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The Pendant

Disclaimer: Sadly don't own any of the characters.

at some point in the near future

…Salt…

"Sam, I don't think this is our kind of case. I mean, come on – how many car wrecks do teenagers die in each year, and how often is it due to them being not too bright?" Dean touches his temple and gives Sam a little wink.

"You're probably right, let's go hunt The Demon then." Sam turns away from the computer screen to see the disapproving look that he knew would be on Dean's face. "Oh, I forgot. For some strange reason we don't do that anymore…which you still haven't told me why!"

Sam flicks the mouse as he scrolls down the lists of articles on Hope Springs Gazette.

"Sam –"

"Whatever Dean. Look, I know something's not right. Seven teenagers have died within ten miles of this town this year alone."

"Well, that's not totally out there. Actually seven isn't that bad. Normally a small town like this is up to fifteen deaths a year." Dean skims bits of the news clippings over Sam's shoulder.

"Dean, it's only February, you're telling me that half the year's death in the first two months isn't strange?" Sam turns around to look at his brother. "Come on, what could possibly go wrong?" Sam picks up his jacket and heads towards the exit door of the library.

"Right, because our job is so safe," Dean mumbles to himself as he follows Sam out.

"So where do we start looking then?" Not loving the chilly February weather, Dean shoves his hands into his pockets.

"Well, the last two deaths were brothers. I figured we could take a look around their house. See what's what." Sam's flipping through some printed articles on the brothers' death as he walks towards the car.

"And we're just going to waltz into the grieving family's house?" Dean huffs.

"Well, that's what we normally do. We'll think of someth---ing" Sam stops walking, turning to watch a blond with black streaks walk across the street he'd just crossed.

"Nice catch Sammy, she defiantly doesn't look like the typical townie." Dean was watching the mystery girl walk away, but for an entirely different reason then Sam.

"There's something about her." Sam can't tear his eyes away, Dean just chuckles.

"Come on stud, we've got that house to check out. Unless, of course, you want to make a detour?"

"It's not like that," Sam scowls and continues walking.

"It never is with you." Dean gets into the driver's side and revs up the car.

"No, when she walked by I could feel her." Sam paused and realized how that sounded. "I mean, like sense something about her."

"And what did you sense, psychic boy?"

"Power."

-----

Dean pulled up to the dark house and Sam was already on the porch before he could even shut off the car. "Sam! What the hell, man. If you really think this is a supernatural thing then maybe bounding into a couple of dead guys' house is not the smartest idea. Especially seeing as we have no idea who's around."

"I wasn't bounding, and the brothers lived alone, so no one's around. Come on, what's with you – being the cautious brother isn't really your role." Sam bounces on his feet as he waits for Dean to reach him.

"Hey…yeah you're right. Ok, let's do this." Dean is about to kick down the door when Sam yanks him back.

"Dude, just try the door. A little more subtle, don't you think?"

"There's the Sammy I know. Fine, we'll do it your way." Dean tries the door handle and, to his surprise, it opens. He pushes it all the way and finding the coast clear, walks inside, Sam following behind.

"So, sensing any mojo at work here?" Dean grabs a flashlight from his coat pocket and begins to scan the hallway.

"Very funny, and no. Can we just look around please? I'll take the upstairs, you take – what was that?" The brothers pause; from around the corner they can hear a soft whispering.

"So much for no mojo. Come on," Dean starts down the hallway and reaches a closed door. He can see light coming from underneath the door, but when he presses his ear against it, there's nothing but silence. The sound had stopped.

"What do you think," Dean whispers. "Should we go for subtle or my way?"

"How about we see what we're dealing with before we decide to kill it." Reaching out to turn the knob slowly, Sam lets the door quietly slide open.

The first thing the brothers notice is a girl kneeling directly in the center of the room. From what they can hear, it sounds as if she is whispering something in Latin. Dean leans in a little further and swears he can see a circle of salt around her with weird markings written on the floor in chalk. He also was able to see the girl a little clearer too…

"Hey Sammy, isn't that your girl?" Dean laughs a little as Sam realizes that the girl was most defiantly the blond from the sidewalk. "You sure know how to pick 'em man." Dean went to step further into the room when a shadow streaked across the wall.

Immediately both boys were on their guard; guns raised, flashlights searching the room, and still the girl didn't move. "You're mojo sensing skills really suck, bro." Dean scans the once again spiritless room and relaxes a little.

