This is the last pre-written chapter I have. I'm working on chapter 5 now. Hope there are some enjoyable twists ahead, because chapter 4 is usually one of my favorites in any story I have.
This chapter is dedicated to fantomdranzerx of tumblr.
I do not own The Haunting Hour
The sun seemed to rise shyly, slowly coming out of hiding after such a scare. At the sight of it, Bonnie sat up, putting her hands behind her for support. She turned her head and spoke softly from her spot on the floor. "Jeremy? It's time to get up."' The use of the work 'wake' was avoided because she knew her brother hadn't slept. Neither had she, keeping watch for hours. His attacker had not returned.
They relied on daylight's defenses as they parted ways to slowly go about their morning routines. Hoping the creature steered clear of natural light. The siblings met up again at the top of the stairs, and Jeremy spoke the first words he'd managed in hours. "If you'd waited for a later flight, I'd be dead." For a change, he was the one stating the painfully obvious.
She didn't disagree with what he told her, but she could do without hearing it. "Is that your way of saying 'thank you'?" The callous whisper did nothing to spare his feelings, and at first the response seemed like payback. Until Bonnie finished her thought. "'Cause I don't feel like I deserve it."
He shook his head, prepared to tell her to rethink that. They were already shook up by what happened. He didn't want her to feel guilty about it, too. Before he could reply, they heard their parents talking in the dining room.
"I wonder what time Bonnie got back in last night."
"Must've been after your nightly rounds. Unless she was raiding the fridge." Paul joked as he put his coffee mug down. While he said this, his children walked up behind him. Kerry tried to tell him this with just her smile, but he didn't get the message and only smiled back. When Bonnie put her hands on Paul's shoulders, he flinched.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Her guilty tone went unnoticed by the adults. Jeremy heard, but was trying to focus on more positive things. Like how the tabletop was covered in a variety of breakfast plates. Bonnie followed his glance, and asked: "Are we expecting company?"
Paul shook his head and explained: "Not until later. This is for the four of us. There's nothing wrong with leftovers."
His daughter smiled faintly, as she and Jeremy sat down.
"So, how was everything?" Kerry asked.
"Well, it helps that Holden's house is only a ten minute cab ride from the airport. And that his parents don't mind me 'breaking into the garage'."
The adults chuckled. "I'm surprised your engine still turned over." Paul thought aloud.
"Well, they take my car out once in awhile." Bonnie told him with a twirl of her fork.
He nodded approvingly. "Are you confident about that paper you turned in?"
Her answer came out weakly. "...Yeah."
"You don't sound confident." Kerry pointed out. She opened her mouth to say something else, but her daughter unknowingly cut her off.
"I'm just tired." Almost within the same breath, she asked: "Is it alright if I take Jeremy for a drive after breakfast?"
He was relieved his parents weren't looking at him in that moment-and instead had their puzzled glances focused on Bonnie-because it was clear from Jeremy's expression that she sprung that on him, too.
"Didn't you just say you were tired?" Paul questioned, scraping the remnants of everything he'd eaten into one pile on his plate.
"I'll take a nap when I get back." Bonnie reasoned. Her calm tone gave no sign that she was sweating while trying to dodge suspicion.
"Where are you going?" Kerry asked curiously, looking between her children.
"To the mall." Her daughter supplied, watching Paul's eyes narrow slightly.
"Jeremy hates the mall. It's loud and crowded." Hearing himself say this, he wondered how his son could handle a high school hallway.
The others at the table turned their attention to Jeremy, when he put his fork down with a clank. "I don't hate the mall, it just makes me anxious. Besides, that's just for her. After that, we'll go look at comic books."
"Alright." The adults agreed. Though they talked in unison they used different tones. One seemed reluctant. The other, almost submissive.
In about twenty minutes, the children were out the door.
Bonnie waited until they were in the car again before she spoke. "You like comic books?"
Jeremy shrugged. "I was trying to buy us time, same as you."
