Paranormal Investigators Case FIles - 1

Jaden's P.O.V

I woke up sweating profusely. Someone or something was in my house.

Am I surprised? Not really. Am I scared? Hell yeah! You see I wasn't surprised because I had these surprise visitors ever since I was a kid. I was afraid because I was pretty sure the visitor was a dead one. I am Jaden Brett and I see dead people.

I inherited this ability from my mom, and she was an accomplished exorcist as well. She taught me what she knew and I was an exorcist as well and a pretty good one if I may say so. I learnt from the best after all. It’s what killed her eventually but that story is for another time.

I have long since learnt that not every spirit needs to be exorcised. Most of them have some unfinished business here on earth or need their story to be told to the world. However there are some truly evil ones and they need to be exorcised. But back to the matter at hand, I needed to check on who my latest visitor was.

I grabbed a handful of salt that I kept handy on my bedside table, just in case it was a nasty visitor. I got out of my room and instantly felt the change in temperature. I felt goosebumps on my arms and the back of my neck. Yep definitely a dead visitor. I walked downstairs warily, it was always nasty when they got you from under the stairs and tripped you. I walked towards the kitchen rubbing my arms and clutching the fistful of salt tightly. "Who is there?"

Silence.

I prayed to God that I didn't have a nasty visitor. I had returned only an hour ago from an intense exorcism and all I wanted to do was sleep for 8 hours straight. I walked near the kitchen and saw that all the cabinets were open. I licked my lips nervously and entered the kitchen cautiously. I hated being caught unaware.

"I want pop tarts!"

I almost had a heart attack as I whirled around to see a little boy standing in front of the refrigerator in a hospital gown. His head was shaved and he had stitches on it. He was really pale, it seemed that he had died recently and wasn't even aware of it. He seemed harmless though and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Hi what's your name?"

"I am Ben, is my mommy here?"

"uh no Ben, do you remember where you were before you came here?"

"I-I was at the hospital" he said scrunching his nose and trying to remember, "The doctors cut me open"

"What was wrong with you?"

"I don't know but I had a bad fall and I hurt my head real bad.

There was a lot of blood, that's all I remember"

"How did you find me?"

"After the doctors put me to sleep I remember floating and I met many people who were also floating, when I tried to get back into my body I couldn't" he paused to catch his breath, "but I couldn't get into my body, then I met a woman and she told me to meet you"

The fact that he couldn't get back into his body could mean that he was either dead or maybe he was really close to death and in limbo.

"I saw mommy crying and I tried to get back inside but I couldn't."

This was going to be hard. How do you break it to a child that he was dead? That he will never be able to be with his parents again? He would never get to hug his mother? Most importantly why hadn't he seen the light and moved on? What unfinished business would a child have? I would need to go to the hospital and find out what had happened. But I could hardly go right now at 3.00 a.m and ask questions about a boy I wasn't even related to. If I told them the truth they would send me straight to the loony bin. I would have to wait until tomorrow and so would Ben.

"Ben buddy, I want to help you but we can’t go to the hospital now"

"Why not?"

"Because er because visiting hours are up and I am a visitor right?"

He seemed to think it over once and said, "Alright but we will go there first thing in the morning"

"Yes. Now I guess you will need to bunk with me tonight"

He nodded and yawned, "I am tired"

I smiled at him and lead the way upstairs. I set up a spare room, had to keep up pretenses because he didn't realize he was dead yet.

There's no telling what he might do when he found out. Most of them go into denial and become very violent and I just couldn't deal with that tonight. It was creepy tucking in a dead kid but my heart went out to him. He seemed to be barely 7 years old and he was dead.

"Goodnight Ben"

"G'nite" he said sleepily. I went out and shut the door, the temperature had dropped a few more degrees and I shivered as I got into bed. I tried to sleep but I couldn't shake off the feeling that there was a dead kid in the room next to mine.

Sometime during the night I drifted off to sleep. I woke up the next morning because I felt a shift of energy in my room. I sat up clutching my chest as I saw Ben standing beside me looking at me intently.

"Jesus! Ben, when did you wake up?"

"I've been up all night"

"Couldn't sleep?"

"I can't sleep Jaden" I shivered thinking about Ben watching me while

I slept all night then quickly shook the thought off. It was terrifying.

"Wait! How do you know my name?"

"The lady told me"

"Do you know her name?"

Ben shook his head and said "No"

"Ok can you wait while I get dressed?"

"Yes"

"Can you wait downstairs?"

"Ok but hurry!"

I showered quickly and wore the first pair of clean jeans and t shirt I could find. I ran downstairs and found Ben staring at a picture of my mom and I.

"Ben, let’s go"

"Jaden?"

"Yes?"

"She is the one who told me to find you" I followed the direction of his finger and my heartbeat accelerated as I realized he was talking about my mom.

Tristan's P.O.V:

I winced as I heard my parents yelling at each other again.

"You are a freak!" oh great dad was drunk again.

"No I'm not! Now go lie down till you are sober again."

I opened my door and went to the landing and yelled out, "Shut up!

Both of you just shut up!"

I knew that if mom kept yelling at dad the inevitable would happen. He would start hitting her and she wouldn't let me intervene. I shut my door and went to my closet where I kept my secret stash. I pulled out a little and rolled it. I lit up the joint and inhaled, waited for the kick and there it was! I was in my space away from all the shit that was happening in my life.

"At it again huh?"

"Christ! You need to stop doing that!" I stared into a mutilated face.

This was Josh, he had died in a car accident. When he wanted to he would appear good looking, with the face he had before he had an accident. That was when I was with a girl, but whenever he wanted to annoy me he would appear with his grotesque mutilated face. And if you haven't figured out by now I can see ghosts and talk to them.

