Midnight hauntings

Chase stumbled down the street. Some people looked at her and ran, some people thought she was a ghost, and that night, the pubs were filled with whisperings of the ghost. A long dark traveling cloak slid across the ground, as Chase Moor stumbled forward, unable to speak, her hair cut jaggedly, Red hair spilled out over a face marked with scars, hiding sunken eyes. She looked like a ghost, drowned and stalking it's prey, and no one dared get to close to her. She had been out here for nearly two days, taking shelter in random alleys, coming out at night. The whispers got louder. Sometimes they swore they heard her screaming, crying.. begging for her baby, and origins of what happened to her grew, a whole tale was spun, and the people in the area, were warned to not go out at night, or they may meet the pale redheaded woman, crying for her baby, wrapped only in a cloak.

Chase looked around the street helplessly. Someone must have alerted the police, for they were out, looking for her that night. Chase didn't know why, but she avoided them.. maybe because all she seemed to be able to do, was cry, and scream. Words were hard to get out, her mind was slow and weighted. Her tongue felt thick in her mouth, and she was dirty, but not dirty enough to hide her pale skin, coated with scars and fresh wounds. Blood was soaking through the cloak as Chase lay on the ground in an alley, behind an old dumpster, that never looked used anymore. The cloak was spread out on the ground, and she was huddled on it, her knees to her chest, shivering. Ghost.. they called her, and sometimes she wondered if she was.. had Felix killed her? Was she dead? People looked at her and ran.. people avoided her.. she wasn't a ghost though.. she could touch things.. and move things.. and eat things.. so.. why did they call her ghost? Where was her baby?

Chase stared at her hands, dark, empty eyes, barely taking in what she saw. Most of her fingers were broken, and had set out of place, so they were crooked and bent. Chase ran her fingers over her mouth, feeling the broken skin at the corners there, as though something had forced her to open her mouth far further then it should go. Chase was whimpering softly, rocking back and forth. "My baby.. my baby.." She whispered over and over, no tears left to cry, she was out of tears, and out of love. They had forgotten her, left her to die in the clutches of Felix... all of them.. they had abandoned her in his hands.. let him do what he wanted until he got bored, and thought it would be fun to throw her out in the streets, and convince the people in the area she was a ghost.. nothing more then a ghost.. Chase sobbed, tearless sobs, that racked her whole body. She was far skinnier then anything a person should be, and she was far paler then a vampire should be. Her red hair gleamed in the moonlight, and a clock somewhere far away, struck the time.

Counting, Chase realized it was midnight, and got up off her cloak, wrapping it around her for warmth, she moved to the mouth of the alley, looking out at the muggles with blank eyes, as they avoided the ghost.

Jack had never been one for timing, and she had never been one for being where she was supposed to. However, she was learning her off-timing and displacement sort of put her in the perfect position to save the lost. She was just wandering- as she always had, and as she always would, and as she should probably stop. Everything started out with this thought in the back of her head- explore.

Her explorations almost always meant something, in the end. It was like she had a homing beacon for trouble. Her brain knew there was trouble and knew where to find it and they told her feet without ever alerting Jack of what was going on. So Jack had learned to follow her feet, which had almost gotten her killed several times, but always managed to help someone else.

And that was when she felt her skin prickle, as she passed a shop and heard someone muttering about a strange girl down the street. She glanced down the road and saw a streak of red. Her heart cringed. Calvin had called about Jack just yesterday.. Jack hadn't known what to think, but this confirmed everything. And she had stumbled upon her again.

Jack began running, pushing people out of the way. The crowds were heavy for whatever reason, and she was brutal, ruthless, in her attempt to get to the faint figure. "Move!" she bellowed in some immovable man's face, before pushing him aside. Finally, she was free. "Chase!" And before Jack knew it, she had her arm's around her friend and was holding her tight.

Chase turned her head at the sound of her name. The crowd was thick today, and she stood staring at them pass. They pretty much avoided her, and it was midnight, but still.. she had heard her name. Chase turned her head around again, and was almost bowled over by someone nearly tackling her, hugging her. Chase cried out in pain, and nearly fell backwards, light flooding back into her eyes for a moment, her eyes turning to the person who had tackled her. Jack?! Here.. of all places.. she wasn't forgotten? No.. but she was.. he had said so.. she was forgotten.. they always forgot her.. forgot the little girl with no real place in the world. Chase cringed back, and took a step backwards. She kept shaking her head no, unable to to make words come out of her mouth. This girl.. she was a liar.. pretending to help her! Pretender! Faker! Coward! Chase screamed the words in her head, but no sound came out, and she just stood there, looking terrified, backing away from her, her wounds burning under the cloak, knowing she looked a mess, but unable to help it.

