Nightmares Vs Magic

Turns out Sirens can throw their voices, not just have them reach far distances across the ocean or make them travel with the wind. The Sirens who disguised themselves with this widespread fog have been doing patrols around the neighborhood. Their hearing is sensitive but the same can't be said for their vision. I was upset that they didn't warn me earlier about the handprint I marked with tape, but I stopped to think- If you're able to hear everything going on in a busy neighborhood, it must be difficult to differentiate the sounds and voices for the ones you're looking for. 

For now, I can trust that they are with me currently and hence can see everything I'm seeing since the voice said he had my back. I'm assuming 'he' since I only know about the two Siren gentlemen who came with us on this case, and the voice sounded masculine. Yet at the same time, oddly soothing and soft. I like people who speak softly, like people from the early or mid 1900s. I liked the way Nancy spoke too, not as soft but more pleasant and audible than any modern speaker.

She did as the voice instructed and did a patrol to explore the rest of the neighborhood, but not without Bence first giving her a flashlight. 

"It's stronger than the one on your phone, and you need to save your phone's battery." He told her. 

He also gave her gloves with spikes on the knuckles, despite her reassurance that she would be fine. As Claire had commented before, nearly everyone stays up at night to have their own little parties or quiet hangout by the fire pits scattered around the community. The only reason he didn't give her a legitimate weapon was for several reasons:

1. He didn't know if Dove was experienced with a knife, but he did know that in a place where look for content to put on the internet to gain attention, a person with a pocketknife certainly would have given them ideas. 

And 2. The batons that her and Joon were given on the Sennentuntschi field case were only test runs and so the interns wouldn't be receiving them again soon. 

Surprisingly, the atmosphere around this community when it was near dark was actually quite calm and relaxing. From the way Claire had described, I expected music, dancing, drinking, and of a lot of recording or camera shutters. But this was actually kinda nice. I bumped into the same guy earlier. I told him I was just doing some patrolling; it looks like he still felt embarrassed- or- guilty, about the evidence tampering earlier, hence why he seemed to be keeping me company. 

I could forgive him just fine. 

If pranks are done often here, and if the residents are in a permanent influencer mindset, it's understandable for an actual prank to go that far. And next time, I plan to use a more official marker.

"Introductions may be late, but I'm Dove, an intern shadowing Bence, the guy you met earlier. May I have your name?"

"Nathaniel, that Bence guy looked kinda cool. I liked his outfit. It was like a neat yet rugged suit."

She hummed agreement with a rare cheerfulness, happy that someone else also admired Bence's outfits. The way he dressed was oddly unique in words she couldn't find yet. 

Practical and presentable, mysterious but approachable, like he always made sure to dress like someone anyone can feel comfortable around yet also give the message that he does not want to be disturbed or annoyed.

"Did you move here recently? You don't exactly to act like everyone else. Apologies if that makes me sound shallow."

Nathaniel chuckled, looking down as they walked. 

Everyone sort of had to still. Normally, even on cold nights, people were still able to at least see their foot in front of the other. With the fog, and some tripping hazards, people have been moving more slowly.

"No, I get your point. I moved here for work, I mean-so did everyone else- but I moved here because my company literally told me to. I'm in marketing and in charge of my company's channels and other social media sites."

"Really? Wow, I didn't even know companies did that." She said as they passed by each of the groups hanging around the fire pits.

Some were being lit up while other pits had already been ignited. Nathaniel steered them away from another group who were each holding objects and lighting the fire pit, talking about how each of their items would burn. He told her they were the ones who liked doing "experiments". It was in that moment she was almost glad Joon wasn't here with them.

"Mine does. My managers are the ones who give me ideas usually or topics for my videos and pictures. I market for a travel and vacation company by the way, I can give you my business card if you like?" He said, hand motioning to reach into his pocket. He likely always had business cards to give out. 

"It'll be good to have the number of a down-to-earth-person who lives here, just in case we ever have to come back." She said as her excuse to reassure him she did want the business card. 

