Oh my heavens. It has been an insane two days. I would just like to say that I did not forget to update. Sadly, the free trial on my word processor died (After two years. Two. It was supposed to last 90 days and it lasted two.) It would not let me access my files. So this was lost to me. I couldn't update this chapter. So I didn't forget about you. It actually upset me that I couldn't update because this was done the day that I updated last. I was ready for it. So don't be mad. Stupid Microsoft wouldn't let me have it back. Though I would like to say thank you to my boyfriend for finally getting my chapters out of limbo. Now about this chapter, Kelley actually did put what Derek was doing at the time. Chloe and Simon used DS's to talk and Simon said that Derek took a shower at eight and to meet him on the lawn. So to all my reviewers, sorry that I wasn't able to do more with it. I believe in following the book for this. So, Derek didn't hear anything. But I think you'll enjoy my very long chapter for you.

Ivory breath: Awww. Thank you, my dear. Kakitenshi: There was a lot of one word sentences in my comments : ). I'm glad you like the subtlety in here (It's okay about the misspelling. Spellcheck and I are good, good friends) A lot of people wanted it sped up at the beginning, but I think you all love the suspense : ). : Hey, when you review put in a name so I can comment okay? Even if it's something ridiculous and made up, give me something! : ). Hydei: I always thought that Derek should see some sort of resemblance at least once or twice. HE sees Simons face EVERYDAY OF HIS LIFE SINCE HE WAS FIVE. SO I'm glad you enjoyed it. Kelly Miley: Wow. Thank you for saying that it's more realistic than the book. And I'm glad you like my little hint. Book Ninja: I like to make you guys giggle sometimes, which is why I include little things like Dr. D being a rapper. If you ever notice discrepancies, let me know.

I spent two and a half solid days trying to get this to you guys so here you are. I didn't steal it and I don't own it.

Derek's point of view

After cleaning up, Simon and I decided to just chill out. He went upstairs and grabbed his DS and I went on the computer and played Age of the Empires. Building the perfect country was a fairly good part of my day. Then I heard Chloe exit Dr. Gill's office and walk down the hall. She stopped outside the Media room, staring in. Simon shifted, obviously wanting to go to her. So, I threw him the perfect out.

"If you're going for a snack, get me a Coke. You know where their hidden." I kept my eyes on the screen, not wanting to spook either of them away from the other.

Simon paused for a moment, deciding. Then he said, "You want a Coke, get it yourself." Well, okay then. He must have thought it was a test. I mean I did tell him not to try anything today. But seeing him walk back and forth in from of the door earlier made me realize he had to make up with her. But if he didn't want to take the out, it's not my fault.

"I didn't ask you to get me one. I said if you were going." If equals your choice, bro.

"I'm not." Well, well. Snippy.

"Then say so already. What's with you tonight?" Why aren't you going?

Chloe left and Simon and I pretended he hadn't just ignored the out.

After I showered and it was time where we had to be in our rooms, Simon was on his bed, pencil in his hand, but too distracted to draw with it. I looked over at him after two whole minutes had gone by and saw him staring at me.

"What?" I asked, annoyed.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. Was thinking about something."

"About what?"

"Chl- Nothing." Nice save.

"What?"

"Well…"

"Simon." I said, annoyed at this roundabout way he was talking.

"I talked to Chloe." Well, finally.

"When?"

"During your shower." Sneaky son of a bitch.

"Did you two make up?"

He looked at me, a small smile on his face. That'd be a yes. Then he frowned, unsure of how to say something.

"Spit it out."

"What?"

"Whatever your about to say, just say it."

"I showed her."

I swore. "Damn it. I was hoping we could wait until another day for that, Simon. I'm all for you guys making up, but…"

"You wanted me to talk to her?"

"Well, yeah. That's why I offered earlier."

"Huh." My brother can be a dumbass.

We sat in the room for a minute, both deep in thought before my curiosity got the best of me.

"So what did she say?"

