FANFIC- OF PHANTOMS & POLTERGEITS CH 8
Title: Of Phantoms and Poltergeists
Author: me
Rating: PG-15
Genre: Mystery, Supernatural, Romance
Characters/Pairings: America, England, France, Canada, Seychelles, Russia, Belarus, Japan and others. US/UK, Fr/Ca, one-sided Seychelles/England, one-sided Belarus/Russia.
Summary: Gakuen Hetalia AU. Sequel to ‘Of Murder and Magic.’ The student council goes to Sinclair Mansion for a summer internship. Things go horribly wrong when Alfred and Arthur discover a mysterious portal. Will Alfred be able to discover the cause of the chaos and rescue his friends before time runs out? US x UK
Warning: Depictions of séances are in this chapter (probably unrealistic ones at that) but if that sort of thing really turns you off then I suggest you skip this chapter. Other than that, enjoy!
Ch 8 Of Séances and Clues
The investigation concerning the events that occurred that fateful night at St. Clair manor was still a mystery. So far the investigators working on the case had come up short. There was no sign of any type of drug in the victims’ systems nor any stabbing or injuries of any kind. There were plenty of suspects but the ones with strong motives could not be linked to the crimes scene and the ones that could had weaker motives.
Alfred, for one, had grown increasingly frustrated with the lack of results. He wanted someone to blame. He needed a how, a why, a what, and a who. The rest weren’t really important to him. He just needed someone or something to place the blame on. He felt lost and needed some sort of outlet to help him cope with his his pent-up emotions. The situation seemed hopeless. Days had passed and there was really no sign of improvement. But Alfred wasn’t one to give up.
If those phony detectives couldn’t find reasonable answers then Alfred would do it himself. It was at this time that Alfred had decided to start his own investigation. He would find better answers than those phony detectives!
It had taken all of Alfred’s charm to finally convince the maids to let him into the elder St. Clair’s study. It was not the study itself that Alfred was interested in. It was something that one of the chaperones had confiscated from one of the students. Apparently, the object had been stolen from the basement. The chaperone had returned the object to William’s uncle. William’s uncle had proceeded to lock the object in the elder St. Clair’s study.
Alfred needed that object if he was to conduct a proper investigation.
After being let in by the maids, Alfred quickly searched the study until he found the object he sought. He gave a small cry of triumph before quickly grabbing the object and tucking it under his arms. He closed the study door as he exited and ran into the ball room.
-------------------------------------
The ball room had been closed off ever since the police began their investigations. Which was why Lily [1]Zwingli had found it odd that the police tape that had covered the doors had been ripped off and was lying in tatters on the floor. One of the large chestnut doors stood slightly ajar. Lily couldn’t help but be curious as to who would deliberately enter the ball room after it had been explicitly stated that it was off-limits to all staff and guests.
Lily supposed that it wouldn’t hurt if she took one tiny peek. She pushed the door open and looked inside. There was little lightning. Most of the windows had been closed with their curtains drawn save for one small window that was out of reach and remained open. The small window let in a small stream of light that was enough to see into the room but not enough to illuminate the whole room. The room was dark. The chairs and tables had been covered with white cloths which made the room seem creepier than Lily had thought possible.
In the corner of the room was someone hunched over a small table. He wore a leather jacket that Lily would recognize anywhere.
“Alfred?” she called out timidly. Alfred continued to work, murmuring to himself. Perhaps he didn’t hear her, Lily thought to herself. She stepped inside, making sure that she did not trip over anything that lay on the floor.
She walked on her tippy-toes and stopped when she reached Alfred. She tapped his shoulder once. Alfred reared back, startled. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw that it was her.
“Oh, Lily, I didn’t hear you come in. You-uh…surprised me. What are you doing here?” he asked, trying to hide the board behind him. Lily caught a glimpse of it but said nothing.
“I saw that the door was open and I wondered who could be in here. Can I see?” Lily pointed to the board behind him. Alfred nodded and gestured for her to come closer.
Lily smiled when she saw what it was. It was a board game of some sort. There were six pawns laid out on the board along with six miniature weapon tokens. Lily fingered the small tokens but left them in their place.
