Hauntings of Ruston: Kaytlan Wells

Warning: This contains murder, blood, and mention of alcohol. Please don’t keep reading if this bothers you.

I was driving home, after a late shift, when I reached a certain stretch of road. I was in a rather rural area and no homes lined this abandoned stretch of road. There was a curve at each end, but the middle was straight.

My headlights swept over the expanse of wilderness and something caught my eye.

A girl was standing by the side of the road, covered in blood.

I slammed on the brakes and was standing in front of my car in the light before I knew I had stopped.

“Honey, what happened?” I watched as the girl came nearer. The front of her was drenched in blood.

“Dad got mad at me.” She stopped outside the circle of light, her head bowed.

“Can I help you? Get you to safety?” I motioned towards the car. “I can drive you to a friend’s house or the police station.”

She raised her head and met my eyes. “It’s too late for that.”

Her eyes were black, two dark abysses with no distinction between pupil or iris. I sighed, knowing what this meant.

From a young age, I had been able to see the ghosts of murdered people. I kept it quiet as I knew I couldn’t explain and not get placed in an asylum. I had grown somewhat used to it over the years, but sometimes it still caught me off guard.

“When did he kill you?”

“About an hour ago. He’s drinking himself silly right now.” She stepped backward. “I should go. Forget about me and I’ll disappear.”

I walked towards her and touched her arm. “I’m the only one who can see you. Please, let me help you get justice.”

She turned to me. “You would do that?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to know I helped someone. I see too many people that haven’t been able to find justice.” I cracked a small smile. “Besides, it's not like I can get justice for most of them. They belong to other eras.”

She looked back at me. “I have run into a couple ghosts that looked like they belonged in a colonial reproduction.”

“You met some soldiers from the Revolutionary War. There is a battlefield near here and they like to hang around.” I motioned to the car again. “Let me take you back to my house and I can contact the police, give them an anonymous tip. That way they can start working on your case.”

She looked at my car. “Can I ride with you? I don’t know what I can and can’t touch.”

“I’ll open the door for you. You can sit in the seat.” I walked to the passenger side and opened the door. She walked over, then hesitated.

“Won’t I get blood on your seat?”

I shook my head. “Remember, you’re a ghost. You can probably change your outfit if you wanted to. Just imagine it and you’ll change.”

She shut her eyes and focused. Soon she was dressed in jeans, a bulky sweatshirt, and sneakers.

“Does this work for my hair? Can I turn it purple?”

I shook my head. “You have to remain you. You can change the style, but not the length or the color.”

She nodded. “Maybe being dead isn’t as bad as people make it out to be.” She climbed into the car. I closed the door and walked to the driver's side and buckled in. She reached over for the buckle, but her hand passed right through it.

I glanced over and smiled. “Remember, you’re dead. You don’t need a seatbelt.”

She blushed. “Right.”

I started driving, keeping one eye on the road and the other on her.

“What’s your name?” I glanced over at her.

“Kaytlan Wells. I’m 16.”

“Ok. I’m Isabelle Corte, and I’m 23.” I turned on my blinker and turned onto my street.

“When we get to my house, please don’t freak out. Several ghosts call it home and they are always excited for new faces.”

She nodded.

We rode in silence for a few moments then I turned into my driveway. The gate across it was illumined in my headlights, the large gilded monogram briefly blinding me. I put my passcode into the keypad and the gate swung open slowly.

The gravel driveway crunched under my wheels as I drove towards my house. The trees lining the sides shadowed the road and gave it an ominous feel.

I turned the corner and my house came into view.

Kaytlan gasped. “You live in a mansion!”

The four-story building did indeed qualify as a mansion. The stone behemoth was better described as the perfect house of horror, but it was home.

I parked in front of the massive door. “Welcome to my house.”

I got out and opened the car door for her. She stood on the front steps gazing upwards. I smiled at her reaction, then went to the back of my car and picked up my three bags of groceries. I placed them at my feet as I unlocked the door and shoved it open.

I picked up the food and turned on the entry lights. “I’m back!” My voice echoed through the stone hallway.

