The Meliora Grand Presents...

'Twas a dark and gloomy night...

Storms had rolled in and caused a green glow to the already grimy city. Unusual weather activity had surrounded the area for weeks. You felt goosebumps on your arms as a bolt of lightening struck the skyscraper down the street. You closed the curtain from your Livingroom's window. You enjoyed gloomy weather, but even you had noticed the unrelenting overcast. You shake your head, sighing away the thought as you open the newspaper to do the crossword as you get ready for your shift at the Meliora Grand Theater.

The front page had been reporting of electrical issues since the odd storm rolled in. Many monopolies had been losing money due to the inactivity from their plants lacking enough power to run. You had heard of rumors that an apparition had been seen around the areas, but you didn't believe in spirits.

It wasn't an issue until you went to work at the theater and the power went out while you were in the catwalk above the stage, at least. Standing in pitch black, you heard footsteps. You were the only person up here, so naturally, the hairs on the back of your neck began to raise.

"Who's there?" You shone your phone's flashlight in the direction of the steps, and no one was there. Thoroughly creeped out, you hurried to gather your cleaning supplies and left.

"Have you heard of the power outages? Do you really think it's a spectre?"

Your co-worker loved to gossip when the theater was slow.

"Nah, I think its just the weather."

"But what about the footsteps you heard on the catwalk?"

"That was probably just some kid trying to get into that Devils gang. I saw two people with the leather jackets on not too far from here that day. They probably have some kind of initiation game going on." You sipped from your drink nonchalantly.

"That's a pretty intense initiation task, dontcha think?" they questioned.

You shrugged your shoulders in response, "Test of courage I guess."

You flipped the page in your magazine, and staring at you was a painted skull. An advertisement of Papa Emeritus III was on the page with his new moving picture, Square Hammer. You knew the actor was coming to Meliora Grand for the premiere, and you were not looking forward to the prep that had to be done.

Days had passed since the catwalk encounter, and the theater had made preparations for the premiere. The front page of the newspaper read

"'Square Hammer' To Debut At Meliora Grand Tonight".

You had dressed in your uniformed black shirt and black pants for the premiere. You went into work early to make sure everything was running smoothly, and you had the chance to meet Papa and his ghouls before the crowds gathered.

Already there, Papa Emeritus III was at a table in one of the greenrooms, pre-signing autographs the theater was planning on selling.

"Hello," You shyly ducked your head in an awkward nod, "I have more posters they wanted signed."

"Ah, hello. Yes, thank you." Papa was curt with his greeting, but diligent with his work. "I have a question. What -er, What is your name?" He seemed to have caught himself, as if he was going to ask his question but remembered his manners.

"Y/N"

"Y/N, yes, very nice name. Y/N, would you tell me about this electrical problem going on in the city? I arrived a few days ago and caught the newspaper boy on the corner. The headlines read 'Spectre Wrestling Oligarchs'". His hands were in the air, emphasizing the headline.

"Yeah, um, I dunno..." You had your opinions but you weren't going to share with a celebrity.

He gave you a look, expecting more from you. His heterochromatic stare, unwavering. You gave a sigh, breaking.

"Look, I'm going to level with you. The leadership here...is pretty... clandestine. People have been going crazy because of this weird storm that's lasted for so long. It's caused a lot of electrical issues and they just want a scapegoat for their failure to keep buildings up to code. They've let this gang called the Devils run free, and I wouldn't be surprised if they hired them to do some damage to cover things up. I fully expect this premiere to be sabotaged by them."

Papa nodded as he took in everything you said. "Well, Thank you for that insight. I'll keep my eyes open for any....shenanigans." He gave you a knowing wink and a smile.

You nodded and left the greenroom, getting back to your duties. You felt embarrassed. Thinking back to your admission, you knew it sounded like a wild conspiracy. He must think of you as crazy.

Hours passed and Papa had left to make his entrance with his ghouls. During this time, you had walked the theater, performing a fast security check. No back doors propped open, and you didn't run into anyone that wasn't supposed to be where they were. Your fear of the premiere going south had eased away.

Now, you were watching Papa and his Ghouls wave to the crowd in the auditorium and he spotted you standing in the back. He pointed to you and gave a thumbs up before taking a seat. You were enjoying the movie until you saw something flash from the projection room. Hurrying, you left to check on the projector. To your horror, you saw sparks emitting from the machine, and the film was beginning to melt.

You heard screams coming from the auditorium and saw bats flying and attacking the crowd. The auditorium cleared out, and the bats left the theater into the sky. You stood in the lobby dumbfounded.

"You seem to have a good head on your shoulders. Right on the square."

Papa came up behind you, acknowledging the conspiracy you had admitted to him. Though you weren't right about the Devils being behind it, something even more sinister was. The both of you ran outside to see the bats form a body over the city, illuminated by the moon. The spectre the papers had been printing had revealed itself, as if an act of taking over. It's eye shone brightly, and you now swore up and down that Ghosts were real.