Normally, the overcast sky would be lifting Jack's spirits. Soft lighting, turning leaves, and hot coffee. He had even indulged himself with a pumpkin spice latte to add to the mood, but it wasn't working how he wanted.

Another reason to be mad at Kieran.

Distraught, confused, and stuck in a loop of anger and paranoia, he couldn't lock onto any given emotion long enough to make any worthwhile decisions. He would seek out advice, but none of his friends had experience with literal vampires.

He had crashed on Tara's couch, thankful that she didn't ask questions. Hang out and ignore the problem worked well for them when either needed it. If he wanted a level of prodding, he'd go to Sam or Candace, but he wasn't ready for that just yet.

He slouched further into the bench beside Tara. Lake-time was supposed to be relaxing with the possibility of light teasing. He couldn't relax with the fact that vampires were real hanging over him. Did that mean magic was real? Was he literally cursed?

"I need four more glitter bombs," said Tara, nudging Jack with her shoulder. "You're finally past level fifty, right? Get on your phone and join my expedition."

Jack pulled out his phone and stared at his lock screen. Other people had pictures that mattered to them for their lock screens and backgrounds; he still had his phone's defaults. Would it mean something if he set Dracula as his lock screen?

"I broke up with Kieran," he said quietly.

"Oh." Tara looked at Jack for a moment then back at her phone. "Something happen?"

He shook his head and shrugged. "We're taking a break while I sort myself out," he replied. It was true enough.

Tara turned her phone off and wrapped an arm around Jack's shoulders. "Do you need me to kick his ass? I can hide some dead fish around his building."

"No, I just…" He leaned into her and let out a heavy sigh. "I dunno. It's weird."

"So is it an actual break or a breakup?" She leaned her head against Jack's and swayed them slightly.

"I don't know yet. I might talk to someone else before I make my decision. Maybe Candy, but uh…"

"Yeah… She's usually dead on, but you've been giving her trouble lately."

Jack rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Not you, too. The sage and crystals are bad enough."

"Hey! Girl unhaunted my house. I'm convinced."

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Ghosts aren't…" He huffed and glared at the lake. Ghosts were very real and apparently wanted to be friends with him. He kinda wanted to be friends, too. "Whatever. Maybe you shoulda tried talking to it first?"

"Don't need no ouija board to know that wasn't G-ma," Tara said lowly.

"Fair enough." He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Level fifty, right? You're in luck, I hit that yesterday."

Tara squeezed Jack tightly before letting go.

---

Jack had just entered the library stacks when Sam's newly assigned grumpy pig lit up his phone. With how everything was going, it was probably more bad news.

He contemplated letting it go to voicemail, but gave in. He may as well get it over with. Especially if it ended up being about Kieran.

"Please don't make me cry."

"What? No. It's good news," Sam replied. The sound of steady typing filled the background. "Farragut's dead."

Jack dropped his hand and stared ahead for a moment. Sam sounded anything but happy. It had to be a joke. Or maybe he misheard. "You're shitting me."

"Kinda wish I was," Sam admitted. He sighed, and his typing became more forceful. "His cellmate stabbed him six times last night."

"Wow. That's…" Jack glanced around his corner in the library. No ominous flickering from the fluorescent lighting. He should be happy. So why did he feel nothing but dread? There was something about Farragut that he needed to remember. But if the guy was dead, did it really matter?

Ghosts were real, he reminded himself. Maybe he was about to be haunted. He should get some sage. Lindsey might know of some anti-spook hacks. He wondered if her "range" included the back alley.

"Yeah, and we just got the proof we needed to deny his parole. I guess it worked out in the end, but I woulda liked to've seen that damn smirk wiped off his face."

Jack nodded along. He felt off. He needed to leave town, but that would require leaving. Packing. Going somewhere unfamiliar. Starting a new life. He could probably deal with that, but if he left, then… Someone would die. And it would be his fault.

Panic swept over him, and he swallowed down the worst of it. He needed to get off the phone. Hide. Delete everything.

"Well, at least he's dead. I'm gonna get back to this," he said.

Weighted silence filled Sam's end of the line. "Guestroom's yours. No litter box."

"Maybe," Jack said, voice cracking.

He hung up and sank to the floor beneath the table, hugging his knees tightly to his chest. He sobbed quietly, gasping with shaky breaths.

Hopelessness overwhelmed him. He was trapped. No one could help him. No one would believe him. If he ever left town, Tara would die.

It would be just like when he planned to go to college. He'd lost so much already by trying to leave. He couldn't risk the repercussions again. He'd been pushing it by seeing Kieran. For not doing enough to push him away and selfishly wanting something for himself.

But Kieran could survive a fatal gunshot. He could probably stand up to another—

Jack wiped at his eyes as his thoughts abruptly cut off. His panic slowly eased, and he frowned in uncertainty of what had triggered it.

He was just stressed from his breakup. Stressed and lonely.

That's all it was.

He picked up his phone and went about deleting all his notes, messages, and call history. He then deleted any evidence of his creeping on Kieran from his laptop.

image [https://i.imgur.com/eZY0YUq.png]