━━ CHAPTER THIRTEEN / annabel ward
episode two, part two.

The knock on Lockwood's door was unheard by the pair lying in bed. At some point during their nap, Demi had shuffled up closer to the boy. Her head snuggled into his chest as his hand laid lazily across her waist. Lockwood had fallen asleep not long after the brunette had, the day that he had was weighing down on him and he sought comfort in the girl's arms.

And so, they lay together, almost completely unaware of George's knocking. That was until it turned to banging and Lockwood's eyes groggily opened. He blinked a few times, trying to grasp reality. He turned his head to the side, realising that the sun was still up. It was still morning and he sighed. He let his head fall against the pillow again. Demi was still asleep, only now she was snuggled up to him.

Her head was pressed against his chest, her hands pressed between her chest and Lockwood's body. She seemed comfy, curled up and he didn't want to disturb her. But then the banging began again and he sighed. He tentatively moved his hand from her waist and slowly and awkwardly shuffled out from under the covers.

Demi groaned softly in her sleep but then rolled over and didn't seem to wake up from her sleepy state. That was good. She needed the sleep much more than Lockwood did. The boy then trudged over to the door and just as George was about to slam on the door again, it swung open in his face. His hand stopped mid-air.

There was an unimpressed look on George's face as he took in Lockwood's bed hair and sleepy look. He then leant into the room and much to Lockwood's annoyance, spotted Demi lying down in the bed. Her hands now wrapped around one of the pillows and it was pulled down to rest underneath her head. She looked comfy.

"Did you finish that report?" George asked. Lockwood nodded his head and then he looked down at the tray in George's arms. Food. And his stomach growled in response. The two boys then headed towards the desk and George placed the tray down. There was a newspaper stuck between the two bowls of food, "She can't sleep all day," George said. His voice was hushed but his mild annoyance at the other boy was still evident.

"You don't make those decisions," Lockwood responded simply. George rolled his eyes and pulled the chair from next to the desk and sat down on it, "It looks great, by the way." That was only a slight lie, to try and soften whatever blow was about to come his way.

"No, it doesn't. It looks like I cooked it in an active volcano. So, I've got the whole story now and so has the rest of London," George said as he picked up the newspaper from between the two bowls. He then handed it over to Lockwood and his gaze moved to Demi briefly. She seemed to be coming back to reality, her eyes blinking open at the sound of two voices as she pushed her hands along her face. Lockwood took a bowl as he began to read over the newspaper.

"Rogue sounds pretty cool," Lockwood argued and there was a soft chuckle from the bed as Demi rolled over onto her back. She then sat up, pushing the covers back slightly so she could comfortably sit up against the headboard of Lockwood's bed. Demi was desperately trying to ignore the way her heart was thumping in her chest and the heat spread across her body because she has woken up in Lockwood's bed. She couldn't tell if she was embarrassed or even more in love with the boy across the room.

"'Blamed for the blaze' kind of takes the shine off it," George responded and Demi rested her arms over her knees as she leant forward slightly.

"And only you would take rogue as a compliment," Demi added, a small smile on her face. She was still a little groggy and her mouth still tasted somewhat of smoke and ash but she tried to ignore it. Lockwood glanced at her for that comment but didn't say anything directly, only a smirk sent her way. He was silent for a second as he read.

Then, "Oh, great. They called me Andrew Lockwood," He complained as he passed the newspaper back to George. Demi chuckled and she pushed her fingers through her hair. It was surprising that George hadn't made a comment to Demi about the situation they currently found themselves in but he seemed to be more annoyed at Lockwood than anything. A more and more common occurrence, it seemed.

"I hardly think that's our biggest problem. We've had a bunch of cancellations and DEPRAC will be furious," George responded. Just thinking about the effect of this fire was already making her head hurt and Demi suddenly felt like going back to sleep.

"We'll be fine. I'll fix it," Lockwood responded simply. Demi sighed and she shuffled to lie back down in the bed.

"Okay, but it's not just that. I think something's wrong with Lucy," George said and Demi's entire body shot up. Her eyebrow raised.

"We're all a little on edge today," Lockwood argued.

"She had a bath with her clothes on," George responded quickly. Demi wrapped her arm around her leg again as the frown spread across her face, "Oh and she brought Erin Hampton to our house." Demi scoffed at that. That seemed unlikely. The Hamptons were rich and famous. If a Hampton had been in Portland Row, it would be in all the gossip columns.

"You're kidding, right?" Demi asked. George shook his head and she looked to Lockwood who was leaning back in his chair. There was a look on his face that she couldn't quite decipher, maybe mild amusement. She wasn't sure, "How would Lucy even know a Hampton?" Demi added after a moment. George shrugged.

"If I knew, I'd tell you. She brought Lucy back here after she went to the hospital. Do you two know anything about that?" George asked quickly as he looked between the pair. Demi shook her head. She wished she had been taken to the hospital, her head still ached from the probable concussion. George's hysterics weren't helping either, "Either way, it's not like it matters. Ever since she was hired, things have gone downhill. What if she's unhinged?" It was such a baseless accusation so a pillow was promptly thrown at the boy's face.

