Bram Van Blair

Lucky for he was back on tinder before she even posted it. Sure it was fired back up on a train ride back home from NTO while he nursed a black eye but so what. The girls were swiping right and that boosted his ego.

Hooking up and not being tied down was more his style. Bram was no leashed pup.

A few stand outs of course hit the roster but June stood out. Obviously - shit she stood out before he was even done with Mim. Bram could never really get her ass out of his head.

So as the Friday night slowly crept on he figured fuck it and he pulled out his phone.

Bram: What you doin?

Bram: You tryna do somethin?

No he didn’t wait he double texted. Fuck it.

Post-Golf Boyfriend though, she'd redone her profile, because fuck that guy. Now, when she swiped, she eyed up her options for prom. She needed someone who was a proper score. Someone fit, someone smart, and most importantly, someone rich.

Bram did not meet that criteria.

She swiped on him because-- well, because it was the type of thing that June von Drake did. Even if she and Mim were tentative friends. Ish.

She wasn't going to do anything about it. But she didn't have to.

When his texts popped up, she raised her eyebrows.

June: come again? June: you texted me, buddy. :)

Bram huffed as he gripped his phone and stared at the words that popped up.

Bram: I asked if you were trying to go do something.

After hitting send here the old iPhone hit his chest and stared at the ceiling. Was he speaking a different language or was this just how June was.

Yet before he could even get a response he snatched up the phone again and started typing.

Bram: plus shocked to see ya on tinder. What happened? Dropped the bum?

Lucky for he was back on tinder before she even posted it. Sure it was fired back up on a train ride back home from NTO while he nursed a black eye but so what. The girls were swiping right and that boosted his ego.

Hooking up and not being tied down was more his style. Bram was no leashed pup.

A few stand outs of course hit the roster but June stood out. Obviously - shit she stood out before he was even done with Mim. Bram could never really get her ass out of his head.

So as the Friday night slowly crept on he figured fuck it and he pulled out his phone.

Bram: What you doin?

Bram: You tryna do somethin?

No he didn’t wait he double texted. Fuck it.

The way his brain work and what he clung to wasn’t the same as others. So he thought of things that brought him pain. It had been everything that kept him from this connection. Now it seemed to come full circle and help…twisted ass world.

Pressure was on a little but in the way that made Bram feel like failure would be embarrassing.

As his mind started to push out some of the static he felt his vision turn to gold.

“I uh got something.” Brams face twisted as he tried to understand what he was seeing…and hearing.

“They are singing.” Bram slowly opened his eyes as he kept the grip on his focus. “Linnet can you hear them singing. It’s nearly 15 spirits like a chorus.”

The ghosts were singing. Suddenly, her anxiety lifted and Linnet sat up straighter. A spark lit in her eyes. Why, now that made sense. The ghosts weren't angry at her-- maybe they sensed her music-talent! She'd never heard of such thing, but then, magic connected magicks across their species, wasn't that true? Maybe her magic was ringing on a similar frequency to the world of the... er...in-between.

Spooky. But also kinda cool, wasn't it? She needed to talk to Austin later about it all.

She shook her head. "I don't hear anything. Is there some way I ah-- can? Do you know what they're saying? Could you hum the song for me?"

Maybe she'd know it, somehow.

This wasn’t a movie though…and Bram really didn’t know what the hell he was doing…besides trying. Fuck he was really trying.

“I — uh…” Bram was not about to hum the tune. Was he…he didn’t know how to explain what they were singing. Octaves? Is this really a melody? So he decided to hum it out. Like a ladder of tones climbing and starting over. “Hmm…mmm…mmm.” Over and over again.

As he did so his eyes went wide as the shimmer grew and the spot they were sitting steered to radiate a golden amber light around them. Bram panicked but held his focus.

Something about this felt…different. Bram had no idea what they were dealing with.

Trying another route he added death of Layla Lyons. Yeah he knew there was an issue with her husband or lover whoever it was she was so aggressive about. Still he needed to figure out something about her.

