The Ghost Hunters and The Familiar Strangers

Amelia was dumbfounded. "What?" Amelia asked. "But why?"

"It happened a long time ago." Clarissa started.

***flashback***

8 years ago

Clarissa was in her room when she heard a loud shout coming out from her mom's bedroom, Clarissa ran to meet her mother only to find her mother talking to herself.

"Get away from me." Her mother said throwing a pillow at whosoever she was talking to.

Clarissa stood there dumbfounded as she ran to meet her mom.

"Mom, are you okay?" Clarissa asked helping her mom to sit on the bed. Her mother was panting and sweating at the same time. She has never seen her mother like this all her life. How was she going to take care of her mother when she was only eleven years old?

"Clarissa, I'm sorry. I never meant for you to see me like this."

"Mom." She called as she hugged her mother.

***Reality***

"Then what happened?" Amelia asked.

"One day I was coming back from school and I got to the house but everywhere was silent like a graveyard and I knew if my mom was in there, the place wouldn't be quiet. I searched her room, the kitchen... I searched everywhere Amelia... but my mom wasn't home and she didn't tell me she was going anywhere either."

"Did you later find her?" Amelia asked.

Clarissa nodded. "I went to ask my neighbor if they saw my mom and she said yes but that my mom was...." Clarissa paused as she tried so hard to hold back her tears. "... in a psy... a psychiatric hospital." "What?" Amelia asked in shock. "But why?"

"She said my mom was acting crazy and before things got out of hand, they had to take her there. I got to the hospital and..." She wiped the tears that rolled down her cheeks. "... I saw my mom being tied down like a sheep going to the slaughter. Amelia she was crying and begging them to let her go and that she was sane but no one listened."

***flashback***

"Please let me go." Nurse Christen begged. "I am sane... there's nothing wrong with me. I have an eleven-year-old daughter I have to cater for. She has no one... please let me go to my daughter." Clarissa watched her mom begging for her freedom.

"Mom," Clarissa called as her mom turned to face her.

"Claire... Claire is that you?" She asked as Clarissa's tears rolled down her cheeks profusely.

Clarissa nodded. "It's me, mom." As she was about to go to meet her mom, the one in charge of the mental disorder people came to stop her.

"I'm sorry but you can't see her." The warden said.

"But that's my mother... please let me see her."

"You can't I'm sorry... Right now your mother isn't stable, I'm afraid of what she'd do to you."

"My mother isn't crazy... please.... It's going to be for a minute... please!".

***Reality***

"I pleaded and pleaded just to see my mother but they didn't let me. I was opportune to talk to the man-in-charge and he helped me. That was when my mom told me everything and what your blue eyes did to her." Clarissa explained as Amelia sat down there dumbfounded.

"It's all because of me.." Amelia said as she placed her head on her palms. "... your mom... you... And every pain you've gone through... is all me."

"That was then Amelia... I was in between the devil and the deep blue sea... I was confused and scared and I just needed someone to pour my frustration on." Clarissa said.

Amelia sobbed as Clarissa hugged her. "It wasn't your fault. You were just a baby... I'm sure there's a reason."

"Is that why you came here?" Amelia asked.

"My mom prepared everything... It was like she knew something like this would happen."

"Is she still there?"

"I wish I knew the answer to that," Clarissa said.

"I promise... we'll get her back."

"It's been eight years Amelia... I don't even know if she's still alive."

"I guess we'll have to find out about it," Amelia said as Clarissa gave her a slight smile.

"Thanks," Clarissa said. "I think it's about time we go in."

Amelia nodded as they went inside.

****

Tessa has been summoned by Dalton and this time the conversation wasn't friendly.

"What have you been doing?" Dalton asked her. "Do you know we lost Mrs. Walton in the hands of those godforsaken ghosthunters?"

Tessa looked around and indeed Mrs. Walton wasn't there. She saw Rose but there was no sign of Mrs. Walton. "I don't understand. What happened to Mrs. Walton?" Tessa asked.

"Are you asking me that?" Dalton asked coming closer to Tessa. "Listen to me Tessa, I don't know what your plan is but if you do not do something, I won't mind taking matters into my own hands."

"You already did and that's why Mrs. Walton is gone. I told you to wait and that I have a plan but you went behind my back and this is the result of not believing in me." Tessa was surprised how she let those words fly out of her mouth. "Did you just talk back at me?" Dalton asked as he held Tessa's neck. Tessa tried to struggle but she realized that struggling makes things worse.

"I'm s... sorry." She managed to say as Dalton threw her to the ground.

"Listen to me... you're going to go to Texas and I don't care how you'll do it... I want those ghosthunters dead." Dalton commanded. Rose raised her hand to speak. "Yes!" Dalton answered.

"I think I have a plan..." Rose said as Tessa glared at her. ".. but Tessa needs to leave before I can say it... if you all trust her, I don't."

"You may leave Tessa," Dalton instructed as Tessa bowed her head before disappearing. "What's the plan?" Dalton asked after Tessa had gone.

