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Thread: Road Trip

  1. #1
    HB Forum Owner Argus Steele's Avatar
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    Eve had more or less kept her trap shut once her parents were out of the way, and waited for Maxwell to get back. It was the usual with him, really - promises to try to make a session at least once a month, calling if anything changed, blah, blah, blah. She'd really found herself weary of the entire thing, and couldn't wait to get out. She'd tucked her hands in the pockets of her jacket on the way out to meet the others in the parking lot, the fingers of her left hand curled around Tohmas' phone. She'd thought to pull it out, but decided to wait on that.

    Her eyes did flicker between everyone present as they talked about her as if she *wasn't* present, a brow arched slightly. The young woman did pretty well to bite back the remarks she would ordinarily have made on this, mainly because she didn't feel it worth the energy. At least she didn't have to ride with the songbird. "Let's go. The more distance between myself and this place, the better." She'd thrown a glance back at Stonebridge's massive structure, then turned back, straightening her shoulders. She was even quick to get in the car with Jara.

    Seconds after Eve has buckled the seat belt, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and there was that chill, which meant one thing. Evan was sitting in the back.
    < We are the same, right? ... Except for the gender thing that is. Here's the deal, once we left where the PSD was supposed to be? I'm actually feeling better. Whatever *is*
    there, we might want to bookmark that for later. > Evan was looking a little more clear than he was back at the fields, though he still had a slight film strip image about
    himself ...

    As for Jara, her nose crinkled for a moment, but she didn't sense him, as they followed Thomas and Stacy. "Well, we have a few hours to kill on this road trip. We can listen
    to some tunes in silence, or chat, or you can try and grab a nap." Save for the different style of dress, Jara looked like a combination of what she looked like before her
    *accident* and after, almost like a perfect blend. There were hints of an accent, but it sounded more like someone who had been in the states for awhile but had adapted.

    She'd nodded subtly as she'd listened to Evan, and wished she wasn't so confined here; everyone acted different, and Jara didn't seem to be a Sensitive here, so maybe talking to an invisible person wasn't the best thing to assure everyone of her sanity, hmm? Remaining quiet for a few minutes, she watched the scenery pass in the window, a frown touching her mouth. "What's different, Jara? I mean, besides the obvious?" Okay, strange question, and she was more or less thinking aloud, and didn't really expect an answer - not one that would make much sense in the way she needed.

    "Wooo... Okay, what are we talking about?" Spoken with a small smile. "Outside of you knowing me and all?" Okay. that wasn't making much sense. But what was she supposed to say to a girl that had been gone MIA for ten years? Folks now and days do pull that, and if they don't want to be found, then they won't. But the way she was talking when they found her, she wasn't aware of the time gone, and she acted like she knew her. UFO encounter maybe? But that wouldn't explain the cool ass auto she was driving. Still, if there had to be some common ground,right?
    "Umm, what's different compared to ....? Gas prices are out of this world. Mmmmm ... Okay, awkward moment, because I REALLY don't know what you're asking me." Nodding slowly.

    Eve had turned to look at the other woman, her stormy gaze lingering on her for a moment, thoughtfully. She'd thought of a few different situations - of Jara falling off the car hood, telling her what would happen if she were a lesbian, letting Evan in on the little 'secret' that she could see him. The corners of her mouth quirked slightly, before she turned back to the glass. "Just thinking aloud, I guess. So how long have you
    been...ah...ghost hunting?" The last two words had the upward lilt of a question, as
    she wasn't positive that's what she and Stacy had been up to.

    "Ahh, okay, I can answer that one ..." Her lips twitching slightly while Jara mentally counted to herself. "About 10 years now. I came over from New Zealand. Call me a geek, but I love this stuff. " Jara would go quiet after that, before stealing a glance at her passenger. "Eve. Really. What happened? That question of yours just wasn't about thinking out loud. You're so tightly wound right now, it's not funny. C'mon, I help Thomas track down spirits. You know how many looks I get from people? Besides the fans, geeks and nerds? Go ahead, fire away. Trust factor class 101. Vegas. What happens here, stays here. Scouts honor."

    Evan simply watched, looking from one to the other. < Hey, at least she recognized you, so lets go with that, okay? Least this way you won't come across as a total nut job. >

    There was a long silence, in which Eve debated. What to say? How much to say? Deciding that, one way or another, she was probably going to end up looking crazy, Eve sighed quietly. "What do you know about Daemons, Jara?"

    < Or we can go straight for the bonus question. >

    Tilting her head to one side, Jara thought to herself ...." That they exist. But are treated like UFO sightings back during the 20th century. Pretty much tabloid fodder. Thomas has a file on those things, and after finally encounter one? I'm a believer now." Small smile. "Those are really not common knowledge ... And I hope that was the answer you were looking for or I'm going to feel really stupid and just keep my mouth closed the rest of the way. Don't want you thinking I'm a few bowls short of a full box of cereal." Jara was REALLY hoping she said Daemons, not demons, because there was a difference. A ring tone would go off -Ghost Busters- Jara reached inside her jacket to answer ...

    (m) "Hey TS2, did she sing the whole song?? Serves you right? Eve? She's doing fine. Better since we left Stonebridge. Mmmm, I'm game. Besides, we need to fill up for the rest of the way back if we are making a straight run. Alright." Tucking the cell back inside her jacket, Jara glanced over at Eve. "We're making a stop to fill up on gas and to snag some grub. Usually we hit a hotel on the way for these long trips, but TS2 wants to get back ASAP."

    Needless to say, she was somewhat relieved. She'd been more afraid Jara wouldn't have a clue what she was talking about. "I've, um...made an enemy out of a Daemon Lord. You could say this more or less seems to be his revenge. I'm off by ten years, and Reality is flipped around on me again - if I haven't been transplanted somewhere else entirely." A shrug, brows drawing together briefly. She only hoped she didn't sound too straight jacket worthy. The idea of food didn't sound that bad, now that her stomach had untwisted a little.

    " Sooooooooo ... You're not the Eve Lizt that vanished ... Our Eve... Wow. That's deep." Okay that just didn't sound right, considering Eve was sitting right next to her. "Daemon Lord? Oy vey. What did you do to piss off a Daemon Lord?" Jara wasn't put off in the least by what Eve said, in fact, she was even more attentive.

    "Probably not, because you're not quite the Jara Rico I knew, and Tohmas definitely isn't the same." A shrug of her shoulders.
    "I did a few things to tick the Daemon off, I suppose, but then, I think the whole lot of us did." Eve went quiet for a moment, trying to figure out exactly where to start laying things out - but shook her head a little. "If I need to tell it all, then I'd like to wait and do it for everyone. It gets kind of...confusing at
    times." Looking at Jara, Eve smiled a little. "Not to mention a little unbelievable."

    "So sticking you with us is revenge? I think we've just been insulted. Deemed boring, or your personal version of Hell. Pft. Well, as much as I want to know what this ... *other* Jara was like, she must be cool because you and her are buds, right? I really don't need a complex right now. " Sheepish grin. "Hell, if you're going to hang with the crew, that's one more for GNO."

    "No, I think screwing with my head is the revenge. Plus, I was getting cozy with
    someone special, and things seemed to be in a much needed lull..." Eve sighed. "This is kind of like Shifting, but I'm not sure that's the case. And yeah, Jara's my bud - Vegas, baby! What's GNO?"

    Sly grin ... " Girls nite out!! But that's another story for another time. One crisis at a time, right? And can I guess who that *someone* might have been? You were looking really hopeful back at Thomas' abode, then it was like someone let the air out of your balloon. Mad props girl. I don't know how I'd handle being in your shoes. "

    "You don't know the half of it. I *should* be crazy. Sometimes I think maybe I am, and I'm just babbling away to one of the padded walls." She paused, then pulled Steele's cell out of her pocket. "And, um...yeah, okay, it was Steele, but...it's...it's really different this time." A shrug as she opened it, and flipped through it, looking for a photo directory. Yeah, she couldn't help it - call it curiosity, or maybe even bragging a little, but she wanted to see if there were any pictures of him in there - or anything helpful, actually.

    There were some phone numbers, but Eve didn't have Steele's code to try them, even if they worked in this *reality.* There were no pictures of him, but there was one of her ... While she was sleeping, with a caption ... -This is why I do what I do. - There was one other thing, a message in his voice mail ... But once again, Eve didn't have the code to access it. Jara wouldn't push the subject about Steele. It really sounded like she had way too much on her plate to begin with. "Okay, wow, a Golden Corral. I have not seen one of those in ages. And I'm famished!!! They pulled alongside Thomas' van, Jara nudged Eve ... "What we talked about in here? Vegas. I won't say anything one way or the other." Smiles.