It took a minute before he found some old PDF or a newspaper clipping. It was interesting to say the least. Better than nothing though so he printed it out.

What Bram found more interesting was who she was related to. There was literally a web of Lyons and the history and names were never ending. So he jotted stuff down to look at later.

With his PDF gripped in his hand he met back with Kovu. Hearing his findings he shook his head. “You said they died together? I don’t think that’s right. Or at least from what I’ve seen.” Bram has been harassed because her love was taken from her. “This lady is pissed because she was left alone. Which is why I think this might be something.”

He slid the paper onto the table. “I had no damn clue who the Lyons were. Still don’t that well runs deep. If you look at that article…it talked about the stoic Layla Lyons left widowed after the war.” Bram knew she was one of many women who would have been honestly; she had some company. “I need to look into it more…”

The flash of Kovu's feelings were quickly disguised. He wanted to give no indication that he was affected by this.

For all intents and purposes: he shouldn't be.

But, he knew that would be far too easy. Instead, his stomach curled with trepidation. Bram had no idea who the Lyons were, but Kovu knew all too well. He'd been hearing stories of them his entire life. They were a mythology to him. Kovu could name basically his entire lineage like it was an epic poem of old.

From Guinevere's marriage to Arthur and on down the line. He mostly knew the men--the inheritors. Those who had been deemed important enough to remember. He needed to know them all, so he could understand the blood that ran through his veins.

And yet, he wanted to know nothing about Layla. Leave her memory quiet and untarnished.

Didn't exactly work like that, now did it? If she was haunting Bram, if she was not resting...it meant that she hadn't been resting. Or she had and something had disturbed her.

"Huh," Kovu said, giving the article a cursory glance and hoping it didn't look like he was trying to hard to find features in the sepia photo that looked familiar to him.

"You think it is here then?"

“Yes.” He nodded. “I do. Sophia is interesting but something about her story just doesn’t make sense.”

Why would someone let alone a widow who passed along side her husband refuse to leave this world. A scandal perhaps but even that didn’t feel right.

“We can still keep her tabbed out but I feel like Layla is where we should start.” Bram squinted as he looked down at his notes. “I didn’t know the Lyons were basically town royalty. Now I’m curious where her grave site is.”

This part had always been fun though. Aside from the extreme guilt of even liking the connection with a spirit. Every person and family had a story. Some were exciting and some were that of a normal man just living their life. The man…spirit in Boston who had been wrongly accused of murder. That felt like an episode of Murder She Wrote or something.

“Yeah hopefully there is stuff actually about her.” Bram grabbbed the census books they had been looking over and nodded towards the desk. “Imma goin to drop this back off before we get clocked by that lady again. Then let’s meet back here?”

Bram knew this could be a work on your own type of situation but…he enjoyed having someone to do it with. Plus Kovu was cool…for a half teacher.

He got up and made his way over, typing in the woman's name and hoping that he'd manifest either nothing...or something that pointed directly to her being the ghost.

After a few minutes, Kovu jotted a few notes down and returned to his and Bram's table. He wondered if Bram had found anything on Layla. It was quite possible. After all, the Lyons were important figures in town. All of their records were probably preserved. Birth certificates, death certificates, personal letters, journals, and newspapers about their various accomplishments.

He could spend hours in here, going through all the history of his family.

But he wouldn't...because he didn't want to know. Kovu was a Lyons by blood, but he didn't really put much stock in it. Wasn't like they were gonna ever accept him as one of them anyway, considering who his father had been. Considering what Simba and Mufasa had done.

"Sofia died in a house fire with her husband. That's pretty shit, yeah?" Kovu said soft and eager when Bram sat back down. "Definitely could cause an angry spirit, right?"

Trying another route he added death of Layla Lyons. Yeah he knew there was an issue with her husband or lover whoever it was she was so aggressive about. Still he needed to figure out something about her.

It took a minute before he found some old PDF or a newspaper clipping. It was interesting to say the least. Better than nothing though so he printed it out.

What Bram found more interesting was who she was related to. There was literally a web of Lyons and the history and names were never ending. So he jotted stuff down to look at later.