He smiled. "She didn't believe her eyes."

"What'd you do?"

"I levitated a basketball. She thought it was special effects or something." He got a goofy grin on his face. "I scared her on accident with the ball and I held her hand for a minute."

His smile made me smile, but there was a small part of me that didn't like him holding hands with her. Did I still not trust her enough?

"So what happened?"

"She believed me, but Tori came out right after I showed her. She ran inside before Tori could freak out." He looked uncomfortable. "Tori was pissed when she saw our hands together."

I laughed. I could only imagine the look. Lights out was in ten minutes so we both cleaned up the crap we had out and I went and brushed my teeth. Soon, we were in bed fast asleep.

The next day, Chloe wasn't in class. Simon asked Rae what happened, but she wasn't telling. So, I listened in. It seemed like Chloe was in trouble. She was in Dr. Gill's office, with Mrs. Talbot, Dr. Davidoff, and Dr. Gill. Her aunt was also in there, but she, unlike everyone else in the room, was advocating for Chloe. Chloe had been found in the attic last night, whispering something about ghosts. No one believed she had been dreaming. I would have listened more, but Ms. Wang demanded my attention when things were being decided. By the time she was done with me, and me with all my morning work, I could hear Chloe's little feet walking around the dining room, setting the table.

I decided it was time for a group heart to heart. She obviously believed Simon. So she wouldn't freak out on me anymore. So now, I could explain everything and Simon could help. Or at least be there to keep us from colliding once again. We seemed to argue every time we around one another.

I entered the dining room and she had her back to me. Deciding to try and not scare her, I announced, "I'm behind you."

She spun around, freaked out. She looked at me wide-eyed, then calmed a bit.

"I can't win. You're a skittish as a kitten." Actually, there were more ferocious kittens out there.

"So if you sneak up and announce yourself, that's going to startle me less than if you tapped me on the shoulder?"

This isn't the first time I had been accused of sneaking up on people. I just walked quietly, especially for my size. It was natural for me. "I didn't sneak-" I shook my head. This is why we need Simon there. She and I were too temperamental and too stubborn to talk to each other for any length of time. I grabbed two rolls, hungry as always. I moved a few rolls, concentrating on my movements. Just tell her what I need to tell her and get the hell out of here before we fought again.

"I just wanted to say that if you and Simon want to talk, you don't have to do it behind my back." I had been annoyed when he had told me last night, but it really wouldn't do to have them sneaking around like I was their disapproving parent. "Unless you want to." She might prefer it that way. She was freaked out by me, so who knew?

"We were just-"

I waved it off. "I know what you were doing. Simon already told me." I sighed. "You want answers. I've been trying to give them to you all along. You just have to ask."

"But you said-" I say a lot of things. I get angry and say crap because I'm tired of what is going on.

"Tonight. Eight. Our room. Tell Mrs. Talbot you'll be with me for math tutoring." No matter how good this girl could be at math, I had to be better. Though I didn't particularly think she would be very good. She seemed like the girl who thought she had to be girly and girly girls don't do math. Or at least not girls in the schools we had gone to.

"Your side is off-limits. Is she going to let me go up there, alone with a boy?" The thought of us doing anything the nurses disapproved of made me want to laugh. No one would believe she would even be tempted.

"Just tell her it's for math. She won't question it."

She looked uncertain still. "Will that be… okay? You and I aren't supposed to-"

"Tell her Simon will be there. And talk to Talbot, not Van Dop." Van Dop and I had a mutual dislike. She nodded and I went and found Simon and told him.

He smiled, happy that we would tell her. I was proud of myself for getting through a conversation with her. And so, tonight, we would meet.

I just chilled out for the rest of the day. I was in the media room, reading a book, when I heard Chloe and Rae in the basement.

"That door?" Rae said, too loudly. Her voice quickly got quieter as she realized she shouted, but it had drawn my attention. "The locked basement door?"

So they were discussing the door in the basement that Chloe's ghost wanted open more than anything else in the world. This could be interesting.

