by Tia Wylder
She had never felt so selfish in her life.
Chapter Five
When Kira woke the next day, she was more than vaguely uncomfortable. She blinked her eyes blearily, sitting up and wincing as her body groaned in protest. She realized somewhat belatedly that she had fallen asleep while reading through the Orlando diary, and as a result was slumped awkwardly on the couch.
"Good morning," Hercules said abruptly, and she jolted in surprise. She turned to face him, trying to soothe the pounding in her heart. He considered her with a casual smile as if waking up with a ghost in your house was the most natural thing in the world. She mused that she had done well not to shriek upon seeing a man in her usually empty apartment, let alone a ghost man. She shook off these thoughts, the pounding in her heart abating slightly. Hercules leaned in closer, examining her somewhat sickly looking expression. "Are you quite alright?" He inquired with a faint smirk, and she narrowed her eyes in slight irritation. He seemed all too entertained by her brief moment of fear, but when his eyes softened, and he reached out to gently touch her cheek, her aggravation faded.
“Sorry. Just… not used to company. Especially not the spectral sort,” she chuckled. He considered her with a tilt of his head that she found nothing short of adorable, seeming to consider his words before speaking.
“I’m surprised you don’t entertain… guests, often,” he said haltingly. She watched him with a quirked brow for a moment, seeming to process his words.
“You mean, you’re surprised I don’t sleep around?” She said, though her tone made it obvious she was teasing. Much to her surprise, it seemed that even ghosts could blush. His translucent cheeks were tinged slightly red, and she barked out an amused laugh.
“I did not mean to imply,” he began, but she shook her head as she continued to chuckle, waving him off entirely.
"It's fine, honey. I'm just having a bit of fun with you," she smiled, turning her attention to the diary that still lay open on the coffee table in front of her. It took a moment, but what she had read the night previous soon washed over her once more. However, she realized with some disappointment that she had yet to find anything pertinent as of yet. Hercules seemed to notice her enervated demeanor and wrapped a warm arm around her shoulder.
“I suppose your readings weren’t as productive as you would have liked,” he murmured, and she breathed a sigh in response.
“It’s just…,” she trailed off for a moment, not wanting to reveal the difficulty she was having. Truth be told, she could have likely scoured the entire book in a few hours, but something was holding her back. “I’m a slow reader,” she lied, and Hercules smiled good-naturedly.
"That's quite alright. Never been much of a literary enthusiast, myself," he rumbled, drawing away from her and looking at the scrawled writing in the book. "It's altogether illegible, in my eyes. I'm surprised you're able to make anything out at all," he added as an afterthought, making to flip through the pages. As he reached out to the book, the table began to shake, and the book rose up several inches. A loud screeching sound permeated the entire apartment, and Kira's eyes widened in a panic. The book snapped shut, and as Hercules drew his hand away, they could make out a voice amongst the screeching. Kira could just barely make out the words ‘the cursed one' before the screeching abruptly halted. The diary flew off of the table, hitting the wall opposite them with a dull thud.
“Lord,” Kira blurted, watching the book with something akin to fear in her eyes.
"I did not expect such a reaction," Hercules admitted, drawing his hands towards himself. After a moment of silence, Kira rose from the sofa to approach the fallen diary. As she picked it up, the book fell open to a page that seemed to be written in some sort of red ink. She squinted at the diary, struggling to make out the words. She couldn't make out the language the words were written in, however, a stark difference from the rest of the diary which was written in plain English.
“This is strange,” she murmured, touching her fingertips to the page. The ink still felt almost damp, as if the words had been freshly written. Fortunately, however, they did not smudge beneath her touch. “Honestly, Hercules, this looks like some kind of freaky cult stuff. What was your family involved in?” She inquired shakily, placing the diary back on the coffee table. She seemed relieved to put it down for the time being, though she knew she would have to resume her studies at some point. Hercules glanced at her with a tight-lipped frown, crossing his arms over his broad chest.
