The Phantom Crystal

Out For Lunch

Ian hums as he leads me into his kitchen, bags full of burgers and fries in hand, as I follow him with our drinks. A chocolate shake for him and a strawberry shake for me. Ian places the bags onto the island in his black and white marble kitchen and gestures for me to take one of the tall barstools.

“Would you like some ketchup or mayo?” Ian asks, reaching into the fridge and pulling out a jar of mayo.

“Nah, thanks though.” I hum as I place a straw in each of our drinks. “Jerry’s fries are some of the few fries that I can just eat without anything else.”

Ian laughs, placing the jar of mayo next to his bag of food.

“I’ll agree to that. Their seasoning hasn’t changed since even when me and your folks were in school.”

“Why change something good?”

Ian laughs, shrugging off his jacket as he shakes his head.

“My thoughts exactly. Here, give me your jacket. I’ll put them near our shoes and dig in. We can talk after.”

Nodding, I quickly shrug off my jacket, placing my tablet on the counter as I hand the fluffy piece of clothing to the older male.

“Why don’t you give me your hat and scarf too? My house gets pretty warm.”

Heat rises to my cheeks as my hand flies to my hat. Uh oh. Clearing my throat, I unwind my green scarf.

“Oh, uh, I’d prefer to keep my hat on, if that’s okay? But here’s my scarf.”

Ian pauses, his blue eyes shifting from my face to my hat then back to my face. His eyes narrow as I smile nervously at him.

“Oh? Deciding on following in the trend of wearing beanies everywhere?”

Fuck. Why do I have a feeling that even if I say ‘yeah,’ he’s not gonna believe me.

‘Because he knows you’re goin’ to lie to him, sweetheart.’

My eye twitches as the Phantom’s voice fills my head. Oh. Sure. The entire ride he’s silent and now that we are back at Ian’s large mansion-like house he decides to say something.

‘Just thought you’d like some time alone with your sister’s godfather.’

My hand twitches as I resist the urge to scowl at the coo in the Phantom’s voice. Has a human ever strangled a ghost before? The Phantom merely laughs out loud in my head as Ian takes my scarf from my hand.

“If it makes you feel better wearing the hat, I’m not gonna force you to take it off, Jackie.”

I jerk as I refocus on the tall man before me. Tilting my head back, I bite my lip realizing that I’ve just been staring at Ian as the Phantom talks to me. My mind tingles with the Phantom’s amusement but I ignore him as I shuffle in place.

“It’s just...my hair doesn’t look the greatest? And I don’t want to look...messy?”

‘We really need to work on your lying skills, darling.’

‘Shut. Up.’

I keep my gaze on Ian, eyes wide in hopes of conveying the partial truth in my statement. Ian studies me, his free hand resting on his hip where his button-down dark purple shirt tucks into his dark wash jeans. A chuckle emits from the older male after a beat and he shakes his head.

“Jackie, I helped change your diapers. Bed head isn’t goin’ affect me. But, if it make YOU comfortable, then I won’t push it.”

My shoulders shag as a smile full of relief spreads across my lips. Ian pats my shoulder before turning and heading back into his foyer right outside the kitchen door.

‘Well, that went much better than expected,’ I think as I sit back down on the barstool. ‘Would you like a fry, Phantom?’

A shiver shudders through me as the Phantom appears right next to my right shoulder, peering down at the bag that my hand is hovering near.

‘A fry?’ The Phantom asks, his crimson eyes wide as he looks back at me.

Has he never had a fry before? My eyes widen as a thought strikes me. Has he ever had HUMAN food before? Do ghosts and entities who originate from the Ghost Dimension need to eat? Or do they just exist? I reach into the bag and pull out a single fry.

‘Yeah, it’s a sliver of a potato that has been fried in some oil. I’m not a bit fan of potatoes, but I can eat them in this form. And Jerry’s has this great fry seasoning that makes it possible to eat their fries without condiments.’

