ben knocked on the door and waited patiently for the owners to open. An attractive middle-aged woman opened the door, she smiled kindly at Ben.
Ben held up a piece of paper to read. Stupid still healing throat.
The woman looked startled but she grabbed the paper and started reading.
Hello! My name's Alec Teague. I'm doing a story for our school newspaper about the house next door. People have been saying it's haunted, and since you're the neighbor, I was wondering if you could talk about anything strange you've seen or heard.
You don't have to if you don't want to. I just thought it'd be nice to have another perspective instead of conjecture for my article.
Thank you for reading!
She finished reading and stared at Ben in confusion.
"Why am I reading a letter instead of answering a question?" she asked.
Ben pointed towards his throat and shook his head. He grabbed the paper back and wrote, Damaged my throat. Still healing. Can't talk yet.
"Oh," the woman gasped in sympathy. "I am so sorry. Yes, yes, I would like to talk to you about that dreadful house. Come in!"
Ben nodded at her gratefully.
The first thing Ben thought when he entered the house was that it looked like Martha Stewart threw up in here. So many throws and useless knickknacks that are meant to "accentuate" the house and to bring a "pop of color" to a somewhat sterile house. Okay, Ben can understand bringing color because all he sees is white and every variation of white in the house. It's making him super anxious.
What if he gets it dirty?
The little kid in him is freaking out about dirty fingers and shoes and memories of a grandmother who was a neat freak. He immediately took his shoes off and left them by the door so he wouldn't track any dirt in with him. It seemed to appease the woman.
"Sit," she ordered. Ben obeyed because he's still stuck on the neat freak grandma who yelled at him for being such a filthy child, and he didn't want to make the woman mad at him.
This house is way too clean and sterile. It's kind of freaking him out.
"Now," the woman started, she held out a cup of tea for him to drink. Ben took it, anxiety rocketing up to a 100 at holding something that could stain the nice, white couch he's currently sitting on. "What would you like to know about that house? It's history?"
Ben nodded and took a cautious sip of tea. It's good, surprisingly. He's not a fan of tea. Not really.
"Well, my husband Darrel and I moved here from Seattle, I thought it'd be us starting over. No more late nights at work or working at home locked away in a home office. We bought this house and redesigned to our tastes, cost a lost mind you, but it was worth it, don't you think?" She asked, waiting for Ben's response.
Ben nodded his head, internally thinking, Hell, no. It's like a mausoleum in here. I think it's creepier than a mausoleum.
"Now, we noticed the neighboring houses, of course, but we didn't think anything of it. Every house on this block is old and rundown, save for ours. But that changed within a few years of our moving here, the others starting updating their houses to match ours. It was nice. This block became the place to be. Parties were held here so people could 'ooh' and 'ahh' at our houses. It was perfect.
"But the house next to ours, it's abandoned, you see," she informed Ben with a frown. "My husband and I tried to buy it so we could renovate it, but the deed to the house was held up in a will by the previous owner. Apparently, the Owens, the people who lived there last, left it to their second cousins' kid, a man named Marshal. We tried to find him so we could buy it from him but we'd been unable to find him."
She seemed annoyed at this. Ben hid a smile at her frustration.
"The following weeks after out attempt to buy the house, things have been going wrong around the neighborhood. Things going missing. Things seemingly breaking on its own. Animals acting strange and aggressive," the woman rattled off.
It had Ben sitting straighter in his seat. Finally, now they're getting somewhere.
"One time, the Ullmans' daughter, Maya, she's 7, claimed she saw a woman in a white nightgown standing at the foot of her bed. She was lying of course, but it unsettled a lot of people, especially when more and more kids have been claiming of seeing a woman in their bedrooms." She seemed unconvinced of the children's' claims.
Ben scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it to the woman. He really needs to learn her name. He can't keep calling her "the woman". It sounds like something out of Sherlock. The BBC tv show, not the books.
