A Chapter| Chapter Fifteen

Lila grumbled as she felt the bed dip next to her, sudden kisses being pressed to the side of her face. Lila swatted the figure away, only making them kiss her hand and wrist as Lila groaned and rolled over. When her eyes fluttered open, getting use to the sunlight from the window, she grinned at the figure.

"Rafe." she greeted with a grin, seeing him sobered up, well he wasn't drunk at least. He grinned down at her, Lilas long arms wrapping around him as he struggled to held himself up as she yanked him closer to her.

"Get up, there's a surprise down the hall." Rafe said, planting a kiss to her forehead before untangling her arms from around him, causing her body to fall back onto the king sized bed with a huff.

"Leaving me in the bed, part four." Lila huffed, pulling her legs from under the covers as they hit the ground. She avoided putting pants on, the large tee that sat just above her knees long enough.

Rafe held out his hand, letting her grab ahold as he lead her down the hallway, toward the closest guest bedroom. When they rounded the corner Lila gasped, seeing John B unpacking a few of his bags.

"John B!" Lila gushed, running at him and tackling him on the bed with a hug.

"Watch the hand, Lila." John B said with a laugh, hugging her back with his good hand. Rafe cleared his throat as the two sat up, making Rafe nodded and head off down the hallway. His loud footsteps fading.

"He's like a fucking water buffalo." Lila shook her head as John B laughed slightly, leaning on his good hand to look at her.

"So glad you're okay." she said with a soft smile, hitting his shoulder some as he smiled.

"We're like living together now." John B said as Lila shook her head.

"No, I live in the guest house." she corrected him as he gave her a look of disbelief.

"I just happen to sleep in here sometimes." she said as he hummed knowing as Lila pushed him again, making him fall back onto one of the pillows.

"Is it weird? Being here? Any rules i'm gonna need to follow?" he asked as Lila pretended to think.

"Oh there is the casual having to eat raw meat everyone friday, it's good for your skin." Lila said as John B gave her a crazy look, watching her serious face turn into a awkward position as she tried to hold back the laugh.

"You should see yourself face, stupid ass." Lila said as she laughed loudly, falling back onto the bed once again as the two laughed loudly together. It was rarely just the two of them, it felt nice though, comforting like when they first met on the beach.

The clear of a throat at the door made Lila look up, seeing Ward standing there with a grin, "I see we're not the only ones to be glad you're here."

"Hey, Mr.Cameron." Lila greeted with a smile as she sat up some.

"Hi, Lila. You mind if I have a moment with John?" he asked with a nod as Lila shook her head and stood, sharing a smile with John B one last time before she disappeared back toward Rafes room.

"Okay, so the road should split up here. Take a left." Pope said as he looked down at the map, having John B turn the van quickly. Lila was trying to braid Kies hair, the sudden turn making her yank it too hard as the girl looked back at her.

"Sorry." Lila said quickly, continuing to braid a few pieces.

"That looks like a stone wall to me." JJ pointed out, squinting to look out the window some.

"This is it." Pope said with a sigh, looking at the old and beat house.

"Not the Crain house." John B groaned as he opened his door.

"Crain house?" Lila asked, taking JJs extended hand to help her out of the van before she did the same for Kie.

"Are you kidding me?" Kie asked as she looked up at the house, a annoyed and disbelief look on her face.

"Is it haunted?" Lila asked hopefully.

"They say it might b-" Pope said before Lila let out a squeal and took off toward the house.

"Lila! You're gonna get lost!" John B yelled out for her but Lila was far gone, running through the small garden, not bothering to care about the few thorns that cut her bare legs. With a grin she used her video camera, turning it on as she turned the camera to herself.

"Lila Griffin here, today we're at the Crain House where i'm gonna catch a ghost." she said with a dramatic look, turning the camera around as she looked around the house, walking slowly.

"JJ says the lady here might have buried her husbands head, maybe we'll find his ghost first." Lila said, touching the side of the house as she sighed.

"No cold feeling, don't feel a ghost." Lila sighed as she walked again, hearing her name being called out.

"Those are my best friends. Let's go meet them." Lila said, walking a few feet over and seeing the four walking close together, tense and looking around.

"Coming in at number one here's John B. John B was my first pogue friend, he thinks i'm crazy for hunting ghost but he said I was cute once on the beach. Say hi John B." Lila said, putting a arm around the boy and putting the camera in his face.

"What are you doing?" he asked, putting his hand over the lens and giving her a odd look.

"Whenever I catch a ghost I have to have it on video, how else am I gonna get my own reality show?" Lila asked like he was the crazy one, moving toward Pope.

"And this is Pope. He says I have nice eyebrows and i'm sweet. Him and I have a secret handshake, give it to em." Lila said, holding out her hand as the two did the stupid handshake that they barely remember, only making once out of pure boredom.

"This is Kie-" Lila began, having the camera shoved by the girl but it didn't phase her.

