Original Superhero Co-Write

@ decay
Yeah! Cause it can showcase the secret sweet side of Annie. since she's usually so sarcastic and all decked out in her metaphorical armor. Haha. And it's after she knows about his parents and she starts getting really fuzzy messages and realizes who they are. So she works on controlling her power better and she summons them up and they tell Remy what they need to tell him and all that and he's just like, " you did that..for me?"
And she gets sort of embarrassed and is like "well everyone should get to say what they need to say to their loved ones. Everyone deserves that chance." And he just forms a major soft spot for her cause that's some pretty meaningful stuff and he thinks she's a pretty cool chick for doing that. Haha.

Do you want to write the scene where that happens or do you want me to? If I do it just let me know what you want him and his parents to say to each other, cause I don't wanna take over something that emotional.

@ starfire.
YESSS, exactly! And Remy will be like "what is this feeling that I'm feeling" because he's never been in love and he finds himself always wanting to see Annie (partially why he would wanna help out Esther, but he's also a genuine person haha).

Hmm, I think so just because such a moment should be told in his point of view? I'm just gonna have to pay attention to how exactly Annie summons spirits and all lmao.

@ decay
Yeah I think it would have a lot more impact from Remy's POV. I wanna see his thoughts and feels on the matter. And he can see that despite her tough girl persona she's really a very nice person. And he'll definitely feel the sympathy when he finds out her little sister died.

Also he can always think it's sort of cute that she called him Remington Steele all semester they had class together. omg hahaha and he's always coming over to teach Esther stuff (and secretly to see Annie) but she thinks he likes Esther and is like and then later she's like ....oh. He wanted to see me. Well I feel sheepish. XD

@ decay
I'm just gonna post this on here cause im worried it'll get lost on Skype lol. Since we're doing a little segment of the story in New Orleans do you want that to be when/where Rannie is born? I was thinking you should actually write the scene, and just have Annie make the first move and then go from there since we more or less planned that part already. Cause I think that'd be super cute from Remy's POV.

@ starfire.
Yeah we can do that! That's when they'll first kiss and admit their feelings right?

@ decay
Yes and it'll be just so cute i'mma die.

So for a basic timeline of their progression from friends to lovers. Just cause I don't wanna confuse things.

So they sorta know each other from school, and Remy's sweet and nice so they start talking a lot cause of the whole super power thing lol. Then I was thinking maybe they're all having lunch at the diner place and Maya's with them, cause she knows about the weirdness and she's a fun kid so they all like her. XD and I was thinking Maya sees Annie's tattoo and asks her about it and that's when Annie talks about her sister and Remy instantly sympathizes so later he tells her about his parents.

Aaaaand then maybe soon after that she's hearing voices like in her dreams or something and she hears Remy's name so she assumes it's gotta be his parents. So she practices the fuck out of her power and gets it down to an art. And one night either Esther is out doing something and Annie asks Remy to come over or she asks to come to his dorm or wherever you want them to be, and she's all cryptic about it and she does her summoning and he has that whole emotional thing and after he's just amazed that she did that without even knowing him very well. And maybe that's when he starts hanging around her apartment a lot and she's secretly jealous cause she thinks he's coming to hang out with Esther XD.

So then the library scene could happen and that's when she starts getting all clumsy around him. The he sees her playing for the kids at the hospital and is like aw, so then he goes to read stories and she finds him and then she's all aw. And then I was thinking soon after that is when one of the kids dies, and she goes home to be alone and binge on ice cream and she gets attacked by the dark spirit thing that grabbed her in the hospital and she defeats it like a boss but she gets hurt and Esther brought everyone over to see if she was feeling better and they find a semi-wrecked apartment and a bleeding Annie and then she like, blacks out. And in the following Remy chapter he can give her the necklace (<3) and maybe all this is just before they go to NOLA, and as they're on their way Annie confesses that she's probably going to abandon med school and go into criminology or something so she can join the FBI later and help with missing persons and stuff so she can put her power to good use. So yeah then they get to New Orleans and they're having a rocking good time and all and she and Remy go for a walk or whatevs you wanna write them doing lol and they're talking and Annie just kisses him outta the blue and gets all cute and embarrassed and blushes and he just cuts off her apology all adorable like and grabs her and kisses her and then later he's all dreamy and stuff.

Is that about the order of events we're thinking of? Cause that's all just too adorable for words.

@ starfire.
THAT SOUNDS GREAT! And we can just include other small cute things in our chapters as the story progresses. Once they're together, it's before Beau goes all villain on them right? How is Beau going to find out about them?

@ decay
Yeah it's before he goes villain. And I think the way Nik had suggested before was they're all together after it happens and Remy and Annie haven't told anyone but he like, brushes against Annie or gets close to her or something and he picks up on the memory cause it's basically dominating her thoughts. cause I figure maybe even with the trinket things Naveen gives them maybe Beau can still pick up on really strong emotions or flashes of really intense memory/thought. Although if it happens in NOLA, he could always end up seeing them without them knowing. Like he went to find them or something and sees them and gets upset but only tells Hollace why.

If Remy understood one thing, it was that everything that was happening that day was a dream. It had to be a dream. This wasn't come really cool Marvel movie–people couldn't just suddenly wake up with superhuman powers. He was going to wake up from this dream any second and he wasn't going to burst into flames, burn Maya, or meet four others with strange abilities at some shady voodoo shop belonging to Beau Boudreux's uncle.

Except unfortunately, as he watched Beau collapse onto the ground, vomit all over the place, and clutch his head like a bomb went off inside it, that hope was slowly diminishing.

"Um, should we do something?" Hollace asked when no one moved. Remy wanted to help him, but Naveen shook his head. All five of them waited but Beau was still clutching his head and yelling words in a language Remy couldn't understand.

Naveen stood up and grabbed a bottle of a green-looking liquid, and he pulled Beau's head up and forced it down his throat. After a minute of spluttering and coughing, it seemed that whatever was in his head went away.

"What the hell just happened?" Annie looked around. She looked more frightened than anything.

"I heard it," Beau said, breathless. He stood up, clutching the chair from weakness. "All your thoughts–all your pain...all of you...I'm so sorry..."

There was a silence. No one dared to make a sound in fear that it would happen again or that Beau would suddenly spill all of their secrets. Remy was suddenly aware that he wasn't the only one with a dark past. He felt terrified. This was why he wanted nothing to do with his power. Beau looked like he experienced death and Remy knew what that felt like and it was the one thing in the world he didn't want to feel again, especially not with the power he was given.

"Are you okay?" Esther asked. She looked at Beau concernedly and he nodded his head even though he was still panting.

"This is ridiculous," Hollace muttered. He was about to turn around and leave and Remy almost followed him until Beau grabbed Hollace's arm and plead,

"Please, just–just listen to what my uncle has to say. The potion he just gave me made all your thoughts go away. If he can do that, at least give him a chance to speak. He knows what he's talking about."

Remy's eyebrows shot up.

"Wait," he spoke. "If you can make Beau's thoughts go away, can you make my power go away too?"

Hollace, Annie, and Esther all looked interested in the answer, hoping for the same outcome he was–that yes there was a way to get rid of these powers for good.

Naveen chuckled. "I'm afraid not, son. Your powers are permanent until it isn't," he explained. "The only choice you have is to find a way to control them so that you don't end up burning your cousin again." He looked at Remy pointedly.

Remy opened his mouth to protest but closed it the second Naveen mentioned Maya.

"I can help you–all of you," Naveen looked around at all five of them. "We can do this together."

"How do you know so much about this?" Hollace asked, suspiciously. Remy was getting the feeling that Hollace had a lot of trust issues, but he also felt nervous getting into business with a voodoo warlock. Remy didn't even know those existed these days.

Naveen chuckled. "You're just going to have to trust me."

Hollace didn't look too pleased with this answer. However, before he could say anything, Annie immediately said, "Okay."

