Whispers in the Dark

Where the Wild Roses Grow

Nikita wound up taking the three back to her place. When they arrived, they got cozy in her living room.

"Yeah, like, so doesn't sound like Oliver," she said as she sat down on the armchair.

"What do you mean?" Kol asked, not daring to let Eve talk. Nikita was the type of girl who was a cheerleader in high school, and constantly walked with a little pep in her step. Eve preferred to sulk and stick to corners, and her bark was only rivaled by her bite. If the two began to converse, something akin to a world war would break out.

Nikita fixed her pink glasses. "I mean, Oliver was all sweet and stuff. He totally wouldn't go around haunting people. That's just not what he would do."

Eve opened her mouth, so Kol hurried to speak before her. "Death changes people."

Nikita nodded. "Yea, I totally get that. I'm like, so super nice right now, but if someone were to murder me, I'd like, be so done with everything. Do you think that's what happened?"

She's smarter than I thought, Kol mused to himself. Eve and Luke exchanged a look, also showing their surprise at this.

"Could be," Kol answered. "Souls rarely stick to this plain if their death is accidental. The only ones that do are those who have incredibly important unfinished business."

"You mean with life and stuff?"

"Exactly." Kol nodded. "This town has absolutely no history of crime to speak of. The worst things that have happened here were bread stealing and window breaking. Doesn't seem likely that there's a killer around. Tell me, was your uncle... troubled, in anyway?"

Nikita pulled out her phone and began typing. "You mean with the law and stuff? No, not really. I mean, there's stuff that happened, but literally none of it was his fault."

"Stuff?" asked Luke.

"Something with that friend of his - the guy who kept glaring at you at the farewell ceremony. They, like, totally got into some trouble together. I don't know what it was, though."

Kol blinked. "But you said none of it was Oliver's fault."

"Yep. Not a thing."

"But you don't know what happened?"

Nikita rolled her eyes. "Oliver was way too sweet to be responsible for that - whatever that was - and it was huge, seeing as grandpa and daddy both lost their minds. There's just no way someone as nice as Oliver was the culprit. Nice people don't do bad things. It just doesn't happen."

She's so much dumber than I thought, the group of three each thought to themselves.

"That isn't what kind of trouble I meant, you know," Kol spoke again, striking at the matter from a different angle. "Was he a happy man?"

"More like boy," Nikita replied. "Grandpa was real young when he had daddy, and real old when he had Oliver. He was only eighteen when he disappeared. I think he was happy. I mean, why would someone sad be so nice, you know?"

Eve turned toward Kol. "We're not actually gonna rely on this thing as our translator, right?"

"You can also use me for fashion tips," Nikita snapped. "You could use a few... hundred."

Eve stood up abruptly. "It's clear Paris Hilton here doesn't know a damn thing. If we wanna learn anything, we've gotta go to the mayor or his other son. This is a waste of time."

Kol got lost in thought for a few seconds, running as many possible scenarios through his mind as possible. Then he stood up as well. "I agree; It's time for us to leave. Thanks for the talk, Nikita."

"Yeah," added Luke, and the girl's interest skyrocketed. "You've been a big help."

Nikita smiled at him. "I'll help you anytime."

The three then left her house. Once they were far enough away for Kol to assume speaking was safe, he did just that. "It's time for us to split. There won't be a need for a translator."

"Wait a second. Why are we doing more work now?" asked Eve. "Aren't we gonna wait to see if the goodbye thingy worked? That wasn't exactly a proper cleansing ritual."

"Preventive measures," Kol told her. "If it didn't work, we should be ready for the next stage of the haunting. It's only gonna get more dangerous if that's the route we're on. I'd rather not have a ghost hound catch me with my pants down again." He turned toward Luke. "Martin didn't respond all that well to my charms. He probably saw through me and realized I was faking most of it. You're a lot better at natural communication, so you take him. Find out as much about the trouble he and Oliver got into as you can." He then looked at Eve, who was already dreading her own assignment. "You prepare to protect Natasha's house. If the dog decides to attack when we're asleep, we're done for."

The girl groaned. "And what are you gonna be doing?"

Kol straightened up, and flashed his best smile. "I'm gonna be draining as much info from the mayor as possible. He's just the type to soak up my good manners."

"Try not to bend over on the first date."

Kol patted her head. "Aw, are you still upset over what Nikita told you? Don't worry; Clothes for middle-aged men suit you."

The girl swung her fist, but Kol ran off before she could hit him. "I'm gonna be the death of him some day. I didn't even bring my talismans with me!"

Luke smiled uneasily. "Why not?"

"Thought we wouldn't need them. Animal spirits aren't all into houses. Meh, you live and you learn."

"Olivia had one," Luke stated. "Around her neck, I mean. It was the pendant."

"She might have more!" Eve finished. "Thanks, big guy. Better get on it before the boss chews my ass out again."

"You should be used to that happening by now.