~ Part 15 ~ | The Boy In The Painting

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** Ghost Story (Carrie Underwood) **

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"You'll wish you never said goodbye
Wish you'd never let me go
Let the love between us die
You can carve it into stone
I'm gonna be your ghost story
That keeping you up, all night memory
I'll be haunting you, you'll be wanting me
I'm gonna be your ghost story"

~ Carrie Underwood

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This chapter is dedicated to @AU_everything. Thank you for the support!

(comment or PM if you'd like a shoutout!)

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Usually, the songs in the chapters are ones I know and love. Like the last chapter with 300 Days by Erika Harlacher! It's one of my favourites. But other times it's a song I don't really know and just found. Like now! I haven't listened to this song, just read the lyrics and I liked them.

*****

"What is going on here?" There was a small shriek as the group of kids clustered around a ladder jumped. Their eyes went wide and matching guilty expressions were pasted on their face as they glanced around uneasily.

Now I've caught 'em. Cole thought smugly. He put on his best impression of his father, screwing his face up into a disappointed scowl and a piercing glare. He was about to give them a stern talking to when someone interrupted him.

"You look constipated." Cole glanced over to see Toni watching him with an impressed look.

"No, I don't!" He protested, even though she was probably right. The girl just rolled her eyes (the audacity!) and took a step forward, looking over the group of children like there had been a monster hidden in the body of a teenage girl.

She raised an eyebrow, carefully sweeping her gaze across their faces before jerking her head at one girl. "You, obnoxious over-achieving white girl, where's Nelson?"

Obnoxious over-achieving white girl, or Meghan, gaped at the older student. "I- you- hey!" She stuttered. Cole tried to put his hand on Toni's shoulder to pull her back but she slapped the back of his palm faster than a grandma protecting cookies.

"Ow!" Cole clutched his hand with a pout. "Look, I was just going to tell you to chill out! You don't need to come on so strong."

"Do you want answers or do you want stupid answers like 'your mom?'" Toni replied, crossing her arms.

He shook his head. "They can't be that childish-"

"Your mom." Someone peeped from the back.

"Seriously, Patrick?" Cole groaned. Toni only smirked and gave a cocky dip of her head as if to say 'See? I told you so!'

One of the boys tucked at the very end pushed his way to the front, his chin was tipped up challengingly and his eyes were defiant. "You can't keep coming to little Nelson's rescue, Antonia. He's making his own decisions."

"That you pressured him into doing!" Toni argued back.

"Well, Nelson shouldn't be so naive! Seriously, he has so little backbone he looks like a worm." The boy shot back.

Cole huffed impatiently, pushing himself in between them before the boy said anything unbelievably stupid. "It doesn't matter. All of you are in a place you're very much not supposed to be in and I have video games to go play with my idiot friends."

The boy scowled and glared daggers into the taller student's nose. Toni stared right on back. "Don't try me, Rodrigo."

Rodrigo pouted sulkily before turning towards the ladder leading up to the attic. "Nelson's up there." He sighed. "Scouting the ghost's lair and placing a trap."

"Seriously?" Cole grumbled. "There's no such thing as ghosts guys and there's definitely not one in Wu's attic. Not even a spirit can live in an environment of old teacups and mothballs."

"That's why the ghost is possessing Lloyd," Meghan chimed in factually, her nose turned up and her stance proud as if she knew everything.

Toni snorted. "You think a ghost is possessing Lloyd?"

"Why do you think he's so tired lately!" Meghan snapped, not liking the other girl's judgemental tone.  "The ghost has been depriving him of sleep and feeding on his life force!"

"He's a teenager," Cole pressed his fingers to his temples. Are children really this stupid? "Life has been depriving him of sleep and feeding on his soul or whatever."

"B-but-" The little girl faltered, glancing around. "Rodrigo said-"

"Rodrigo's an idiot," Toni said bluntly.

Cole sent her a warning glare. "He's not an idiot! He is wrong about the ghost stuff though. There's nothing in Lloyd, I swear. He's a part of my main group of friends! I would know."

