Hourglass → Ace; Nancy Drew [1]

xix. the funeral for cursed souls

Ace inched closer toward her to wrap his arm around her waist, giving her somewhere to lean on and a source of comfort in her clear nervous state. "Only one way to find out," he sighed, shrugging.

Pursing her lips, Olivia followed her friends through the hall. As desperate as she was to walk slowly and avoid confronting whoever– or whatever– was waiting for them on the other side of that door, the obnoxious banging only forced them to move quicker. The noise echoed through every inch of the ground floor, bouncing off the wooden walls and floors. It was loud, intimidating– it was something they should have been able to handle, considering the vast things they had faced. But after the draining events of the day, the violent banging sound only set off their agitated hearts even more.

The knocking was blaring by the time they had reached the front door. Olivia found it hard not to flinch with every hit. She sucked in her breath while Nick carefully pulled the door open.

"Mr. Drew?"

"What?" Nancy frowned from behind Nick, gently pushing him out of the way so she could climb to the front of the door. Her eyes widened in disbelief when she saw for herself. "Dad? What are you doing here?" His eyebrows were knitted together, eyes deep and shimmering with concern.

"You weren't answering your phone. We need to talk," Carson said through a shaky breath. Without questioning, Nancy moved aside so her father could step in.

"Is everything okay, Mr. Drew?" Bess asked, trying to make direct contact with his eyes, but they were too frantic and rigid to focus on anyone but his daughter.

"Before the Hudsons' party, I took a photo of you with my camera."

"Right... where are you going with this, Dad?" Nancy grew concerned, her mind darting to every conclusion it could find. In response, Carson dug his hand into his coat's pocket and unsteadily pulled out a polaroid.

"Oh my Goodness..." Bess' hand flew to her mouth as she gaped in disbelief.

"The Wraith," Ace muttered, eyes wide and shoulders slumped in shock.

"Wait... I recognize that..." Olivia stared closely at the dark figure that stood behind Nancy in the photo. Clad in a black cloak, its skin was like the fleshy wood of tree bark, and its sharp claws were latched onto Nancy's shoulders. Olivia squeezed her eyes shut, holding onto the image of it in her head. "In the forest-- near the bluffs."

"You saw it there?" Nick asked, confusion lacing his voice.

"I don't understand-- How did you survive?" Bess added, bewildered.

"No, I had a dream about it- maybe a month ago. Right before I met you guys," Olivia explained, her eyes glued to a wall as she still struggled to process all this information. "Wait, but this thing is attached to Nancy?"

"I got rid of the Wraith in the- in the woods..." Nancy stuttered. She was zoned out, almost dissociated as she spoke, too lost in thought. "I set the bus on fire and then I got away from it."

"It must have hitched a ride out with you," George mumbled, her voice dull as though she was pained to say the words.

"That's not possible. I would have known, right? I would have felt something." She searched in all her friends' eyes for support, for reassurance, but to no avail. Their sad expressions only left her feeling worse as the pit in her stomach grew.

"Whatever this is, we have to find a way to stop it," Carson interjected, urgency dripping from every word.

"We need to drive to the Historical Society," Bess declared, already making her way out the door.