With his PDF gripped in his hand he met back with Kovu. Hearing his findings he shook his head. “You said they died together? I don’t think that’s right. Or at least from what I’ve seen.” Bram has been harassed because her love was taken from her. “This lady is pissed because she was left alone. Which is why I think this might be something.”

He slid the paper onto the table. “I had no damn clue who the Lyons were. Still don’t that well runs deep. If you look at that article…it talked about the stoic Layla Lyons left widowed after the war.” Bram knew she was one of many women who would have been honestly; she had some company. “I need to look into it more…”

Yes he was supposed to be able to do all of the above. If he knew what the hell he was doing. Was he doing better? Yes. Was it reliable? Sure. Bram wouldn’t put money on his abilities but something in the back of his mind he still felt like it was wrong.

“I don’t think you’ve done anything.” Bram quickly said through all his self doubt. “They aren’t attacking you they are just following.”

Hell he had seen attacking and this was not vindictive in nature.

Looking from her hand in his wrist and back up to her he pulled his hand away - lightly. Bram felt a pit in his stomach that she was counting on him. As if he didn’t just walk himself in for this.

I shouldn’t have even said a damn thing.

“I can try. I am not good at this shit. If I’m being honest.” He blinked a few times. “Let’s sit. I need to get centered or whatever it’s called.”

Taking a deep breath to steady herself and try to calm down her jumpy heart, Linnet did as Bram said. She followed him a couple of steps away, and then, when he sat down on a ledge of the destroyed temple, Linnet did the same. She put both her hands between her knees, not sure what to do with them. She'd never done anything like this before.

But maybe this was why she'd been feelin' strange all morning. It was the ghosts, breathing down her neck.

"Now what?" she asked, looking at him with wide, trusting eyes.

The way his brain work and what he clung to wasn’t the same as others. So he thought of things that brought him pain. It had been everything that kept him from this connection. Now it seemed to come full circle and help…twisted ass world.

Pressure was on a little but in the way that made Bram feel like failure would be embarrassing.

As his mind started to push out some of the static he felt his vision turn to gold.

“I uh got something.” Brams face twisted as he tried to understand what he was seeing…and hearing.

“They are singing.” Bram slowly opened his eyes as he kept the grip on his focus. “Linnet can you hear them singing. It’s nearly 15 spirits like a chorus.”

Everything was screaming selfish. Lost. Girl. In that order.

"Yes I called it pathetic because thats what it was!" Bram spat back with his face stuck in the same expression. "You waited until I was halfway out the door to say some shit? You couldn't say it to my face? What would you call that then Mim?"

Bram was not going crazy. There as no way in the gods good hell that this girl. His Mim. The one with all the power and heart didn't think the same thing. What sort of weak ass move was that? It was something his fucking mother did and she was weak. It was the only way she could feel anything - making some slick ass comment as soeone was on their way out. Betting they would keep going and giving her the a boost to her depleated ego.

That was not Mim...but maybe it was 'cause clearly she was dealin' with something.

Then she started to speak with some sharpness, but Bram wasn't taking the bait. Mim thought this shit was going to hurt him? Him of all people? Every word was like sugar on his tongue because he had heard so much worse. Punished for less. This was a her problem. Even she wasn't saying it with her whole chest.

This. Was. Deflection.

"Oh yeah baby tell me more." His eyes grew wider as he grin spread across his face. Bram lived for shit talk and she was really pulling out all the stops. "Let me hear some more!" His hand went up to his ear waiting for more over her deflection.

If Mim didn't want to do all this then why the fuck didn't she open up that mouth of hers and say so. This wasn't his house. These weren't his games. Bram was doing what she wanted to do this whole fucking time. So not a single thing landed. The sex comment - he wasn't going to believe that. Not the way she acting during nah..that was just her reaching.

