A girl, A boy, and a graveyard

Off the hook

Lucy POV
1252 Words

George walked around the small house like the rest of us, except instead of being scared and on edge, he spewed facts at us. "George won't stop telling me all this gross stuff i do not want to know about! Tell him to stop, Lucy." Kipps complained as i walked passed the upstairs hallway.
"What's he been saying?" I asked back as i made my way downstairs.
"Something about how the neighbours remains ended up in every room. Feet in the lounge, toenails in the pantry-"

"Eyeballs in the pantry actually, Kipps, in a jar!" George cut him off from in the kitchen.
"Yes thank you, i dont need any more details Cubbins!!" Kipps grumbled, covering his face with his magazine.
"If you're gonna complain, get it right!" George yelled back.

I made my way to the kitchen and stood with George. He pulled out a strange stick on a thin metal platform, with a dangling ball at the end like a bell.
"George, what is that??"
He ran a hand distractedly through his mop of sandy hair. "PEWS. Psychic Early Warning System. New item from the Rotwell Institute. Would tell you more but i don't wan't to waste your time, you know, with all your busy freelance stuff." He glanced at me and shrugged. "It's supposed to ring before the ghost appears, basically."
"And does it work?"

"Can't say, first time i've tried it." He shrugged.

I rolled my eyes and laughed, covering my face slightly. Then i stared at him, his green puffer coat, his black circle glasses with the flecks of dirt on the rims, his blue eyes and sandy hair. "You know, George, i'm glad i got the chance to work with you again."
There was a silence, he didn't look at me, instead rummaged through his rucksack.
"Are you? That surprises me." I was slightly taken aback, my smile wavered.
"And why wouldn't i be?" His glassy glue eyes flittered up to look at me for a moment above the brim of his glasses.

"Well," He said after a pause, "There's Holly."
"Oh not you too!!" I cried, throwing my hands up, "Why does everyone- Ugh! I did not leave because of her! Me and her have sorted out our problems. It's all fine. Didn't you see us in the cafe? we were chatting and smiling and everything!" I gave a final huff and crossed my arms over my chest, looking out at the dark sky through the dusty windows.

"Mhmmm, just because you managed a fleeting conversation, does not mean you're butt buddies from the start, can you pass me that chain from the bag?" He pointed to a bag slumped on one of the chairs.
"Sure, have it." I snapped back, and took chain out and threw it across the table, some of the links scrapping across the wooden surface.
"Thanks." He blandly smiled, light gleaming across his glasses. He took the chains and laid them out on the ground, getting on a knee to place them correctly.

"We get along fine actually." I huffed again, anger boiled within me, i was sick of everyone thinking it was because of Holly, but when i thought of the real reason, of the Fetch in the underground prison of Aickmere's, my body shivered with cold. I crossed my arms again, hugging myself.
"Sure you do, you get along sooo well. You got along so well at Aickmere's, you had so much fun you caused mass destruction, an angered Poltergeist, and multiple losses of peoples lives!"

He tossed an empty box of matches across the table, "Put those in the bin will you?"

I couldn't stand him anymore, i thought i missed his sarcasm, his cold stares and his jokes. Instead they just aggravated me. I snatched up the box and trotted over to the bin, slamming my foot down on the peddle to open it. "That," I spoke stiffly, "Was before the Poltergeist, we have sorted stuff out now."
"The Poltergeist was you sorting things out," George spoke, his head lowered, his sandy hair in his face. "You left because you got so mad at her."

"No, i left because I lost control of my Talents. Because i angered the Poltergeist and endangered you all." I lit a few candles with a new box of matches, "Anyway, I'm here tonight."
"Mh," George hummed in mock agreement, "Yes and how joyful i am." I couldn't do it, i let my control over my emotions slip.
"Why are you being so mean to me??" I demanded.
"Mean? Jesus," He rolled his eyes and sighed, "Lucy, whatever reason you left, it doesn't matter, why I'm mad at you shouldn't matter anyway. But i'm annoyed because now Lockwood has gone back to how he was before, he is reckless, he has gone off the hook."

"And you think that's my fault??" I couldn't believe what i was hearing. "George, he has always been off the hook, he has always been reckless. You know what? I'm gonna go check on the others." I threw the box of matches down on the table and stormed out.

I walked right into Lockwood outside the door. My face inches away from his neck. I put my hands out automatically, my hands met with his chest.

"Jesus! Lockwood what are you doing here?!" I hissed and stared up at him, his hair flopped over an eyebrow, his easy-going smile laid across his thin lips.

"Hey, Luce." He ginned down at me. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."
"It's fine. What are you doing out of the basement??"
I pulled my hand off his warm chest.

"Got bored. And, i thought i saw something up here earlier, just remembered it, came up to check. Take a look at this." He moved beside me, crouching. His torch was in his hand, he pointed the beam to the class on the kitchen door.
"Handprints." I breathed, crouching next to him.
"Mhm, and look at the size of them." They were massive, he put his slender hand up next to it, the greasy handprint wasn't even half his hand's size.

"Our cannibal was so fat and greasy even his hands left marks." Lockwood mused, a shiver went through me, at that moment i was hot and cold. Cold as the temperature had suddenly dropped, sounds of heavy shuffling on floorboards echoed around the house, warm because i hadn't gotten over the shock of being so close to Lockwood again. And he wasn't even bothered, he hadn't cared my hands were on his chest.

At that moment we heard a scream. It was Holly, she ran out of the living room and stopped when she saw us in the hall, breathing heavy, frizzy hair disheveled. The kitchen door swung open and George came out.
"What happened?!" He also had a look of horror and sweat beaded his chubby face. "Guys look!" We peered into the kitchen, all was normal. Or as normal as it can be in a murderers house on a Tuesday.

"What?" I asked.
"Holly, what did you see?" Lockwood asked her, she was leaning against the wall, breathing hard, eyes shut, hand on her heart.
"Sod her! Don't you guys see it?!" He turned back to face the kitchen, pointed at the floor, then stopped. "What??? It was right there! Bones! A pile of bones in a bag!"
We all stared at the tiled floor, it was empty.

"I think we all need some fresh air."