Why do you assume the children are lying?
The Woman huffed.
"Because they are children and children tell lies and tall tales," she retorted rather acidly.
Okay then. So, she definitely has no or had ever been around kids. Just great.
He scribbled another question.
Has anyone other than kids seen anything the woman in white? Or anything out of the ordinary around the house?
The Woman read and pursed her lips, she looked so reminiscent of his grandmother, Ben straightened in his seat and reflexively looked around him to find any dirt smudges. Gah! He needs to get out of here ASAP.
The Woman reluctantly admitted, "Yes. Jeanette Ortiz claimed she saw the woman staring at her from the bay window. Poppycock, of course, but John McMillian said the door opened and he saw her standing in the foyer of the house staring at him."
She seemed more convinced of this McMillian guy than the Ortiz woman. Wonder why?
"And my husband," she paused before continuing in a hushed voice, "he said he saw her staring at him from the deck of the house, she beckoned him closer. When he didn't comply, he claimed her face changed into something horrific, her eyes became black and her teeth grew jagged. She howled at him in a godawful screech. It had everyone in the neighborhood sleeping with their lights on."
So what do you think it was?
The Woman shook her head helplessly. "I don't know," she admitted softly. "But whatever it is, it's getting worse. The Marsters, they live in the green craftsman down the street, had to put their three dogs down because they attacked one of their children. Sent the boy to the ICU. He's still there, getting better from what I hear, which is good. The Scotts, they had to euthanize their cat. It clawed their newborn while it slept. If they hadn't've come running in when they did, the cat would have clawed the baby's eyes out."
She took a shuddering breath to compose herself while Ben swallowed back bile. This is so much worse than he thought it would be. He never considered babies would be in danger from a ghost. From this woman in white.
Shit.
A Woman. In White.
Fan-friggin'-tastic. He needs to text Claire. Sometimes a Woman in White will go after men in their attempt at revenge but there are some who go after children, thinking they're hers. Either way, people die.
This one seems to target both. Though why she's acting up now is beyond him. Maybe Claire'll know why.
"People are starting to blame us. They say we're the reason this 'ghost'," she sneered with actual air quotes around 'ghost', "is coming after them and their children. They say we should leave. We brought a darkness with us and it's infecting the entire neighborhood." She genuinely looked hurt at this accusation.
"And I'm having a hard time disbelieving them. There's only so much rationale a person can have before the insane starts to look a little more logical. But ghosts?" She asked him, as if actually expecting him to answer her, to come up with a rational reason why these things have been happening. He can't do that, and he can't tell her he's here to get rid of the ghost that's been terrorizing the neighborhood.
She'd think he's nuts.
But then again, she's seen things she can't explain and she's floundering for an explanation.
I read, in my research, that if you put a salt line across your door, it'll keep the ghost away. Iron helps, too. At least, that's what I read.
The Woman read it with a blank face.
"Thank you," she responded neutrally. "But I think I'm done talking about this. I assume you have all the information you need, yes?"
She stood up, obviously wanting him to get out of her house. He probably stirred up some bad feelings and memories for her. Though he has to admire her tenacity at thinking the whole thing to be insane and not at all possible.
Ben nodded at her, quickly jotting down the names she gave and the incidents to look up later. He should send the names to Claire since she's already at the library.
He did the sign for Thank You in ASL before slipping on his shoes and taking off out the door. Lore on a Woman in White swirling in his head as he walked down the steps. The feeling of being watched stopped him. Ben slowly turned his head to the house next door. The hair on the back of his neck and arms stood up as his breath quickened in a release of adrenaline. His fight or flight instincts kicking in response to the threat of danger.
A flicker of something by the bay window had Ben taking an instinctive step back.
The Woman in White flickered into a more solid shape. Her face was as The Woman (seriously, he needs to learn her name) described it; pitch black eye sockets, almost like a demons but much scarier, and jagged teeth snarled at him. She tilted her head back and let out a blood-curdling scream that sent Ben running down the street before he even considered running in the first place.