“Are you playing a game?” Lily asked.
“It’s not a game! I mean, uh, yeah…a game. That’s it. I’m playing a game,” Alfred said.
“Lily! There you are! I was looking for you,” Vash said as he walked towards them.
“Oh, look, brother. Alfred is playing a game,” Lily gestured to the game pieces. Vash looked skeptically at them before giving Alfred a glare.
“Come, Lily. You know we are not supposed to be in here,” Vash said, taking Lily’s hand in his own and pulling her with him as he walked towards the door.
“And you would do the same if you know what’s good for you,” Vash said before closing the door behind him.
Vash took Lily to the gardens, where most of the students had taken to socialize since the incident in the ballroom. It was there that Vash was approached by a worried Matthew.
“Vash! Have you seen Alfred?” he asked.
“He was in the ballroom playing some game of his. You’d better get him out of there if you don’t want him getting into any trouble,” Vash grunted. Matthew nodded gratefully before running off to find his brother.
Matthew ran down the hallways until he reached the ballroom. He opened the door and sighed in relief when he found his brother to be where Vash said he was.
“Alfred, what are you doing here?” Matthew asked, walking towards him. He frowned when his brother didn’t respond.
“Alfred, are you listening to me? I asked you a question-“
“Yeah, yeah, I heard. You sound like pop,” Alfred said, waving him off. Matthew groaned in irritation.
“Well, what do you expect? You’ve been acting more…rash than you usually do. Someone has to look after you. It’s not like you have much concern for your own well-being,” Matthew said softly. Alfred wasn’t the same since Arthur was hospitalized. He was quieter, which normally would have made Matthew happy but he knew that Alfred was not alright when he wasn’t himself.
Matthew glanced at the table and scowled. “Are you really playing games, Alfred?”
“No, I’m not! I’m investigating!” Alfred said defensively. The lonely ballroom seemed an ideal place to investigate. It was the scene of the crime and no one would bother him since they knew it was off limits.
“Investigating? With a board game? Enlighten me, Alfred, how does one investigate with a board game?” Matthew said sardonically.
“Not just any board game, Mattie, an exact replica of the manor. Look, here’s the ballroom and the St. Clair’s study and the dining room,” Alfred gestured to the game board, “see? It’s the St. Clair Manor.” Matthew’s eyes widened.
“It really is,” Matthew whispered to himself. Matthew saw the colored pawns spread out on the game board.
“And these are?”
“The culprits and the victims! I’m Colonel Mustard. Artie is Mr. Green [2]. William is Mr. Boddy [3]-“
“Do I have a game piece?” Matthew asked.
“You can be Mrs. Peacock,” Alfred offered.
“Why am I a woman?” Matthew asked, annoyed.
“It doesn’t matter-“
“Wait, why is William Mr. Boddy?” Alfred rolled his eyes at him.
“Because he’s pretending to be the victim. It’s obvious that he’s behind all this. I just need to figure out how he did it all,” Alfred said.
“Alfred, you’re being ridiculous. How can this possibly be of any use?” Matthew said.
“It just is. You’ll see. I’m going to figure everything out and Artie’s going to get better. You’ll see,” Alfred said softly. Matthew placed a comforting hand on Alfred’s shoulder.
“I’m sure we’ll find out what happened…together. That is if you’ll let me help you. You don’t have to do this alone, you know,” Matthew said softly. “We should get out here…before we get in trouble.” Matthew glanced around the room. He didn’t feel too comfortable.
“Ah, there you are. I’ve been looking for the two of you,” Francis said as he waltzed inside.
“What is it, Francis?” Matthew asked, carefully watching Alfred. Francis frowned when he saw how serious the brothers were.
“Am I interrupting something?”
“Ah, no, nothing, Francis. We were just finished here,” Matthew replied, looking at Alfred expectantly. Alfred rolled his eyes at his brother but stood up anyways.
“I was thinking-“ Francis started.
“Why do I get the feeling that isn’t going to be a good idea?” Matthew interrupted.
“All my ideas are good ones, Matthew. Now listen, I think that there may be a way to find out what really happened that night.” Alfred and Matthew stared at Francis.
“It may be far-fetched-“
“I knew it!”