They looked between each other, feeling trapped though their parents had let them go. They were set to seek help, but didn't expect to find it,
Finally, Bonnie answered with a simple "Okay." But her tone was appreciative. Then she continued, sounding somewhat like her normal self. "You do know where James is staying, right?"
In response, her brother started typing the name of the hotel in her GPS.
"First, I wanna say that I really appreciate this. Hardly anyone would jump at the chance to be part of a dying business. And no one who's ever worked for me would show up a full twenty minutes before their shift." Logan's new employer expressed her gratitude as she held the door to her bookstore open for him.
"Well, uh, thank you… for the opportunity." He walked in smoothly, but felt he stumbled over every word.
"Sorry it isn't much of one. It'll probably feel like doing chores at home."
Logan almost didn't hear because he was taking in his surroundings. A two story building jampacked with books from all kinds of genres. Scenery from their pages was painted on the walls and shelves. It was all neat and organized, but there seemed to be just enough space for the checkout considering how much room the shelves took up. He was surprised he could manage to move around in there.
"Except for the book selling part, right?"
"I'll handle that." The woman said, with a headshake that made her dreadlocks sway about. "It's the cleaning that's getting tiring."
Logan's understanding nod hid any bit of disappointment. That feeling drained from him when he remembered one of his new boss's interview questions. "Ms. Edson, why'd you ask me if I was allergic to dogs?"
He didn't suspect it was to break the ice. The woman seemed strictly professional. He didn't see her as the type to joke around, or even make friendly conversation. Which is why her first words to him that day came as a surprise.
The smile she sent him then said he had her pegged wrong. Which was atypical, but a relief all the same. "I'm not the only one runnin' this shop." With that, she gave a beckoning whistle. Padded feet came speeding down the staircase and skidded to a stop at the sight of Logan. When the running seized, the barking started up. Loud and aggressively annoying, though Ms. Edson knew her dog also felt annoyed. Alarmed and worried for their safety around this stranger. "It takes awhile for Sasha to get used to new people."
Given the emphasis on that word, the boy guessed the adjustment would take a few years, minimum. He wondered when the barking would stop-since it could keep away customers-and the question he hadn't gotten a chance to ask was answered when she commanded: "Hush." in a sharp but low tone. Sasha immediately complied. Logan's impressed smile faded when he heard her say: "Shake hands."
Both her dog and new employee did as they were told. Underneath Sasha's guttural growls and Logan's nervous laughter she couldn't hear him mumble: "She hates me." Hoping he wouldn't get his hand bitten off. After that, Sasha was sent to her post by the front counter.
"Before I give you the tour, and today's to do list, I have one last interview question for you." Her usual authoritative tone was replaced with one of wonder. Though Logan's smile stayed this time around, she quickly added: "Don't get nervous. This is a fun one. What's your favorite type of book?"
She could tell he was thinking, but didn't know what about. He wasn't much of a reader. Especially not lately. "I like… ghost stories." He told her, doubting his own choice of words.
Her hazel eyes shifted slightly. "Do you mean anything scary or specifically stories about ghosts?"
That reply came quickly. "The second one." He clarified.
"Why?"
He hadn't prepared for that to be a two-part question. By nature, he was an honest guy. Though an honest answer might cost him the job he hadn't even officially acquired, and have his former boss wanting him to seek psychiatric help.
"It's ironic and interesting how alive they are." Logan kept the real answer to himself. A ghost saved my life.
Georgia shuffled out onto the back deck to join her father for breakfast. Though she was fully energized, she kept her pace slow. Relieved that she was able to relax again. He greeted her with a sleepy smile as she sat down. He'd made a plate for her. A Belgian waffle with syrup filling every square, just how she liked it. "I slept like a koala last night." After a beat and a light chuckle from him, she felt the need to explain herself. "They sleep twenty two hours a day. It seems like a better expression than 'slept like a baby' to me."
