Gadalik awoke to a bell ringing from the living room downstairs. At first he thought he was dreaming, but then it rang again, waking him fully. He got up to answer it, passing his mother's messy bedroom down the hall and wishing he could sleep as heavily as she did.

He made his way to the first floor and picked the phone up. "Peakisans' residence; Gadalik speaking."

"Gadalik?" the caller–an older male, by the sound of it–affirmed. "You're the spook in the papers, yes?"

"This is he."

"Oh, good… My name's Hoss. You see, the house next door to mine is haunted, and I don't know what to make of this whole mess."

"Is the ghost violent, or hurting anyone?"

"Well, none of us have seen it for ourselves, so we don't know for sure. But it's been causing a ruckus every night."

"Is it the ghost of someone you knew?"

"No, not at all. We just moved into this house, you see. The ghost was there when we arrived."

"If I can't get rid of the ghost, you don't have to pay me," Gadalik assured him. "That said, I will do my best to help the spirit gain closure without having to harm it or anyone else in the process."

"Yes, yes, that's what it said in your advert."

Feels like forever since I've last taken on a job… Rosepetal Lake was different, since I applied. Wait…the lake! "Do you mind if I bring someone to assist me?"

"Do I have to pay extra?"

"No, I'll have her pay sorted, myself."

"Then do what you will." Hoss gave him the address.

"I'll be there. Thank you for this opportunity."

They said goodbye and hung up. That's when Gadalik went back to his bedroom and opened a drawer full of letters and cards. He sifted through the thin stack of business cards, including Albert's, Vincent's, Janna's, and… Here it is!

He brought the last one with him downstairs and dialed the number on the rotary.

So this is the place? Gadalik confirmed, double checking the address. His horse snorted as if unimpressed by the moderately-sized two-story home before them. It was in the suburbs a few villages away. Swallowing hard to prepare himself, he dared to knock on the door.

It took a moment but a woman with red irises and black hair answered. "You must be Gadalik. Please, come in."

He tied his horse outside, adjusting its coat to keep it warm in the light snowfall, and obliged her. The inside was organized, and decorated with enchanted items he recognized from books he had read.

"Lucia, is that the spook from the lake we heard so much about?" said a black-haired man sitting on the couch, his blue eyes looking curiously at the newcomer.

"Yes, Akio. He called earlier about our daughter joining him for a job."

"How old are you, son?"

"I just turned eighteen…" Gadalik answered.

Lucia frowned. "A little old for her, don't you think?"

"Only two years difference," Akio brushed it off.

Gadalik glanced between them, unsure what they were getting at.

"Mom, Dad, who's here?" a familiar voice called from upstairs.

"Come see for yourself," Akio beckoned her.

She came down: a girl with short black hair. When her violet eyes met with the other teen's she stumbled and nearly fell down the steps with shock, her cheeks red. After a second she rebalanced and composed herself. "What…what is he doing here?"

"Your mom didn't tell you?" Gadalik turned to her parents, confused.

"It must have escaped my mind," Lucia giggled.

"Mom, you always do this!" her daughter groaned. "You know I hate surprises!"

"But not this one! Am I right, Mira?"

Mira blushed again but covered her face to hide it.

"I-I'm sorry… I didn't mean to drop by unexpected," the other spook murmured, backing up as he felt unwelcome.

"Ugh, don't apologize," she said with annoyance. "Why are you here?"

"You said to call you once I found a job…. Your mother was the one who answered. I thought she would tell you–honest. I understand if you don't want to take the job–"

"Of course I want to take it," she snapped. "Now…what is it?"

"It's actually pretty nearby. This family moved in nextdoor to a haunted house. I've yet to get all the details, but I figured you'd want in on it."

"I meant: what is its pay?"

Gadalik shrank. "Not very much, but I'll let you keep the entirety of it."

"Ugh, don't cut yourself short. We'll split it. Deal?"

"Oh, uh, okay," he stammered. "We can leave as soon as you're ready."

Mira headed back up the staircase and eventually returned with her chain and sickle at her hip and her red-violet hood. He could scarcely see the gold of her pendant tucked under her shirt. "Well? What are we waiting for?"

"N-nothing. You have a horse, right?"

"Yeah. Do you? Or did you walk?"

"I have a stallion. His name is Punsiv."

"Good to know. C'mon." Mira led the way outside and looked to and fro. "Where's your mother?"