He chuckled again and reached into his side pocket, pulling out one of his business cards that were all embossed and handed it to her politely. She held it up, using some light from her flashlight to read it as they stopped walking. 

'Blissful Travels'- 'The go to travel planners for all your questions and concerns regarding a break from life.'

The card had those words in bold, white cursive fonts, like it was mimicking clouds. The background was that of a tropical-ish beach, palm tree and all. And on the back, was Nathaniel's contact information. He was labeled as Blissful Travel's advertisement and Sales representative. I think I really could use this card at some point.

Dove pocketed the card into her back pocket and gave him a thankful grin. 

"I don't travel often but I might one day use your number from this card."

"Of course!" He chirped. 

He then rubbed the back of his neck as the conversation fell into silence, or more, Dove could tell there was something else he wanted to say but felt hesitant about it. He was looking away, the lines of his mouth thinned, until he looked back and saw her face expecting and silently urging him to bring up whatever he was being reluctant about. 

"Something wrong? Why are you getting so nervous all of a sudden?" Dove asked him, but she was also sort of testing him.

Testing to see if he too could see some of the things beginning to crawl out.

Dark figures with spider-like bodies and humanoid faces peeking out from crevices. Some eyes peeking out from beneath the wood planks of the deck they were walking on. A smile, blinking as they clinked their teeth together, just above someone's roof and seen from afar, standing there with four legs- or- arms. The smile was crooked.

She looked in each of their directions, keeping silent as she looked back to the puppy-eyed guy.

He merely shrugged, letting out a nervous chuckle. "Well, I admit I don't often stay up late like this, umm, but umm, when you were with Claire, did she say anything about me?" They stopped walking.

She watched him shiver with a sudden cold breeze, but that was mostly caused by one of the large spider creatures with a human face crawling over, breathing over his shoulder. Dove recoiled a stiffened hand and sharply jabbed its face. He flinched at her hand moving sharply behind his head.

"Mosquito." She wiped her hand on her chest just as a gesture for her excuse as she looked behind Nathaniel, watching as the spider with the now bruised human face make this pitiful wincing sound and back away, its claws making light taps against the ground.

Not haunted.

But so easily flustered this one. He was blushing and acting shy just from his thoughts that he got distracted, seemingly tripping on air, or something else unexpected.

Dove grabbed the back of Nathaniel's shirt to try and steady him, only to remember too late that his shirt was unbuttoned, and he slipped out a bit. He didn't fall on his face at least, just on his kneecaps.

She knelt down as Nathaniel composed himself on the ground, keeled over and kneeling wincing. 

"I'm sorry! Are you alright?"

"It's fine!" He said, his voice a pitch higher. His smile a crooked and nervous one. "Don't apologize! I just tripped. It was nice of you to try and help me."

She frowned, well- she didn't frown because of this response, but because of what she found as she knelt down beside him. 

A phone that appeared to be one of the older smartphone models, the screen was cracked, and it had scratches. The most disturbing detail was when she picked up the device, her fingers came into contact with droplets of water.

It was soaking wet and covered in grains of sand. Someone threw it into the ocean most likely, based on just the mere salty smell. If not, oh, I sincerely hoped that if it wasn't thrown, that the liquid at least was just water. It was cold and smelled salty, but you never know. Aside from that, if someone had an old model phone and then threw it away, there must be some heinous stuff on here. 

"Oops!" The same voice said. "I didn't mean for him to trip on it."

"You should just stop this fog and come out already. It's been a nuisance for everyone." Dove muttered under her breath, barely above a whisper but mostly in the hopes the Siren accompanying her could hear it. 

"Did you say something?" Nathaniel asked as they stood up. 

She held the old device by the corner, letting it dangle in between her fingers. Her face was studious and slightly disgusted.

"Do you happen to know anyone here who lost their phone? Or would want to throw it away?"

"It doesn't belong to any of the residents here." The Siren's voice said. 

He spoke at a frequency only I could hear, since to me it was loud and clear, but when I asked Nathaniel if he heard anyone, he shook his head. It didn't make sense, but then again there may have been stories about Sailors hearing a song no one else in the crew would hear. I am certainly one of the haunted folks alright, to hear things no one else can. 

