Hi, my name is Elodie Blade. I'm your average nerd, that nerd that everyone wants to be friends with if just to copy your homework, or just ignores, thrown into the back of their minds, unworthy of a single thought or glance.

Nothing is special about me. I just have dark brown hair the color of acorns and eyes the color of an old, burnt out neon yellow sign. While other girls wear too tight shirts, I wear baggy hoodies. While other girls wear high heels, I wear beat up sneakers. While other girls talk about boys, make-up, and glitter, I rarely even open my mouth.

No one talks to me, which suits me fine. I hate socializing with people, especially since almost 99% of the time they'll turn around and make fun of my over-sized, blurry glasses or my huge, drooping hoodies or my tendency to scowl at random times. Well to them they're random times, but for me, there is always a good reason for it. It's not something I can explain to the average person, they'd send me to an asylum.

Ever wondered of the supernatural is real? If ghosts were real? Well, I'll put that train of thought to a stop. They're real. Take if from someone who's actually seen one. Yup, you heard me. I can see Ghosts.

Now, just because ghosts exist, doesn't mean werewolves, fairies, elves, or sparkling vampires exist (sorry Twilight fans, but face it. Edward isn't real). Ghosts, or more appropriately spirits, exist, and they are everywhere. In the sewer, in your shower drain, in your underwear drawer, you get the picture. They're all just various names for the many types of Ghosts that exist. So pretty much, all the supernatural (excluding angels, reapers, and demons, which I know exist but have never seen) are just Ghosts.

This "ability" has run through my family for generations, but only ever manifests in the females. Whoopee, joy to the world. And yes in a sense, Ghost Busters are real, but we just simply send the spirit off to where they should be. It isn't just the spirit fading or bursting into a million sparkles ( I blame the animes ), but it's a dangerous battle between the living and the dead. And every since I was born, I've been on the front line.

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So...Yup! I bring to you readers, a new work. I thought of it less than thirty minutes ago, and thought 'Oh this has the potential for a good story', So I present to you my readers, Whisper in My Ear. Have fun reading!

-ScarletDusk :)

 

2: Chapter One

Chapter One

I stared out the window, hating how my history teacher INSISTED on torturing us with boring facts about the past. There's nothing I couldn't learn from a few local Ghosts, ah I mean Spritis. (They hate being called ghosts). I twirled my pen with my left hand while my right drummed on the desktop. The girl in front of my whirled around to me and hissed, "Stop that!", before gathering up the hair that had been laying on my desk and turning back around.

I realized while I was drumming on the desk, I was drumming on her hair at the same time. Honestly, I don't understand how other girls can STAND long hair. My own hair barely brushed my shoulders with only two locks that were tucked behind my ears before falling just past my breasts. Apparently, it has been a family tradition to have this hairstyle until we've reached a certain age, when we could take an initiation and grow out the rest of our hair, which I don't even intend to do.

Sparing a glance at the clock, I noticed that there were still fifteen minutes left of class.

I heaved a sigh and went back to staring out the window. When my head finished turning, I found myself face to face with a total stranger. We stayed like that before I realized that there was a boy outside my classroom window...3 stories above the ground...and the signature blue aura of the plane of the dead. I jumped away from the window, which caused me to fall to the floor. I heard everyone turn in their seats to look at the girl who fell out of her chair.

"Melodie? Are you ok?" my teacher asked. I wanted to strangle her. Why in the freaking four Worlds did my teachers always call me Melodie? My name is clearly Elodie Blade. Not Melodie Blake, Elodie Blade. Hmph...I shook my head and sat down in my seat quietly, all the while restraining the urge to strangle every single person who was snickering. The "boy" outside my window had been watching with a certain amount of interest and was now sitting on a tree branch. I shot him a glare before I turned away and ignored him for the rest of class.

As soon as class let out, I ran to the courtyard, searching for the strange spirit. It was rare I saw a spirit here on campus. I'd put protective spells and barriers up and only powerful ones got past them. The boy hadn't looked particularly powerful, but neither did the spirit of a fox pup that'd killed my father.