    She'd tapped her fingertips against the phone lightly as she flipped through, eyeing the numbers and photos, then blinked to find the one of herself in there - snoozing, no less. When had he taken that? It was...
    sweet. She laughed a little, blinking away suddenly blurry eyes, and continuing on. Voice mail; too bad she didn't have the code. Flipping it closed, Eve tucked it back in her pocket, looking out the window.
    "Can't say I've ever been to one, before." First time for this one, then. She looked at Jara, then nodded. "Yeah. Vegas." She smiled, then unbuckled her seat belt to get out.

    Thomas and Stacy were already inside, as a few kids were asking if they were part of the Ghost Hunters show. Jara shook her head, glancing over her shoulder at Eve. "It's the vans. They sort of stand out." It was an all you can eat buffet, Jara got her money's worth. Thomas was used to it, but Stacy? She sat in total awe. "I swear, how you're not big as a house, is beyond me!!!" Jara would wink at Stacy, before swallowing. Evan was there also, but kept his distance, sort of wandering around the place. Thomas would
    use this quiet moment to address Eve. " I hope this isn't too unsettling for you as it is for us. Not everyday we get a missing person that's no longer. I'm curious to hear if you recall anything ...." Jara maintained a perfect poker face, being true to her word. She even decided it was time for dessert.

    Eve wasn't shocked by Jara's many trips to the buffet line, but one had done her just fine - and she'd mostly picked at the food after a few bites, but she was starting her second iced tea. Unfazed, she smiled placidly at Stacy, using her straw to stir the ice in her glass, glancing at Evan's figure now and then. The young woman looked at Thomas, then seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking. "It's...Yeah, it is. Um...Honestly...I think I'd rather talk more about it in a less public place." Call it personal preference, or her own little brand of paranoia.

    "Understandable." And as if on cue, these things happened all at once ... Evan shouted in surprise, then suddenly vanished. Stacy, who was standing to get herself something to drink, suddenly went pale, before falling to the floor. And Eve saw one. A Daemon. It was in a blink of an eye, but one was there .... Thomas was already at Stacy's side, whispering something in her ear. He was shielding her from concerned on lookers, but Eve had time to catch the color of her eyes.They turned ... Clear??? Jara was there as well, explaining that she's a diabetic ....

    The Feeling was unmistakable. At Evan's shout, Eve jumped to her feet, looking around quickly, in time to see Stacy fall. Like metal shards to a magnet, from there her eyes darted to the Daemon, before it was...gone. Just that quick, less than the blink of an eye. Chest tight, she shuddered, and moved away from the table, to Thomas and Stacy. He was trying to cover her, but she'd seen it - the color of Stacy's eyes.

    "...Empath?" Asked quietly, as she dropped down beside Thomas. "I think we might be better served to get out of here." The tension in her voice was clear, and it wasn't just because Stacy 'passed out.'

    Thomas gave Eve a quick look before helping Stacy outside to get some fresh air, the color was nearly returning back in her cheeks, and things went pretty much back to normal. Save for no Evan. "Guuuuuuuuuys. I'm fine. Really. It just caught me off guard." Taking a deep breath or two .... Jara leaned on the vehicle, sitting next to her, while
    keeping her voice down, but loud enough for Eve to hear ... "You had spirit
    sighting didn't you?"

    Eve looked at Jara. "Worse than that. Daemon." She didn't try to keep it low enough for only Jara to hear it, and she glanced around at the three of them, then let her gaze drift around, trying to locate Evan. No luck.

  2. #2
    HB Forum Owner Argus Steele's Avatar
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    "D-daemon? What the fuck is she smoking?" Stacy's head was clear enough to have heard Eve's explanation to why she had her latest attack.
    "Excuse me Joni come lately, but if I had seen one of those ungodly fuckers, I would have soiled myself. Twice. " Shaking her head from side to side a few more times, Stacy took a deep breath, then looked over at those around her. "It was a MSS." Jara would lean over towards Eve ...
    "MSS = Multiple Spirit Sighting." Thomas even arch an eyebrow on that revelation. "Bloody Hell, are you shytin' me?" He knew she wasn't, but those were just ... Rare.

    "I'm not smoking anything. God help me, I'm familiar enough with them to *know* what I Saw." Her tone was a touch defensive, and she frowned as she looked around. Her gaze flitted between the people present, looking for the flicker of Evan, trying to get past the wall of tension and confusion she held at bay instinctively, trying to sense her alternate. Her fingers curled and uncurled, until she realized what she was doing and shoved her hands into her jacket pockets, right hand curling around Tohmas' cell.

    "Multiple?" It struck Eve as a bit odd, that was all; when she Saw them, they tended to hang around until they went...well...wherever they went when she couldn't See them anymore. It looked as if it had hit Stacy hard, and brows drawn together, she glanced at Jara. Stacy was the Sensitive here, instead? Yeah, she could feel the headache starting, right behind her eyes.

    Jara had took that time to fetch a bottled water from the van, tossing it to Stacy, who offered her a nod of thanks. "Whatever caused them to appear like that, it was so fucking sudden, it caught me off guard. " Jara gave Eve a sideward glance, because of the previous conversation they had on the way here. If she saw a daemon, while Stacy saw spirits at the same time, then that wasn't good. " Waitaminute. " Stacy's full attention now on Eve ... She said Daemon. You've seen them???" Jara just gave Eve a small nod of the head ... She had her opening now if she wanted it.

    Okay, now she had their attention; question was, did she really want it? Eve paused for a moment, glancing around at all of them before nodding.
    "Mhm. One is pretty pissed at me, actually, which is why I'm...here, I think." A shrug, and she nibbled her lower lip for a moment. "I don't...I don't think this is where I'm supposed to be. My...my, um, Reality, I mean." She just hoped they didn't go for the straight jackets.

    Thomas saw where this was going, and suggested that they go ahead and find a hotel for the night, then head out in the morning. Stacy would motion to Eve ... "Hey Eve. Sorry about my little spaz earlier. It's just that sometimes I think I'm going crazy when I see things like that, and how some people would just give me that *look* you know?" Stacy said quietly before getting into Thomas' van. She had not made no attempt to drink from the bottled water, but instead peeled the label from it ...

    Wow. That was familiar, wasn't it? Eve canted her head slightly as she eyed Stacy, and glanced at all of them. She looked at the other girl for a moment as she sat in the van, and nodded. "Yeah. I know that look quite well." Glancing back at the restaurant, she got the car with Jara, sighing faintly. She hoped Evan turned up again soon; she didn't exactly know what that was about in there, but she *really* didn't like that she'd Seen the Daemon Lord in there. Not good. Not good at all.

    Giving Stacy a hip check, Jara nudged her towards Thomas' van. " You two can bond and roast marshmellows later, okay. Let's hit the road, troops!!. " Once Eve was inside the van, and they were on their way, Jara had a few questions ... "
    Um, you said Daemon. Not Daemon Lord. Um, how many did you piss off, and how did you piss them off ... And WHY did you piss them off??? Was that it for the moment? Yeah.

    "Not as if I was trying." A shrug, and she folded her arms. She'd started a little fidget, bouncing her left leg gently; just a way to expend energy.
    "How long do we have? It's kind of...a long story.
    " She frowned, glancing out the window. Long, and kind of unbelievable on top of it.

    "Then I guess we better wait until we get settled in, that way you won't have to retell it, huh?" Nodding to herself. " So what do you think happened to the other Eve? " The whole thing felt like something out of the Twilight Zone, another Eve from a different realm, that knew her. But in this reality, Eve had vanished prior to Jara joining up with Thomas.

    One of their first cases was the missing person report dealing with several disappearances, which all involved had been a patient of Stonebrigde, or another institution. Thomas had picked Eve because she was closest. They had went over ever available piece of information that had with a fine tooth comb, but kept coming to a dead end.
    After almost two years, Thomas finally gave up, but kept the file in his data base. Sort of like one of those episodes from Cold Case. It was just starting to get dark by the time the group reached their hotel. Thomas would have his own room, while the three girls share another. All would meet up inside Thomas' room to have that chat .....

