𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮 ➪ 𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱

𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝘅. 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

AN ASSOCIATE.
the words wouldn't leave her head as much as she wanted them to.
it followed her no matter where she tried running off to inside her brains.

an associate, an associate, an associate. Lockwood's voice repeated.
Agnes knew it shouldn't.
it shouldn't hurt that much because her and Lockwood were nothing but work colleagues.

Agnes walked up the second set of stairs, opening the attic door fast.
Lucy was sat down in her bed, reminiscing past memories about her and Norrie as she passed her fingers delicately through photographs.
"Agnes?" the girl looked up in furrowed brows.
Agnes stepped closer, "brought you coffee" the blonde smiled, putting her half-finished mug in the bedside table before falling down her back.

"what happened?" Lucy asked in worry.
"nothing worth mentioning" Agnes groaned.
"is it about Lockwood?"
"ugh! you know me so well." Agnes turned around to face her.

"so...?"

"I eavesdropped a conversation between him and Flo. she was like, I don't know. hoping he would kiss me or whatever and he just brushed it off completely— said I was an associate" Agnes imitated his voice in the last words.

"talking with who?" Lucy asked, not keeping up to date with the latest events.
"not important." Agnes brushed over.

"so you wanted to kiss him?" Lucy smirked.
"what—NO! it's just...I don't know. I mean he could've referred to me as a friend or whatever. we sleep in the same bed! that's not something associates do!" Agnes complained, getting one of Lucy's pillow— a loud muffled groan coming from it. 
suddenly a knock came through the door,
"I need to show you guys something." George opened the attic's door before going downstairs.
Lucy looked at Agnes, who's head was still buried in the pillow.

"you think he heard?" Agnes raised her head slightly, cheeks reddened.
Lucy shrugged, "I dunno. I don't think he'd tell tho."

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Agnes, Anthony and Lucy were in George's room, the four went around the walls. reading glued pages throughout the room with curiosity.
"these are ancient depictions of spirits being tied to their sources. Bickerstaff must have come across these illustrations and decided to test that theory—that's why his basement was such a horror show." George explained, quite proud of himself.

"not sure you can call that a basement." Agnes added, the point of her finger in one of the papers as she read what was written with squinted eyes.
"he was murdering his own patients to make sources?" Lockwood asked, looking at George as the researcher approached.

"such a visionary." Agnes's remark was ignored.

"no, that would be too hit-and-miss. if you kill someone, their body isn't necessarily gonna become a source. unless...you make sure of it." George answered. Agnes turning around, facing George with curiosity.
"so he was taking parts of them whilst they were still alive." Lucy concluded.