The Witching Hour

“How-“ Lisa choked out, but the panic in the room was too thick for her to catch her breath just yet. Reagan scanned the group cautiously, slowly bending to set her bag down as she studied the boys. Rachel managed to compose herself before the others, and she gave her friend a wary smile. She wore a pair of loose black cargo pants and a pair of black tennis shoes. Under the oversized black hoodie she word a faded red t-shirt that looked well-worn. She was exactly what the boys had pictured a possibly-possessed college girl to look like.

“You, uh, you left your roomkey here this morning,” Rachel pointed out, and when Reagan didn’t say anything, Lisa spoke up. She straightened herself and crossed her thin arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes.

“So how’d you get in?”

“You guys didn’t pull the door shut,” she said, more to Rachel than Lisa; her eyes swept over the boys again. “Who are you guys?”

“Oh, Reagan, these are my cousins, Dean and Sam. Guys, this is Reagan, our roommate,” Rachel said quickly, getting up off the bed, trying to hide her nerves. The boys stood, and Reagan gave them a wary nod; Sam maneuvered to try and see the color of her eyes, but she skirted the group with her head tilted down.

“Right,” Reagan murmured, pulling her laptop from her bag and moving to deposit it on her desk.

“We’re going to dinner,” Lisa ordered. “Are you ready?”

“I’m not hungry,” Reagan said dismissively, not even turning to glance at them; Sam studied her. She stood rigidly, like she didn’t feel comfortable enough to relax in her own room. Like she was on edge, waiting for something to happen.

“So you’re just going to sit up here and starve? That’s a little ridiculous,” Lisa sneered, and at this Reagan let out an irritated sigh and turned to stare full-on at her. To Sam’s disappointment, Reagan’s eyes weren’t gray either. True, she had long brunette hair, but her eyes were a bright sapphire blue that contrasted from her tanned skin. She was just a couple inches down from Lisa, but it was clear who held more power.

Lisa didn’t waiver, and the girls stared for a long time at one another. Lisa quirked an accusing brow, and Reagan let out a heavy sigh, backing down.

“Fine. I’m ready. Let’s go.”

Lisa and Rachel turned back to Sam and Dean, who were both staring at the girls with guarded uncertainty. Rachel gave them a strained smile.

“We’ll take care of your dinner, but,” Rachel moved a little closer as Reagan stalked past, heading for the hall as Lisa followed her closely. “Please don’t leave. She gets worse at night.”

“We’ll stay,” Dean promised, resting a hand on her shoulder. Sam gave an assuring smile. Rachel nodded, relieved, and led the boys out of the room. Lisa was waiting, arms crossed; Reagan leaned up against the wall, studying something on her phone. As the group moved off, she reluctantly followed. The girls chatted idly with the brothers, but Sam kept his eye on Reagan. Already, he could see what Rachel and Lisa had pointed out.

She kept several feet between her and the others, and her guarded eyes never lifted from the ground or her phone. She followed, but only to keep Lisa from arguing any more. Once they reached the cafeteria, she disappeared among the crowd.

“She hardly ever talks to us,” Rachel explained, grabbing a plate and a slice of pizza. “She’ll do what we ask, but it’s always just to keep us from nagging her. And, she never really eats. We haven’t seen her eat for a while now, but she never loses weight, or looks sick. She just stopped… it’s like she just stopped being human.”

As Dean and Rachel talked, Sam searched for Reagan; it didn’t take long to find the sullen girl. She stood off to the side, a plate of fries in one hand, and a glass of water in the other. She only moved when the others did, following them to the table. It was like she was on autopilot, just doing what was demanded of her and refusing to exist past that.

Lisa, Sam, and Dean sat on one side of the table, and Rachel sat beside Reagan across from them. Reagan had just put her plate down and pulled out the chair when the entire table tensed. Sam and Dean’s heads snapped up, and their eyes landed on a new girl that came up beside Reagan.

She was short, her head barely reaching Reagan’s shoulder. She had light chocolate eyes and long, dark brown hair that hung in a thick braid down one shoulder. It wasn’t hard for Sam and Dean to figure out who she was. Reagan turned immediately and stared down at Becca; Sam and Dean watched, transfixed.

Like Lisa and Rachel had said, neither of them spoke, but it was clear a conversation was taking place. For nearly a minute, the girls stared, each raising eyebrows or blinking pointedly. Finally, Reagan cracked a smile, and Becca snickered. The girls turned away and Becca disappeared into the crowd of students. Reagan sat and pretended like nothing unusual had happened as the others stared at her.

