Flicker from View (1/25)
Flicker from View
Summary: From this prompt. There have been stories of the Anderson house for as long as Kurt Hummel can remember: stories about music playing from the second story, and whispers of a crying boy. So when his Glee Club decides to check it out as a pre-Halloween trip, he doesn't expect anything more than some dusty floorboards and a creaky staircase. What he finds instead, will change his life.
Rating: Mostly PG-13, with some R stuff for triggers.
Warnings: ghosts, talk about the afterlife, neglect, bullying, homophobia, sexual abuse (only as much as Never Been Kissed), suicide, character death, depression. Um. I think that's it. I'll warn per chapter if it gets really bad.
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of the characters. Title from Mumford and Sons, "The Ghosts That We Knew." No other songs possibly used in this are mine either.
A/N: So, darrenncolfer posted this prompt on tumblr, and I saw it, and everything just played out in my head. I knew exactly how I wanted everything to go. Unfortunately, I'm a slow writer, so it's taken me some time. Um. I'm hoping to post twice a week - and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask me here or on tumblr: here.
I'm hoping to work on a Monday/Thursday update schedule. So, chapter two will be up on Monday, January 14 (Lord willing).
Also, all the thanx in the world to KK - the best beta eva. YOU DA BOMB.
Chapter One
It was Noah Puckerman's idea - which shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone.
"C'mon, you pussies," he sneered, his shadow stretched out long and looming behind him. "What are you afraid of? Ghosts?" he added, wagging his eyebrows.
"Boy, there ain't no such thing as ghosts," Mercedes countered, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Are you nuts?" Sam asked, spinning around to gawk down at her. "Haven't you watched Supernatural?"
Quinn rolled her eyes at his side but kept quiet.
"If you could please just come to a decision?" Rachel snapped, her chin raised high. "I have a very strict bedtime vocal regiment that I simply cannot miss."
"I dunno, Puck," Tina muttered, shying into her boyfriend's side. "You know what they say about the Anderson house."
Mike wrapped his arms around her waist and quietly said, "It's not smart to disturb the Others."
"Preach!" Artie cried, raising a hand to slap his palm against Mike's.
Santana scoffed and tossed her hair back over a shoulder. "You guys are a crowd of sissies. I wants in, Puck," she announced as she strode up to him.
"I knew I could count on you, Lopez!" he crowed, slapping her ass as she walked past.
Brittany trotted along after her. "Maybe he's like Casper," she said hopefully.
Quinn sighed and followed the other Cheerios. "This had better be worth it, Noah," she muttered. Sam hurried after her, sending a nervous look over his shoulder to Artie and Mike.
"I concur," Rachel said, grabbing Finn's hand. "If I miss any portion of my routine, it will be on your head, Noah," she threatened, walking past him. Finn followed like a hulking puppy, shooting Puck a helpless look. Puck shrugged loosely and loped along behind them.
Mercedes threaded her arm through Tina's. "C'mon, girl. We'll show those boys we're not afraid."
Mike placed his hands on Artie's chair and started rolling him towards the house. "We'll stay near the door for a quick getaway," he whispered. Artie nodded his agreement.
The last of the group wrapped his arms around himself and glanced up at the Anderson house. It wasn't an old house, not like the movies would lead you to believe. It was an average sized house, taller than wider, with three windows in the front boarded up, and what must have been an impressive front porch in its day leading to the door. As it was, the paint was faded to a near-pink and peeling, and the door hinged squealed when Santana pushed it open.
"Hey! You coming, Princess?" Puck called from where he stood on the front porch.
Kurt rubbed his left arm and wrinkled his nose in distaste. It wasn't that he was afraid of ghosts - he had enough real bullies to keep him preoccupied - he just didn't understand the appeal of a haunted house. It was just an abandoned home still standing in the midst of a block of houses just like it... Except they all had families within their walls.
