 
Unliving Love

By Jason A Grimm

Copyright 2013 Jason A Grimm

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for you only, then please return to smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Prologue – The End

Chapter 1 – The Funeral

Chapter 2 – Memory Lane

Chapter 3 – This Old House

Chapter 4 – Home Sweet Home

Chapter 5 – A Little Loud and Peaceful

Chapter 6 – The First Entry

Chapter 7 – Rise and Shine

Chapter 8 – Time to go Home

Chapter 9 – Long and Silent Ride Home

Chapter 10 – The Next Entry

Chapter 11 – The Story of Warren Montgomery

Chapter 12 – The Night Before

Chapter 13 – The Big Game

Chapter 14 – Overnight Watch

Chapter 15 – Day of Rest

Chapter 16 – Entries

Chapter 17 – Halfway Home

Chapter 18 – Last of the Entries

Chapter 19 – Last Day

Chapter 20 – Back Home

Chapter 21 – Setup at the Old House

Chapter 22 – Grant in a Shiny Hybrid

Chapter 23 – Bad Night

Chapter 24 – Love and the Ass

Chapter 25 – Secrets of Wesley's Private Journals

Chapter 26 – Tracy's Confession

Chapter 27 – Plan

Chapter 28 – Supply Run

Chapter 29 – Preparation

Chapter 30 – Out of Body

Chapter 31 – Springing the Trap

Chapter 32 – The God of Warren Montgomery

Chapter 33 – Knock, Knock

Epilogue – The Beginning

Acknowledgments

First and foremost I have to thank Dena for being there for me and believing in me, especially when I didn't. Thank you for the pep talks that kept me going. Thank you for reading every chapter as I wrote it and fixing my little mistakes. I love you! Not sure I would have gotten this far without you.

Thank you Jackie for volunteering to help me edit when I thought my eyes were going to start bleeding. It's that much better now because of you.

Thank you Joyce for un-mercilessly tearing this apart and helping me make it into something I am extremely proud of.

Thank you to everyone who read it along the way and gave me feedback.

Prologue

The End

We met by complete chance me being in the right place at the right time I suppose. The moment I saw her I knew she was special, one of a kind. I also knew that our paths would be intertwined, I just wasn't exactly sure how at the time. I can honestly say that I had never seen anyone like her in my entire twenty-two years of life, and I am sure I never would either.

We had met years ago on Halloween night. There was a huge party at an old abandoned house in my town. I was only sixteen when we met but it wasn't till later on that we became close. It took me a long time to get her to warm up to me, I was persistent though.

I just couldn't get her out of my mind once I saw her.

It actually took me a few weeks before I got up the courage to try and find her to talk to her.

There really wasn't anyone who I could talk to about my particular situation. My best friend Mike was the only one who I got up the nerve to tell, but he just thought I was crazy. We hung out here and there after I told him but he eventually just stopped coming around. He just couldn't understand no matter how many times I tried to explain it to him. I was even going to have her talk to him but he never agreed to come over. I tried to stay friends with him. I'd call and text, send an email or two but eventually he even stopped answering those and so my best friend for nearly half my life was gone.

Losing Mike as a friend was upsetting, one of the worst things I've ever had to deal with. She was there for me though, even when no one else was. She listened when no one else did, cared when it seemed that no other soul did. It was then that I knew I was in love with her. It was at that moment that I knew I was in love with a spirit and that I had to be with her.

That is why I made my decision to do what I did. I wanted to control when I went out so I could be with the one I love. It wasn't because of my family or my now lack of friends. I know deep down that if I ever really needed Mike he'd be there. It was solely to be with the one I love. I assure you that I am happy and in a good place. Please don't be sad for me. This was my choice and who knows maybe you'll see me around.

Chapter One

The Funeral

The group inside Montgomery and Son's Funeral Home had been steadily growing since people had started arriving at 11:00am. The long line in front of the coffin was moving at a steady pace. People paid their respects to the mother and father who stood next to the coffin before they moved on to pay their last respects to the peaceful looking young man in the coffin. He had a very young face he looked more eighteen than he did twenty-three and his light blue eyes were hidden behind his closed eyelids. His thin lanky body was half hidden under the closed bottom portion of the coffin. His skin had a misleading tanned color and his checks had a pinkish flush to them and looked very much like there was blood still flowing through his veins. His dishwater blonde hair was neatly messed up to give him a respectful scruffy look that he so often had in life.

When they got to the coffin most would stand and stare and mutter things like "He was way too young", "He's in a better place.", or "His poor parents." There were the occasional less sentimental comments that you'd come to expect at a funeral of someone who committed suicide. Most of those comments though were muttered among the small groups that had formed all over the funeral home.

The man standing with the parents now was a tall young man with short dark brown hair. He stood a good five or six inches above most the people in the crowd. He was a very handsome man with piercing green eyes. It was very easy to see he was well built and wore a pair of black pants, a dark silver shirt and a bright yellow tie. "I am so sorry about Wes." He said. "I hope you don't mind the tie, I know yellow was his favorite color and just felt right to wear it."

Mrs. Joyner couldn't get words out due to the tears that she was shedding.

Mr. Joyner smiled as he answered. "The tie is very nice Mike, I am sure he'd love it. I have a feeling it's something that he probably would have done." Mr. Joyner answered for them, much like he had been for the day.

Mike stuck out his hand to shake Mr. Joyner's and then leaned in to give Mrs. Joyner a hug.

"When the funeral is done can you meet me at Wes's house? There is something he wanted you to have." She managed to whisper through her tears.

"Of course I can." Mike gave one last squeeze and then leaned back up and made his way towards the coffin.

He hadn't seen Wes in a few years due to a falling out that they had. He was dreading this part the most because he was feeling guilty about not talking to him in the last few years. He also felt like he knew that things were leading to this and that he should have warned someone about Wes and his behavior way before it had ever gotten to this point. He knew though that even if he had, Wes would have denied everything. Even in his unstable mental state, Wes was probably smarter than anyone he would have told and he would have lied and manipulated anyone into thinking that there wasn't a problem. Even knowing this, it was still hard to fight the guilt.

When Mike made it to the coffin and looked inside, Wes looked exactly the same as he did the last time he had seen him. The body was dressed in a grey pin stripped suit with a yellow rose boutonniere on the left side of his jacket. Mike began to smile when he saw that the tie he was wearing exactly matched the one Wes was wearing. He looked back over his shoulder towards Mr. Joyner and saw that he was looking at him and smiling. He turned back towards the body and placed his hand on Wes's chest. "You cheeky son of a bitch." He said with a slight smile. "You always said you were going to go out in style." Mike reached up and straightened the yellow tie on Wes's suit, took a deep breath, and began to walk away.

He made his way towards a tall thin young woman that was wearing a tight short black dress. She had dark brown almost black hair that nearly matched the dress she was wearing. She had on yellow dangly earrings and yellow heels, more than likely at the request of Mike.

"You ok honey?" She asked in a low comforting voice.

"Yeah, as good as I can be I guess. I feel like I should have done something, like I could have stopped this."

"You couldn't have done anything Mike, and you know that. We talked about this remember. It was his decision and his alone. You tried countless times to get him to get some help but he wouldn't go."

Mike slowly shook his head. "I know Jen, just can't shake the feeling is all." He stepped close to her and wrapped his arms around her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed before she took him by the hand and lead him over to a couple seats that sat in the far corner of the room. She sat down and he followed suit. They sat there and watched as the line slowly began to dwindle and more and more people began to take their seats.

Mike turned to face Jen. "Wes's mom asked if I could run by his house. She has something that he wanted me to have I guess."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"I'm not sure how long I'll be. It's going to be after the funeral and hard to say how long that will be. I'm sure people will be lingering to pay their respects. Since I'll be over there I am going to swing by mom and dad's for a bit to say hi."

"I saw Heather a bit ago. I bet she could take me home. She said she was driving back tonight."

"You sure?" Mike asked.

"Yeah let me go talk to her before the ceremony starts."

"Ok, that's a good idea."

Jen got up and made her way through the rows of seats and found Heather. She sat down beside her and they began to talk.

Mike's gaze went back up to Mr. and Mrs. Joyner. His guilt began to turn in to anger as he watched Mr. Joyner thanking people for paying their respects and Mrs. Joyner crying, just barely holding herself together. He moved his gaze towards the coffin. You selfish son of a bitch, you left everyone behind to pick up the pieces while you went off chasing some delusion, selfish. He thought to himself as his eyes started to swell up and he could feel tears starting to roll down his checks. He looked around till he saw a small table a few feet from him that had a box of tissues on it. He walked over and plucked some out of the box and began to turn back around to make his way to his seat when the oddest thing happened. Out of the corner of his eye he glimpsed the image of a faded figure. What the hell? I swear I just saw a figure standing next to Mr. and Mrs. Joyner in the same exact suit that Wes had been wearing. He thought to himself as he began to look around but was unable see anyone that would even come close to resembling what he thought he just saw. It had to be a reflection or something. He thought but when he looked back there was no mirror anywhere near Wes's parents.

"Mike, you ok?" Jen asked.

He jumped and dropped his tissues on the floor. "Oh my God." He said as he let out a long exhale.

"What was that about? You ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine just my mind playing tricks on me is all." He glanced back over towards Mr. and Mrs. Joyner again but there was still nothing there. His heart was pounding, as if he had just ran ten miles. They walked back over to their seats and sat down. "You scared the living daylights out of me babe." He took a few more deep breaths and he could feel his heart beginning to slow.

"Sorry." Jen said as she took his arm with her hand and leaned up against him. "Heather said I could ride home with her. So that's all set up so you can go do what you have to do." She paused. "Do you have any idea what he wanted you to have?"

Mike shook his head. "Not a clue. You don't mind if I swing by my parents' house do you?

Jen shook her head. "Nope, it's odd... Thought you said you two weren't that close anymore."

"We weren't. We haven't even spoken in about two years." Mike brought a tissue up to his eyes and dried them. The tears had gone away from the startle he had but his eyes were still a bit watery. "We grew up together we were pretty much brothers. If we weren't out together somewhere then we were at his house or mine."

"You never really did tell me what happened between you two."

"Long story."

"Can't give me the cliff notes?"

"Short version is that he made some decisions that were leading him on a straight trip to nowhere. We're the same age but he graduated high school and college three years ahead of me. He already graduated premed and was on his way towards graduating med school top of his class. Then he dropped out and just started losing it."

"Wow... why? What happened?"

"Rather not get into that part of it. Maybe some other time"

"Ok honey."

"He made everyone so angry when he decided to throw everything he worked so hard for away. When I heard about it from his mom I tried to talk him out of it, but he just wouldn't listen to reason. I told him if he wanted to crash and burn that's his decision but I'd be damned if he was going to bring me down in his craziness."

"You tried to help him." Jen squeezed his arm and kissed his check. "You did what you could. That's more than most people could say I'm sure."

"I suppose." Mike leaned his head on top of hers and began to stare off towards the coffin.

"What time is it?" Jen asked as she began to look around.

Mike tilted his arm and looked at his watch. "It's a quarter till one."

"Everything is supposed to start around one right?"

"Yep." Mike said as he lifted his head back up and started looking around.

There were only a handful of people and Wes's parents still standing near the coffin. Everyone else had segregated into their own groups or was sitting down in the chairs that had been lined up throughout the funeral home."

"Did you ask the coach for some time off of practice?" Jen asked Mike.

"No. We have two games left till the championship and we need to win them both in a big way in order to secure our place."

"Honey you're going to be upset, you should at the very least take a couple days off."

"I'm the starting quarterback Jen. I can't take time off right now. I have forty nine other guys depending on me to do my best and lead the team to the championship."

"But..."

"I can't babe." He interrupted. "Tomorrow is Sunday so I have that off but sitting around would just drive me insane. I think I'd do much better with everything going on if I went to practice."

"It's your choice. I just don't want to see you get hurt or something because your head isn't in the game."

"I'll be fine I promise." He leaned over and gave her a kiss.

The rest of the people who were lingering around the coffin and the ones that were in their own little groups had begun to make their way to the seats. Mr. and Mrs. Joyner had taken their places in the two seats in the front row that had been set up for them.

Jen glanced around the room. "Looks like it's about to start."

"Yeah it's five till." Mike sat up tall and took a deep breath in and let out a long drawn out exhale.

With everyone now in their seats, the preacher, who wore a black suit was a plump man with thinning grey hair and large brass colored glasses that sat on his crooked nose. He was now standing at the podium in front of the room smiling and looking around the room. He would occasionally stop his gaze at someone and would quietly say "Good to see you" or "Thank you for coming". He took a glance at his watch and then cleared his throat. "Thank you all for coming to pay your respects to our dear friend Wesley Theodore Joyner."

Mike produced a small smile at the mention of Wes's middle name. He remembered all the times he used to tease him about it but as the preacher continued his sermon the smile faded.

"Your condolences and all of you taking the time out of your busy schedules to come show your love for this young man means the world to them I assure you. All of you being here shows just what kind of a man that young Wesley was. It shows that he touched all of your lives in one positive way or another. I know he did mine." He smiled as if recalling a very enjoyable memory. "Death is never easy... Even when our loved ones are suffering and even though their death is an end to all of that pain and suffering. Even though we know they are now taking their rightful place in the afterlife... It is still so hard for the ones left behind. To see someone dear to us go away before his time and for a parent to have to bury their child is one of the worst things anyone could go through. I know it might make you question the Lord's plans at times. Makes you ask yourselves what could be the reason for him to take this person so soon. It makes it hard to trust at times but this is the time when we have to have the most faith. The times when we have to believe the most, believe that this person was taken from us for a greater purpose." He paused and took a deep breath. "It all boils down to faith doesn't it?"

Mike looked over at Jen and saw that she had begun to cry. He handed her a couple tissues that he had left from when he grabbed his. He reached his free arm down and grabbed her leg and pulled her in close. "You ok?" He whispered in her ear.

She nodded her head. "Yeah, it's just so sad. I feel so bad for his parents."

Mike nodded then kissed her on the forehead. He could still hear the preacher going on about faith and believing in a master plan. He himself had never really been too in to religion. He knew Wes had started to get in to it over the past years. That was one reason he never seriously thought he would actually take his own life. Even with the little bit Mike knew about religion, he knew that suicide was a bad thing in the religious circle. He did what he did, can't do anything about it now. He thought to himself as he shook his head and tried to tune back into the preacher.

"So what we all have to remember is that our Lord does have a plan and we just have to have faith that young Wesley is in a better place, a place free of pain, of sorrow, and of all the cares of the world. We have to have faith that he is in a place of happiness a place of love... a good place." The Preacher closed his notebook that must have contained the eulogy and sat it to the side of the podium. He then opened up his bible and looked back up towards the mass of people and smiled. "Now if everyone would bow their heads I'd like to say a prayer."

Mike sat there as head after head began to bow. He looked around the room and it looked like he was the only one still looking up. He began to bow his head but as soon as he did he could have sworn he saw the same figure again standing in front of Mr. and Mrs. Joyner. The site made him jump again which caused Jen to do the same since she still had her arms entwined around his right arm and was leaning against him.

"What was that? You ok?" She mouthed in a semi state of panic.

He nodded then leaned over so he could whisper to her. "Sorry, got a cold chill."

She shook her head and smiled at him. "If you say so."

He figured that was an easier explanation for the reason that he jumped as opposed to him saying how he thought he had seen a vague figure twice. He tried to shake off the eerie feeling he had but it wasn't working very well. He couldn't wait till he could get outside and get some fresh air.

"Amen" He heard the preacher say as he started to focus back in to what was going on.

The rest of the people with their heads down let out one big "Amen" in perfect unison.

The preacher closed his bible. "We will proceed to the cemetery so if everyone could make their way out to their vehicles."

Everyone slowly rose and began to make their way out of the building and even though Mike wanted to get out as soon as he could he chose to linger behind and let the crowed die down before trying to make his way outside. He stood there and watched as row after row of people bunched up and made their way outside.

"There are a lot of people here." Jen said.

"Yeah his family was pretty popular around here; they lived here generation after generation."

"That makes sense then."

"Yep... Wes was kind of a loner to be honest. I was just about his only friend growing up."

"That's sad." Jen began to look around the room. "You ready to head out?"

He took a quick glance around the room. "Yeah." He took a deep breath. "Let's go."

They made their way slowly out the door and as they stepped out into the bright sunlight, it was a bit of a shock. Jen dug in her purse and found her sunglasses and put them on. Mike used his free hand to block the sun. They made their way to their car and climbed in. He dug the key out of his pocket and turned it on then opened up the glove box and pulled out his pair of sunglasses and slid them on. They sat in the procession line for what seemed like hours waiting for them to bring the coffin out and load it into the hearse. After it was loaded it wasn't but a few minutes until they were on their way to the cemetery. Not having to stop for traffic or lights made what would normally have been a twenty minute car ride a ten minute one.

All the cars pulled in to the lot as the hearse drove back to a small building about twenty feet away. Mike parked towards the back so he wouldn't have to fight to get out.

"I'm going to try and find Heather so I know where she is parked."

"Good idea." Mike said as he nodded his head. "We can just hang out by her car while they do what they are doing in there." He pointed towards the small building and saw that they were now in the process of transferring the coffin into it. "No way is everyone going to fit in there."

Mike followed Jen as they weaved in between the different cars until they finally stopped at one that two young women were climbing out of.

They both forced smiles as they looked at him.

"We are so sorry about Wes." The one that had climbed out of the driver seat said.

"Thanks Heather." He returned the small forced smile as he replied. "I was just saying to Jen, there is no way that everyone's going to fit in the building. I thought we could just hang back outside till the ceremony was done in there."

"Yeah, Tara and I were just talking about that too. We were thinking the same thing." Heather said as she closed her car door.

"Thanks for running Jen home by the way."

"Don't mention it." She said with a smile.

The four of them made their way to the small building. It was already full of people and there were several groups forming around the set of large doors that opened up half of the wall to the outside. A few minutes passed as everyone found seats or huddled around the doors.

The preacher had begun to speak again but Mike couldn't really hear him so he didn't pay much attention, not that he probably would have anyway. His mind had begun to wonder and feelings of guilt began to rise back up. He thought about not being around more for Wes, how their falling out could have been prevented, and the familiar ball of guilt he had felt earlier had begun to build back up. He tried telling himself that it was all in the past now and it couldn't be fixed regardless. It however didn't keep his eyes from swelling up again and tears from creeping out. He felt a squeeze on his arm and he looked down and saw Jen smiling up at him.

"My big man has a heart" She whispered to him.

Mike couldn't help but smile as he wrapped his arm around her. He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead and then brought his free arm up and wiped his tears away. He started thinking back when they were kids and some of the things they would do. His thoughts were all soon washed away as he heard the crowd on the inside stand up and the group at the door began to disperse allowing room for the crowd that was inside to exit the small building.

"Ok why don't you three get going it's over now." Mike leaned down and kissed Jen on the lips.

"Yeah good idea that way we don't get caught in the large crowd trying to leave all at once." Heather said as she opened her purse and dug out her keys.

"Ok I'm going to go find Wes's mom and tell her that I'll meet them over at his house."

"I'll see you when you get home ok." Jen smiled and squeezed his arm again. "Love you."

"Love you too." Mike kissed her one more time and then made his way to find Mr. and Mrs. Joyner. It didn't take him very long since there was a long line that was leading to them made up of people wanting to give their condolences one more time before they left. He walked up behind Wes's parents; he didn't see the point in waiting in the line to tell them that he'd meet them at the house. When he reached them he leaned in close to Mrs. Joyner.

"I'll meet you at Wes's house ok. I'm in no hurry so take your time here." He gave her a quick hug and kissed her on the cheek.

She simply nodded. Mr. Joyner turned and shook his hand then turned back to the crowd of people in front of him. Mike turned to leave and as he looked at the crowd one of older ladies gave him the dirtiest look he had ever seen. He couldn't help but smile as he turned his back to the crowd. Wow what a mean old lady... How dare I cut in the condolence line? He thought to himself as he made his way back to his car, opened the door, and climbed in. He sat there for a moment just staring at the crowed of people. What a screwed up thing. He thought as he took his keys out of his pocket. He gave the small building one last glance before turning on his car and driving away.

Chapter 2

Memory Lane

Every minute that passed as he was driving seemed like an hour. Mike hadn't been back to the neighborhood in a few years, even before Wes and he had their final falling out. Mike had gotten a scholarship from Ole'Miss for football so he spent all his free time since his sophomore year at the college near the training grounds. He came back for holidays his freshman year but after that football took over and on top of that he had met Jen.

Jen comes from a wealthy family and her parents had actually bought a house right off campus for her to live in while she was going to school. They met his sophomore year, she is a year behind him and during her freshman year he took it upon himself to do the gentlemanly thing and show her around campus. It didn't hurt that she had flowing bouncy dark brown hair, piercing blue eyes, was six foot tall, and it seemed like three quarters of that was well toned legs and a very nice ass.

Between football, his relationship growing with Jen, and the one falling apart with Wes he didn't much care to come back to town even on holidays at that point. His parents had no problem coming up to see him on campus. It was about five hours away depending on how you drove and any excuse they had to get away from home they loved to take. They told him it made them feel like they were travelers.

"You can pretend you're wherever you want just by going in the hotel room popping in a cd and closing the blinds." His dad had once told him right after he said. "Hell that's why you have kids, gives you a good excuse to go out of town." This did make him feel less guilty about not coming around for the holidays.

Mike was surprised at how effortlessly he navigated the streets of his home town. He wished it took a bit more effort that way the memories of when he and Wes were younger didn't bombard him as he drove. A particularly vivid memory hit him when he was stopped at a stoplight that sat across from the old park that he had spent a lot of time at when he was a kid.

The park was a huge community park. It had two baseball fields, a huge play area with swings a few slides, a large jungle gym, a huge open field with soccer goals at each end, and just across the street sat the community pool. The high school used it for football and soccer practice before they added a new practice field near the stadium. Wes and Mike spent many summer days there playing football or some other sport. Afterwards they would go across the street and have some fun in the cool water of the pool. Wes was never the most athletic person but he enjoyed playing sports none the less and it was actually where and how he and Mike became friends.

*****

"Me and Mike are captains." A plump kid with buzzed hair said as he grabbed the football off of Mike. "You call it in the air laces or none." He spun the ball up in the air.

"Laces." A much younger Mike said.

The ball fell to the ground with a thunk, bounced, and rolled till it stopped with laces side down.

"Ha! You suck Mike. I got first pick."

"I'm still gonna win."

"Like hell." Scott said as he jogged over and picked up the football.

"Five bucks says I do." Mike said as he began to smile. "Unless you're too chicken to bet that is."

Scott stood there in silence as he began looking around the crowd that had gathered to play football. He began to count the kids and it was easy to see he was putting the likeliest of teams together in his head so he could weigh his odds.

"I'll tell you what." Mike pulled a five dollar bill out of his pocket and began to wave it around in the air. "I'll even let you pick your team first then I'll take the rest." He walked over and snatched the football out of Scott's hands. "Unless you're still too chicken." He shot him a challenging smile.

"Oh you're on Lachey." Scott dug in his pocket and pulled out a folded up five dollar bill. "After I win maybe I'll let you borrow some money to get into the pool."

"Dream on."

"Let's see." Scott began looking around. "Wes, you hold the money. Not like you'll be seeing much action and lose it."

Some of the boys began to laugh.

"Shut it and pick your team." Mike said.

"We have thirteen so someone will have to sit this game."

"I wonder who that's gonna be." One of the boys said as he laughed and shoved Wes.

"You take seven I'll take six I'm still going to win."

"In your dreams Lachey." He said to Mike. "I'll take Jeff, Tony, Andy, Luke, Steve, and John. You can have ball first since I'm such a nice guy."

"Works for me." Mike said as he tossed the ball to Scott. "Throw the kickoffs and punt the punts. Touchdowns are past the front of the goals and are seven. Over the soccer goal is field goal. Five Mississippi out loud before you blitz. QB can't run until the D passes the line of scrimage. Halftime is first team to twenty one and game is first team to forty two. Two hand touch is down and losers walk."

"Agreed." Scott said as he and his team turned around and began to walk to their side of the field.

Mike took his team down to their end of the field. "I'll get kickoffs and QB. That ok?"

There was a resounding "Yes" from all the members of the team.

Even at that age Mike was leagues ahead of everyone else on the field. The guys on Mike's team didn't care how they won but winning against the tough guys of the neighborhood would bring them bragging rights for a good long while. Mike's team spread out and waited for the kickoff.

"Mikes the only real threat and George is half way decent but all the rest are losers. If Mike QBs then double team George he's the only one that can really catch. If no one blitzes, Mike won't be able to run so whoever is on him just hang back deep and go to where the ball goes and we'll have this in the bag."

Scott's team lined up and he started to take a few steps then he drew his arm back and fired the ball down the field.

Mike ran over, got under the ball, and caught it. The rest of his team grouped up in front of him and then began to run down the field.

Scott's team met them about ten yards ahead of where Mike had caught the ball.

Mike's team began to block as best they could as he kicked it in to high gear. He ran between two of his guys who were blocking two from the other team. It was only a few more steps before two guys from the other team broke their blocks and were now a few steps away. Mike spun around and began to run towards the other side of the field leaving the two kids to chase after him. When he got to about mid field he started to make his way up the field while everyone else was running after him. A few of the guys that had hung back on Scott's team were now a few feet from him and he only got a few steps up before one of the guys flung his hands down just touching his back.

"You're down right here!" The kid yelled.

Mike slowed down and jogged towards where he had been tagged down and placed the ball on the ground, then took his team back and huddled up.

"Ok guys I want everyone lined up on my right, George, you in the middle. Ok, now I want everyone on George's right to run out about ten yards and then run a slant to the right. Everyone on George's left side run long straights. George I want you to let everyone get a few steps ahead of you then book it about five yards then turn and run a hard slant to the opposite side of the field. I'll hit ya a few steps in to the slant. Everyone got that?

The team nodded. They all had been on Mike's team one time or another and were used to him calling actual plays.

"Ok, on go, ready break." The team clapped their hands and they all made their way towards the line of scrimmage.

Mike picked up the ball as his team lined up to his right. "Down! Set! Green forty six! Go!"

His team took off everyone doing what they were supposed to. Mike dropped back a few steps and flung the ball and hit George over his shoulder right in his hands. The pass was matched perfectly with his stride. George caught the ball and made it about three more yards before he was tagged down by one of the two guys he was covered by. He jogged to the middle of the field and sat the ball down and joined the team back in their huddle.

"Nice. Listen they are going to expect George to get all the balls so the first few passes are going to go to him and then I'm gonna start hitting the rest of you. That ok?"

The team nodded. They all were willing to do whatever he said for the chance to win and they all knew with Mike as the QB and calling the plays the chance of winning was extremely high.

"Ok cool. This time I want George and two others on my right and the other two on my left. George you are the furthest on my right. I want you to just go deep straight to the end zone. Everyone else I want you to run out about ten yards then slant towards the middle of the field. Got it?"

"Yeah" a few members of the team said while the rest nodded.

"On go. Ready. Break"

The team lined up at the line of scrimmage, Mike did his cadence, then yelled "Go!"

The team took off as Mike took a few steps back, paused for a second, then flung the ball and hit George about twenty yards deep. Once again with a perfect pass right over his shoulder matched perfectly with his stride. This time the guys covering him tagged him as soon as he caught the ball.

"Come on guys two of ya are covering him and he's still putting you to shame." Scott yelled as he was walking back from covering Wes.

The rest of the drive continued like this. It was pass after pass to George until they were in the end zone.

"Touchdown!" Mike yelled as George spiked the ball.

"Get to walking losers." George said as he was high fiving his teammates.

Scott kicked the ground and a puff of dirt and grass rose into the air and his team walked down the field getting ready to receive the kickoff.

Mike drew back and fired the ball as high and far as he could. His team ran down after it. They were down the field as soon as Steve caught the ball and they tagged him where he stood.

Scott took his team back in a huddle.

"I'll get Luke." Mike said. "He's the fastest. Everyone else grab a man and do what you can to cover him.

After a few seconds Scotts team yelled break and clapped their hands and walked to the line of scrimmage. Scott picked up the ball and yelled "Hut!" and the team took off.

Mike let Luke get a few feet ahead of him but followed effortlessly. Just as he hoped Scott threw the ball towards them. He picked up his pace, jumped up, and snatched the ball out of the air before Luke could get it. He landed, turned, and started running in the opposite direction. Only one that was even close to him was Scott but he didn't pose much of a problem and then he was in the end zone.

Scott kicked the dirt again and said a few choice words before his team and he began to walk to the opposite end of the field.

"Good job everyone." Mike said as his team made it to the end zone. "Everyone ready?"

His team answered yes and he drew his arm back and flung the ball down the field. This time however they got a decent return.

Scott took his team back to a huddle then brought them to the line.

"Let's just keep doing what we've been doing." Mike hollered to his team

"Hut!" Scott yelled and his team took off. He wasn't dumb enough this time to throw it towards Mike, so instead he threw it to Steve who was being covered by Wes. Steve caught the ball but was tagged about ten yards after the catch. Scott huddled and brought his team to the line of scrimmage again. Once again he yelled "Hut!" and the team took off. He threw it to Tony who caught the ball and was tagged shortly after. They did the same for the next couple downs until finally they scored on a pass from Scott to Andy. "That's right, take the walk losers." Scott yelled to the other team.

"We're still up by seven." Mike yelled back to him as he jogged down the field. His team lined up just like before. Scott tossed the ball down the field. Mike caught it and ran out about fifteen yards before he was tagged down. He took his team back in a huddle. "Ok gonna go three on the left, one on the right, and one behind me. I want the three on the left to run straights for about ten yards then you choose. George you're on my right. I want you to do a slant cross the field. Wes I want you behind me. I'm gonna fake the handoff to you and if George has two covering him going to hit him about fifteen yards up. But if he has triple coverage I'm hitting you with the ball."

"Me?" Wes asked in a bit of surprise.

"Yeah, they think you suck but I know you can catch so you're going to be covered loosely... It's the perfect plan." Mike began to smile. "Got it?"

"Yes" Wes and George said.

"On Go, ready break!" The team clapped their hands and lined up accordingly. Sure enough George had three guys in front of him. "Green seventy two! Green seventy two! Go!"

His team took off Wes ran up beside Mike and they faked the handoff. Mike dropped back a few more steps and sure enough Wes was barely covered. He drew back and threw it right to him. Wes caught the ball, turned, and ran. He made it about thirty yards before they tagged him down. Mike's team went back to the huddle.

"Everyone line up where ever and do what ya want. Try to get open. Let's just confuse them for a bit. I'll hit whoever is open. Let's go no huddle always on go." His team lined up all over the place. There were three on the line and two in the back field. "Go!" Mike yelled and his team took off. He dropped back and surveyed the field. He saw Ritchie was open so he threw it towards him. He caught it and was tagged right away. The team lined up again. This time it was Adam who was open and he threw him the ball but it was tipped and no one caught it.

"Second and ten." Scott yelled.

Mikes team once again lined up this time all on the line to his left. "Go!" he yelled. His team took off and once again Adam was open. He threw him the ball, this time he caught it and ran for about fifteen yards before being tagged down. They continued passing it to open man after open man. They were now about fifteen yards from the end zone. They lined up again going no huddle.

"Time!" Scott yelled breathing heavily.

Mike's team went back in to a huddle. "Anyone have any plays or just keep doing what we've been doing?"

Wes was the one who spoke up. "Well I can line up in the backfield and have everyone line up in front of me so their team lines up with us. They have been leaving you open all game, you toss it to me and then run out and I throw you the ball."

"I like it." Mike said. "Everyone good with that?"

The team nodded.

"On go then."

The team broke the huddle and they lined up accordingly. Just as predicted Mike was left open. "Go!" He yelled. The team ran out taking the other team with them. Mike tossed it to Wes and then took off to the end zone. Wes dropped back a few steps and with all his might threw the ball over to Mike who jumped up and caught the ball landing in the end zone.

"Touchdown!" He yelled as he spiked the ball. "That's halftime."

Mikes team ran over to him and gave him high fives as Scott's team sulked away.

All the kids made their way through the small patch of trees to one of the houses that their back yard started at the tree line. They owners didn't mind if they got a drink from the hose as long as they didn't drown the yard and they shut off the water when they were done. Everyone lined up and they turned it on. They let it run for a bit till it got cold and then one by one they all filled up on water. When everyone was done they turned off the water and walked back to the field.

"Our ball." Scott said as his team began to walk to the other end of the field.

"You guys ready?" Mike asked his team. When everyone nodded he drew his arm back and launched the ball down the field. Scott caught the ball and began to run but got tagged quickly after.

Scott took his team back in to a huddle. A few seconds passed and he brought them out. He sent his team down the field and threw it to one of his open guys. They repeated this till finally Scott hit Andy in the end zone for a touchdown. Scott began to cheer. "Fourteen twenty one!" He yelled and he jogged to the end zone.

Mikes team began to jog to the other side of the field. They barely got there before Scott threw the ball in a line drive to the ground making it bounce. The first person to the ball was George. He scooped up the ball just in time before he was tagged down by the opposing team.

"That was cheap!" Mike yelled down to Scott.

"Not my fault you guys took your sweet time turning around. You were down by your end zone before I threw it so it was legal."

Mike took his team in a huddle. "Ok let's just keep doing what we were doing but it looks like they are gonna start playing dirty so heads up."

His team lined up and on go ran out trying to get open. The first one open was Wes so he threw the ball, and sure enough Scott who was covering Wes shoved him out of the way and caught the ball himself. He was on the other side of the field so he easily made it in the end zone before anyone could get to him.

"What the hell Scott!" Mike yelled. "That's bull man. You can't shove him like that."

"I can't help it if he's a sissy and goes flying with a little tap. It's a tie game crybaby. Get to walking or are you going to cry more?"

Mike took his team down to the other side and once again Scott hurried the kickoff and threw it into the ground. This time Mike got to it first, snatched it up, and took off running. He made it about twenty yards before he was tagged.

"Just do the same." Mike said to his team. They lined up and once again on go took off.

Scott's team was giving cheap shot after cheap shot making it hard for anyone to get open. Mike sat back for as long as he needed to and then found George open as he cut back in towards him. He threw it and he caught it. They tagged him as hard as they could and he went tumbling to the ground.

"You ok George?" Mike asked as he ran over to him. "Come on guys!" He yelled at the other team while he helped him to his feet.

The possession continued like that. Mike got the ball to his players for short gains and they paid every time they touched the ball. Wes seamed to get the worst of it though. They must not have taken kindly to him throwing a touchdown on them. Thirteen plays later they made it into the end zone, the score now twenty eight to twenty one. Mike took a play out of Scott's book and as soon as they made it to their end zone he beamed it as hard as he could towards the ground and it began to bounce down the field. They ran around trying to scoop it up then they finally did but were downed as soon as they got it.

While Scott's team was in a huddle Mike gathered his up. "Listen if you want to get a little dirty then do it, fair is fair."

Scott's team was making its way to the line of scrimmage so they had to break the huddle before anyone could really respond. They got the message though. They all decided to give the other team a dose of their own medicine. There was pushing and shoving from both teams now and everyone was tagging so hard they might as well have been playing tackle. Scott's team had made their way down to about ten yards from the end zone. They lined up again and Scott hit Andy about a yard out of the end zone. Wes ran over and kicked his legs out from underneath him and he fell into the end zone.

"That's a touchdown!" Scott yelled.

Andy got up and ran towards Wes and shoved him as hard as he could.

Mike ran over and got in between them. "Come on Andy don't be a sissy. That's no worse than you guys have been doing to us."

Andy glared at Wes then turned and walked back to his team that had formed a huddle on the other end of the end zone.

Mike went over to Wes and helped him off the ground. "Well don't you have a big brass set?"

Wes laughed. "This is getting fun."

Mike and his team jogged down the field but about three quarters of the way down he turned around and started jogging backwards so he would be able to see when Scott was going to throw the ball and the rest of his team followed suit.

Scott chucked the ball high in the air after seeing he wasn't going to be able to catch them off guard.

Mike caught the ball and ran and was tagged down about mid field.

The game continued like this till it was tied thirty five to thirty five with Scott's team having the ball at mid field.

Scott brought his team to the line of scrimmage and sent them out in their routes. Scott saw Andy open and he threw it deep in the air. Mike was a few yards away and began running towards him. Wes bumped Andy out of the way and jumped up to grab the ball but just touching it with his fingertips. It bounced off and went straight in to Mikes hands. He took the ball and began to run back the way he came. He dodged two members of Scott's team before Scott himself tagged him down about ten yards outside of the end zone.

"Time out!" Mike yelled. He sat the ball down at the line of scrimmage, jogged back and called his team to huddle up. "Ok we score, we win and can talk smack for many days to come. Wes, remember that play you called earlier? Well we are going to do that but in reverse. You are going to start off with the ball and then toss it to me then I'm gonna hit you in the end zone."

The team began to nod and smile.

"On your go." Mike said. The team clapped their hands and the huddle broke. They lined up at the line of scrimmage. Wes picked up the ball. This caught the other team by surprise but they quickly adjusted.

"Three on Mike!" Scott yelled from the other side of the field.

"Green forty four!.. Green forty four!.. Scott's momma's a whore! Go!" Wes yelled the team ran out and he tossed the ball to Mike then ran out. Scott was caught in the middle of the field and he started to run back to cover Wes. It was too late though. Mike had thrown the ball and Wes caught it at the one yard line.

Scott made it there just in time for Wes to step into the end zone. He didn't stop. He ran up and shoved him as hard as he could knocking him face first in to the back metal post of the soccer goal.

Wes hit the post with a sickening thud and then collapsed to the ground.

"What the hell man!" Mike yelled as he began to run across the field. He got to Scott and whipped him around. "That was bull shit man."

"Whatev..."

That was all he could get out before Mike cocked his arm back and swung with all his might connecting square on Scott's nose. There was a loud crack as blood began to flow from it.

Scott grabbed his nose and ran off yelling.

Mike walked over to Wes. "You ok man?"

"Yeah, I probably deserved that."

"Yeah you kinda did." He reached his hand out and helped Wes up to his feet. He already had a huge bump on his forehead and it was bright red. "However... It was hilarious and besides, he's an ass anyways." He turned to the rest of the team "Pools on me guys."

All the guys on the team cheered as they turned to follow Mike to the pool across the street.

Chapter 3

This Old House

Mike was brought back to reality by the honk of the horn from the car behind him. The red light had apparently turned green during his little daydream. He cleared his head and began to drive again. He was hoping that in the ten minutes he had left on his drive he wouldn't have any more crazy flashbacks.

You'd think I was a war vet... He thought as he rearranged himself in his seat. He kept his eyes firmly on the road doing his best to not have anything else trigger another memory.

As he drove he passed a couple places that he couldn't help but see that triggered a thought or two but none as strong as the empty field. One was a small convenience store that was where a lot of the kids in the neighborhood would go get candy and comics. One afternoon Wes, Mike and Tony a mutual friend of theirs thought it would be a good idea to do a bit of shoplifting. It wasn't because they didn't have money; on the contrary, Wes always had money on him. His family was well off. They just decided that it would be exciting. Their target of choice was an eight foot long beef stick that was dubbed The Beef Lassooo. They went in there to do their thing and all was going well till on the way out Tony asked if they managed to get anything which was ok but when he proceeded to say that he couldn't because the store clerk was watching him. This of course caught the ear of one of the clerks and when she told them to stop, they took off. The clerk chased them but they ducked behind the dumpster before she made it around the corner and since she couldn't see where they went she didn't give chase beyond that point. They had survived the incident without a mark on their records and they were up eight feet of delicious beef snack. Life was good that day.

The next spot was the bowling alley. For some reason it made him think of a random double date they had gone on. Nothing special happened; it wasn't the start of a huge relationship for either of them. It was just a normal teenage double date, but it stood out to him for some reason.

All that went away as he hit his block in his old neighborhood. He hadn't been back in years and seeing his house gave him a nice warm feeling deep in his gut. He loved it at his school, all his friends were there, and he was treated like a super star but he still couldn't help but think of how good it was to be home. He wasn't sure how long he was going to be at Wes's house so he wasn't sure how long he'd be able to visit with his family before he had to drive back to school. Even though it somewhat pained him, he kept driving and passed his old house. A right turn and half a block later he was at his destination.

He was in shock as he pulled up in front of Wes's house. Last time he had seen it, it had been a run down, abandoned, wreck of a house. He had told Wes he was an idiot for buying it and it had actually been the climax of an argument that had ended their friendship. Now though it was beautiful. It was fully restored and looked like it was from another era in time. How did he afford all this? He thought to himself.

He pulled his car in the drive way turned off the ignition, got out of the car, and began to walk up to the house. The lawn was freshly mowed and the plants that lined the large covered wrap around porch were well tended. He made his way to the back, opened the gate, and walked in to the fenced in back yard. In the back corner sat a large gazebo surrounded by large green, well-trimmed bushes.

This looks like something out of a Martha Stewart magazine or an issue of Lawn and Garden. He thought to himself as he made his way towards the gazebo and sat down on the swing that sat beside it. He just stared out at the huge three story house, absolutely amazed at how much Wes had done with it. He figured he had some time till Wes's parents got there, the line of people waiting to offer their final condolences was pretty long. He began to swing on the swing taking in the completely remodeled house. It must have cost a fortune to do this. He thought to himself as his gaze made its way towards the top of the house. He noticed that the attic window was stained glass. He couldn't make out exactly what the image was because it wasn't a large window but it appeared to look like a man and a woman. He stood up and walked towards the house and image became clearer with every step until finally he noticed that the guy in the window looked very similar to Wes. Mike smiled and shook his head then made his way around to the other side of the house but couldn't get through the locked gate on that side so he back tracked and made his way back around to the front. When he made it to the front of the house he sat on the front porch and waited. After about twenty minutes Wes's parents were pulling up. He was actually surprised at the quickness of their arrival. He thought it would've been much longer than it had. He stood up and made his way towards the street.

Wes's parents didn't pull in the drive way, they parked on the road and only Wes's mother got out of the car. His father didn't even shut the car off and it was easy to tell from his face how much he hated being near the house so Mike knew it wasn't going to be a long visit. When she got out she was carrying two large manila envelopes.

"Hello Mrs. Joyner."

"Hello Mike." She walked to him and gave him a big hug. "It's so nice to see you. It's been too long you know."

"I know, I have a lot going on up there with football and training." He tried to change subjects he started to get a guilty feeling in his gut. "I didn't expect you to be so soon. I figured it would have taken longer before you got out."

"Yeah I'm surprised too. I think some people just got tired of standing around so they left." She began to walk towards the house.

Mike turned and followed her.

"This is your last year of school right?" She stopped about a foot from the porch and began to stare at the house.

"Actually I graduated last year but I'm playing football this year since I was redshirted as a freshman. I wasn't going to celebrate graduating till after football this year then Jen and I could celebrate together."

"I never did quite understand that." She smiled at him. "I never did get in to football. We watched your games when they were on TV but I have to admit I hadn't the slightest clue as to what was going on. I just knew that when Wes and Steve were cheering it was a good thing."

Mike let out a slight chuckle. "I was redshirted my freshman year. That means that I couldn't play that year but it gives me an extra year of eligibility. Think of it as like a deferred payment. You don't have to pay this month but they add a payment on to the end of the lease."

"That actually made sense." She smiled.

"Thought I'd try to put it in terms you'd understand. I figured that would make sense with you working at the bank."

"Well I guess the college classes paid off, that was very teacher like of you." She smiled as she reached in her purse and dug out a set of keys.

"You did major in teaching right?"

"Yes I did." He smiled. "High school science, it gives me something to fall back on if the football doesn't pay off or if I get injured."

"That's good. I always said you were a smart young man. I'm proud that you took real classes and didn't waste your time and not get a solid degree."

"Yeah I never understood why some people didn't take advantage. I mean I got a full ride, didn't have to pay a dime and I'd be a fool if I didn't take advantage. I know it just takes one shot to a knee or one to the shoulder and my career is done before it starts." Mike gave Mrs. Joyner a smile. "I listened to you. You and Wes hounded me about it remember." He laughed. "I listened." He felt a twinge of pain as he said Wes's name aloud.

"Well we are all so proud. Wes was always proud of you, never missed a game. He'd go over to your parent's house once a week and talk with your mother and see how everything was going."

Mike felt that ball of guilt that had been growing inside him burst, spreading it from head to toe. Here Wes was keeping track of him watching his games and he completely distanced himself from everyone back here. He was too busy playing the superstar to make it home and visit everyone and now it was too late to make amends with Wes. He could feel some tears start to well up in his eyes.

"That's enough catching up for now." Mrs. Joyner could see that he was starting to get emotional so she figured it best to change the subject. That wasn't why she asked him here and she knew they both had enough crying for the time being. "Let's get to why I asked you here. It's late and it's been a long, long day for both of us."

"That sounds good. I have to head back up to school tonight and I'd like to get to my parent's house before it gets too late."

"I can understand that." She stretched out her arms and handed Mike the two large manila envelopes. "This one here." She pointed at the top one, which was the larger of the two. "This is a copy of Wes's will and the deed to the house."

"I'm sorry?" Mike was taken by surprise. "The deed to his house? What am I supposed to do with the deed? Isn't that better to be with his lawyer? Wes was a smart guy I'm sure he has a lawyer."

"Yes he does have a lawyer. However I figured I could just give you this stuff here. I knew you'd come to the funeral so no point in me not handing it to you myself."

"Well what am I supposed to do with it?"

"Well everything is explained in the will." She smiled at him. "He is leaving you the house and all of its contents. That's all I really know though all the details are in your part of the will. It was broken up in to individual sections. We have ours and you have yours no one person apart from his lawyer knows all the details to each other's section."

"How do you know he's leaving me the house? What am I supposed to do with it?"

"Michael... I'm his mother he told me he was leaving it to you. Read your part of the will it will explain everything."

Mike wasn't sure what to say. How could he till he read his part of the will anyway. "Well what about the other envelope? I kind of interrupted you, sorry. Was just taken by surprise is all."

"That is his private journal."

He held up the envelope and turned it around in his hand. "Looks small."

"He put it on all on the computer, you know him." She smiled. "That is the file, I have no idea what it's on but it's all there. There is a handwritten note for you in there too." She took the key that was in her hand and laid it on top of the two envelopes he had in his. "He wanted you to read it. He said they would explain everything in detail. There is the key to the house. We have a set too just in case."

Mike just stood there and looked over all the things that she had given him. It had all been a shock. He never thought in a million years that he would have given him the house or anything else for that matter. I guess it makes sense his parents don't need it and he doesn't really have any other family to give it to, but still. He began to think but decided to put off thinking too hard on it till he read the will and the note. He wasn't sure how he felt about reading the journal. He didn't really think he wanted to see what was going on inside his head and just how bad he had gotten.

"I know it's a lot Michael. I hope you read the note maybe you can see things through his eyes a little. I know you two had a falling out and I know all of this is overwhelming, but he loved you. You were his closest friend so I really hope you read some of that and I hope it will help you understand a little better." She leaned in and gave him another big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I am going to get going it's been a long hard day and I am exhausted. I hope I see you soon, we'd all really like you to come back a little more often." She leaned back and placed her hands on his cheeks and looked him in the eyes. "We love you Michael and we're so proud of you."

"Love you too Mrs. Joyner." He smiled.

She gave him a big smile dropped her hands, turned, and began to walk back to the car. She opened the door and climbed in. Mr. Joyner leaned over and gave Mike a wave then they drove off leaving him standing in front of the house.

Wait... Does she know about everything? It sure seemed like she did... Did he tell her? He thought to himself as he watched them drive away. He turned and walked towards the house. When he got to the porch he climbed a few steps then turned and sat down. He sat his envelopes down and held the key up and looked at it. What the hell am I going to do with this house? I'm sure as shit not going to live in it. He thought to himself as he dropped his hand and then stuck the key in his front pocket. He picked up the envelope that had Wes's journal and the note then opened it up. He dumped the contents in to his hand. There was a smaller envelope that was sealed and a flash drive which must contain Wes's transferred journal. He stared at the flash drive and it brought a smile to his face. God you were always such a dork, bet you thought spy thoughts the entire time you were typing this stuff out. I swear this thing better not self-destruct or have a virus to wipe my computer when I'm done with it. He thought to himself and the last thought actually made him laugh. The James Bond theme started playing in his head. He tried to shake it out but when he had no luck he put the flash drive in his pocket with the key, tore open the smaller envelope, and pulled out the letter that was inside. He was surprised to see that it was hand written. He expected it to be typed.

Dear Michael Alexander Lachey,

How ya doing buddy? I'm sure not well and I do sincerely apologize for that. I'm in a better place now and with my dearest love. We are happy together I hope you can find it in your heart to accept that. I know it's not your normal situation but when was I ever a fan of normality. I am sure you are upset that I took my own life, hell I'd be mad if you did. The truth is Mike I was already dead. It was only a matter of time before it happened. Do you remember when we were 13 and I got in that car accident with my uncle? I lost a lot of blood and needed a transfusion. Well somehow I got a bad batch that was infected HIV. I never told anyone, only people who knew were my Doctor, my parents, and a lawyer. It was kept very tight lipped the hospital didn't want anyone to know so they kept it out of the papers. We won a very hefty settlement, but we'll talk about that later. Bottom line is I was getting sicker and only had a handful of years left with the majority of them being bad ones anyway. I really hope this will help you forgive me and not be to upset. I think it would have been worse had everyone watched me get sick and suffer. The ones I love know the truth and as far as everyone else, well you know I never cared much for other's opinions. I do hope this letter helps you to understand things a little more. As far as things with Emily you have to read my journal. I put it all on a flash drive. It's all in order from the earliest till now. I started keeping a journal after the accident. Almost dying changed my life Mike, in many ways. I wouldn't change what happened even if I could. My only regret is that our kids couldn't play together, but after the accident that wouldn't be possible even if I hadn't done what I did. I know you are going to move on you'll get drafted and I will become just a blip in your amazing life and that's ok. It was always going to be that way. You are going to be happy and have a great life and that makes me very happy. Have an amazing life Mike and make us all proud, I'll be watching.

Love

Your Friend,

Wesley Theodor Joyner

P.S. I can't believe I forgot. Read the will it will explain everything about the house and my savings.

Mike sat there unsure what to think. He was angry that he had never told him about being sick. He was supposed to be my best friend and he couldn't tell me something that important? He thought to himself. In his anger he did feel a bit of understanding that he hadn't felt before. I wouldn't have wanted to suffer either, nor would I have wanted to see him suffer. He thought. Even though his letter shined some light on things it still left Mike's emotions torn. Now he wasn't sure if he wanted to get in to the will tonight or just wait and start fresh in the morning. He folded up the letter, put it back in the envelope, and sat it down. He started to get an uneasy feeling. He began to look around but he saw nothing. He started to get a chill as his hair began to stand on the back of his neck then he had the weirdest sensation. It felt like someone had placed their hand on his shoulder. The feeling was so real it made him jump. As he jumped out of his seat, he began to turn towards the house to try and see what it was that had touched him but all he caught was a flash of white, then it was gone.

What the hell? He thought to himself as he began to look around and without even noticing he had backed about ten feet from the porch. Ok I think I've had enough for one day. I am going to my parents. He thought as he walked back towards the porch and picked the envelope with the letter Wes had written off of the bottom step. He had knocked it off the porch when he jumped up. He grabbed the manila envelope that contained a copy of the will and turned to make his way towards his car. He began to get an uneasy feeling again. It was different this time he felt a bit more fearful and before he could make it all the way facing his car it felt as if someone had shoved him with all their might. He was a strong man and with all the years of football he wasn't the easiest man to knock down, but he about fell flat on his face. When he caught his balance he actually began to jog to get to his car.

He finally made it and he threw open his door and climbed in. As he stuck his key in the ignition he took a final glance towards the house. There in a window up stairs stood a figure, a female figure, a pale white female figure. It was the same white he had saw when he had felt the hand on his shoulder. He locked on her face and he could have sworn she was staring right at him and then she vanished. When he finally got control of his body again he turned the key bringing the engine to life. He threw the car in reverse and slammed on the gas, the tires squealed as he backed out of the drive way. Once he was in the road he put it in first gear and hit the gas and once again the tires squealed as he drove away.

It took him all of a minute to get back to his parent's house. As soon as he pulled in his driveway he began to feel better as the uneasy feeling had faded away. He sat there in his car trying to rationalize what had just happened and what he had seen. He decided that it had been a long day and his emotions were making his brain play tricks on him. That's it... between the funeral and the letter and Wes's crap my mind is playing tricks on me. He thought and he was good with this. It was the only obvious explanation for what had happened. He sat in his car for a few more minutes thinking about what had just happened and inputting the rational thoughts where they should go and he felt his body relax as he did so. I wasn't pushed I tripped, Wes's shit had just infiltrated my thoughts is all. On top of it all I have always hated that damn house and that is more than enough to give me the creepy feelings I had. He thought to himself. He remembered passing it as he walked to school when he was in elementary and it gave him the creeps then too. It always made you feel like something was off, it was very unsettling. When he finally got his thoughts together and everything in place he grabbed the papers he had tossed on the passenger seat then opened his door and stepped out of his car. As he walked towards the front door of his parent's house he heard a lot of noise coming from it.

Chapter 4

Home Sweet Home

As he got closer to the door he made the sound out to be lots of laughing, which struck him as a bit odd. They all knew what the day was and even though they couldn't make it to the funeral you wouldn't think they would be laughing and carrying on. What the hell is going on here? He thought as he got to the front door and opened it up. There sitting on the couch with his mom and dad on either side was Jen and in her lap sat a large photo album.

"What's going on?" Mike asked nervously. He was nervous because his mom was a wannabe photographer and she took photos of every little moment with of course her specialty being the embarrassing ones.

All the faces in the room looked at him as he stepped through the door and closed it behind him.

"Nothing honey." Jen said with a big smile on her face. "Your mom and dad were just showing me some old photos of you.

"I see." Mike said. "Um... What are you doing here Jen?"

"What kind of question is that Michael?" His mom asked. "She is welcome here whenever she wants."

"And I would never dream of saying otherwise... Seriously though... What are you doing here?"

"Michael Alexander Lachey." His mother said. "You rude boy." She began to shake her head as she glared at him.

"Yeah, come sit down Mal." His father said "I'll move over to the chair so you can sit by your lovely lady here."

Mike hesitated but knew he was stuck. He couldn't very well leave now, even though that was exactly what he wanted to do. He walked over and sat his envelopes on the kitchen table then very reluctantly made his way and sat down by Jen. Just as he expected the photo album was open to a page that had an embarrassing picture of a young Mike playing with a football naked. That one sat next to a picture from the same day of him sitting on the football and of course he was naked in that one too.

"So Jennifer... how'd you get here?" He decided to approach it from another angle, not wanting to catch hell from his mom again.

"Well I mentioned something to Heather about you coming to your parents and she kindly offered to bring me here." She brought her gaze up from the photo of a young Mike holding his newborn sister. "Just in case you were upset and needed me. I forgot she is from this neighborhood too."

"Oh... Me too, totally slipped my mind." Of course it hadn't really, he knew full well that they grew up together. He just never thought about her coming here on her own which was the case because as much as he hated it, his parents had a tendency to embarrass him. They took the opportunity any chance they could too, especially when he had a girl over. They started back when he first started dating and they just kept explaining to him that, that's what parents are for. He chalked it up to too many dumb movies and TV sitcoms. "That was nice of her to offer to bring you. I'll have to be sure to thank her." I bet she's just laughing it up all the way back to school. He thought to himself.

He had dated Heather for short period so she knew exactly what was going to happen because his parents got out the same photos when he brought her over for the first time.

"Yeah I wasn't going to but she talked me in to it. She's a very good friend." She said with a wicked look on her face. She might as well have been saying "Ha, Ha I win!" She had been trying to get him to bring her here for a while now but he always had his family come visit them.

"Yep the best." Mike said through lightly gritted teeth.

"Your mom and dad are showing me old photos. You were such a cute little kid." She said with a huge smile. "These are the most adorable photos I have ever seen."

"Yeah?" Mike said with a smile. "Well I can't wait to go to your parent's house and see what photos they have of you."

Jen smiled and laughed a little. "Well I'm afraid you'll be disappointed." She flipped the page of the photo album. "My parents didn't take many photos themselves. Most of the photos we have of me as a kid are professionally done and I assure you I am not naked in a single one. The most embarrassing thing you'll see in there is... I do believe a picture of me covered in mud that my Aunt Jonnie took when I spent a summer at her house." Jen turned the page.

Mike sat back on the couch and started shaking his head. "Well ok then."

Jen began to laugh. "Who is this other boy in this picture with you?"

"What picture?"

Before Jen could show the book to Mike his mom answered for him. "That's his cousin Jeremy. That's a result of Jeremy having a much older sister with a wild sense of humor."

Mike sat back up in his seat. "Well Honey it's getting late we should probably get going. We have a long drive ahead of us." He stood up and forced a stretch and a yawn.

"But sweetie? We can't leave yet you just got here, besides your mom said she has about four more books like this." She smiled.

"All the more reason." Mike replied.

"Oh come on Mal. You haven't been back home in a long time." His father said as he nudged him to sit down. "You two should stay the night you can have your old room. We never did turn it in to that work out room I wanted to."

"Yeah I can see that." Mike said as he looked down at his father's oversized belly.

"Hey now." His father began to rub his stomach with his hands. "This is what you have to look forward to, it's a Lachey tradition. Besides it took me a lot of work to get this sexy physic."

Mike smiled. "It's a long drive and I have practice on Monday."

"We can leave early in the morning and I'll drive back if you want." Jen pouted her lips and tilted her head. Seeing that wasn't enough she brought her hands up in a begging position. "Please?"

"We didn't bring any extra clothes."

"Sleep naked." His mom piped in. "Or in your undies. It does get a bit warm back in that room anyways, remember?"

"Really mom?"

"We could run to the store I'm sure there is a store around here."

"Yeah There is a Wal-Mart right down the road. Open twenty four hours. I'll make a nice big breakfast in the morning." His mom walked in to the kitchen and began going through the cupboards and then the fridge. "Yep we have everything we need. Oh this is so nice having you back in the house Michael."

"Are there any of my old clothes still in my closet?"

"If you had it in there then it probably still is."

"I'll just use a pair of dad's shorts and I'm sure I have something Jen can wear. I'm not in the mood to go to the store."

"I'll run to the store sweetie, you can stay here. I need a few things anyways."

"Oh, well I'll go with you then." Mike's mom volunteered. "If you two are staying then I can grab some stuff and make Mike's favorite food in honor of him being here."

"Well it's settled then." Jen stood up and clapped her hands together. "Mrs. Lachey and I will run to the store."

"Oh that's enough of that Mrs. Lachey talk. Call me Betty or better yet call me mom."

"Ok... Mom would you like to drive or do you want me to? We can take our car."

"Oh if we are taking your car I'd love to drive. It's such a cute little car, I bet its loads of fun to drive."

"Oh it's very, very fun." Jen smiled.

Mike shook his head. "Well you ladies have fun then. I have some stuff I need to look over anyways."

"What's that babe?" Jen asked.

"Oh, Wes's will. I'll have to tell you about it later after I understand it a bit more myself."

"Want me to take a look at it Mal?" His dad asked? "If it's giving you some trouble I'd be more than happy to."

"I haven't even looked at it yet. I just meant I don't understand why I am in it."

"You two were practically inseparable until..."

"I know." Mike cut his dad off. He had a long day and wasn't in much of a mood to hear about his and Wes's friendship ending. "He left me his house. I don't understand that part. He knew I wouldn't need it. Just don't understand which is why I have to read the will."

"I see your dilemma."

"Ok while you read the will, we are going to run to the store. What do you want me to get you to wear?" Jen asked.

"Just a pair of shorts and a shirt is fine. Probably won't wear the shirt much anyways."

"Hey, hey now. There won't be any of that in this house." Mike's father said through a half smile.

"Oh hush honey." Mike's mom turned to Jen. "You two are welcome to have sexual relations here. You're young; it's natural, so you just feel free."

"Oh Jesus..."

"Well thank you Mom." Jen cut off Mike. "It is very natural. My parents would probably shoot us if..."

"Don't you two have to go to the store? The clock is ticking and chicken and dumplings takes a long time to make." Mike was the one interrupting this time.

"You are absolutely right honey." Mike's mom walked to the table and grabbed her purse. "Ok Miss Jennifer let's go have some girl time."

"Not so sure that's a good idea... but hey have fun." Mike sat back on the couch again, waved to His mother and Jen, then folded his arms behind his head. "Oh will you get me some cranberry juice please?"

"Yes dear." Mrs. Lachey and Jen said in unison. "Anything else?"

"No that should do it."

Mrs. Lachey and Jen turned and made their way out of the door closeing it behind them.

Mike stood up and walked over to the table where he had laid down his two envelopes one containing the letter Wes had wrote and the other the will. He picked up the letter folded it and placed it in his pocket then picked up the large envelope containing the will and opened it up.