    "I don't know. I don't have the slightest clue." Clearing her throat softly, she looked out the window, watching the landscape whip by. "I mean, the morning started off okay. I was talking to Jara while she tried to eat all the Lucky Charms, when Tohmas called. He told us to get down to the PSD - that was the Paranormal Specialist Division - and when we got there...well...there was nothing. No PSD, no Tohmas, and ... Jara disappeared on me there, too." She nibbled her lower lip for a moment. "A Daemon Lord appeared for a moment and just...said 'Revenge.' The next thing I knew, you two rolled up."

    She was relatively quiet for the rest of the ride, then. Trying to get her mind around
    this, so it seemed. She wasn't especially looking forward to the 'talk,' but she figured it was a story that needed to be told; maybe one of them could see something she didn't? She'd mulled it over for a bit, tried to figure exactly *where* to start, and tried to be thorough - but without going overboard. She was just hoping not to get *that* look when she was done.

    Thomas perked up ... "Wait, there's another version of me? Bloody incredible. I'm sorry. Please continue." Jara was staring at Stacy, mouthing the words *Lucky Charms* and pointing at her. Thomas had placed his mini recorder out to tape the session, so he could work with it when the girls went back to their room. Jara would chime in ...

    " Guess that explains the energy spikes that set off our scanners. Had to have been something seriously on a paranormal scale to have warped reality enough to bring Eve here. " Lying on her stomach, Stacy would be next ...

    "Either that, or something from the Sci-Fi channel. So what happened to the other Eve? And why send this one 10 years later? Is ah, our Eve still alive? Did they pull a switcheroo?" Thomas looked from one to the other. All were asking the right questions, Jara and Stacy were being very serious about this. Stacy would glace up, looking over at the AC unit ... " Can we turn that down?" Neither Thomas or Jara seemed to feel or sense it ... But Evan was back, and looking rather ... Bemused.

    "Mhm. There are a lot of alternate versions out there. I've met a few - and I still See one sometimes." A little pause, in which she shrugged. "...But he's dead. Evan was with me when you two found me, and he's been around off and on since - but he disappeared in the restaurant." ...Did he have any clue how relieved Eve was to See him pop back up? Her gaze fixed on him for a moment, and she sighed quietly. "I really can't say what happened to her. I wish I could. If they switched us, I wish I could trade her back." A little shake of her head. "No offense, guys and girls - this place is cool, but it isn't
    home."

    She still had one hand in her jacket pocket, sliding her thumbnail lightly along the edge seam in Steele's phone - just feeling the contour under her hand. Kept her from fidgeting too much. Jara had been watching Eve closely ... "This Evan. He's here isn't he? You keep wanting to look, but you don't want to look. I saw you do that back at the field. " Thomas had found his bag, pulling out a small scanner... " Something's here. " Pointing by beside an area next to Eve. " Wait. " Stacy would chime in again, looking
    at Eve ... "Are your parents as bad as the ones here? Because I could really see the tension between you three ... "

    She was looking at him, without looking too long. Rescued? By the...? Her brows drew together, expression incredulous. A second of hesitation at Jara's question, and she nodded. "Yeah. He is." They weren't giving her the *look,* so she half-turned to look at him. "Rescued by the Grim Reaper?" Blink. "And what?" It was a little hard to focus; too many things going on at once, questions being asked. She'd glanced at Thomas before looking back to Evan, then her eyes flickered to Stacy. "...Yeah. They were that bad. Worse maybe, in some ways. Aaaand...back to Evan!

    The trio were giving her the look now, simply because she was able to communicate with a spirit that none of them could see or hear, especially Stacy who should have been able to pick something up. " Hey ask him to make something move like what Patrick S. did in Ghost." Jara would glare at her right then, balling up her fist ... "I swear, if you start singing that stupid song, Unchained Melody ...." Jara's lips twitched slightly ... " Did she just say the Grim Reaper? " Then came a knock at the hotel door which made the room quiet really fast ...

    Eve blinked, looked around at everyone, then back to Evan. "...You're kidding, right?" But he wasn't, and she knew it. Eve looked puzzled, and after a look at Jara, found herself opening her mouth to ask if him he'd do some kind of manifestation - just proof. The knock startled everyone, and Eve pulled her hands from her pockets. "Friends of the Grim Reaper, he says. Evan says they communicate with two people, so..." Shrugging, Eve rose from her chair and went to the door. Peering out the little peephole for a second, she then moved to undo the safety bar and lock and let them in.

    They looked like they were still in college, the male had red hair, fashioned into a military style crew cut, probably a football player, judging by the size of him. The girl had shoulder length blonde hair, dressed casual. She seemed to be giving the male a very pissed off look, like she was about to hit him. "You sure this is the place?" She said, looking back at the door.
    "That's what he said the other one told him."
    Shaking her head, she reached up tugging on the bridge of her nose ... " I swear, I don't know how I let you get me into this ..."

    Eve opened the door just far enough to look out, raising a brow. Hoping she came off as cautious rather than rude, she looked between the two, expression questioning. "...May I help you?" Yeah, start with basics. Nothing really leading.

    Before the male could speak, the girl covered his mouth. " We ..." Glaring back at him once more, before looking back at the girl that answered the door. " You're not going to ....believe this , but ..." The girl's next words were drowned out by Stacy's scream .... " HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!! IT'S THE GRIM REAPER!!!!" The girl just had an indifferent look on her face ... "He's here alright."

    "I believe a lot of things." Her voice was mellow, expression open, but a little blank. Stacy's scream behind her made her spin around, the door opening in the process. " I said for you to wait first, you idiot!! " The girl said, sticking her head through the opening of the door. Stacy wasn't exactly scared, but it was the Reaper, and only she could see him!!! "He's like right fucking there, I swear!! The black robe, the blade thingy, and a skull face!!! " Thomas looked from one to the other, before motioning for Eve to let them inside, before Stacy's scream caused any more unwanted attention.

    The girl was having a serious conversation with something that only she, her friend and Stacy could see. Then the room got super cold, and there stood the Grim Reaper, almost seven feet in height, and looking like ... Death. The male kept trying not to laugh at their reactions, but was failing big time, until a very sharp elbow to his gut had him doubled over in serious pain. "The giggling moron is William. I'm Amanda, and this is well ... A Grim Reaper, not THE Grim Reaper. We are sort of amateur Ghost Chasers." Jara's head was pivoting from one to the other, taking all of this in. And then? It spoke. How can one describe a voice of a reaper? It sounded like a hushed whisper, combined with crackling firewood.

    ~ I apologize for my earlier actions. But when I saw that Daemon, I feared your friend was in danger, so I had to act quickly. ~ Thomas blinked slowly ... "Friend?" Jara would point to Eve. "Evan."

    Seeing nothing, at first, Eve was more puzzled than anything. She looked at the whole lot present, and closed the door behind the two. She even opened her mouth to say something to Stacy when, suddenly, he was just *there,* towering over everyone. A blink, and her eyes went a little wide, but she didn't react otherwise. It took her mind a moment longer to catch up and process what she was saying, after which she simply said, softly, "Oh." Unsuccessfully suppressing a shiver and slipping her hands back into her jacket pockets, Eve nodded lightly. "I'm Eve, that's Jara, Stacy and Thomas and... Evan." A little shrug. "Did you..." She glanced between William and Amanda. "Were you looking for something, or...just happen to be there?"

    For the next couple of hours, conversations revolved around the paranormal. William had been hungry and was getting on Amanda's last nerve when they stopped at the Golden Corral. That was when the Reaper spotted a kindred spirit and was going to meet him, when he saw the Daemon ... Speaking of the Grim Reaper, he has been with them since they were kids, when William had a near death experience when he was playing inside a discarded fridge when the door slammed shut. Amanda had been close by, and was able to get the door free, but William wasn't breathing, and that's when she saw .... Him.

    Stacy muttered something about Meeting Joe Black ... So even William surviving, the Grim Reaper did not leave them, but remained, with only those two able to see him, which made for some interesting adventures growing up. "Like trying to make out with a guy, with the Reaper in the back seat yelling about curfew. " Amanda said with a glare. The Reaper would simply smile, which was uber freaky. Amanda looked down at her watch, seeing the time ... "We really have to get going. Spring break, and we promised to squeeze in a visit to our folks. "

    There was silence in the room ... They had met the Reaper!!! And no one died!! Stacy just let out a big "Whooo!!" before she reached for the remote to the TV, channel hoping before her eyes went wide ... "Guys?" On the TV was a cartoon, and two kids and a Reaper ... The Grim adventures of Billy and Mandy ... Jara sat there, staring at the cartoon, looking at the others ....