“What?” she asked, giving the group an annoyed frown as she picked at her fries.

“What did Becca want?” Lisa ordered, raising a brow. Reagan looked back down and pushed the plate away, with nothing eaten.

“Just seeing how I am,” she said dismissively; Lisa’s thin hand hit the table, making everyone but Reagan jump. Lisa’s green eyes flared with frustration. She had snapped.

“You need to quit lying! Do you think we’re stupid!?” she snarled, her face livid and fuming. Reagan met Lisa’s eyes with a calm, unfaltering gaze. Sam rested a hand on Lisa’s arm as Rachel lowered her stare.

“I’ve got homework to do,” Reagan said; no one moved to stop her as she got to her feet. Lisa looked away, angry tears welling in her eyes. As Reagan shoved her chair in, the sleeve of her hoodie moved up, and a sharp black design caught Sam’s eye; the same design he’d seen on the paper of Reagan’s desk. He nudged Dean, and pointed to the design. Dean’s brows furrowed as she left in a hurry. Once Reagan was fully out of the cafeteria, Dean let out a low breath.

“Seriously creepy,” he muttered, sharing a look with Sam. Lisa and Rachel finished eating in silence, as the boys mulled over what they’d just seen. Once Rachel and Lisa stood to leave, the boys hung back a step.

“That symbol look familiar?” Sam hissed, and Dean nodded.

“Can’t place it though. It’s not good, I can tell you that.”

“She had it earlier on her desk, and I’m sure it isn’t just a coincidence it’s become her new tattoo.”

“I’ll look into it tonight,” Dean promised. “In the meantime, find out all you can about Reagan and Becca. That mini-demon is almost creepier than the possessed-in-question. See what else the girls know.”

“Right,” Sam promised; when the group reached the room again, it was no surprise the dorm was dark and empty. Sam had seriously doubted Reagan had come straight back to the room. The light in the sleeping room was off, and the door was partially closed. No sign of life; Reagan could be anywhere.

At his request, Lisa escorted Dean to the library, and Sam joined Rachel on the floor as Rachel started on her homework. Rachel turned on the TV, and the two sat in companionable silence as Rachel worked.

“We lose it sometimes,” Rachel said after the fifteen minutes of silence, more to her computer than Sam. She had stopped typing, and now her hands rested in her lap, idle; her head hung down against her chest. “It’s just so… It’s almost heartbreaking, just watching her like that. Because that’s not who she is. And that’s all she does anymore. She’s not the person I befriended. It’s like she’s a stranger.”

“It’s hard watching possession happen to the ones you care about,” Sam empathized. “It changes them. But that’s why you called us. We can fix it-“

A bed creaked from the next room, and both Sam and Rachel froze. Lisa and Dean still weren’t back, but even now they could hear the shuffle of blankets, and something bumping against the wall.

Rachel’s brown eyes were stretched wide, and her face had visibly paled. Sam pressed a finger to his lips as he scrambled up, eyes locked on the hallway of the room.

“Stay here,” he breathed to Rachel, who nodded vigorously and backed up as Sam stalked out of the room, grabbing the EMF detector on the way out. There was a small piece of wall just between the two room doors, and he leaned against it briefly before snapping on the hall light and leaning in.

The light illuminated the room just enough for Sam to see that Reagan’s bed was empty, and her wardrobe was wide open; nothing in it save for her clothes. Lisa’s bed was fully illuminated, and it too was empty. He had to scoot in just an inch to look at Rachel’s, and he snapped on the room light as he did. All beds empty.

He stuck the EMF out and turned it on; the light stayed solid on green. The hum of the machine stayed solid and quiet. Nothing paranormal detected at all. After checking under all three beds and opening the wardrobes, Sam turned in a full circle, confused. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. But the noises had been more than just casual background noises.

Sam pressed his hands against Reagan’s bed; the same creak from before sounded, and confirmed his theories. Something had been in here, on this bed. Something had moved it. So where had it gone?

The doors of all three wardrobes slammed shut the same time the EMF detector went off. Rachel let out a scream, and instantly he spun towards the door. His heart leapt into his throat.

“And was it a human shape?” Dean had asked earlier, and Sam had just gotten the answer.

And then the lights went out.