"You know you never told us why you two stopped talking." Mike's father said as he was pouring himself a drink in the kitchen. "You want a drink?"

"What is it?" Mike asked as he pulled the will out and sat it on the table.

"Same thing I've drank for the last twenty years." He said as he grabbed another glass out of his cupboard. He grabbed a few cubes of ice and placed them in it then poured the light brown liquid in the glass.

"I never did much care for scotch dad, but no point in letting it go to waste." Mike said with a smile.

Mr. Lachey picked up the two glasses took a sip out of the one he poured for himself and walked to the table to sit down. He slid Mike's glass over to him. "I take this as you're not going to tell me what happened between you two."

"Wes came by from time to time, he didn't tell you?" Mike took a sip of his drink.

"We never asked him, just like we never asked you."

"Honestly it's a long story and I'd rather not get in it right now. Maybe some other time." Mike took a sip of his fresh drink. "I don't remember this tasting so good."

"Well maybe your tastes have refined themselves in your later years." His dad took another sip and then smiled. "Or it could be that I splurged when I got this bottle. It's a tad better quality than what I normally buy."

Mike Laughed. "Well you'll have to tell me what brand it is and maybe I'll buy some."

"Nah it's not good for you." Mr. Lachey smiled. "I imagine your coaches would rather you not drink anyways." He took another sip of his scotch. "One drink with your old man isn't going to hurt though." He shot Mike a wink. "You want me to look at that for you?" He poked his finger on the will.

"Yeah sure." Mike said as he slid it over to him. "I can't think straight right now."

Mr. Lachey grabbed the will and began to read it. He'd stop occasionally to take a sip of his scotch.

Mike sat their watching and sipping his drink. After a few minutes he was done with his and stood up.

Mr. Lachey took the last gulp of his drink and handed his glass to Mike. He walked in to the kitchen and made them each a fresh drink then made his way back to the table and handed his dad his drink before sitting

"Well most of this is just legal jargon, what it boils down to is that he left you the house and his savings account as long as you agree to maintain the house."

"What? Why? What if I don't want to have to worry about that stuff?"

"Well none of it goes in to your name until you agree and sign some papers." Mr. Lachey took another sip of his drink. "Basically he wants you to be the care taker of it. It doesn't say specifically how much money he has but it says that the interest from his account will be enough to hire people to maintain it."

"He knew I had no plans of moving back to the area. I'm not going to live there I've always hated that house."

"Well he doesn't expect you to live there it says." Mr. Lachey took another sip of scotch. "It actually says he wants it to stay vacant. He wants it in your name so that it doesn't get taken and auctioned off. He wants you to have it in your name, set all the utilities up, keep them paid, and keep it from falling apart."

"How am I supposed to do all that if I'm nowhere near the house?" Mike grabbed the will from in front of his dad and slid it back into the large manila envelope.

"Well utilities can be set up on an auto payment plan I'm sure, so they come straight out of the account. The rest I guess you'd have to hire someone every year to give the place a once over and see if anything needs replaced." He took another sip of his scotch. "The will is pretty adamant that no one live there outside of you if you are in need."

"Why the hell wouldn't he want anyone to live there?" Mike took a drink of his scotch. "We haven't spoken in years and barely spoke before that point. Why me? Why not his parents?"

Mr. Lachey took a large gulp of his scotch and sat his glass on the table. "I honestly don't know. It didn't say anything in that letter?"

"No nothing about this. Just about why he killed himself and some things about us."

"Well I guess you're going to have to answer that question yourself then." Mr. Lachey picked up his glass and swirled the ice around. "Why did he kill himself? We always liked the boy but he was acting a bit strange towards the end there."

"He was sick, didn't want people to see him suffer." Mike wasn't about to tell him the main reason he did it though. He wished he himself didn't really know. It made Wes seam absolutely insane.

"Well I guess that makes sense. It's hard to see a family member suffer."

"Yeah makes it more acceptable. Never know what you'd do until you're in those shoes." Mike took a large gulp finishing off his drink. I honestly think he would have done it even if he wasn't sick. He thought to himself. "Does it say when I have to have an answer by?"

"No it didn't but I'd expect a call in a few days from his lawyer or is parents at the very least."

"Guess I have a lot to think about then." Mike stood up and took his glass in to the kitchen and sat it in the sink.

Just then the front door opened and Mrs. Lachey and Jen walked in laughing. They each had two large bags. Mike walked over to the door and took the bags from his mom and sat them on the table.

"Such the gentlemen." His mom said as she sat down in the chair he had been sitting in.

Jen handed Mike the bag of clothes and sat the bag with a bottle of cranberry juice and a tall bottle in a brown paper bag on the kitchen counter.

Mike reached in and pulled it out. "What's this?" He said with a smile.

"Nothing just a bottle of wine. Your mom has never had it so I figured we could try it." She leaned in and gave Mike a kiss. "Besides she said that you two were probably already getting into your father's scotch."

"Never." Mike and his dad said in unison.

"And what's that you have in your hand then dear?" Mrs. Lachey asked.

"This? Oh it's nothing, just some iced tea." He held up his glass and swirled the ice around before finishing off the liquid that was in it. "And now you can't prove otherwise." He winked at his wife.

Jen let out a loud laugh. "My parents are so uptight. This is such a welcome change."

"Well I'm going to go take our clothes in the other room and change." Mike grabbed the bag of clothes that he had sat down on the table and began to make his way to the stair way.

Jen followed suit and they walked up the stairs.

Mike stopped at the first set of doors that sat directly across from one another then turned to his right. "Well here is my old room." He turned the knob and opened the door. "What do you think?"

The room was painted a bright green, the color of grass and it was trimmed in white and on the far wall there were stands painted on it and a bright yellow field goal post. His bed sat in the far corner. It wasn't made but a set of blankets and sheets sat on it. Jen took a few steps in and turned to her right and saw posters of football players. There were two on either side of a large set of shelves that where either covered in books or trophies.

"Yep the room of a teenage jock." Mike tossed the bag of clothes on the bed and began to take off his tie.

"I don't really know what to say." Jen said as she began to laugh. "Now that I see it I don't think it could have been any other way." She laughed as she walked over and began to look at the rows of trophies and plagues that sat on the shelves.

Mike finished undoing his tie and started to unbutton his shirt. "For breaking different records and championships and stuff."

"I see." She turned and saw that Mike was half undressed now. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "I love you."

He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. "Love you too baby." He gave her a kiss on the forehead. "You ok?"

"Yeah I'm ok, how are you though... Are you ok?" She leaned back and looked up at him. "I can't really tell if you're truly not that upset or you're just really good at holding in your emotions." She placed her head on his bare chest. "Just worried that you're holding it all in and exploding later."

"Honestly, I'm just trying to make it past the season. I can deal with it all then."

Jen unwrapped her arms and turned around. "Unzip me?" She pulled up her hair so it wouldn't get caught in the zipper.

Mike slowly unzipped her black dress. He leaned down and kissed her back where the top of the zipper had been, and then he kissed her on the neck. He leaned back up and began to unbuckle his belt.

"Thank you." Jen said as she pulled her arms out of the dress and let it fall to the ground. She gave her hips a little shake. She wasn't looking at him but she knew exactly where his eyes would be focused. She turned around, walked over to the bed and began to pull out the clothes she had gotten.

Mike had come up behind her and wrapped his arm around her stomach and moved her hair so that he could kiss her neck again. He began to kiss his way up to her earlobe.

"That's about enough of that." She said as she smiled and spun out of his arm. "Your parents are expecting us down stairs." She grabbed her clothes. She had gotten herself, a pink pair of pajama shorts and an oversized men's shirt.

"We have time for a quickie."

Jen smiled as she began to put on her new clothes.

"Grrrrrr..." He finished taking off his pants and then grabbed his clothes off of the bed. She had gotten him a blue pair of shorts and a shirt that displayed the Ole'Miss logo. "Nice."

"Yeah they had a section of college stuff actually. Figured can't have enough school clothes." She smiled.

Mike pulled on his shorts and then his shirt. He grabbed the clothes he had just taken off and folded them up.

Jen followed suit and grabbed her dress off of the floor. She didn't fold it she just laid it flat on the bed. "So did you go over the will while we were gone?"

"Yeah dad went through and just gave me the quick version."

"What did it say?"

"Basically he left me the house and money to take care of the house."

"It's a beautiful house but..."

"We have no intention on living near here, trust me I know babe. I have no idea what he was thinking. He knew I wanted to move away." Mike placed his folded clothes in the bag that had come from the store. "Selfish asshole. He doesn't want me living in it, not that I would. He wants me to make sure no one else does and that it doesn't get torn down."

"That's odd." Jen said as she began to walk to the door of the room.

"You have no idea." Mike started following her.

Jen stopped and turned around to face Mike. "You know... I'd like to."

"Like to what?" Mike asked as he reached past her and turned the knob to open the door.

"To have an idea. I'd like to know about you two and why you stopped talking after all those years of being friends."

"Oh... I know you would babe. Later ok?"

"Yeah." Jen leaned in and kissed him. "Oh yeah, before I forget this was in the car." She held up the small flash drive that Wes had put his journal on."

"Oh damn. I forgot all about that." He reached and grabbed it. "It's Wes's journal. He put it on a disk and wants me to read it. Thinks it will help me understand things."

"Oh."

"Yeah told you... Odd."

Jen turned and made her way out of the room with Mike following behind her.

Chapter 5

A Little Loud and Peaceful

As Jen and Mike made their way down the steps the house had already begun to fill up with wonderful aromas from his mom's cooking. They made their way back towards the table and his dad was still sitting there sipping on a new glass of scotch. Mike sat down at the table and Jen continued in to the kitchen.

"Anything I can do to help mom?" She asked.

"Well let's see. You could slice up the carrots and celery." Mrs. Lachey said as she pointed towards a drawer. "Knifes are in there and the cutting board is in the cupboard underneath it."

"Please be careful. I don't feel like going to the hospital to get a finger sewed back on." Mike hollered from the table. His dad let out a little chuckle.

"That's enough of that Michael." His mother said back to him. "She'll be just fine." She leaned close to Jen and whispered. "Do you know how to chop stuff dear?"

"I've seen cooking shows." Jen whispered back.

"Ok, well you're ok to do it then?"

"Yep I've seen a lot of cooking shows." Jen smiled as she sat the cutting board on the counter and then reached in the bag and grabbed the carrots and celery. She opened up each package and took them to the sink and washed the vegetables. She shook them off and took them back to the cutting board and sat them down beside it. She reached in to the drawer and pulled out a knife, then grabbed a carrot and began to dice.

Mike's mom watched her. "Oh you'll be just fine." She smiled and began to continue what she was doing.

"Did someone put the wine in the fridge?" Mike asked as he stood up and made his way into the busy kitchen.

"Yes I did." Mrs. Lachey said. "You might as well go sit back down because If you cross that line." She pointed at the spot that the dining room ended and the kitchen began. "You'll be put to work."

"I was going to get a drink."

Jen paused from cutting. "What is it that you wanted to drink Michael?"

Mike glared at her. She had never called him Michael before now and he knew it was just to be a brat because his mother had been calling him that. "Well Jennifer, I would love a glass with ice, filled three quarters of the way with the cranberry juice you got and mom I'm presuming that you have a bottle of vodka in the freezer."

Mrs. Lachey smiled and nodded her head.

"Ok then Jennifer if you could fill it the rest of the way with that I'd be grateful."

Jen smiled. "Where are the glasses?"

Mike pointed at the cupboard above her head. "And ice is in the freezer."

"Ha, Ha." Jen said with a glare as she opened the cupboard. "Tall or short?"

"Short please dear." Mike said with a smile.

She pulled out the glass and made her way to the freezer. She opened the door and grabbed a handful of ice and dumped it in the glass. "Where is the vodka?"

"Bottom shelf." Mrs. Lachey answered.

Jen bent down to look on the bottom shelf. "Oh my god."

"What?" Mike asked with a smile.

"Why is there a glass skull in the freezer?"

"Oh that. It's the type of vodka mom buys, Dan Akroyd makes it." Mike looked over to his mom. "What's it called again?"

"Crystal Head Vodka."

"Yep, that's it, Crystal Head Vodka. You have to pull the top off. It isn't a twist off."

Jen reached in and grabbed the cold glass skull then sat the glass of ice on the counter, pulled the top off the glass skull and poured the vodka slowly in the glass. She filled it up a little more than a quarter of the way then put the top back on and put it back in the freezer.

"I put the cranberry juice in the fridge." Mrs. Lachey said.

Jen opened the fridge and pulled out the bottle of juice opened it up and topped off the glass then put it back in the fridge. She picked up the glass and swished it around. Then she took a sip. "That's good."

"Yes it is now hand it over please."

She took another sip then handed it to Mike and went back and began to finish chopping the carrots and celery.

Mike took his drink and went back to the table where his dad had pulled the will back out and was looking over it again.

"I'm curious how much money he has in his account. It would have to be a good deal if you can pay for everything with the interest."

"Yeah it would." Mike took a sip of his drink. "I honestly have no idea though. He never mentioned anything about any of that. I'm not sure why he wants me to do this anyways."

"Who else does he really have Mal?"

"His parents." Mike took a sip of his drink. "I know what you're saying though." He shook his head. "I hate that damn house."

"You always have since you two were kids." Mr. Lachey smiled and patted him on his arm. "I remember when you two thought it would be a good idea to sneak in to the house when you were kids."

"I remember." Mike shook his head and took a sip of his drink.

"You two came running in the house and you were screaming your heads off." His dad was at a full laugh now. "Hey honey." He hollered to Mrs. Lachey in the kitchen.

"Yes dear?"

"Do you remember when Wes and Mal were kids and thought they'd be ghost hunters and sneak in to Wes's house when it was run down?"

"Yeah I do. We told them not to go, but they didn't listen."

"Nope they didn't. They came running in the house screaming bloody murder."

Mike heard Jen laughing from the kitchen.

"We were kids and the house was creepy." Mike took a gulp of his drink. "I'm sure you have all kinds of embarrassing stories from when you were a kid Jen."

"Nope I sure don't" She said as she began to chop raw chicken breasts in to small pieces. "I wasn't allowed to have embarrassing moments. You know that."

Mr. Lachey cleared his throat and stopped laughing. "So what are you going to do about this?" He pointed to the will. "I'm sure they'll want an answer soon."

"I know. I'm not entirely sure yet." Mike took another sip of his drink, swirled it around, and then sat it on the table. "I'm not going to think about it tonight." He picked up the will and folded it up. "I'll talk to Jen about it tomorrow on the way back and see what she has to say." He slid it back into the manila envelope and sat it down. "What do you think?"

"Well... I think that you two were close for a long time and depending on why you two stopped being friends. I mean if he banged your mom I'd say no, but if it was because he said Tom Brady was a better quarterback than Peyton Manning then I'd say do it."

Mike smacked his forehead and began to shake his head. "And you guys could never figure out why I never brought people over."

"What'd I say?" Mr. Lachey asked with a slight chuckle. "Listen I'm just saying this, you two were friends for a long time. Wes was a smart kid who never did anything without thinking about it up and down a hundred times over." He patted Mike's arm again. "He wanted you to do it for a good reason and I wouldn't dismiss that lightly."

"I know." Mike put his hand on top of his dad's. "You're right."

Mr. Lachey turned and looked in to the kitchen then turned back around. "So Jen?"

"Yes?" Mike was unsure exactly where he was going to go with this.

"Well is she the one or what?"

"Oh that." He said with relief in his voice.

"What do you mean, oh that?"

"Hard to say what you or mom is ever going to say at times." Mike picked up his glass and took a big drink and finished it off. "She's awesome though isn't she?" He sat his glass down on the table. "It's funny she talks about her parents. Tells me how snooty they are I've only ever met her father for a brief moment when he came to last year's championship game. We didn't talk much though he was busy hob knobbing with everyone."

"If they are so snooty how'd she get so... well, like that?" Mr. Lachey pointed his thumb over his back where Jen was now washing another piece of raw chicken in the sink.

"I wonder that myself all the time to be honest."

"So is she the one?"

"Yeah I do believe she is Dad."

"That's awesome Mal. When you gonna ask her?"

"Well I was thinking sometime after the season. I'll have a little time off and we were going to go away for a week, not sure where yet though."

"Well that'll be pretty romantic. Do you have a ring?"

"No been busy with the season."

"Well we have a family engagement ring that has been passed down from father to son for about four generations now."

"Mom's?"

"Yeah."

"I don't want to take her ring dad."

"You kidding? She absolutely loves Jen we've already talked about it and she's all for it."

"You two have talked about it? When did you guys do that?"

"After we came and visited the last time. We talked about it on the way home."

"Ok well the summer is a long ways off so we can talk about it then, besides." Mike pointed at the folded will on the edge of the table. "I have a lot to think about now anyways."

Just then the two ladies came in from the kitchen, each carrying a full wine glass. Mrs. Lachey made her way to the other end of the table and sat down in the chair while Jen went and stood behind Mike and put her free arm around him.

"You two done in there yet?" Mr. Lachey asked.

"Yes we are and I have a pretty good idea on how to cook your favorite meal sweetie." Jen said as she kissed Mike on the check.

"Can't wait to try it." He reached his hand up and placed it on hers. "I bet it's going to be delicious."

She gave him another kiss on the check and then made her way to the empty chair beside him. "Ok so what are we going to do while we wait for dinner?" She took a sip of her wine. "Besides drink that is." She smiled.

"Well we have board games." Mr. Lachey said. "Or we um, oh we can play cards." He stood up and went to the kitchen. He made his way to the fridge and pulled a deck of cards off of the top. "How about euchre?"

"I've never played." Jen said as she finished another sip of wine.

"Are you kidding me?" Mr. Lachey said in astonishment. "You mean Mal has never taught you how to play euchre? We played it here all the time."

"Yes because you guys made us." Mike said as he too stood up and made his way to the kitchen.

"We never made you guys."

"Not physically but it was just easier to give in and play a few games than it was to get out of it." Mike had begun to make himself another drink.

Jen took another huge gulp of wine. "Hey honey will you get me some more please." She handed her glass to Mr. Lachey who was still standing. He then handed it to Mike. "So dad... I assume I'm to call you dad?"

Mr. Lachey smiled. "Of course." He sat down in his chair and opened up the deck of cards.

"So dad, why do you call him Mal?"

"It's his initials." He smiled as he began to separate the cards in two piles. "He went through this phase where he hated his name. Told everyone to call him Mal because that is what he wants to go by now. Saw it on a movie or TV show or something" He picked up one of the piles and slid them back in the box. "It just kinda stuck."

"Well that makes sense." Jen said with a smile.

Mike was now making his way back to the table. He handed Jen her glass then took his seat. "You might not want to go too crazy babe. You haven't eaten since this morning."

"I'll be fine don't you worry." She took her glass and took a sip. "So how do we play?"

"It's easy." Mr. Lachey said as he handed two cards to Mike and his mom. "You two will be partners and us two will be partners." He waved his finger between his wife and him.

Mike switched seats to the one across from Jen. "We play to ten points. We use a six and a four card to keep track. We'll just play basic rules." He began to shuffle the cards "Each person gets five cards. We deal in sets of two and three." He finished shuffling and laid three cards down in front of Mike. "I go three then two then three then two." He dealt himself his cards. "Then I do the opposite." He finished dealing the cards and laid the left over cards down and flipped the top card over and showed a jack of diamonds. "Oh looky there."

"What's so special about that?" Jen asked as she fanned out her cards.

"Well." Mike said as he did the same to his and moved some cards around. "The cards are divided up in suits one suit is called trump."

"Who calls it?" Jen said as she began to move a few cards around in her hand.

"The choice starts with me. I can either tell him to pick it up or pass and then it goes to mom, you, then dad. If I tell him to pick it up diamonds will become trump."

"Trump?" Jen asked.

"Yeah if diamonds are trump then that means they are automatically the highest. For instance a nine of diamonds will beat the ace of any of the other suits."

"Well why are we only playing with half a deck?"

Mike smiled. "You only play with nines and up. If diamonds are trump then the highest card is."

"Ace of diamonds?" Jen interrupted.

"You'd think so, but no." He laughed as he took a drink. The alcohol on an empty stomach was starting to get to him and he was beginning to laugh at every little thing. "Jack of diamonds is highest, then jack of hearts, then ace of diamonds and down."

"So Jack of the suit that is called trump then jack of the same color then in order?" Jen said with a smile.

"Exactly." Mr. Lachey answered. "You're a smart one."

"That's my favorite thing about her." Mike said with a smile and a wink.

"That's not what you said a few days ago." Jen began to laugh hysterically.

Everyone else at the table began to laugh with her.

"Why Jen I do believe the alcohol is getting to you." Mrs. Lachey said. "You are going to fit right in with this family."

"Pass." Mike shouted. "I pass, your turn mom."

"Pick it up."

"Don't mind if I do." Mr. Lachey replied. "Your go Mal."

Mike laid down a king of spades and his mother immediately laid down a queen of diamonds.

"Ok now, she has that hand won so far but you have to follow suit so if you have a spade then you have to lay it down."

"Does she have to follow suit?" Jen asked as she laid down the ten of spades.

"Yeah everyone does so you can assume she doesn't have any spades."

"What if she does?"

Mr. Lachey laid down the nine of spades.

"Well then that's called reneging and we would get a point if she gets caught." Mike answered.

Mrs. Lachey took the pile of cards and then threw down another one.

Jen followed suit. "How do you score?"

Mr. Lachey laid his card down.

"Well if they get three out of five tricks then they get a point."

"Tricks?"

"Hands... Tricks are hands. If they get five out of the five then they get two points. If we get three out of five then we get two points for euchring them. That's when the team that doesn't call trump wins that round." Mike laid his card down and Mrs. Lachey once again cleared the cards from the table.

"So we aren't doing so well." Jen said with a laugh.

Mrs. Lachey took a big gulp of her glass and laid down the jack of hearts. "And that will secure us at least one point." She started to laugh as Jen's jaw dropped.

"This sucks." Jen stated with a pout as she threw her card down.

"It'll be fine." Mike threw his card down as his turn came. He stood up and walked to the kitchen. He went to the stove and took the lid off of the pot of simmering stew. "Wow that smells so good you two." The smell wafted in the air. He picked up the large spoon that sat near the stove and he stirred it. "How much longer?" He put the lid back on and made his way to his seat.

"Well we have to make the dumplings and put them in in about an hour."

"Oh I don't know mom." Jen said as she took another sip of her wine. "Oh what do you think of it by the way." She held her glass out towards Mrs. Lachey.

Mrs. Lachey held up her empty glass. "It's very good." She held her glass out to Mike as he reached the table. "While you're up dear."

He took the glass and went back in the kitchen.

"Oh but like I was saying." Jen said. "I don't know how much help I'll be in the kitchen, Mal called it. Wine on an empty stomach, I think I'm getting a little tipsy." She began to laugh.

Mike walked back to the table and handed his mother her full glass. "Ok where were we?"

Mr. Lachey tossed out one of his cards and everyone followed in turn. They played hand after hand Mike and Jen losing most. After the last hand the score was eight to two.

"Time out." Jen said as she finished off her glass of wine. "I have to go tinkle." She stood up. "Where's the bathroom?"

"Straight down that hall past the stairs it's the door at the end of the hall." Mike said as he pointed down the hall.

Jen turned and began to walk in her instructed direction.

"Mike I like her more and more every time we meet." Mrs. Lachey said. "She is nothing like her parents."

"You know her parents?"

"No just from what she tells me. They don't seem very personable."

Just as Mrs. Lachey finished her sentence and began to take a drink of wine. Jen let out a loud yell followed by a loud "Oh my God!"

Mike jumped up and quickly made his way down the hall. "What's wrong? You ok?" When he made it to the end of the hall he found Jen sitting in the door way of the bathroom.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me you had a cat?"

He began to laugh and could hear his parents laughing from the table.

"It's not that funny." Jen pouted.

He reached down, put his hands under her arms and pulled her to her feet. "It is kinda funny babe."

"Is not. I went to turn on the light and all I see is this giant fur ball jump towards me from off the toilet."

"Yeah... it is funny." Mike said as he gave her a hug.

"Is not." She said as she failed to hold back the small laugh that came out. "It scared me."

"Well if you didn't have to pee before you sure would now." Mike reached in and flipped the bathroom light on. "Big bad Peyton isn't going to bother you anymore." He laughed. "You want me to stand guard outside the door in case he comes back?"

"Shut up." She said as she smacked him in the arm. "You're such an ass." She turned and walked in the bathroom and shut the door in his face.

Mike turned and walked back to the table.

"She ok?" Mr. Lachey said as he was making his way in the kitchen wife's glass in hand.

"Yeah she's fine."

"Oh honey." Mrs. Lachey snapped her fingers. "Will you please check the pot and give it a stir?"

"Of course my dear." He sat her glasses down on the counter next to the fridge then spun around and checked the pot and stirred the contents. "It's looking good dear." He then turned back around and began to make her a drink.

Mike began thinking about how much of a good time he was having just being back home. Away from the school and the team. For the first time since they started playing cards he thought about why he was back in town to begin with. The happiness went away and a huge feeling of sorrow started building up inside him. Here we are joking and laughing having a good time and Wes's poor parents are probably over there in tears. He thought as he walked out to the table grabbed his glass and took a big gulp finishing it off. He turned and made his way to the kitchen. "Hey dad?"

"Yep?" He answered as he finished filling Mrs. Lachey's glass with wine.

"Is it ok that we are over here fooling around while Wes's funeral was today and his parents are probably distraught and alone over there?"

"What do you think?"

"I don't imagine he'd want everyone crying all night." Mike opened the freezer and grabbed a handful of ice and placed it in his glass. "Actually he always said he'd rather his funeral be a huge party than something depressing."

"Then there you go." He picked up his glasses and began to walk out of the kitchen but stopped and turned to Mike. "His parents are going to be sad there isn't anything anyone can do or say to make it any different. You're not a bad friend to be having a fun time with people you love and who love you. You're honoring him the way he would have wanted." He smiled at Mike. "You're a good kid and regardless of what happened between you two you both loved each other. I really believe that given a bit more time you two would have found your way to be friends again. He loved ya Mal. We all know that."

"Yeah you're right." Mike finished making his drink

"Of course I am. I'm a wise old man."

"Let's not get full of ourselves ok." He laughed although he still felt a little guilty on the inside about being so happy in this moment. He began to wonder if they would have actually become friends again. He had thought about calling Wes a few times but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. All those thoughts went away as he walked out and saw Jen sitting at the table laughing with his mother about who knew what. She always had that ability, to take away the pain. He just now after all this time began to realize what Wes could have been feeling. What would he give up for Jen he started to ask himself. It's completely different. HE was delusional. Jen is real flesh and blood. He thought before getting too far inside any more thoughts.

"You ok Hun?" Jen asked as she looked at him with a look of concern.

His mother now looked up at him. "Everything ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine, just getting hungry." Mike forced a smile.

"Well I'm sure I can hurry it along a little." Mrs. Lachey said as she stood up and made her way out to the kitchen.

Jen mouthed the question again and Mike answered with a smile and a nod.

He made his way to the chair he had originally been sitting in and pulled it closer to Jen. "I love you." He said as he sat down and placed his free hand on her knee.

"I love you too baby." She smiled, leaned in, and gave him a kiss. "You ok? And don't give me that you're hungry crap."

Mike smiled. "Yeah just thinking about the day. I was feeling guilty about having a good time given the funeral." He sat his drink on the table and placed his other hand on Jen's other knee.

"Jeeesssu... That's cold jerk." She said as she pulled her knee away from his cold hand.

"Sorry." He laughed. "I couldn't help it." He smiled then gave her a kiss.

"Jen Honey?" Mrs. Lachey asked form the kitchen. "You want to learn how to finish the dumplings?"

"I sure do." She looked at Mike. "Sorry baby, I have to go learn how to be a good wife." She gave him a quick kiss and hoped up. After she steadied herself, she made her way out to the kitchen.

Mike got up and picked up all the cards and put them back in the box while his dad danced the cha-cha-cha by himself and watched the two ladies in the kitchen. He couldn't help but smile as he grabbed the envelope containing will and decided he'd run it up stairs so it was out of the way and hopefully out of mind for the rest of the night. He jogged up the stairs and sat it on the bed by his clothes then turned and jogged back down. When he made it back down his dad had stopped dancing and was now in the kitchen too but on the far side grabbing large soup bowls out of the cupboards.

His thoughts soon turned to Wes again though. He wished he was here, he never did get to meet Jen he knew he'd like her. It was at that moment he decided that they would have gotten back in touch and that they would have mended their friendship. Took meeting Jen for that but he was sure it would have eventually happened. Maybe not in the immediate future but in the future none the less. He truly believed it would have happened.

"Ok It's just about done." Mrs. Lachey said as she took a sip off the spoon. "Jen will you grab that loaf of bread and slice it up please?"

Jen grabbed the loaf of sourdough bread that they had bought at the store and began to slice it up. "Ok done." She said as she finished slicing the last piece. "Now what?"

"Grab a sheet pan from under the counter behind you and put it on there then throw it in the oven." Mrs. Lachey instructed as she turned on the oven to get it warm. She stepped to the side and let Jen put the bread in. "Ok now everyone out of the kitchen."

Jen and Mr. Lachey joined Mike at the table where he was sitting in his chair just watching his family. Jen sat down in his lap and gave him a kiss.

"Smells good babe." He told her. "I can't wait I'm starving."

"I didn't do much your mom did the major stuff."

"Nonsense!" Mrs. Lachey belted from the kitchen. "You did just as much stuff as I did so you take credit too."

This made Jen smile. "Ok." She turned back to Mike gave him a deep loving kiss on his lips, and a tight hug.

"What was that for?" Not that he didn't enjoy it.

"Just feels like family here. I'm not used to it and I really, really, really love you." She gave him another kiss.

Mike's mom did a few last minute spice additions to the pot on the stove and then took another sip off the spoon. "Ok it's done. Jen can you help me carry stuff in please."

"Sure thing mom." She got up off of Mike's lap and walked into the kitchen. "What would you like me to do?"

"Hand me the bowls so I can fill them up then grab that basket over by the fridge, put a paper towel in it, and then put this bread in it please." She pulled out the sheet pan of the now warm bread. "Grab the butter and some silverware and take it all to the table and I'll bring in the chicken and dumplings for everyone."

Jen did everything she was asked and took it all to the table. Mrs. Lachey soon followed with the bowls.

When Mike took a spoon full and put it in his mouth he was immediately taken back to being younger. It had been years since he had chicken and dumplings. They didn't eat badly when they were at school but it was nothing like homemade.

"This is so delicious." Jen said as she tore a piece of bread in two. "I don't think I have ever had anything like it."

"Old family recipe." Mrs. Lachey said with a smile as she took a sip of her wine. "I'll have to give it to you before you leave so you can make it up there."

"That would be great." Jen took another large spoonful to her mouth.

Mike was too busy enjoying it to say much. He was eating so fast that he didn't have time to talk between bites, even if he had wanted to.

Everyone finished eating in silence except for a few of Jen's "mmms'." or an occasional "So good." Mike was the only one who went back for seconds so as he was finishing his last bowl everyone else was taking their stuff out to the kitchen.

He had a huge appetite and he usually ate six to seven meals a day this time of the year. He was on a constant go and easily burnt off the calories. He'd wake up jog, light weight lifting, watch films at the stadium, football practice, then help Jen with homework if needed, and then he squeezed in an hour or so to spend with Jen, usually having sex somewhere in that time. Then it was off to bed. This was his weekday routine during the football season. It altered a bit in the offseason but not a lot.

"Mike when you're done will you put that in the dishwasher and turn it on please." Mr. Lachey asked as he made his way to the recliner that was in the living room. "I think I need a nap." He said as he plopped down in his recliner

"It's about time for bed." Mrs. Lachey said as she sat down on the couch.

"What time is it?" Mike asked as he broke a piece of bread in two and began to wipe the bottom of the bowl with it.

"It's ten babe and I agree with your mom I am getting tired now." Jen joined Mrs. Lachey on the couch.

Mike finished his bowl of chicken and dumplings and then took it in the kitchen, placed it in the dishwasher, and turned it on. He felt full, beyond full actually. "Well we have to get up early so why don't we go to bed then?"

"That sounds like a plan." Jen stood up and walked over by him.

"Ok well you two kids get some rest. Any idea what time you are getting up?" Mrs. Lachey stood up and walked over and gave Jen a big hug and then Mike.

"Oh don't squeeze mom." He felt like if she squeezed too hard everything that was in his stomach wouldn't be after that. "I usually wake up around seven or eight on my own so probably around then."

"Ok well night kids." Mr. Lachey said as he kicked the foot rest of his recliner up and grabbed the TV remote.

Mike and Jen began to make their way down the hall to the stairs.

"I have to pee real quick I'll meet you up there."

Mike nodded and made his way to his old room. When he walked in he realized that he forgot that the bed wasn't made so he took their clothes off it along with the bag from the store and his papers from Wes's mother. He began to make the bed with the linens his mother had left out for them. It just now occurred to him that his mother had left the linens out prior. Was I set up? That brat, Jen had this planned the whole time. I wonder if mom was in on it. I'm sure she was. Mike finished putting the fitted sheet on and started putting the pillows in the pillowcases when Jen walked in the room.

"This has been such a long day, a very good later half though. It took away from everything earlier."

"Yeah it was nice being here I have to admit." Mike tossed the pillows on the bed. "So is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Jen crawled on the bed. "Such as?"

"Oh I don't know." He tossed the top sheet at her. "Maybe how you and mom plotted to have us stay the night here."

"What?" Jen smiled.

"Exactly." Mike jumped on the bed and crawled on top of her. "You are such a brat. Why didn't you just ask if we could have stayed the night?"

"You would have said no."

"Fair point." He leaned in and kissed her. "Maybe I would have said yes." He kissed her neck.

"No you wouldn't have." She ran her hand up his chest and stopped at his neck.

"Well I guess we'll never know." Mike slid his lips over and kissed the other side of her neck. Then he ran his hand up her leg to her waist.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Being perfectly natural." He began to kiss his way down her neck, kissing the bare skin that showed from the oversized neck hole of the large shirt. "You said it was perfectly natural remember?" He slid his hand from her waist up under her shirt to her belly and slowly moved it up as he kissed back up to her neck.

"I was messing around. We are not having sex tonight." She let out a small moan. "Ok that's enough." She grabbed his hand from the outside of her shirt. "Tomorrow night when we get home I will rock your world, but tonight, no." She smiled as he pulled his hand out of her shirt.

"Tease." He rolled over on his back.

"You were doing everything thank you very much."

"Whatever." He smiled and pinched her leg.

"Ouch you butt." She rolled over on to his chest. "Love you." She gave him a kiss.

"See... Tease."

She smacked him on his chest. "Am not."

He started laughing henas he rolled back on his side kissed her. "Love you too Jen."

"Good." She rolled over and tossed the sheet over her.

He got up and walked over and turned the light out. He made his way back to the bed and crawled in it and scooted up next to Jen. He put his arm around her, kissed her on the head, then laid his head down, and shut his eyes.

Jen fell asleep almost as soon as she closed her eyes and he could tell she was asleep by the sound of her breathing. He was afraid that he wasn't going to be able to sleep, that he would just lay there thinking about everything. Surprisingly though after the long drive, the funeral, and all the stuff with Wes and his wishes. He had come to the conclusion that it had been an extremely long day. Add the large meal and the drinks plus the good time at home and he was out cold in minutes.

Chapter 6

The First Entry

Mike woke up and rolled on his back. He felt like it should be late however the lack of light coming in from the window told him it was still way too early for him to be awake. He turned and looked for his phone so he could check the time. What did I do with it? He thought to himself as his hand fumbled around the headboard for the phone but it wasn't there. Shit I remember now it's on the desk by the door. He thought and gently pulled his arm out from under Jen's head trying not to wake her.

"What are you doing?" She asked groggily as she rolled to her other side. She was now facing him with eyes closed.

"Shhhh... Just checking the time. Go back to sleep sweetie."

She was back asleep before he finished his first sentence.

Mike slowly started uncovering himself and sliding out of bed. He only moved a few inches at a time trying not to wake her up again. When he had finally managed to make his way out of bed he went to the desk and grabbed his phone. He pressed the button and a big blue box with the words Wes Joyner new text message lit up the darkness.

The image made his heart rise to his throat and nearly beat its way out of his body. The hair on the back of his neck began to slowly rise as goose bumps began to form. He froze in place not able to do anything, not sure what was going on. What the hell? Has to be an explanation. He thought to himself as he stood frozen, the screen eventually going dark. Not having that little blue box shining in his face seamed to allow him to think. His parents, yeah has to be his parents. They probably have his phone and sent me a text. He thought as he pressed the button and brought it back to life. With a swipe of his thumb the next screen showed and there he was with his arm wrapped around Jen after his win against his rival school. He brought his thumb over his text icon and held it there then finally was able to press down. His screen went white as his text messages loaded then a second later there it was.

Be careful.

Be careful? He thought as he stood there staring and thinking. Yeah it was his parents they sent me a text telling me to be careful on my ride home. They never were good at texting so using Wes's phone was probably easier. This thought made him feel a little better about the situation. He told himself a few times that it was his parents and after a few more times, he was done thinking about it completely convinced he was right. It had occurred to him now though that he had never checked the time so once again with a press of a button he brought his phone to life and looked at the time. Damn it's only four thirty. He thought to himself.

He stood there debating on whether he even wanted to try to go back to sleep or just stay up. He decided he'd just toss and turn and never fall back asleep so staying up was actually his only option.

He thought about what he was going to do until everyone was awake. He didn't have to think long though because as he went to grab his shirt off the desk there sat the bag with his dress clothes and on top of it all was the flash drive with Wes's journal on it. He grabbed it and quietly opened the door then tip toed his way down the stairs. The halls and stairs were all carpeted so it made it easy to sneak down the stairs. Something he found useful a few times back in his high school days.

He slowly made his way down the hall using his phone as a makeshift flashlight and as he came to the end of the hall a large shape just outside the brightness of his phone flew across the room.

"Shit!" Startled he dropped his phone which landed lighted side down. He took two more steps and made it to the edge of the living room where he reached in and flipped the light switch. When the room lit up he saw his cat Peyton sitting on the dining room table staring at him. "You're such a shit head. You know that right?" Mike turned, grabbed his phone off the ground, and turned the screen off. He made his way to his dad's chair. He usually kept his laptop in the end table that sat next to it and sure enough there it sat folded up sitting in the bottom of the end table. He pulled it out, opened it up, and turned it on. He decided he'd grab a drink while he waited for it to boot up so he stood up and made his way to the kitchen.

He opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water and walked back to the chair, sat down, and pulled the laptop back on his lap. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the flash drive. He slid the slider on top and the drive opened and clicked in place. He paused for a minute allowing the laptop to fully load then slid it into the USB port. A large box popped open on the screen. Yes I'd like to open the file on this drive. He thought to himself as he moved the mouse arrow over and clicked, opening a new box on the screen. His chair shook as Peyton jumped up to the arm rest and laid down half on the armrest and half on him.

The screen now had entry after entry on it. It started with entry one and not even scrolling down it went to entry two-twenty-seven. There was only one file he saw as he began to scroll down that had a different name and it was called A. read this first. Well here we go. He thought as he moved the arrow over A. read this first and double clicked. The document popped open and Mike began to read.

Hey Mike thanks for reading this if you are and I really hope you are. I know there are a lot of entries in here and reading all of them is up to you. I just really want you to understand why I decided to end my own life but first a little about the will.

I want you to take care of the house because I trust you more than anyone. I know my parents blame everything on the house so I wouldn't be surprised if my dad one day flipped out and dozed it over. My mom wouldn't but sometimes cooler heads don't always prevail in my house, as you know. Like I told you in the note we got a huge settlement from the hospital and after some investing I have just over two million in a bank account that will transfer in your name if you do agree to take care of the house. With the interest every year you will have more than enough to pay for maintaining the house and of course you are welcome to use some of it if you need. I can't see you not signing with a pro team though so I think you'll be just fine. It would mean a lot to us if you'd do this. I'd rather people not live in it if it can be helped. You are welcome to if you needed a place to live but I know you never really liked it so I don't see you doing that. We're not alone here so a vacant house is just better for everyone for now. I'll understand if you choose not to accept my request but like I said it would mean the world to us.

Now on to the more depressing part of the letter. I'm guessing you read the note I wrote you so you know I was sick. We both know that's not entirely why I did it though. I don't even know if I wouldn't have done it had I not been sick. I'm sure you've thought about that too. Emily told me that it was because I was sick that we could communicate so well though. So had I not been sick I may have never gotten to know her like I did. If that's the case I don't regret it at all I'm glad it happened. I guess I could have waited and just died naturally but I didn't want to put everyone through it and honestly I didn't want to go through it myself. I don't like the idea of being so sick that I can't get out of bed, eat, or having to be so drugged to dull the pain that I'm clueless as to what's going on around me. In premed I read cases and saw a few patients that were dying of AIDS Mike, and it wasn't nice.

If you are wondering how I did it then read on if you don't want to know feel free to stop reading I wrote it on the next page so you'll have to scroll down to it. If you don't want to know then skip it and go to page three, it's your decision.

Mike stopped reading and lowered the top of the laptop enough so that the words were out of sight. I don't know if I want to know this. He thought to himself. He had to really think about this. He took a drink of his water and decided that he would think about it eventually and better to know how so his imagination didn't go crazy with it. He lifted the top of the laptop back up and scrolled down to the next page.

I thought long and hard on how I wanted to do it. I wanted to make sure it was going to be quick and painless. I did some research and pentobarbital seems to be the way to go. It's the same stuff they use to put down animals and death row inmates. All of my research says that it's painless so I guess I will find out for sure. Basically I'll go to sleep and then it causes respiratory and cardiac failure. I won't feel a thing. If you think about it that's how most people say they want to go you know. They want to go to sleep and not wake up. I plan on waking up just not in a normal sense.

The idea of him going painlessly brought him comfort. He would never have wanted him to suffer or to see him suffer for that matter. He started to wonder about other things though. The main one being how do you make yourself in to a ghost? I hope he answers that question. He thought to himself. The idea seemed ridiculous to him. He didn't actually think Wes could do it, but he did wonder how he planned to. Mike didn't really believe in ghost. He believed that when people supposedly saw ghosts it was more of a circumstantial thing than a paranormal one. Going in a house that is surrounded by ghost stories is one way to get your mind expecting a ghost and so you end up seeing one, people see what they want to see. That was how he explained everything paranormal. He knew Wes believed but he just never could. This made it hard to believe that Wes did this for an actual ghost and not some delusion.

This had been the downfall of their relationship. Mike wanted Wes to get help for his delusions but he refused. After a while he just couldn't handle being around it anymore. The last straw was when Wes was planning on buying the house and had wanted him to come talk to her. That was the end for Mike. He ultimately was hoping that Wes would see that it drove them apart and their friendship would be worth getting some help but he never did.

Mike took another drink of water and scrolled down to the third and final page.

I'm going to miss you. When you come and see your parents swing by the house maybe we'll be able to see one another. Emily said that with the bond we have communication might not be too hard. You can always watch those ghost hunter shows for ideas on ways for us to talk. I know how much you like homework so I'm giving you some. I know the different ways to do it but I'm not going to tell you here, it is in later entries though. I really hope I see you around.

Mike couldn't help but smile after that last part. Wes always was a smartass and he could just picture him smiling while he was writing the last few lines. He started to feel that ball of guilt in his gut swell up again. As much as he wanted to believe that Wes was floating around that house with his girl it was just hard for him. He had been in the house and he had seen a thing or two but he couldn't believe anything beyond it being mental trickery. He had tried several times to believe back when Wes first came to him but he couldn't. He wasn't sure why exactly but it was like he had some kind of mental block on the paranormal.

As he sat there thinking he moved the mouse over and he closed the document. He started to tear up and a few seconds later the tears were running down his face. He sat there with his face in his hand trying to get his tears under control. If I would have stayed around and made him go talk to someone he'd still be alive. He'd be alive and I wouldn't be reading this shit! He thought as he angrily put the laptop on the floor beside the chair. I'd be here talking to Wes about how he's doing better and he's glad he went and finally got some help. His thought continued.

All of a sudden Mike felt hands on his shoulders and began to wrap around him. He jumped his arm flying up to where the hands were, causing Peyton to jump off the chair. When his hands reached the hand that was wrapping around him he knew right then who it was.

"I'm sorry sweetie." Jen said softly in his ear and then kissed his check. "I didn't mean to scare you." She pulled her arms back and began to walk around the chair. "You ok?"

"Yeah... where are your shorts?" He noticed that she wasn't wearing them as she made it to the front of the chair.

"I got hot." She sat down in his lap and threw her legs up over the arm of the chair. "I took them off thinking it would help. It didn't so I took my bra off too." She leaned on him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I feel that."

She smiled. "Anyway... I started getting more comfortable then I had to pee and I only knew where the bathroom down here was." She reached over and grabbed his bottle of water and took a drink. "Then I saw the light on so I figured it was you and I wanted to see what you were doing." She reached her hand up and wiped away the leftover tears and gave him a kiss. "You ok? What happened?"

He forced a smile. "Well I couldn't sleep so I came down here and started reading his journal." He rubbed his eyes. "Started feeling guilty again and then tears just came." He stopped rubbing his eyes and placed his hand on Jen's thigh.

"Why are you feeling guilty?"

"I left. I didn't make him go see someone. I left him alone and this is what happened."

"For starters he wasn't alone." Jen placed her hand on his. "Secondly go see someone for what? You know you're going to have to tell me about things eventually. Why not now?"

"You're right, I know." He brought his gaze up to meet hers. "He killed himself for a girl. Well... He was sick so he didn't want to suffer but I'm not so sure he wouldn't have done it regardless."

"Wait he killed himself for a girl? For?" Jen interrupted. "She died and he wanted to join her?"

"Something like that." Mike let out a big sigh. "She was a ghost. Well he thinks she was a ghost anyway. I think he was delusional. Now that I know he was sick I think that even more."

"He fell in love with a ghost?"

"I know it's crazy isn't it? I wish I would have gotten him to go see someone."

"Maybe she's real? How did he meet her?"

"What do you mean maybe she's real? You're honestly telling me you think he met a ghost and fell in love with A GHOST?" He put a lot of emphasis on the last two words.

"Well I'm not saying that it happened." She turned one side of her lips up in a sort of half smile and scrunched her brow. "I'm just saying that it's not impossible."

"Are you serious?" He started shaking his head. "You've read one too many vampire books Jennifer."

She reached up and smacked his chest leaving a red mark. "No need to be mean."

"You're right sweetie." He grabbed her hand and brought it up to his lips and kissed it. "Sorry I'm just stressed."

"I know you are. I'm not trying to add to it but I'm just saying that I don't know what's real and what's not is all. Just because I haven't seen one doesn't mean they aren't real to me."

Mike didn't want to say anything again but he thought she was being silly and really had read one too many romance books. "You know the house he left me?"

"Yeah."

"That's where they met. That's why he bought the house and why he restored it."

"Can we go there before we leave tomorrow?" Jen saw the look on his face get very somber. "Please? Pretty, pretty please? We don't have to stay long. I was going to ask you anyways. Your parents told me about how beautiful it is since he redid it."

"I don't know babe. We have a long drive and..."

"I know you don't like the house, I heard your dad talking about that last night."

He had forgot all about that. "That doesn't change the fact that we have a drive and I don't want to get home late."

"We don't have to stay long I promise." She began to pout. "Please? We won't stay long I swear."

He didn't want to but he knew she wasn't going to take no for an answer. "Fine, but not long ok?"

"I promise." She leaned down and gave him a big kiss on his lips. "I'm going to go try and get a little more sleep. Don't be too long you need some sleep too. Love you." She gave him another kiss then stood up and flashed him the back of her panties before she walked away.

Mike smiled "Love you too."

Curious what time it was he picked up the laptop and checked the clock. It was only a quarter till six. He briefly thought about trying to sleep himself but that idea was quickly brushed away. Damn still have a few more hours before we can leave. Guess I'll just read a bit more. He thought as he stared back down at the laptop and double clicked on the file named entry one.

08/13/2004

I have decided to start a journal today. Three weeks ago I was in the hospital from a car accident. The other driver was drunk. My uncle and I were heading down a road when the other driver swerved and began to spin out of control. My uncle who was driving slammed and turned to get out of the way but our car fishtailed and the other car slammed right into my door. I remember sitting there watching the other car get closer and closer until it hit. I have heard people say how everything slows down in situations like this and I always thought it was total BS, but it's absolutely true. I saw into the guys face and there was nothing there it was as if he had already checked out of his body before he hit our car. I remember watching it come closer and closer and then nothing till I woke up in the hospital two days later. Apparently when the car hit ours it hit with enough force that the impact sent me through the window of my door. The broken glass cut down my back from my shoulder blade to the top of my right ass cheek. The cut was deep and I lost a lot of blood, so much that I needed a transfusion.

My uncle was relatively unharmed, just a few scrapes and bruises. The way the two cars collided all the damage was done to the back part of our car and the front part of the other persons. My uncle was very lucky. It was like the front half of the car was shielded. My uncle heard the one paramedic say that he had never seen anything like it before and it was a miracle I survived.

I feel weird anymore though. It's hard to explain it's almost like I'm not real. I interact with everyone so I know I'm real, It's almost like I don't belong here anymore. It's very scary at times.

One thing I remember from when I was unconscious was the other driver visited me and told me he was sorry. That he hoped I could forgive him. I felt his remorse and since I lived, it was easy to forgive him. When I woke up I found out that he died in the accident. He was dead before they got him out of the wreckage. I can only assume that seeing his face before we hit influenced the dream I had, maybe even hearing someone say he died.

Mike came in and saw me while I was in there. He came after school every day for the two weeks I was in there. He brought me my homework so I wouldn't get behind in school. He said I was an idiot for worrying about it. It wasn't like I had anything else to do while I was in there though, besides I'd rather just do it and be done with it. He brought a stack of his comics and a puzzle for me for when he couldn't stay long. He said he had to get the puzzle from his grandma since only old ladies do puzzles. I like puzzles they work the brain, though he doesn't agree. Oh well, he's an awesome friend he's the only one that came to see me outside of my parents and his. (Well except for the dream stated earlier...)

I guess this is enough for now just wanted to jot some stuff down for my first entry. Everything seems weird anymore. People say it happens to people who almost die they are constantly hearing how they shouldn't be here and lucky we survived that it does something to our psyche. I think this journal will be a nice tool to help with everything but only time will tell.

Reading this made memory after memory gush back in Mike's head. His first thoughts were how this was when Wes started acting kind of off, not himself. He understood why now. He was confused as to why he never told him how he felt, then again back then talking about your feelings wasn't quote un quote what guys did with each other so he understood why.

Then he started thinking about getting Wes that puzzle. He hadn't actually gotten it from his grandma. They had a large stack of puzzles in the house Wes knew it but it was fun to tease him about it anyway. He could picture himself there sitting by Wes doing the puzzle with him that he had mercilessly teased him about. The idea made him laugh a little. They had a good time while he was in there, as good as one can have while cooped up in a hospital anyway. With the puzzle, comics, and snacks Mike brought in, it was almost like a party. They were relatively unsupervised, they had told the hospital that they were brothers and he came with Wes's parents so they allowed him to stay as long as they didn't get too loud. It was almost a game for them to try and get the other one to laugh loud or scream. He started to miss Wes again but he wasn't full of sadness this time. He had been focusing on the bad things when he should have been focusing on all the great times they had together instead. Thinking this way gave him a comfort that he hadn't had since the whole thing happened.

Mike looked down to the time on the laptop and saw that it was not even seven yet. A feeling of tiredness had come with his new found comfort. So he removed his flash drive and shut down the laptop. Then he slowly and quietly started to make his way to the stairs so he could go back to sleep when he stopped in place. He had just shut out the lights and he was overwhelmed with the sensation of not being alone, the hair on the back of his neck began to stand as goose bumps began to cover his body. He looked back but saw nothing. He closed his eyes and an image of Wes began to form in his head and the slight tingle of fear was now washed away with happiness.

"I love ya buddy." He said out loud to the nothingness around him. "I'm going to miss you." The image in his head began to fade along with the goose bumps that came with it and soon he felt nothing except comfort and tiredness. He opened his eyes and made his way back to his room and slowly crawled back into bed gently sliding over cuddling up to the love of his life and fell back asleep.

Chapter 7

Rise and Shine

Mike woke to an empty bed and the aroma of cooking bacon wafting in his nose. This was an unusual event for him. He was usually up before Jen and in their house the only smell they ever woke to was coffee from the auto start coffee pot they had.

He was reluctant to get out of bed but the smell was too enticing. He slowly rolled out the side of the bed. The sun was well in the sky and it felt late, later than he would normally wake up. He turned back towards the bed so he could grab his phone when he noticed that it wasn't there. He began to walk to the desk near the door of his room when it hit him that he must have left it down stairs on the end table by his dad's chair. So not knowing the time he made his way out of his room and down the stairs.

He felt good today. He felt relaxed like he had been sleeping for days and for the first time he found himself not really wanting to leave. He knew he had to and he knew once he got home he'd love having his own space again but he wasn't in a hurry like he had been last night. When he made it down stairs he didn't even stop to grab his phone he walked right past it and saw his mother and Jen in the kitchen cooking away.

"Good morning my beautiful ladies." He said as he began walking towards the kitchen.

"Morning sweetie." Jen replied with a smile.

"Morning dear. Don't think about coming in here we have it running like a well-oiled machine." His mother replied as she shooed him out of the kitchen.

"I was going to grab a drink."

"Well not from here. Take a drink of the water you have sitting on the end table." Mrs. Lachey pointed towards where Mike had been sitting in his dad's chair.

"Oh I forgot I left that there." Mike began walking over to his bottle of water.

"I figured you did." Mrs. Lachey said with a smile. "You remember the rules in the house don't you?" She didn't give him time to reply before she answered her own question. "You open it you drink it. We don't waste in this house."

"Yes mother." He replied with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. When he got to his water he opened it and took a sip. He reached down for his phone and pressed the button with his thumb and it came to life. 10:28am it said in bright letters but again there was the familiar blue box with the words Wes Joyner new text message. This made him tense up and his heart began to beat. He had the night before talked himself in to it being his parents and this calmed him down some. They probably just want to know if I'm home is all. Mike slide his thumb across the bottom of the screen and it went white and a few seconds later there the text was. It wasn't asking him if he had left yet.

You don't have to.

You don't have to? I don't have to what? They had to have messed it up. I'll call and see what they are talking about. He thought to himself and with a press of a button and a few swipes of his thumb his phone was dialing out.

The phone rang and rang until it finally went to voicemail. I'll try back later. He thought as he ended the call.

"Everything ok? Jen asked.

"Yeah." Mike turned and saw Jen setting stuff on the table. "Just making a phone call but no answer."

"Oh? Who too?" She asked curiously. She walked back in the kitchen grabbed a large pitcher of orange juice and the butter dish and brought it to the table.

"Wes's parents, I think they sent me a text last night and this morning."

"You think?"

"Well..." He paused still wondering why they weren't answering. "Um, the text came from Wes's phone."

"Oh." She said as she turned back and walked back in the kitchen.

Mike made his way to the table and sat down trying not to think about the odd text he had just gotten. He was finding it hard though since he sat alone but luckily his father had just walked in the front door carrying a gallon of milk in one hand and a small brown paper bag in the other. He knew his father would be joining him and would start up a conversation so he could push back the thought of the text for now. The sight of the small brown bag was helping in this matter, it had no logo or words on it and wasn't big enough to hold much of anything.

His dad walked to the table and sat the jug of milk down and then looked over towards Mike. "Follow me." He whispered with an enormous smile on his face. "I have something for you." He held up the small brown paper bag that was in his hand.

Puzzled, he stood up and followed his dad down the hall and into the room next to the bathroom. His dad flipped the light switch and the room lit up showing a washer, dryer, and racks on the walls with odds and ends clothes all over them.

"Here you go." Mr. Lachey handed him a small brown bag. "It's from your mother and me."

Mike took the bag and slowly opened it up and peeked inside. "Is that what I think it is?" He reached his hand in and pulled out a small velvety box. Holding the bottom he slowly opened the top of the box showing a bright gold ring with a large oval diamond in the middle. "You didn't have to do this."

"Well Mal... We really, really like Jen and we wanted you to have it so that if by chance the mood struck and you wanted to propose you wouldn't have a reason not to." His dad beamed.

"What is mom going to wear?"

"Well, we are going to pick her something out tomorrow."

"But she..."

"It's done Mal so no point in arguing about it, besides your mom has wanted a new... as she says streamlined ring."

Mike laughed as an image of his mom trying to race a bike down a hill while the ring acted like a parachute. "You sure about this?"

"The ring is in your hand isn't it?"

"Fair point." Mike closed the ring box and slid it back in the bag rolled it up and placed it in his shorts pocket. "We better get back out there before someone comes looking for us."

When they got back out in the dining room Jen was now sitting at the table and Mrs. Lachey was carrying a plate full of French toast and a pot of coffee. The table was covered with plates of bacon, fried potatoes, sausage links, scrambled eggs, and biscuits already and the smell was so amazing Mike wouldn't have been surprised if people started coming in off the streets.

"You two really out did yourselves this is incredible." He said as he sat down in the chair next to Jen. He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the check. "Looks absolutely amazing babe and smells out of this world."

Mrs. Lachey sat down the French toast and took the seat closest to the kitchen. "We may have made a bit much but what we don't eat you two can take with you. It'll give you something to eat when you get home." She poured two cups of coffee and slid one to her husband. "Well dig in. I'm not making your plates for you." She smiled as she speared a piece of French toast and placed it on her plate.

Mike loaded his plate with bacon, sausage, and scrambled eggs. "Can you grab me a piece of French toast babe?" He asked Jen as he poured himself a glass of orange juice.

Jen took a piece of French toast and sat it on his already crowded plate. "Butter?" She reached for the tub of Country Crock that sat on the end of the table.

"Nope just syrup please." He took the syrup from Jen and poured some on his French toast. "I'm going to have to hit the gym like a mad man when I get back. Between last night's dinner and this." He cut up his French toast and began to eat.

"How is it?" Jen asked.

"MMMMmmmmmm!" Is all he could get out of his overly stuffed mouth.

Jen laughed. "Your mom's showing me how to cook." She poured herself a glass of coffee. "I can make you a nice breakfast on Saturday mornings so you have the energy for your games now."

Mike swallowed. "That's a great idea. With a meal like this on game day who knows how many yards I'll throw for. Be setting records for sure." He smiled then took a big gulp of orange juice.

"Shame there is only a few games left." She said as she spooned some eggs onto her plate.

"It's been nice having you two here." Mr. Lachey said in between bites. "I hope you two plan on coming back under better circumstances. Maybe you two can make it back down when your sister has some time off school and we can have a nice family weekend. It's a shame she agreed to be a group leader at the camp the sixth graders go to or she would be here with us."

"That sounds like a lot of fun." Jen said as she sliced up more of her French toast.

"Yeah who knows. You guys are still coming down for the last game of the season, right?" Mike asked as he scooped some more eggs on to his plate.

"Yeah when will you know if you make it to the championship?"

"Won't know one hundred percent till after our last game." He poured another glass of orange juice.

"Well you guys are playing good so I can't imagine you not making it." Mr. Lachey took a sip of coffee. "I was talking to coach Morgan and he was telling me that you guys have the best team you've had in years and have a lot of starters coming back next year too. The kid taking your spot after you are done looks good too so that will be nice for them"

"Yeah been trying to show him some stuff." Mike took a bite of bacon. "It's been a good year everyone has been staying healthy and things are just clicking."

"What are you doing after this season?" Mr. Lachey took another sip of his coffee "Been hearing your name on ESPN... been talking about you going early in the draft. One of them said he'd eat his own shoe if you didn't go first" He let out a laugh. "I don't want to see it but it sure would be a funny sight." Mr. Lachey took a sip of coffee. "So you been talking to any new teams?"

"A few." Mike took another gulp of orange juice and followed it with a large bite of scrambled eggs. "Won't really know anything till later though. It all depends on draft order and trades ya know."

"Well you know we support you no matter what you do." Mrs. Lachey spoke up cutting off her husband.

They kept to idle conversation for the rest of breakfast. Once they all were done Mike began to clear the table, gathering up the dishes and taking them out to the kitchen.

Jen began to stand up.

"No you don't" He said and motioned her to sit back down. "I'll handle this. You two cooked I can clean up."

She smiled and sat back down.

Mike made several trips back and forth before he had all the dishes in the kitchen. He put the leftovers in a giant covered dish, scraped the plates and trays, and then loaded everything in the dishwasher. He turned the water on at the sink and piled the pans in it to be washed by hand. He could hear them laughing at the table, although he couldn't make out exactly what they were saying over the water and the scrubbing sound. It didn't take him long before he had the pans and skillets washed and sitting in the dish strainer.