"She doesn't come with me for every job," he answered with a single-shouldered shrug.

She mounted her own horse and the two took off. "So you decided to stay a spook after all, then?"

"Y-yeah. I feel like I can't catch a break from ghosts regardless of if I'm on the job, anyway," he halfway joked. "I took your advice and wore a nullifier for a while. I enjoyed not being able to sense ghosts, but now I can control my ghost sense so it's not really needed–except maybe to stop me from seeing ghosts."

"You couldn't control it before?"

"No… There was a seal placed on me and it stunted my magic until recently. It stopped me from controlling it, I guess."

"Did you have the seal last time I was with you?"

"Actually, yes; I just didn't know about it. It's the reason for the surge that caused me to drown."

Mira fell quiet at the reminder.

"Thank you…for helping save me back then," he added genuinely.

"O-of course! I'm not a monster." There was a beat of silence. "So…why didn't you call me before now?"

"I didn't have a phone until my birthday a few days ago," he replied. "Besides, I didn't get an official job since the one we shared at the lake."

"What do you mean by 'official'?"

"Again, I've encountered ghosts while off the job. Like, I was getting horse riding lessons from this girl, when a ghost she used to babysit had been haunting her."

"Girl? You mean your girlfriend?"

"What? No…! She's still a kid. Besides, I don't have a girlfriend. But that's because…" The sentence trailed off.

"...You're gay?" she guessed.

He tensed. "W-well… I don't really care about gender," he admitted. "But love in general is…hard for me to feel. The only one I've ever felt attracted to was my best friend, and that was years after we met. Of course we're only friends; she doesn't like anyone romantically, being ace and all… But I haven't felt the same about anybody since."

"So...you're demi?"

"Demi-pan. My father is pan as well."

"You have a father? Where was he when we were at the lake?"

"He's not legally my father; he's my adoptive mother's boyfriend. He's a bounty hunter. We only see him every so often."

"...Huh. Your family is weird."

Gadalik laughed. "I guess."

There was silence for a while, aside from the clip-clop of hooves against the slushy dirt path.

"Oh–there it is," he said, pointing. "Just up ahead."

"Which house is the haunted one? They all look fine," she remarked.

"I'm not sure. Either of the two surrounding this one." Gadalik dismounted and offered to help Mira down, who hesitantly accepted. He tied Punsiv outside and went toward the door.

"Daddy, there's someone out there!" a little girl's voice shouted from the other side of it before he had a chance to knock.

A moment later a blond man opened the door, sighing with relief to see the two were wearing spooks' attire. "Welcome. Come in, come in. My name's Hoss. This is my daughter Claira."

The little girl waved excitedly.

"You're Gadalik, right? And the young lady is your assistant?"

"Assistant?" Mira echoed, turning to the other spook. "Since when am I your assistant?"

Gadalik closed in on himself. "I didn't mean it that way… You're here to help me, so I didn't know how else to refer to you."

"Try 'partner' instead."

"Well that might give off the wrong idea…"

It took Mira moment to realize what he meant, and her face reddened. "Pfft. Whatever." Addressing Hoss, she asked, "So where is this haunted house?"

"Right next door," the man answered, gesturing. "But first–"

"Gadalik, I'm going in."

The older spook recoiled. "What? Wait! We don't know what we're getting into yet!"

"I'm sure I can handle it," she scoffed, drawing her weapon.

"Mira, stop! We can't just annihilate every spirit we come across!"

"Why not? The quicker we get this over with, the quicker we can get paid and leave."

"Mira… This is my job. We do things my way," he put his foot down.

She seemed shocked that he stood up to her, but also somewhat impressed.

After what happened on his birthday, he had become more assertive toward others to avoid falling into more unwanted situations.

"Alright, then," she finally replied. "What's the plan?"

Gadalik looked to Hoss. "Can you tell me everything the ghost has done since you moved here?"

The man guided them to the living room and took a seat with his daughter, beckoning for the spooks to sit down.

"It's always at bedtime," Claira said. "I hear her crying. I wanted to check on her but Daddy wouldn't let me."

"I went next door to check on her, myself, but nobody was there. That's when I learned from our other neighbor that the couple who owned that house ended up dying a long time ago, and no-one has lived there since. They must be ghosts," her father added.

"I wonder what she's crying about," Gadalik murmured. "Has she ever done anything during the day?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Then that might be a safe time to explore it. Is there anything you can tell me about who they were before they died?"

