Disclaimer: Don't own the amazing TV series known as Supernatural…

So, basically, Latin class that Monday made me feel a little uneasy, considering I had to be in the same room with Sam. With me not living at home for the past couple of days, it was just kind of awkward. I didn't hate him or anything, but I knew he was going to keep asking me to come home. That's why I wasn't really all that surprised when he stopped me as I was leaving the classroom, pulling me aside. Oliver gave me a knowing glance, and left, while I stood there, arms crossed over my chest. I didn't want to have this conversation—not at school.

"They're going to wonder where I am, up in study hall." I complained, as my uncle shut the door.

"You spend all of your study halls in my room," Sam countered. "What makes you think they're gonna care this time?"

"I have a lot of work to—"

"That's crap, Alyx, and you know it. I just want to have a talk; it won't take that long. Then you can do your…work." I sighed and plopped down on a chair in the front row.

"How's everything at home?" I asked casually. "What's your brother up to?"

"Alyx, stop it."

"What?" I asked, pretending like I had no clue what I did wrong. Sam frowned.

"Your Dad had every right to yell at you the other night," he stated. "Ally, you cannot get involved with that boy's problems."

"Great, now I'm going to get a lecture from you, too." I said, throwing my hands up in the air, aggravated.

"Oliver will end up hurting you, or getting you killed. We're just trying to protect you, Alyx, because we care about you."

"I know you're worried, Sammy, but please. I have to do this. I have to help Oliver. You don't understand…"

"Help him? Alyx, how do you think you're going to do that?" he asked. I rolled my eyes and stood up, grabbing my messenger bag.

"See, I knew you'd never get it." I started moving toward the door.

"Wait. Ally, please. Just come home. Christmas is next week…"

"Bye, Sammy." I replied, and walked out. Again. Don't get me wrong, I didn't feel good about it; abandoning my family like that. But I knew the only way to fix this—put an end to everything—was to stop the war, and get rid of the Demon. Only after that was accomplished, things would be normal. Well, as normal as they could be for my family.

I waltzed up to the study hall, entering quietly. Teachers don't really care if you're late to study hall, but I told the current teacher that I was held up in Latin class anyway. I took a seat in the back, and pulled out my Math homework that was due in two periods. Math was probably my worst subject, and I had a tendency to zone out or stare off into space while working on it. As I was scanning the room, fidgeting with my mechanical pencil, I saw someone standing near the teacher's desk—someone who was totally out of place. It was a man, who was probably middle aged. He was dressed in a black dress shirt, and black pants. He had pasty, white-as-a-sheet skin, and his eyes were all black, like someone who's possessed by a demon. Only that couldn't be the case, since I was clearly the only one seeing this man. Was he a ghost? Ghosts don't normally have black eyes, though. They look exactly like they did at the time of their death. My guess was that the guy was some sort of demon—who knew? New types were popping up everywhere these days—that, for some reason, I could see, but no one else could.

Creepy.

This most likely wasn't a very good thing, either. It was probably one of the Demon's buddies, come to assassinate me. During school, of all places.

How nice.

But how was I going to do something about it in a crowded study hall? I'd look like a psycho, fighting off something invisible to those who obviously weren't that perceptive to the supernatural, unlike myself. Which was my best guess as to why I was the one seeing this guy.

I was getting a little creeped out with this dude staring at me, so I lowered my gaze back down to my Math homework. I attempted to finish the problem I had been working on, but I still got that feeling of someone watching me. When I looked up again, the demonic/ghost guy was gone. I couldn't help but think of his appearance as some kind of warning…

Heading for my next class, English, I kept an eye out for the dude, hoping he wouldn't jump me in the middle of the packed hallway and slam me into a locker. Not only would it hurt, but it would also look stupid if an invisible force suddenly attacked me. I walked quickly, practically running into the classroom. Once the bell rang and everyone was settled into his or her seats, the teacher, Mrs. Wedell, started a discussion on the short story we had read yesterday. I wasn't paying much attention, because my mind was now elsewhere; worried about other things. Like getting murdered by a ghostly demon.

Halfway through the class, the temperature seemed to drop abruptly, causing goosebumps to appear on my arms. Every time I exhaled, I could see my breath, and soon, I was shivering. I mean, really shivering. I couldn't get warm. It was like I was standing outside, in the dead of winter, wearing summer clothes. As I surveyed the rest of the students around me, I saw, horrified, that no one else was suffering from the sudden plummet in temperature. Everyone else was perfectly fine. Me? I was freezing my ass off. Then, I realized that maybe I was the only one who felt the room turn colder.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw another one of those freaky, demon-ghost things. This one was female, with long, disheveled, black hair and opaque eyes. She, too, had a sickly pale complexion. She was wearing a long-sleeved, black dress, that was ripped and frayed at the bottom and around the sleeves. She also had some chunky, high-heeled boots on. She kinda resembled that chick from the movie, The Ring, but she was older; probably in her late twenties.