    " Nah!! Couldn't be. "

  3. #3
    HB Forum Owner Argus Steele's Avatar
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    Late Night - Thomas had returned to his room next door, leaving the girls to their own devices. Jara was on her laptop, blogging on MySpace about meeting the real life versions of Billy, Mandy, and Grim.

    Even going as far as to include several images which featured her posing with not only them, but with the Reaper as well!! Stacy was sitting Indian style on the floor, going over what little information they had acquired earlier that day when they visited ground zero, only to find Eve Lizt ... Well, another version of her, which had Stacy giving Eve that *look* from time to time.

    Eve had taken to toying with Tohmas' cell phone, occasionally putting in a four digit code just to see what happened. She sat on the floor, leaning back against one of the beds, tapping her fingers lightly against the phone case in thought. One more try, and she sighed, flipping it shut. She didn't have a clue what the code was, and wasn't sure it really mattered, anyway.

    She wanted to sleep, but didn't think she could. Dropping her head back, she reached up to rub at her eyes, groaning quietly. "Are you going to keep giving me that look all night?" Yeah, she'd noticed, but this was the first time she actually said something about it.

    "Well, since you asked all nice and stuff ...." She'd put up what she was working on, before sitting up onto her knees, taking a much needed stretch. "You just appear out of nowhere, on ground zero no less, with a story about being from another reality, along with a spirit that only you can see, hear, or talk to."

    A breath taken before continuing. " Then at the G.C. you said a saw a Daemon, which only you saw. And that episode with your folks that were not your folks? Pretty dehm real if you ask me. No offense, but Thomas' motto is Proof Positive, and hands on. All we have to go on with you, is your word. So from where I'm sitting? You do the math." Stacy just left it at that. Jara had paused from her blogging, to just play the role of the observer for now.

    "Mmm. You know what, Stacy? I knew this was coming, I just wasn't sure whom it would be that said it." Her lips pursed gently as she reopened the phone, considering the numbers again. She actually had the unrattled tone of someone that had heard it before, or was thinking it herself.

    "But basically, all I seem to be able to give you is my word. I'm not sure what else to do. I mean, a Grim Reaper appeared earlier and even acknowledged Evan." She shrugged gently; Evan's existence wasn't really the question, but she just thought she'd make that little point.

    "And quite honestly, I don't have any reason to lie about anything. I'm just as boggled by all of this as anyone else, if not more so. I mean, I get a call from my boyfriend to go meet him there, and then things went to hell pretty quickly." She'd started putting in numbers a touch less randomly now, though she still wasn't having much luck. After the last try, she stopped, biting her lower lip lightly, staring at the wall as she considered.

    "Says the girl that's been gone for ten years ... I'm sorry, but there's a fine line between paranormal and what you're talking about. The only reason you're in tis room with us, is I researched your car. It does not exist. I can't dismiss that. Yet." Jara was looking like one of those people watching a tennis match, her head slightly going from one to the other, before raising her hand.

    "Alright, both of you made your points. Stace, unless she's a real good liar, I believe her. And you know I have that *knack* when it comes to reading people. Let's just try to get some sleep okay? Long trip ahead of us in the morning." Stacy would stare at Eve for a second more, before shrugging her shoulders.

    "Fiiiine." Grabbing a chair, she turned the TV to an angle where it would not bother the two other girls, placing the chair in front of the TV, snagging a spare sheet, covering herself with it. Jara sighed, glancing over at Eve ... "That's what happens when you mix an intern from Stonebridge with paranormal understudy. She has to see things from every angle ... Blessing and a curse. "

    Pausing long enough to see her having some trouble with her phone ... "Let me guess, forget the code?"

    "No, see, that's where you're screwing up. *I* haven't been gone for ten years. I'm twenty two years old, and that's it. *Your* Eve has been gone for ten years, which...wow." She paused, thinking about the age difference. It was odd; she never thought she'd live to see twenty, let alone thirty. A shake of her head, shrugging it off. "Anyway, believe me or not. I'm not sure that it really matters, in the end."

    She was happy to leave the business with Stacy at that, and continue trying to crack the code on the phone. A glance at Jara, and Eve smiled, perhaps for the first time. "Yeah. She made a really good doctor." Before; maybe now, too? "Um..yeah. It's not...
    It's not my phone. It's my boyfriend's."

    'Boyfriend' just felt better than saying
    'Tohmas,' especially since things could get complicated with more than one Steele about. Alternates could be so confusing. "There's a message on it, so I'm trying to figure out his code." A little pause, in which she pursed her lips, eyeing the denial message on the screen.
    "Not having much luck, either."

    "Scoot over. Me just luvs a mystery, especially when it involves hacking things." With a wide devious grin, Jara cracked her knuckles. "That is if you want my help." Waggling her eyebrows. Stacy just shook her head, before reaching for the remote to do some extensive channel surfing. At least she had something to occupy her thoughts for the night. No worries of falling asleep this time.

    "Come on." She was glad for the help; maybe Jara would come up with something she didn't? Eve had just about exhausted her ideas of numbers to hit, and didn't really want to start punching them in randomly again. Eve scooted over, and changed the angle of the cell phone, holding it in her right hand, so Jara could easily access it too. "It's probably something terribly obvious that I'm just not thinking of."

    Jara looked over at Stacy, a moment of concern in her eyes, before shifting gears to assist Ms. Lizt in cracking the code ... "Okay, first off, I don't recognize the style of phone you have, but if it needs any type of code, then I should be able to crack it. What is your boyfriend obsessed with? That should narrow it down." Nodding.

    She'd glanced from Jara to Stacy, then back again. She wouldn't have minded Stacy's help, but the other girl seemed to be a bit on the defensive where Eve was concerned. Drawing a breath, she paused for a few seconds. "Obsessed?" Well, only one thing came to mind... "The paranormal - Daemonic influence, more specifically I think." But would she really even call that an obsession?

    "Hmmm .... Four digit code. Basic. Probably a word ... Nickname mebbe? Too easy ... Your last name? Try that?"

    "Mm...My nickname was only three letters." A shrug; she didn't say anything else on that. She didn't really want this set calling her 'Elf' too! "Lizt..." She tried that one out, using her left hand to input the letters while she held it with her right.(d.)

    While they were trying to figure it out ... "Say, um, where is spirit boy? Just hopes he bunks with Thomas. I don't need a phantom voyeur when I'm in the shower, yanno? Wait ... How about Evan? That's four letters."

    Another denial. Tapping her fingers lightly, she thought about it for a second, then
    entered EVEN, just as a shot in the dark. Should another denial follow, she'd put in Evan's name.

    "Feh. Rest on it. Too much going up there for you to think straight, especially since coming *here.* It'll hit you when you least expect it. Hey Stace, please tell me you'll try and get some sleep?" The girl shook her head no, before trying another channel. Jara sighed ... "Dehm girl is gonna blow a mental fuse soon, if she doesn't get some quality sleep."

    It was starting to get frustrating, really. She looked at the phone for another moment or two, before finally flipping it shut. Like it or not, Jara was right - so she hoped. Eve glanced at Stacy, then Jara, arching a brow in question. Well, wasn't that a bit familiar? "Nightmares?" Hazard a guess.

    (w) "It was on her second assignment ... She met a Daemon face to face. Serious mental trauma. Strange thing though? After that encounter? That's when her abilities kicked in ... "

    She glanced from Jara to Stacy, then looked back to Jara. "I think they have a way of inciting things." Spoken in a near whisper, as she ran a thumbnail along the edge of the cell phone.

    (w) "And add the part that she's just getting used to ... looking into mirrors again. Long
    story." Sliding off the bed, Jara jumps onto her own, before turning off her lamp. Meanwhile, Stacy had found a channel that would hold her attention, a rather interesting empty doll eyed expression soon followed.

    Eve watched Stacy for a long moment. Looked rather familiar, didn't it? Drawing a long breath, she debated whether or not to say anything, then shrugged it off. "So what do you See in the mirror?" Softly, in a tone of voice that said she didn't really expect Stacy to answer at all. "...Is it a
    girl?"

