#thephoenixstart

It was late and she was rehearsing for a show when the lights in the studio began to flicker. Thorn stopped and sighed before looking over at her companion. “They say these old studios are pretty haunted, but what building in New York isn’t?” she shrugged. “Come on, let’s go see if we’re dealing with a ghost or just a shitty electrical wiring system.” 

“Come on you.....” Harley rattled the vending machine as hard as she could. “YOU JUJUBE THIEF!” She screamed at the inanimate object at the top of her lungs, exasperated. Not willing to give up on her stuck candy, Harley glanced down at her brightly adorned bowling bag, complete with bowling ball inside. Had she just come from the bowling alley? Not exactly, but that’s a story for another time.

With little hesitation, the harlequin swung the bag with great force, smashing the glass straight through, the shards mostly falling to the inside of the machine. 

A smile spread wide across Harley’s mouth before she excitedly began snatching up as much candy as she could grab and shoving it inside the bowling bag. Noticing someone watching her she asked, “Oh, you want some?” Offering up a handful of candy. “Not the Jujubes though, thos’er mine!” 

Ambrose had to admit he loved his job, not only was he surrounded by animals all day but he got to see them taken off to good homes. So what if he used his powers to ensure that no pet when to a bad home and ensure that none of the pets were treated unfairly. He was in the middle of chatting with Charlie their newly acquired cat when he heard the bell ring to his store. “Welcome to Heads-To-Tails Pet Shop, Any interest in a new cat? Charlie here is quite sweet and enjoys following you around?” he questioned smiling at the stranger.

Charlie leaned against the church walls and watched as everyone slowly made their way from the funeral grounds back to their cars. She didn’t know the deceased, not personally anyway, but she’d been his reaper. When Charlie came to collect his soul, he refused to crossover with her, so she did the sensible thing and helped the NYPD solve the mystery behind his murder. “Alright,” she breathed. “That’s the end of that, dear.” To the outside world, it would seem Charlie was talking to herself, but she wasn’t. Beside her was the spirit of the murdered man. “I’ve held up my promise,” she held out her hand to him. “Now, it’s your turn.”      He hesitated for a moment, before nodding and taking her hand. Charlie let out a small gasp as his soul passed through her and into the afterlife. She felt her cheeks wet with tears she hadn’t realized she’d shed. Nearly 200 years of reaping and she still cried when a soul passed through her. Charlie wiped away the tears from her cheek, becoming aware for the first time that someone was watching her. “Do you always go sulking around in the shadows of the cemetery?” she asked as she turned to face the individual. “or is this a new hobby for you?”

Peter had just finished teaching his last class of the day and was heading to find some food. He had his headphones on and his Zune in his pocket, blasting tunes into his ears as he practically dances down the street. He never really did care much for what people thought, he just marched to his own drum. 

Once Peter decides on a food spot, there’s a bit of a line to the counter. Just his luck, apparently. He secures his spot, still bobbing his head to the beat in his ears and humming softly to himself. It doesn’t take him long to realize that somebody is looking at him...he can feel the stare, the hairs sticking up on the back of his neck.