Young Writers Society

Got it, I said. He didn't seem to understand that I wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of hopping back into my body, but I didn't want to bring that up in the parking lot. Even I had a sense of self preservation - it'd be stupid to get into an argument out in the open.

On the road leading up to the old, rundown building, a taxi pulled up next to the sidewalk. I was completely oblivious to it. The guy carrying me was, too. Afterwards, when I found out about it, I'd have to give our followers some credit - not that I wanted to. But one of them, at least, was good at the following bit.

Our two followers carefully trailed after us.

Bo carried Skull up the steps quietly, feeling the weight of the long day finally catching up to him. He'd had a long week, an early morning, and he wasn't getting a lot of sleep regularly anymore. It was a Saturday, and by some miracle, he'd had the day off and was able to run errands and go for a ride, but this... this was going to be a long day. Maybe a long night.

At least he couldn't complain about his life not being interesting.

He made it to the top floor and walked up to his door, unlocked it, and pushed it open with his foot.

It always looked the same. Simple, plain, worn down furniture. A matted, brown carpet in the main living room. The far wall was brick, and there was a little screen door that led out to a very small balcony that looked over the street. Not a great view, but it was nice to step outside when he wanted fresh air. There were a few pictures of the wall, all of them family and friends. One of his grandparents, one of his dad and him when he was a kid, one of him with James and Petrus, some of him and Davy through the years.

There was a dark navy couch on the wall facing the screen doors that Bo carried Skull over to, resting the body down and propping his head up with pillows.

"You don't have to go back right away if you don't want," Bo said softly, glancing at the blood-stain peeking out from the jacket. "I know if I had a way to avoid pain like that, I probably would too."

He realized after saying that, that it wasn't really true. He probably wouldn't abandon his body, but then again, he'd never had that option. So he couldn't really be sure.

Thanks, I said. I'm going to take you up on that - for a bit, anyways. I really don't like the idea of a stinging, terrible pain in my side.

He just kept surprising me. First he paid attention - even though it was a bit annoying - to my body back in the motel, then he promised free food, and now he was letting me kick around in his head while he made my body as comfortable as it could be on his couch.

This might actually be a little nice - it was the break I hadn't realized I needed. I wouldn't mind spending some time here, even with the excruciating pain in my side, while my body healed up.

So, I started. What now-

The lights suddenly went out.

A chill didn't set in the room, but I was already reminded of the hauntings that Lockwood and Co had dealt with all of the time. This Earth didn't have the Problem. I was sure of it. And without the chill, it might have just been a light problem.

But then I realized we weren't alone.

A tall, lanky figure was moving around in darkness. It wasn't doing much besides moving - not attacking, not threatening, and not even speaking a single word.

Please tell me they're after you and not after me, I said.

When the lights went down, Bo was alert and on edge. Instinctively, he drew closer to Skull's body to protect him, hovering over him. He would've replied to Skull if he wasn't so focused on sensing the movement around him. He could faintly see the lanky figure in his apartment, and he knew it couldn't be Trey, at least.

He wasn't sure if it could be someone else equally as deadly, though.

He thought to reach behind his back for his gun, but something in him fought against it. The... dream. The kidnapping. The demon.

He wasn't supposed to be hurting people. Not if he didn't have to.

"You could've just knocked on the door," he said quietly, letting his weary annoyance slip through to his tone. "I would've answered."

The figure didn't say anything in response.

Well, that's rude, I commented. Something about this whole situation felt off, but I couldn't my finger on what. There had to be something that I recognize - something that could make me feel like I was missing out on something important.

Hey, I said, can you get a little closer? If I touch whoever is over there, I can hop into their body and take control.

Bo was quick. He darted out his arm, grabbing the person's shoulder. He hoped that didn't come back to bite him.

I took a deep breath - the first and last bit of control over his body this time around - and hopped into the body of the intruder.

The first thing I was met with familiarity. I knew this guy. I had definitely been in his body before. It was a little different now. The weight was off and distributed differently, and he had definitely gained at least a few inches.

But what was most telling of all was how hard it was to move.

There was a certain someone who had started developing a resistance to me possessing him, and he was the only one who could have felt this way when I tried opening my mouth to say something.

And if he was here, acting like a distraction...

"You can turn on the lights," I said.

There was no response. The woman I knew had to be somewhere in the apartment - probably near my body - had to be trying to figure out what was going on.

Internally, the owner of the body I was possessing gave a groan.

Don't tell me, he said.

"Hi, Natty boy," I replied, grinning in the darkness.

The woman let out a sigh.

A second later, the lights flickered back on. My suspicions were right: a young woman, with dark skin, dark hair and modern clothes that she still wasn't comfortable with was bringing my body away from the couch.

The return of the lights also revealed what the original intruder looked like: a figure that was almost the one-eyed guy's height, completely made out of living darkness. The only exception was the pair of dark blue eyes that peeked out from the darkness.

"Hey, Asmira," I said, giving a casual wave and a smirk she couldn't see but Nathaniel could feel all too well. "Mind putting my body down?"

Asmira hesitated for a moment, then returned my body over to where she had taken it from.

Bo kind of just... watched everything that was going on. Skull left him and entered the body of the other guy. He was confused until the lights went on. A woman was carrying Skull, and the guy Skull had possessed look like a figure clothed in darkness.

He didn't know if he was more or less confused, but the blue eyes staring back at him from the dark void were a little unsettling. He wasn't going to lie to himself.

"...friends of yours?" he asked Skull.

"Acquaintances," I corrected.

