Demons, Witches, and Toads (BoyxBoy)

Ghost Stories

The tower's atmosphere had changed immensely thanks to the addition of more alcohol being provided. The rambunctious group of teenagers now sat huddled in a circle at the center of the room, all listening intently to Robin Wires. His wand, which was casting an eerie yellow glow in the darkness, was pointed under his chin to shadow his face.

"And then," Robin said in a low voice, "the ghost....ATE HER!"

A few giggles followed this.

Robin's eyes narrowed. "Hey...why the hell are you guys laughing? That was a good ghost story."

"Because it was lame. A good ghost story needs to actually be scary," Violet said icily, setting down her drink.

"Well then," Robin snapped, "If you're such an expert why don't you tell one?"

"Fine," Violet shot back. "And I assure you, my story is going to be way better than yours." Her gaze darted across the students watching in eager anticipation. "Mine is actually true after all."

As if emphasizing her words, a flash of lightning suddenly illuminated the room, followed by a loud crash of thunder.

Violet lowered her voice to a whisper. "I bet you guys didn't know this...but there's a legend that the academy is haunted." She smirked, scooting closer towards the center of the circle. "Centuries ago, there was a beautiful prince. He was adored by his people, but no one loved him more than his chief royal advisor. The advisor fell madly in love with the prince, but that same love soon grew into a dangerous infatuation. It reached the point where he was willing to do literally anything for the prince, which eventually would lead him...to...his...doom." She paused for dramatic effect and Wheeler found himself waiting with bated breath for whatever she was about to say next.

"There was a group of lower level advisors," Violet continued. "And somehow, the royal advisor got it into his head that they intended to assassinate the prince. He attempted to prove it, but the prince didn't believe him. The royal advisor became obsessed with exposing them as traitors to the crown, but was never able to provide proper evidence. Slowly, his mania began to create a rift between him and the prince. It grew so horrible that the prince had his chief royal advisor removed from his service."

The room had grown dead silent, the students clinging onto Violet's every word.

"But," Violet continued, her voice growing lower still, "if anything, this caused the royal advisor to sink further into madness. He began to believe that the only way to save his prince was to take matters into his own hands. So, he snuck back into the castle one night when the advisors were mid-meeting and started a fire...burning everyone in the room alive!"

A series of gasps rang out at this, echoing off the tower walls.

"When the prince found out, he was horrified. He had the royal advisor immediately executed. Legend has it that the prince was so disgusted by the advisor that he couldn't even bring himself to look at him as his head was severed from his body."

Wheeler squirmed at the mental image despite himself.

"The prince didn't want the royal advisor's body buried at the castle grounds and it's said his bones were scattered about the forest outlining the academy." She cast them a thin smile. "And that's why his spirit still haunts these lands, unable to rest until the prince he once loved forgives him."

As Violet finished her story, the only sounds that could be heard throughout the tower was the shrill howl of the wind and the pounding rain outside.

Violet smirked, glancing at Robin. "See, I told you I could tell a better story--"

And that's when there was a sudden tap on the window.

The group of teenagers froze, exchanging nervous glances.

"What the hell was that?" Priscilla hissed.

Robin shrugged. "Probably just a tree branch."

"It can't be a branch," Violet countered, her voice tight. "We're a hundred feet in the air. What tree around the tower is that tall?"

"It could've blown in from the storm and struck the window," Wheeler pointed out.

That seemed to relax everyone a bit.

"Okay," Priscilla said, letting out a low exhale. "You're right. That does make sense--"

And then the sound came again. A single, clean, knock against the glass.

Terrified, the students' attention snapped back to the window, only to see nothing but thick sheets of rain pouring down in the darkness.

Wheeler swallowed hard, trying to ignore the flutter of panic in his chest.

"Come on guys," Robin said slowly. "We're not babies. We all know ghosts don't really exist--"

The words caught in his throat as a hand suddenly began to rise up from outside the window, its palm reaching out towards the glass.

Shrieks rang out, echoing through the tower as the students frantically sprung to their feet, scrambling towards the door. Throughout the commotion and panic, Wheeler found himself petrified, unable to move as a nauseating dread churned deep within the pit of his stomach.

Another flash of lightning illuminated the world for a fraction of a second - and as it did, Wheeler saw a face at the window.

The terror struck fast and hard, a raw, desperate horror surging through him.

Staring back at Wheeler through the rain streaked glass was a face identical to his own, as if he was looking into a mirror.

The boy in the window flashed him a cruel smile, bringing a single finger to his lips as a crash of thunder sounded.

And that's when Wheeler finally turned and ran, racing from the tower as fast as his legs could possibly carry him.