"I see your point." Sam said with a smile. Then he watched hers slowly fade. He wondered if that was due to lingering fear over the alp. When she voiced her thoughts, his were proven wrong.
"Mom left already." Not a question, but an observation.
Rather than sigh, Sam nodded. "Meeting today. Were you looking forward to mother-daughter bonding time?"
Georgia accidentally scratched her fork along the plate when she cut up a small piece of her waffle. They both cringed at the sound. After a few bites of her breakfast, she said: "That's what we always did. When you were away."
He found himself laughing though he didn't find that funny. "I wouldn't wanna have to leave again for you to have that back."
She swallowed hard, and though her waffle was soaked in syrup the pieces seemed to scratch at her throat. "And we wouldn't want you to go. I just… I've been thinking about how it was. I'm worried she thought that she was just… holding me over." Such a harsh thought was so awkwardly voiced.
Sam shook his head, disputing it. "We all love each other equally."
She agreed, but doubted that fact lessened the blow for Monica. "I get called a Daddy's Girl all the time. That's gotta hurt. Especially since I'm the only kid."
Trying for a laugh seemed like the best way to handle the situation, so Sam replied with: "Well, there's a fix for that."
She outright scoffed, showing she was indeed her mother's daughter. "Not a very simple one."
"If we can share you, you can share us with somebody else." He went on jokingly.
"I share you with each other," Georgia said, her voice raised a bit. "that's enough for me."
Sam smiled. "That's fair." Then, as he cleared his plate, inspiration stuck. "Hey," She looked up, her expression softening. "Why don't we… set something up for her today? We can buy her something, make her her favorite dinner-"
"Sounds perfect! She'll love it." Georgia wasn't sure if excitement made her interrupt her father, or if she just didn't want to him to go on to suggest they clean the house to make Monica feel appreciated.
"What kind of present are you thinking of getting?"
Georgia passed her empty plate over to her father, and began gathering up everything to be washed and put away. "How 'bout a book?"
The Alastars' fridge seemed to be overflowing with food. Paul and Kerry put away the leftover leftovers and tried to think of something that would occupy their time. Their minds were racing, but nothing that ran through them was inspiring. Only worrisome.
Paul was scolding himself, but out loud his voice only reached a whisper. "I don't know what you feel more away from right now. Our kids or your culture."
When those two topics were pitted against each other, it was no contest. "Definitely the kids." She said with a sigh. Fully aware that trying to spare her husband's feelings would only hurt more. "You know I don't mind-"
"But you should." Paul interrupted. "I hate that we've lost touch with them, and what's worse is we've lost touch with tradition, too."
"None of that is as important as Bonnie and Jeremy." Kerry argued, but she didn't sound angry.
Paul was a different story. He was angry at himself. "Yes it is. It's a part of who you are. And I love who you are. We can't be taking shortcuts with this. I miss it too much." He smiled faintly as he finished his thought. "Especially our weekends of rest, I could really use one of those."
"We all could." She agreed. "But right now I just wanna know what's going on with them."
He stayed silent for a second. The two just looked at each other while he got his next sentence together. "No one's gone near Nana's room since, but he was in there Thursday morning. He looked happy after we talked, but I'm scared he's regressing." It hurt for Paul to think his son wasn't as strong as he thought. He was hoping Kerry would disagree.
"He didn't wanna be compared to her." After a pause, she asked: "Do you think it's school that's got him acting like this?"
It was possible. "High school is hell on its own. But he can't talk to her about it, and I think that's the worst part."
Kerry's arms crossed, but not in an angry way. It looked like her hands were resting on the opposite elbows as she revealed: "He still talks to her." in a quiet tone.
Paul blinked, slightly baffled. "Well. Well I might think that was a good thing, if he would talk to us." She nodded understandingly. "He's always been called the quiet one, that's nothing new. But have you ever known Bonnie to give us anything but blunt honesty?"