I took off my glasses and let my mind adjust to the sudden change in my vision. Now that the blocking glass my glasses' lenses were made of were away, I could see the spiritual residue that particular spirit had left and ran after it.

I mentally chuckled as I imagined the students were wondering why the nerd girl was running across the school's perfectly manicured courtyard. Strangely, it was amusing and I wasn't the least bothered by the fact it would distance me from my fellow students. I relished in the fact that no nosy busybodies would involve themselves with me.

A rock caught on the tip of my shoe and I fell on my face. Unfortunately, my family's true abilities didn't activate until the moon fell on our skin. The scientists of my family could never find why we were only able to access certain abilities at night, but that was a way of life for us. But oh I wished for my improved balance and agility at the moment.

I stood up and rubbed my nose and once again found myself face to face with the spirit boy. This time however, I didn't jump but rather stared back at him, my eyes focusing on his face. He looked to be about 17, well at least when he'd died. His blonde hair was complimented by big chocolate brown eyes. By the slight uplift of one corner of his lips and the mischievous glint in his eyes, I could tell he was quite the player.

"What's up with that glare? And here I thought I might have a chance." Yup, definitely a player.

"A chance? You're dead." I spoke slowly, as if he was a 2 year old. He brought his two hands to cover his heart dramatically.

"That's no way to speak to a gentleman!" he scolded lightly. I scowled at him.

"I'm serious. You're currently drifting through the plane of the dead, which only a select few living humans can see. So that means you're dead...Right?"

"...I honestly don't know...One moment I was falling asleep, the next I'm watching my own body be carted off to the hospital..." his face set in a frown. I paused for a second before smacking my forehead. This wasn't going anywhere.

"What's your name?" I asked. He thought for a second.

"I think it's Leo..." he trailed off, deep in thought. I sighed. Amnesiac ghosts were pretty common, but they're annoying. "I think I remember why I'm tied to this world too..." My head snapped up.

"What is it?"

"I've always wished to fall in love..."

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Ha, cliffhanger! Go Scarlet! OUO no judging k? I thought of this while thinking of my dead cousin. Alice, who was the best cousin a girl could ask for, passed away due to cancer last december. I was writing this while thinking of how cool it would be if I could see and talk to her again (If I could stop screaming when I see her, not from seeing her, but because she'd probably pull a prank on me for the heck of it lol) So everyone thank Alice for this work. Her old account is AliceWonderlandXIII on Fanfiction. Give it a look :')

-ScarletDusk

3: Chapter Two

Chapter Two

I grit my teeth as I walked home, trying to ignore the humming spirit next to me. Ever since Leo had told me what tied him to this plane, he seems to be set on the fact I could help him pass on. How in the four Worlds was I supposed to help a ghost fall in love? A cute one, I'll give him that, but still a ghost. Doesn't really help only my family can see him.

"Oi, ghost whisper." Oh I wanted to strangle him for that. "What's your name?" I paused, completely suprised by the fact I hadn't introduced myself earlier.

"I'm Elodie, Elodie Blade," I muttered, resuming my brisk pace. Oh how my mother would scold me for not doing this sooner. Leo's face lit up with a grin.

"Nice to meet you Elodie," he said, holding out his hand. I shot him a glance.

"You're nothing but a spirit. I can't touch you."

"Ohh..." Leo seemed to visibly deflate as he took this in. He tucked his hand back into his pocket. Apparently he's only half way to accepting he's a Ghost. He stayed quiet for a few seconds before randomly saying, "I like your eyes." I turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Why? They're the color of an old neon yellow sign." He shook his head. I inwardly grinned at the way his hair flew reminded me of a lion's mane.

"They're the color of a honey, amber-ish color..." he struggled to find the right color name.

"...Topaz?"

"Yeah!" he exclaimed. "Topaz. They're really pretty." I could feel a slight burn creep up my neck and dust my cheeks. I pulled up my hood to cover my face and looked straight ahead. "Why do you wear those ugly, blurry glasses though? They hide your eyes."

