The Illegitimate Prince | Trylle Fanfiction

Chapter 2 - A Ghost Called Elora

"Hey, Jasper!" Lily called out from her kitchen window, batting her eyelashes at me without bothering to disguise the flirtation (yes, I forgot to mention; we were neighbours too).

"Hey." I replied, waving politely, but at the very next step I took, somehow tripped on my own shoelaces and landed on the pavement, with my gardening hose on top of me.

Lily laughed pleasantly - probably because she thought that it was cute I had fallen because I was too distracted by her 'Hey Jasper!'. Not to mention that I fell 2 times everyday, 90% of the times without any reason.

A female ghost who was morosely leaning against the wall, clicked her tongue at my obnoxious conduct. "Honestly, I am so disappointed. Even my daughter was better than this." The ghost woman said. She actually SAID!

It was one thing to sight a ghost (ghosts were everywhere around, and they also acknowledged me; I don't know why, though. Perhaps they don't get to have frequent encounters with awkward teenage boys who could mysteriously see them). But actually hearing a ghost speak was entirely different, and I could not get over the rude comment this silver-grey woman had made.

"How flattering, old woman." I muttered sarcastically. "What have you even got to be disappointed at?"

"You don't know, do you?" The woman seemed tired. "Nobody knows. You are my great-grandson."

"Jasper, whom are you talking to?" Lily piped from her window.

"It's my neighbour's cat, Mackenzie Frost." I said quickly, and then added "You can't see him, because she's hiding under the fence."

"Is it even a he or a she?" Lily wrinkled her nose.

"I don't know; never tried to find out either." I replied shortly, before turning back to this lady who called herself my great-grandmother. "You are my great-grandmother? You must know my parents, then?"

"Your father - he doesn't know that you exist. As for your mother, I don't know who she is." She answered tiredly, not seeming truly interested in the conversation.

"What lovely information." I said brightly. "I think you brought rainbows into my life by telling that."

"Don't you use your sarcasm on me, you little boy! I am much older and wiser than you!" The woman scolded.

"Dear me, now ancient ancestors coming to scold me and saying things half of which I do not even understand. And on top of that, the great insult of being called 'little boy'. I don't think I shall be bearing it." I placed my hand on my heart for more dramatic effect, succeeding in irritating the ghost lady further.

"You've definitely got Loki Staad's genes." The lady said icily.

"I do not know what you are talking about. Perhaps you could be a little specific."

My great-grandmother shook her head in annoyance, and then said "Find Holmes. Do you know any Holmes. Hanna Holmes's son? Do you know anyone of that name?"

I shook my head to answer her weird question, by now certain that this woman had certainly died because of a brain disease. "Wilde, then. Do you know anyone by the name Wilde? God, how many more tracker surnames do I have to question you about? Anyone should've had enough brains to consult these tracker families."

"Actually, I do know someone with the surname Wilde." I said slowly, because that was the only thing I had understood from all this woman had ranted.

"You do?" The ghost lady looked astonished. "Very well, then -"

"Jasper, you are really freaking me out by now." Lily interrupted my absurd conversation with this woman. "Are you sure you are just talking to your cat?"

"Tell the young lady to shut her mouth." The woman evilly glared at Lily, and for a moment I was almost worried this ghost might shoot her or burn Lily's house down with her glare.

"It's my neighbour's cat, actually, and yes, I am having a conversation with him - or her. And it's okay, really; I do get a little too involved at times talking to cats. They are interesting animals. Ever try conversing with one."

"Sure I will. Will you be going to the pool today?" She asked eagerly.

I dared a glance at my ghost companion, who seemed to be passionately oscillating her head from right to left. "Uh, no. Uncle Thompson's making me run some of his errands this evening." I gave her an apologetic smile, and the ghost lady seemed to be satisfied.

"'Kay" Lily twisted her hair in between her finger. "I'll see you tomorrow at the pool then, I guess."

"Unless I trip on oxygen, fall into the lake and get eaten up by a crocodile, you will." Lily laughed, and then went inside her room.

"I guess all girls look for humorous men with sarcastic tongues." The ghost muttered bitterly. "Now, where was I?"

"You are in Minneapolis." I replied glibly.

"I meant, WHAT WAS I TALKING ABOUT? Ah, yes, Wilde! You said you know someone called Wilde!"

"I'm not sure. I think the girl introduced herself as Eleanor Wilde." All I remembered was her peculiar interest in getting inside an ancient Beetle truck with a klutz, and that her grandmother was a necromancer.

"Eleanor. Isabel. Adelaide. That's how the names always are, and I usually can't tell the difference. The point is that she should be a Wilde and she should be young, healthy, good-looking and athletic."

"I think that's the person you might be talking about; now, what do you really want? I can't keep standing here all day talking to someone who nobody else can see."

"Go to Wilde. Tell her that you can see, hear and talk to the dead, and tell her that Elora sent you."

"Elora." I repeated, promising myself to remember the name of my annoying ghost great-grandmother. "Are you 100% sure she wouldn't scream and set her house on fire if I tell her that?"

"If you have found the right person, then she won't do either of those atrocious activities." The ghost said dryly. "Get to her as soon as possible. You might not want to be late." And then she vanished into the air.

"Noo....don't go away, granny!" I exclaimed. "Great-grandmother? Ghost-woman? Elora? Ah, I wish you had been a little more specific about things." I sighed sadly.

I guess it was time to pay a visit to the necromancer's granddaughter - provided I still remembered her address.