"According to our other neighbors, the tenants of that house were a chronically ill man and his wife who took care of him. From what I've heard, they both ended up dead somehow."

"Thank you for the info. Mira, come on; we're going to the haunted house."

"Finally, some action!" the younger spook cheered. "Let's go!"

She accompanied him next door and he knocked at first, but when there was no answer, he tried the handle. Upon turning it, the door opened on its own accord. Mira pushed past him, but he stopped her.

"You wait outside," he commanded. "If I'm not out in fifteen minutes, come and get me, alright?"

She crossed her arms. "Why can't I come with you?"

"Frankly, I don't trust you not to start a fight with the spirit," he said honestly.

"Trust?" Mira sounded hurt.

"I haven't forgotten how you treated me and my mother when we first met you… And your eagerness to get this job over with. We may have ended things on better terms, but if we're going to be in this together, I need to learn I can trust you first. So for now, just act as my backup."

The violet-eyed spook looked away from him, guilty but too proud to admit it.

"Can I count on you if I don't make it out, like last time?"

"...Yeah."

Gadalik gave a grateful nod. He drew in a breath and went inside, letting his ghost sense roam within the radius of the home and detecting two spirits which were both upstairs. I'll explore the bottom floor first, then.

Dust was kicked up with each step, and spiders lurked in every corner of the living room. It was dark; he dug in his pocket for the flashlight they had bought while on vacation, and flicked it on. Then he pressed onward to the ground floor's bedroom.

The bed was unmade and the window curtains were torn as if by an animal's claws, thin beams of light striping the floor through them.

He gasped and summoned a shield when a rat scurried out from under the mattress to slide beneath a nearby dresser. The spook sighed, dispelling it, and checked his watch. It had only been two minutes.

The teen carefully made his way out and into the bathroom. The mirror was cracked and the shower curtain had been halfway ripped off the rod. What happened here? The mirror acted as a door to a medicine cabinet, containing tons of prescription drugs he'd never heard of.

More rats scattered when he entered the kitchen. There didn't seem to be anything suspicious, when suddenly his ghost sense alerted him to a spirit swiftly approaching. He instinctively summoned a shield as the spirit of a woman phased through the ceiling to float face to face with the spook.

"Get out," she demanded lowly.

"Oh, uh...I'm sorry for intruding," he started. "My name's Gadalik. I just want to talk–"

"Get out!"

He flinched at her sudden volume, but held his ground. "I sense another ghost in this house. Could you tell me who–"

The woman reached out to grab him by the neck.

He blocked with his shield. "Please, listen! I don't want to fight!"

Her translucent eyes bore into his. They stood off for a few moments. Gadalik began to feel somewhat violated by her gaze.

Finally the ghost backed away and lowered herself to all fours. The sensation faded and he assumed a more defensive stance. That's when her form slowly grew larger and reshaped. All he could do was watch as her facial features dissolved and her arms shortened from shoulder to elbow, hands enlarging.

That's when Gadalik recognized the monster before him: it was the same form as the spirit from the beach resort. No… But how?

Its missing mouth ripped open in a roar as it lunged at him.

"No!" His shield encompassed him in a bubble, and he crossed his arms protectively in front of his chest, remembering the pain of a fractured rib stabbing his lung during their fight on his vacation.

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He took a few breaths to calm himself as it clawed at the barrier. The initial terror subsided as the recurring nightmares he'd had of reliving this situation prepared him for this. "I came to terms with you… I understand you were hurting; so was I. But neither of us should have taken our issues out on the other! We were both in the wrong, and I'm sorry. There's nothing left for us to settle."

It finally stopped attacking when it seemed to realize the spook was unfazed by it, and retreated a few paces. Then she began to change shape once more.

Reminded of his encounter with the spirit of Molly, Gadalik dispelled the bubble and fished out a confinement spell-tag from his pockets as he ran across the room toward her. With this, I can stop her from shape-shifting!

But midway through her transformation, something caught him off-guard: a giant yellow eyeball opening on the center of its forehead. Her legs turned to talons, and her arms to bat-like wings tipped with long, curved claws.

He knew this beast; long-suppressed images of it resurfaced from the depths of his memory.

The scenery flickered between the kitchen and the inside of a wooden cabin. The spirit was still, yet he saw its claws rake through the bodies of spooks who were protecting him, their blood splattering on the logged walls.

