Ace
After replying to Xavier, I set my phone down and leaned back on the couch, exhaling slowly. Phoenix was still sitting next to me, his eyes fixed on the floor, deep in thought. I could tell he was troubled, probably replaying his dream in his head. I didn't blame him. Seeing something that vivid and horrifying would mess anyone up.
"You good?" I asked, nudging his shoulder lightly.
He glanced up at me, giving a weak smile. "Yeah... just trying to make sense of it. That girl... she was so scared. And that guy—" He cut himself off, his jaw tightening.
I knew he didn't want to say it out loud—what that bastard did to her. It made my blood boil just thinking about it. Whoever that man was, he deserved to rot in hell. But right now, getting angry wouldn't help Phoenix, so I forced myself to stay calm.
"We'll figure it out," I assured him, my voice firm. "We'll find out who she was and what happened to her. And when we do, we'll make sure her spirit gets the peace she deserves."
Phoenix nodded, though he didn't look entirely convinced. I couldn't blame him for being doubtful. Hell, I wasn't even sure how we were going to tackle this. But if I showed hesitation, he'd just get more anxious. So I did what I always did—acted confident.
I glanced at my phone again, rereading
Xavier's message. "Make sure to take care of yourself, alright? I don't want you passing out on me next time." Typical Xavier—being worried but masking it with his usual cocky attitude. I smirked to myself, not sure why his concern made my chest feel lighter. It wasn't like I needed anyone to look after me... but it was kinda nice.
Phoenix noticed the look on my face and raised an eyebrow. "You're smiling like a weirdo."
I rolled my eyes. "Mind your business, brat."
He snorted but didn't push it. Smart move. I got up from the couch and stretched, feeling the soreness from yesterday's little "adventure" kick in. My arm still stung from where that spirit had slashed me, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. Still, Xavier insisted on getting it treated. I guess it wasn't just Phoenix who was fussing over me lately.
"Kuro," I called out, and the little fluffball hopped onto my shoulder, rubbing against my cheek. I chuckled and gave him a scratch behind the ears. "You think you can sniff out some clues for us later, huh?"
The cat meowed in response, making Phoenix smile a bit. Good—anything to get his mind off that nightmare.
"Alright," I said, turning back to Phoenix. "We'll hit the library after breakfast. Maybe grab some supplies too. I have a feeling we'll need more than just salt and charms for this one."
Phoenix gave me a wary look. "You really think it's that serious?"
I nodded. "Yeah. There's more to that mansion than just a bunch of angry spirits. I felt it yesterday—like something bigger was pulling the strings. If we're gonna take it down, we'll need all the information we can get."
He hesitated. "What if... it's too much for us?"
I ruffled his hair, earning a glare. "Stop doubting yourself. We're Andersons, remember? This is what we do. And besides..." I softened my tone. "I won't let anything happen to you. Promise."
His expression eased, and he gave me a small nod. "Okay. I trust you."
That made me feel a little better, but I couldn't shake the unease gnawing at me. It wasn't like me to be this cautious, but something about that mansion was off. The kind of off that didn't just go away after a few exorcisms.
I glanced at my phone one more time before shoving it into my pocket. There was something comforting about knowing Xavier was around, even if he was just being a nosy bastard. And Atlas too—I didn't know him well, but his energy was... grounding, in a way. I just hoped I wasn't dragging them into something too dangerous.
"Hey, brat," I called out, grabbing my jacket. "Get dressed. We're heading out."
Phoenix gave me a thumbs up and trudged to his room, and I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. If we were gonna survive this, I'd have to stay sharp. No more careless mistakes.
And most importantly—I wasn't losing anyone. Not on my watch.
After Phoenix got dressed and grabbed his stuff, we headed out to the library where I worked. It was still pretty early, and the streets were quiet, the kind of calm that usually came before a storm. Kuro trotted along beside us, his tiny paws tapping against the pavement.
The library wasn't far, just a few blocks down. When we got there, I unlocked the door and let us in. The place smelled like old paper and dust—comforting in a way. Phoenix immediately went to the research section while I booted up the computer at the front desk.
"You sure this place has records on that mansion?" Phoenix asked, glancing back at me.
