"That better be washable." I mutter, watching the man with the gaze of a lion etch runes into the wall, charcoal brushing his fingers and forearm, sprinkling like ashes against the carpet I died on.

"That doesn't look washable." I continue when he says nothing.

I zip closer, floating at his shoulder, narrowing my eyes on the runes. "Did the packet say it was washable?" I tilt my head, a familiarity hitting me at the symbols.

"Is that from Sesame Street?" I lift a ghostly hand, running it along the rune, a disgruntled feeling running through my body. "Oh, I do not like that."

"Are you guys here to exorcise me?" I turn, looking at the five intruders, "You know I'm not a demon right?"

I furrow my brow, "Maxwell, am I a demon?"

"No, miss." His voice comes from beside me and I turn my face to him, nodding in thought before turning back to the fantastic five.

"Maxwell says I'm not a demon."

Maxwell continues floating away, leaving me to my machinations, muttering low under his breath.

The man of a lion's nature continues to draw the symbols, covering the wall completely before he moves to the next wall, I follow silently behind him watching.

A ripping sound interrupts my thoughts, and I snap my head to the twins to see them pulling the carpet up, the sound of it jerking free from the glue holding it in place grating on my nerves

"Who said you could redecorate?" I mutter, "I happen to like that carpet, it looked lovely against the shade of my blood." I wave a hand to encompass the spot where you can still see the stain.

Drifting closer to the twins. I cross my arms and watch them curl their fingers tighter around the edge of the carpet until the concrete below is exposed.

"Oh, so that's why it's so cold in here." I mutter, a cold wind passing over me

Once happy with the ruin they've caused, the lion man walks over and begins to draw the same runes on the floor, covering the area completely before moving on to the next section.

I watch in riveted fascination, stopping to look at the runes before floating above it all, watching them ruin a perfectly good Haunted Mansion

Nobody has respect anymore.

They continue like that for hours and I watch them for every second of it, my gaze snagged on the lion man like a stalker, yet the twins seem to drag my attention towards them too. And don't get me started on the teacher type. I was never the type of girl that had a crush on her teacher but since I'd died I'd learnt my morals had died with me.

So fucking my teacher seemed like a great idea. If only I could actually make myself real.

"Do you think you guys have a spell that could make me whole again? Like Pinocchio? Make me a real girl?" I mutter to the twins, floating between them and feeling lightheaded for a moment.

They ignore me. This is getting old.

Finally the blonde man stops, muttering low under his breath, a glow beginning to expand from beneath his flesh. The twins step closer white the suit stays on the outskirts, watching everything with a keen eye.

I float closer until I'm beside the three younger ones, feeling like part of a team.

"Oh." I say dejected, "I thought you guys were normal." I say, watching the blondes eyes glow gold.

The glow builds, a rune in the wall joining, before a second and third, and on and on it goes until every rune he painted begins to glow. 

"Fascinating voodoo." I murmur, folding my arms in front of me.

A star begins to form below his feet and I raise a brow, drifting closer.

Soon another appears on the roof and I raise a second brow. "This is eerily familiar." I look back at the man, narrowing my eyes on him. "We're you the one who killed me?" I sweep my eyes over his face. "No, you're far too pretty."

The one on the wall finally joins and I stumbled back - well as much as one can stumble being a ghost with no earthly legs or pesky gravity to fuck me up.

"I think I've seen this film before and I didn't like the ending." I sing, slipping away from all three stars.

Their glow becomes blinding and I scrunch up my nose, "This is a little too how I met your mother, don't you think?"

Nobody laughs at my joke, although to be fair, I did not understand it either, my humour is broken since I died.

You could say it died with me.

I snort, entertaining myself. "God, I'm the funniest person I know. It's great."

I watch at the four join in a circle, their hands clasping together as they face the five point start on the wall, the two closest to it leaving their hands unclasped, as if holding their hands out for the star to join them. Then they lay it on the wall.

"This is a little cult-like, and it's not even the weirdest thing I've seen here."

The star stutters out, going dull and the lion man swears, ripping his hand free from the others. "It's not going to work."

"We just have to keep trying." The twins say in sync.

I shudder, "That is creepy." 

"There's no point." One of the twins says, the one with shorter hair, rubbing his thumb and forefinger along the bridge of his nose. "It hasn't opened in years."

The suit man shakes his head, "We'll keep trying, Ash, this is the best possible place from my calculations, this is the nexus."

"Maybe your calculations are wrong, Lorcan."

The suit flashes a glare towards the twin, Ash. "My calculations are never wrong."

The lion man steps up, dwindling the tension between them. "We'll try again later."

"Good idea." I mutter, nodding.

"Caelum is right, we can always try again."

I look to the golden god. Caelum.

Then to that dark twin. Ash.

And finally at the suit. Lorcan.

Before looking towards the quiet twin, finding him staring at the star with narrowed eyes.

"And who are you?"

The quiet twin doesn't answer, not that he could hear me anyway. He stands there, his focus sharp and his fingers twitching slightly as if he's itching to touch the runes on the wall. There's something about him that feels... unfinished, like he's missing a puzzle piece only he knows how to find.

"Seriously," I mutter, floating closer to him. "You look like you've got something important to say. A clue, maybe? I'm all ears."

He just narrows his eyes, his gaze flicking over the symbols that are dulling now, their brief glow vanishing. His lips press together as though he's grinding his thoughts down into some kind of bitter pill. I reach out, waving my hand through his face. He doesn't flinch, of course. None of them ever do. But still, a girl can try.

"Let me guess," I say, trying to analyze him like I would a magazine personality quiz. "The strong and silent type. Mysterious, possibly traumatized... could use a good laugh, if I do say so myself."

"Stop gawking and help us clean up," Caelum mutters to the others, running a hand through his lion's mane of hair, which glints like some golden promise under the dim light.

The quiet twin finally breaks his stare, snapping to attention and bending down to pick up the remains of what looks like some chalky residue. I drift down next to him, watching his fingers move with methodical precision, brushing the dust from the carpet I bled out on. It's strange, feeling this possessive about the space I died in.

"Careful," I mutter as he sweeps his fingers over the stain. "That's where I met my unfortunate end, in case you were curious. Nothing like your last breath to haunt you for the rest of your life to give a place character."

He pauses for a split second, glancing around as though he heard me. My nonexistent pulse quickens.

"Yeah," I say, nudging a little closer. "You can hear me, can't you?"

But the moment slips by, and he stands, dusting his hands against his jeans as if brushing away whatever connection had sparked between us. I sigh, settling back, watching them as they finish their cleanup, my strange, unwelcome guests.

The others gather, each absorbed in their own thoughts, discussing plans for what they call "the next attempt." I'm still trying to puzzle them out when Caelum's gaze sweeps over the room, and for a second, his eyes almost meet mine. There's something strange in his expression, a glimmer of something I can't quite read.

He doesn't look at me again, but something tells me this isn't the last time they'll vandalise my resting place.