“My family would never be involved in the occult. That’s absurd,” he said icily. Kira narrowed his eyes towards him, and he shrunk away. “At least, I would have thought it absurd, had I not seen it with my own eyes,” he admitted reluctantly, looking at the diary with uncertainty in his gaze. “Do you recognize the language those pages are written in?” He inquired softly. She hesitated for a long moment before shaking her head.
“I don’t. But I know someone who might,” she said reluctantly. Hercules tilted his head curiously, and Kira breathed a sigh of obvious irritation. “My auntie, she considers herself much more in touch with her… roots. Voodoo, mysticism, that sort of junk. I’d never put a lot of stock in it. I thought the things I read in my books were just stories, not rooted in truth. But… well. You put a wrench in that thought process,” she admitted.
“If you are uncomfortable seeing her,” Hercules began, but she was swift to cut him off.
“I suppose it’s only right I give her a chance, especially if she might be able to help us with all this,” she muttered. He nodded mutely, fidgeting as she picked up the diary, marking the page that it had flipped open to. She closed it carefully, the sounds of shrieking still resonating in her head. “I’ll get dressed, and then we can go. But I must warn you, my auntie may seem a little strange. Even to a ghost...”
Chapter Six
Fortunately, it just so happened to be Kira’s day off work. It was odd how things fell into place like that, but she wasn’t complaining. She carried the diary tucked under her arm as she strode out into the parking lot. Hercules remained close to her side, and she was struck by the odd sensation of being simultaneously chilled and warmed. She considered her car for a moment, shaking her head and continuing to the sidewalk.
"I could use a workout. I'm getting a little too much booty," she grumbled, and Hercules could only laugh in response.
"I wasn't aware there was such a thing as too much booty. I personally think yours is rather nice," he said boldly. She felt her cheeks grow warm at the open flirtation but tried to pay it little mind. Getting turned on by a ghost was the last of her priorities. She was vaguely aware that he began to lag behind her, if only slightly. She could feel his eyes upon her and struggled to keep her embarrassment to herself. It wasn't as if he could actually make love to her, so his appreciation was negligible at best. At least, she didn't suppose that was possible. It wasn't something she would turn down, though the ethics of making love to a ghost were arguable at best.
Reddening, she tried to shake off those thoughts. She could scarcely believe she was entertaining such crass imaginings in the first place. She could only blame the ghost of a man who floated along just behind her. She began to walk at a swifter pace, increasingly eager to get to her auntie’s house. It wasn’t as if she didn’t trust Hercules, it was more that she could not trust herself. She’d never felt this way about a man before, and it was just her luck that their time would likely be very limited.
“Is there something on your mind, Kira?” He murmured, falling into place beside her once more. She considered him from the corner of her eye, and he looked briefly ashamed. “I should not have been so bold. I will try to contain myself,” he apologized, and her eyes widened in surprise.
“No, n-no. That’s fine. It’s not a problem, Hercules. Really,” she said earnestly, feeling her face grow warm once more. “This is just… uncharted territory for me,” she explained, and he rumbled a soft laugh.
"I imagine it would be uncharted territory fo
r most people. I suppose ghosts don't have a tendency to flirt with the living," he chuckled. She smiled to herself, keeping silent about the fact that she'd never felt this way about anyone before-- ghost or otherwise. She was drawn from her thoughts as she realized they were growing nearer her auntie's house. She swallowed the sense of unease creeping up the back of her throat, jolting in surprise as the front door to the small home was thrown open. An older woman with graying hair flew out the front door, smiling a nearly toothless grin.
"Kira, honey! I was wondering when you would finally show up," the older woman crowed, and Kira could only smile awkwardly in response. "And Hercules, you as well. I've been waiting for the two of you," the older woman continued, addressing the ghost man. Kira's eyes bulged from her head, and she exchanged a look with the man at her side.
“You… You can see me as well?” He inquired hesitantly, stepping towards the other woman. She watched him with amusement dancing in her eyes, and her smile only seemed to grow.
