Fallen Angel: Ghost
by Ghost
Angel and Wesley arrived back at the hotel, parking the car around the back of the building. Opening the back of the car, Angel lifted the girl up, hoping that she was still unconscious- she didn’t move, so he assumed she was.
As they walked through the doors, Cordy came rushing down the stairs, and stopped, staring at the girl.
“You brought her back?” She gaped. “She’s really, really dangerous! We can’t have her stay here, she might kill us!”
“Too bad,” Angel told her. “She needs help. Besides, Wesley says he can keep her from doing magick.”
“I said I could decrease the fatality of her spells,” Wesley replied, carefully setting the book he had used back on its shelf before taking out a different one. “Angel, take her up to one of the rooms. I’ll be there in a minute.”
As soon as Angel was out of sight, though not out of earshot, Cordy began to shout at Wesley.
“You can’t stop her from using magick? Do you know how dangerous she is? She’s hurt, and afraid, and angry. You should know by now that angry people shouldn’t be allowed into this hotel!”
Angel sighed, entering his room, deciding not to wait for Wesley’s answer. He softly laid the girl on his bed, over the sheets, and pulled a chair over next to the bed. Sitting down, he examined her more carefully.
She had full lips, and a soft nose and chin. A complexion as pale as Angel’s own startled him slightly, but he knew she wasn’t a vampire. She wore worn clothes, though they weren’t particularly dirty. She wore deep blue jeans that were ripped at the knee on one leg, and the ankle at the other. A black turtleneck that Cordy would approve of adorned her upper body, and Angel noticed a silver glimmer from her wrist. He lifted up her arm and caught a glimpse of a silver band with markings engraved into it, but the girl awoke and jerked back, jumping off the side of the bed opposite from where Angel was sitting.
“It’s okay, don’t be frightened.” Angel slowly rose from his chair, preparing to stop her if she tried to run, but the girl only back up more until she bumped into the wall. “My name is Angel. I’m trying to help you, there’s nothing to be afraid of.” The girl simply gave him a frightened stare with deep, navy blue eyes. “What’s your name?” He prompted.
She opened her mouth slightly as her hair fell into her face; she didn’t bother to push it back. It appeared as though she might’ve been glaring at him through the mask of hair. Closing her mouth again, she swallowed and answered him.
“Ghost,” She simply said. A moment later she jumped as Wesley entered the room, looking down at his book.
“Uh, Wes,” Angel said urgently. He didn’t need to set of Ghost again- he wasn’t looking forward to the mess the hotel would be if she started spell-casting again. Wesley glanced up and duplicated Ghost’s flinch, surprised to see her awake and- temporarily- under control.
“Oh, well, hello,” he said, not sure how to act. Ghost’s deep eyes gave him an accusing stare, then her gaze flicked back to Angel.
“Wesley, this is Ghost. Ghost, this is my friend Wesley.” Angel emphasized the word friend, then wondered if it was the right thing to do- if Ghost decided she didn’t like Angel, then she wouldn’t act to kindly to his friends.
Ghost stared at the book in Wesley’s hand. Making no motion with her lips or hands, the book jumped out of his grasp, splitting down the middle, sending pages flying everywhere. Wesley gaped, horrified, but Angel gave him a warning glare.
“No magick,” the girl stated. “Not for you, anyway.” She snatched a page out of the air- Wesley recognized it as the one he had been ready to read from. She rumpled it into a ball, hiding it in her palm, then shook out her hand, dust floating to the floor. Wesley let out a small moan, barely managing to keep from retaliating.
“Ghost, um, that wasn’t really necessary. We aren’t going to hurt you.” Angel willed her to see the truth in his eyes.
“Yeah, you’ve said that before,” she snapped. “Repetition isn’t gonna make me believe it. Especially not with that spell book.”
“I- I can explain the spell book,” Wesley said, staring sadly at the remains on the floor. “We were afraid you would- um- start destroying everything in sight again. I was going to cast a spell that would render your spells less potent.”
“Leave me defenseless. Yeah, that really makes me feel safe.” Angel felt it before it started- the change in the air, the slight decrease in temperature. A cold rush of air flew in the closed windows, shattering the glass. Ghost’s hair floated around her face, and the air for about an inch around her was glowing bright blue. Shaking, the girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath, biting her lip, obviously making an effort to calm down. The wind toppled the chair that Angel had been sitting in, blowing it into Wesley. He tripped, and caught himself as the chair was blown out the door and down the stairs, making a lot of noise.
