A/N: Here's another one for you: "Desperate". I tried to be quick about it. I'll explain some stuff at the end.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Darkest Powers series.

Chapter 9

I'm not too keen on romantic comedies. It might be like a guy admitting to not liking car chases, but Rae nodded off a few times, too, so I guessed this wouldn't have been her choice either.

I stayed awake by deconstructing the screen play, which was all too predictable anyway. So when it was time to go to bed, I had reason to be relieved. This long, long day has finally come to an end. After pulling on my pajamas – which were getting a little short – I settled into bed. Yet, before I could completely float away to dreamland, I was snatched back by a frantic voice.

"Chloe? Chloe?"

It took me some time to get back to my senses. My mind was uncooperative sludge. So when I opened my eyes, I was mildly surprised to find Liz leaning over me. Her hand kept trembling even after she stopped shaking my arm. Anxiety rolled off of her along with the smell of toothpaste.

I raised myself up on my elbows. "What's wrong?"

"I've wanted to ask you, trying to find a way that won't sound weird. But I can't. I just can't!"

She backed away, her face becoming paler. I briefly wandered what time it was since the darkness of the night was fading from the room.

I sat up. "Liz?"

"They're going to send me away. Everyone knows it, that's why they're being so nice. But I don't want to go. They'll lock me up and–" Her hands cupped her mouth and at that moment she looked so desperate, so on-edge. I even thought I heard her heart flutter in her chest." I know you haven't been here long, but you're the only one that I can do this with right now."

I lowered my feet from the bed to the floor and sat facing her. "What do you want me to do?"

"Thank you! Thank you!" She dropped on her knees and pulled a bag out from under her bed. "I'm not completely sure what we need, but I've done one of these at a sleepover last year. I just need someone to do it with me. "

Dread spread through me like butter spreads on a hot pan. "Do what, Liz?"

"A séance, of course."

If I still had any sleep fog in me, that last phrase had completely evaporated it. Was this a joke, some terrible prank that Liz and Tori came up with because of my tendency to hear voices? "I'm not some ghost whisperer, Liz." I said soberly, looking directly in her eyes.

I didn't know if it was possible, but Liz's eyes widened even more. "No, no, no. You don't understand. I know you don't speak with ghosts, but I need someone. I can't do this by myself, Chloe. I'm scared." She barely whispered the last two words, but her fragility had no effect on me. I was tired and upset. The past couple of days were a little short of hell and now this? What was she even scared of?

It wouldn't hurt to ask. "Why?"

She looked at the objects in her hands – glass and a candle – and the answer came out reluctantly. "Every time I get mad, things start flying. I don't do anything, but I always get blamed. It's the poltergeist; he's trying to protect me. I have to contact him. Ask him to stop. He never listens when it's just me. So I though, if someone helped me, we could persuade him together." She kept looking at her hands, afraid of my reaction – a very good choice.

I was completely dumb struck. Did I just hear right? She wanted meto help contact a poltergeist - as though I wasn't having enough mental problems already!

I may have seen a movie about poltergeist activity once. I won't deny that it creeped me out into almost believing in it, but wasn't this going a bit too far?

"You don't believe me," she whispered.

I stayed silent. There wasn't anything I could say to her.

"You don't believe me!" she rose to her knees, finally turning her gaze to mine.

I was taken aback by the blaze in her eyes. In this very moment, the desperate, meek girl in front of me had transformed into a still desperate, but now enraged girl – the latter looking much more threatening than the former. Alarms had started to go off in my head. That little inner voice of mine told me to proceed with caution; the person with whom I was stuck in this room was dangerous.

"Okay, Liz. Calm down." I tried to slowly get up.

When I moved, the shampoo bottles behind her rocked. Empty hangers clattered in the closet.

I ignored it, kept moving, now taking a step toward her. "It's okay, I understand." I reached out with my hand, but she stepped away.

"No! You don't!"

She slammed her hands down. The bottles jetted into the air, slamming into the ceiling hard enough to splatter their contents all around the room. She brought her hands up again. The pictures on the wall started falling down one-by-one, the glass shattering all over the floor. Some of the pieces embedded themselves in my legs. One of the picture frames, however, decided to aim for me rather than the floor.

"No!" Liz cried.

I dove out of the way just as it struck the air where my head had been not two seconds ago.

I didn't know what was happening, but something told me it wasn't a poltergeist, but if she thought it was, maybe if she thought this séance would make it stop, it really WOULD stop.

"Okay. Get the candle and we'll–"

The door burst open. Mrs. Talbot stood in the doorway. Her hand reached for the light switch. She flipped on the light.

Her eyes slowly swept the room.

"Oh my God," she breathed. "Elizabeth. What have you done?"

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A/N: This one is short, too. Sorry. I know you guys want the ChloexDerek parts. No joke, I was thinking of letting Liz live and doing something completely different (focusing the drama on Chloe and Derek a.k.a the part where Chloe realizes that she's not 'normal') for this chapter, but I realized that I wasn't far enough into the story. That part will come (it has to! I want to write it so bad!), just after some of the events that need to happen before it – which I will need to change to match the story [sigh]. But I promise that it will come soon, since I need to cut away some chunks of the original book (all the ghost conversations and research about – well – ghosts). So, in about 4-6 chapters, I would not be surprised if there was something *cool*. Prepare yourselves! And again, thanks for reading and for your lovely suggestions. =]