#ghost ace

A few years later, you noticed the amulet had started to change colour. Sure, you thought it was just dirty, but it was changing to a cleaner, more distinctive colour... And sometimes it would flicker as if there was a living, flickering fire at its centre. 

A few days after the medallion started flickering with inner fire, you developed some strange health problems. Hot flashes, prolonged fever, flushed cheeks and other symptoms. 

Even though you were suffering from all of this, you were able to function normally without any problems. However, you knew your body shouldn't function during fevers and decided to see a doctor. 

None of the doctors had any idea what was wrong with you, but they all agreed that it would be best if you stayed in the hospital for observation. You had your own room and the doctors came to check on you almost every hour. 

It was around midnight when you woke up due to the feeling that your body was on fire. Like you were burning from the inside. You ripped off the covers and the cold of the room was pleasantly chilly. 

You were enjoying the way you slowly cooled as the fire appeared in the room. You felt like you were hallucinating as the fire was lifelike and the flame began to form into the figure of a young man. 

You were shocked. You were afraid of having such a high fever that it would make you delirious. The young man had raven hair and the only clothes he was wearing were shoes, shorts and beads around his neck. Otherwise, he was wearing nothing. 

The young man looked at his hands as if to make sure he was really there before he looked at you. His expression immediately softened and he raised his hands in the air when he saw your shocked expression. 

"Hey there," he smiled sweetly and walked closer to you. "I won't hurt you, I swear," he continued, slowly sitting down on the edge of the bed next to you. You nodded that you understood but you still watched him warily.

"Who are you?" you asked, looking him over. You had the impression that you knew him somehow, that his voice was familiar, but you had no idea from where. 

"I'm Ace. I guess you didn't understand me when I introduced myself," he smiled, scratching the back of his neck. Ace explained to you that he was the one talking to you in your head, but he was just learning your language. 

He explained that he was a fire spirit who was trapped in your amulet. He had been trapped there since Mayan times, waiting for a potential host to let him out.

However, the amulet was limiting his power, and after so long buried by time, he was so weakened that he needed some time to get the power back from you slowly... He didn't mean to hurt you, though, not in the slightest. That's why it took so long for him to present himself to you like that. 

"... You're not crazy, and you're not sick. It was just a side effect of me possessing your body. Nothing will happen to you," he assured you before his expression turned more pleading. He begged if he could stay with you and hide in your body. Plus, it would make you reverse your side symptoms. 

You thought about it for a moment before finally agreeing. Ace was thrilled. He looked like he wanted to hug you before disappearing into your body like a ghost. 

The next day, the doctors taking care of you were completely amazed. All the symptoms they'd admitted you with had disappeared. All the hotness had disappeared from your body and your temperature had returned to normal, although it was a degree higher. 

Because of the absence of your mysterious illness, they discharged you and you were able to return home.

Ace became your new roommate, even though you lived at home alone. While he still liked to possess you, he was more often outside of your body and had completely taken up residence in your house.

The fire spirit was your roommate and your best friend who knew you like no one else and you could tell him anything. Maybe it was because you had him in your mind for a while, where he heard your every thought. Plus, you found you had a certain feeling about him, but you tried to hide that from him, but it was as valid as a submarine's windshield wipers. 

One look at you, one possession, and he knew. Still, he was the one who'd caught you off guard, since he'd liked you ever since you'd put the amulet around your neck. 

You were with Ace at the fair, and you were there until almost the end of the night. It was an amazing day where you were on almost all the rides and through you, the ghost was able to enjoy the food. 

It was quite a day, and you were tired by the evening. Ace saw that and offered to take you home himself. You agreed since you trusted him, and so you willingly handed over the reins of your body. 

Ace smiled in satisfaction before taking control of your body and heading towards your place. However, after a few steps, he ducked behind a booth where no one was and where you couldn't be seen.

You were about to ask him what he was doing when he reached his hands under your shirt and unbuttoned your bra. He took it off and put it in your bag.

"What are you doing?" You hissed at him.

"It was uncomfortable. I don't understand why you're wearing it," he complained. You just chuckled at that, as he was certainly right about that. But you didn't tell him that.

Ace just smiled in satisfaction at that and moved on. He was satisfied since he knew he was right and that you thought so too. You didn't have to tell him. He could sense it from your thoughts.

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Ace Masterlist

He heard the rumble of an engine behind him, but thought nothing of it. One of the neighbour's was likely just parking, or slowing down for the stop sign. If they wanted to ask why he looked so sad, maybe he could get a little treat out of it. Nothing prepared him for the yank he felt on his backpack, making him stumble backwards. He yelped, but the sound was cut off by a large, black, gloved hand covering his mouth as he was pulled into the van. He could feel his heart racing, struggling in the strange mans grip and biting him to call out for his brother. "JACK!"

The van picked up speed as the doors slammed shut, and the man that had been holding him around his waist dropped him onto the cold metal floor. Ace fought to stand back up, tears streaming down his face. "LET ME GO HOME, LET ME G-"

He was quickly silenced with a strong slap from the man who had grabbed him. He recoiled and gasped, his hands coming up to cradle his face as he sobbed and stumbled back until he fell back on his bum.

"I wanna go b-back to mama-" He sobbed and curled up, rocking with the motion of the van.