“Shush, Mattie, let the man talk. Continue, Francis,” Alfred said, earning a glare from Matthew.
“We all know that that this manor is infested with numerous guests, some of whom are the dead, and it may just be possible that these dead guests know something that we don’t. With that in mind, I propose that we hold a séance so that we may find what these otherworldly visitors have to say.” Alfred didn’t like the idea and he let it be known.
“I don’t like this. Ghosts are scary. I like my idea better. Come on, Mattie, let’s go back to what I was doing earlier,” Alfred suggested, trying to keep the fear from his voice.
Francis and Alfred looked to Mattie expectantly.
“W-Well, I’m sorry, Francis but I have to agree with Alfred. Besides it’s not like we have some sort of medium to conduct such a ceremony, and even if we did there’s no guarantee that any ghost,” Alfred almost cringed at the sound, “would even respond to our questions,” Matthew argued. Alfred stood behind his brother and nodded his head.
“What Mattie said,” Alfred agreed. Francis shook his head and sighed.
“It wouldn’t hurt to try,” a voice said, startling all three. They turned to see Ivan standing by the doors.
“Think about it, comrades. If we were to try such an experiment, the worst that could happen is that no spirit answers our questions. But if we were to succeed, we could gain valuable information that may help us understand what exactly happened that night, what happened to Arthur and who’s responsible behind the whole thing,” Ivan argued, staring at Alfred in the eye. Ivan’s gaze was piercing, unwavering. Alfred found that he couldn’t look away. His fear seemed to vanish in an instant. It didn’t seem important anymore. If he could find out what happened to Arthur and find out who was behind it all, it would be worth facing a few ghosts.
“Y-yeah,” Alfred said, finding that he could not stop staring at the piercing violet eyes.
“Alfred! You’re not actually going to go through with this, are you?” Matthew asked, his voice breaking Alfred from his trance.
“Yeah, I am. I mean, if I can find out what happened to Artie then I think it’s worth the risk,” Alfred stated.
“Are you sure? I mean, you don’t have to do it, Alfred, not if you feel pressured-“
“I want to,” Alfred interrupted.
“Then it’s agreed,” Francis said, “Tonight. Midnight. In this very room. The three-“
“Four of us. Someone has to be the voice of reason around here,” Matthew stated stiffly. He sighed. It was always Arthur’s job to be the voice of reason. Matthew hoped that Arthur would get better. Matthew cast a weary glance at his brother. He didn’t know how much more Alfred could take of this.
He needs you, Arthur. Alfred needs you. Please get better… soon.
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Spiritus Krikos was in chaos. Animals roared. Cryptids screeched with all their might. Mr. White was glancing at his surroundings, wondering what the ruckus was about, when he was pushed by a strong force, knocking him off his feet. He landed on the ground with a heavy thud, disturbing the ground and creating dust clouds. Mr. White coughed as he swiped the air around him, trying to clear the dirt away.
When the air had cleared he found that his treasure was missing, nowhere to be seen.
--------------------------------
Arthur ran as fast as his legs could carry. It didn’t help that his path was obstructed with large crates, empty boxes and trash left behind by tourists. He jumped over crates, ducked under short passages and dodged tourists.
All the while, he clutched a disheveled Sechelles close to his chest. Sechelles clung to Arthur’s arm, hoping that she wouldn’t fall while Arthur ran. She would have hated to be left behind.
It was when Arthur heard voices shouting that he knew that he better find a hiding place. He searched around and decided to hide inside one of the caravans. With luck, he would be able to find one empty.
When he saw a flamboyant, eye-catching caravan, Arthur decided to risk it and opened the door and shut behind him. He pressed himself flat against the door, his breathing labored. He took a few deeps breaths to steady his breathing and finally relaxed when the shouting became distant.
Arthur glanced at the heavily decorated interior. Not an inch of wall was left uncovered. There were colorful lashes hanging from the ceilings. In the center of the caravan was a small, round table with a crystal ball perched on top of it. Arthur was relieved to find that there appeared to be no one occupying the caravan.
He continued to examine the caravan, clutching Sechelles close to his chest, his grip as strong as ever. Sechelles attempted to protest but found her cries to fall on deaf ears. Arthur seemed to be preoccupied with studying the interior of the caravan, searching for something.
