The Silver Bullet Club (Started)

August 6,

Silas did not stand out of the crowd at the square. He simply strolled down the cobblestone walk, sniffing the air for signs of rain. He felt the cold, strong grip of Medusa around his wrist. The Indian Viper was coiled tight, concealed beneath his leather jacket. With a simple command, it was ready to strike any target he desired.
Her venom caused paralysis and cardiac arrest.

A black truck pulled up in front of the empty building that he had been watching. The truck was loaded with something covered by a blue tarp. The congregation had told him the investigators would be arriving soon. A woman stepped out of the drivers side, her hair flowed down her shoulders. She looked sort of boyish to Silas, for an instant, he thought she was watching his reflection in the shop window. It was warranted, he was watching her too.

Silas closed in on the shop as a man exited the truck. He looked like a hippy, Silas tried not to wrinkle his nose. He was going to have to speak smoothly. "Good evening," Silas said, shaking the man's hand. "My name is Silas, I just wanted to welcome you two to town."

"Nice to meet you, SIlas," the man's voice was almost shaky, "the names Philemon."
Silas didn't give Philemon the chance to speak, "Please tell me, what sort of operation are you running here?" Of course Silas already knew the man and woman were paranormal investigators. The congregation had brought him the flyers. He just needed to press the man a little.

"We're paranormal investigators," Silas tried not to groan, he wished the man would get to the point, "we heard this town has a strong demand for people like us. They say old coal mines, schools, and factories have some of the best activity, and their are tons of those here. Not too mention, people in these parts tend to be a little... superstitious to say the least."

Silas nodded sagely, "Yes, people around here have there obsessive tendencies." Medusa coiled tighter, he whispered for her to relax. "Now, how would I go about hiring you for your services?"

"Oh, you'd need to talk to Dakota, I'm pretty new around here. I'm not used to all the clerical work yet." Philemon said. "If that's all you need, I've got to unload this equipment before the rain comes."

"Don't worry, it's not raining today," Silas muttered. He turned away from Philemon and entered the little shop. It still smelled like coffee from the old store that used to be there. Jolt and Bolt, it was called. Silas did not like the man who worked their, he was a victim of vice. So Silas made him leave. He couldn't have people like that tempting his congregation.

Wet paint over powered the scent of roast coffee, the once crimson walls were now white with a fresh coat. "Hello?" Silas called out. A woman stood up from behind a desk, out of breath. "Oh, there you are. The name's Silas. Are you Dakota?"

"Yes," she said, she showed no signs of continuing. Her hazel gaze seemed to penetrate Silas. It was almost unnerving, but he was not afraid. God was on his side.
"Are you taking cases now?"

"We're not even open yet, you seem pretty eager to hire us."

Silas took his opportunity then and there. He reached into his pocket and removed the stack of hundred dollar bills. Medusa wriggled down his wrist, Silas dropped the stack of bills on Dakota's desk. "Yes, I am.

"You see, this town is not normal. The people are strange, yes, but the children are stranger. I'm a preacher, and my congregation is concerned with the... behavior of some of the teens around here. I talked to a school teacher the other day. She came to me yesterday, she alleged one of her a students set a stack of tests on her desk on fire."

"So? Kids are like that sometimes." Dakota said, almost wearily.

Silas could tell she was already catching on.

"This girl did not have a book of matches, she did not have a lighter. She simply slammed her hands on the tests and they burst into flames." Silas was almost whispering, he glanced at Philemon as he carried in some boxes. "Aside from that, I had another child visit my church yesterday. She was strange, to say the least. I felt something about her presence... something off."

"I'm sorry, but we don't usually investigate things like that. It's quite intriguing, but we can't rightfully stalk a kid, even under the pretense that we are 'investigating'. It's just not the nature of what we do." Dakota turned away from Silas and dug through the box Philemon brought in. "If that's all you need, me and Phil have some things to take care of."

Silas felt his face grow red. Before, he was confident that the investigators would take up his offer, but Dakota seemed very professional. He fought down his anger, wrath was one of the Seven Deadly Sins. His wrath was especially deadly.

Silas stroked Medusa's head, the snake was concealed beneath his palm. She was tense, keen to sink her fangs into the woman. It almost seemed to understand Silas's desires. He took a deep breath, the snake unwound itself, relaxing its grip. "I understand. You are primarily concerned with the world of ghosts and ghoulies. You're not used to investigating something this dangerous. Count the money before you make a decision. It will convince you to stop playing Scooby-doo far better than I ever could."

And with that, Silas left.

Daniel Nitram

I stared off at the fire vaguely aware of Andrea talking to the group about something. I listened to the crackling of the fire aware of the heat waiting for a discomforting pain that I knew wouldn't come. I had tried to burn myself before and while I was aware of the heat I felt no pain from the fire. I looked about the room I had convinced the rest of the club that my private study would be a perfect meeting place as my parents were away on business. They weren't really my parents of course I couldn't remember my real parents they were simply wealthy benefactors. I was an orphan really with a mysterious trust fund with a seemingly endless supply of cash. So my guardians were more forced upon me by the law firm in charge of my trust fund.

My private study was more a personal library I was a bibliophile simply in love with books and my extensive collection full of original prints and rare one of a kind books said as much. The study was in the basement of the manor so even if my guardians had been home we would have been granted privacy. Suddenly I noticed everyone in the club staring at me. Aryn and Jonathan exchanged a look they were the two in the group that I spent the most time with outside of the club. Aryn was the first to speak, " Daniel are you okay you've been staring into the fire and muttering in what sounded like French for ten minutes."

I looked at her and the others embarrassed, "I'm sorry guys I guess I just completely spaced." I ran my fingers through my hair and let out a sigh, I felt pathetic. "I must have seemed like a crazy person. What exactly did I miss?"

Andrea looked at me seemingly surprised I had spaced out, "We were talking about what I heard in the mind of Silas Ardell about him tracking down demons it sounded anything but good. I can't believe you stopped paying attention you stand out the worst of all of us what if he starts rounding up people like us you'll be the first to go."

Strictly speaking Andrea was right it was obvious something was off about me. "You're right I'm sorry for spacing out but hey you could stand to relax you know I mean you're gonna scare everybody talking like that. I mean with that news and the Paranormal Investigators coming in you're making me scared to walk the streets." I let out a laugh. "I mean what's the worst that could happen? They kill me?" Everyone let out a laugh at my bit of gallows humor they were all well aware I couldn't die.

"Look Daniel, just because you can't die doesn't mean we don't still have plenty to worry about they could snatch any of us off the street at night when we least expect it." Andrea looked genuinely concerned almost scared. I thought about what she said and came to a decision on what to do to allay her fears.

"You can all stay here for the evening." The rest of the club seemed surprised by my sudden offer. "It's a Friday no school tomorrow why not I'll have my private drivers take you home in the morning." Everyone looked around a general consensus trying to be made. "Look there's no reason for you not to. Make up your minds I can have a clothing truck here in an hour to get you all perfectly fitted pajamas or I can have a driver take those of you that didn't ride with Chris home. My guardians keep the house stocked with enough food for a large army, and there are more guest rooms than we have guest." They all looked about still trying to decide, "contact parents ask permission do as you must the offer is open to all, and all of the manors facilities are welcome for you to use through out the night if you do stay." I sincerely hoped they would all decide to stay they were my only friends and regardless of how little I spoke with my guardians the house seemed empty without them and it made me lonely to be the only one in the house.

