FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter One

Ned lounged in the large black swivel chair, his feet propped up on the desk with a comic book in his paws. He'd already read this issue, but seeing as how he had another twenty minutes of club activity left and no one else in the club to actually do anything, he figured this was as good of a time killer as any.

The prairie dog was, by his peers, considered the lazy sort. That wasn't to say he didn't care about anything, rather the things he didn't care about he ignored completely. When everyone else played sports, he'd just nap on the bleachers; while everyone else was talking about dates and music and TV, he would just keep his nose in his book, every now and then giving a derisive snort if someone addressed him.

"Hello?" a meek voice called from the doorway. This was normal for Ned. No one else in the school really considered his club genuine, despite that he had filed the appropriate paperwork, so once and again a student would wander in looking for a place their friends could commandeer.

"Paranormal Investigation Club meets here. You'll have to find somewhere else." Ned replied, not even bothering to lower his comic to regard the person.

"I'm looking for the Paranormal Investigation Club." the girl assured him shyly. Slowly lowering the comic, his eyes scanned the rather timid looking rabbit that sat fidgeting with her skirt as her ears twitched anxiously. She was cute, Ned had to admit, though typically such things did not interest him. "Am I in the right place?"

Placing the comic on the desk face down, he gave a sigh. "I just said that." the prairie-dog also would get visits from another type of student. He called them phonies. They'd come in, pretending to be interested, only because they'd get some demented enjoyment out of watching him gush about his hobby. "Are you here to mess with me?" he asked bluntly.

With an intimidated squeak, she quickly shook her head. "N-no! Not at all. I need your help." she stammered. The gleam of desperation in her eyes was what managed to give Ned pause from just telling her to take a hike.

"Alright. You're cute, so I'll humor you." he answered. "What sort of problem are you having? Goblins? Demons? Monsters? Kelpies?"

"Ghost." she replied. "I'm looking for a ghost."

Ned was dumbfounded. "You're looking for a ghost?" He'd never heard of someone actively searching for the paranormal. Other than him, that is.

"Yes."

Scratching his cheek, he tried to formulate a response to the odd request. "I'll be honest..." he began before the rabbit interrupted him.

"I'm Laura." she stated, holding out her trembling paw to shake. Ned's eyes glanced at the foreign limb. He was not much for touching.

"Listen, Laura..." he corrected before she interrupted him again.

"You're Ned, right? I've heard you help find ghosts and stuff. That's what you do, isn't it?" Her voice was starting to crack, her eyes pleading for any sort of acceptance from him.

He was starting to grow impatient now. "Laura," he began.

"Please, you have to help!"

"Will you shut up and let me talk?!" he shouted, causing the rabbit to let out a surprised squeak before falling silent again. "Thank you!" Taking a deep breath, he continued. "Listen, Laura, I'd love to help. Really I would, but I'm more in the exorcising business. I don't find ghosts, I get rid of them. Understand?"

Laura nodded solemnly before covering her face with her paws. Falling to her knees, she began to sniffle, and through her digits, Ned could see the tears running down her cheeks. A pang of guilt lanced through the prairie dog's chest as he contemplated what to do about the crying girl in the middle of the floor.

"Please stop crying." he grunted, unsure of what else to say.

Through her paws, he heard a muffled, "I'm sorry." That apology was what cemented Ned's sympathy. Grabbing her a chair, he helped her stand up and gestured for her to sit. Sitting in his own chair, he sighed.

"Fine," he surrendered, "let's start from the beginning. Why are you so desperate to find a ghost?"

Taking a moment to regain her stability, Laura said, "Well, I was always the shy and quiet type. Even in middle school, I kept to myself, mostly because of the way the other kids picked on me. They always teased me for how I dressed or for being so quiet. I never really had any friends and I always felt like if I were to disappear, I'd simply fade from their memories. They wouldn't even realize I was gone until they didn't have someone to pick on anymore.

Then once I got to high school, something changed. I was still being picked on and I was still invisible to everyone, but that was when I met him. I don't know his name; he doesn't ever really talk. He was big, an elephant who was dressed in an older version of our uniform. His skin is very pale, and you can see right through his body like looking through some sort of cloudy window. But he was sympathetic to me.

He spent lots of time with me and he'd always listen to what I had to say and would nod in understanding. When others would pick on me, he'd do something like slam a locker door shut or throw a notebook that would surprise them enough to leave me alone.

He was my friend. The only friend I'd had in a long time. But as we spent more time together, I became more confident. I began to feel more sure of myself with him around, and eventually I even started to talk to other people. I made even more friends, and became more liked...but then he vanished. He stopped showing up as often, and now it's been weeks since I've seen him. None of my other friends know about him; I've kept him a secret from everyone. But I don't want him to just disappear the way I had before meeting him. Please, you've got to help me find him!"

Ned scratched the back of his head. This was getting frustrating for him. She seemed like she was being genuine, and truthfully, she could help him out, too. He'd received a message from the school telling him that if he didn't have at least one other member of the club within the month, they'd shut him down. Reaching towards the desk, he heard her take a sharp breath of concern. Grasping the clipboard that contained the sign-in sheet, he placed it in front of her. "Payment," he explained. "If I'm going to help you, you'll need to be a member of the club."