A curtain separated the caravan into two halves. Arthur pulled the curtain aside to find a small bed. He sighed with relief, his limbs craving rest. He collapsed on the bed. He turned to try to make himself comfortable and relaxed when he finally found a comfortable position.
“Arthur?” Sechelles asked, no longer willing to remain quiet, her curiosity getting the best of her.
“Yes, Angelique,” he replied groggily.
“Why did you do that?” she asked softly, almost hoping that Arthur wouldn’t hear her.
“Because you are my friend. Is there really any better reason?” he said honestly. His answer caught Sechelles off-guard. She knew that this was most likely Arthur’s fatigue talking. Normally Arthur would never admit such things. Arthur was stubborn as a mule when it came to admitting these kinds of things. He was your typical boy. To hear him say such things made Sechelles curious as to what else he might be feeling.
“You know, there’s no need for formalities if we’re friends. You can call me ‘Sechelles’ like everyone else does,” she replied softly.
“Well, I am not everyone else,” Arthur murmured. Sechelles gazed upon him as he started to fall asleep. His face was more peaceful than she had ever seen it. Relaxed, almost happy, like when he was with Alfred.
“I wonder what you would do for Alfred?” she wondered aloud.
“I would die for Alfred,” he replied before tossing one last time. He began to snore softly. Sechelles almost chuckled to herself. Even his snores were cute. Her smile vanished when she thought about what he said. Of course he would. That was true love, wasn’t it? When you would do anything to keep your loved one happy.
Love. There was no way she could ever compete with that.
She gazed at the beautiful wind chimes above her, their shapes casting beautiful patterns on the wall. She watched as the shadows danced with each blow of the wind. She felt…content almost.
She sighed and lay down on Arthur’s chest. She pressed her ear to his chest, where she could hear and feel the soft steady beat of his heart. She let the sound lull her to sleep. It had the effect of a long forgotten music box. The soft melody lulled her to sleep like nothing else could.
The wind chimes continued playing with its harmony creating a calm setting over the two as the they slept.
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PART II
Author: me
Rating: PG-15
Genre: Mystery, Supernatural, Romance
Characters/Pairings: America, England, France, Canada, Seychelles, Russia, Belarus, Japan and others. US/UK, Fr/Ca, one-sided Seychelles/England, one-sided Belarus/Russia.
Summary: Gakuen Hetalia AU. Sequel to ‘Of Murder and Magic.’ The student council goes to Sinclair Mansion for a summer internship. Things go horribly wrong when Alfred and Arthur discover a mysterious portal. Will Alfred be able to discover the cause of the chaos and rescue his friends before time runs out? US x UK
Warning: Depictions of séances are in this chapter (probably unrealistic ones at that) but if that sort of thing really turns you off then I suggest you skip this chapter. Other than that, enjoy!
Ch 8 Of Séances and Clues
The investigation concerning the events that occurred that fateful night at St. Clair manor was still a mystery. So far the investigators working on the case had come up short. There was no sign of any type of drug in the victims’ systems nor any stabbing or injuries of any kind. There were plenty of suspects but the ones with strong motives could not be linked to the crimes scene and the ones that could had weaker motives.
Alfred, for one, had grown increasingly frustrated with the lack of results. He wanted someone to blame. He needed a how, a why, a what, and a who. The rest weren’t really important to him. He just needed someone or something to place the blame on. He felt lost and needed some sort of outlet to help him cope with his his pent-up emotions. The situation seemed hopeless. Days had passed and there was really no sign of improvement. But Alfred wasn’t one to give up.
If those phony detectives couldn’t find reasonable answers then Alfred would do it himself. It was at this time that Alfred had decided to start his own investigation. He would find better answers than those phony detectives!
It had taken all of Alfred’s charm to finally convince the maids to let him into the elder St. Clair’s study. It was not the study itself that Alfred was interested in. It was something that one of the chaperones had confiscated from one of the students. Apparently, the object had been stolen from the basement. The chaperone had returned the object to William’s uncle. William’s uncle had proceeded to lock the object in the elder St. Clair’s study.