Jonathan Summers
- Two years earlier -
He had been screaming in my ear the whole day. Some jock from the seventies who refused to move on. I hadn't heard a word that anyone had told me today, and by the third period I had gotten a migraine worse than any migraine I had ever had. Searing pain like red-hot metal rods were being pushed into my brain. It was a miracle that I hadn't fainted yet.

I didn't hear the bell ring, nor did I realize that the other students had left the classroom. I remained seated until a vision flashed through my head. I had seen it several times before, but it was still just as unpleasant as the first time. An older Mr Evans, walks on a dark street, in a city much bigger than Willowcreek. He has a 7-Eleven bag in his left hand, cellphone in the other. He's texting when a hooded man suddenly appears from the shadows. The hooded man points a gun at him and demands that he hands over his wallet. Mr Evans refuses, so the hooded man shoots him in the chest. Mr Evans is dead before he hits the ground.

I grabbed my bag and ran out of the classroom. I didn't want to see it again. I could still feel the bullet in my chest, even though I knew it wasn't actually there. Why couldn't that damn jock just stop shouting!? I had to talk to him, but I couldn't do that when everyone was looking. Not that they weren't looking already. Their stares burned as I walked through the hallway with my hands over my ears. I couldn't help it. It didn't shut out the noise, but I feared my head might split in two if I didn't hold it together. Soon I would reach the door, and then he couldn't follow me any longer.

The relief I had longed for didn't come. I ran into some other student, and gasped for breath as I saw him get hit by a buss. In my vision he was wearing the same clothes as he was now. It was going to happen today.

I scrambled to my feet and more or less ran outside. Finally the jock's shouting faded away, and I could hear my own thoughts again, not to say the sounds around me. My migraine was finally releasing its iron grip around my scull. "Hey, what the hell!?" The student grabbed my shoulder, and once again I saw him get hit by a buss.

"You shouldn't cross the street today," I blurted out without thinking. "You're gonna die."

He frowned and let go of me. Another student approached him from behind. "Why are you talking to that psycho? Lets go, I don't want to stay at school longer than I have too." Yes, psycho. That's what everyone called me here. I didn't mind, I've had worse nicknames. Much worse.

The two students walked away, and I wanted to go home, but knew I couldn't let him die when I could prevent it. I was supposed to cook tonight, but I knew Yenna would understand. She'd want me to save that student.

I followed them for about fifteen minutes, until I recognized the place where the accident would take place. I started running as fast as I could to catch up to them. Of some reason the student suddenly decided to cross the street, not even looking before he did. I threw myself towards him, pushing him out of the way just in time for the buss's shouting breaks to pass behind us.

The following hour flew by in a haze, but I remember being invited to a club. A club where I would be able to find people like me... And I did. Even if they weren't exactly like me, they could understand. They didn't shun me because I sometimes talked to someone that they couldn't see, nor stare at me when I covered my ears to shut out the noisy spirits. They understood, and treated me like anyone else.

- Present time -
This manor had too many spirits for my liking. They were calm, but the combined lament from all of them sounded like a small waterfall. I rubbed my temples and tried to concentrate on the conversation of my fellow club members. So far they had brought up Em's mishap, and Andrea's meeting with the man who had bought a church in town. Now they were talking about...

"We know you can hear us. Please, listen to us. You have to listen."

Daniel were inviting us to spend the night in his manor, and the others were..

"Do not ignore us. Listen, please. Look at us. We know you can see..."

"SHUT UP!" The other turned to look at me, startled by my sudden shout. "Oh, I'm sorry. They're just being very.. Persistent." I looked up at Daniel. "I don't think I can stay. Not with all these spirits."

"No, please don't leave." I quickly jerked my head back from the old lady. She was too close to my face. "We'll be quiet. We promise to be quiet, but please don't leave."

"Fine, but one more word and I'll go and never come back." The woman nodded energetically, and then shooed the other spirits away. I looked back at the other with a relieved smile. "Never mind, it seems I can stay after all."

Cedar

(A year ago)

Pain, terrible pain was radiating through my body. I could feel the cold hard ground underneath my back. this made no sense. Did I fall during my nightly run? Did I slip down one of the cliffs? Was I even alive? I tried to push my eyes open, it took some effort, but the sky slowly came into focus. I could see the tops of the trees and it looked like it was morning which made no sense. There weren't any cliff faces close, least I could see. So no cliff falling, I was alive the best I could tell. I had been here all night, that was the only explanation I could figure out. I tried to sit up, pain shot through my entire body forcing me to stay still as I desperately tried to remember what had happened. I had been running, I remember that much, through the same trail I always ran at night in the woods behind my house. So why was I still here? I forced my brain to work, for memories to surface. I remember taking the third curve in the trail, I remember thinking someone was watching me, but not thinking anything of it. Then there was pain, and darkness. I took a deep breath causing more pain to push through my body. I had to get up, I had to see where I was. It took me several minutes, but I managed to get to a sitting position so I could look around, I didn't recognize the area. I wasn't on the trail anymore. I looked down at my legs, my jeans were covered in blood and ripped, next I inspected my hands, they were also covered in blood and there were cuts all over them. So I had put up a fight, I hadn't gone down easy. I looked down at my shirt, it was torn to shreds and there were gashes all over my chest, my ipod was gone. Though that didn't bother me as much as the drag marks that led to where I was. I must've dragged myself here after the attack, tried to find a place to hide before I passed out. There was blood along the trail, how had I lost so much blood yet I was still alive.

"Come on, Cedar, don't worry about details get the hell up." I told myself out loud. I had to get home, get somewhere safe. I slowly rolled over and pushed myself up. It took several tries after falling and crying out in pain. I had an incredible pain tolerance, but this was horrible. Everything started to go black so I stopped moving, let my body get adjusted.

"CEDAR!" I heard someone yell, it sounded like my dad. I slowly managed to get up the rest of the way and I slowly ambled towards the voice. My mouth was dry, I tried to yell back but nothing came out. I heard a bark, it had to be Haven my catahoula. I took another step one foot in front of the other towards the sound.

Come on Haven, come find me. I thought as I moved my right foot forward. The pain was dulling, I was getting a little more used to it. Just get to dad, then I can pass out.

"CEDAR!" That voice belonged to my mom.

"Over here!" I tried to yell, but it came out as a whisper. I'm over here.

Ten more steps and I saw the trail, I had my bearings back. If I took a right, two bends back and I would be at the clearing that led to my house.

"CEDAR! Where are you!" Pippa my dear sweet sister was there too. I heard Haven bark again and then running feet. I looked up from where I was watching where I put my feet and saw Haven come around the bend Pippa right behind him my parents not much further behind. "CEDAR!"

I felt my legs give way as I collapsed just as Haven got to my side licking my face.

"Oh my goodness, what happened?!" Pippa cried kneeling beside me as my parents reached my side too. Everything started to fade again, the blackness took over, but I was safe. My family was here.