"She's not unhinged," Lockwood responded simply. George picked up the pillow and threw it back at Demi who managed to catch it mid-air.

"You're hardly the best judge," George snapped in response. Demi crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm a good judge of character and she is fine," Demi interjected quickly before the conversation veered into rocky territory.

"You're only saying that because you want another girl around." George turned his gaze off Lockwood to meet Demi's gaze and she narrowed her eyes.

"And you're only calling her unhinged because you hate change." Demi's words were a harsh smack to the face and George just stayed at her, pulling a face. She sent him a tight-lipped smile before she rested against the headboard again. Lockwood's pillow pressed against her chest.

George then turned on Lockwood again but Demi tuned their conversation out mostly. She heard it but it went in one ear, out the other until George told Lockwood to fire Lucy. That made her blood boil. The girl had saved Demi at the cluster case and she was useful. More useful than any of them wanted to admit.

But Demi stayed quiet as the boys ate before she eventually headed upstairs to her room, much to Anthony's dismay. She had more important things to be doing then lying in Lockwood's bed and George wasn't leaving any time soon, so tinkering felt like the better option.

And when she couldn't sleep, that's how Demi spent the rest of her night. Her fingers getting dirty from powder and metal chippings as she worked in her quiet corner. The salt was getting under her nails and the music that played quietly from the radio is all the noise that filled her room until she heard footsteps on the staircase from the attic.

They were heavy footsteps, almost like someone was running but then there was silence. Demi's eyebrows furrowed and she turned her radio down. Part of her wandered if Lucy just desperately needed the toilet so was running for it but when she heard thudding against a door. She got up from her seat and pulled her goggles off.

She dropped them onto the table and wiped her hands against the cloth before she tottered over to her bedroom door. Cautiously, she opened it and then the voices from downstairs travelled up to her. George's voice, "Can't you even be bothered to cross the landing to wind me up?"

"Annabel Ward's ghost is here," Anthony responded and he glanced over at the staircase cautiously. Demi was, as far as Lockwood was aware, asleep in her bedroom which was good. She didn't have to deal with this but they'd have to wake her up at some point. All four of them would be needed to defeat her if they wanted to prevent another house being burnt down.

"Well, that's impossible," George responded. His exhaustion was evident in his tone but Demi was still beyond confused.

"It is safe for me to leave my room?" Demi called from her door. None of them could see her peeking her head out. Her room obscured by the staircase up towards the attic. Lockwood looked at Lucy, silently questioning if she had woken Demi up. Lucy shook her head.

"Can you see Annabel Ward's ghost?" Lockwood called up the stairs. Demi tilted her head up towards the attic but there was nothing there.

"Who?" Demi asked. She knew that it was a stupid question but she had slept most of the day. She wasn't exactly caught up on George's research that he had been doing while they burnt down a house together.

"The ghost from Sheen Road," Lucy called, "Can you see her?" Demi cautiously pushed herself further out the door. Her toes still firmly inside her room while the rest of her body leaned precariously, her hand the only thing keeping her stable.

"No? Do you want me to go up?" Demi asked. The simultaneous cry of 'No' from all three downstairs was enough to make Demi stop in her footsteps, "I am covered in silver and salt. She'd be stupid to come near me," Demi added.

"Get your kit bag and come down here," Lockwood called. The brunette sighed but let out a 'okay' in response. She turned back into her room and pulled it from under the bed before she cautiously stepped out of her bedroom. With careful footsteps, she joined the other three on the landing. Lockwood and Lucy were hiding over the threshold of his door and when Demi looked at George, he was covered in various salt bombs and flares and of course, in no pants. He had boots on though. That was something.

"Did you even go to sleep?" George asked. Demi shook her head and then she glanced over at Lockwood. He looked a little hesitant and wasn't fully meeting her gaze but she ignored that as she dropped her kitbag on the floor. She pulled out her rapier and then threw her salt bombs and lavender water towards Lockwood and Lucy. They both just about managed to catch it.

Then she pulled out a torch and George already had one in his hand. Demi passed hers to Lucy and stood up, glancing around.

"Why do you all look so worried?" Demi asked. Maybe it was the sleepiness that made her unwittingly confident in her abilities but this was what they did every single day. Yet they all seemed hesitant to even step on the landing.

"Let's go," George said as he walked past the group. He cautiously took his first step up and Demi followed afterwards. Lockwood was behind Demi and then Lucy last. George and Lucy had flicked their torches on and Lockwood had taken the chains from George's shoulder and was holding them cautiously.

"I don't feel anything," George commented once they had gotten onto the landing that led up into the attic. Demi nodded in agreement. There was no miasma or heavy feeling. The temperature also seemed pretty consistent but the heating was on which probably explained the lack of that particular phenomena.

"I don't see anything," Lockwood added as they headed towards the door that took them to the attic. The four of them were quiet and still as they took each step cautiously.