Gadalik stood frozen in the kitchen, his wide eyes staring at the monster with tears streaming down them. He didn't notice his breath had caught in his throat; he was in too much shock to breathe. His heart was pounding in his chest and his shaking legs threatened to give out.

"Get out," her voice echoed throughout the room.

The world suddenly spun around him until it faded into blackness when he hit the floor.

"Gadalik… Hey, Gadalik…! Come on!" Mira was giving him a violent shake.

The older spook opened his striped blue eyes partly. He realized he was on Hoss's couch in the living room. There was a bucket on the floor under him. "What… What happened…?"

"You tell us! I thought you'd never wake up!"

"Hm...I...met this ghost–a woman…and then…" He drew a blank.

"Then what?"

"I don't know; it's all a blur." He thought for a second. "Oh, there were two ghosts in the house. I only saw the one, though."

"Two? Then that's one for each of us. But that doesn't explain how I found you curled up, shivering and sobbing on the kitchen floor. It took you over an hour to finally calm down! And you really can't remember what happened?"

Gadalik tried hard to recall the events after meeting the ghost, but all that came to him was an extreme sense of unease that he couldn't bring himself to confront.

"Ugh, you're useless. Guess I'll have to go in with you next time."

"She doesn't want us in the house. She told me to leave repeatedly, and when I didn't…" He felt his entire body tense up to the point where he felt nauseous, and placed a hand over his chest as if it could slow his increased heart rate.

"Hey, snap out of it! What did she do?"

"I don't remember," he breathed despairingly. Maybe it was so horrible that I don't want to remember. Even the thought of going back inside is making me– He wretched–"I-I think I'm gonna–" Gadalik reached the bucket with trembling hands, holding it at the ready, but managed not to puke.

"It couldn't have been that bad," Mira argued.

The older teen didn't answer. He instead tried to regain his composure by taking note of a few things he could see and feel around him. Eventually he caught his breath.

"Is everything alright?" Hoss approached with a tray of tea, offering them each a cup. "You seemed very upset when we carried you in."

Gadalik accepted it but was still too shaken to drink. "Thanks–to both of you–for getting me out of there. Really. I just… I just need a moment."

"Very well. We'll give you some space. Come, Mira, I'll show you the guest room."

The spook watched her go before forcing himself to take a sip of tea. The warmth helped him relax. When he finished the cup he lied back down on the couch and dozed.

A knock on the door woke him fully just a couple of hours later. Gadalik was feeling back to his usual self and stood up to answer before he remembered this wasn't his house.

Mira followed Hoss out into the living room and the latter opened the door.

"Hey, there, Hoss," greeted an older man in a nice dress shirt and pants.

"Burney? What are you doing here? I already gave you the rent for this month," Hoss said.

"Word got to me that you hired some spooks to get rid of the ghosts next door." Burney peered inside, seeing the two curious teens staring back.

"Y-yes, sir. My daughter was worried about the ghosts and I thought they could help–"

"The only ones who would need help are those poor kids behind you. May I come in?"

"Yes, yes, of course." Hoss sidestepped out of the way and went to pull up some chairs for everyone.

Once they were settled, Burney began, "The ghosts were previous tenants of mine, named Brian and Francine. I have hired a spook to get rid of them before, you know."

"Then why aren't they gone?" Mira huffed.

Gadalik glared at her as a silent warning to show more respect, but the landlord laughed it off.

"These ghosts in particular are a very frightening pair. According to the first spook I hired, they can see into your mind via mental possession."

"Mental possession?" the older teen echoed.

"Ghosts can physically possess worldly things…from objects to even people, if they're strong enough. But mental possession is like…infiltrating the mind, controlling its thoughts and imagination, instead of your body. At least, that's what he told me."

They all glanced at Gadalik. He shrank under their eyes.

"The woman, Francine, did this to find your deepest fears, nightmares, and memories, using them to scare you out of the house. After the second spook I hired was too scared to go back, I decided not to put any more through that again."

My deepest fears? That explains the first monster she turned into…the one from the beach resort. I've had nightmares about it repeatedly, but they helped me accept the situation, so it didn't scare me off. But then… The memory of her second form struck him out of nowhere. He leaned forward, clutching his stomach as it churned.

"Gadalik?" Hoss called worriedly.

"I remember now… She turned…into the ghost…who killed my parents." He had suppressed the memories so long ago that the pain they induced felt as bad as when he'd first witnessed their deaths.