"Never thought I'd miss it." Kerry admitted. Since the alternative to Bonnie's brutal truthfulness was usually sarcasm. She realized she wanted both back. The secrecy scared her.
"I wish we had Nana's intuition," Paul told his wife. If only that could've been left to them in her will. Kerry would much rather have that than the jewelry she wore. "then we wouldn't have to wonder what was wrong."
The floor underneath Jeremy's feet did not seem stable. He stood alone , in the hallway that led to James' hotel suite. Inside, the lawyer talked with his sister, but he could not hear a word. The three were separated by more than one door.
He hadn't meant to get locked out of the conversation. He was there at the start of it. He and Bonnie walked in together. James had been out on the balcony, admiring the view. Since the kids hadn't called ahead, it was sheer luck that he went to read the room service menu just as they arrived.
"Good morning, guys." He greeted. If he was surprised to see them, he didn't act like it. "Welcome back, Bonnie."
She got right to the point. "We need to talk to you."
"Come on in." They did as they were told, taking a seat at the table. "What's troubling you?" It had to be something, or else they would've shown up at his door wearing smiles. Or not shown up at all.
Bonnie looked at her brother. She was offering him the chance to speak. He looked between the other two, as if he would find the answer floating in the air between them. Then he found himself looking at the tabletop. His sister gave him a nudge as James looked on worriedly. Someone had to fess up about what happened. Bonnie's patience was wearing thin. If he didn't speak soon, she would speak for him. "Bonnie says you knew about Nana."
While James nodded slowly in affirmation, Bonnie squared her eyes. Her mouth hung open slightly as she stared at her brother, wondering why he hadn't said anything about being attacked. Almost as if he'd forgotten he nearly died a handful of hours before. A realization hit her before she or James could speak. Nana meant more to Jeremy than any of that. That should've been obvious.
"I did." James replied, since he knew the nod he gave was only half an answer. "As I'm sure you know, Nadia wasn't my only client." Both children nodded slowly, but only Bonnie knew what he was going to say next. "My clients tend to have one thing in common. They all could... do things you don't see at school talent shows."
Jeremy's widened eyes drifted to Bonnie, to see if she wore the same shocked expression. She didn't, which is how he knew he was the only one in the room that was out of loop. The weight that fell on his chest then was minute in comparison to his attack, but somehow it hurt worse. "You knew."
"Well, it wasn't just a coincidence." James specialized in cases that involved people with supernatural abilities, but Bonnie was the type to stray from that as much as possible. Jeremy had known that for a long time. She had dismissed every fantasy book on his shelf as weird, and that was all she ever had to say about it.
That's how it used to be. Until she added to his collection, with the book she sent home for him.
Jeremy's eyes narrowed slightly, as if that would help him zero in on the sorrow she was supposed to feel. He couldn't remember a point in his life when he didn't feel like he was stuck with her. Realizing she kept this secret from him made him see that he didn't mind being stuck. She was protective and she stood her ground. Even when it earned her looks and lip, she was always honest and upfront. She understood her brother's emotions. Even some of the ones he didn't voice. So why did she brush off the fact that he felt betrayed?
He wanted to argue with her. Most days he would, without the hesitation he was famous for. With James in the room, the words didn't form. Though the boy couldn't blame him. He had stood up and spoken to adults a lot easier than expected. Her presence always helped.
Jeremy was starting to doubt the assurance of always.
"I assume Bonnie brought you here to have me explain myself." James said, thinking he took too long to do so. He took the blame off Bonnie. "I had asked her to keep this a secret, and I can see now that I made a mistake. I'm sorry, Jeremy."
"It's okay." Jeremy said, that famous hesitation of his absent. He could sense Bonnie's eyebrows angling down in annoyance. She wanted to know why James didn't get any attitude, and what changed her brother's mood up so quickly. He was able to give her that answer, since he figured it out for himself. "You didn't think I could handle it. I get it now."