The Phantom takes the fry from my fingers. He studies slender piece of fried potato, even bringing it up to sniff. My lips twitch as I watch in anticipation as the Phantom slowly brings the fry to his mouth and bites the tip of it. The inside of my cheek burns as I bite to keep from making any noise. The Phantom’s eyes widen and he stares down at the piece of potato with awe. He quickly shoves the rest of the fry into his mouth and I chuckle.

‘Good?’

The Phantom glances from me to the bag.

‘That...Why have I never tried that before? Does all human food taste like that?’

I reach into the bag and pull out my burger and a few more fries, handing three of them to Phantom, which he takes and eats greedily.

‘No, not all. But when you find foods that you like, the reaction will be similar.’

The Phantom merely nods, eyes closing as he savors the taste of the fries when Ian enters the kitchen again. My eyes flicker toward the Phantom but he’s already gone. I reach out and grab my shake. Maybe the next time Ian leaves the room, I’ll let the Phantom try my shake. Ian takes the seat in front of me, sipping his own drink as he smooths his hair down.

“So, how was your first week of classes going? Anything fun?” Ian asks, scooping some mayo and smearing it onto his burger.

I shrug, glad that we’re gonna have a normal conversation right now.

“I mean, I’m rather excited for your class and this writing class that I’m taking. But all of my other classes are requirements for my DAR’s report so I can graduate on time.” I take a large bite of my burger, eyes closing as the burst of flavors hit my tongue. Man. I’ve forgotten how good other food is that isn’t just pizza or ramen.

Ian chuckles.

“Well, I’m glad to know that you’re enjoying my class so far.” Ian swirls his drink around. “What about clubs? Your folks mentioned something about you joining a writer’s club?”

I sigh, a sad pit in my stomach.

“I was but the president graduated last semester and so did her vice president. None of the others could agree on who should take over, so they just decided to end the club.” I slide down in my chair. “Which sucks ‘cause I really enjoyed going there on Thursday nights.”

Ian frowns, his eyebrows creasing in the middle.

“Hmm. I’m sorry to hear that. Maybe you’ll find something new? I think there’s a club fair next Monday. Maybe you can go and see what the campus has. Maybe a new writing club will be there.”

My lips twitch as I sip my drink slowly.

“Well, actually, I’m kinda gonna go to a club meeting on Tuesday night.”

Ian’s eyebrows shoot to his hairline as surprise courses over his face. A slow smile replaces the frown and he leans forward.

“Oh? And which club would that be?”

I shrug as I grab a hand full of fries and plop one into my mouth.

“I’m not sure you’ve heard of it,” I say, humming and tapping my chin in pretend thought. “But a friend of mine asked me to go.”

Ian narrows his eyes and I squawk as he steals one of my fries.

“Hey! You have your own!”

“Well, if you’re gonna keep me in suspense of which club you’re gonna try, then I’m gonna retaliate by stealing your fries.”

Laughing, I roll my eyes.

“All right, all right, ya thief. Still not sure if you know about them. Ever heard of ‘Ghost & Ghouls’?” I ask nonchalantly, peeking up at the older male as I work to keep my smile from forming.

Ian chokes on his fry and nearly spits it out as I bite my lip to keep from cracking. Ian pats his chest as he coughs and I smile innocently at him.

“Something wrong?”

Ian glares at me from across the island with watery eyes and my smile stretches wider. He points a finger at me.

“Why, you little s**t,” Ian says, amusement heavy in his raspy voice. “You really had me goin’ there. Have I heard of them. You already know the answer to that question. I can see it in your eyes, you cheeky thing.” Ian sips on his drink. “Your parents should have never had kids. You have a mash of both of their humors and I knew one day it would almost kill me.”

The laugh I try holding back bursts from my lips and I have to wipe tears from my eyes to see Ian clearly.

“Yeah, but it’s totally worth it to see you make that face.”

“I’m failing you right now.”

I throw my head back, laughing hard.

“Awe, don’t be like that, Ian. I promise to never have a late assignment.”

Ian squints at me.

“Give me four fries and I’ll retract your failed grade.”

