Chapter 12: The Fire Beneath

The air was thick with tension in the darkened corner of the mansion. The flickering flames from the hearth cast unsettling shadows across the room, the warmth of the fire doing nothing to offset the coldness of the looming conversation. Oli, still a ghost like Tango, stood across from him, his hands tucked into the pockets of his faded flannel. His gaze was intense, the light from the fire catching in his eyes as he spoke, his tone laced with both concern and frustration.

"You need to stop, Tango," Oli said quietly, but there was a sharpness in his voice that hinted at years of pent-up emotion. "This is wrong. What you're doing to Emmy, to all of them—it's not right. You're tearing them apart."

Tango stood with his back to Oli, staring into the fire. His ghostly form seemed to flicker and dance, mirroring the flames before him. There was a heaviness in his posture, like he was carrying a weight no one could see. "I don't have a choice, Oli," Tango muttered, his voice low and strained. "If I can fully possess Emmy, I'll be able to get to Shade. I'll take them all—one by one—and when I'm done, they'll be mine. Their emotions will be mine. And I'll never be alone again."

Oli took a step forward, his brow furrowing in disbelief. "You think that's going to fix everything? Taking their emotions, controlling them? That's not how this works, Tango. It's not how it's supposed to be. You're hurting them, and you don't even care!"

Tango turned, his fiery eyes meeting Oli's with a coldness that sent a shiver down Oli's spine. "You think I care about Shade?" he sneered. "I'll have them all, Oli. And once I do, I'll finally be free. All of their emotions, all of their energy—it'll be mine to keep. I'll never have to be alone again."

Oli took a step back, his heart sinking. "You're not just taking their love, Tango. You're taking their freedom, their souls. You can't control people like this. What you're doing to Emmy—it's just the beginning. You're going to break all of them, including yourself." His voice wavered with genuine fear. "And I'm not going to stand by and watch you hurt Shade."

Tango's expression darkened, his ghostly form flickering again, this time with anger. "You think I care about Shade?" he sneered. "I'll have them all, Oli. And once I do, I'll finally be free. All of their emotions, all of their energy—it'll be mine to keep. I'll never have to be alone again."

Oli stepped closer, his voice rising with the intensity of his concern. "Tango, you are alone! You're hurting them! You're only pushing them away, and you can't see it!" His chest tightened as he took another step forward, reaching out as if trying to physically make Tango understand. "Please, stop this before it's too late. I don't want to see you destroy everything you've built—destroy the one thing that made you feel alive again."

Tango remained silent for a moment, his face unreadable. The firelight cast long shadows on the walls, making it feel like the room itself was closing in around them. For the briefest second, Oli thought Tango might relent, that maybe his words had reached him.

But then Tango spoke again, his voice colder than ever. "If you want to try, go ahead. But you won't win. Not this time."

With that, Tango faded into the shadows, disappearing from view, leaving Oli standing there, his chest heavy with the weight of failure.

Later that evening, after the conversation had ended and the group had once again gathered in the main hall, Oli found himself standing outside, near the edge of the mansion's overgrown garden. The cold wind ruffled his hair as he gazed into the night sky, the stars twinkling above him. He had a nagging feeling in his gut, like something terrible was coming, and he didn't know how to stop it.

A soft rustle behind him made him turn. Shade stood there, her figure silhouetted against the faint glow of the mansion's lights, her eyes bright with curiosity.

"You've been quiet," Shade remarked, crossing her arms. "Something on your mind?"

Oli smiled a little, even as his heart felt heavy. It was hard to stay down for long, especially with Shade around. "Yeah," he said, shaking his head. "I don't know what to do. Tango's too far gone. I tried, but... he's not going to listen. Not now, not ever."

Shade's expression softened, and she stepped closer. "I get it," she said, her voice quiet but steady. "But we can't just give up. We have to keep fighting. For Emmy. For all of us."

"I don't know if I can do this alone," Oli admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. He looked at Shade, his eyes reflecting something deeper than the situation at hand. There was a vulnerability in his gaze, a rawness he hadn't allowed himself to show anyone in centuries. "I'm afraid, Shade. I'm afraid of what will happen if Tango gets his way. I'm afraid of what he'll do to you. I—I can't lose you too."

Shade was silent for a moment, her heart racing. There was something undeniably sweet in the way Oli had spoken—something pure, something real. She couldn't help but feel a deep sense of warmth in her chest as she looked at him.

But before she could respond, Oli broke the silence with a nervous chuckle, as if trying to lighten the mood. "But hey, if we survive this whole mess, we can probably have a karaoke night to celebrate, right? You know, me and you, belting out some ridiculous pop songs? I call dibs on being the backup dancer!" His eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint, his attempt at humor making Shade laugh despite the heaviness of the situation.

"I don't know if we can survive long enough for that, Oli," Shade teased, "but if we do, I'll think about it. And no promises on the backup dancing." She raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at her lips.

Oli winked at her, his trademark silly grin making an appearance, though it didn't quite reach his eyes this time. "No pressure, Buttercup," he said, his voice light and teasing. "But I'm pretty sure I could steal the show with my sweet moves."

Shade felt her face fall a little bit at the word "Butter", but she quickly covered it up with a smile.

Shade rolled her eyes, but the tension between them had lightened, if only for a moment. They were in this together, and that was all that mattered.

"I'm not going anywhere," she said softly, her voice filled with reassurance. She reached out, placing a hand on his arm. "And I'm not going to let you lose me. I'll help you. We'll figure this out together."

Oli gave her a small, hesitant smile, his heart lightening for the first time in what felt like forever. "Thanks, Shade," he said, his voice rough. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

She smiled back, her eyes softening. "You don't have to. We're in this together."

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. They stood there, side by side, the quiet of the night wrapping around them like a blanket. It wasn't much, but it was enough. They were together, and that was all that mattered in that moment.

And for the first time in a long time, Shade felt a glimmer of hope, a spark that maybe—just maybe—they could beat Tango and save their friends before it was too late.