"We're his friends," Asmira said. She still seemed a little wary, but she also hadn't brought any weapons out. I considered that a win.

Can you stop possessing me? Nathaniel asked.

"No," I said. "In case you hadn't noticed, your friends liked me so much they decided to stab me - your body's much more comfortable right now, thank you very much."

Nathaniel sighed - this one worryingly audible to everyone present - and let his body returned to normal. In the shadowy figure's place was a man who was really more of a boy; Nathaniel, though he had never said it, couldn't be older than nineteen.

Bo let out a relieved sigh when Natty/Skull reverted back to his human state, and Asmira returned Skull's body to the couch.

"Ah. Well. A friend of Skull's is a friend of mine," Bo said, even though it was a little bold, considering he barely knew Skull. Oh well. "I'm Bo. What're your names?"

So that was his name.

"I'm Asmira," Asmira offered. I didn't miss how close she was standing to my body - I'd have to explain what really happened. If I was guessing right, the two of them had thought I was in trouble.

Thanks to the injury, I was. But it wasn't the kind of trouble either one of them would have been expecting.

"The guy I'm possessing is Natty boy," I said.

Nathaniel wrenched control away from me.

"It's Nathaniel," he corrected, giving a strained smile. Then the Nathaniel I knew oh so well was replaced by the Nathaniel that slipped out whenever we were meeting someone new or needed to make a deal - a composed, polite version of him that had always made me suspect he used to be a lot more important than he was letting on.

His smile changed into a slightly less strained one, but something about it still felt forced. Maybe it was because I was the one doing it. "It's nice to meet you - even if Skull hasn't given us an explanation of what happened yet."

I shrugged, taking back control of his body and his mouth.

"I ended up here, possessed a guy that Bo knows, had a run in with Bo as that guy, and decided to leave that first guy behind so I could get some free food," I nonchalantly said, counting everything off on my fingers.

"That explains it, then," Asmira said. She walked over to where we were, giving my body one last, hesitant glance. "We saw you possessing the first man, but we didn't think you were possessing Bo."

I frowned.

"Why not?" I said. "It's not like there was a difference."

"You don't care at all for your body," Nathaniel said, taking back control of his mouth - his persona slipping a little. "Bo put a helmet on it."

"Oh," I said. "Well, I did give him the majority of the control."

There was a pause.

"You what?" Nathaniel slowly said.

"Gave him the majority of the control," I repeated. "Do you need to get your ears checked out, Natty boy?"

"No!" he hissed. "But why does a stranger get control over his body, and I get barely anything?"

"Because you don't offer me free food."

"...If you weren't already injured-"

"You'd what? Fight me? Natty boy, you couldn't even hurt a fly-"

Asmira cleared her throat.

Both of us fell silent.

"I'm sorry," Asmira apologized. "They're usually like that. And I apologize for Nathaniel and I breaking in - it looks like we misjudged the situation."

Bo smiled, though his teeth didn't show. He should never underestimate the power of free food. He let out a weak laugh, shrugging at Asmira's apology.

"Well, considering the circumstances, I would be surprised if you assumed anything else. I know from pretty much any point of view, it probably looked questionable at best. Good looking out for your friends. I can respect that," he said, beginning to slowly drift across the room while talking, towards the kitchen.

"But uh - about that free food. Skull discovered a love for cinnamon rolls, and I told him I could make him some homemade. I could get started on them now since it's only getting later. It might take about two hours with prep and baking, but if you're all willing to stay up that late, it should be worth it. And uh... depending on how soon it takes to figure out how to get you back home, just know you can stay here the night if you need to. There's the couch, and that's a recliner that leans pretty far back, and I have an air mattress I can pump up for one of you."

I raised an eyebrow. Bo hadn't been phased by my whole story of dying and coming back to life, but now he was getting overwhelmed?

If he wasn't getting overwhelmed by Natty boy and Asmira, something else might have been at fault for the nervous laugh and awkward smile.

...Huh.

"We can wait," Nathaniel said. "You don't need to stay up late to make cinnamon rolls-"

"I object to that," I interrupted, wrenching control away from him and crossing my arms.

"They're just cinnamon rolls," Nathaniel replied, exasperated. "You can buy them at any decent bakery-"

"But these ones are homemade-"

"What is up with you and food?"

"What is up with you and judging me?"

Asmira glanced between the two of us. There was hesitation in her voice when she spoke a second later; I could see why once she finished speaking.

"...What's a cinnamon roll?" she asked.

"Heaven in a roll," I answered, giving a happy, content sigh at the thought of them.

"It's a kind of pastry," Nathaniel offered. "They're delicious, but nothing special."

Bo hadn't thought that his offer of food and shelter would be so contentious. He stood awkwardly in the entrance to the kitchen, watching them argue over the importance of cinnamon rolls.

"I mean, if you've never had one, they can be really special," he said.

"But if you'd rather wait, I'm sure you all could use some rest. I don't know what time it was when you were brought to my world, but I know it must be exhausting either way - especially since you two were following me that whole time."

"Rest sounds good," Nathaniel said - without even bothering to check with me. I would have said no, anyways, but it was the thought that counted.

Asmira gave a little nod.

"We weren't followed," she said. "This might be the best sleep we have in awhile."

"...Fine," I relented. "But my body is getting the couch, and I call dibs on whoever gets the air mattress."

Neither Asmira or Nathaniel made a request. I sent Bo a hopeless look. Maybe Asmira just didn't know what I was talking about - she wasn't exactly modern - but Nathaniel had no good excuse.