"All right, Puckerman; hold your horses," he called as he started walking up the cracked driveway. Mercedes and Tina met him on the porch and separated long enough to thread their arms through his to pull him into the house.
One step in and the house proved to be too dark to explore. Kurt glanced over his shoulder and eyed the moon-illuminated porch. Too bad the windows were all boarded up, or the full moon outside could light up the house too.
"Well, looks like it's too dark to see anything," Finn was saying. "Guess that's that."
"Yeah," Sam agreed; and if Kurt squinted he could just make out the blonde's shoulders shifting under his shirt. "Let's go back."
"Oh, knock it off, you two," Puck snapped, punching Finn's shoulder.
"Don't worry, losers," Santana said. "I gots this." She pulled out her cellphone and clicked it on, giving off a small bit of light.
"Nice going, chica," Puck praised, pulling out his own phone. Within a minute, the room was lit up by ten phones, all spread out over the room and making objects glow in pale yellow light.
They were clearly in a front porch, hall-like area, with a staircase stretching up at the end. To their left was a living room with an ancient television set and a perfectly good couch facing it. On the opposite wall to where they stood, a cupboard filled with plates and glasses reflected their light back at them, and on the floor spread a full red and black rug.
"Weird," Finn breathed.
Puck frowned. "Huh. No ghosts here. Guess we'd better keep going."
"Dude, who do you think we are; the Ghostbusters?" Sam snapped.
"Lord Tubbington used to be a ghostbuster before they became famous," Brittany announced.
Puck walked into the living room, followed by the group of singers. He held his phone out in front of him, scanning the entire room. He frowned in disgust, then disappeared through a doorway on the right side of the room. Tina's fingers clamped down on Kurt's arm as Puck left their sight, and Kurt hissed in pain as her nails threatened to break his skin.
"Hey, the kitchen! Cool!" Puck called out.
Finn perked up and slipped his hand out of Rachel's grip to go after him. "Hey; is there any food left?"
Rachel stomped her foot and cried, "Finn Hudson, that is disgusting!"
"Oooh, stairs," Santana cooed, headed back towards the hall. She reached for Brittany's hand and led her towards them. "Let's go check out the upstairs."
Quinn followed them, keeping her phone held high. "Are you sure the floors are sturdy?" she asked, voice fading as she climbed.
Rachel huddled near the couch, arms wrapped tight around her torso with her phone held timidly out by her waist. "Finn, I think it's time to leave!"
Sam wandered over to Mike and Artie and bumped Mike's shoulder with his own. "We shouldn't be here," he muttered. "Nothing good ever happens in a haunted house."
Finn and Puck returned, the latter with a frown. "Chill, Berry. We're not done exploring."
"We're disturbing someone's home," Tina said, curling into Kurt's right side. "We should stop before they come to defend it."
"I thought you goths were all over this sort of thing," Puck challenged.
"It's called respect, Puck!" Tina argued, still hanging onto Kurt. "Something you clearly lack."
Kurt patted her hand and muttered, "Claws in, kitty."
"Nothing up there, boys," Santana announced as she led the two blonde girls back into the hall. "What a waste," she grumbled, planting her fists on her hips.
Kurt sighed and wished he could go home. His dad had only been back from the hospital for a couple of weeks, and Kurt didn't like leaving him alone for too long.
"Aw, shit," Puck grumbled. He stomped through the living room and back into the hallways; they followed him like the sheep they were. Puck peered in a room on the other side of the hall, then reared his head back and cupped his mouth with his hands. "Hey!" he shouted. "Is anybody in here?"
There was complete silence, and then, from behind Kurt: "I am. I live here."
It was a young voice, like a child's; innocent and pleased. But Kurt glanced around and saw the eleven people he walked in with, and then took in the expressions on Rachel and Finn's faces. Slowly, Kurt turned his head to the left, where the staircase was.
