A/N: *breathes deeply* Okay, so I'm trying my hand at a multichapter fic. I haven't done one in a looong time (and they all sucked) so I'm actually really nervous. Like, really. Hopefully I can work it out okay. If not, please don't hate me, I tried Dx
Don't remember what gave me this idea...
Disclaimer: It's not mine. Wheeeee...
Beca ran as fast as her legs would carry her, converse swishing through the grass as she panted with exertion. From behind her she could hear the leering calls of her persuers, throwing insults and threats as they chased her across the school's football field. She knew she could never outrun them; they were the star football players of Barden High. However, while they excelled in physical strength, she knew she could outsmart them, and she darted into the mass of trees at the end of the field in hopes of losing them.
She weaved around the trunks purposefully, taking quick turns and veering her path randomly. Her legs began to burn, and she cautiously slowed to a stop, taking in deep greedy breaths as she glanced warily over her shoulder. They seemed to have lost her trail, as they were now walking along aimlessly. However, they were getting dangerously close to where Beca was, and she desperately surveyed the area for a hiding spot. Seeing the school's old unused tool shed, Beca made a beeline for it, carefully trying to cushion her footsteps so not to alert her tormentors of her position.
The door was bolted shut, and Beca tugged at it desperately, muttering profanities under her breath as she glanced up to see where her persuers were.
"Dammit," she growled, yanking at the lock again. The group of boys was getting closer by the second, and in a panic Beca darted around the side of the shed, looking around frantically. Her eyes spotted the old rotted window on the side of the building, too dusty to see through, and the brunette hastily forced it open, clambering through the old frame.
She landed rather ungracefully on the dusty wooden floor inside the shed, but she held her breath, tensing as she heard her persuers' thundering footfalls from outside. Her whole body went rigid in anticipation, and she could hear them talking amongst themselves as they walked straight past her hiding spot. After what felt like an eternity their voices died off in the distance, and Beca breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing her tensed body. Waiting a few cautious minutes, Beca eventually deemed the coast to be clear as she stood shakily. Her legs feeling like jelly after all the running, and she absentmindedly scoffed at how out of shape she was as she surveyed her surroundings.
The shed was bigger than it appeared from the outside, and junk was clustered in piles against the weak walls. The floor was worn and dirty, a few floorboards missing or broken. The shed's air was musty and old, the newly opened window being the only air circulation it received in ages. Beca absentmindedly wondered when the last time was that someone had been in the abandoned shed; she had heard rumors of it being haunted, but the stories came from show off peers who probably hadn't even been anywhere near the segregated building.
A sudden noise from the rafters startled the teenager, and her mind reeled as she involuntarily recollected all the ghost stories she'd heard other students speak of. Glancing up nervously, her eyes caught only a quick flicker of red before it vanished. She blinked in surprise; this place couldn't actually be haunted, could it?
"...Hello?" she called out warily.
"Hi!"
Beca jolted in surprise, and ghostly glowing image suddenly popped out of nowhere, drifting rapidly towards her. She tried to run, but her tired legs gave out beneath her as she turned, sending her stumbling to the ground amongst a mass of garbage bags.
"Get away from me!" Beca screeched in panic, voice cracking. The spirit only floated closer, smiling innocently, and Beca gritted her teeth, eyes widening in terror as she pressed her back into the garbage bags behind her in an attempt to distance herself as much as possible. Her feet scuffled on the floor in her efforts, and she realized with horror that she couldn't move back any further.
"I'm not going to hurt you," the ghost tried to reassure the terrified girl as she reached an arm out, but Beca, in her frightened state, didn't seem to hear her. She recoiled away from the phantom's outstretched hand, hiding her face in her knees and whimpering in fear.
"Please don't come any closer!" she breathed out, her whole body shaking. The ghost, realizing this approach wasn't working, backed away with her hands up.
"Okay, okay, I'm backing away. It's okay," the ghost said softly, feeling bad for inducing so much fear in the teenager. She settled for crossing her legs and lowering herself to the ground about six feet away, silently watching the cowering girl before her. She felt guilt wash over her as she waited for the teenager to calm down. She hated upsetting anyone, and she hadn't meant to terrify the brunette; it was an accident on her part, as she often forgot that unsuspecting people would find her frightening. Replaying the events in her head she mentally kicked herself, realizing just how terrifying she probably came off as with her suddenly appearing and absentmindedly cornering the poor girl. After a few minutes Beca's shaking and whimpering subsided, and the ghost snapped out of her thoughts, watching on hopefully. Eventually the brunette's body relaxed from it's tensed up position, and she cautiously peeked out from her knees.
The ghost was perched rather innocently a few feet away from Beca, and she offered the brunette a small apologetic smile when she realized the girl was looking at her. Now that Beca properly saw the ghost, she found it appeared rather harmless, and absentmindedly noticed it's beauty. The ghost was in the form of a girl, probably not much older than Beca herself, and it had bright flaming red hair and vibrant blue eyes that seemed to have a ghostly glow to them.
"Are you okay?" the ghost spoke, startling Beca out of her thoughts. She stared at the spirit warily, but after a few seconds she deemed the ghostly girl harmless enough to speak to.
"Um, y-yeah. What- Who are you?" the brunette asked slowly, cautiously easing herself into a proper sitting position. The ghost smiled encouragingly, seeing Beca move from her terrified defensive position.
