Whispers in the Dark

Made of These

"Do you think they're making it all up?" Luke asked as he and Kol got ready for bed. "You couldn't sense anything earlier, and now the story changed. Seems like bull to me."

"Doesn't matter," replied Kol, chewing on his candy.

Luke gave him a confused look. "Of course it matters. If they lied, we'll have traveled across the Atlantic for nothing. I'll have damn nearly broken my back for nothing."

Kol smiled at him. "Whether the ghosts are real or not is part of the game, too. Figuring that part out is half the fun."

Luke sighed in surrender. "You've got a seriously twisted personality. You know that?"

"I don't think so. I just like to find enjoyment in my job. If I do that, it might as well not be a job at all."

"So what's the next step?" asked Luke as he got settled on the mattress on the floor, being far too big for the bed. "The church?"

Kol shook his head. "Your time will come yet. Before I go full exorcist, I need to at least sense something."

"So, forest, then?"

"Yep. First thing tomorrow. You coming with, or is Natasha preferable company?"

Luke shuddered, then turned over. "Just kill the lights. Wake me up before you leave."

Kol went to his own bed shortly after, doing his best to still his thoughts, fully aware he wouldn't get a wink of sleep if he let his mind run wild. It was more likely to happen during periods without any work. Keeping busy kept him focused, and focus kept him disciplined. The mind can be a dangerous thing when thinking is all you can do. Kol knew this first hand.

As he slumbered, Kol found himself back home. Not the home he currently lived in, but rather in his childhood home. He was looking through the metal gate, waiting for his friend to arrive.

"You're not gonna be sneaking off with that boy again, will you?" his father asked, suddenly standing right behind him.

Kol jumped. "N-No. I just saw a dog on the street."

His father didn't look convinced. "Outsiders are dangerous, Kol. That boy is not like you - like us. He will never understand you. You keep away from him, you hear me? We don't leave the yard, ever."

Kol looked down. "Yes, father."

The man then returned to the house, after which Kol went back to looking through the gate. There was a long pathway outside his house, trailing alongside the forest. The mansion was isolated from the rest of town, and no one but the staff ever left, and that was just to get groceries.

Hearing a fake bird chirp in the distance, Kol threw a glance over his shoulder. Satisfied with not seeing anyone, he walked alongside the metal fence until he reached a part that had been dug under. It had taken him a long time to pull off, being only a kid, but he'd managed. Slipping under the fence, he ran into the forest to meet his friend.

Patrick was up in one of the trees, doing the worst bird imitation Kol had ever heard.

"Hey," the blond boy said, climbing down. "It worked?"

Kol gestured toward his clothes. "I'm gonna need to explain this somehow."

Patrick smiled, clapping his friend on the back. "Just tell them you fell. You're so clumsy, they're sure to buy it."

Kol rolled his eyes, but was far from annoyed. They'd been friends for a year at that point, but it was their first time on the same side of the fence. It was Kol's first time, actually. "So, where are we going?"

His friend grabbed his hand and started dragging him away. "You'll see. It's wicked cool."

"Wicked sounds bad."

"It means awesome, you dunce. Come on!"

The dream stopped there, but Kol still recalled what had happened. The two had gone into a candy store and stolen as much as they could off the shelves. The cashier had caught them, but Kol used the dirt he was covered in as a disguise, and had pretended he was homeless. They'd gotten off scot free.

They'd spent the months after that spending as much free time together as possible. It had been the closest relationship Kol had had, so at one point, the boy had decided to come clean about what he could do.

Their town had had a house that had been rumored to be haunted. People had reported hearing screams and crying, but not one had ever been inside when the police arrived.

The two had sneaked away in the middle of the night and headed toward it. For once, it had been Kol's idea. He'd taken Patrick inside, then described what he'd seen. From the mother screaming as she searched for the baby to the baby itself, crying in the corner of the empty living room, Kol had described everything in great detail. Finally, he had told the mother's ghost where the baby was, and the two managed to move on, finding peace.

Patrick had been a skeptic at first, but the rumors about screams and crying stopped after the night. When it came time to confess everything, Kol had been the most scared in his life.

"That's so awesome!" Patrick had told him, and a massive weight fell off Kol's chest. He became a lot more open after that, and the two continued to be friends.

"YOU!" Kol heard someone yell, and woke up with a start. He looked around the room in panic, trying to see if anyone was there. It was only Luke, and the giant was still asleep, but he still felt uneasy. The room was deathly cold, as though something bad had happened inside. The voice had been very deep and raspy, unlike anything he'd heard before. His extra sense was sounding every alarm possible, and he then heard howling outside.

Rushing toward the window, Kol removed the blinds.

In front of the house was a large, black dog. It was looking straight into Kol's room. It barked a few more times.

The eerie feeling vanished, and the dog ran away. Kol ran downstairs in an attempt to catch up with it, waking up Luke in the process.

"W-What are you-" the boy tried to ask, but Kol didn't wait to hear him out. He rushed outside the house, but by the time he got there, the dog was gone.