"So when do you two plan on leaving?" Mrs. Lachey asked Mike as he was drying the counter.

"As soon as we're ready. It's already late and Jen wants to see Wes's house before we leave." The thought didn't sit well with him. The idea of going in to the house never sat right and even less now with what Wes did there.

"Yeah we were telling her how much he did to it." Mr. Lachey took a sip of his coffee. "It really is a beautiful house."

"If you say so." Mike began to make his way out of the kitchen. "I'm going to go get all our stuff together."

"Ok." Jen gave him a smile as he walked down the hall and up the stairs.

Getting their stuff together wasn't a difficult process. His stuff was all in the bag and Jen's dress was laid out on the desk underneath it. He picked up the dress and neatly folded it and placed it on top of his folded clothes in the bag. He walked over to the bed and took all the sheets and pillowcases that they had put on it last night and roughly folded them up and sat them at the foot of the bed. He looked around the room to see if he was leaving anything behind and noticed Jen's phone on the headboard. He walked over grabbed it and put it in his pocket. He walked back over to the desk and for good measure looked in the bag to make sure that he had his papers and the USB drive. I definitely don't want to be forgetting any of this stuff. He thought to himself and sure enough they were all in the bag under Jen's dress. He took one last look around the room, this time for more sentimental reasons. Once he took everything in one last time he turned and walked out the door closing it behind him.

When he got back down stairs they were all still sitting around the table talking. He leaned over the chair and grabbed his phone off of the end table that he had it sitting on from last night and placed it in his pocket that was holding the family heirloom engagement ring. He walked over and placed his hand on his father shoulder.

Jen looked up. "You all ready?"

"Yeah have a long day ahead of us."

Mrs. Lachey stood up and gave Mike a hug that would have made any defensive player jealous. He wrapped his free arm around her and returned the squeeze.

"Going to see you two in two weeks right?" He asked

"You bet." Mr. Lachey stood up and took his turn at giving Mike a hug. "Can't wait, it should be a really good game."

Mrs. Lachey was now over giving Jen a hug.

"Yeah and I'll use my new found ability to cook you two a nice dinner." Jen said as she returned the hug to Mrs. Lachey.

"Oh I can't wait." Mrs. Lachey said as she moved to allow her husband a chance to give Jen a hug.

"You two be careful, no speeding."

"We will don't worry." Mike said as he turned towards the door. "I'll call you after we stop at Wes's house and get on the road."

"Ok sounds good Mal."

Mike and Jen walked out the door and made their way to the car.

Mr. and Mrs. Lachey stood at the door waving as they climbed in.

Mike tossed the bag he was holding in the back seat, fastened his seatbelt and turned the key bringing the car to life. He looked up gave his family one last wave and then placed the car in reverse and slowly backed his way out of the driveway.

"You sure you want to stop by that house?" He asked Jen as he put the car in drive.

"Absolutely." She smiled back.

"Ok then." He pressed the gas and drove off leaving his parents' house behind.

Chapter 8

Time to go home

The drive to Wes's house was a quick one and much to Mike's un-liking they were there before they knew it. When they pulled in to the driveway all he could think about was when he was there yesterday. He was only there for a short time but a few things he felt and saw were hard for him to explain, but like all things paranormal he chalked it up to tricks of the mind.

"Your parents were right this place is absolutely beautiful." Jen was in awe of the large Victorian house that had been restored to like new condition. "How can you think this place is creepy?" She unbuckled her seat belt and was out of the car before he had time to shut off the car.

"You didn't see it before." He was now out of the car too. "I did. It was a giant rundown creepy house that should have been dozed over."

"Even if it was rundown it's obvious that it didn't need torn down. It is absolutely... I mean wow. He must have put a lot of money into it." Jen was now making her way to the porch. She walked around it admiring the flowers before she made her way up the steps. "Did he hire designers or was all this, his idea?" She was cupping her hands trying to see in the window. She couldn't see much though because the window was partially covered by a thick curtain. She turned around to say something to Mike and saw that he was still standing by the car. "What are you doing? Come unlock the door."

Mike reluctantly walked up the driveway and onto the porch in silence. When he made it to the door he pulled the key out of his pocket and slowly unlocked it.

"You are something else Mike." She was watching him from her spot in front of the window and couldn't help but laugh at him. "You are this big bad manly man football star, but you're afraid of a house."

He glared at her. "For starters... I'm not scared of a house. It just rubs me the wrong way. Secondly even big men are allowed to have emotions thank you very much."

Jen smiled and walked to the door bumping him out of the way, opened it, and walked in. "Wow." When she walked in the house the first thing that she saw was a giant staircase that led to the upstairs. The first room was small, yet beautiful. The floor was shiny hardwood. In the back of the room sat a large bench that looked like it came from a fifties era park but was completely redone to look brand new, and under it was an old looking rug. To her immediate right sat an antique coat rack with a jacket and an umbrella hanging off of its hooks. "Is all this stuff real antiques or are they replicas?"

Mike bent over and picked up a pile of letters that had been slipped through the mail slot on the door. According to the dates they had been sitting there for a couple days. He sat them on a small table that was sitting next to the stairs. "Mom told me it's a mixture. He got whatever he could find refurbished but some of it had to be replicas just because he couldn't find the antique." Mike walked to the set of double doors to their right and opened them up. "This way to the rest of the downstairs." The set of doors opened to a huge rectangular room that was divided in half only by the different furniture in each section. The front section had a large couch and two old time rocking chairs that were arranged not around a TV but a large fireplace with beautiful marble trim all around it that went up into a marble mantelpiece. The large room had beautiful shining hardwood floors throughout its entirety.

"This is absolutely amazing." Jen said as she ran her fingers across the cold marble stone of the mantel.

"Yeah it is. I haven't been through the house since it's been done." Mike still stood in the doorway. "Last time I was here was when we were teens.

"Oh so it will be a first for us both then?"

"Um... no it won't actually." He stood his ground as she looked at him with a puzzled gaze. "I told you I'd bring you over and let you look at it, which I am, but this is as far as I go."

"You're not going to show me around?" Are you absolutely serious right now is what she might as well been saying with the look she was giving him.

"You can give me dirty looks all day long and it's not going to change a thing."

"So you're telling me that you are going to let me walk alone, around a house that you're afraid of?"

He smiled still standing his ground in the doorway between the front room and the large room. He pointed his fingers down the length of the room. "The back half is the dining room and through that doorway right there is the kitchen and there are a couple rooms right off of that."

"You're serious?"

He stood his ground.

"Fine... whatever ass." She shook her head as she began to walk towards the kitchen.

Mike stood there and looked around. It was like he was bound and determined to not let anything get the jump on him. His gaze made its way to the stairs behind him more than any place else. Every time he turned away from it he got an eerie feeling that started at the base of his spine and made its way up spreading goose bumps to every inch of skin it touched. Screw this! I hate this place. He thought to himself as he turned his back to the wall so he could keep a constant eye on the stairwell. The downstairs had never really given him the feelings that the upstairs had, even before when Wes and he came when they were young. It was never until they went upstairs that the eerie feelings took hold and the fear crept in. Even though he couldn't remember in detail what had happened that night there were just a few fuzzy memories about them being scared and that was more than enough to keep him creeped out by the place. This is why he was bound and determined that there were no such things as ghost and spirits and it was all in his head. If there really was some life altering moment where they saw a ghost he would have surely remembered it. So it's that he has convinced himself there is something to be afraid of in this house rather than there actually being something to be afraid of, and so he is. His overzealous imagination even turned normal tripping like yesterday into something abnormal. The thought of all that was actually making him angry now, the idea of being afraid of nothing and knowing there is nothing and still being afraid frustrated him. That's it I'm going to find Jen. He thought to himself and just as he took a step into the large room beyond the double doors he heard her.

"Mike!" Jen yelled from the other side of the house. "Come here!"

Her voice was muffled so he knew she was in one of the rooms off of the kitchen. He began to jog after the muffled yell. "I'm coming!" He yelled back to her. He was making his way through the kitchen and when he turned left and walked through the doorway leading to the room she was in, there she stood eerily still looking intently at a small table that sat beside a very old looking chair. "What? What is it?" He asked as he came to a stop a foot away from her.

"There." She pointed at the table.

Mike followed the invisible line that extended from her finger and landed on a cell phone that sat next to a stack of magazines."What?"

"The phone." She turned and looked at him like it should mean something to him.

When he glanced back down is when it hit him, the text last night and this morning. The look on his face must have confirmed that he understood why she was yelling for him.

"Yeah exactly!" She looked back down at the phone. "Is it his?"

"I'm not sure but I don't know who's else it would be."

"Well aren't you going to check?"

He looked at her then took a deep breath and reached down for the phone. He picked it up and it was still plugged into the wall. He pressed the button bringing it to life and the first image was a dark picture with a bright white mist that formed a silhouette.

"Yes that's his phone." Mike said as a large lump began to develop in the back of his throat and the hair on the back of his neck began to stand. "Here." He handed it to her.

"Were his parents here?" Jen asked as she looked questionably at the phone. She held the phone closer to her face. "What..." She stopped her question as she answered it herself. "Oh my God." She turned the phone so that Mike could see it and pointed at the lit screen with the picture on it. "It's a girl." Jen's face lit up and she began to smile.

"Yeah it's her apparently." Mike sat down in the chair that was next to the table. "It's Emily."

Jen turned the picture back around and stared at it. "This is incredible. I mean I've seen stuff like this on TV but never a real picture. I wonder if there is more." She touched the phone here and there and started flipping through the pictures on the phone.

Mike started thinking about the text he had gotten in the middle of the night and the one on his phone when he woke up. They seemed odd at the time but not knowing the full details he could spin it anyway he wanted to. Now though, knowing that the phone was here and judging by the stack of letters that were piled up on the floor when they first came in, his parents hadn't been there in at least a few days and it made the text a lot harder to explain way.

"This is definitely the phone that sent you those texts I did see that but there are only like three pictures on here." She said, interrupting Mike's thoughts as she continued to scroll through the phone. "Guess you can only have so many considering." She finally pulled the phone away from her gaze.

"Your girlfriend is dead? Yeah puts a bit of a damper on picture day."

"Ass" Jen gave Mike a look. "For starters... she could be right around us and you're being mean. Secondly, I thought you didn't believe in this stuff." She said as her voice trailed off into a whisper.

"I don't." He stood up. "You about ready to go?"

"No I've barely even started to look around." She sat the phone back down and turned around to make her way to where there were two doors. One sat at the end the short hall while the other door to her right, combined with the small frame around it made up the entirety of the right wall. She opened the door that was straight ahead and saw that it led to a laundry room. She closed the door and turned to her right. The door was smaller than the rest of the doors that she had seen in the house.

"I don't remember that door." Mike said as he saw her reach for the knob. He took a few steps and was now standing beside her.

She smiled at him as she turned the knob and opened the door. The door opened to a small dark space that was about two and a half feet wide. The light shining into the house from the windows on the far side of the room barely made a dent in the darkness of the small hallway. Jen began to search the inside of the door for the light switch. Finally finding it she flipped it on and the dark space lit up revealing a small stairwell. The steps went up and flattened out on a small platform and disappeared in a ninety degree angle to the right. Looking up the stairs she noticed a large dark spot on the wall up the steps and as she looked closer it appeared to be a large hole but from its perfectly square shape it was more likely to be some kind of cubby.

"Oh this is cool." Jen said as she looked up the stairwell. "You didn't know about this?"

"Nope must have been boarded up or something. Can't imagine it's been added. It looks old, just look at the dust."

"Wonder where it goes." She asked as she turned to Mike and smiled. "Only one way to find out."

"You can't be going up there? It looks like it's unsafe."

"Will you stop being such a giant pansy?" Jen pulled down the side of her shorts and looked at her hip.

"What are you doing? You scratch yourself or something?"

"Nope." She let her shorts snap back and then looked up the stairs again. "I was just making sure I was the one wearing the panties." She turned to Mike and gave him a sly smile.

He shook his head. "Just walk." He said as he pointed up the stairs.

Jen laughed and started walking up the steps. The steps did look a bit worn and the hall was thin. She could walk up normally but Mike had to side step his way up. The open area on the wall at the end of the first section of stairs ended up being a big open cubby that went back in the wall a couple of feet. In the cubby were stacks of old books and a few antique looking figurines all of which were covered in a thick layer of dust.

"These look really old." She said as she picked up one of the figurines and began to wipe off the dust. It was easy to tell that the items on the shelf had been sitting there untouched for years.

The one she picked up was made of some type of smooth stone and was about six inches tall. It had a face like a feral dog and with four small horns that came out of the top of its head. The body of it was very lanky and seemed disproportionate as far as its width and height went. Its arms were long, very thin and stretched down past its waist and ended with long fingers at its knees which were in the middle of legs that looked very similar to its arms. The torso looked like a stretched, starved torso of a human.

"What is that?" Mike asked as he looked at the figurine. "The other ones look almost just like it too."

"I have no idea." She sat it down and slid it back into its original spot. "It's creepy though."

"Yeah it is, let's keep moving."

They continued up the second half of the stairs. These ones however ended at a door that was very similar in size to the first one. She reached for the knob and turned but the door wouldn't budge.

"It won't open." She turned the knob again and pressed her shoulder against the door pushing with all she had. "The handle turns but it won't budge at all."

"Let me try." The idea was easier than the actual task of switching places. They tried a couple different times then ended up succeeding as he slid by her belly to belly. Mike grabbed the knob turned and shoved having the same amount of success as Jen did. "It's weird..." He put his shoulder in the door and shoved. "Even if it was locked the door should have some give but it doesn't." He gave it one more big shove with his shoulder but again nothing. "It's not going to open babe."

Jen's look turned to one of disappointment. "I guess not." She turned to walk down the steps. "Maybe there is a door on the other side of the room we can get to if we go up the stairs by the front door."

Mike followed her down the steps. "Yeah one can only hope." He said in a very sarcastic tone.

As Jen placed her foot down on the platform that separated the two angles of steps there was a creaking sound that started behind them and they both instantly froze. She was the first to turn around and leaned slightly to the side so she could see behind Mike. There at the top of the steps stood a wide opened door. The room behind the door was pitch black. It was as if the light that illuminated the stair well couldn't penetrate the area past the door frame.

"That isn't what I think it is, is it?" Mike was staring down at Jen's wide eyed face already knowing the answer.

Unable to talk she began to nod her head.

Mike began to slowly turn around when the door slammed shut.

Jen let out a barely audible squeal as it began to open again and then like before slammed itself shut. Jen backed into the wall as she stared wide eyed and now with her mouth gapping open. As she hit the wall and mike started to walk down the steps the door began to violently open and slam itself over and over. The noise was echoing in the tight stairwell and began to hurt their ears.

Just as he was about to step down onto the platform where Jen stood the figurine that She had picked up to examine was flung by an invisible force out of the cubby slamming into the ceiling then falling to the floor missing Mike's head by mere inches.

"You ok?" He asked Jen as she flung her arms up to her head to protect herself from the flying figurine. He squeezed by her and grabbed her hand. "Let's go." He lead her down the stairs as quickly as he could. The door at the top of the steps was still slamming, the noise still echoing through the stairwell hurting their ears. When they finally reached the bottom Mike pulled Jen out and slammed the door to the stairwell closed. As the door closed the sound of the door at the top of the steps stopped and was now replaced with an eerie silence. When Mike turned around he saw Jen slouched down in old looking chair that sat next to the table with Wes's phone.

"Jen?" Mike walked over to her and kneeled down in front of her. "Babe?" He grabbed her hand.

She raised her head as tears rolled down her checks, her eyes still as wide as they had been in the stairwell.

"Jen are you ok? You're not hurt are you?"

She shook her head in response.

"You sure?"

She nodded.

Mike stood up "I think it's time to go home."

Jen stood, still not speaking and he lead her by the hand through the kitchen back through the long double room and then quickly out the front door. "Go to the car, I'll be right behind you."

Her grip tightened on his hand as she began shivering. "No!" She answered in a voice that was louder than normal but not quite a yell. "No I'm staying with you."

"Ok" He reached his free hand into his pocket and pulled out the key then slid it into the lock of the door and turned it, locking the front door. He then lead Jen back to the car, opened her door and helped her back into the car. Her hand was still clinched on his. "I need my hand back babe. I am just going around the car to get in ok."

She reluctantly let go.

He made his way to the driver's side, opened the door, and climbed into the car. He looked over at her and saw a look of sheer terror on her face one hand covering her mouth, as if to hold back a scream. "What?" He asked his tone breaking and questionable.

She raised the hand that wasn't covering her mouth and pointed towards the house.

Mike's gaze followed down her arm, down her finger, and traced the invisible line that led his gaze to the large porch. There standing in the middle of it was a large black figure. It was hard to make out much about the body; however the detail of the figures face was clearly visible. The features suggested a middle aged man that was clearly from a different time. He had a receding hairline and a thick handlebar mustache. The most notable feature of the face and probably the most frightening were the eyes. The eyes glowed blood red and they were fixed right on him. Mike felt a chill rise up his spine and his stomach begin to churn.

"Please go, please, please, please, please go." Jen said in a trembling voice tears streaming down her face.

He grabbed the keys out of the middle console inserted them into the ignition and turned them bringing the car to life. Mike looked at Jen, her head now in her arms. He looked up as he put the car in reverse; the figure on the porch was gone but on the railing in the spot the figure stood, sat the very figurine that Jen had examined on the slender stairwell. He mashed his foot down on the gas chirping the tires as he began backing out of the driveway. When he was in the street he slammed the car in drive and again mashed the gas pedal squealing the tires once again as the car drove off down the road.

Chapter 9

Long and Silent Ride Home

Mike was easily going around twenty miles an hour over the speed limit and recklessly swerving around bends. He even ran a few stop signs so he could put as much distance between them and the house as he could. He knew he could get away with it at this time of day as long as he stuck to certain roads, it probably wouldn't have mattered even if he didn't know he could.

Jen was more scared out of the two, he was at least functioning which was a good thing given the pace he was putting his car through. She however was sitting in her seat with her knees pulled up to her chin and her face buried in them. When they initially started the drive she began to rock back and forth but her pace began to slow the further they got from the house until she was finally sitting still.

"Jennifer!" He had been trying to get her to answer time and time again but she wasn't. "Baby I need you to answer me. Are you ok? You didn't get hurt did you?"

She finally lifted her face off her knees and looked over at him and shook her head. Her eyes were red from tears and she had a large red mark on her forehead from having it pressed up against her knees. "Whatever that was, it wanted to hurt me. I could just feel it." She took the back of her hand and wiped away the leftover tears from her face. "I have never been so scared. Could you feel it? Has that ever happened to you in there before?"

He glanced over at Jen and shook his head. "Nothing like that." He looked up and checked his mirrors then took the exit to the highway. "I've seen things there before but nothing ever like that."

"What happened when you and Wes were kids? What scared you to the point of being afraid the house?"

Mike looked to his left making sure there were no cars coming then he sped up as he pulled off the ramp and onto the highway. He waited a few more seconds then set the cruise and began the major part of the long ride home. He was still going well over the speed limit even being this far away from the house. "We were at a Halloween party." The memories that had been so foggy and distant just an hour ago had come back to him at full force. It was as if the dark figure was a spark that lit a fire bringing all his memories from that night boiling up to the surface.

"There was a Halloween party there?" She asked.

"Yeah it was when it was abandoned it was actually something of a neighborhood tradition."

"Why?"

"It was creepy and everyone heard stories of it being haunted. What better place for a bunch of idiot teens to hang out at night, especially on Halloween?" He looked over at her and she was staring at him with a questionable look. "We never had any real experiences there it was all just talk back then. The party started around six or so just as the sun was starting to go down. It was like a countdown to the fun." Mike smiled. "There was about twenty of us there but Wes and I had ventured off on our own. Everyone else pretty much stayed together in the down stairs but he wanted to go upstairs so I went with him. That was the first time we saw her. We made our way into a room at the far end of the hall and when we opened the door. There was just enough light coming in from outside that we could still make things out. When we walked in we saw her standing by this old wardrobe." He paused and checked to see if the left lane was clear so he could get around a slow moving semi.

Jen looked at him as if to say what happened next. She was unaware of the reason he stopped talking until she saw him checking his mirror. She then put her face back in her knees waiting for him to continue the story.

"She was just standing there like she wanted to look through it but couldn't. At the site of her Wes dropped the flashlight he had and when it hit the floor she turned to look at us. The look on her face before she turned was... well it was hard to describe really. It was like a look of yearning I guess is the best way I can describe it. Then as she turned and saw us her face changed, it was like she was the one seeing the ghost. Her eyes settled on me and then she glanced over at Wes then back to me. She stood there for a few seconds before she just took off running. Then she just vanished after a few steps."

"What happened next?" Jen asked.

"Well we took off running." He glanced over at Jen. "Honestly I never really believed in all of that stuff even after what happened to me there on Halloween. It was like I had some kind of mental aversion to it or something. It was like one minute I'd be thinking it was real then not even trying to my mind would cut itself off and say no. Up until a few minutes ago I've nerver remembered that night so clearly."

"Sounds like you're in some kind of denial." She unwrapped her arms from around her legs and placed her feet on the floor. "Wonder what happened to you."

"What?" It was his turn to give a questionable look. "What do you mean?"

"Learned it in Psych. Traumatic enough events can scar you and like you said it'll cause a mental aversion to something." She noticed him giving her awkward glances. "It's like the rape victim whose experience was so traumatic that she will completely deny it ever happening and can even put up a mental block so it's like she forgot it ever happened. The emotional damage tends to stay of course but the memory as to why the damage is there is gone." She turned her head and began to look out the front windshield. "Makes me wonder if something happened to you that made you put up such a mental block."

He had no answer or response. He just sat there in silence staring in front of him.

"How do you feel about it now? Are you trying to explain what happened today away with a twisted form of logic?" Jen's tone behind the question was almost challenging.

"No, of course not. I wasn't trying to offend you or belittle anything. After what happened there and..." He stopped mid-sentence.

"And what?" She spit out. Realizing the harshness of her tone she calmed herself down before she spoke again. "Sorry sweetie wasn't trying to sound like a bitch I'm just really freaked out."

"I understand don't worry." He did his best attempt at a reassuring smile he could muster.

"Why now? Why do you believe now instead explaining it off as some kind of wind current or an updraft or something?"

Had he not been so shaken up still he would have laughed however his lips did involuntarily turn up in a slight smile though. "You."

"Me?" She turned back to him.

"Yeah when anything happened to me it was whatever, but seeing you and how scared you were... the look on your face... I can't get it out of my head."

She reached down and placed her hand on his leg. She actually started to tear up. She unbuckled her seat belt and leaned over and laid her head on his arm. "I love you so much."

He lifted his arm and wrapped it around her.

She closed her eyes as she lay against him eventually nodding off to sleep.

He drove in silence, though he would have turned the radio on had his arm not been wrapped around Jen. He was afraid if he moved it she'd wake up and after the scare she just had, sleep wasn't a bad thing. So instead he sat there staring out the windshield at a nearly empty highway. They had been on the road for only forty minutes and they had about four hours to go before they were home. It was usually longer but the fast paced beginning of the trip had shaved some time off for sure and his hurried pace now would surely shave off more. As he stared out the window what Jen had said started playing in the back of his mind. Had something happened to me when I was younger? If so what? He thought to himself. He began wracking his brain trying to think but the only thing he came up with was Halloween night but his mental block in believing in paranormal activity had started before that. Maybe I should ask my parents. Maybe they know of something like nightmares or anything. He thought. As much as it was nagging at him he decided that he didn't have an answer and if he was blocking it then it was going to take more than just thinking about it to find the answer so he started trying to think about something else.

Just as his mind was starting to fill with other thoughts his phone went off. The sudden noise woke Jen up with a fright and as soon as she caught her composure she took it out of his pocket to see who it was. Upon looking at the phone her face went pale and she dropped the phone.

"What? What is it?" Mike asked though he thought he had the answer already.

"Wes." She reached to pick up the phone and it went off again and again. It wouldn't stop beep after beep text after text. She started shaking and handed the phone to him.

He slide his thumb across the screen opening it up and there repeating itself was the word NO. It had to be there thirty times and then it stopped. It wasn't over, the phone began to ring now. This wasn't a text, this was a call and it was coming from Wes's phone. Theye sat there shocked.

"Don't answer it." Jen said as she sat there shaking.

The ring stopped and it didn't come back, but a few second later there was another beep but it wasn't a text this time. It was a voicemail.

He sat there unsure what to do. He decided to pull off to the side of the road so he could compose himself. As he sat there he stared at the phone then glanced over at Jen. She had no response. So he decided there was only one thing to do now. He went to his voicemail and hit play then put it on speaker. What happened next was enough to bring Jen back to tears and take the breath and color right out of him. There coming out of his phone in the most terrifying drawn out guttural growl came one word. He played it again to make sure it was real and there it was again in the same horrifying voice.

"Die"

Mike ripped the back of his phone off and tore the battery out and threw it all into the backseat

The rest of the way was driven in silence neither knowing what to say. It was like their brains clicked over to autopilot. Even when they made it home they silently got out of the car, made their way into their house without saying a word. They walked straight to their room and crawled into bed. Jen scooted next to Mike and he wrapped his arms around her. They laid not saying a word till they eventually fell into a dreamless, broken, and restless sleep.

Chapter 10

The Next Entry

They started the day the same way the last one ended, in silence. Jen woke up about an hour before Mike and started a pot of coffee since they didn't prep it to auto start the night before. She took a shower and dressed while it was brewing. When she got out of the shower she woke Mike and then he took his turn in the shower. They barely spoke, only to say excuse me as they stepped around one another in the bathroom or in the kitchen. The events of yesterday still lingered and neither had fully recovered from them. Mike was the first one to break the silence.

"You ok Jen?" He asked as they stood in the kitchen drinking coffee and eating bagels with cream cheese. "I mean ok as you can be anyways?"

"Yeah I'd be lying if I said I was fine but I'm ok I guess." She took a sip of coffee "Did you recognize the voice?" She half looked at him.

"You mean was it Wes's?" He looked at her.

"I don't know. I mean who knows what could have happened..." Her voice trailed off as she saw a slight look of anger on his face. "Sorry I just don't know what to make of any of this or how to feel."

"It wasn't Wes." He took a sip of coffee. "I understand Jen but I can't believe it was him. Yes he was probably angry at me but that wasn't him on the front porch and that wasn't his voice."

She nodded and began to nibble on her bagel. She sat there silent for a few more minutes. "I mean what the hell was that yesterday?" Her voice became a bit shaky, as the events of yesterday took over her thoughts.

"I'm not sure but the only thing I can think to do is to read through some of his journal and see if maybe there is something in there about what is in that house. What is in there and why it got like that towards us."

"That's a good idea." She glanced over at the clock on the wall, 7:15 she stood up. "We better get going. Are you going to have time to look through them though? It's not like you'll be having a ton of free time you're going to be practicing hard."

"That's true." He gulped down the rest of his coffee. "Given we are playing towards a bowl game I'll be watching more film and spending more time at the facilities than usual. "

"I can look through them." She grabbed the car keys off the table. "I mean if that's ok with you. I have a lighter load during the week."

"Yeah that's a good idea. Maybe you'll be able to find something out."

"You sure?" I don't want to overstep boundaries."

"I'm sure babe." He smiled at her. "You can let me know if you find anything in them."

She smiled back at him. It was the first time she had smiled since yesterday.

They made their way out the door closing it behind them.

The rest of the morning and first part of the afternoon passed in a blur like it did most weekdays during football season. Mike went to the stadium for a workout and to watch hours of films, then immediately after had practice. It felt good to get back on the field. The football field was his territory. It was where he felt free and in control. From the time he called the play in the huddle, to taking his team to the line, to the end of the play everything else was gone. It was just him and his men and their battle against the eleven savage, blood thirsty men across from them.

Practice was intense like it normally was at this time of the year with a bowl game riding on the line. Two more wins is what they are shooting for and the coach was working them hard to get them ready. When practice was over he took off his gear put on his warm ups and left not even sticking around to get a shower.

It was going on eight when he walked through the front door and just like he expected Jen was sitting in their oversized recliner legs crossed with the laptop sitting on her lap. "Home babe." He walked into the living room and kissed her on her forehead.

"You stink." She said as she pushed him away. "Why didn't you get a shower at the stadium?"

"Love you too." He said with a smirk. "I was in a hurry to get home. I figured you'd be reading and I was wondering if you found anything."

"I sent you a text." She said not even looking up from the computer screen. "Didn't you get it?" She must have gotten to a part she could stop at because she finally looked up at him.

"My phone is in pieces in the back seat of the car where I tossed it yesterday." He said as he made his way to the kitchen, opening the fridge and pulling out a bottle of water. "What did you send me?" He opened the bottle and took a big long drink.

She sat the laptop on the coffee table and flipped around in her seat. Her demeanor had changed dramatically since yesterday and even this morning. "Well..."

He saw the enthusiasm on her face and cut her off. "Don't mean to interrupt but I can tell by your face this could take some time so can we do this in the shower."

"Sure anything you want your highness."

He turned his head and looked at her slightly puzzled as she hopped up and followed him up the steps. I don't think I was being bossy. I'm nasty and figured we could do this in the bathroom as I was taking a shower. He thought to himself as he made his way into the bathroom.

Mike turned on the water adjusting it to the right temperature and turned around to start to undress and there stood Jen completely naked. He was surprised by this. He thought she was going to tell him about it while he took a shower and the look on his face must have shown his surprise.

"What?" She asked taken back by his look.

"I just thought you were going to tell me while I got a shower I didn't know you were going to get in with me."

"Oh well I'm sorry. I'll just put my clothes back on." She bent over and grabbed her bra but before she even stood up again he spoke.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... I'm not saying that at all." He grabbed her bra and tossed it back on the floor. "I'm just surprised is all, excited." He gave her a big smile. "Very excited, but surprised none the less." He started taking off his clothes as she climbed into the shower. When he was done he hurriedly climbed in with her. "What has gotten into you?"

"Nothing... why?" She was running her fingers through her wet hair.

"Well this morning you looked like you were an inch from a breaking point and well now." He pointed his hands at her palm up and moved them up and down. "This. It's a pretty big one eighty in a short amount of time is all."

"Well did you know we have a parapsychology class on campus?" Not giving him time to answer she continued. "They even have their own paranormal club." She reached past Mike, who was now washing his hair to get her shampoo. "They go on ghost hunts and everything."

"I was unaware of that." He said as he grabbed his wash cloth and squeezed a glob of liquid soap on it. "How did you find that out?"

"I was in the library and asked about paranormal books and Tracy the girl that works the counter at the campus library is actually a member." She paused as she rinsed the shampoo out of her hair.

Mike took the opportunity to ask his previous question again. "You didn't answer me though. What brought this change on by the way?"

"Oh, sorry." She grabbed her wash cloth and like him, squeezed a glob of soap on it and began to scrub. "Tracy and I started talking. I am actually very surprised at how easily it all came out to be honest." She stopped talking long enough to wash her face. "I explained to her what had happened." She paused and held her wash cloth out to him. "Can you get my back?" She spun around as he took the cloth from her hand and he began to wash her back. "So anyway, I told her about what had happened and she just lit up. She told me that there are paranormal investigators that go their whole lives dreaming of having that kind of contact. We talked for about an hour and she made me feel a lot better about everything."

He handed her wash cloth back to her over her shoulder and when she turned around handed her his then spun around. She took it and began washing his back. "So now you are excited about what happened?" He was having an issue wrapping his head around the dramatic turnaround. He was still freaked out about what had happened which is why his phone still laid in pieces in the back seat of their car and here she is excited about it all.

"I'm still a little freaked of course but after talking with Tracy and hearing her talk about it, I have to say I'm a bit excited yes."

Mike was now rinsing the soap off his body and a second later Jen grabbed him and swung him to the back so she could rinse off.

"Well that's good you're starting to feel better about what happened. I was worried about you." He reached to open the shower curtain. "Did you read anything interesting in the journal?"

He barely got the shower curtain open a few inches when Jen grabbed his hand and pulled it shut again. He turned his head and saw her standing there, grinning from ear to ear.

"I don't think you understand." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips. "I said I was excited."

He was taken by surprise but it only took him a few seconds to shake it off and wrap his arms around her waist.

She slide one of her hands down and began to rub his muscular chest then leaned in and kissed where she had just rubbed. "Besides I made you a promise at your parent's house."

He had forgotten all about it until just that second. With everything going on it had completely slipped his mind. Now that he remembered however, excitement began coursing through him and it became visibly apparent.

"You forgot!" She raised her hand that she was rubbing his chest then brought it down and smacked him right where she was rubbing.

"Ouch Crazy" He said with a smile. "There has been a lot going on, hasn't there."

She raised herself up and kissed him on the lips again. "I'll let it slide this once." She smiled and then kissed him again but this time it was deep and passionate. "But just this once."

He slid his hands down and grabbed her thighs and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around him as he lifted her. He turned, held her against the wall, and kissed her lips with an almost ferocity. She ran her hand that she had been rubbing his chest up and in his hair grabbing a handful as she did. She let out a moan as he moved his lips to her neck and began to kiss.

Neither one had noticed how cold the water had gotten till the sexual endorphins in their bodies had finally gone away but when they did, they both let out loud yelps. Jen threw the curtain back and jumped out of the shower blocking Mike's escape in the process.

"Thanks babe, throw me to the wolves, very nice." He said as he grabbed a towel and began to feverishly dry himself off.

Jen had a towel wrapped around her and was already out the door making her way to their bedroom as she yelled back to him. "Women and children first!"

By the time Mike had dried off and made his way into the bedroom she was dressed in her pajamas and under the covers. He walked to the dresser and pulled out a pair of pajama pants and slid them on then made his way towards the bed and began to crawl into it when she flipped the covers off and stopped him before he could get one leg on the bed.

"It's not time for bed yet."

He stopped in his tracks and sighed. "I'm exhausted babe."

"Don't give me that. You can stay up a little longer." She scooted to the side of the bed and sprung up and out of it. "After what I just did to you in the shower I think you can stay up a little for me, don't you think?"

He knew there was only one correct answer to the situation and he wasn't dumb enough to not go along with it, so he raised himself back up and followed her out of the bedroom and down to the chair she had been sitting in when he had gotten home.

"So I was reading some of the journal entries" She grabbed Mike's hand and sat him down in the chair and then climbed onto his lap then pulled the laptop over to them. "First ones are just normal things nothing about her or anything at the house." She moved her finger over the mouse pad and double clicked bringing a new screen filled with words. "This is from Halloween night though." She spun the laptop and Mike grabbed the edge with his hand adjusting it so he could see it better and began to read.

10/31/2007

It was Halloween night and Mike and I were at the old abandoned house. We had always heard of people going and the stories they told were nothing spectacular. I didn't really believe it to be actually haunted until now. We saw something. I'm not sure if it was real. It feels like it wasn't but it's in my brain the image, my heart is still pumping. I can't get the image out of my head and honestly I don't want to.

The night started off like a normal night, well as normal as it can be with the prospect of spending the night in an old abandoned supposedly haunted house anyways. When we had gotten to the house the sun was just starting to go down and everyone was gathered in the large great room. There was just enough light coming in the house so that flashlights weren't really needed yet but we all had them ready and there were even several candles lit too. I was following Mike around as he did his normal walk through the crowd, the way a king would greet his subjects. He hates when I make that comparison but I find it amusing so I do any chance I get. Then again it gives him his opening for calling me the court Jester but it's a fair trade if you ask me... Way off topic... Back on track... As we were making our way through the crowd you could hear the murmurs of how the house was haunted and how most people planned on staying down stairs but a few people were bragging about how they had been all through the house and had seen this and that and they were going to hang out in the basement or attic and blah blah blah "I'm a big man now let me in your panties" talk. Sometimes it's embarrassing to be male... It wasn't till the end of the royal tour that I heard Penelope say that she and her older brother came here one night and while they were upstairs they saw a ghost, a full body apparition. She went on how it looked so real and had it come from anyone else I probably wouldn't have believed it. Penelope wasn't the type to try to impress people and the sound of her voice as she talked about it... That's when I decided that we should try our luck upstairs and I'm so glad we did.

About an hour after we got there Mike and I made our way upstairs and it wasn't long after that we saw what I believe Penelope and her brother saw.

As we walked down the hall most of the rooms didn't have doors and if they did they were wide open. We shined the flashlights in and peaked in them as we passed. However there was one door that was closed and though it peeked our interest, we passed it at first. It wasn't till we were on our way back towards the stairs that we stopped at it. We both looked at each other and then with a big breath as if trying to inhale some bravery we opened the door and there she stood. After seeing her standing there my body just went numb not out of fear though. I wasn't scared I have been scared and that wasn't it, this feeling was new. Whatever it was it made me drop my flashlight and when it hit the floor she turned towards us.

Penelope had said she and her brother saw a ghost but that's not what I saw. I saw an angel, the most beautiful creature I have ever and can only imagine will ever see. I can see her face right now all I need to do is close my eyes. I see her long wavy hair that reached a good six inches past her shoulders, her flawless skin, and her beautiful eyes. Where there would have been color was a light grey almost a silver but it didn't shine like silver would, she had full flowing eyelashes that sat above them. She had the cutest button nose, and her lips had a light greyness to them not the same color as her eyes but slightly darker than the rest of her whitish skin.

I saw the look on her face from the side and she was staring at the wardrobe with such longing it was heartbreaking. I don't know if it was hers and she missed the clothes or what it meant to her but whatever it was it was important. When I dropped the flashlight she spun around and Mike was the first one she saw. She looked back and forth between us for a bit and her face was just... Well I don't know how else to describe it but she looked like she had seen a ghost I have no idea what it was about but it was very strange. She lingered for a few seconds but it felt like an eternity then turned and ran and then vanished.

Mike has been acting weird since then. He acts like it never happened, that he didn't see whatever it was that I saw. I know he did though I saw his face when she was staring at him. He saw it, there is no doubt in my mind. I wish I could describe the look on his face though I have never seen anything like it. That was probably the scariest thing of the night. His look was just... well it just got to me and it still has me a bit shaken.

I'm going to go back I want to see her again. I want to meet her. I'd love to get to know her. Mike doesn't approve but I have to. I don't think I have a choice in the matter it's like she's calling me or something. I can't stop thinking about her.

All kinds of emotions started to roll in to Mike as he finished reading this entry. He could see the memory of that night like he was there again. He pushed the laptop back to Jen and she sat it down on the coffee table. He could remember everything about that night except for what was going through his mind. He sat there in the chair racking his brain trying to figure it out but it wasn't coming. She must have noticed him straining for the memory because she gave him a look of slight concern.

"You ok Michael?" She asked in a soft voice.

"Yeah I'm just trying to remember that night more clearly. I'm still thinking about what you said in the car about my mental block. Nothing is coming though I wish it was but it's not."

"Well don't stress yourself about it." She leaned down and kissed his forehead. "I asked Tracy about it actually."

Mike looked up at her and she had a smile on her face. "You two are becoming fast friends I take it."

"Something like that." She paused as she ran her fingers through his hair. "Well anyways she said that someone getting a mental block from a traumatic paranormal experience is a lot more common than you think."

"Did she say what to do about it?"

"Well she said it's unlikely to come back on its own so if you really wanted to find out what it was you should go see someone."

"Like a therapist?" He rolled his eyes, at the thought. The last thing he wanted was a shrink to say he was mentally unstable months before draft time.

"Well a kind of therapist..." She paused for a second as if debating the next words. "Like a hypnotherapist."

He started to laugh. The idea of going to a hypnotherapist seamed absurd. The types of hypnotherapist he knew of, cured people of their cravings for cigarettes and got people to have imaginary sex or cluck like a chicken on a stage somewhere.

"Don't laugh." Her look of concern was now replaced with a full on pout.

"I'm not laughing at you sweetie I promise it's just the idea. Even if I wanted to go you know I can't right now. With the end of the season coming up I'd never have the time." He decided to leave his possible career ending thoughts out of the conversation.

"I know I was thinking maybe after the season when things calm down."

"We'll see." He knew he had no real intentions of going but he didn't want to burst whatever bubble of excitement she had wrapped around her at the moment. He took her hand and brought it to his mouth and gave it a little kiss then with his other hand reaching underneath it he pinched her thigh.

"Ouch asshole." What was that for?

He smiled. "You're Highness? Really?" He laughed. "I wondered what that was all about."

She tried to suppress her smile. "I wasn't sure you caught that." She laughed as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"Now can we go to bed? I'm seriously exhausted."

"Whatever you wish your majesty." She smiled and kissed him then stood up, took his hand, and pulled on it.

He stood. "Careful I could have you sentenced to death for assaulting a member of the royal family." He smiled and winked at her.

"Shut it and start walking."

They walked hand in hand up to their bedroom, crawled into bed, and pulled the covers up over themselves. Jen reached over and turned the lamp that sat on her side of the bed off then rolled back over and gave Mike one last kiss.

"I love you." He said as he looked into her eyes.

"I love you too baby." She laid her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

She fell asleep almost immediately but he laid there thinking about Wes and that Halloween night trying to figure out what secret, if there was one that had happened so long ago. He thought about it till his thoughts began to slow and exhaustion finally won the battle and he drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 11

The Story of Warren Montgomery

The next few nights Jen was getting home much later than usual. On a normal night she would get home well before Mike but she was getting home an hour or so after him. When he asked her about it she explained to him that she was spending time at the library with Tracy, the girl she met there. They spent the day talking about all things paranormal and it would tend to go well past Tracy's shift so they would either stay there or go to dinner and keep the conversation going. So when he saw the two walk in together he wasn't the least bit surprised.

Tracy had straight chin length brown hair that made her already paleish skin look even paler around her face. She wore light blue glasses that surrounded her blue eyes. The light blue of the glasses made the color of her eyes stand out. She stood a few inches shorter then Jen but Mike was sure it had more to do with her slight slouch than her actual height.

"How was your study date?" Mike asked while he was lying on the couch with a bag of ice on his right shoulder. "You two look to be in high spirits."

"Well I'd say we fared better than you did." Jen walked to the couch and sat on the edge. She gently lifted the bag of ice off of Mike's shoulder. "You ok?"

"Yeah just sore." He flinched as she sat the ice back down a little rougher than desired.

"Sorry." She said with a frown.

"It's ok." He reached up and adjusted the ice pack. "Just a rough day at practice. A freshman got a little over zealous and I went down on my shoulder."

"I bet coach was pissed."

Mike smiled and laughed then immediately grimaced from the pain. "Yeah I think he is still running laps. Luckily it wasn't too bad or he'd probably still be running till practice tomorrow."

"That is a bit much." Jen said as she gave him a questioning look.

"Hey not my rules babe... Besides he and every other freshman need to know not to hit the superstar quarterback." Mike smiled as he gingerly sat himself up a little.

"Aren't we full of himself today?" Jen said.

Tracy who was still standing by the front door let out a little laugh.

"Laugh it up." Mike gave her a smile as he adjusted the ice bag again. "Enough about my day though, you two looked excited about something."

Jen's face immediately lit up. "Yes we are. I don't know how she did it but Tracy the miracle worker got the entire story on Warren Montgomery."

"Who?" Mike asked.

"You'll find out when you read the journal entries, but it won't hurt you to listen to this." Jen turned around and looked at Tracy who was still standing near the front door. "Trace what are you doing?"

"Nothing." She said in a soft voice.

Jen shook her head. "Come sit down."

"Ok" Tracy slowly walked over and sat in the chair that was adjacent to the arm of the couch that Mike had his head at. It was obvious that Tracy wasn't yet comfortable in these surroundings. She was naturally a shy individual and being here with Jen and Mike, even though she had been here once before she was still very timid.

"Ok so like I was saying Trace dug up some crazy details about him and you wouldn't believe the stuff that went on in that house."

"I'm liking it already." Mike said with a sly smile. "So let's hear it."

"Go ahead Trace." Jen said as she looked up at her.

"Me?"

"Yeah why not?" She asked with a smile. "You found it all and told me about it so it would probably be better coming from you.

"Oh... Ok." Tracy began to rummage through her papers she had sitting on her lap. "Just a sec." She finally pulled out three pieces of notebook paper that had hand writing written all over it. 'Here they are."

"Anyone want a drink or anything before we start?" Jen asked

"No I'm good." Mike answered.

Tracy shook her head. "No thank you."

"Ok just wanted to make sure." Jen situated herself so she was gingerly lying across Mike's lap. "This ok?"

"Yeah."

"Ok good." She looked up to Tracy. "I'll stop interrupting now." She said with a smile.

"Ok... So as I was telling you earlier." She nodded at Jen. 'This goes way back and none of it is documented so I can't guarantee it is real, but I would bet it was. I trust the person who helped me and they have never let me down with their info." She pulled out another sheet of paper and sat it down on the coffee table. It was an old black and white photo of Wes's house. "This is the house right?"

Mike glanced down at the old photo. "I would say so yeah."

"Well according to my source he ran an exclusive club from his house. It was a club for the rich and twisted."

*****

"Well good evening Mr. Hardy." A well-dressed man with slicked back greying hair and a matching handlebar mustache said. "Welcome, I hope you enjoy your evening with us."

Mr. Hardy was a bald heavy set man who had to be in his early sixties. "Oh I can't imagine I wouldn't Mr. Montgomery." He said as he entered the beautifully decorated house. "You and your services come very highly recommended and held in the highest regards amongst my circle of friends."

"Well that just means the world to me sir. I aim to satisfy all the needs of my guests." As Warren opened the double doors entering into the large great room the contrast between the two rooms couldn't be greater. The entry room was nicely decorated; a very nice wooden bookshelf full of old large books lined the back wall. In front of that sat an elegant red velvet chair with a matching foot stool. As you entered the large great room there was two round tables each surrounded by five finely finished chairs. In each chair sat a man elegantly dressed, it was obvious that they were men of great wealth. On the tables was a mixture of drinks, cards, and large stacks of money.

"May I take your coat and hat sir?" A beautiful young woman with large wavy blonde hair who wore only a tiny see through lace bra that looked as if it was a size too small, a tight lace see through slip, and a pair of stiletto heels all of which were a dark black in color asked Mr. Hardy.

"Of course you may my dear." He said with a smile as he handed her his coat and hat. As she walked away he turned towards Warren. "Very nice indeed sir."

"If you like her she can be yours but we have a wide selection of nice young women." Warren raised his arms and gestured for Mr. Hardy to look around.

The room was full of beautiful young women some dressed in similar fashion as the one who took Mr. Hardy's coat and hat while others were fully dressed in elegant gowns and others weren't dressed at all. The ones who were free of any clothing seemed to be used as more of a labor force than entertainment. They were scrubbing up spills, sweeping the floor, and one was even applying a fresh coat of paint to an area of the wall to cover what looked like a quickly scrubbed blood stain.

"Well I shall take my time before I choose." Mr. Hardy said with a smile.

"I also have a selection of females that I like to call my private stock." Warren gave a sly smile. "They are women of every size and color ranging from older to the very, very young." He gave Mr. Hardy a wink. Might I offer a drink while you walk around and decide what your taste is?" Warren snapped his finger and one of the girls in the see through lace outfits began to make her way to them. "We have more entertainment in the room through there." Warren pointed in the way of a doorway that girls would disappear with empty glasses and reappear with fresh iced drinks. "We have gambling tables as you can see." He gestured in the direction of the two tables. "This young lady will take your order. I have a very wide selection of alcohol from around the world and I also have a fine tobacco selection. I have a line of much more rarer items that will put you in a much more intense state of inebriation as well."

The girl that stood in front of them had a similar look but had light brown hair. She wore the same clothes as the one who took his coat and hat but was a blue color instead of the black. This one however, looked as though she couldn't be much older than fourteen or fifteen.

Mr. Hardy smiled and rubbed his chin. It was easy to tell he was enjoying himself as he stood there eyeing the girl and pondering the possibilities. "I will take a glass of your finest whiskey and one of your finest cigars." The young girl forced a smile and walked away. "For a start anyways." His grin now stretched nearly ear to ear.

"Girl!" Warren yelled after the young girl who took the order. "Take that up to my office." She nodded and turned and hurried off through the doorway. "We can continue our talk up there it is a bit more private." He smiled and began to lead Mr. Hardy through the large great room and through the doorway which lead to a room that was lined with bottle after bottle of alcohol.

The girl who just took the order was digging through a box and finally pulled out a large cigar. She forced a smile as she caught Mr. Hardy eyeing her up and down.

The next room they walked into was about half the size of the great room. In the back stood a long table with men standing around it, one man was rapidly shaking dice before he let them fly down the table. In front of that closer to the entry way stood a roulette table that was just as busy as the craps table behind it.

"I have many clients who come mainly to gamble. However a fair amount of the big winners tend to partake in my other services as a celebration." Warren smiled as he now led Mr. Hardy up a much smaller staircase than the one inside the front door. "This is my office." He said as he made his way around a large desk that was adorned with gold trim. "Please sit." He gestured at a chair that resembled the one found in the entry room.

"Thank you." Mr. Hardy said to him though his gaze was stuck on a very large man who stood to the right of Warren's chair. He smiled at the large man before turning his gaze back to Warren himself.

"Oh don't mind my associate here." Warren smiled. "As I am sure you can understand, a man in my line of work runs into a few problems from time to time, so Mr. Aleksandrov here keeps things inline. Isn't that right Anton?" Warren let out a smile.

"Dat iz ku-rect." Anton Aleksandrov said in a deep Russian accent.

"I could imagine he would come in handy." Mr. Hardy said with a smile.

Just then there was a knock on the door. "It's your order sir." A timid voice said from the other side.

"Anton if you would please." Warren said as he opened a large book on his desk.

The large man slowly stomped his way to the door opened it up and took the glass and cigar from the young girl. "Nuw ko ahvay." He said fiercely in his deep Russian accent.

"If I could interject actually." Mr. Hardy said as he turned to face the door.

Anton turned to face Warren and the young girl froze in place. "Zer?"

"Of course." Warren said with a smile. "I take it you have made your selection?"

Mr. Hardy began to smile ear to ear his eyes fixed on the young girl. "Yes I certainly have."

"Anton will you please escort her down to room... Let's see here." Warren began to flip through a smaller book that sat to the side of the desk. "Seven isn't finished yet so how about room four." He said under his breath. "Yes escort her down to room four." He smiled.

Anton nodded showing his understanding then he walked Mr. Hardy's drink and cigar to the desk then turned to face the young girl. "Valk." He pointed down the stairs. They both disappeared behind the door as Anton closed it behind him.

"Wise choice I have to say I hear wonderful things about her." Warren said with a smile as he motioned to the cigar then lit a match.

Mr. Hardy picked up the cigar, put it to his mouth and then lit it from the burning match in Warren's hand.

Warren flicked the match around putting it out then sat it in an ashtray and scooted it in front of Mr. Hardy. "Now let's discuss payment." He flipped through the large book that sat in front of him, picked up a pen and began to write. "Age and use is taken into consideration for pricing and she is relatively fresh." He looked up towards Mr. Hardy. "The base rate for her is five hundred per hour."

"A very fair price I must say." Mr. Hardy pulled out a large rectangular pouch from his suit jacket pocket. He opened it up and began to take out bill after bill. "Aaaaaand five hundred." He slid the large pile of money over to Warren.

Warren picked up the pile and sat it over to the side. "Thank you." He gave him a smile.

"You don't count it?" Mr. Hardy asked with a curious look.

"I would never be so rude as to count it in front of my customers." He said with a smile. "Besides that is one of Anton's duties and it's not like we won't know where you'll be for the next hour." His smile turned into a different type of smile with those words. It was very clear that this smile was more of a threat than a pleasantry. "Now let us discus the rules."

Mr. Hardy took a long drag of his cigar followed by a large gulp of his drink.

"During the hour, she is your property to do with as you please. Now rough house is allowed however if it gets too rough and she can't perform her normal duties after you are done with her then you are charged a small fee. Also no damage to the face please they need to look presentable." Warren smiled. "Anything below the chin is ok."

"That sounds completely understandable." Mr. Hardy took another large gulp of his drink and a drag of his cigar. "These are very tasty."

"I am glad you like, they are complimentary with your purchase."

"I like them even more now. Can I get more?"

Warren nodded. "Sometimes with newer girls they can cause problems and if that is the case I can either get you another or can send someone in to put her in her place."

"I hope it isn't Mr. Aleksandrov. That would surely kill the mood." Mr. Hardy said as he exhaled a large puff of smoke.

"Oh no, we have some more seasoned women who take care of that aspect. Anton is more... public relations." Warren smiled slyly. "With your choice though I don't think it will be a problem she has already been broken."

"Sounds wonderful." Mr. Hardy finished off his whiskey.

Anton opened the door and made his way into the office. "Zhe es reedy."

"Wonderful!" Warren clapped his hands together and stood up. "Follow me and I will take you to her."

Mr. Hardy stood up and followed Warren down the stairs and back into the bar. Instead of taking the right to the great room he took him left into another room that was about the same size as the bar. He stepped up to a desk with another very large man standing behind it. "You can place any valuables in the protection of this man if you wish. It eases the minds of some of the customers. I do not employ common whores so stealing is extremely rare because of the extreme punishment associated with it. I will not be offended if you wish to place items here I assure you."

Mr. Hardy waved his hand in front of Warren. "Nonsense Mr. Montgomery I am perfectly comfortable. I have many friends who have come here in the past and as I said before they speak of your establishment in the highest of regards."

Warren nodded in a slight bow. "Well I aim to please." He gestured towards a door that was to the left of the door that led to the bar. A buzz sound rang from the door and Warren opened it up allowing Mr. Hardy to walk through the doorway and down the steps that were just beyond.

The room they entered was as big as the house was itself. There were four large pillars that acted as supports for the house and dead center of the room was a large silver drain. The floor was covered in large light brown tiles and the walls wood planks finished in a dark stain. There were eight large doors spread around the four walls two on each wall.

Warren led him across the room over to a door with a large cast iron four in the middle of it. He motioned over to a door that was wide open. There were two of the naked women who acted as the laborers down on all fours scrubbing a thick dark red pool of drying blood off the floor. "This leads me to my finale rule." He smiled. "If things get out of hand and they do not end well for your girl there is a large fee for cleaning of the room and disposal."

Mr. Hardy stared at the two women scrubbing the floor. "What happens to the gentlemen involved?" He asked as he turned his glance back to Warren.

Warren's smile broadened. "Just the fee, in fact the gentleman who occupied this room is a regular and let's just say he has started to pay the fees upfront." He gave Mr. Hardy a wink. "The doors lock from the outside and are watched by one of my employees." He pointed towards a couple of women who were covered from head to toe in black. Their faces were hidden behind a heavy lace veils, their eyes barely visible. You could only tell their sex by their slender frames and large breast. "If you need anything whether it is to be let out, another drink, or any one of our wide collection of toys there is a button on your side of the door. It will ring out here and they will know you are in need of something."

"How do I know what stuff you have to play with?" Mr. Hardy asked.

"There is a catalog on the bedside table in your room." Warren walked over and opened the large door and motioned for Mr. Hardy to enter. "Now by all means Mr. Hardy please enjoy yourself."

*****

Mike who was now sitting up sat there in silence as Tracy finished telling him the information she found about Warren Montgomery. "What the hell?" He said finally breaking his silence. "Why was that there? Why not in a bigger city? How the hell does someone get away with something like that?"

"Think about it." Jen said. "Smaller town a lot less people you need to have in your pocket. Pay off the right people and they won't care not to mention he probably brought business to the town so the towns people didn't care because they were making money too."

"Turns your stomach." He said

"I know." She said as she placed her hand on his leg. "There is a silver lining though."

"What's that?" He asked.

"There was a fire in the basement one day and when the authorities showed up and put out the fire his burnt remains were found."

"Anyone else?"

"His was the only body found. That's what the reports say about it anyways." Tracy sat down a small newspaper clipping on the coffee table. "His death was in the paper so unless there was some kind of cover up."

"Which if you ask me is very likely to have happened given what he supposedly did there." Jen said.

"How did you find this out?" Mike asked Tracy. "If it was kept so quiet I mean?"

"My friend who lives to dig stuff like this up." She answered, seeing Mike was not satisfied with that answer she continued. "A few of the customers kept journals of their visits and a few of the girls spoke up about it but it was hushed and then just forgot about. You'd be amazed at what you can find out if you know where to look."

"Which her friend evidently does." Jen added.

Chapter 12

The Night before

The next week and a half had gone by in a blur. Every day it was the same thing. Mike woke up had breakfast went to the stadium to work out and watch films. Then he had football practice. The weekend in between last week and this week was the only difference. Saturday he had a football game which he won and Sunday morning they watched game film then had the rest of the day off. Monday had brought back the breakfast, workout, films, practice schedule except with one game left in the season and a bowl game riding on a big win the practices had gotten even more intense. He had been so tired from practice that he barely spent any time with Jen at night due to just being exhausted. He usually felt bad about it but with her new found friendship with Tracy he wasn't even sure she noticed that he wasn't around.

It was now Thursday and he had one more day before the big game and it just may very well be one of the biggest of his college season. This year the teams in his division have been playing the best they have played in years and everything was coming down to this game. Not only did they have to win but they had to win in a big way. He knew they could do it but it wasn't going to be easy. They were playing their division rivals who they had crushed last year but they had a strong recruiting season and were much better this year.

When Mike walked through the door of his house late that night He saw Jen sitting on the couch with a stack of books and her laptop opened on the coffee table, and there sitting beside her was Tracy which he was happy about because he knew he wouldn't be expected to stay up much longer. They were nearly inseparable as of late and spent most of their time looking into this and that about ghost, spirits, and demons. This made Mike start to wonder how Jen was keeping her grades up.

"Oh hey babe." Jen said to him as he walked in the door. "You look so tired."

"Yeah I am practice was rough. Luckily tomorrow is a light day. Coach knows he's been pushing us hard and doesn't want us worn for Saturday."

"Hi Mike." Tracy said shyly.

"Hey Tracy, I see you two are at it again."

"Yeah neither one of us had much else to do so we figured we'd see what we could see." Jen replied. "Sit down babe I'll heat you a plate we ordered out." She hopped up from the couch careful not to knock over the stack of books that sat between Tracy and her. "We ordered Chinese I hope that's ok. I did get your favorite... Kung POW Chicken. Hi Yaw!" She made an attempt at a karate kick but nearly slipped and fell.

Mike and Tracy laughed as Jen tried to cover up her near accident. "Actually that sounds delicious." He kicked his shoes off at the door and sat down in the oversize recliner. He had a feeling that the two would be at it tonight so he took a shower at the stadium. "So Tracy, have you two found anything else interesting in Wes's journal?" He hadn't had much time to do anything else but football and sleep so the girls had been making notes and writing down journal entries for him to go over when he had the time after Saturday's game. He would either have a couple weeks between that game and the bowl game or the season would be over and he'd have all the time in the world.

"Um... yeah we read some things there is just so much to go through." She looked down towards the laptop as she turned a light shade of pink which was a lot lighter than the bright red she had turned when she first started coming over to their house.

Tracy had gotten more relaxed at their house but it was still obvious she spent more time around the books she so obviously loved than she did around people. She was backward enough around Jen when they first started hanging out but the first time Mike had come home one night sweaty and shirtless hoping for a repeat of the shower his second night back from his parents' house she did everything to hide herself except jump behind the couch. It was obvious that she had even less experience being around males than she did females. Mike found this to be somewhat of a surprise because she was actually very pretty.

Jen brought Mike his plate of food and then carefully sat back down on the couch next to Tracy and their stack of books. "We are going to do some research on the house itself tomorrow. What did you do with the papers the lawyer sent you when you agreed to take the house? We could use a copy of the deed it would help a lot."

"It's all in our bedroom in the bottom drawer of the desk." He said between bites of food. "I'll get it and set it on the desk before I go to bed."

"Did you hear from your parents yet? Are they coming up tomorrow or early Saturday?"

"Yeah I called them on my way home they are coming up early Saturday. They had some stuff they had to take care of before they could come up."

"Didn't say what it was?"

"No just said stuff." Mike hurriedly finished off the food on his plate then stood up walked over to Jen and kissed her on the forehead. "I'm beat. I'm going to go to bed babe."

"Ok love you." She grabbed the plate he had in his hand. "I'll take this you go on up to bed."

"Thanks, Love you." As he hit the stairs he could hear Tracy begin to talk rapidly about how exciting it's been researching the house and how that was always one of the most exciting things about paranormal investigations for her. It made him laugh that as soon as he wasn't around she became such a chatter box. Jen had teased him about the lowly folk getting flustered around royalty such as himself.

When he got to his room he changed into a pair of shorts then as he said he would, he dug through all the papers and laid out the packet of papers the lawyer had sent him then crawled into bed. Once his head hit the pillow it only took a matter of minutes before he was asleep.

The next day started much like the previous days of the week. He awoke, ate some kind of breakfast, and went off to the stadium. There he did his workout, watched films, and then had practice.