Hoss placed a hand on his shoulder.

"If I were you, Hoss, I'd call this whole thing off. Don't traumatize these poor children any farther," Burney said. "I apologize to you, young man, for your confrontation with her. I wish you well." The landlord stood, said goodbye, and left.

"...I'm sorry. I didn't know what I was asking of you," Hoss apologized to the spooks. "You're free to leave."

"Daddy!" Claira called from her bedroom.

"Be right there, Claira," her father replied. He excused himself to tend to her.

"...Are you alright?" Mira asked the other teen.

"I-I will be," Gadalik assured her, although he just wanted to lie down and weep. He forced the emotions back. "Maybe you should sit this one out, Mira."

"What about you? Don't tell me you're going in there again!" When he looked away, she added, "Didn't you hear Burney? He said he doesn't mind the ghosts being there. Are you some kind of glutton for punishment?"

"I have to go back in. I can't let those spirits terrorize anyone else…and they may be suffering, themselves, judging by the sounds Claira heard at night."

"Then I'm coming with you," Mira decided.

"W-what?"

She crossed her arms. "You heard me. We're in this job together, right? I can't let you keep all of the pay for yourself!"

If Gadalik weren't feeling so depressed, he would have laughed. "You don't know what you're getting into…"

"Uh, yeah, I do. Burney literally just explained it all. Now let's get going." She led the way outside.

Gadalik froze before the steps of the haunted house's porch. He planned on going in but his trembling legs wouldn't budge.

"Gadalik?" Mira called, looking back at him from the door. "Maybe you're the one who needs to stay behind. You're shaking like a leaf!"

The older spook shook his head and took a deep breath. Then he joined her as she opened the door, and they stepped inside together.

The spirits were once again on the second floor. Having explored the first floor already, Gadalik went for the staircase now, Mira following close behind.

"What a dump," she muttered.

He didn't reply. The closer he got to the spirits, the more anxious he became. Everything they can show me, I've already faced before, he reassured himself. I can face them again. I have to!

"There's a spirit in the bedroom there," Mira whispered, pointing with one hand while the other held the pendant around her neck.

Gadalik gave a nod; he sensed it, too. Carefully, he opened the door to see a lump under the blankets on the bed. "Brian?" he asked.

The blanket suddenly fell and what slowly turned to face them was a spirit with large pointed ears and black eyes, quadrupedal with burly arms and short legs, a mane growing from its forehead to cover its back. It let out a low growl and stepped toward him.

"He's consumed!" Mira cursed as she gripped her weapon.

"Don't hurt him," Gadalik stopped her. He put a shield tag on his staff and used his own magic so that the bubble covered them both, just as the beast moved to slash them with its pointed nails. Gadalik withdrew a disfigurement tag from his pocket and slapped it onto its arm during its next attack.

Its form dispersed into a cloud.

"It's going to be okay, Brian," the older spook promised. "We aren't going to harm you."

"Gadalik…" Mira tugged the sleeve of his green robe.

"Give him a second to reform," he brushed her off.

"No–another ghost is–"

"Get out," the disembodied voice surrounded them; the older teen couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from, but just the sound of it was enough to strike fear into his core after their last encounter.

"She's right behind us," Mira warned him.

Just then Brian's spirit reformed, and with a snarl he swiped at the spooks, nails scraping against the shield.

"We can't handle them both at once," Gadalik cried. "Mira, take the staff and run! Mira? Mira?!"

His companion was staring wide-eyed at Francine, her chain and sickle audibly rattling in her trembling hands.

No! I can't let her possess Mira the way she did me! He glanced back at Brian who was still scratching at the shield. We need space to run… He growled and expanded the bubble, pushing the ghosts away until it burst. Before either ghost could get their bearings, Gadalik grabbed Mira by the elbow and pulled her toward the staircase.

He heard Brian's roar become ever closer as the beast pursued them. Mira stumbled and Gadalik tripped over her, dropping his staff through the railing as the two tumbled down the steps, the younger spook winding up on top of him.

Brian caught up before they could recover, preparing to swipe at the stunned teens, who could only brace themselves.

That's when they heard the beast whimper and retreat. Gadalik opened his eyes to find Francine herding the other ghost back upstairs. Then she rounded on the spooks and hissed, "Get out!"

Gadalik scrambled out from under his companion, reaching his staff and quickly helping her to her feet. She was still upset but managed to keep up as he pulled her out the door, which promptly shut behind them.