"No, you don't." Bonnie argued. The edge in her tone emphasized by her anger over Jeremy continuing to lead James away from the heart of the matter. "You weren't supposed to have this stuff to handle." With that, he heard the sorrow he'd thought she shunned. "Nobody was supposed to know."
Jeremy looked between the two of them. "Then why did you?" He asked when his eyes landed back on Bonnie.
"Comes with the territory." She answered. "Turns out, independent study has a different meaning at my school."
"My colleagues and I sort of tricked her into the program." James admitted, noticing that the boy gasped silently. "I knew she had a little experience, but since you two rarely talked about the trip, I didn't think she'd be too interested. We were both wrong."
That must've been tough for Bonnie to admit. Jeremy thought. Though that was hypocritical. Not the part about being wrong, the part about keeping quiet.
So, he stopped. "The reason we're here is that Bonnie figured you can help me."
"Us." Bonnie interjected. She didn't mean it in her normal know-it-all way. She was saying she still stood with him.
While James' face contorted and his eyes filled with concern, Jeremy brought the book that sat on his lap to rest on the table. It was no challenge to smuggle out of the house. His parents had seen how attached he was to the thing. He thumbed through the pages until he found the one he was looking for. A sloppy sketch a previous owner had drawn in. Hopefully it sufficed. Bonnie's hands fidgeted as she waited to hear how her brother would phrase the situation. He was able to say it to her outright. "This… monster almost killed me."
James inhaled sharply. It took a second for him to respond, but his reply was unexpected. "When exactly did this happen? What time was it?"
"Why does that matter?!" Bonnie asked over the sound of her brother coughing. Her eyes were fiery, while his were brimming with tears of pain.
"Time is actually a key thing concerning alps. Seems to me that's what you have on your hands." At the word hands, Jeremy looked at his own. One of the palms was coated in saliva. Both were shaking. The others' eyes darted to him. Bonnie thought he might be getting sick again. Or worse. It seemed like the alp attack was an earthquake, and this was the aftershock.
The boy regained his bearings, but he suddenly looked tired and his mouth was dry. Somehow sensing this, his sister asked: "Do you need some water?"
Given how grave the situation was, she could see he didn't want to leave. Jeremy would be of no use in the state he was, though. He got up from the table when he realized this, as James made a comment about how there was a strange lack of cups in the hotel suite. It seemed to have everything else.
Jeremy imagined he would only make a mess trying to cup water from the tap in his shaking hands. He had a few dollars in his pocket, that seemed to end up there by accident. He hadn't planned on doing any actual shopping.
The boy exited the room in search of a vending machine.
James inhaled deeply but silently, as his eyes landed on the page the book was open to again. "Did you draw this in?" He asked Bonnie, pointing to the picture of the alp.
She shook her head. "One of my classmates." Her tone was even. By the look of her fidgeting hands, she was rattled. Her eyes said something different. She still wanted answers, even though Jeremy wasn't in the room to hear them. "So, what is it? We skipped over the chapter. We don't focus on anything that's been wiped out."
"Alps aren't completely gone." The man disputed. "In fact, I'm not sure I can argue that anything I've dealt with is."
"You've dealt with them?"
"No, but I've heard about cases. Like everything else, they've evolved. They used to have a completely different look. And they pulled harmless pranks. Things that were barely noticeable. That people would never think to blame on… some creature."
"How'd they go from being pests to being predators?" Bonnie whispered, practically spitting the words.
"They figured out how to latch on to people."
"You mean possess them? This one didn't care about that." It didn't want to take over a body. It wanted to make it lifeless.
That body still functioned, but it was moving at a slow pace. Jeremy felt better, but just in case another coughing fit came about he wanted to be prepared. He punched in the number for what he wanted on the keypad and watched the water bottle drop. As he reached for it, he caught a glimpse of a face in the vending machine's reflective surface,
He flinched, startled. He hadn't noticed the girl before and it seemed that she just materialized behind him.