Tears along her lips, one eyes was mostly swollen shut, and seemed to be completely useless, a scar ran across her cheek, and her hair was cut short and horrible, she was scarred down her neck, where a bruise the same size as a man's hand, was wrapped around her throat. Cuts ran every which way, fresh ones, and old ones combined. "No.." Chase whispered, stumbling over the cloak, and hitting the wall, hissing in pain. "No... no... " She whispered and slid down the wall, shaking her head. She was terrified, cold, and confused, brainwashed, and exhausted, starving... Chase was nothing like she had been when she had been taken... well, she had been skinny, and depressed, but now? Now she was so much worse. "No... hurt me... no.. he'll hurt me.." She whispered and tried to crawl back into the alley, as though it was safer there. "Get you.. He will! He will! no.. go... hurt.." She whispered over and over, her voice hoarse and raspy, like something had given way in her throat that usually made her voice so happy and bubbly. Chase's eyes were dead, and cold, staring at Jack, fearful, and upset, having a hard time comprehending what was happening, or who she was.

Jack had seen Chase when she was laughing so hard, she thought Butterbeer would shoot out her nose. She had seen her excited and yet panicked as she swam towards the Loch Ness monster, and then away. She had seen Chase looking hurt as Jack told her that she would continue to protect the man who had killed Chase's family. She had looked bloodied and terrified as Jack stood between her and Vito. She had looked angry as she told Jack 'I told you so!' She had looked betrayed at the summer party. She had looked confused aboard the Hogwart's Express. Hurt, afraid, angry, small in the Hogwarts kitchen. Hollow in the owlery...

But Jack had never seen Chase like this.

As she approached, it seemed that whoever Chase thought Jack was.. .was despicable, disgusting. It's not pleasant to be looked at like that in any means, but from Chase... when they were finally friends again.. Jack didn't understand. It didn't stop her from going to her friend, shielding her from whatever terrors were haunting her.

She stumbled away but Jack didn't let go until she started to slide down the wall, looking terrified. Jack held her friend's shoulder, shaking her head. "Chase, you're safe. They can't get you. I'm here. I can protect you! I have before, I'll do it again." Jack didn't know what to do for her friend, but she knew who would. In a soft voice, she said, "We'll go see Calvin."

Chase whimpered and looked up at Jack. "J..Jack?" She whispered, her eyes slowly focusing on her friend. The light sparked again when she heard Calvin's name. "Calvin.. oh.. Calvin, he must hate me.." She whispered, sobbing tearless sobs, and rocking back and forth. "Jack.. it hurts... Jack... he got me... he hurt.. I hurt... " Chase shook her head, pain pounding in her temples, her right eye useless to sight, but still staring blankly. "No.. no.. you forgot me.. you forgot me... no.. go... no.. go away!" Chase whimpered, staring at Jack like she was her worst enemy, glaring daggers, hatred. "He took me! You forgot me! He... He.." Chase's head swayed, and fell back against the wall. She was shaking, and she appeared to have a high fever.

Jack.. she was helping her.. not hurting her.. think again.. think it over, when has Jack hurt you? "I can think of plenty of times... she abandoned you on the train, she left you for the man that killed your family.. she hates you.. she didn't like you when you were with Elijah.. she doesn't like you now.. she is pretending! She hates you!" The voice whispered horrid thoughts in her head, and she shook her head, basically rolling it back and forth on the wall behind her. "No... no.. Jack.. make it stop!!" She whimpered, and put her hands over her head, shaking uncontrollably. "Please.. Calvin... I need to say sorry.. I need to see... I love... I need.." She was completely incoherent now, just muttering words and phrases over and over, her eyes lolling in her head. She was driving herself mad, and her body hurt so badly, and she was so hungry, and so exhausted.. she was slowly letting herself go insane.

Chase was... Chase was more insane than Jack was right now. Something was going on, and Jack could not save her, because Chase needed saving from herself right now, and Jack did not know that she could help with that. "Calvin doesn't hate you! He cares so so much about you. He just wants you home. I know it hurts, but we need to get out of here, okay?"

And then.. Chase looked at her. And Jack had to take a step away, so dark was the hatred that was shining through at her. Jack's breath got shallow at Chase's accusations. To be honest, it was not fair- Jack had been worried about her, but she and Chase were no longer in constant contact, so the silence had not been strange until Calvin's call. And obviously, some part of Jack had been looking for Chase...

But when had things been fair? Every tragedy in Chase's life since the death of her family was partially Jack's fault. Vito said so, Andrew said so, Chase said so, and so did Jack. She could not tell her friend it was okay, that it was not true, but Jack had never enjoyed being a liar. "I'm here now, Chase. I've never failed to get you away from danger once I found you. Right? C'mon, let's get in this alley, and I'll take you to Calvin."

