Laconic » a.i

1.2

//ashton//

"What the fuck is he doing here?" I demanded, pointing in the direction I heard Michael's voice.

"What the fuck is with the glasses?" Michael asked sarcastically. "I thought you ditched those after I told you they make you look like a monkey."

I recalled the memory of the first time I met Michael and we'd just been hanging out on the lawn at my house and he told me that my glasses made my face look like that of a monkey. I wished we could go back to that time, but now everything was fucked up. Because of me.

"Seriously, Michael, you need to leave," I insisted. "You don't know what-"

"He knows," Rebecca's voice cut in. I could kind of tell them apart because Rebecca always sounded serious and sure, while Sabrina was more childish and sarcastic. I assumed she'd be the sadistic one out of the two, "that's why he's here."

I stared in the direction of Michael with a look that would've told him I think he's the biggest idiot on the face of the planet, "You willingly came into a house of ghost hunters?"

"They found me, alright? And they told me that if I didn't go with them that they'd hurt Luke and everyone, including Cooper," he explained. "Do you think I'm fucking dumb enough to be like 'No, go fuck yourself' and let them all get killed? You think I'd let Cooper get killed?"

I heard Mali-Koa scoff beside me and mumble, "I don't see the big deal about her." I just ignored it.

"How did you manage to get caught?" I wondered. "Back home, you were always the sly one that pulled anything to not get noticed."

"We have our ways," Sabrina said in a teasing voice. I heard movement, and then a hand on my arm. "You should've told us you had ghost friends. A lot could've came out of it for you."

"Probably nothing I'm interested in." I said in a monotone voice.

"Oh really?" she tested with a light laugh. "Not even getting your eyesight back?"

"You're blind?" Michael gasped.

"Enough questions," Rebecca stated. "You need to get downstairs."

"Fantastic," Michael said sarcastically. I could already imagine him rolling his green eyes, "more basements to be locked in. Sounds familiar, huh, Mali?"

She didn't respond to him. Instead, it was the sound of a door opening to answer him.

"Wait!" I yelled. I couldn't just let Michael go down there now. I just found someone that I really needed to talk to. While I felt Jeremy or even Luke would be better to talk to, Michael was good too. And he was actually here. "Can I go too? I just- It's important."

There was a moment of debate between the two sisters as they whispered harshly at each other. I couldn't make out any of the words they were saying, but finally Rebecca decided it was okay and Sabrina huffed angrily.

Someone grabbed my arm and led me toward the basement. Their soft voice telling me when to step down told me it was Rebecca. It felt like it took forever to get there, but that was probably because I couldn't even see where I was going.

After Rebecca's hand slipped away, she said, "The door will have to be locked, so I'll come back to check on you later."

With that, the door shut and there was a click. Then they could be heard going back up the wooden staircase and the door at the top was shut. Michael pushed me gently against a wall so I could slide down it to sit. I heard him sigh as he flopped down beside me.