Everyone looked at her, mildly surprised, and she rolled her eyes. "Look, I just want these bloody spirits to stop bothering me. I don't see any other choice here!" she yelled, looking around, daring everyone to make some remark, but no one said a thing about it. In fact, Esther cleared her throat and said,

"I'll do it."

Remy didn't want to think about hurting anyone for another second, so he said, "Yeah, I guess I'm in."

Hollace let out a groan. Everyone looked at him and Beau said, with a mischievous smile on his face, "C'mon, Bucky..."

He shot him a glare and said, "Fine. But this doesn't mean we're all gonna be the best of friends, alright?"

"Whatever you say," Beau laughed.

"Wonderful," Naveen smiled. "We shall meet here at least twice a week. What days are good for everyone?"

As everyone exchanged information about their schedules, Remy still felt uneasy. It was more about his power itself than this new extracurricular activity he was going to engage in from now on. It didn't make sense to him why the universe or voodoo gods or whatever the hell it was that gave him the power chose fire of all things.

Maybe this was still a dream...

Finally, once meeting times were established and all the things that needed to be said were said, they all left, one by one. Remy followed Annie and Esther out the door and looked behind him to see Beau clutching his head again and Naveen muttering to him. But it didn't look like before; it just looked like something was really bothering him. It must have been something else he saw besides all of their pain. He turned back around to see Hollace already speeding away in his car.

Remy rummaged his pockets for his keys, really wishing to get home and go to sleep, but before he could pull them out, the engine to his car suddenly burst into flames.

"What the–" he yelled. Annie and Esther, who were not far by, jumped back and shrieked. The fire went out a moment later, just like it had when Remy himself ignited earlier, as though someone hit the off switch.

"Goddammit!" Remy felt like punching a wall. Instead, he threw his hands up in frustration. "Great! Now I've set fire to my aunt's curtains, daughter, and car. She's gonna kill me..."

Esther giggled and Annie had to bite back a laugh. Seeing them, Remy couldn't help but also find the situation to be a little comical.

"You can hitch a ride with us," Annie said, smiling from trying not to laugh. She jerked her head towards her car, which was parked right across from his.

Remy shook his head.

"No, it's okay, I probably live far from you."

Annie rolled her eyes.

"Just come along, Mr. Steele. Don't make me regret it."

Remy smiled and he followed the girls to Annie's car. When they got in, with Remy in the passenger seat (though he did insist Esther take it, but she shook her head and got into the back), part of the drive to Remy's house was a rather silent one minus the music blaring from the radio. Remy noticed Esther stare out the window, trying to catch every building and billboard she could. Annie, on the other hand, was tapping her fingers on the steering wheel along to the song that was currently playing.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around see Esther's face two inches away from his.

"Remy, where does your nickname 'Mr. Steele' come from?"

Both Remy and Annie couldn't help but laugh at the sheer innocence in her voice. Esther's cheeks turned red and Remy shook his head.

"No, I'm sorry. It's from a TV show called Remington Steele. My name is Remington, so she jokingly called me Mr. Steele."

"Oh! I'd like to see this show. Is it good?"

Annie nodded her head and said, "The main guy is very attractive. I'll show you it when we get home."

Esther beamed from the backseat and continued looking out the window again. Remy already decided that he liked her. Her innocence was like a breath of fresh air and it must have been hard to run away from home and suddenly have superhuman powers. He admired her.

"So, Mr.–er, Remy," Annie shook her head at her mistake. Remy couldn't help but smile. "Is your cousin okay?"

He nodded.

"Yeah, she's fine. Oh, turn left here.."

"Good, I'm glad. At least someone's okay in all this mess..." she shuddered. Remy didn't press it.

Annie pulled up to the driveway of his house and put the car in park. He got out of the car and bent down to say, "Thanks a lot, Annie, I owe you. Bye, Esther!"

"Bye, Remy!" Esther exclaimed from the backseat.

He waved to the both of them as Annie backed out and waited for them to drive off before he quietly opened the door to the dark house. He closed it gently, in case it woke Aunt Zarah or Maya up, but he stopped in his tracks when the lights suddenly came on.

"And where the hell have you been?"

Aunt Zarah was sitting on the couch in a bright pink bathrobe and slippers. Her arms were crossed and she looked mad and worried–she actually looked a lot like his mother then.

"I was studying," he said, quickly. He flashed her a smile.

"Uh huh," Aunt Zarah stood up. "Remington Ansari, I know when you are lying. You're just like your mother that way. You never stay out this late, Remy. Now, tell me, where were you?"

"Mami, I'm being serious. I have a big exam next week!" Remy lied. Aunt Zarah stared at him, waiting for him to break. The trick was to not break eye contact. Maya taught him to use his puppy eyes to his advantage, and it seemed to have worked.

After a few minutes, Aunt Zarah sighed and said, "You kids will be the death of me. Set fire to my favorite curtains and stay out all night," –Remy swallowed, thinking that telling her about the car wasn't the best idea at the moment– "...I swear, Remington, if you turn into Maya, I will ship you off to a college in Switzerland."

Remy laughed and kissed his aunt on the cheek. He loved Aunt Zarah but he always felt bad that she had to take him in. Since his uncle left the family when both Maya and Leila were too young to remember, Aunt Zarah always seemed flustered and worrisome. He spent all his years living with them trying to assure her than she shouldn't worry about him, but she always patted his cheek and told him that he was her child too and she will always worry.

Aunt Zarah grumbled up the stairs and into her bedroom. The smile faded from Remy's face and he trudged upstairs to his bedroom. Just before he reached his door, he heard a, "Where the heck have you been?"

Remy sighed. "You Sultan women worry too much."

Maya looked like she was waiting for him to come home, judging by the fact that she was still wearing the clothes she had worn during the day. She had her glasses on though, instead of her contacts, and Remy couldn't ignore the bandages on her hands.

He jerked his head towards his bedroom and Maya followed suit. When he closed the door, he launched into the story about Naveen, when Beau collapsed, how they were all going to meet twice a week to learn how to control their powers. He even went into his observations about the other four: Beau, Annie, Esther, and Hollace.

When he finished, Maya didn't look the least bit fazed. In fact, she jumped into the air and exclaimed, "This is so cool! I need blog about this!"

"What?"

"Okay, yeah, too soon. I'll wait until something big happens," Maya looked giddy from excitement.

She was already out the door and chattering away about all the cool things she could put in her blog about them, and he was way too tired to press it. So when she went back into her room, he changed into a white t-shirt and grey Columbia sweatpants and plopped down on his bed, closing his eyes and hoping to sleep for a hundred years.

But unfortunately, he didn't sleep at all that night because he couldn't stop seeing fire every time he closed his eyes.

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

Mami means 'aunt' in Hindi

Loooove it! Only things I see are in the first paragraph, you typed 'come' instead of 'some' and in the paragraph toward the end when you talk about Aunt Zarah taking them in, you typed 'than' instead of 'that'.

Other than that, spotless!

I really do like Remy. What a cutie.

The following days were spent in a daze for Hollace. His mind was full of scenes from the hospital and Naveen, the so-called witch doctor’s shop. He navigated the University, having to talk himself into going to class each morning, and if he had the unfortunate experience of seeing anyone from the rag-tag group he was suddenly a part of, he pointedly ignored them, especially Boudreux.

He just couldn’t buy it all (refused to, actually). Acquiring what could only be described as superpowers was impossible.

So why could he suddenly move at the speed of fucking light? He had watched all of the others—Remy bursting into flames, Esther shorting out the electricity, Beau clutching his head as if his life depended on it, and Annie… Well, he hadn’t actually seen Annie do anything but scream, but the concept of seeing dead people was not appealing to Hollace. He supposed that if he had to be stuck with a power, super speed wasn’t so bad, especially in comparison to torching everything and everyone in sight or seeing the undead, but it was still a god damned joke, just one more thing to isolate him and make him into even more of a freak than he already was.

Curiosity did get the best of the lanky boy, however, and he began to spend some time in his apartment, flitting back and forth between his room and the front door fast enough to leave him dizzy. His leg protested the effort, the amputation sight growing sore quickly while the hinges in place of his knee loosened considerably. Considering he had only just gotten it, the practice only served to make Hollace hate his new ability more and in a fit of angry desperation, he did something he never did: call his mom.