"You're going to help me?" she asked in disbelief.

"Only if you sign the stupid paper."

With a delighted squeal, she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Thank you so much!" she whispered as he froze. Alarms were going off in his head. She was far too close to him for comfort. Taking her shoulders, he pushed her away.

"Please, don't touch me again." he groaned, picking up the sign-in sheet and placing it back on the desk. Sensing her twinge of sadness, he added. "I don't really like physical contact. It's nothing personal." The rabbit brightened from his explanation as he continued. "Alright, first things first, we need to figure out who your ghost friend is. You said he wears an older uniform, maybe he's a previous student. We can check the Library's archives to see if he's in one of the old yearbooks."

Laura nodded before rubbing her arm bashfully. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Other than that one?" he quipped. "Go ahead." He knew his sarcasm could really irritate people, but at the same time, he found it useful. It alienated people, so he never had to worry about them getting too close.

Laura drew small circles on the ground with her foot as she placed her hands cutely behind her back. "I was just wondering, where are all the other members of the club? I'm sorry if that's rude. I'm just curious."

"Is that it?" Ned asked, starting to pack up his things. "They quit. They weren't dedicated enough to be part of the club."

"Oh." she murmured. "You must take this very seriously then."

"Yes."

"But...don't you get lonely?"

Ned froze, his tail puffing up slightly. Was it really so apparent that he was miserable? He tried to find some answers within her eyes, but of course he found nothing. He still wasn't sure he could trust this girl, so he simply brushed past her and headed for the door. "The Library closes in fifteen minutes. We need to hurry if we want to make it there in time." He reminded her. The faster he solved this case, the faster this girl would leave him alone.

"That's okay." the rabbit assured him. "We can start working on it tomorrow. Right now, I want to hear about the club. I think what you do is rather interesting."

The prairie dog raised an eyebrow at her. She was a perplexing one, to be sure. It wasn't often people asked him about the club, save when they were messing with him. This was the moment of truth, he decided. At the very least, if she was faking it'd save him a trip to the library. "Well," he explained, "I've always liked spooky things. I enjoy scary stories and stuff, so I thought I'd make a club where I'd experience it first hand. We originally had four other members, but on our first outing, they all quit. The flashlights shut off and they ran out screaming. They were a bunch of scaredy cats." When she gave him a puzzled glance, he added, "Not literally."

Laura pondered it for a moment. "Well, you have to admit that could be pretty scary for someone."

He scoffed at the notion. "They forgot to put batteries in the flashlights. I found the fresh ones in the backpack the next morning. Besides, I doubt that the guy's attic is haunted. His parents just had the house built."

The rabbit looked around the room. "So you just sit in here and read?"

"You ask a lot of questions." he noted. "Yes, is there a problem with that?"

Worried she'd offended him, she shook her head fervently. "No, no. I don't have a problem with it. I was really just inquiring. Sorry." When he simply nodded, she beamed at him. "Thank you, by the way."

"You've already thanked me. You don't need to keep thanking me, it'll just get annoying. Besides, the only reason I agreed to help was because you started crying. I can't stand seeing someone cry."

"No, not for that. For letting me join the club. I'm sure it will be a lot of fun. I expected you to charge me money or something, so the fact that you're not only agreeing to help, but including me...well it means a lot." The rabbit's kind words really struck a chord with him. It'd been a long time since anyone had expressed an interest in spending time with him.

Ned, however remained stoic. "Whatever. Don't get too excited. I only asked you to join because I needed a second member before the grace period ended."

Her smile only seemed to grow brighter. "Either way, I'm glad to help."

Scratching the back of his head, Ned tried to formulate a response. He wasn't used to these sorts of situations. Just as he opened his mouth to try to speak, however, the bell rang, signaling an end to the clubs. "Bye." he stated quickly, heading towards the door and holding it open. But Laura simply sat there, staring at him intently. The look in her eyes was one of surprise, but Ned felt that deep down, there was something else. "Are you just going to keep staring at me, or are you going to leave?" he asked eventually.

"Oh, sorry!" she apologized profusely, making her way to the door. Stopping on her way out, she faced Ned, no more than a foot away. "See you tomorrow?" she inquired.

Her eyes pierced into his, and yet Ned didn't feel as uncomfortable as he usually did. Nodding, he replied, "Sure. Meet me in the Library at lunch."

"I'll be there." she promised, heading down the hallway.

As she left, Ned unzipped his backpack, pulling out the thick book he'd borrowed from the Library earlier that day. Cracking it open, he began his walk home. It wasn't that buses didn't go out to where he lived, but Ned enjoyed the fresh air and open space.

He paused for a moment to wait for an opportunity to cross the street, when he felt the piercing gaze of Laura. He didn't know how he knew it was hers specifically, but it made his tail twitch nervously. Truthfully, Laura's eyes scared him. When they were on him, he felt like they bypassed every wall and shell he'd worked to put up to keep others out. Which is why, when traffic paused to let him cross, he kept his nose in his book and hurried home.