As he ran, he saw curtains being drawn and heard deadbolts being thrown into place. He didn't blame them.
Ben ran all the way to the town library, a small ranch-style brick building, almost blending in with the other brick buildings around it. If it didn't have a plaque proudly claiming "Riptide Library" in gold lettering, Ben would have missed it entirely. He would have run right passed without noticing.
Gasping, Ben toppled into the building in an ungainly heap. He immediately got shushed by the librarian. Ben waved him off with a flick of the wrist. He rolled onto his back and sucked in as much air as he could to get his lungs to work properly. His heart thudded painfully against his chest and his limbs felt heavy and jello-y. He could still hear that terrifying scream echoing in his head.
Shuddering, Ben looked around hoping to see Claire stomping towards him with a pissed off expression and an angry tirade at the tip of her tongue but she didn't appear.
His throat burned with each gasping breath, the fear of damaging it again had Ben attempting to take smaller breaths. He couldn't lose his voice permanently. How would he be able to interrogate (yell at) his dad if he couldn't talk? If his dad ever called the Sheriff back, that is.
Where's Claire?
With herculean effort, Ben dug his phone out of his pocket and typed a quick message to Claire asking her where she's at.
His phone vibrated in his hand, almost making him fling it away. His heart, which had just calmed down, skyrocketed back to worrisome levels.
Library. Where your stupid ass should be. -CN
Huffing, Ben fired back, No you're not. I'm here and I can't see you. -BB
Basement, dumbass. Archives are down here. -CN
Oh. OMW -BB
He waited until his heart quit trying to re-enact the scene with John Hurt in Alien before he even attempted to stand up. He doesn't think he could even sit up at this point. Hell, he doesn't think he even has the energy to roll over.
He texted Claire, Help! I've fallen and can't get up. -BB
What'd your dumbass do, Winchester? Am I gonna get blamed for you being hurt? -CN
No. Adrenaline gave out. Need help. Have the strength of a wet noodle. -BB
Why-? Never mind. Be right there. -CN
Thank God. The librarian is giving him the stink-eye.
Claire appeared like a blonde angel at that moment. A blonde, angry angel who looked seconds away from smiting his ass to kingdom come. Her thunderous expression, oddly, calmed him down and he finally felt safe.
'Claire' he mouthed in relief. It made her falter slightly. Concern briefly replaced her anger.
"What happened?" She demanded.
Ah. He should have composed a letter of what he discovered. Stupid him. He mimed for her to chill while he gathered his strength. He gestured for her to help him up when he felt ready. With pursed lips and a roll of the eyes, she helped him to his feet and practically dragged him to a computer and pointed at it, silently ordering him to type what the hell he'd been doing while she went to go sign in for the computer use.
Smart. He never would have thought to use a computer. He would have used either his phone or wrote on a piece of paper. He's never going to tell her that though. No. Just, no.
It took him less than a minute to type up his conversation with The Woman (name, he really, really needs to learn her name), his theory of what the ghost is, and his encounter with it. Claire read over his shoulder, her hair tickling his face . . . his quickly warming face. Stupid hormones. Now is not the time for such thinking.
She frowned in concentration, letting her chin rest on his shoulder as she took in the new information. Ben fought - and lost - his fight and blushed hotly.
Claire chuckled lowly, knowing why he's blushing, and shoved his head forward, almost making him face plant into the keyboard.
"Mind out of the gutter, Winchester," she drawled. "We have a case and people to save."
Ben blushed hotter and nodded his head. Damn her for making him feel this way. It must be him. He likes girls he can't have. That must be it. Claire is as untouchable as a person can get.
He really needs to find a girlfriend or something, but with his new reputation as the school nerd, that's not looking like a possibility any time soon. He might have to hit up the surrounding towns if he ever wants a love life. Or wait until college.
College sounds better.