Dove passed her flashlight to Nathaniel, allowing him to hold it for a bit.

Looking crazy may look normal today but I didn't want to test anything, so I took out my phone. As if on cue, the Siren with me in the fog mimicked this sound of a ringtone. 

"Oh! Looks like you got a call!" Nathaniel exclaimed after hearing the illusioned sound. 

They nodded to each other as he went to give her enough space, using the flashlight helped him walk easier and be less nervous in his steps. Dove put her phone to her ear, saying hello as she still held the old, scratched up phone by the corner. 

"I only just now picked it up, and just like the handprint you marked but lost, this one had fingerprints before the water smudged it."

"Ocean water, right?"

"Obviously. If it wasn't water, I wouldn't go near it. Anyway, it's hard to see at first but there are fingerprints on it. I'm pretty sure it's a burner phone given how all the residents here only have the latest or current models."

"But what if some residents did have old phone models for vintage content or what-not, and they just decided to throw it away after being done with it?"

"Not likely, the selkies who hang around the community have reported that as annoying and hubris as these people may seem, they aren't messy. They clean up after themselves or at least hire someone to do it. Even if a person did have one, it would likely be sentimental, and they wouldn't throw it away."

"So, it really is another burner phone?" Dove frowned and whispered to herself, before responding in a normal volume. 

"You're saying this burner phone might have belonged to that stalker we're trying to find?"

"And likely one that fits puppy-eyed-guy's description."

Dove hummed in response, putting the pieces together in her head until she noticed the fog around her feet beginning to thin. Looking around, she noticed that the fog around the area actually suddenly got lighter. 

"... Is this your doing?"

The voice didn't respond, and the fog kept thinning. 

"... Did something happen? Are you still with me?" She asked, her volume a tad louder, phone still to her ear. 

"... Stay put with Nathaniel. I'm going to check on Calder."

So, Calder is the name of one of them.

"Wait, why?"

No response. she dropped the act, her arm going limp and letting her phone fall swinging at her side in her hand. The burner phone in her other hand she held up to her face, before going back to Nathaniel now that her conversation ended. He helped to point the flashlight at the burner phone, and just as the Siren who was just with her had said earlier, fingerprints.

Smudged, and fractured by the cracks on the screen but it was still something to work with. She pocketed the burner phone, along with her own, and picking up the flashlight again.

 "Do you happen to know anyone who may be using a burner phone?" She asked him. 

He shrugged, scratching the back of his head.

"Sometimes, for props or when no one can find any other substitutes for walky-talkies in their videos. But I don't think anyone of them would throw away a prop. I know this place looks neat but that's because most people here don't want to risk throwing away any props."

She hummed to herself, remembering the new instructions she was given and decided to keep looking for clues while staying away from danger just as the Siren instructed. 

"Mind introducing me to the other residents here? I might as well try asking about this." She used the burner phone to point to the other crowds mingling around the fire pits. 

It was really coming to life, with some pitching open tents made from nets that neither Dove nor the others would have noticed when coming to this beach. Makeshift seats were made as the party goers grew, and even light, gentle music was being made when a couple brought acoustic guitars and some began to sing. It seemed like everyone had already gathered there.

However, a presence could be felt behind the two, and both Dove and Nathaniel turned their heads to see a new, currently sheepish looking face. He raised his hands up in defense after they both turned to face him.

"Woah! Hey! Sorry to scare ya, just kinda been meaning to talk but, didn't know how." He said in a convincingly nervous tone. 

Dove squinted suspiciously at him. 

"Funny choice then to approach us from behind, but I suppose we're all awkward at social interaction." She tilted her head at him with testing mockery. 

Getting a closer look at him with a careful and polite shine of the flashlight, he had a musky appearance to him. Hair that was pulled back and looks wet, no shirt, a smooth face but a closer look and Dove could see some bits of blemishes on his face, not that she would comment. The oddest detail was his choice of pants. Not swim trunks or athletic shorts like the other guys here. They looked like jeans, the thicker fabric kind that had wide cuffs with shredded edges from being worn down. 

