Yin

He's back

1

Caroline Spencer

He's chasing me further and further into the woods. The shots from his pistol fly around, missing me by inches. I cry soundlessly as I run. Then I hear it. The chime of the clock tower striking twelve. I scream as a body thuds to the ground behind me. I expect it to be my mother, fallen from the sick trap Yin set for her 5 years ago. But when I turn around, I see Yin. In his left hand he holds my mother's hairpin. And in his right, he holds a syringe. The syringe that almost killed my father.

Ooo0ooo0oooO

I awoke to the sound of my own screaming. I was shaking violently. My covers had been thrown off my bed. This was the third time I had the dream. My therapist kept telling me that it was my mind, and I had the power to change the dream. But I didn't want to change it. I wanted to get my revenge on Yin. The man who dangled my mother from a clock tower. The man who tied Abigail under the pier. The man who tried to kill Dad and Uncle Gus. I would love to inflict the pain on him that he so easily inflicted on my family. I'd get him if I could just stay asleep long enough to fight the fear. My cell buzzed. It was a text from Chelsea, Lassie and Marlowe's daughter.

Morning sleepyhead!

I rolled my eyes. Only Chel would send a good morning text at 12:30. another one followed.

R U coming 2 the station today?

I responded:

Yeah. U?

Within seconds, she returned:

Yup.

Well, at least I have someone to be with today. Our text chat continued until my parents woke up. I stumbled out of bed and down the stairs. In the kitchen my parents were eating breakfast. My dad was munching on a pineapple pancake and texting Gus. My mom was sipping coffee. They looked so mundane and innocent, you never would have guessed that they were a fake psychic and a badass cop. That is, until Mom started polishing a gun and Dad started stretching his "I have a vision" finger. Any normalcy just kind of went out the window. "Mom, no guns at the table, and dad, do you even know how creepy that finger thing is?" They laughed. "OK, in terms of the gun, I'm taking care of it for Carlton and he'll have a cardiac event if it isn't clean, and as for Shawn, his finger stretching is totally necessary. What if he got a finger-cramp in the middle of a 'vision'?" I smirked at my mom conspiratorially. "Well, who am I to complain about the finger that puts a roof over my head?" Dad feigns disgust. "I created you, Child, and you have the audacity to call my finger poses 'creepy'? Stop being the glistening shimmer of Lassiefaces gun and show some respect!" When Mom laughed, he shot her a stern look. "No, Jules. Don't join the demon-child. Don't be her minion. Don't let her steal your soul!" This only made us laugh harder. "You people are hopeless!" He cried before answering Gus's text.

My mom and I laughed until a honking Blueberry in the driveway interrupted us. We headed out to meet Gus, who just so happened to be our ride."Morning, ladies and Shawn." Gus chirped when we got in the car. When my dad questioned his motive for cheeriness, he responded: "An old episode of 'A Player Named Gus' just ended." We all nodded in understanding. A few years back, he went undercover as a really creepy smooth operator on the radio. They replay old episodes every once in a while. I think he just likes listening to the sound of his voice. After a short ride, we arrived at the police station.

O00o00o00O

"O'Hara, Mr. Spencer, Mr. Guster, Carlton, in my office. Now." My parents went to the Chief's office. I watched them through the glass. Chief Vick had her bad news face on.

2

Juliet Spencer

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Yin isn't dead?! That's impossible! Shawn watched Yang kill him!" Gus shook his head. "With all due respect, Chief, Shawn and I watched him die. Not only was he stabbed in the chest, he also had a syringe full of lethal fluid injected into him. Even Yin couldn't survive that. No matter how he may come across, he is technically human." We all nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry, Detectives, but the note matches his old ones." She looked genuinely sorry. "What?" Carlton growled. "Why didn't you tell us about a note?" She grimaced. "Juliet, Shawn, sit." We exchanged nervous looks. She never called us by our first names. She handed us a piece of paper. It read:

Tick, tock

Tied to the tower,

Hanging there,

Just like Mama,

Life ticking,

away by the hour.

Or maybe she's tied up,

Under the pier,

The water is rising,

Help her, Daddy Dear!

"What does this mean?" Gus whimpered. Shawn blanched. "Think about it. 'Hanging there, just like Mama.' Who do you know who's mother has been tied to a clock tower recently?" I lost it. I became completely hysterical. Somewhere into my screaming, Shawn and Carlton carried me outside to get some air. "He's dead! He can't get Caroline because he's dead!" Carlton started murmuring into his radio. "Caroline Spencer...parents...Yin...safe house..." I screamed until I lost my voice. Then I just sobbed silently.

3

Chelsea Lassiter

I couldn't believe it. Poor Caroline. Why was Yin targeting her? Juliet and Shawn were victims, not attackers. He should be going after Yang, she's the one that "killed" him! The whole thing was ridiculous. "Chel, I'm sorry to bother you, but Caroline wanted me to give you this." My dad handed me a note. "I'm not going to be home tonight. I need to spend the night with the Spencers. I'll be sleeping with them until this is all cleared up. Since it's summer, we don't have to worry about school. Because you're a minor and a civilian, you can't come with me. I'm sorry about that. I tried but-" I grabbed his arm. "Dad, calm down. I know you're worried about Caroline and Juliet, but nothing can happen to them in the safe house. Just breathe." He closed his eyes. "Thank you, Sweetheart. I can't imagine how hard this must be for you. Juliet and Caroline are like your sisters, and Shawn...it must be hard." I nodded, and tried not to laugh at my dad's awkwardness when he mentioned Shawn. I've known him since the day I was born. Other than my dad, he was the first man I ever saw. My mom says the first time he picked me up, I burst into laughter. Up until then, no one cold make me stop crying. Ever since then, whenever I was upset, he made it better. No matter how vehemently my dad fought it, Shawn was one of my closest friends. He was like that hot, fun, crazy uncle that my dad totally disapproved of. My mom thought he was super cool. And of course he had his epic, gun slinging, quick-witted wife, Juliet. She was my idol. Beautiful, smart, funny and kickass. They didn't come much cooler than her. Caroline was Shules, all wrapped up into one girl. She had Juliet's blonde hair and long legs, Shawn's crooked smile and defined cheekbones and a pair of huge green eyes that were completely her own. She was 16, a year younger than me, and so mature. She had to grow up fast, due to her parent's dangerous line of work. Shawn and Juliet, Shawn especially, tend to walk into trouble. That talent was, unfortunately, hereditary.