The other kids were starting to look a little doubtful now, shifting uneasily and casting suspicious looks at Rodrigo. The boy didn't seem phased instead he put on one of the best displays of theatrics that Cole has ever seen (and his dad's a performer.)

"You're right!" Rodrigo gasped, his expressions warping into something of fear. "The ghost isn't in Lloyd! It must still be in the attic! And Nelson is walking straight into its trap!" There was a slap as Cole face palmed, covered by the fearful cries and gasps of the group around him.

"That's not what I'm saying!" Cole protested.

Toni just huffed, amusement tilting at the ends of her lips. "Doing great, Cody."

"It's Cole!" This was so stupid. He didn't have time for this. The tall boy took a deep breath, trying to force all the irritation out of him with one aggressive exhale before turning to the kids. "I'm going to go up there, get Nelson, and prove to you that there are no ghosts."

The children's mouths all simultaneously dropped and one of the younger ones, Julia, burst into tears. She latched onto his leg and wailed crying, "I don't want to die, Coco!"

To Cole's surprise, it was Toni that went over to comfort her, bending down to be at eye level with a reassuring smile. Cole was almost touched.

"You'd get over it," Toni said confidently, patting the girl's back.

Never mind.

"Hey!" Cole sputtered. "First of all, that was mean. Second of all, Julia, I'm not dying! I'll be there and back faster than you can say 'Kai's face looks like a butt.'"

Julia sniffed. "Okay, I'll bring my favourite toy to bury you with."

Bury me with? Cole looked up at the ceiling and hoped it would fall on him. Where do kids get this stuff?

With a tired sigh, Cole peeled the little girl off his leg, placing her firmly by Toni so she could wrap her koala arms around her instead. The older girl gave Cole a withering glare, uncomfortably stiff against Julia's embrace. Then Cole pushed the kids aside so he could step onto the ladder. The thin wood creaked unnervingly under his weight, making him freeze. The ravenette could feel the eyes on him. He tried to hide his nervousness. It wouldn't be good for his reputation if he fell off of the steps with an unceremonious squeal. After a moment of hesitation he pulled himself up to the next rung, then the next, then the next, until he was at the little trapdoor to the attic. With a grunt, he pushed it open with one hand and popped his head cautiously out.

"Nelson?" Cole called. His words echoed back to him. He gulped and then cursed himself for the action. He's been in this attic before cleaning out Wu's things! He knows there's nothing up there.

Also, there was no such thing as ghosts.

Cole gave one last look at the kids gathered around the base, watching him expectantly. Then he placed both hands on the floor above and hopped up onto the highest floor of the school. Dust flew when he landed and he suppressed a cough, waving a hand around before he dragged his gaze around the room. It was dark. Sunlight filtered through the crusty windows on the sides, blocked out by the ornate furniture and forgotten cardboard boxes stacked around. Cole recognized the crude, faded spelling from the last time he was up here. He squinted at the container closest to him. It was hard to tell if it said kitchen or kitten. He then focused his gaze on the peeling floorboards, his eyes trailing over tiny little footprints in the dust.

Nelson. His brain supplied. His shoulders relaxed with relief. All he has to do is get him and leave. Cole stepped carefully in the way the prints led, his feet making quiet thumps on the ground. The boy tried to hide the uneasy feeling creeping through his skin. The cobwebs lining the walls and hanging off the ceilings resembled a Halloween set and the thin draft sent a shiver up his spine.

"Stop it," Cole muttered harshly to himself. "This isn't a horror movie! Just get moving." He puffed up his chest, trying his best to appear tough, and strode through the gap between the boxes. It was tricky given his broad shoulders and the lack of room for traversing. As expected, Cole brushed against one of the antique items perched on top of a stack of boxes.

Cole cursed loudly when he felt it tip, fumbling to catch the old candle holder before it could crash to the ground. His fingers snagged at it but the item slipped just before he could grab the handle and it hit the floor with a clatter. He winced, cringing as it continued to roll along the ground away.

