"What is going on in there?!"
A female voice boomed once they were a few meters away from the house. A red-haired girl was standing there, question marks written on her face at the duo. Blue put Ethan down almost immediately.
"Big scary phantom," she answered. "Kara, do you think you can put a barrier around the house in the next three minutes?"
Kara nodded her head. "But it would trap everything else inside, including Raphael."
That was all she needed to hear.
"Get started and I'll go save Raphael."
Ethan grabbed her hand and smiled at her. "Don't die in there," he ordered.
She nodded her head and ran back inside the house.
"Raphael!" she called out his name, cutting through some inferior phantoms. She had to be back out in three minutes or else she would be stuck in there.
"Blue!" Raphael called out from the second floor.
She quickly ascended the stairs and was surprised when she saw the spider phantom staring at the ceiling.
She sheathed her sword.
It snapped its head in her direction.
"Fuck," she cursed, and she ran in the opposite direction. It scattered after her. She entered the first room she saw and shut the door behind herself.
The phantom tried to pry the door open, but she applied her weight on the door.
"Raphael!" she exclaimed, tears bubbling in her eyes. I can't believe I am going to die without ever knowing who killed Elsie, she internally cried.
Raphael emerged from the closet in the corner of the room. He rushed to help her keep the door closed, and she cracked a weak smile.
"Funny how this is how you decide to come out," she laughed weakly.
"Could your timing be any worse?" He gazed into her eyes and was surprised to find her already looking into his.
"If we die, I'm glad I die by your side," he groaned as he struggled to keep the door from busting open.
A small boy stepped out from the closet, snot running down his face. His clothes were dirty and disheveled.
"The Garcia kid!" Blue exclaimed in glee. Her eyes searched all over the room for a way out. It couldn't end like that.
No, it wasn't—
A light bulb appeared over Blue's head as her eyes moved from the little boy to the large windows.
"Child!" she called out to him sternly. "If you want to live, grab that chair and break the window," she ordered, struggling to keep the door closed.
A hand crept in from the other end, and the child started panicking. He grabbed the chair and threw it at the window. The glass shattered upon impact. "Grab the kid and jump out. I will follow behind!"
"No, you go first," Raphael argued. "And don't try to argue with me, or else we're going to end up as spider food."
She huffed, annoyed at him. She knew there was no point in arguing with a maniac. So she let the door go and bolted toward the kid and swept him off his feet. She leaped out the window.
The ground was rapidly approaching as they flew toward the trees. She tossed the boy higher and twisted her body in the air.
She connected her feet with the trunk.
The child screamed as gravity did its work. Blue propelled herself forward and caught the boy just in time. The boy passed out from the shock.
A second late, he would have crashed his head like a watermelon.
"There's only five seconds left!" Ethan announced, his eyes narrowed on the window the two had escaped from. Kara was sitting down next to him, chanting a spell that would seal up the house.
Ethan grinned brightly when he saw Raphael jumping out the window, but behind him was the monster they were trying to seal up. Its mouth was agape as it neared Raphael.
"No!" Ethan and Blue shouted.
The air around them froze.
Blood splattered everywhere, drenching the teenagers in the warm, sticky liquid.
"What the hell?" Blue muttered, breath-taken.
A woman appeared before them, holding Raphael in her arms. Her scarlet-red eyes glowed with an intensity akin to a sea of blood as her ruby red lips curled to an awkward grin.
The top half of the phantom fell down with a loud thud.
"First day here and I'm already causing trouble."
A gust of wind blew through her golden locks that reached her ankles.
She whistled, and a bird the size of a robin with crimson feathers landed on her shoulder.
She released Raphael from her hold, and he fell on his butt.
The teenagers had not moved an inch; something deep inside them told them not to move.
Blue swallowed hard, her fingers laced around her sheathed sword. Her hand tightened around the little boy's frail body.
"What do you think we should do with these kids, Felo?" she asked, eyes moving between the children. "I can hear their tiny little hearts racing."