"Stop crying, that's enough of that shit. I'll shut you up on my own if you don't."

Ace couldn't even register what was being said to him, gasping for air and coughing until he was near dry heaving. He barely registered as the man stood up again, and came closer to him. Through tear-blurred vision he didn't see the mans hand reaching for him again, this time for his hair. His chest hurt from the gasping, the crying, but being lifted up was the last thing he remembered.

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"This.........ola's son."

".......think.......go through.....?"

"Shouldn't have.......indebted to..."

Snippets of a conversation were barely audible to him, and honestly, they made no sense anyways. He slowly sat up, his head pounding. He sniffled and his bottom lip quivered, flopping back down in defeat, whining softly before tears started to stream again, down the bridge of his nose and onto the filthy linoleum floor he was laying down on. He tried to bring his hand up to rub his eye, but struggled against some sort of bind behind his back. He didn't know what it was, and didn't really care. Everything hurt so bad. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore it all, but sobs soon shook his tiny body, trying to keep them quiet in hopes whoever was in the other room would ignore him.

In a room away from him, he could hear the man's voice again.

".....Call you back....collect payment...."

Ace screwed his eyes shut as he heard heavy footsteps lumber into the room he was in, whimpering. He could feel the floor bend under the weight of whoever was in front of him, The mans shadow loomed over him, terrifying Ace as he curled up more and harsh sobs escaped him. He pushed his face into the floor, not wanting to look up. He felt the mans weight shift as he crouched down, screwing his eyes shut and whimpering in anticipation of what might come next.

He wasn't expecting a semi-familiar voice to speak to him gently, calloused and practiced hands undoing the binds on his wrists and ankles.

"Hey kiddo. You remember me, right? Let's getchya more comfortable, ok? You can cry, it's ok kiddo."

Ace looked up in surprise, then relieved sobs escaped him as he reached up to the man, after his binds were undone, that he recognized as one of his dads friends, seeking comfort. While he hated it when dads friends were in his home, any familiar face was a welcome one here. Effortlessly, his tired and trembling body was lifted from the ground and enveloped in a warm hug, a large hand ruffling his hair gently. Soft affirmations were uttered as the man rubbed his back softly, rocking with him side to side in an attempt to calm him down. Ace buried his face into the crook of the mans neck, his arms wrapped weakly around him as he sobbed. The smell of cigarettes and alcohol had never been more comforting. Between hiccup-y sniffles and sobs Ace managed a very strained and exhausted sounding, "I w-wanna go home", as he snuggled into the man more, caring less and less about the circumstances now that someone he knew was holding him; someone who knew where he lived, who could take him home in their big fancy car, and he could go back and just snuggle with mama until everything felt better. He relaxed into the man more, sleep starting to set in as the adrenaline and fear started to fade along with his tears. He somewhat registered the change from room to room as the man stepped down into a noticeably colder area, shutting the door behind him with a slam and making Ace flinch and sit up slightly. The man reached for a switch next to the door, and a dim light flickered to life, illuminating the space.

Ace took in the space as the man stepped down two more stairs. The entire room was made of cement, a crude window with steel bars giving the room the slightest bit more light, and the only real sight of colour as grass poked through. There was a mattress in one corner of the room, slightly discoloured, but still, technically, usable. In one corner, there was a chest of sorts, that appeared to have a lock on it, and beside it were two dog bowls. In the other, there looked to be a pile of slightly rusty chains. The room itself was not very spacious, especially with the twin sized mattress taking up most of the room. Ace noted a camera in the ceiling corner, and found himself clinging to the man a little more, squirming uncomfortably. "You're papa's friend r-right?.....so you're gonna take me home?" He looked up at the man pleadingly, gripping onto his shirt, the fear of being left in the strange room starting to gnaw at him. "Y-you just forgot something in here and have to get it....right?" he felt tears building up again in anxiety as he started to tremble. "....r-right?" Without speaking, the man untangled Ace's hands from his shirt gently, giving him no reason to try and fight him until he realized that both of his little hands were completely engulfed in the man's one. It wasn't until the man moved to set Ace down on the mattress that the tears started to flow again, but the man used his free hand to pat Ace's head. "None of this is your fault kiddo. Y'can blame your old man for this one. He fucked up big time, even got a warning too. So now I'll get what he owes....through you." He chuckled darkly, squeezing Ace's cheeks gently a few times. "And I can't wait for payment to start."

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Eleven years.

It took. Eleven years. Before the Reaper seemed to decide that life wasn't going to get any better, so he may as well finally grant him the mercy of death.

Eleven years of torture. Of pain and suffering that wasn't meant for him to bear.

It was just all so unfair. And none of it ever truly made sense to him. Which was why, when the Reaper finally came, and he learned that the transition to death may erase much of his life's memories, he shut them up and told them to proceed. Life was far too painful to remember. Nothing really worth remembering anyways. What had transpired would be enough to keep a new, different form "alive". He had been hesitant at first, but he soon learned just how much better "life" was this way.

For the first time in eleven years, he went outside. He saw other people. He didn't feel hungry, or cold. He couldn't feel pain. He could finally laugh about something.

And while part of him wished he could do more, like feel warmth, or taste something delicious, being able to forget and move on from life was better than any other sort of gift he'd ever been given.