"Yes, cliché, I know. Whoooo, don't go into the locked room, room little girl." I smiled at her interpretation of a ghost. "I thought maybe, we could, you know, check it out. Like open it."

"Duh, of course. I'd have done that days ago." A handle jiggled. "How can you live with the suspense?" Because Chloe is a certified nice girl. One who thinks locks are for a reason. She would go nicely with Simon, the nice guy. Like Barbie and Ken, except both would have actual human anatomy.

Boy brain started to imagine Chloe's anatomy for a second before Chloe's voice made us remember that we were listening to something important.

"For starters, I'm pretty sure there's nothing in there."

"Then why's it locked?" Typical Rae. Always looking for trouble where there was none.

"Because it's for storing stuff they don't want us messing around with. Lawn furniture. Winter bedding. Christmas decorations." Well, Chloe could be very level headed about things. When I wasn't around. I'd have to figure out how to use that to an advantage if the need ever arose. Maybe in getting Simon out…

"The bodies of Lyle House kids who never went home…" Rae continued Chloe's list, letting her imagination run rampant.

There was a solid pause.

"Geez, I'm kidding. You are such a girl." Chloe was so skittish. How would anyone ever joke with her?

"No, I've just seen too many movies." That probably didn't help her inability to function without jumping at every noise.

"That, too. Another crappy lock, so easy a six-year-old with a credit card could pick it." Rae was a weird girl. Where did that particular skill become necessary?

"Not many six year olds have credit cards."

"I bet Tori did. That's what this house is made for. "Rich kids whose only use for a credit card is buying a new pair of Timbs. They stick cheap locks on the doors, knowing you guys will turn the handle and say, 'huh, locked,' and walk away." Cynical. Very cynical. But if she got the door open, she at least knew what she was doing.

"That's-" Chloe stopped, unsure of how to continue.

"Unfair? Uh, that's exactly what you did girl." Hmm, this conversation was making me like Rae a bit more than I had. She wasn't just a bimbo. "It's not perfect." I heard a jiggling and she continued, "But maybe it'll-" Jiggling. "Fuck. Or maybe it-" The noise of ripping reached me, wondering what the hell she had tried to open the door with. "Wont. God-fucking-Dammit. Son of a motherfucking bitch." She sighed. "Shit."

"There's a piece caught… Here, let me."

More ripping, then Rae said, "Got the feeling someone doesn't want us going in there?" Well, duh. The lock tells you that.

Chloe gave a small, half-hearted laugh.

"We're going to need the key. It might be on the ring with the one for the shed in the kitchen." Except I knew that wasn't the one. The one they were looking for was hidden behind the fridge. I had found it during the first week when I had been scoping the place out. I knew it was for the basement, but after opening it and finding a closet with a crawl space, I just put the damn key back.

I had forgotten all about the key until now. Maybe Chloe would have listened if I had told her I'd get it for her. But then a scared girl like her would have wanted a buddy, and I am so not a comforting person.

"I'll get it." She said and came upstairs.

I decided to help her out so I went into the kitchen to get a snack. A minute after I got in there, Chloe entered, hardly making any noise. She paused for a second when she entered, then slowly started walking behind me. When I realized she was going to try and scare me, I said, "The key you want isn't on that ring." She froze, startled because I hadn't even seen her. You just can't compete with super hearing.

I nonchalantly picked an apple, bit into it, and walked to the fridge. Chloe's eyes watched me as I did so, confused. "Try these" I said, digging out a set of keys from behind it. I gave them to her and seeing the look on her face, the one that clearly said, "How do you know?" I decided to come up with a lie. "I have no idea what you guys are doing down there, but next time you want to secretly open a locked door, don't whale on it hard enough to bring the house down." I left, smirking to myself. The look on her face was priceless. Shocked and freaked and wondering how the hell I did that. Wouldn't you like to know, Chloe. Oh, wouldn't you like to know?