Chapter Text
Light filtered in through the dusty window of the small room in the East Wing. Kitty was sitting on her bed, twisting the hem of her dress and angrily muttering the curse words she had learned from Thomas.
Normally she would be taking this opportunity to annoy the captain or gossip with Pat, but she was too upset to think straight. Alison had been avoiding her all week, and the most recent disrespect she had received from her was the last straw for Kitty. Alison cancelled the sleepover she had promised Kitty, and she had been so excited. It wasn’t fair.
Kitty covered her face with her hands and started sobbing.
“Kitty? Knock, knock…” Pat emerged through the wall and waved awkwardly. “You a’right?” He asked, smiling a kind, helpful smile.
Kitty sniffled and shook her head. “Alison’s being mean,” she whined. “She won’t hang out with me, and she cancelled our sleepover!” She threw her hands in the air angrily. Pat debated whether or not to invite her into the living room to watch Hairspray with him and Thomas.
“Well, Kitty, uh, me an’ Thomas are watchin’ a musical in the livin’ room. If you want to join us.” He waited for a response.
Kitty, trying to hide her relief at being invited to hang out with them, said in a still slightly pouty voice, “Fine. I’ll join you,” and stomped dramatically past him and into the living room.
“Excellent,” Pat grinned, following her.
Thomas was sprawled out on the couch, sighing loudly.
“STOP DA SIGHING,” Robin growled from the coffee table, where he was playing chess with Julian. “Is getting old.”
Thomas glared at him and crossed his arms as Kitty squeezed into the space on the couch between Thomas and Pat.
Pat patted his own knee joyfully and said, “Julian, would you mind turning on the telly, mate?”
Julian groaned and responded with, “Ya know, I never had to do things like this when I was ALIVE.” He dragged his feet to the shelf with the remote, and screaming unintelligibly, pressed a few buttons. The TV clicked on and the musical numbers began. Julian took an exaggerated bow. Thomas clapped mockingly. Kitty grinned. She loved her crazy ghost family. No matter how annoying they could be, she always loved them and they always loved her.
But she never expected how the dynamics could change, or how many buried secrets were still there after hundreds of years. And she could never have guessed how destructive the aftermath would be when the truth finally came out.
…
“Kitty, I’ve asked you nicely three times, now will you please stop singing ‘Good Morning Baltimore’?” Pat’s voice was strained as he spoke. Kitty grinned, undettered, and replied,
“Oh, okay. Sorry Pat.” She was silent for a few seconds, reading next to Humphry, until she began humming the song again.
“FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE, KATHRINE,” The captain shouted from the kitchen. Thomas also joined in the assault.
“Really, Kitty, I cannot hear myself THINK. ” He exhaled dramatically, waving an arm in the air. Voices began piling up, from different rooms, some angry, some confused, until a glaring Alison stormed into the room.
“Tha’s it! Everybody stop, NOW.” She hissed, glaring around the room. Kitty smiled and began humming again. “NO, Kitty. I said stop.” Kitty immediately quieted, much to the annoyance and flailing arm of Thomas.
“Why do you only listen to Alison?” He gawked. Kitty shrugged innocently.
“Please...stop…” Alison sighed, rubbing her temples and squeezing her eyes shut. The captain suddenly popped into the room, concerned.
“Is everything alright, Alison?” He was clutching his baton under his arm with a serious expression.
“No, actually,” She started, as the ghosts gathered around her in support. “I have a migraine, I’ve had it for a week now, it won’t go away and I don’t know why. So if everyone could please try to stay a little more quiet around the house, I would appreciate it.” She walked back out of the room as Kitty looked around in confusion.
“What’s a migraine?” She asked.
“It’s the feeling you get after drinking too much the night before, if you know what I mean…” Julian sneered, making a bottle motion above his open mouth. Kitty stared blankly.
“Oh. Yes, I know.” She lied.
Pat sighed and corrected them, “It’s just a type of really bad headache, Kitty. An’ mate, if you wouldn’t mind not telling her stuff like that.” He added with a sharp look at Julian. Julian just shrugged and smirked.
“So, is you no longers upset wis Alisons?” Mary croaked, shuffling over to Kitty’s side.
“Oh right, I forgot,” Kitty giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. “But no, I suppose not. And- she has a migraine, so, that must be why she cancelled.” Kitty reassured herself.
As if summoned by pure thought, Alison appeared back in the room and announced to the group, minus Fanny, who was in her room sleeping, “Hey everybody, look here for just a second.” They obeyed. Alison held up a small green prescription bottle and rattled it around. Kitty smiled at the noise. “These-” rattle, rattle, “are my migraine pills, alright? I don’t want any of you, and by that I mean Julian,” He gaped at her, offended. “Messing with these. Let me know if you see them lying around so I can put them away alright?” They nodded, except Julian, who scoffed and crossed his arms. “Great. Good talk.” Alison left again, and Kitty heard The captain clear his throat loudly. Twice. Three times.
