One step at time, Linda thought to herself. One step at a time.

She practically dragged her feet across the concrete as her shoulders slumped and her lips pouted, believing no one could see her look so down. Her heels scraped against the pavement, making horrible noises that actually attracted more attention.

Linda swung her arms forward and backwards, her parapsychology book dangling from her fingers.

"'We could just buy you a library! We could just get you everything! But not as much as Tony—he's so cute and he's our baby boy and meh meh meh!'" Linda mocked silently to herself, trying to make her voice as nasally as possible so she could somehow make her step-mother seem that much less enjoyable.

Angrily she stomped her way through the courtyard in front of a University, walking around blocks of raised gardens with shrugs and trees.

She sat herself down unpleasantly on one of the blocks, her stature just as unprofessional as before as her purse slid from her shoulder to her elbow, her book in her lap.

I am such a brat. Why do I even care what they think…they're just…stupid. She growled internally, kicking her legs, pouting again. Acting like this even proved she was acting like a brat.

Linda knew that she was raised in a wealthy family, and so being waited on hand and foot all her life made her irresponsible and bratty when it came to getting things that she wanted. But in some situations that worked for her. But, she also learned when she got to college that that wasn't the right way to act. Now that she had been home from college for a couple of years she couldn't help but try to drop her old ways, especially when she's around the people who raised her that way.

So, to calm her nerves a drop her inner subject of awful parents and bratty behaviors, she closed her eyes, lifted her hand to simulate wafting up into her nose, she took in a deep breath and sighed.

And she began on her book, maybe reading THAT would take her mind off of everything.

The book was opened to a random page towards the beginning. Linda thought she wouldn't need the table of contents.

"THE ETHERIC PLANE", she read. She quirked a brow, looking around to notice if anyone heard her.

What the hell is that? Her thoughts huffed. Well I know that AETHER is related to the Prana Principle…and that's uh…the life-sustaining force of all beings. Whatever….

Linda read on, and she learned that if it's possible, you could touch the etheric plane. Which means it MUST have to do with ghosts if it's this book! DUH. Linda sighed.

With a shrug, she flipped through the book again until she got to "IONIZATION".

She rolled her eyes knowing she may not understand what that is either; she was never that good with chemistry or physics.

I remember that an Ion is a molecule or an atom with an unequal amount of protons and electrons…did they have neutrons?…no. And I remember from English that…ization is put at the end of a noun to make it…the process of something? So…the process of making an atom or molecule into an ion? That sounds right.

The book then read that every ectoplasmic being should have the same ionization rate. Coming to the conclusion that ghosts should all have the same ionization. Linda read, quite impressed, maybe even over impressed.

If that's true…you could even catch one! That'd be amazing. Linda thought, actually verbally giggling to herself in fascination. She could feel people staring, so she closed the book and stood up, straightening her dress and scurrying away from the spot where she had sat.

She opened the book again, looking over her shoulder at the people who were staring at her. They had turned away so she glued her eyes back to the book to read more.

To be honest, she was more interested in reading the book for fun then comparing ways it could pertain to archeology dig sites.

She would occasionally look up to make sure she wouldn't bump into anything, otherwise she would scan a page, turn it, scan the next page and so on. She definitely didn't notice what was behind her because she would've recognized the three men walking out of the university.

One man, the tallest with glasses broke off from the three to go off wherever he needed to go and the other two just stuffed their hands in their pockets as they kept at level with stairs, while Linda walked in step with them 20ft below.

The men had stopped and sat down, the man with long dark coat jumped up on a concrete wall and pulled out a bottle of liquor, passing it back and forth with the man in the greenish teal shirt.

As Linda walked below she heard them speaking.

"Personally I liked the University! They gave us money and facilities, we didn't have to produce anything! You've never been out of college! You don't know what it's like out there! I've worked in the private sector…they expect results." The man in the greenish shirt complained, pacing, the lounging man handing him the bottle as he jumped off the wall.

"For whatever reason, Ray, call it fate, call it luck, call it karma. I believe everything happens for a reason." The man said to the man now called "Ray".

Linda just sort of giggled to herself, shaking her head as she turned to page. She zoned out of their conversation as she walked up the steps to their level. The Sedgewick hotel was down the street and she had to get up the stairs unless she wanted to go around the building and make the walk longer.

She read the book again as she got closer to "Ray" and his unnamed friend who had stopped walking. They were now speaking of money and opening up a business.

"I believe we were destined to get thrown out of this dump!"

"For what purpose?" the man named Ray demanded.

"To go into business for ourselves!" the man said with a large, over-exagerated shrug and and an equally large swig of alcohol.

Linda now wanted to look away from her book, but she didn't want it to be obvious that she was eavesdropping. Going into business for themselves…lucky ducks. She thought jealously.

"The ecto-containment system that Spengler and I have in mind is going to require a load of grant-decapitilization."

Ecto? Are they talking about ghosts? Contain yourself Linda…contain yourself. Linda begged herself to stay calm.

"How are we going to get the money?" Ray asked, finishing his own sip of the alcohol just as Linda passed.

The other man, who Ray called Peter watched as she past, his eyes sliding up and down her body.

"Peter? Pete." Ray muttered as Linda turned another page of her book.

"Eyes to yourself." Linda called back at them, not looking away from the book. Peter stood back up straight, pushing the bottle to his lips and shaking his head at Ray.

"….I don't know." He said simply.

Linda smirked as she started to cross the street, causing taxis to stop and honk angrily.

They're never going to get anywhere. She judged, a little too quickly I might add.