“Hi, sweetheart. What’s wrong?”

He frowned and side-eyed the cell-phone in his hand. “What makes you think something is wrong?”

The woman on the other end laughed softly. “You never call me, Hollace. I can only assume.”

“Well,” he ran a hand through his hair and steadied himself on the single crutch he was partly leaning on. After abusing his prosthetic, he figured it would be a good idea to give it a rest for a while and it was now sitting against his bed. “Have you ever, like, discovered something about yourself that… scared you?”

Hollace Knighting didn’t easily admit to being frightened, but in this case there was no denying it.

“Of course! In high school I found out how bad my temper could get after Sydney Caves got caught underage drinking and pulled me down with her. I nearly beat the girl to death and—“

“Not like that,” he cut her off. “It’s… What if I told you I learned to run at supersonic speeds?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, honey.” Her laugh sounded much more patronizing than before, and Hollace quickly came to terms with the fact that calling his mother had been the wrong thing to do. “Did you have a bad dream? It would make sense that your subconscious would come up with something like super speed considering your—“

“Yeah, I know, considering my being a cripple.” It came out harsher than he had wanted and he shut his eyes as a wave of guilt crashed over him. His mother was only trying to help, after all. Still, her being a pediatric psychologist could be quite annoying, especially in situations such as this one.

He could hear her sigh and knew what was coming next. “Hollace, you know I don’t like when you call yourself that.”

“I know. Sorry. I just… I guess I’m just stressed is all.”

He spent the next twenty minutes talking with her about his classes and listening to stories of her anonymous patients and though nothing had actually been sorted out, he did feel a bit better by the time he said his goodbyes and hung up. That wasn’t to say that he was any happier about his newfound condition, however, and when he went to sleep that night, knowing well that the next day he would have to report back to the little voodoo shop, his dreams were haunted by memories of his accident and blurred scenes depicting him running until his prosthetic snapped and crumbled beneath him.



Hollace sat in a chair by the counter with his arms crossed, expression impassive and unimpressed as he watched the rest of the group converse in front of him. Tensions were obviously still high—he could tell by the way the redhead, Annie, waved her hands in the air.

A warm hand clamped down on his shoulder, and Hollace jumped, turning around and finding Naveen standing there with a small smile playing at his lips.

“You know, the only way you’re going to get through this is if you lean on others for support.”

The boy clenched his jaw and tried hard not to glare at the man. He had been leaning on people for six fucking years, both literally and figuratively. He was tired of it. When Naveen nodded toward the group, though, Hollace knew better than to start an argument, and with a roll of his eyes, he slipped off of his stool and limped over to them.

“Finally decided to join us, eh?” Beau asked, eyes already shining with mischief.

“Fuck off.”

The other girl, Esther, flinched at the obscenity and Annie, obviously already somewhat protective of her, stepped toward him with narrowed eyes.

“Okay, just what the hell is your problem? Every time you’ve opened your mouth since all this crap started happening, the only thing that comes out is bullshit.” Hollace just sneered. “If you don’t adjust your attitude soon and start treating us like humans instead of insects, so help me god, I’ll adjust it for you.”

Remy, Beau, and Esther all snickered, and though every part of Hollace wanted to spit back insult after insult, he settled with huffing and crossing his arms over his chest again.

“Anyway, what were we talking about?”

"Keeping all of this a secret,” Remy answered. “Except my cousin already knows.”

“Are you serious? How the hell did she find out? Did you tell her?”

The brown-eyed boy only regarded Hollace with a raised eyebrow. “Um, I set her on fire, remember? That’s why I was in that hospital in the first place.”

“Right.” He had forgotten about that. No wonder the kid looked so miserable each time he had seen him.

The shopkeeper joined them at that point, standing next to his nephew and nodding. “He’s right. All of you need to take extra care to hide your abilities from the public. If word gets out, well, let’s just say each of you will be very desirable to outside parties.”

Hollace let a smirk twist his lips. “What, you mean we’ll get a fan club or some shit? Shouldn’t be that big a deal. I’ve been needing to get laid, anyway.”

“That’s not what I mean at all,” Naveen said sharply, annoyance clearly etched into his features.

“He’s talking about people wanting to use our powers,” Remy spoke up. “Aren’t you?”

The warlock nodded grimly. “Among other things.”

“Alright, so we keep this under wraps,” Annie agreed then clapped her hands together. “Moving on. We came here to train, didn’t we?”

“Yeah, how exactly do we do that, sir?” Esther asked.

The man showed another easygoing grin and motioned for all of them to follow him as he walked into the back of his shop, Beau jogging over to the front door to flip the sign in the window from 'Open' to 'Closed'.

The six of them filed into the small backroom and Naveen kicked at a rug on the floor until it slid from its place and uncovered a small door.

“A trapdoor,” Hollace spoke. “He’s got a trapdoor in his shop. Doesn’t anyone else find this a bit shady?”

He was only met with two responses of, “Shut up,” coming from both Annie and Beau before the latter explained, “He keeps his herbs down here.” The Cajun boy bent over and pulled at the handle, revealing a small, darkened staircase. “In you go.”

He shoved Hollace lightly and the smaller brunet groaned, taking the first step with some hesitance. “Fine, but if I find myself wrapped in killer vines, I’m going to be very upset.”

“This isn’t Harry Potter, Hollace,” Beau laughed, quickly following in his descent.

“Hey man, it can’t be too far off. We’re five fucking superheroes in a god damn voodoo shop.”

The sound of clunky footsteps echoed behind them and he could hear Esther ask in a light, curious voice, “What’s Harry Potter?”

Annie laughed. “It’s a book series about magic. Just one more thing to add to the list ‘Things Esther Needs to Learn’.”

Hollace took the last step and glanced around. The room he was in was cloaked in darkness save for one wall that had a bright light fixture attached to it. The beams shone downward and illuminated several plants, some green, some yellow, some purple. Some had buds and flowers while others didn’t and he could smell the faint aroma of sage and lavender.

When the overhead lights came on, it revealed the space to be much bigger than Hollace had thought, spanning far past the shop above them. There was a small bookcase next to the plants as well as a single chair, but other than that, the room was vacant.

“So, what, just have at it?” Hollace questioned, making a face when he heard a voice that was not his own resonate in his head. That’s exactly what we do. He could hear the amusement in the psychic’s tone, and when he turned to glare at Beau, he wasn’t surprised to find a shit-eating grin spread across his face.

“Dude, get out of my head!”

Boudreux chuckled lightheartedly and wrapped an arm around him. “Aw, I had no idea you thought of me so much!”

Hollace shrugged away from him and walked over to the plants, fingering one of the many leaves before a hand slapped his own away. “No touching,” Naveen ordered, making the boy feel like he was getting scolded in grade school all over again.

“This should do. There’s enough room for Hollace to run and Esther and Remy to practice their talents without hurting anyone. Annie, there’s a cemetery very close to here. I don’t know if you’ve seen—“

“Wittingham Cemetery, yeah,” she nodded, rubbing her wrist absentmindedly. “My sister is buried there.”

The shaman nodded, subtly looking at her with sympathy, and continued, “With it being so near, you should be able to summon spirits easily, not to mention all of the ones who’ll just come by their own accord.” He raised a hand and waved it in front of him as if feeling an invisible barrier. “I’m surprised you can’t see any now, actually.”

“I can,” the petite girl admitted, smiling sheepishly and pointing to Remy. “There’s actually a little boy standing right behind you, Rem.”

He stepped to the side wearing an uneasy expression and Annie giggled softly.

“Okay, that’s the freakiest thing I’ve ever heard,” Hollace muttered, still looking around. “Why is this even here? There’s no way it’s just a simple grow room. It’s way too big for that.”

Naveen shrugged and picked up a small watering can that was on the chair and began sprinkling the plants. “There are many people who don’t like what I can do as well as people who envy what I can do. I occasionally get unwelcome visitors and when that happens, I come down here.”