Alfred needed that object if he was to conduct a proper investigation.
After being let in by the maids, Alfred quickly searched the study until he found the object he sought. He gave a small cry of triumph before quickly grabbing the object and tucking it under his arms. He closed the study door as he exited and ran into the ball room.
-------------------------------------
The ball room had been closed off ever since the police began their investigations. Which was why Lily [1]Zwingli had found it odd that the police tape that had covered the doors had been ripped off and was lying in tatters on the floor. One of the large chestnut doors stood slightly ajar. Lily couldn’t help but be curious as to who would deliberately enter the ball room after it had been explicitly stated that it was off-limits to all staff and guests.
Lily supposed that it wouldn’t hurt if she took one tiny peek. She pushed the door open and looked inside. There was little lightning. Most of the windows had been closed with their curtains drawn save for one small window that was out of reach and remained open. The small window let in a small stream of light that was enough to see into the room but not enough to illuminate the whole room. The room was dark. The chairs and tables had been covered with white cloths which made the room seem creepier than Lily had thought possible.
In the corner of the room was someone hunched over a small table. He wore a leather jacket that Lily would recognize anywhere.
“Alfred?” she called out timidly. Alfred continued to work, murmuring to himself. Perhaps he didn’t hear her, Lily thought to herself. She stepped inside, making sure that she did not trip over anything that lay on the floor.
She walked on her tippy-toes and stopped when she reached Alfred. She tapped his shoulder once. Alfred reared back, startled. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw that it was her.
“Oh, Lily, I didn’t hear you come in. You-uh…surprised me. What are you doing here?” he asked, trying to hide the board behind him. Lily caught a glimpse of it but said nothing.
“I saw that the door was open and I wondered who could be in here. Can I see?” Lily pointed to the board behind him. Alfred nodded and gestured for her to come closer.
Lily smiled when she saw what it was. It was a board game of some sort. There were six pawns laid out on the board along with six miniature weapon tokens. Lily fingered the small tokens but left them in their place.
“Are you playing a game?” Lily asked.
“It’s not a game! I mean, uh, yeah…a game. That’s it. I’m playing a game,” Alfred said.
“Lily! There you are! I was looking for you,” Vash said as he walked towards them.
“Oh, look, brother. Alfred is playing a game,” Lily gestured to the game pieces. Vash looked skeptically at them before giving Alfred a glare.
“Come, Lily. You know we are not supposed to be in here,” Vash said, taking Lily’s hand in his own and pulling her with him as he walked towards the door.
“And you would do the same if you know what’s good for you,” Vash said before closing the door behind him.
Vash took Lily to the gardens, where most of the students had taken to socialize since the incident in the ballroom. It was there that Vash was approached by a worried Matthew.
“Vash! Have you seen Alfred?” he asked.
“He was in the ballroom playing some game of his. You’d better get him out of there if you don’t want him getting into any trouble,” Vash grunted. Matthew nodded gratefully before running off to find his brother.
Matthew ran down the hallways until he reached the ballroom. He opened the door and sighed in relief when he found his brother to be where Vash said he was.
“Alfred, what are you doing here?” Matthew asked, walking towards him. He frowned when his brother didn’t respond.
“Alfred, are you listening to me? I asked you a question-“
“Yeah, yeah, I heard. You sound like pop,” Alfred said, waving him off. Matthew groaned in irritation.
“Well, what do you expect? You’ve been acting more…rash than you usually do. Someone has to look after you. It’s not like you have much concern for your own well-being,” Matthew said softly. Alfred wasn’t the same since Arthur was hospitalized. He was quieter, which normally would have made Matthew happy but he knew that Alfred was not alright when he wasn’t himself.
Matthew glanced at the table and scowled. “Are you really playing games, Alfred?”
“No, I’m not! I’m investigating!” Alfred said defensively. The lonely ballroom seemed an ideal place to investigate. It was the scene of the crime and no one would bother him since they knew it was off limits.
“Investigating? With a board game? Enlighten me, Alfred, how does one investigate with a board game?” Matthew said sardonically.