"They block my Sight. It's a bit distracting to see a bunch of Death Residue everywhere," I fiddled with the edge of my glasses. After Leo's compliment, I felt reluctant to take them off. The red iron gates of my house appeared in my field of vision and I sprinted towards it. Leo seemed suprised for a second before quickly following after me. I made sure to step over the grate that covered the small tunnel of running water that ran under the gate.

The moment my foot stepped into our courtyard, I ripped off my glasses breathed in deep the scent of lavender. A moment of peace calmed me until I heard a, oof! , behind me. I turned and found Leo had run headfirst into the barriers that surrounded my house. The red color, iron, and the running water underneath it, made the gate a barrier on its own.

Wincing in sympathy I muttered, "I, Elodie Rosarii Blade, allow guest, Leo, to enter the Blade house, until I see fit for him to leave."

Leo managed to recover and walk (or hover, as my very technical cousin likes to point out) past the gates to my side. He glared at the gate and yelped when the smell of lavender reached his nose. I sighed. This is going no where. I slapped a seal on Leo to make him immune to the protective measures, but he couldn't get more than a meter away from me. I pushed open the front door and slipped my sneakers off, trading them for my bunny eared house slippers. Leo grinned when he saw them and I shot him a glare that said, Don't even.

My mother came to greet us, eyeing Leo warily. "Welcome home Elodie. I see you've brought a friend."

"He's friendly," I said, taking off my hoodie to reveal a white button up with a black vest. Leo raised an eyebrow at my formality. I held up three fingers in a count-down. Three...two...one...

"Welcome home young mistress," a voice said behind me. I turned and smiled.

"Hello there Robin." He narrowed his eyes when he took in my appearance.

"Jeans are not appropriate for a young lady of your status," he scolded. I gave a small smile.

"At least I'm wearing an apropriate top, am I not?" I countered. He refused to budge and pushed me up the stairs to change. What can I say? I have a pushy butler. I quickly undid the seal that tied Leo to me and sprinted to my room, quickly changing into a pair of slacks and running back downstairs. My mother and Leo were talking to each other in the sitting room. I knocked before claiming a seat next to the fireplace.

"So this boy was able to get past your spells Elodie? The ones at school?" she asked me. I nodded. She thought for a moment. "Strange, he doesn't bear any signs of struggling past the barriers...yet the ones at the house he were blocked from..." Leo fidgeted under my mother's piercing gaze and cleared his throat.

"I would like to say, when I went to the school, I felt no resistance at all..." Something flashed in my mother's eyes. I knew she'd figured something out. And I knew she wasn't going to tell me.

"Elodie, go buy some caramels from the store. We've run out." That was her subtle way of saying, you're dismissed. I stood up and motioned for Leo to follow. As quietly as I could as to not alert Robin, I snuck out the front door and began walking to the nearest store. Leo had followed me and now pounded me with questions.

"Why couldn't I go past the gate? Who is Robin? Why didn't you tell me you were rich?" The last one made me sigh.

"One, the color red, running water, and iron repels spirits; Two, Robin is my butler; Three, you never asked," I shrugged. Did everyone expect me to go around broadcasting, I'M RICH! Leo pouted.

"That's not fair. I wasn't prepared for any of that," he complained.

"Well it's not like you could've expected a six page long review sheet about my private life hmm?" He paused.

"...You look like your mother." I raised an eyebrow.

"How so?"

"Well, you two don't have the same hair color, she has black hair, but you guys do have the same topaz eyes, same pale skin, same nose, same mouth, and same...presence."

"Presence?"

"It's like...when you two are in the room, people can't help but obey. You have the same confident, independent air about you. To be honest, it was a little suffocating." I snorted.

"Suffocating? Obviously you've never been on a Spirit hunt huh?" Leo growled in protest but shut up. We walked along in silence until we got near the park, where Leo stopped suddenly.

"Elodie, do you feel that?" I stopped walking.

"Wha-?" He shot me a glare.

"Shhh..." Then I felt it, a deep tremor that grew to the point the very trees were swaying. I spread out my feet and keep my balance even as a large ghost erupted from the ground in a shower of dirt and rocks. Even as Leo cried out in fear. Even as a dark, dim face appeared in front of mine.

