Fragments (One-Shots) | Mystery Skulls Animated

Players and Pawns (1/4)

[AU: Chloe summoned the spirit to prove to Vivi she was smart and brave enough to join the Mystery Skulls, but that led to the cave incident. Written 2017.]

TRIGGER WARNING: Swearing, mention of needles, lots of blood, description of unconventional amputation, graphic descriptions of hypothesised grievous injury.

"No. I've told you before—our work is dangerous and we don't want anyone inexperienced interfering. What if something went wrong? You wouldn't be the only one in danger."

        "I've told you before! I can handle myself, Vivi. Just let me come along, just this once!"

        "No. You're not coming. You're too young—anything could happen to you! That's all I'm saying about it, okay? Now go home, please."

        She turned and stormed away from her co-worker, feeling her cheeks burn. Why did she think she was so helpless? She could look after herself. It wasn't like she would steal her spell book and go ghost-hunting or—

        She stopped in her tracks, face breaking into a grin. Of course, that was it! That was all she needed to do. If she told Duet she needed a book, surely they would give her one. And then she wouldn't even have to join the Mystery Skulls to do what they'd told her to do—it was perfect.

        Ten minutes later she stood at the entrance to a cave, tome in hand. She raised a fist above her head and, reading from a crinkled page, shouted the incantation at the top of her lungs. The air went still, the night dead silent, and from the pages rose a tendril of wispy smoke, swirling and twisting into a hazy shape.

        She could feel it feeding off her aura as it became awash with a toxic green, and she smiled.

        It took an hour of very thorough persuasion on her part before it finally agreed, and, satisfied, she turned to head back to town. When she glanced over her shoulder she could see the green creature hesitate before it drifted into the darkness of the cavern.

* * * * *

Arthur padded wearily behind Lewis, gripping his shoulders tightly. This place was creepy—it was cold and quiet and Arthur was getting goosebumps. Why had they come here? Vivi had said that the gang's Twitter page had gotten a request to check out this spooky place on the edge of town. Whispers around town said that people had broken down by this very cave in the middle of the night, each one wondering inside, lured by song. These tales were just to scare tourists, of course—but even so, the excitable bluenette had been desperate to check it out.

        "This reeks of supernatural," she had cried, buckling herself into the front seat. "We have to go see what's going on—we might even see a real ghost!"

        The gang had never actually seen a spirit before—they had only started up their paranormal investigations group, the Mystery Skulls, a few months before, after Vivi had suggested it might be a good idea. It would be an adventure, she had said.

        As long as Arthur had known her since third grade, Vivi had been obsessed with the paranormal. Whenever they had play dates, Vivi would always cart over a bag of ghost stories or supernatural novels; and in sixth grade she did one better—when Arthur arrived at her house she presented him with all seven seasons of Ghostbusters. She had kept him awake all night with soda and candy so he could watch it with her, and they were still there, swaddled in blankets in Vivi's living room, at six o'clock the next evening. As soon as Arthur got home he had collapsed onto his bed and slept for 19 hours.