The Muse Gang

Chapter six

My parents had just left for New York this morning and I sighed.

That was so graceful.

Alfred waited patiently for the second their cab left our front yard. Immediately, he grabbed his phone and made a call. Or several calls.

Seemed he was inviting his friends over. How..... Hypocritical. It was Saturday morning and I needed to enjoy every bit of my time away from school in silence and privacy. But now... My wimp of a brother wanted a mini party at home. I sighed, "Hey Alfred. Are you guys gonna be here cos I really needed peace and quiet."

My brother groaned and faced me wearily, "Of course we are. Who cares if you are agoraphobic."

He then walked away as I helplessly watched him.

I heard a voice from behind me, "You need a break. Away from this maniac."

I turned around and found Marshall on the sofa, watching TV, "To where exactly? With who?"

"Ever tried asking Ella what she'll say now?" I heard Marshall blabber from where he sat.

Suddenly, I glared at him and leaned on the sofa's support, "I'm not interested anymore. She and I have approximately the same status in school now."

He smirked at me and dropped the remote control, "You con. So you just needed her to boost your status?"

I nodded and stared at him, "Yep."

Marshall laughed. His influence on me clearly passed our muse-host relationship. It was bad. One that made me so careless and very less interested in everything. "Practised your sax yet?" Marshall inquired and faced me completely.

I shook my head and joked, "I wanted to last night," then smirked, "too bad I had to return late due to the meeting we had."

He laughed again, "You are really a con."

I grinned and got up, "But really, I need a break. Somewhere away from my brother and sister."

"Fred spoke of us muses going on a business search," my muse began, "you can join me if you wanna."

This was getting fun, "No problem. Shower first for me."

I did not need to use the stairs up to my room. Marshall teleported us to it. He didn't want the legs I'd use all through our mission to grow tired before that, did he? Immediately, I grabbed a towel and barged into the bathroom.

***

I left home in the name of going to visit someone.

As Marshall and I walked along the road, he asked me, "Can you drive?"

I faced him in surprise, "Yes. Why?"

He slipped his hands into his pockets as always and replied, "We need to drive to our destination. Duhhh."

"Why can't we just teleport?" I asked meaningfully.

We stopped walking and he looked at me with a sigh, "Every single place we've teleported to is such that there is complete assurance we're gonna be alone when we get there. How weird would it look if a human just appears before you from God knows where? You wouldn't want anybody to see us, would you? And that is why we would go there by vehicle."

That made sense. I nodded. Still, with a muse by my side, I wouldn't see myself going through that stress called driving, "Well can't you make us appear in a place no human SHOULD be?"

Marshall smirked and walked along, "You say should? How possible is that gonna be. You are aware that some maniacs love being in the dumpsters. How much more a regular, isolated area. Please, there isn't such a place." And there he was, being right in that weird kinda way.

But we had no car, "So now I can drive, where is the car?"

"Why do you still ask such questions when you know what I am?"

I smiled. True. Due to Marshall's invisibility to normal people, I held a phone up to my ear so I wouldn't look like a creep speaking to himself.

I then sighted a black Chevrolet feet away when Marshall stopped and said, "Get in!"

I asked the first question any normal person would ask, "Whose car is this?"

But I forgot Marshall wasn't normal, "Ours. Get in!"

I opened the driver's side and stepped in to the vehicle. He then appeared at the back. Like that was so easy for them to do.

"Where are we going?" I asked while looking for the car keys.

He hesitated, then replied, "You wouldn't know it even if I say the name. Just drive. I'd tell you where you need to go."

That was it. I found the keys, hit the accelerator and we were off.

I didn't mention. But Marshall's company influenced me to my dress code. I stopped being the least fashionable guy in school and began my life of black leather jacket and sleek jeans.

According to directions my muse gave, I drove till my hands ached. For one, long hour.

He seemed to notice I was getting tired, "Fine! Just let go of the steering wheel."