“Oh, you’ll find that Auntie has a lot of tricks up her sleeve, young man,” the older woman say cryptically. She turned her attention to Kira, gesturing to the diary held gripped in her hand. “Bring that on inside, I’ll make some tea for us. At least, those of us among the living,” she said with a booming laugh. Kira watched as her auntie turned her back upon the two of them, slipping back inside her small and relatively run down house. Hercules hesitated at the door, looking to her for assurance that she wasn’t certain she could give. Though she hadn’t known what to expect, she certainly could have never expected this.
"I suppose we should head inside. Maybe we'll get some answers," Kira murmured. The ghost man nodded his agreement but was clearly uneasy about being seen by someone besides the woman at his side. Kira stepped through the front door, Hercules floating behind her. The lights inside the home were dimmed, but it was just bright enough to make out the odd trinkets scattered across the older woman's house. Animal bones were strung up along the walls, punctuated by skulls above every doorway. There was a weird herbal smell that permeated the building, and Kira could only hope it was the tea her auntie had mentioned. She wasn't particularly fond of tea, sweet tea being the exception, but she could only wonder what the scent would if not tea. Hercules seemed rather uneasy in the home as well, and Kira had to swallow a snort as his face twisted in disdain at the strange decor.
"Children, children, come on in the kitchen," Kira's Auntie called, and Kira swallowed her nervousness, following the sound of the other woman's voice. The kitchen was a bit brighter than the rest of the house, with lit candles scattered across every surface. A cup of warm tea waited for Kira at the table, and she breathed a sigh, lifting the cup to her lips and taking a sip. It had a rather earthy taste but was not altogether unpleasant.
“How… how did you know we were coming?” Hercules inquired softly. Kira’s Auntie offered him another toothless smile.
"Tell me, Hercules. Just how much do you know about curses?" She said slyly. Glass shattered as Kira's cup dropped to the floor.
Chapter Seven
Once the shattered remains of Kira's tea cup were swept away, her auntie returned to the room with an amused expression. Nothing seemed to phase the older woman, but Kira was apparently alarmed by the idea of any sort of curse. Hercules didn't seem particularly confident either, but he also seemed reluctant to take the older woman for her word.
“You were always such a clumsy little thing, baby,” Kira’s Auntie smiled, and Kira’s cheeks grew warm from embarrassment. “With that incident out of the way, and…,” the older woman paused, considering her niece. “With no breakables in Kira’s hand, let’s continue our little conversation, shall we? Hercules, dear, what do you know about curses? Specifically, the Orlando family curse?” She hummed, stirring her tea for a long moment before taking a sip. Hercules and Kira exchanged glances, and the ghost man cleared his throat before speaking.
“I’m sorry miss, ah…,” he paused, and the older woman smirked.
"Just call me Auntie, child," she crooned. His face twisted in uncertainty, but Kira gave him a slight nudge. It was evident he was in no place to argue.
“Alright… Auntie. I must apologize, but I’ve never heard of such a curse. I’ve always been told curses were old folk stories,” Hercules murmured. Kira’s Auntie nodded, resuming stirring her tea.
“Of course, dear. That’s what people would have you believe. After all, if people thought curses were real, don’t you think they’d spend a lot more effort trying to resolve them?” She retorted. Hercules seemed at a loss for words, so Kira stepped in to take over.
“So… you think Hercules is cursed? Is that why he’s a ghost?” Kira inquired softly. She set the diary on the table, and it began to quake violently as Kira’s Auntie drew it towards herself. She tapped the cover, once, twice, then the diary fell open to the very page Kira had marked. Auntie hummed to herself as she read over the pages, speaking in tongues that neither Kira nor Hercules could understand. After a long moment, Auntie fell silent and the words on the pages began to fade.
“Oh, honey. The curse is why he’s dead. Being a ghost just means there’s still a chance,” the older woman said with a smile. Kira watched in confusion as the red ink from the pages disappeared entirely, turning her attention to her Auntie once more.
