Mercedes parked the car, lowered her sunglasses, and stared through the passenger side window. Her eyes narrowed at the amount of people approaching the listed home. She was never able to reel in that many people, maybe maximum five possible clients, but never fifteen or so. The blonde sitting beside her in the passenger's seat shifted uncomfortably as Mercedes stared silently outside, "Are you sure that this is a good idea?" The woman looked out the window as well and then back at Mercedes. "I don't want anything to happen to Beth."
"I'll be fine mommy!" Beth chimed in from her booster seat in the back. "Aunty Cedes said it's going to be like Halloween, but in the summer time!" Quinn Fabray looked at her six year old daughter and frowned at how terrifyingly grotesque the normally angelic child looked. "I love playing dress up!" The little girl said in a sing song voice as she played with the new Barbie Mercedes had bribed her with.
"Mercedes she looks like the creature from the Grudge" The mother sighed as she regarded her daughter once again. "But with more open sores and blood everywhere…."
Mercedes laughed and looked at her goddaughter. "I know right?! She looks amazing." She shook her head in admiration and disbelief, "Good thing Sugar knows some makeup artists." She reached back and tickled the child who in turn squealed in delight. Quinn made a tutting sound and smoothed down the front of her dress. "Q, don't worry. No one will hurt Beth, I promise." Mercedes reached out and took the woman's hand and squeezed it gently. Quinn looked up and nodded slowly. "Alright, are my two lovely actresses ready for their time to shine?!"The mother daughter duo nodded almost in an eerie unison.
"I love you baby." Quinn reached back and rubbed the top of her daughter's hand before she exited the car to join the other viewers in the house. Mercedes turned around and looked at the little child whose blond hair was matted with fake dry blood and covered half of her face. The older woman had to admit that the child looked terrifying even to her. Beth put the doll down and smiled up at her aunt. Even her little teeth had been browned and stained. Mercedes did her best not to cringe at the sight.
"Hun, you look so scary right now."
The little girl beamed even more, "Thanks aunty Cedes!" Mercedes laughed and slipped out of the car. She opened the door for the little to get out from the back. Quickly she looked around, threw a blanket on top of the squealing little girl, and walked briskly to the back of the house. They walked into the gated backyard and slipped inside of the home. Mercedes could hear the booming voice of her nemesis coming from the kitchen down the hall. She had told Quinn to make sure that she asked him to see it first. It gave Mercedes and Beth enough time to hustle to the bedrooms upstairs.
When Mercedes wanted something, she would do anything to get it, and what she truly wanted right now was revenge. She had studied the layout of the house and immediately located the room where the previous owner's daughters slept. Gently, she pulled the blanket off of the little girl's body and looked at her.
"How are you doing kiddo?" She smiled down at the blonde child.
Beth shrugged, "Kind of hungry I guess. I also kind of have to use the bathroom." Mercedes frowned.
"Well, can you hold it for like fifteen minutes?" The little girl nodded. "Awesome, there's my little champ."
"Aunty I'm not a chimp, I'm a girl." Beth pouted.
Mercedes covered her mouth to stifle her laugh. "I said champ, like champion." The blonde's eyes widened and then she smiled which led to a fit of giggles. "Alright, now you know what to do right?" Beth nodded and Mercedes pat her head, the sticky feeling of the fake blood nearly made her gag. "I love you and I'll be right back." She softly walked across the hall and leaned over the banister to listen. Sam was going on and on about the light fixtures and how they really brought the kitchen to life. She rolled her eyes and padded down the stairs, past the living room, and into the backyard.
Quinn flipped her hair and bat her eyes at the blonde man in front of her as he droned on and on about the fixtures that she had inquired about. She eyed him up and down, wondering why Cedes didn't just jump on him instead of seeking revenge. "….that's why it's important to use these kinds of lights with this layout." He finished off and looked at her with a wide smile. Quinn gave him a brief smile and looked at the others around them. Her face became very serious as she looked around.
"I heard that a family was murdered here, is that true?" She looked back at him and wrapped her arms around her body as if she was suddenly feeling cold. Sam's eyes widened in shock and the others looked at each other with a hint of surprise and fear.
"No that is not true and I'm not sure where….ha….where you would have heard that." He tried to force a smile. Quinn looked at the others who were staring back at her in confusion.
"I…I can sometimes feel things….you know…..spirits around me and sometimes…" she licked her lips, "…they tell me messages….and they're telling me that they don't want you in their house." Her eyes bored into Sam's.
"That's insane," his voice became tight and then he forced a dry laugh, "No one has died here, this home is spirit free unless you're talking about the delicious wine that I have laid out for all of you." He gestured to the food platter and wine on the mini island in the middle of the kitchen. "Why don't we all just take a moment and eat."
Quinn stepped back from the group and began looking around as if anxious and disturbed. "They don't want us here!" She raised her voice and a loud bang sounded from upstairs which caused everyone to jump. "They're angry! Don't you see that?!" Quinn's body shook in fear. In the back of her mind she wondered if she should get into acting.
"Sir if someone done died up here in this holy hell of a house I think it's your duty as an agent to tell us the doggone truth!" One man sputtered out, eyes bugging out of his head. Another loud bang sounded from upstairs which was then followed by the sound of loud running across the hallway. A slam of the door was the final strike for a woman who screamed loudly and grabbed her husband's arm tightly.