Kaytlan walked in behind me and stared at the decor. “Are you a millionaire?”

I closed and locked the front door. “Billionaire, actually.” I looked up the staircase. “Oi! I brought a guest! Stop being rude and get down here!”

The lights on at the top of the stairs flickered. “And why should we come down?” A male voice yelled haughtily back.

“Because I said so and you will get evicted if you don’t.” I turned to Kaytlan. “They’ll be down in a minute. Follow me and I’ll show you around.” I picked up the groceries and walked into the semi-modern kitchen, which was separated from the entry by three doors, a flight of stairs, and a ridiculously long hallway.

“Have a seat. I’ll introduce you to the dofuses as soon as they decide to show up.” I went about putting the groceries away.

As I closed the door to the fridge, a cold breeze blew through the room, twirling through my hair and ruffling my clothes.

“Finally!” I went to the island. “Guys, I want to introduce Kaytlan Wells. She got murdered an hour and a half ago.”

A shriek ended my statement. “We get to have a youngster here! Yes!”

Kaytlan had jumped at the sudden noise and paled, as pale as a ghost could get.

I went to her side. “Shush! Like I said, she's new. Calm down!”

The three males in the doorway cringed. One of them slapped another on the back of the head.

“Good job, Percy. I told you to be chill.”

Percy smiled. “But now we have someone to haunt with!”

I rolled my eyes. “Kaytlan, the loud one there is Percy, he’s about 150 years old. The one that slapped him is Curtis, 283 years old. And the quiet one is Darcy. He’s the oldest at 517. They are the resident tenants of my house.”

“You mean permanent additions. You can’t have a house this old that doesn’t have ghosts.” Percy smirked at me.

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Now that I’ve introduced you, chill out. I’ve got to see what I can do to help Kaytlan.” I raised my eyebrows at the guys. “You can stay in here, but the normal rules apply when I’m on the phone.”

They nodded.

I turned to Kaytlan. “Okay, for starters, I need you to tell me your father’s name and if he might still be home.”

She nodded, then gave me the particulars. I grabbed the landline phone off the wall.

“Darcy, do you think you can disguise my voice? Too many of the officers go to the restaurant and I don’t want them to recognize me.”

He nodded, then placed his hand on the phone cord.

I dialed the number for the police station.

“Hello, this is Ruston City Police Station, how may I help you.”

I took a deep breath. “The daughter of Floyd Wells was murdered tonight. It took place at her house. If you go quickly, you can catch the culprit.”

I hung up.

The four ghosts looked at me.

“Are you okay, Bell?” Curtis came to my side.

“Yes. That was just a little freaky, that's all.” I glanced at the clock. It was currently 2:14. Thank heavens I didn’t work tomorrow.

“I'm gonna head to bed. Kaytlan, you won’t be able to sleep so you can either hang out in my room, choose a room for yourself, or hang out with the guys.” I motioned to the trio.

Kaytlan looked over the three ghosts. “I think I’ll hang out with the guys.”

I smiled. “Ok. Let me know if you need anything. They can direct you to my room.”

She nodded.

I turned to the guys. “Make sure you take care of her. Show her a few of your tricks if you want. Darcy, please make sure they behave.”

The ghost nodded.

I glared at Percy. “No alarm clock at 5, understood?”

He just smiled and nodded. “I won’t do it at 5.”

I focused on Curtis. “Make sure Perc behaves.”

“Hey! He comes up with this most of the time.”

I rolled my eyes at Percy. “Sure he does. Goodnight.”

A chorus of “Goodnights” came from Kaytlan, Curtis, and Percy. Darcy just looked over and nodded.

I walked out of the kitchen and up to my room. I lived in the master suite, which was situated on the third floor. The fourth floor was considered the attic and the guys called it home.

My room followed the same layout it had for the past 100 years. Before then, it had been slightly different. The bathroom, when it was installed, had taken the place of the closet. So now I called a large wardrobe a closet and had a chest of draws that held my other clothes.

My bed was a large four-poster. There was a mountain of pillows that hid most of the headboard. The curtains, that I had insisted stay, were a white gauze fabric. The overall color in the room was blue with white and gold accents.