(The Present Time)

Cedar looked around his new room as Pippa walked in.

"I like it here." She said as she plopped down on my bed and looked around the room. "Your room is bigger, but I have a WAY better view." She smiled.

"You can keep your view." He smiled sitting next to her and looking towards the window. He could see the street from here. Could see if anyone was coming.

"Mom is all freaked still. Trying to figure out if we accidentally left any clues as to where we were going."

"I'm pretty sure it wasn't a person that attacked me." Cedar replied looking down at his arms where only one scar was left. It was almost like a bite mark. All the other scars had healed amazingly, and some how he hadn't died from loss of blood.

"Yeah, well you aren't the one that kept seeing people casing the place. Course she could've imagined it. Anyone even looks at you funny and mom thinks they are stalking you because they didn't get the job done." Pippa laughed. "It's been a year and three new states and she still won't relax."

"Yeah, well she's a mom." He smiled. "Want to go for a run tonight?" He hadn't given up his runs, he loved his runs. Now Haven and Pippa came with him. Mostly because Pippa wanted to get away from their mom and it made her feel better that he wasn't alone.

"Of course. We can go run up to that old mansion type place we saw on the way in." She smiled.

"I'm pretty sure that would be trespassing!" He laughed.

"So? No one could catch us if we get caught!" She grinned. "You just have to shift into a cheetah and I'll jump on and we'll be gone before they knew we were there."

"Shhh, mom might hear you!" He jumped up running to the door and glancing out to make sure their mom wasn't hovering.

"She would think I was joking if she did hear me. Relax!" She smiled jumping up. "Come on, lets get out of here. I'm bored."

"Fine." He smiled. "I'll race you to the mansion."

Samantha Heikkinen
- One week earlier -
I held the picture out in front of me, trying to etch every single detail into my memory. When I was done I looked into the mirror and sighed. This was probably the last time I was going to look like myself, but it couldn't be helped. If my parents found me they'd drag me of to some secluded cottage and lock me up in the basement, again. Their paranoia had been smothering me for years, so I'd run away. The best way to hide was to become someone else, someone they'd wouldn't recognize even if they passed me on the street.

Deep breath. I closed my eyes and visualized the picture in my mind. When I opened my eyes I saw a the same face looking back at me. Brown hair, brown eyes, fair skin. Pretty, but not pretty enough to stand out of a crowd. Perfect. Samantha Heikkinen was no more. From now on I was Samantha Greendale. The person in the mirror was Samantha Greendale.

I had been lucky to find such a perfect opportunity as this. I had been hitchhiking with the original Samantha Greendale and her family, when a deer ran out in front of the car. The car had gone over a cliff. I survived with some minor injuries, but nothing life threatening. The Greendale family had not been so lucky. They had been going to Willowcreek, where the mother had gotten a job. It felt horrible to set fire to their car, but they were already dead and I needed a new identity, so I took their IDs and left.

Tomorrow would be Samantha Greendale's first day in a new school. She had just moved in from Boston together with her parents. They had originally come here because her mother had gotten a job in town, but when they arrived her mother had suddenly decided to become a housewife instead. Her father lived and worked in Boston to support them, and sometimes she and her mother would leave town to visit him. It was the perfect cover. Now I just needed to make sure to act like any other high school student and not draw too much attention to myself.

Ignore this.

Daniel Nitram

I sat outside of the manor at the edge of the large fountain that took up a patch of grass in the middle of the U-shaped drive way. Everyone else was in the home-theater watching a movie I'd already seen. I sat out there looking at the moon and listening to the water splash quietly in the fountain. I swirled my fingers around enjoying the cool sensation of the water trickling through my fingers. I looked up at the manor seeing it lit up with people inside it gave me a strangely warm feeling. I lay down at the edge of the fountain staring up at the sky and listening to the sounds of the forest. As I lay there I could here footsteps running towards the manor in the distance. I listened closely, at least a mile left to go before they arrive. It occurred to me that I had no idea how I could be sure of that.

I got up from where I was laying down preparing to greet the new comers. I got my cell phone out of my pocket and sent a quick text to Andrea, be waiting inside the front door for me we'll have something to talk about in a moment. I stretched a bit and walked to stand in front of the fountain. I could hear a girls voice call out, "Cedar slow down you're not playing fair."

A young man burst in to view yelling over his shoulder, "You said it was a race slow poke maybe you should keep up." He kept running briefly before skidding to a stop right in front of me. Looking shocked at my presence he backed up slightly. "I'm sorry we didn't expect anyone to be here we were just curious about the house." I looked the boy over ruggedly handsome was the best description, I let out a chuckle.

"Don't apologize it's natural to be curious I'm guessing you're the boy from the family that moved in to town here recently." That was when a girl came up from the same area Cedar had moments before. "I'm assuming this is your sister?" I shook her hand in greeting as well as his. "Well I am Daniel Nitram welcome to my humble abode Stone Manor."

The girl spoke up first while the boy still seemed wary, "Well I'm Pippa and this is Cedar it's nice to meet you." She was attractive to say the least I guess beauty was a family trait, "So you live here? All by yourself? Your home is beautiful."

"No not by myself with my two guardians they live here too kind of though they leave at random. Anyway come along I have friends over but I'm sure they wouldn't mind a few more people. I'll give you the grand tour." I stood in the middle between them step backed and coaxed them to the front door. Pippa seemed eager but Cedar was taking some warming up to. I focused on the thought of Andrea being ready for us. I stepped between them opened the door and in grand gesture said, "Welcome to Stone Manor."

Andrea was waiting but had heard my thoughts giving her the heads up, "Daniel you've invited two new guests to the party." She looked at them clearly reading their minds and then gave me a smile. She whispered to me, "It appears as though our guest are more than they appear." She turned to them, "Hi I'm Andrea a friend of Daniel's it's so nice to meet you." She hugged them both.

Pippa and Cedar introduced themselves again. Cedar spoke up this time, "So I only see one person that doesn't exactly constitute having 'friends' over or a party."

"The others are in the home-theater," Andrea informed them, "Though I'm sure they'd like to meet you."

I looked at her always taking up the leadership role with a calm certainty that I could never achieve. "Yeah I'll get the others to meet us in the dining room more chairs easier space to talk in you remember where it is Andrea I showed you earlier." She nodded and lead them their as I went to get the others.

I paused the movie and told the others we were meeting in the dining room to meet our two new guests. Everyone exchanged looks of curiosity then followed me. Andrea, Cedar, and Pippa were already sitting at the table when we arrived. I took a seat next to Andrea whom was sitting at the head of the table. I looked at Andrea and she nodded, "So Cedar, Pippa, this is what I meant by friends. Andrea shared some of the things she's learned about you with me and I must say I am curious."

Pippa and Cedar exchanged a shocked glanced at once they said, "What does she know, what did she tell you?"

Andrea let out a laugh a rare thing for her, "Don't worry your secret is safe with us shape shifter and well Pippa I'm not entirely sure. Trust me we all have plenty to hide and unusual abilities of our own." Pippa and Cedar exchanged a glance, "Don't worry you're secret is more than safe with us you see we're in a club for people with paranormal disorders."