"Did you break something?" Toni yelled from below.

"No!" Cole shouted defensively back. He shuffled as quickly as he could after it and tried to keep his eyes on the object before it could escape his gaze. Unfortunately, that meant he wasn't entirely looking where he was going and he ran face first into something.

"Ow." The young man grumbled, landing on his butt with a thud. He rubbed his head and squinted up at what he hit, only to be met with a pale face and ominous green eyes.

Cole was not proud of the horrified shrieking noise he made.

"OH MY GOD! WHAT THE-"

"Cole?" A sudden voice peeped.

Rodrigo was right! Why didn't he listen to the tiny arrogant little child?

"There is a ghost!" Cole sobbed, rolling away from the newcomer.

"I'm-no," a pair of little hands pulled the older's hands from his face. "It's me! Nelson!"

Cole immediately stopped yelling. "Oh." He sat up and glared at the boy. "What are you doing up here? The attic is off limits!"

Hopefully, if he changed the subject very subtly the kid would forget about the screaming.

"I know," Nelson shrank away guiltily. "I'm sorry. Rodrigo said there was a ghost."

"Well, Rodrigo is lying. Ghosts aren't real." Cole told him as confidently as he could when his heart was still thundering in his chest.

"But you just said there was. When you were screaming." Nelson tilted his head.

Cole pointed a finger at him. "That was a momentary lapse in judgment!"

Before Nelson could reply Cole glanced at what had made him scream originally. It was, thankfully, not a ghost. It was a painting. A very good one. Even someone who's as unartistic as was could tell it was well done. Probably professionally made. His brows furrowed as he focused on the carefully painted strokes, the nice lighting and carefully crafted shadows.

"Who is that?" Nelson gasped.

"I'm... not sure." Cole narrowed his eyes.

There were two people in the painting. One was taller, in black robes with short dirty blonde hair, bearing a proud smile. His hand rested on the shorter of the two, a young boy with scraggly black hair. A green streak ran through the side. The piercing green eyes looked a lot less haunting now that Cole saw the rest of the expression. Yes, he had a serious furrow on his brow and his mouth was pulled a thin line but there was also a small curve to it. It was a small smile like the one Kai did when he didn't want to show he was happy. Cole dragged his eyes back to the man behind him. The man was a lot more open about his emotions than the child. His smile was wide, his cheeks rosy, and his eyes were warm and inviting. It was an expression he was used to seeing.

"That's a young master Wu!" Cole's eyes widened.

"Really?" Nelson said excitedly. "Then who's the kid?"

Cole frowned. "I don't recognize him. Black hair and green streak? Pretty distinct." Nelson looked at the painting for a moment. Then he let out a fearful squeak.

"That's the ghost Rodrigo has been talking about! He said he has a green streak!" Nelson stumbled away from the painting, tucking himself behind Cole.

"It's okay," Cole ruffled the younger's hair. "Rodrigo probably saw the painting and made it up."

"B-but-" Nelson trembled, his eyes glued onto the painting. "Then how is the ghost in Lloyd?"

Cole sighed in exasperation. "For the last time! There is no ghost in Lloyd! Have you seen the sugar content of that child? What ghost would go in that?"

"There is to a ghost! See? That's Lloyd's sweater!"

Something odd lodged in his throat as Cole slowly focused on the hoodie the strange boy was wearing. It was a familiar vibrant green, slightly torn on the sleeves like it had been fraying for a while, reminding him of little fingers nervously twirling at the threads. The pockets were saggy and Cole could picture fists stuffed into them as Lloyd chattered excitedly, swinging his legs like a toddler. The zipper was crooked, just like the one Cole had helped zip up so many times because it always got stuck.

Nelson was right.

This was Lloyd's sweater.

****

"I can't believe Zane ditched us," Kai grumbled. "He said he'd get snacks but now he's busy talking with the girls."

Jay shrugged. "I don't mind. He really wanted to talk with Pixal! They've been talking online forever."

