Dark Realm 7

“Hey dorks,” Mike appeared behind them. He threw his arms around Joy and Brinley.

“Gross,” Joy shrugged away from Mike.

“You know you want me.” Mike winked at Joy.

“Yeah, sure, if I wanted a corpse I’d go to the cemetery.” Joy snapped.

“Whatever.” Mike pulled Brinley close. “How did your night go?”

“Back off,” Joy pulled Brinley from Mike’s embrace.

“What’s your problem?” Mike smirked.

“There is not enough time on earth to tell you what my problem is.”

“Will you two quit it?” Brinley opened the door to Kimball Hall. Brinley took a seat and flipped through her notes.

“I’m sorry, Brinley. Mike pisses me off so much.” Joy settled next to Brinley.

Brinley laughed. “I know.”

Joy shrugged. “We should hit the books after class.”

“Are you going to ignore me?” Mike leaned close to Brinley.

“That’s the least I can do.” Brinley glared at Mike. Something made Mike slowly sit back in his chair. He did not speak for the rest of the class.

“I have no clue why you like him,” Joy whispered.

Brinley chewed on the end of the pencil, watching the professor write on the board. Lost in her thoughts, Brinley did not feel Mike lean close to take a big whiff of her hair. “You smelled like roses.” Mike chided.

Brinley pulled away from him. “What in the fuck,” Brinley spun around to glare at Mike.

“Michael, is there something more important than what I’m teaching?” The Professor stared at Mike.

“Uh, no,” Mike cleared his throat. “Sorry,” Mike fidgeted in his seat.

“I’d pay attention if I were you. You’re not at the top of the class.” The students laughed.

“Yes sir,” Mike fidgeted in the seat. “If you stayed in your car, then why do you smell like fresh roses?”

“Leave me the hell alone. I’m still pissed at you.” Brinley hissed.

Mike didn’t speak again until the end of class. “Come on baby I was pulling your chain.” Mike wrapped his arm around Brinley as she exited the building.

“I’m not your baby. I’m sorry,”

Using her palm, she hit Mike in the chest with such force he stumbled backward. “I thought we could chill but I don’t need you in my life. Complete half of the final assignment. I’m done fuckin with you.”

“Not true I fucked you the other night,” Mike pointed at Brinley.

Brinley took a step toward Mike, but Joy pulled her away. “He is a jerk we know that. Come on, he’s not worth your sanity. You’re a true asshole.”

Brinley glared at Mike. Her right hand itched.

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t die of hyperthermia. It was cold last night. “I was coming to get you. Can’t you take a joke?”

“Yeah, you’re so funny,” Joy added.

“Mind your business, Joy.” Mike stomped away.

“Bastard,” Brinley stared in the direction of Mike’s retreat.

“Are you all right?” Joy touched Brinley’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“I’ve never seen you like that.”

“He pushes my buttons.”

“Yeah, I can see that. Did ya give him some?”

Brinley looked away.

Joy laughed.

“Joy,”

“I’m sorry.” Joy rubbed her nose. “Was he any good?”

“Eh,” Brinley replied. “I guess he’s a bit pissed off, huh?”

“It’s better to be pissed off than pissed on, right?” Joy opened the door and allowed Brinley to step inside the classroom. “I love you, Brinley.” Joy linked her arm with Brinley. “And you know Mike is a complete dick. I bet he doesn’t have the balls to go up there alone. And if he encountered Maggie, she’d spit him out.”

Brinley burst out in laughter. “I bet Maggie would spit him out.” Brinley sat in her chair.

During most of the class, Brinley barely paid attention. She could not get William out of her head. Deep inside Brinley fought the urge to return to the manor.

“Earth to Brin…hello?” Joy snapped her fingers.

“I’m sorry, what were you saying?”

“Where are you?” Joy raised one of her blonde eyebrows.

“I’m sorry,” Brinley shook her head.

“You’re thinking about what you told me this morning?”

Brinley nibbled her lip. “Yeah. I want to know what I’m dealing with.”

“Well then let’s head over to the library. We’ve got some research to do.” Joy stood up.

“You’re really into this, huh?”

“Yeah, not as much as you, but I don’t want you to go back there alone.”

Brinley smiled. “I’m down.” She jumped to her feet.

The two women hurried across campus to the library.

“Where do we start?” Brinley placed her books on the table.

“Well, you did a lot of the prework already. We know we are dealing with a ghost, right? We need to know exactly what a ghost can do.”

Brinley perked up. “And Maggie?”

“Eh,” Joy shrugged. “She may be a different story. I do know ghosts drain the energy around them, we know that it was happening to you.”

“It’s happened before.”

“Really? That’s a good place to start.”

Brinley stared at her friend. “You’re hyped about this?”

“It’s kinda fun,” Joy smirked. “Follow me.” Joy walked up these creaky iron steps to the occult section.

Brinley climbed up the unstable-looking ladder. “What’s up here?”

“It’s a library, Brin, You can’t be afraid of books. Ms. Tibbs allows me to come up here when I can’t think. You said William has done that before?”

“Yeah, he feeds the women to Maggie.”

“The only being I know that can drain a human is called a succubus,” Joy said moving down the narrow space.

“What’s a succubus?”