Chapter 5: Day In The Life

The night air was crisp, the sky inked in a deep shade of blue, speckled with stars. The Mayor's mansion stood tall and pristine, its grand structure exuding wealth and power.

Ethan flexed his fingers as he slipped on black leather gloves, his pulse steady despite the absurdity of what they were about to do.

"Are you ready?" Kara whispered beside him, eyes glinting with mischief.

Without hesitation, Ethan nodded. "Make me invisible," he murmured.

Kara chuckled softly, then whispered, "Liet vias."

The spell swept over him like a cold breeze, and just like that—he was gone.

Ethan wasted no time, darting across the yard. Cameras were the least of his worries now. He approached a slightly open window, pushing it wider with calculated ease before slipping inside.

The mansion was just as he expected—modern, expensive, and curated for someone with a taste for the finer things. Art pieces adorned the walls, statues stood like silent sentinels in the dim light.

He moved swiftly up the staircase, his footsteps soundless against the plush carpet. Family portraits lined the walls, capturing carefully curated memories. He noticed Elaine, or rather, her absence in most of them.

"Explains why she's such a bitch," he muttered under his breath.

At the top of the stairs, he hesitated. He had no idea which way to go.

"Why go left if I can go right?" he mused before rolling to the right—only to nearly knock over a fragile vase perched on a decorative table.

Swallowing a curse, he dropped into a crawl, making his way toward a door at the end of the hallway. Just as he reached it, a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

Elaine.

Ethan shifted toward the slightly open pink door, peeking inside.

Elaine lay sprawled on her bed, clad in pink silk pajamas, her phone pressed to her ear. Her expression was one of exaggerated irritation.

"Blue is such a bitch!" she whined.

Ethan rolled his eyes. Of course.

"I swear, she thinks she's some kind of superhero or something," she continued.

Ethan's patience wore thin. She had no idea what Blue had been through. What they all had been through.

"I think she kidnaps kids for the prize money, this is the second time they've found one."

His irritation flared. "She found your brother for fuck's sake," he blurted out without thinking.

His eyes widened.

Shit.

Elaine sat bolt upright, her phone slipping slightly from her grip.

"Who's there?" she demanded, her voice sharp and shaky.

Ethan held his breath, unmoving, invisible but painfully aware of how close she was.

"Elly?" the person on the other end of the call spoke up. "Are you okay? Should I call the police?"

Elaine exhaled sharply, clutching her blanket. "No… it's okay," she muttered, her voice uncertain.

She collapsed back onto the bed.

Ethan took the opportunity to slip out and continued his search.

Finding himself in front of two large doors, Ethan pressed his ear against them. A hushed conversation carried through from the other side.

The Mayor's office.

He strained to catch more, but the words were muffled. Another time.

He moved along the hall until he found a door labeled "Leo's Room." He carefully twisted the doorknob and stepped inside.

The room was decorated in an astronaut theme—glowing stars on the ceiling, a mobile of planets above the bed, and walls painted a deep midnight blue.

Leo lay curled beneath his blanket, breathing softly in peaceful slumber.

Ethan's chest tightened.

He looked fine. Safe.

He ran a gentle hand through the boy's hair before beginning his search for anything that might indicate otherwise.

Nothing.

After a thorough but careful search, he found no signs of distress. No hidden messages. No bruises.

Just a kid, sleeping soundly.

Ethan sighed, pleased.

By the time Ethan returned home, exhaustion clung to him like a heavy cloak. The house was dark, empty—nothing new.

"Aria," he called, stepping into the kitchen.

Silence.

His eyes landed on the disaster before him, and his jaw slackened.

Melted ice cream pooled on the floor. Milk cartons left open, their contents spilled across the counter. Frozen pizzas and lasagnas sat forgotten, thawing into a mess. Every single door on the fridge stood wide open.

And then there was the candy trail leading upstairs.

Ethan sighed. Of course.

"Aria!" he called again, stomping up the stairs.

No answer.

In his room, he found nothing except a crumpled piece of paper on his desk. The cursive handwriting read:

"Gone out to look for food."

Ethan crushed the note in his fist.

"Fuck."

****

Sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting golden streaks across the floor.

Aria stared at her reflection, a golden-haired enigma, slowly running a brush through her locks.

Her mind was elsewhere.

'Could these people be linked to the phantom cases? Everyone here is either a werewolf or ghoul.'

A knock interrupted her thoughts.

"Come in," she said, setting the brush down.

The door opened, revealing Sebastian, a fresh set of clothes in hand. He placed them on the bed.

