Between Heaven and Hell
CHAPTER SIXTEEN

JONATHAN'S mouth dropped open as he stared at the motel's logo. The geisha who hides her lower face behind the fan seemed to be staring at him. He was about to catch a ghost, but the logo and the place itself already gave him an eerie feeling.

A motel. No wonder he had to catch a ghost in there. Motels should come in second place to the hospitals. If truth be told, many lives ended inside motels, not the living ones, but those lives that were supposed to live. "Oreo," he said to get his cousin's attention, who was standing on his left. "Why didn't you tell me in advance where we are heading to? When I told Helene that I am now willing to accept a quest, I didn't expect it to be like this..." His cousin burst out laughing, as well as Momo, who was casually floating on his right side.

"One of the staff called the headquarters. It so happened that he was friends with Helene. They want us to check if there is really a paranormal activity happening in one of their rooms." Oreo heaved a sigh. "Each time someone will checked-in that particular room, the female guest is always possessed."

"I don't think it's a paranormal activity," Momo chimed in. "Levitation is a common thing inside every motel's room... you know."

It was Jonathan's turn to laugh. Of course, she was right, and he knew very well what she meant by that.

"Behave, Momo..." he told her.

He did not know if she was speaking based on her memory or knew about it as she wandered around for five years.

Oreo turned to him with a deep knot on his forehead. "Y-you brought her here?"

"Yeah..." He heaved a deep sigh.

"Why?" The disapproval was evident in Oreo's voice.

"Because she will throw a tantrum if I don't take her with me. She was supposed to use my body today, but she can't because I have a quest." Jonathan turned to his cousin. "You don't want her here?" "You might get confused, Kuya."

"Why would he get confused?" Momo snarled at Oreo. She even went in front of his cousin. "Do I look like a whore to you?"

"He can't hear you, and he can't see you," Jonathan told her.

"Then tell him!" she snapped.

Momo blew Oreo's face, but he did not even move an inch. Meaning, he failed to feel her presence. Jonathan could not help but wonder why. His cousin was supposed to at least feel Momo. Could it be that... "Let's go," Oreo said afterwards.

His cousin went inside the motel first.

The manager welcomed them to the lobby. Soon, he ushered them to that room with suspected paranormal activity.

Oreo immediately took a device out of his bag and handed it to him. He was familiar with that one. Jonathan had seen their members use the device many times to detect if there is a ghost in the vicinity. Each spirit carries electromagnetic energy, and the device was designed to detect such energy.

There was a reading at the moment, a low frequency.

"It must be coming from Momo," Oreo whispered to his ear.

"I think so," he agreed. He looked at Momo, who was now floating around the motel room as if she was inspecting.

"I told you you'll only get confused because of her. You should tell her to leave."

Jonathan knew very well that Momo's presence would not confuse him. If there was indeed a ghost lurking around, he would know for sure because he has the ability of a medium. The only problem with him was that he was not a trained one. Helene should have let him be an intern first before giving him an official quest.

"I want to perform a lockdown," Jonathan told the manager. "Most of the time, ghosts do not communicate when there is a lot of people around."

"Then, I will leave you here and let you do your thing," the manager said before exiting the room.

"Are you sure?" Oreo asked anxiously. "Do I need to accompany you?"

He shook his head. "You don't have to. I'm with Momo."

He has Momo with him, and that would be fine. But it looked like his cousin was not convinced. Oreo stayed inside the room with him.

"Oreo..."

"Kuya..." His cousin heaved a deep sigh. "I know how much you hate seeing ghosts around you because you are afraid of them. And now you expect me to leave you here alone?"

"I told you that I'm with Momo. I'm not going to be alone."

Jonathan and Oreo had a staring contest for he did not know how long. His cousin was the first to surrender.

"Call me if you need help," Oreo said as he walked in the direction of the door.

Soon, it was just him and Momo inside the room.

"I thought you are afraid of ghosts," Momo said afterwards.

"You are here with me, so I have nothing to be afraid of." Jonathan plopped down on the bed.

"What do you expect me to do?"

"Slap every ghost that you will see inside this room," Jonathan said with a hint of amusement.

"You have to pay for my talent fee then," Momo said. She was casually floating above him at that moment. "Are you sleepy?" "Hm..."

Jonathan did not get to sleep well for a couple of days because he had to study for his mid-terms.

"Then, go to sleep. I'll wake you up once I see that lustful ghost lurking around."

"I don't want to fall asleep when you are around. You might take advantage of me," he joked. Teasing her became his new hobby.

"What? How dare you to think of me that way! I'm not a succubus, okay?" Jonathan knew she took it seriously. The room's temperature got a little colder. "And just so you know, I've seen it all, Jonathan. There is nothing you can hide from me."

His eyes widened as his cheeks burned. He sat up immediately when the realization hit him.

"How did you see the dragon and the dragon balls?" He looked at her intently even though he could not see her face at the moment.

Momo laughed out loud. He scoffed as he realized that he was fooled by a ghost.

"Ha-ha! Funny!" Jonathan did not know why he suddenly got annoyed when he was the one who started it.

It seemed that Momo failed to read between the lines. She indeed laughed as if there was no tomorrow.

Crazy...

He grabbed a pillow and threw it in Momo's direction though he knew it would not hurt her even just a bit. But Jonathan was not prepared for her sudden counter-attack. The pillow flew back and hit his face. Soon, they were having a pillow fight. They only stopped when his phone rang. His cousin was calling him.

"What's happening in there?" Oreo asked worriedly. "I heard you scream." "Oh, don't mind it. It's nothing," Jonathan answered, suppressing his laugh. "Nothing? But you were screaming-"

"Momo and I were just playing."

"Kuya," his cousin groaned. "Let me remind you that we are here for a quest. If you want to play with Momo, do it at home." His cousin's voice was stern.

Suddenly, Jonathan realized his point.

"I know. I'm sorry..."

Oreo hung up without a word.

"I'm sorry for being a nuisance instead of helping you..." Momo said somberly.

"You don't have to be sorry. It was my fault," he said.