"Yeah like me, I'm dead." Cedar and Pippa looked surprised at my revelation. "I'm technically a reanimated corpse but don't worry I don't go terroriz e the village people. The club found me a while back and I've been a member ever since. Most of us have a story like that being recruited or having heard rumors about the club and joining. Your the first people I've found outside of the group to invite to join."

"I'm all in for joining," Pippa blurted out, "but only if Cedar will join."

Cedar looked at his sister, "Well it couldn't hurt I'll join too."

We all welcomed them to The Silver Bullet Club and as the hour grew late Chris took some of the group home and I waited with Cedar and Pippa until he returned to get them. When Chris returned I gave him money for his gas for the trips he had taken, "So does this mean I'm on the pay roll." He laughed as did I before he pocketed the money for the gas. I slipped him some extra assuming he hadn't noticed though perhaps that was the source of his joke. I watched as the left and went inside there was still quite a bit of time until morning. I selected some books, found a video game I had yet to beat, and settled in for the wait until morning and Monday ugh school.

Andrea Stoddard - Oh ain't you just the most interesting gal?

The weekend went by like a blur, I left after meeting Cedar and Pippa, it had been getting late and I still have no way to get rid of Snake Church and the investigators, but I knew I just have to relax, heck if we were lucky then we wouldn't have to worry and they'll just go away all on there own, right? Well anyways, fast forward into Monday. it was time to head back to school for the week, heck it was Monday and I already am waiting for the weekend. I wore tight black jeans that hugged my legs nicely, a plain white undershirt, and a black sweater. I grabbed my fedora, my Ipod and headphones, and then my book bag. I soon left out, my home wasn't like a mansion, but it certainly was big. I locked the door behind me and then made out for Willowcreek High School. It was a good ten minute walk from my home to the school, the same passage to and from every day, I couldn't help but feel like I was being watched I turned my mind reading gift on and heard every thought around me. I didn't stop for anything, hearing no thoughts aside from the ones in the houses, and none that stood out, I tuned out of it and quickly made my way to school.

When I arrived a lot of other teens were gathering, I ignored everyone of them as I made my way up the stairs and into the building. I made a quick stop at my locker, only to see that someone had tapped a piece of paper to my locker door, it was a schedule change, I officially had AP classes from now on. Wonderful, I had AP US History for 1st period, the last thing I wanted since I wasn't exactly a total wiz like Daniel was at such things. Maybe I got stuck in the same period as him and he could help me out with it all, I made my way to AP US History, classes were about to start and I knew me showing up at the last possible second wouldn't sit well with the teacher. I open the door to the class and walk in, the thoughts immediately barrage me.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" I yell in my mind.

And all at once the thoughts just stopped, I turned off my mind reading at the thought of me telling them to shut up. I showed the paper to the US History teacher who's name I didn't remember, I turned my power back on and tuned everyone else but the teacher out. He took a look at it and nodded and gave what seemed like a forced smile to me.

"Ok Ms. Andrea why don't you go take a seat by Mr. Daniel?" he said.

I took a look out into the class and there was no doubt in my mind, it was the same Daniel that I knew, I took the paper back and went to take my seat by him. I gave him a smile and handed Daniel my paper, I tuned into his thoughts and then he handed me my paper back. But soon after the door opens again, a woman walks in, she was very pretty, beautiful even. After a few minutes, the teacher points to another empty seat next to me, soon enough she walks towards the desk and takes a seat next to me. I was going to enjoy this class from now on, the teacher stood he was an older man who was bald, wore glasses, a vest with a long sleeve shirt underneath and jeans.

"Class, today we have two new students joining us, Ms. Andrea Stoddard..."

A bunch of whoops went up as I stood and made my presence known, and happy that I had tuned out the guys because I'm sure I would have heard some very vulgerous things about me from the guys thoughts.

"...And Ms. Samantha Greendale," he finished.

There wasn't anything for her but for me she was a definite taker, her beauty was like a must have desire in me. I waved to her only to have her wave back, I tune into her thoughts to see what she was thinking.

"Boy, they really give warm welcomes here in Willowcreek don't they?" I heard.

The thought was sarcasm really, but why not? I felt Daniel's hand on my shoulder I quickly turned to him and heard,

"you're staring," he said.

"Sorry," I mouthed to him.

"Everyone seems to believe that I'm Samantha Greendale, good thing to, there's no way I'm going back to my original body and back to my original surname," I heard from her.

Oh ain't you just the most interesting gal?

Spoiler

Alright so…. I guess Andrea’s in two places now at once now. xD
How about this: we finish up at the school, and everyone goes to the meeting at Daniel’s place. That way we can hit two locations and (hopefully) make everyone happy)

Also, sorry about writing in third POV, but Eli just doesn’t seem very first-person to me…

Eli (No clue WHAT day we're on here....)

Eli hadn’t been to school in a while. He realized that fact the moment he set foot in the main courtyard. There were new faces, people he didn’t know and would never even care to know, along with some familiars. He even spotted a few of the club members, making small talk with their own individual circles of friends, trying to keep up with the “normal” side of their social life. Eli could care less. He was barely at school anyways. Why waste the time?

Willowcreek high was an old school, three stories of worn brick and narrow, single paned windows. The roof was flat, except for the slanted ledge for rain let-off. Eli paused and took in every detail of the place. The charcoal stains from fifty years ago, the chips in the front steps, even the cardboard in the window that had been busted out one summer awhile back. Eli might have hated the people, but he never got tired of the building. There was something about it that was comforting to him, something familiar and real and solid.

He was just about to head inside when Chris bounded up to him. At seventeen, the short “jester” could never seem to get people to take him seriously, and seemed younger than his age. Though the scraggy beard and glasses made him appear older. Eli groaned inwardly, though he was half glad to see him.
“Whoah-ho-ho!” Chris said. “Look who’s back from the dead!” he clapped his hand to Eli’s shoulder. “How’s scary-man doing?” he asked, a bit too loud. Ever since Eli had jumped him in the school hall a few years back Chris had called him by several “endearing,” and slightly annoying terms.
“So why weren’t you at the meeting this week?” he asked. Eli shrugged.
“Business.” He said, deciding not to mention the demon he had tracked down in an old mine. There had been more and more appearances lately. Eli frowned as he mused on the cause.
“Andrea wanted to talk to you about something.” Chris said.
“Andrea?” Eli’s frown deepened as he thought about the imposing mind-reader. Usually she tried to avoid him, seeing as all she could usually read was “mistrust” from Eli’s mind. “That’s strange.” Eli muttered.
“Careful, frown any harder and you’ll dig a permanent trench.” Chris jabbed.
“Walk around with that stupid grin plastered on your face and you’ll get hired for a toothpaste commercial.” He retorted.
“Hah! Pigs will fly today! Eli made a joke!” Chris laughed. He started to talk about some new girl, or the teachers or something but Eli had suddenly lost interest in the chatter. He had felt something, a little bit off and entirely chilling.