“Cap, you a’right mate?” Pat asked, glancing at him as the rest of the ghosts dispersed, heading to their rooms for the night. The captain shook his head, his brow knitted in what seemed to Pat as pain. And Pat knew pain.
“I, uh. Ahem. No, I’m…” He stuttered, and staggered to the couch. “Maybe I need to, ah, go for a run. Yes, that’s it,” he said, clutching the edge of the couch, his legs suddenly weak. “I just need to go. For a run.” He tripped, and Pat caught him before he smashed to the floor.
“Goodness, Cap. You don’t look good.” He helped the captain to a sitting position on the couch and held his shoulder. The captain stared at his feet, hanging his head in a very un-captainlike way. Pat started to sit down next to him, when the captain waved him away.
“Uh, I’m fine, Patrick. Go to sleep. I, I’ll sit down here a while. Clear my head.” He looked at Pat to reassure him he was fine, but his furrowed brow remained.
“Alright, Cap, but let me know if you need anythin’. I’ll just be right upstairs.”
The captain nodded and looked away.
“Right.” Pat said, leaving. “Cheers, mate.”
...
The next day bustled with activity, despite Alison being out of the house (she had errands to run with Mike,) the ghosts tried to enjoy themselves. Pat was keeping busy rounding people up for food club, and when most everyone was seated, began his talk.
“So, who wants to give our food club talk of the day? Anyone?” He looked around hopefully. To his surprise, Julian raised his hand, smirking.
“Julian, mate, come on up here,” Pat said excitedly, ushering him up to the front and clapping happily. Julian stood, adjusted his tie, and started talking.
“Well, I was hoping to talk a little bit more about the art- Thomas, you’d like that-” He gestured at the poet, who raised his eyebrows and sighed in boredom, “of what I like to call, as you know, FUN-due.” He ended with a smirk of self-satisfaction which turned into annoyance as the room broke out in chaotic shouts.
Fanny, standing and pointing an accusing finger at Julian, bellowed, “No, Julian, we all agreed, no more strip games at food club!” Mary looked like a bobblehead, agreeing with fanny and Julian began stuttering like a madman trying to talk over them.
“Now, I never- I didn’t say-” His rambling was interrupted by Humphry at the window, yelping in surprise.
“Intruders! Again, I mean...” He tried rolling his head to talk to them easier, but everyone rushed to the window, now distracted. They saw a minivan pulling up slowly into the driveway. The driver's side door opened, and a woman who looked in her mid forties hopped out. She opened the other door and pulled out a baby from the backseat.
“Ooh! A baby!” Humphry, Kitty and Pat squealed in unison. The others rolled their eyes. They watched as the passenger side door opened as well, and a short woman, probably seventeen, cautiously exited the vehicle. She said something to the older woman and began walking towards the house.
“She’s cute.” Julian commented. Fanny huffed in disapproval, while Thomas huffed in disgust. “Not nearly as beautiful as Dear Alison. No, Fair Alison. Wait, I got it. Thou hast no beauty like Fair Alison…” He began mumbling a poem as the rest of them fled to the lower level. Thomas was about to follow them when Humphry piped up.
“Aye, mate. Would you mind…?” Thomas sighed enormously and picked him up, trotting down the stairs with the head snug under his arm. They reached the entrance as the girl did. But Thomas noticed something as she walked up the stairs. She was swinging around a reflective stick and looking anywhere but where she was walking.
The older woman called to her from the car and the girl turned, heading back.
“What does she think she’s doing at MY HOUSE?” Fanny huffed. The girl spun back towards the house, confusion written all over her face.
Thomas was suddenly intrigued by this new creature and her strange customs, he dropped Humphry and sprinted to where the girl was.
“Oww. Nope, I’m fine, don’t mind me.” Humphry groaned from the dirt. Kitty giggled and picked him up. Brushing him off, she said, “Why do you even let him carry you around if you know he’s gonna do that?”
“If I had my body, I’d be shrugging right now.” He said simply. Right then, the girl was holding the baby in her arms and cooing to it gently. Thomas watched in wonder at her gracefulness and love towards the small child.
“What miracle is this, that I may witness such loving care to an infant?” He mused aloud. To his surprise, the girl’s head whipped up and she asked in a shaky voice, “Matilda, did you say something?” The older woman heaved a suitcase out of the trunk.
“No, why?” She responded, dragging it towards the front door.
The younger girl closed her pale eyes and let out a shaky breath.
“They’re back.” She sighed. “The voices. I hear them again.” Thomas gasped, just as Alison and Mike pulled into the driveway.