"Yeah, I don't really socialize much!" He said, scratching the back of his neck. "But um, I noticed you had my phone! I've been looking for it actually." He pointed hastily to the device, his hands jittering slightly. 

Dove recoiled, staring blankly at him. "Ah, I see." She took a pause, holding it up. "I do apologize but I had believed this was evidence for a case my team and I are working on."

He groaned, making a sheepish expression as he slouched. "Oh man! I really hope you didn't go through it then! It's ah, got a lot of embarrassing photos on it."

She looked him up and down, back down to the phone, then beckoned for Nathaniel to hold the flashlight for her. Simultaneously, she used her free hand to pull her own phone out of her pocket. 

"Just one moment please, allow me to ask the person I'm shadowing about this burner phone." 

He lunged at her, hesitantly, hand outstretched but reluctantly recoiling as his breathing pattern changed. 

"Ah-Wait! S-sorry. Sorry, it's just, it's really embarrassing!" 

"Relax, I'm not going to reveal its contents. Just going to ask permission before returning it to you. I'm not the one in charge." She said in a calm voice, typing a text message on her phone.

Still, he looked ready to lunge at her, even with the number of people that could see them, though, admittedly, most of the other people there were quite distracted. 

She squinted at the screen, holding closer than farther from her face, before then turning the screen to Nathaniel. 

"Sorry, could you turn the brightness down for me? My hands are busy."

Nathaniel nodded, looking at her screen, his eyes searching the screen up and down, before trying to delicately use a finger to carefully adjust the brightness. His finger shook, trying to be careful, and likely from the chills as he rubbed his arms afterwards, his whole body beginning to shiver. 

"I'm gonna go run to my place and get a coat. Mind if I borrow this? I won't be long." He told her, gripping it more tightly. 

She nodded, and as he left, the other man reached for the burner phone again. She took a few quick steps back. 

"Ah ah. Sorry, but I wasn't given permission to give it back to you. I might be able to if you were to unlock this phone for me and let me see the photos." She offered, as if metaphorically giving him a carrot on a stick to follow. 

He nodded almost too eagerly, looking around before quickly finding a spot and urging her to follow him to where he was pointing. 

"Yeah, yeah! Sure thing, just um," He looked around and saw the people nearby, then said out loud. "I guess it's taking me a lot of trust to just give you my password, to my phone, and show you photos that make me feel really vulnerable."

"If you're worried that I'm going to show them to someone, then we can go somewhere else."

"Oh! Good idea yeah!" He eagerly nodded. "Cause these photos are like, really, embarrassing!" He said as he beckoned her. 

"Makes me curious what you did to this poor camera." She said as she followed him, holding onto the phone rather loosely, ready to hand it to him as soon as they get to the secluded spot. 

In another part of the neighborhood, Nathaniel didn't really need the flashlight to find his way anymore. The fog and mist had completely cleared, and no one seemed to notice just yet. He began to feel nervous, walking faster before jogging into a full sprint, making his way to Claire's house. 

Her lights were turned off, with Bence standing outside the house. He was pacing from side to side, on his phone that kept ringing. He let out a quiet, frustrated groan when the sound in the phone eventually went to voicemail option. 

Nathaniel nervously cleared his throat, not wanting to bother the aggravated man, but he needed his attention. 

When Bence turned his head to see Nathaniel, he frowned upon looking down at the flashlight in his hands, then back up to Nathaniel's face. Now tense. 

"I thought I gave that to Dove earlier." He said audibly, urging the guy to explain. 

Nathaniel gulped, nervous. 

"Umm, Dove let me borrow this. She told me to come here and get you or someone named Anne? Said that she 'found your guy'?" 

Bence's eyes widened, alarmed all of a sudden and stepped down the steps of the porch, heavy footsteps walking towards the guy. Nathaniel put his hands up in defense. 

"You're not lying, are you? Because if she did somehow find our suspect already, I should've been informed of it by now."

"I-I don't know why you weren't then- She just told me to hurry and get one of you!" 