    "I don't know you well enough to discuss that, and Jara needs to stick with discussing her own fucking problems." Said with little or no emotion, her eyes never blinking, never looking in her direction. Jara wanted to say something, but instead, she climbed off the bed, walked over to Stacy, gave her a huge hug and a peck on the forehead. Once she had returned to bed, Stacy had not moved nor reacted ... Save for a single tear that ran down her cheek.

    She regarded Stacy quietly, then climbed up from her spot on the floor. Shrugging off her own jacket, she eyed the scars on her arms, then Stacy's. Look at that: a match set. Eve didn't really like the tension in the room, then sank down on the edge of the bed, leaning down to unlace her sneakers.

    "Yeah. You don't know me, but that doesn't mean that you can't *get* to know me. But you know...your choice. I'd rather be friends than awkward acquaintances or worse." Just a thought; it was clear by the tone of her voice. She didn't pull the sheets up, but lay back on the bed, folding her hands behind her head, staring up at the ceiling.

    She felt bad for Stacy; she got the feeling the other girl wasn't dealing with things in a way that was really healthy...but then, who was she to judge any of that? She was tired, but she wasn't sure if she'd really sleep or not. She was still having a hard time getting her head around things.

    As with Jara, Stacy didn't react/respond to Eve's words ... Save for her eyes, that were now trained upon Eve's scars. Then those haunted eyes locked onto hers, for what felt like forever and a day, before she softly spoke ..." Yeah, it was a girl ... If you could call her that."

    Wrapping her arms around her legs from underneath the sheet, that would be all Eve would get from the girl that night ....

    Eve nodded faintly, but didn't say anything else. That was all the confirmation she needed, so it seemed; maybe she'd say more later. For now, she was just trying to relax a bit, let a little of the tension go. The day ahead threatened to be a long one.

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    -Thursday, April 24th. 7:45 AM -

    Thomas was up before first light, making sure any last minute details were taken care of before they embarked on the long wrong trip back. There were still many more questions than answers, especially where Ms. Eve Lizt was concerned. She had vanished ten years ago without a trace, only to reappear, just the other day, near Ground Zero no less.

    But it wasn't *her.*

    Her I.D. had her at 22 years of age .... Eve vanished when she was 18, so wouldn't that make her 28, give or take a few months? A 6 year difference? 4 years unaccounted for. Being a Paranormalologist allowed him to keep a very open mind, which he tried to do when researching this. After all he had one associate that could see *dead people* and another that could read living people, so why not have a girl that was misplaced in not only time, but another reality altogether.

    And that had another male spirit version of herself, that only eve could see/hear?

    Sounds like something taken from Dr. Who.

    Then there were the looks she would give him when she thought he wasn't paying attention. In his line of work, one always pays attention. Never know when you might miss something. It was obvious that she knew the own alternate version of himself, but she was pretty mum about it for the time being.

    Getting thrust into another reality was probably mind boggling enough for the girl, so he would just assume it was a serious case of deja vu. The van was refueled and ready to go, he had bought some bagels and several bottles of water and assorted juices for the first leg of the trip.

    But that million dollar question still remained unanswered. What happened to their version of Eve? (m) "Bugger this, I'm gonna be gray before my time, if I keep this up." Muttered softly to himself, with hints of that British accent slipping through ...

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    - Morning -

    Stacy didn't sleep a wink. Luckily there was a cable channel that actually played music videos, a rarity in itself by today's standards. The volume was set low enough to not disturb the other two, while she sat motionless, watching it all, filing each one for future reference for those random topics that would come up. The last video seen/heard was Shock the Monkey, by Peter Gabriel, which Stacy had memorized, and was singing while the other two were getting ready....

    " ....... Stace, PLEASE tell me you tried to get some sleep last night?"

    Cover me through the fire
    Something knocked me out' the trees
    Now I'm on my knees
    Cover me, darling please
    Monkey, monkey, monkey
    Don't you know when you're going to shock the monkey

    Jara stared over at Eve, mouthing the words ... WTF????

    Eve hadn't slept much herself; instead, she'd fallen into what could have been termed a 'meditation' - eyes closed and relaxed, but not deep enough to actually enter the REM sleep state, and awake enough to hear most of the music, even with the volume low. In short, she hadn't recuperated much, and the dark smudges under her eyes told on her. She was happy to have a brief shower and a cup of the hotel coffee, even if it didn't have enough sugar and cream to go with it.

    Fully dressed and with her long hair secured in a claw clip, Eve sat half-drawn up against the headboard of the bed, fingers curled around the cup. "Music lover." She shrugged gently, and half-smiled. The song didn't make much sense to her, but what did she know? She was a hard rock/metal listener, really.

    Fox the fox
    Rat the rat
    You can ape the ape
    I know about that
    There is one thing you must be sure of
    I can't take any more
    Darling, don't you monkey with the monkey
    Monkey, monkey, monkey
    Don't you know you're going to shock the monkey

    "Ooooooookay. No more music videos for you. And you're still riding with Thomas!!" Scary part? By the time they hit the road? Jara was also singing it ....

    Wheels keep turning
    Something's burning
    Don't like it but I guess I'm learning

    Shock! - watch the monkey get hurt, monkey

    Evan would slowly materialize in the back seat of Eve's car, just looking at Jara, probably with the same expression that Eve had at the present time. His own personal attire had even changed ... It mirrored Eve's, though tailored for a male ... Wait ...
    Could spirits even change clothes???

    She'd sighed, glancing over at Jara...then reached over and cranked up the radio, pushing her own special mixed CD in. It was a bit eclectic - Evanescence, Atreyu, Five Finger Death Punch, Avenged Sevenfold, Tool, and Disturbed named a few on the list. Once she'd gotten the message across to Jara, she'd smiled a little and turned it back down to a less ear-shattering level. "So, um...where are we actually headed?" Had she even asked, up to this point in time? It was hard for her to remember, amidst the strangeness.

    " Shock the mon .... ??? Well, we were headed back home, Rhydin Ohio, but it seems that we'll be making a slight detour along the way. There's an old abandoned school due North, and since it's on the way ...." Jara would just get a slightly goofy smile, before pausing to eat a bagel. And Hell if that song wasn't catchy, for now Evan was picking up on it ...

    Cover me, when I sleep
    Cover me, when I breathe
    You throw your pearls before the swine
    Make the monkey blind
    Cover me, darling please
    Monkey, monkey, monkey
    Don't you know you're going to shock the monkey

    A blink, and she glanced in the rear view mirror at Evan, then at Jara. "*Rhydin* Ohio?" Oh yeah. That was different. Another glance at Evan, seeing if he heard what she did, then a gentle shrug. "So what, we're stopping to do some ghost hunting along the way?" That was what they did, wasn't it? She wasn't really experience in the 'hunting' part. She'd always been more concerned with making them go away.

    Too much at stake
    Ground beneath me shake
    And the news is breaking

    Shock! - watch the monkey get hurt, monkey

    Shock the monkey
    Shock the monkey
    Shock the monkey to life

    "Oh, my God. Evan, dude, please...don't." She had to crack a smile at that one. It was funny to hear him singing it, and looking very much like her spiritual twin back there. The clothing change was pretty neat.

    Jara arched an eyebrow upon hearing Eve address Evan, and to be honest? It unnerved her, if for no other reason that only Eve could see/hear him, while the rest of the group had no clue. Luckily they had nothing to hide, because Evan could always ease drop, if he had not already ... Dammit!! Stacy's earlier rant was making some sense ... Eve had not given them any reason NOT to trust her ... Yet.

    Evan did a double take at the word Rhydin, who then looked at Eve, seeing if she heard what he did. Wait. Stop the press. Did Jara just say they were checking out a possible haunted school? Well after what happened at the Golden Corral, he wasn't too positive about encountering any more fellow spirits, though that curious streak was there. <What? It's a cool song ... Considering it was done before we were born. Um Eve, there's one MINOR detail Jara left out. >

    " On TV??? " Stacy and Jara both said at the same time, staring at Thomas. They were standing just right outside the entrance leading to the school, along with another group that would apparently film the group in action, step by step, while remaining out of the way. Thomas was going over some last minute details with the other guy who looked a lot like ....Brehnic????

    Details about the school were being given to Jara and Stacy by a former teacher, and they were being filmed. A freak fire shut the school down, it being the latest in strange mishaps. Instead of rebuilding the school, the board finally decided to just relocate it elsewhere.

