No Angels

Chapter 6

Once the door was closed, Heather began to examine the room that she would be staying in for the time being. The room was probably the most simple that she had seen in her time at the mansion; There was a loveseat with a small, plain coffee table on one end of the room, while a large bed sat on the other. There were two large windows across from the door and when Heather walked over and pulled back the drapes to look outside, light flooded into the dark, cold room. 

Honestly, it appeared that no one had lived in room since - well, never. But - that was okay with her. It meant that she could finally get some sleep without someone who died in the room waking her up in the middle of the night. She knew that there were other ghosts in the house - she had caught glances of him out of the corner of her eyes while on the tour - but none of them had died in the room and that was a relief. Maybe Charles had considered her sensitivity when he told her which room was her's.

Or perhaps he just didn't want anyone in one of those rooms.  

Either way, the room was blissfully quiet. So quiet that, while seating on one of the window seats and staring out at the yard, she was finally able to collect her thoughts from the rest of her hectic day.

"What do you mean you're staying in New York?"

Heather let out a sigh as she leaned against the wall, the phone still grasped firmly in her hand. After her discussion with Erik and Charles, she had asked to call Joey and explain the situation - well, as much of it as she could. "I'm still looking for Erik," she lied through her teeth, "I just need a few more days to find him. Or weeks."

"Weeks?" She could hear the utter shock in his voice, but before she could say anything, he continued, "Feather, I don't know. Do you want me to come up there with you? I can always use my vacation days."

"You used up all of your vacation days," she pointed out, "Besides, I'll be fine. I just need you to watch my apartment and check my mail - you know, stuff like that." Joey was silent for a moment and Heather briefly wondered if she had lost the call. "You're not in trouble, are you?" He asked eventually, his voice soft on the other line.

Heather couldn't help but let out a laugh, her fingers swirling the cord connecting the phone to the wall jack. "No, I'm not. And if I was, you'd be the first person I'd call." There was silence once more, then - A defeated sigh came from the other line and Heather could almost see him running his fingers through his hair. "Just call me, if you need anything - "

" - I will, I will - "

" - No," Joey's voice was suddenly very serious, "I'm not kidding, Heather. If you need anything - anything at all - just call me and I'll be there as fast as I can. No 'ifs', 'ands', and 'buts' about it. Got it?" Heather's throat tightened with emotion, as she gulped and replied, "Got it." She waited a few seconds before adding, "I - I have to go. I'll talk to later."

"Okay. Try to stay out of trouble, Coleman." The teasing tone was slowly beginning to return to Joey's voice, and it made Heather feel - lighter, like a weight had been lifted off of her. "You too, Moran," she responded with, before returning the plastic phone to the jack, the soft click signaling the end of the call.

Soon after the end of her call, Heather returned to the sitting room to find five other people - besides Charles and Erik - within. The talking ceased and all eyes turned to her, which honestly make her want to just make back away from the crowd. Sensing her discomfort, Charles stood up and stepped forward, mentioning her to come closer.

She hesitated for a moment, before making her way towards him, not looking any of the others directly in the eyes. She may not have known Charles for very long, but she still knew him and that make her a lot more comfortable around them than, well, any of the others. "This is Heather," he announced to the others, before glancing back at her, "And Heather, this is - "