Unintended

A chill came over me and the skin on the right side of my body crawled inceassantly. I close my eyes and refuse to look.

"Ave." Josh's voice rose from the walkie-talkie. I said nothing.

"What do you feel?" Josh's voice came again.

"Don't tell them." The voice on my right hissed.

"No, tell them. I want to watch them cringe." A voice came form my left.

"I feel something. I hear--" I started. I began to reach for the walkie-talkie when it was swiped from my hand and across the room.

"I said don't tell them you worthless shit!" Came from the right. I shudder.

"Why not?" I challenge. The next voice comes from the left.

"They don't understand. You do."

"Do you want help?" I murmer.

"No, we want you dead!" The right hisses. It was hard to tell if the voices were male or female, simply because they had no gender.

"Why do you want me dead?" The voices hissed over each other. The only thing I could make out was something in Latin:'Non ante finitum est mortuus es'.



Suddenly it feels like the entire right side of my body is completely covered in insects. They seem to crawl under my skin. It burns. I scratch incessantly at my sides and arm; not itching, but trying to get the insects out. I feel the blood. And a sick part of me loves it.

And I know it's not me loving it. It's that's in me.

"What do you want from me?!" I growl,hunching forward resisting the urge to scratch.

"Ave, tell me what's happening, I want you out of there."I hear Jason's voice. Josh must have called Jason. I feel a tickle all the way down my neck closer to the right side, not down the middle. It's slow and deliberate. Then the tickle errupts into firey pain.

That's all I can remember before I wake up in the hospital.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ava please come with us to Ireland."

"That depends. It isn't another jail again is it?" I murmur into my Baileys.

"No," Jason starts,"It's the ruins of an old castle. We have some of the Destination Truth crew coming with us.We're one member short since Steve won't fly with us. So we need you."

"What are the sightings?"

"Female apparitions along the coast--"

"Wait,"I interrupt him,"What castle?"

"Red Bay Castle." My eyes go wide.

"I've had um... lineage there."

"All the more reasons you should come. It's not your castle or anything right?" He jokes. I smile into my cup.

"No, one of my ancestors was a medicine woman there during the attack on the castle in 1556."

"That's when it was demolished."

"I know." I smile to myself silently.

"Now will you come?"

"Hell yes." I smirk into my cup and take a swig.

"Great," Jason beams, "Everyone is gonna meet up tonight at Steve's around 6:00 to make him feel bad."

"You guys are asses," I roll my eyes and hold the cup to my mouth, inhaling the alchoholic aroma. I smirk and add,"I'll be there."

We make small talk for a while after this, and I leave the TAPS headquarters to go home to get ready because it was 4:00 already.

I'm so tired right now,but I don't want to be rude and just go to sleep instead of going tonight; I'm not officially on the team or anything, so that would be pretty awkward and self-centered.

I decide to shower up. Coconut shampoo-- Yay! I always loved coconut. It smelled so good and makes me feel energized. I shave my legs and dry off. My hair was fairly short, so there wasn't much that I would need to do to it. It was pixie-ish with a longer side-bang. I'm pretty glad I lopped off my hair, it made me look different (which was important) and also it was pretty easy to maintain, seeing as my scchedual is alwasy on a whim.

It wont be warm tonight but it's always hot in Steve's house. I decide on a velour black jacket over a tank-top and yoga pants. I wasn't very athletic, but I was a yoga fanatic, so they're real yoga pants, the kind you can move in. I spritz lightly with vanilla body spray behind my ears. I look at the clock and it's already quarter-to 6:00, given the half-hour ride, I assume I'll be fashionably late. I brush my teeth but bring another Bailey's alchoholic coffee that I mixed up for the ride, and get on my way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I actually get there about 6:10, so I'm not that late and assume I'm in the clear. I get out and lock the door of my black and red Fiat 500 Abarth, I never trusted the suburbs. I've never been too close to Steve--not that he's mean. I just don't feel comfortable letting myself into his house. I move my still-wet bangs out of my face and knock on the door. I'm greeted by Dave Tango.

"You!" He shouts.

"You!" I parrot. He hugs me tight around the waist and pulls me inside. I've always thought Dave was cute, and him the likewise, but nother every came of it really. It would just muck everything up. But I'm fine with friends, always fine with friends.

"Look who I found, guys?" I blush while being greeted by the regular TAPS gang-- Amy, Steve, Jason, Grant-- Along with Bruce Tango, and a couple of waves from some other faces I don't recognize.

"You certainly look comfortable." Steve chuckles. I nod at his baggy Scooby-Doo PJ pants.