He did have to stop for gas on the way in the morning. There he ran in to several people who immediately recognized him, as did the ones he ran in to when he ran for lunch for him and the coaches. Everywhere he went there were people wishing him luck or chanting one thing or another about the following day's game. This was the norm for Fridays before the game but it was taken a bit further with the importance of this one. The day had an almost holiday feel to it. It was hard not to like the admiration he received before a game but it also made him much more nervous because he knew all the cheers could very easily become ridicules with a bad performance.

The morning went by faster than normal and before he knew it he was ready for practice and like the coach had promised they spent very little time on the field and none of it in pads. Once they finished their walkthrough of tomorrow's game plan they hit the locker room where the rest of the time they spent inside studying film of the opposing team's season games. The film part of practice dragged a little for him since he had seen these films more than a few times over the week but soon enough he found himself in his car driving home.

He reached for his phone that was sitting on the passenger seat and dialed Jen's number but there was no answer. He hung up and tried again, still no answer. I bet she's probably with Tracy again with their noses crammed in a book. He thought to himself as he dialed the number again. With a third no answer he decided to leave a message. "Hey it's me, you know your boyfriend. I was wondering if you ate. If you didn't, do you want to go get something. Call me back." He hung up the phone. She never called back and when he made it home her car was gone. Where is she? He thought as he pulled into the driveway. Then it hit him. Oh yeah they were going to go look into the house and see what they could find. He thought to himself as he opened his front door expecting to walk into an empty house, he couldn't have been more wrong.

"Surprise!" Six people shouted from inside the house.

Mike stood there just as they told him to be, surprised. As he looked around to see who all was there he saw of course Jen and then there was his parents, his younger sister Janet, and off to the side was Tracy and a guy he had seen before but didn't really know. "What is this?"

Mikes parents and his sister walked up to him and engulfed him in hugs.

"We wanted to throw you a surprise good luck party." Mr. Lachey answered.

"Well I'm surprised for sure." He was finally able to squeeze himself out of the bunch.

"That's not all baby." Jen said as she smiled from behind the three bodies that were now smothering him with hugs. "Your mom and I made you a special dinner."

"Oh nonsense dear, all I did was watch and maybe throw a few constructive suggestions out there. It was all this beautiful young lady." Mrs. Lachey said as she smiled and began to pat Jen on the back giving her a look of approval.

Jen smiled. "Oh and you know Tracy of course and that's Grant. He is a member of Tracy's club and was helping us with our research." Grant was a bit over six foot and besides Mike stood over everyone else in the room, though he was nowhere near the physical build of Mike. He had medium length brown hair and wore a grey hoodie that he had yet to take his hands out of the pockets.

Mike knew exactly what she was talking about. "Hey man, nice to meet you. I'd shake your hand but as you can see." He pointed to the three people who were still trying to engulf him again.

"I get it." Grant said with a smirk "It's nice to meet you too."

He had the similar backwardness about himself that Tracy originally had when she first started coming over. To Jen and Mike they are just Jen and Mike but to almost everyone else they are the daughter of the man that just about owns half a city and could buy the other half if he wanted and a college football superstar that according to ESPN would easily be the number one draft pick. Because of this a lot of people wanted to be friends with them and even more people were intimidated by them. Out of any power couple ever in a college they were definitely in the top ranking and the best thing to each of them was that neither one knew who the other was before they actually got to know one another.

"I am so excited about tomorrow." Mr. Lachey said.

"Did you get your tickets?" Mike asked. "I had them send them to you. I didn't want to be responsible for them getting lost.

Mr. Lachey laughed. "Yeah we got them. They are in the glove box, fifty yard line first row behind your bench. You really out did yourself."

"He didn't want to be responsible for losing them either." His sister Janet said who was now over talking to Jen. "So mom took them and stuffed them in the glove box as soon as we got them and then pulled the car in the garage locked the doors and then locked the garage door on top of that." She and Jen began to laugh. Janet stood a good six inches shorter than Jen. She was still a junior in high school so she had a slight chance of gaining a few more inches, but if the height of her mother was any indication she was done growing. She had short blonde hair with well-tanned skin and wore just enough makeup to cover any blemish but not enough to notice she was wearing any at all.

"Well you can never be too careful." Mrs. Lachey said as she waved the two laughing girls off. "Ok girls lets go get the table ready and leave the men to their football talk." She gathered them all up. "Tracy you too. You're here, you're family." They all made their way into the kitchen and began to get out dishes open wine and finish off the meal that was on the stove.

"So you nervous?" Mr. Lachey asked Mike as they walked to sit on the couch.

"Nah what's to be nervous about?" Mike waved his father's question off. "I mean only the entire campus population and anyone who has ever gone to it or who plans to or who lives in the state are counting on me to win. Not to mention any scouts that may be watching, oh and the millions that will be watching on TV. I mean what is there to be nervous about?"

Mr. Lachey laughed and patted Mike on his shoulder. "You'll be fine."

"Yeah once I get on the field it'll all go away. It's just leading up to it that's the bad part."

"I can only imagine." Grant said as he shook his head. "I hear that ESPN said that the game will come down to your arm too and that you guys won't be able to run on them effectively."

Mike looked over at Grant as Mr. Lachey began to laugh.

"Thanks Grant." He said with a chuckle.

"You a football fan Grant?" Asked Mr. Lachey

"Not really I'll watch the games when they are on sometimes but that's about as far as it goes."

"Well it's not for everyone." Mr. Lachey said with a smile. "I wasn't a huge fan until Mal started playing. I was more of a baseball man myself. So what are you into then Grant?"

"Me?" Grant was surprised by the interest in him. "Oh, books more academic stuff. I was never a big sports fan, nor were they fan of me."

"What do you study?"

"Psychology..." He was cut off.

"Diner is done, come eat." Jen hollered from the kitchen.

"Later then." Mr. Lachey stood up. "Let's eat."

Everyone took their seats at the table as Jen and Tracy finished bringing out the dinner. Jen sat a large pot on the table and Tracy sat down her basket of freshly baked rolls. "I hope everyone likes it." Jen said as she took the lid off. "Chicken and dumplings."

Mike smiled. "It looks so great sweetie." The pot was sitting right near him so he had a good view of the steaming food. "One thing though."

"What?" Jen said with a questioning gaze.

"Where did all this stuff come from? The pot? I mean when did we get a bread basket?" Mike began to laugh.

"Michael." Mrs. Lachey said with a smile.

"You're an ass." Jen's questioning gaze became more of an evil one. "Your mother, sister and I went shopping if you must know." She took the lid out to the kitchen.

"I'm just teasing sweetie. It really does look amazing, smells amazing too."

"Just eat." She ladled a large portion in his bowl. "That way I don't have to listen to your mouth." She smiled at him then served everyone else and finally ladled some into her own bowl and sat down. "Let's eat."

Everyone began to eat their food as the fresh rolls and wine were passed around the table.

Mike opted for a glass of water, he always made it a rule to not drink the night before a game or eat a lot which was easily the harder of the two. He avoided anything that would make him sluggish for the game the next day. He even refused sex so he had all his energy.

"This is so good." Tracy said between bites of a roll.

"I agree." said Grant. "I can't remember the last time I had a really good home cooked meal."

"Yeah it's usually something out of the microwave for us." Tracy said.

"Well I'm glad you like it." Jen was smiling at them. "Now that I have all this stuff I should probably do it more." She looked over at Mike. "Try and play the good house wife."

Mike looked over at his father to see his eyes getting big. He then tried to nonchalantly shake off his questing look. Luckily Jen didn't notice the quick exchange between them, mainly due to Tracy's quick response to Jen.

"I used to love to cook at home." She said. "I was usually the one to cook dinner when I lived there."

"I love the idea of loving to cook." Jen said.

Tracy laughed. "Well if you ever need any help."

The rest of dinner went much the same way. There was lots of conversation about nothing and everything at the same time. The one thing they didn't talk about was the game though, which Mike was grateful for. It was arguably the most important game of his career. It was going to show the scouts how he could handle the pressure of the big game which in the Pros was hugely important. When everyone was done eating dinner and the table was cleared Mike's mother brought out a large cake decorated like a football field with "Good luck Mike" written across the top in yellow icing. "Made it myself." She said as she sat it down on the table.

Mike smiled. "Looks delicious."

"Thank you. It's marble your favorite."

Jen began to slice the cake and pass it out.

"Just a small piece for me babe." Mike said. "I'm at that line of eating just enough and too much and I need to sleep soon."

"Well how about we save you a piece and you can eat it tomorrow after the game?" Jen asked as she handed a piece to Janet.

"Do you mind?" Mike asked his mother. He didn't really want to eat it but also knew how much thought and effort his mother put into it.

"That's fine. I know how you are before games. Have your rules to follow." She smiled at him.

"Thanks." He stood up and kissed her on the cheek.

Mike picked up his glass of water and made his way to the oversized recliner as everyone ate their cake. He sat there thinking about tomorrow about what kind of defensive packages he was going to face about their star players. He hated doing that, he always tried to keep his mind clear the night before which is why he was usually in bed by now but he didn't want to turn in quite yet with all the company over. He started to think of other things. "Oh hey Grant and Tracy are you two going to the game tomorrow?" He leaned his chair way back and looked at them upside down.

Grant shook his head no. He had a mouth full of cake and wasn't able to answer any other way.

"Why not?" Jen asked. She was just about to put a small bite of cake into her mouth but stopped.

Grant had just taken another bite of cake so Tracy answered. "Well honestly we had no desire to go at the time."

"Oh." Jen said after she swallowed the piece of cake she finally got in her mouth.

"That was before I had gotten to know you two. Never paid much attention to sports" Tracy's checks reddened slightly. "Now though, we checked and all the tickets are sold out so we can't go."

"Yeah we had talked about going." Grant now had an empty mouth and could talk. "Tracy wanted to go cheer you on."

Her cheeks were now a much brighter shade of red.

"Oh well if you two want to go you can come with me." Jen said.

Mike saw the puzzled look on their faces. "Her dad owns a VIP box and she's allowed to bring guests."

"Oh I don't know." Tracy said. You could tell she was a little uncomfortable with the idea, knowing the type of people that would be up there.

"It'll just be us three." Jen said noticing Tracy's change in demeanor. "Mom and dad are out of the country on business and the people that usually come only do it to kiss his ass." She smiled. "No ass to kiss equals no kiss asses."

"Oh you're going to come then." Mrs. Lachey said. "You have to. Remember you're here, you're family." She was always quick to add people to the family. If you took a count of everyone she ever said that to their family would easily be in the hundreds.

"Ok then. We'll come." Tracy answered.

"Yeah sounds fun." Grant said as he sat his plate down.

"Ok then it's settled." Jen said. "Why don't you two run and grab your clothes for tomorrow and come back and just stay the night here. "We get early starts on game days."

"It's like a holiday around here." Mike said with a laugh.

"This'll be really fun." Tracy said as she turned towards Grant. "Let's go get our stuff before it gets too late." She stood up and he followed suit. "We'll be right back." She stopped and turned around as she got to the door. "What should we wear?"

"Anything with the school name on it." Jen said with a smile.

Tracy turned and she and Grant walked out the door.

Jen and Mrs. Lachey cleared the rest of the stuff off the table and loaded it into the dishwasher. She put the leftover food in to the fridge and then along with Mrs. Lachey went to the living room to sit. She climbed into the chair with Mike.

"Are they a couple?" Mrs. Lachey asked Jen as she sat down on the couch.

"I don't know for sure. Tracy hasn't said anything but I'm sure going to find out." She leaned against Mike. "You get that vibe too?"

"Yeah they radiate it." She laughed. "Think maybe they need a little matchmaking help."

"I got the vibe too Jen." Janet said from the table as she was finishing her glass of wine.

"That's the only glass you get, just remember." Mrs. Lachey said as she saw Janet eyeing the bottle of wine on the table.

"I know mother." She said with a smile.

"I'll get to the bottom of it tomorrow." Jen turned to Mike. You should be getting to bed babe it's almost ten."

"Yeah I was just thinking the same thing actually."

"Yeah you need your rest." Mrs. Lachey said.

Mike patted Jen's leg signaling her to get up. "Ok night everyone and thanks for everything, was a great meal." He kissed Jen gave his family hugs and began to walk to the stairs. "Tell Grant and Tracy I said goodnight." He turned back to the steps and made his way up to his room.
Chapter 13

The Big Game

Mike woke to an empty bed which wasn't unusual for a pregame night. Jen would sleep in the spare room if she wasn't going to bed at the same time he did and was going to be up late. Jen had a tendency to be even more nervous than he was on game days and the nights before. He rolled over and looked at the clock that sat on the bedside table and saw that it was only 3:00 am still three hours till he normally woke on a game day. He tried going back to sleep but after about ten minutes decided he needed a drink so he climbed out of bed and threw on a pair of pajama pants and made his way down the steps. As he made it to the bottom he could tell that there was a light on downstairs and when he came into the living room he saw that it was coming from the kitchen. He looked around and saw Jen asleep on the couch so his first thought was she left the light on. When he made it to the doorway leading to the kitchen he saw Tracy sitting hunched over a large tablet and looked to be drawing at the small bar table they had at the end of the kitchen. When it was just Jen and him that was where they ate the most.

"Oh hey." He said as he entered the kitchen. Tracy jumped at the sound of his voice. She obviously hadn't expected to see anyone till later in the morning. "Sorry."

"I didn't hear you." As she got over the initial start her face began to turn a slight shade of pink as she noticed the owner of the startling voice was a shirtless Mike.

"Yeah that happens in this house." He opened the fridge and took out a bottle of water. "Doesn't have many groans and creeks." He opened the bottle, leaned against the counter, and took a big drink. "Can't sleep?"

"I woke up a little bit ago. I was asleep though." She picked up her tablet and began to draw again using it as an almost shield between the two.

"Whatcha doing, if you don't mind me asking."

"Oh um..." She tried not looking up. "Part of our class we have to do a dream journal and we are either allowed to write or draw what we dream about."

"You choose to draw? That's cool I can't draw to save my life, wish I could though because I did like to."

"Yeah I'd rather draw than write about it. Think I get the picture across better. I'm not very good at descriptive writing."

He took another drink and walked over beside her. "Can I take a look?"

She had gotten even redder as he was now standing right beside her. "Um... sure." She held her tablet out covering him from her view.

There on the tablet was the small spindly figurine that Jen had picked up at Wes's house. It was in the most amazing detail and was as accurate as he could remember.

She must have noticed the odd look on his face. "What? It's not that good I know. It's just a doodle really."

"Oh no that's not it at all, it's very good actually."

"Oh." She said with a now curious look.

"It, just brings back memories is all." He said not taking his eyes off the drawing.

"It brings back memories?" Her look had gone from curious to confusion.

"Yeah at Wes's house. Jen must have told you in pretty good detail about that damn thing." He took a drink of his water and made his way back to leaning against the counter.

She sat there in silence staring at him the pinkish tone of her face now gone but was replaced with a paler shade of white than normally covered her face.

"What?" Mike said as he himself was now confused.

"Jen never said anything about a statue."

"But you're drawing it. She must have."

"No she told me about the door at the top of the small stairwell and the apparition outside but that's it and she barely told me the details. She told me about that stuff when we first started talking but was vague and I haven't asked her about it."

Mike stood in silence staring at her.

"I figured it was still a bit much to talk about." She added

"She never told you?"

Tracy shook her head. "I saw this in my dream, that's what woke me up." She noticed the color drain from his face. "Maybe she did and I just forgot." She was trying to back track now not wanting to upset him. "It was two weeks ago so she's probably mentioned it at some point. I am very forgetful."

Mike forced a smile. "You're not that forgetful."

"I forget things all the time."

"I've heard you two going over things and I've heard you remind Jen about things way more than her reminding you." He sat his bottle of water in the sink. "This is your football field you have a good head about this stuff. Same way I'll lose my keys twice a week but remember every play in my playbook, the defensive play book, and the opposing teams defense" She sat there quietly which to him was as good as her saying he was right. "Bigger question is what does it mean?"

"Could mean a number of things."

Mike cut her off. "How many of them are bad?"

"Of the most likely things?" She paused as if thinking of a way to soften the blow. "Some."

He leaned back against the counter and began to rub his eyes.

"That doesn't mean the most likely of the likely isn't the good one."

He let out a small nervous laugh in response to just how confusing her last sentence was. "Well what are the most likely things?"

"Well..." She paused for a second gathering her thoughts. She looked as if she was doing a long math problem in her head. "I'd say the top three. One is that Jen and I have developed a bit of a psychic link given the rapid formation and intensity of our bond. Two, whatever is in the house could have simply followed you here. Three, which is the least likely given the number of times it's ever been documented is extremely low in the grand scheme of paranormal encounters."

"Tracy." Mike said slightly impatiently.

"Sorry." She pulled the tablet tightly against her chest. "The spirit or demon has attached itself to Jen."

"I'm sorry?" Mike shook his head. "Attached itself?"

"Possession."

"Like exorcists type possession?"

She nodded her head still clutching her tablet against her chest. "It's highly unlikely though. Like I said, very seldom ever happens. One in a billion."

"It had its eyes trained on me so maybe it's me?"

"She would be more likely. If it was you I probably wouldn't have gotten the image."

"So what do we do?" Mike asked very concerned.

"Well is she acting odd to you?"

"Not really, apart from her obsession with the house. She has never been into this kind of stuff. Sure she watched a show here or there on TV but never wanted to get into it, but with having the experience she had I can see why she would though."

"Yeah that's why most people get into it actually. Most of us have had some kind of experience." She finally pulled her tablet off of her chest and sat it on the table. "Do you have a Bible?

"Yeah it's on the bookshelf." He quietly walked to the bookshelf that was in their living room and pulled the large black book off the top shelf. He walked it into the kitchen and handed it to Tracy. "Are you going read something out loud or is there something in there that tells you what to do?"

Tracy smiled. "No." She opened up the Bible. "I'm just going to leave it open and set it on the end table." She slowly and quietly walked past him and sat it down on the end table near Jen's head and began to make her way back into the kitchen. As she reached the doorway to the kitchen Jen tossed slightly in her sleep.

"What does that mean?" He asked in a whisper.

Tracy turned to him. "Most likely that means she was uncomfortable and had to move some."

He looked at her. "What's the Bible for?"

"They say it can help ward off spirits. It wasn't a test." She smiled.

"Well how do I know?" He said halfway returning the smile. "Honestly all this shit has me pretty freaked. The whole situation, Wes and the house..." His voice trailed off.

"I can only imagine." She said quietly.

"I'm sure you have your own story though."

She looked at him questionably. "What makes you say that?"

"Well you said that's how most get into the stuff." He turned to look at Jen. "So I just assumed you had a story too."

"Oh"

Mike took that as she didn't want to talk about it and never being one to pry he left it alone. He looked up at the clock that hung above the doorway. "Shit it's almost four. I need to try and get back to sleep." He knew that the odds were slim to none but with the game in only nine hours he needed to give it his all.

"Ok well good luck."

He turned and smiled at her. "Thanks."

"Any time." She returned the smile and a little red came back to her cheeks.

Mike quietly started making his way back to his room slowing down as he walked by Jen so he could watch her sleep for a second or two then continued on his way. When he made it to his room he crawled back into bed. He knew immediately that he wasn't going back to sleep. He laid there thinking about everything that Tracy just said... He tossed... He began to think about Wes and now feeling that he was telling the truth the whole time and that he had thrown away his friendship because he was too stubborn to believe... He tossed again and rolled his pillow up into a ball... He began thinking of that Halloween night all those years ago... He flipped around in the bed... He began to dissect his past looking for the moment he put up this mental block... The alarm began to go off. "Son of a Bitch!" He sat up and turned it off. He got out of bed grabbing his sweat pants and matching school labeled hoodie, threw them on and quietly making his way back down the steps, through the hall, into the living room stopping at the couch. He saw Tracy curled up in the oversized recliner sleeping as if she fell asleep while watching Jen. He looked down at Jen and she was still lying in the position she was in when he went upstairs. He found this comforting. He took her image in one last time then walked to the door slid his shoes on and quietly made his way out of the house. He climbed into the car, started it up and made the drive to the stadium. He was grateful that it was a home game and as usual he was the first one there.

He started the day as he usually did walking up and down the field spending the time going over different scenarios in his head. He knew he had no way of knowing exactly how the game would go but it helped to clear his mind by getting all the "what ifs" out. When he made it back to the locker room the head coach was just walking in.

"Well did we win?" He asked with a smile knowing this part of Mike's pregame ritual. Coach Martin was an older man in his mid-sixties with thin grey hair which was usually under a ball cap. He was always clean shaven. He wore dress pants and a long sleeved windbreaker bearing the schools logo.

"Hell yeah we did Coach." Mike returned with a smile of his own. He could feel his head starting to empty of everything but the game and he knew the closer it was to game time the clearer he could focus.

"How you feeling today Son?" Coach asked as he opened the locker room door letting Mike slip through.

"Real good Coach."

"That's good it's going to be one hell of a game." Coach followed Mike into the locker room. "Tough one too."

"Yeah looking forward to it." As Mike sat there going over different formations the other team's defense is known to do, his other team members began funneling through the door.

"Two hours left. Let's go do some drills." Coach hollered into the locker room.

The team all stood and made their way out onto the field. They all knew the drill so there was very little talking. Everyone was focused on the game. After about an hour of light drills, just enough to get the bodies loose and warmed up they returned to the locker room to begin getting suited up for the game. When Mike got to his stall he began to pull out his equipment piece by piece inspecting each one as he went. There were equipment people who regularly checked all the equipment but he didn't like leaving his fate up to someone else. After he checked it all and was satisfied by it he began to suit up. He was usually the last one ready because of this. A few minutes later the coach came in followed by his coaching staff.

"Ok gather up and take a knee." The coach said.

The team stood and made their way to the middle of the locker room surrounding the coach.

"Ok listen up." He said as everyone kneeled. "This is going to be a long grueling game! It's going to be hard hitting! Hard fought! I can see on all your faces that you're all hungry for a win!" He paused as the team erupted with "Yeahs" and hoots and hollers. "I got news for you... so are THEY!"

The team began to shake their heads.

"So, we are going to go out there and be better! Every down every quarter better! It's as simple as that. They're a good team... but WE ARE A GREAT TEAM! Now get out there and show them that we are better than they are. Let's show them that we are, hands down, the better team!"

The team erupted with deafening cheers.

"Mike!" The coach said through the cheers.

He looked up to see Coach giving him an approving smile.

"Take your team out on the field."

Mike stood up. "You heard the man! Now let's get out there and kick some ass!" He started to jog out the door smacking a sign above it that said win across it in big bold letters. The team, yelling, followed suit smacking the sign as they went. They stopped at the edge of the large corridor that led to the field waiting.

The announcers had just finished introducing the opposing team and began to introduce them. Then on queue the team began yelling and sprinted out onto the field. The crowd erupted, the ones who weren't cheering were booing but everyone in the stadium was on their feet awaiting the start of the game.

After about twenty minutes of pregame warm ups and a few last minute drills from both teams, it was now time for the kickoff. The opposing team had won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball. The kicking team took the field and then their kicker kicked the ball down the field and the game begun.

"Made it out to the twenty three yard line." Said a gruffly sounding announcer

"Ok defense! Get out there and get me that ball. Three and out baby! Three and out!" The coach yelled as his defensive unit ran out on the field.

The first quarter of the game was very back and forth with it ending 0-0. Both of the defenses were doing a tremendous job and not allowing much offense. At the beginning of the second quarter Mike had the ball inside the twenty. The offense took the field and Mike lined up under the center.

"Set!" He stood up took a step back and pointed to a very large linebacker that was already up on the line. "Omaha gun!" He took another step back and readied himself for the snap. "Hut! Hut!" The ball was snapped and was in his hands. He took a small drop back and then let the ball fly to his receiver on the outside.

"Touchdown!" The same gruffly announcer yelled and the stadium erupted.

After a brief celebration of high fives the team ran off the field and the field goal unit ran on, easily making the point after and it was now 7-0. The rest of the quarter went just about the same as the first one did. Both defensive units were making stops when they were needed keeping the teams tied. The opposing team made one more attempt at a play but was cut short by the sound of the whistle indicating the end of the first half. The teams began to jog off the field and headed into the locker room still tied.

"I said it was going to be a hard fought game and it sure as hell is. We're up but only by seven and when we go back out there it's going to be even harder." The coach said to the team as they took seats in the locker room. "They are going to be in desperation mode and are going to come out hard and come out swinging. We need to find some holes in their defense and get the ball down the field and score some points. Now rest up get some water so we can go back out there and finish strong."

The team was quiet for most of the halftime. Mike was having a few discussions with his receivers about different tactics they could try but even those didn't last very long. Before any of them knew it they were heading back out on the field and once again the crowd erupted as they did.

The third quarter was another back and forth battle with each team pushing down the field only to be stopped outside of field goal range. It wasn't till the last minute that the opposing team started to make some progress and with a long run the team had gotten to the twenty-seven yard line. After three downs and only getting an extra couple yards their field goal unit came out and knocked it through the uprights making the score 7-3 and ending the third quarter.

Three minutes left in the fourth and final quarter of the game, Mike and his team had the ball. Down after down Mike was making short pass after short pass, slowly moving the ball down the field till they had finally gotten past midfield. Second and ten, he lined his team up at the line of scrimmage. He looked around the defense and then got under center. "Set! Hut!" He yelled and the ball was snapped. He faked the handoff to his running back but as he took a step back he was hit from behind and the ball shot out of his hand.

The opposing team's player scooped up the ball and ran. With no one around him he scored easily. Their field goal team came out and made the easy point after making the score now 7-10 them. Their kicking unit kicked off the ball and now Mike had the ball back but there was only forty five seconds left on the clock and they had no timeouts left.

"Ok huddle up!" Mike yelled to his offense as they took the field. "Listen guys that was my fault. We have to score and score quick. We are going no huddle. We've practiced this over and over, we all know the drill. You get the ball, you get out of bounds. We good?" The team began nodding.

"Hell yeah guys, we can do this!" One of the guys in the huddle yelled.

"Break!" They all yelled and made their way up to the line of scrimmage.

"Hut!" Mike yelled and the ball was snapped. He took a few steps back and threw the ball to his right hitting his receiver in the chest.

He caught it and got out of bounds.

They all got back to the line of scrimmage and once again "Hut!" and the ball was snapped. Just like before Mike took a few steps back and then he flung the ball.

His receiver caught it and got the first down but this time they didn't get out of bounds and the clock ticked on.

The team sprinted to the line of scrimmage and Mike yelled "Hut!" The ball was snapped and he immediately spiked it, stopping the clock at twenty-seven seconds.

"Huddle up!" Mike yelled. "Ok guys we need to get bigger chunks this four yard shit isn't going to do it." The team nodded. "We are going to overload the left so we can get one on one on the right. So that means you man." He pointed to a particularly tall member of the team. "You need to win, but don't be surprised if I throw it left so be ready." He pointed at the receivers that were to line on the left. "Twenty-seven seconds left and we have sixty-four yards to go. We can do this. So let's do it." The team clapped their hands and made their way to the line of scrimmage and lined up how mike told them to. "Hut!"

The receiver's took off down the field and he threw the ball to his right about twenty yards down the field where the receiver caught it and got a couple more yards, then stepped out of bounds stopping the clock with twenty seconds left. Once again the team lined up in the same setup. "Hut!"

The receiver's took off.

Mike checked his right and saw that his guy was covered. He looked to his left and saw an open guy so he threw the ball down the field.

The receiver caught it and started to run. Ten yards later he was brought down but inbounds and the clock ticked on twelve, eleven, ten, mike spiked the ball with nine seconds left.

The team huddled up. "OK guys, we have maybe two plays left and we are about ten yards from field goal range so we need to do a little more work. Same thing ok, someone get open and get the hell out of bounds."

The team walked to the line of scrimmage taking this opportunity to get their breaths while the clock was stopped.

Mike took his place "Down! Set!.. Hut!" The ball was snapped and he took a few steps back ready to throw but no one was open. The clock ticked eight, seven, just as Mike was about to throw the ball away he saw one of his guys all the way in the end zone. He locked on him, cocked his arm back, and let the ball fly.

It flew down the field through the defenders arms and landed right in the receiver's chest.

"TOUCH DOWN!" The gruffly announcer yelled. "They did it! Last minute heroics by Lachey and they did it!"

The stadium erupted, there were cheers and some boos from the fans of the opposing team. Everyone was on their feet cheering or yelling except for six people who stood in silence. Everyone had watched the ball and didn't notice that the same linebacker as before hit Mike as he released the ball. At first there were only six who were silent now more and more fell silent as they looked back and noticed Mike was laid out on the field not moving. He was quickly surrounded by trainers. Within seconds the stadium went from celebration to silence as the medical cart was being driven out on the field.

"That doesn't look good. Lachey took a nasty hit on that throw." The announcer said in a hushed solemn voice.

The trainers rolled mike onto the stretcher and carefully lifted him up on the cart and drove an eerily still Mike off the field.

Chapter 14

Overnight Watch

"Where am I?" Mike asked in a groggy voice as he finally came to. He tried to sit up but had several sets of hands and straps holding him down. "Wha..." Is all he managed to get out before he gave up trying to get past the hands and straps holding him down.

"Whoa Son, take it easy."

He knew that voice, it sounded familiar but the image wasn't coming to him. All of his thoughts were all hazy and he couldn't bring anything to the front to make a coherent one.

"You got hit pretty hard Mike." The voice said. "You're in the back of the ambulance and we are on our way to the hospital."

I know that voice. Who is it? I know it. He thought to himself trying to place the voice. Just as he felt it coming to him, he heard another familiar voice.

"Mike? Can you hear me?" It asked. "Can you open your eyes?"

The image of the person that belonged to this voice shot through the fog that had been holding his thoughts back and crashed to the surface.

"Jen?" He said.

"Yeah it's me." She squeezed his hand and to her upmost pleasure she felt him squeeze back. There wasn't a lot of pressure but any sign of response was good to her. "I'm here with coach."

Damn it, I knew that voice. He thought to himself trying to mentally get the fog out of his head. "Mom, dad?"

"They are following us."

"Where are we going?" Mike asked trying to pull everything together and make sense of it.

"To the hospital you got hit..." Her voice trailed off.

"You got hit hard son, went down even harder." Coach began to explain. "Got hit on your blindside."

Mike laid there silent as if trying to piece things together. "Did we win?" He asked. Everyone started to chuckle and he realized that there were more people in there than he was talking to. Of course there are more people in here. He thought to himself. He could feel the fog slowly lifting. He could feel the ambulance slow and turn then come to a complete stop. "What's going on?" He asked finally opening his eyes. He could see Jen sitting on his left holding his hand and Coach sitting to his right looking towards the back of the ambulance.

"We are at the hospital." An unfamiliar voice said from below his line of sight.

He heard doors open and then felt his body shake and start to move.

"We are going to need that hand ma'am." The unfamiliar voice said.

Jen reluctantly let go of it.

"We'll get it back to you as soon as we can. For now, we are going to need you to go have a seat in the lobby though. Once we get him all settled in we will come and get you."

"I'll be there as soon as I can sweetie." She said trying to hold back tears.

"I'll be waiting." Mike responded.

The EMTs pulled mike the rest of the way out and began to roll him into the hospital through the large set of automatic doors. Jen and Coach climbed out of the ambulance and followed them in but made an immediate left as they were directed to the waiting room. He caught a glimpse as they were ushered by what appeared to be a nurse of some kind.

When they brought him back into his room the team of staff lifted him up onto his bed and then rolled him on his side, sliding the hard stretcher that he had been taken off the football field on out.

"Well I'd ask what happened but I was actually watching the game." Another unfamiliar voice said.

Mike tried to turn to see but his head was still being secured. He tried rolling his eyes instead but he barely caught a glimpse of the person who spoke.

"I'm Dr. McMillan." The man behind the voice now stepped into view. He was a short chubby looking man with large black framed glasses and hair just around the sides of his head. "That was one hell of a throw though young man. I have to say that I'm a huge fan."

"Thanks" Mike said

"Ok now here is the plan. We are going to run some tests to see if there is anything going on in the noodle of yours." Dr. McMillan stepped out of sight again. "Well anything abnormal that is." He said back to Mike. There was a moment of silence. "First thing first, we are going to get you a CT scan, then an x-ray, want to check your neck and that kind of stuff. After all that comes back ok, we'll get you out of that collar you're wearing."

The staff that was in his room left and he laid there alone waiting. After a few minutes he heard a knock on the door. "Can I come in?" An older lady's voice asked.

"Yes." Mike answered as best he could, the brace around his neck was tight and was making it hard to talk.

"Michael Lachey?" The voice asked.

"Yes." He answered again.

"How you feeling hun?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well I'm here to take you over to get your CT scan and x-ray." She grabbed ahold of the bed and stepped on a lever releasing the brakes sending a wave through the bed. "Sorry if these beds get locked in a certain way when you unlock them, the wheels spin and it shakes the whole bed pretty hard."

"It's Ok." He forced out as she began to push him out of his room. Within a few seconds they were in a large oversized elevator. He heard the doors shut and then the slight jolt as it began its rise. From the dings he heard, he knew he went up two floors or down two, he was a little unsure of the direction.

They began moving again. "The doctor said he saw the hit you took and that it was one of the worst he's seen in a long time... maybe ever, He does like to exaggerate though." She tried to make it sound not as bad as it had to her after she saw his face show even more worry. "We are going to take very good care of you." She gave him the best reassuring smile she could muster and a few seconds later they were in a large room. "Ok gentlemen... he's all yours"

"Thank you much." A man said off to Mike's left. "We'll give you a call as soon as we're done with him."

"Ok sounds good." She said as she smiled and turned to walk out of the room.

Mike once again tried to roll his eyes to see the new people who would be taking care of him but they were standing too far off to the side to see. Not seeing anyone was making him nervous, he understood why his neck and head were immobilized but didn't like not being able to see people until they ventured into his line of sight.

"Mike Lachey." The voice that had answered earlier said. "Wish we were meeting on better circumstances."

"Yeah." Another voice spoke. "I haven't seen a hit like that in a long time."

Mike's nerves were starting to ware down as the feeling of helplessness started to overwhelm him. He was trapped and he wasn't sure if he was ok and all anyone wanted to talk about is the nasty hit he took, which he can't even remember happening. Mike felt tears begin to form, he did everything he could to hold them back but as the fog in his head lifted more and more the realization of his situation became more and more real.

"We are going to get you checked out and fixed up so let's not worry too much."

Mike wasn't sure if the guy could see the emotion on his face but he was glad for the response either way. He felt the bed move and was positioned into place.

"Ok on the count of three we are going to lift you with the draw sheet and put you onto the table" Mike felt the sheet around him tighten. 'One, two, three." The two men lifted him up and laid him onto the table that was beside his bed. "Now we are going to slide you into the giant tube that is above your head. You can't see it much now but you will in a second. When we do that we are going to start taking images, then we will get you back into your room as soon as it's done."

"Ok." Mike said. It was even harder to talk now with the emotion swelling up in the back of his throat. Before he knew it he was sliding up into the giant tube.

"Ok we'll be as quick as we can be."

Mike laid there staring up as the tube started spinning around his head. He started to feel nauseous after a few seconds of being inside the spinning tube so he closed his eyes waiting for it to be done. "Ok we have this, now a quick hop over to x-ray and we will get you back to your room."

The rest of the process only took roughly twenty minutes although it felt much longer than that and just like the man said, before he knew it he was on his way back to his room. When he made it to his room he heard Jen's voice, though she sounded somewhat angry.

"Well you should tell..." She trailed off.

What is going on? He thought to himself. Who is she talking to? His question was answered quickly but the answer was surprising.

"Hey sweetie." Mrs. Lachey said as he was rolled into the room.

"What's going on?"

The room was silent for a few seconds before Mr. Lachey spoke. "Don't much care for your doctor. He's kind of an ass."

Mike could see Jen out of the corner of his eyes and could tell that she was forcing a smile. He figured there was no point in pressing the matter right now, he'd ask Jen when they were alone. He knew she wouldn't keep anything from him as far as medical stuff goes. "Seems that way."

Jen walked to Mike bent over kissed him on the forehead and set her hand on top of his. "How are you feeling?" Her eyes still red from tears. "You look more there."

"Still have some cob webs but it's clearing up." He moved his hand so he could hold hers. "I want to get this thing off my neck."

"I'm sure." Jen smiled. "You look stupid with it on. It reminds me of a dog I had when I was younger that got burnt and had to wear one of those cones so he wouldn't lick himself."

He let out a small muffled pain filled laugh and began to grimace.

"Oh I'm sorry." Jen began to tear up again. "Sorry."

'It's ok just trying to make me feel better."

His parents had now joined them on the other side of him his mother holding his hand and his father with his hands up on her shoulders. "Hopefully we get some results soon. They don't seem to be extremely busy so shouldn't take too long."

The room became uncomfortably silent Mike even in his present state could tell that there was something that lingered from the conversation he had interrupted. "Will you turn on ESPN?" He asked. "I want to hear what they are saying, if anything. I don't even know if we made the bowl game yet."

"You sure?" Jen asked in a concerned tone. "I'm sure they are saying something there were a storm of reporters as we were getting on the ambulance."

"I think we should ignore the media for a few days" His mother added. "I saw a couple reporters here as we were coming back to your room too."

"I agree with your mother Mal, should stay away from the media for a few days." Mr. Lachey shot a glance over to Jen and smiled. "At least till we know what's going on with you."

"They do tend to blow things out of proportion." Jen said as she looked back down at Mike. "Once we get all the info we can make an official statement and then we won't get caught up in all the hoopla. I can talk to coach about the game."

"Yeah I guess you're right."

Just then there was a knock on the door. "Can I come in?" It was Dr. McMillan.

"Yes." Jen answered.

"Good." He said as he opened the door and let himself in. "Ok, we got some of the results back and the brain scans don't show and severe trauma."

Jen exhaled in relief. "That's good."

"So no severe damage to the brain however you do have a mild concussion though and we are still waiting for a few more results from x-ray. I do know however that you do not have a broken neck or spine. As soon as we get the rest we will let you know for sure what's going on." He walked up around to the top of Mike's head, sat his clipboard on the free chair. He pulled out a small pen light and shined it into his eyes one at a time. "We are definitely going to keep you here for twenty-four hour observation. If the x-rays come back ok and everything is still good we can release you tomorrow."

"Sounds good." Mike said as he tried to blink the bright yellow spots the flashlight had left in his eyes away. "When can I get cleared to play in case we made the bowl game coming up?"

"Well for that you are going to have to see a neurologist. I don't even want to venture a guess."

"What about this collar?"

"Well I ordered you some meds, nothing crazy, just some vicodin for the pain and some ibuprofen to keep down any inflammation. When the nurse comes and gives you those I'll have her take it off for you, if you promise not to move around much."

"Yeah, of course." Mike said.

"Thank you." Mrs. Lachey smiled as she patted Mike's hand.

"Well that's what I'm here for." He shot her a smile. "There are a couple of reporters outside we made them leave the waiting room. Do you want me to tell them anything or would you guys like to deal with that later? I'd imagine all that stuff would get tiresome so I'd be more than happy."

"Actually if you could tell them what you told us that would be great." Mr. Lachey answered. "They get to be a bit much and we'd like to avoid them as long as possible."

"Ok I can do that." He grabbed his clipboard. "We are going to be moving him to a private room here shortly. The nurse will tell you more about all that when she comes in."

"Thanks again Doc." Mr. Lachey said.

The doctor nodded and exited the room.

Just like he said, a few minutes later a nurse came in and gave Mike his medications and removed his neck brace. "We are going to have an orderly come transfer him to room 314B. He's right outside the door so if you'll follow me I'll take you to the room and they will meet us up there."

Jen looked down at Mike. "We'll see you up there." She bent down and gave him a kiss.

The nurse lead Jen and his parents out of the room as the orderly was coming in.

He couldn't have been more than sixteen. "You ready Mr. Lachey?" He asked.

"Just Mike and yeah all set bud."

The orderly unlocked the wheels to his bed and began to push him out of the room. He wheeled him down the hall carefully swerving around corners and obstacles in the hall.

"How old are you?" Mike asked.

"Sixteen."

"What are you doing working here?"

"I volunteer here on the weekends." He responded with a smile as they entered the elevator.

'Wow that's impressive. I don't remember what I was doing on the weekends at sixteen but it sure wasn't volunteering at the hospital."

"Looks good on college apps." The orderly wheeled him out of the elevator and started maneuvering him through the hall again.

Mike smiled. "Yes it does, smart kid." Mike felt odd calling anyone a kid being that he was so young himself. Before either of them could say anything else they were right outside his room for the night. "Thanks."

The orderly nodded as he wheeled him into the room. "Welcome." He smiled and walked out.

Jen was the only one waiting for Mike as he was wheeled into his room. "They went to get a couple drinks." She said as if knowing he would be wondering.

Mike was unsure of the amount of time he'd have so he asked before he could waste any more time. "What were you guys arguing about?"

Her face became serious and stiff. "Nothing you need to worry about right now. We'll talk about it later."

Mike looked at her debating whether to press the matter or not but decided it would be best left for another time. Luckily he did because his parents walked back into the room just a few minutes later.

"We got you some Gatorade." His father said as he sat it down on the bedside table. "Figure you need to keep your fluids up."

"Good idea." Mike answered.

"Speaking of fluids sweetie." Jen smiled. "You smell."

Mike smiled trying hard no to laugh. "Yeah I suppose I do. We should see if we can get some stuff and you can give me a sponge bath."

Jen smiled. "We'll see."

"Well that doesn't sound too promising." He reached and took her hand. "Those pills are helping."

"Empty stomach plus narcotics usually equal a happy customer. Just hope it doesn't make you sick." Jen grabbed the bottle of Gatorade and opened it up handing it to Mike. "Drink some."

Mike obliged and took a few large gulps then handed the bottle back to her.

"Wonder if you can have some food." Mrs. Lachey said. "Where is your little button thing?" She reached and grabbed the call light and presses the button and a second later a voice came through a little speaker on the wall.

"What can I do for you?"

"Um we were wondering if he can have some food. He has barely eaten anything all day."

"Let me check his chart real quick." The speaker went silent. "We can get him something if you'd like." The same nurse said through the speaker a minute later.

"That would be great." Mrs. Lachey replied.

"Ok we will send in a menu and he can select what he'd like."

Within minutes the same orderly that had brought him to his room was knocking on the door to bring in the menu. "I'll wait outside just yell for me when you're done."

"It won't take long." Mike said as he began to look over the menu. "I never did get your name."

"Jacob." He said with a smile.

"Jacob here volunteers on weekends." Mike said as he continued to look over the menu. "Sixteen, it's impressive."

"Wow." Jen said. "When I was sixteen, I was wasting my time at the mall thinking my fashion dilemmas were the worst thing in the world. Here you are helping people."

"Thanks, looks good on college apps."

"Still." Mike was about to hand his menu to Jacob when Jen snatched it out of his hand. "Hey."

"Making sure you aren't going to make yourself sick." She glanced over the menu, made a few adjustments and then handed the menu to Jacob. "That's better." She said as she smiled at Mike.

Jacob took the menu and left the room smiling.

"Nice Kid." Mrs. Lachey said.

"You know, you two should head home, it's getting late." Mike said to his parents.

"We can't leave with you in here like this." Mrs. Lachey answered

"Like what?" Mike smiled. "I'm not dying mom, it's just a mild concussion. I'm bound to get a few over my career."

"I just don't think we should leave."

"I'll be fine, I'm only here for observation and chances are I'll be going to sleep in the near future anyways." He rubbed his forehead. "Especially the way these meds are working.

Mrs. Lachey looked over at her husband. "What do you think?"

"I think it's getting late and we have a long drive ahead of us so if he says he's ok then it's not a bad idea to leave."

Grudgingly Mrs. Lachey agreed to leave and they gave their hugs, kisses, and said their goodbyes and began to leave.

"Oh please tell Janet thank you for taking Tracy and Grant home."

"We will." They turned and walked out the door giving a last minute wave as they did.

After about an hour after his parents left, his food finally came. Jacob brought it in to him. They shared a brief conversation about college and then he went about his business.

When Mike lifted the lid his tray contained nothing that he had ordered, except for his drink which was water anyways. "What did you do?"

"What?" Jen asked. "Oh that, well you didn't need what you ordered we needed something light so you don't get sick."

"Well, we may have needed this... but I wanted a burger."

"Well I ordered you soup, so enjoy."

Mike shook his head as he began to eat and about half way through the soup he was grateful for Jen's interference. He sat his spoon down and pushed away his tray. "You were right."

"Poor baby is your tummy upset." She said in a condescending tone with a large smile.

"Sometimes I don't like you. You know that right?"

"Yes." She stood up and kissed him on the forehead. "But you always love me."

"True."

Mike laid there for what seemed like an hour debating on asking Jen about what she and his parents were arguing about. When he finally decided he was going to, Jen's cell phone went off.

"Hello?" She answered. "Yeah he's ok... Just overnight." She paused for a few minutes "Yeah but I'm not exactly sure yet." There was another pause but it was shorter this time. "Ok thanks Tracy." She hung up her phone then took her seat back at Mike's bedside. "That was Tracy she was calling to see how we were."

"That was nice of her."

"Yeah she's a sweetheart."

"What did her and Grant think about the game?"

"Well up until the end they were really into it. It was funny actually."

"Well glad they had fun."

"Me too." She reached up and took Mike's hand. "Never really got to the bottom of their relationship though."

Mike smiled. "Well you'll have to try harder next time."

"Seems that way." She pulled his hand up and kissed it. "You should try and get some rest."

"Can I?"

"Can you what?"

"Can I sleep? I didn't think you were supposed to sleep with a fresh concussion."

"But you told your parents..."

"Just so they'd leave. They didn't need to be here and they have a long drive."

"Oh." Jen reached up and hit the call light and a few seconds later the same female voice as before came through.

"What can I do for you?" The nurse asked in a sweet voice.

"Can he sleep?" Jen asked.

You could easily tell that the nurse was smiling at this question. "Yes he can sleep. We have to come in every couple hours though to check on him."

"Ok thank you. Sorry for bothering you, we just wanted to make sure."

"You're fine sweetie; we get asked that question all the time. It's a very valid question."

"Good then I won't feel so silly." Jen said to the voice in the speaker.

"Well then it's settled." Mike said as she finished her conversation. "I am going to try and rest it's been a long day."

"Yes it has."

"What are you going to do?"

"Sleep."

"Where?" He asked. "No way are you going to get comfortable in that chair."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I might."

He scooted over to one side of the bed. "Here" He patted the empty spot beside him.

Jen smiled and slowly climbed in beside him. With her head on his pillow and her arm across his body she leaned and kissed his cheek. "You still stink." She whispered into his ear with a smile.

Chapter 15

Day of Rest

"That was the worst night of sleep ever." Mike said as he gingerly sat down in his oversized recliner. "Thanks again for coming to get us Trace."

"You're welcome."

"Yes thank you." Jen plopped down on the couch and put her feet up. "They woke us up every two hours. It was brutal."

"I could go for a nap." He pulled the lever on the side of the chair popping out the leg rest.

"You could go for a shower." Jen smiled at him. "So how about you go get a shower and I'll get us some food." She looked over at Tracy who was still standing by the door. "You hungry?"

"Oh... no, not really."

"You taking off or you sticking around?"

"Well I was going to go back home. I have some studying to do and I have to run a couple errands too."

"Ok well if you need a break from studying you can always come back over."

"I might take you up on that." Tracy opened the door, waved, and walked out closing it behind her.

Mike lowered his footrest. "Now that the kids are all gone what do you say you and I go..."

"Not a chance." Jen waved him off before he could even finish his sentence. "You're nasty. You need a shower and honestly not sure it would be good for you."

"Well I think it would be ok."

"The doctor said take it easy." Jen stretched out on the couch. "Maybe in a couple weeks."

"Couple weeks?" You aren't serious are you?"

"I don't know, maybe when the team's doctor releases you."

"Bullshit."

"Even coach said to rest, relax, and take it easy when he stopped by this morning." Jen rolled over, her back now to him.

"If I thought you were serious I'd hit ya." Mike stood up "I'm going to go take a shower."

"Try a cold one, might make you feel better."

"Ha, Ha, Ha..." He began to make his way out of the room as she laid on the couch laughing. "It's a good thing you think you're funny."

"Cause no one else does, I know." She rolled on her back and looked up towards Mike. "Be careful and holler if you need something."

"I will." He gave her a smile and made his way to the bathroom.

He started the water letting it get warm. Maybe I should get a bath instead. He thought to himself. He glanced down at the tub and the thought only lasted a few seconds. We need a bigger tub. He knew that as good as the bath sounded he would never fit. He's been too tall for a normal bathtub since he hit puberty. His shower was quick and to the point. He now wasn't sure he could have handled sex if Jen had actually agreed, the shower alone seemed like it drained all of his energy. When he was all done, dried, and dressed he made his way back down stairs. Jen was asleep on the couch and he thought about taking a nap in the chair when he noticed the laptop and pile of books were back out on the coffee table. He hadn't noticed them before and wondered when she had gotten them out. She must have got it out the minute I went upstairs. He thought to himself as he grabbed the laptop. The flash drive containing Wes's journal was still hanging out the side of it. He sat it down in his lap and started the laptop up. The shower had woken him up some. Even though his body was drained he knew sleep wasn't an option so he figured he'd look over the journal. He knew Jen and Tracy had some picked out for him to read but one was asleep and the other not around so he decided to go to the next entry after Halloween.

11/02/2007

It's been two nights since the Halloween party and I still can't stop thinking about her. I've decided that I am going to sneak out and go back to the house tonight. I've been debating about asking Mike to come with me but not sure he'd want to. He hasn't said anything about what had happened and when I said something about it he acted like it didn't even happen. I don't know if it just scared him that much or if he actually thinks it was his imagination. I decided not to pester him about it though. I figure he'll either come to terms with it or write it off. It's his decision but that means tonight I am on my own.

I plan to do more research on communicating with spirits because I really don't know anything solid about it. I've also decided to use the word spirit instead of ghost. Ghost almost seems derogative now, though I'm not sure why exactly but I'm going with spirit regardless.

I tried to get in some research but have had no time to do it. I've had two projects due for school and they were more time consuming than normal and I went to go see Mike play yesterday. He was amazing as always. It's like watching a man play with children. I have to admit I am a bit jealous. He keeps telling me to try out for the team but I don't think my mother would approve and the outcome doesn't look very promising. I told him like I always do, he can stick to his muscles and I will stick to my brain.

I have gotten off track... Back to the topic...

What little research I managed to do, I didn't get a lot of good information. What did seem good was argued against on a different site so it's going to take some time to go through everything and come up with the best answers. It will be worth it in the end if I get to see her again though. Maybe even communicate with her, how amazing would that be.

It is 6:15pm right now and my parents go to sleep around 9:00pm maybe 10:00pm at the latest since it's Saturday. I plan to sneak out about an hour and a half to two hours after they go to bed. That will give them plenty of time to get into the deep REM sleep and they will be less likely to wake. I'll just tell them I don't feel very good and I am going to bed early. Been playing that up since this morning. Mom was actually about to make a doctor appointment but I convinced her it was a tad premature. After a little talking we decided if I'm not feeling better tomorrow then she'd call first thing Monday morning.

I will make another entry after I return and hopefully I'll have good things to write. We will just have to wait and see.

11/03/2007

Well the first part of my plan worked out well. I was able to sneak out of the house no problem. I got into the old house but had NO results. This is going to be as hard as I originally thought. I was just kind of hoping for a little luck tonight. I can't complain too much since I wasn't caught sneaking out though.

I plan on spending tomorrow night doing some research on communicating with spirits. I don't want to sneak out two nights in a row. I need to take the least amount of chances now since my trips over there probably won't produce a lot of results since I am just not all that knowledgeable about this. I'll take more risks when my trips are beginning to produce results.

It's funny... Mike tried getting me to sneak out a few times and I wouldn't do it. He wouldn't believe me now if I told him. I'm going to be keeping all this a secret for now anyways. Maybe I'll tell him later but not sure he'd want to hear it anyway. I better get some sleep it's already 4:00am and if I sleep too late mom will think I'm still sick and make a doctor's appointment. Hope my next entry will be more informative.

"That sneaky son of a bitch..."

"What?" Jen asked as she rolled over to face Mike, eyes half open. "What's wrong?"

"Sorry didn't mean to wake you." He sat the laptop back on the coffee table. "Try and go back to sleep babe."

"Yeah I wi..." Is all she got out before her eyes were completely shut and she was back to sleep.

I tried to get him to sneak out to go to parties quite a few times. Becky Stanton's party... He thought to himself as he began thinking about some of the good times Wes and him had. They complimented each other very well. What qualities one lacked the other seemed to have and they each tried very hard to help the other when they needed it, whether it was girls, sports, or class. After a while his thoughts were snapped back to the present when Jen woke again.

"You ok?" She said in a soft voice. "Your head?"

Mike, slightly startled, turned to her. "No my head is fine babe... Just thinking about the past." He smiled. Read a couple entries, stirs up memories."

"I'm sure it does. I knew you two were close but after reading his journal, I see just how much you two meant to each other." She reached out her hand and placed it on his leg. "You look tired sweetie. You should try and get some sleep."

"I am."

"Why don't you come lay here with me?" She scooted out towards the edge of the couch making room for him behind her. "Plenty of room." She gave him a smile then patted the couch behind her. "We can cuddle. It'll make you feel better I promise."

"Well I can't pass that up." He stood and crawled onto the couch settling in behind her. "This is nice." He wrapped his top arm around her. "So, what is the plan for the week?"

"I don't know. What do you think we should do?"

"Well coach wants me to take some time off. He said no workouts for a while and since we didn't make the bowl game I won't have practice either." He squeezed his arm forcing Jen against his body. "Will you be able to get time off of class?"

"Should be able to. I can probably get my assignments emailed to me."

"Well what do you want to do? We could go somewhere; hang out here, or whatever. What do you think?"

"Well you pick." She paused. "You won't like my idea."

Mike raised himself up on one arm. "Why won't I like your idea?"

"Just don't think you will." She kept her eyes closed.

"What is it?"

"Well I was thinking we could go back to your parent's."

"Oh... Wes's house?"

"Well you asked what I wanted to do." She wiggled around so she was now facing him. "I just think it would be interesting to go spend some more time there."

"Interesting or fun?"

"Well I think it could be good for you to maybe do a little investigating and see if maybe you can even talk to Wes." After a few seconds of silence she spoke again. "Yes I think it would be fun though."

He laid there in silence not sure how to respond. The idea of spending more time in the house wasn't a pleasant one but he'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought about trying to communicate with Wes. If there was any kind of a chance to tell him he was sorry for not being there he'd gladly take it. "You have a point. Not the fun part but the rest." He laid his head back down on the arm rest of the couch.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah why not." He decided to agree to it before he talked himself out of it.

Jen sprung off the couch. Walked to the table and began to dig through her purse.

"What are you doing?"

She ignored his question. After a bit more digging and an opening of a zipper or two she pulled out her cell phone. Pressed a few buttons and then held it up to her ear. "Trace! He said yes!" She exclaimed into the phone. She began to walk circles around the kitchen table. "I know! I didn't think he would either... I know, I am so excited."

"Really?" Mike asked still lying on the couch. "You had it planned?" Why am I not surprised. He thought to himself as she wasn't responding to anything he said.

"Tonight." Jen said into the phone. "Yes pack up your stuff and come over here... Grant able to make it?" She was silent for a minute. "You able to use the equipment?" Silence "You know he wants to come." She stopped pacing around the table and turned to Mike. "Honey you nap ok, I'll pack our stuff." Not giving Mike time to respond she began speaking back into the phone. "If he said he'd come later I'm sure he will."

Mike laid there trying to ignore Jen's conversation about how Tracy was just reading into things and about how amazing the week would be. It wasn't until she was off the phone that he was actually able to fall asleep but before he knew it he was woken by the sound of a case hitting the floor.

"So sorry Mike." Tracy said as she picked a large black case up off the floor. "Was trying to be quiet."

"It's ok. Looks like it's time to get up anyways."

"We were trying to get everything packed before I woke you." Jen said as she came in the front door, picked up one of the two cases left by the door and then disappeared back outside.

Tracy carrying the case that she had dropped, followed her.

Mike sat up still a little wobbly from the concussion and lack of sleep he has had over the past few nights. He began thinking about the dream he had while he slept on the couch, chalking it up to the activities prior to him falling asleep. Still, it left him with a strange feeling.

Soon Jen and Tracy had come back through the door. Jen closed it and then joined Mike on the couch as Tracy took a seat in the oversized recliner.

"I already talked to your parents and they are excited." Jen sat back on the couch. "That was rough work."

"I just had a strange dream." Mike blurted out. He wasn't sure if he was going to say anything but felt that he'd feel better if he did.

"What was it?" Jen and Tracy asked in unison.

"It was empty except Emily."

"What was she doing?" Tracy asked before Mike had time to elaborate.

"Standing in front of me. Telling me not to do it... Not to come." Mike paused. The eerie feelings seamed to intensify instead of subside as he originally thought they might by talking about it. "Said it was dangerous."

Jen and Tracy sat there in silence.

"Part of me doesn't want to go... Didn't want to go I guess I should say. Guessing that's where the dream came from."

"That very well could be." Jen said as she sat up and began to rub his back.

Tracy still sat there in silence and he took notice of this. "What?" He asked her.

"Oh nothing just eerie." She forced a smile. "This is the most intense investigation I've been on so my nerves are going."

"How many have you been on?" Mike asked.

"This will be seven. I've seen some stuff, shadows and what not but the potential for what we will find there is exciting and terrifying at the same time."

"Nice." Mike said in a quiet voice. He did not feel any better now and wished he hadn't even mentioned his dream. "When are we leaving?"

"Whenever you are ready babe." Jen said still rubbing his back.

"Well no time like the present. Let me go pee and we can get going." Mike stood left the room and returned in a couple minutes. He slipped on his shoes and walked to the door.

Jen and Tracy stood and followed suit. Mike let the ladies out first and then closed and locked the front door. He began to make his way to the driver's side when Jen cut him off.

"Nope I'm driving down and Trace is shotgun. You can have the back so you can relax and stretch out." She reached out and took the keys from him. "I got this babe." She smiled as she opened the driver side door and climbed into the car. Tracy followed suit on the passenger side leaving Mike nowhere to go but the back.

He climbed in the back seat and stretched out placing his feet in the opposite side of the car. He had to admit he liked the idea of not having to drive and just being able to relax.

"If you can't sleep we brought this." Jen said as Tracy handed back an iPad.

"Ok." Mike took it not sure what he was supposed to do with it. "For?" He knew it was for more than passing time but not sure what.

Jen turned the key bringing the engine to life. "Tracy converted all the journal files we highlighted into compatible files so you can read them on there." She put the car in gear and began to drive.

"Smart." He said as he turned the tablet on.

"It's in the book tab. It is called Journal and I have all the entries as individual chapters."

Mike pressed the book tab and found the entry titled Journal and brought it up. He scrolled down looking over the different entries then scrolled back up to the top. The first two entries were the ones he had read earlier so he skipped them and pressed on the third entry. "Very clever indeed." He smiled up at Tracy then looked down and began to read.

Chapter 16

Entries

11/1/2007

I spent the last two nights online looking up more methods for contacting spirits. The top two ways I could find were through a psychic and with an Ouija board. The idea of a toy made by the same people who make monopoly being a gateway to another dimension seems highly unlikely to me. The roots of the board I understand, maybe an old fashioned one made by the right people could be useful but not one you'd get from Toys R Us.

After a bit more research I started to get into more technical things that approach the situation in a scientific manner which I have to say, is right up my alley. I have never been a spiritual guy, however, seeing what I've seen it's hard to not wonder about it now but I am going to go about this like I'd do anything else regardless.

I found a website that sells all the different kinds of equipment. I used some of my savings to order a few things.

I ordered a digital recorder, they call it an EVP recorder which stands for electronic voice phenomenon but I say it's just a high quality digital recorder. They are supposed to be able to record voices and sounds of spirits that we can't hear with just our ears so we shall see. I figured I'd order it from there since a lot of the reviews for the stuff said how it worked well and they've caught more stuff on it than the other recorders they've tried. I do realize they could be false reviews but I'm trying to keep a positive attitude and not be so cynical. I also bought an EMP detector that detects electromagnetic fields, which according to lots of people spirits give off as they exert themselves. There were some other things but they were a bit pricier so I might order them later depending on how these things work. One of which is an infrared video recorder which I don't see me getting but the other was an energy box. It gives off energy that a spirit is supposed to be able to borrow and make it easier to communicate. I had my stuff shipped express so it should be here in a few days just in time for the weekend.

I don't want to go in with all kinds of equipment, last thing I want to do is spook her so she doesn't show up. I hope once she sees that all I want to do is talk she'll start trusting me and shows herself more. I just want to get to know her not turn her into some kind of project which is why I don't see myself getting the video recorder.