They let themselves fall to a seat to catch their breath.

"Are you two insane?" Hoss demanded. "What were you thinking, going back in there?!"

Gadalik flinched from the scolding. Then he stood and helped Mira up. "Someone has to save them," he defended himself. "We can't let them suffer in there for all eternity!"

"You two are just kids. If an experienced spook couldn't handle facing these ghosts, what makes you think you can?"

"I'm an adult," Gadalik corrected him.

"Barely!"

"Are they gone?" Mira spoke up quietly.

The males froze. "Who?" the older spook prompted gently.

She shook her head, snapping out of it. "N-nothing. Never mind. Let's…take a break."

Hoss guided them back inside and to the guest room. Mira instantly took the bed, distraught. Gadalik followed him out to the couch in the living room.

"I'll let you two recover for the evening," the man said, "but in the morning, you're fired."

"...Alright. I'll send Mira home," Gadalik conceded, "but you're mistaken if you think I'm doing this for the money. Fired or not, I'm going to help them." His striped blue eyes met Hoss's challengingly.

Hoss sighed heavily. "You've been defeated by them twice now. Don't you know when to quit?"

"Next time will be different. I learned a lot from this encounter."

"You're really going through with this?"

"I am. It's getting late now, though. Ghosts become stronger under the moon, so I'll wait until morning."

Hoss shook his head disapprovingly, but gave up his attempt to dissuade him.

That night Gadalik awoke to the sound of a cupboard shutting a little too harshly. He heard the kitchen faucet run, and sat up when he realized it was Mira getting a drink.

Their eyes met and she quickly looked away, hurrying to the guest room.

"Mira!" he called. She froze before the door but refused to acknowledge him. "Mira, please…"

She sighed through her nose and approached him. "What…?"

He sat up and moved over to let her sit beside him. "About earlier… When Francine possessed you… Are you okay…?"

"O-of course I'm okay," she snapped.

Gadalik wasn't convinced. "I don't know what you saw…but regardless of what it was, I do know how badly it must have scared you."

She glared at the cup of water in her hands. Then her violet eyes flitted to his. "I'm not some–some wimp, alright? Nothing can scare me that bad."

So she doesn't want to talk about it… Fair enough. "Hoss spoke to me earlier... He's firing us. I think it's for the best if you go home in the morning–"

Mira snarled at him. "I'm not leaving!"

"Mira…"

"You wanna know what I saw when I was possessed?"

He recoiled. Not if you don't want to share–

"It was every past client who rejected me–fired me–telling me I'll never be good enough…!" She sniffled, then shook her head. "Now it's happening again."

"I'm sorry… Truly, I am. But this just isn't safe."

"And I suppose you're leaving?"

He opened his mouth to answer, then looked away.

"That's what I thought. If you're staying, then so am I."

"We're fired either way. If you're doing this for the pay then there's no point in staying–"

"I don't care about the pay…not anymore. I just want to prove myself for once. I'm not backing out of this, Gadalik."

"But–"

"I'm staying." She glared directly at him, daring him to tell her otherwise.

"Hm… Then we're going to need a plan," he gave in. "I've learned something from yesterday: Francine can only possess one of us at a time. And she protected us when Brian attacked, which means scaring us out of the house is her way of keeping us safe from him.

"They said Francine was the wife taking care of Brian who was chronically ill, right? So her unfinished business must involve keeping him complacent. Which means he's the one we should be focusing on, not Francine." Gadalik narrowed his eyes. "Dealing with consumed ghosts without annihilating them is…difficult. If I could just think of a way…"

"What do you suppose we do?" Mira asked.

"If I can get Francine to understand we're trying to help Brian, maybe she will let us? That would be one less ghost to deal with."

"But what if she doesn't listen?"

"That's where you come in. You'll be hiding as my backup; if she starts possessing me, use a stun tag on her, and we both escape."

"What about Brian?"

"If we can't get past Francine, she'll stop us from saving Brian. Our best option in that case is to retreat."

Mira narrowed her eyes disapprovingly but didn't argue.

"Wake up! Breakfast is ready!" Claira chimed, prodding Gadalik awake. He groaned and sat up.

The front door opened, the morning light blinding him for a moment, until his eyes adjusted to see Mira come inside. "I tended to the horses," she declared with pride.

"Th-thank you," he replied genuinely. Gadalik stood and the two went to the kitchen.