Hollace frowned at the implications. He wondered if the man was dangerous but brushed it off. Naveen had been nothing but kind to all of them and even if he still wasn’t his biggest fan, Hollace couldn’t see him as being bad.

“Right, well…” He scuffed his shoe against the concrete floor, judging the traction before taking a breath and pushing off with his right foot. He was on the other side of the room in an instant and when he turned back to the others, they were all smiling at him (something he probably didn’t deserve but accepted anyway).

“That’a boy!” Naveen beamed. “Now, get to it! Remy, Esther, I want to see some controlled fire and electricity in the coming weeks. Annie, take some time to get acquainted with the spirit world, and Beau?”

Boudreux looked at him with faux innocence. “Yes, Uncle?”

Naveen rolled his eyes, though it showed more affection than irritation. “Do try to stay out of everyone’s mind, would you? Some might find it a little vexing.”

*****

Okay! If you see anything wrong or want me to edit a scene, just lemme know!

@ parry otter.
Oh, uh, Naveen doesn't have any powers. He can communicate with spirits, dead people, and he can use their knoledge, but he doesn't actually have any sort of powers. He is very good at magic card tricks, though, and he can play some mean guitar and saxophone.

@ niklitera
uuuuugh okay. I'll change that right quick.

Remy bursting into flame– should be 'flames' (plural)

Keeping all of this a secret,” Remy answered. “Except my cousin already knows.”– there should be a beginning quotation mark

And Remy actually did tell Maya everything, but that line you wrote is kinda funny so maybe you can just take out the "no" and leave the rest of it? So he's not actually answering yes or no but that it's obvious she knows SOMETHING?

but other than that I loved it! Hollace is just a grump, I love it.

Oh and Esther isn't a college student. As of right now she is living off of Annie like a leech.

@ hibernus
taken care of!

Here's my chapter. I tried my best with each character, I may have gotten a few personalities wrong so let me know. Here it is enjoy.

The training went a little like this.

As much as Hollace threatened Beau and Naveen warned him, nothing came of it. Beau had to train so he did. He was constantly smirking as he pushed his ability to the limit; he didn’t say much out loud but his voice was echoed in each of their minds. Esther wasn’t sure what he said to Remy, but it sure had the man blushing bright red. Annie on the hand didn’t take well to Remy’s antics; her reactions were as bad or as worse than Hollace’s, and that was saying something. At one point when Annie had a faraway look in her eyes, like she had finally made contact, she suddenly whipped her head around so fast and glare harshly at Beau.

“You may think you’re smooth, but I can feel you poking and prodding my thoughts. Just to make this clear, I’m not one of your voodoo dolls. So please stop.” Esther shivered at the coldness in Annie’s voice. A stunned silence slipped over everyone. They watched with baited breathes as to how Beau would react. The awkwardness shattered with Beau’s words.

“I meant no harm, just testing reaction time. Just like a Dodge Viper, 0 to 60 in 2.2 seconds.” Beau smiled widely, impressed by Annie’s sensitivity. His smile was so disarming that a small smile graced Annie’s lips, but a frown quickly replaced it. Hollace just rolled his eyes and scoffed; while Remy glanced between Beau and Annie, making sure that the air was cleared.

Esther wrinkled her face in confusion. Before she could open her mouth to inquire about their references, something breezed through her head. I’ll ask uncle Naveen to show you what a voodoo doll is. Don’t worry. A Dodge Viper isn’t a real Viper; it’s just a really fast car. Esther jumped at the weird feeling fluttering in her head, but quickly related it to Beau.

Beau waved to her then promptly went back to innocently irritating Hollace. If Beau thought his explanation was helpful, it really wasn’t. Esther looked down puzzled over what a Viper was. It sounded similar to zipper maybe it was a special sewing tool, Esther reasoned out. Before she could ponder any further, Remy was beckoning her over.

“Let’s practice over here,” Remy said kindly. Esther followed Remy towards a secluded area; far enough away from the others that if something went wrong it wouldn’t affect them. “This area looks good.” Esther shrugged her shoulder. The area wasn’t much different from the other spot, but she got the feeling Remy was really worried that one of their abilities could cause major harm.

For a spell neither one of them did anything. Esther had no idea how to call up her energy; to be honest she still didn’t know what her ability was. She quirked an eyebrow as Remy started doing these really wired motions with his hands and body.

“What are doing?” Esther asked. The look on her face made Remy laugh.

“Spiderman.” He said it like the one word would tell her everything. Esther made a confused noise. “Oh that’s right; you don’t know who he is.” Esther nodded her head in agreement. “I know you don’t know, but it just seems impossible. He’s famous everyone knows him.” Remy looked hopeful at her like it would register to her who it was.

“I don’t.” Remy let out a frustrated grunt. Three of the four plants near them burst into flames. Esther squeaked and jumped back, as did Remy. It drew everyone’s attention, especially Naveen’s. He quickly shuffled through a cabinet. A little orange box appeared in his hand as he jogged over to the flaming vegetation.

“I tell him not to touch them, and what do you do? You caught them on fire.” Naveen playful teased as he sprinkled a white powder over the flames, slowly snuffing them out. For a second Remy looked horrified. “Calm down. They’re hardy plants they will live; no harm to foul.” Naveen squeezed his shoulder in a gesture of comfort. “It’s your first day practicing, there’s bound to be errors.” Naveen smile reassuring, completely unaware that his shoulder sleeve was on fire.

“Umm…” Esther pointed to his sleeve and Naveen looked over his shoulder, obvious to the fact. This caused Hollace and Beau to chuckle; Annie just covered her mouth trying to hide her grin. Apparently they deemed the fire safe, as it didn’t spread; it just danced along his sleeve not even burning the fabric.

“What?” Naveen looked between the others. “What’s so funny?” Remy was speechless. He had an awestruck look on his face. Esther couldn’t take her eyes from it; it reminded her of a dancing lady. The flame was moving like it had some big hips, swinging from side to side. When no one answered Naveen followed Esther’s eyes. “Ah.” Naveen tried to pat it out but the flame just danced away. “I’m glad you’re having fun, but Remy please.”

“I’m not controlling it.” Remy put his hands up in surrender. “You told me to calm down.”

“And what? You thought of dancing women?” Hollace deadpanned. Remy gulped like a fish, pink tinging his cheeks.

“No Esther did.” Beau snickered. Esther didn’t know what to say; she didn’t even feel Beau in her head that time.

“I think they both did. Yeah I know. I’m glad to know they have similar interests too.” Annie giggled as she walked towards them, talking to a space to her left. Then she frowned. “You pervert. That’s disgusting.”

Before anyone could ask about her ghost, there was a whoosh. Suddenly the dancing flame was burning the fabric and growing quickly in size. Everything happened in a flurry. Beau rushed over towards Naveen as Remy pushed Esther behind him and shouted at Annie to get back. Hollace was there one second and gone the next. He appeared by the little orange box. He blurred next to Naveen and threw the white powder all over him. The flames smoldered out. A very white irritated Naveen, stood there with a stone cold frown.

“I’m thinking that’s enough for today. Two times a week isn’t going to be enough I see. Why don’t you all consider practicing on your own too. If anything happens I can help clean it up.” He turned around dismissing them with a wave of his arm. “I need a shower and some tea.”



"Annie what is this place?" Esther looked wearily at the large multiplex building. The mass of cars made her nervous as well as the rowdy people coming and going from the many exits.

"It's called a mall. This is where we buy clothes." Annie held the car door open; making sure Esther wouldn’t back out and lock the door.

"It looks...I have enough clothes. I can even make my own. Let's go back to the apartment. I’m pretty sure I can manage something with your spare sheets." Esther tried to tug the door from Annie’s grip, but it was of no use.

