Chapter 1-2
Saint Elizabeth's Public Library, Late night
"This is a mess!" Was the first thing that Charles said after entering the library.
He had received a message in his phone that afternoon about a new job, at first he thought it would be something simple, after all, is was just a ghost at a library, surely whatever she wants is something simple, right? But the more things he discovered about this ghost the more he thought that something wasn't right.
That kind of power just out of nowhere? Didn't make sense, ghost that powerful usually create some paranormal events before they manifest themselves, and to disappeared that fast, if she were a territorial ghost it would make some kind of sense, but if that were the case then she should have jumped at him already, so no, here was something else happening.
After a few minutes of finding anything Charles decide to bring the big toys, he opened the leather bag with bones that always had with him and took one of the bones in it, and then began to study it.
"Chicken bone," A smirk crossed his face. "Had to love the classics."
Pressing the bone with his hand –and closing his eyes-, Charles broke the bone, the bone began to transform in ashes, they danced and twist in the air following a no-existent wind, until the they finally move right to Charles eyes, but when the ashes touched his skin they transformed one more time, this time taking the form of a skull mask, well, half of it.
When he opened his eyes the world looked different, the lights were brighter, the shadows darker and here was a strange aura around the library, a ghost aura.
"Ok, time to hunt a bitch!" With a smile in his face Charles began to walk around the library one more time, bit this time following the aura of the ghost, to where it was stronger.
While following the tracks he suddenly stop when he noticed a strong and very strange aura coming front a different part of the library, he had never seen a aura like that before, it was bright yet dark in the same time, in the end his curiosity won and he decide to investigate.
Whatever he was expecting to find, a teenager –well she looked like one- wasn't one of them, she had very short black hair, and she was wearing a… flight suit? As a man wearing a skull mask Charles found that very weird, but what really called his attention was the strange, backpack? That the girl was wearing, it was from there that the unique aura was coming from, before the young man could decide what to do, the girl yelled.
"Come on, come on you stupid ghost, come out already!"
He should have stayed quiet, he should have stayed hidden, he could resist being a smartass.
"You know little lady, you should yell like dat, ghost don't like it."
And soon as she hears him she turned yells and shoot him, he really should have stayed quiet.
"Oh shit!" The last thing Charles saw was a green and bluish light.
"Ow ow ow." With a headache that felt like it was to crack his head it half, Charles began to wake up.
"Don't move!"
Just to have to barrel of a weapon shoved at his face, he just stared at it for a few seconds before blinking.
"…Aren't you a little young to be threating people with guns?" He said with a hint of humor in his voice.
The face of Ophelia began to change to a shade of red, from both rage and embarrassment. "Shut up! I'm the only one asking questions here!" She yelled, trying –and failing- to keep calm.
"Listen, I tink we began with de wrong foot, my name is Charles, what is a little girl-"
"I'm 20!"
"-A young woman like you doing in a library so late at night." He finished like he wasn't interrupted.
Ophelia took a few moments to think –and calm herself- if she should reply, debating with herself if it was a good idea, in the end she decide talk with the stranger, but keep ready to shoot again in any moment.
"I'm Ophelia, I was hired to capture the ghost that is haunting this place, now, answer, why are you here!?" She finished the last part shoving the barrel of the weapon against his face again.
"Whoa! Be careful with dat cher! I'm not looking for trouble; I'm on your side, see I was hired to deal with the ghost too, so we're allies." He said with a smile.
"That's impossible! Mr. Smalls didn't mention about hiring other people, do you thing I'm stupid!?" She yelled getting angrier.
"Right now I only ting that think about you is dat you have a weapon and anger issues, so what about you take a deep breath, I'm sure this have an explanation," he said with a sheepishly smile. "Look the old man surely just forgot about it, people dat old never think straight when talking about ghost."
After a few moments Ophelia lowered the barrel of the weapon and let Charles to get up. "Ok, let's say that true, let's say that you were hire as my support-"
"Hey I would go dat far."
"-What could you do? Do you have a weapon or something that could be used against ghost? Because to only thing that you seen to have is that weird mask." She finished pointing at the mask itself.
"Well, ignoring dat comment about being just support, I usually just talk to de ghosts to see what dey want and give it to dem, with the more difficult ones though, I have to use a little help from… de Other Side." When Charles said the last part, for a moment the sockets of his mask have a strong green light.
"The… 'Other Side'? Do you mean the dimension of the souls?" Ophelia asked, her curiosity overpowering her caution.
"Well, isn't exactly like that, is more like- "Chalres stop suddenly and began to move his head around as is listening for something. "Are you hearing music?"
"Hey don't try to change the subject! What do you mean-"Ophelia stopped talking when she began to hear it too. "Wait… I hear it too, it sounds like…"
"Jazz?" Charles finished for her.
Ophelia could help but to put one of her hand over her face. "What the hell is happening here!?"
Charles just smiled while moving a little, following the rhythm of the music. "I don't know, but I like it!"