Halls of Splintered Souls (Wandering Souls #1)

Chapter Five

I didn't tell Ayn about what happened until Friday at lunch. We had claimed a spot near the forest as our lunch venue. Adrien quickly became a part of our dynamic. At first, I thought he'd be too intrusive, but I found that he only hangs out around us when Ayn invited him. Or at least he'd ask if it was okay to join and never barged on us. As usual, Adrien went extra miles to tease Ayn relentlessly.

"You look like the sleep paralysis demon in a spirit grimoire," he told Ayn.

Ayn scrunched her face then threw her shoe at him. "I do not! You take that back!"

Adrien caught her shoe and dangled it in front of her but snatched it away before she could take it. His statement piqued my interest. Not the fact that he thought Ayn looked like a sleep paralysis demon, but the spirit grimoire part.

"There's a spirit grimoire?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, there is, my family owns one. My ancestor made it." Adrien answered while running away from Ayn who was trying to get her shoe back, holding it above his head so she couldn't reach it.

A spirit grimoire. Would that mean there would be séance and astral projection guides in there? I wondered if it had any spells to open the sixth sense or something. I've never seen a spirit grimoire before, let alone heard of one. His family must be very powerful to have an ancestor who created such a rare grimoire.

"Did you ever read it?" I began, then continued, "I mean, is there anything about hearing the most beautiful piano playing only to find there was no one playing the piano at all and the room turns out to be empty and locked all along?"

Ayn stopped chasing Adrien and looked straight at me. "That sounded oddly specific. Are you okay?"

"It's nothing," I mumbled, but then she raised her eyebrows inquisitively.

I gave in and told her everything. She listened carefully and seriously while Adrien laughed uncontrollably. Ayn had to threaten to hex him for him to be quiet. She'd done that last week. He couldn't taste anything for a whole day because of it. When I was done telling the story, Adrien had gone silent.

He seemed deep in thought when he finally asked. "You're positive no one was there?"

I nodded.

"You know... I did hear that the murder victims I told you about were musicians," he informed.

I cringed and felt my heartbeat quickened. I was supposed to go to choir practice today And I'd have to walk through those halls after sundown. Again. Might as well just kill myself now. I heard her mumble stop scaring my sister! at Adrien.

"That's why you should have joined a book club or something. Less ghost, less murder," Ayn joked to lessen my panic.

I punched her arm and huffed. This is hell. I don't think I have the courage to use the shortcut or walk alone today. Should I text other members to see if any of them would like to walk with me to the studio? Or maybe I should just succumb to fate and let the ghost kill me if it wanted to.

I mentally kicked myself for being so ridiculous. I am not going to die tonight. I'll just have to leave before sundown. I'm sure I could find some excuse to leave practice early. Or not. I'd feel bad for leaving earlier than everyone else.

"Hey, Aya? Are you listening?" Ayn poked my sides and was about to tickle me when I hit her shoulder with my divination textbook.

"Ow! That hurt!" She yelled.

"You know better than to tickle me,"

Ayn pouted. Adrien threw her shoe back at her as I got up. I told them I'm leaving for choir. Both of them nodded distractedly. There was actually still a solid half an hour before practice starts, but I'm not risking being late again. Not after yesterday.

The practice ended right before sundown. But it seems that the odds were not in my favor. I heard the piano again. And I don't know what possessed me to do something terribly stupid. I stomped to the source of the music. This time I'm going to open the door consciously. I swore that if it wasn't a ghost but a senior playing a prank on me, I'd kill them. And if it was a ghost, I'd kill them too. I'd make their first death feels like a dream and this one a nightmare.

I took a deep breath and pushed the door. The playing stopped just like the last time, but this time I saw a boy sitting in front of the piano. He seemed startled by my entrance. His fingers stopped hovered over the keys. And then his expression turned into confusion as his mouth opened as if trying to find something to say. He was wearing a senior uniform. I could tell from his tie.

"Was it you the other night?" I asked, glaring at him.

I considered his expression. He seemed genuinely confused, as if he didn't know what I was referring to by 'the other night'. I momentarily went into a panic when I realized it might not be him at all. God, I'm embarrassing myself, aren't I?

"Uh... yes?" he replied, but it came out more like a question.

I sighed in relief. It was him after all, and he did not look like a ghost. Well, at least not what I imagined a ghost would look like. This guy seemed alive and well, though.

"How come you disappeared so fast, then?"

"I... I hid." he said awkwardly. "Behind that curtain."

He pointed to a spot on the wall and I followed his eyes. Sure enough, there was a curtain.

"And then you locked the door," I continued for him. "That terrified the crap out of me, you know?"

"Listen, I'm sorry if I scared you. I don't usually play in front of other people. I'm Baekhyun, by the way."

I only glared at him before storming out of the studio, not bothering to tell him my name.