"It really takes a lot -especially in our line of work- for me to feel alive...but you do that for me, Vivienne."
When psychically gifted Vivienne Salvatore is forced to flee to London from her home up north, she stumbles upon a "prestigious" agency...
CHAPTER FIFTEEN ~ a talk with the devil ~ vivienne salvatore
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"George, get the fu—" I am the first to attempt to move, pushing George off from atop me. There's two thuds, and I realise I must've pushed Lucy off too.
"Ow," Lucy says.
"Sorry, Luce," I say, pulling myself off of who must be Lockwood. "I thought it was only George."
"And that makes it okay?" George sneers.
"Yes," Lucy and I say in unison.
"Now, who's got a light?" I ask. "I think I lost mine back there."
"I do," Lucy says, switching on her torch, bringing light into the abyss of darkness.
Lockwood is still mostly lying on the ground, though he is leaning back on his arms in an attempt to sit himself against the wall. Lucy and George are sitting across from me, against a wall with a boarded window, George rubbing his buttocks.
"You okay, George?" I ask, sitting myself up against the wall beside Lockwood.
"No," he says. "I think you might've just sprained by buttocks."
"I meant the plasm," I say. "Your jacket is still smoking."
"Oh. Yes," he says. "It hasn't got my skin, though this jacket is ruined."
"That's good," I tease. "It's an awful jacket."
"Mm, I suppose you're quite the fan of yours," he smirks across at me, and I remember I'm still wearing Lockwood's coat.
"Shut up," I dismiss, finally standing up. I'm suddenly thankful for the poor lighting as I feel my cheeks flush hot. "Why don't we talk about what just happened in that room? What the hell was that?"
"I don't know," George says. "Only Changers can manifest something as weird as that blood, yet only a Poltergeist could shut that door."
"That was just a regular Changer," Lockwood finally speaks. "No ghost can move that much heavy iron."
"Fairfax wouldn't be back here," Lucy says. "He said it himself, he'd never be caught here last dark."
"He also told us that the staircase was the primary haunting," I say. "We didn't get a trace there and we all almost just died here."
"Who else, then?" George asks. "You and I watched Starkins leave."
"Ellie, then," I say. "She said some...weird things to me while she was loading our bags into the car, and we know she'd do anything Fairfax asked her to."
"But why?" Lucy asks. "What have we done to him?"
That's when we all fall silent.
"We should stay here," Lucy suggests. "Wait it out 'til morning. We can't go back and who knows what we'll run into if we keep going. We're safe here."