What was he thinking? So we could die! "Then who drives?" I asked reasonably.

He sighed heavily and snarled at my image in the rear mirror, "This should be the last time you ask a well bred muse such a question."

I raised my arms in the air in surrender and laughed, "Okay Okay! Take control! Yikes."

I let go of the steering wheel. Guess what happened to me. I went crazy. The wheel steered the car on its own! Well that was Marshall to be honest.

I heard him say from the back, "Hit some music."

I switched on the MP3 player in the car and got welcomed by the good old fashioned GHOST by that extraordinary guy named Alan Walker.

Coming to think of it, Marshall had a hand in the choice of music. Like the song, he made me feel like a ghost.

We approached the swanky part of Norwich. Skyscrapers, electronic billboards, sleek roads and all the beautiful and expensive stuff you could think of. Nodding to the beats of the music, I adored the beauty of where I lived in.

Marshall suddenly spoke up after he heard a part of the song, "Ever looked in a mirror?"

What the...

"Yes dumbass! Why?"

He sighed and looked at the roof of the car, "Just so you know you look nothing like what you'd see in the mirror when I possess you."

I turned to him and frowned, "What will I see when you are in me?"

"A fierce monster," he began, "aka Marshall Godwin."

I snickered at that, "You are called the fierce muse. However you don't look like you could do anything formidable. You are very kind."

Marshall broke into an endless fit of laughter. After a while, he struggled for breath and said, "What am I? Some nun? Trust me, you don't wanna see me when I'm fierce. I fold everything into a ball when I'm not fighting," he sighed and smiled, "but never mind. You will see the unleashed beast when I get to control you because it would be you then being all fierce and deadly."

"I'm not scared," I shrugged, "sounds like something I would love to experience. Being that invincible."

He agreed with that tone as if a BUT was coming after, "Yup, it's cool. But just hope my anger would not make me make you do something above your limits. You might die with such guilt." He chuckled afterwards.

I hid my fear. He sounded different then. Not like the assuring spirit I used to know. Well, I bit my tongue and stayed quiet for the remaining thirty minutes to our destination."

***

I hopped out of the car after we had parked it. Marshall just appeared by my side looking at the building before us. He never missed the chance to show me how cool it was to be dead.

The building was massive, dark and still under construction.

"Don't tell me we're going in there," I pleaded reasonably.

He shrugged, "Fine. I won't tell you."

Before I could say anything more, Marshall had started walking towards the entrance of the building.

I screamed after him, "Fine! Go! But there's no way I am going into that dark, lonely place. Like who knows what's in there? Maybe elfs," I waved my arms childishly, "or pixies."

Walking to and fro, I realised he wasn't even listening to me. I shouted one more time, "Or even witches."

The surrounding was lonely and cold except for a few people from different angles watching me as if I had stolen their cotton candy. Okay that was even more creepy than the dark building. No one needed to tell me to go with Marshall.

Vroom! And I was with Marshall in less than three seconds. We gazed at the entrance.

My eyes were strained till max to find even the smallest bit of vague light. But holy moly, I couldn't. It was really dark.

I faced my muse, "Why must we go in here?"

He answered nonchalantly, "A muse resides here. I'd like to speak with her."

I panted my fear out. Like this guy had my back right, "You know you have to do something about my sight cos I can't see a thing."

Marshall turned and faced me with a smirk on his face.

Before I could say crazy, he dashed into me, as fast as light. For the first time, my muse possessed my body. I felt... I felt... Stronger, more heartless, more.... Me. As if I was the bravest person on Earth.

My eyes were a glowing shade of blue and the building seemed like it was lit beyond measure. He seemed to be in control of my speech and actions too. Like this was epic.

I walked deeper into the building and stopped when I had reached the center of it.

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Marshall now started speaking from inside me, controlling all my speech.

I shouted, "Clara! Clara!"

This Clara of a girl seemed to ignore our call on purpose.