Chase whimpered. "He took me Jack.. he took me... he came in through the window.. he took me.. Katherine.. Katie... Katie! Where is she?! Katie! Calvin.. he doesn't know.. he took me.. he took me...Barker.." Chase said and her eyes fluttered. "He came in through the window... he took me... he.. he hurt me Jack.. dark thoughts.. no... stop!" Chase cried out, and held onto her head, as though it could keep her sanity in. "Calvin.. Calvin.. I need him Jack... He hates me... I miss him.. Katie.." Chase slowly stumbled to her feet, and looked at Jack, her eyes an odd kind of wild. The cloak had opened slightly to reveal blood soaking into the cloak, soaking the white shirt she wore with deep red and black, gashes along her stomach. Her hand came up to push a strand of hair from her eyes, showing broken fingers all along her right hand.

Chase looked at Jack, and bit her lower lip, but only one tooth bit her lip, because the other front tooth had been knocked out. "Jack.. he took me... he took me.." She whispered and fell forward, hugging her friend. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to hurt you! I didn't want to! I'm so sorry.. he took me.." She whispered, hugging her friend around the neck, sobbing uncontrollably, but still no tears would leak out. What appeared to be a blindfold, or a gag was around her neck loosely, and a rope fell like a bracelet from her wrist, Chase seemed to have just noticed the rope, and she yelled out, pushing it away from her, until it fell on to the ground and lay there, coiled slightly, and limp. Chase's chest was heaving, and her face had gotten pale, it was then that you could see something had bitten her.. a dog, or a snake, or some sort of animal, and she had a crazy look in her eyes. Infection, fever, pain.. mental unwellness. "I need help.. Jack.." She whispered and stumbled back over to her friend, hoping beyond hope this wasn't a trick, because it if was.. Chase would surely lose her mind.

It was very fortunate that Jack was not squeamish. In fact, it was rather convenient with all of the blood and gore and broken limbs she had seen. But perhaps it was convenience but rather conditioning. She had seen so much, none of it really shocked her anymore. She had seen herself resembling a lump of raw meat, she had seen plenty of others, and she was sure to see more.

Jack shook her head. "It's okay Chase. He can't hurt you now." Chase was on her own runaway train of thought though and she was not stopping anytime soon. She fell against Jack and Jack held her, as though afraid Chase would be ripped away by whatever monster was in her head, attacking her. "Chase, you haven't hurt me or anyone." Chase asked for help and Jack nodded, meeting her friend's gaze. "C'mon." She gently lead Chase down the alley, out of the eyeshot of the muggles, and turned on her heel, thinking hard about the place where Chase was loved the most, where she would be the safest.

Chase could feel herself calming down slightly. She hadn't hurt anyone.. they were okay... they were safe.. Her breathing came a bit easier, and she stopped looking around wildly, as though afraid of seeing him. Chase stared out at the people passing, all of whom were ignoring what was happening in the alley. Chase whimpered softly, and looked at Jack. She was going to help her.. they would be okay! She would be okay.. Calvin.. she had to tell him. she had to.. she had to tell him how much she loved him. Love him for being him, for making her smile, for being there.. for being her best friend. Elijah..

The name clouded Chase's face, and she frowned, biting on her lip with her one tooth again. It was obvious to see that she had been hit quite a few times in the face, punched.. slapped, sometimes with sharp objects that left old and bleeding wounds. Some of them healed sloppily, so that they were scars already, maybe they could get rid of them...but Elijah... Chase stared at the ground her eyes dead. Elijah.. that.. that... horrible... spoiled rotten... nasty... son of a b*tch... it was his fault! HIS FAULT! He would never see Katie... he would never set eyes on her again.. he would never be happy if she could help it.. he would never get what she had wanted so badly just before she was taken. No.. he had his chance, there was no apologizing now.. there was no I love yous... it was over, and she had to admit to herself that before she even could look at him. But no.. she didn't love him... it had taken so much for her to realize that, but now she knew.. she KNEW she didn't love him, he was just something she wanted.. and thought she needed, when really he was nothing to her. He didn't give her that pang anymore... she yearned for him.. she wanted him badly, but there was no love there.. only passion, and passion and love are two completely different things.

Elijah was dead to her.. they never met.. Katie wasn't his... in fact, she didn't know her father. She had been drunk one night.. and a few weeks later, missed her period, and realized that she was pregnant.. that was the story, and she was sticking to it. Her daughter wasn't a Krum, and never would be... he could see her, but she wasn't his daughter... he could tell her whatever he wanted to.. but Chase would shake her head and say he was crazy... her daughter would grow up.. knowing someone else as her father, and for a moment, Calvin's face flashed before her eyes. "Calvin.." She whispered and let Jack drag her down the alley, and before she could get her barrings, she was apparated away, away from that alley.. and into a whole new world, of light, color...

And Yoshi.