Haunted Souls

Chapter 11

The ride to the library was in silence. Ethan had fallen asleep from crying so hard, Maria was asleep in her carrier. Bianca had her hand out the window, her eyes on the rolling landscapes they passed.

Will drove the route he always took to work, his hands clenched around the steering wheel, his knuckles white from the grip. His eyes stared straight ahead, he never looked anywhere else. Nico napped in the passenger's seat.

They eventually got to the little town and its library, a two-story building just as old as the others in the area. Will woke Nico up before bringing his family inside, letting Bianca and Ethan do their own thing as he sat down at one of the computers, Nico next to him with their baby in their arms.

"So...what is your plan?" Nico whispered. "What are you looking up?"

"The history of the castle," Will answered, his fingers flying over the keyboard. "We need to know exactly what's there before trying to get it out or before trying to live with it. We need to see which one we should do."

"And you think you'll figure all that out through the internet?" Nico asked. "Because that's a lot."

"It's worth a try." Will focused his eyes back on the screen. "Will you keep an eye on the kids for me while I do?"

"Yeah." Nico found Bianca at the counter, talking to the girl manning it. They looked to be around the same age, but the girl had hair as pink as Bianca's shirt and just as bright. Ethan was at a computer a couple seats down, his small fingers slamming into the keyboard. When Nico walked up behind him, he found Ethan trying to get to multiple games that were blocked by the computer because they weren't educational.

"Need help?" Nico asked, making Ethan almost jump out of his seat. "What game are you trying to get?"

"Minecraft," Ethan admitted. "It won't come up."

"It's blocked." Nico made sure Maria was secured with his left arm before using his right to type into the keyboard. After a few downloads and hacks, he got the game up for his son. "There you go. Play wisely."

Ethan smiled, revealing a couple of lost teeth. "Thank you!"

"Whisper." Nico kissed his head before moving back to Will, who looked ready to fall asleep. He searched through Google without anything new nor anything helpful. So far, the trip was anything but successful.

Nico sat next to him and rocked Maria close to his chest, hoping she would stay asleep throughout the visit. The last thing they needed was a crying baby inside a silent library.

After what felt like hours Nico looked up to check the kids again, just in time to see Bianca leaving with the girl. Anna, her nametag said. As they snuck out, Bianca made sure to tiptoe on her way. But it didn't work on Nico. As soon as he handed Maria to Will, he followed where the girls went.

Anna sat on the steps leading up to the library, Bianca sitting close to her. She pulled a cigarette box from her pocket, holding it out to his daughter as she searched for a lighter in her pocket. "Want one?" A thick accent but he understood every word.

"Hell no!" Nico marched over to the two girls before pulling Bianca away. "She doesn't want one. Bianca, get in the car."

"Dad!" Bianca pulled away from him as she got to his feet. "You can't just stalk me!"

"Really? Stalk you? We're in a strange country in a town that we've never been in before. I'm sorry for wanting to make sure you were okay." Nico gestured to Anna, who looked up at him as if he was the Devil himself. "And it turns out I can't trust you as much as I thought."

"I wasn't going to smoke!" Bianca promised. "I was just going to sit out here with her. I swear."

"What if you had Maria?" Nico asked. "Would you have sat next to someone who was smoking?"

"No." Bianca clarified.

"Remind me why not." Nico prompted.

"The smoke would get in her lungs." Bianca rolled her eyes. "You really are an-"

"It can get in your lungs, too." Nico cut in. "Just like it can get in Maria's. So go get in the car."

"Dad-"

"Car."

"Please-"

"Car."