    Eve wasn't sure what to think about that. Wasn't there a TV show like this in her Realm? Something about guys walking around with cameras and digital recorders... She'd only seen it in a snippet or two, but it seemed decent - believable, even. Of course, it still hadn't really spurred her on to want to do her own ghost hunting. "This...could get weird." Softly murmured, glancing Evan's way as she leaned lightly against the hood of her car.

    The place had a peculiar feel to her, but she wasn't sure it was just because it was creepy overall, or something was really *wrong.* She *did* notice the Brehnic look-alike, but decided to hold on saying anything - at least, for now. Things were weird enough already, weren't they? Eve was listening to what was going on, looking between everyone present - well, everyone that she knew, anyway - with a slightly arched brow. Were they going to do a bit of spook stalking on their own, or bring her in with him?

    Call her chicken, but she was hoping not to go, especially since she didn't *quite* have a handle on her abilities at the moment, but curious and not really expecting to get out of it all at the same time.

    Thomas would look over at Eve .... "Mmmm, we need you to stay out here okay? Until you're certified." Evan grinned. <He's good. No twenty questions for you, hmmm? I'm not going either, btw. Someone has to keep you out of trouble! >

    So off they all went, and it was like clock work. Thomas and company had done this more than once it seemed, and soon Eve was left outside with a few others that were minding the store. <Well, this is a first, huh? > Leaning on the hood, looking at her. I don't know about you, but it feels... Weird. Like it feels ... Real. I don't know ... >

    "Certified." She repeated the word almost as if in question, then shrugged as if it didn't matter. "Mmm. Okay." Seeming at ease with that, Eve settled on the hood of her car, crossing her legs at the ankle. The young woman looked at Evan, and smiled faintly. "Yeah, this one's different. And believe it or not, I usually *tried* to stay put. It just... didn't work, for whatever reason." Not that she thought it was going to do much good now, either.

    The place *Felt* strange; the longer she was there, the more Eve was thinking that it was for a reason, rather than the sheer creepiness of its own look. She did a fair job of keeping her voice low, so that to the other people left outside it more or less looked like she was muttering to herself about being left out. She pulled Tohmas' cell phone out, deciding to waste time by trying to figure the code again. She'd tried the obvious;
    now was time to look for the non-obvious. And if all else failed and she wanted to talk to Evan without looking batty...well, there was Steele's phone, and her own was back in her other jacket pocket.

    "So, you're a HIT? Hunter In Training? Damn, what I wouldn't give to trade places with you. I love this shit." It was Brehnic ... Or someone that looked a lot like him. Small talk would reveal that his name was Alexander, and he was majoring in Communications, and this course was to beef up his credits. Thomas had been a guest speaker at one of the many clubs at the university, and he was curious.

    So both would help the other. He would pass his class, while Thomas would have footage to work with. Small scale stuff, unlike those that have their own show. "So ... You doing anything after this? I know a good place to eat, and..."

    Evan totally lost it. One good thing about being a ghost? No one can hear you laugh, which he was doing big time. So hard, he phased right through her car, with parts of him showing .... <How rich is that?? Eve Lizt, alternate reality babe magnet!!! Oh god!! Oh god!! I can't breathe ... Wait!! I don't have to!!! >

    The voice startled her a little actually, and she looked up, fingers frozen over the buttons of the cell phone. Eve relaxed a little, lowering the phone, and eyeing the Brehnic look-alike with a little curiosity and confusion. And mistaking it for innocent conversation.... "Um...no." A brief little laugh, and she straightened up from her lean on the hood. "If I'm in training, it'd be kind of pointless to leave me out here. Thomas said I'd have to be certified, or something like that."

    'Alexander' was somewhat helpful by offering up a little more information as to what was going on, to which she nodded lightly. She didn't even *try* to explain anything about herself; Eve would probably lose track of the lie, and she wasn't very good at it to start with. Oh, but she wished Evan was solid. She would have liked to thwap him one! So much for innocent
    conversation... "Um...Actually, I don't know. I'm not really...from around here, and I'll probably have to head back with Thomas and his bunch."

    Flirting and being hit on was still something weird to her. 'Oh yeah, I actually have a boyfriend, he's just not in this Reality' didn't quite sound right.

    "Well, if this thing is as huge as they claim, it'll take at least two days to process it all. Tell you what, here's my cell number. If you want a break from this, while you're still in town, give me a call." Too bad during all of this, a certain ghost couldn't stop laughing, especially since Eve HAD to keep a straight face.

    Alexander would jot down his number on a piece of paper, handing it to her, along with a wink. Then he was called to check something out, leaving Eve and a still laughing Evan by the car ...
    <Make .. It ... Stop
    BWAahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!! >

    Eve nodded in appreciation, though she had to bite the inside of her lower lip to keep from cracking a grin or threatening Evan. Her cheeks *did* flush just a bit, but she managed to play it off. "Thanks." Eve nodded, and folded the paper up, then slipped it into her pocket. She had no intention of calling, but...well, she was trying to be nice. Maybe she'd give the number to Jara instead?

    Once he'd walked away, she turned to Evan, eyes wide. "Shut up!" Through gritted teeth, though it was mostly to keep everyone from seeing her *shout* it at him. And as if on cue, several near by car windows suddenly developed cracks in them, save her own vehicle. Evan stopped laughing, now just staring at her. There was too much going on for any one else to have noticed yet. <Fine. Shutting up. > Leaving Eve to her own devices, and for a much needed time out, he'd pull a fade.

    Jara had came back out during that time, and was checking over some raw footage, while speaking into her blu tooth. By the way everyone was acting, *something* was discovered inside there ...

    It wasn't that she was angry with Evan - not at all - but somewhat embarrassed, and it wasn't easy to keep a straight face while he laughed it up and no one else could See him! The cracks that had appeared in the glass were curious, and she was turned, eyeing one of the nearby car windows when Jara reappeared. "What is it?"

    "I wondered why they never tore the school down following the fire, I think we know. There's something there. Def haunted that's for sure." Eve found herself on camera after speaking with Jara, who had just finished linking up her laptop ... "Keep this online until I get back!!" She shouted, before running back towards the school. Alexander was overseeing the connections, letting out a low whistle ... (m) "Told them this school was built on sacred grounds ..."

    Well, she hadn't wanted to be on camera, but she shrugged it off. So what if she looked like hell? Eve was a bit more concerned with the bad feeling that was slipping down the line of her spine. Turning to look at the laptop, she arched a brow, glancing after Jara as she went back inside. "Creepy."

    Hearing Alexander's muttered words, she glanced at him, then looked back to the computer. "Built on sacred grounds? You're kidding, right?" Recipe for disaster! "That's the problem with our government. They don't always recognize anything that's not in their data base, files, etc. etc, etc. Indians owned this land in the 1800's, and those that were not driven off, were ..." He'd just give Eve a look. "They just pas it off as folklore." Shaking his head.

    "Luckily Thomas believed me. The land was legally purchased ... Right. There's a who's who of weird things going on since the 1900's but nothing concrete enough to do anything about it.... But." Rubbing his chin. "What kind of weird things?" Her tongue darted out to dampen her lips, and she shook her head slightly and clarified. "I mean... what particular kind? Just weird or...violent?" Sacred ground. That just didn't bode well, but apparently the people that built this place didn't see that movie!

    "Weird mostly. Seeing things in mirrors and shit, right before .... Hey!! Are we getting a video feed on camera six???" And off Alexander went ....

    Several hours later ... Thomas and crew were going over what they had taped, from temp
    variants, to sound checks, to video footage, comparing it to what they actually seen. It was right out of the Ghost Hunter's show, the pros, the cons, the myths, the proof. They had several things that backed up Alexander's claim about it being sacred grounds ...

    "Seeing things in mirrors." Murmured softly when Alexander moved off, and she looked back to the laptop."So what happened in there?" Curiously, more directed at Jara than anyone; Jara was more herself than anyone else, and Eve was pretty sure that if she asked her a question, she'd get a relatively straight answer.

    "The friggin' truth? That fire gutted the school .... Except nearly all the mirrors were still intact. About gave Stace a nervous breakdown, but she pulled through. (m) After singing about five straight songs .... Now I can't get the Pussy Cat Dolls out of my head!!"

    Thomas and Stacy were checking out other footage ... "There is big time paranormal activity here, but nothing too violent, depending on where you go. Save to say this spot here was some sort of burial ground, with the graves removed ... Bad mojo. I guess the spirits got fed up and decided to be less subtle. The police reports said that everyone made it out before the building was totally consumed. Except ..." Stacy nodded slowly.