Aria turned in her seat, tilting her head. "Could you perhaps get me a bigger room? Small spaces make me feel uneasy."

Sebastian quirked an eyebrow. "Would you like to take a walk in the garden instead? Might help with the… confinement."

She considered for a moment, then grinned. "Okay."

Once dressed, they stepped into the vibrant garden. A sea of colorful flowers stretched out before them, their fragrance mingling with the crisp morning air.

Aria knelt to examine one particularly striking bloom. "Hardin hasn't told me what you guys do here," she remarked.

Sebastian studied her. "And why are you so interested?"

She smirked. "I'm the kind of demon that, when told not to do something, immediately wants to do it more."

He chuckled, amused. "Alright. I'll humor you."

He gestured to the flowers. "If you can name all of these, I'll tell you what we do here."

She deadpanned. "So never."

He smirked. "I'm offering sensitive information."

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Fine. Give me three days."

"Good luck," he said smoothly, before walking away.

Aria watched him go, her curiosity deepening.

Whatever they were doing here… it was something big.

****

"You look like shit," Ethan remarked as he and Blue made their way to the student council office.

"I know," Blue replied flatly, her eyes heavy with exhaustion. "I spent all night studying."

Ethan cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "I've got some bad news."

Blue raised an eyebrow, urging him to continue.

"Aria's gone."

Blue stopped in her tracks, her expression turning fierce. "You lost the devil's granddaughter?"

Before they could talk more, a nerdy girl burst from the council room, crying. She scurried past them. Ethan and Blue exchanged a glance before turning to the door. "We'll talk about this later," she whispered lowly.

They strolled in confidently.

The student council meeting room resembled a boardroom, its long table draped in a black cloth. Five girls sat behind it, their gazes sharp and unyielding. The air was tense.

Ethan and Blue sat on the two chairs stationed in the middle of the room.

A girl with curly brown hair raised her gavel and banged it against the table. "The meeting with the Occult Club has begun."

At the far end of the table sat Elaine, her arms crossed. She shot Blue a look of utter disgust.

The student council president, Mallory, adjusted her glasses as she flipped through the documents in front of her. "So, what was the reason you started the Occult Club?"

Blue put on her best smile. "To help people."

Ethan, sitting beside her, observed the subtle tension in her jaw. 'Yeah, she's still pissed,' he thought.

Elaine scoffed. "How? As far as we know, the Occult Club was created to investigate the unknown, not to provide… help."

"That's true," Blue admitted. "We do investigate mysteries, but we also assist people in the process."

Mallory leaned forward. "How exactly do you help?"

Blue took a breath, ready to explain, but Mallory cut her off.

"Not you." She pointed at Ethan. "The Korean boy."

Ethan, who had been completely zoned out staring at a large mole on the secretary's face, blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

Elaine smirked at his cluelessness. "She's asking how you help people."

Blue resisted the urge to slam her head against the table.

Ethan, still catching up, scratched the back of his head. "Uh, we offer free services like ghost hunting, exorcisms, palm readings, and protection charms."

The council girls burst into laughter, their cackles bouncing off the walls like a pack of hyenas.

"Ghosts aren't real," Elaine sneered.

Blue's lips curled into a knowing smirk. "Then why do we perform exorcisms?"

Elaine faltered for a moment before recovering. "That's exactly my point."

Blue shrugged. "Ghosts may not be real, but some people believe they are. If they think they're haunted, they can't sleep. By performing exorcisms, fake or not, we give them peace of mind. That's how we help."

Mallory nodded in understanding. "I see…"

Elaine scowled. "Don't tell me you're actually buying this bullshit."

Mallory adjusted her glasses and fixed Elaine with a pointed stare. "Elaine, please mind your language. This is not one of your father's campaign meetings."

The other council members snickered. Even the Occult Club members enjoyed the jab.

Clearing her throat, Mallory picked up the club's file. "The Occult Club shall remain operational. Given that you helped find two missing children, disbanding you would hurt school morale."

Blue relaxed slightly.

Elaine, however, leaned back in her chair, unimpressed. "But the school's budget is running low. You'll need to find a third-party sponsor by next week. If you don't, the club will be shut down."

Blue's relief was short-lived. "What? We don't need a sponsor. It's not like we go on school trips."

"I'm sorry," Mallory said, sounding genuinely apologetic. "But all clubs are required to have a budget, even those that don't travel. That's the rule."

Ethan, surprisingly unfazed, grinned. "Alright. We understand."

Mallory gave a small smile. "Meeting adjourned." She banged the gavel.

As they stood to leave, Blue exhaled in frustration. Finding a sponsor in a week? That was going to be a nightmare.