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Mist had to sit down on her bed before her knees gave out.

This summer gone had been the thirteenth anniversary of Special’s death. A renegade angel had cruelly taken him from them, along with their other pack mates Rho and Zeta when Terzo had pissed him off.

Mist had so many regrets as far as Special was concerned. As soon as he’d been summoned a couple of years after the rest of them, she’d felt drawn to him. He was such a doofus; so scatty and goofy. They’d had a connection straight away, but it had only ever been a friendship. An intense friendship, but a friendship, nonetheless.

She wished with all her heart that they’d gotten over their hang-ups and their shyness and their awkwardness and just gone for it. Special had made it known that he wanted her in his own way, but Mist had been too scared and too stupid to just let it happen.

By the time she’d almost plucked up the courage to take it to the next level, it had been far too late.

Mist could never replace him and she never would, resigning herself to the fact that she had Terzo and the remaining members of her pack, and that would have to do.

“Where did you see him, Alpha? We need to go find him!”

She threw on her boots and a hoodie. It was All-Hallows Eve and the weather had turned cold. Mist had felt the promise of winter in the chill breeze that had been present for the last few days. Ghouls hated to be too cold and the winters here sucked.

“Slow down, Misty! It was only for a few seconds and then he was gone. But I think he’s trying to get back to us.”

“Did he see you? Did he say anything?”

Alpha shook his head sadly.

“He didn’t get the chance. By the time I ran over to him, he’d gone. The Brother who was there instead must have thought I’d gone mad. He almost pissed his pants.”

That raised a smile from Mist. Alpha could be pretty scary sometimes without even meaning to be. The poor Brother of Sin probably thought he was about to get eaten by a pissed off fire ghoul.

It had been a couple of days ago when Mist first thought that she’d seen Special. She was walking back from a dinner with Omega and his partner Seren, the Abbey's head witch, and had taken the long way back to the lair. Mist had gone on a detour through the Abbey’s gardens.

She'd come across a group of Siblings sitting around a fire pit, drinking and chatting; and that’s when she’d seen him.

She’d walked right past at first, but then she swore that she'd caught his scent. She would know it anywhere. The image of his face had become fuzzy in her memory over the years, but his scent had never faded. She’d turned around and found herself frozen in place, eyes wide and breath caught in her throat.

He was there, sitting by the fire, holding a bottle of beer, and he was looking right at her. He'd smiled that lopsided smile he always used to give her; the one that gave her butterflies in her tummy every single time, and her heart had skipped a beat.

By the time her feet caught on and moved towards him, though, it was like it had only been an image of him. It flickered in and out, and when Mist called out his name, the fragile impression disappeared completely. The Brother who was sitting there in his place looked at her like she’d totally lost her mind.

Alpha had come across her in the woods, sobbing her heart out, and she’d told him what she saw. He was sympathetic, but she could tell he thought she’d been mistaken. She loved Alpha like a brother, but sometimes he wasn't the most sensitive. During her darkest days, when she was lost in her misery after Special was killed, he had taken care of her. She knew him better than most, and she could tell that he was just humouring her to make her feel better.

Now, though? Mist grinned. He believed her now. She’d doubted herself, thinking that maybe she was crazy after all, but now she had an ally.

“Should we take this to Terzo?”

Alpha frowned in thought.

“Hmmm. Maybe not just yet. You know what he gets like. We don’t want to get his hopes up. How about Helena? She’s good at this stuff.”

Helena was the second highest witch in the Clergy. She loved to dabble in seances and the human spirit world, so maybe she could help?

“That could work. Or what about Quinn? He has a good sense for this kind of thing, too.”

Quinn was one of Secondo’s ghouls, and he seemed to have a weird connection to magic and the other realms.

“Let’s talk to them both. I’ll see if they’re free.”

Alpha started texting and they’d soon arranged a meeting with the witch and the ghoul out in the woods.

Mist couldn’t contain her nervous energy. This had to mean something. It was Halloween, and the veil between dimensions was always thinner tonight.

They headed to the clearing in the woods where they’d arranged to meet, and Alpha gave her a reassuring hug.

“I’m sorry I doubted you, but you have to admit; you sounded like you’d fucking lost it.”

Mist huffed out a laugh at Alpha’s bluntness. It was one of the things she loved about him. He always said exactly what he was thinking.