"She pretends to hate me and throws flashlights at me. Kie loves me so much though, isn't she so gorgeous?" Lila asked before she turned to JJ, pointing the camera at him as he did a goofy smile.

"This is JJ, the last of the pogues. He told John B I can father his kids on the beach when we first met. Him and I threw a baseball at my porch lights once and my moms love him very much." Lila smiled as JJ looked into the camera more, throwing a peace sign before Lila turned it to herself.

"Come back next time for Kook addition, but don't tell Kie." Lila said as she saw the girl look back at her as Lila giggled and shut the camera off.

"Look, you guys know who's house this is, right?" Kie asked as she lead the way, holding her hand out for Lila who took it and followed close behind.

"Oh yeah, yeah, I do." JJ answers where he trailed behind the two.

"Honestly, I don't really believe the stories of this place." John B spoke up as Lila scoffed and shot him a look.

"You don't believe she killed her husband and his ghost is around here? Have some faith John B or I won't put you in the description on my show." Lila said with a point of her finger, fixing the purple bandana around her head.

"Which stories did you two hear?" JJ asked, standing with the two girls as he looked down at them.

"The one where she killed her husband with an axe and that she's been holed up ever since." Kie said as JJ looked around frightened.

"Don't be a pussy JJ, ghost can sense fear." Lila said in a deep and forced voice as he gave her a shove and shook his head.

"Certain nights when the moon is full you can see her in the window." Kie said as she waved her fingers around spookily as Lila laughed.

"No, Kie, it's not funny, cause' it's all true. I swear to god guys, this is all real. I knew Hollis." JJ went on as Lilas ears perked up at the name, looking back at him with wide eyes as she turned her camera on.

"Go on, sweetheart, tell us the story." Lila went on, walking backwards as Kie made sure she wouldn't fall while the blonde kept her camera on JJ.

"Wait, you knew Hollis Crain?" Pope asked in shock, getting in the cameras view as he looked at Lila. She smiled at the footage she was getting.

"Yeah, dude." JJ answered as Pope pushed his shoulder in shock, Kie holding Lilas belt loop to back her up.

"Dude, how do you know Hollis Crain?" Pope now added in as JJ looked at him then back at Lila camera, seeing the girl nod, telling him to go on.

"She was my babysitter, man. She told me all about it. Told me the truth... about her mother and what happened in this house." JJ said as they all stopped, listening closely. Lila turned her camera to the house to get a good view before focusing on JJ again, zooming in on his features some to catch his reaction.

"So as a kid, she heard all the stories that her mother killed her father and she was a murderer and all. Hollis didn't believe it. Until that night." JJ said, making eye contact with his four friends as he told the story.

"What night?" John B spoke up with wide eyes.

"Yeah, what night?" Lila asked as well, stilling her hands to get a clear shot of JJs face.

"It all came back to her. When Hollis was six years old, she heard her parents arguing downstairs. So she goes downstairs to see her mom washing her hands in a sink... full of blood. Her mother just says that she cut her finger. The next morning, she says her father and her split up. But then Hollis noticed something. Her mother going into the parlor constantly, in and out and in and out with plastic bags. Weeks pass, and Hollis decides to use the outhouse. And as she's using it, she looks down, and there, in the outhouse, is her fathers head looking straight back at her." JJ said as Lilas eyes widened and nodded as he told the story, soaking up the footage.

"God, you are so full of shit." John B rolled his eyes at the boy.

"You're getting so much credit for this hunt, JJ." Lila said with a smile at the boy as he sent her a cheeky grin and a subtle wink.

"I swear to god, man." JJ said as he looked back at John B, his voice and facial expression not showing a ounce of lie.

"Did she call the police?" Pope asked, stepping forward with curious eyes as John B walked off.

"She didn't have time- wait! Bro! Dude!" JJ said, stopping John B from walking off.

"What? What?" John B asked annoyed, clearly over the story and just wanting to find where the map was leading. Lila cut the video, letting the video camera hang around her neck again.

"You sure you wanna do this? She's an axe murderer. You got a cast on." JJ pointed out, clearly not wanting to go through with it and wanting to talk John B out of it.

"I don't give a shit if she's a axe murderer, okay? I got nothing to lose, right? You comin', or what?" John B asked, Lila rolled her eyes at his dramatic words, knowing he was getting too deep into the search for the gold that it would soon drive him mad.

"I'm with you, can I still video?" Lila asked as John B looked to her with a nod, waving her over toward him as Lila stood by his side.

"Come on." Kie said as her and Pope followed the two, Lila looked back, seeing JJ hesitant.

"JJ, don't be scared." Lila said, falling behind the group as she was left with him.

"I'm not scared." he said, trying to show the tough guy act as Lila looped their arms together.

"Come on, we've got some ghosts to catch while John B finds us some gold." Lila spoke as the two walked together, catching up with the other three.

•••••
i feel like i don't talk about lilas love for ghost and hunted places enough but it's actually a huge part of her.

also, appreciation chapter to jj and lila/ lila and john b right here.