I plan on making another attempt this weekend with or without my stuff here, obviously with it would be nice but either way and hopefully I'll have some kind of results.

11/09/2007

I spent the night again last night. The equipment came that I ordered off of the internet, so I had them with me. I still need to go back and listen through the recorder. The EMF detector went off a good amount of times which is an anomaly in itself considering there is no power to the house. I didn't see anything though so as of now the night wasn't all that rewarding.

The night started off like there might be some good things happen but nope... When I got there like I said before, the EMF detector went off. It went off as soon as I stepped through the door then it stopped for a while. After I walked around the downstairs for about an hour I made my way up to the room that Mike and I saw her in. When I got around the wardrobe it started going off like crazy. I turned the digital recorder on then so maybe I got some stuff not sure yet. I had some odd feelings in that room too but that is hardly substantial evidence. I debated on opening the wardrobe but decided to let it be if it was hers I don't want her to get angry at me for going through her stuff. She may very well be angry at me for trespassing in her home but that part is unavoidable. Then again it may not even be her home it's hard to say anything at this point.

I walked around the room for a little and then decided to explore the upstairs some. As I walked around I noticed that there is an area of the house that you can't get into. It's almost as if the room was built then the rest of the rooms were built around it. No matter where I went everyplace that this room should be there was no door just wall. I'm not sure what to make of it. I'd love to get a set of the blueprints if that is even possible. It has my curiosity spiked. To top the creep factor off, every time I'd get near the area that the room should be, the EMF detector went off. As creepy as it seems there could be lots of explanations for this though so until I can figure out what for sure it is I can't consider it paranormal just interesting and very creepy.

I am going to go listen to my recorder and I will update this entry after I am done.

Update

I listened to my digital recorder. First thing I don't know why it didn't occur to me that if I record eight hours I have to listen to eight hours of recordings... Luckily I only recorded four hours, which still was a chore though. When I first started to listen to it I was excited at the possibilities but after the second hour of nothing I started to get tired. I fell asleep twice so I had to go back to the last point I remember and go from there. I didn't get any voices only a few noises here and there nothing definitively a spirit. Next time I go I am going to try and be more interactive, do more talking maybe ask some questions or something.

I read somewhere that spirits will drain batteries from cameras and what not for the energy so I'm going to go out and buy a big pack of D cells and sit them up by the wardrobe. If that gets any kinds of results I'm going to order the energy device off of the net.

I'm not sure when my next attempt will be. I don't want to wait till next weekend but with school during the week there's not much choice. Vacation soon so that will be nice!

01/05/2008

I couldn't wait till the weekend, last night I decided to spend a few hours in the old house. I actually ended up being in there a lot longer than I should have been and I am now grounded for the weekend which is going to make it difficult getting out to do another overnighter. I'll have to figure something out between now and then.

I did exactly what I had planned. I bought a bunch of the big D cell batteries, two of the large packs actually. I grabbed my digital recorder and EMF detector and went over after we had dinner. I told my mom I had to go to Mike's for a project. It was right before nightfall. I went straight upstairs to the room with the wardrobe I knew I didn't have long so I decided to go straight there. I sat the batteries about a foot in front of the wardrobe and then sat down in the middle of the room. I sat there for about an hour and nothing happened. About half way through the second hour I saw her!

She appeared out of nowhere. She was in just about the exact same spot as she was when I first saw her. She appeared and then just stood there staring at me. She had a puzzled look on her face It was actually really cute. I wanted to say something to her but by the time I got my wits about me she was gone. It only lasted about eight or nine seconds so there wasn't much time to do anything. I have to admit I feel like such an idiot. I was so shocked when she appeared that I just sat there staring and I'm sure, mouth gapping... I really hope I kept it shut I honestly don't remember the only thing stuck in my head is her. She is just as beautiful as I remember.

She just stared at me the whole time. As far as I know not many people go in that house as many times as I have so I'm sure she is wondering what I'm doing there so much. If that is the case then she HAS been watching me.

I'm not sure if it was the batteries or if she just decided to show herself. One time could be a coincidence, so the only way to find out is do it again. I think though I am going to order the device that puts out the energy, if it was the batteries then maybe she could only last a few minutes do to the limited power of them. If that is the case then maybe the power box will allow her to appear for a longer period of time. Only time and more attempts will tell.

Update

I ordered the power box (Which is actually round) off of the website I found the other day. After ordering it, it occurred to me that I could test the batteries and see if they were drained. I bought two six packs and after testing all the batteries, they were still fully charged. I guess I should not be so quick to do something and let myself come to my senses. I still plan on using the power box (Still think that is such a stupid name. Guess it does sound better than a power circle or power cylinder) since I ordered it and it would be more of a hassle to send it back. Who knows it might actually help. It's hard to say anything at this point all of my preconceived notions in this field have been tested lately. This is all new waters and it's scary and exciting at the same time.

01/12/2008

I have two nights left on break and I spent last night in the house with little results. It was more of the same old stuff. I spent a little time in the room with the wardrobe but that didn't pay off at all so I went and began to investigate the hidden room. I've looked into getting blueprints but with no luck. I'm honestly not even sure how to go about it. Went to a couple websites and nothing, think I'll try going to the library and see if I have any luck there. I've looked at it from all the different rooms and even from where I thought it should be from downstairs and nothing. After a while of just looking around I went back upstairs and in one of the old bedrooms there was some of the drywall coming off so I started to peel it and got a small hole started. It was a small hole about the size of a pen and I tried to peek through but couldn't see anything. I started getting a weird feeling though and I got very uncomfortable, so I decided to call it for the night. That was the only odd thing that happened I still haven't seen her again.

03/17/2008

Lots of stuff to write about tonight. About both the room and her but I'll start with the room since it's going to take less time and leads into the second part anyways.

I took over a long screwdriver (it was the only thing I could find to use) and had planned to try and make the hole bigger that I started the other day. I went to the room I remember it being in and went to the spot I thought it was at but it wasn't there. I looked all over the wall and nothing. I was sure I was in the right spot but decided to go look around the house in the other rooms that surrounded the hidden room. NOTHING! There wasn't a spot wrong not even a chip out of the drywall, it was like a professional came into the house and patched it up. After I looked all around I went back into the original room and looked again but there was nothing. I can't explain it. So with screwdriver in hand I decided that I was just going to make another hole, so I put it up to the wall started pressing but I was stopped. Stopped by her!

She appeared out of nowhere again which confirms my theory that she has been watching me while I am there. It startled me because I wasn't expecting it and she appeared behind me so I didn't see her until after she spoke. (YES SPOKE) "Don't." That's when I dropped the screwdriver and about jumped out of my skin. I turned and there she was, as beautiful as ever and she spoke again. "He'll get angry." Once again I'm sure I looked like an idiot as I just stared at her. It figures I'd be more awkward with her than I am with living girls and I am very awkward with the living ones... She stood there staring back at me for what seemed like forever. I am pretty sure she was waiting for me to say something but of course like the putz I am, I never did. It wasn't till after she disappeared that I thought of what I should have asked. First being who'll get angry followed up by many other questions. Now though, I have to lie in bed with all of them racing through my head (bye bye sleep) and wait and hope I can ask them. If I keep standing there like an idiot I'm sure she'll stop showing herself.

After she was gone I went into the room with the wardrobe and sat up the power box, turned it on, and took a seat. As expected though she never showed back up, but now I have some questions ready and thought out.

  1. What's your name?

  2. Please tell me about yourself?

  3. Who is he?

03/31/2008

There hasn't really been a lot going on there. I've only been able to go over a couple times since the last time I saw her and I wasn't even going to go last night but I am so glad I did. It was by far my best night there.

The night started off like most of the others I went there around nightfall and like usual I went to the room with the wardrobe and just walked around it. After about an hour of nothing happening I decided to venture around the rest of the house. When I turned to leave the room there she was in the door way. I didn't even have time to speak and she was gone. She didn't disappear as usual though she ran off. I went after her but when I got out into the hall and looked she was gone completely so I walked in the direction she went. There was a small room at the end of the hall, one I hadn't spent a lot of time in. It was on the opposite side of the house than the hidden room, back past where the stairs meet the hall.

I remember peeking in but not really taking in the room. There were drawings all around the bottom of the room like it was a child's room. They were faded but with the flashlight shined on them you could see them. There was one of an elephant under a large tree and a few of tigers (that's what I saw anyways) chasing a zebra. They had to be a child's drawings only explanation. I'm not sure when they were done but they look old. Makes me wonder who lived there at one point. I've spent all this time focusing on just communicating and it never occurred to me to look into the history of the house to maybe find some answers.

As I stepped into the room there she was off to the side staring at some of the drawings that weren't visible from the doorway.

Her name is Emily. I finally know her name. She asked me why I was here and what I wanted. "You." I told her. "To talk to you." She wanted to know why and I didn't have a great answer for her. She has been stuck in my head since I saw her that Halloween night, which she said she remembers. She asked about the friend I was with, asked why he wasn't with me. I told her that he didn't want to have anything to do with this place. "Most people don't and neither should you." she told me. I asked her why but she didn't answer me. I asked if it was because of "Him". I asked who he was but she didn't speak anymore. She stood there staring at one of the little drawings on the wall and then a few second later she was gone. I looked at the drawing but I couldn't make it out. I didn't stay there long though.

I actually spoke to her this time. She answered too, which is the more exciting part. I even know her name now. Just her first name, so I still have a lot of things to ask and find out but it's going to take some time. Time I am more than willing to put in. That wasn't the end of it though. As I was making my way out of the house (figured that was all I was going to get) she appeared again downstairs this time near the entry room of the house. She told me that I should stop coming over, that it won't be good for either of us if I didn't. I'm not sure what she means I'm sure it has to do with "Him" though. She vanished again right after that. I'm not going to stop, don't think I could if I wanted to. I have this urge to see her again to get to know her. I can't quite explain it. I am going to ask around and see what I can find out about whom all has lived there in the past and see if there have been any kids who have passed away while living there. Maybe she's a grieving mother unable to pass on.

I talked to Mike in school today I started to tell him about what had happened and he shut me down. Told me I've been watching too many scary movies and I'm getting obsessed, then hurried off to his next class. I get not wanting to come with me if that's not your thing but he has been acting weird around me lately and I just don't get it. I'll see if he wants to hang out this weekend and maybe I can find out what's going on.

Update

Looked into previous owners of the house and from what I've heard and seen there was a family with children that lived there about twenty-five years ago but didn't stay too long. No child has ever died there, officially anyway. This isn't documented stuff just some stuff I found out at the historical society. Apparently the house is on one of those list to be restored because it is so old. It's hard to say exactly what all has happened in it. I know there was a fire there at some point but no details on it so I'm looking at a few other avenues to find out more about its history.

05/12/2008

It's been a little more than a month since I've seen or heard from Emily. I have been there around a dozen times anywhere between three to eight hours a night depending on the day. Weekends I usually spend the whole night there but that is about all I can spare with the amount of classes I've began to take. I decided to take the entry exams for premed early and I need to finish all my high school credits this year so I'm a little behind. This will be the end of my sophomore year and I've been taking extra classes all along but didn't plan on taking the entry exams till after my junior year. After talking to my parents and the school counselor we decided there is no reason to wait. Mr. Harrington, the guidance counselor and my parents go way back. He is actually friends with the director of the school I'm applying to and he said that I could probably test out of some of the classes there and be done with premed in a couple years so then I'll be ready to start Med school the same time I'd start normal college. They talked about me flying through med school but I don't think I want to. It's a lot of pressure to do things this way and I'm supposed to be enjoying my time right now and I'm not.

Mike is still acting distant. We don't hang out as much as we used to, if at all actually. Emily has stopped showing up, and to top it all off I think I finally know who "He" is...

I was there last night and with it being my normal overnight visit, I had packed some stuff to make the night easier. I have a bag packed already that has a lantern, a small propane heater, flashlight, spare batteries, the EMF, and EVP devices. I just throw in some snacks and a drink or two before I go and I'm all set.

Well about an hour into it and nothing, just like it has been so I started looking over the area that I think there's a hidden room at. I went back to the spot that I started that hole that had fixed itself. I decided to make a new one so I got out my screwdriver and the lantern to light the room up and after about ten minutes or so of doing it I started to get the weirdest feeling. It is already cold in there and I only use the little propane heater when I need it but it seemed like the room dropped to an arctic temperature. I didn't have a way of measuring the actual temp but when the temp dropped I actually started to see my breath. It didn't stop me though I kept digging and I finally got a hole all the way through. It was about the size of a nickel. I tried looking through but nothing. Then I dug out my flashlight and shined it through but it was like the light just hit a wall it couldn't penetrate the darkness. That is when "He" got angry.

Out of nowhere I heard a door slam from down the hall. Startled, I dropped my flashlight and turned to face the door of the room. I decided I should get out so I started to make my way to the door but when I was a couple feet from it, it slammed shut. Luckily I wasn't closer because as hard as the door slammed, had it hit me, it would have done some damage. I tried opening it but it wouldn't budge. I yanked and yanked on it, even tried kicking it a few times but nothing worked. I started to get very worried and that's when I started hearing a noise from behind me I looked back to see a man, a dark man with glowing red eyes and a handlebar mustache.

He looked like a man from another time and he looked like pure evil. He stood there staring at me as if he was thinking about what he was going to do to me. I honestly feared for my life. He began to slowly approach me I turned to try and get the door open but it wouldn't budge. I tried to scream but the air in my lungs felt like it was slowly being sucked out of me. I couldn't scream no matter how hard I tried. I started getting short of breath and I turned back to face him. I tried and tried to suck in air but I couldn't it was as if he drained the entire room of oxygen. The lantern and flashlight that still lay on the ground where I dropped them went out and darkness took the room over. The only light I could see in the room was the streetlight from the outside that lit the window but didn't penetrate into the room past that and his eyes, his red glowing eyes. I thought I was going to die at this point and then, I don't know what happened. The eyes disappeared and the light from the window slowly began to penetrate back into the room, even the lantern and the flashlight began to flicker back to life. These were the last few things before the room went dark again and I fell face first to the floor.

When I came to the room was well lit from all the light sources and even the door stood wide opened. I should be dead right now. There is no explanation of why he stopped. The only thing I can think of is Emily had something to do with it. Needless to say when I was strong enough to stand I quickly gathered my stuff and left. I'm still shaking I'm not so sure I should go back there. There is still so much I wanted to do, to ask Emily but if he could do that to me what could he do to her in his own realm. I don't know what to do and the worst part is I have no one to talk to about it.

05/15/2008

After my last experience in the old house I decided no more. I still don't know why he stopped when he did, if it was just a warning or if Emily had something to do with it. I wanted to go back but decided that it was just too risky. I realize that I'm a dead man walking anyways but I'm not ready to go yet. There are still things I want to accomplish before that time comes.

I've tried to avoid the house at all lately. It's actually a lot harder than I originally thought it would be to not go over. It wasn't until two days ago that I walked by it for the first time since the incident. I walked by and when I looked up at one of the upper windows I saw her. My heart dropped straight to my feet and I knew then and there that I couldn't stay away so against my better judgment I decided to go back last night.

I stayed away from the hidden room area completely. I didn't even go into the room with the wardrobe, this time I went straight for the little room with the drawings.

It wasn't long before she showed up. She asked if I was ok and it turns out she did have something to do with me still being alive. I didn't ask much about the man because I didn't want to scare her off so I asked questions about her. We talked for at least two hours, I asked questions about her and she asked them about me. Turns out she has been just as curious about me as I have been about her. She said she watched me night after night as I walked around the house and when I asked her why she didn't show herself. "I didn't know what you wanted. There are ways to hurt our kind." She said. I know her name is Amelia Craft she started to go by Emily when her little sister couldn't pronounce Amelia. I didn't dare ask how she died or about a child that stuff is hers and if she decides one day to share, it's her choice. (Though according to the research I've managed to do no child has ever passed away there) I asked about her family after she brought up her little sister. She had a little sister and an older brother but she didn't get into details about them. It being our first time to really talk to each other I wasn't pushing things. She asked about me and my family, and about my friends. I told her about school and my friendship with Mike and how it felt like it was slowly fading. She was so easy to talk to, almost like we had known each other for years. As much as I tried avoiding the topic of "Him" I did ask if she was ok and if my coming by would put her in danger "It'll be fine." she assured me. I'm not so sure I believe her though. I don't know if I could do anything to help her even if she told me anything other than that anyway. "Just stay away from the room, that's his room and the outskirts of the house were safer so we should stick to them." she said. After she said that I'm pretty sure I lit up like an idiot because with the last few words I knew she wanted me to come back. I really hope she couldn't see my face well in the darkness of the room because I'm sure I was blushing like an idiot. I guess it's just surprising that someone so interesting would want me to come back.

It was at that point that she told me she had to go and how it takes a lot of energy to stay in the physical realm. Question after question filled my head at that point and when I told her, she let me know we could talk about it all later. She vanished a few seconds after that. I stayed there for a few minutes then left myself. I'm not sure anyone would believe me if I told them about it. I know Mike wouldn't. Maybe I can get him to come along so he can see for himself.

Here is a little info I found out about who I think "He" is. After lots of digging I found out that a man by the name of Warren Montgomery lived there. He was a very wealthy business man and was almost single handedly responsible for this town booming and becoming as big as it is. He actually had the house built to his design and there apparently were only two people who ever saw the completed blueprints. The house was constructed section by section and he even went as far as having one crew build a certain section and then he'd bring in a new one for the next and he did this till it was complete. He was very eccentric and was known to be a drunk and a womanizer. There were other rumors but nothing to back them. One was he was part of some kind of cult or secret organization. I do wonder if he had anything to do with the fire. That seems to be around the time he lived there but he isn't mentioned in the article I found nor were any deaths. After I drew a little sketch of the house just from recollection of the room placement I would put money on there being a pretty decent sized hidden room there. It's hard to say but the way he built the house yells hidden room for sure. I have to admit I want to know what's in there but I told Emily I'd stick to the outskirts of the house so that's what I'm going to do.

I'm not sure when I'll be going back over, I hope soon for sure. I never got to ask if she can absorb power from around her to make it easier to stay longer. If she can then the power box I bought will come in handy. I think I will take it over next time regardless. That and the heater it gets cold in there and even though she makes me feel all warm on the inside I get very cold on the outside.

06/04/2008

Things are still going very well with Emily. It turns out she can use external energy so I decided to make my own power supply. The ones I ordered online just aren't working to my liking; they get drained way too fast. Batteries are just not cutting it they do not offer a sustainable power source for her to make it easier to stay in the physical realm. I don't think it would be practical for me to take a gas powered generator in there it might look odd. Who knows who has seen me going in and out of the old house as it is. I have thought about trying to convert an old propane heater into a sort of basic generator. There are a few things about it online so I've been going over the best way to do it. It seems like it's the only way outside of turning the power on there, which I don't think I can do since I don't own the house. I'll get it all figured out though.

It's amazing how we can sit around and just talk about nothing. We talk about me, school, taking some summer classes, and problems with my parents or with friends, mainly the lack and loss of friends. I'd consider Mike and I acquaintances more than friends as of late. I have never been this comfortable around anyone before. It's made me really have to sit down and think about our relationship and how I feel about her. It's confusing to be honest if she was a girl from my grade then I'd easily say that I was in love but she's a spirit... Does that matter? I know she can feel she has emotions "She" is there, her soul, her essence is there so does her lacking a physical body matter? Where could this relationship lead obviously we can't get married and have children (well maybe we can get married I'd have to look into that) not to mention she was twenty-one when she died and here I am seventeen granted I'll be eighteen in less than a year but still. The idea is strange enough add the fact that she's twenty-one... What a mess I've gotten myself in... Once again I find myself alone with no one to talk to about it. I don't know what to do about everything. I could try to talk to Mike. Maybe if I tell him that I really need to talk maybe he'll listen but how much longer after I say "Oh hey Mike how are you, oh by the way you know that spirit I talk to all the time? Yeah that one, I think I'm in love with her. What are your thoughts on the matter?" will the conversation last. What choice do I have he's really the only friend I have that I could even talk to about this? I wonder if there are online chat rooms for this. If there are though what kind of people would be in it? How often does this happen? I can't imagine it's very common. I can just imagine the amount of crazy people out of the hundred people in there I can only see a handful at most being legit cases. I don't think I have much choice I'll talk to him tomorrow. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised...

I wondered why me for a while. Why I could see her and feel so close to her but in our conversation one night I mentioned that I was sick. She asked how sick, and when I told her that I was pretty much dying she explained to me how that has a lot to do with it. When you are dying you teeter in both realms and that makes you more prone to have contact with the other side. So that explains why I saw her so clearly. Maybe that is why Mike is having issues with how I've been acting maybe he only saw a shape or a mist and doesn't believe we actually saw her. I can see that but why he doesn't believe me I can't figure out. I guess it would be hard to believe. Only time will tell if things get better or worse between us. I'll talk to him tomorrow at school some time. It's Friday and our last day of the school year.

06/05/2008

Talked to Mike today and it went about as well as I was expecting. I have to give it to him though he did listen to me. I told him I really needed to talk to him and he was there for me so he still cares at least. After I told him about everything he sat in silence for a while. I wasn't sure what he was thinking then he finally took a deep breath and said. "Wes I really think you have something wrong with you. I think you should see someone." So he was no help with the situation but he does care and that does mean something. I guess I'm just trying to see it from both sides. How would I be if the shoes were on the other feet? I can't really say. If it wasn't happening to me, would I believe it? Considering how rooted I was in science I'm not sure I would. I asked him what he saw on Halloween night and he told me he wasn't really sure he didn't think he actually saw anything but was more of an in the moment kind of thing. I was there though, I remember his face, I know he saw something. Mike thinks I'm crazy and I need help and I am still confused as I ever was. Guess there is only one thing left to do... Talk to Emily

06/15/2008

Well I have been over there two out of the last three nights with the intention of just coming out and telling her how I feel. The first night didn't go quite according to plan though.

I went there like normal just before nightfall. I stopped taking most of my stuff. I don't see a need for it anymore. I have no need for the EVP because we flat out talk to each other and the EMF detector isn't needed because she doesn't exactly hide the fact that she is around. Anyway... I went there and went to the little room which is where we spend most of our time together now. Occasionally we will stay downstairs. It took her longer to come out than it normally does and she seemed somewhat concerned and distracted. She told me that "He" was angry and was a lot more powerful than she was and how she has spent a long time trying to keep him confined in his room but he's getting stronger and it gets harder and harder. I can't help but feel it is my fault! I angered him because I've been coming around. She assured me that it isn't my fault but I think she is just being kind. We called it an early night because she was feeling weak. I told her I'd come back in a couple days so she could regain some of her strength.

Two nights later when I went back and she was feeling better. The night started much more like a normal night. She met me downstairs this time though, which I have to say I like better anyways. It's further away from "Him". The night started off like most normal nights she asked me how my day was and I told her about talking to Mike (left out what it was about at first) and how that went. When she did ask what I talked about I got quiet at first. It took me a little bit but I eventually got it out. "I think I am in love with you... No... I know I am in love with you." I told her. She got quiet then if she could have blushed I am sure she would have. She never really said much just that she doesn't know what to say and then a little later she vanished. Not a word, just vanished.

Now I don't know what is going on. It doesn't seem that she feels the same way which I am ok with but what I'm not ok with is if it is going to change things between us. Of course it is going to... How could it not? Maybe Mike is right. Maybe I do need help... Now do I go back or do I wait a while? What on earth made me think that things were just going to work out and be fine? Hell, real women don't want anything to do with me so why the hell would she?

06/27/2008

I hadn't gone back over for a while. I just couldn't bring myself to go I was going to a few times I even got as far as the back door (which is my usual entrance) then stopped and turned and left. I just wasn't ready to face her.

She came here! I didn't even know she could do that. It was very brief she can't do it for extended periods of time but she apparently can go other places. There has to be a connection of some kind though. The further she goes the harder it is. She came while I was in bed I felt something and rolled over and she was standing there. She was just standing there looking at me.

SHE LOVES ME TOO!!!!!!!!!!!

She told me she knew she did but when I told her how I felt she was excited and angry at the same time. She wants me to be with someone real, someone I could have a family with someday, someone with a heartbeat. I told her that I don't want anyone else and that she makes me feel more alive than anyone with a heartbeat ever could. She smiled then she told me she had to go but asked me to come over in a couple days. I told her I would and I couldn't wait.

I don't know where things are going to go. It's only a matter of time before I die anyways. The meds aren't helping that much and every time I go for a checkup it's a little worse so I'm dead anyway. It's only a matter when now. I can't have kids there is too strong of a chance they would be sick too, not to mention whoever I had them with would contract it too. I'm definitely not missing out on anything and even if I wasn't sick I wouldn't care I can't imagine feeling this way about anyone else but her. We were meant to be together... We are supposed to be together! I have never been so sure of anything in my entire life.
Chapter 17

Halfway Home

Mike had been completely lost in his reading and only noticed that they had pulled off the highway when they stopped under the bright lights of the gas station.

"Potty break." Jen said as she turned back to face Mike. Tracy had already opened her door and started getting out. "You ok back there? You have been very quiet. I haven't been able to tell if you were sleeping or reading."

"Been reading, why didn't you just ask?" Mike opened his door, spun himself around, and pulled himself out of the car. He reached up, stretching his arms.

Jen followed him out and walked around to meet him. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed, pulling him close to her. "If you were asleep, I didn't want to wake you."

"Nope been back there reading over the journal entries."

"And?" Jen asked with her arms still wrapped around him.

"I feel like a total asshole."

"You shouldn't feel like an asshole babe."

"How could I not Jen? He came to me for help, came to me to talk, and I blew him off." He paused and took a deep breath letting it out in a large sigh. "When I wasn't telling him he was crazy that is. I remember it so clearly. The day he told me he had to talk to me. How he needed some help and didn't know who else to talk to, and what did I do? I told him he was sick."

"It's a very strange situation and it's hard to say how anyone would react in it. He even said that several times in his entries. If you haven't seen it then you will don't worry." She leaned back and looked up into his eyes. "He knew you still cared about him. You were just having trouble dealing with everything is all."

"Yeah but I was his friend I should have believed him."

"Well tell him that."

Mike stood there in silence. "If I can." The idea sparked a small fire of hope in his gut. He hoped that he could talk to him even if he could say one word. Just to tell him, sorry.

"Oh I think you might have that chance." Jen said with a smile on her face.

"Why do you think that?"

"Well he did what he did so they could be together. He said it himself in his suicide letter. Maybe you'll see me around." She leaned her head back against his chest. "You told me that."

Mike stood there in silence for a minute before he spoke. "I thought you had to pee?"

"I do, waiting on Trace to come out. We didn't want to leave all the stuff in the car by itself."

"Well what the hell am I?"

"Injured chop liver." Jen smiled as she spoke. "Let's face it you're not a hundred percent yet someone could easily get the best of you."

Mike looked back down at her and smiled. "You are such a brat but I love you."

"Love you too."

Mike leaned down and kissed her on the lips. "I can't wait to show you a hundred percent." He whispered in her ear then bit her earlobe.

She let out a slight moan. "Well I can't wait to take your hundred percent." She reached down and squeezed his butt.

"The mighty protector returns." Mike said aloud as Tracy was nearing the car.

She stopped staring puzzled. "What?" She asked.

Jen turned to face her. "Oh just giving Mike a hard time about being hurt."

"Oh." Tracy smiled. "I'll go ahead and pump the gas."

"Oh, shit... wasn't thinking... I'm sorry. The credit card is in the middle console." Jen took Mikes hand and they walked towards the gas station. Once inside she led him hand in hand to the back near the restrooms. She peaked inside to make sure the coast was clear then drug him inside with her.

She slowly backed him up against the wall and stood on her tip toes and started to kiss his neck.

"I thought you had to pee?" He asked as he slid his hands around her ass and squeezed.

"I lied." She began to run her hand under his shirt and up his chest feeling his muscles then slowly slid her hand down into his shorts. "Hundred percent? I'm only feeling about sixty to sixty five here." She leaned forward and bit his nipple through his shirt.

"Well maybe you've just lost your touch."

She bit his nipple again even harder.

"Ouch" His hand shot up to protect his nipple from another bite.

"My fault?" She took her hands out of his shorts and grabbed the waistband of her shorts and panties then slide them down and off. Then she spun around and began to rub her bare ass against him. "How is this? I think I am feeling a few extra percent now."

Mike reached and grabbed her hips. "Yeah you'll have the whole hundred for sure if you keep this up. He spun her around and picked her up and sat her on the sink.

She let out a small muffled squeal. "Shit that's cold!" She slid her hands back up his shirt and began to rub his muscled chest.

He leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

She let out a slight moan as she pulled away and leaned back then slid her feet up his legs and grabbed the top of his shorts and underwear with her toes and slid them down to his knees. "I want your hundred percent so bad!" She slid her legs back up and wrapped them around his waist and pulled him into her.

When they exited the store thirty minutes later Tracy was waiting in the driver's seat of the car. She had even pulled it up away from the pump. Jen climbed in the passenger's seat grinning from ear to ear and Mike took his spot in the back seat. Opening the large bottle of water he got, he began to chug gulp after gulp.

"Sorry Trace." Jen said still smiling

"It's ok." She smiled at Jen. "I used the time to call Grant anyways."

Jen spun to face her. "What did he say?"

"He said he was sorry he couldn't come and that he is trying to get someone to cover his shifts so he can come down tomorrow."

"Well I hope he can find someone. You won't have as much fun if he isn't there." Jen spun back around in her seat facing the front. "Just have to get back on the highway and keep going. It's a straight shot till we get off the highway."

"I wouldn't mind getting off again though." Mike said form the back seat.

Jen smiled and spun her head around and gave him a playful dirty look.

"What?" He returned her smile. "I get cramped in the back seat I like to stretch my legs."

"Mm hmm." She spun back around.

"I didn't even ask you Mike, do you mind if Grant comes down?" Tracy said as she started the car and began to drive off. She peaked up in the rearview mirror. "This kind of investigation is once in a lifetime kind of stuff. Most people who do what we do only dream of it."

"Of course it is. You're family now Trace so you automatically get a plus one."

She smiled at him through the mirror. "Thank you."

"So some of the stuff in the journal is unbelievable, what kind of evil do you think it is Trace?" He asked as they pulled back onto the highway.

"Well it's hard to say until we get in there and really investigate. If it is the Warren guy like we think then it's more of an evil spirit but it honestly sounds almost like a demonic presence too, so it is a bit confusing to be honest."

"I looked up more on Warren Montgomery and he is a really big name in your town." Jen spoke up. "The City Library is named after him. Montgomery and Son's funeral home, the one Wes's funeral was at, was his too. He didn't have any known descendants so the "and Son's" must have been added to give it a more family feel. He owned quite a few of the businesses in the town then too so it's no wonder why he got away with everything he did. " She said as she turned back to face Mike. "I still can't find any actual blueprints of the house and Wes was right there is a bit about him being suspected of being in a cult."

"Yeah and if he was in a cult, and it was a dark religious cult, then it's hard to say what evil is packed away in that house." Tracy said as she peeked in her side mirrors in an attempt to pass the semi in front of them.

"What does that mean for Wes and Emily? In the journal she seemed scared of Warren if it was him. She even said there are ways to hurt her kind. Are they in danger?" He asked as he looked at Tracy through the mirror. "As bad as the experience we had there was, it doesn't seem like he's contained anymore so after reading these." He pointed to the tablet he was reading the journal entries off of. "I have to say I am worried about them."

Jen reached her hand back and grabbed Mike's. "Once we get there Trace is going to figure some stuff out."

"Yeah and if Grant can get down then he will be able to tell us more. He is the president of our Paranormal Club after all." She paused as she passed a slow moving car. "He knows his stuff."

"Well if he doesn't like his job he can always quit and Jen can get him a new job." Mike smiled.

Jen let out a laugh. "I already told her that but I don't think she believed me."

Tracy smiled and if there was more light in the car Mike was sure she was turning a little red. "I didn't think you were serious."

"You do realize my dad owns half of the businesses around campus." She smiled at Tracy. "Not the one he works in now though, I checked."

Tracy couldn't help but let out a laugh. "Well I will tell him when I talk to him later."

"So what's the plan for when we get there? I mean when are we doing the investigation and all that?"

"Well the first day we are doing a walk through so Trace can see the layout. Then setting up, then I don't know. To be honest after last time, I'm nervous so the plan is taking baby steps." Jen leaned her seat back so she was practically lying in Mike's lap and reached back and took his hand in hers.

"First night a walk through then we'll set up stuff and go from there. If Grant is going to make it then we'll wait for him to help start the investigation." Tracy said.

"Ok sounds good." Mike began to play with Jen's hair. "Did you tell my parents everyone was coming with us?"

"Yeah." She smiled. "They were excited. I think your mom likes reasons to make big dinners."

"Yeah she does. I bet that was the first thing out of her mouth." He smiled. "What is she making?"

"She wasn't sure lasagna or chicken parmesan she said."

"So probably both." All three let out a laugh. "I am going to read some more." He reached for the tablet and turned it on. "Let me know if you want me to drive or anything."

"Ok." Tracy said as she gave him a nod through the rearview mirror.

"We will babe but I think we have it under control."

"I know you do. You are women hear you roar and all that." He gave Jen a smile. "Just being polite."

"Yeah, yeah... just go back to reading." She pulled the hand she had in hers close and gave it a kiss before letting it go.

Mike thumbed through the selections of journal entries and found where he stopped. Pressed the next entry and began to read.

Chapter 18

Last of the Entries

02/09/2009

I have decided to buy the old house. Things with Emily and I have been going very well and I'll need a place so why not just buy it. I spend most of my free time there anyway so it just makes sense. I turn eighteen soon, so on my birthday I am going to go down and buy the house and spend my birthday night there and surprise Emily. She has asked me to get a few things for the night, which has my mind racing. She knows I wanted to spend the night there that night already but I haven't told her exactly why. Me buying the house is a surprise as much for her as it's something for me and I can't wait to tell her. She said she has a surprise for me too but I'm not sure exactly what. Like I said she gave me a list of things to get it's a very small list but still. It's some candles and some matches. Maybe she's making me a cake, though she wants the full size ones and the holders so guess I will have to wait and see.

I'm pretty sure me buying the house will be exciting but I'd like to fix it up. I will have all summer off before I start med school and would like to get some of it done then. I'm not the handiest of men so I'm guessing I'll be hiring people. I just don't know how that will go over with "Him". I have only had a few more incidents with him but none as bad as the first one. I know that people have issues when they renovate a house that is supposed to be haunted, it upsets the spirits inside. They feel like someone is messing with THEIR house and I know "He" thinks it is still HIS house. I've been thinking about looking in to different things to maybe confine him in his room or get rid of him completely with some kind of spell or magic or even maybe an exorcism. I'm worried about the exorcisms though. I don't like the idea of it doing something to Emily so I'm trying to focus on him alone. Think my best option would be someone who can cast a confinement spell (If it's even a real thing I mean I'm not even sure what to believe is real anymore. With the things that have happened in my life as of recently, I don't think I'd blink twice if a vampire came flying through my window right now) but I don't know what all our options are. I'll have to try and figure that out, I'm afraid to ask Emily right now till I get more info. I know she is afraid of "Him" so we'll talk once I get more info on it all.

03/19/2009

Well I went down and talked to a realtor about the house and it is for sale. Like I said before a couple bought it years ago and they have never been able to sell it, so not only can I buy it but I'll get it for a steal too. The realtor said they tried living in it years ago but it only lasted a month. They had bad experiences in it and moved out shortly after. I bet they did have bad experiences there.

Emily never told me about them, we've never really talked about past owners or how long she has been there for that matter. Anytime we start to talk about her death she stops. I never pry I am sure that it is upsetting for her to have to think of the day it all ended and she became what she is now. I love everything she is now but I still feel bad for her not being able to live her life and have a family. All of that has already been taken away from me but I think it would be harder for her. The way she talks about her family I can tell she was very family orientated, apart from her father anyways. She hasn't mentioned much about him since we first started talking. I am sure that it has taken a long time to come to terms with it though and from our talks it seems like she has. As well as anyone could that is.

Back on topic though... I can buy the house now if it is a cash sale, which is what it will be so the house is pretty much mine. I have to go tomorrow and finalize the papers and sign them. I won't get the deed right away though but I can show her the papers that show I own it and I am sure that will have the same surprise factor as an actual deed would. Hope she is happy I would imagine she would be but it's truly hard to say for sure. In the process of deciding to buy it I came up with a couple reasons she would not be happy I bought it. They seem like I'm fishing for reasons. I am going to have to go with she WILL be happy and I am excited about telling her. Now I just have to not let it slip.

7/20/2009

Well yesterday was my birthday and I am officially an adult now. It was a really good day and an even better night!

The first part of my day was very nice. My parents threw me a party and had family there but the coolest thing was Mike was there. His parents were there too so I'm not sure if they dragged him along, or he chose to come but it was nice either way. We talked a good bit at the party. I didn't bring up anything about the house or Emily. We were talking about school and college. He is in negotiations with three different schools. He's trying to figure out which one would fit for him and where he can further his football career. I think he will do fine no matter what but he's worried. He was asking me about starting med school and how awesome it was that I'm only eighteen and already starting. I swear if I hear another Doogie Howser comment I'm going to hit someone. Do they not realize that is way before my time anyways.

It was your typical family party with gifts, cake, and ice-cream. It was very nice and hanging with Mike like the old days was... Well I can't really put into words how it was, nice doesn't do it justice. After the party died down and everyone went home I stayed and talked to my parents for a while then they turned in a little early from all the excitement. I grabbed my papers from the purchase of the house and snuck out and headed over to the old... MY house going to have to get used to saying that well actually OUR house since I really bought it for Emily and me. I don't necessarily have to sneak out the idea that my parents have never noticed me out late is absurd but I would rather avoid that conversation. I am pretty sure my mother suspects there is someone special but how do you explain that to your parents? "Mom dad this is Emily she's a spirit and we are in love." I don't see us having an engagement party thrown in our honor.

Back to the topic... I went over to see Emily like I had originally planned. I dropped the stuff off that she had asked me to get for her a couple days ago. When I went in the room next to the one with the drawings, the room I have pretty much made into my bedroom all of the candles were spread in a circle around my makeshift bed. When I walked in the room she appeared at the head of the bed and wished me a happy eighteenth birthday. She told me to sit in the middle of the bed and when I did the candles came to life all at once. She said that she was feeling exceptionally strong today. I smiled (I didn't tell her that the power to the house was on so there was electricity coursing through the house) trying not to spill my secret yet. She told me to close my eyes and try to clear my mind. As I sat there unable to see anything I could feel her coming closer and closer then I knew she was right beside me when she whispered in my ear. "Happy Birthday" My mind went blank and it almost felt like someone poured warm water over my head. A second later she told me to open my eyes.

I was in the house but not in the actual house it was lit and all the dust was gone. I stood up and looked out the window and I could feel the sun shine warming my skin as it came through. It was the strangest sensation everything felt so real even though I knew in the back of my mind it wasn't. That's when I heard her from behind me "What do you think?" she asked. When I turned to look at her I think I almost collapsed. There she was but not pale and spectral she was pink skinned her eyes were the most amazing shade of green I have ever seen and her long wavy hair was a light brown. She wasn't just a spirit here she was flesh and blood her cheeks reddened as I approached. "I can't do this for long but it will give us some time together." I didn't know what to say I was the speechless kid again unable to speak out of pure amazement. When I touched her hand I could feel the warmth of her. It was amazing. I raised my hand to her cheek, amazed at the warmth yet again. I stared into her eyes as she stared back into mine. I felt as if they were peering straight to my soul, the feeling was indescribable. Knowing we didn't have a lot of time I mustered all the courage I had and just went in for the kiss.

I kissed her on her lips my right hand still pressed against her cheek. She wrapped her arms around me kissing me back. Her lips were so soft and they sent bolts of electricity through my body as they touched mine. I Kissed down to her neck and I felt her arms tighten around me. I carefully walked us backwards to the bed in the middle of the room. I glanced at the candles as I maneuvered between two of them and I noticed that they were frozen, the flames weren't flickering they looked more like photos of candles as opposed to real ones. We made our way to the middle of the bed. I kissed her lips again and I ran my hand through her hair. She reached up and felt my cheeks and smiled. "I love you." She said. I returned the comment then leaned in for another kiss. She pushed me back a little adding a bit of space between us, which I wasn't sure how to handle unaware of what she was doing. She reached out and pulled my shirt off over my head. "Time is short." she said with a saddened smile. I reached up and slid the shoulder straps of her dress off her shoulders and it fell to the floor. She stepped out of it and kicked it to the side. She reached back and unsnapped her bra, slid it off and tossed it on top of her dress. I slowly raised my hand and ran the back of my fingers down her breast and over her nipple.

I couldn't get over the warmth of her skin, this is way further than I had ever gone with anyone so it was all new territory and as much as I wanted to savor every inch of her warm smooth skin I knew She was getting weaker by the minute and we wouldn't be able to do this for long.

She reached up and ran her hand over my chest. I leaned in and kissed her on the lips again then kissed my way down past her neck and began to kiss her breast one at a time then kissing her nipples in the same manner. I heard her let out a moan as she reached out and ran her hands around my back. She pulled me closer to her and I couldn't help but take her nipple into my mouth.

I began to slowly lower her down to the bed and I was now between her legs.

I leaned back and brought myself to my knees. I put my hands on her legs and ran them up past her knees and over her thighs till my hands reached her white cotton panties that had a little pink bow at the top. I pulled them off and tossed them near the small pile of the rest of her clothes. I fumbled with the button of my pants and she reached up to help me. (I was in somewhat of a stupor at how I managed all this without fainting or something else even more embarrassing was beyond me.) I pulled my pants and underwear off and tossed them to the side. There we lay, our warm naked bodies pressed against each other.

"I love you so much Emily." I told her as I looked into her piercing green eyes, and once again I felt them stare back all the way to my soul. "I love you too Wesley." she returned. I leaned down and began to kiss her reaching up to massage one of her breast. She let out another moan into my mouth as we kissed. She reached up and wrapped her arms around me and pulled me tight...

*I will stop there I have probably said too much in here already and I am sure you probably don't want to read the rest anyways. I wrote it all down originally it's in my set of journals that has my more sensitive material but for my rewrites for you I'm leaving some stuff out but just wanted to toss this little bit in.*

07/24/2009

I waited the few days she asked me to before I went back over. She was drained from my birthday and said it would take some time to recoup. I never got to tell her about buying the house nor did I get to ask her about how she did what she did so waiting a few days I have to admit has been almost torturous! I packed a small lamp in a bag and took it over with me last night. When I got there she was well rested and ready to answer my questions. She asked about the bag pretty quickly after I got there but I figured it was my way of torturing her for a bit.

My first question was how she did what she did on my birthday. The quick answer is she doesn't know how she does it. Her best guess is that it's something like possession she just connects and they both see the same images and feel the same feelings. It reminds me of a Vulcan mind meld BUT I left that out of the conversation. Given everything I've experienced lately I've learned to just go with the flow sometimes so that part of the conversation didn't go on too long.

My next question though that went on for a while it lead to different thing after thing. I asked how she knew she could do it. "I've done it before." she said. I have to admit when she first said that I got upset. That was my first for that experience and the experience we had while she was doing her mind meld. I couldn't even put into words how special it was to me and she had done it before... BUT then she informed me she's connected thoughts before but never like what we did. That was her first time for that too and never dreamed of doing that with anyone else. I was relieved but then I felt kind of stupid for getting upset I'm sure she saw it on my face too... I couldn't help it though it just happened.

When I asked her when and who she did it with that is when our conversation got very long. She told me all about her death and her past before she was murdered. There is a lot of stuff she told me and some of it I almost wish she didn't. It isn't bad stuff it's just secrets about people. The kinds of secrets that give you the internal battle of keeping or confronting the people involved. She made me promise not to tell anyone about any of it, not yet anyways. There may be a time when everything needs to come out but right now isn't it.

It was hard to get past the conversation we had but I still wanted to tell her about me buying the house. I've been sitting on that info for too long and I've been dying to tell her. So I made her close her eyes (yes when she closes them she can't see) and I took out the lamp plugged it in and then I had her open them as I turned on the lamp. She smiled "That's why I've been so full of energy?" which proved my thoughts about the electric being on and her new found energy. I think I'm getting a good grip on all the rules to this stuff.

I told her that the electricity isn't all and then I told her about buying the house she was very excited. The house was her core it is where she is bound to and though she can leave, it is only for brief periods of time. She has to have a connection of some kind to where she is going. It is very, very draining experience for her. I've never asked what happens if she is gone for too long I can guess it would be bad though. We talked about the house and what we could do to it and I told her that I want to do a restore more than anything. Take it back to its original grandeur even the furniture and stuff. She liked that idea too. After we planned and discussed I brought up my concerns of agitating "Him" and her excitement did dwindle some. This brought up my next topic which we went outside to discuss...

I told her about my idea of a confinement spell to make it so his essence can't go outside of his room anymore. She asked me if it was possible and I told her that from what I've read it is. It takes a powerful spell usually cast by a few "Witches". The problem is finding the ones willing to do it but I'm working some angles and pulling some resources and I think I may have found some that are willing to try. I found a website dedicated to the practice of witchcraft and there are countless people to talk to. After talking to a lot of people I do believe I found the right witches.

I explained the situation every detail of it and I told them money is no problem I will cover all expenses travel, food, lodging, everything. Either they saw dollar signs or they recognized my desperation, I'm not sure but either way I think they are going to try. I am just waiting on the final ok and then it's a matter of working out the details. She expressed a few concerns about herself and what might happen. That was my main concern too and after discussing that with them they assured me that it won't harm her it technically won't even harm him. It will just confine him to one area and as long as that area is left unopened he won't be able to get out. After a long discussion about it, weighing our options we decided to go ahead and try so I sent the final ok so now just waiting on their response. I hope this works I know she is scared of "Him" even though she won't admit it. If this will bring us some peace and allow her not to worry or waste energy keeping him at bay then it will be worth any price they ask.

09/21/2009

Last night was the night of the confinement. I was more than a little leery about the whole thing when I first met Clarissa, Stella, and Bethany "The Three Witches". When I met them at the airport they looked exactly like you would expect three withes would look. Long dresses, wore lots of different beaded jewelry, and had different ornaments hanging from them. They looked like people who were trying too hard to be witches to actually be witches. My worries were soon put to rest after I actually met them. They picked me out of a crowd of people as I was walking to meet them. They had arrived early and I was running late I began walking back to meet them at their terminal when they approached me from behind so not only did they recognize me but they did so from behind. That was impressive, even to me. That could be faked though so I was still a little reluctant to full on believe them yet. They sold me when after talking to them for all of maybe two minutes Stella looked at me with the saddest face I think I have ever seen and just blurted out "Oh my. You poor thing." When I asked her what she told me how she could see that I was sick and dying from the aura I was putting off. Then a smile adorned her face and she said "Well at least you'll be with her forever soon." There are only a handful of living people that know that I'm sick so unless they were able to hack into the hospital database (which I know is possible but is highly unlikely) there is no way for them to have known. That is what sold me on them and as the night went on I became more and more of a believer.

When we arrived at the house (it was known in the community that I had bought the house. Things don't stay secret for long here especially as far as that kind of stuff is concerned) they felt the presence right away, both of them for that matter. They spent about ten minutes casting protective spells on themselves before they went in. Said there is no point in casting one on me since I've already been exposed but they want to try and protect themselves from any negative energy attaching itself to them. Once that was done they led the way taking in everything as they walked past. If you would have seen all of us you'd have thought I was the guest. They said they were being drawn to an area and as they walked the found themselves at the little room with the drawings then they went to the room with my makeshift bed and they sensed some energy there (I couldn't help but smile) and then finally they were at the area of the house with the hidden room. They were reluctant to be around it and they knew this was the source of the evil energy they were getting. At this point I had no doubt that they were the real thing and I was feeling very good about everything. I don't think "He" felt the same way because as soon as Clarissa walked to the wall and placed her hands on it, there was a loud bang from inside the hidden room. She jumped and her hands went straight to her mouth to cover the gasp. "Dark... very, very dark." is all she said and they turned and made their way back out of the house. We stood in the back yard and they told me about what all they were going to do and how it was done. They told me that once the spell was put in place he would be trapped there for as long as he was sealed, but if the room is opened in any way whether it be a hole in the wall or a door the evil could escape and it would be mad and strong. They asked me to make sure any door or window to the room was sealed so I spent the rest of the day searching for any way in the room but found nothing. The walls were intact and I've looked for months for a door so when I was done I called them and they told me they would do the spell that night and they would call when they were ready. My nerves were in high gear waiting on them and as the night went on I laid in my bed Emily sitting beside me and we waited for the call.

They called me around eleven that night and they said they would be over at midnight to prepare. I was curious to why they were doing it so late but when they showed up they informed me that their power was the most powerful at 2:00am so that is when they will have the best chance at casting the spell.

When they arrived they had a bag with different items in it. I watched them set a few things up but then I felt like I was in the way so I walked down the hall and sat back down on my bed. I watched the clock waiting for it to be time for them to start. The time absolutely dragged on. I could tell it was getting closer to the time because there were bangs and crashes coming from here and there. They picked up as the time got closer, getting more and more violent as the time went on. I got up, walked down the hall, and peaked into the room that shared the main wall of the hidden room. I saw the three sitting in there in a small three person circle. They each had items in their hands but I couldn't really tell what they were. They were swaying back and forth and I could see their lips moving but couldn't hear what they were saying. They started swaying faster and I could hear their voices get louder and louder. I could tell whatever they were doing was working because the sounds were getting louder but they were all localized in the part of the house where the hidden room is. When I looked back towards my bed to look at Emily I saw her sitting beside it with her knees pulled up to her chin and she was rocking back and forth. I went and sat down beside her. The bangs were getting louder and louder and then I heard the most guttural growl. It sent chills up my spine and I saw Emily cringe. The growl was quickly accompanied by a scream. It was a man's scream and it sounded how I imagine what someone being tortured would sound like. I heard the three's voices pick up and then they were at a loud chant and then I heard one last scream then silence. The house always had this slightly eerie feel to it. I eventually just got used to it and accredited it to "Him" but when the house became silent it was gone. The feeling became a cheerful one.

Stella, Clarissa, and Bethany came down to see me. They explained what had happened and had the pleasure of telling me that the spell took. They told me that the evil energy that was throughout the house was transferred and locked away in the hidden room. When I asked about the new light cheerful mood that overcame the house they said it was from Emily. It was from her energy and it took over as the main source for the house. They also explained to me that the house was apparently designed to amplify energies. It had to do with the way the house was facing and the design of the rooms and everything. So whoever designed it had to have known this because it was too much to be a coincidence. So the rumors of Warren Montgomery being in some kind of cult sound like they may have some validity to them.

They didn't stick around long after that. They packed their stuff then wished Emily and myself a farewell. I gave them money for all their expenses I even offered more but they refused. "We do not do this for money. We do it to help others and because it is the right thing to do." Bethany explained to me when I asked them again to take money.

After they left Emily and I went back up to our room and sat there. We talked about the three witches and what they had done until I fell asleep. The eerie feeling never came back.

09/24/2009

It's been three days since Stella, Clarissa, and Bethany left and the house has stayed it's new light cheerful self. Emily's mood has been increased and her energy has gone up overnight. Now that she doesn't have to worry about "Him" she doesn't have to waste the energy on trying to keep him under control. It has been a very nice change to say the least.

When the three witches had come and after talking to them some of the things they said made me begin to think about the future with Emily. When they said soon I'd be with her forever it really made me think about when that would be. I've thought briefly about it in the past but never to the extent I have the last few days. It made me wonder how far in the future. Yes I'm dying but how long will it be? With the right treatments people like me can live for a long time but two facts remain I still can't have a family and I WILL DIE. So now I have to decide how that is going to happen. I don't want to be thirty something when I go I want to be around the same age as Emily was when she passed. I have every intention on staying here after my death so we can be together forever just as Stella had said. Given my strong connection with Emily that part shouldn't be an issue. The only issue is when it will happen. I have decided to stop taking my meds that try to suppress the virus and keep it in check. I told Emily about this and at first she was reluctant to go along with it but after explaining to her that I will die anyways and even if I lived I couldn't have a family or anything like that because I would just pass it to everyone. After about an hour or so she accepted it and I assured her that it is truly what I want.

The virus should spread pretty fast now that I am not taking my meds so it shouldn't be too long before I do pass. It should be a couple years at the earliest and I have decided to not let it go past twenty-three so if the virus doesn't take me by then I will do it myself.
Chapter 19

Last Day

This is my decision I want this. The pain has been increasing and yes it is my doing as well since I have stopped taking my medicine. I want my death to be on my own terms. Prolonging a life that is never going to be able to be lived with full purpose and enjoyment is just illogical. Everyone who is close to me will have to suffer more and more as I go on and I do not want that. It is better for everyone including myself to just be done. All it would take is one little slip up for my secret to get out and then my medical practice and everything I worked for would be ruined. I will never have a family and children so my life amongst the living has been forfeit for a long time now, it just took me a while to realize that and I hope you can accept that. Ever since my accident I have had one foot in Death's door and I feel that it is time I walk in. Just remember that I love you all and I am sorry you have to find out this way. I knew if I told you ahead of time you would do everything in your power to stop me and that would be counterproductive for all of us. I would suffer more and you wouldn't be able to begin your grieving. You will have to grieve eventually you may as well do it now so you can come to terms with it and get on with your lives. Remember I love you and who knows we just may see each other again someday.

Love,

Wesley Joyner

Wesley sat down his pen, folded up his letter, and placed it into an envelope. He scribbled out "To whoever finds this, please deliver to my parents." and then sat it on the kitchen table.

"That part is done" He spoke aloud though no one else was in the room with him.

As he turned the corner and made his way to his living room a mist began to form behind him. He smiled and turned to face it. When he did the mist had vanished and a young woman with wavy hair and a beautiful face had taken its place. The woman was a pale white and her hair was a light grey. She looked as though she had been plucked out of an old black and white TV and looked every bit the spirit she was.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked as she moved within inches of him. "I would understand if you changed your mind. You are so young Wesley."

Wes could feel the coolness that radiated from her body as he looked into her eyes and smiled. "Em we've talked about this and besides I am older than you were when it happened to you." He raised his hand and traced her cheek with it. "This is what I want. You are what I want."

She smiled "What kind of Fiancé would I be if I didn't ask?"

He smiled back. "Speaking of that, I need to get to the airport so I'm not late to pick them up."

"I have actually missed them; it'll be nice to have them back here."

"Yes it will. I am very excited too actually." He turned to grab his keys and his jacket and continued on to the entrance room of the house. When he got there Emily was waiting for him by the door. "I'll be quick. I love you."

"I love you too and do be quick, but being carful is more important. I can wait. I have waited this long what's another hour or two?"

"True." Wes smiled, put on his jacket, and walked out the door making his way to his car.

His ride to the airport went relatively quick and when he arrived his biggest hassle was finding a decent parking spot. After parking, he made his way through the massive crowds to the terminal where he was expecting Stella, Clarissa, and Bethany, the three witches that had done Emily and himself a great favor by confining the evil spirit of Warren Montgomery into the hidden room of their house. Since that time the house has been a very cheerful and love filled place unlike the airport which was full of hurriedness and irritation.

The three witches, as he had begun to refer to them were easy to spot. Stella, the oldest of the three, who had long flowing red hair and fair skin adorned with freckles always walked in front. Clarissa had short black hair with smooth mocha colored skin. Bethany had blonde hair that was pulled into a loose ponytail and skin with a pinkish tone to it. They were both born on the same day states apart but now called themselves spiritual twin sisters. They trailed Stella side by side. It was always Clarissa on the right and Bethany on the left.

They spotted Wes almost immediately and as they walked towards him.

"I can't thank you all enough for doing this." He said as he gave each of them a hug.

They had all kept in contact since they had first met and had become quite close. They were always very easy to talk to if he ever had a question or dilemma. They were by far the most knowledgeable people he knew in the paranormal world.

"It's not too late to turn around and go home." Wes said with a smile

"We wouldn't dream of it." Clarissa said with a wave of her hand.

"This is a once in a lifetime event for us." Bethany said with a smile that showed of her near perfect teeth. "We wouldn't dream of missing it."

"Let alone to be the ones to perform it." Stella said as the other two fell back in line. "And for two of our dearest friends at that."

"I just want to make sure. I don't want anything to fall back on you."

"We are well aware of the possible repercussions." Stella answered as all four began to walk, dodging people as they made their way to the baggage claim. Once their bag was located they had no need for much luggage as they would only be there one day.

"I have done everything in my power to make sure that nothing will come back to you three. There shouldn't be a problem." Wes was referring to the letter he had personally handed to his lawyer with the instructions to open it tomorrow and a letter that he had signed and had it waiting at the post office to be delivered to his friend tomorrow and the handwritten letter for his parents he had written before his drive to the airport. "Now we just need to go find my car and we will be set."

Once they got to his car and he placed their bag in trunk they started the drive home.

"Are things still peaceful at your house?" Stella asked.

"Yes very much so, we still owe you three a great debt. She has been happier and is full of energy. We are almost always together now."

"That is wonderful." Stella said with a smile. "We could tell how drained Emily was when we were there. Keeping that much negative energy in check had to be absolutely exhausting." She paused for a second or two. "And how have you been?"

"Overall ok, I have my good days and bad days." He glanced over and saw the sadness on Stella. "But hey, we will be together forever very soon so all is well." That comment brought a smile to all three of the witches' faces.

"Will anyone else be attending tonight?" Clarissa asked from the backseat. "Has Michael ever come around?"

"No it will just be us." Wes's face couldn't hide the sad feeling that stirred up at the question. "He has a lot going on in his life. Besides he wouldn't very well approve nor would he let me go through with it."

"Did you ever explain to him?" Clarissa paused "I mean everything to him?"

"No I still haven't told anyone about it. It will come out eventually I'm sure."

"Well either way tonight will be a happy night." Stella said trying to change the mood of the car.

The rest of the ride was fairly quiet with a little small talk here and there to pass the time.

"That car." Wes pointed at a newer silver four door Chevy Malibu. "That's the car."

"Oh wow." Bethany said with excitement. "You really didn't have to do that."

"Well you three will need a ride back to the airport and I'll be in no condition to give you one."

"Did you have any troubles getting it in my name?" Stella asked from the passenger seat.

Wes smiled "No, money can persuade just about anyone."

"Only the weak willed ones I like to think." She replied.

Soon they were pulling into the drive and into their garage. Wes rarely parked in the garage but he didn't want everyone seeing Stella, Clarissa, and Bethany getting out of the car. The people of the neighborhood have always been a nosey bunch. When the garage door shut, the four climbed out of the car and made their way into the house. The three witches walked inside as Wes took their bag from the trunk.

"Emily!" The three erupted as they walked through the door. "How have you been?"

"I have been well thank you. How have you three been?" She smiled as they all approached her. The only contact she ever had was Wes which of course she enjoyed but being able to talk to other people was always nice.

"We have been very busy but very good." Stella said with a smile. "You two have done an amazing job with the house. I am in awe, it looks amazing."

"Thank you. It was all Wes."

They all heard Wes laugh from behind them. "I have paid for most of it. All I did was paint the rooms upstairs. That was only done for a cautionary measure though or else I would have had someone do that too. A handy man I am not."

All four of the ladies smiled.

"Well maybe so but you are a great man I assure you." Bethany said with a smile. "Emily is a very lucky lady."

"Yes I am."

"And I'm a lucky man." Wes said. "So where would you like this bag?"

"Where ever we are doing the ceremony." Stella answered. "Are we still doing it at sunset?"

"Yes" Emily and Wes said at the same time.

"We should go ahead and set everything up so if you could show us where we are doing it at." Clarissa said.

"I'll show you." Wes took them up to the room with the wardrobe in it and sat the bag down in the middle of the floor. "In here, this is where she passed so I really want it to be in here."

"This will work nicely." Stella said as she looked around the room taking it in.

"Yes." Bethany began to look around "This is perfect." She smiled and then stepped to the bag, kneeled down, and opened it up. "We'll get started so we have it all set up and ready for you."

Wes walked back down stairs letting the three witches begin their set up. When he made it back down he saw Emily standing in the kitchen looking at the letter he had written earlier. "What's wrong?"

"Just worried."

"About what?" He walked over and stood beside her and glanced at the letter. "Something wrong?"

"Just worried that when everything happens you will have regrets and blame me." She turned to face him. "This isn't like normal when you can just get fed up and walk out." She went silent and paused for a few seconds before she said "This is forever."

"I know it is and that is how I want it." He smiled. "I want this so please stop worrying."

She nodded not saying a word.

"Trust me."

"I do." She forced a smile.

"Then stop worrying."

She nodded again.

