Ghosts Aren't Real

Ghost-hunter Extraordinaire

Ghost-hunting was a lucrative career for someone who believed wholeheartedly in the ready gullibility of the townsfolk and not at all in the supernatural. The night was transparent, veiled in nothing but opportunity, and Nadia Nair, Ghost-hunter Extraordinaire, cracked her knuckles in preparation to milk the night and its unsuspecting occupants for every last penny.

Straightening her shoulders and her resolve, the Ghost-hunter heaved one last sigh before stepping on to the grounds of the so-called haunted palace. She almost scoffed at the naivety of people, but reined herself in at the last second, her steely professionalism not just a mask but a persona.

The palace grounds were deathly silent, and a night that had been so clear that she had an unobstructed view of the constellations had acceded to a fog that seemed to emanate from the palace and dissolve into the dark as Nadia neared it. A deep sense of foreboding settled in her bones, one that she couldn't brush off if she tried, and so Nadia pushed it down even deeper and trudged further ahead until she was barely a hand's breadth from the colossal wooden doors. Scarcely had she lifted her hand to raise the ornate metal knocker that looked so heavy Nadia wasn't even sure she'd be able to lift it, that the tremendous door swung open, revealing a tiny man in bright orange garb, the better part of whose face was moustache and an unwelcoming grimace. The butler led her to a congregation of what appeared to be the remnants of the royal family — majestic and impressive to her, but probably only a poor fraction of the family in actuality. She had read something about a "tragedy" and a "fall from grace" about the royal family in the paper a few months ago, and she had a nagging feeling that it was important, but ignored it in favour of meeting her clients.

The youngest of the family stepped forward languidly, with a deceptively wide smile - Nadia could see in his stance that he was poised for attack, although she couldn't yet understand what for. His smile stretched impossibly wider as he regarded her, and slowly said, "The Ghost-hunter, it is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. We have heard so much about you; you have quite a reputation in the kingdom, did you know?"

Nadia internally rolled her eyes at his illusions of grandeur. After all, Rajgarh was hardly a kingdom anymore; it hadn't been one for over a decade. Nevertheless, she appreciated that he seemed to have heard of her. Reputation was powerful, even in the hands of a has-been member of royalty. She bowed slightly, respectful but not deferential, and said "I do not work for the sake of reputation, sire. I work for the sake of work." She stumbled the slightest bit over the title, unsure what would be appropriate before settling on sire, and she was certain he noticed. He didn't seem to be the kind of man who missed things.

His eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly as he and the rest of the family led her to the sitting room, and Nadia felt she felt a shiver rise up her spine; she felt as though she had walked into her own house only to discover everything had been shifted a couple inches to the left: off-kilter, but nearly indiscernibly. There was something in the way they moved, and the way they formed that words that felt unnatural, otherworldly even. Nadia Nair did not believe in the supernatural, though, so she brushed off her screaming instincts that made her tense up into fight-or-flight and forcibly relaxed her shoulders.

Just then, she heard a small cough from behind, and turned to see a woman in jeans and a shirt, the casual clothing the slightest bit disorienting because of how accustomed she had become to the over-the-top extravagance of the royal family. The woman grinned, "Doing some exploring, huh? I wouldn't blame you, the place is beautiful. That's why we're turning it into a museum. You're the Ghost-hunter, I presume?" She made air-quotes at "Ghost-hunter", and it once again struck Nadia just how stiff the royal family had been. The woman continued, "The servants have been saying they see spirits of the royal family and all that bullshit ever since the accident, so I had to appease them somehow. It's ludicrous, isn't it? As if ghosts are real."

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A/N: ok so I had to do this thing for my English class where we had to incorporate a bunch of cliches and write a lil ghost story so. this is it! full of cliches and some frankly ridiculous turns of phrase but it's gonna get better i promise lol

also it's gonna get GAY soon so there's that