The very young boy stood on the bottom step, just a few feet away from a frozen trio of Cheerios. His face was illuminated by the far reaches of the moonlight peeking through the open front door, and cellphone light, making his skin look like it was glowing. His hair was short and dark, and a smile was spreading across his face.
Even as Kurt's heart rate started to pick up, he thought, What a beautiful boy.
"Oh my God," Mercedes whispered beside him, voice hushed but pulsing with terror.
The boy scanned all of them, and then his smile changed, grew shyer. "Would... would you guys like to play with me?" he asked, eyes wide and hands open.
There was complete and utter silence for a beat of one, two, three... And then Sam cried, "Holy shit!" and everyone flew to life. Rachel screamed - A flat, Kurt's ear determined - Tina and Mercedes shrieked on either side of him, making him duck his head to try to escape the sounds; and suddenly he was being yanked towards the front door.
Artie and Mike were in front of them, wheels spinning, then the Cheerios pushed past them, and then three huge boys, and Kurt stumbled when Finn knocked into his shoulder, and found his arms suddenly free and loose at his sides. He teetered without the momentum from the girls, and fell to his hands and knees over the threshold of the house.
Before him, the porch wood was lit up by silver moonlight; behind him, he heard a quiet sniff. Kurt froze, and slowly raised himself up to his knees and held the doorframe in his hands. Then, as best he could, he turned his head to look inside.
The boy stood on the stairs still, one hand rubbing at his cheek while the other pulled on the hem of his shirt. He sniffed again, a thick wet sound that went straight to Kurt's heart. His voice was muffled by his hand and garbled by his tears, but Kurt still made out: "They always leave me alone. Why does everyone leave me alone?"
Kurt swallowed down the sudden wave of sympathy. He knew that feeling; God, he'd been alone for most of his life. He was going to say something, something like, 'No, wait! I'll play with you;' when they boy turned around to face the stairs and faded out of sight.
Kurt froze, thought, Oh my God, he is a ghost; then pulled himself to his feet before he stumbled off the porch and down the driveway, trying to run away from his thoughts.
Summary: From this prompt. There have been stories of the Anderson house for as long as Kurt Hummel can remember: stories about music playing from the second story, and whispers of a crying boy. So when his Glee Club decides to check it out as a pre-Halloween trip, he doesn't expect anything more than some dusty floorboards and a creaky staircase. What he finds instead, will change his life.
Rating: Mostly PG-13, with some R stuff for triggers.
Warnings: ghosts, talk about the afterlife, neglect, bullying, homophobia, sexual abuse (only as much as Never Been Kissed), suicide, character death, depression. Um. I think that's it. I'll warn per chapter if it gets really bad.
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of the characters. Title from Mumford and Sons, "The Ghosts That We Knew." No other songs possibly used in this are mine either.
A/N: So, darrenncolfer posted this prompt on tumblr, and I saw it, and everything just played out in my head. I knew exactly how I wanted everything to go. Unfortunately, I'm a slow writer, so it's taken me some time. Um. I'm hoping to post twice a week - and if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask me here or on tumblr: here.
I'm hoping to work on a Monday/Thursday update schedule. So, chapter two will be up on Monday, January 14 (Lord willing).
Also, all the thanx in the world to KK - the best beta eva. YOU DA BOMB.
Chapter One
It was Noah Puckerman's idea - which shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone.
"C'mon, you pussies," he sneered, his shadow stretched out long and looming behind him. "What are you afraid of? Ghosts?" he added, wagging his eyebrows.
"Boy, there ain't no such thing as ghosts," Mercedes countered, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Are you nuts?" Sam asked, spinning around to gawk down at her. "Haven't you watched Supernatural?"
Quinn rolled her eyes at his side but kept quiet.
"If you could please just come to a decision?" Rachel snapped, her chin raised high. "I have a very strict bedtime vocal regiment that I simply cannot miss."
"I dunno, Puck," Tina muttered, shying into her boyfriend's side. "You know what they say about the Anderson house."
