haunted

Chapter 4: everything stays

Off camera, Leah says, "We don't know why she hasn't moved on, but I have a few theories."

"Straight off Wikihow," Fatin adds.

"They didn't need to know that."

"Hey, we're truth-tellers above all else."

Leah scoffs. "Yeah, right."

"I'm editing that out of the video." Fatin swivels the camera around the room, stopping at the staircase. "So far there's been no sign of Jeanette tonight, but we haven't checked upstairs yet. Leah, would you like to do the honors?"

Leah is already standing at the foot of the staircase. "I'd love to," she deadpans.

Fatin angles the camera lens back to herself, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "What Leah doesn't know is that I'm letting her act as my personal meat shield, just in case Jeanette tries to murder us."

"I heard that." Leah leans against the handrail. "And Jeanette's not going to kill us."

"You don't know that. She could be a complete basket- Wait." Fatin comes to a halt in the middle of the living room. She points her flashlight up at the ceiling. "Do you hear that?"

Leah strains her ears, and picks up on the faint sound of rhythmic thumping upstairs.

"Yeah." Leah chews on her lip, a nervous tick. "Not sure what it is, though."

Fatin hums thoughtfully, placing a finger to her lips. This is the most effort she's put into the investigation so far. Leah raises an eyebrow. Maybe working together won't be so bad afterall.

"Do ghosts fuck?"

Leah chokes on air.

Fatin, with her usual air of indifference, barely spares her a glance. "You good?"

"I can't-" Leah breaks into a coughing fit.

"Breathe?" Fatin nods. "Me either, smells like shit in here."

"-fucking stand you," Leah finishes, gasping for air.

"You're a terrible liar," Fatin replies easily. "Also, we're still rolling. Get it together girl, and make it quick."

---

After Leah recovers, they take the stairs to the second floor. As they walk, Fatin continues shooting footage of the house, and speaks at random, "It's cold as shit in here." She drags her feet up the last few steps and slumps against the wall once she reaches the top. "And the A/C isn't even on."

Leah's half-listening, distracted, scanning their surroundings for anything off-putting. "Hm?"

"God," Fatin says, tone layered with exasperation. "Keep up. I'm freezing my tits off here!"

"Oh." Leah blinks, taking a moment to grasp why Fatin's upset, and turns to face her. "It's just Jeanette."

"What." Fatin scoffs, "She can control the weather now?"

"Not exactly." Leah fidgets with her cardigan sleeve, resisting the urge to pace the length of the hallway. It's a habit borne out of a need to keep busy rather than one driven by nerves. She figures Fatin won't care enough for the details, so she keeps her explanation short and to the point. "Ghosts process energy differently than humans, and that allows them to physically manifest in the material world."

Leah turns away to keep searching for Jeanette, but Fatin surprises her by asking, "How?"

"There's no clear-cut answer-"

Fatin sighs, "Of course there isn't."

"-but it's theorized ghosts suck up the energy in the room to power themselves, which causes fluctuations in energy levels."