Chapter 10

I left Castiel in the corridor and followed the others to the car. However, they had already left on their way to see Pamela. I began to walk slowly down the road without a specific time line in mind for it would take them about four hours on the interstate to get to Pamela. I wasn't particularly keen on meeting any psychics; they were the one set of humans who had the uncanny knack to tell instantly what we were. My experience with both Missouri and her grandmother had taught me that one.

I realized that I wasn't alone as I walked and I knew that it was Castiel.

"You don't give up do you?" I shook my head.

"Of course not," Castiel sounded surprised.

I sighed. I should have known that he had been chosen for a very specific reason.

"Where are we headed?" he asked.

"I'm following Bobby and the boys to this psychic Pamela," I told him. "I don't know where you're going."

"With you," Castiel frowned.

I laughed at him. He was so serious in all that he did. Then I heard Bobby calling me.

"I'm going to Bobby now," I told him.

"I'll follow," Castiel said.

"Perhaps you should stay in the back seat of the car with Sam and Dean," I said quietly.

"I don't know about Sam Winchester," Castiel's frown returned.

I stopped and gripped his shoulders. "Like it or not, Dean loves Sam. You're not going to get anywhere with Dean unless you accept that."

Castiel nodded.

I became light and traveled to where Bobby was. He was in his car and still driving.

"Kelsey, just get in here," he growled. "I know that you can hear me, and it's not the first time you've appeared in the car."

"What is it?" I asked as I materialized.

"How dangerous is this?" he demanded.

"What do you mean?" I furrowed my brow.

"You warned me earlier to be careful," he explained.

"Ah," I nodded. "Well, the thing is that you don't know what she's going to do."

"Pamela is a bit …" Bobby trailed off.

"Uh huh," I nodded. "She's a firecracker?" I suggested.

"That's one way to put it," Bobby chuckled. "I really like her spirit and her fire. She knows a lot and she certainly gets around."
"But?" I prodded.

"But, I can't help wondering if involving her with Sam and Dean is a good thing," Bobby sighed.

"You're involved with them," I pointed out.

"Yes," Bobby nodded. "I've known those boys since they were little. They're like my own."

"And you're thinking of the body count that these two tend to rack up," I suggested.

Bobby's grip tightened on the steering wheel. I had guessed correctly. It was true that people who crossed paths with hunters tended to have a shorter life span, but in the case of the Winchester boys, their body count was higher than most.

"Ah, you're being pessimistic," I shrugged.

"Are you going to come with me inside to see Pamela?" he asked.

"No," I said. "That's not a good idea."

"She'll know what you are," Bobby nodded.

"And Dean is already stressed as it is," I murmured.

"Do you think that he really doesn't remember?" Bobby asked.

"I don't know," I whispered. "Dean has always hidden what he didn't want to deal with. We'll trust Dean to be Dean."

"But he's not a demon," Bobby continued.

"No," I told him. "Dean's not a demon. He wasn't there long enough."

Bobby nodded glumly.

We neared the house where Pamela lived. I looked at Bobby who nodded at me briefly and I disappeared from the car. I stayed in the distance to watch what happened next and sensed Castiel beside me.

"Well?" I asked.

"They are confusing," he said.

"Oh?" I turned to him.

"They don't say what is on their mind, but it's clear that each is hiding things from the other," Castiel continued.

"Humans tend to do that," I shrugged.

"But they each know that the other is hiding something," Castiel scowled.

I laughed for a moment. "Welcome to the world of the Winchesters."
I stilled as I watched them drive up and get out of their cars. Pamela had the door open before Bobby could knock and she greeted him enthusiastically.

"Bobby!" she cried as she lifted him a few inches off the ground.

Bobby in turn introduced her to Sam and Dean. I frowned as my attention was diverted by Castiel's straightening beside me.

"What?" I hissed.

"Demon," he muttered.

I stretched my senses and shook my head.

"It's just Ruby," I told him. "She's going to be staying as close as possible to Sam to find out what got Dean out of Hell."

I turned back to the house to see Bobby closing the drapes. I arched an eyebrow because that only meant one thing with a psychic; she was going to hold a séance.

"What?" Castiel muttered.

"Castiel?" I frowned at him.

"The woman is trying to summon me," he said.

"Stop her," I warned him.

"I'm trying," he murmured. "No," he began whispering. "Turn back."

"What?" I kept perfectly still.

"She claims that she doesn't scare easy," he said. "She wants to see my face."

"You can't show her Castiel," I told him. "She's not a prepared vessel. You'll kill her."

"I can't help it," Castiel disappeared from beside me.

"Ugh!" I screeched as I raced into the house after him.

I saw the flames leap up from the lit candles and Pamela's screams as her eyes caught sight of Castiel's face. I dragged him quickly away from the house, severing the connection. I could hear her cries as she realized that she was blind. I held Castiel in one hand as he struggled to regain his balance. Summoning rituals were hard on all beings but especially on us. We weren't meant for that kind of summoning. Those rituals were designed for others and therefore we instinctively fought it. Which in the end left us feeling drained.

"Why didn't she listen?" he demanded.
"Humans are a mystery," I told him.

I heard the plaintive wail of the ambulance's siren in the distance.

"Leave," I said. "You'll need to rest. Go see to the vessel that you've chosen."

He nodded briefly and left. I knew that he was in no condition to argue with me about doing what I had ordered him to do.

I saw them load Pamela into the ambulance and Bobby got into his car while the boys got into the Impala. I sighed heavily. I followed the ambulance to the hospital. They rushed her from the ambulance in a gurney into the ICU. The doctors attempted to see if they could salvage her sight.

"I've never seen this before," the doctor whispered to the nurse.

"What is it?" the nurse asked.

"All of the eye has burned out of her skull," he said. "It's like she looked into a blinding light and it was so powerful that it liquefied her eyes and melted the tissue."

He wasn't too far off on that assessment.

I glimpsed Bobby seated dejectedly in a hard plastic waiting chair. His fears were materialized before his eyes. I walked slowly toward him and saw the heaviness on him.