Léon looked around the hotel room, embarrassed, while Adja put a camera on her tripod to record the next steps.

'I don't think I was nice to you a single second in this room,' he muttered.

'You're not going to apologize all week, I already said I got it! We're going to make the best investigation ever, and my viewers will find it interesting that we stopped hating each other.'

'Maybe... However, I was mean to you when I talked about your relationship with Sylvana and it wasn't necessary. I find it strange, that's all.'

Me too, Léon, me too. Adja started recording.

'Back to the hotel room... We're going to see what Elisa Dormeaux's wardrobe contained. I had hidden these items from Léon, but the situation has changed. Let's start with the album.'

Adja opened the book and shouted with joy. The album contained tens of photographs, from a time where they weren't cheap. Most of them showed the Maison Dormeaux from different angles, at each step of its construction.

'There are pieces of information on the back,' Adja said. 'I guess the architects took photographs of the house as it was built and sent them to the Dormeaux. I will film them, so you can study them if you're interested.'

Léon held the pictures closer to the lens. His hands were trembling slightly. I think the viewers will have to pause the video to see something, but... They studied in great detail all the other pictures that showed the same six members of the Dormeaux family. Adja aligned four photographs of Alphonse Dormeaux and his now named wife: Aimée.

'Alphonse Dormeaux, Aimée Dormeaux,' Adja repeated.

'She was beautiful,' Léon said, turning one of the photographs around. 'She died in 1882, look...'

'My Love, July 6th 1882, you left,' Adja read, pouting. 'This is so sad... But she didn't see her whole progeny disappear. Many that's for the better.'

They understood pretty quickly that the three fifty-something adults were Alphonse and Aimée's children, and that their names were Elisa, Georges and Jules. Georges was Sylvana's father, according to two photographs showing her sitting on his knees.

'She looks less scary than the picture you have found earlier,' Leon commented. 'She looks like a normal little girl, not a strange apparition.'

'Don't think that in front of her, she would not take it well.'

Adja felt her insides twist.

'I don't know how to hide from Sylvana that her grandfather is still in the house... She can read thoughts, she will understand everything!'

It's also cruel. She hasn't talked to anyone in centuries, she doesn't even know her own grandfather has been living with her all this time, and I will have to drown her in thoughts and words so she won't get what I really think. Léon put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

'You shouldn't blame yourself, maybe she's a monster... surely, even.'

'A monster,' Adja repeated with a sigh. 'I can't bring myself to imagine her doing something so vile and sordid.'

'Have you seen how she's behaving with us? Her jealousy, the violence she exercised when she hit me with that ring? She has issues, for sure. I wouldn't be surprised if she had slaughtered her family.'

Adja almost defended her, but she tightened her jaw and grabbed other photographs from the album. I will look possessed, if I excuse everything the does. She had to be honest, though: Sylvana was starting to scare her too. What was she capable of, if she could open locks? Snapping her neck?

'Alright, we have a picture of Georges with Elisa... uh... no, maybe not. What do you think Léon?'

'It's obviously Georges' moustache and his receding hairline, but that's not Elisa!' he guessed, confirming her suspicions. 'This woman isn't on any other picture here.'

'Sylvana's mother. Maybe she left? We should ask her later.'

The idea of asking such a sad question to Sylvana made Adja shiver. If her mother had died in childbirth, they would start the day in the worst way. And if she discovers everything we're hiding from her on the same day...

'So, the grandparents, Alphonse and Aimée. The three children, Elisa, Georges and Jules. Georges and an unknown woman's daughter, Sylvana. The whole family is complete.'

Adja was extremely satisfied. Gathering all of these details and adding them to each other was the best part of ghost hunting. Minus actually talking to spirits.

'So, what do we do now? Any idea?'

'We have to check what's inside the box,' Léon said.

He took it without waiting for her permission, which annoyed and amused her at the same time. Maybe we'll become Adja and Léon Hunting, eventually. Who would have believed they would get along?

'The box contains... syringes.'

Adja grimaced. Among all the objects she found in abandoned places, syringes and medical equipment were the ones that disgusted her the most. Needles had certainly touched blood contaminated by scary diseases, and she was convinced bacteria could survive for centuries on metal. I'm sure it's not true, but it feels so dirty! Adja took the syringes with the tip of her fingers and showed them to the camera.

'They were used,' Léon declared.

'How do you know that?'

'My mother is a nurse, it's easy to differentiate intact syringes from the used ones.'

Adja nodded, not asking for more details.

'Fortunately, we have a syringe expert on this investigation. So, according to you, what did Elisa put inside it? Drugs?'

'Well...,' Léon hummed, separating the piston from the rest of the syringe. 'It doesn't smell like anything, to be honest. But if it dates back to 1884, the content disappeared a long time ago.'

'So, something without a small or not there anymore. Don't hesitate if you have more hypothesis, tell us in the comments!' Adja concluded, turning to the camera. 'Do you think Elisa Dormeaux was secretly taking drugs? Which substance? Give us your opinion! I think that's all for this part of the investigation, we hope you enjoyed it.'

'Bye!' Léon said, appearing in the shot with a big smile.

Adja turned the camera off and looked at Léon.

'Well, it looks like you're enjoying it so far... Are you sure Alphonse Dormeaux's curse is the only thing making you stay?'

'Clearly!' he replied, nodding frantically. 'I'm scared of both this man and Sylvana, but I have to admit it's an interesting investigation. I don't want to leave before knowing everything.'

'Me neither. I'm going to edit everything, now, so you should go to the restaurant without me. It will take me hours.'