Josh had been with me since I was 13 when I had had a near death experience myself. Ever since then I had been able to see ghosts. I tried not to let them know that I could see them because once they knew they would pester me. Though, I didn't understand what all the fuss was about. I had yet to meet a ghost who had tried to harm me.

Seeing dead people was what had driven me to do drugs and my parents bickering all the time had been the last straw. Anyhow Josh's appearance had taken out the kick that I had just got from smoking up. I was not an addict but I was stoned more often than not.

"What the hell are you doing here Josh?"

Josh faked a hurt expression and said, "I thought I was your best friend?"

I snorted and said, "You are my only friend."

Seeing ghosts had its repercussions, I didn't even have a steady girlfriend till date. I mean imagine when you are making out with your girlfriend and suddenly a bloody and gory ghost pops up. It sort of kills the mood.

"Anyway, where were you all these days?"

"Oh please! I was gone for what a day and you missed me so much? I am flattered" he said wiggling his eyebrows.

"I did not!"

"Relax, I was just kidding. I was trying to get a little lost boy to you."

"Huh? Why?"

"The kid is dead and he doesn't know it yet"

"And since when am I the lost and found centre for lost souls?"

Josh sighed and the little flap of skin hanging from under his lip fluttered I shuddered and said, "Josh do you mind not appearing all dead and gross?"

"But I am dead!"

"Still appear as you used to before you had an accident"

Josh sighed once more and transformed in front of me.

"That's better"

"Well I guess then the kid made a good decision going to the other boy"

"Wh-what other boy?"

"You know, the other one who was very helpful"

"You mean you've actually come across another person like me?"

Josh nodded and looked really excited. "Tristan this time I found a genuine person and he seems to be about your age"

I knew what Josh meant. Ever since I had met Josh we had been on a quest to find someone like me, someone who would bring reason to the madness. But we had come across too many fakes and given up. I rested my head on the wall.

'Take me to him?"

"As soon as you are sober"

"I am good man!" I stood up and promptly fell back.

"Damn it!"

Josh laughed and said, "Hurry up we don't have a lot of time, we need to reach them fast"

"Why?" I groaned.

'Because I know what happened to the little boy"

Rebecca's P.O.V:

I sighed as I set up my stalls. Another day at the carnival, I was getting really bored. I quickly needed to get a job that didn't require me to out on this ridiculous outfit that made me look all mysterious and stupid. I picked up my cell phone and called my best friend Giselle.

"Y'elo"

"Giselle, what are you doing?"

"Nothing I am resting, yesterday's séance really drained me out."

"Giselle! You have to stop! Didn't I tell you our lives were going to change soon?"

"Rebecca how soon is soon? You know you can sense what is going to happen but not when its going to happen"

"Look meet me at 6 today. Its going to happen today, I can sense it."

"And who am I to argue with a psychic" suddenly she squealed and asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

'Ok see you at 6.00"

I smiled and hung up. I thought back to the day when Giselle and I couldn't see eye to eye. Then one day we were arguing about something on the school premises outside an old teacher's staff room that wasn't used anymore when we both saw a ghost staring at us and we both screamed. Since then we were the best of friends.

Something about seeing ghosts does that to you. We had since been inseparable. Everyone at school was amazed at us after all we had been sworn enemies. I shook myself out of my reverie and started setting up my tent. I put a poster out in the front that had a picture of me dressed in a huge flowing black gown and lots of bead necklaces around my neck. There was a dark blue turban on my head and my eyes were lined heavily with kohl. Each of my fingers had a ring on it with a different colored stone. If what I had seen came to pass today, it would be my last day at the carnival.

I am Rebecca Xaviers, I see ghosts. Sometimes I can also see what may happen in the future. I say 'may' because not everything I see actually happens. I had just finished setting up the table a small kid entered and then two more people followed him inside. I glanced and paled, uh oh didn't see this coming.

Giselle's P.O.V

I woke up with a start at 4.00 p.m. I rushed into the washroom and freshened up quickly. I pulled on a pair of black skinny jeans and a blue T-shirt. I quickly plaited my long blonde hair into a fishtail and pulled out my favorite black ballet slippers. I ran downstairs and puled at the door.

"AAAAAaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" I yelled as I saw an old lady standing on my doorstep.

"I need a message to be delivered to my daughter"

"Not right now I'm busy"

"Please, it’s important"

"It’s always important" I whined. Then the old lady made a sad face and I gave in, "Alright give me the details but it will have to wait until tomorrow morning ok?"

I grabbed a notepad and pen and began writing as she began talking.

"Cool I'll let her know"

"I'll come again tomorrow"

I rolled my eyes and nodded. I turned to grab my bag and did a double take when I saw the lady had disappeared. Twenty years, for twenty years Rebecca and I had been seeing ghosts and though it was fairly normal for us to talk to them, they still took us by surprise. I conducted séances to help people get in touch with their loved ones. It was taxing and it left me drained but it was good money. However I was a novice and I had almost died during a séance when a spirit wouldn't leave my body. But if what Rebecca had seen was about to happen then I didn't need to take these risks anymore.

I could see ghosts and be a medium for them; however I could only see them when they chose to appear in front of me whereas Rebecca was our personal EMF detector. She could immediately sense if a spirit/ghost was present. I locked my front door and ran all the way to the bus stop and caught a bus to the carnival. Once I reached there I rushed to Rebecca's stall and barged in to find her sitting with her head in her hands and two extremely good looking boys sitting opposite her. I glanced behind the boys, "Oops!"