Mike wrapped his arms around her waist and quietly said, "It's not smart to disturb the Others."
"Preach!" Artie cried, raising a hand to slap his palm against Mike's.
Santana scoffed and tossed her hair back over a shoulder. "You guys are a crowd of sissies. I wants in, Puck," she announced as she strode up to him.
"I knew I could count on you, Lopez!" he crowed, slapping her ass as she walked past.
Brittany trotted along after her. "Maybe he's like Casper," she said hopefully.
Quinn sighed and followed the other Cheerios. "This had better be worth it, Noah," she muttered. Sam hurried after her, sending a nervous look over his shoulder to Artie and Mike.
"I concur," Rachel said, grabbing Finn's hand. "If I miss any portion of my routine, it will be on your head, Noah," she threatened, walking past him. Finn followed like a hulking puppy, shooting Puck a helpless look. Puck shrugged loosely and loped along behind them.
Mercedes threaded her arm through Tina's. "C'mon, girl. We'll show those boys we're not afraid."
Mike placed his hands on Artie's chair and started rolling him towards the house. "We'll stay near the door for a quick getaway," he whispered. Artie nodded his agreement.
The last of the group wrapped his arms around himself and glanced up at the Anderson house. It wasn't an old house, not like the movies would lead you to believe. It was an average sized house, taller than wider, with three windows in the front boarded up, and what must have been an impressive front porch in its day leading to the door. As it was, the paint was faded to a near-pink and peeling, and the door hinged squealed when Santana pushed it open.
"Hey! You coming, Princess?" Puck called from where he stood on the front porch.
Kurt rubbed his left arm and wrinkled his nose in distaste. It wasn't that he was afraid of ghosts - he had enough real bullies to keep him preoccupied - he just didn't understand the appeal of a haunted house. It was just an abandoned home still standing in the midst of a block of houses just like it... Except they all had families within their walls.
"All right, Puckerman; hold your horses," he called as he started walking up the cracked driveway. Mercedes and Tina met him on the porch and separated long enough to thread their arms through his to pull him into the house.
One step in and the house proved to be too dark to explore. Kurt glanced over his shoulder and eyed the moon-illuminated porch. Too bad the windows were all boarded up, or the full moon outside could light up the house too.
"Well, looks like it's too dark to see anything," Finn was saying. "Guess that's that."
"Yeah," Sam agreed; and if Kurt squinted he could just make out the blonde's shoulders shifting under his shirt. "Let's go back."
"Oh, knock it off, you two," Puck snapped, punching Finn's shoulder.
"Don't worry, losers," Santana said. "I gots this." She pulled out her cellphone and clicked it on, giving off a small bit of light.
"Nice going, chica," Puck praised, pulling out his own phone. Within a minute, the room was lit up by ten phones, all spread out over the room and making objects glow in pale yellow light.
They were clearly in a front porch, hall-like area, with a staircase stretching up at the end. To their left was a living room with an ancient television set and a perfectly good couch facing it. On the opposite wall to where they stood, a cupboard filled with plates and glasses reflected their light back at them, and on the floor spread a full red and black rug.
"Weird," Finn breathed.
Puck frowned. "Huh. No ghosts here. Guess we'd better keep going."
"Dude, who do you think we are; the Ghostbusters?" Sam snapped.
"Lord Tubbington used to be a ghostbuster before they became famous," Brittany announced.
Puck walked into the living room, followed by the group of singers. He held his phone out in front of him, scanning the entire room. He frowned in disgust, then disappeared through a doorway on the right side of the room. Tina's fingers clamped down on Kurt's arm as Puck left their sight, and Kurt hissed in pain as her nails threatened to break his skin.
"Hey, the kitchen! Cool!" Puck called out.
Finn perked up and slipped his hand out of Rachel's grip to go after him. "Hey; is there any food left?"
Rachel stomped her foot and cried, "Finn Hudson, that is disgusting!"