Marshall made me say again, "It's me Marshall."

Then, she listened. She made her way out. She was a muse, her tiger stripes clearly on the right part of her face.

She rasped, "Last time I checked, the Marshall I know was taller than this."

I spat, "I'm kinda in my host right now. His name's Edward by the way."

She nodded, "Yeah baby. It's you."

She came closer to me and hugged. And the nitwit of a muse I had made me hug back. I was not the one doing this. Hugging a muse was never on my bucket list. But hey! If Marshall wanted to do all these with his muse girlfriend, shouldn't he leave my body first. Like it felt so strange since my flesh was in contact with her. Zapping energy that went deep down to my...

As if Marshall read my mind, he made his way out of my body and I returned to my usual weak, blind self again. Due to his sudden release, I fell on my hands and knees.

He said to me as he held Clara, "I let you hug my girl. But na! I can't let you do what I wanna do now. So I'd do it myself if you don't mind."

It was dark, so I did not see what they were doing. But from the sounds of it, he was kissing her. Muses do that too?!

I spat, "Enough already! It's extremely creepy to see two ghosts kissing before you. Let's start what we came for."

He broke the kiss and left her, "My bad!!"

Then he returned into my body. And I was strong, brave and sharp sighted again, "Now. Our gang is complete. I think it's left with going after the idol before the fallen make their wish." Clara blew a gum bubble and used the next silent seconds to watch it pop. The Edward in me saw that annoying. But the main thing in me, the Marshall part, saw that sexy. Like how.... "That's so great," she began, "Good luck to you all cos I don't think I'll be happy to lose my muse powers and return to nothing."

I folded my arms as I noticed I was glaring at her. Ahhhhh, finally her boyfriend saw something of hers annoying, "How graceful! However, I expected, Wow do you need help. If yes I'm in."

She sighed heavily and rolled her eyes, "C'mon sweetie. You know I don't want any harm to come to Angela and I want nothing to do with the fallen."

I looked at her and snickered angrily, "So what's in for those who want something to do with the fallen. No offence sweetheart but thanks for nothing. I'd let you muses who don't give a fuck about right or wrong stay unconcerned."

I turned to leave when I heard her say from behind me, "I may not be able to help you. But I can direct you to someone who would."

Woah! Chills down my spine! I turned to her again, "Tell me about it."

***

According to the description Marshall and I got from Clara, I drove to an area with a whole lot of tall grey buildings. Slowly, I parked behind one of them and Marshall and I descended from the Jeep. Oh God, I love detective work.

We analyzed the building she mentioned and observed something crazy.

Sick citizens! They turned the base floor to a hidden club!

As we went into it, I received a wink from a tarty girl serving drinks. To her, it was just me. I bet she would have left her job if she could see the better looking muse by my side.

Through drunk and smelly men, we reached the heart of the club just to find a maniac beating himself up.

Everyone thought he had drunk quite a lot for one night and moved away from him in disgust.

But Marshall smirked. Obviously to me, he was more than drunk.

He... was possessed.

But why in the world would a muse be making a poor, helpless man meant to chilling in a club to do that to himself so he looked half dead. Unless the man wasn't as poor and helpless as I thought. Finally, the muse left his body and made his way out of the scene unseen.

Like duhhhhh.... Obviously.

The beat up man fell to the ground afterwards, with a wounded face and undescribable pain.

The evil muse towards me.

Marshall smiled and raised a brow, "My host, Edward. Where's yours. David right?"

A frown rested on the Muse's face, "He's in jail, "then he glanced at me with a smile, "Hey Eddy. I'm Chris, the evil one."

Hahhhhh! Looked pretty obvious if you ask me, "Hey. Why is your host in jail?"

He laughed at my question, "Let's talk outside, unless they'll think you are as drunk as that man." He snarled at the one he had beaten.

We went out of the club, trashing into a building less noisy than it.