"First toga ware to out of date, plus petty may think you’re hosting a toga party. Two, I can’t believe you left your community and everything you knew for something unknown and you’re afraid to go into a crowed mall. Come on prove me wrong, have some cojones." Annie gestured with her head to get out. Esther’s fear was replaced with confusion. She had inking as to what cojones were. By the gleam in Annie’s eyes, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Pushing her confusion to the side, she forced herself up. A weird feeling of displacement washed over Esther, followed by many car alarms suddenly going off.

Annie started laughing as they took off towards the nearest entrance. Many people turned and looked, confused by all the sudden noise. Esther kept her face down, embarrassed by her lack of control.

"I think it’s safe to say yours and Remy's abilities are emotional based," Annie said as they walked through the mall. In a nervous gesture, Esther twisted her hands. She was overwhelmed by the noises and the colors, the further they moved the closer Esther stuck to Annie's side like a leech. She'd never seen anything like a mall.

"You really think so?" Esther asked pulling herself from her inner nervousness and all the distractions.

"Yes. Every time Remy and you panic something goes wrongs." Annie stopped Esther in front of store. "Kohl's. It’s the perfect place to start. Let’s go." Annie grabbed Esther without warning and dragged her headlong into a throng of people and clothes.

It was two hours later that Esther told Annie she had to take a break. They already had three bags of clothes and two pairs of shoes, she couldn't take it anymore. She waited outside as Annie paid. Esther begged Annie not to buy them, but Annie just smiled and said 'it’s a worthy investment. Plus it’s always good to have favors to call in.' Esther didn’t understand, but she was quickly learning some things are best left unasked.

As Esther waited, there was a suddenly commotion. She watched as a man stumbled over a trash can, hastily looked over his shoulder then bolted towards her. Before he could so much as get two feet away from the entrance to kohl’s, he was slammed into the wall by two men. They ripped his arms behind his back, and cuffed him.

"Cruz, why are you running? We just wanted to ask you a few questions," the man with darker skinned asked playfully.

"Bullshit!" Cruz yelled, thrashing against the two men.

"There's women and children around, watch your language," the other man said calmly. He looked over towards Esther, nodding his head. "Everything’s fine miss, if you would be so kind to back away."

That's when Esther realized she'd gotten up to get a closer look. She was no more than a foot away.

"Miss back up please," the man ordered none too kindly. There was no room for argument and by his tone he was getting annoyed.

"Langley, if the lady wants to watch I don't mind." Cruz twisted his head and gave Esther a wink. "This a friend of yours? I like them small." Cruz turned his gaze toward Annie and licked his lips suggestively.

"It's Officer Ware." Langley slammed Cruz into the wall, making Cruz bite his tongue. "And what did I tell you about that mouth of yours."

"I'm Officer Williams, now ladies if you please I need you to step away, this is official police business." He ushered Esther and Annie away. "If please wait, I need to get a statement."

As soon as Officer Williams’s attention was back on Cruz, Esther was being pulled away.

"He said to wait...hey." Esther stumbled over her feet, but quickly righted herself as Annie handed her a bag. Esther didn't understand why Annie was going against the lawmen’s wishes.

"Of course he did, just trying to cover his ass in case something happens. If this happened before this whole mess with our abilities, I would be staying and helping. God knows that Cruz character needs a good beating, sick freak." Annie shook he head rapidly. They quickly made it to the car without a word passed between them. "We don't need to draw attention to ourselves. Especially with your emotional based powers. Who knows what could’ve happened? Or who’s watching.”

Here's the chapter again. Criticize me please! and Enjoy.

The training went a little like this.

As much as Hollace threatened Beau and Naveen warned him, nothing came of it. Beau had to train so he did. He was constantly smirking as he pushed his ability to the limit; he didn’t say much out loud but his voice was echoed in each of their minds. Esther wasn’t sure what he said to Remy, but it sure had the man blushing bright red. Annie on the hand didn’t take well to Remy’s antics; her reactions were as bad or as worse than Hollace’s, and that was saying something. At one point when Annie had a faraway look in her eyes, like she had finally made contact, she suddenly whipped her head and glare harshly at Beau.

“You may think you’re smooth, but I can feel you poking and prodding my thoughts. Just to make this clear, I’m not one of your voodoo dolls. So please stop.” Esther shivered at the coldness in Annie’s voice. A stunned silence slipped over everyone. They watched with baited breathes as to how Beau would react. The awkwardness shattered with Beau’s words.

“I meant no harm, just testing reaction time. Just like a Dodge Viper, 0 to 60 in 2.2 seconds.” Beau smiled widely, impressed by Annie’s sensitivity. His smile was so disarming that a small smile graced Annie’s lips, but a frown quickly replaced it. Hollace just rolled his eyes and scoffed; while Remy glanced between Beau and Annie, making sure nothing more was going to happen.

Esther wrinkled her face in confusion. Before she could open her mouth to inquire about their references, something breezed through her head. I’ll ask uncle Naveen to show you what a voodoo doll is. Don’t worry. A Dodge Viper isn’t a real Viper; it’s just a really fast car. Esther jumped at the weird feeling fluttering in her head, but quickly related it to Beau’s powers.

Beau waved to her then promptly went back to innocently irritating Hollace. If Beau thought his explanation was helpful, it really wasn’t. Esther looked down puzzled over what a Viper was. It sounded similar to zipper maybe it was a special sewing tool, Esther reasoned out. Before she could ponder any further, Remy was beckoning her over.

“Let’s practice over here,” Remy said kindly. Esther followed Remy towards a secluded area; far enough away from the others that if something went wrong it wouldn’t affect them. “This area looks good.” Esther shrugged her shoulder. The area wasn’t much different from the other spot, but she got the feeling Remy was really worried that one of their abilities could cause major harm.

For a spell neither one of them did anything. Esther had no idea how to call up her energy; to be honest she didn’t understand what electricity even was, yet understand it. She quirked an eyebrow as Remy started doing these really wired motions with his hands and body.

“What are doing?” Esther asked. The look on her face made Remy laugh.

“Spiderman.” He said it like the one word would tell her everything. Esther made a confused noise. “Oh that’s right; you don’t know who he is.” Esther nodded her head in agreement. “I know you don’t know, but it just seems impossible. He’s famous everyone knows him.” Remy looked hopeful at her like it would register to her who it was.

“I don’t.” Remy just smiled and patted her shoulder.

“Give it time. Just add Spiderman to the list we gave you. Annie has shown you Netflix, right?” Remy inquired as he shook out his limbs and rotated his head.

“Yeah.” Esther bit her lip, she didn’t want to admit it, but some of the movies she’d already watched were really weird. “Some of the things on there are a little…odd.” Esther decided to copy Remy, maybe there was a method to his madness. She paused, hesitant to mention the next part. “And Annie banned me from touching certain things, at least until I get my abilities under control.”

“What happened?” Remy threw his hand like he was tossing a ball, nothing happened. Esther copied him, nothing happened.

“I shorted her kitchen lights when I touched the switch.” Esther felt her cheeks redden. “The glass shattered everywhere.” Remy’s eyebrows went up in surprise.

“Looks like both of our abilities are a bit rambunctious. The sooner we get them under…” Remy trailed off as his cheeks turned red again. Suddenly three of the four plants near them burst into flames. Esther squeaked and jumped back, as did Remy. It drew everyone’s attention, especially Naveen’s. He quickly shuffled through a cabinet. A little orange box appeared in his hand as he jogged over to the flaming vegetation.

“I tell Hollace not to touch them, and what do you do? You caught them on fire.” Naveen playful teased as he sprinkled a white powder over the flames, slowly snuffing them out. For a second Remy looked horrified. “Calm down. They’re hardy plants they will live; no harm to foul.” Naveen squeezed his shoulder in a gesture of comfort. “It’s your first day practicing, there’s bound to be errors.” Naveen smile reassuring.

“It was Beau’s fault,” Hollace said with venom, as he crossed his arms. Beau innocently put his hands up, but his smile gave his away.

“Moi?”

“Yes you. You’re Beau not LeBeau have a little control.” Hollace uncrossed his arms as he ran across the room, however it wasn’t at super speed. “What the?” Hollace wore a confused expression.

“Why did you not,” Esther gestured with her arms, unsure of the word to use.