“I know. I doubted it too, but the more I thought about it, the more I convinced myself it was him.”

When she remembered the night when Raziel took him and their other pack mates away from them, along with the angel’s words to Terzo, she shivered.

“Know that your ghouls are suffering, Papa,” the angel had sneered. “I sent their souls somewhere very interesting, so rest assured they will not be at peace. Not ever.”

Had Special somehow escaped wherever it was? Was he asking for their help? Mist needed to know. Needed to help.

Alpha put an arm around her shoulder and she leaned into his warmth as they walked along the path through the woods. They had chosen a clearing that wasn’t too far in, but far enough to avoid any disturbance from late night wanderers.

Quinn and Helena were already waiting for them. The quintessence ghoul’s blonde hair caught the moonlight and he grinned at them. Helena wore her trademark leather jacket and her hair was black with shocking pink streaks tonight. She must have coloured it since the last time Mist had seen her, as it had been blue last week.

“What’s so urgent you needed us right now?” Quinn asked. “We were kind of... busy.”

He slid his eyes to Helena and she smirked. Mist raised a brow, but didn’t pry.

“We have a situation and it’s kind of urgent.”

“Oh?” Helena said, curious. “How so?”

Mist took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself to be ridiculed when she’d finished explaining.

“I think I saw Special. I think he’s trying to tell me something, or get back to us or something.... I don’t know. I thought I was seeing things, but Alpha just saw him, too.”

The fire ghoul nodded in support of her story.

Quinn and Helena looked at each other again. Here it comes, Mist thought, waiting for them to burst out laughing at her. Helena spoke up, though.

“Well... I think you could be right. Someone has been trying to contact me, and I couldn’t quite make out who it was. The connection was too weak. Quinn was trying to help me figure it out tonight when we got your messages.” Mist’s heart leapt. Could it be true? “From what I’ve seen so far, it makes perfect sense for it to be Special.”

Mist and Alpha grinned at each other. Could it be that Special was okay and trying to contact her? After all these years?

“What do we do now, then?” Mist asked, and they made their plan.

CHAPTER 2: SPIRITED

Ao3 link here

Not too long later, Mist found herself sitting cross-legged on the ground in the living room of Helena’s apartment. Various herbs, incense, and candles burned around them as Helena laid out her spirit board on the low coffee table. The lights were off and the glow of the candles provided the only light. She’d done a quick cleanse of the room with some sage, and now they were ready to begin. 

Helena and Quinn sat opposite to Mist and Alpha. 

“So, you think this will work?” Mist asked. “You think Special has been trying to talk to you?” 

Helena pursed her lips and shrugged. 

“I mean, someone’s been pretty insistent for the past day or so. Usually I get human spirits passing by, but this one didn’t quite feel the same as them.” 

It was no secret Helena had a gift for speaking with spirits. Amongst the Clergy, at least. The regular Siblings weren’t aware. It was rumoured her great-grandmother was her guide, but Mist didn’t know her well enough to ask her outright about it. 

“I thought I was seeing things. I’ve been missing him so much lately, and I thought it was just that. My mind playing tricks. Just wishful thinking.” 

Alpha put a reassuring arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. She leaned into him and took comfort from him, because she could feel herself trembling.

This had all happened out of the blue. 

For the past few years, Mist had struggled with the lack of closure and the abruptness of Special’s departure. People had told her she should move on from it, get on with her life, and let the guilt go. 

She hadn't been able to do that, though.

The biggest regret of her life was the last conversation they'd had, and the mundaneness of it. It had been a discussion about the weather, of all things. Mist had replayed that conversation over and over and over in her head, and every time, it had been the same; emotionless.

There had been no chance to say goodbye to him. No opportunity to say the things she'd wanted to say to him. If she'd known it would be the last time she'd ever get to speak to him, she'd have been brave and told him just what he meant to her. That she regretted being so stupid and denying her feelings for so long. She'd have told him he was the one for her.

“This is just the kind of shit Special would pull,” Quinn said fondly. “He never was one to do things in the usual way.” 

Mist smiled at that. He was right. Special had always been eccentric, even amongst ghouls, so if this was him, no doubt he’d found some obscure back door or loophole to contact them. She hoped so, at least. 