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Hehehe...another cliffhanger. I'm on a roll this week! Putting three chapters up in two days, adore me my awesome fans * ^ * . Alas it's late and I'm tired and hungry. So throw me a review or two, please :3 Keep being awesome guys!

-ScarletDusk

4: Chapter Three

Chapter Three

A pale face with blank eyes and a humorless smile was surrounded by raven black hair. She (I'm assuming she's a girl) would've looked like a normal teenager save for the torn, dirty white wedding dress she wore, the bloody gash in her chest, the blood running down her legs, and the way a greenish-gray miasma seemed to radiate off her in waves. While I was calculating my next move, Leo stood there in front of her, transfixed by the spirit's blank eyes.

"I'm cold..So very cold…" the spirit's high pitched and melancholy voice carried and left a large impression on my mind. Her pale, thin fingers reached toward Leo and immediately I knew what kind of spirit she was. She was a Leech, the name most Seers call ghosts that can absorb another spirit's, human's, or animal's energy, sometimes even absorbing their very existence.

Leo was fading. Literally. I reached into my pocket and threw out a quick pre-made seal.

"Leo! Snap out of it!" I shouted. Thankfully, he had the sense to distance himself and the Leech. She screeched with rage and attempted to follow me and Leo but was stopped by a seemingly invisible force. I cursed Leo's presence. With him here, I couldn't do proper exorcising without possibly hurting Leo as well and the miasma was beginning to hurt me too. I quickly whispered a seal to strengthen whatever was holding the spirit back and ran like Bloody Mary herself was at my heels. (She was actually exorcised by a powerful Seer a few generations ago). Silently thanking whatever gods were on our side, Leo and I ran back to my house, only stopping when we were past the protective barrier.

Panting and struggling to release the miasma's hold on my senses, I called out Robin and my mother. My mother burst out of the house, fussing over us and dispelling the last of the miasma.

"It..it was a Leech…" I gasped out. My mother's face turned into an expression of understanding and looked over at Leo. He looked like he could barely support his own presence. That Leech took too much of us, that much was clear and Robin ushered us inside into the sitting room.

"Elodie, go do what you need to do. You're exorcising this as soon as the moon rises," my mother demands, turning away and leaving the room. Robin sighed and handed me a mug of green tea and draped a blanket across my shoulders.

"I'd imagine your mother has other things on her hands that she needs to attend to rather than chase after local spirits," he said sympathetically. I nodded and understood. My mother took up the title of Head of the Lamina Rosarii Branch ever since my father died. Our family was a large one, protecting a large area, almost the entire Ley Territory. It was understandable that she had other business to attend to.

"What the heck was that?..." Leo whispered, both out of awe and fear. I felt sorry for him. I knew the feeling of meeting a spirit for the first time.

"A Leech. A moderately powerful one at that. She was probably feeding off other humans and spirits that were nearby…" I frowned into my mug. "Robin, could you please bring me my laptop?" He left us with a bow and quickly returned with it, leaving as soon as it was securely in my hands. I powered it on and waited as it booted up.

"Elodie…" Leo called out nervously. I looked up at him and raised an eyebrow, urging him to continue. "What's going on? I know you can see ghosts and all but…What are you? What am I getting myself into? I don't understand. And how do I protect myself from other spirits? I don't want to be completely helpless next time." Next time? Who told this boy he was even going to stay here. (In the house…Not among the living, although that is being worked on) I gave a heavy sigh and brought a large tome from the table onto my lap.

"I'd rather read from a book then figure out a way to explain this. I'm not good at explaining," I said as Leo raised a brow. I leafed through the pages and found one marked with a red ribbon. I took a deep breath and began reading.