“Go really fast? Because like me he lacks control.” Beau smirked as Hollace glared at him.

“All of you just give it time. When you’re not here, practice at home. Two days a week won’t be enough,” Naveen spoke loudly putting an end to all the talk.

Esther nodded her head in agreement, but paused at the panic stricken look on Remy’s face. Every time his abilities just so happened to flare up, it always caused problems. Esther reckoned his worry over about possible hurting his family was running through his head.

Naveen continued to talk unaware that his shoulder had suddenly caught fire.

“Umm…” Esther pointed to his sleeve. Naveen stopped talking and looked over his shoulder, obvious to the fact that Esther was pointing at him and not some empty space.

“What Esther?” Esther just continued to point. “This isn’t funny. Why do you keep pointing at the wall?” His remark caused Hollace and Beau to crack a smile and chuckle; Annie just covered her mouth trying to hide her grin. Unfortunately at Annie, Beau, Remy, and Hollace’s angle they couldn’t see the fire or see how it was spreading. Naveen looked between the others. “What’s so funny?”

“What?!” Annie shouted suddenly to the space to her left. “Naveen you’re on fire!” There was a beat of silence then Naveen turned around.

As if on cue, there was a whoosh. The fire doubled in size, consuming fabric and inching towards his skin. Everything happened in a flurry. Beau rushed over towards Naveen flapping his arms around. Remy pushed the speechless Esther behind him and shouted at Annie to get back. Hollace was there one second and gone the next. He appeared by the little orange box. He blurred next to Naveen and threw the white powder all over him. The flames smoldered out, leaving a very white irritated Naveen; he stood there with a stone cold frown. He picked at his shirt.

“This was one of my favorites.” He sighed and gave a reassuring smile at Remy. “I’m fine. Your fire didn’t burn me, just my shirt. I’m thinking that’s enough for today.” He turned around dismissing them with a wave of his arm. “I need a shower and some tea.”



"Annie what is this place?" Esther looked wearily at the large multiplex building. The mass of cars made her nervous as well as the rowdy people coming and going from the many exits.

"It's called a mall. This is where we buy clothes." Annie held the car door open; making sure Esther wouldn’t back out and lock it.

"It looks...I have enough clothes. I can even make my own. Let's go back to the apartment. I’m pretty sure I can manage something with your spare sheets." Esther tried to tug the door from Annie’s grip, but it was of no use.

"Firstly, toga ware today is out of date, plus people may think you’re hosting a toga party. Two, I can’t believe you, you left your community and everything you knew for something unknown and you’re afraid to go into a crowed mall. Come on prove me wrong, have some cojones." Annie gestured with her head to get out. Esther’s fear was replaced with confusion. She had no inking as to what cojones were. By the gleam in Annie’s eyes, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Pushing her confusion to the side, she forced herself up. A weird feeling of displacement washed over Esther, followed by many car alarms suddenly going off.

Annie started laughing as they took off towards the nearest entrance. Many people turned and looked, confused by all the sudden noise. Esther kept her face down, embarrassed by her lack of control. She couldn’t go anywhere without something happening.

"I think it’s safe to say yours and Remy's abilities are emotional based and very spastic," Annie said as they walked through the mall. In a nervous gesture, Esther twisted her hands. She was overwhelmed by the noises and the colors, the further they moved the closer Esther stuck to Annie's side like a puppy. She'd never seen anything like a mall.

"You really think so?" Esther asked pulling herself from her inner nervousness and all the distractions.

"Yes. Every time Remy and you panic something goes wrongs. Something even when you look fine and content you still set things off. Both your abilities are wild." Annie stopped Esther in front of store. "Kohl's. It’s the perfect place to start. Let’s go." Annie grabbed Esther without warning and dragged her headlong into a throng of people and clothes.

It was two hours later that Esther told Annie she had to take a break. They already had three bags of clothes and two pairs of shoes, she couldn't take it anymore. She waited outside as Annie paid. Esther begged Annie not to buy them, but Annie just smiled and said 'it’s a worthy investment. Plus it’s always good to have favors to call in.' Esther didn’t understand, but she was quickly learning some things are best left unasked.

As Esther waited, there was a suddenly commotion. She watched as a man stumbled over a trash can, hastily looked over his shoulder then bolted towards her. Before he could so much as get two feet away from the entrance to kohl’s, he was slammed into the wall by two men. They ripped his arms behind his back, and cuffed him.

"Cruz, why are you running? We just wanted to ask you a few questions," the man with darker skinned asked playfully.

"Bullshit!" Cruz yelled, thrashing against the two men.

"There's women and children around, watch your language," the other man said calmly. He looked over towards Esther, nodding his head. "Everything’s fine miss, if you would be so kind as to back away."

That's when Esther realized she'd gotten up to get a closer look. She was no more than a foot away.

"Miss back up please," the man ordered none too kindly. There was no room for argument and by his tone he was getting annoyed.

"Langley, if the lady wants to watch I don't mind." Cruz twisted his head and gave Esther a wink. "This a friend of yours? I like them small." Cruz turned his gaze toward Annie and licked his lips suggestively.

"It's Officer Ware." Langley slammed Cruz into the wall, making Cruz bite his tongue. "And what did I tell you about that mouth of yours."

"I'm Officer Williams, now ladies if you please I need you to step away, this is official police business." He ushered Esther and Annie away. "Please wait here, I need to get a statement after we are finished."

As soon as Officer Williams’s attention was back on Cruz, Esther was being pulled away.

"He said to wait...hey." Esther stumbled over her feet, but quickly righted herself as Annie handed her a bag. Esther didn't understand why Annie was going against the lawmen’s wishes.

"Of course he did, just trying to cover his ass in case something happens. If this happened before this whole mess with our abilities, I would be staying and helping. God knows that Cruz character needs a good beating, sick freak." Annie shook he head rapidly. They quickly made it to the car without a word passed between them. "We don't need to draw attention to ourselves. Especially with your powers. Who knows what can happened? Or who’s watching.”

Annie was starting to realize just how many dead people populated New York City. They were everywhere. The coffee shop where she bought her morning scones. The halls of Columbia. On the subway. Some watched her from a distance, others followed her around like lost puppies, and others actually spoke to her. Annie was finding she preferred the silent kind. When ghosts got talking, they didn't seem to want to shut up and they had about as much concept of personal space as Esther did.

Annie slipped her key into the front door, juggling several bags of groceries. Then she promptly dropped them with a shriek as she found a strange man standing in her kitchen. She lunged for the counter and grabbed a knife out of the holder.

The guy held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"I'm sure every perpetrator of home invasion says the same thing," Annie said, brandishing the knife. Then she paused, realizing she'd seen him before. She huffed and set the knife down.

"You again," she said in exasperation. It was the tall brunette boy she'd seen at the hospital the night she developed her power. He'd followed her and Esther for a while after they left the hospital, and she'd seen him occasionally lurking around watching her from a distance. Annie set about gathering her fallen groceries and shut the front door.

"What do you want?" she demanded.

"Well for starters it'd be nice to not have someone wave a butcher knife at me."

"Like it matters." Annie snorted. "You're dead."

"Yes thank you. I do so enjoy being reminded of it."

"Oh good. A ghost who likes cracking jokes." Annie stepped through him to put the miraculously unspilled milk in the fridge. She only cringed a little bit as she did so. Her groceries only consisted of the essentials: milk, cereal, rocky road, coffee, and cat food. Dinner in her apartment was essentially always take out. She frowned a little as she took in just how sparse the food in her kitchen was. I eat way too much take out,she thought.

"Listen," the ghostly intruder was saying,"I've been dead for almost five years and in that entire time you're the only person who's been able to see or hear me. A guy gets a little sick of having no one to talk to but crazy dead people."

"So you've been stalking me because you want to have a chat?" Annie raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. Someone with a pulse would be a refreshing change. Some ghosts are happy to yak the ear off of other ghosts too you know, and you may have noticed their conversation isn't exactly scintillating. There's an astounding number of little old biddies waiting for, or haunting, their husbands and they really enjoy talking about their kids."