"Are you done?" Brams brows rose and fell. Eyes still wild. "I don't think you've got much more detail in there. Do ya?" Bram rolled his eyes. "You waited all this time to tell me that you didn't want to do shit that you wanted to do? Nah!" Bram shook his head. "This is a you fucking problem not a me fucking problem. This is your house. With your shit. You don't want to go to a Uni party? Why because you don't fit in? When the hell did you ever give a damn about fitting in. Nah this ain't fucking it." Bram was not going to take the blame for whatever she was getting on about. If she wanted to blow up then so be it. "You think this insecure bullshit is the girl I fell for? Try again. You can put all you bullshit on me. Lay it on me Mim. I have heard worse than you could ever imagine for Y E A R S! So this little outburst...bravo!"

Bram clapped his hands so sarcastically his eyes fluttered in annoyance. This was some bullshit.

"Why don't you figure out what the hell you are really getting at Mim. This is some fuck all bullshit. You think your friends? Yeah you friends are not out there doin the same shit every night. We live in a small ass fucking town where everyone is so far up each others asses they know what we ate for dinner last night." This was insane and he was not going to let this shit land on him. "So if you are tired of this." His fist beat at his chest three times. "Then alright I am not going to fight you on it. I suggest you go take a look in a mirror because this shit is W I L D!"

Yes. Fucking actually. Yes. Because this had always been there. This gnawing greedy desperation had always lived at her core just under the surface, and she'd worked so hard to keep it to herself. To tell herself she didn't need to be like that because she had better now. She'd won. She'd gotten the degree, she'd gotten the guy, and that was supposed to be the shiny brass ring at the end of the story.

Instead, she was two seconds away from repeating the entire fucking 'Cool Girl' monologue and debating whether she was faking her own murder or his just to make it interesting enough they'd be stuck.

"You're a fucking asshole and you have no idea what kind of shit I grew up with. Because that would require you to actually listen to me."

Every word he said scraped away at the next layer of control because it was so condescending. Her 'little outburst'. Her shit was 'wild'. The goddamn applause.

"But you're right. This is my house. With my shit in it. And you have stopped being part of my shit so get the hell out."

Bram wasn’t going to be anywhere that he wasn’t welcome.

This place was turning into his own personal hell anyways. A round about he was stuck in. Caught up in delusions and his own temper felt like it was slipping to places he knew he couldn’t control.

“Feel good lying to yourself! Like I don’t know shit about your life or I don’t listen. If that’s what you need to tell yourself to make sense of whatever has you so ass back wards then eat your hear out sweetheart! I’ll be your bad guy!”

Brams eyes were wild with rage as he threw his hands up at his sides.

“Fuck this! Fuck all this! You better take a long look in a mirror cause I know I’m not that fuckin problem here!”

The thought of how much they loved each other only a few weeks ago? What month was it? It all didn’t matter now Bram just felt used and exploited as some boyfriend. There wasn’t a single thing he did that wasn’t for her.

Clearly that was all a joke because this was a delusional outburst and she was on a kamakazi mission.

With a scoff at his teeth her turned around and held up two middle fingers and held them at the side of his head as he turned his back on Mim for the first time.

Fuck. Off.

Then he heard it. Some lame not even Mim worthy excuse of the final word. Honestly it reminded him of his mother. Always making some back handed comment almost under her breath just to spark some irritation. This though wasn't even the best of what he knew Mim had in her. This was just petty girl bullshit - but after so many pokes the bear had enough.

"Excuse me?" he said before slowly turning around. "Did you have something else you wanted to say?"

Maybe it was a bit of a flash back to his fights with his mother...or just the disrespect he was feeling from Mim. Hell it wasn't even actual disrespect...but at least if she was going to go all out and be the girlfriend that picked fights because maybe she was bored at least make it fucking exciting.

This was just pathetic.

His brow was furrowed as he walked back in the room and his head shook back and forth. The look in his eyes now wasn't fueld by the normal admiration - this was sinister and fed up. The place Bram went to when he was riled.

"I know you didn't just say some pathetic ass line as I was about to walk out the door." Bram kept shaking his head but only a fraction of an inch each way. It was clear the inside of his mind was trying to grasp at what she was trying to accomplish...it was a tactic really because he knew.