The girl was standing near the chalkboard, grinning evilly at me, her bangs hanging in front of her coal-black eyes. I averted my stare, looking down at the floor, rubbing my arms to try to get warm. I was still extremely cold, and I knew it was going to get worse if I didn't leave, so I raised my hand.

"Yes, Miss Winchester?" Mrs. Wedell asked, slightly annoyed that I had interrupted her little speech.

"C-Can I g-go to the n-nurse?" I asked, my teeth chattering as I struggled to form words. I wasn't really planning on going to the nurse; I just needed a way to get out of class. Mrs. Wedell looked at me like I was completely nuts. I guess I kind of seemed that way, with the all the unexplained shivering I was doing.

"Yes…yes, of course." She answered. I took my things and bolted, shutting the door on my way out. As I was running down the hallway, I glanced back to see demon/ghost girl walk right through the classroom door. She was coming for me now, moving slowly, but in a taunting way. The huge fluorescent lights on the ceiling were beginning to flicker, and the vacant hallway was growing cold. I sprinted down the stairs, panting, my breath creating small, white clouds in the air. I turned down another hallway, which was an empty corridor with only a few classrooms that were rarely used anymore.

I thought I'd lost demon girl, but I was horribly mistaken, because a moment later, she materialized right in front of me and threw me into the nearest wall, telekinetically. I rolled onto the floor, landing on my back. She stood over me, a wicked smile plastered on her face. She bent down, and grabbed a fistful of my shirt. Before she could make another move, I kicked her in the stomach, which spared me just enough time to get back on my feet.

"Ya know, I'm not really a big fan of cat fights…" I muttered sarcastically. Demon girl waved her hand, which sent me flying into a couple of lockers. I lay there painfully, watching as she approached me again.

"We're watching you, sweetheart," she stated coldly. "He is watching you—your everysinglemove," She emphasized each word with a step closer to me. "He's gonna get inside that sweet little head of yours one way or another, especially with that nifty talent you've been so lucky to receive."

Was she referring to my healing abilities, or the darker side of my newly acquired power? A bad gut feeling made me think it was the latter.

"Hey!" A familiar voice shouted. Both the demon girl and I looked over to see Oliver standing in the corridor with us. I had never been so relieved to see him. "Leave her alone." He demanded. Demon girl gawked at him like she was shocked.

"You…" she said, "You're him—the half-mortal heir to the—"

"I'm not the heir to anything," Oliver replied angrily, sort of annoyed. "Now get lost before I send you to the tenth level of hell for attacking my girlfriend."

Demon girl disappeared faster than you could say 'paranormal activity'.

"Nice job," I said, impressed. "Thanks for coming to my rescue. That chick was such a bitch. I thought she was going to mutilate me or something. She seemed like she had a few screws loose up there…" I told him. "Is there really a tenth level of hell?" Oliver shrugged.

"Like I know," he said sarcastically. "It sounded threatening, anyway."

"How did you know I was in trouble?"

"A feeling," Oliver answered. "I saw the demons in the school, too, and I knew they'd be after us." He picked up my bag, which I'd dropped sometime during the fight, and we started walking down the hallway. "I think we should leave."

"Leave school? Now?"

"It's getting dangerous for the two of us. The demons will come back. They won't give up, Alyx. Not until we're dead, or on their side."

We made a steathly escape from the school, which wasn't all that hard, compared to other places I've had to find a way out of without getting caught. Once in the student parking lot, we climbed into Oliver's car and sped away.

"What talent was she talking about?" Oliver asked as we drove toward Missouri's house. I didn't realize that he had heard that. You see, he knew that I was a healer, obviously, but I neglected to mention the fact that I had the one of the same abilities as the Demon.

"Uhh…well, I never told you, but I actually have a power…like your father's."

"What?"

"I can…hurt people," I confessed, swallowing hard. "With my mind. I've only done it once—on accident. It was when I first discovered it."

"Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"I don't know. I mean, I'm not exactly thrilled about having a power like that."

"Well, this complicates things."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a powerful ability, Alyx. A deadly one. One that every demon envies," Oliver elaborated. "That's why my father is so set on making you one of his 'soldiers'."

"How wonderful."

When we got to the porch of Missouri's house, we noticed that the door was ajar, which was strange. Missouri is usually the type to keep her doors closed and locked at all times. Cautiously, Oliver and I stepped inside, and saw that the house was a complete mess. The furniture was toppled over, there were tables, cabinets, and lamps broken, glass shattered, and other objects strewn everywhere. Someone had obviously broken in and destroyed the place, which was something that immediately concerned me.

I dropped my bag onto the floor, my heart pounding. Missouri was part of my family. She had been like a mother, caring for me all of my life. If something happened to her, I swear

"Missouri?" I called, starting to search the living room and dining room while Oliver went to check the rest of the downstairs level of the house. "Missouri!"