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A group of men were at the corner of the room, smoking their asses out. Consequently, I made a "phonecall".

Marshall continued the conversation, "Whatsoever did the devil back there do to you that made you do that to him?"

I nodded in support to his question. I also was that curious.

Chris sighed and answered, "He's the one who made David end up in jail."

"But you could have saved him, right," I asked worriedly. What else were muses for?

He rubbed his neck tiredly, "As much as I could help him, he deserved it. It's rule nine in the book. My book. I let my client go through a punishment whenever he does something despicable. Not cos you have a muse you would change the world. And my real reason behind it," he laughed and immediately pulled a straight face after," he's too much of a good tushu for me to handle. The prison friends will change him a bit."

Oh yeah, evil is the contrast of good. So this evil had a good host! Damn I'm smart.

Marshall read my mind and smiled lightly, "If David is that good, what could that guy have done that made him end up in jail?"

Chris replied basically, "The two assholes beat up a police man. That's my kinda thing. But my host went too far for his standard and I took the opportunity to send him to jail so he'd get worse. When the both of them were confronted, the pussy said David made him do it with blackmail. Such a creep! I promised David I'd get him out after I'm done with his friend. I was just on my way to jail."

I laughed and glanced at the men turning the building into a volcano. Their gazes on me were getting even more creepy,"That's so thoughtful Chris but right now, I think we should worry more about these smoke bombs in here with us. They're freaking me out."

My muse stared at them and grinned, "Are they? Just give the orders, "he swayed his gaze back to me," Chris and I will handle them."

I would be happier if we left the place, "Let's go."

Immediately I made a step to reach the door, the dudes got up and intensified their threats. I made the second step and I found one of them by my escape way. I looked at Marshall.

He got the message immediately, "I think it's time to see my fierce part. Anyone mess with you, he mess with me. Chris, lil hand."

A big smile returned to Chris's face and he began the same thing he did to the guy at the club. He possessed one of them and made him start punching himself.

As his mates watched him in fear, they got out guns and faced the monster they saw, me, who they thought had something to do with their friend's madness.

One of them snarled, "Gimme every pound you have on you."

I smirked at Marshall and answered them, "What if I don't want to?"

They looked at each other in surprise and faced me again.

The robber answered with his previous tone that had come with a little bit of fear this time, "Fine. We'd just take it from you."

Marshall had been waiting all the while with his hands slipped into his pockets as always. And finally, he thought it was then.

For the second time, he dashed into me, and by God, it was with the same speed.

My eyes began glowing that shade of blue again and I watched the robbers move back with a gasp.

I stalked towards them as they stalked backwards.

The one who had been talking all along watched one of his men who was still beating himself and returned the fearful gaze to me. He shot his gun at me severally. That little atom of Edward still in me was scared. But Marshall, he overcame everything.

The bullets hit me and fell to the floor, as though they were candy, harmless.

He shot more until he had run out of bullets but they hadn't even scratched me yet.

I think it was my turn now.

Steadily, I looked at the dim light from the only bulb the room had. It flickered for some time then went off, by my power.

I could only imagine how scary this was for them. The only things they could see of me now were my glowing blue eyes. The attacker was completely invisible.

I growled and snatched one of them in the dark. His scream alerted the rest and made them move together.

Who had the scary look now?

Another robber asked wearily," How are you even seeing us?"

Marshall made me say, "Deep in the dark I don't need the lights. There's a ghost inside me."

He stole that line from a song I know.

The robber screamed, "What?!"

I then finally understood the joy Victor got from torturing people.

Marshall was the best.

I dealt with the rest of them until they all looked like pulps and left the room afterwards, into our car.

Then Marshall freed me and sat at the passenger seat beside me.

After a while, Chris appeared at the back.

I panted and exclaimed, "Damn that was epic."

I heard Chris add from the back, "It's just the beginning kid."

Marshall just laughed and gave me the signal to hit the accelerator.