“Angel? Wesley? What’s going on up there?” Cordy’s voice called from below, getting slowly louder as she made her way up the stairs. She walked in the door and gasped at the broken glass, and glowing Ghost. “I told you!” She cried.
“Yelling is not a good idea right now,” Ghost told her. Her voice sounded odd, like two people were speaking simultaneously. Biting her lip harder, a trickle of blood ran down her chin. The girl began to float into the air, bobbing up and down like she was riding a bucking horse. The lamp on the bedside table shattered, and the spell was broken- Ghost tumbled to the floor, and the wind came to an abrupt stop. Panting, the girl struggled to her feet, giving an annoyed look to the three companions, though Angel recognized it as one containing fear as well.
“Hi, I’m Cordelia Chase. And I yell whenever I feel like it.” Angel moaned and put his head in his hands as Cordelia gave Ghost a smile that introduced her as superior. He could already tell that they were going to get along so well.
“Your death,” Ghost mumbled. “I’m Ghost. I’m also leaving. Goodbye.” Ghost walked past Cordelia, who had stepped forward slightly, and towards the door. Angel quickly stepped in front of her, crossing his arms and doing his best to look commanding; now was not the time to try and be gentle, he realized. This girl was far to feisty for that.
“No, you’re not,” he said, holding fast as she stared up at him. She wasn’t actually that much shorter than him; maybe three inches or so, just below Wesley’s height. “You’ll hurt yourself.”
“I can handle pain. Get out of my way.” Ghost tried to push past him again, but Angel caught ahold of her right arm, the one he had seen the bracelet on earlier, pulling her back in front of him. He noticed she winced slightly, just enough so that he could see it, so he loosened his grip. She still looked uncomfortable, but he certainly wasn’t going to let go.
“Let go of me,” she said in warning.
“I don’t really think you’re going to go back into crazy witch mode,” Angel replied, “Because I can tell you don’t enjoy it. I know I haven’t given you any reason to trust me, but perhaps you can get that chance. Stay here, for one week. After that, I won’t try to keep you; you can go or stay as you please.”
The girl’s eyes glittered as she thought about his proposal. Angel knew she was going to say yes. After all, she didn’t really have a choice, and she wasn’t the type to show that she was weaker than someone.
“Fine,” She snapped. Ghost yanked her arm out of Angel’s grip, and for a moment he was able to see the silver bracelet again before her sleeve fell out of it. Backing up a few steps, Ghost looked reproachfully at the three companions. Her expression grew soft as she mumbled, “Hey, um, do you happen to have food?”
Angel had to supress his grin, instead just showing a small smile. “Yeah, come on downstairs.” He turned and began to walk out the door, but Cordy’s sharp voice stopped him.
“Angel, may I have a word with you for a moment, please?” She asked. Sighing, Angel turned glared at Cordelia.
“Wesley, could you get some food for Ghost, please?” Wesley nodded, and left the room, followed by Ghost. Angel inwardly smiled when he heard Ghost say, ‘sorry about your book, by the way.’ Unfortunately, Angel had to deal with Cordelia before he could follow them.
“Cordy-” Angel began, but was cut off.
“Why the hell do you want her to stay here for a week? She shouldn’t be here for even a day! You saw her, she’s insane! She’s dangerous!” Cordy’s shouting was loud enough that Angel knew it would be heard downstairs. He tried to shush her, but- “You could’ve chained her up, or something! And Wesley should put some sort of spell on her to keep her calm! You saw what happened when she got angry!”
“Cordy, she needs help,” Angel said. “That’s what we do, remember? Help people. Besides,” he added, quietly, “it’s your fault.”
“My fault?!” Cordelia scowled at him, and it looked like she was resisting the temptation to slap him. “It’s not my fault I get the stupid visions! You think I like the pain?”
Just as he was losing hope he would never shut her up, Angel thought of something. “Look, if you really don’t like her that much, you could always quit.”
“I- I-” Cordy’s mouth hung open. Angel smirked, knowing that she would never quit- the pay was too good. “I’m going out,” She finally managed, poking his chest. She stomped out of the room, heading downstairs. After a few moments, Angel followed, to make sure Ghost wasn’t destroying his kitchen.
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