"Maybe that's because I don't have any mojo sensing skills, bro." Sam's still on edge and creeps a little further into the room to get a better view.

Just as Dean lowers his gun, a spirit flies toward the center of the room and starts attacking the girl. Looking closer, Dean notices the spirit never quite gets close enough to actually touch the girl. It can't get passed the salt.

The spirit veered and started heading towards Sam. Watching it close in, Sam starts shooting salt pellets at it. The sound of the gun causes the girl's head shoot up. Shivers went down Dean's spine as she stared at him, eyes hazed over like a fogged window with shadows moving just on the other side.

"Whoa, defiantly not your typical townie. Your girlfriend's got some freaky eyes, man." Dean turns to Sam but finds him held against the wall by the spirit, eyes rolling into the back of his head.

Before Dean can react, the girl jumps up and starts whispering something. The strange glow around the spirit dies away and it vanishes. Once it's gone, Sam slumps against the wall and slowly slips to the floor shaking slightly.

"What the hell are you doing? Think this is a joke? God, I hate daredevils." The girl storms past Dean and starts to examine Sam.

"Hey, we were trying to help you." Dean, defiantly not use to this reaction, goes to stop her from touching Sam unsure exactly what she's doing here and to his brother.

"Well, helping almost killed your brother, genius."

"Hey – well…we were just – " Dean isn't sure if the brother comment was just a lucky guess or if this girl defiantly was not of the 'normal' kind.

"Whatever, just get me some salt from the black bag over there," the girl points in the general direction of her salt circle. Dean, only used to taking orders from his father, finds himself obeying for some reason.

Turning back, Dean notices the girl whispering something over Sam. He was defiantly not impressed. Stepping over to her, Dean hands her the salt, noticing that her eyes have the same haze over them again. She throws the salt on Sam's body and he stops shaking.

The fact that his brother is now passed out on the floor and Dean has no idea why puts him on edge. Beginning to suspect something very unusual about this mystery blond voodooing his brother, Dean steps in between them and begins to question her.

Cutting him off, the girl starts to undo her necklace, "you're going to need to take Sam to the hospital. He'll need treatment for hypothermia – just say you fell in the lake or something. They won't ask too many questions." Sidestepping Dean she kneels down and ties her necklace around Sam's neck.

"Hypothermia? When the hell did he get that? And how did you know his name?"

"Is that really what you're going to worry about right now? I'll help you get him out to the car. The hospital is about three miles north of here." The girl finished tying the necklace and stood up.

"Help him?" Dean scoffed. "You mean carry him. You can't help someone who's passed out." However, just as he finished speaking, Sam started to wake up.

"Right, north you say?" Dean looked at the girl. There was something wrong with her – besides the fact that she seemed to know exactly what was happening to his brother and Dean didn't have a clue.

"You okay, Sammy?" Dean bent down and lifted Sam onto his feet, pulling an arm around his shoulder to support his brother better.

"He won't answer you; his brain's gone into shock. Like I said: hospital." The girl mimicked Dean by putting Sam's free arm around her shoulder. "Shall we?"

The three started an awkward and lopsided effort of getting to the car. Dean noticed that Sam was trembling slightly and had a prominent blue hue to his lips. Not to mention Sam's hand was as cold as ice.

"Mind explaining how my brother got hypothermia in the middle of that room?" Dean shifted Sam's arm so he could look at their newfound friend. "And while we're at it, who the hell you are?"

"Name's Shylah and Sam didn't get it from inside that room. He wasn't there the whole time." She counterbalances Dean's shift and begins to descend the porch stairs.

The trio staggers across the lawn, Dean slipping once and realizing just how heavy his six foot brother is. Once they reached the car, Dean opened the back door and pushed Sam onto the seat.

"To clear it all up would take longer than you have." Shylah stepped back from the car, eyeing it carefully. "That's a damn nice car."

"Yeah, it's my baby." Dean attempts to put Sam into a more comfortable position, but gives up. "She purrs real nice and goes a sound 170 if I need her to."

He turned around but Shylah wasn't there. "And now I'm talking to myself. Right, hospital time Sammy."

Dean gets into the car and starts her up, checking one last time for Shylah. Nothing. With a look in the review mirror to check on the gracelessly lying Sam, he starts north.