"I know! It's so much pining." Kai wrinkled his nose in disgust as he made his way down the stairs. "It's almost as bad as you and Nya."

"Hey!"

"Let's just get some chips or something and get back to playing Hands of Time," Kai said.

"Uh - I think you mean Skybound!" Jay crossed his arms. "We agreed that it's my turn to choose the game!"

Kai smirked. "Really? I don't recall."

"KAI!"

"If you two are looking for chips the cupboard's all out." The two boys spun around to see Ronin leaning against the bottom rail of the staircase, munching on what looked to be a package of salted potato chips.

"There's some right there!" Jay pointed out.

Ronin raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He tipped his head back and dumped the last of the contents into his mouth. "I don't see any."

"You little-" Kai pressed his lips together, his face turning red in a visible attempt to calm himself. "Did you seriously eat all of our food?"

"Not all of it." Ronin shrugged. "Just most of the good stuff."

"Ugh!" Jay stomped his foot in frustration. "What kind of inspector are you? You've been here for literal days, you eat all our food, and I'm positive you haven't even seen the electrical port in the basement!"

Ronin chuckled. "Oh, you still think I'm an inspector? I would've thought you'd catch me by now."

Jay's jaw dropped. "What?"

Kai's face darkened and he stepped towards Ronin, any trace of humour gone from his face. "If you're not an inspector, who are you?"

"Kai! Don't ask the creepy stranger questions! Get a phone! Get an adult!" Jay exclaimed, latching onto the back of his shirt.

"Relax, I'm not here to cause any trouble." Ronin watched Kai with amusement as if his intimidating glare was the equivalent of a baby staring over a parent's shoulder. "Your school has caught the eye of another headmaster. Enrolment is increasing and he wanted to check out the competition."

"Competition? What happened to wanting a school that best fits the students?" Kai crossed his arms.

Ronin rolled his eyes. "Do you actually believe that? Schools can be more cutthroat than you think."

"Schools as in plural? What other schools are there? In Ignacia, we only had one." Kai said with confusion.

Jay tapped his chin in thought. "There's a lot of different schools. Some of them are a little weird but they're all different. I know there's Chen's High School for the Gifted, Darkley's-" Kai growled under his breath. "Serpentine Prep, Soto Academy, and of course my old school, Skullkin High."

"Chen?" Kai frowned, focusing on the first. "Doesn't he have a noodle chain restaurant?"

"Yeah! Have you been there? It's really good!"

Kai was about to reply no and suggest that they go back to interrogating Ronin when he realized the slimy guy wasn't even standing there anymore.

"Hey, he's trying to get away!" Kai yelled, leaping off the last few steps and charging to where Ronin was sneaking out of the front door. The man yelped, arms flailing when a streak of red crashed into him.
Jay bit his nails nervously and he followed his friend much more carefully. Relief washed over him when he saw Wu enter, looking tired as the old man glanced down at the fray before him.

"Master Wu!" Kai exclaimed. He pinned Ronin down roughly. "He's not an inspector! He's a spy from other schools."

The headmaster stared at them for a long time. His expression was blank and his shoulders sagged like he was holding an unbearable weight. Then, he closed his eyes and walked away.

"Master Wu?" Jay called softly after. He glanced at Kai. "Is he okay?" Kai looked just as confused.

Ronin chuckled from underneath Kai's grasp. "Your teacher has a lot more secrets than you think."

Jay glanced at Kai then back at Ronin. "What does that mean?"

Ronin shrugged. "It'll probably come up soon enough." The man said vaguely.

Kai gritted his teeth. He didn't know what was going on with Wu. But he did know he wanted to punch this man through his crooked teeth.

NOTE******
The other schools are based on some of the people from the Ninjaball race in the original series with Chen added in to hint at something coming up. 😉

Also, did you see how fast that update was? It hasn't even been a month yet! 😂 I got really excited because I realized I'm going to be closing up the Ghosts chapter soon. Motivation and inspiration just sprung at me!

I hope you liked the chapter!

LuckyBugBooks 🐞