"Sorry I scared you. I'm Chloe," the ghost responded. Her eyes flickered to the mass of garbage bags Beca was still pressed into. "Do you wanna come away from all that garbage? I promise I won't hurt you."
Beca's eyes met Chloe's, judging whether or not the ghost was telling the truth, before hesitantly easing her body out from behind the black bags. She moved to sit with her knees pulled to her chest a few feet away from the phantom, loosely wrapping her arms around her legs and resting her chin on her knees. Chloe smiled brightly.
"See? You're perfectly intact. I didn't harm you in anyway," the ghost said, half jokingly, half reassuringly. Beca only nodded timidly, looking thoughtful before pressing her lips together.
"Um, so are you, uh... Dead?" Beca asked tentatively, being careful with her wording. Chloe nodded, not seeming bothered by the question.
"Yeah, and I've been stuck in here the whole time. It's been so long since someone's come by here! I've been incredibly bored," the ghost said, sounding quite happy that Beca had stumbled across the old shed. "What brings you here anyway? You dove in her pretty quickly."
Beca lowered her gaze slightly. "Just exploring and stuff," she lied, shrugging off the question. Chloe didn't seem to buy it, raising an eyebrow slightly, but said nothing more on the matter.
"Hey, I never got your name," Chloe prompted lightly, easily changing the topic. Beca's eyes connected with the ghost's questioning ones, and she found her breath hitching as she registered just how captivating Chloe's eyes were. They were the kind of eyes a person could stare into forever, and the ghostly glow only seemed to add to this effect. Suddenly realizing the red head was still waiting expectantly for an answer Beca blushed slightly, breaking eye contact to stare at her shoes.
"Um, I... Beca," she answered shyly, playing with her shoelaces. The ghost smiled at the adorableness of the awkward brunette.
"Please don't take this the wrong way, but you aren't a very social person are you?" the ghost asked in a playful tone. Beca glanced up curiously, offering a tight lipped grin at Chloe's analysis.
"No, not really," she answered honestly. Chloe floated a bit closer to the brunette, and though Beca's eyes flickered up at her, Chloe was pleasantly surprised when the girl didn't back away or flinch in fear.
"Well, it's okay. I have a feeling we're going to be really fast friends," Chloe said confidently, winking in a playful manner.
"Oh, so we're friends now?" Beca asked in a teasing tone. Chloe nodded enthusiastically, grinning.
"Oh yeah, totes. You're stuck with me now. You could say it's the haunting reality you're going to have to live with," the red head responded in a similar playful tone. Then she sobered slightly. "But, you'll have to come see me, because I can't leave this shed."
"Why aren't you able to leave?" Beca asked, glancing around at the disgusting state of the building. It seemed so lonely, gloomy, and the brunette couldn't help feeling a wave of sympathy for the ghost before her. How long had Chloe been stuck here?
"Well I was killed here, and I guess I have some unfinished business. You know, all that jazz. But I don't exactly know how I'm supposed to take care of this 'unfinished business' if I can't leave or touch anything," Chloe used her fingers as air quotes.
"That kind of sucks," Beca said, and Chloe chuckled at the brunette's bluntness, causing Beca to blush. "Um, how long have you...?"
"To be honest I'm not totally sure," the ghost said thoughtfully. "I mean, I don't have any clocks or calendars in here. Awhile I guess."
Beca nodded, opening her mouth to ask another question when her phone went off. Chorus for 'Titanium' erupted loudly in the silence of the shed, and Beca jumped slightly at the sudden noise. Chloe's eyes widened.
"I love this song!" she squealed, beginning to bop her head and dance in her spot. Beca smiled at this, the first genuine smile Chloe had seen on the brunette, and the ghost couldn't help but smile back as she thought to herself how much she really liked seeing Beca's smile. It was so vibrant, infectious, and beautiful, and Chloe vowed that she would try to see that smile as much as possible.
"You know David Guetta?" Beca asked, sounding excited as her finger stopped just over the answer button. Chloe nodded enthusiastically, grinning widely.
"Of course! Do I live under a rock?"
Beca's eyes narrowed slightly, glancing around at the shed they we're in; she didn't want to say anything that would offend the ghost. However, Chloe caught on the Beca's train of thought and chuckled.
"I guess I kind of do. But the guy that lives in the house across the road always has his radio on in the evenings, and I like to float near the hole in the back wall and listen." Chloe explained. Beca nodded in understanding, standing as she finally answered her phone. Chloe floated over to the window while Beca talked, relishing in the fact that it was finally open; she always felt so sealed off inside the rickety shed, and while it was still quite isolated, she could at least hear and see the outside world now.
"That was my mom," Beca said. "I have to head home."
"You have to come back and visit again soon," Chloe insisted, flying over to the brunette. Beca jumped back at the sudden intrusion of space, and Chloe was worried she had scared the girl again, but Beca only chuckled, looking incredulously at Chloe's feet a few feet above the ground.
"That's actually really cool," Beca said with a grin, and Chloe giggled, floating higher and flipping upside down so her face was level with Beca's.
"You better come back and see me," Chloe said, smiling at Beca's amazed look. "As soon as possible! It's so lonely and boring here!"
Beca gave a reassuring smile to the ghost, once again noticing the brightness of Chloe's glowing eyes. "I will, I promise."