Hoss was setting the table and welcomed them in. "Hey, there. Gadalik, I'm sorry for being so hard on you last night."

"It's because he cares," Claira added. "Right, Daddy?"

He huffed with laughter. "That's right."

"So we're not fired?" Mira asked hopefully.

"Oh, you two are definitely fired. I will not be encouraging you to get yourselves traumatized or killed."

Mira frowned, then channeled her disappointment into determination. "Well that's not gonna stop us!"

Hoss sighed. "I thought not."

They sat at the table and ate together.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Hoss. We'll be trying one last time to quell the spirits next door now. Mira?" Gadalik called, standing and tucking his chair in.

"Jus' giff me a shec," she answered, mouth stuffed with the last of her pancakes.

He couldn't help but give an amused smile. After she finished, Gadalik took their plates and rinsed them off, then led the other spook out the door.

This time Mira was the one who hesitated at the porch of the haunted house.

Who knew how bad being rejected so often could feel? I guess it really wears down on your psyche over time. I can't imagine how sensitive she must be to it by now…

"What are you staring at all pityingly?" Mira huffed with indignation.

"N-nothing!" he stammered. "Sorry. Are you sure you're ready…?"

"I was born ready. Come on!" Without waiting for a reply, she marched through the door.

"Remember, try reasoning with her first."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You just do what you can for Brian, Mr. I-don't-want-to-annihilate-ghosts."

He chuckled. Glad she's okay enough to give attitude. That's when he sensed a ghost descending through the ceiling.

Mira had already caught onto it. She stayed back, pulling a Stun tag out of her pocket with one hand while clutching her weapon in the other.

"Get out," Francine's voice echoed around them.

The older spook gulped, trying to mentally prepare himself to witness the death of his parents all over again. "There's no need to fight. We know you're just protecting Brian, aren't you? Well, we want to help him too."

"I am the only one able to placate him," she snarled.

"Yeah? And how has that been working out for you?" Mira retorted.

…And here is where that attitude might be a bad thing.

"Get…out!" This time Francine's ghostly wail was forceful enough to blow the spooks backward, but they held their ground.

"Mira has a point: you can't keep this up forever. This is no way to spend your afterlife; not for you, and not for Brian," Gadalik reasoned.

"I will not let you annihilate him!"

"That isn't our intention…! I may have annihilated ghosts in the past, but that was always as a last resort… You've been in my mind. You must know how much regret I have for what you've shown me. We only want to help…!"

"And how exactly do you plan on helping?"

"By using the disfigurement method, until he reverts back into his human form. That's when we can talk it out–"

"That's what the last spook tried. It only made him worse!"

"What…?"

"If you have no other means of helping, then get out!"

"I'm not giving up that easily. I'll think of something else if you just let us see him–"

The scenery morphed around him. He was in the log cabin once more, but the deadly ghost was gone. On the floor lied his parents' bloodied bodies.

Grief, fear, and loneliness overcame him. No… No, this is just a memory. It isn't happening…!

But the smell of blood was sickening, and he felt trapped in the small cabin. He couldn't stand being near their corpses and rushed out the door into the rain, feet sinking into the muddied earth. "Mira?" he yelled to the sky. "Mira, help…! I can't take this…"

He fell to his knees and hugged himself around his aching stomach, tears dripping down his cheeks.

"...out of it…" a familiar voice faded in. "...lik… Snap…!"

"Mira…?" He recognized it.

"Snap out of it!" The other spook shook him violently by the shoulders.

He was back in the house, and Francine was stunned. "W-what…?"

"Let's go before the spell tag wears off. Hurry!"

"But Brian…!"

"You said it's a no-go if Francine doesn't cooperate."

Gadalik looked between Mira and the ghost, then finally at the staircase. He was still shaken by the possession, so it took him a moment to process the present situation. "Francine… Francine, I have a plan! But I'll need your help…"

Mira eyed him skeptically, preparing another stun tag as they awaited the first to wear off.

"...You should have ran when you had the chance," Francine warned them.

"No…" He wiped his eyes. "I have faith in you to do the right thing…provided you're able to. I know you can see into our memories; maybe you can see into his, too. Make him remember his humanity."

For once, Francine seemed to consider this. "I can try," she decided.

Gadalik stood up and took a step, but his legs wobbled and gave out. He caught himself on all fours. I guess I'm more affected by those memories than I want to be…

"You alright?" Mira asked him, extending a hand.