Snorting, I quickly shove my hand into the greasy bag. Grabbing a handful of fries, I offer them out to the white and black-haired male. Ian hums, his lips twitching.

“That’s more than five, Jackie. Trying to suck up to your professor?”

I blink at him in mock innocence, a hand flying to my chest.

“Me? Sucking up? Why would I do that? But if you don’t want them—” I start putting the fries back only for Ian to catch my wrist, a sweet smile on his face.

“Now, now, Jackie, I didn’t say that. I was merely surprised. I will gladly take whatever you’re willing to give me.”

Smirking, I allow Ian to turn my wrist over and take the fries from my palm. Chuckling, I pop the rest of my burger into my mouth as Ian enjoys his spoils. He leans back in his seat.

“What made you decide to join ‘Ghosts & Ghouls’?” Ian asks, his eyes flickering toward me. “I tried to see if you were interested last semester. What changed your mind?”

Sighing, I grab my drink, thinking briefly to Max and my promise to him before shrugging. Better lead up to that. Ian might actually choke this time if I tell him I met with a poltergeist.

“Rose asked me to come after finding out who my folks are.”

“Oh,” Ian says, eyebrows quirking as his lips form a smirk. “I didn’t realize you were friends with Rose. I’m gonna warn you, a lot of the members are quite enamored with your parents and their works. Rose is probably the most fan-girl out of the rest so I can imagine how well she took it.”

I laugh.

“Oh, she almost fainted and start crying.” I swirl my shake, hoping to mix the whip cream with the rest of the strawberry. “I’m sure they were quite excited to meet you as well.”

Ian cracks a smile, biting into his own burger.

“Yes, well, that usually only lasts for two meetings and that usually vanishes after I attend the first ghost hunting session of the semester.”

My ears perk up and I lean forward.

“Wait, you go on the ghost huntings? Why only the first one?”

Ian hums as he takes another bite.

“Well, usually because I get called away on another call during the weekends and can’t guarantee that I’m going to be there. I will always approve of the hunting before it gets set up.” Ian smirks. “I am the advisor after all. And a lot of those kids don’t carry the same experiences that you and I have.”

‘Could say that again.’

‘Quiet,’ I reply, shushing the Phantom mentally.

“So, will you be at the meeting on Tuesday?”

Ian drums his fingers on the island counter, chewing on the rest of his lunch slowly.

“I should be,” he answers after swallowing and smirks. “And now knowing that you’re going, I just might clear my schedule to make sure I’m there on time.”

I groan.

“Why does it matter if I’M gonna be there or not?”

“I need to make sure that you don’t cause any of the older members to faint like you almost did with Rose.”

A huff escapes me and I roll my eyes as I brush crumbs from my sweatshirt.

“I highly doubt that’s gonna happen. Rose is a special case considering I met her through her girlfriend, Olivia.”

“You’d be surprised on the effect you have on people, Jackie,” Ian says causing me to frown at him in confusion. “But, anyways, I usually try to go to the meeting after the club fair anyways, so I was goin’ to attend anyways.” Ian sips his drink thoughtfully. “Who knows, maybe they might provide some interesting input on that thing you wanted to discuss with me.”

A stone falls in my stomach and I shift uncomfortably in my seat. That’s right. I almost forgot why we were meeting up for lunch today. My eyes flicker to my tablet before looking back up to Ian.

“I...I don’t know about that...” I reach up and tug on the corner of my beanie. “I even had a hard time finding information about this...”

Ian runs his hand through his hair, smoothing down the loose strands as he leans forward.

“Oh? Is it really that obscure?” Ian asks, folding his hands in front of his mouth. “Now I’m really intrigued.”

Of course he is. Rubbing my palms on my thighs, I debt how much I should tell him and if any of this is actually a good idea.

‘I already told you I would be more than happy to provide answers to you, sweetheart. All you need to do is ask.’

‘I know, but he might have answers of how to help you. It doesn’t hurt to try.’

Breathing in deeply, I grab my tablet and shove my garbage to the side to make room. Looking up, I turn my tablet on.

“How much do you know about an entity called ‘The Phantom’?”