'I'll bring you some bread, alright?'

Adja raised her eyes from the computer, surprised. She had to get used to Léon's new personality.

'Uh... Yes, that would be nice.'

'Have fun.'

Léon left with his bag and Adja dived into her files, thoughtful. If he's flirting with me, he's doing it in a more conventional way than Sylvana. She shook just thinking about the young woman, who would read her mind in no time and turn her into ashes. I hope she won't wait for me tonight, because I don't plan on going back for more information.

~

Even at this late hour of the night, she didn't have to wait for her viewers' reactions to 'SECRET AND DEADLY HOUSE #2: HUGE INVESTIGATION!!' very long.

'6h of video!! Are you crazy!!'

'Léon is so damn annoying! *edit* Oh no, sorry, I get it now! But it's crazy!'

'That Sylvana is so creepy, she should calm down Mamène.'

'Mamène?' Léon asked, frowning.

'It's a slang, don't try to understand all the comments,' Adja sighed.

She didn't know if she was more irritated by the slang or the critique of Sylvana. Even though her behavior was unacceptable and she could be an extremely bad person, she still remained a wretched and horribly lonely spirit. Fortunately, Adja didn't have to carry the Dormeaux's story on her weak shoulders anymore: Léon was part of the adventure, now. She wouldn't react without thinking anymore.

'Tomorrow, we'll have to go back.'

'None of your videos have had so many views in a long time. You should have fragmented it to get even more traffic, and more money...'

'I wanted to make an exceptional video, not get rich. On top of that, they will watch this video ten times to look for every detail! I will have my views, don't worry.'

She took a bite from one of the five pieces of bread Léon had brought her and thanked him again.

'It's really late, now. You should go back to your room.'

Léon looked like he was hesitating, and Adja almost sighed louder than ever. Is he trying to imitate bad romance movies, now? He was staring at her in utter silence, but his eyes were shooting glances to her mouse pad.

'Is that a picture of... No, you're going too far.'

He took the mouse out of the way and held the photograph to his face, almost angry.

'You kept a picture of Sylvana to look at her all the time?' he asked. 'Put it back in Elisa's album.'

'No.'

'Do it!' Léon insisted.

'I do what I want! Sylvana opened this lock for me, I got this album thanks to her, so I can keep whatever I want. Take the syringes if you're jealous, they're yours.'

'Where has your respect for dead people gone? You're stealing their stuff, now? Maybe Sylvana gave you all of this, alright, but it wasn't hers and she can't be trusted!'

Adja didn't know what to say. There's nothing to answer, he's right.

'I will take a picture of this photograph with my phone and put it back,' she said, lowering her chin in shame.

'No!' Léon exclaimed. 'You're not keep the picture of a dead girl!'

'Leave me alone, Léon! If I want to look at her because she looked good, I will! How does that concern you?'

'Of course it's concerning! She's dead!'

'Haven't you ever looked at Marilyn Monroe thinking she was beautiful?'

'I'm not having conversations with the flirty spirit of Marilyn Monroe!'

Léon shook his head.

'You know what? Fine, I don't want to talk about it anymore, we have raised the subject too many times. Be careful, that's all, otherwise you'll end up in the same mental hospitals you've visited on your channels. People will be talking to you through their spirit box one century from now.'

He left the room with a friendly hand wave. Petrified by the violence of his attack, Adja stared at her computer screen for half an hour. She finally put Sylvana's picture back in the album, slowly. It was the only photograph from the year she died. Adja decided not to keep it on her phone, embarrassed by Léon's remarks. Maybe he's right, I have issues.

Strangely enough, Adja slept like a baby without waking up before dawn. She went to the hotel restaurant for breakfast, feeling as dynamic as she could picture it. Léon joined her twenty minutes later, being polite enough not to mention Sylvana.

'The views absolutely exploded, and the positive ratings too! They love that video and say it's the best of your entire channel!'

'They're not wrong... The editing isn't awesome, but since I had things to show...'

'You must have been bored to death, in you other investigations.'

Adja took a bite of croissant and a sip of hot chocolate. Indeed, she had spent tedious days and nights in empty and freezing buildings, listening to the awful sound of the spirit box filling the whole room, terrified to find hobos, drug addicts, serial killers... Maybe I shouldn't visit any place by myself, I would be safe. But maybe Léon wanted to pursue his degree, not follow her everywhere while she used him for views and security. That didn't seem fair.

'I don't know if I'll continue ghost hunting, after this one,' she admitted. 'It's so dangerous! I didn't have to consider it before, since nothing ever happened.'

'At least, now, you know the paranormal world is real.'

Her eyes widened. She put her hot chocolate cup back on the table. He's right, I got so invested that I lost track of the most important thing.

'I already believed in it before, but I didn't have any proof.'

'It changes everything! You're not doing anything randomly anymore, it has become normal for you to talk to dead people, do you even realize it?'

Silently, Adja nodded. From one day to another, I started communicating very calmly to spirits. I believed it so much for no reason that it didn't shock me, but no one has ever lived such incredible things!

'I'm absolutely sure that other ghost hunters lie and pretend they see ghosts,' Léon said, cleaning up his glasses. 'I don't believe them one second. The spirit box makes no real noise, the K-II must be edited as they see fit, they move the Ouija planchette as they want. But you... you, it's real.'

'I don't think they cheat, no,' Adja protested. 'I watch all their videos too, and I think they're sincere.'

Léon didn't reply, but he visibly didn't agree with her. Whatever, it's not that important. There's no doubt what we're doing is real, no need to think about what other ghost hunters are doing.