His stomach still ached and his chest was tight. Tears were still falling despite how many times he dried them. But he forced the thoughts away and accepted her help as she pulled him to his feet. She didn't let go after, however, keeping his hand in hers as they ascended the staircase after Francine had floated to the second floor.

He didn't complain, unsure if he'd be steady enough on his own anyway.

They opened the door to the bedroom wherein the beastly ghost was on the mattress once again, this time with Francine beside him.

"He recognizes me…sometimes," the spirit explained. "But the longer he's consumed, the harder it is for him to see me. It's gotten to the point where he has enough time to destroy the house before I can manage to calm him down."

Gadalik gave a slight nod of understanding.

"Can ghosts possess other ghosts?" Mira wondered.

"We have to hope so… It may be the only way to help him," the other spook answered.

The ghostly beast sat up and turned to glower at the teens, a throaty growl escaping his throat.

"Brian," Francine called to him, stealing his attention. She placed both hands on his shoulders and pressed her forehead affectionately to his.

Nothing happened.

"I can't possess him," she told the spooks.

Gadalik frowned. What now…?

"Instead of possessing him, why not cast an illusion for everyone, including him?" Mira suggested. "A ghost as powerful as you should be able to do that, right?"

Francine became attentive at that. "Alright."

The torn window curtains, claw-raked floors, and scattered belongings suddenly repaired and organized themselves. The light from the ceiling came on.

"Do you remember when we first moved in, Brian?" his wife said. "We were so excited. Everything we wanted was nearby."

Brian calmed down some. Then he roared and moved to shatter the window behind where Gadalik was standing.

The spook dodged and instinctively used a disfigurement tag on him. "It's going to be alright," he promised. "You're not a monster… You can talk to us."

"Everything was fine, until I got sick," Brian's voice sounded as the ghost reshaped into a human. "That's when this wonderful home became a prison. I want out…" He transformed partway back into the beast, a horrifying mix of human and monster. "I want out!" he roared, tearing at the curtains. The illusion wore off.

"Brian… You were too sick to leave. I tried to make the house as comfortable for you as possible. I had no idea you felt so trapped," his wife said.

The partial beast relaxed some as she took his hand.

"You're not sick anymore. We can leave now. Just the two of us," she promised.

The monstrous features faded back to human. "Francine…"

They hugged.

When they separated, Francine turned to the teens. "This is the first time I've seen him human since he died," she said. "Thank you…both of you. I'm sorry about the possession…"

"Well...I get why you did it," Gadalik comforted her. But that doesn't ease the pain in my gut…

"Come on, Brian. We'll visit all the places we always wanted to go."

The two spirits left the house.

Mira turned to leave, then looked back at her companion when she realized he wasn't behind her. "Are you coming?"

"Huh…?" Gadalik was still distraught. "Oh… Yeah." He followed her out.

"I saw them go," Burney greeted the spooks. He was standing with Hoss outside, waiting for them. "I heard Hoss fired you, but I will gladly pay you for your help."

"You'd better, after what we had to deal with!" Mira harrumphed. "Right, Gadalik? …Gadalik?"

The smell of blood still lingered in his mind and the older teen felt suffocated by it. The ache in his gut worsened and he fell on his hands and knees, vomiting on the ground.

"H-hey!" she tried again.

Gadalik's arms quivered under his weight, and he felt lightheaded with nausea.

"What happened to him?" Hoss asked, moving to his side and wrapping one of the spook's arms across his shoulders to lift him.

"He was possessed again, but only for a few seconds!" Mira said defensively.

Hoss helped Gadalik inside his home, setting him down on the couch once more.

"...Thanks," he murmured, but his narrowed striped blue eyes stared at nothing. He couldn't get the images from his possession out of his head. It all felt so real…

Mira sat beside him. "So your parents didn't give you up for adoption after all, did they…?"

"No… They were murdered by a ghost when I was nine years old. I was there when it happened–they were protecting me–and–" his voice broke and he bit back a sob. "All of this time…I've been focusing on the here and now. I have a good life, Mira–I do. But that's not moving on from the trauma; it's just…running from it. I never thought it would catch up. It's like the wound was…reopened."

"I'm…sorry you had to go through all of that," she said awkwardly.

"But I'm sure you felt the same way about being rejected, huh…? It never gets easier…"

"Don't say that. You just have to accept that that's how things happened, and keep going with your head held high."