There was a man there. Standing outside the school gates as inconspicuously as possible. It was a warm September day, but he wore a long black satin suit jacket, and was stooped over, leaning on a silver tipped cane. Eli found himself staring at him, and the man met his gaze. For the briefest of moments they were frozen, the man’s ice-like eyes meeting Eli’s glare. It seemed to Eli like a threat, or even a challenge. But an instant later and the moment was gone. The man smiled, and was suddenly staring right through Eli, as if he hadn’t seen him at all. Then he straightened up and walked away quite easily and slowly, as if simply out for a stroll. Eli watched him as he left, and he thought he saw a flicker of something smooth and slender from the end of the man’s suit cuff. Eli felt something almost close to a demonic presence, some sinister aura. But then he blinked and found it was nothing. Had he imagined everything? Chris was still spouting off “pop school facts,” the other students were still loafing around, and Eli felt as if he had just been through a bad dream. The first period bell rang, and everyone slowly filed their way inside. No matter what he did though, Eli could not shake the feeling of unease, he couldn’t get the mysterious stranger out of his mind.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the day passed without incident. School was boring and dull as usual, and Eli was painfully reminded of why he generally tried to avoid it. Andrea did talk to him, but Eli would only say that he had killed a demon last week before only thinking “Read my mind, read my mind.” Andrea walked off, more than slightly frustrated, and Eli had a moment of satisfaction. He had not allowed the stranger to enter his thoughts, though the appearance was still in the back of his mind.

School had ended and Eli was heading home around back as usual when he stopped. There was a shadow on the ground that shouldn’t have been there… Eli craned his neck and looked up to the top of the school building. His eyes widened.

There was a girl there, standing on the edge. A grim and determined look was on her face, and Eli didn’t have to read her mind to know what she was about to do.
“Don’t jump!” he yelled hoarsely. “Don’t jump!” The girl didn’t seem to hear him… no emotion registered on her face. That’s when Eli saw the demon. A crouching, goblin like creature with wide dark eyes. It sat on her shoulder, whispering into her ear.

Eli dropped his backpack and ran. He sprinted over to the side of the building and leaped up to the access ladder that would lead him to the roof. He couldn’t seem to climb fast enough. Finally he pulled himself up onto the roof and stopped. The demon was crouching on the ground in front of him, and it curled its lips in a snarl. The thing was tiny, but Eli knew he had to be careful when breaking whatever control it had on the girl.
He placed his left hand on the ground and released the seal on his arm. The runes started to glow, and moved from his hand to the ground. The golden letters encircled the demon and Eli, until a perfect circle was formed. The dimension was complete, and Eli felt his soul leave his body.

He faced the demon. Around them the dimension went on into infinite darkness, the only thing keeping them grounded in space were the runes that circled all around them. The demon began to morph, taking on a different form until it stood as tall as Eli did. Pale skin stretched over sharp bones, and Eli looked on the thing in disgust.
“Who sent you?” he asked. His strong voice echoed in the hollow space.
“No one, I am Beloch, and tread the earth as I please.” Came the hissed reply.
“And I am Ahed-Kehah, killer of demons.” Eli said.
“You are a demon yourself, human” Beloch growled. He curled his arms inward, and form them two bones pierced through the skin on the forearms. Through the blood Eli could see the demon harden the bones, and sharpen them into two blades. With a screech the demon rushed towards him.
Eli was caught off guard. He had not yet stabilized the dimension and was not ready to use the second stage of the runes. He dodged the demon’s attacks, stepping back and finding that he was rapidly losing his footing and ground. Eli narrowly ducked as the demon cut at his head. He kicked out and hit the thing in the gut, sending it back a few feet. That was all the time Eli needed. He felt a surge of strength as he reached another level of energy. This time, Eli made the first attack. He ran straight at the demon, who turned incredibly fast and struck him across the arm. Eli stumbled back and the demon grabbed his throat, forcing him to look into those dark eyes.
He felt himself pulled in immediately, down below the surface of dark waters. He was drowning, finding nothing to breath as the fear and depression closed in around him. Blackness swallowed him, and his vision darkened. His will to fight began to slip away… But before he was lost completely he reached up and placed his left hand on the demon’s chest, right over the heart. “Iniquity” was left there, and the words began to spread from that, wrapping around the skin until the demon was covered in runes. Its eyes widened in shock, and it stepped back.
“Jerusalem.” Eli chocked out. The runes became suddenly brighter. The demon started to scream and writhe as they burned into its flesh. It screeched curses him as it struggled against the pain. The runes became bright until all that was left was a searing light. It utterly consumed the demon, until there was nothing left.
Eli tried to catch his breath as he allowed the dimension to close. He felt himself pulled back into his body and found himself exactly where he had been when he had placed his hand on the ground. He looked up and saw as the girl suddenly became tense. In an instant he had rushed over to her but it was too late… she jumped. Eli hurled himself off the edge. He felt his feet leave the ground and a split second later he caught her. But then they were falling, plummeting towards the ground. Eli hoped his body would break the girl’s fall and that somehow, she would survive. He wondered, briefly, if he would feel the impact before he died and shut his eyes.

But the moment never came, for he found that they were floating, suspended in mid air. It was a strange sensation, like gravity had suddenly been reversed; and Eli opened his eyes.

A strange woman was standing there, with long brown hair and a boyish, tiny figure. It must have been her power that was holding him up, because as he looked at her the woman slowly let them down.

“That would have been a nasty fall.” she said. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you that it would be a shame to waste your abilities.”
“What… what are you talking about?” Eli asked, still half in shock. The girl had passed out and he was still holding her in his arms.

“It seems I’ve finally found you, demon-killer.” she said.

Spoiler

Okay, I edited this a bit.

Samantha Heikkinen
The lessons were even more fun than I'd imagined. Not quite as brilliant as what I had seen in the movies, but close enough. They even had cheerleaders. I had to admit that I was tempted, but that would probably go against the whole 'laying low' thingy that I was aiming for.

When it was time for the fourth and final period I felt a bit sad. The end of the school day meant that I had to go home to the Greendales' empty house, turn on all the lights and pretend to be to different people, all so that the neighbors wouldn't get suspicious.

The teacher introduced me to the class. It was getting a bit tiresome with these introductions. I was shown to a seat and realized that the girl from my first period.. Andrea! Right, I remembered her name. She was sitting next to me, so I waved and smiled. Just like earlier she seemed to be looking right through my pretense, and it creeped me out. It was like she could see my soul.

The lesson passed rather quickly, and before I knew it I was standing by my locker. I reeeally didn't want to go back to that house. "Hey there." I turned to look at the girl who had spoken to me. It was Andrea.

"Oh, hello." I was about to say something about class, but she cut me of.

"I know what you can do."

I blinked. Wait, what? How could she possibly have found out about that? I hadn't shifted in over a week, so she couldn't possibly have seen me. "What are you talking about?" I managed to keep my composure and sound simply confused, not afraid.

"I think you know."

"Sorry, but I have to get home. See you tomorrow, okay? Bye!" But before I had time to leave she grabbed my arm with a strength I hadn't though that she possessed, and pulled me into a nearby room. Inside there were a small group of people, some who I recognized from class earlier.

"She's like us," she proclaimed loudly. I looked at each one of them, hoping that they'd free me from her and let me leave. There was no such response.