I loved my room.

Every time I walked in, I would glance out the large windows. Tonight the sight that met my eyes was a clear night, with the stars shining brightly. The lawn was an empty rectangle in the midst of the gardens. The front fountain shone, the water reflecting the stars.

I walked away from the windows and quickly changed into pajamas. I shoved my fast-food uniform down the laundry chute.

I crawled under the covers of my king size bed and shoved about a dozen pillows to the floor.

It wasn’t long before I fell asleep.

******************

The next morning, or rather only two hours later, I woke from a nightmare. My skin was covered in sweat and my heart was beating furiously. I sat up and looked around my room.

It was still dark. The moonlight had waned, but I could still make out the familiar shapes of my furniture.

A cold breeze blew against my face. I turned my head, and Darcy appeared beside my bed.

“Hey Darcy.” My voice shook and my throat felt raw.

“Are you okay?” His voice was quiet. He was shy and rarely spoke to anyone, even me.

“I’ll be okay in a few moments.” I pulled a couple pillows behind me and leaned back.

Darcy moved closer, but didn’t sit on my bed, being a gentleman. “Was it the same dream? You were screaming.”

I nodded and clasped the blankets tighter around me. “Every time I see a new ghost, I have the dream. It doesn’t matter that it was an accident. My brain still blames me.”

Darcy glanced towards my door. “The others are worried about you. I convinced them to let me check on you, but they will want to talk to you themselves.”

Shoving back my blankets, I climbed out of my bed. Sleep was elusive on a good day. After the nightmare I had, I wouldn’t be sleeping anymore.

I grabbed a comfy sweatshirt and snuggled in. Darcy walked behind me as I went to my door.

When I opened it, I was greeted by a worried Percy, Curtis, and Kaytlan.

“I’m okay. It was just a nightmare.”

Percy grabbed my arms and looked me over. “One that had you screaming.”

I forced a smile. “I’m okay, I promise.” I looked over at Kaytlan. “Sorry to have interrupted whatever you guys were doing.”

She smiled. “They were teaching me how to scare a person.”

“Of course they were.” I walked down the massive staircase towards the ground floor. The ghosts followed me, Curtis and Percy teaching Kaytlan to hover above the ground.

“This works great when you are in a lightning storm…”

I left behind Percy’s explanation and entered the kitchen. I flicked the lights on and turned on the kettle. I pulled my favorite tea out and prepared a mug with sugar and cream, waiting for the water to boil.

Darcy sat at the island and watched me, a silent spector.

After a few moments, the kettle whistled and I poured the boiling water over the tea leaves. I curled my hands around the warm cup and sat across from Darcy.

“What are we going to do once she gets justice?” Darcy’s question startled me.

“I haven’t thought about it much.” I tangled one leg underneath the other. “I want to help more people, I just don’t know if I can. I…”

“Don’t want to be reminded of what happened.”

I nodded. “Every time I meet a new ghost, I dream of my parent’s death. I could’ve stopped it-”

“No, you couldn’t have.”

Darcy’s interruption shocked me. He was always the gentleman, letting a lady speak first. For him to interrupt, it was serious.

“After you had the dreams a couple of times, I went to your old house and talked to the resident ghosts. They explained what happened. It wasn’t your fault.”

I sighed. “Those ghosts aren’t always trustworthy.”

“Even Rudolph?”

I froze. “I thought he had faded.”

Darcy smiled. “No, he was just watching from a distance. He told me that it wasn’t your fault and to not blame yourself.”

“Of course he would. But he won’t take the time to come and see me and tell me that he’s still around? Bloody typical.”

“Who’s bloody?” Percy and the others appeared in the doorway.

“Rudolph David Jameson, a former ghost friend.” I looked down as my phone dinged. “Wow. That was fast.”

“What?” Percy appeared at my side.

“The police have already released a statement concerning Kaytlan’s murder. They say that they have a suspect, but they are asking the caller to come in. And they’re offering a reward to anyone who has a clue to the caller’s identity.” I summarized the news article.