The race of Seers is descended from the original Seer, who was said to be a man who learned how to live in the plane of the living and the plane of the dead at the same time. He had 4 children, each of whom possessed a special gift, the result of their father's discovery. However, much to their father's relief, they only possessed the ability to see into the plane of the dead. Along with their father, they traveled the world and kept the Spirits at bay, one by one the children taking position on their own at different parts of the World, marked by Ley Lines. The territories that the children settled in were called the Ley Territories. Each child bore their own family name and symbol to recognize their gift. The Phantasma Mimus, with the ability to influence Life Strings which bound each person to a force, even in death. The Lamina Rosarii, with the ability to conjures various objects, which are the manifestation of their life energy, and the gift of enhanced agility and sense in the light of the moon. The Lumen Adepti, with the ability to conjure various seals and spells to influence nature. The Spiritus Prodest, with the ability to bind Spirits to their service. With these family names and gifts, the Seers' cause spread across the globe, secretly under laying their own civilization under the constantly shifting cultures of the Mundane. Over the years, other minor families have popped up as a result of the increase of paranormal activities and the marrying between families. The marrying between families happened later down the line and due to this, gifts have mutated or children have been born with two gifts. It is not definite how many Gifts are now in existence but it is safe to say there are well over fifty.

I took another deep breath and flipped to the page marked by a yellow ribbon.

Spirits have existed since the dawn of creation. Some are simply forces of nature themselves, some are the souls of the dead that haven't been collected by Reapers (refer to page 160) or couldn't be collected because of an attachment to the Orbis Terrarum, or First w-

"So ghosts can pop up because of attachments to this world? Nice to know that hasn't changed," Leo commented dryly. I threw a glare at him.

"May I continue?" He had the grace to look sheepish and nodded.

Spirits also wander the plane of the death, which is sometimes called an alternate dimension that runs parallel to the plane of the living. Mundane are not able to see the plane of the dead, meaning they cannot see spirits when they are on the plane of the dead, and they cannot see the Gifts when they are in use. Sometimes, when a spirit has gained enough energy, a spirit can manifest itself on the plane of the living, which is the root of all mundane ghost stories. Again, Seers are able to see into the plane of the dead but cannot step into it on their own. Ways to repel spirits is to have the scent of lavender on you or to wear red. Salt, running water, and iron are also things that repel spirits.

Pooped out and throat dry, I close the book with a loud thump! and rested my head back on the sofa. Leo had his eyes shut and brow creased in concentration. A few moments of silence passed before one of us spoke again.

"Which family do you belong to?" he asked, just as I predicted.

"Lamina Rosarii and the Lumen Adepti. My mother is from the Lumen Adepti family while my father is from Lamina Rosarii," I explained distractedly. My laptop had finished loading and I'd already opened up Google Chrome. I typed into the search bar: Wedding disappearances; rape murder. Leo raised an eyebrow at the last two.

"Rape and murder? How does that connect to the ghost we saw?"

"The way her wedding dress was torn kind of looks like she was molested or possibly raped. The gash across her chest and the blood that was dripping down her leg were signs of murder and further signs of possible rape. And don't call them ghosts! Not all of them are," I scolded, scrolling down the list. I clicked on an article that looked trustworthy and read it aloud.

Sixteen year old Annabelle Stewarts vanished without a trace on Monday morning, just an hour before she was to be wed. There were traces of struggle and a few screams were heard around the time that the victim was taken, but the witnesses that heard it told us they dismissed it as the screeching the chairs made across the floors as the preparations were underway, under Alexander Stone's supervision. "She was there, smiling at us and ushering us out of the room so she could have some privacy," Elizabeth Rogers said. "I'd never imagined that that would be the last time we'd ever see her."

"It continues to say the case was closed at a month of searching and investigating. She was assumed dead and her body was never found," I murmured under my breath. "Her kidnapper was never found either." I searched up a few more things and knew what had to be done.

"Elodie…Why are you doing this?" Leo asked me. I looked up at him in surprise.

"Why am I doing what?"

"Investigating! All you have to do is exorcise this spirit right?" I nodded, still confused about what he was asking. "Why bother to find the Spirit's history?"

