Chapter Text
“So, I’ve been doing some research and working on compiling a list of the equipment we’re going to need.” Kravitz looked down at his phone as he spoke, skimming his notes. “Luckily, most of it isn’t going to be difficult to get and the rest should be within the club budget.”
Lup dropped into a seat and opened her laptop, pulling up files while she listened. Nodding slowly, she nudged her twin brother with her boot.
“Koko, did you find anything neat?”
Taako shook his head, lounging beside Lup.
“Aside from learning that the freshmen already found out that Merle’s got the good stuff, nothing.”
Magnus laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. He was leaning against the blackboard, his letterman jacket hanging off one of the chairs.
“That sure explains the crazy stories coming out of Felicity Hall. Especially that one kid saying he saw chimeras.”
Taako nodded in agreement.
“A little of Merle’s stash and a whole lot of FMA, my dude.”
Just then, the door burst open and Julia Waxmen ran in, still wearing her workout clothes from practice. She skidded to a halt and grinned.
“Guys, I found one. A ghost story on campus that’s got some credibility.”
Kravitz and Lup exchanged the same excited look. Julia slid into her usual seat on the desk at the front of the classroom they met in and held up her notes.
“Okay, so you know Sterling Hall? The physics building?” She was grinning with excitement as she watched the expressions on everyone else’s faces. “So, I’ve got a whole bunch of stories. We’ve got knocking, voices, lights turning on and off, and some reports of people actually seeing a figure. Nothing distinct. Like the shadow of a person?”
Kravitz reached for his notebook, his eyes alight with curiosity.
“Do we have any information about who the spirit could be?”
Julia shook her head and Taako raised an eyebrow.
“What kind of nerd managed to die in the physics building?”
Everyone else turned to look at Taako and Lup sighed.
“I’ll see if Luce has any research, but let’s set up an investigation. Cool?” There was a round of nodding agreement and Lup continued, a grin crossing her face slowly. “I’ll set it up for Friday night. Krav, you get that equipment together. Everybody else, make sure you’ve got a flashlight and pick a buddy.”
When Friday night came, Lup was ready and raring to go. She had a flashlight tucked into pocket, her phone was charged, and she even had a brand new voice recorder. Taako was slightly less gungho, but as he’d told her when this club had first started, he was here for two reasons and two reasons only: making sure she got her damn nerd club and to try and get into Kravitz’s pants. Together, they trudged up to the physics building and the meeting place the group had picked out on the front steps. Julia was already there, her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail with a baseball cap keeping it out of her eyes. Magnus was sitting on the stairs, watching Julia as she double-checked the equipment with Kravitz.
“I also got a trap camera. I thought that perhaps it would be useful for catching motion if we find a hot spot of activity.”
“That sounds perfect. According to what I’ve heard, the big lecture hall gets the shadows the most. That might be a good place to set it up?”
Lup picked a K2 meter up off the table and examined it.
“Where did you even get this stuff, Krav?”
He shrugged a little.
“Mostly the internet. Mother doesn’t question what I order on there as long as it doesn’t look illegal.”
She shoved it in her pocket and put an arm around his shoulders.
“My dude, you’re the best. We ready to set up?”
“Absolutely.”
Julia spread a map of the building out on the low wall beside the stairs.
“Here’s what we’re looking at. We’ve got sightings in a few of the classrooms, the big lecture hall, one of the labs, and on a flight of stairs headed down towards storage. That’s a lot to cover, but I think we can put stationary cameras on the stairs and in the lecture hall. Then we split up and take classrooms. We should...probably try to stick in pairs, but there are five of us so-”
Lup cut Julia off.
“It’s cool, I’ll go on my own. I’m a big girl, I don’t mind the dark. Taako and Kravitz can stick together and you can go with Maggie. Sound good?”
If Lup noticed the subtle thumbs up from Taako and the bright blush on Magnus’ cheeks, she ignored both of them. Julia looked over at Magnus and raised an eyebrow.
“Think you can keep up, Burnsides?”
“You better believe it, Waxmen.”
Kravitz handed Lup a video camera as they both ignored the jock-flirting.
“We should each pick an area so we don’t contaminate each other’s results. Taako and I can go to the basement staircase and start there. Julia, can you and Magnus take the second floor?”
“You got it. And that leaves the lab, or the lecture hall for you, Lup.”
Lup took a long look at the map spread out before her, trying to imagine where ghost would hang out. Then she pointed at the lab.
“I’ll start there and radio in if I end up moving.”
Kravitz nodded as well.
“A sound plan. Shall we then?”
About 20 minutes later, they had their equipment set up and Lup was alone in the first floor physics lab. She’d left the lights off and had a flashlight sitting on the table beside her. Not, of course, that she expected to need it. She was an Elf. Elves didn’t need flashlights to see in the dark. She set the K2 meter down beside the flashlight and looked around a little. Then she lounged against one of the tables, holding up a her phone with the recorder app running.
"So, is there anyone here with me?"
She waited in silence for a moment, trying to keep from drumming her fingers on her thigh.
“If there’s someone here, could you like maybe make a sound? Knock on the wall or something?”
Silence. Lup shifted slightly, wondering what time it was. She didn’t think she’d been away from the rest of the team for very long. There was a bump on the other side of the room and Lup nearly dropped her phone.
“Shit! Fuck!”
Juggling it for a second, she managed to get a firm grip again and realized it had stopped recording. She hit the playback button and listened. Her own voice. Silence. More of her talking. Then...something. A whisper? She rewound the recording and listened again, eyes closed in concentration. Maybe. Maybe it was something. She saved that and started again.
“I thought I heard something on that last recording, my dude. Think you could try again?” She paused. “I’ve also got some meters and stuff, if you want to try to set those off. If you touch the one on the table, you can make it light up and that would be absolutely rad.”
She watched the meter for a moment. The lights across the top suddenly blinked on and that time, Lup did drop her phone. She grabbed it just before it hit the tiled floor.
"Whoa! Did you do that, my dude?"
It lit up again and Lup stood there, staring at it in wonder.
"Okay, okay, awesome! Can you like... once for yes and twice for no?"
It lit up once and then went out. Lup looked around frantically, trying to figure out if something else might be setting it off. Taako was never going to believe her.