The three witches soon joined them in the kitchen. "We are all ready to go." Stella said as she grabbed Wes's hand and looked him in the eyes. "When you do it you need to lie inside the candles. We will give you two privacy and then, Emily." She paused and switched her gaze to Emily. "We should be able to feel it happening as he passes but if we don't come in you will need to get us. We have to come in and perform the ceremony. This will intertwine your two's spirits forever. It's like marriage but more intense. For instance, if something were to happen to one of you the other would feel it. Whether good or bad your souls will be permanently connected."

Both Emily and Wes smiled at her last word. They all stood around the kitchen and talked till it was nearly sun set.

"Well It's about that time." Wes said as he made his way to his room. Once he was there he grabbed a small zippered bag out of his top drawer and sat it down on the bed, then walked to the closet and grabbed some clothes. He made his way to his bathroom where he started his shower. As he stepped in the warm stream of water Emily appeared in the bathroom with him.

"Your last shower, I have to say I do enjoy watching you in here." She poked her head in the shower as he began to lather himself up.

"Well can't get real showers but we can play it out when we connect like we do from time to time, can't we?" He started lathering up his hair. "I still remember on my eighteenth birthday. That was such a complete shock and absolutely amazing."

"Should be able to, I have gotten really good at doing it. I don't know exactly how it's going to work with things being changed."

"Me a spirit too?"

"Yes that."

"Do you think it will stop us?" Wes asked as he began to rinse himself off.

"I can't say but if we have problems at first we will just have to figure it out won't we?"

Wes stepped out of the shower and began drying off. Once he was dry he grabbed his clothes and began to put them on. "I grabbed these clothes so I'd match you." He held up a pair of khaki pants and a Yellow polo shirt with grey strips that ran horizontally across it. "What do you think?"

"Looks wonderful." She said with a smile. "This isn't what I would have picked if I had a choice I can tell you that." She looked down at her dress. It was a summer dress that had little sunflowers all over it.

"I love it." He said as he pulled his shirt over top of his head. "All ready." He said as he tied the lace of his shoe. He stood and walked to the bed and grabbed his little black bag. "Well, now I am." He took in a long deep breath and slowly let it out then he and Emily made their way back down to the kitchen.

"Well don't you two look absolutely adorable together?" Bethany said as Emily and Wes walked into the kitchen.

Stella and Clarissa turned to face the two as they came into the kitchen. "Absolutely." They said in unison.

They all stood there in silence for a few minutes until Stella spoke up. "It's time." She said as she peaked out the window.

Wes nodded. "The keys to your car are right there on the table. When everything is done take them and keep the car and there is a little something extra in the glove box for each of you.

"Not necessary." Clarissa said as she shook her head.

"The wedding couple always gets the guest something, it is tradition." Emily said.

"Well thank you." Stella responded. "You two are very good to us."

"You are the ones who have done us favors it's the least we could do."

All three of them took turns giving Wes a big hug and a kiss on the check, each wishing him luck and a safe journey as they did.

Wes with his little black bag and Emily by his side walked back up the stairs and down the hall into the room the three witches had setup there stuff in. There were probably fifty candles lined up to make a circle plenty big enough for him to lie in the middle of. In the middle of the circle was a lighter and drawn on the floor were a bunch of little designs. He stepped inside the circle and picked up the lighter and began to light all the candles. Once they were all lit he sat on the floor towards the center of the circle giving him enough room to lie down stretched out and still be inside the candles. He zipped open his little black bag and pulled out a syringe and two small glass vials. He inserted the syringe needle into one of the vials and drew back on it. Drawing the clear liquid up into the syringe.

"You're shaking." Emily said as she noticed him having trouble getting the needle into the second vial.

"It's ok." He took a deep breath, finally injecting the contents of the needle into the vial in his hand. He pulled the needle out and began to shake it, mixing the two liquids together. Once they were well mixed he shakily inserted the needle back in and pulled back on the plunger drawing all the liquid into the syringe. Once it was all drawn out he pulled out a large rubber strip and then tied it around his left arm. After a second or two he began to run his finger over his arm looking for a vein. When he found one he brought the syringe up and slowly slid the needled through his skin into his vein. "I'm scared." He said as he looked up at Emily with tears in his eyes.

"You don't have to do this I'll understand." She said as she raised her hand and sat it on top of his leg.

"I'm not afraid of dying Emily." He paused as he took a deep breath. "I'm afraid that I won't stay here with you."

"I won't let that happen and neither will they." Referring to Stella, Clarissa, and Bethany whom were patiently waiting in the hall. "I will be right here with you, I promise."

Wes nodded took another deep breath and with one finger pressed the plunger and within seconds he began to fall backwards. Emily reached up and caught him as he fell and slowly lowered him to the ground. Kneeling beside him with her hand on his she watched as Wesley Joyner took his very last breath.

Chapter 20

Back Home

"Is that the house?" Tracy asked as they drove towards the old restored Three story Victorian style home.

"Sure is." Mike said from the backseat as he was stretching his neck so he could see it out of the window.

"It's absolutely gorgeous." She had slowed the car down to a crawl as they began to drive by it. "It's huge."

"Stop and look at it." Jen said as she put her seat back up into a sitting position. "It's dark but with the streetlights you should be able to see around the outside."

Tracy brought the car to a halt. "Are you coming?" She asked as she turned to face Jen. "Just want a peak around it so you don't have to come if you don't want to."

"You sure?"

"Yep, I'll be fine. I'll only be a minute." She climbed out of the car and began walking up towards the house.

"Did you tell my parents about what all you plan on doing while we are here?" Mike asked Jen as he watched Tracy walking towards the house. "I mean do they know we are going to be spending time at Wes's?"

"Actually I did." She smiled as she turned back to face him. "To a certain degree anyways, I told them that Tracy and Grant are in a paranormal club and they had to do an investigation. Told them that it's like a final report for them, which is true actually but I didn't tell them about Wes, Em, and Him. I just thought it would help you take your mind off of things too."

"Em?" Mike gave her a questionable look. "I didn't realize you two were so close." He started thinking about the talk he and Tracy had the night before the game. Just how close are they? He thought to himself.

"Well I feel close to her for some reason. I think it's a woman thing." She paused and turned to look out the window trying to locate Tracy. "I guess maybe I feel like I can relate to her."

"I see." Actually I don't see... I hadn't put much thought into what Trace had said with everything going on but now. His thought trailed off as he began to worry again about the idea of a ghost attaching itself to Jen or even more so a demon attaching itself to her. "What did mom and dad say?" He asked trying not to let the worry come out in his voice. I need to ask Trace about this and see what she has to say about it. He thought.

"Your mother loved it. Did you know she watches those kinds of shows? She said something about wanting to visit a prison in Mansfield, Ohio. Your dad thought it was pretty silly though, said if it keeps you busy then whatever floats our boats." She turned to look out the window and saw Tracy making her way back to the car. "Here she comes."

Tracy opened the door and climbed in the car. "So beautiful." She turned to face Jen. "Which way now?"

"Just down the street and take a left, second house on the right." Mike spoke up from the backseat. "Can't miss it."

Tracy put the car in gear and began to drive. "Is this the only house on this block?"

"Yeah it's all one piece of property." Mike answered. "Made it all the more creepy when it was run down."

A minute later they were pulling into Mike's parent's driveway.

"Hang on a sec. I'll see if anything is in the garage. It doesn't look like it but I'll make sure. That way we won't have to unpack everything since it locks."

"Good idea." Jen said. "Hate to have to unpack the car then pack it all back up tomorrow."

Mike climbed out of the car and disappeared into the house.

Jen and Tracy sat in silence until a few minutes later a loud grinding noise sounded from the garage and the door began to rise revealing Mike inches at a time. When the door was up he waved them in and Tracy slowly pulled into the garage.

"This makes things so much easier." Jen said as she climbed out of the car. I'll grab our clothes real quick. Will you pop the trunk?" She asked Tracy then made her way to the back of the car to grab their bags.

"Ladies first." Mike said as Jen joined them at the door. He stepped to the side allowing the two ladies to walk inside first giving them a smile as they walked past.

"Welcome ladies." Mr. Lachey said in a loud voice. "Welcome, come make yourselves at home." He stopped each one with big hugs and kisses on the checks "I'll take those." He grabbed their bags and ushered them into the living room where they were met by Mrs. Lachey.

"How was your trip?" She gave Jen a big hug. "Everything go ok?" She asked as she released Jen and hugged Tracy. "Dinner is almost ready."

"This is what took me so long to get the garage door opened." Mike said in a loud voice as he closed the door behind him. He walked over to the oven and peaked in. "Smells good can't wait." He took one last inhale then made his way into the living room to join the others.

"We made up the spare room for you Tracy and of course Jen and Mike you two can have Mike's old room." Mr. Lachey said as he plopped down into his favorite chair.

"Sounds like a plan." Mike responded. "I'm actually tired."

"Going to go check on dinner." Mrs. Lachey said as she made her way back to the kitchen. After a couple minutes she yelled out to them "It's ready, go ahead and take a seat at the table and I'll bring it in." She pulled a large pan out of the oven. "We timed this perfectly."

Soon dinner was served and they all ate their fill, Mike and his father actually ate a little more than their fill and soon regretted that decision. The conversation that was going on up to dinner turned into lots of "This is so good." and "Best food I've ever had." Dinner ended with a resounding "I am so full." except for Mike who declared that he "Was so sick" and "Ate way too much." Once everyone was done and they let their food settle Mike and Jen cleaned up the table and the kitchen as his parents conversed with Tracy. They talked about school and Tracy's particular choice of study. When Mike and Jen joined the conversation Mr. and Mrs. Lachey were asking about the day ahead of them and what all they were planning on doing at Wes's house.

"I brought some equipment from school." Tracy said as the two sat down at the table with them. "I have some cameras, recorders, thermal gear, just the normal investigation stuff."

"So you have to do this for school?" Mr. Lachey asked.

"We have to do an investigation for class. It's our final project. We can do it any time in our last two years and when I found out about the house here and they were coming back I imposed." She smiled and took a sip of her drink that still sat at the table. "My teacher likes it more when you use a place that isn't well-known for hauntings. Lots of people go to places that are popular and are known for sightings."

"Uniqueness is always nice." Mrs. Lachey said. "I want to go to a prison in Mansfield, Ohio. I saw it on one of those shows on TV and thought it would be lots of fun. Oh, and that hotel that Stephen King wrote about in one of his books. I can't ever remember the name. Have you ever been?"

"We actually took a trip to Mansfield last year and it is loads of fun, not the hotel yet though. Grant, the guy you met back at school, he actually had a rock thrown at him." She let out a small laugh. "It hit him right in the back of the head." Tracy turned her head and showed the spot with her hand.

"That's it." Mrs. Lachey looked over at Mr. Lachey "We need to go. It'll be fun."

Mr. Lachey smiled and shook his head as he let out a small laugh. "Whatever you say dear."

"Well why we are talking about everything maybe we should talk about what the plan is for tomorrow." Mike jumped into the conversation. "Best to get a game plan now so we can get going first thing tomorrow."

"True." Tracy responded. "I think the best plan is to make the down stairs living room our base it'll give us some room for all the monitors and a good spot for all the cables to be lead out from." She stood up and pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and unfolded it. "Ok I have a list of all our equipment and we can jot down beside it where we plan on putting it all. Computer monitors, and power supplies go in the living room. We will need a table to set it all on though. We have fold up ones at school but we were lacking room" She smiled.

"There is a large table we could bring out of the dining room." Mike said.

"That would be great." She looked back down at her list. "I would like to place a camera looking up the small stairwell." She looked up to see Mike and Jen nod in unison. "One camera in the little room at the end of the hall with the drawings, or what we think is the room. Mike do you think he still has the wardrobe in the one room?"

"I would say he does I can't be sure but I will know what room it is either way."

"That's a good point." Tracy smiled, her eyes still fixed on her list. "Ok and that leaves one more camera. Any ideas on where to put it?"

"What about the third floor?" Jen asked.

"I don't know." Mike answered. "I'm not even sure how to get up there."

"Well maybe we should look in to it?"

"I think that we have enough area with the first two floors." He smiled. "Not to mention have plenty of stuff going happening on the first two floors, who knows what is on the third."

"I have to agree." Tracy said. "I say we just keep to the bottom two floors for now. If we are led up there then cool, if not no big deal."

"Yeah you're right." Jen said. "So what about the front room facing up the stairs?"

"I like that idea." Mike said with a smile, obviously happy that Tracy had agreed to not mess with the third floor. If her research was right and that is where the sex slaves that Warren owned had lived then who knows the amount of angry souls that could be there.

Tracy nodded and scribbled on her list. "Ok that's the cameras I have digital recorders and some hand held cameras so we can look around other places."

"This sounds like it's going to be just like a ghost hunter show." Mrs. Lachey said with a huge smile on her face.

"Would you like to come?" Tracy asked noticing her smile.

"How many nights are you planning on doing this?"

"A couple probably." Mike answered.

"Maybe, but this is your stuff and I'd hate to impose. I'll have to wait and see how it goes I guess. Maybe on the second night, who knows."

"Ok sounds like a plan." Tracy took another sip of her drink. "The digital recorders we can put with the cameras and around the house so we can pick up any sounds or voices. That pretty much takes care of what we are going to do with the equipment."

"That was quick and easy." Jen smiled. "When do you want to start setting up?"

"Well we can set up as early as we want but we should start the investigation late, as close to nightfall as we can. The spiritual energy is higher after sundown so it's not just the creep factor like most people think they do it for on TV."

"Ok so we get up, go walk through the house then set everything up." Mike said.

"So we'll get up and drive all the equipment over there, walk through, unload, and set up." Tracy repeated as if setting it to her memory. "Sounds like a plan."

"I agree." He said. "And on that note." He stretched his arms up over his head as a yawn began to form. "I think it's time for bed, between the ride and dinner I'm actually pretty tired."

"I'm tired too actually." Jen said. "Haven't gotten much sleep lately so a nice comfy bed is sounding so good right now."

"That's the big meal syndrome." Mr. Lachey said with a smile. "Anytime you eat a large meal you always get tired." He laughed as he patted his belly. "Needless to say I get tired a lot."

"I'll show you where your room is Trace." Jen said as she stood up. "I'll meet you in ours." She leaned down and kissed Mike.

"Can't wait." He said as he stood up.

The rest of the table followed suit. Mr. Lachey walked over to his chair and sat down. Mrs. Lachey followed him to the living room and sat on the couch near him.

Tracy, Jen, and Mike said their goodnights and made another round of hugs before they made their way to their rooms.

Chapter 21

Setup at the Old House

Mike was the last one out of bed the next morning. The last few nights and lack of solid sleep had taken its toll on him. When he finally made it down stairs everyone including his sister Janet was sitting around the table laughing and having breakfast. There were platters of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, French toast, and some fruit.

"Nice spread." He said as he took the empty seat next to Jen. "I think I'm still kinda full from dinner." He let out a small laugh

Mrs. Lachey smiled as she handed him a plate. "Well big day ahead of you all so I wanted you to have a nice breakfast so you get some energy."

"Why are you being so enthusiastic about this?" He spooned some eggs onto his plate. "Don't get me wrong, it's cool of you but just odd..."

"Well if it helps keep your mind off of everything then I am all for it."

"Makes sense." He said as he finished filling his plate with food. "I was just curious."

"I've been listening to your plans." Janet said. "They have been saying that house has been haunted since before I was born and I think it's silly to be honest."

"Yeah, we're just looking to have some fun and see what happens." Mike responded. "When we catch crazy stuff on camera and get rich and famous you'll be feeling awfully silly yourself."

"Whatever you say big brother." She smiled and stood up. "I am off to work, have fun children." She laughed and walked off through the front door.

Mike laughed as he poured himself a glass of juice.

"When you're done eating we are going to head over and unpack everything." Jen said as he began to eat his food. "Want to show Trace around before we actually set everything up."

"Good idea." He responded between bites.

"Are you going to want more?" Mr. Lachey asked Mike as he stood up. "If not I'm going to start clearing the table."

Mike shook his head. "Want some help"

"Nah I got it. You just finish your food before it gets too cold." Mr. Lachey grabbed a few plates and walked them out to the kitchen. Mrs. Lachey followed suit and began to empty the table off, by the time Mike was done eating the table was cleared and the extra food was put away.

"We are going to go get ready." Jen said as she and Tracy both stood up from the table. "We'll meet you outside. We're going to pull the car out too."

"I'm wearing this so I'll pull the car out."

Jen nodded then kissed him on the cheek and she and Tracy walked down the hall and disappeared up the stairs.

When he was done Mike stood up and took his plate out to the kitchen then grabbed his keys. "Ok we'll be back after bit."

"Have fun." His parents said in unison.

He made his way into the garage and by the time he opened the garage door and pulled the car out, Jen and Tracy were standing out in the driveway ready to climb in.

"I am so excited." Jen said as she climbed into the passenger seat of the car. "This is going to be so much fun."

Tracy who was now in the back seat nodded. "I think it's going to be exciting."

"I hope you two are right. I hope it's fun and exciting and not dangerous and horrifying."

A silence took over the car and the smile that adorned Jen's face went away. She no doubt was remembering what had happened the last time they were in the house. "I was trying not to think about that." She said to him as he pulled into the drive at Wes's house.

"I understand babe but we need to be aware of it. You remember what Wes wrote in his journal..." Mike paused as he shut off the engine and turned to face Jen. "What he did to Wes was much worse than what happened to us and I don't want anything to happen to you, or you Trace." He glanced in the back seat.

"I agree completely." Tracy said. "In the journal he said that the spell only worked if the spirit wasn't released and since the door was opened, we know he is obviously free."

"And we know he is angry, you could just feel it." Mike said.

Jen began to stare at the house. "I'm not looking forward to this now." She placed her hands on her stomach. "I've been trying not to think about all this and had my mind busy with the fun part of it. Not feeling so hot now..."

"You want to stay out here for now?" Mike asked as he sat his hand on her leg. "You don't have to come in right away."

"I want to, I really do... just nervous now."

"Well we still have to go do a walkthrough and set up all the equipment." Tracy sat up in her seat and placed her hand on Jen's shoulder. "If after we do that and you don't want to do it we can call it off, it's ok."

"No you need this for your grade and I think it's something I need to do."

Tracy smiled. "Speak up if you change your mind ok."

She nodded and smiled then all three exited the car. Mike lead them up onto the porch, glancing at the railing where the little figurine sat the last time they were here. He began to feel an overwhelming feeling of dread as what had happened when they were in the house before began to form in the back of his mind. The image of Warren standing there with his bright red eyes boring a hole through him took over his vision. His stomach began to turn as the fear of the unknown and the fear of Jen getting hurt began to take over. It made him wonder if they should even do this.

"You ok Mike?" Tracy asked, noticing his hesitation.

Lost in his thoughts he didn't notice his hand that held the key to the door was shaking inches from the keyhole. "Yeah sorry."

"We really don't have to do this. I can wait and see if Grant is able to make it and then we can just do a quick investigation or we can scrap the whole plan. Seriously, it's ok." She smiled trying to project the immense feeling of sincerity she had.

"No, Jen is right it's something we need to do." Mike wanted to face his fears just like Jen did but he had other reasons to want to do it. He recalled the conversation Tracy and him had in the kitchen at his house back near school. He hoped that if something had attached itself to Jen then they could get rid of it here. He inserted the key and turned it unlocking the door. His other reason being that he felt he owed Wes an apology and if he had a chance to do it, he wanted to take it. "So it begins." He pushed the door open and entered the house.

Tracy walked through closely followed by Jen. She quickly took the lead as she made her way through the front room and into the large great room that acted as the living and dining room. She took a few steps then stopped and slowly turned a circle taking in every inch of the giant room. "This is beautiful." She said as she ran her hand over the mantle of the fireplace.

Mike noticed her face intensify as she eyed down the mantle. He had seen himself get that same face eyeing down defenses when he watched one of his games that was broadcasted later on TV. Its game time. He thought to himself as he smiled. "Yeah lots of time and money in to it."

"All to try to appease Warren." Tracy said. There was a faint thud that sounded like it came from the far side of the upstairs. She turned to face the sound.

Jen stiffened and slowly walked toward Mike grabbing his hand when she reached him.

"Wow." Tracy said as she began to slowly walk in the direction of the noise. "I don't think I have ever been in a place where there has been activity at the start of the walkthrough." She smiled and turned back to see Jen standing next to Mike squeezing his hand. "You ok?" She asked as the smile faded from her face.

"Yeah." Jen forced a smile. "Just nervous, I'll be fine."

Tracy turned her gaze back in the direction of the sound. "Stairwell that way?"

Jen and Mike nodded in unison.

"Can we go see?" Tracy asked "You can just point and I can find it."

"No I'll go." Mike said. He began to walk towards the room with the stairs.

Jen let go of his hand and followed closely behind Tracy.

They walked through the kitchen and into the smaller room where the door to the stairwell stood open. "Right there."

Tracy walked towards the door and looked up the dark stairwell. The room they stood in was decently lit by the sunlight coming in through the window but the stairwell was dark. She slowly reached her hand out, pausing at the point the light stopped. She moved her hand up and down, side to side as if she was sliding it on a giant pane of glass. She paused with her hand back in its original spot, took a deep breath and moved her hand forward into the stair well. "Wow." She yanked her hand back out. She began to stare at her hand as if it was the first time she had ever seen it, like it was some sort of newly grown alien appendage. "I have never." She moved her gaze back up to the stairwell.

"What is it?" Jen asked "What's wrong?" She reached out and grabbed Mike's hand squeezing it hard enough to make her knuckles turn white. "That wasn't like that before. That was how the doorway at the top of the steps was, remember Mike?"

"Yeah we walked up the steps and there definitely wasn't that wall of darkness there." He said as he glanced towards the stairwell. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure. I do remember you telling me about the top door though." Tracy reached over and closed the door to the dark stairwell. "Up to the dark it's normal but when you get right on the edge, there is an energy and you have to use a good bit of force to get past it." She pushed on the door making sure it closed and turned to face Mike and Jen. "The other side has to be a good ten to fifteen degrees colder. It's not subtle at all and it's immediate. I have never seen such a drastic change in temperature like that."

"And you don't know what it means?" Mike asked.

"Not exactly." she paused still mesmerized by the steps. "Can you show me around some more?" She asked finally breaking her gaze from the stairwell.

"Yeah of course." He turned and started to walk back towards the kitchen with Jen in tow as she was still clinching his hand. "I'll take you upstairs." His hand tugged back a bit and when he looked back he could tell that Jen was now reluctant to finish the tour. "Why don't you go outside babe? I'll take her upstairs and show her around and then we will meet you outside."

"Yeah Jen, some fresh air will do you good. I know you want to do this but baby steps are a smart thing." Tracy smiled.

"I think I will."

He started walking and when they were out in the front room of the house he kissed Jen on the forehead and watched her till she was out near the car. "She isn't very excited anymore." He turned and made his way up the main set of stairs.

Tracy looked out at Jen, smiled, and turned to follow Mike up the stairs. "No she isn't. It happens though, see it all the time on investigations."

He stopped at the last step leading to the long single hallway of the upstairs. "Last time I was up here I was with Wes the night we first saw her." He took a deep breath and took the final step into the hall. "Um... The room with the wardrobe in it should be there." He pointed at a door to his left that was halfway up the right hand side of the hall. "And from the journals the room with the bed should be there." He now pointed at an open doorway that was across the hall and just to his right. "Which means the little room with the drawings in it should be there." He turned to his right to face another open doorway. "Should we start there?"

"Good a place as any." Tracy said with a smile. "Can we turn the hall light on? It is kinda dark."

"Yeah sorry." He began to look around and finally found a set of switches on the wall behind him. He flipped the first one and the light above the stairwell came on. He flipped the second and the hall lit up. "There we go." Mike turned back to face the doorway at the end of the hall and began to walk towards it with Tracy following closely. "Wow..."

When he entered the room it was only halfway redone. It looked as though someone was remodeling it from the top down and when they got to about three feet off the floor they just stopped then skipped two feet then decided to finish the last foot of the wall. The two foot strip of the wall that wasn't touched showed the old wall paper and drawings.

"It's exactly how I pictured it."

Mike turned and looked at Tracy giving her a questionable grin. "Exactly?"

"The part that wasn't done over." She waved off his questionable look. "The drawings." She walked over to the walls and kneeled down. She began to lightly trace one of the drawings. "It's almost surreal you know. We read about it in his journal and here it is. It's like when you were in elementary school and you saw your teacher out in public."

He couldn't help but laugh. "Not how I would have explained it but I get your point." He stood back in the doorway looking around the room, watching her move from drawing to drawing. "Actually now that I'm thinking about it, it's pretty much exactly how I pictured it too. All the way down to that orange elephant..." He paused walked over to the drawing and bent down to take a closer look. "So odd that I would picture this." But what isn't odd about this whole situation? He thought to himself.

"You have been here before so you've probably seen it before." She stood up after inspecting the last drawing. "It is right across from the door you probably saw it when you were here before. All the thinking about it you've done lately your brain just picked up on the memory and pulled it to the front." She turned to make her way out of the room. "Brains work like that. Let's go to the wardrobe room."

When Mike stood up and turned around she was disappearing through the door he had pointed out earlier. He hurriedly went to join her. Sure enough the room had been completely redone new light fixtures and flooring. The walls were covered in a crisp coat of light blue paint and there against the far side of the room stood the same exact wardrobe that he had seen on that Halloween night all those years ago. The memory of that night flooded his mind but he was quickly snapped back to reality by Tracy asking a question.

"Is this it? Is this the wardrobe?" Tracy was standing in front of it wide eyed and grinning from ear to ear. "It is isn't it?"

"The exact one, it's been cleaned and refinished but that's it."

Tracy began to slowly walk around it inspecting it inch by inch. "It really is beautiful. I can see why Emily liked it. The amount of clothes this could have held is..." Her sentenced trailed off.

"What?" Mike asked noticing the sudden stopping of her sentence.

"Oh nothing..." She let out a small sigh. "I can just picture her here staring at it from the way you and Wes have described it... and it's just so sad."

"What is?"

"Being stuck in time not changing and the longing she must have felt to just be able to try on dresses or get her hair done, or her nails even... sad."

"Yeah I never really thought about it like that."

"I've seen enough. We can go get Jen and start setting up."

"Yeah I could use some air." He led the way out of the room and down the stairs making his way outside the house. He saw Jen leaning against the driver side door chewing on her fingernails. "What's wrong? You haven't done that in a long time." He walked to her and grabbed her hand and took it away from her mouth.

"Why were you two running around up there?"

"What?" Tracy asked.

"Running?" Mike looked at her puzzled. "We weren't running."

"I saw you run by that window there." She pointed at the window to the far right of the house. "And in that one there." She pointed to the middle upstairs window. "I was getting worried."

"Jen we weren't running around. We weren't even in the room over there." Mike pointed to the far right window. "We were in the middle room but we weren't running."

"I saw you."

'It wasn't us Jen." Tracy answered.

"I can't do this. I don't think I can do this." Jen pulled her hand out of Mikes grasp and started chewing on her nails again. "I wanted to and I thought I could but... I just don't think I can."

"We have to go set everything up do you just want to wait out here?" Mike asked moving her hand away from her mouth again. "You are going to be mad about that in a couple days so stop."

"I don't want to be alone."

"Ok well how about we stick together and just see how it goes?" Mike opened the driver side door leaned in and pushed a button. There was a click from the back of the car and the trunk popped up. "Just stick with me."

"You can help set up home base that is the most time consuming anyways." Tracy said as she walked to the back of the car, opened the trunk, and took out a large black case.

"Ok just don't leave me alone please."

"Never babe." Mike gave her a reassuring smile then he followed suit and made his way to the trunk and pulled out more black cases.

It took only a few minutes to empty the trunk of all the different cases and to take them inside. The rest of the work was much more time consuming. Each case needed to be opened and the contents removed and inspected. There was yard after yard of cables that needed to be unraveled and hooked up. They had plug after plug that needed to be checked and plugged in. After about an hour they had home base set up.

"Ok that was the hard part, now the technical part." Tracy said as she bent over and grabbed one of the IR cameras off of the ground. "Now we need to place these."

"We still want them all in the same spots that we decided last night?" Mike asked.

"Yeah I think they are good spots."

"Stay here babe I am going to set the cameras up." He kissed Jen on the forehead, grabbed the camera from Tracy, and carefully began to take the camera while laying the wire as he went to its final destination.

Tracy sat down at the table that had the monitors on it and watched the screen that was linked up to the camera Mike had. When he made it to the hidden stairwell she could see that the door was now wide open again. Mike was sitting it down and propped it up so it looked into the dark stairwell. "Can you tilt it up a bit more?" She yelled to him. Looking at the screen she could tell that he heard her. Liking the new view on the screen she yelled "That's perfect!" and a few seconds later he reappeared in the room.

"One down three to go." He said as he made it back to the home base table.

"Here, I almost forgot." Tracy reached into a small bag and pulled out two small walkie talkies.

"Thanks, I'm going to set the upstairs two now." He reached down and picked up two cameras and carefully began to walk them through the rooms and up the stairs trying as best he could to not tangle the long cords. He sat one down at the top of the stairs and walked one to the doorway of the room with the drawings. After some adjusting following the instructions of Tracy through the walkie talkie he moved on to the next camera position. He took this one just inside the doorway of the wardrobe room and sat it facing towards the wardrobe trying to get as much of the room as he could and after a little instruction through the walkie and a few adjustments it was set. He once again made his way back down to the home base table. "Last one and we are done with this part."

"Next we need to tape down the wires so they are out of the way and we don't trip over them." Tracy said as she held out a large roll of tape. "Last thing we want is loose wires in the dark." She sat the roll down on the edge of the table.

"I have to completely agree." He picked up the last of the cameras and took it to its destination. "How's that?" He asked Tracy.

"Perfect. I'm going to tape the cords down to the camera by the back stairwell." She grabbed another roll of tape from one of the bags. "Jen you want to come with me?"

"I'll stay here."

'You can come with me babe." Mike said

"You are going upstairs. I'll wait here... just be ready in case I scream." She said as she took a seat and began chewing on her finger nails again.

"I'll be right in the other room and it won't take me but a minute to tape down the cord so I'll be able to hear you yell." Tracy said and then she turned and started slowly walking the path of the cord stopping every few feet to place some tape.

Mike followed suit and started to tape the cords as best as he could so they were out of the way. He taped them to the railing of the stairs so they were off the steps and tried to keep stuff taped to the bottom edge of the wall whenever possible. After he was done he made his way back down the steps and joined Jen and Tracy at home base.

"What do you think of the views?" Tracy asked him as she stared at the monitors.

"I like them." He placed his hand on Jen's shoulder. "What do you think babe?"

"Good." She forced a smile.

Just then Tracy's phone went off causing all three to jump. "Oh my God." Tracy said with a laugh. "That scared the crap out of me." She took her phone out of her pocket and smiled at the notice of who was calling. "Hello!"

Grabbing his chest Mike began to laugh and even Jen cracked a smile.

After a minute of talking and pacing, Tracy hung up the phone and slid it back into her pocket. She looked up to Mike and Jen smiling. "Grant is coming!" Her smile grew even bigger. "He left a while ago so he should get here just in time."

"That's great!" Jen said. 'Why didn't he call earlier?"

"He said he did. Said he's called ten times but it went straight to voicemail."

"Odd." Jen said as her smile began to fade. "Can we leave now?"

Mike and Tracy smiled at her.

"Yeah we are done. Everything else we have to do right before the investigation." Tracy said as she walked to the table and powered down the monitors. "If we come over just before sunset we can finish up and be ready to go when it's dark."

"Sounds like a plan." Mike said as he took Jen's hand and led them outside locking the door behind them.

Chapter 22

Grant in a Shiny Hybrid

"That was Grant." Tracy said with a smile as she flipped her phone closed. "He will be here in about an hour."

"Perfect timing." Mike replied as he filled his glass with tea. "You seem pretty excited Trace."

She attempted to hide the smile that was breaking out on her face. "Well he is good at investigations."

"Liar." Jen let out a small laugh. Her mood had changed almost immediately as they made it back to Mike's parent's house. "You can't fool us Trace." She took Mike's glass and took a small sip. "He must really like you, if he is driving all this way for you."

"You think?" Trace asked with a tone of doubt. "Probably just coming for the investigation."

"Nope, he is coming because he likes you. Trust me from a fellow guy." Mike took a big gulp of his drink. "He likes you."

Tracy smiled. "You really think?"`

"Come on Trace, it's so obvious." Jen scooted down off the counter. "So what all do we need to do before we are ready for tonight?" She asked trying to fake as much enthusiasm as she could.

"We still have all the flashlights and voice recorders in the car so we just have to load the new batteries and then we're ready." Tracy answered. "I'd like to go over before nightfall and just double check the cables and make sure everything is ready. Nothing like trying to fix something in the dark. It's not fun trust me."

"Ok so potty trips and then we head over?" Jen asked.

"Sounds good."

Mike took a big drink finishing off his tea. "You sure you're ok to do this babe?"

Jen's smile faded from her face. "I am going to try. It's going to be scary and I don't know if I'll be able to make it but I am going to at least try."

Mike wrapped his arms around her. "I'll be there and so will Trace and Grant." He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "If you need to leave I'll leave with you ok?"

Jen nodded. "Ok."

After everyone prepared themselves they made their way out of the house and climbed into the car. The drive was over in no time at all and they were soon climbing out of the car. The sun was fading over the houses in the distance. Nightfall would be upon them soon and they would be beginning the investigation.

"I'll grab the flashlights and everything from the trunk." Mike said as he climbed out of the car and walked around to the trunk. He grabbed the two bags, took them to the hood, and sat them down.

"I'll open the batteries." Jen said as she snatched the many packs of batteries out of one of the bags.

"Ok just open them all so if we need to replace some we can just grab them out of the bag. There is only two kinds so it'll be easy to feel the difference." Tracy opened the other bag and began to unscrew the flashlights.

"Guess I'll load them." Mike said as he squeezed between the two. He began to load the flashlights and when they were ready Tracy handed him the digital voice recorders. He quickly loaded everything and lined them up near the flashlights. "Test them?"

"Yep." Tracy said as she reached up and grabbed a flashlight turning it on.

"I'll start with these." Jen grabbed one of the recorders. She pressed the button on the side that was labeled record "Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow." With the press of a few buttons the recorder was spitting back her words "Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow." She sat it down to the side and repeated the process with all of the recorders.

"Ok, we have about thirty more minutes before dark so let's go get the lights on so we can check the cables and decide where we're going to set the recorders." Tracy grabbed the flashlights in her arms and looked to Mike. "Door if you would sir."

He nodded grabbing a few recorders in his left hand. "You are like night and day Trace. You are kinda backwards at home and here you're very I am woman hear me roar." Mike let out a comical growl and flexed his arms.

Jen let out a laugh as she walked beside him carrying the rest of the recorders. "You're an idiot." She said as she shook her head. "But you are right though." She turned her gaze to Tracy. "You are almost like a different person here Trace... I like it and I bet Grant loves it."

Mike was now at the door pulling out the key and unlocking the door. It went smoother this time, his previous hesitation was gone. It seemed he had gotten stronger and he wasn't sure if it was from coming back or if it was all a show to make Jen feel more secure. Either way he wasn't going to analyze it for the fear of losing his new found strength. "Speaking of Grant." Mike rose the key pointing at a car that was slowing down near the drive.

"It's your man Trace." Jen looked at Tracy and smiled. "Your knight in shining armor." She waved as the car pulled in the drive.

Tracy hurriedly disappeared into the house.

"That's the Tracy we know babe." Mike said with a smile. "Oh..."

Tracy sped back out of the house and quickly made her way into the drive to greet Grant.

"Well maybe not." He nudged Jen with his elbow.

Tracy was now standing at the trunk of Mike and Jen's car smiling as Grant pulled in.

He climbed out of his car and with a smile on his face walked over to Tracy and gave her a hug. The smile on his face faded quickly though as they began to talk.

"Wonder what that's about." Jen said to Mike. They couldn't hear what they were saying but from the look on Grant's face they knew it couldn't be good.

The smile returned to Grant's face and he nodded his head then they began to walk to the house.

Mike waved with his free hand. "Hey Grant, glad you could make it."

"Yeah me too. I'm very excited, this should be an interesting night."

"Yeah it should. Come on in, we were just getting ready to go double check everything."

Grant and Tracy walked up to the porch. "Glad I could make it here to help a little with this stuff." Grant said.

"We're all just glad you could make it." Jen said. "I know Tracy was worried you wouldn't be able to."

Tracy turned her face a little to the side to hide the reddening of her cheeks. "Yeah wouldn't be the same without you here."

Grant smiled. "I wouldn't dream of missing this."

"Nice car." Mike said trying to take some of the matchmaking awkwardness out of the air. "Yours?"

"No my cousin's, it's a Prius. They are so good on gas" He smiled. "Mine's older and guzzles the gas so I figured I'd borrow his for the trip."

"Nice. Let's get inside Jen looks like she is going to drop those." Mike nodded in the direction of the stuff piled in Jen's arms.

"Oh sorry." Grant grabbed the recorders leaving Jen with just the bag of batteries. He turned and made his way inside the door. Following suit they all made their way to the table they had set up earlier they had dubbed home base and sat down all the stuff in their arms.

"Thanks Grant." Jen said.

"Tracy you want to show him around some before it gets too late?" Mike asked as he pulled one of the chairs out from the table. "I'll make sure all the monitors are working from this end." He grabbed the walkie talkies and handed one to Tracy. "In case we need to adjust anything." Mike grabbed a couple of the chairs from where the table originally sat and pulled them over.

"That's a good idea." Tracy turned her walkie talkie on and turned to Grant. "You ready?"

Grant nodded. "Very."

Tracy turned and led him through the large great room and they soon disappeared through the large set of double doors that led to the front room and the stair case.

"Ok we got home base then babe." Mike sat down and slid one of the extra chairs beside his for Jen. "Power up all the monitors and see what we can see." He turned the first monitor on and there was the front room and the main stair case. He powered up the second and there was Tracy and Grant in the small room where the drawings were. Grant was slowly making his way around the room taking in all the different drawings then he turned back to Tracy and shook his head and brought his hand up to his mouth. What is that about? He thought to himself. Not dwelling, he turned on the third monitor and there was the antique wardrobe.

"That's the first time I have seen those two rooms." Jen said as she scooted her chair closer to Mike's.

"That's right you didn't come up." Mike scooted his chair over some so she could get a better view of the monitors. "That's the famous wardrobe. I can take you up if you want."

She started shaking her head. "I can see from here." She turned and smiled at him. "I think this is a good place for me."

Mike smiled. "Can't blame you." He reached up and turned on the fourth monitor. "What the hell?"

"What?" Jen turned from the monitor that showed Grant and Tracy standing next to the wardrobe and looked at the fourth monitor. "It's completely dark. What's wrong with it?"

He turned it and checked the connections. "I don't think anything." He stood up and looked at the cables. "I'll have to check the camera." Mike moved around the table and made his way into the other room.

Jen continued to watch the monitors looking at the one with Tracy and Grant in view and the dark one. When she glanced at the active one, she saw Tracy hold the walkie talkie up to her mouth and could see Grant's face show a look of surprise. Jen looked back over at the dark monitor and she noticed two small something's in the middle of the screen. They started dull and slowly brightened. Jen gasped and her hands shot to her mouth as she clinched her eyes shut. "Mike!" She yelled through her hands. "Mike!"

He came sprinting around the corner and was beside her in seconds. "What? What's wrong?"

Tracy and Grant showed up a few seconds later. "What? You ok?"

Mike, Tracy, and Grant slowly followed Jen's outstretched arm pointing at the dark monitor. "Eyes..." She said with a shaky voice. "His eyes! His red eyes!"

"Jen there isn't anything there." Mike said as he knelt down and placed his hand on her knee. "It's blank."

Jen opened her eyes. "They were there." She took her hand away from her mouth and pointed with two fingers where the eyes where at on the screen.

They all stood there in silence. Tracy reached out and placed her hand on Jen's shoulder. "It's not there now Jen."

"It was I'm not imagining this."

"No one is saying that sweetie." Mike said in a calming voice. "None of us would question that."

"We are all here because we know what can happen here. We all believe you." Grant said.

"What were you two talking about?" Jen turned to Mike

"What?" He responded in a questionable tone. "Who?"

"You and Tracy?" Jen asked

"What?" Mike asked confused. "Oh... Oh ok." It finally came to him. "Through the walkies... Sorry hearing you scream rattled me a bit." He glanced up at Tracy then focused back on Jen. "I was telling her about the camera in there."

"What about it?" Jen asked "What's wrong with it?"

"It's not there." Mike paused. "It's gone."

"Gone?" Jen took her hand back to her mouth. "Where is it?"

"When I went to check on it, I noticed the tape was torn that was holding the cable down and as I got closer the door was opened and the cables were stretched up the stairwell." Mike paused as if not wanting to continue.

"Up?" Jen asked.

"It was taken up the stairs." Tracy squeezed Jen's shoulder. "It's in the room up there..." She paused.

Mike looked into Jen's eyes and squeezed her leg. "I tugged on the cable and it came, so I pulled in back down but the wire was torn. The camera is still up there, somewhere. So if those were Warren's eyes... "

At the mention of his name there was a loud bang from the direction of the hidden stairwell followed by the sound of the front door slamming shut. They all jumped and Jen latched on to Mike.

"I'm scared" Jen said with a shaky voice fighting to hold back tears. She let out a small shaky squeal as all the lights throughout the house suddenly turned off at once, leaving the four in complete and utter darkness.

Chapter 23

Bad Night

"Just stay still for a second." Mike said as he quickly stood up. His words were followed by a clang from something landing loudly on the floor. "Shit." The darkness was pierced by the stream of light coming out of the flashlight that he now held in his hand. "What just happened?" He moved the stream of light around checking each person making sure they were all still accounted for. He found both Tracy and Grant but as he moved his light to where Jen should be she was nowhere to be found. "Jen!" The stream of light now joined by two more were flailing around shining all around the room. "Where is she? Jen, where are you?" He yelled.

"Jen!" Tracy joined as she too swung around flashlight in hand trying to find her. "I don't see her."

"Listen." Grant shined his light on Tracy then Mike. "Listen you two go look for her and I'll try to get the power back on. Where are the fuses?"

"I don't know." Mike said in a panic. "What the hell is going on? Where is Jen?" He turned his body and began to shine his light around the room again. "Jen!"

"Mike listen." Grant was now standing beside him with his hand on his arm. "We'll find her but you need to tell me where the fuses and stuff are. Is there a basement?"

"Ye... Yeah..." Mike was trying to calm himself down. "Um, um yeah the basement..." He shined his light in the direction of the kitchen. "This way I'll show you."

"Grant, here." Tracy held out her hand revealing the walkie talkie that she had used to communicate with Mike as she showed him around the house. "This way we can keep in contact with each other." She placed the walkie into his outstretched hand. "Do you still have yours Mike?"

He reached down and grabbed his off of the table where he sat it while he was trying to comfort Jen. "Yeah." He held it in front of him showing her.

"Ok let's go." Grant said.

Mike led them through the kitchen to a door that led to a small backroom. He shined his light on a small door that was just to their right. "That door goes to the basement."

"Ok." Grant made his way to the door, slowly opening it. He stood in place shining the light down the narrow stairs that led to the dark musty basement. "Ok, I am going to go see if I can get the lights back on and you two try to find Jen." Grant looked over to Mike and Tracy their lights shining the area around him. "Be careful."

They nodded, turned, and made their way back into the house to begin their search.

*****

Grant shined his light down at his feet as he carefully made his way down the small wooden steps each creaking and cracking under the weight of each footstep. "Hello?" He asked as he reached the basement floor. He wasn't exactly expecting an answer but announcing himself in some way in this situation was more of a habit from the many investigations he had been on. "We aren't here to cause trouble."

As he shined the flashlight around the basement he could tell that it was extremely large. In fact the size seemed almost unnatural given the size he knew the house to be. There was a large main room that was almost completely open apart from a few pillars that acted as support for the foundation of the house. He noticed off to the sides there were numerous doors. What is this? He thought to himself as he approached a door directly across from him.

The door was a large heavy wooden door with large cast iron hinges and a large doorknob made from the same material. The wood had a charred look to it, evidence of a large fire in the past. Grant reached out his hand taking hold of the iron doorknob which had a surprisingly warm feel to it. He tried to rotate it but it wouldn't budge. He attempted to turn the other way but still nothing. Giving it one last attempt and after a vigorous shaking it still provided the same nonproductive outcome. Deciding that the door wouldn't open and believing that the others were probably locked too he decided to get back to the task of finding the breaker box so he could try and get the power and lights back on in the house.

He turned to begin his search again. Where is the damn breaker box? He asked himself. He began to make his way around the outside wall hoping that he would run into it at some point. He came across the adjacent wall with no luck yet as he continued his search he noticed one of the doors on the wall in front of him was open, and upon closer inspection he found there was no door at all.

*****

"It won't open Trace." Mike said through gritted teeth as he yanked on the doorknob to the door of the hidden stairwell. "It turns but it won't open." He let loose of the doorknob took a step back and kicked the door with all his might. "Son of a bitch!" He yelled as his leg banged off the door not even making a splinter in it. The impact sent a searing pain shooting up his leg and into his spine. "You son of a bitch, open the God damned door!" He yelled in frustration.

"Mike." Tracy grabbed his arm as he brought it back, no doubt to hit the door again. "You are just going to hurt yourself."

"What's going on up there? You ok?" Grant's voice rang through the walkie Tracy had clipped to her pants pocket. "What was that noise? The whole house shook!"

She held the walkie up to her mouth and pressed the button on the side. "Yeah we are fine the door to the hidden stairs is stuck so we were trying to open it."

"Oh ok." Grant said with a hint of relief in his voice. "I'm still looking for the breakers. No luck yet but I found a small room so I'm going to check it out. This basement is huge I think it's actually bigger than the house is."

"Bigger than the house?" She asked through the walkie.

"Yeah the room directly under the house is as wide and as long as the house, but there are at least seven doors that lead further out." Grant paused for a second. "I couldn't get one open but even the room that is open goes out further than the house does."

"Well, be careful ok."

"You guys too." He said.

"That's weird." Mike said to Tracy as she clipped the walkie back onto the pocket of her pants. "We need to find a way in here." He turned back to the door.

"Let's go check upstairs maybe she's up there."

"She has to be in here. The door was opened earlier and now it's sealed shut. That can't be a coincidence." He placed his hand on the door. "We have to get in there. If anything happens to her..." His voice trailed off.

"We'll find her Mike." Tracy reached up and tugged on his shoulder. "Let's go upstairs and see what we can find." She led the two out of the room and slowly shining their lights in every direction lighting every inch of the house, they made their way to the front room. "Wait a sec." Tracy stopped at the front door placed her hand on the knob and turned. To her surprise the door knob turned and the door popped open. "Well we aren't stuck." She opened the door and looked out shining her light towards the cars that sat in the driveway. "Not there." Tracy let out a sigh as she closed the door. "Wishful thinking I guess."

"She was scared stiff. She was right there I let go for a second and she was gone." His voice was full of anger. "I shouldn't have let go..."

"It's not your fault." Tracy shined her light up the stairs. There was the slightest glimmer of white as her light reached the top of the stairs. "What was that?" She asked in a surprised tone.

Mike quickly shined his flashlight up the stairs stopping at the top with hers. "What? What did you see?"

"I'm not sure." She slowly made her way up the stairs.

"Wait. I should go first."

She looked down towards him and gave him a smile. "Size doesn't really matter in this situation." She turned and slowly resumed her ascent of the stairs.

*****

"Who's there?" Jen asked in a cracked whisper, tears running down her face.

The darkness that surrounded her hid everything from her, even herself. The hands that she held up to her face were not visible even as close as they were. "Please..." She said in her cracked whisper. She could feel the walls tightly around her as she sat there, her legs tight against her body.

She wanted to reach out but the fear had her paralyzed. She could feel the cold surfaces to her sides and back but there was nothing in front or above her. She thought about reaching her hand out to try and feel any means of escape but a vision of something grabbing her and ripping her away stopped her.

"Let me go... Please..." The fear and tears taking over again cancelling out her voice. Help me someone please help me. She thought to herself willing someone to hear her, wishing Mike would hear her.

*****

As Grant took his first step into the dark open room he heard a crumbling sound underneath his feet. He shined his light down to see the concrete floor turn into a gravel one. As he scanned around the room he made out a large tank in the middle of the room with pipes coming out of it leading up into the house.

"That's nice to see." He said as he recognized the large water heater. "Utility room." He began to shine his light along the sides of the room but still no breaker box. It has to be in here. He thought to himself as he slowly made his way across the room.

The rocks of the floor made a crumbling noise with every step. He moved slowly through the dark as he stepped over an odd container and around the large toolbox that sat near the wall. He paused and shined his light along the wall behind the water heater. About halfway across the wall his light lit up a rectangular metal box. That has to be it. He thought to himself as he continued to slowly make his way across the room.

When he reached the box he traced it with the light until he found a clip. He reached up and undid it and the box popped opened. He swung the box the rest of the way open revealing two tall rows of switches.

*****

"I saw something." Tracy was now at the top of the stairs "It ran off this way." She shined her light down the hall.

"What are you seeing?" Mike asked as he quickly and closely followed Tracy.

"I'm not sure it's only a brief glimpse of something but I saw it from the bottom of the steps too." Tracy shined her light down the hall

"Do you see it?" Mike asked as his light joined hers lighting up the hall. He was now standing beside her. "I don't see anything."

"Me either." Tracy took a step forward. "You go there." She pointed towards the door of the room with the wardrobe. "I'll go there." She now pointed towards the door that was on the opposite side of the hall and just a little further down. "We'll cover more ground."

He nodded. "I agree." He shined his light on the door he was about to enter. "Be careful." He said as they both made their way into their designated rooms.

*****

Tracy walked into the room and shined the light around. The room was full of furniture. There was a twin sized bed that came out horizontally from the wall to her left. It sat about 4 feet in front of her. There were bedside tables on either side of the head of the bed. To her immediate right stood a tall wooden wardrobe not entirely unlike the one in the other room. As she panned her light there was an old wooden rocker that sat in the far corner and off to the right of that sat what looked like an old basinet.

She began to walk around the bed panning her light back and forth looking for any sign of Jen. "Hello?" She was now standing next to the rocker; she reached out and began to rock the chair back and forth.

"I warned you." A soft voice whispered from behind her.

She spun around mouth agape. She couldn't talk at first, not due to fear it was more of surprise. "I know." She whispered back.

*****

"Who's there?" Jen whispered. She thought she heard a small creaking sound. Her whisper was barely audible even to her but she didn't dare be any louder. She was just as afraid of what might be out there, as she was hopeful for a rescuer. She wanted to yell and scream and bang on the walls that surrounded her but her body just wouldn't let her. "Hello? Please?" She said in her barely audible whisper.

Creak...

She heard it again. She was positive she heard it now. Her heart raced knowing there was someone or something right outside of the wall that was keeping her enclosed. Mike help me please. She willed towards him. "Mike?" She whispered, wishing she could scream for him but not daring to.

*****

Mike slowly walked into the room with the wardrobe. He remained cautious even knowing the room only had a large roll top desk and of course the antique wardrobe. He knew he probably wouldn't run into any furniture but with what was going on tonight running into furniture was the least of his worries.

He shined his flashlight around the room, no sign of Jen. No way she's in here, no place for her to be. He thought to himself as he began to turn to leave. He stopped mid turn as he heard a sound coming from inside the room. Mike whipped his light around illuminating the section of the room that he heard the sound. Slowly he began to walk in the direction of the sound. He took a few steps then stopped listening intently, hoping to hear it again. Nothing came so he continued to stand still hoping to hear it again.

Just then, as quickly as they had turned off, the lights in the house flicked back on. "Shit!" Mike said out loud.

From the area he thought he heard the noise a loud banging began.

Mike took a big step back from the shock. He stood there staring in the direction of the noise. "Holy shit!" He said as he worked out where it was coming from. The wardrobe! He thought to himself. He covered the distance in three large steps, grabbed the knob, and swung the doors open.

There curled in a ball sat Jen her hand held up as if she was going to have to fend off an attacker. Her lips curled up in a slight smile on her wide eyed, tear covered face. "Mike!" She yelled as she saw him standing there arms wide open.

He dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around her. "Are you ok?" He could feel her wet tears against the side of his face as she nodded her head up and down. "What happened?"

"I don't know." She said through tears.

He moved his arm around and scooped her up. He stood up, turned, and began to make his way out of the room. "Tracy!" He yelled as he made his way into the hallway. "Found her." He started to make his way slowly down the steps.

"Where?" Tracy was now standing on the top step. "Where was she?"

"Wardrobe."

"How?"

"I don't know." Mike was now standing by the front door. "Can you open the door Trace?"

"Yeah." She reached up and opened the door allowing him to make his way outside with Jen. She reached for her pocket and pulled off the walkie that was clipped to it. "He found Jen."

"That's great." Grant said through the walkie. "Where?"

"She was in the wardrobe."

"Ok I am going to keep looking around down here a bit. I will be out soon."

"What are you looking at?" Tracy looked back into the house.

"Nothing really just looking around." Grant paused. "I will only be a couple minutes max all the doors seem to be locked."

"Ok, well be careful and meet us at Mike's parents' house."

"Ok go left out the drive, right?"

"You coming or staying Trace?" Mike yelled as he walked around to the driver side of his car.

"Yeah left out the drive then take a left at the stop. You'll see his car in the drive." Tracy said into the walkie.

"Ok be there soon."

Tracy turned and stepped out of the house closing the door behind her. She quickly made her way down to the car and climbed in the back seat.

Mike turned the key and began to make his way around Grant's car and out of the drive. A minute later Mike and Tracy were helping Jen out of the car and into his parent's house.

Chapter 24

Love and the Ass

"What happened Jen?" Mike asked as he dropped ice cubes into a glass. "One second you were there and the next you were gone." He poured a golden brown liquid into the glass.

Tracy was sitting right beside Jen with her arm wrapped around her trying her best to comfort her. They were rocking back and forth, Jen's face still wet from the tears.

"I'm not sure what happened." She took the small glass from Mike, took a big gulp, and let out a small cough as the harsh liquid burnt on the way down. She cleared her throat and followed it up with a small sip. "As soon as you let go it was like something grabbed my legs and just started pulling me." She took another sip. "A second later something grabbed my arms and I shot off in the other direction."

Mike was in the kitchen again filling another small glass with ice and followed it with some of the golden brown liquid. "Trace?" He held up his glass.

"Please."

He grabbed another glass and filled it up in the same manner then walked over, sat on the other side of Jen, and handed Tracy her drink. "You didn't see anything?"

Jen shook her head as she took another sip of her drink. "I didn't see anything, just felt."

"I have never been around anything like that." Tracy took a sip of her drink and she too let out a small cough as the brown liquid bit at her throat. It was obvious she wasn't used to the harshness of the bourbon from the loud noise she made after she swallowed. "I have heard about stuff like that happening but never been there when it did." She took another sip of her drink and shuddered as she swallowed.

"Well we are out of there and safe now so just try and relax," Mike placed his hand on Jen's upper leg and squeezed. "Won't have to go back in there so you're safe."

Jen took another sip of her drink and nodded her head. "I didn't have any idea where I was. I just remembered being pulled and then next thing I knew I was in the wardrobe." She took another sip. "I didn't know anything, just..." Her voice broke.

"You don't have to talk about it." Mike said. "Only if you want to."

Tracy pulled her phone out of her pocket and looked at the time. A worried look began to overtake her face. She dialed a number then held it to her ear as it began to ring through. "Where are you?" She said into the phone before hanging up and placing it on the coffee table.

"Where is he?" Jen asked knowing who she was talking about.

"I don't know but he said he would only be a few minutes and it's way longer than that." She took a large sip of her drink and let out a small cough.

"Do you want something else?" Mike asked. "I can get you something less harsh."

"No it's fine, just not used to it." She forced a smile as she sat her drink down. "Just starting to worry about him."

"We'll give him about ten more minutes then I'll go look for him."

"What?" Jen asked with a look of worry on her face.

"It'll be ok babe." He rubbed her leg. "I will just fly over and find him real fast and I'll come right back ok."

"Chances are he is just in the middle something and lost track of time. He does that stuff all the time." Tracy forced a smile.

"You look worried though." Jen said as she noticed the look on her face.

"Just with what happened... He does do this all the time though."

The next ten minutes seemed to crawl by. Tracy stared at her phone as she took small sips of her drink. Jen sat bundled in a blanket sipping on her second drink and Mike had joined Tracy in staring at her phone except for the time he got up to get Jen's refill.

After the ten minutes had passed Mike took a deep breath, he wasn't looking forward to going back to the house right now but he would rather he went than Tracy. "Well it's been ten minutes." He said as he stood up and gently pried his hand out of Jen's grasp.

"I'll call again real quick." Tracy picked up her phone and dialed Grant's number. She sat there as the phone rang and rang. "Where are you?" She angrily hung up and brought the phone down to her leg. "I don't know."

"It's ok I'll just run over and get him." He bent down kissed Jen on her forehead and made his way to the door. "I'll be right back." He turned and gave her a smile. "I promise." He felt pretty secure in his promise, even with all that happened he had never really felt fear for himself it was more for Jen. He still wasn't all that thrilled to go he had to admit. He opened the door and walked out to his car. He made the quick drive over to the house, took a deep breath, and let out a big sigh before he climbed out of the car.

As he opened the door, the house was still well lit. He slowly walked into the house looking around in every direction half expecting something to jump out at him. "Grant?" He yelled. He quickened his pace and made his way through the living room. He stopped at the home base table and began to look at the monitors, he figured this way he could eliminate three areas of the house at once. He wasn't on any of the monitors so now he at least knew where not to look. I'll start from the top. He thought to himself. He made his way back through the house and up the stairs. He knew Grant wasn't in any of the rooms with cameras so he started in the room that sat between the wardrobe room and the room with the drawings on the walls.

When he walked into the room he could tell that his hunch was correct and in fact it was Wes's bedroom. The walls all had either paintings or picture frames. There were family pictures of him and his parents and there were even some of the two of them from when they were kids. The paintings were all forest themed. One had a log cabin in the middle of dense woods and another was of a large lake surrounded by trees. The large bed that protruded from the far wall was framed in an antique sleigh frame. On the opposite wall was a large dresser with a mirror that stood two thirds to the ceiling. "No way that you decorated this yourself." He said out loud. As he looked around, he noticed that he did not see the reason he had come over in the first place, no Grant.

As he turned to walk out of the room he nearly jumped out of his skin as he came face to face with Grant. "Jesus Christ!" Mike grabbed his chest as if to stop his heart from leaping out. "What the hell man?"

"Oh, I am so sorry." Grant took a step back giving Mike space. "I thought I heard someone walking around so I came to check it out."

After Mike's heart calmed down and he caught his breath he stood up tall. "Where have you been man?"

"Been looking around the house."

"Tracy is worried."

"Is she?" Grant said with a hint of surprise.

"Of course she is." Mike looked at him puzzled. "You said you'd be a few minutes and it's been about forty-five."

"Oh, I get caught up sometimes."

"Yeah but with what happened tonight I think she is a bit more worried about you than usual."

"She usually worries about me?"

Mike was surprised by this but looking at Grant's face he knew he actually had no idea of how she felt. "Of course she does..." He paused debating whether he should say anything. "You really have no idea?"

Grant shook his head. "Of what?"

"Of how she feels about you? Why she wanted you to come here?" He smiled as Grant shook his head again. "Dude, she is into you... Big time actually."

Grant's face went blank. "No?"

"Yes." Mike began to shake his head. "That's why she kept asking you to come here, and that's why she called you twice in the last ten minutes."

Grant pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Never rang." He held it out in front of him.

"That's beside the point." Mike shook his head. "You really didn't know she liked you?"

"No, I just thought we were good friends."

"Well you like her don't you?"

"For a while now..." Grant paused. "I've done everything I can think of to get that across."

"Did you tell her?" Mike asked already knowing the answer.

Grant shook his head. "I was worried she wouldn't like me and it would ruin our relationship. I'd rather have what we have than nothing at all, ya know?"

"I get that but you should tell her because she likes you too."

Grant smiled. "You think?"

"Yes I do but how about you call her and tell her we are on our way back." Mike pointed at the phone in his hand.

"Yeah good idea." He dialed his phone and it began to ring. "Hey sorry we will be over in a minute." He paused. "It never rang I swear." There was another pause and the smile on his face disappeared. "You're right I should have called I found something and I just lost track of time." Another pause. "Yeah see you soon I promise." He hung up the phone and slid it back into his pocket.

"See she's worried." Mike said. "Let's go before we make them both mad."

"Yeah." Grant turned and walked into the room with the wardrobe.

"What are you doing?" Mike walked after him. "Exit is this way." He pointed down the stairs.

"I know but I found some stuff in the desk." Grant made his way and rolled the desk top up revealing papers and notebook after notebook. "See."