    "The belief that the soul projects out of the body and into mirrors in the form of reflection underlies perhaps the most widely known mirror superstition: that breaking a mirror brings seven years' bad luck. Many believed that breaking a mirror also broke the soul of the one who broke it.The soul, so angered at being hurt, exacted seven years of bad luck in payment for such carelessness. The Romans, who were the first to make glass mirrors, attributed the seven years' bad luck to their belief that life renewed itself every seven years.

    To break a mirror meant to break one's health, and this "broken health" would not be remedied for seven years. In some cultures, the breaking of a mirror was thought to presage a death in the family within the year. This association of mirrors with death is common in folklore, and stems from the belief that the soul could become trapped in the mirror, causing death. For this reason, young children were often not allowed to look in a mirror until they were at least a year old.

    Mirrors were covered during sleep or illness so that the soul, in its wanderings, would not become trapped and unable to return to the body. The belief that the soul could be caught and trapped in a mirror appears in many other ways. The peoples of northern India considered it dangerous to look into a mirror that belonged to someone else. In 18th century India, women were seen to wave mirrors before the image of death goddess Kali, apparently to appease her need for human sacrifice with the reflection of a person rather than the sacrifice of a real human being. "

    Taking a deep breath after that ... "Sorry, mirrors are a .... Personal thing with me."

    "Yeah. I know the feeling." Though she'd never researched it into any depths like that, she knew that there was more than a passing significance with mirrors. "So the mirrors were intact when everything else was in ruin?" The more that one lingered on her mind, the more Eve found herself shivering. "Creepy. I'm glad I didn't go in." Even at the motel room, she'd covered the bathroom mirror with a towel, while the room mirror had found itself draped with a blanket.

    Thomas nodded ... "That's why we're going to try to get one of those mirrors in the morning." Stacy was against that idea, more personal reasons than anything else. Bottom line? They found something, and had enough to go with to present to the board. It was as simple as giving the land back. Sans all the red tape. So once again, there would be lodging at a nearby hotel in town, while Thomas went over their findings. Jara? She was hungry.

    Stacy? She had a empty eyed expression, and stood away from everyone, collecting herself, or at least was trying to. Evan? Not a peep. Arching a brow, Eve took a look around. Take a mirror from *there?* That just...That wasn't a good idea. Or it didn't *feel* like a good idea, anyway.

    Once in the hotel, she went about her usual little task of covering the mirrors, and tried to relax a bit. She was tired, and had sat down in a chair, then found herself looking between the other girls. "Are you okay?" This directed Stacy, her voice low.

    Slowly glancing up at Eve, Stacy debating for several moments before pulling back one of her sleeves ... There were fresh cuts and bruises all over her arm ....

    " No. "

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    HB Forum Owner Argus Steele's Avatar
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    A chill settled along the back of Eve's neck and back, and she felt as if her stomach fell somewhere in the vicinity of her feet. Eyeing Stacy's arm, she scooted a little closer, then looked up at the other girl. "What exactly happened in there?" They'd mentioned
    mirrors, but nothing had been terribly clear to her.

    Stacy stared at Eve what seemed like to be an eternity, like she was having trouble focusing at first, before finally answering ...(m) "She .... Was there. In the mirrors .... It first started turning ... Cold. So cold we could see our own breath. Somehow I knew it was ... Her. Everyone else just thought ... Thought it was random spirit activity."

    Wiping a stray tear from those haunted eyes, she fought back the rampant emotion inside her that was on the verge of erupting from her ... Taking a deep breath, Stacy would almost flinch, shying away as if it appeared there was going to be any physical contact from Eve .... "I couldn't breathe .... It was like my head was going to explode ... That's when I saw her... In all the mirrors ... crawling through the cracks ... I .... I .... "

    And the damn finally broke, with Stacy holding herself, sobbing loudly, before making a mad dash for the bathroom, with sounds of her throwing up to soon follow ...

    She hadn't made any effort to touch Stacy; she was familiar enough with that fragile feeling to know better. She'd always wanted to crawl under a rock after seeing anything in the glass - and it seemed to be even harder on Stacy. Staying put when the other girl made her dash, Eve folded her arms lightly, and took to bouncing her left leg lightly, tip-toes on the floor.

    Not quite the same nervous movement as flexing her hands, but still up there, Eve had to wonder, though...was it anywhere near the time the windows in the cars had cracked? Or was that something else entirely? Giving Stacy a few moments to try and get it out of her system, Eve approached the bathroom door, and leaned lightly against the frame. What could she even say to the girl in this situation? What had she wanted
    someone to say to her?

    "I don't want to ask if you're okay, because you're obviously not, but I don't want to tell you something as cheesy as 'it's going to be okay,' either." For once, Eve wished she hadn't listened (as was actually usual for her) and bulled into the school anyway; at least maybe Stacy wouldn't have been the only one to See it.

    Though it wasn't quite the same raw terror for her that it had once been, mirrors and their usual little denizen still creeped her out. Seriously. "Just...just know that I'm here, okay? I'll talk, or stay up with you all night and sing '80's tunes, or whatever you want." Whatever it took to help the girl relax and keep her from letting the mirror-geist drive her insane.

    Blood .... Stacy was throwing up blood, and showed no signs of stopping, it was deathly cold inside the bathroom despite the mirror being covered. Like the scene from the Exorcist, her head would turn all the way around, her skin pale and veiny. Eve would feel her own skin turn flush, then getting hotter, as blisters began showing. Stacy would scream, as chunks of flesh would fall away from Eve's body, like pork that's been left to boil inside a kettle, until there nothing was left on the bone.

    And just like that, Eve was sitting back on the bed, where Stacy had just ran to the bathroom .... Jara would rise up, ready to go after her ... "Stace? You okay?"

    She'd been alarmed by the sight of the blood - and even more by Stacy's appearance. Eve had fallen back, step by step, eyes wide and sick to her stomach. It was different though - rather than the usual cold, she was hot, aware of the painful blisters rising on her skin. The scream hurt her ears, and even as she'd raised her hands to cover her ears, she'd noticed the chunks of skin and muscle that had just fallen away...

    Twisting, she looked around the room quickly, eyes wide, cheeks pale. Stacy was just now getting up? Eve looked after the other girl, then at Jara, and had to choke down the burn of bile in her own throat. What the hell was *that!?* "She just...it..." Eve snapped her trap shut and got up, even advanced a step or two - but never *quite* went to the bathroom door.

    "Oh shitshitshitshit!! Eve!! Go get Thomas!! Tell him Stacy's having another attack, HURRY!!" Jara yelled out from the bathroom ...

    ...As if she had to be told more than once. Eve was only too happy to get out of that room, and had she been a cartoon, would have left an Eve-shaped dust cloud in her wake. A few seconds later, she was in front of Thomas' door, pounding hard on the wood with her knuckles. "Thomas! It's Stacy!"

    There were muted/muffled sounds of cursing before the door would open with a very soaked Thomas Steele wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, and with a small kit in hand, bolting past Eve, towards the other room.

    <Eve? What the Hell is going on?> Evan would say, appearing in front of her, his image once again looking more like something from a old film reel, flickering in and out. <Something's not right ... Somet- >The cold sensation didn't fade, it was actually getting worse, as the shadows from the far end of the hotel seemed to be moving closer, like a swirling black mass of some sort ...

    Eve didn't bat a lash at him being towel-clad; she just darted aside to let him pass. Flexing her fingers, she looked to Evan, then around. Something was wrong - very, very wrong, so it felt. The chill was pervading her hands and arms, making them ache, the breath she drew like being in a meat locker. "What's going on, Evan?" Whispered, as her eyes lit on the black mass. She swallowed hard, pulse picking up, and followed Thomas. She didn't expect her spiritual twin would have any more of an answer than she did, really.

    The room temp had at least dropped 40 degrees, the cold was ... Unnatural. "C'mon girl, don't you give up now!!" The British accent clearly heard coming from the bathroom, along with sounds of a shower. "Thomas, she's never been this bad before, she was fine at first, her and Eve were talking and then .... Eve???" It was Jara ... But from her reality!!! A blink later, and the moment had passed.

    "Oh my fucking God ....

    " Jara was staring at Eve ... No, more like behind her, while tugging on Thomas, a swirling black mass was pouring into the hotel room, their voices drowned out by the wails, the screams of the damned!! Scooping Stacy up into his arms, Thomas was already moving to a near by window, with Jara a close second. "Move your ass, Lizt!!!" To Eve, the wailing sounded a lot like hundreds ...