“Wow! Sign me up! 500 dollars! I’ll be rich!”

“You’re dead!” I sang, giving Percy a cheeky grin. “Money does nothing for you.”

He frowned. “I am offended that you would think I don’t have plans for using the money. I could buy all the bottle rockets I wanted!”

“Percy, you’re 150 years old, please grow up, and use the undead talents that you already have.” I rolled my eyes and took a big gulp of my tea. “OW! That’s hot!”

“It’s tea, genius.” Percy smirked at me.

“Don’t act all high and all knowing with me, buddy. Who’s the one that died from their friend drowning them in the outhouse?”

Percy froze. “You promised to never mention that!”

“I recall I said that I wouldn’t use it a lot.” Now I smirked at him, watching his discomfort as the others snickered, or in Curtis’s case, full out chortled.

Percy glared at me, then disappeared in a pop.

“Will he be okay?” Kaytlan asked, worried.

“Yes, he’ll cool down once I turn on his favorite movie.” I stood and walked to the media room, placing my mug in the sink.

It had once been the old sitting room, but I already had a parlor, so I wasn’t missing anything. I sat on the end of one of the huge couches and turned on the TV. The others sat next to me, leaving room for Percy at the end.

I pulled up Percy’s fav and sat back for a few hours of mindlessness.

About 20 minutes in, Percy slunk through the wall and sat on the end of the couch. I looked over and smiled at him and he gave a sheepish wave. We both simultaneously went back to watching the movie.

About halfway through the movie, I realized that my eyes were closing and getting heavier by the minute.

Darcy glanced over from his spot next to me. “Go to sleep. I’ll make sure they don’t burn the house down.”

I smiled, then fell into a deep sleep.

*********************

When I woke up it was well into the day. The TV was turned off and a fluffy blanket was tucked around me.

I stood, wrapping the blanket around my shoulders and walked through the house, looking for my guest and resident ghosts.

I found them in the kitchen, Percy and Curtis trying to cook, Kaytlan watching the disaster unfold, and Darcy actually making edible food.

“You guys do realize I’m one person, right?” Percy and Curtis whirled around, guilt etched on their faces.

“I was trying to make this to apologize for last night…” Percy began.

“And I wanted to help him…” Curtis interrupted.

“And it just went downhill from there.” Kaytlan explained. She tried not to smile at the mess that had exploded all over my kitchen.

I sat at the table placed in the corner of the kitchen. Darcy placed a plate of eggs and toast in front of me and I sighed.

“Next time you try to make breakfast, please start with something simple? French Crepes are not the way to go on your first attempt at making an apology breakfast. I appreciate the sentiment though.” I took a sip of the coffee Darcy handed me.

“How do you know what she wants all the time?” Percy was truly puzzled.

“I pay attention.” Darcy started cleaning the dishes he had used for my breakfast. “And if you use your observation skills, you’ll know that she would really like it if you cleaned up the mess you made.”

Percy and Curtis looked sheepish. They started cleaning up the batter and the burnt crepes on the stove.

“Don’t miss the batter on the ceiling.” I commented as I started eating my eggs.

“What? How did that happen?” Curtis muttered to himself as he floated up and started scrubbing with a rag.

I watched their efforts and finished my breakfast. “Darcy, would you mind overseeing this hazardous waste removal? I need to talk to Kaytlan.”

Darcy nodded.

Kaytlan and I walked to the living room, which had been the formal parlor at one point.

“Kaytlan, I want to talk about your future.” I sat down and motioned for her to sit on the couch next to me.

“What about it?”

“After your father is arrested, and he will be, you’ll start to fade. When justice is done, your presence here will no longer be allowed.”

“You’re gonna kick me out?” She sniffled.

“No! I would never do that! It's just...When your father killed you he created a rift, making it possible for you to stay here. But when he is arrested, the rift will close and you will fade away.”

“Is there any way I can stay here?”

I put my hand on her arm. “I’m sorry, but no.”

She nodded. “I understand.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.” She stood and walked to the door. “I’m gonna walk around outside for a bit.”

