Ace
The weekend had finally come, and as usual, Phoenix and I were running late. I glanced at the clock, feeling that familiar jolt of panic. 7:05 AM. We were supposed to meet Xavier and his partner at 8 sharp, and the location was quite far from the city.
I rushed to the bathroom, quickly brushing my teeth and splashing water on my face to wake myself up. Kuro was meowing around my feet, probably annoyed that his morning routine was being disrupted. "I'll feed you when we're back," I promised, giving him a quick pat before running back to my room.
I grabbed the first decent thing I could find—black ripped jeans and a gray hoodie. Comfort was key when dealing with supernatural messes.
Running my hands through my hair to tame the chaotic mess, I called out, "Phoenix! Hurry up! We're gonna be late!"
From his room, I heard a muffled groan. "You always say that!" he grumbled, but I could hear the hurried rustling of clothes and the distinct thud of him tripping over something. I smirked to myself. Typical Phoenix.
By 7:20, he finally emerged from his room, looking half-awake and a little grumpy, his school bag in one hand and his phone in the other. I raised an eyebrow. "You taking your textbooks to a haunted mansion now?"
He scowled at me. "Shut up. It's just stuff I didn't bother unpacking yesterday."
I shook my head, not wanting to waste more time on teasing him. "Let's go." I picked up my keys from the counter, gave Kuro a quick scratch behind the ears, and practically pushed Phoenix out the door.
The elevator, as usual, was out of order, forcing us to take the stairs from the 22nd floor. Phoenix grumbled under his breath, cursing whoever was responsible for maintaining the damn thing. We managed to make it to the parking lot without breaking our necks, and I unlocked my bike, motioning for Phoenix to hop on.
"You're gonna get us killed," he muttered as he climbed on behind me, but I just rolled my eyes.
"Not if you hold on tight," I shot back, revving the engine. With a sharp turn, we were off, speeding through the early morning streets. Traffic was mercifully light at this hour, but I still had to weave through a few cars now and then. Phoenix was half-hugging me from behind, probably trying to keep his balance more than anything else.
The city slowly gave way to the outskirts, buildings thinning out as old, gnarled trees lined the road. A dense fog crept over the path, making it harder to see. I kept my eyes focused ahead, ignoring the chill that seeped through my clothes. We rode in silence, the roar of the engine the only sound breaking the quiet.
Finally, at 7:45, we reached our destination. I parked the bike on the cracked driveway and took a moment to look at the place. It was massive—far larger than I had imagined. Instead of a small, abandoned house, it was an old, gothic-style mansion, looming against the backdrop of the forest behind it. The iron gates were half-open, rusted and creaking as the wind pushed against them.
"Damn," Phoenix muttered, straightening his clothes and trying to fix his hair, which was a complete mess thanks to the ride. "This place is like something out of a horror movie."
I couldn't disagree. The mansion's pointed arches and crumbling stonework gave it a menacing vibe, as if it were glaring down at us. I glanced toward the entrance, spotting two figures waiting just outside the gate. One of them I recognized immediately—Xavier. He was dressed down today, in casual attire instead of his usual formal getup. Still, he looked every bit as composed as ever, arms crossed and expression set in his usual serious mode.
The guy next to him, though—that must be Atlas. My first impression? Cocky. He had that confident stance, leaning against the gate like he owned the place. Black hair styled into a curtain-mullet, piercing blue eyes that seemed to scan the area lazily. I noticed the faint smirk on his face as his gaze landed on us.
Phoenix didn't notice the attention right away—he was too busy flattening his hair down and brushing off his jacket. I nudged him with my elbow. "Oi, your boyfriend's staring."
He sputtered, his face going red. "He's not—shut up!"
I couldn't help but laugh at that, and it seemed to catch Atlas's attention because his smirk widened. Great. The last thing I needed was some rich, flirtatious guy toying with my brother. I didn't mind Phoenix having friends or even relationships, but I wasn't about to let him get hurt by some smooth-talking jerk.
We approached the gate, and Xavier gave us a curt nod. "You're late," he said, voice firm but not exactly annoyed.
"Yeah, sorry," I replied with a sheepish grin. "Blame the elevator. And the kid for being slow."
"Hey!" Phoenix protested, but I just shrugged.
Atlas pushed off the gate and walked up to us, his eyes lingering on Phoenix for a moment before shifting to me. He raised an eyebrow, clearly sizing me up. "So, you're Ace Anderson?"
"That's me," I replied coolly. "And you're the infamous Atlas, I take it?"
He didn't seem fazed by my tone, just grinned wider. "Infamous, huh? I'll take that as a compliment."
I wasn't in the mood for banter, especially not with someone who seemed way too confident for his own good. I turned to Xavier instead. "So, what's the story here? This place looks more haunted than half the jobs I've taken."
Xavier glanced back at the mansion, his expression never wavering. "It belonged to one of my father's business partners. The man died about a decade ago, but ever since then, people reported seeing shadows and hearing noises. We want to renovate it into a storage facility, but the workers refuse to step inside."
"So, it's not just abandoned. It's abandoned and cursed. Got it," I muttered. Atlas snorted, clearly amused, but I ignored him.
Phoenix, who had finally tamed his hair, looked up at the building with a mixture of awe and caution. "It doesn't just feel haunted... it feels wrong."
Xavier nodded, acknowledging the feeling. "We'll head inside and do a sweep. Ace, you lead. You're the expert, after all."
I glanced back at Phoenix, giving him a reassuring nod. "Stay close and keep your guard up," I instructed. He just gave me a determined look, his earlier embarrassment completely gone. I knew he was nervous, but he was good at hiding it when it mattered.
I walked ahead, pushing open the creaky iron gate, and led the group up the stone path toward the front entrance. The air felt heavy, thick with a sense of unease that seemed to ooze from the building itself. The wooden door groaned when I pushed it open, revealing a dimly lit foyer covered in dust and cobwebs. Atlas stepped in behind me, whistling low.
"This place is a wreck," he muttered. "You sure it's just ghosts?"
I didn't bother answering, instead taking out my tools—a talisman, some salt, and a small bell to detect disturbances. I handed Phoenix a lighter and some incense sticks, knowing they'd help calm the atmosphere. "Light these near the door," I instructed.
He nodded, doing as I said while Xavier and Atlas waited just behind us. I couldn't help but notice how Atlas's gaze kept wandering toward Phoenix, like he was making sure he was okay. Interesting. Maybe he wasn't as much of a jerk as I thought.
With the incense burning, I moved deeper into the mansion, my senses heightened. Whatever was lurking here... it wasn't happy we had come.