"Sounds awful," Annie remarked dryly. The ghost scowled at her.

"I can help you," he insisted. "Clearly you're pretty new to the whole 'I see dead people' thing."

"I already have help."

"Ah yes. The witch doctor and the weirdos. But none of them are actually dead, are they? Who better to teach you about the dead than a dead guy?"

Annie heaved a long-suffering sigh. "All right, I suppose you do have a point." She eyed him skeptically. "You really want to help me master...whatever this is, just so you have someone to talk to?"

"A lot of ghosts who can't be seen or heard often eventually go a little looney from the isolation. I'd rather not go the way of the cuckoo bird. It gets old fast being invisible all the time."

"All right." Annie rolled her eyes. "But if you're going to hang around here no more sneaking up on me or creepy stalker stuff."

"Fair enough." He saluted her. "I'm Mickey, by the way."

"Mickey?" Annie repeated. "Seriously?"

"What were you expecting? Casper?"

"Well something more impressive than a cartoon mouse, at least."

"You are remarkably mean for such a tiny person. It's short for Michael but another kid in my kindergarten class already went by Mikey so I improvised."

"Whatever. Where's my roommate? You haven't done anything untoward to her have you?"

Mickey looked insulted. "She's in her room listening to music."

"Well you can't blame me for asking." Annie paused to consider how insane she would have looked had there been anyone else in the room just then. "How did my life get so complicated?" she muttered.

"Don't worry. Obi Wan is here to impart wisdom and make it all better."

Annie frowned. "What is it with guys my age and movie references? Do you spend all your time watching TV?"

"Not hardly. We tend to also spend a fair amount of time jacking off."

Annie shot him an acid glare and he winced slightly.

"Jesus. If I wasn't already dead I think that look right there would do the trick. You're a scary little nerd, you know that?"

"And you'd do well to remember it," she replied primly. "Now. How the hell do I explain you to Esther?"

"Explain what to Esther?"

Annie jumped and nearly fell off her stool as Esther padded up the hall.

"Um. Esther, this is Mickey." She waved vaguely in the direction he was standing. "He's going to be around sometimes. He's offered to help me with my power. Don't worry, I'll keep him under tight supervision."

Mickey scowled at her again but Annie ignored him. She smiled reassuringly and Esther smiled tentatively back.

"Wanna watch some more movies tonight?" Annie asked and Esther brightened.

"With popcorn?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah," Annie laughed. "With popcorn." She shooed Esther away from the microwave, worried her excitement would short it out or blow it up. Then they settled onto the couch and Esther scrolled through Annie's Netflix to find a movie to watch. She was a Netflix junkie in the making. Annie's golden tabby, Madame Curie, jumped into her lap with a soft mew and Mickey settled himself on the arm of the couch like he'd lived there forever. Her usually empty apartment was now occupied by a sarcastic spirit and an Amish runaway. She wasn't sure weird even covered her life anymore.



Annie pulled up in front of Naveen's shop and cut the engine. Esther fairly bounded ahead of her into the shop and Annie couldn't help but smile a little at her enthusiasm. Mickey had accompanied them, eager to watch the "weirdos" in action. She trailed into the shop after Esther. Remy, Beau, and Hollace were already there and Esther was talking animatedly about the movies she'd watched with Annie the night before. Hollace stood there with his arms crossed and a bored expression but Remy and Beau talked to her easily. Beau started rattling off more movies that she should watch. There was a tug on Annie's skirt and she looked down to see the little boy ghost who had appeared last time she came for training.

"Hello there," she said, smiling. He handed her a small yellow flower. "For me? Well thank you, it's beautiful. But I'm not sure Naveen will appreciate you picking his plants."

He just grinned and Annie tucked the flower behind her ear. The boy waved cheerfully at Mickey and then walked over to the others, staring up at them in fascination. He seemed particularly impressed with Remy and Hollace. He must have liked their powers. Mickey wandered around the shop, picking up random items to study.

"Mickey, do try not to break anything," Annie said. Hollace shot her a weird look. "Who the hell is Mickey?"

"The ghost standing over there waving at you," Annie replied, pointing. The three boys shot sidelong glances in the direction she indicated. Naveen walked in then and beamed. "Ah, good. You're all here. Let's just get right to it then, shall we?"

The little boy broke into another broad grin and scurried across the floor, revealing and flinging open the trap door before Naveen could take a step. He leaped down the stairs and Annie laughed at the startled expressions on everyone's faces. She descended the stairs into the underground tunnel and went to a secluded little section, kneeling on the ground. She kicked off her boots and curled her legs beneath her. Mickey flopped down beside her, propping himself up on his elbows. Her silent little companion sat on her other side, excitement etched on his face. She spent a few minutes watching the others.

Since Remy and Esther's powers were similar and both seemed to often be triggered by emotion, they worked on honing their skills together. They tested the strength and range of their fire and electricity and Remy patiently explained various terms and references to Esther.

Naveen had instructed Hollace to practice precision with his speed, so that he could stop in a designated place without overshooting. Naveen was working with Beau, testing different herbal remedies to ease the headaches and help turn down the volume on the voices in his head. It seemed Annie was to be left to her own devices. She kept her distance from the others, not wishing to be run over, set ablaze, or electrocuted. And she wasn't keen on having someone poking about in her mind either, and she hoped between the distance and whatever weird smelling things Naveen was giving Beau, her thoughts would remain safely hidden from him.

"All right," Mickey said. "Summon up some ghosts."

Annie closed her eyes and envisioned her ghost radar, as she had deemed it, sending out a signal. She could sense ghosts all over the place around here, but she tried to shrink the signal so that it only reached the nearest ones. She felt a poke on her shoulder and opened her eyes. Several more children had joined the silent little boy. They stared at her with shameless curiosity.

"Oh. Well, hello," Annie said.

"What is it with you and kids?" Mickey grumbled. "Okay, now tell them to do something."

Annie stared at him blankly and he sighed in irritation. "Ghosts aren't just drawn to you because they know you can see them. They feel compelled to come to you, and compelled to do what you say."

"So theoretically I could tell you to get lost and you'd have to do it?"

"Hardy har. You're a riot. Do you wanna get control over this or not, Ghost Whisperer? Just do it."

Unsure what to tell a bunch of ghostly kids to do, Annie made a game out of describing various items upstairs in the shop and sending the children to fetch them. They returned triumphant every time, waving their assigned trinket in the air. Then Annie would instruct them to put everything back, carefully, and bring her something else. It was actually sort of fun, and Annie could almost forget the she was surrounded by dead children that no one else could see.

Almost.

Except she was finding that she could sense how each of them died. It was at once hair raising and heart breaking and she was glad the images were brief, even if they were vivid. But the children all seemed happy enough playing scavenger hunt for her, and they were awed by everyone else's powers. While the children were upstairs finding things Mickey began explaining the spirit world to her.

"These kids seem to like you, so there's a good possibility that they're doing what you tell them to just to make you happy. But there will be plenty of ghosts that are going to be far less eager to please and harder to control. It's all about will power, really. There's some...force, I guess, inside you, or being channeled through you. And it basically turns you into a damn homing beacon for the dead."

"Just what every girl longs to hear."

"You can adjust how strong your inner bat signal is. You did it today. I don't think you can turn it off; you're probably stuck with ghosts forever, kiddo. But you should be able to keep them from bothering you constantly. And you can summon them to you whenever you feel like it."

"Why would I ever feel like it?" Annie asked incredulously.

"You never know." Mickey shrugged. "Ghosts can be pretty helpful in a jam sometimes. But I will warn you, not all spirits are as cute and cuddly as me. Some of them were twisted in life and they're no better in the afterlife. And there are some that are particularly violent and powerful. Fortunately it's more difficult for them to cross the barrier into this world, but when they do it's no picnic for anyone."

"How very comforting." A chill raced down Annie's spine at his words.

"I think the next step in your training should be entering the spirit world," Mickey said and Annie flinched. "Why?"