    No thousands of souls crying out Eve's name, drawing closer and closer still, until a single word could be detected from all the others ... -Revenge-

    "There's something here." The words left her mouth as soon as she was back inside the room, and her pulse was fast now. Her weight shifted between feet, uneasily, and in that eye blink, she was looking at Jara - her *own* Jara! A gasp and flicker of her eyes, and she was right back there, in the unfamiliar Reality.

    She was left off-balance by it for a moment, but Jara's wide-eyed stare over her shoulder and the bone-chilling cold was enough to bring her back to earth. A gasp, and she was darting away from the door, following the others to the window. The sound was almost deafening to her, but clear - her name. The voices were calling her name, over and over, until...

    "Go back to Hell." If that was where it came from to start with. She'd found herself breathless, but was quick on Jara's heels to make for that window, climb out.

    Anything material made of glass or close to it would crack, then explode outward, showering all. Then came the sudden silence, as everything returned to normal ... Stacy was catching her breath, the air was warm again, and there were other people coming out from their rooms complaining about some massive power outage, several of the main transformers blew, sending out a massive energy surge.

    Jara would glance over at Thomas ... "Well, I guess that explains that, huh?" Said with
    pure sarcasm. Stacy was trying to sit up now, having no recollection of what had happened to her, beyond talking to Eve when she felt really sick. As for Evan? MIA, since the whole black mass episode ..... And he wasn't responding to Eve if she had tried to call for him. Their room? Like nothing happened, save for the shower still running, no power, and shattered windows/glass.

    Thomas had then get their things and meet in his room, while he went to get dressed, leaving Stacy in Jara's care.

    Eve had dropped into a crouch as the glass exploded, mostly in an effort to avoid being blinded. The first thing she realized was that the voices had stopped, making it so quiet so suddenly she wondered if she'd gone deaf. The sound of the shower still running reached her ears, overriding the pound of her heart. Her fingers were starting to get a little feeling back in them, too...

    She remained speechless throughout everything else, though she was just a little too wide-eyed, and tense because Evan wasn't responding. Was he okay? Was anyone okay? She'd seen the Jara from her Reality, for that second. Was she Shifting again?

    It was all still uncertain, but the only thing she was starting to grow relatively sure of was that she might need to distance herself from everyone; it seemed to her that things got worse when she was around, what with a very ticked off Daemonic presence and all.

    A figure had emerged from another room, not too far from where Thomas and the others were, watching them with keen interest. Rugged looking, short cropped hair, looking to be in his mid to late twenties, with a slight growth of facial hair. He motioned to another that remained in the room, while he went to see what he could find out. Flashing his best grin at Eve, he looked around, chiming in on what bits and pieces he had heard from others ...

    "Damn, I hope this means we all get a discount, huh? Too crazy for words. You guys okay? Looks like your room got the worst of it." Extending his hand, he'd introduce himself. " Name's Bruce. Bruce Banner."

    She'd stepped out for a breath of air, even if it was into the hall, though she *was* also hoping that Evan might pop up out there. No such luck. The young woman tucked her hands into her pockets to keep them from shaking, and leaned against the wall, drawing a deep breath, staring ceiling-ward. If she couldn't figure this out soon, she really *was* going to go crazy. At least, she thought so anyway.

    The man had been noticed, but only in passing; she'd kept notice of who was around her on some low level, because the last thing she needed to do was go and startle herself now. But...great. He seemed to want to chat. She looked at him, raising her head from where it rested on the wall, and blinked at the introduction. Bruce Banner? Wasn't that...? Clearing her throat softly, Eve shook it off (just a comic, after all) and accepted the hand - though a little gingerly.

    "Yeah, I...I think so." 'The worst of it' didn't even cover it! "I'm Eve Lizt." After the introduction, she leaned around a little, looking back inside for a second. Just
    checking.

    "Bruce fucking Banner? C'mon, anyone with half a brain would have went with William *Bill* Bixby. I thought that sounded like you. Hey Dean, I see you met Eve. " Pointing from one to the other, Jara would make the introductions. "Eve, this is Dean, friend of ours. Is Sam here?" Dean motioned to the room ... "In there doing the research thing. So what's the story?" Jara would flash him a small grin. "Stacy had another attack, right before things started getting crazy.

    Mmmmm .... Eve ..." Dean would snap his fingers, looking back at Eve ... "Lizt ... Yeah, the girl that went missing ten years ago!!!" Looking her over, Dean would give her a small grin of his own, before hearing his name called, as Sam came out of the room, rubbing her head ... " Dammit Dean, if you can put it back in your pants for .... Jara?? Small freakin' world girl!!!"

    Eve would discover that Dean and Samantha *Sam* Winchester were demon/ghost hunters in their right, but not known by the general public. Their father was good friends with Thomas.

    Eve had gone relatively quiet, watching the interaction of Jara and 'Bruce,' also known as Dean, apparently. Why was she not terribly surprised that Jara knew him? She seemed to be familiar with *everyone,* to some extent. At least, everyone else in this 'game.' "Yes...and no." To the comment of going missing ten years ago. Eve smiled faintly, but made no move to elaborate on that anymore; trying to recount the entire mess made her head hurt, really. "Nice to meet you guys."

    Thomas was happy/relieved to see them, while Stacy was showing little ill effects from what happened earlier, but those cuts/bruises that cover her? Were still present. Take out food was ordered, while notes were being exchanged by all involved. Eve would get a couple of looks when Thomas had a conversation with the sibling duo. Jara would nudge her. "Don't sweat it, he just told them about you being from an alternate reality. That goes a wee bit beyond their usual field. Hey.You okay? You've been pretty quiet during all of this. "

    Stacy had a way of bouncing back, and everyone else stayed busy - mostly. Eve wasn't really interested in food, and did nothing but pick at a little of it, but she'd noticed the looks she got while Thomas talked to the siblings. Her expression had betrayed nothing, and she sat in a chair, one leg drawn up, hands folded on her kneecap. She looked at Jara, and seemed to be about to shake her head before giving up and speaking. "I saw the Jara from my Reality. It was just a blink, but it was her. And I haven't Seen Evan since that...that thing showed up."

    Jara looked over at Sam, before back at Eve. "You mind if I tell her? Sam's the brain of the two, and might be able to help."

    "...Did you hear anything? When that...whatever it was came in here?" The black mass, that was.

    "It um, sounded ... unholy? Too bad we didn't have the equipment out for that one. Dammit. " She was going to take that for a yes, so Jara waved Sam over, and after a quick explanation, Sam thought to herself, before answering. "It sounds like you're not in sync with this reality, which is causing you to glitch back to your own. Don't know the cause or effect of it, but in sci-fi terms, it might get worse, you know like when your body is trying to fight off a cold? You're like a cold to this reality, and maybe it's
    trying to purge you?"

    Jara just had a bemused look at that point. "If I didn't chase ghost for a living, I'd swear you were smoking something. Really." Sam would shake her head. " Nope. You asked. That's the best thing I could come up with. As for that black mast, good chance it was a collection of angry spirits."

    "If there was any guarantee of it happening, I'd be all for it dropping me back in my own Reality. Don't get me wrong - you guys are great, but I just...I wanna go home." Eve shrugged lightly, and the foot on the floor had gone to bouncing lightly, fidgeting while keeping her hands still. She remained quiet for a few seconds, debating internally, before clearing her throat. "It was saying my name."

    "Hmmm." Rubbing her chin, before getting their father's journal. "Look at this. It says that the mass of lost souls usually target those that they feel are responsible for their torment, or feel can help them find their way." Jara gave Sam a goofy expression ... "Can we limit that statement to a few hundred choices?" Sam cocking her head to one side would continue.

    "If it knew her name .... Not to be blunt, but you have any one die that you know?"

    Her brows drew together as she frowned, trying to think. The lack of quality sleep was catching up to her; her mind was slowing, details blurring as she tried to wade through, remember. Opening her mouth to speak, Eve paused, and tried again. "I don't...That seemed to be a lot more than just one." Who? Amber had been 'killed' to reset Reality, as had Tohmas. Evan was dead, but he was more her shadow.

    ...But what about a Daemon influence? Sighing, Eve reached up to rub at her tired eyes. "I don't know. All I heard was my name, and I picked out the word 'revenge' in there somewhere."

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