"Alyx! In here!" Oliver shouted, his voice coming from the kitchen. I ran in there, tears burning in the corners of my eyes. Oliver was kneeling on the floor by Missouri, who was pinned against the ground level cabinets, the kitchen table holding her in place. She was only half-conscious; there was a large gash on the back of her head that was bleeding profusely, and I suspected that she had a few broken ribs from the impact of the table. Oliver and I each took a side of the table and lifted it, setting it down a few feet away. We helped Missouri carefully lie down onto the floor, and I sat with her head in my lap. Oliver got out his cell phone and called 911 to explain the situation.

"Oh, Alyx, honey…I'm so glad you're all right." Missouri said weakly.

"Me? I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about. What happened?"

"They came in and tried to kill me—made a damn mess of the house, too. There were about four or five of them."

"Demons?"

"Yes," Missouri answered. "They came here lookin' for you and Oliver. When they couldn't find you, they left me like this and headed for the school."

"We saw two of them there. One attacked me, so we left." I stated. Missouri let out a painful groan.

"The ambulance is on its way. You'll be all right, Missouri." I reassured her. Then, thinking fast, I put my palm on the gash on her head, and concentrated deeply, hoping it would heal. I'd never tried healing another person before, but I had some idea of how to do it. Luckily, it worked, and the wound disappeared.

"Thank you, child," Missouri said, offering a smile. "You're a real angel."

The ambulance arrived minutes later, with two cop cars in tow. The paramedics put Missouri on a stretcher and wheeled her out, while the police officers investigated the scene and questioned us. Once we had told them that Missouri had said a couple of robbers broke in and raided the place, we hopped into Oliver's car and drove to the hospital. I called Sam on the way there to inform him on what had happened.

"Hello? Alyx? I'm in the middle of a class—wait, what are you doing out of school?"

"Missouri's in the hospital," I replied. "Oliver and I had to leave school. I promise I'll explain everything later, but—"

"Okay. I'll be right there."

"Call Dad for me and tell him."

"I will," Sam said. "See you in a few."

I hung up just as we were pulling into the hospital parking lot. We went inside and approached the front desk, where a young nurse sat typing away on her computer and talking on the phone. She held up her index finger, telling us to wait a few minutes so she could finish. I scanned our surroundings, thinking about how much I hated hospitals. That specific, headache inducing smell it had, the sterile white walls, and the depressing vibes I got whenever I entered one.

"Can I help you?" The nurse asked politely after she hung up the phone.

"Yeah, a friend of ours was just taken here." Oliver said.

"Name?" The nurse inquired.

"Missouri Moseley." I replied. She put the information into her computer.

"Okay…let's see. Fourth floor, room 428." She handed us a visitor's pass, and we took an elevator up to the fourth floor. When we got to her room, a doctor was just leaving it.

"How is she?" I asked him.

"She'll be fine. She has a concussion, and a couple of broken ribs. We're going to keep her overnight for observation. You can go right on in; she's awake." The doctor told us. We walked in; Missouri was lying in bed, looking groggy but happy to see us. I pulled up a chair and sat be her bedside, while Oliver sat in the other chair across from the foot of the bed.

Sam and Dad came about a half-hour later. Sam immediately pulled me into a hug, also glad that I was okay. Dad and I sort of looked at each other awkwardly, just to acknowledge that we were both there, in the same room, but we didn't say anything. I was about to leave the room to let Dad and Sam talk to Missouri alone, when Missouri yelled at me.

"No, you don't," Missouri warned. "You are not going to walk out that door, Alyxandria. You're going to stay in this room and talk to your family." I had my back turned, so I rolled my eyes, thinking she didn't know. But, of course, being a psychic, Missouri knows all. "Don't you roll your eyes at me, child." I turned on my heel and gave her that kind of 'what-did-I-do?' look. "And stop cussing at me, while you're at it." This remark, for some odd reason, made Uncle Sammy laugh.

"I didn't—"

"You were thinkin' it," Missouri pointed out. "Now get over here." I shuffled over to her bedside and stood next to Sam. "With this war escalating, this isn't any time to be mad at each other. You need to put your differences aside, and apologize. The only way you're going to be able to win this is if you work together."

"We wouldn't be fighting if Dad wasn't acting like such an asshole." I muttered.

"You have no business having any sort of relationship with that boy," Dad yelled back, pointing an accusing finger at Oliver. "He's going to get you killed!"

"Like you'd care!" I shouted. "You didn't even care that I left the house!"

"That is not true," Dad said defensively. He took hold of my arms, and looked me right in the eye. "Alyx, this family's already sacrificed so much…I just don't know—I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you." I searched his eyes, which were identical to mine, and saw something in them that I rarely found: fear. Dad was afraid; he was afraid for me, for Sam, this war, and what was going to happen in the future as things got more hectic. "I love you, Alyx."

"I love you, too, Dad." I said, and Dad pulled me into a tight hug, kissing the top of my head. At least everything was peaceful between us now. Missouri was right; our family needed to stick together. We couldn't afford to be fighting with each other. We were stronger hunters when we worked as a team. We'd learn soon how the strong bonds of the Winchester family would be tested…