"Because the only way you're going to be able to understand and hone your weirdness is to exercise it to its full potential, that's why."

"What makes you even think that's possible?" Annie asked.

"Can't you feel it? Another world pressing against this one?"

She did feel it, when she took the time to stop and concentrate. She had been doing her best to ignore it. But Mickey told her to try crossing the barrier, though he had no advice on how to actually do that other than, "just...go through it."

Annie stood up and held her hands in front of her, palms out. When she felt that brush of a place that was somehow other she envisioned a door opening. There was a ripple in the air in front of her and Annie could see a place filled with grey mist. She stepped into the ripple and the world around her changed. Everything was grey and shadow, and it was eerily quiet. She glanced over her shoulder and could still see the others through the ripple, still practicing their powers. They looked fuzzy around the edges. Their voices sounded distant and muffled.

"You shouldn't leave the doorway open," Mickey said. "Something could get out."

His words made her shiver and the idea of closing herself into this place made her claustrophobic. But she did as he asked, imagining a door closing. The ripple vanished and the others became blurry, faceless blobs. Cold settled around her, feeling almost like a living thing itself. Annie felt like it was trying to consume her and the thought did nothing to soothe her taut nerves. Taking a deep breath, she ventured a little further into the mist, and then she heard them. Voices. Just a few at first and then countless whispers filled her ears. She halted and looked around uneasily. Shapes moved among the grayness, darting around her.

"Uh, Mickey?"

"Living people can't generally physically cross into this place. They all know you're alive."

"Is that bad?"

"Well no not unless..." he trailed off.

"Unless what?" Annie demanded, panic starting to set in.

"If one of those less cute and cuddly spirits I told you about sees you, that could be bad. They'll try to either follow you out or, trap your soul here so they can use your body to get out."

"What?" Annie fairly shrieked. "And you didn't think to share that with me before? You said yourself that I'm new to all this. How am I supposed to fend off evil soul stealing spirits?"

"Huh. Well. I guess we didn't think this all the way through."

Annie glowered. "If you weren't already dead, I would kill you."

"We should probably get going," Mickey said.

"You think?" Annie concentrated again on opening a door. Something crashed into her and sent her sprawling on the ground. The ghost had long, jagged nails and wild hair. Her gaunt face reminded Annie of a witch from a fairy tale. The ghost screamed and dove for Annie's throat. Mickey knocked her aside.

"You may wanna get that door open pretty soon."

"Working on it!" Annie snapped. She physically pushed her hands against the barrier, and the ripple formed again. She scrambled through it, landing on her stomach in Naveen's tunnel. Mickey zipped out after her. "Shut it!" he shouted. The still shrieking spirit was trying to follow them. Annie imagined a door slamming and locking, and the ripple vanished just before the ghost could slip through. The chill she had felt since crossing the rift increased tenfold and she curled in on herself with a gasp. She began shivering so hard she bit her tongue. She tasted the copper tang of blood in her mouth. Her fingertips were slightly blue.

"Sorry," Mickey said. "I may have forgotten to mention the grave chill too. You'll get used to it eventually. I think."

Annie wanted to spit a stream of obscene words his way but her teeth were still chattering too hard. The cold was so intense it hurt and her sweater, knee-length skirt and tights did nothing to dispel the chill. Heat abruptly touched her skin, and she looked up to find Remy standing a few feet away, his body lit with flames. It helped; after about a minute of violent trembling her body temperature finally began to return to normal.

"How could you forget to mention that!" she shouted up at Mickey.

"Sorry," Mickey said again. "Ghosts are always cold. It didn't really cross my mind that you'd be so effected by it, although it makes sense, I suppose. Even with your freaky powers."

"Are you all right, Annie?" Remy asked, his voice sounding strange through the flames.

"Yeah," Annie said. "I'm fine. My ghostly mentor is just a bungling moron is all."

"Hey I said I was sorry." Mickey crossed his arms and they glared at each other.

"Perhaps that's enough for today," Naveen called out. Remy extinguished his flames and helped her to her feet. "Thanks, Mr. Steele," she said. Remy smiled. "No problem. At least this fire stuff is good for something."

Mickey muttered that he'd see her later and vanished.

"Would you all like to eat before you head home?" Naveen asked. "You look exhausted."

Hollace actually perked up at this suggestion, a phenomena Annie hadn't thought he was capable of. The children waved goodbye to Annie as she climbed the stairs and followed Naveen out of the shop and toward the restaurant.

Naveen disappeared into the kitchen while the rest of them slid into a booth. Annie let the conversation; mostly Esther's and Beau's; wash over her while she got lost in her own thoughts. Dark spirits. Crossing barriers into other worlds. It was all just too much.

"Is that tattoo like your lucky charm or something?" Hollace's voice interrupted her thoughts and Annie realized she was touching her left wrist. It was an unconscious habit she had when she was nervous. She dropped her hands into her lap.

"Over the Rainbow was my little sister's favorite song," she said, almost defensively.

"How did she die?" Esther asked in a quiet voice. Annie stared at the table top, carefully avoiding eye contact.

"She had leukemia," she said slowly. "She was diagnosed when she was six, and she died a year later."

"What's leuk-" Esther began, but Remy gently nudged her shoulder and she didn't continue.

Annie traced the delicate script on her wrist. The words over the rainbow with four small bluebirds underneath, their wings spread in flight. The handwriting was actually Abigail's carefully practiced cursive. She had insisted that when her time was up, she was going to fly to Oz on the back of a bluebird. Annie smiled faintly at the memory, even as a lump formed in her throat. She rarely talked to anyone about Abby, and she didn't know why she was doing it now. Perhaps all the ghosts were making her sentimental. It occurred to her that all the children she had met today were buried in the same place. Abby could easily have ended up like them, stuck here and doomed to wander around a cemetery forever. The thought made her feel a little nauseous.

"I think I could use some fresh air." Annie stood abruptly and strode outside before she started crying or something equally as embarrassing. She stepped out into the cool October evening and leaned against her Mini Cooper. The breeze felt good on her face and helped her regain some semblance of composure. Then the air grew bitingly cold and all the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Annie pushed away from the car and looked behind her. The dark creature that had grabbed her in the hospital stood on the other side of the street, staring at her.

Its body seemed to be made of black smoke, and she could barely make out any features besides its eerie white eyes. It was different from the other spirits Annie had encountered, and even more frightening than the screaming woman she had seen earlier. She had the childish desire to run back inside and never come out again but she swallowed her terror and stared defiantly back. The spirit raised its hand, waving at her in a mocking fashion. Then it vanished as mysteriously as it had appeared. Annie sagged against her car, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

The sun slipped over the horizon and she was left standing alone in the darkness.

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

Here's Mickey :)

Okay, I know this is about to be annoying, but since I figured someone else would edit your chapter, Sofia, I didn't and now that I'm reading the new post, I'm just gonna have to. Hahaha

... her reactions were as bad or as worse than Hollace’s, and that was saying something. -- ** I'd say change it to "bad, if not worse that Hollace's."

They watched with baited breathes as to how Beau would react. -- **baited breath

“What are doing?” Esther asked. -- **what are you doing

She quirked an eyebrow as Remy started doing these really wired motions with his hands and body. -- **weird

He’s famous everyone knows him.” -- **He's famous. Everyone knows him."

They’re hardy plants they will live; no harm to foul.” -- ** no hard no foul.

Beau innocently put his hands up, but his smile gave his away. -- gave him away

Esther reckoned his worry over about possible hurting his family was running through his head. -- **possibly hurting

Naveen stopped talking and looked over his shoulder, obvious to the fact that Esther was pointing at him and not some empty space. -- oblivious to the fact... ? (I think that's where you were going with that)

She had no inking as to what cojones were. -- **inkling

As Esther waited, there was a suddenly commotion. -- **sudden commotion

... the man with darker skinned asked playfully. -- darker skin

Annie shook he head rapidly. -- her head

"Who knows what could happened?" -- **happen

Alright, those are my only revisions. Sorry for posting them so late.