"There's this guy among them who is good at building things. I think he can make us something." Rose said as Dalton looked at her. "What do you mean?" Dalton asked.

"Those ghost hunters will help any ghost seers they can find. If we get that guy to build us something that can make us enter into the body of someone that just died, I think it'd be very easier to attack them." Rose suggested. "Wait! Let me see if I get this correctly.." Dalton thought for a while before speaking. "You're saying if we have this guy, he can make us become living beings??"

Rose nodded. "I think he can build us something that can make that happen."

"Nice plan... But how do we capture him?" One of the ghosts asked.

"He sees ghosts, he converses with them.. bringing him here would be easy. But first, we need a plan." Rose said as Dalton nodded.

****

The next day, Amelia and the rest ghosthunters got prepared for school when Amelia saw someone standing in front of her. Carlos, Xen, and Norman saw the person too. "Amelia." The person called.

"Tessa," Amelia said as Tessa tried to hug her but she backed away. "What are you doing here?" Amelia asked folding her arms across her chest.

"Amelia, it's me," Tessa said not believing Amelia's attitude toward her.

"I know it's you Tessa but why are you here?" Amelia asked. "Sending those two people wasn't enough? Now you've come by yourself to finish the job they couldn't?" "Amelia." Tessa and Clarissa said at the same time. "Amelia, that's unfair," Clarissa said.

Amelia was hurt talking to Tessa in that manner but she was confused. "You don't understand Claire. I thought Tessa was trying to help me, to keep me safe but, she told those ghosts where I was and they came... if not that they were quick to find me." She said referring to Xen and his groups. "You wouldn't even get to see me again and even if you did, it might just be my corpse," Amelia said looking at Tessa.

Tessa scoffed. "Seriously?" She asked feeling hurt. "I must be a fool for thinking you'd trust me."

"Trust you?" Amelia asked. "Well, look where trusting you have landed me."

"Did

you think I'd put you in danger?" Tessa asked.

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"If not, then how come those ghosts knew exactly where to find me? You were the only ghost I told and what was that technique you told them you were using?" Amelia thought for a while. "Oh! You don't suspect whom you trust." Amelia said. "How on earth am I supposed to trust you after hearing that?"

Tessa looked at her and all of them then she turned her eyes back to Amelia. "I came here to tell you that whoever the scientist is, he's in grave danger," Tessa said as Amelia looked at Carlos who was looking surprised. "I just want you to know this Amelia... I'd never do anything to hurt you." And with that, she disappeared.

Amelia fell to the ground sobbing as Clarissa and Tamara came to meet her. "This isn't how I wanted this to go." She said as Clarissa wiped her tears.

"It's okay," Clarissa said. "Now we know that she's really on our side."

"But... how can I be sure? What if this is just one of her techniques?" Amelia asked looking at Clarissa and Tamara. They both understood the angle she was coming from but then, what can they do to convince her?

"I don't think it is," Carlos said coming to her. "From the way I see it, you're really important to her. Coming here might be to kill you but because she loves you, she decided to tell you what they are planning... I think we can trust her. " Carlos said as everyone agreed.

All of a sudden, a feeling of guilt rushed over Amelia. She just lost a friend. She thought as she burst into tears.

They consoled her and everyone went to MSA. Amelia arrived at her new school but then she was feeling sad and guilty. If only she believed Tessa's words over those ghosts' words, now she would be with her friend but she ruined that chance. They had all gone to their various classes and Amelia was in her class when Clarissa showed up in her class with a worried look on her face.

"What are you doing there Claire?" The teacher asked as Clarissa entered the class.

"I was um.... just passing by," Claire said as she quickly glanced at Amelia signaling her to meet her outside.

"Well, continue passing by." The teacher said Clarissa bowed her head.

"Yes, Miss Jane," Clarissa said as she left. Immediately she left, Amelia waited for a few minutes before she excused herself from the class to meet Clarissa.

Clarissa saw her and grabbed her to where the rest members were waiting for them. "What's going on?" Amelia asked them as she looked at everyone. "Wait! Where is Carlos?"

"That's exactly why we brought you here," Clarissa said.

"What do you mean?" Amelia asked.

"Carlos is gone and it looks like everything Tessa said was true," Tamara said.

"What?" Amelia asked as she looked at everyone in shock. "But how? I mean we all came to school together and we all went to our different classes so how come?"

"He said he was going to use the restroom but he never came back," Devon said.

"Tessa did make it clear he was in danger but what would the ghosts want him for?" Clarissa asked.

Everyone was thinking when Xen finally spoke up. "If they were after Carlos and not Amelia, it only means one thing."

"Which is?" Amelia asked.

"They need him to create something," Xen answered.

"This is bad," Norman said. "We need to think of a way to bring him back."

"We need her," Jason said staring at Amelia. Amelia understood what he meant and she sighed.

How on earth was she going to get Tessa back after how she treated her? Would she even come back to help even if she asked her??