Masters's Son

Twenty Eight

Did I hear what I think I just heard? Yes, but why?

I furrow my eyebrows, "Yes..." I trail off, silently questioning why he asked.

"I saw you only came in my home with a bag and box. Hardly a room for a billionaire's son. I thought I'd help you better settle in." He smiles, a look I'm not sure I like, nor trust yet.

I give him a confused look.

"If you want something, you need only ask, Daniel." He continues. Why would he say something like this out of nowhere? If Ember got to him without me knowing...

We sit there, waiting for the other to start speaking. "Is there a reason you're telling me this, sir?" I try asking as politely as possible, knowing if I asked even the slightest bit rudely, I'd get in trouble.

"I believe it would help you feel more comfortable in the mansion, and I can see you enjoy yourself when you are with your friends. Perhaps they can come back sometime. Again, you need only ask." He makes a couple of hand gestures as he explains, small ones.

The confusion doesn't leave me, it makes me even more confused. Why would he want me to be comfortable?

I feel a buzz from my pocket, a text. It must be Jazz, did something happen?

"You may go back to your room if you do not have any questions, but I'd like to talk more on this matter during breakfast tomorrow." He says.

Slowly, I stand and go to walk to my room. I hear a "Goodnight, Daniel."

"Goodnight, sir." I say over my shoulder, turning the corner out of his line of sight. My phone buzzes again.

Speeding to my room, I look at my phone while walking down the hall. It's not my sister's number that sent me a message. It was from a new contact.

Someone who had saved themselves into the phone.

Ember.

When did she have my phone? She must've slipped out of my pocket when I wasn't looking. But the real question is, how does she have a phone? She's from the ghost zone. Sure, she's famous here outside of the ghost zone, but she hasn't told me anything about moving.

I open the text, "Surprise, Dipstick. I stole your phone during the reunion." Her first message ends there, then I read the one she next sent, "You fool."

I smile at the silly messages. "Thanks for your number, now I can bother you more often." I type back, finally getting to my room. I open the door, flipping on the light.

My phone goes off again, "Foolish half-mortal. I am your problem. Not the other way around."

"I don't know about that, I'm pretty problematic." I send the text to Ember.

"As if." The little text bubble bobs up and down a few times before I get her next message, "You don't even ask for extra food."

I'm offended that she would say something entirely true and has in fact happened before. "I have no idea what you're taking about." I send.

"Sure." Even without her talking to me directly, I can feel the sarcasm. "Did you ever find out what Vlad wanted?" She asks.

I sigh before typing my reply. "He said he wanted to help me 'settle in' and it was 'unbefitting of a billionaire's son to have such a bare room'."

"He wasn't wrong with the bare room. You do need to make it look like someone actually lives there." She says. I huff at her words.

If I didn't feel like this was so temporary, or there wasn't any suspicion of Vlad being after the ghost fanatics' inventions, then maybe I would be comfortable with settling in where I stay.