Author's Note:

I'm so sorry for making you guys wait so long! I'm off work for a couple weeks while my boss/dad is in Haiti and I thought I'd have all this time to write, but basically I've only started watching Sherlock and rewatched season one of Supernatural. Anyway, to make up for the wait and the crappiness of Chapter Nine, I am posting two chapters today! =)

THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING! As I write this, OYE is currently my third-most popular story judging by reviews. You guys are amazing!

Chapter Ten

It was easy to see the resemblance between Jenna and the woman at the door. They shared the same face shape, big green eyes and shade of hair, though this woman had hers pulled back in a messy ponytail. She was paler and chubbier and wore glasses, but Audrey didn't have any doubts that they were related. Nathan didn't have time to react before she barged inside and started demanding answers.

"Where's Jenna? Is she all right? She's dead, isn't she? That's why you're here."

"Ellen, calm down." Nathan went over to the woman and put a hand on her shoulder. "Jenna's fine, she's just gone to the store. What are you doing here? She said you live in Portland."

"I do, but the storm – it's all over the news. And Jen's not answering the phone."

"Some phone lines are down," he told her. "It's a miracle we're able to use the phones at all right now. Uh, why don't we sit?" He lead her toward the living room so Audrey ran ahead to warn Duke and James to stop their practicing.

She found them playing checkers which Duke had apparently found in one of the bedrooms. He seemed rather pleased with himself as he announced that he could successfully move anything, and to prove his point, he quickly slid a black checker across the board before Nathan and Ellen came in. Audrey pulled Duke away from the game before he could alert the guest to their presence and began explaining to him and James what she'd learned.

"I'm sorry for barging in like I did," Ellen said, sitting beside Nathan on the couch. "My sister and I don't speak often, and I guess the thought of losing her made me a little hysterical."

"It's understandable," he assured her.

"Why are you here?"

"Oh, Jenna's offered to let me stay here until I'm better. I was, uh, shot a couple days ago."

"I'm so sorry. You seem to be doing better, though."

"So the doctors tell me," he said vaguely.

"Oh, right. You can't … feel it, can you?" she asked slowly, looking him up and down. "You're troubled?"

"That's right. I'm surprised you remember that. Weren't you three when the troubles were here last?"

"Yeah. I don't remember anything from back then. Honestly, I never really believed my parents about the troubles being real and all that. But I think-" She stopped when they heard the front door open and slam shut.

"Nathan? Is everything all right? There's another car parked outside," Jenna called. She came running into the room with a green duffel bag slung over her shoulder. She dropped it the minute she saw Ellen. "What're you doing here?"

"I came to make sure you were okay. I heard about the meteors and I got worried."

"Oh. Well, I'm fine, thanks. You should probably get going while you still can. Traffic isn't too bad right now." Her eyes flickered briefly to Audrey and the boys, and then back to her sister.

"I was kind of hoping we could talk for a minute," Ellen said.

"Now's really not a good time, sis. Things are hectic around here with the storm, and I'm helping Nathan recuperate. I'll give you a call when things settle down, okay?"

"No, I need to talk to you now. It's about the troubles."

Jenna's jaw tightened. "I'm done talking about this with you. It's fine if you don't want to believe, but I would really appreciate it if you didn't try to-"

"I'm troubled," Ellen interrupted.

"What?"

"Well, I mean, I think I'm troubled. Either that or I hit my head."

Jenna sighed. "Okay, just tell me what happened." She pulled her sister over to sit on the couch opposite Nathan, who was watching the scene silently.

"I tried calling you yesterday, after I heard about the storm. When I couldn't reach you I got really frantic. I hopped in the car and just started driving. But … I started seeing things." She paused, biting her lip as she stared at her sister. "I can see it now, on you and Nathan. It's like an aura."

"Okay, you got Dad's trouble, then. That's good."

"It is?"

"Yeah, it's easier to handle. The auras are troubles, and you should be able to tell what they are."

"That's how you knew I can't feel anything," Nathan spoke suddenly.

"I guess so. I didn't really think about it, I just knew. Which means…" She looked back at Jenna. "You can see the dead."

"I prefer medium, but yeah." She shrugged. "The good thing is that this won't be going on much longer. Nathan and I – and some friends – are looking for a way to end the troubles for good."

"That's why you've got Mom's diaries out?"

"Well, uh, that's for another project. Sort of the first step to ending the troubles."

Jenna began to explain their plan of trying to bring Audrey and the others back. Nathan silently went back to the diary he'd been reading before and James stood, whispering to the others "I'm going to practice upstairs."

"We'll be up in a minute," Duke told him. He waited until the younger man had left to pull Audrey out of the room and into the kitchen. "We need to talk."

Author's Note:

So I did some calculations and I think there are roughly ten chapters left in this story. So close! ^_^

-Lizzy