"Dumbass," Claire hissed, jabbing a finger into his shoulder to get his attention. "Pull up any information regarding the people mentioned. I want to see if they actually happened or if that woman is pulling our leg. We can't go to Jody with a half-assed theory."
Ben glared at her and typed, It's not half-assed! I know it's a Woman in White.
Snorting, Claire sneered, "No, you don't. Women in White don't act like this. None of the lore says this is her M.O.."
But the lore changes all the time. Thanks to my dad and uncle playing god with the rules, or so you said. What if she's drawing power from something and that's allowing her to do all this?
Claire bit her lip.
"What would be her source of power then?" She challenged him. "What caused her to become active after all these years? There's always something that triggers a haunting like this. Find it and maybe I'll believe you."
Stumped, Ben typed, If it's not a Woman in White, then what is it? What did you find?
Sighing, Claire pulled a chair next to him and slumped into it.
"I don't know," she admitted. "It's not a poltergeist, especially since it's affecting other houses. Poltergeists can't leave their territory. We have no proof it's a Woman in White, and there has been no suspicious deaths in the last decade in or around that house."
Tulpa?
Claire tilted her head, considering. "Maybe. Did you see any symbols on the house?" Ben shook his head. "Still doesn't rule it out. We might have to go inside and check."
Ben blanched and shook his head rapidly. No. Not going back there without the Sheriff. She must have read it on his face for she scowled at him.
"We have to, Ben." The use of his first name took him aback. "If we don't figure this out on our own, Jody won't let us hunt or even teach us how to hunt again. Do you want that? Hunting is all I have going for me, I don't want to lose that. We need to do this on our own. We can do it. We can."
Ben wavered under her little speech.
But isn't the sign of a good hunter is to know when they're out of their depth?
"We're not out of our depth," argued Claire. "We just started. How can we know when we're over our heads if we haven't done anything yet? We can't just punk out at our first hurdle."
I can't call out for help. What if something happens and I need you?
That made Claire hesitate. "I'll be right next to you. We won't leave each other's side, I promise."
Ben's fingers hovered over the keyboard, unsure. Instinct is saying inform the Sheriff of their findings and get her advice on how to proceed, but ego is urging him to go with Claire and find out what they're dealing with on their own. That'll impress the Sheriff more, yeah? She'd be more likely to trust them more and let them hunt more often. Maybe even on their own.
Then again, if they screw up horribly, the Sheriff might never trust them again, and forbid them from hunting. She'd take away his books, the only thing he has of his father's.
Claire leaned in close enough for him to feel her breath on his cheek. He swallowed audibly.
"We can do this, Ben. We can," she crooned, her hand coming up to cup his cheek. "I promise I won't leave your side."
Her brown eyes bore into his, and Ben allowed himself to be pulled in those confident depths. He nodded his head. Claire beamed at him and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. His face flamed and he suddenly felt confident over their endeavor.
"Let's go now, while it's still light," Claire urged. "Better to look with natural light than just a couple of flashlights."
Ben nodded his head again, hoping for another kiss. None came. Drat.
Disappointment flooded through Ben but he rallied quickly. If he impresses Claire enough during their investigation in the house, she might give him a kiss of thanks, and there is nothing wrong with getting something out of going inside that creepy ass house. It'll be his reward. Or something. He'll think of a better rationale later.
They gathered up their things and left the library and the angry librarian.
There's a house they need to investigate. In broad daylight. In a busy neighborhood. And he got kissed by Claire. No, wait. That last one's not important, or pertinent to their investigation of a possible tulpa or Woman in White.
Off-limits, off-limits, he chanted to himself. Quit thinking about her like that. You know she used her attractiveness against you, Ben chastised. And yet, he'd still go along with her plan. He's still going along with her half-assed plan without any weapons of any kind. Not even a salt packet on them. But that's okay. They're hunters. They know what they're doing.
Nothing could possibly go wrong.
(Knock on wood.)