“Not just any board game, Mattie, an exact replica of the manor. Look, here’s the ballroom and the St. Clair’s study and the dining room,” Alfred gestured to the game board, “see? It’s the St. Clair Manor.” Matthew’s eyes widened.
“It really is,” Matthew whispered to himself. Matthew saw the colored pawns spread out on the game board.
“And these are?”
“The culprits and the victims! I’m Colonel Mustard. Artie is Mr. Green [2]. William is Mr. Boddy [3]-“
“Do I have a game piece?” Matthew asked.
“You can be Mrs. Peacock,” Alfred offered.
“Why am I a woman?” Matthew asked, annoyed.
“It doesn’t matter-“
“Wait, why is William Mr. Boddy?” Alfred rolled his eyes at him.
“Because he’s pretending to be the victim. It’s obvious that he’s behind all this. I just need to figure out how he did it all,” Alfred said.
“Alfred, you’re being ridiculous. How can this possibly be of any use?” Matthew said.
“It just is. You’ll see. I’m going to figure everything out and Artie’s going to get better. You’ll see,” Alfred said softly. Matthew placed a comforting hand on Alfred’s shoulder.
“I’m sure we’ll find out what happened…together. That is if you’ll let me help you. You don’t have to do this alone, you know,” Matthew said softly. “We should get out here…before we get in trouble.” Matthew glanced around the room. He didn’t feel too comfortable.
“Ah, there you are. I’ve been looking for the two of you,” Francis said as he waltzed inside.
“What is it, Francis?” Matthew asked, carefully watching Alfred. Francis frowned when he saw how serious the brothers were.
“Am I interrupting something?”
“Ah, no, nothing, Francis. We were just finished here,” Matthew replied, looking at Alfred expectantly. Alfred rolled his eyes at his brother but stood up anyways.
“I was thinking-“ Francis started.
“Why do I get the feeling that isn’t going to be a good idea?” Matthew interrupted.
“All my ideas are good ones, Matthew. Now listen, I think that there may be a way to find out what really happened that night.” Alfred and Matthew stared at Francis.
“It may be far-fetched-“
“I knew it!”
“Shush, Mattie, let the man talk. Continue, Francis,” Alfred said, earning a glare from Matthew.
“We all know that that this manor is infested with numerous guests, some of whom are the dead, and it may just be possible that these dead guests know something that we don’t. With that in mind, I propose that we hold a séance so that we may find what these otherworldly visitors have to say.” Alfred didn’t like the idea and he let it be known.
“I don’t like this. Ghosts are scary. I like my idea better. Come on, Mattie, let’s go back to what I was doing earlier,” Alfred suggested, trying to keep the fear from his voice.
Francis and Alfred looked to Mattie expectantly.
“W-Well, I’m sorry, Francis but I have to agree with Alfred. Besides it’s not like we have some sort of medium to conduct such a ceremony, and even if we did there’s no guarantee that any ghost,” Alfred almost cringed at the sound, “would even respond to our questions,” Matthew argued. Alfred stood behind his brother and nodded his head.
“What Mattie said,” Alfred agreed. Francis shook his head and sighed.
“It wouldn’t hurt to try,” a voice said, startling all three. They turned to see Ivan standing by the doors.
“Think about it, comrades. If we were to try such an experiment, the worst that could happen is that no spirit answers our questions. But if we were to succeed, we could gain valuable information that may help us understand what exactly happened that night, what happened to Arthur and who’s responsible behind the whole thing,” Ivan argued, staring at Alfred in the eye. Ivan’s gaze was piercing, unwavering. Alfred found that he couldn’t look away. His fear seemed to vanish in an instant. It didn’t seem important anymore. If he could find out what happened to Arthur and find out who was behind it all, it would be worth facing a few ghosts.
“Y-yeah,” Alfred said, finding that he could not stop staring at the piercing violet eyes.
“Alfred! You’re not actually going to go through with this, are you?” Matthew asked, his voice breaking Alfred from his trance.
“Yeah, I am. I mean, if I can find out what happened to Artie then I think it’s worth the risk,” Alfred stated.
“Are you sure? I mean, you don’t have to do it, Alfred, not if you feel pressured-“
“I want to,” Alfred interrupted.