"You're better than that Mim." Which he almost never called her. This was his baby...truely. Then his eyes looked back at her and he snaked his neck with frustrated attitude. "So why don't you say whatever you're trying to say but you know say it with your whole fucking chest."

Brams eyes and nostrils flared.

"You tryin' to get a rise out of me? Is that it?" The question hung in the air. "Alright I'll play. What is it..."

She hadn't realized that in a weird way she'd been missing exactly that. Being Mim.

"The fact that I asked a question and you called it a pathetic line says fucking everything," Mim shot back, standing her ground as he stalked closer. The danger sent a thrill up her spine. At least it was something.

That morning, she had slammed a plate against the counter top just to watch it shatter. There had been a moment of pure satisfaction seeing the shards glittering in the sunlight in between her fingers. She'd been so tempted to grab another and another until there was nothing but shattered ceramic all around her.

Instead, she had sighed and cast mending, the pieces of the plate flying back together untilt here was no sign it had broken at all. There were creatures int his house who didnt' have a choice and they could get hurt after all.

Looking at Bram felt like that moment as she raised her hand to shatter the plate. Waiting to see the pretty pieces at her feet.

"I'm fucking bored. With this. With everything." With herself. Maybe herself most of all. "I'm bored of going ot uni parties where I know people but I don't fit because I fucking graduated, and you don't know anyone because you don't actually try and talk to people. And if we don't do that, we stay home sitting on this couch playing my games which I could do just as easily on my own. Maybe better. These days sex is the most interesting thing we do, and even that is getting boring. Is that enough of my whole fucking chest, or do you need more detail for it to sink in?"

Everything was screaming selfish. Lost. Girl. In that order.

"Yes I called it pathetic because thats what it was!" Bram spat back with his face stuck in the same expression. "You waited until I was halfway out the door to say some shit? You couldn't say it to my face? What would you call that then Mim?"

Bram was not going crazy. There as no way in the gods good hell that this girl. His Mim. The one with all the power and heart didn't think the same thing. What sort of weak ass move was that? It was something his fucking mother did and she was weak. It was the only way she could feel anything - making some slick ass comment as soeone was on their way out. Betting they would keep going and giving her the a boost to her depleated ego.

That was not Mim...but maybe it was 'cause clearly she was dealin' with something.

Then she started to speak with some sharpness, but Bram wasn't taking the bait. Mim thought this shit was going to hurt him? Him of all people? Every word was like sugar on his tongue because he had heard so much worse. Punished for less. This was a her problem. Even she wasn't saying it with her whole chest.

This. Was. Deflection.

"Oh yeah baby tell me more." His eyes grew wider as he grin spread across his face. Bram lived for shit talk and she was really pulling out all the stops. "Let me hear some more!" His hand went up to his ear waiting for more over her deflection.

If Mim didn't want to do all this then why the fuck didn't she open up that mouth of hers and say so. This wasn't his house. These weren't his games. Bram was doing what she wanted to do this whole fucking time. So not a single thing landed. The sex comment - he wasn't going to believe that. Not the way she acting during nah..that was just her reaching.

"Are you done?" Brams brows rose and fell. Eyes still wild. "I don't think you've got much more detail in there. Do ya?" Bram rolled his eyes. "You waited all this time to tell me that you didn't want to do shit that you wanted to do? Nah!" Bram shook his head. "This is a you fucking problem not a me fucking problem. This is your house. With your shit. You don't want to go to a Uni party? Why because you don't fit in? When the hell did you ever give a damn about fitting in. Nah this ain't fucking it." Bram was not going to take the blame for whatever she was getting on about. If she wanted to blow up then so be it. "You think this insecure bullshit is the girl I fell for? Try again. You can put all you bullshit on me. Lay it on me Mim. I have heard worse than you could ever imagine for Y E A R S! So this little outburst...bravo!"

Bram clapped his hands so sarcastically his eyes fluttered in annoyance. This was some bullshit.