“There was nothing usual about Special,” she said. 

Alpha huffed a laugh. 

“I miss that little shit, something rotten.” 

Helena smiled at them both. 

“Are you ready? If he’s close by, this is the quickest way to get his attention.” 

Mist took a deep breath and nodded, straightening her spine.

“Let’s do it.” 

Quinn was the designated note taker. He mumbled something about ‘not touching that fucking thing again’ under his breath, earning a snort from Helena. 

“Okay,” she said. “So, put your two fingers on the planchette like this. Just a light touch. Make sure you’re relaxed.” She showed them what she meant, placing her first two fingers on the wooden pointer. Alpha and Mist copied her and waited to see where this would go. Helena took a couple of deep breaths and blew them out again before she spoke. “We call upon the good-hearted spirits nearby and invite you to speak with us. Is there anyone here who would like to communicate?” 

Nothing happened.

Mist glared at the planchette, willing it to move, but it stayed annoyingly still. She sighed, frustrated. She’d convinced herself that if Special was here, they’d be able to contact him straight away. It looked like she’d been wrong. 

“It’s not fucking working,” Alpha grumbled after a few moments. “I knew this was all Hollywood bullshit.” 

Helena frowned and held up her free hand to quiet him, tilting her head as if she was listening to something. 

“Don’t give up so easily. Be patient.” 

Mist chuckled. 

“One thing he isn’t is patient.” 

“Fuck off, Misty,” Alpha snarled. 

The pointer moved violently up to land on No. 

Mist gasped and it took everything she had not to pull her hand away. Helena grinned at Alpha, whose jaw hung slack. 

“Looks like someone’s not happy with you,” Helena said. 

Alpha scowled, eyes glowing with banked amber flames. 

“Well fuck,” he whispered. 

“We welcome you and thank you for your time,” Helena said. “Are you a friend of ours?” 

The pointer moved to Yes, more slowly this time. 

“Oh!” Mist said, hope sparking in her heart. 

“Who are you?” Helena asked. 

Quinn wrote the letters as the pointer moved slowly and methodically across the board. 

C-O-A-L 

Mist frowned, the hope dying and disappointment sinking in, laying heavy on her heart. 

“Coal?” she said, puzzled. 

Helena looked confused, too. 

“What the fuck is coal?” Alpha said. 

The candles all flared brighter for a moment and Mist squealed as a fierce wind whipped through the room. She snatched her hand away from the planchette and grabbed onto Alpha’s arm. He let go too and Helena made a frustrated sound, pushing the pointer to Goodbye and saying it firmly. 

“Goodbye!” 

The wind died down and the candles went out completely, leaving them sitting there in darkness.  Luckily the ghouls could still see.

“Well, fuck,” Quinn said with a smirk.

Alpha reached out and lit the candle nearest to him using a spark of his fire energy. 

“What in the fuck just happened?” he said with more than a little waver in his voice. “What the fuck does coal have to do with anything? Did you see who it was?” he asked Helena. 

A frown fixed firmly into place and she shrugged. 

“It was him. I heard his voice. It was Special.” 

Mist whined, heart breaking. 

“We have to try again! If you heard him, then he’s here!” 

Helena opened her mouth to speak, but the door to her apartment flew open, slamming against the wall and bouncing back again. 

Both Quinn and Alpha jumped to their feet and growled low, moving to stand between the imminent threat and Mist and Helena. 

Between the door jambs stood a fire ghoul who looked vaguely familiar, but Mist couldn’t quite place him just then. He was taller than she was, but not by a long way. Skinny with black hair and completely jet-black eyes that glowed with a ring of amber flames. 

Like the coals in a hearth. 

Mist peered around Alpha and gasped when the ghoul’s intense gaze swung to hers. She looked at him then, really looked, and her heart stopped when those eerie black eyes changed to blue. A blue that was all too familiar to Mist. A blue that she’d ached to see just one more time for the past thirteen years.  

She stepped out from behind Alpha, but he grabbed her arm, trying to shove her behind him again. She wiggled out of his hold, though, and cautiously approached the strange ghoul, stopping just out of arm’s reach in front of him. 

Mist blinked, trying to focus and coming to the realisation that this was just like what she’d experienced with the Brother of Sin. Her eyes welled with tears and she reached out towards his face with a shaking hand.