"Cool. What can you do?" one of the guys asked.

I didn't understand. Did they have powers like me? No, that couldn't be. And even if that was the case, I still couldn't reveal myself. No one could know about me, or it would undoubtedly spread to my parents. Somehow they'd find out. Seriously, of all the towns I could've chosen. "I can't do anything!" I pulled my arm free from Andrea's grip. "I'm going home."

Suddenly one of the guys got up and blocked my way. "We have powers just like you. I can see ghosts, and predict when people die."

"I can set things on fire."

"And I can read minds." I stared at Andrea, completely dropping my act for a moment, but I quickly pick it up again. No wonder her eyes seemed to look into my soul. "That's why I know what you can do."

"Then read my mind," I said with a challenging tone. If she really could, then I'd just have to admit that they really were like me. Though I didn't know what that would leave me.

I decided to focus on a carrot, or rather the word carrot. Even though I tried to think of nothing but that word, images of the Greendales' burning car and the smells from that car kept creeping into my mind. I couldn't help it. It was all I could think about when I wasn't distracted enough.

"Are you stupid or just crazy?!" She facepalmed and turned away from me.

"What is it?" one of the guys asked.

"She killed the real Greendale family."

The others stared at me in a completely new way. "I did not kill them! They died in a car accident. I just took their IDs and burned.." My voice trailed of. That smell. Sometimes it was like it had gotten stuck in my nose. It just wouldn't disappear. "I needed a cover, and it was the perfect opportunity." My excuses was just as much for myself as they were for the others. "I needed to hide."

"I'm guessing you're pretty good at that?" asked Andrea with a raised eyebrow. I felt myself smiling beside myself.

"Yeah, that's what I do. I can take whatever appearance I want." My eyes widened. Why had I even said that? Now they knew, so I couldn't stay. I had to leave again. I had to change into someone else.

"Chill. We're not going to tell anyone. We're in a club, and everyone here has their own secrets."

"Oh," was all I managed to say. All these surprises was starting to make me numb.

"Do you want to join us?"

"Yeah, sure." And all of a sudden I was part of a club, without really wanting to.

"Well, then you're welcome to my manor. We're gonna hold our meeting there today." It was the guy from my history class. Manor?

Wasn't I supposed to go back to the Greendales' house? Yes, I had to. I needed to pretend that two people lived there.. But at the same time I had to admit that I was curious. Very suspicious, but curious at the same time. "Oh, sure."

Spoiler

Here it is! (I edited it).

Em

I hate running.
And I mean I really hate running.

But here I was, you know, running. Because if I didn't I'd be late for the meeting at the mansion and Andrea would have my head.
Well, more like my mind, but still.


Anyway, it was likely that my lungs would get to me first. My breathing grew heavier as I rounded a corner and the mansion loomed in veiw. The cold wind bit my fingers and nose so I sent a little blast of heat over me and basked in it for a while.

It then occured to me that passers-by may find it just tiny bit odd, that steam was wafting off my body like a smoke machine. I quickly darted into the mansion and shut the door behind me.

I was suprised by what I saw. I'd never actualy been in the mansion before, and I have to say I expected something a little more... dracula. But it was brightly lit and actualy kind of, homey. I guess.

Just then I heard raised voices coming from a room branching off the foyer. I followed them until I could hear what they were saying.

"It's not like we can just pack up everything and leave!"

"Well, it's either that or we dispand the club. It's just too dan-"

The voice was cut off by a series of shouts and murmers.

I reached for the door and peeked inside.

Huh, so this is what complete and utter chaos looked like.

Chris was in the middle of a full blown shouting match with Andrea. Aryn was glaring daggers at Cedar, who was making frantic hand jestures as if that would help him prove his point while periodicaly glancing at Pippa who was nervously fiddling with her hair; eyes cast down.

Only Jonathan and Daniel seemed like they were having an actual friendly debate .

Untill Jonathan turned around and started shouting at some unseen force, that is.

I was debating the what to say when I came in and Andrea turned her fury on me when I heard a knock on the door behind me.

I turned around and tiptoed curiously down the hall and to the door. I paused and squinted through the keyhole .

It was Samantha.

I reached for the door to let her in, but stopped. I didn't think any of us wanted her to see the club in this state. I turned and tiptoed back down the hall to the meeting room.

I knocked on the doorframe.

"Uh, guys?"

No answer.

"HEY!"

A few heads turned my way, still muttering to one another with the occasional glare.

I gestured behind me.

"The new girl's at the door."

The room went silent, and Andrea stood up and left the room. I stepped in and picked a seat off the floor and sat at the table.

Jonathan was still talking to what I assumed was a ghost. He kept glancing in my direction.

I ignored him.

Then he just all out stared.

I flipped. "What? Am I on fire or something?"

"No, nothing it's...nothing".

Which most deffinently meant something. And that 'something' didn't seem good.

At all.

Dakota

After the man had left, Dakota carefully thumbed the money toward her. But she didn't count it. Dakota wasn't going to have anyone else telling her what to do; she was setting up shop here. But she wasn't in control. That was her father's place, when he came down in a couple of months. Dakota wasn't going to count the money because they weren't ready for taking cases yet.

The brunette drummed her fingers on the counter, the sound muffled by the dust cloth covering it. And she looked at Phil who stood uncertainly, rubbing his hands against each other and looking at the money. But it wasn't the money that interested Phil.

"When- will we be investigating?" It looked like it hurt him to ask the question. Phil looked so anxious behind his big, black-rimmed glasses that it was a wonder he didn't sweat himself into a pool of water on the floor.

"I don't think so," Dakota said coolly. But she picked up the money and she wondered why. What had made the man so sure to come to them and why was he willing to pay so much money, he couldn't think one girl, not even an unusual girl would really be a threat to his establishment. Why.

Turning her back on Phil, Dakota slipped the cash inside her pocket, took hold of a corner of the dust cloth and with a flourish swept it from the table. "How do you feel about going back to school, Phil?" Dakota asked him. She turned and the tiniest smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Phil scratched his head uncertainly.

"I'm going to be a teacher, aren't I?" Dakota only smiled, but she didn't count the money and she wouldn't be going to church in the morning. Dakota had better things to do; there was a lot of work still to be done if they were going to open shop so much earlier than she had anticipated.

_____________________
The day wore on and Dakota decided she wanted to take a look at her new home. She left Phil with instructions to unpack their most sensitive equipment and then she found her feet taking her closer to the school. And she heard voices and was witness to something she could never have expected to find. It stirred a memory from long ago, a memory that had settled dark and cold across her chest. It was him.

Dakota watched as the girl stepped away from the building and her body tensed and she questioned why even as the boy launched himself after her. Dakota didn't think. There wasn't any thinking to be done and she hated to do it, but her hand stretched out and the two children stopped falling, held stationary in the air. Slowly Dakota lowered them to safety.

“That would have been a nasty fall.” she said. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you that it would be a shame to waste your abilities.” Her voice was cool and her eyes were unblinking as she observed the boy and the unconscious girl.

“What… what are you talking about?” The boy asked, his eyes widening in shock.