I shrugged. "If not here, then the archives. But it's a start."
Kuro leapt up onto the counter and curled up, keeping an eye on the entrance like he was some kind of furry security guard. I pulled up the local news archives and started digging through old reports. It didn't take long to find something—an article from about ten years ago.
"Mass Murder at the McAllister Mansion—Four Dead, One Missing."
I narrowed my eyes and clicked on it. The article popped up, and Phoenix came over to read along. Apparently, the place belonged to some rich businessman named Thomas McAllister. The victims were his wife, his daughter, his business partner, and one unidentified male.
"So... four bodies," Phoenix muttered. "That's more than we expected."
I nodded, my jaw clenched. "And that girl from your dream... she must've been the daughter. Which means the man chasing her was probably her father."
Phoenix shuddered. "That's twisted."
"It gets worse," I mumbled, scrolling down. "The businessman himself was never found. Police suspected foul play, but they couldn't determine if he was a victim or the perpetrator."
Phoenix crossed his arms, his face pale. "What about the business partner?"
I clicked on another link, bringing up a photo of a man in his mid-thirties. "His name was Samuel Grayson—apparently McAllister's closest friend and co-owner of their business. His body was found in the study—shot in the chest. There's no mention of who killed him."
Phoenix looked troubled, his eyes fixed on the screen. "So... what about the fourth body? The unidentified male?"
I skimmed through more articles until I found a brief mention of it. "They never figured out who he was. No ID, no family came forward. Just... some guy who ended up dead in that mansion."
He rubbed his temples. "Great. Just what we needed—more questions."
I leaned back in my chair and pulled out my phone. This was getting deeper than I thought. I dialed Xavier's number, and he picked up after a couple of rings.
"Hey," I greeted, keeping my tone calm. "You free? We need to meet up at the library. There's more to that mansion than we thought."
Xavier's voice was serious, instantly catching on. "Yeah, I can head over. You find something?"
"Four bodies instead of just one. It's a lot messier than we thought. Bring Atlas too. We're gonna need all hands on deck."
"Got it. Be there soon," he replied, hanging up.
I let out a heavy sigh, rubbing the back of my neck. This wasn't just about exorcising some pissed-off spirits. These people needed peace—closure. If we just tried to expel them, it wouldn't fix a damn thing.
Phoenix sat down next to me, resting his chin on his hands. "We can't just get rid of them, can we?"
"No," I admitted. "We need to help them move on. That means figuring out exactly what happened—and why they're stuck here."
He glanced at me, worry flickering in his eyes. "What if... they don't want to move on?"
That was a damn good question. Some spirits were so tied to their rage or pain that they didn't want peace—they just wanted revenge. I gritted my teeth, feeling frustration simmer under my skin.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," I said finally. "For now, we focus on gathering as much info as possible. There's gotta be something that ties all this together."
Phoenix nodded, though he still looked uneasy. I ruffled his hair lightly, trying to reassure him. "Hey. Don't stress too much. We've handled worse."
He gave me a small smile, and I couldn't help but smile back. Just then, Kuro let out a soft meow, and I glanced over to see the little guy staring intently at the door. Moments later, it swung open, and Xavier walked in, Atlas trailing behind him.
Xavier raised an eyebrow. "You called for backup?"
"Yeah," I replied, waving them over. "We're dealing with more than just one spirit. We're dealing with a massacre."
Atlas glanced at the screen, his usual confident smirk fading. "Damn... that's messed up."
"No kidding," I muttered. "This isn't just about exorcising them. We're gonna have to help them find peace—or it's gonna get a whole lot worse."
Xavier crossed his arms, his gaze shifting to me. "Then let's do it right. We'll figure it out."
I couldn't help but feel a little more grounded with them here. Maybe it was the way Xavier didn't question my judgment, or the way Atlas seemed to take things seriously for once. Either way, I knew one thing—whatever hellhole that mansion turned out to be, we'd face it together.
The more I thought about it, the more frustrated I got. Nothing made sense. Why would a father do something that awful to his own daughter? And that little boy... he must have been her brother. I couldn't shake off the feeling that he'd suffered even more than the rest. Seeing him in my dream—crying blood and trying to strangle me—was burned into my mind.