“Then it’s agreed,” Francis said, “Tonight. Midnight. In this very room. The three-“
“Four of us. Someone has to be the voice of reason around here,” Matthew stated stiffly. He sighed. It was always Arthur’s job to be the voice of reason. Matthew hoped that Arthur would get better. Matthew cast a weary glance at his brother. He didn’t know how much more Alfred could take of this.
He needs you, Arthur. Alfred needs you. Please get better… soon.
------------------------------------
Spiritus Krikos was in chaos. Animals roared. Cryptids screeched with all their might. Mr. White was glancing at his surroundings, wondering what the ruckus was about, when he was pushed by a strong force, knocking him off his feet. He landed on the ground with a heavy thud, disturbing the ground and creating dust clouds. Mr. White coughed as he swiped the air around him, trying to clear the dirt away.
When the air had cleared he found that his treasure was missing, nowhere to be seen.
--------------------------------
Arthur ran as fast as his legs could carry. It didn’t help that his path was obstructed with large crates, empty boxes and trash left behind by tourists. He jumped over crates, ducked under short passages and dodged tourists.
All the while, he clutched a disheveled Sechelles close to his chest. Sechelles clung to Arthur’s arm, hoping that she wouldn’t fall while Arthur ran. She would have hated to be left behind.
It was when Arthur heard voices shouting that he knew that he better find a hiding place. He searched around and decided to hide inside one of the caravans. With luck, he would be able to find one empty.
When he saw a flamboyant, eye-catching caravan, Arthur decided to risk it and opened the door and shut behind him. He pressed himself flat against the door, his breathing labored. He took a few deeps breaths to steady his breathing and finally relaxed when the shouting became distant.
Arthur glanced at the heavily decorated interior. Not an inch of wall was left uncovered. There were colorful lashes hanging from the ceilings. In the center of the caravan was a small, round table with a crystal ball perched on top of it. Arthur was relieved to find that there appeared to be no one occupying the caravan.
He continued to examine the caravan, clutching Sechelles close to his chest, his grip as strong as ever. Sechelles attempted to protest but found her cries to fall on deaf ears. Arthur seemed to be preoccupied with studying the interior of the caravan, searching for something.
A curtain separated the caravan into two halves. Arthur pulled the curtain aside to find a small bed. He sighed with relief, his limbs craving rest. He collapsed on the bed. He turned to try to make himself comfortable and relaxed when he finally found a comfortable position.
“Arthur?” Sechelles asked, no longer willing to remain quiet, her curiosity getting the best of her.
“Yes, Angelique,” he replied groggily.
“Why did you do that?” she asked softly, almost hoping that Arthur wouldn’t hear her.
“Because you are my friend. Is there really any better reason?” he said honestly. His answer caught Sechelles off-guard. She knew that this was most likely Arthur’s fatigue talking. Normally Arthur would never admit such things. Arthur was stubborn as a mule when it came to admitting these kinds of things. He was your typical boy. To hear him say such things made Sechelles curious as to what else he might be feeling.
“You know, there’s no need for formalities if we’re friends. You can call me ‘Sechelles’ like everyone else does,” she replied softly.
“Well, I am not everyone else,” Arthur murmured. Sechelles gazed upon him as he started to fall asleep. His face was more peaceful than she had ever seen it. Relaxed, almost happy, like when he was with Alfred.
“I wonder what you would do for Alfred?” she wondered aloud.
“I would die for Alfred,” he replied before tossing one last time. He began to snore softly. Sechelles almost chuckled to herself. Even his snores were cute. Her smile vanished when she thought about what he said. Of course he would. That was true love, wasn’t it? When you would do anything to keep your loved one happy.
Love. There was no way she could ever compete with that.
She gazed at the beautiful wind chimes above her, their shapes casting beautiful patterns on the wall. She watched as the shadows danced with each blow of the wind. She felt…content almost.
She sighed and lay down on Arthur’s chest. She pressed her ear to his chest, where she could hear and feel the soft steady beat of his heart. She let the sound lull her to sleep. It had the effect of a long forgotten music box. The soft melody lulled her to sleep like nothing else could.
The wind chimes continued playing with its harmony creating a calm setting over the two as the they slept.
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PART II