"And you." This earns me a chuckle and he pulls me into a hug.

Once aquainted (I have already forgotten the names of the people I didn't recognize) everyone kicks back and just relaxes. I suppose they've already layed-into Steve about not coming-- which is fine, I don't feel the need to bring it up.

Everyone is sipping beer and I'm sipping away at my Bailey's. Dave taunts me.

"What is that?"

"Bailey's." I murmer, looking into my cup. "Why?"

"Lemme try some."

"Ew, no."

"Why not?"

"You probably have some weird cooties you're gonna give me."

He rolls his eyes. I smirk and give him the cup. He takes a taste and laughes.

"That is so weak!"

"I'm not trying to get wasted."

"Here, have some of this." He holds out a can.

"Beer is gross. No."

"Beer is better than that-- whatever that is. Besides, you probably can't handle a real drink anyway." Steve throws in and shrugs.

"I sense a challenge."

"Oh, yeah." Steve and Dave look at each other. I roll my eyes.

"It's on. Whenever you guys want to--"

"Sorry I'm late, guys. Hit traffic." A mans voice comes from behind the door. All heads turn.

I can't recognize him, so I assume he's one of the friends invited.

"Nah, it's cool, Josh. Just glad you could make it." Steve stands up and-- bro-hugs all around. I sense a testosterone moment so I sink back, seemingly unnoticed. When he isn't looking, I sneak peeks at the stranger.

Tall. I mean holy shit. Really tall. I thought I was tall. Using comparitave objects, I estimate he's nearly 6 inches taller than me. Light brown hair cropped short and a scruffy amount of stubble that seems almost ginger in color. Merlin nose. Broad shoulders. Had a good physique. I'm not gonna lie, he was pretty hot. That was obvious. After things have settled down, he sits with some of the other miscelaneous strangers along with Jason and Grant.

Steve looks to me.

"So how about a real drink?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm not doing body shots." I mutter.

"I didn't ask you to."

"You told me to take my shirt off."

"Well this stuff is so strong it will probably burn right through your chest. It seems like a good idea."

I roll my eyes at Dave and pick up the long-shot.

"Watch and learn." Steve smirks picking up his glass. He takes the shot like a pro-- I gotta give it to him. But I've been around long enough to handle my liquor. I hold the long-shot and feel eyes on me. Obviously, this is some sort of pride-game the guys must do. Initiation. Whatever.

I pull the glass to my lips and let it flow into my mouth and swallow. I squint a little but keep composure.

"Easy." I mutter. The guys look pleasantly surprised.

"How did you do that?" Dave asks after struggling with his.

"Try moonshine from a bathtub, then talk to me about liquor." I laugh.

It takes a few minutes but Grant and Jay loosen up enough to have shots themselves, along with several others.

"Hey Steve." I mutter, leaning on the counter next to him.

"Yeah, Ava?"

"Who's your cute friend?"

"Who?" He asks. I nod in the direction of the tall stranger I haven't met yet.

"Oh, Josh?" He asks. I shrug. "Hey, Josh!" He calls. I look up in fear.

"Oh my God Steve. I didn't mean--"

"Yeah, come here!" Steve motions for the guy--Josh-- to come over.

"She thinks you're cute." Steve mutters blatantly. I feel myself blush profusely.

"Oh my God." I roll my eyes, getting my acting on. "He's drunk. Please excuse us--"

Josh laughs. Oh my.

"Don't worry about it--I'm glad to hear that from someone other than my mother." He chuckles. I hold out a hand.

"Ava." Instead of taking my hand, he wraps me in a surprisingly close hug. I hesitate, then hug back a bit.

"I'm Josh. And we all hug here, don't be shy."

"Pfft,"I smirk, once released,"Me? Shy?"

"Seems it."

"You two are gonna investigate together." Steve says. I find myself blushing lightly again.

"Great. Way to make it awkward, Speedy."

"Speedy?" Josh asks, clearly confused."Last time I checked, Steve wasn't a mouse from me-hee-co ."

"It's a nickname. I get the stupid one of course. Meanwhile she calls everyone else cute things."

"Can I have a cute name?" Josh asks, pouting and looking down at me.

"You already do have a cute name, Josh." I wink. I like the way his name feels on my tongue. He crunches up his nose.

"D'aww. I like this girl already." He pats my shoulder,looking at me,nose all crunched all cute. Personally I've always loved brown eyes, but his blue ones are beautiful. Definitely softer and less-rugged than the rest of him.

I can definitely say--If I wasn't looking forward to returning to Ireland before, I definitely am now.