Hidden Messages

Part 1 - Satanic Videos

Your phone buzzed from where it was lying on the couch. You set your laptop on your thighs, grabbing the phone to check what it was.

It was a message. From Cirrus.

You shot a look over to the ghoulette, where she lounged on another couch across from you, next to Aurora who had her head resting on her shoulder and eyes closed.

The ghoulette looked up from her phone, meeting your eyes. Waiting.

You snuck a look around the lounge-room. Rain was lying in the centre of the carpeted floor on his back, possibly asleep but it was hard for you to tell with the Ghouls. Swiss was leaning against the bench in the kitchenette to your right, sipping what you assumed was coffee, but could be anything, as he scrolled through his phone. Phantom and Mountain were nowhere to be seen, most likely in their rooms. As for Dewdrop, he was to your left, on another small couch. His legs were kicked out in a relaxed fashion, but it was impossible to tell for sure as he had his helmet and uniform on from rehearsals. Still, his head was facing away from you, so you figured you were safe to open Cirrus' message without any ghouls snooping.

As soon as you opened the chat, you knew you had been right to worry. She'd sent you a video—but not just any video.

It was of Dew. One look at the lighting and you already knew it would be from Mummy Dust. You knew exactly what it would show.

You watched it anyway.

Satan he was something else. His movements, his stance and his hands—unholy hell, his hands—it was insanely attractive. You were down so bad for him. And Cirrus knew.

It'd happened when you'd been drunk at an afterparty. It was the first time you had joined in on the drinking—you preferred to keep a professional attitude, even though the ghouls would always try to hand you drinks as encouragement.

This time you had accepted, and one turned into several. Cirrus had been with you when you had rushed to the bathroom to vomit, and she'd taken you back to your room once it was clear you weren't going to last any longer in the party without throwing your guts everywhere. She'd stayed with you in your drunk state, and you had let slip some little comment about Dewdrop that then escalated to confessing your feelings for him and just how badly you were down for the fire ghoul.

She'd told you the morning after with a smirk. You'd pleaded her not to tell, and she'd agreed. Why bother telling him outright, when she could tease you with it whenever she felt like it? Cirrus was curious too, about how long you could keep it a secret. She had admitted to you how surprised she was, that she hadn't noticed anything that would point to you liking Dewdrop—which was impressive, since ghouls were exceptionally good at reading emotions, with their enhanced senses, not to mention Phantom's quintessence. Luckily he was still a new ghoul and wasn't completely in tune with his quintessence yet. You knew he would be one of the first ghouls to figure it out though—something you were dreading.

You typed a message, flicking your eyes around the room to double check that no ghouls had seen anything. You forced yourself to remain nonchalant—these ghouls were so sensitive to even the slightest change.

Cirrus what the hell?? He's sitting right there.

You looked back down at your computer, idly moving the mouse and trying to look like you were still working. It only took her a moment to reply.

He won't notice. The idiot decided to exhaust himself in practice mucking around with Swiss, so he's probably trying to fall asleep.

Anyway, do you prefer that Dewdrop or this one?

She sent another video, and you held back a sigh as you opened it.

Silver mask. A pick in his hand as he raised it to his mouth. One of his vivid blue eyes was visible through the mask as his gaze locked onto the camera, the video slowing at that moment. Dew tilted his head, before his iris was replaced by the white of his eye as he slid his gaze away, twisting to move away on the stage.