"A Seer's job isn't to just exorcise a spirit and then dismiss it, we bring justice to them too. How would you feel f you were murdered and then you were taken to the afterlife with knowing your murderer was still out there alive and free?" I scowled. People have the misconception all we do is banish spirits from this world. We have to find the cause of the death and help them pass on, especially if it means putting a rapist, murderer, or robber behind bars. I glanced out the window and checked to see if the moon was up. I slammed my laptop closed and stood up. "Stay here," I told Leo. He pouted but said nothing as I ran upstairs and changed into a comfortable pair of jeans and a slightly oversized red hoodie and grabbed a backpack full of premade seals and other helpful things to exorcise Annabelle.

I returned to the sitting room and beckoned for Leo to follow me out the door. Together we returned to the park where Annabelle had manifested. Warily, Leo stuck by my side and as much as I hated to admit it, his presence helped me keep my sanity. Taking a deep breath lightly I sang.

Will you, will you come back to me

And leave your station in the sea

Will you, will you come back to me

They say nightmares lurk in the sea

Mermaids and sirens tempting you to sleep

So will you, will you come back to me

Leo looked at me like I was crazy but froze when he saw something past me. I turned and saw once again, Annabelle had decided to grace us with her presence. Nothing about her appearance had changed.

"I'm cold….so very cold…" her voice whispered into the thin night air. I shivered and held out a seal. A magic circle appeared in the air between us and she let out a scream as a blinding light was released. Chains of pure light bound her in place as she struggled to be released. Leo watched with awe as I continued.

"Annabelle…Listen to me," I commanded. Her head snapped up and her eyes had a new light. Some Spirits had problems remembering who they were when they died, which is another reason why we investigate who they are first. Spirits are very responsive to their names. "I know you were kidnapped the morning of your wedding, and I know that it was your fiancée's best man, Alexander Stone." At his name she let out another scream, but this time it was full of horror, disgust, and grief.

"How? How did you know Elodie?" Leo whispered, half awe and half suspicion. I shrugged.

"It was easy. There was a picture with the witnesses but he wasn't there. And he was in charge of the setting up of chairs. When Annabelle was gone, the chair's screeching stopped. It was more of a hunch," I added sheepishly. I honestly didn't know for sure, but Annabelle's reaction confirmed my suspicions.

Like a snake shedding skin, the scary façade Annabelle put up had gone, in it's place the face of a very sad, lonely girl. Tears fell from crystal blue eyes and she sobbed.

"I thought I could trust him. It was no secret we used to court each other, until I met Robert. I didn't know his feelings until that day, when he kidnapped me and raped me. Every day...he left me tied up in an old shack at the edge of town. One day, he came in and slashed me across my chest and he left me to die," her trembling and weak voice made me feel sorry for her. She didn't choose to be dealt a bad hand.

"We'll make sure he pays for his crimes. You can rest in peace now," I said softly. Annabelle looked up at me and smiled.

"Thank you for listening." and just like that, Annabelle Stewarts finally rested in peace.

With my mother's help, we got Alexander behind bars. When Leo asked how, she simply said "Family secret." But we all knew she was smirking in the inside. Afterwards, Leo and I took a break, simply relaxing in my room.

"Why did you sing?" Leo questioned. I looked up from my book and thought for a second.

"...I'm able to sing on a frequency that attracts ghosts," I said, keeping a straight face. Leo stared at me for a few seconds before replying.

"Seriously?" He sounded so incredulously I started laughing.

"No, but that song was well known around the time Annabelle was alive. Her fiance had been a sailor. And the song's name is "Life of a Sailor's Wife". Some ghosts can be lured in by reminders of their life," I explained, wiping tears of mirth away from my eyes. Leo contemplated on that.

"Being a ghost sure is lonely huh?"

"Yeah."

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Tada! Chapter Three is here! It's pretty long, longer than I'm used to. And it was a pain to come up ideas and make it all fit but it was worthwhile. The song was made on the spot and wasn't created to be a full song. If you guys would like, I could continue to write it and insert it later in the storyline. Leave a review if you would like me to do so! This chapter was mostly made to explain what Elodie was and what she and her family fought. Any comments, complaints, or concerns? Leave a review and I'll respond as soon as I am able. Happy reading~

-Scarlet Dusk