I'm really sry about not updating. Family over for the holidays, you know the drill, and the computer is my enemy…whatever, R&R, I own nothing!

WARNING: I suck at gooey writing, so this chapter might stink. If you're not happy, don't say I didn't warn ya.

(Chloe's POV)

I had to cover my mouth to keep from screaming anymore. The one that was closest to me lifted up its head.

One side was still covered in rotting flesh – the other was just pure bone. There was a maggot in its left empty eye socket, just wiggling around. I wanted to throw up. It dragged itself towards me, clawing the ground with its bony hand.

I shut my eyes again. I had the power here. Me. Not them. I had to bite back a shriek when cold and thin fingers found my ankle.

Taking a deep breath (I took it through my nose, which was a mistake; it reminded me of my…guests) I steadied myself, and pictured them crossing back over. Allowing them to pass through – apologizing again and again. The fingers lost a little of their grip and I peeped an eye open.

They had stopped. Thank God. I moved my leg out of the way, and the body collapsed on the ground. Its fingers were still around my ankle. I gingerly pried them off, and then nudged the corpse away.

Well, I had to do something about the bodies. How creepy would it be if someone later would take a morning stroll through here, and see ten rotted corpses just lying around? Yeah, that would be really great.

So (not wanting to touch them anymore then I needed to) I edged the bodies back in their rightful graves with my foot, and padded the dirt back around it.

Now all I needed to do was find the kids. I jogged to a different part of the yard, that little feeling going crazy again. Why was it -?

I heard more scraping against stone. What? Didn't I just-?

Then I realized something.

This place was huge.

I had only raised one section.

Which meant: whatever section I went in – no matter how hard I tried not to – I would end up raising it.

Which meant another thing: This was going to be a loooooong night.

(Derek's POV)

"Dude, she's not gonna call," Simon told me for the five billionth time. I was just sitting on the couch by my phone, waiting. Simon had been bothering me all night. "Give her some slack," he had said at one point. "Our girl can handle this."

Yeah, well I'd like to say "I told you so" if the next morning the Edison group came banging on the door.

Maybe I am overreacting. Chloe might be a little danger prone, and she might just be a Necromancer, but who's to say that she won't get into trouble?

Who the hell am I kidding?

"I know that," I growled. Simon held up his hands in defense and started mindlessly flipping through the TV channels, staying on one for about half a second before moving on.

Still. She's the kind of girl that would be in huge trouble and say, "I can handle it!" when really she can't. But I guess that's just Chloe for ya.

Plus, Simon has been mumbling things about how I overreact all night. Only thing is, being a Werewolf, I think he forgot that I could hear him.

"You're kinda getting paranoid," Simon said.

"What?"

"Oh sorry, I meant to mumble that," he said quickly.

I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever."

It wouldn't hurt to…check up on her, right?

…right?

Now I was starting to fight with myself. Great. Now I've got a conscience. I give up and flip the phone open, dialing the familiar number. Simon's eyes flash over to me.

"What are you doing?" he asks, normally as possible, like I'm not calling a Necromancer, but a pizza guy who is 30 minutes late.

"I'm just gonna see if she's alright," I answer, getting a blank look from him. "What?"

He just looks at me again, then turns away, mumbling, "Nothin'."

Wait…I knew that face. It was the face he gave dad whenever he was checking out another woman…

I shook my head, getting that thought out. Chloe and I aren't…Well I mean, we're not…at least, I don't think…

The phone rang and she finally picked up, snapping me away from that thought.

(Chloe's POV)

I was just sending them all back in my mind when my phone vibrated in my pocket. It cut off my concentration, so only a few of them got sent back, not them all.

Cursing, I pulled it out of my pocket and flipped it open.

"Hello?" I said, my tone aggravated as I inched back from the groping hands of the corpse nearest me.

"Chloe?"

Derek? What the heck did he want?

"Ya?" A hand shot out of the grave next to me and I yelped.

"Is everything ok?" he asked me.

'Yeah, everything's just fine and dandy, I'm just here in a graveyard, searching for three kids, and raisin' dead people! Nothing out of the ordinary here!'

"Everything is…great, yeah, fine," I said, trying to send back the spirits. It's hard when you're on the phone.

"You sure?" he asks, not believing me. There's a shocker.

"Yes, I'm sure and – HA!" I couldn't help it. I got them all sent back while on the phone! Try and do that, Michael Phelps!

"What?" he asked, quicker this time.

"Nothing, I'm just…playing a bored game with the kids and –"

I stopped myself again. I could finally see Alex, frantically weaving in and out between tombstones.

"I gotta go now bye!" I said quickly, hanging up the phone, but not before I heard him almost shout, "Hey wait a second!"

Yep. Derek was gonna kill me for that.

Which also proves another thing.

Necromancers should never babysit.