He stood just a foot away from the guy, studying him. 

"If she was with the suspect, which you now know is a stalker that we are trying to protect your neighbor from, why would you leave her alone with him? And do be careful with your words because you also made yourself a suspect after erasing evidence that we had earlier."

Nathaniel sheepishly shrugged, unsure how to answer. 

"I-I don't know, I got nervous. I-if you think I'm lying, just let me show you where I left him with her! She told me in secret! I didn't know what to do!"

He squinted down at the nervous guy, before turning around to go up and knock on Claire's door. The door opened to Annabelle swinging it open, looking excited.

"Is he here yet?!"

"No. But I'm gonna need you to be more vigilant and watch over Claire and her house alone while I go check on Dove."

Annabelle tilted her head, her wide toothy smile nearly twitching as she leaned against the door, watching Bence pat down his pockets. 

"Why? What happened to Dove?"

"Likely left alone with some stranger." He answered simply, turning to Nathaniel.

"Where was she? Lead me to her." Annabelle blurted out before Bence could. 

He turned to her, about to speak before being interrupted again.

"By the fire pits, but I'm not sure if they moved. Listen, she told me to hurry so-" Nathaniel answered frantically. 

Before Bence could even say anything to either of them, Annabelle darted out of the house.

"Switch!" She screeched as she darted towards Nathaniel, grabbing him by his open flannel shirt, and dragging him with her past the houses to the beach site with the fire pits.

The necromancer looked to the door then to the path where she took off and dragged the guy towards, flabbergasted, groaning in frustration, before then settling his hands on his hips as he sighed loudly at the night sky. 

"Fine, you're faster anyway."

"Hello! Nancy's starting to fade!" Claire's voice called out, having Bence to go inside and check on their poltergeist.

After trading places with Bence, the young lady was practically making Nathaniel float behind her until they got to the beach, and he was able to steadily stand on his own two feet again.

The poor guy was dizzy, catching his breath and trying to steady his vision as he leaned a hand on Annabelle's shoulder for stability. Meanwhile, she was squinting and looking around the place, noticing pitched up canopies, groups of people singing and talking, but no signs of anyone with silver hair. 

"Where else could she go from here?" 

"Umm, I don't know. The message said that um-" He coughed, chest rising and falling quickly still. 

"The note she gave me just said something like 'Don't read this out loud, go to Claire's and get Bence or Anne. Hurry.' And just 'find me where the fog ended', but I had zero clue what that meant."

Annabelle's widened as she also just now begins to notice the lack of mist. She surveys the area again and sees no mist, and when she looks down at her tennis shoes, she can see them clearly unlike just a couple hours ago. Everything is completely clear. Even one of the residents passing by can be heard commenting about it. 

"Whoever turned on their fog machine earlier should probably go check it's battery, or if someone unplugged it. That shit was just getting funny!"

The young lady spun around and planted her hands on Nathaniel's shoulders. 

"Our coworkers who came with us and started the fog!" She whisper-yelled to him. "They suddenly stopped; she went to go find them and likely led the suspect she found to follow her. He must've tried to attack her." 

Nathaniel's puppy-eyes widened in surprise, then panic. He threw his hands onto his head and threw his head up, groaning in panic. 

"I should've stayed with her!"

"Hey!" She lightly knocked him on the head. "Focus! I'm talking to you!" She held him by the shoulders again, regaining his unnerved attention. 

"Our friends who started the fog, they stopped, and yet Bence didn't get any call or message from them about it." She continued to think out loud, and even though it was clear the guy wasn't completely understanding what she was talking about, she didn't really care. She was the type who needed to have her thought process done verbally. 

"Dove went to go find them."

"But why didn't she just call you or the other guy to come here instead?"

"You're right about that, why didn't she?" She looked to the side, pondering, before letting go of Nathaniel. 

"We'll think on that later! Do you know any hiding spots around here? Not anywhere near the community, I'd have heard or seen her then."

