Hauntings

Annalise was convinced that their apartment was haunted. Starting from about a week back, something had moved into their home during their residency while they were unaware.

She had played it off as tricks of their mind during the early stages. Stuff like the door creaking open again, or the window letting a little air. Because, obviously, she had forgotten to shut it completely, right?

Except… that wasn't it.

The longer it went on, the more she was sure it wasn't just her imagination playing tricks on her.

The strangest thing was that whatever poltergeist or ghost that had appeared in their house never showed themselves physically.

Instead, it was things like opening the door as she walked to it, or closing after her after she stepped in. The lights in the room would automatically switch on, the faucet would turn on as she approached it. The windows would always open and close as they liked.

Annalise was honestly feeling a little spooked. She never thought that she would be the paranoid type, but the longer this went on, the more she felt like she couldn't continue living like this.

What surprised her the most was how Alec never commented about it. That should have been her first clue.

She would have thought that it was Alec using his Magitype unconsciously, had it not been for the continued haunting whenever he wasn't in the room. She was convinced that her apartment was haunted.

Annalise twitched as she wiped a bit of sweat off her brow. On cue, the fan in the living room turned on.

Enough was enough.

Annalise stepped up to knock on her son's door.

"Son, we need to talk."

The door creaked open without Alec walking to it. Annalise froze the smile on her face.

Alec looked at his mother, surprised.

"What's wrong?"

"Honey, don't you feel like something's… off about our apartment?"

Alec expertly hid his nervousness. "In what way?"

Annalise hesitated visibly before steeling herself. "Oh, things like… doors opening themselves. The lights flickering on and off? Things like that?"

Alec struggled over whether or not he should let the secret out of the bag. It was quite evident that his mother had already noticed some of what was going on.

"We're haunted by a ghost," Annalise blurted out at last. The stress had been eating at her all week. "Let's move, okay? I don't think I can take this anymore."

Alec stared at her, baffled.

"You don't want to?" Annalise said, devastated. That made sense. After all, this home of theirs was all Alec had known. They had never called anywhere else their home. It made sense that Alec was attached to this apartment.

Annalise instantly felt horrible. How could she deny her son? Maybe… maybe she would get used to the ghost in their house eventually? She had to try.

Alec forcefully withheld the snort that wanted to come out. His mother thought that the house was haunted? That was… why was that so funny?

The more he thought about it, paired with his mother's little frantic motions that were so out of character for her usually calm and collected self, Alec couldn't hold in the little laugh that bubbled out.

One look at her stunned face caused him to dissolve into further laughter.

Annalise looked at her laughing son. He was laughing so hard that she almost felt like she was still dreaming. She discreetly pinched herself. Definitely reality.

She had never seen him laugh like this… in the entire seven years since he had been born! Her grumpy little baby was laughing like never before.

He was just so cute! Not wanting to waste the moment, she stared at the way his cheeks flushed with colour for something other than anger. He just looked so angelic laughing like this.

Alec was a perfect mix of her and his father, and she couldn't help but feel soft every time she saw him. Even his grumpy demeanour reminded her of him somewhat, but the shape of his smile was all hers.

Alec eventually got hold of himself after having laughed harder than he had in years.

He squeezed his mother's hands. "We're not haunted."

Annalise snapped back to reality. Nonsense. If they weren't haunted, then what was all this nonsense of doors opening and shutting themselves. She certainly wasn't doing it.

Seeing the unconvinced look on her face, Alec cracked a genuine smile.

"I've been experimenting with my Magitype," he admitted, not the least embarrassed.

Annalise stared at him uncomprehendingly. "So… you Awakened everything in our home? But that isn't how Awakening magic works!"

Alec stared at her challengingly. "Isn't it? That's just what everyone says. Doesn't mean that they're all right."

Annalise paused. That was true. The boundaries of Magitypes wasn't as clear cut as that. There were always people who managed to disprove the so-called boundaries that others placed on said Magitype, so why not for this rarer Magitype as well?

"So, we aren't really being haunted," Annalise said, almost to herself as she digested this piece of information.

"That's right," Alec confirmed.

"Alright then," Annalise said, looking peaceful. Now that she knew it wasn't just her going crazy, there was nothing that she feared anymore. She'd just take it as a helpful ghost if all else failed. Knowing that it was Alec's magic at work gave her a sense of calm.

"That's it?" Alec said, evidently surprised. "You're not going to ask me how it works?"

Annalise smiled. "Do you want me to ask you how it works?"

Alec hesitated before answering. "I'd rather you have plausible deniability should anyone ever ask you."

"Then I shan't ask," Annalise said.

Alec's heart gave a confusing squeeze. In return, he squeezed her hand again. "Thank you," he said, leaving words unsaid.

Annalise patted her grumpy child on the head. Really. He was so similar, yet at the same time, different from his father. How adorable.

Annalise's smile took on a slightly mischievous edge. "I'll have to invite more people over more frequently."

Alec stared at the mischief shining in his mother's eyes and let out a soft laugh, feeling fondness. No doubt she was planning on how to prank people. Maybe his uncle?

Bunbun hopped to Annalise and bumped her leg, so Annalise knelt down and patted him, successfully distracting his mother.

-

The next day, Annalise immediately invited her brother over whilst Alec was out of the house.

Vincent knocked on the door, wondering why his reclusive sister had suddenly invited him over for tea.

Moments after he knocked, the door opened, and Vincent stepped in, looking to greet Annalise, only to find no one there.

He stared, then turned around to look at the door, only to see it close by itself. Instantly, the back of his neck prickled uncomfortably.

Vincent backed away from the door, his alert level dialled up to eleven.

"Brother?" Annalise called from deeper inside. "Is that you?"

Vincent didn't say another word, instantly making his way towards Annalise's voice.

"Oh, you scared me," Annalise said, putting her hand over her heart.

"I scared you?" Vincent said dryly. "Your door. What's up with that?"

"What's up with what? What's wrong with my door?"

Vincent levelled a glare at her. "Haha, very funny. Cut it out."

Annalise's expression morphed into something more genuine. "No, what are you talking about? And how did you get in?"

Vincent's face was a shade paler, but he managed by convincing himself that he was just imagining it.

Annalise waved off her brother to sit down as she entered the kitchen to prepare some tea.

Vincent controlled his movements, very wary. Only his sister knew about his crippling fear of all things supernatural. Who else would mess with him like this? Not to mention, this was the prime location for her to play a prank on him for all those times he had pranked her when they were younger.

He was right to be wary, because as he approached the table, the chair slid out by itself, causing Vincent to jump. He was lucky no one could see him now, otherwise his image as the untouchable Clan head would have shattered into a million pieces.

Vincent glared at the chair, picking it up, he examined it from all angles, but couldn't find anything amiss.

He grew increasingly desperate by the minute. This had to be Annalise's prank. It had to be. Ghosts weren't real.

"What are you doing?" he heard from behind him, causing him to flinch, his nerves already shot.

Vincent calmly put the chair back down, sitting down it in despite himself.

Annalise shot him a strange look but continued pouring the tea.

"So, how are you doing lately?"

Vincent shot her a suspicious look but talked anyway.

Later, when Vincent left the apartment, jumping as the door shut behind him without a warning, Annalise held it together for all of five seconds before she broke down laughing.

The look on her brother's face!

She paid no attention to the fact that she had been reacting like that for the past week or so as well. She definitely understood her brother's fear of ghosts a lot more, but that didn't mean that she wasn't going to milk it for all its worth!

When Alec heard about his uncle visiting from his mother, who beamed the entire time, he reckoned that the prank must have gone well.