"She was here, I swear," Lucy responded. Demi glanced at the other girl and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Let's get into Luce's room before we judge?" Demi suggested. The four then continued forward and the door gently pulled open, "What exactly happened?" Demi asked as they headed up the stairs into Lucy's room.

"I just woke up and she was floating above me, like staring at me. I was ghost-locked for a minute before she let me go and I ran," Lucy explained. The look on her face made it very clear that she was telling the truth. No one looks that worried when they're telling a lie and Demi always had a good way of reading people.

"It makes no sense that she'd be here," Lockwood commented once they'd gotten into the loft. George and Lucy were pointing their flashlights across the walls, "We contained her source. Covered her body with a silver net" And at those words, Demi looked at Lucy who didn't look so sure of them. Though Demi didn't say anything quite yet, looking around the room quietly in hopes that they would find something or find Annabel Ward so they could put an end to this mess.

"How did she even get in here? It's not as if her source is inside the house," George mumbled as he shone is flashlight across the wall. Demi then felt something. Her fingertips were tingling, screaming at her that the Source was nearby. The source was in the room. Lucy had taken the Source. She had idiotically taken the Source.

"What were you looking at on her body?" Demi asked suddenly as she swivelled her head around to look at Lucy.

The brunette opened her mouth to say something but only a "Uh..." came out before she quickly exclaimed, "Shit, she's back." Demi caught a glimpse of the ghostly apparition but it vanished before fully forming.

"She's playing with us," Lockwood said as he adjusted his hold on the chains. Demi pulled her rapier up further, trying to maintain as much focus as she could. Her eyes moved quickly across the room and she tried to take in every single detail. And then Lucy let out a soft gasp and Demi turned slowly to find Annabel reforming behind George.

"Please tell me it's a wasp," George mumbled once he realised why they were all staring at him. Demi adjusted her grip on her rapier, holding it comfortably, ready to charge forward if Annabel tried to harm George in any way. And then Lockwood shouted for George to move as Annabel charged forward. George managed to avoid the ghost but they went straight for Lucy. Demi swung her rapier to disrupt her path and Lockwood threw his chains towards her. But it was Lucy's salt bomb that made her disappear from the attic. It was only temporary but enough time for George to mumble, "Not a wasp, then." The sarcasm laced his tone as the boy looked around quickly, worriedly. It was getting to all of them now.

"Lucy, if you have any idea what her source might be, now would be a really good time to say," Lockwood said and Demi stepped away from the group, trying to get that familiar tingling feeling in her fingertips again. And as she stood where George just was, it came back in a dizzying wave.

"I'm starting to think that... I mean, I might have an idea what it is," Lucy mumbled and Demi held out her hand for George's torch. He gave her an unimpressed look before he reluctantly handed it over. Demi pushed the covers back on the bed.

"Take your time. We're not under any pressure." George was getting frustrated and Demi couldn't blame him but she focused on trying to locate the Source. She didn't even know what she was looking for and the tingling in her fingers was all that she could use to help her. And then she shone her torch towards the floorboards and a ring glinted in the light. A ring. Another ring.

But before Demi could pick it up, Anabel appeared next to Lucy again and Demi snatched a salt bomb from her pocket and hurled it across the room just as Lockwood slashed the chains right through the apparition.

Demi glanced down at Lucy before she shone her torch across the floor again. Her eyes scanned for the glint of metal and she dropped to her knees just as Lucy admitted that it was a ring that was the Source. Demi picked it up but within seconds of it in her hands, the flashes of Annabel's strangling and the screams that reverberated through her skull made her cry out and drop it to the floor in an instant.

And then Annabel's ghost came straight for her and Demi was thrown up into the air. Her back collided with the floor on the opposite side of the bed she had been on. It knocked the wind out of Demi and her eyes were squeezed tightly shut as the sound of salt bombs landing filled the room. Then silence and yet the world still seemed to spin behind Demi's closed eyelids.

"Dem?" Lockwood asked quickly and she heard the clattering of a rapier and the presence of someone beside her. She let her eyes open slowly and Lockwood was hovering above her, a frown across his lips. That was far from what he had expected to happen, "Are you okay?" He asked. The brunette slowly pushed herself to sit up, a pained groan passing through her lips.

"Please tell me you got the Source," Demi mumbled. Lockwood nodded and he cupped her face, tilting it upwards so he could check for any injury, "I should have stayed in bed." Lockwood chuckled softly and then he got to his feet, letting go of her face in favour of pulling her up to her feet. Lucy was stood a few steps away from the pair, a frown on her face.

"I didn't realise," She mumbled. Demi shrugged and she gave the other girl a half-smile that attempted to be reassuring.

"We need to get this in an iron case," George said and so he and Lucy headed downstairs. Lockwood was still holding Demi's hands, concern written across his face.

"I'm okay, Lockwood. I might be bruised in the morning but it's fine, I promise," Demi reassured as she moved her free hand up to his face. Her thumb rubbed across his cheekbone and he seemed to melt into her soft touch, "Let's go downstairs before George rips Lucy's head off."

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