"Oooh, stairs," Santana cooed, headed back towards the hall. She reached for Brittany's hand and led her towards them. "Let's go check out the upstairs."
Quinn followed them, keeping her phone held high. "Are you sure the floors are sturdy?" she asked, voice fading as she climbed.
Rachel huddled near the couch, arms wrapped tight around her torso with her phone held timidly out by her waist. "Finn, I think it's time to leave!"
Sam wandered over to Mike and Artie and bumped Mike's shoulder with his own. "We shouldn't be here," he muttered. "Nothing good ever happens in a haunted house."
Finn and Puck returned, the latter with a frown. "Chill, Berry. We're not done exploring."
"We're disturbing someone's home," Tina said, curling into Kurt's right side. "We should stop before they come to defend it."
"I thought you goths were all over this sort of thing," Puck challenged.
"It's called respect, Puck!" Tina argued, still hanging onto Kurt. "Something you clearly lack."
Kurt patted her hand and muttered, "Claws in, kitty."
"Nothing up there, boys," Santana announced as she led the two blonde girls back into the hall. "What a waste," she grumbled, planting her fists on her hips.
Kurt sighed and wished he could go home. His dad had only been back from the hospital for a couple of weeks, and Kurt didn't like leaving him alone for too long.
"Aw, shit," Puck grumbled. He stomped through the living room and back into the hallways; they followed him like the sheep they were. Puck peered in a room on the other side of the hall, then reared his head back and cupped his mouth with his hands. "Hey!" he shouted. "Is anybody in here?"
There was complete silence, and then, from behind Kurt: "I am. I live here."
It was a young voice, like a child's; innocent and pleased. But Kurt glanced around and saw the eleven people he walked in with, and then took in the expressions on Rachel and Finn's faces. Slowly, Kurt turned his head to the left, where the staircase was.
The very young boy stood on the bottom step, just a few feet away from a frozen trio of Cheerios. His face was illuminated by the far reaches of the moonlight peeking through the open front door, and cellphone light, making his skin look like it was glowing. His hair was short and dark, and a smile was spreading across his face.
Even as Kurt's heart rate started to pick up, he thought, What a beautiful boy.
"Oh my God," Mercedes whispered beside him, voice hushed but pulsing with terror.
The boy scanned all of them, and then his smile changed, grew shyer. "Would... would you guys like to play with me?" he asked, eyes wide and hands open.
There was complete and utter silence for a beat of one, two, three... And then Sam cried, "Holy shit!" and everyone flew to life. Rachel screamed - A flat, Kurt's ear determined - Tina and Mercedes shrieked on either side of him, making him duck his head to try to escape the sounds; and suddenly he was being yanked towards the front door.
Artie and Mike were in front of them, wheels spinning, then the Cheerios pushed past them, and then three huge boys, and Kurt stumbled when Finn knocked into his shoulder, and found his arms suddenly free and loose at his sides. He teetered without the momentum from the girls, and fell to his hands and knees over the threshold of the house.
Before him, the porch wood was lit up by silver moonlight; behind him, he heard a quiet sniff. Kurt froze, and slowly raised himself up to his knees and held the doorframe in his hands. Then, as best he could, he turned his head to look inside.
The boy stood on the stairs still, one hand rubbing at his cheek while the other pulled on the hem of his shirt. He sniffed again, a thick wet sound that went straight to Kurt's heart. His voice was muffled by his hand and garbled by his tears, but Kurt still made out: "They always leave me alone. Why does everyone leave me alone?"
Kurt swallowed down the sudden wave of sympathy. He knew that feeling; God, he'd been alone for most of his life. He was going to say something, something like, 'No, wait! I'll play with you;' when they boy turned around to face the stairs and faded out of sight.
Kurt froze, thought, Oh my God, he is a ghost; then pulled himself to his feet before he stumbled off the porch and down the driveway, trying to run away from his thoughts.