“Why are the words disappearing? Has something gone wrong?” Kira said haltingly, and Hercules rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“What do you mean when you say there’s still a chance?” He asked for his part, and it seemed that something akin to hope was blooming in his chest.
"One at a time, children, Lord. Didn't your mommas teach you any manners?" Auntie sighed, closing the book and pushing it towards Kira. "The words are disappearing because I broke the blood seal. Tricky things, blood seals. It should cease all that screaming it's been doing, in any case," she murmured. She turned her attention to Hercules, quirking her lips in an excited smile. "As for your question… if you had not remained on this earth in some form, there would have been no breaking the curse. However, as you have stayed on the spectral plane, that means you can break it. You could potentially be returned to the mortal plane if things were to go just so," she said eagerly. Hercules tilted his head curiously, seeming to not understand. Kira, however, brightened immediately when she realized what her Auntie meant.
“He can be brought back to life?” Kira blurted, and Hercules turned wide eyes towards the both of them.
“Bingo,” the older woman grinned. “Now, it’s just a matter of laying this curse to rest,” she continued softly, meeting Kira’s gaze.
“H-how do we do that?” Hercules asked incredulously.
“Well, I can’t spoil all the fun, can I? That’s for you and Kira to find out. However, I would be quick about it. After so long, your spirit will lose all ties to this world. After that… well, I’m sure you get the idea,” Auntie said with some finality. Kira’s eyes widened in shock, and she began to sputter out protests. Her Auntie was quick to silence her, however, guiding Kira and Hercules to the door and all but shoving them outside. “It was so very nice to see you two. Good luck, now. Come see Auntie again once you get everything figured out,” the older woman grinned. Then, the door was slammed shut in their faces. Kira shouted out angrily, banging on the door only to receive the sound of laughter in reply. Hercules made an attempt to phase through the door, but could not make it through. Defeated, they stepped away from the door and turned to face one another.
"So… we're back to square one, basically," Hercules said drolly. Kira sighed, realizing the diary was on the ground between them. She quirked a brow, leaning down to pick it up.
“At least we have this... and the knowledge that you’re cursed…,” she trailed off. He frowned, the intense sadness of his stare sending unpleasant chills down Kira’s spine.
"The knowledge that we have a time limit as well," he babbled. Kira inhaled shakily, drawing him close into her arms.
&nbs
p; "We'll figure this out. Either way, we simply have to enjoy what time we have together," Kira murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. "Let's go home, maybe we'll find something more in the diary," she said, trying to remain confident. Hercules cast a final lingering glance at her Auntie's door, breathing a resigned sigh.
“I simply wish she could have told us more,” he muttered.
She couldn’t agree more.
Chapter Eight
There was an undeniable tension in the air as they stepped into Kira’s apartment, and Hercules seemed entirely intent upon slipping away to brood. However, Kira was quick to grab him by the arm, holding his strong bicep in her hand.
"Wait just a moment, Hercules," she murmured. He hesitated for a moment, turning to face her with an uncertain expression. "I wanted… I wanted to try something," she continued quietly. His face morphed into one of confusion, but he remained still and silent as she raised her hands to cup either side of his face in her palms. She could almost feel the stubble of his beard, the heat of his flesh, though she knew it wasn't truly there. If she could believe the illusion so intensely, however, what was the harm in exploring it further?
She stood on her tiptoes, leaning in to capture his ghostly lips with her own. He nearly jolted away in shock but settled into her embrace as she parted her lips to brush her tongue against his. She tangled her hands in his hair, hair that only she could see, hair for her alone. She squeezed her eyes shut against the sensations, feeling his stiff hands shifting from his side to rest on her hips. Her skin felt as if it were being set alight, and she pressed further against him as their kiss grew more passionate. Moments passed with them simply tangled in each others' embrace, before Hercules drew away to meet her gaze.