“It seems I’ve finally found you, demon-killer.” Dakota lowered her hand now that they were safely on the ground, but she turned away. This wasn't what she came for. It was curious to have found him here, of all places, but this wasn't her part. The thinking. The chasing. Dakota was glad she had been here to help him, (why?) but now she turned away.

"She needs to go home," Dakota said simply as she turned to go.

Jonathan Summers
The ghosts had promised me to stop bothering me, and they had, but only for a short while. As usual they couldn't keep quiet. Sure, it was reasonable that they wanted someone to talk to. Some of them had been dead for hundreds of years, and during that time they had gotten lonely. They couldn't normally communicate with each other unless I was around, and most of them couldn't interact with other humans either, so the loneliness was slowly driving them mad. If I could help them, I would, but I couldn't. There were more than ten spirits only in this manor, and attempting to help them all move one would probably take years, if it was even possible.

"I don't mean to intrude, but.." It was an old man, former owner of the manor, judging by his clothes.

"Leave me alone, or I won't ever come back," I said silently.

"If you could just contact my son, it would mean a lot to me."

I sighed. "When were you born?"

"1847."

"It's 2013 now. Your son is long gone. Now leave me alone."

The man seemed shocked. Well, I might have been a bit blunt, but that was the only way to make them understand. Without any warning the man started howling and shouting, running back and forth in the room. He ran through several of my friends, but they didn't even notice. I tried to calm him down, 'cause all the noise he made was starting to give me an headache, and all the other spirits that saw him act out were becoming unruly.

When I thought that he had finally calmed down, it got even worse. The spirit of a guard dog walked in. It was scared and ugly, and angry. Angry spirit, especially animals were never good. Angry spirits, or spirits with very strong emotions, could affect their surrounding, and it only got worse when I was around. I let out a sigh of relief when I though it was leaving, but instead it started circling Em. Now, if she just stood still and kept calm, everything would sort itself out.. Though keeping still and calm was not her strong sides.

"What? Am I on fire or something?" The dog jumped back, startled by her words, but then it began circling her again, with its head low and ears back.

"No, nothing it's.. Nothing," I lied. I didn't know what to do. I should probably leave and hope that it followed me, but then it would attack me instead.

I looked to the other spirits in the room. They had become eerily silent since the dog showed up. "Could you do something about it?"

A dozen faces turned to look at me at the same time. And then they all started talking at once, which made the dog charge. Not at Em, luckily, but at the spirits. I couldn't help but smile. I doubted they'd bother me again.

I turned back to Em and smiled. "It's okay now."

Samantha and Andrea walked in before she could answer.

Spoiler

Here you go. WARNING: This one is a little intense and sad. Not for the feint of heart.

Chris Lanyard

I stood off in the corner of the magnificently adorned room, away from the warmth of the fire, listening to my phone repeatedly tell me that I was still alone on the line, ring by ring by ring. The answering machine didn’t kick in, and I was about to hang up when a slightly raspy voice answered on the other end.

“Hey lo.”

“Joey. Listen, it’s Chris. Hey man, you hear me? Alright, Joe, can I get a hand tonight with the kids? I have some important things to do.” He sputtered a little, and I knew it was as I expected. He had already started drinking. “Chris. You are funny. Come on, give me a break here. I just got back from work, ai’ght, brother? It’s a Friday; lemme live a little”

“No, Joey,” I said, frightening myself by the way my hick-like accent began to harden into a tenser tone of voice, “I need some help here. Let’s get a move on. All you have to do is watch the kids, okay. I already made dinner; it’s in the fridge, top shelf. There’re only four kids in the house tonight, because Leah is at her friend’s house for a slumber party.”

My older brother laughed into the phone, and I could hear spit splash a little onto the receiver. Maybe sending him home tonight wasn’t the best idea. “Slumber party, huh? That where you are, little bro? Sleepin’ over at this age? What would Gramps say about that? Where’re you anyways?”

I steadied myself a little and tried to calm myself. My joking demeanor had all but faded away. I gritted my teeth and said, “I am at the Nitrams’ manor outside town. I just need you to look after them for a night or two.”

“The manor, eh? I never knew you to be the type to be hanging out with the rich kids, Chrissie. I ought to start callin’ you Aristochris. That sounds ‘bout right. Hey, like I said, man, I’m tired, and I need some R n’ R right now. So I’ll talk to you later.” His slurred words only intensified a rage that I couldn’t keep down anymore.

“No you listen here, bastard! I take care of this family every day because I carry the world on my shoulders sometimes. Cause Dad can’t carry it and Mom can’t carry it, and obviously, you can’t carry it. All I need is a little break once in a while, to get my stuff sorted out. To get that little bit of R and R you like so much. So will you get off your lazy ass? I’m tired of rockin Tommy to sleep every night and waitin’ to turn off the porch light till you swagger in from the bar at one every night! And I don’t think God gave you the right to do that, Mr. Mature-26-year-old! Sometimes these children need an older role model to hope to live for other than their high school guardian. So can you get your rear end out of Flanny’s and go take care of the kids while you can still drive? Can you do that!?” My voice had crescendoed from a whispered shout to an all out yell. This was the condition that I never went to the doctor for but never went away. This was my rage, and I’m glad that Joey wasn’t there with me at that time, because I might have done something he and I would regret.

“Uh… sorry, man… yeah I- I can do that.” I could actually hear the fear in his voice as he tried to regain his demeanor. My shouts must have sobered him a little because his words were more coherent when he spoke again. “I mean, fine. But you owe me one-”

I hung up on him, slamming the phone shut, steam still radiating out of my ears. I shoved it into my pocket and looked up to see everyone in the room staring at me, shock written across their faces. My voice must have gotten louder than I thought, because even the ever-pensive David was bewildered. I tried to calm down a little, but it was no use.

I fixed my glasses, straightening them from their movement during my ranting, and walked through the empty space of the room, which in itself was almost as large as my house. I grunted about using the bathroom, and followed David’s brief instructions to the nearest one. Closing the door behind me, I washed my face with cold water and looked into the mirror. My eyes were a little red, and my soaked beard seemed to radiate the same emotion that my glare held. I waited a couple minutes, till I had relaxed a little, then rejoined my friends. I had tonight off, and by goodness I was going to enjoy it.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Once again in the large den, now several days later, I was just as mad as the last time. Andrea had the never, the AUDACITY to try to put me on the spot for something like this. I don’t even know how she could justify asking me to do this, I really don’t.

“These investigators and this Silas character are coming too close for comfort, Chris!” she yelled at me. “I think it’s time we thought about moving on from Willowcreek. This town is a dead end, you said it yourself. Do you really plan on sticking around here your whole life?”

“This is ridiculous! We’re not leaving now. School isn’t over, and I have responsibilities. Andrea.” My face was red, and although my voice wasn’t quite as loud as hers, I said my words a little wildly, motioning with my hand on each, as if I was forcing them out of my throat on a string.

“You have a responsibility to us! To help us! We cannot stay here as a group anymore. We have to move the club, and move with it. We have to disappear so that these ghost hunters never find us. Never hurt us!”

“No! I can’t. I just can’t.”