"This is ridiculous!" Sam smacked his hand down on the island and then walked out of the kitchen. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this insanity." He stormed up the stairs as the people waited downstairs. Quinn looked around at the others.
"We can't let him go alone, the spirits are not pleased and who knows what they can do" She said in a panic.
"Lady I'm getting the hell out of this place." One woman pushed past Quinn and tried to open the front door but found that it wouldn't budge. "I am NOT DYING IN THIS HOUSE!" She yelled as the other people looked around in a panic. The backyard door began slamming causing everyone to scream and run in different directions.
"Go upstairs!" Quinn yelled and everyone listened, although in hindsight it didn't make any sense. Sam was just opening the little girl's room when everyone clamoured up the stairs in fear and ran into him, demanding he get them out. The blonde toppled into the room, falling on to the floor, with one man falling on top of him.
"Sir you're crushing my liver." Sam gasped as the large man tried to roll off of him.
Quinn stared at the closet door which was slowly opening in front of their eyes. Everyone paused and stared at the now opened door. Beth ran out from the closet, screaming an ear shattering scream. Everyone ran out of the room, including Sam who scrambled up from the floor. Quinn stepped back and quickly grabbed her giggling daughter's hand once everyone had fled. They watched as everyone ran out the front door which was now suddenly open. "Good job baby." Quinn smiled and kissed her daughter's forehead before whisking her out through the backyard where Mercedes was waiting with the blanket. They all crouched behind a bush and watched as the people either hopped into their cars or merely ran down the street. The trio ran across the lawn and dove into the car, driving away happily. Mercedes wondered if it had all been too much. Perhaps it had been, but she most definitely felt like it was worth it.
Mercedes slid into the booth across from Quinn and the now cleaned up Beth. They hadn't been able to stop laughing since the incident earlier that afternoon. "That was so much fun mommy, can we do it again?"
Quinn shook her head and sipped on the milkshake she had ordered, "Uh….no." She laughed, "That was fun, but really scary for mommy." Mercedes ripped a piece of her chicken strip and popped it into her mouth as she laughed.
"That was absolutely hilarious. Plus I learned that I'm really fast at running too." She shook her head. "It wasn't easy tying that rope around the doorknob to that huge garden statue outside and then running all the way back to mess with the backdoor." She leaned back into the cushioned booth and sighed in content, "But I bet the look on his face was insanely worth it."
Quinn giggled as she took one of Beth's fries, "Oh it was." She dipped it into some ketchup and munched happily before hugging her daughter to her side, peppering her face with kisses.
"Was it really worth it?" A deep voice sounded and all three looked up at the tall blonde man who slid into the booth seat where Mercedes sat. They all stared at him silently. "You three look like you've seen a ghost or something." He smiled, his green eyes twinkling as he looked at Beth. She giggled happily. "You were pretty amazing today young lady."
She blushed and ducked her head, "Thank you." Quinn looked at Mercedes for some kind of cue, but Mercedes could only stare at the man beside her. His attention moved to the other blonde at the table.
"I suppose you get your talents from your older sister here." Quinn blushed and then rolled her eyes.
"She's my mommy not my sister silly." The little girl laughed at the man before her.
Sam gasped, "Oh my apologies." He finally turned his attention to Mercedes who was staring very hard at him. "Hello Ms. Jones."
"Mr. Evans, did you follow me here?" He nodded and then smiled.
He reached over and took one of her chicken strips, "Yea, after I saw you three rascals running to your car, I thought it'd be nice to meet everyone face to face." He munched thoughtfully on the strip. Mercedes couldn't help but notice how he licked his lips and Sam couldn't help but notice her noticing him. He bit his lip and she looked up into his eyes before glancing away angrily. He chuckled and stood up. "Well it was nice meeting you…." He stretched his hand out to Quinn.
"…uh Quinn."
"It was nice meeting you Uh Quinn and little ghost child." He grinned and winked at Beth who smiled proudly at the new name. Mercedes rolled her eyes at him. Sam glanced at her and walked out of the restaurant. She ran out after him and grabbed his arm before he could get into his car.
"Wait that's it?!" She shook her head in disbelief. Sam looked down at her and grinned.
"That was a very clever prank Mercedes….very clever." He folded his arms across his chest. "I definitely lost a lot of sales because of it and maybe I deserved it a little."
She nodded, "Okay, so we're even now." He reached out and brushed her hair back from her face, her body shivering under the contact. The blonde leaned forward and Mercedes couldn't help but stare at his mouth, wanting to taste his lips on her tongue.
He hovered above her lips for a moment and then kissed her lightly. She leaned in for more, but he slowly pulled back. "You are so damn beautiful Mercedes," His voice was deep and slightly breathy, "I really wish I didn't have to destroy your career now." He stepped back and opened his car door. Mercedes stood there in shock.
"Destroy my career?! That's a bit much don't you think!?" She placed her hands firmly on her hips.
Sam closed the car door once he was in and started it up, "Nope, seems to be just the right amount of animosity." He flashed her a smile and pulled away from the restaurant.
Mercedes stared after the car for a long time before muttering, "Crap," under her breath.
A/N: This is just a short ficlet to help me get back into back into the swing of writing. I'm a bit rusty so please bear with me.