"Alfred, where have you been? It's so boring here alone," Arthur explains, floating around me as I shut the door behind me and hang up my favorite bomber jacket.
"Sorry, Artie, I had to do some partner work with Gilbert as his house," I lie, internally wincing. Heroes aren't supposed to lie, but it's to protect him. I don't want to lie to anyone, but I can't let Arthur suffer like this anymore. He deserves a happy afterlife, and I deserve to be able to move on. Neither of us can achieve that as long as he's stuck here, so no matter how much I hate the thought of him leaving me, sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the greater good.
He seems much more at ease, and I can tell that he may not consciously know that he's finally received justice. However, I know that he is feeling the affects.
"That's fine, love. I just get awfully lonely here." He smiles gently at me, following me into the kitchen while I go to get some coffee. I haven't had any all day, and I'm running on empty.
"Sorry about that," I mutter. "Maybe one day you won't have to be so lonely," I say, not really understanding why I'm hinting at what I'm doing for us.
"Maybe one day," he says wistfully, staring out the kitchen window with a glazed-over expression.
"Hey, Arthur," I say, catching his attention. "I'm having my friends over again tonight, so please keep the ghostly abilities thing to a minimum. It's cool and all, but I don't think they'd feel completely at ease with the fact that you can possess a doll's body and walk around in it, wich was hilarious by the way."
He nods. "Of course, Alfred. I don't want to scare people off, though I didn't even know I could do that myself." We both grin at the amusing memory, nostalgia washing over our minds. There's just something special about happy memories that makes you both happy and sad at the same time. It's so strange, but at the same time, it's rather incredible.
A few hours later, a few loud knocks at the door break Arthur and me out of the game of poker we were playing. I set down my rather horrible cards, quitting the game, before heading over to the front door. My three best friends, aside from Arthur, stand there along with a fourth party.
The new boy has bright red eyes and longish silver hair. His teeth are suspiciously sharp and his skin uncomfortably pale. His sense of style is rather odd as well. He is wearing a blood red suit and a matching tiny hat that rests on his head, as if it were about to fall off. Yet, oddly enough, the look works for the young man.
"Vladimir," I greet, reaching out and high-fiving the boy. "I'm glad you could make it."
"I'll bet," he states, smirking at me as he hints at tonight in his thick Romanian accent. He's kind of creepy, but he's the only person I could find that can help me out. The other three are here for moral support and to satisfy their own curiosity.
"Alfred, what's going on?" Arthur asks, his voice ringing with curiosity.
"Ah, you must be the infamous Arthur," the Romanian greets, voice friendly and cheerful.
Arthur is obviously surprised that the other boy can see him, but he seems to manage to take it in stride and replies as politely as possible.
"Arthur," Vladimir says, walking into my house and stepping passed me. "I'm curious about you. May I ask you some questions?"
"Sure," Arthur says, starting to be at ease with the new guest. They move to the living room to discuss things, and I see Vladimir reach into his back pocket, Meanwhile, Arthur answers the questions he's being thrown obliviously.
I nearly panic when I see Arthur collapse, which occurs after Vladimir throws a small amount of sparkling powder into his face. It's as if he passes out, which is something I didn't know could happen.
Upon seeing my shocked and worried face, Vladimir holds up his hand. "Calm down. He is fine. The dust has simply made him lose consciousness. It will make this process easier."
Taking a deep breath and trying to calm my rapid heart, I clench my hands to keep from rushing to Arthur's side. "So, what do we do now?" I ask, my voice slightly shaking in worry. Should I even have trusted this guy? He didn't seem so bad, but then again, how well do you know even your closest friend? Well, the answer could be as simple as everything, but you could also know only what they want you to know.
"I will recite the incantation, and he will pass on. You are sure that he's received justice?"
Gilbert and I nod. "We went to the bastard's house ourselves," I confirm. The answer pleases the Romanian boy, judging by the way he nods and then retrieves a small leather book from his pocket.
He opens it up to a seemingly random page and clears his throat before reciting the most garbled lines of speech I've ever heard. I'm not sure what language it is, and I'm having trouble deciding between Latin and Russian, which probably gives you an idea of how odd it sounds.
However, it obviously does something, seeing as Arthur's soul begins to glow a bright sort of golden/green color, making my three friends and I gape in awe.
Then, just like that, he vanishes.
I didn't know that this is what it feels like to have your heart broken. I didn't think it'd be so painful to no longer have Arthur's presence, but it is. I feel like I've lost a part of myself.
"He'll be okay, right?" I ask, cursing silently as my voice shakes and quivers as the tears build up behind my eyes. Get over this, Alfred. He's dead. It wouldn't have worked out anyway!
"As long as he didn't have any unfinished business, yes," the Romanian says before suddenly he goes quiet. "Oh, no," he utters, shaking suddenly before looking around the room wildly. "What have you made me do?"
"I don't understand. What's going on?" Antonio asks, squeeking loudly as the light bulbs in the room start to pop and explode in a seemingly random order.
"You idiots!" Vladimir shouts angrily. "He wasn't done on this plain! You've forced him to move on!"
"What was left for him to do?" I ask, feeling my heart sink to my stomach.
"He was protecting you! Now he's stuck in a halfway dimension!" Vladimir would probably start pacing angrily if we weren't all frozen in fear as the house begins to rumble.
"What the hell are you talking about? Protecting me from what?"
He looks at me, strutting up to me and grabbing my collar, forcing me to stare into his bright red irises. "He was keeping you safe from the ones that killed him."
"But they died," I exclaim, gaping at the boy as the realization of what I've done begins to settle in.
"They didn't just die," he says seriously, just in time for me to hear furniture being thrown around my house.
"They became demons."
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Heylo, my lovely little nuggets! I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to leave some comments or suggestions! I love taking them into account and reading them! Sorry this one is so sucky. I'm writing another story and have gotten a little distracted! Anyway, I'll see y'all nuggety readers in the next update! Until then, have an absolutely fantastic and fabulous day! Bai!!! >:3
-IggyScones
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Gone? USUK
FanfictionAlfred F. Jones and his mom are starting anew after a nasty situation with Alfred's dad. Let's just say that he no longer respects his dad all too much. Things seem perfect when they move into their new house. He's making new friends, and his mom's...