"Why don't you figure out what the hell you are really getting at Mim. This is some fuck all bullshit. You think your friends? Yeah you friends are not out there doin the same shit every night. We live in a small ass fucking town where everyone is so far up each others asses they know what we ate for dinner last night." This was insane and he was not going to let this shit land on him. "So if you are tired of this." His fist beat at his chest three times. "Then alright I am not going to fight you on it. I suggest you go take a look in a mirror because this shit is W I L D!"

"I told ya they don't seem to want to leave you alone."

Brams eyes followed the golden aura that shimmered around her and followed the faint dusted line of gold that floated in the air. Each looked like a tether to different statues. Each looked like it seaped into the pillars and structure. Which to him was...odd. Normally he was use to enomolies that floated on their own in a form. Most even looking human if he actually used his gift. This though was more than that.

With a few large steps he climbed up the hill and held his hand out to Linnet to help her up onto a rock that looked over all the tourists. "Here let me help you up here."

Her stomach fluttered, nerves running up and down her spine as she took Bram's hand. She wasn't proud of them feelings, trying to cling to the stories of the haints and the rules she knew about them from her saplinghood. They don't mean no harm, that's what everyone said. Don't mean no harm, long as you leave them alone just like other critters...

Well, maybe she hadn't left them alone. She'd stepped on a sacred tile or kicked a haunted rock!

"Can you talk to them?" Linnet asked as soon as she was up the hill then. Her eyes were anxiously wide. She grasped at Bram's wrist to show how serious she was about this. "I mean, you're a medium! That's what you do! You can ask them what I've done."

And then she could apologize and be let alone.

Yes he was supposed to be able to do all of the above. If he knew what the hell he was doing. Was he doing better? Yes. Was it reliable? Sure. Bram wouldn’t put money on his abilities but something in the back of his mind he still felt like it was wrong.

“I don’t think you’ve done anything.” Bram quickly said through all his self doubt. “They aren’t attacking you they are just following.”

Hell he had seen attacking and this was not vindictive in nature.

Looking from her hand in his wrist and back up to her he pulled his hand away - lightly. Bram felt a pit in his stomach that she was counting on him. As if he didn’t just walk himself in for this.

I shouldn’t have even said a damn thing.

“I can try. I am not good at this shit. If I’m being honest.” He blinked a few times. “Let’s sit. I need to get centered or whatever it’s called.”

"Elma. Ok. Blair - ha thats funny." His last name was partially a first name and he knew that.

"And Layla." Bram gripped te paper and looked at the names over and over thinking a name would jump off the page.

"I honestly get a feeling about two of them." He let out a sigh. "I mean we either go to the cematary and we ask her is she is any of these people or we just go look some of them up. Right?"

Bram only assumed Swynlake was like Boston and everything was truly archived like news papers and major events. The Census and obituaries were great but who were these ladies.

"I think we should start with Sofia and Layla. They give me this gut feeling."

Hadn't he done his part? The nose-to-the-grindstone research? That was what he was good at, wasn't it? Not...any of this magical stuff. Couldn't Bram handle it on his own from here?

That's what Kovu wanted to say.

But, then, Bram said that he had a feeling about Layla. Because of course he did. This town was crawling with Lyons. Their family was all over the soil. On the buildings. On everyone's lips. You couldn't ignore their presence. Kovu had really, really tried.

If it was Layla Lyons...

His mother would never forgive him for not following through.

"Er, right...you wanna take Layla? I'll take Sofia...we can start looking more into their deaths? Should be...obituaries, newspaper clippings. That sort of thing..."

This part had always been fun though. Aside from the extreme guilt of even liking the connection with a spirit. Every person and family had a story. Some were exciting and some were that of a normal man just living their life. The man…spirit in Boston who had been wrongly accused of murder. That felt like an episode of Murder She Wrote or something.

“Yeah hopefully there is stuff actually about her.” Bram grabbbed the census books they had been looking over and nodded towards the desk. “Imma goin to drop this back off before we get clocked by that lady again. Then let’s meet back here?”

Bram knew this could be a work on your own type of situation but…he enjoyed having someone to do it with. Plus Kovu was cool…for a half teacher.