"Yeah I do." Mike walked over to the desk and began to thumb through the papers. "What is it all?"

"Different papers and a couple of these are journals." He picked up two of the notebooks. "These two were banded together so I'm guessing they are important." He handed them to Mike.

"Yeah one would think." He stared at the top book and opened it up. "Wes mentioned something about private journals." He began to flip the pages taking in a few words here and there. "We should take these with us." He closed the top notebook. "Anything else?"

"No that was about it really. I skimmed through the other books they seemed more business orientated, bank statements, papers from his lawyer, that kind of stuff."

"Ok, we better get going then." Mike turned and began to walk out of the room.

"So what should I do?" Grant asked as he followed Mike. "About Tracy."

"Well tell her how you feel, ask her out on a date... Hell, kiss her." Mike was walking out of the front door now. "Any of those will work." He stopped to shut and lock the door as they both stepped out onto the porch.

"I'll just drive with you that ok?"

"Yeah that's fine." Mike was now climbing into his car. "Just do whatever you think you can handle." He began to back out of the drive. "Pick something and do it. It really doesn't matter what. Just need to make it absolutely clear you are into her."

"Ok..." Grant sat himself up straight. "I can do this."

"Yes you can. She likes you man, trust me." Mike noticed the nervous look on his face. "You run around a house that has an evil spirit like it's nothing but you can't handle telling Tracy you like her." He let out a laugh. "You two are made for each other."

Grant smiled as they pulled into Mike's parents' drive. "When should I say something?"

"Now as soon as we get in the house." Mike shut the car off. "Well I'll take Jen up to our room or you two can go up to her room." He opened his door and put one leg out of the car. "Better do it now before you lose your nerve."

"Yeah." He climbed out of the car. "Lose my nerve." He whispered to himself.

They made their way into the house and Mike saw that Jen and Tracy were in the same spot as they were in when he left. "I told you I'd be right back babe." He smiled at Jen and she forced a smile back. He walked over and sat beside her and leaned over to whisper in her ear but was taken back at Tracy's loud outburst.

"You are an ass Grant." She yelled out. She was now on her feet. "I sat here worrying about you." She reached down, picked up her phone and held it out in front of her. "I called you over and over not to mention I texted over and over."

Mike and Jen sat there stunned. He leaned close to Jen again to whisper something in her ear but was stopped again, this time by Grant's outburst.

"I love you." Grant blurted out.

Tracy's mouth dropped open. "What?" She asked finally pulling herself back together.

He stood there stunned as if he couldn't believe he had just said what he said. "I love you?" He said as if asking a question. "Ummmm... I mean." He stopped knowing he couldn't change what he had just said so took a deep breath. "I said that I love you."

"Why?" Tracy asked still in a state of shock. "I mean when?"

"Years."

"Oh." Tracy sat down and looked as shocked as everyone else in the room.

Jen looked at Grant and saw a look of desperation on his face. She knew he was expecting her to say something besides, "Oh". She looked at Mike who she could tell was enjoying the show by the smile on his face. She looked back over to Tracy and nudged her with her elbow.

Tracy sprung back to life leaving her shocked state. "I love you too." She said with a smile. "You're still an ass and I am still furious with you." She continued to glare at him, then finally a smile began to sneak across her face. "Come sit down."

Grant smiled as he made his way to sit next to Tracy.

"Congrats you two." Mike said. "Look what Grant found while he was there though." He sat the two notebooks down on the coffee table. Noticing Jen and Tracy's questioning look he decided to spare the theatrics and just tell them. "The journals Wes mentioned in the ones he typed for me." He paused a second seeing if it would click. "His private ones."

Tracy reached down and grabbed the top one and began to thumb through it. Jen made no such movement; she had enough of anything remotely connected to the paranormal for one night. She actually scooted back in her seat putting even more space between her and the journals.

"Did you read any?" Tracy asked as she glanced at Mike.

"No not yet." He reached down and grabbed the second one.

"Are you going to?" Her face became more serious than it had been a minute ago.

"I think so..." Mike looked at her, puzzled to the seriousness in her tone and on her face. "Why what's up?"

"It's just that he made it sound like some real personal stuff is in them. I just think you should really think about it before you read them." She sat the journal back down on the table.

"What do you know?"

"Nothing..." She paused and turned her gaze from Mike. "Just you never know what you will read and once you read it... you can't unread it is all."

"I see." Still looking at Tracy he sat his down and picked up the top journal and opened it up.

"Well it's been a long day." Tracy said. "I'm going to go try and sleep." She stood up and looked over at Grant.

He looked at her, his face still lit up with a smile.

"Are you coming?" She asked.

"Oh." He shot up "Yeah sleep sounds good. It has been a long day." Grinning, he followed her up to her room.

Mike let out a laugh. "She has been hanging around you too much babe." He stood up and took the spot Tracy had been sitting in.

"Funny." Jen leaned her head on his shoulder. "What was all that talk about the journal?"

"Yeah I don't know." He sat the Journal on his lap. "Very odd though."

"It's like she is keeping something from us."

"Yeah I got that too." He lowered his head and gave her a kiss. "Love you."

"Love you too." She said as she leaned back against Mike and shut her eyes. "Bout time they got together."

Mike smiled. "Yeah I know. I bet they have been like that since their freshmen year." He picked up the journal and opened it up again. "Get some rest babe, you need it."

"Kay." She said through a half closed mouth.

Mike kissed the top of her head as she started nodding off to sleep. He settled himself as he began to read Wes's private journal.

Chapter 25

The Secrets of Wesley's Private Journals

Mike sat on the couch eye lids growing increasingly heavy as he flipped through page after page of Wes's hand written journal. Jen was sleeping with her head in his lap which put him at a bit of a crossroads. He needed to get up and move around before he fell asleep but he couldn't do so without waking her. How am I going to do this? He thought to himself as he stared down at her peaceful face. Maybe I can lift and scoot. He thought as he began to slowly lift her head up to give himself enough room to scoot out. The plan worked long enough to lift her head but the second he attempted phase two and scooted to the side her eyes shot open.

"Where are you going?" She asked half asleep. She raised herself up into a sitting position. 'What's wrong?" Her eyes barely open.

"Nothing." He stood up and began to stretch. "Just needed to get up I was starting to doze off."

"Go to sleep then." She laid down in the opposite direction putting her head on the arm of the couch.

"I will in a bit, just reading through those." He pointed towards the journals that he sat on the coffee table. "I won't be much longer. Why don't you head up to bed?"

"I'll wait." She said her eyes now closed.

"Ok." He hadn't really expected her to go but he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be up and he didn't want to wake her every time he got up. Thinking to limit his getting up, he grabbed his glass and made his way into the kitchen. "Grabbing a drink and then I'll be back in." He was expecting a response and when none came he poked his head through the kitchen doorway and saw that she had fallen back asleep. He quickly refilled his glass with ice and a decent amount of bourbon then made his way back to his seat on the couch and took a large gulp from his glass then sat it down and picked up the journal again and started reading.

"Anything in it?" Jen asked in a sleepy half audible tone. She must have woken when he sat down.

"So far just a lot of stuff about him being sick and not wanting anyone to know." Mike looked over to Jen and she was asleep once again. He smiled as he began to read through the journal again.

About half an hour and half a glass of bourbon later he had finally finished the first journal. As he closed it he started to think about their friendship and how he felt that he wasn't near the friend to Wes as Wes was to him. The thought that Wes didn't want to tell him about being sick because he was afraid it would change how he or anyone else would look at him was an unpleasant one. When he first read that, he was hurt but given what happened later with Emily he began to get angry with himself. I was such a shit friend. He thought to himself as he picked up his drink and downed the rest of it. He shot up out of his seat not thinking about waking Jen but it hit him a second later. He looked over and saw her eyes open.

"Drink." He grabbed his glass off the coffee table and made his way to the kitchen and quickly made himself another drink and began to drink it as he leaned against the counter.

I wasn't a bad friend. What was I supposed to think towards the end? That's bullshit to put that all on me. He thought as his mind raced and the alcohol started taking its toll. He continued to sip on his drink. "Screw it." He tossed back the rest and quietly made his way to the front door. He looked over at Jen and saw that she had fallen back to sleep so he quietly opened the door and with one last glance at her, he slipped through the door. He walked past the car and made his way on foot to Wes's house.

The night air was cool against his skin and worked to calm him down, however his mind was still set. He still planned on walking down there and demanding Wes talk to him. That was the whole reason he even agreed to do this investigation and come on this trip. However, after the earlier events in the house, he wasn't sure exactly how the rest of the time would play out.

By the time he reached Wes's house his anger had mostly subsided but he was still determined. He walked up on the porch and as he approached the front door it occurred to him.

"Son of a bitch." He said out loud to himself as he reached in his pockets. "I can't believe I forgot the damn key." He reached for the doorknob and gave it a twist but nothing. He began to look around and he was going to make sure he tried all the possibilities to get in the house before he gave up on the idea of calling Wes out. He tried window after window and he even tried the back door but all were locked. "Damn." He said admitting defeat. He stood there staring at the house in the backyard thinking through his mind on how to get in but he knew apart from busting out a window it was a lost cause. As he turned to leave he noticed the bench swing that sat in the back corner with large bushes, that in the spring bloomed beautiful flowers sat on either side of it. Not ready to return home he decided to sit for a while and hopefully clear his head.

The cool breeze as he swung felt good and helped lift the slight fog of the alcohol. He wouldn't get what he came here for but it wasn't a lost cause. He started to feel peaceful and all his bad thoughts from earlier slowly slipped away. He was amazingly surprised at the tranquility he was now feeling. The house had always brought up bad emotions even before he had come here on that Halloween night. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of cool night air.

"Did you read the journals you and your friend took?" A soft voice asked from beside him.

Mike's eyes flew open and he nearly jumped out of his skin. If the arm of the swing and the chains that hung it not been there he would have surely been on the ground. He turned his head not knowing what to expect and there, in all her spectral glory sat Emily.

Not able to speak he could only sit there staring at her. The idea of coming over and confronting a ghost was much easier in his head but now that he sat here face to face, he was unable to do anything let alone speak.

"It's not polite to stare Michael." She said as she sat there staring up at the house. "Did you read them?" She asked again. Her voice was soft and sweet, and was very comforting.

He shook his head. "Not both of them."

"I'm surprised." She looked over at him.

He saw a hint of confusion on her face, a face that he could see every detail of and he could now see how Wes fell in love with her. "Why are you surprised?"

"The way you came over here. You seemed angry."

"What is in the journals? My friend acted odd about them too." Mike shook his head anger boiling up again at the thought that everyone is privy to some piece of information and they were all keeping it from him.

"Tracy." A smile crossed her face as she said her name.

"You know her?" He began to feel even more confused.

"We've talked a few times. She is very intuitive and very gifted too." Her gaze went back up to the house. "Why did you come over?"

Mike recognized her attempt at changing subjects He decided he would answer her question but had no plan to give up on his. "I wanted to talk to Wes." At the mention of Wes's name he began to wonder where he was and why it wasn't him sitting here with him but he figured he focus on the topics at hand first. "How do you know her and what is in the journal."

"Like I said we've talked and that is for her to tell you more."

Mike had a feeling that he wasn't going to get more from that subject and as much as it was starting to piss him off his main concern was the information in journals. "Ok then, but what about the journal? What is this big secret?"

Emily sat in silence as she stared up at the house.

"Or is that something I should get from the journal? Not your secret to tell?" Mike angrily stood up. "I will just have to go read the damn thing apparently." He took one step to leave.

"Wait." She said in a soft tone. "Don't go."

He turned in place and looked down at her still sitting in the swing, a look of sadness across her face now. "I feel like there is this giant secret and I'm the only one who doesn't know it." He took a seat beside her. The ease at which he could talk to her was surprising to him. "Since the hospital... my parents and Jen... Hell! Even Tracy and now you." He paused and looked up at the house. He noticed how beautiful it was as the moonlight illuminated it.

"Beautiful isn't it?" She asked with a smile. "I would have never thought I could say that about that house." She looked over at Mike. "I'll tell you but you have to promise you'll bear with me and won't get upset."

This caught him by surprise I can't really promise that. He thought to himself but wanting her to tell him he agreed. "I'll do my best." He sat back down and gave her his full attention.

She nodded and took a deep breath.

"Wait, do gho..." He stopped himself remembering something that Wes had said in his journal. How ghost almost seemed derogative to him. "I mean..." He corrected himself. "Do spirits breathe?"

She smiled and shook her head. "Not actually, we don't need to but it's more of a..." She paused deciding the best words. "Going through the motions kind of thing."

"Sorry go ahead."

Smiling she started over. "I died in this house nineteen years ago." Her gaze went back to the house. "I was homeless. My father kicked me out of the house over an argument. Well it was more of a situation."

"In Wes's journal he said that you got along with your family?"

"I did for the most part. All but my father really and no one would stand against him from fear of what he would do, not that I would have let them anyways. I told Wes I got along with them at first before I knew just how much I wanted to share with him." She paused as her eyes closed. "He was very persistent about wanting to know my past so I told him little bits of it at a time."

"That is Wes for you. Always asking why and not stopping till he finds out."

She smiled. "Back to the story. I moved around a lot going from job to job. It's hard to keep a job when you are homeless so I ended up just doing whatever I could do. I did some cleaning for the occasional person and I am ashamed to say that I even stole, it wasn't easy."

Mike could see the torment on her face. "What happened that your entire family would disown you like that?"

"My family was very old fashioned." She forced a smile onto her face. "I got pregnant at a young age. I was fifteen when it happened and I was forced to marry the guy." She looked back towards the house and took another deep breath. "Well he was abusive and beat me and I put up with it till one night he hit my child and I left."

"Well that's good." Mike said.

"My father didn't agree. He wouldn't have an unwed whore of a daughter with a bastard child so he threw us out. My mother tried to stop him but she could only do so much."

"I'm so sorry." He was at a loss at what to say.

"Me too." She forced another smile. "So I started bouncing around broke, hungry, and tired. What little money I had I spent on food for my child. It wasn't his fault and he didn't deserve this life."

It was a boy. He thought to himself as he looked at her face. He could swear there were tears running down it. He didn't dare ask if she could cry right now.

"One night cold and tired we wound up here and I saw this house." She waved her hand in front of her towards the house. "Empty... or so I thought. It was however out of the cold nights. When I checked the door it wasn't locked so we made our way inside. We stayed there for a few days. We would use a candle at night for light and there were some old clothes and a few odds and ends in there to sleep on and cover with."

Mike noticed a smile cross her face again, but this one wasn't forced. He knew that she must be remembering a nice thought and he couldn't help but smile himself.

"It was nice, considering the circumstances." She paused. "No one noticed us staying there, well that or they did and didn't care. We were inside all the time and if I had to leave I did it at night while my child slept. I was afraid to risk being seen otherwise." Her smile began to fade. We kept very busy. We played games, I would watch him as he drew."

"The drawings up stairs." Mike blurted out as the image of the little boy drawing appeared in his mind.

She nodded. "He always loved to draw so I tried to keep a supply of crayons or markers for him. I know he shouldn't have drawn on the walls but I didn't have the heart to tell him no at the time."

"That is why Wes kept the drawings uncovered." He could see that there were actual tears on her face now as she nodded in agreement. "Weren't there any homes or shelters you could have gone to?"

"Perhaps and looking back I should have but I was scared I'd lose my child. That they would take him away."

"That would be a scary thought."

"I just believed that I would get back on my feet and that things would get better." She shook her head. "I was wrong, so very wrong." She stopped talking and began to stare out at nothing.

"Then what happened?" Mike asked

"It went like that for a few days and then one night the house just got this eerie feel and it was cold... so cold. It was a full moon actually I remember because the inside was lit enough to where I made my way around the house without needing a candle." She turned her gaze back to Mike. "It was that night he appeared, angry and full of hate."

"Warren?"

She nodded. "He came out of nowhere his red eyes drilled into your soul, and it hurt. The burning feeling was unbearable."

Mike cringed at those words. He remembered all too well of the day he experienced those eyes.

"He came after me and threw me against the wall and as I hit the ground I saw him turn after my little boy." The tears started back up and ran slowly down her face. "I got myself up and ran and grabbed him by the hand, lifted him up and ran. I tried to get down the steps but Warren was at the bottom so I turned and we ran. We came to the room that had the large wardrobe in it and we climbed inside."

"Last night?" Mike started to ask

Emily nodded her head. "He grabbed her and I took her from him. I put her in the wardrobe and we held him back."

"We?" Mike asked

"Wes and I." Knowing that Mike would ask she answered him. "He is in that room... Stuck in that room trying to keep Warren at bay. After he passed there was a crew that came to do some repairs on the house and they uncovered the door and opened it."

"And let him out."

She nodded. "We just forgot about them coming the appointment was made months in advance and was postponed several times and with everything going on we just forgot."

"How were you to know?" He said trying to comfort her seeing the torment and self-blame on her face. "It's not your fault."

She slowly nodded her head.

"How can we get Wes out? There has to be something we can do."

"I don't know."

"We can find a way I'm sure of it."

"That's what your friend Tracy said." Emily looked back at him. "But I need to finish my story."

Mike nodded. He was trying to figure out what this had to do with him so he was anxious for her to continue. "Sorry go ahead."

She smiled. "We were in the wardrobe hiding. It got quiet and for a second I thought maybe it was over. Then the door to the wardrobe was torn open and Warren reached down and drug me out. I tried to fight him off but there was nothing I could do. He picked me up by the throat and held me feet off the floor choking me. Everything began to fade and I managed to look down and see my little boy in the wardrobe scared... shouting... crying. Then there was nothing just black."

Mike had his one hand covering his mouth he could actually picture it happening and could almost feel the fear. "I am so sorry."

She shook her head. "I am the one who is sorry. I put us in that position." She took another deep breath trying to stop her tears. "I woke up later and for a split second I thought it was ok and I looked for my son and I saw him sitting there crying and yelling for me to wake up, holding my hand... but it wasn't my hand."

"He was holding your body."

She nodded. "That's when I knew what had happened. That is when I knew I was dead."

"Didn't he see you?"

She shook her head. "No I stood there watching him as he held my lifeless hand yelling for me to get up. I was powerless to do anything to help him."

"How did I never hear anything about this? I lived a few blocks down and I never once heard about anything like this. I mean no one did. How?"

"Well my son eventually left the house and my body was never found."

"What happened to it?"

"He took it and held on to it."

"Warren took it?"

She nodded.

"So it's still in the house somewhere?"

She nodded again. "What's left of it I imagine."

"What does all this have to do with me? I don't understand." He began to shake his head. "I feel horrible for you. It is the saddest thing I have ever heard and my heart truly weeps for you but what does it have to do with me?" His tone began to show his building impatience. He wasn't trying to be but he knew there was something about him in the journal and here she was telling him about her life. An idea began to creep into his head, an idea that couldn't be true. His face began to distort in a mixture of disbelief and confusion.

She began to slowly nod. "My son left the house that day and was found by a couple around here. The woman fell in love with him immediately and they eventually adopted him."

Mike froze. "No" He shook his head as the thought in his mind began to take a stronger hold, going from "no way!" to now "can it be?"

"I stayed around here to be near him and I saw him from time to time I even visited him. I stood over him as he played in his yard." She smiled, it was a real smile. "He never saw me though. I don't know why but he never could till one night at a party here." She pointed at the house.

Mike shook his head and shot up out of the swing. The thoughts in his head becoming more of an actuality. "That's why you were staring at the wardrobe. It wasn't clothes, it was your kid." He turned back to face her and saw that she too was now standing. "Your face when you saw me, when you realized I saw you." His eyes began to swell with tears. "No." He shook his head "My parents are Tony and Betty Lachey. They live at 502 Sunbird drive. I have a sister Janet."

"They are your parents Michael... but not your birth parents." A third voice said from behind him.

He knew that voice and it wasn't Emily he spun around and saw Jen coming through the rear gate. "What? When did you... How long?" He was at a loss for words.

"For a while." She said as tears poured down her face. "The night in the hospital I heard you parents talking to the doctor. So did a reporter and that's why they didn't want you watching TV in case he decided to run the story about you being adopted."

Mike dropped to his knees. "Why didn't you tell me?" He said through tears.

"I wanted your parents to tell you. I was trying to get them to but they wouldn't." She walked to him only glancing at Emily for a brief second. She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around him. "I am so sorry."

He said nothing, what could he say? He looked up and saw Emily kneeling beside them.

"I am so sorry Michael. I was supposed to protect you and be there for you but I failed you and I am so very sorry." Her hands now covering her mouth. "I love you so much and I am so sorry." She said through her hands.

Mike looked at Emily "Why didn't Wes tell me? When he found out... why didn't he tell me?"

"He wanted to more than you know but I made him swear not to." Her hands dropped to her sides. "Would you have believed him though? Even if he did?"

He rolled the idea around in his head trying to force an answer that he knew wasn't true but he knew the real answer. "No." He dropped his head and placed his face on Jen's shoulder. "No I wouldn't have."

Chapter 26

Tracy's Confession

"Mike we should go back to the house." Jen stood up and held out her hand.

"Yeah." Mike took her hand and slowly stood up. "Yeah we should."

She looked over at Emily who stood there quiet. "We should go."

Emily nodded "Yes." She turned her gaze to Mike. "I don't know exactly what to say. I've had this conversation over and over again but I never thought I would really have it."

"I don't know either." Mike looked at her returning her gaze. "My whole life has been a lie and everyone decided I didn't need to know the truth." He turned towards the gate to leave. "I don't blame you." He looked back at Emily. "You did what you could to keep us safe." He didn't want to leave the situation with her feeling like he was mad at her. How was she supposed to know any of this would have happened?

Emily nodded. "Thank you. I wish I could change it all, I really do."

Mike nodded and he and Jen walked home hand in hand.

"What are you going to do?" Jen asked Mike as they approached the door of his parent's house. "Are you going to say anything to your parents?"

"I don't know." He opened the door and walked into the house. He walked past the living room and made his way up the stairs.

"Where are you going?" She asked in a whisper as he walked past their room.

"Talk to Tracy." He walked to the end of the hall and knocked on the door.

"Why?" She asked with a questionable glance.

He knocked on the door again. "She has some things to tell us." Mike raised his hand to knock again but the door slowly opened.

"Hi, I thought you would be by. I've been waiting." She looked up at Mike knowing that he had questions. A look of guilt crossed her face and her eyes began to redden and well up as she tried to hold back tears.

"Hello Tracy." Mike said as he walked by her into the room.

Jen slowly walked in after him unsure of what was going on. "Hey Trace." She shot her a smile.

"You have been keeping things from us Trace." Mike walked to the bed and sat down next to Grant. From the confused look on his face Mike could tell that he wasn't exactly sure what was going on either. "I just had a long talk with Emily."

"Oh?" She asked and a hint of excitement crossed her face. "When? Where?"

"At their house, I went to call Wes out but I didn't take my key so I couldn't get inside. I had a seat in the backyard and she came to me."

"That's incredible." A small smile crossed her face.

"Yeah it was unbelievable it... feels almost as if it was a dream, like it wasn't real" He paused as he shook his head. "But it was and what she said was true. Explains why when she was talking I could see things so vividly." He brought his hand up and rubbed his eyes. "It's just so unbelievable."

"That's not an uncommon feeling. You just have to tell yourself that it did happen." Tracy said.

"Yes it happened." He looked up at her. "I just found out that my parents aren't my parents and my real mother was killed by that piece of shit ghost in that house right in front of my eyes when I was four. That evil vile disgusting thing who didn't get enough jollies torturing girls when he was alive he still has to do it when he's dead."

"Holy Shit." Grant let out. Everyone looked over at him. "Sorry... just...wow."

"Yeah." Mike turned back to Tracy. "I also found out that Wes is stuck up in that room and..." He paused as he looked at her. "And that you knew about it."

Tracy dropped her head. "I didn't know about it all." She looked at Mike and then Jen "I swear I didn't know about the mother stuff."

"You sure acted like you knew something."

"I knew there was a secret that was big but I swear I didn't know exactly what it was. She never told me that."

"Which brings me to my next point... When and how did you talk to her?"

"The first time was..."

Mike interrupted her. "How many times have you talked to her?"

"A few times. The first time was at your apartment."

"The night when you were up late drawing?" Mike asked.

"Yes." She paused "I didn't lie that night though. I didn't know why she was there I thought maybe it was Jen."

"What?" Jen asked. "Why me?"

"She was drawing that figure from the stairway. The one you picked up." Mike answered. "We thought maybe something was attached to you..."

"Right and I thought She was there to protect you or at the least to contain you." Tracy interrupted. "She looked at me and said be warned. That's all then she left."

"And you didn't tell me!?" Jen shot Mike a glare.

"You were freaked out enough and I didn't want to add to it yet." He answered back.

"Let's keep it down a bit, your parents are sleeping." Grant said trying to contain the tone of the conversation.

They all looked over at him with blank faces.

"It was just a guess." Tracy dropped the sound of her voice. "It turns out she was there because of Mike not you."

"Oh well that makes it better." Jen snapped. She shot a look at Tracy and saw the look of remorse on her face. "Sorry... sorry... It's all just so much. I really didn't mean to snap."

"No, I'm the one that is sorry" Tracy said. "I should have told you but like he said we didn't want to freak you out more than you were." She began to say something then stopped.

"What?" Mike asked as he caught her hesitation. "What is it?"

She looked at Jen. "Well I still think that the evil in the house hasn't necessarily attached itself to you but..." She paused gathering the right word. "Is targeting you. He wants you. That would be the best way to say it."

"What?" Jen looked questionably at Tracy. "Wants me?"

"I didn't think that until what happened at the house. I just thought before that I got a glimpse of the figure because of Emily's presence and it being so strong in your mind." She shook her head. "But it turns out I was originally right in the fact that he... well wrong in him attaching himself to you. It was more of a targeting."

"How do you know this for sure? Maybe it could have happened because she was at the monitor?" Mike questioned.

"Well it is possible but I don't think so." Tracy turned her focus to Jen. "He only showed himself to you, he tried to take YOU. When we first met and you told me about your experience, you said it felt like it was more focused on you than Mike, right?"

"Yeah that's how it felt then, and he would have gotten her last night if Emily hadn't stopped it." Mike said. "But why her?"

"Well my guess is that she is young and beautiful." Tracy paused and started to pace. "As you're all aware, Warren was a very bad man and loved torturing beautiful females. So when you two were in there before he targeted her just like he targeted your mother... Emily." She paused unsure of how Mike would react, when she didn't notice a change in his demeanor she continued. "Then when we were there last night he attempted to get her."

"Ok." Mike said. "The first encounter when it was just me and Jen when we left he was eyeing me down... why?"

"Could be one of two reasons." It was Grant this time who answered. "Given your history with the house and him, he either recognized you or it could be as basic as you took Jen away from him and that pissed him off. He wasn't the type of man to be denied what he wanted. Now that he is pretty much pure evil I'd wager he likes it even less."

"So I pissed him off either way." Mike said.

"He probably wants her even more now that he's been denied twice and it's you who denied him." He began to shake his head vigorously. "Ok so Jen isn't going back in the house." He looked over at her. "No way are you going back in there."

"No one should be going back over there. It kills people and I don't think it cares if you're a man or woman." She shot back.

Mike opened his mouth to retort.

"We have to Jen." It was Tracy who spoke. "Wes is stuck in that room. He tried to stop him the first time you two went over but he wasn't strong enough. Now he's stuck in Warren's room, we can't just leave him."

"When did you find that out?" Jen asked.

"Tonight."

"How?"

"Emily told me at the house."

"You talked to her and you didn't ask where Jen was?" Mike shot in her direction.

"Voices..." Grant whispered trying again to contain the volume of the conversation.

"Of course I did." Tracy stopped pacing and dropped to the floor and sat with her legs crossed facing the people in her room. "Of course I did." Her voice trailed off.

"Sorry... This has just been a stressful night but you didn't deserve that." Mike squatted down to be eye level with Tracy. "What all did she say?"

"The night we left to come here remember you had that dream? Where she told you not to come."

"Yeah." Mike answered.

"Well I saw her then too and she said the same thing to me."

Mike began to open his mouth but Jen who was now standing closer to Tracy shot him a look. When she knew Mike wasn't going to speak she took a seat on the floor next to Tracy and reached out to take her hand. "Go ahead."

"Well she warned us both but I thought we should still come so I didn't say anything." Feeling like they would be thinking it she decided to answer the question. "And not for a grade either. I thought if we could come and I could see Warren then maybe I could stop him somehow."

"It's true." Grant who was still sitting on the bed spoke out from behind them all. "That's why I was in such a hurry to get up here. I actually quit my job yesterday. I knew that she would need help."

"You quit your job to come?" Tracy asked him. She was unable to hide the huge smile that now stretched across her face. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Grant smiled back at her. "Yeah, I figured you'd worry about me not having a job and I didn't want your mind to be somewhere else."

"Yes he loves you, back to what you were saying please." Mike interrupted them.

"Ass." Jen smacked his leg.

"No he's right." Tracy said agreeing that she should get back on topic. "So tonight when we were looking for Jen she came to me in the room upstairs." She gave Mike a look. "Remember I thought I was seeing things on the stairs?"

Mike nodded. "Yeah once when we were at the bottom and then at the middle landing."

"Well she appeared to me twice more too once when we were at the top of the steps. She told me to have you go in the room with the wardrobe and me in the room across the hall."

"See she knew you'd find me in there." Jen said as she glanced over at Mike.

"Then I saw her again in the room I went in. First thing I asked her was where Jen was." She squeezed Jen's hand. "She told me that you were just about to find her so I shouldn't worry. That's when she started telling me about what was going on at the house."

"What exactly is going on?" Mike asked. He knew some of the stuff but this was a whole new world for him. One that he didn't fully understand and quite frankly, one he was afraid of.

"Warren is strong; he's stronger than he ever was before. It's like the witches said in Wes's journal the sealing spell they did locked him up but if he ever got free he'd be stronger."

"Why didn't they just get rid of him? I mean couldn't they have just gotten rid of him somehow?" Jen asked. "Why risk it?"

"Well with that type of spell there is no guarantee that it would have just targeted him. There is a chance Emily would have gotten caught in it too and been sent away permanently." Tracy's face became saddened.

"Oh." Jen said with a frown. "He didn't want to risk it and I don't blame him." She looked up at Mike. "How could you risk your true love if there was another way?"

"Ok so can we call the witches back and then they can just seal him up again?" Mike asked Tracy. "They did it once can't they do it again."

Grant began to shake his head. Jen and Tracy looked up at him. Following suit Mike turned his head. "Oh um... They can't do it not without sealing Wes up there with him. They could target him and attempt to force him back up there but since Wes is up there, once it's sealed he won't be able to come out." Grant smiled at Tracy as she nodded.

Confused Mike and Jen looked at Tracy. "What's that about?" Mike asked.

"Think of it as a net." Tracy began.

"Not that... we get that." Jen was speaking now. She pointed up at Grant. "He looked at you like an elementary student who just answered a question for his school teacher crush."

"No I didn't." Grant let out.

"Yeah ya did there guy." Mike said half laughing

"Oh." Tracy's smile vanished. "I dabble."

"You dabble?" Jen asked. "Dabble in?"

"Witchcraft Just..."

"You don't dabble Tracy." Grant interrupted. "Be honest."

Tracy's eyes narrowed as she shot Grant a look of daggers, which probably wouldn't have been anymore scary if real daggers were involved. "Grant!"

"Listen there is no point in keeping secrets." He shot back at her. He flinched a tad when he was done however. "They have been open with you... completely open."

Mike and Jen looked at Tracy questionably.

"Ok..." Tracy paused and took a deep breath. "You're right." She glanced at Jen and Mike. "I am a Wiccan, as is most of my family."

"That's witches." Grant said interrupting. "And warlocks."

Tracy shot him another look and he instantly stopped talking. "I think I can handle it sweetie." She said with a slight menacing tone.

Mike and Jen couldn't help but crack a smile as they looked at each other.

"Anyway." Tracy took another deep breath. "The person who got the information on Warren was actually my aunt... My Aunt Stella."

"No?" Jen said out loud as her free hand shot up to her mouth. She noticed Mike looking a little puzzled. "She was one of the witches Wes called."

Comprehension hit Mike's face. "She is your aunt?"

Tracy nodded. "My mom's sister. We are actually very close. She taught me a lot when I was little and I've been practicing since." Tracy let out a little smile. It was obvious she was proud of who and what she was. "I had no idea she did any of this stuff but when I read her name in Wes's journal I knew it was her." She noticed a questionable look come on Mike's face and having a feeling as to what the question would be, she answered it. "Clarissa and Bethany gave it away."

"Oh." Mike said. "Didn't think about that."

"I called her soon after and I told her about meeting you two and what happened to you at the house. We talked for a while and she told me she would send the info she found on Warren, so she did."

"Do all witches... Wiccans..." Mike stopped midsentence. "What do you like to be called?"

Tracy smiled. "Witch is fine."

"Ok do all witches see ghosts like you do? Wes made it sound like you're Aunt and the other two could see Emily without any effort." He asked.

"Not all of us no, some in my family are born with clairvoyance but most aren't. It's actually just my aunt, me, and maybe a cousin but I'm not certain about him."

"So you can just see them all the time?" Jen asked.

"Yeah." She nodded. "They are always there walking about but most just want to be left alone so you never see them."

"Because they don't want us to." Grant chimed in.

Tracy smiled at him. "Right most cases you don't see them because they don't want you to. Some of them want to be seen whether it's just to scare or torment, sometimes it could be they want help or something on the more pleasant side like that."

"Emily said she visited me when I was kid but I could never see her?" Mike had been curious about this since she said it. "If it's up to them then why did she say I couldn't see her?"

"You can develop a type of block. In your case seeing your mother murdered right in front of you by an evil spirit must have caused it. It would also explain why you forgot about everything up to that point too."

"So then when I was in that room where she died when I was a teenager on Halloween it popped the block and I saw her."

"Yeah, I wouldn't say popped it. More like poked it. You still couldn't accept it remember? Then the night you two were there poked another hole in it and then tonight with everything that happened it was gone. That's why you could see your memories from that night as your mother described them."

"See Mike." Jen said as she looked over at him and smiled. "It was because of what happened to you that you couldn't accept what Wes was saying. He knew that in the end and that's why he never stopped having faith you'd come around."

Mike sat there speechless as he forced a smile.

"I think she's right Mike." Tracy said. "Why else would he have left you the house and took the time to make out the journals for you? He hoped it would help you see and come to terms."

"Why didn't you say any of this stuff before?" Mike said in an attempt to change the subject. "Why hide it from us?"

"It's not something I tell people easily." She paused. "You know how many people I thought were my friends aren't anymore because they think I'm a freak? It's a big reason I take the classes I take and I joined the Paranormal Society on campus. They tend to be more accepting of weird people like me."

"Yeah but it's us Trace." Jen said.

"I know you're Mike and Jen, easily the power couple of campus, probably the state. You're the future Pro Quarterback and the heiress of half a state. "

"That's not fair Trace." Jen said with a hurtful look in her eyes. "That's the labels people gave us. You know that isn't who we are."

"I know." Her head dropped a little not wanting to meet Mike and Jen's gaze. "I just wasn't ready."

"She has been torn about it for a while now." Grant said from behind them still on the bed. "She has been beating herself up about not telling you two. She just told me at the start of this year and we've been friends since our freshman year."

Jen leaned over and gave Tracy a hug. "We love you Trace we'd be the last to judge, trust me. We get judged all the time so believe it or not we understand."

Tears began to slowly run down Jen and Tracy's faces as Tracy began to return Jen's hug.

"This works out great." Mike said not ready to stop the talk due to emotional collapse of the two ladies in the room. "You can just call up your aunt and they can come zap him away right?"

Jen shot him a look. "Zap him away?"

Mike shrugged his shoulders. "You know what I mean."

"Two problems though." Tracy said as she and Jen relinquished the hug. "One is if they were to try and get rid of him it could easily get rid of them all." She saw Mike begin to interject. "Two is they swore to Wes they'd never try so it's irrelevant really. Even if they would who knows how long it'll take them to get here."

Mike frustrated, he began to rub his eyes. "Then what do we do? We can't just let Wes be stuck up in that room with that piece of shit. On top of that you said he's getting stronger and what happens if he gets so strong he gets out? Then what?"

"It's hard to say it would be very bad though." Tracy answered.

"So what do we do?" Jen asked

"Only thing we can do at this point." Tracy paused as they all looked at her. "We get rid of him ourselves."
Chapter 27

Plan

"How?" Mike asked as he leaned against the bed. "How do we do it while not sending Emily and Wes with him?"

"Well I have been giving this some thought actually." Tracy said. "Grant and I were discussing it the other day."

Jen looked over towards Grant. "Are you a Wiccan too?"

Grant smiled. "No not really she's been showing me stuff but I'm not officially one. I mean it hasn't been in my family for generations like it has hers."

"Oh, I was just wondering." She turned back to Tracy. "Sorry have a bad habit of blurting out questions."

"It's ok." Tracy said with a smile. "So if we try a type of banishment spell I can't guarantee it won't take them too." She saw a look of disappointment begin to form on Mike's face. "However, I did think of something. I remember reading about a spell to capture an evil spirit in a box."

"A box?" Mike had a tone of disbelief. "Seriously?" He paused unsure of what to say so he said the first thing that came to him. "Why a box?"

"Well it can't be just any box." Tracy stood up and walked over to her bag that she brought and began to rummage through it. She pulled out a large old looking book and sat back down by Mike and Jen. She began to flip through page after page till she came to a page that had a picture of a large tree with beautiful white flowers all over it. "It has to be a box made of rowan and it needs to be lined with mirrors."

"Why does it need to be lined with mirrors?" Mike asked. "And why the certain type of wood?"

"I need to etch a spell in each piece of mirror. With the spell written on the mirror they will act as a barrier trapping the spirit inside." She spun the book around showing them the picture of the large tree. "This is the Rowan tree. Its wood acts as a barrier too."

"Oh." Grant interrupted from behind. "That's the tree you plant near an entrance to keep out evil spirits." His face lit up in a smile. "I remember you telling me about that." He said in a proud voice. It was obvious he wanted to show Tracy how much he had been paying attention to everything that she's been telling him.

"Yep." She smiled at him showing her excitement at his attentiveness. "I figure between the mirrors and the rowan, the box should hold him."

"Should?" Mike asked. He was looking for a more permanent solution. The idea of them putting themselves in danger for a maybe solution just didn't sit right. Warren had easily killed Emily and nearly Wes not to mention he began to drag Jen across the room and luckily for her, Emily had intervened and that all took seconds. "How long will this take? I mean to cast the spell or whatever? It's too dangerous to be in there for long."

"I can only say should Mike. This is stuff I've never done before so I can't guarantee anything I can only try."

"Do you think you can actually do it Trace?" He paused as he looked her in the eyes. "Honestly?" He glanced over towards Jen then back to Tracy. "Once he finds out what we are doing I have a feeling he isn't going to be happy so it's hard to say what he will do."

Tracy sat in silence looking down at her book. "I can do it." She looked back up at him with a look of confidence on her face. "If we can get everything we need I can do it."

Mike smiled whether it was real or not no one knew for sure. Either way judging by the new smile and look on Tracy's face she believed it to be real. "Ok then, what's the plan and what are we going to need?"

"The plan is to draw him out and get him near the box so we can trap him in it."

Mike smiled and let out a little laugh. "You make it sound like it is going to be that easy."

"Well that's pretty much the basis of it. I haven't really developed the entire plan yet. I was thinking though." Tracy picked up her book and began to flip through the pages, stopped and sat it back down so Mike and Jen could see it. "That." She pointed down at the picture.

"The tridecagon?" Mike said quickly.

"What?" Tracy asked in a surprised manner. "Tridecagon?"

Mike was smiling. "Yeah a thirteen sided polygon." He pointed at the picture in the book. "Tridecagon."

"Oh." Tracy paused and looked down at the picture. "You know I never really knew the technical name for it."

"Well what do you call it then?"

"Oh... Well, it's a trap; each side is made of a mirror. You see if you put the same written spell on each of the sides it acts as a trap for a spirit." Tracy began to trace the outline of the shape on the book. "We have to make one of the sides swing or slide down to close the shape." She pointed at the bottom most side. "Let's say this swung open." She moved her finger a few inches below the point she was at. "We get him to go in there through this, then close it on him and he will be stuck in there."

"Ok how do we do that and more importantly how do we get him in the box?" Mike asked.

"Not sure on the way to get him in there yet but I can wait in the middle and as soon as he is stuck in there with me I can trap him."

"No way." Mike's face became covered in an intense look as he began to feverishly shake his head. "No way, you trapped in there with him? He's dangerous and if he's cornered it's no telling what he will end up doing."

"I can get him in there." Jen said in a reluctant tone. "I mean if he's after me then he'll come in there after me right?"

"That's out of the question!" Mike was now on his feet. "You can't be serious! After what happened to you last time we were in there no way!" Mike sat down on the bed, his hands on his legs. "No way."

"I have to agree with him on this Jen. That is too risky." Tracy gave her a concerned look.

"What about Emily?" Grant turned to face Mike. "She stopped him from getting her before so maybe she can help again."

"Risky." Mike began to shake his head again. He laid back on the bed with his legs hanging off the side. "Anything we do is going to be risky, but..." He was fully prepared to put himself at risk but the idea of anyone else getting hurt made his insides feel as if a whole gym class had tied them into a knot and began to play tug of war with them.

As he closed his eyes the image of what had happened to Emily crawled back into his mind. He saw Emily strangled as he sat there scared and helpless unable to do anything about it. He brought his hands up and began to rub his eyes and as he did the image changed. It was no longer Emily it was now Jen and he wasn't the little boy anymore, he was himself now but still unable to do anything. "Damn it." He sat back up with a jolt trying to wipe the image from his mind. "We can't rely on Emily if she is near him what's to stop her from getting caught in the spell." He paused and began to wrack his brain trying to come up with an idea. "If only I could touch him lead him into the trap and hold him off of you Trace then you could be free and wouldn't have to worry about him hurting you mid spell."

"Yeah but you can't so we need to come up with something." It was Jen's turn to reject the plan. "I still say using me as bait is the best bet."

He began to open his mouth to shoot down her idea again but Grant spoke first. "Wait." He began to point at the book that lay open on the floor. "Hand me that."

"No." Tracy said. "I know what you're thinking and absolutely not."

"What?" Mike asked his gaze switching from Grant to Tracy and back again. "What is it? He reached down and grabbed the book off the floor and handed it to Grant.

Grant stared at Tracy debating whether or not he was going to go on with what he had started to say. He took a deep breath, decided to go with his idea, and began to flip through the pages of the book. "I remember reading something in here. I remember thinking how the idea of it was really neat and could be used for a lot of cool things and... here it is." He stopped flipping the pages, spun the book around, and handed it to Mike. "I don't know all the details but what happens is you are put in a trance and it allows your spirit to move around outside your body. You won't be able to physically move so it puts your physical form at risk. I can help keep an eye on your body and we can to keep it safe somehow. There has to be something in there about protecting your body, some kind of protection spell or something."

Mike began reading out loud. "Out of body..." His voice faded as he began to read silently the pages that sat in front of him. "Can this work?"

"Let me see it?" Jen said.

He didn't answer and looked up from the book to Tracy. "Can it?"

Jen, growing impatient, reached up and took the book from Mike and began to read.

"I don't know." Tracy began to shake her head. "They say it can but I have never done it nor have I ever even thought about attempting it."

"What about your aunt and..." Mike was cut off mid-sentence as Jen spoke out.

"Absolutely not." She looked up at Mike. "No way, did you read it all?"

"I skimmed."

"Yeah I figured that and no way." She handed the book back to Tracy. "I'm with Tracy on this no way."

"It's dangerous." Tracy closed the book. "I don't know if my aunt has ever done it. I have only ever known her to do charms and helpful spells. I didn't know she did anything like what she did for Wes and Emily."

"It's out of the question anyway." Jen blurted out. "So no reason to keep talking about it."

"Why not? It's a solid idea." Mike scooted back down on the floor. "Listen we use you as bait to get him into the mirror trap then we shut you two in with him." He pointed at Jen and Tracy. "You two, stuck in a trap with something that came in unseen and started to drag you off without any of us even noticing."

"He's right." Grant stood up and finally joined them on the floor. "You two in an enclosed space with an evil, powerful, and pissed off entity? You would both be dead before Tracy got the spell off. There is no way."

Tracy brought her knees up to her chest and sat her chin on them. "You have no idea how advanced this is. All the things that could go wrong."

"What choice do we have Trace? We have to get him in there so you can do your thing and trap him in the box. We can't use Emily; she could get caught in the box herself. You two would be killed in a matter of seconds if it's just you two in there."

"Then banish him." Jen interrupted. "Then we just banish him and be done with it."

"We can't without trying something else first." He looked into her eyes. "There is a chance they will get caught in that too. Tracy said herself there is a good chance of it. Wes didn't want that done cause he was afraid of losing Emily. If we can get rid of him without sacrificing Wes and Emily we have to try." He looked over to Tracy. "Tell me I'm not right. What choice do we have?"

Tracy sat there with her chin pressed against her knees in silence as they all stared at her. "The risks though. If I did it AND IF it actually worked..." She stared at Mike. "You want to fight a non-corporeal being in the plane that he lives. You would be in his realm, on his turf, and what he does to you there happens here. If he destroys your soul he destroys you. There will be no afterlife. No heaven, hell, reincarnation, or whatever you believe in. No sticking around to be with Wes and Emily you will cease to exist... period." She paused and shook her head. "That's what you're asking me to do you know. You're asking me to separate your soul from your body for a short period of time. You will be alone fighting a being that has lived in that realm for decades."

Mike smiled. "I won't be alone though will I?"

"How won't you be?" Jen asked.

"I'll only be alone while we are in the trap and that is to just keep him off you long enough to finish your spell. When I'm outside I'll have Emily."

"Right." Grant was shaking his finger towards Mike. "She just can't be inside the mirrors when you do the spell but she can be around till then. He won't be alone." He let out a smile. "She has fought him off before. She's stopped him from taking you." He pointed towards Jen. "So between the two of them it shouldn't be a problem."

"I won't do it unless Jen says it's ok." Tracy looked over to Jen. "I wouldn't expect someone to do something like this without my blessing so I won't do it without yours."

Jen started to shake her head but before she could open her mouth to speak Mike spoke out.

"It's a good plan and it's the only way to keep Tracy safe inside the trap. We have to try this." He reached out and took her hand. "I just found out that she is my mother. She gave her life to keep me safe I owe her and I owe Wes too."

Jen sat there in silence taking in everything that he just said. "You doing this will keep him off Tracy but we still need to get him in the circle of mirrors so..." Mike started to shake his head and open his mouth to speak but was instantly stopped. "Shut it." She said stopping him. "If you have to do that then I am doing this. I'm not going to just sit on the side lines like some helpless damsel and not be involved. So you want my blessing then I am helping too."

"That seems fair Mike." Grant said.

"Yeah I suppose it does."

"Then it's settled." Jen said as she gave her head a quick nod. "Tracy you better make a list of supplies." She tapped the book that sat in the middle of them all. "Then we need to get some sleep because tomorrow is game time."

Chapter 28

Supply Run

"I'll make a list." Tracy grabbed her book and began flipping through the pages. "I need some paper and a pen."

"I'll get it." Mike stood up and disappeared through the door. He quietly walked into his room down the hall and began searching for pen and paper on his old desk. It wasn't hard to find and he was back in the room with everyone else in no time at all. "Here ya go." He said as he handed her a notebook and pen.

"Thanks." She flipped open the notebook to the first blank page and began to write stopping here and there to flip the pages of her large spell book. "We are going to need a lot of stuff." She jotted a few more things down and finally closed her book and sat the notebook and pen on top of it. "Not going to be cheap and some of it will be tricky to find."

"Not a problem we can use tomorrow to get everything ready and then plan to do it the next day. What do you think?" Mike picked up the notebook and tore the paper out of it.

"Sounds good." Tracy picked up her book. "We should get some sleep." She stood up stepped over to her bag and put the book away.

"Agreed." Jen followed suit and stood up.

"Ok so we'll get some sleep then meet down stairs in the morning and go from there." Mike got to his feet. "Just meet down there when you get up no point and getting up at a certain time." He took Jen's hand and they made their way out of the room, down the hall, and into his old room.

Jen closed the door behind them then took off her bra and tossed it on the desk. "Do you think any of this is going to work?" She asked as she slid her pants to the ground and stepped out of them. "I mean it's all so much." She pulled the covers down on the bed and crawled in.

Mike took off his shirt and pants and joined her in bed. He pulled the covers up over them and then laid back in the bed. "I don't know... a few days ago no, but after everything that has happened I think it very well could." He wrapped his arm around her as she snuggled up next to him and placed her head on his chest then draped her arm over him. "Tracy seems pretty sure it will or it's possible anyway and we have to trust her."

"Yeah, it's just all so much." She began to rub her hand across his chest. "Did you decide if you were going to say anything to your mom and dad?"

"No I haven't. I don't see much point in saying anything. Not to mention if I do then they will just think you told me and that will cause problems so I'll probably just wait a while and see what happens."

"That's true. I was pretty adamant on them telling you so they probably would jump to that conclusion."

He began to stroke her hair as her head laid on his chest. "Get some sleep we have another busy day tomorrow."

"Yeah I suppose we do." She lifted her head and kissed him on the chest then laid her head back down. "Love you."

He leaned up and kissed the top of her head. "Love you too."

They laid there for hours both wishing they could fall asleep but both too busy thinking about what had happened and what could happen the next day. It wasn't till a couple hours later that sleep finally took her and he wasn't long after.

When Mike woke, Jen was still sleeping but at some point she had rolled off him and over on her side of the bed. He climbed out of bed as quietly as he could, trying hard not to wake her. He pulled on his pants and walked over to his bag of clothes and dug out a fresh shirt then made his way out the door quietly closing it behind him. He pulled his shirt over his head as he began to walk down the hall and then down the stairs. He saw that he was the first one up so he went to the kitchen and heated up some leftover food from last night and put on a pot of coffee. He took his plate of food to the table and sat down to eat. He was about half way done when he saw Tracy come down the stairs.

"Good morning." She said as she joined him at the table.

"Morning." He replied. "Hungry? Coffee?"

"Coffee sounds good. I can get it." She said as he began to get up. She made her way into the kitchen. "Did you want some?"

"Please." He took one more bite finishing off his food.

"Black right?" She asked as she poured the coffee into two cups she had gotten out of the cupboard above her head.

"Yeah, sugar is in the jar right beside the coffee pot and milks in the fridge if you want it."

"Ok." She ladled a few spoons full of sugar into her cup then walked to the fridge and topped her cup off with some milk. She joined him again at the table and handed him his cup of coffee. "Don't know how you can like it black."

He smiled as he took a sip. "Like is a strong word."

She laughed. "If you don't like it why drink it like that?"

"Healthier." He took another sip. "I am usually very picky about what I put into my body especially during the season so I just got used to drinking it this way."

"Makes sense."

"Yeah it's just a habit." He spun in his chair to face her. "Do you think this plan is going to work?"

"In theory... Yes." She took a sip of her coffee. "I have never done any of this before but I am going to try."

"Well it's worth a shot either way."

"Yeah I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited about trying these things but I can't guarantee anything." She opened her mouth to say something then stopped and took a sip of coffee.

"What is it Trace?" He asked noticing her sudden pause.

"We need to have a backup plan. I didn't want to say anything in front of Jen she is already worried you know." She sat her cup down on the table. "I mean just in case something doesn't work or something goes wrong."

Mike nodded. "I agree, if all else fails and people are in danger then I don't think we won't have much of a choice but for you to use the banishing spell."

Tracy nodded her head. "I don't think they would want anyone else to die so I think that is for the best."

"I actually did have a question." He began to swirl is coffee around in his cup. "I thought about it last night. Now if I am disconnected from my body will you be able to see me, can I get caught in the box, and if we have to resort to our backup plan will that affect me?"

"I should be able to see you but I can't say for sure. You will exist in the same realm as them but you will be different. You will still be tethered to your body so we will have to put your body somewhere in the house because you will only be able to move so far away from it."

"Ok so I won't be affected by the spells then."

"No it's for untethered spirits."

"How will you do what it is you are going to do to separate my spirit from my body? I didn't really read that far."

"Well I have to make a potion which you will have to drink and then say an incantation and it should work."

"A potion?" Mike smiled. "Like eye of newt and wings of a bat type potion."

Tracy smiled and gave him a half dirty look. "Ha, Ha, Ha."

He started to laugh. "Sorry I couldn't help it."

"I'm sure." She began to laugh too.

"What's so funny?" Jen asked as she stepped off the bottom step and into the hall.

"Oh I'm just an ass." Mike said as he stood up and walked out to the kitchen.

Jen made her way to the table and sat down in Mike's empty seat. "I agree."

Tracy smiled. "I said something about a potion and he made fun of it."

"I'm not surprised."

He brought a fresh cup of coffee out and sat it in front of Jen and kissed her, then sat in the chair across from her. "Morning babe."

"Morning." She blew on her coffee trying to cool it down enough to take a drink. After a few attempts she was finally able to take a small sip. "Am I the last one up?"

"No Grant isn't down here yet." He said as he grabbed his half empty cup of coffee.

"He got up a couple hours ago actually."

"Where is he?" Mike was surprised he hadn't seen him all morning but he only got up maybe an hour ago himself. "I didn't see him when I came down."

"He said he was going to get his car but when he got there he text and said he was going to hang out at the house for a bit."

"Did he take the key?" It just occurred to Mike that he never picked up the key off the coffee table where he sat it last night after he brought Jen back. He stood up and looked towards the table and sure enough the key was gone. "Looks like he did."

"I hope that's ok." Tracy said. "He gets impulsive when we are in the middle of regular investigations and considering this is something completely different I am honestly surprised he stayed in bed at all last night."

"Are you now!?" Jen asked as she whipped her head around to face Tracy. "And what exactly did you do to keep him in bed?"

Tracy's checks became red. "I didn't do anything."

"Well then what did he do to keep himself in bed?"

Tracy picked up her cup of coffee and took a large gulp of it. "He didn't do anything either we just laid there."

Jen smiled as she took a drink. "I get it." She shot Tracy a wink. "You can tell me when he leaves the room."

Mike smiled and shook his head. "Anyway..." He said to change the subject. "Do you want to text him and tell him we are all up?"

Tracy nodded and reached into her pants pocket and pulled out her phone. Her thumbs began to dance around the phone and a few seconds later it beeped indicating she got a text. "He said he'd be right over."

"Oh bullshit you two didn't do anything last night. Yesterday he didn't answer after you called him over and over, and today after one text he jumped right to it." Jen began to laugh. "You are such a slut."

Tracy's jaw dropped. "I am not." She let out a small laugh. "We just laid there and talked till I fell asleep. We were cuddling and he didn't want to wake me so he laid there till I woke up."

"If you say so." Jen took another drink of her coffee.

"So do you have that list?" Mike asked Tracy. "I left it in your room."

"Oh yeah..." She reached into her pocket and pulled out two sheets of paper.

"Wow we need that much?" Jen asked as she eyeballed the two sheets of paper as Tracy unfolded them.

"No I just divided it up" She slid one of the lists to Jen. "That half of the list is stuff that you'll probably have to get from a home supply place. The full length mirrors and stuff like that." Tracy flattened out the list that sat in front of her and showed it to Jen. "This stuff I have to go to a specialty store and I found one about an hour from here."

"Ok so we will get our stuff and you guys get yours and do we meet back here or Wes's?" Mike reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He opened it up pulled out a silver Master Card and handed it to Tracy. "Code is three four three four. There is plenty of money on there so don't worry about spending too much. Either use it at the store or get cash out doesn't matter."

Tracy reluctantly took the card. "Thank you."

"Don't need to thank me Trace. You're doing all this for me so Thank you."

Tracy smiled. "You're welcome."

The front door opened and Grant walked in. "I forgot to tell you Tracy, before I left last night I turned all the cameras and stuff on and let them run all night. I just watched some of it."

Tracy's face lit up with a smile. "You're kidding? Was there anything on it?"

"Let's just say you should pass the class with flying colors." Grant smiled as he made his way to the table and sat down across from Tracy. "The camera that was dragged up stairs caught some full bodies and some more of the eyes, which is insane since it's not even hooked up. The one in the little room with the drawings, well apparently Emily went in there and sat in the middle of the room for a while." His smile faded from his face as he turned to face Mike. "We don't have to use it though if you don't want us to. There are plenty of other things on camera and we even got some sounds and I think a little speech. Some of that I think was Emily so we don't have to use that bit either."

"Well even if we didn't have other stuff we still wouldn't use it." Tracy said. "I'm sure that was a private moment for her and I wouldn't show it to my class."

Mike smiled. "You would have to ask her that. If we rescue Wes I'm sure she'd be more than happy to let you use it."

"That's a good point. I guess she has the final say." Tracy smiled. "But back to business." Tracy said eagerly. "When you get back to Wes's don't unload anything till I get there I have an idea on how we can hide what we are doing till the last moment."

"Sounds good." Mike said. "Use that card to get something to eat too if you two get hungry I don't know how long it is going to take you to get everything and if the drive itself is an hour."

"Thank you." Grant said with a smile. "We better get started. We have a lot to do and the day is fading."

"Agreed." Mike nodded.

Mike, Jen, and Tracy finished getting ready and about fifteen minutes later they were all out the door and pulling out of the drive. They drove the same way for a while until Grant and Tracy turned off onto the highway while Mike and Jen kept on the road they were on until they reached the main street of the town. Stores and restaurants lined the street and it was clear they had reached the business center of town.

"What all do we need to get anyway?" He asked as he pulled out onto the main street.

"Lots of full length mirrors, a hundred feet of thick rope, ten feet of twine, an outside turkey deep frying set, propane gas, and a few other little things."

Mike couldn't help but smile at the list of needed items. "Turkey fryer, what does she need that for?"

"I don't know but it's on here." She folded the list back up and slid it back into her purse. "Well where do we start?"

"Well, I'd say the Home Depot. I imagine we'll be able to knock it all out there. Depending on what the other things are I guess."

"Things we can get at Wal-Mart."

"Well to Home Depot we go then." He said with a smile.

When they got there they each grabbed a cart and began their search for all the items on the list. As it turned out they actually were able to find everything they needed but a handful of items in one stop. They began loading their carts with all their supplies and then some. When they filled both of their carts and the list was only half way done they both became aware of the problem they were about to have.

"There is absolutely no way all of this is going to fit in the car." Mike said as he stuck the turkey fryer in his cart. "What are we going to do?"

"Can we rent a truck?" Jen checked the turkey fryer off the list. "We still have at least another cart worth of stuff yet. It's not so much the quantity it's that everything is so big."

"How did we overlook this small yet important aspect of the list?" Mike peeked at the list in Jen's hand. "A fire pit? What do we need a fire pit for?"

"I don't know sweetie but it's on the list so it's in the cart." She started pushing her cart and he followed. "We need to rent a truck though there is no other way around it."

"Yeah let's see if we can stash these somewhere and go do that, then come back and pay for it." Mike followed Jen up to the front of the store where they made their way to the customer service desk. After explaining their situation to the lady at the desk and she was done chuckling at it, she was more than happy to let them set their carts to the side and return to get them.

They began calling around trying to find a rental place that had a truck available right now and after calling the third place they finally got lucky. An hour, a long drive, and plenty of paper work later Mike was following Jen back to Home Depot.

They made their way back into the store and the lady waved at them as soon as they walked through the doors. They grabbed their carts checked out and took it all out and loaded it into the truck.

"Well that's round one." Mike said as he shut the tailgate of the truck. "Now for round two."

They only ended up needing the one cart this round. Turns out most of the other things weren't as bulky as the stuff on the first part of the list.

"We only need thirteen mirrors." Jen said as Mike piled mirror after mirror in the cart.

"I have an idea though and I figured a couple extra just in case couldn't hurt."

"Whatever you say dear." She said in a condescending tone. "Whatever you say..."

"Trust me." He put the last mirror in the cart and they made their way up to the register to check out.

As they got to the register the cashier gave them a strange look obviously wondering why they were buying thirty full length mirrors.

"He loves to look at himself." Jen said in response to her look.

"Can you blame me?" Mike said with a smile as he flexed his arm. "I am just Oh So Pretty." He kissed his flexed bicep.

The cashier laughed as she began to ring them up and a couple minutes later they were on their way out of the store for the last time. They made their way out to the truck and Mike carefully piled the mirrors in the back. The trip they thought would only tank one hour, was now going on to its third.

"What all do we need now?" He asked when he returned from dropping off the cart in the return. "Can't be much left."

Jen pulled the list back out and began to check what was left. "We need six gallons of water and some fresh herbs."

"That's it?"

"Yeah that's it. We could just go to a grocery store for that."