"Sorry." She said as he turned around. She didn't look threatening. In fact, she was beautiful. (Though Jeremy had never met anyone ugly. As appearances went.) He knew that just because something looked beautiful, that didn't mean it couldn't do ugly things.
He thought he said "It's okay" while he tried to move past her as quickly as possible. He was careful in the direction he chose, passing on her left side. That way it didn't seem like he was trying to sneak past her blind spot. He thought he said "It's okay", but it didn't come out that way.
The older girl's glance followed him as he retreated down the hallway back to the room. "Are you sure?" She called after him.. Jeremy turned his head slowly. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I…" He was dumbstruck by his own slip up. She waited for the end of his sentence. Her hands rested in the pockets of her striped gray sweater. Her mouth was in her straight line, and she might've seemed emotionless if not for her sad eyes. "I am." He said finally. Then he walked on.
Jeremy wasn't sure where the girl went to after getting the drink she wanted from the vending machine, but the hallway was empty after that. Except, of course, for him.
Behind the doors of the hotel suite, James and Bonnie were still discussing the alp. They had moved to a study area, where he had all his belongings (when it came to cases) in one neat pile on the desk.
"Don't you have… bounty hunters for this sort of thing?" Bonnie asked while she paced the room, one arm in the air, bent at the elbow, with the back of her fanned out hand facing him to emphasize the term. James had to chuckle at the mention of it. She was pulling those words from thin air, but they were the label for something very real in the supernatural world as well.
"Yes, but we haven't needed to send anyone after an alp for decades. They're weaker now. They need hosts, or else they can't survive."
"But you said they can only control people for a short amount of time each night. Until midnight."
James nodded. "I've dedicated this part of my life to studying and taking on rare cases."
Bonnie had gone from pacing to practically stamping her feet. "This rare case tried to kill Jeremy. So how do I get rid of it?"
James sighed, hoping what he had to say would calm her down. "Before we can do anything, we have to figure out how it got here."
"Maybe it lost its host and was looking for a new one." Bonnie theorized. She wondered what happened to people possessed by alps after they die.
"Or maybe it never had one to begin with." James countered, seeing more frustration enter her eyes.
"You just said that-"
"Every case about alps is rare." James interrupted, fully aware he was risking her wrath. "The rarest cases talk about people who are in control of what you would call the monster."
She scoffed. "And what would you call those things? Clients?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he said: "My point is, when a monster is under a person's control, they need a purpose. They need direction. Otherwise they rampage." His voice lowered, but she heard him perfectly clear. "You've seen that."
Bonnie closed her eyes and exhaled for a second. She could tell that something wasn't clicking. "Okay, so… could you spell it out? You know I would." James knew if he didn't say what he was thinking, that wouldn't change the truth of what could be. He knew the truth could hurt.
"It's possible that the alp didn't have a host because… it was conjured."
Bonnie's face froze, and she had to will herself to move her mouth again. "You mean like… witchcraft." The kind of thing her Nana could do.
James nodded. "Usually the clients I have that can cast spells aren't the first in the family to do so. And they're not the last. Even if they don't know what they're doing… they can do some incredible things." The man watched Bonnie's eyes glaze over. Her fists opened and her shaking hands stayed at her sides. The image of her brother's blue lips was back in her mind. Not that it had ever really left. She could see the monster that brought him to the brink of death. Thanks to James' reluctant revelation, she could see who was responsible for the monster's rampage. She couldn't believe it. And she couldn't help the cry that left her lips then.
Her voice was a wobbly whisper. "You're talking about me?"
James frowned, feeling sympathetic. Then he did something she wasn't expecting. He shook his head 'no'.
Jeremy got tired of standing, and let himself sink to the floor rather than sit properly. He still had half a bottle of water left, and his coughing had stopped. But he could do nothing to stop himself from feeling short of breath.
Thanks for reading, PLEASE REVIEW! Let me know if you have any questions/theories/ideas/corrections, or if there's anything you want me to elaborate on. I'll update ASAP! =]