Dead?

Park

"Maxine!"

The jewelry infested girl shouted toward her. Her lab partner in science and occasional fuckbuddy.  She wasn't sure how she was going to get away from her. The traffic was hectic ---

Car accident would be a great escape. Well, if she survived.

"Look, Chasity, I am busy this weekend." Mostly on the search for a missing maybe-ghost-might-not be girl they let wander away. She for whatever reason was feeling horrible about it. What if there was a chance Kats was telling the truth and they just let her go?

"Dude, chill. I just thought you'd want this." Chasity swung her backpack to the front of her, unzipping the top zipper and pulling out a small thin book, "You asked me to look for a legit book on realms . But I mean shit."

"Sorry, I just got a lot on my mind." She reached for the book, grabbing instead Chasitys hand pulling her closely, kissing her gently on the lips, "Thank you."

Chasity nodded trying to hide the blush forming along her cheeks, the necklaces around her neck jangling along. She left musically as she went. Now Maxine felt like an asshole --- she forgot about asking for the book. It was handwritten, dusty inside. She looked around for a bench to sit at -- there was a few but were already occupied. The traffic slowed allowing her to run across the street.

Michael was at the job center, job hunting so she had the time to look through the book alone. She found a nice unoccupied spot in the public library. Hardly any young children or anyone this time of the day -- all either working or just getting out of school. There was no reason to need to read a book for most people unless they had a book report to do.

Inside the book the words were scrawled almost carelessly along the pages. This was not meant for anyone else but the person writing it. Looking at the front of the cover, the few pages in front there wasn't any names. She stared at the writing for awhile before deciding she should go purchase heavily caffienated drink ---- anything at this point as her head was starting to pulse.

A small cafe was located just a few stores from the library. She ordered a large double-everything that she could cram into one drink. The barista just gave her a mortified look before telling her the total. It was gross but if she was going to figure out what the journal said-- she wanted to be jacked up on enough sugar and caffeine to make it through.

She managed to figure at the first paragraph. From what she understood anyway just a report on the weather that they were having that day. A large man stumbled across the second chair at her table. A chunk of wood flew from his hands whacking the back of a child -- who was set off in tears , snot and justifiably angry parent who was now chewing out the man.

"It's not going to kill him!" The man now red face angrily waving his hands at the parent, "He's fine, look just scared. Calm down."

"Calm down?" The mother set her coffee down

"Excuse me, he honestly didn't mean to hit your child." Maxine interrupted before the mother tossed a punch. Her hand was still balled up but interrupted, she just let it drop.

"Excuse me" The mother mocked Maxine, but she lost all her anger. Her son was wiping away his tears staring wide eyed at his mother.

"You, sir, should pay more mind to where you're going." She stared at him, closing her book back.

He scrunched up his face as if to say something but he gave up his fight, too. He just noisly grunted as he bent downward to pick up the piece that flew.

"Why are you carrying around broken pieces of wood?" It was far too warm still to need anything for a fire --

"It's a demon staff." He sighed, a couple sitting beside Maxine's table hurriedly along throwing their trash. Both looking and shaking their head in his direction. "It also sends ghosts to wherever they need to go. Very multipurpose except when your ghost somehow breaks the damned thing in half."

If it was a genuine demon staff that was as he said -- it shouldn't have broke. Like Michael's cross that he uses these things are powerful. Ghosts  can get strong but never enough to do that --

Kats?

"Where did it happen at?" She asked him while he stood in line at the cafe.

"Small park off pine." He said mostly absentmindedly.

"How long ago?"

"Two days ago." He turned this time looking her up and down, "And whys a kid wanna know?"

"Just trying to make conversation, sir." She tipped her coffee towards him deciding it was probably best to walk away slowly. She made sure to take a few side roads just in case he decided to investigate why she wanted to know.

People just did not announce demons let alone a "demon staff" outloud. Unless the man was like Michael who didn't care if the people they said things like that in front of thought they were crazy. Michael would simply have conversations openly in front of people with ghosts --- to try to figure out if they needed something or to do something before they left. Not always, he mostly tried to keep a job or two before finally giving in.

"Miss. Miss." An older woman's voice danced across the air.  Maxine had it easier -- she couldn't see them. She could easily ignore them. It wasn't as if she had a sign posted on her that said she could hear them anyway. Unlike Michael who occasionally could not tell a person was a ghost until it was far too late for him to back out of the conversation. "Miss. Miss!"

Maxine turned around, an elderly woman held the black book she had

"You dropped this two blocks down I was just trying to give it back."

"I am so sorry. " Maxine put her hand over her eyes in embarassment, she pulled a dollar out of her pocket, "here take this as a reward of sorts. It's all I have."

She checked to make sure all the pages and from what she could see they were all there.

 

At the park there was just ducks quacking looking for handouts. The place was empty. It was beautiful out, not even a cloud in the sky. A slight breeze but nothing drastic. She sat at the first bench she came to. It was old a bit rickety, but it did not collapse as she sat in it.

She opened to the first page of weather chatter

"So , whatya reading?" Katrina's voice loudly at her ear. The book flew up and the side of the bench collapsed.

"What the hell!" Max untangled herself from the bench, making sure she wasnt injured in the process.

"Oh, god, I forgot you can't see me."