"Uh, there's I think a gated area somewhere but it's a long walk, and honestly not worth going to, with all the bugs and messy shrubs. It's not pretty-"

"Hold on!" She blurts out, noticing a buzzing from her coat pocket. Light coats with inner pockets were very useful, even with all the running, she didn't have to worry about losing any inventory. 

On her phone screen, there was one text message for her from Dove. 

'The hills.'

Once again, without warning or explanation, she grabbed Nathaniel by his shirt, but not in a menacing way, just aggressive adrenaline. 

"Quick, where are the hills?"

"Y-you mean the part of the beach that's closed off? It's a pretty far walk from here-"

"Point in its direction!" 

He did as he was told, pointing to an extended, far-off part of the beach that had some hills, conveniently high enough to block anyone's view from whatever is past it. 

Just like before, without warning, Annabelle grabbed Nathaniel and bolted off, not caring for anyone passing by or standing around the beach, just dodging past them. Too fast for anyone to take their phones out and record.

The hills and the place surrounding it was where the uglier parts of the beach began, not at all visually appealing for any influencer or tourist. Once you get to this area, the path to walking around the hills is difficult to find. Once you do however, you'll find the gate with the 'No Trespassing' sign. Just be fast enough and you'll find it.

Nathaniel wheezed, keeling over to rest and catch his breath as Annabelle studied the area, tapping her foot as she looked around impatiently. 

"I don't see her, or any strange man anywhere!" 

"Maybe-" The guy kneeling behind her wheezed. "They're around the hills, at the gate?"

She looked over her shoulder at him. 

"What gate?"

He coughed lightly, panting for air as he looked up at her from his spot. 

"Around these ugly hills is a gate with a 'No Trespassing' sign, no one comes here. It's the perfect hiding spot; don't know why she'd bring the stranger here though."

"Well, doing cases away from the public eye is more preferable in our field of work." A handsome voice said out of nowhere. 

Annabelle whipped her head around to see one of the Siren gentlemen from before, the one with the greenish wavy hair. The voice she heard was a smooth, lighthearted teasing tone, and the voice Nathaniel heard was relaxing to the ear like ocean waves. He was enchanted just as quickly as Claire was before, albeit less in a smitten way and more in a speechless, admiring way. 

The Siren looked like he was also catching his breath from something physical earlier, one hand holding his ear as he leaned against the hill, like he was suffering from a painful headache. Sweat could be seen dripping down his forehead. 

"Come on, Dove found the stalker we're looking for, and-" He turned his head to Nathaniel, who sucked in a sharp breath as soon as he was noticed. 

"You, do you mind helping me carry someone?"

"He's down already? Mean! I wanted to break him!" Annabelle exclaimed.

-

They had returned to Macabre House, with Bence's bottomless suitcase coming in very handy, dumping out the multiple pest repellant devices onto the empty table in the mirror room. Along with those devices, they also brought Claire and Nathaniel back with them. Claire was holding her 1950s, haunted mirror box so that Nancy could have a background check, and Nathaniel was helping the green haired Siren carry his passed-out friend to the apothecary floor. This left Bence to drag the perp they've been looking for, by the back of his collar, all the way up the stairs, and to the mirror room. 

"He made that look oddly easy." Annabelle muttered to Dove as they both sat in the waiting room of the apothecary floor. 

Dove wanted to stay and check to see if the Siren she now knew as Calder was alright. She was quite disturbed to find him passed out on the ground, caught in the most peculiar yet trap she had ever seen, trapped in a snare like some kind of animal, surrounded by these devices. They looked harmless, silent, and yet he appeared to be in so much pain from being near them, clutching his ears and unable to move from the snares. 

The girl looked down, staring at the picture on her phone of one of those devices she found surrounding him earlier, like some strange barrier. 

"Ultrasonic Pest Repellant." She said finally. 

Annabelle hummed beside her, tilting her head.

"And those are...?" She dragged on the last word, curious. 

"A weapon that can hurt a Siren, only second to a military-grade sonar that is strong enough to harm dolphins and whales." She frowned as she read the information on her phone. 

"For someone to have figured out the perfect device to use against a Siren would have required knowing the target very well..."

Which felt disturbingly familiar to me.