I stood and went to the bookshelf. “I wouldn’t suggest leaving the gardens. It's easy to get lost past that point.”

She left and didn’t answer me.

I browsed the bookshelf for a minute, but nothing interested me. I had slept long enough that I couldn’t catnap. I thought about my options for my activities.

I smiled, having found something to keep me occupied for a while.I ran up to my room and changed into jeans and a sweatshirt, brushing my hair out quickly, then I ran to the kitchen.

“Guys, I’m gonna take a drive. I’ll be back at least by supper time, if not before.” I grabbed a set of keys, my wallet, phone, and sunglasses, then opened the outside door.

“Be safe!” They shouted in unision. I rolled my eyes at their predictability.

I went out to the carraige house and glanced over the array of cars. The last one in line was my favorite.

A sky blue mustang. I pushed the button, raising the garage door in front of it, and slid into the leather seats. The black interior and tinted windows were not exactly neseccary, but I liked them.

I rolled down the windows and gunned the engine, letting out a whoop as I flew down the driveway. The gates opened automatically and I sped onto the road.

The insane amount of curves in the road kept my speed below the limit. When I hit the town, I was sure to stay below or at the speed limit, not wanting to draw too much attention to myself.

I drove through town until I saw the street that Kaytlan had lived on. I turned on and drove down the street, stopping across from the taped off yard. A police car sat next to the yard so I figured that either an officer was looking at the scene with fresh eyes or they were gaurding it from trespassers.

Either way, they weren’t a problem.

I had spotted a ghost lingering around a house a few yards over so I got out and walked over. I took out my phone and snapped a few pictures of the fall trees lining the street.

The ghost glanced over at me and I smiled. Most of the ghosts I had come across in the town had heard about the lady in the mansion that could see ghosts. They kept an eye out for me and I often had an escort around town.

The ghost drifted over and stopped beside me.

“Isabelle Cort?” His voice was surpisingly deep and had a rich southern accent.

“That’s me.” I glanced around and checked to see if anyone had seen me talking to thin air. No one’s around. Good.

“I heard that you’re helping the young lady of last night.”

“Yes.”

He motioned towards my car. “May we talk in there? I have some information you need to hear.”

I nodded and got back in. I watched as he drifted through the door and sat on the passenger seat.

“What do I need to hear?”

“I was wandering through the police station last night and I overheard them talking. They are certain that Kaytlan’s father is guilty, they’re just waiting for the warrant for his arrest. But that’s not what’s concerning.”

“Please continue.” I twisted so I was resting my back on my door.

“The detective that was assigned to the case wants to find you. He’s quite eager to find out your identity and how you knew what happened.” He frowned. “He’s been asking around. I’d be careful.”

I bit my lip. “Of course.” I looked over at him. “Do you think that I should continue helping ghosts?”

He smiled sadly. “I know that you can help the more recent ghosts, but for most of us, it is too late. But don’t let that deter you from doing what you can.”

I nodded. “I’ll be sure to do what I can. Thank you for warning me.”

He nodded and disappeared.

I took one last look at Kaytlan’s former house and then started the car. I began the drive back to my house, my thoughts whirling.

When I pulled up to my front door, I turned off the car and ran inside the house.

“Darcy!” I looked around me and he appeared in front of me.

“Isabelle, what’s wrong?” He came forward and took my hands with his.

“If I started helping other ghosts find justice, would you help me?” I looked up at him.

“Of course.” He smiled down at me. “I was wondering how long it would take you to make this desicion.”

I smiled and punched him in the arm. “You knew I would do this, didn’t you?”

“Yes. You’re slightly predictable.” He stepped back. “We should tell Percy and Curtis. They’ll want to help.”

The two ghosts appeared in the doorway. “Help with this new ghost detective agency?”

I rolled my eyes. “You knew as well?”

“Duh.” Percy said. He wrapped an arm around me. “You never would have let someone else suffer.”

I looked around the room at my friends. “Where do we start?”

{Sorry this is late! My computer was not connecting to the internet and then I lost part of this story. Anyway, what's your opinion? Do you want me to continue this? Comment below with your opinion!}