Mike nodded and they both climbed into their respective vehicles. Jen pulled out and Mike followed. They made their way to the grocery store and were in and out in minutes as opposed to hours with the last stop. They even had time to grab a quick bite to eat from the little café that was inside the store. Once everything was put away in the car they climbed into their vehicles and made their way back home.

When they pulled in the drive at Wes's, Grant and Tracy hadn't made it back yet.

"Wonder when they are going to make it back?" Jen was standing by the truck waiting for Mike to climb out. "I'd text but think they need their alone time." She said with a smile. "If they aren't back soon then I'll call."

"Sounds like a plan to me. It's only two so we have plenty of time. We can take the car to mom and dad's house then walk back so the drive isn't full."

She nodded and after he emptied the supplies out of the car and into the truck they climbed in and drove to his parent's house. By the time they dropped the car of, did a couple things in the house, and talked to Mike's parents for a bit, Grant and Tracy were ready and waiting for them when they got back.

"Well how did it go?" Mike asked

"Great got everything we needed." Grant answered. "How about you two?"

"Well once we got this baby." Mike pointed at the large truck. "It went pretty smooth."

"Well is everyone ready to get started?" Tracy looked around at everyone. Once she got nods and or yeses from everyone a smile came across her face. "Ok hand me the rope."

Chapter 29

Preparation

Tracy took the piece of rope and began to rub each end on the pavement driveway. When each end was well frayed she brushed the ends off and dug a lighter out of her pocket. She turned to Grant. "Here hold these two ends together."

Grant took the rope and pressed the two ends together.

Once Tracy was satisfied on the way it looked she lit the lighter and slowly began to run the flame around the rope successfully fusing the two sides together to make a solid piece of rope. She walked to the car she and Grant drove and reached in a brown cloth sack and pulled out a small paper package. "Ok follow me." They all followed Tracy who made her way to the large side yard and found the clearest, fenced in area she could. "Make a large circle out of the rope." She undid the brown paper package that was in her hand while the three stretched out the rope making it into as near a perfect circle as they could. "Ok everyone in the center." Everyone made their way silently into the center of the circle and Tracy began to slowly walk around the inside edge sprinkling the contents of the package on the rope as she walked. No one spoke as she made her way around the circle. Once she was done she joined them in the middle. "This will keep out spirits so none can enter and if I'm right they won't even be able to see inside."

"We can test that can't we?" Jen asked. "I mean if we find Emily?"

"I can go see if I can get her." Mike said. "Think we should let her in on the plan anyway."

"Ok that's a good idea but before you go." Tracy ran to the car and dug out her large book of spells then came running back. "Ok everyone stand together please." She opened the book and began to flip through the pages till she came upon the page she was looking for. "Ok let me get in the middle of you three." She lined them all up so they surrounded her. "By the dragon's light, on this January night I call to thee to give me your might. By the power of three I conjure thee to protect all that surrounds me. So mote it be, so mote it be."

They stood there in silence unsure of what to do now.

Tracy closed her book and smiled. "That was a protection spell it should keep you safe when you're in the house. Just a warning though... Warren is a powerful entity so it will only hold up to so much before it fades so still be careful." She turned to face Mike who was standing to her right. "Find Emily and bring her out so we can see if she can see into the circle then I can cast a spell that will let her and only her in."

"Ok I'll try and find her." Mike made his way towards the house while everyone else began unloading the items per Tracy's instructions.

Mike made his way into the house and headed straight upstairs. He figured if she was anywhere she would be in the room with the wardrobe or the one with the drawings. He tried the drawings first but she wasn't there. Maybe she doesn't want to be seen right now. He thought to himself. Set on finding her though he made his way to the wardrobe and sure enough there she was standing at the back of the room watching out the window. "Hi." He whispered as he slowly walked to her.

"Hello." There was sadness in her voice. "I have been watching you all going in and out of the side yard."

"Oh?" Mike was now standing beside her looking out the window down into the side yard. "What all have you seen?"

"Well I saw a lot and then nothing at all."

"That's great." He shot her a smile. "Follow me." He led the way out the back door and into the side yard. He could see the three hard at work. They had already set up the fire pit in the middle of the circle and Tracy had the turkey fryer just about set up. "Stay here for a sec." He walked into the circle. "Trace!"

Tracy turned around to see Mike as he pointed to Emily. She waved not thinking about how she wasn't supposed to be able to see her. She noticed though that she didn't wave back. "It's working?"

Mike nodded. "She was watching us from the upstairs window. She said she saw everything one second and then nothing."

"That's amazing! Can you finish hooking this up I'm not sure I have it right." She walked over to her book that she had sat down next to the fire pit, picked it up and began flipping through the pages, stopping on the one she wanted. She skimmed down the page then sat it back down. "Be right back." She quickly walked out of the circle. "Hey Em be right back." She said as she walked by her and went straight to Grant's car. She dug through the brown cloth bag pulling out a few of the little brown wrapped packages and made her way back to the circle once again disappearing from Emily's sight. She unwrapped the little packages and dumped the contents of each one into the middle of the fire pit and began to toss them together. She pulled the lighter back out of her pocket and lit them. The smoke began to rise into the air. "Guardians of the spirit realm hear and guide my plea. Let my words ring true and bring our beloved Emily to me. Other souls who hear my call are not welcome in this place. Only the one in which I called may enter this sacred place." It was obvious it had instantly worked because she could see Emily looking around at all the stuff that was now in the circle. Smiling, Tracy waved for her to come in the circle.

"What is all this?" Emily asked as she stood next to Tracy looking around at all the different items spread out on the ground.

"We are going to rescue Wes and get rid of Warren."

"How?"

Mike who had just hooked up the propane to the now ready to use turkey fryer saw that Emily was now in the middle of the circle. He made his way to the middle where they stood. "You tell her?" He asked Tracy who nodded her head in response.

"Not the details." Emily said. "How are you planning on doing this?"

"You two talk I have some stuff to do." Tracy not wanting to be the one to tell Emily about the risky plan walked over to where Jen and Grant were stacking the mirrors. She said a few words to them and they all started walking towards the vehicles to get some more supplies.

"We came up with a plan. It's pretty solid so don't be worried." Mike began to explain about Tracy being related to Stella and then began telling her how they planned to rid the house of Warren and free Wes. "So as you can see we'll need your help for some of it."

"It's too risky. If something were to happen to you I..." She stopped midsentence. "I couldn't bare it, not again."

"Tracy knows what she is doing. She has done this already." He pointed to the rope that was on the ground around them. "It's working so I have every bit of faith in her abilities."

Emily looked over towards Tracy who was instructing Grant to pour the water into the giant pot that came with the turkey fryer. "Still what you plan to do is..."

Jen who had dropped off the last of the bags she had gotten from the grocery store next to Tracy was now walking towards Emily and Mike.

"Are you ok with all this?" She asked Jen as she now stood next to Mike.

"It scares me to no end." Jen said as she took Mike's hand. "But I trust Tracy and we can't just sit by and not do anything. Wes is his best friend and you're." She paused

"My mother." Mike finished it. "That aside, he needs to be dealt with. I'm not going to stand by and let him have the opportunity to kill again."

Emily stood in silence taking in all that Mike had said.

"It's a good plan, it really is." Jen said. "It allows you to help but still keeps you out of harm's way at the end. You stopped him from taking me so it's obvious you're strong so you should be able to keep Mike safe enough."

"You can't talk us out of it so there is no use in trying." He said as he noticed a look of concern cross Emily's face.

"Then what can I do to help?"

"Well, let's ask the boss lady." He said with a smile then he turned and started walking with Jen and Emily in tow. "What is this for?" He asked Tracy as he reached her just in time to see her dump in the contents of another one of the little brown packages.

"Well..." She turned the knob on the propane tank, pulled out her lighter, and lit the burner underneath the giant pot. "Once I add my eye of newt and a few toad legs it'll be ready for you to drink."

"Oh." Mike said in a disgusted tone. He had no idea what all was going into it but the idea of drinking it wasn't pleasant. "Emily wants to know what she can do to help." He finally said as he tore himself away from the image of Tracy adding bits of toad to the water.

"Right now not much but when we actually start, a lot." It was easy for Tracy to tell that Emily was disappointed with this. "If you could let us know what is happening in the house that would be amazing. If he starts to expect something is going on it could make things worse. You are the only one who can keep good tabs on him."

Emily nodded and her disappointment lightened some. It wasn't much but it was better than nothing.

"Oh I had an idea with the mirrors." Mike was happy to change the conversation. "As you can see I got extra mirrors. I thought if we could connect two of them together to make one side it would make our trap a bit bigger." He kneeled down and began to draw a small replica of the upstairs of the house. "So the way the bedroom right at the top of the stairs is laid out we could actually put the entrance to our trap in line with the doorway."

"What about the bed?" Emily asked.

"I thought about that and with the new size of the tridecagon the bed should fit right in the middle. That's where you will be waiting and also that's where I can be too, lying comfortably behind you."

"Sounds good." Tracy said.

"Once we have Warren in the trap Jen can slide the last piece in place as she leaves. Then you can do your thing and bam game over."

"I thought I was going to be in there with you two?" Jen asked.

"We agreed to let you lure him in there." He answered back.

"Listen I am going to be in there. If I am in there then it will make it that much easier for Trace to do what she has to do."

Mike opened his mouth to respond but she cut him off.

"End of it Michael. I am not letting you two take all the risk the more things going on in there the more of an overload it'll be for him."

"She's right." Emily said with a smile.

"See." Jen smiled at her and then turned to walk towards Grant who had one too many mirrors in his hands.

"I like her." Emily said in a whisper.

"Yeah me too." Mike smiled. "I am going to go work on the mirrors and get them all ready. I want to try and get them so we just have to carry them up and fan them open."

"Ok Just be smart about everything and don't take anything in the house till the last minute. It needs to be a surprise in order to give you better odds." Emily smiled and waved before she turned and vanished into the house.

"Oh Mike!" Tracy shouted as he had begun to walk towards Jen and Grant. "Here." Tracy grabbed her book and opened it up and began flipping through it. "Take this and on every mirror somewhere around the middle draw this symbol."

"How big and with what?"

"Ask Grant for the tool we got and make it pretty big. There aren't any specifications on size but no harm in making it as big as you can." She stopped turning the pages when she finally found what she was looking for. "Make it as exact as you can though."

He took the book. "I can do that."

"I will come over and help when I can let this simmer."

"Yeah about that." He leaned over and examined the boiling contents of the giant pot. "Two things, first why are you making so much and second how sick is that going to make me?"

"It's the recipe. It's so you can have a store of it and I honestly didn't feel like messing with the ingredients. It has to be exact for it to work." Tracy opened up another package and began to empty the contents into the boiling concoction. "It shouldn't make you sick it's just herbs and a few other things nothing harmful." She looked up at Mike with a smile. "I can't guarantee anything about the taste though. My guess is it's going to go down kinda rough."

"Right." He took one last glance in the pot and shook his head before he walked off to join Jen and Grant by the mirrors.

The four worked diligently through the day only breaking once when they sent Jen off for some food and drinks. As the sun slowly vanished and the bright sky gave way to darkness the four finished off their last bit of work they could do in such low light. One by one they gathered around the middle of the circle where there was a small fire burning in the metal fire pit.

Tracy was the last one to join the middle as she was ladling a small portion of the contents of the giant pot she had been tending for most of the day into a small glass container. "I think we are just about set for tomorrow."

Mike who was eyeing the glass container in Tracy's hand began to nod in agreement. "Just have a couple more mirrors to fit together. We should give it a test unfolding and then it's all set." He made his way behind Jen and wrapped his arms around her. "When are we doing this?"

"Think we should start right around dusk. We need him active and we have a better shot of that around that time." Tracy let out a smile as Grant imitated Mike and wrapped his arms around her.

Mike nodded as they stood there watching the small fire slowly fade into smoldering coals readying themselves for the trials to come the next night.

Chapter 30

Out of Body

"The last one." Mike was etching the symbol from Tracy's book on the last mirror of the stack. "My wrist is starting to hurt so thank God."

"We still need to connect it."

"Well Grant that's what you are for." Mike smiled as he finished his last line and began to rotate his wrist in small circles. "I need to start working out again this is ridiculous." It had just occurred to him that he hasn't worked out since before his last game.

Grant took the mirror and attached it to the others. "All done."

The sun was fading as they began to take their stuff into the house. The lists of supplies had managed to combine themselves into only a handful of items. The biggest being the stack of mirrors that Mike and Grant were now lugging up the steps. After they brought it into the room they stood it up against the wall and began to rearrange the room so they could accordion out the mirrors to make their thirteen sided trap.

"I don't think we can keep the bed in here." Grant said.

"I think you are right." Mike said as he began to stare at the bed in the middle of the room. "This worked out better in my head."

They began to dismantle the bed and take it into the room with the wardrobe. Since it had the most open space it would be the fastest way to get it out of the room they were in.

"That's better." Jen said as they had the mirrors set up in the now empty room.

Inside the trap had begun to brighten from the ceiling light that was shining down and bounced from mirror to mirror and it seemed like it just continued to intensify.

"Kill the light Jen." Mike said as he started squinting and covering his eyes to keep the intense light out of them.

The room immediately darkened as she turned off the light. There was just enough light coming in through the window that allowed them to finish readying the room. Tracy hurriedly began to scatter candles all around the floor inside the trap. As she finished the sun had all but vanished over the horizon.

The four stood inside the trap in silence, a bead of sweat rolled down Grant's forehead.

Jen stood biting her nails the events of the last time she was in here still at the forefront of her mind.

They all had their own worries and thoughts; Mike's being something happening to someone and him not being able to save them.

Tracy was feeling the pressure of everyone and everything relying on her doing things she had never done before, a fear that kept her up all night. The silence was broken when Emily appeared just outside the doorway.

"So this is it?" She asked from the door way as she looked at the many mirrors now making a near perfect tridecagon. "He has been stirring ever since you set it up."

"Does he know what it is?" Tracy made her way out into the hallway with Emily.

"Not exactly but it's not hard to know it is something for him to fear." Emily forcefully turned her head to face Tracy as if she had to struggle to take her eyes off of the marked mirrors inside the room. "It has a very strange feeling about it. It feels like there is a vacuum drawing me in."

"You should stay away then Em." Tracy responded. "No point in taking chances especially right now."

"Does he know Jen is here?" Mike asked as he too joined her in the hall.

Emily shook her head as she had to pull her gaze out of the room once again. "Not that I know of. The last time I could feel him lust after her." The look of concern that overtook Mike's face was hard to miss. "I don't feel anything like that now and it won't be a surprise this time."

He forced a grin and nodded then turned to Tracy. "We need to handle my part Trace."

"Yeah we better start." She reached into the small cloth bag that previously held her many brown paper wrapped packages and pulled out the vile of liquid she had made last night. "You sure you want to do this?"

"Yeah I'm sure." He made his way into the room of mirrors and sat down at the very back of it. "What do I do?"

Tracy handed him the vile of liquid with a bit of a smile. "Have to drink all of this when I tell you to. I can't guarantee it isn't going to be the most horrible thing ever though."

"Yum." He was holding the vile up examining it, glad the light from outside had faded enough so he couldn't really get a good look at it. "Looks kinda like tea."

"It might now." Tracy said as she turned and began to light the candles she had placed earlier.

Jen walked over to Mike and kneeled down in front of him. "Please be careful." She gave him a kiss on his lips then one on his forehead before she made her way back over by Grant.

The light from the candles was magnified by the mirrors and the center of the room began to glow again. She opened up her book to the pre-marked page then reached back into the bag and pulled out a large piece of white chalk. "I'll clean this up later Em." She said with a quick glance out into the hall which was now aglow from the light coming out of the mirrored enclosure. "Ok." She said turning back to face Mike. "Drink up and then get into a comfortable laying position."

Mike gulped down the liquid as fast as he could. As he did his eyes clinched and his nose upturned. Afraid of it coming back up he decided to not say anything and just lie down on his back with his hands resting on his stomach. His heart began to race as he began to breath heavy. What the hell am I doing? He asked himself as Tracy approached.

She knelt down beside him and began to draw different symbols near his upper and lower halves. "Body sleep mind awake. Body sleep mind awake." She opened another vile of liquid she had sitting on her book and dabbed it on her finger then made marks on his forehead. "As your body shall sleep your mind shall awaken." She dabbed another bit of liquid and retraced the marks on his forehead. "The soul shall become free of the vessel." She began to drizzle some of the liquid around the top of his head. "You shall be free to roam as you please to explore another realm." She placed her hand on his forehead and closed her eyes.

His breathing began to slow as his chest began to rise and fall in a much more controlled rate. A second later his hands began to slowly slide off his body till they were resting on the floor at his sides.

Jen stood near the side with her nails in her mouth chewing away. "Oh my God." She rapidly repeated under her breath.

Grant reached up and placed his hand on her shoulder trying to calm her down.

The candles began to dim as Tracy continued. "With the aide of the guardians I release you. You are released from your vessel." The candles dimmed almost to the point of being extinguished before coming back to life and burning brightly again. Tracy removed her hand from his forehead.

"Is he ok? Did it work?" Jen asked as she took a step towards the two.

"I don't know." Tracy said as she began to examine Mike's body. His breathing had become so slight that it looked as though he might not have been breathing at all. "I don't know." She began to look around but saw nothing. She was unsure if she would anyway so she began hoping for some kind of sign.

"Something happened; did you see how the candles reacted?" Grant was now looking around too.

"Mike?" Jen kneeled down beside his body and began gently rubbing his hand. "Are you ok?" Just then she felt a chill rise up her arm as the candles began to flutter again. She instinctively pulled her hand away. "What was that?" She asked as the candles returned to normal.

Tracy sprung up her mouth agape as she stared off in front of her.

*****

As mike stood up the feeling of Jen rubbing his hand faded away. It had become hard to hear clearly. He could tell they were talking but he couldn't quite focus it in. I can't see... Are my eyes closed? They don't feel like they are. He thought to himself as he stood still, trying to shake the fog out of his head. "What the hell is going on?" He spoke but no one responded. He tried clearing his head again. Trying to focus on the words he was hearing but without success. They were still coming in mumbled. He raised his hands and began to rub his eyes trying to get them to open but when he was done everything was still black.

"Michael."

He heard this voice. It was faint but he could make it out unlike the others. "Where are you?"

"I am right outside the room. Follow my voice."

The voice came through a bit louder this time. He turned towards the direction he thought the voice was coming from and began to walk. The darkness that made up his vision began to break as a slight streak of light began to penetrate the darkness.

"That's right, you're doing good."

I know that voice. It's Emily's voice. He thought as he continued to slowly make his way towards the voice. With every step came less confusion and even the mumbled voices started to become clear.

"He's ok Jen." He heard Tracy say from behind him.

As He stepped out into the hall everything came hurling back to him. As he looked around and back into the room his vision became foggy again. He reached up and rubbed his eyes attempting to rub the fog away. Everyone, including his motionless body all had a greyness to them as if they were out of an old picture.

"It's not your eyes sweetie." Emily said from behind him.

Mike turned to face her. He was shocked at what he saw. She stood in front of him and looked as alive as anyone he had ever seen. He turned back into the room and it occurred to him that everyone looked exactly like Emily used to look to him. "What's going on?" He turned back to see her smiling.

"You are in my realm now so things that don't exist here are blurry and faded."

"But the house looks normal."

"This house exists here too."

"How?" He began to look around the house. "How does it exist in both?"

"The only thing Wes and I were able to come up with is that it has something to do with the way it was built and the things that were done here."

"He was in some kind of cult wasn't he?"

Emily nodded. "From what Wes could find we believe so."

"From what Tracy found out from her aunt he was in to a lot of bad things all around. After hearing about what he did here... I would bet a million dollars there is a lot of negative energy here."

"It appears that he wanted a place to go after he died." Emily shook her head.

"I wonder if this place had anything to do with you not being able to move on."

"I'm not sure." She reached up and placed her hand on his check. "I am not sad if it did though. I've gotten to see you grow up."

He stood there silent unsure on what to say or how to feel. His hand slowly moved up till it pressed against her warm hand, something he hadn't felt in a long time. "I can feel you."

She nodded as tears began to form and roll down her face.

Smiling he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close giving her a hug.

*****

"Why are you crying Tracy?" Jen asked in a frantic voice. "What's going on?"

"Oh I'm sorry." She wiped the tears off of her face. "It's just so beautiful."

"What is?" Jen and Grant asked in unison.

"Oh god... Sorry..." She pointed out in the hall. "Mike and Emily are hugging. She started to cry and then I couldn't help it."

Jen and Grant stared out in the hall unable to see anything.

Chapter 31

Springing the Trap

As they stood there looking into the hallway a loud noise came from the other side of the house. It sounded as though someone had slid a large piece of furniture across a wooden floor.

"You hear that?" Grant asked.

"Yeah." Tracy answered.

Jen nodded but didn't speak.

"I think it's starting." Tracy noticed Mike and Emily staring off in the direction of the noise so she made her way to join them.

"He sensed Mike shift." Emily turned back to face her.

"Must have pissed him off." Mike said.

"I think we did."

Mike turned back and looked at Tracy. "You can hear me?"

"Yeah."

"What about them?" He pointed back towards Jen and Grant.

"No not yet."

"Oh..." He paused looking in at Jen. "Told her I was ok?"

She smiled. "Of course."

He nodded. "So I guess it's time. Better start getting your stuff ready so we can trap this son of a bitch." He said as he turned back towards the direction of the noise. "Keep Jen in there for a bit till we see if we can lure him this way ourselves."

"Ok." Tracy turned back into the room and walked to her bag.

Mike and Emily began to walk towards the sound. They slowly made their way down the hall. Mike was unsure of how things would react to him while he was like this. He started wondering if he could walk through walls and other objects. Thinking about it now he wasn't sure he ever saw Emily walk through anything. She had always just appeared. Now is not the time, I'll ask later. He thought to himself, trying to stay focused on the situation at hand instead of silly things like this.

Emily made her way through the doorway of the spare room across from the room with the wardrobe. "Came from this direction." She made her way to the far wall and placed her hands against it. "Put your hands here."

As Mike placed his hands on the wall he noticed just how solid it felt and it answered his question about walking through walls and it made him glad he didn't actually ask it.

"Do you feel that?" She asked

"Solid." He replied as he patted his hand against it.

"Not that." She couldn't help but laugh. "Don't think about anything just feel."

He stood there with his hands pressed against the wall and just when he was about to give up, he felt it. The wall almost felt like it was vibrating. "I feel it." The more he concentrated on the feeling the stronger it seemed to get. "What is it?"

"Energy." She lifted her hands from the wall and took a step back. "It's his room it's full of dark energy."

He followed her lead and backed away from the wall.

"The closer you get the stronger it is. That was through a thick wall so what it's like inside I can't even imagine..." Her voice trailed off. "Don't want to."

"And that's where Wes is?"

Emily nodded her head. "We need to get down stairs. There is only one way in and out of there." She began to make her way back out the door and through the hall.

As they passed the room they saw that Tracy was now kneeling in the middle of the room with a small black wooden box in front of her and her book to her side. She had a few trays of different things laid out in front of her. They also saw that beside Mike's body sat Jen with his hand in hers.

"She loves you." Emily said as she began to descend the stairs.

"Yeah she does. She is amazing. Not sure what I'd do without her. She keeps me on track."

"So you love her then."

"More than anything."

As they made their way through the large great room they saw Grant sitting at the table they had set up as home base just a few days before. He was watching the monitors as he held a walkie in one hand. They passed him without as much as a glance in their direction.

"No one but Tracy can see us." He said as they passed him. "Tracy explained it to me. How only people who you want to see you can see you."

"Yeah it comes with time I can do it at will but it took a while before I was able to control it."

"It must have been rough having to relearn how to live." He said as they came to a stop outside the open door to the hidden stairwell. "Lonely too."

"Yes it was." She began to stare up the stairs. "He's still there."

As Mike was gazing up the stairs he could feel his emotions begin to change. Up to this moment he had been feeling quite anxious about being in the situation he was in. But when he came to the hidden stairs he started to feel angry and a little cautious. "What's going on?" He asked as the new emotions began to take over his. They felt odd though, almost like the feeling you get while you watch a scary movie. You begin to feel fear for the people on the screen knowing in your head it's all fake and they are perfectly safe.

"This is his house it's connected to him. As he gets angry the house gives of a similar energy and makes it easy to feel his mood. That's how I knew he was going after Jen the other night."

As they stood there waiting they heard the door at the top of the steps slam open. That wasn't the most unsettling part though. As the noise of the slamming door subsided a low guttural growl began emanating from the stairwell.

"What the hell is that?" Mike asked as he took a step back.

"It's him." Emily said as she stood her ground.

The house thumped with each slow step he took down the stairs. The feeling of anger that Mike had started feeling earlier began to intensify. The thumps began to become louder and louder as he moved down the stairs. The growling was right behind the doorway ready to burst through at any moment.

Then nothing, the attack that Mike was expecting didn't happen. He was expecting the dark man with the glowing red eyes to burst through at any moment but it never came. Just as he had accepted the silence and nothing happening there was a loud scream that came from upstairs on the other side of the house.

"Jen!" He yelled as he took off running through the house. He baited us. He thought as he flew through the great room. He looked towards the direction he expected to see Grant at the monitors but he wasn't sitting there watching. He was laid out on the floor not moving, his walkie a good four feet from his body. Mike started to slow down to check on him.

"Keep going." Emily said from behind him. "I'll check."

Mike sped up and was now in the front room. He began going up the steps three at a time and soon he was on the top of the stairs not being able to slow down at the sudden stop he slammed into the wall across from the top step.

Another thing he hadn't given much thought about was pain, but he found out he could definitely feel it. As he brought himself off the wall he was reminded once again that he could feel pain as he was grabbed from behind and thrown down to the ground.

"What are you doing in my house boy?" A foul voice asked from behind him. The voice was the most unnatural thing he had ever heard. It was a low voice that had a bit of a southern twang but it wasn't alone in speaking. Every word rang twice as if it had an echo. The echo was quieter but twice as menacing. It sounded like a growl that was manipulated into a word, much more animal than human. "What the hell are you doing in my house again?"

Mike tried to bring himself to his feet but a foot to his back slammed him back to the ground. He let out a loud groan as his face smashed against the floor. "Son of a bitch." He tried to stand again and made it to his knees before he was grabbed by the back of the neck lifted off the ground and slammed face first into the wall.

It was clear to Mike that though he could feel pain he couldn't bleed or break bones. As his face hit the wall he knew he should have felt his nose crush under the force but never felt the trickle of warm blood that should have come with a broken nose. The force that had been slamming him here and there was now grinding his face against the wall. I have to do something. He desperately thought to himself. He did the first thing that came to mind. He raised his hands up and pressed them against the wall and with all his might he pressed. The force that was manhandling him must have been caught off guard because they flew away from the wall and he felt himself slam against the form as they hit the opposite wall. After the initial impact they fell hard to the ground.

He tried to get back to his feet but as he picked himself up he felt a hand grab him. How the hell? He thought as he braced for another incoming of pain, but it never came. The hand gently helped him up to his feet.

"Are you ok?" Emily asked as she helped steady him on his feet. "Grant is ok, just knocked out."

"Bitch!" The horrid animal like voice said. "You good for nothing worthless little whore!"

Mike stood there as he watched him get to his feet. The image of the man, if that is what you want to call him, wasn't what he expected. Instead of being of color and vividness like he saw Emily. The image of Warren Montgomery had managed to get worse. His body was still as black as it had been the day he first saw him but it looked as though a dark smoke was rising off of his body, as if he was a smoldering fire. His eyes were a dark blood red but flickered like tiny fires burning in side by side fireplaces.

"You son of a..." Mike lunged forward bringing his fist down square across what should be the jaw of Warren. "Bitch!" Warren slammed back down to the ground but the impact reverberated up Mike's arm to his elbow causing him a fair amount of pain in the process. He did all he could to not show the discomfort he was feeling. "Jen!?" He yelled as he whipped himself around and made his way to the room he had left her in. Relief filled him as he saw her and Tracy huddled at the back of the mirrored enclosure.

"Mike and Emily are out there now." Tracy said to Jen as she stood and began to walk to the front of the mirrors. "He came out of nowhere."

"Get ready." Mike told her. He turned to face Warren who was now sitting with his back against the wall where he fell to the ground. "How the hell did you get up here?"

Warren began to laugh. "This is my house... my creation! I can do what I please in here. I am completely unrestricted here just like I was in life." He shot a smile at Mike. "I do what I please just like I killed that little whore of a mother of yours and just like I am going to destroy that little shit of a friend of yours! When I'm done with them the things I am going to do to that sweet little piece of ass in there."

"Is that so?"

"Oh it very much is." He began to laugh as he glared at Mike.

"Not anymore." Mike slowly walked to him reaching down he grabbed him by the neck and began to raise him.

"Michael be care..." Was all Emily had gotten out before Warren had grabbed Mike's hand tore it from his neck and slammed him against the wall.

"You little shit." He spun him around and launched him down the stairs.

Mike slammed against the wall, he dropped four feet to the middle landing of the stairs where he crumbled to the ground on impact.

"No!" Emily and Tracy yelled together.

Jen screamed in the far room as Mike's physical body began to shake. "Tracy what is going on?!" She threw herself on his body as tears ran down her face.

Emily lunged towards Warren but was easily thrown to the side. She collapsed as she slammed against the wall making a sickening thud.

"You should know better than this little girl." Warren began to slowly walk towards Emily who was picking herself off the ground. "I told you if you didn't do as I said, I'd destroy your little piss ant of a husband!" He kneeled down and grabbed a handful of her light brown hair and began to raise her up. "Didn't I? After I kill your sweet little boy down there and his little friends I am going to make you watch as I destroy every bit of poor little Wesley." Emily's feet were now inches off the ground as he held her in the air by her hair.

"Please!" She managed to say through gritted teeth. She was trying to grab his arm to hold herself up but he shook her hands off everytime she could get ahold. She tried to say more but the pain was inhibiting her ability to speak.

"Please? Please?!" He yelled back in his beastly echoed voice as his lips curled into a smile. The anger behind his voice was enough to make anyone cringe. "And just what are you willing to do to save your little." He let out a groan as his hand released Emily and he dropped down to one knee.

Mike had managed to pick himself up and make his way back up the steps. He had driven his fist as hard as he could right in the back of Warren's neck. He raised his arm up again and with all his might slammed his fist back down against his neck. "Screw you asshole." He wrapped his arms around Warren's torso lifted him off the ground and began to drag him towards the opening of the mirrors. "Tracy! Be ready!" He yelled.

Warren began thrashing about trying to break free but they were too close and he had started too late. "No!" He yelled as they were on the verge of the entrance.

"Shut up you bastard!" Mike yelled and with one great effort he managed to launch himself and Warren through the entrance way of the mirrored trap.

"Jen! Now!" Tracy yelled as the two struggling men landed in front of her.

Jen pulled herself off of Mike's body and ran to the entrance so she could slide the last mirror in place, effectively closing the trap.

Chapter 32

The God of Warren Montgomery

Tracy lunged forward and picked up her bag. She reached inside and pulled out two little brown packages and two vials of clear liquid. "Jen help me." She kneeled down in front of the small wooden box and began to open one of the packages.

Jen ran over and fell to her knees and opened the other one. She was unable to see the two thrashing around in front of her but she knew they were in with them and could tell from Tracy's manic state that they needed to hurry.

Mike was struggling to keep Warren in his arms. Catching him by surprise gave him the upper hand but Warren was stronger than he had ever imagined he would be. His hands that were keeping his arms locked around Warren began to loosen as he thrashed about trying to free himself. "It's over Warren you can't get out of here." He could feel his grip continue to loosen even more.

Warren managed to loosen himself enough for him to raise his arm up enough to drive his elbow into Mike's side. Feeling Mike's grip loosen even more from around him, he raised his arm again and drove his elbow as hard as he could down into Mike's side. This shot was enough to allow him to break free of the grip entirely. He spun around grabbed Mike lifted him up and slammed him against the ground. He did it again and again. Warren lowered himself so his mouth was right beside Mike's ear. "How about we let your little girl friend watch as I tear you apart limb from limb?"

The room filled with a blood curdling scream that was enough to make your heart stop and fall into your stomach. Jen launched herself back away from the two men that now appeared in front of her.

"This is going to be fun." He whispered into Mike's ear then began to laugh.

"Mike." Jen was now back by Mike's still body, her knees against her chest as she began to rock back and forth.

Warren lifted Mike off the ground and threw him against the wall of mirrors. A loud thud rang through the enclosed area. It sounded more as is if he had been thrown against a concrete wall as opposed to a thin wall of mirrors. "Oh don't you worry your pretty little self I will take good care of him." He began to walk towards Mike who was slumped on the floor but stopped halfway there as Tracy began to speak.

Tracy crumbled up a dried red rose and sprinkled the leaves in the small mirrored lined wooden box. "Thou demon presence be no more." She emptied the other package onto a little tray in front of her revealing thirteen dried rose thorns. She moved one to a small shallow bowl made of stone and then began to crush it with an oblong rock. She emptied the crushed thorn into the box. "Thou demon presence be no more."

Warren's hesitation was long enough to allow Mike to get to his feet. He took off full force and drove his shoulder into Warren driving him back against the opposite wall of mirrors, then wrapped his arms around his waist, lifted him up, and slammed him as hard as he could against the ground.

Jen had managed to pull herself together and was now back by Tracy's side. "We need to hurry."

"I know it takes time though."

"What can I do to help?"

Tracy finished grinding up another thorn. "Grab a thorn and crush it up and then just do what I'm doing." She emptied the crushed thorn into the box. "Thou demon presence be no more."

Jen grabbed one of the thorns and began to cut it up with her nail in her palm. "Is this good?" She showed the crushed and torn up thorn to Tracy who nodded her approval. She emptied it into the box. "Thou demon presence be no more."

Mike was now on top of Warren punching and elbowing as much and as hard as he could, trying to keep him pinned to the ground. The view looked like a demonic MMA match. This lasted long enough for Tracy and Jen to get about seven of the thirteen thorns crushed and put into the box.

Warren managed to catch Mike's left arm as he brought it down. "You persistent little shit." He began to squeeze and Mike began to yell in pain.

Jen's head flung up as she heard the scream from Mike. She started to shake and nearly dropped the thorn that was half done in her palm.

"Jen!" Tracy yelled. "Jen we have to finish this." She emptied her crushed thorn into the box "Thou demon presence be no more." She picked up another thorn and scooted the tray with the last one on it in front of Jen.

Jen nodded her head and shakily finished the thorn that was in her palm.

Warren had managed to twist Mike off of him and now was having his turn of throwing punches and elbows. "You don't know how to stay down boy." He wrapped his hands around Mike's throat and began to bash his head off the ground. "But I'll teach you, don't you worry." He raised him off the ground again and drove him with all his might slamming his head off the floor.

Mike's vision began to fade in and out. The back of his head felt as though it had been smashed in but once again there was no warm pooling of blood that there should have been. He tried to raise his arms to fight Warren off but they wouldn't move. He saw Warren smiling as he raised his fist in the air and brought it straight down across his nose. His ears began to ring and his fading vision began to darken even more.

Tracy was now emptying one of the clear liquids into the box. "Jen reach into that bag, there is a knife, get it and give it to me." Tracy opened the other vial and poured its contents into the small box. She took the small knife from Jen and pulled it out of its sheath. The knife looked ancient. The handle was made of a simple piece of wood but had intricate little carvings all over it. The blade had a dull finish that comes to metal with old age and a lot of use. She placed the blade across her palm, pressed, and pulled. A steady stream of blood began to trickle out of her closed palm. She let it drip into the mixture in the box and began to swirl the bloody knife around mixing the contents. She pulled the knife out and spun the box around so the open end was facing Warren. "Thou demon presence be no more! By thy blood, thy blessed water, and tears from our mother earth. I denounce your presence in our world and command you to spend the rest of eternity coffined in this prison to gaze upon only yourself! Thou demon presence be no more!"

Mike was still trying to fight back but was unable to do anything. What remained of his vision was very blurry. He could see just enough that he saw Warren take his arm back for another punch. Warren brought it down but it froze inches from impact.

They did it... thank god they did it. Mike thought to himself.

Warren tried and tried to move his arm but it was no use. He turned his head towards Tracy and Jen and saw the small open box. Mike followed suit and saw a trail of black smoky mist slowly being pulled into the box and knew exactly what it was before he followed the trail it left that led to Warren.

Mike tried to move his arm but all he got was a wiggling finger. He could feel his vision coming back now that Warren wasn't pummeling him and a few seconds later he was able to lift his arm off the ground, though he knew moving would still be difficult. As he looked down to see the cloud of dark smoky mist that was still being pulled into the small box he noticed that there was a form inside the cloud. As the mist was slowly pulled off and into the box the figure came more and more visible and when he began to make out what it was, a feeling of dread overtook him.

The box closed as the last of the smoky black mist was pulled into it. The sight that remained in its place was more terrifying than what had been there before. The enormity of the being was not fully known as it was hunched over but as it stood the full view of its seven foot grey spiked and scaly flesh covered frame, it's long muscular arms and legs, its face that very much resembled a rabid disfigured wolf with four horns protruding from it, and its blood red eyes that appeared to be more like pools of blood that dripped down its face than eyes.

The scream let out by Jen pierced Mike's ears. He knew he had seen this figure before, they both had. It was the first time he had been in the house since he was a teen. The day on the hidden stairwell when Jen picked up the small figure that sat dust covered in the cubby of the stairwell wall.

"Did you think I would be that easy to get rid of?" It spoke in the beastly growling voice that was the undertone that came when Warren spoke. It turned to face Tracy and Jen who were now huddling together in the back of the enclosure near Mike's body. It reached down, picked up the small wooden box, and threw it behind him. It clashed against the mirror then fell to the ground. "I owe you a bit of thanks for freeing me from that insufferable being." It was now standing a few feet in front of them and began to kneel down. "I had to attach myself to that pathetic human's soul in order to come back to this realm and I have been waiting to be freed from him for some time now."

Its foul hot breath was hot against their faces. The intense smell of rotten flesh began to turn their stomachs. They tried scooting back more but there was no place to go so they sat fearing what the foul creature had planned for them. It was now a foot away and it began to slowly move its hand in their direction.

Tracy held up the small knife she had in her hand ready to fight it off with whatever she had. "Stay away!" She yelled.

Its face turned up in a gruesome smile revealing its long sharp yellowed teeth. "Oh look here." It let out a small laugh. "The little witch is going to cut me." It shot out its left hand grabbing her arm that held the knife and began to squeeze. "Me!? A GOD!?" Its smile grew as a loud cracking sound came from under its hand and Tracy screamed out in pain as the knife hit the floor.

Jen shot out her leg to try and kick it but missed. She began to reach for the knife but was met with a powerful whack from the back of its free hand.

All the air that was in her lungs was forced out on impact and it left her grabbing her chest as she laid on the floor in pain.

"Time to die little bitch." It whispered its hot foul breath beating against Tracy's face as it began to raise her off of the ground.

"I know who you are." She said through gritted teeth. "You're no god. I looked up your picture in my books. You're just a simple demon aren't you..." A small defiant smile crossed her face. "Magnor."

As Tracy braced for another bone cracking squeeze there was a shatter from behind them. The Mirrors that Jen put in place to enclose the trap fell to the ground shattering sending glass in all directions. Grant stood in the doorway with Emily and Wes behind him on either side. "Tracy!" He yelled as he stepped into the mirror enclosure.

Emily and Wes ran forward lunging at the large demon. Emily was hit and propelled against the side of the enclosure but Wes managed to leap up and wrap his arms around its neck and began to squeeze. It released its grip on Tracy's hand and she collapsed to the floor clutching her now shattered right hand.

Grant ran to her side and helped her into a sitting position and then turned to check on Jen who was just now starting to catch her breath. "What?" Is all he managed to get out before the demon let out a defining howl as Emily drove her finger into its eye.

Mike had finally managed to bring himself to his hands and knees and was attempting to get to his feet. "Emily! Wes!" Now on his feet, he began stumbling towards the creature.

"Stay back!" Wes yelled as he was fighting to keep his grip around its neck.

"Tracy." Emily was now kneeling next her. "You need to banish it."

Tracy sat there her head turning between Emily and Mike. "What about you two?" She asked her.

"There is no choice we can't let this thing stay it'll kill everyone in here." She stood up and hurried across the room and picked up Tracy's large book of spells and brought it to her. "Hurry please."

Tracy began to flip through the book stopping on a marked page and then sat it on the ground.

"Wait!" Mike yelled

"No time... I have to." Tracy said back as she slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry."

Emily turned towards him. "I am so sorry for all of this. I love you." Then she turned her gaze to Jen. "Take care of him for me." After receiving a nod from Jen she went back towards the demon.

Mike fell to his knees shaking his head knowing that there was no other choice. "I love you too." He turned to Wes. "I'm sorry I wasn't there man."

Wes smiled "You're forgiven. Now Hurry!"

Tracy got to her feet with help from Grant and took a step towards the demon. "The presence that stands upon the stairs... The unseen hands that move the chairs... The lights that play across the wall. The stains that stay, the plates that fall."

The creature became enraged as Tracy began to utter the words. It managed to grab hold of Wes and throw him to the floor with as much force as it had. Without the restraint of Wes's arms wrapped around its neck it swung it's arm slamming it into Emily and flinging her into the far side of mirrors. It began to turn its gaze on Tracy and started to advance.

"No!" Mike yelled. He instinctively grabbed for the knife that had fallen out of Tracy's hand and to his surprise he felt it as he wrapped his hands around the handle. He lifted it off the ground and lunged with all his might towards the enraged demon driving himself at its body. The blade of the knife connected with the hard grey flesh of the creature and stopped on contact. He began to push with all his might but it failed to pierce it. "You son of a bitch!" He gathered up the last of his strength and pushed.

The blade finally pierced the creature's chest as Wes had pulled himself up and jumped towards the two and was able to place his hands on Mike's and help him drive the blade in. The impact managed to unbalance the demon and the three collapsed to the ground.

The creature let out a scream from pain as blood that smelled of rotting carcasses began to pour out of it.

Tracy resumed her spell, after being temporarily stopped from the approaching demon. "The mist, the chill, the wandering secrets. This, my spell must speed them hence. Quick or dead, thou art fed. Cease to grieve and take thy leave!"

The creature let out another even more horrifying scream. It began to thrash about throwing Mike and Wes to opposite sides of the mirrored trap. The flames on the candles that were still burning intensified and burst up into the air. The inside of the mirrors became as bright as if you were looking directly into the sun and the heat they produced felt as if it was about to burn their skin. The creature let out one more horrifying yell and then the light and heat vanished leaving the room pitch black.

When Mike opened his eyes he knew he was back in his body as he felt someone, he assumed Jen lying against his body holding his hand. "Hello?" He felt the hand squeeze harder around his.

The darkness was broken as Grant lit a lighter and began lighting each of the candles. The new found light revealed that Mike, Jen, and Tracy were the only other people he could see in there with him. "Everyone ok?" He asked and each took their turn responding. He made his way back to Tracy's side. "We need to get you to a hospital."

Mike attempted to sit up but collapsed back to the ground as pain began to spread through his body gradually intensifying. He felt a trickle of blood start from his nose and even began to get the metallic taste of it in his mouth. He began to cough and could feel the warm droplets of blood spatter on himself and drip down his chin. He turned his head and could feel it seep through his lips.

"Oh my god." Jen was now kneeling by his head and gently lifted him out of a laying position and propped his head against her lap. "You're bleeding." She pulled his shirt up from his waist and wiped the blood from his mouth and nose. She saw his revealed chest was one giant bruise with several lacerations throughout it.

"Go get the lights." Tracy said to Grant as she now noticed Mikes condition.

Grant took off and began to turn the lights on throughout the house. When he came back he joined them beside Mike. "Can we get him up?"

"I don't know." Jen said as she dabbed the blood away again. "We need to do something they need to get to the hospital."

"Yeah." Grant got behind Mike and put his arms underneath him and began to lift him up into a full sitting position. "Can you stand with help?" He asked.

"I think." Mike's voice was weak and cracked.

"Ok on three." Grant slid his arms under Mike's and wrapped them around his chest. "One, two, and three." Grant lifted and to his relief Mike was able to help lift a little with his own legs. "Ok Jen Help Tracy."

"I'm fine." Tracy said waving off the help. "You just help Mike."

Jen nodded and began to help Grant walk Mike out of the room and carefully down the stairs.

"Emily?" Mike tried to turn back towards the room but the pain prevented it. He was able to turn his head enough to see Jen's head which she was shaking. Through all the pain that he felt none compared to the feeling he now felt knowing Emily and Wes were gone. "No." He straightened his head as it fell forward his vision fading as darkness began to close in. He tried to keep his eyes open but wasn't able to. His eyelids shut as his legs gave out.

Chapter 33

Knock, Knock

"Knock, Knock?" Dr. McMillian said as he peeked his head into room 314. "I just wanted to pop in and let you know the x-ray results before I left." He opened up the large folder he had in his hands and sat in the empty chair. "How you holding up?"

Jen slowly sat up out of her curled position in Mike's small hospital bed. "He's been sleeping mostly. He woke up once and they came in and gave him some more pain meds then he went back to sleep pretty quick after that." Jen looked down to a still sleeping Mike.

"That's good, rest is good for him right now." He glanced down to his file. "The x-ray results show that he does have several broken ribs and some internal bruising." He looked back up to Jen. "So we are going to extend the twenty four hour observation to forty eight, and just go from there."

"Forty eight?" Mike groggily asked. "Why forty eight?"

"Broken ribs and internal bruising." Jen said as she smiled down at him.

"Oh" He said as he began to rub his eyes.

"We just want to make sure the bruising doesn't get worse before we let you go." Dr. McMillian closed the large folder. "Ring the nurse if either of you two need anything." He stood up smiled and quietly walked out of the room.

"I feel like I was hit by a truck." Mike said as he repositioned himself.

"Might as well have been." Jen stood and stretched before bringing the empty chair over near the bed and taking a seat. "Trace and Grant came by earlier to check on you."

"How are they?"

"Good, worried about you."

There was a knock, knock on the door. "Hello, may I come in?"

"Yes" Jen recognized the voice as the nurse who checked on them earlier and gave him his last dose of pain medication.

"No need to worry. This isn't the worst injury I've had." Mike attempted to sit up but only made it half way before he decided to lie back down.

"Just lay there babe." She scooted up on the edge of her seat and took his hand in hers.

"Yeah best if you just lie." The nurse said as she handed him a small paper cup and a larger plastic one with water. "These are actually overdue but you were asleep so I didn't want to wake you." She took the cups back when Mike was done tossing back the pills and downed them with the water. "When the Doctor said you were awake I figured I would come give them to you."

"We appreciate that." Jen replied.

"Anything else you need before I leave?" The nurse asked in a cheery voice.

"I really need to go to the bathroom." Mike took off his blanket and attempted again to sit up.

"I'll get the orderly to come in and help, you just hang tight." She turned and walked out the room.

A minute later there was another knock, knock on the door. "It's me, the nurse said you could use some help.

"Jacob, my man." Mike said excitedly as the orderly came through the door.

"Hi Jacob." Jen said with a smile.

Jacob smiled back. "Hello."

"I could really use a hand getting in there." Mike gingerly raised his arm and pointed to the bathroom door.

"I can do that." Jacob said with a smile. He helped him slowly sit up in bed and walk across the floor into the bathroom.

"I can handle this part." Mike said with a grimace as he closed the door and made his way to the toilet.

When Mike was done he helped him walk back to his bed and lay back down. He went to cover him up but Mike waved him off.

"It's hot."

Jacob nodded. The whole process easily took forty minutes. "Buzz if you need anything else."

"Will do bud." Mike smiled at him as he exited the room. "I like him."

"I know." Jen said with a smile.

Mike turned himself so he was facing Jen. "I hate being laid up like this. Remember when we first started dating and I took the hit from that defensive end? The one where he caught me mid throw and basically picked me up and body slammed me?"

Jen nodded. "I do, I almost broke up with you then too. Didn't think I could sit by and watch you take hits like that." She squeezed his hand. "But here we are yet again."

"Sorry." He laughed. "Hazardous profession."

"You can't handle pain meds very well can you?" She smiled as she shook her head. "You got loopy after the last ones you took too."

"Whoops." Mike rolled back on his back and shut his eyes. "It would appear that I can not my dear"

Jen laughed as she gently pulled his hand close and kissed it.

"Oh..." Mike's eyes shot back open. "Did you hear from mom and dad?"

"Yes, they called when they got home, they're fine."

"That's good." His eyes closed again. "You know, now that you mention the drugs... I am having the weirdest dreams."

"Like what?"

"Lots of things." He let out a loud yawn. "Excuse me... We were back home, and... we...and Tracy..."

Jen smiled as Mike's pills fully kicked in and he drifted back to sleep. She pulled his covers up and kissed him on the forehead before sitting back down in her chair. She continued watching him till she herself fell back asleep.

Epilogue

The Beginning

"For the first pick of the 2014 NFL draft the Cleveland Browns select Michael Lachey quarterback from Ole Miss" The man standing behind the podium on stage said.

The eight people who were sitting around Mike erupted in cheers, as did the slew of Browns fans in the audience. Jen was standing before Mike could make it to his feet and wrapped her arms around him. "You did it babe." She whispered in his ear.

Mike gave her a kiss then had to peel him away as he began to shake the numerous amounts of hands that were currently outstretched to him.

Mr. and Mrs. Lachey were standing just next to Jen waiting their turns for hugs and to give congratulations.

"We are so proud of you Mal." Mr. Lachey said as he gave Mike a hug.

Mrs. Lachey was too busy crying to force out any words as she too hugged him.

Mike gave her a kiss on the check and began to move towards the stage. "Thank you... Thank you..." He repeated as the congratulations came pouring in with the handshakes.

When Mike finally made it to the stage another round of applause broke out as he held the brown jersey with the bright number one on it.

"Congratulations son." The man at the podium said as he shook Mike's hand and posed for pictures with him. "I look forward to seeing you play."

"Thank you Sir. I look forward to playing." Mike gave him a smile and turned to wave at the crowd as he began to walk down the steps and off the stage. Even though all he wanted to do was get back to his family and Jen he was stopped time and time again by this reporter or that reporter wanting interviews.

They all asked the same questions over and over again. "How does it feel to be drafted number one?" and "How do you think you'll be able to adjust to the NFL?" or "What are your plans now?"

It was nearly an hour before he made it back to his table. "That was brutal." He said as he handed his brown jersey with the large white number one on it to Jen.

She held the jersey up and spread it out. "We are going to frame this." She passed it along to Mr. and Mrs. Lachey. "This has been so exciting I have to say." She reached out and took Mike's hand. "So looks like we are moving to Cleveland."

Mike smiled. "Yes it does." There were the few stragglers who would come up and shake his hand but most everyone else was now focused back on the stage as the rest of the year's draft picks were called.

He looked up in the audience and saw a cluster of people all adorned in Browns jerseys. They caught his eye and began to wave and cheer. He saw a young boy who was sitting on the end of the isle. He was waving at Mike as he held a football in is other hand. "Be right back babe." He gave Jen a kiss on the check then made his way through the crowd of people on the main floor and walked up the stairs and into the stands. He climbed the steps all the way to the top and scooted to the other side so he could come down the stairs on the side with the Browns fans. He walked down and sat on the end of the row behind the young boy. He pressed his finger against his mouth to the man he sat next to telling him not to mention he was here. "What do you guys think about the draft so far?" He asked.

"I'm liking it; think it'll be a good season." The man who was sitting next to the young boy said.

"Yeah I am seeing a good season too." Mike said smiling as the guy in front of him was unaware of whom he was talking to. The guy who was sitting next to Mike began to laugh.

The guy in front of him must have been curious as to why the fan behind him was laughing because he finally turned around. "Oh." Was all he let out. He tapped on the boys shoulder and signaled for him to look behind him. The little boys face lit up as he saw who was there.

"You must be one big Cleveland fan to sit through the draft. I certainly couldn't have done it when I was your age." Mike gave the kid a big smile. "Between us I can barely do it now."

The little kid let out a laugh. "I was hoping to get some autographs." He said as he held up his football and his marker.

"Well I'll start it for you if you want."

"Yes please!" The little kid handed Mike his ball and marker.

"What's your name?" He asked as he took off the cap to the marker

"Alex."

Mike signed the ball and handed it back to him. "There you go. So you play ball?"

The kid nodded his head.

"What position?"

"Wide receiver." The boy said.

"Well if everything goes right I could be throwing you the ball in about ten years." Mike smiled.

He remained in the stands talking with the group of people for about thirty minutes when his phone rang. "Uh oh." He said as he answered. "Yeah be right there." He hung his phone up and slid it back in his pocket. "Well that was the better half and I am needed. It has been fun and can't wait to see you at the games." He shook their hands and then made his way back down to his table.

"Where did you go?" Jen asked as he took his seat next to her.

"Talked to them." He pointed up into the stands.

She turned and saw a large group of people waving in their direction. She smiled and waved back. "Well did you have fun?"

"Yeah." He laughed. "It's amazing how honest fans are sometimes."

The rest of the night Mike sat at his table talking to everyone there about how he thought he was going to fit in with his new team and how he was going to like living in Cleveland. When the Browns made their second pick he had gotten up to go briefly talk to the guy but when he was done he came and sat back down at his table.

He had been looking forward to this night just about his entire life and now that it was here he couldn't wait for it to be over. When they finally called the last player to be picked for the day and he was done with his interviews the building began to slowly empty. Mike and his crew were some of the first ones out. The outside of the building was crawling with more reporters and people taking pictures. He stopped and did a couple of quick interviews and to take the occasional picture but did his best to go unnoticed. When they all made it to the lot where they parked they all climbed into his car and began the drive to the airport so they could catch a plane to take them back home.

Luckily there were a lot of the players from the day at the airport so he wasn't the only one there people would focus on. He managed to miss a lot of the people and made it relatively unbothered to the ticket counter where he picked up the tickets for Jen and him to get back home.

"You sure you want to leave so soon?" Mr. Lachey asked as Mike handed him the keys to the car. "I mean still a lot to do."

"Yeah just want to get back home for some peace and quiet for a while."

"Ok then suit yourself."

They all gave their farewell hugs then Mike and Jen boarded the plan. Being on the plan was a nice relief from crowd after crowd he had been going through since he started the day. No one on the plane seemed to care that he was there which was just fine by him. In college he had gotten his fair share of fans that would come up to him but now he was on a whole new level and he wasn't used to it yet.

"Six hours and it'll be back to normal for a while." Jen said as she buckled herself into her seat. "It is going to be so nice to relax."

"I know what you mean." Mike took her hand in his and brought it up to his lips to kissed it. "It's been crazy."

After the plane was in the air and after a couple glasses of the complimentary champagne they dozed off and didn't wake up till the stewardess began her pre landing speech.

Once the plane landed they made their way through the airport which was way less crowded than the one in New York. They made their way to the baggage claim grabbed their bag and made it out to their car without a single person stopping them.

"You want to call everyone and tell them that we landed and everything is going ok?" Mike asked as he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

"I'll just text." Jen said as she pulled her phone out of her purse. "I really don't feel like calling."

"Either way babe."

She began to send out text after text letting everyone know that they were off the plane and everything was going well, then sent out another round after she received her responses. Once she was done she placed her phone back into her purse and slid as close to Mike as she could. She laid her head on his shoulder and within minutes she was asleep.

The nap on the plan was enough for him and with a few presses of the buttons on the steering wheel music began to softly play. He didn't really think about much on the drive which was nice considering the busy few months he has had since the end of his college football career. Before he knew it the ride was over and he was pulling into the driveway of Wes and Emily's house. This is the first time he had been back since the night that He, Jen, Grant, and Tracy had fought and gotten rid of the evil spirit of Warren Montgomery and the demon that was attached to him. If I told anyone about that night I'd get committed. He thought to himself as he shut the car engine off.

The house's windows were lit from the lights that were on inside. "Wake up babe we're here." He gently kissed Jen's forehead waking her up. Jen groggily woke and they climbed out of the car.

Before they could even close the car doors the porch light came on and the front door of the house opened. Out walked Tracy and Grant to greet them at the porch steps.

"Hey guys." Tracy said as she gave Jen a big hug. "How was the trip?"

"Crazy." Jen said as she was now hugging Grant. "Crazy and busy but fun."

"Nice to be back here that's for sure." Mike said as he gave Tracy a hug. "Can't wait to get out of this suit and relax.

"I bet." Grant took the bag from Mike and they made their way inside the house.

"Oh wow." Jen said as they entered the large great room. "It actually looks like people live here now." She smiled.

"We just added a few things here and there that's all" Tracy said returning her smile.

"Yeah homey stuff though, like pictures." Jen pointed at some of pictures that now hung on the walls. "How are you two settling in here?"

"What the hell?" Mike interrupted as he pointed to a small black box on the mantle. "Is that THE box?"

"Yeah." Grant said. "Only safe place for it really. Can't take the chance of it being opened."

"I guess but still." Mike shook his head as he turned away from it.

"As I was saying..." Jen said with a smile. "How are you two settling in here?"

"Oh it's amazing." Tracy answered. "We have so much room here, way more than we'd ever have in some cruddy apartment and to top it all off we have more than enough room to run our business from here after we graduate."

"So you two are actually going to start it? Even after what we went through to get rid of the evil here? You're going to go do it around the world?

"Where ever anyone needs help. We think it's our calling and now living here we will be able to invest our money in starting everything up." Grant sat Mike's bag down next to the double doors. "We can't thank you guys enough."

"Don't have to thank us." Mike said as he began looking at some of the photos that hung on the wall. "They wanted you to stay here and now I don't have to worry about the house falling apart while we're in Cleveland."

"Speaking of them where are they?" Jen asked.

"Upstairs they have been waiting for you to get back." Tracy answered. "I told them you would be here soon so I'd imagine they'll be down."

"I hope so. I want to change." Mike said as he moved on to another photo. "I like this one." In the photo stood two faint figures hand in hand, they were easily recognizable.

"It's our favorite too." A male voice said from the direction of the double doors leading to the front room.

"There you two are." Jen said as she looked around to see Emily and Wes standing in the doorway.

"How was the trip?" Emily asked in her almost musical voice. "Did everything go well?"

"Yeah it did." Mike said as he turned around. "Went very well. Have to say I'm glad it's all over though."

"We saw it on the TV. So you'll be moving to Cleveland?" Wes asked. "They have snow there you know."

"Yeah." Jen could see a ting of sadness on Emily's face. "We will have time to come back during the off season though we've already planned it out." She smiled hoping it would cheer her up some.

"Yeah I have to go out in a couple weeks and then I'm going to fly back and get Jen after her graduation." Mike was now standing behind Jen. "Plus I was hoping we could have the wedding here."

Jen scrunched her eyes in confusion. "What are you talking about?" She turned to see Mike down on one knee, his hand out in front of him with the diamond ring his father had given him between his fingers.

"Jennifer Hale." He said with a smile across his face. "I knew when I met you that you were going to be someone special in my life."

Jen's hands shot up to her mouth as a few tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"There is no one I'd rather spend the rest of my life with than you. Will you do me the great honor of being my wife?"

Everyone stood in silence waiting for the answer.

"Of course." She reached down exposing her fingers. "Yes of course I will."

Mike slid the ring onto her finger then sprang up to his feet and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you Jennifer." He leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

The sound of a champagne bottle popping open came from the direction of Grant. Jen looked over. "You all knew?"

"Of course not." Tracy said as she was holding the champagne glasses as Grant began to fill them. "Well maybe a little." She smiled. "Congratulations you two."

Everyone else in the room voiced their congratulations.

"Thanks." Jen said as she took two glasses from Tracy and handed one to Mike. Jen and the girls migrated to an area of the room discussing the ring and the proposal. Jen already making plans for the wedding.

This left the three guys near the fireplace. "Wes." Mike turned and faced him. "In your journals, knowing what you knew why in the hell would write about sleeping with her." He lifted his hand that held the glass of champagne and pointed at Emily.

"He what?" Emily blurted out in surprise from half way across the room.

Wes smiled. "I didn't put in all the details."

Emily began to shake her head. Her checks began to darken. "I can't believe you did that."

"Mike was being an asshole."

"So you did it for payback?" Mike looked at Wes with half a smile. "That is wrong man."

"Well I guess we're even." Wes said with a smile.

"Oh but we're not." Emily gave him a heated glare still standing with the girls across the room.

Everyone else in the room couldn't help but smile and eventually even Emily let out a laugh.

The rest of the night was spent laughing into the late hours of the night. Mike, who had lost so much without even knowing it, had found everything he lost and so much more.

###

Thank you for reading my very first novel. I am glad you made it all the way through. If you truly enjoyed it, here are some sites that you can find a bit more about me, contact me, and even see info on the new novels I will be working on. Once again Thank You!

http://www.jasonagrimm.com

http://www.twitter.com/jasonagrimm

http://www.facebook.com/jasonagrimmofficial

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jasonagrimm

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