Blue slowly retracted her sword, and her breath hitched when the woman materialised in front of her.
"Be a good girl and put that back in." Her tone was friendly and playful. She flashed Blue a toothy smile. "I just saved your friend. Now you owe me."
Blue inhaled sharply and visibly relaxed. "What do you want?" she asked, eyes locking with the woman's.
The woman backed away and stroked her chin.
What the hell? Blue blinked, confused.
The woman shook her head sideways. "Never mind that for now," she dismissed as she stopped right in front of the phantom's corpse.
She jerked her finger at Kara. "You there, have you noticed anything odd yet?" she asked.
Kara's eyes darted around. She had not seen anything out of the usual.
"Other than some weird demon that spawned out of nowhere," Raphael snorted sarcastically.
She shook her head.
"The phantom has not turned to ash," Ethan answered.
She nodded her head. Claws elongated from her fingertips, and she tore through its chest. Her hand swam around in its mangled chest.
Ethan felt his stomach churn. He spun around and tried to visualise something more appealing.
The woman yanked out a glowing white orb the size of a tennis ball, with streaks of gold shimmering inside.
"See, this is called a core, or a soul as you mortals like to call it," she explained. "But this one has been corrupted."
The Occult Club members shared tense expressions.
"What does that mean?"
"It means someone in this town is fucking with cores."
They gasped in horror.
"But fear not." She rose gracefully to her feet and placed her bloody hand over her chest. "I, Aria Morningstar, shall protect this town."
---
A man stood outside the airport. He was wearing a black tailored suit and a white dress shirt.
The cold night air carried an unfamiliar scent that made his nose wrinkle.
His eyes fluttered open to reveal his gorgeous emerald green eyes that screamed danger.
The scent faded just as quickly as it had appeared.
"This is going to be interesting," he smirked as his neck-length sandy blonde hair swayed along with the wind.
He lifted his eyes to the sky as he soaked in his memories of Angelcreek.
"Hello." A high-pitched voice interrupted his moment of peace. The woman was in her late thirties.
He dropped his eyes to her, and he scanned her from head to toe.
"I noticed you earlier on the plane," she mumbled nervously. "I was wondering whether you would like to go with me for some coffee or some dinner?"
"Perhaps you might want to ask me again, but this time without the ring," he replied in a deep, sophisticated British accent. He pointed his finger to the metal on her hand.
She placed her hand on his shoulder, and his eyes shifted to her hand.
Pain surged through his body at her touch. A blotchy red patch crept up his neck.
"The ring is a sign that I just want to hit and run, nothing serious," she said, moving her body closer. She planted a wet kiss on his neck.
He grabbed her hand, and she screeched at a burning sensation.
She ripped her hand away from his, tears bubbling in her eyes. Her wrist had a bright burn mark on it. "What the fuck?" she cried.
She backed away, clenching her bent wrist.
A black SUV rolled up beside them. A man stepped out, and his eyes sparkled in recognition.
"Hardin!" He was ecstatic, but he paused, and his ocean-blue eyes moved between the two, analysing the situation.
The woman was terrified—contrast to the young man blankly staring back at him.
"Uncle..."
The driver clicked his tongue. "What did I tell you about those anger issues?" He circled the car.
Hardin grabbed his neck, his breaths heavy. "She touched me," he snarled. He entered the black SUV and slammed the door shut.
"He burnt my wrist! What are you people?" she yelled, fear written in her eyes.
"Relax," the uncle said as he grabbed her wrist and examined it. He pushed back his glasses, and the woman tried to pull her hand away. "It's a mild burn. It will heal in about two days."
He let go of her arm, and she staggered back. He reached into his pocket and shoved a business card into her hand. "Get that checked out. We'll pay for your medical bill."
The woman stood there, eyes wide at the name on the card.
Hardin Carrington, the owner of the Bluemoon Museums that were famous for their rare artifacts and paintings that went for billions.
What the hell was a billionaire doing in a small town like Angelcreek?