The Four of Us

Chapter 1 (possibly)

It is :).  Welcome y'all, sit back and enjoy the show.

           Kenny attached his name tag in the bathroom mirror of the office. It had his name printed via a label maker below the company name. He stepped back once the magnets were attached and spun in the mirror. He loved wearing flowy maxi skirts like this. But of course, this one had a high slit. It allowed you to briefly see his tattoo on his thigh. The image of a crumbling tower amidst a storm adorning his skin. He adjusted his top before heading out of the bathroom, ready for his last tour of the day. As he walked into the lobby, he grabbed a bin from the rack. It held all the supplies his group would need. EMF detectors, a spirit box, information pamphlets, all that jazz. He set the bin down on a chair in the lobby while he waited for his group to file in. He pulled out his phone from his bag and opened Snapchat, picking out the profile entitled 'My Teddy Bear ❤❤❤', he typed a quick message.
Hey, it's almost tour time so phone is going off ttyl!

Btw you can let yourself into my apartment, you have the key still right?

His boyfriend's bitmoji popped up in the corner, then immediately started typing.

Ight, yeah I still have the key talk to you later ghostie 👻

Kenny shut his phone off. He put it back into his bag. As he was looking up, one of his group members walked through the door Woah, cute person on my tour alert. They had lavender hair that fell delicately just above their eyes. They slouched, clutching their phone. Aw, baby's first ghost tour? Kenny giggled to himself, before calling out to the stranger.

"Hey! Over here!" He waved as he spoke, trying to be as inviting as possible despite his dark aesthetic. They perked up and walked in Kenny's direction. As they got closer, they pouted slightly.
"How are you so tall?!" They meant it in a joking manner but also seriously. Kenny was 5'9" (175 cm) just on his own, and his heels were a good 3 inches tall. However, the purple-haired person standing next to him was about 9 inches (23 cm) shorter.

Kenny laughed airily. "Heels darling, heels and genetics," he said with a smile. He turned his ankle so his shoes could be seen from the slit in his skirt. They were a pair of booties with a chunky heel, perfect for walking. He set his foot back down. "So, I'm guessing this is your first time on a tour?" They looked up at Kenny in surprise.
"How did you know?" They rubbed the back of their neck, embarrassed. "Yeah, a new friend said it was a good way to get to know the area." They had a slight blush on their pale face, causing Kenny to smirk.

"Well then, I'm Kenneth, but please call me Kenny. I'll be your guide today." He held his hand out.

"Oh! Uh, I'm Avery!" They took Kenny's hand and shook it excitedly. Il est trop beau (He's really pretty). They had a smile that could blind 1000 suns. It was bright, happy, and a little childish in all honesty.

The rest of the tour group for the evening came through the door, a group of teenage girls. Two of them asked Kenny to take a picture with them. He wasn't all that surprised. He'd gained a small following on Instagram for fashion and the majority of that following was teenage girls and gays. After pictures and introductions, Kenny handed each member of the group an EMF detector and the information pamphlet. The pamphlet discussed all the different locations they would walk to and the ghosts along the way.

Kenny led the group out, holding the door open for them. Avery stayed close to Kenny most of the walking time, while the girls stuck together in their little cluster.

10 minutes of walking filled with idle chatter passed. They'd arrived at the first location. Kenny unlocked the eerie metal gate with the keys he carried. They all walked into the courtyard and sat on stone benches. Kenny told a story about this yard. Avery seemed anxious, looking around. They jumped as their EMF detector lit up suddenly. Kenny laughed; this ghost was known for messing with people.

"Careful, she's a drama queen." His laugh lingered as he spoke. "Alrighty, anyone have questions for The Dame?" He turned on the spirit box, the white noise it created enveloped the courtyard.

One of the girls spoke up. "Hey Dame! Who here do you think is the prettiest?" Her friends snickered and playfully elbowed her.
"Me." It took everyone's best effort to hold in their laughs at that, Kenny especially.

Another girl asked a question. "Who does the guide think is pretty?" Everyone looked at Kenny, waiting for The Dame to respond. The girls were expecting it to be one of them. Avery was just confused. He stood, very awkward.

"Purple." The box spoke out of nowhere. Confused faces painted the group as they looked around. Avery had purple hair, but two of the girls were wearing purple shirts.

"Purple? Can you elaborate please Dame?" We love nosy teenagers, Kenny thought to himself. There was a moment of silence.

"Purple hair." Everyone's eyes went wide. A few of the girls started giggling, Avery had gone bright red. Kenny flashed an awkward smile in their direction. Well, this couldn't have gone any worse.

The night went on, Kenny and Avery rarely speaking anymore. Eventually, after a few more locations and ghosts and spooky events, they headed back to the office building.

Kenny held the door open for the group, holding the bin for them to put their EMF detectors back. Avery walked in last. As they set their detector down, Kenny stopped their hand.

"Hey, sorry for what happened with the uh, The Dame. Nosy teenagers yknow?" Avery nodded at him understandingly. "But hey, if it wouldn't be too forward, can I get your number?" Their cheeks flushed.

"Oh. Oh! Yes!" They nodded excitedly. How they still had so much energy after that whole tour, no one knew. Kenny and Avery exchanged numbers quickly before Avery headed back to their dorm. They had a pastel blue bike, which wasn't very surprising since all they'd been wearing including their hair color was pastels.

Kenny put the bin full of EMFs and the spirit box back after replacing the pamphlets inside. He put his name tag back up on the wall with everyone else's and said goodbye to his coworkers. He returned to his car. They had a lot in the back for employee parking. He tossed his keys into the passenger seat and slumped into the driver's seat.

"What. A. Day."

1130 words