“Why not? Is your life here more important than us? Than the lives of your friends? Is your marching band more important than the well-being of your closest acquaintances?” Andrea was pretty when she got angry. Too bad she was a little too butch for my liking. However, I was too worked up at this point to think about that.

“It’s not your lives I am worried about it’s my family’s,” I replied, shaking a little, feeling myself overcome with my fourth anger management relapse in one week.

“I know that you guys are hurt for cash and have five people to support, but you can always send money home, and we can even help you with that.” Andrea was now trying to draw me in, trying to make me feel guilty and ridiculous for not agreeing with her. I wasn’t about ready to accept that though.

“It’s not just about the money!” I shouted, very loud, so that momentarily, heads turned towards me in the chaotic, bickering room. I was panting for now reason now, and Andre had a softer expression on her face, finally realizing that something was up. She was staring into my eyes, trying to see through the overwhelming anger into what lay beneath. I gave in and let her, retracing my steps to Sunday night, after I had left David, carrying his charity money that I had reluctantly accepted.

It was dark when I pulled into the gravel driveway that stood in front of my home. I climbed up the stairs of my digs, which was a small, thin two-story town house, squished in between others like it. The porch light was out, but I could see the kitchen light on through the window. When I stepped inside, I knew something wasn’t right. The usual hustle and bustle of little childs playing all around was absent, and I noticed Joey sleeping in the couch directly to the right of the front door, a few empty bottles standing up on the floor by his feet.

I shook him awake. “Joey, where are the kids?”

“What?” he groaned, sitting up a little. “How the hell should I know?” He laid back down.

I grunted and ran up the stairs two at a time, making it up very quickly. When I got up there, I heard some whimpering, and pushed through the door to one of the kids’ rooms, the one that Tommy, Bernard, and Nick shared. Huddled on the lower end of the bunk bed, in the dark, sat my little siblings. Nick, at nine looking more like seven, sat, whimpering a little, almost like in pain. Leah, not much older, sat with her arm around him, comforting him. The others merely stared at me with silence and a little fear.

I quickly flipped on the light and was disgusted at what I saw. Nick sat hunched over with his shirt off. He had band-aids in various places, and was bruised in several areas, including his cheek. He was obviously in pain still, even though the bruises had started to change color a little already.
Shocked, I asked, “What happened?”

Leah looked at me, wide-eyed, and said, “Joey… he. Drunk. Saturday…”

She needn’t have said more than Joey. I instantly felt the anger wash into my body like a hose into a bucket. Heat filled my system and rage came over me like never before. I snapped at them. “Stay here! And don’t listen too hard.”

They looked more and more afraid as I stormed out of the room and flew down the stairs. When I got down, I immediately stomped into the small living room, footsteps falling like thunder.

Joey looked up, in a waking daze. “What’s the noise-” He was instantly silenced when I hammered him in the face. He doubled back so hard that the couch flipped onto its back. Shocked, he scrambled up, but I once again knocked him down with my fists, hiting him against the wall. He slid down and tried to protect himself, but it was no use. I hit him again and again. Although my body was short and stocky, I had a lot of power behind every blow, and he wasn’t taking it well. I shouted and wailed with every punch, using energy that, while not being an effective injury provoker, got my point across quite nicely.

Finally, he tried to grab me, and I stomped his arm, causing an audible snap. As Joey passed out, a whimper came from behind me. I turned to see Bernard standing there, Teddy Bear in hand, looking at me and shivvering.

The memory instantly broke and I was back in the present, with Andrea still staring into my eyes, tears dripping down her cheeks.

“Now do you see?” I asked, still angry.

“I do, you need to be there because no one else will be. But, we, the club need to stick together.” She was trying to regain her leader roll, even when taken aback, valuing union over sympathy.

"It's not like we can just pack up everything and leave!"

"Well, it's either that or we disband the club. It's just too dan-" We were interrupted in the yelling when Em yelled something and we turned to look. She started talking, but I was so steamed that I couldn’t even concentrate on what she was saying. All I heard was my heart pounding in my chest.

I wasn’t leaving Willowcreek. Whether or not the others stayed was irrelevant. I wasn’t leaving. How could she even ask me? How? After she knew?

Andrea Stoddard - "Chris, I'm sorry, you're right,"

Well crap, I was startled by the images that Chris had shown me, he had beaten Joey because Joey had hurt Chris' little brothers and sisters. The images had shocked me, scared me, showed me a whole new side of Chris I hadn't seen before, and I would fear for my life if he ever got like that with me. Samantha walks in and she could instantly sense the tension in the air as she to have guessed that the group or me and Chris had been arguing. I turn my attention away and to the burning fire at the fire place, the shock that Chris had given me, sent me thinking of a whole new angle on the situation before us, we had much more on the line than just us, we had our families who some even look up to for survival, it was final we had to stay, but we were not disbanding this club.

"Chris, I'm sorry, you're right," I said.

"We can't just pack up and leave this town, we can't just skip town and pretend the paranormal hunters and Snake Church never existed. You know what? you have given me a new reason to stay here and stand our ground." I said.

I had my back to everyone, I also had my mind reading turned off, so I couldn't hear what they were thinking. I took a deep breath and continued on.

"We have to stay here and defend the one thing that matters to us all, and that's our families, and if there is anything I could do for you, for all of you, if in the end we are found out, and both the Hunters and Snake Church come after us. Then I will be willing to take the fall for all of you so that way, at least of you guys could try to live normal lives, or maybe get out of town and away from this town so you all can." I said.

Long minutes past, no one had said anything for those long minutes, the sounds in the room was the crackling of the fire in the fire place. This was a point I wanted to turn on my mind reading, but didn't, maybe it was best to not know what everyone was thinking just this one time. I stood there looking at the fire that burned, I watched it dance, and made me wonder if this was my fate soon to be.

"Well, I don't know about everyone else here, but you certainly seem ready to go down for the people you may or may not have dragged into this," I finally heard.

I turned to see that Samantha girl, her beauty was the exact same as she was at school, the room remained silent as they all looked at her waiting for her to continue on with what she was saying.

"And, well, if it means anything to you, despite being a new member to all of this, I will be willing to help you try to defend our families," she said.

How ironic, was it that the one of the two people in this room that didn't have families, and it would be her that wanted to help all of us? it didn't matter to me, but someone here wanted to help out and if anything it was the one person I found myself crushing on, but soon other people began to speck up.

"Your not alone, I'll be here helping out to," Daniel said.

"Me to!" Em said.

"Why not?" I heard Aryn.

Eli didn't speck up, he was always serious, but Chris still seemed uncertain, about all of this I took a deep breath and looked at him.

"Chris, are you going to stay with us?" I said in more of squeak of a mouse than my normal voice.

"I don't have a choice do I?" he asked.

"No, you do have a choice, if you want to leave, you can, but just promise us, that you won't tell any of our secrets," I said.

"I want to leave, but I won't, I'm staying to the end," he said.

I smiled, the club was sticking around, we still had Pippa and Cedar, they might not want to stay once they know the danger they are getting themselves into. But the club was sticking together and I knew, I had to stand and fight I had the support of the club and I had run Snake Church and Paranormal Hunters out of town.