Brenna turned over and stared about her room. It was quiet. She looked at her clock. Five a.m. She sat up and searched for the chain on the lamp atop her stand. She felt all at once uncomfortable though she couldn't put her finger on the cause. She got out of bed feeling a little unsteady still.

It had been nearly two weeks past since she'd fallen ill with what Chase had called the measles. It had laid her up alone for nearly a week. As luck would have it, the people most important to her sanity were the ones who were immune to the sickness. Sophie would visit and they'd sit and talk and do their homework together. Chase would bring her meals and they would sit and watch some of the silly shows on TV or watch videos on the computer, talk. Lots of talk.

Professor Wagner had visited her almost daily as well. He had continued to apologize for his mistake with the magazine until Brenna had begged him to stop, telling him she forgave him though she had already written the whole incident off in her mind. She had even told Chase the matter was closed for discussion and as it was there were other things on everyone's mind.

"You still haven't decided on a costume and the Halloween party is two days away." Sophie had admonished her. She had tried to explain to them that this time of year for her was the celebration of Winternights.

"Halloween sounds like our Walpurgis. You have it all wrong."

Sophie had shrugged, "And everyone has different holidays, now you have a new one to celebrate."

She had therefore held back on choosing a costume. The practice was still alien to her. Still, she walked to her writing desk and turned on the laptop just to dispel the strange feelings surrounding her.

The glowing screen made her feel more alone, however, even deepening the eerie feeling that pervaded the room. She decided to get dressed then and wander down to the kitchen, grab a bottle of orange juice and as the door closed behind her she felt a bit more relieved. She started towards the stairwell to the first floor and had to stifle a scream as she rounded the corner into Grace.

"Holy sh...sugar, what are you doing up at this hour?" She cried, a hand to her chest, clipboard clattering to rest on the floor.

Brenna picked it up and handed it to her, trying to catch her breath. "I felt funny in my room. Perhaps it was a bad dream but I had to get out and take a walk. I was heading to the kitchen for some juice."

"I'll walk with you. Wow if I was tired before, I am not now."

Brenna smiled but it was quick.

"Is everything alright?" Grace felt her forehead, "You're not sick again?"

"No. I just...something is wrong."

"Wrong how?"

"Like something has happened." She had been ready to add. "In Asgard" but she felt silly. How could she know of something a world away. Maybe she was still suffering from the aftereffects of the measles.

They reached the kitchen which was still quiet. Soon the staff would be in to start preparing the morning meal. She opened the big refrigerator door and grabbed an orange juice. "I think it was just a bad dream."

"You can't remember anything about it?" Grace peered into the refrigerator, grabbing a bottle of grape juice and closing the door.

"No, it just left me with a bad feeling."

"I hate those kind of dreams, you wake up scared and yet you don't know why."

Brenna nodded, looked out the big bay windows beside the staff kitchen tables and saw the sky was starting to lighten. "I am going to return to my room, I think."

Grace took a swallow of her juice, "Oh sure. I have to post the duty roster."

She felt a bit better as she reached her room and when she got inside, found the strange feeling had dissipated. She was ready to chalk it up to the scary movies Chase and Brian had introduced her to as Halloween neared. They had started with Frankenstein and Dracula, old movies by their standards and then they had progressed to more modern ones like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the Thirteenth which had her hiding her face on Sophie's shoulder. No matter how many times they told her everything was fake, it was real enough to frighten her. "That's the beauty of movie magic, it all look real." Brian had teased.

When Chase showed up to walk her to the dining hall, the whole incident had been pushed to the back of her mind. Sophie was waiting at their table when they arrived with their trays.

"French toast sticks? Bren, you're living dangerously."

"No I am getting used to all the unidentifiable additives you people put in your food. Chase tells me that pretty soon I will glow in the dark like everyone else."

Chase grinned, "Won't that be fun?"

Brian reached out a hand and Chase gave it a slap as they laughed.

"Pigs, all of them. So Sophie to the rescue again. Rachel has a couple ideas for costumes for you. The drama club has all sorts you can borrow. She okayed it with Miss Horn. Oh and did you hear they're doing the psychic fair again this year at the party?"

Brenna picked up a strip of french toast, "A fair?"

"A psychic fair, you know, with tarot card readings, psychics, mediums, scryers. I love the tarot cards myself. It's all for fun. I mean they bring in people from the outside but I don't know if I believe in it all. Ghosts are even a stretch for me."

"Aw you take all the fun outta the holiday. It's all about the spirits and the serial killers and all that." Brian frowned.

Sophie stuck out her tongue, "I didn't say I wouldn't have fun. I just don't believe you can see into the future."

Chase pointed at her with a fork, "Billy Kennedy can."

"Okay," Sophie rolled her eyes "But he can only see ahead one minute. I mean how can you see like way into the future or the past, talk to the dead, I guess I just have to see it to believe it. What about you Brenna, do they have ghosts where you come from?"

Brenna nodded, "Though I have never seen one, I hear tales of them. My Uncle Chris would tell stories of spirits, banshees, bogeymen. He said he learned them as a young man here on Midgard. I had many a sleepless night from them."

What are you going to the party as?" Sophie looked at Chase.

"I'm going as a prison guard."

Brian was nodding, "And I'se gonna be his prisoner. I gots me handcuffs and a prison jumpsuit, bright orange. My momma brought it down to me last week."

When they all turned to stare at him he sat back, hands on his hips, "It was bought from a costume store. What y'all think I got it off my cousin? They don't let them take those outta the joint."

Chase shook his head, "Have you ever thought about not broadcasting that shit?"

He waved his hand at Chase, "Shit man, either y'all hear it from me or see it on the evening news."

Rachel unlocked the dressing rooms behind the stage and flipped on the lights. "You don't have the slightest idea what you want to go to the party as?"

Brenna shook her head.

"Well what's Chase going as?"

"A prison guard."

"Yeah," Sophie added, "But Brian is his prisoner."

Rachel giggled, "I could see that coming," then put her hand over her mouth, "I'm terrible aren't I."

"Seeing as you're dating him, I'd say yes.."

Rachel wrinkled her nose, "I know, don't tell him I said that." She pushed through the racks of costumes. "We have Cleopatra? Queen of the Nile?"

Brenna pulled out the white linen skirt, "Who?"

"C'mon, you're not flunking in world history. Egyptian queen? Marc Anthony's lover?"

"Egypt, oh yes, and oh no. Keep going."

Rachel slid another costume over, "Martha Washington. America's first First Lady?" She looked at Brenna who was frowning, "No huh. We have a Native American squaw costume, Pocahontas, wanna be an indian?"

Brenna slid another few costumes down the rack, pulled out a red sheath with fringes all around it. "What is this?"

"Oh that's a flapper. From the nineteen-twenties. They were today's equivalent of the anarchists. Smoked, drank, wore their hair short, skirts shorter."

"Oh yes, I read about them when I learned about prohibition." She slid the dress down, "It's not me." She sighed. "Maybe I should just put some cat ears on and paint whiskers on my face like you suggested, Sophie."

Sophie narrowed her eyes and put her hands atop her head, "Prison guard, prison guard...wait!"

She ran to the rack and started shoving the costumes back and forth until she found what she wanted. She took down a short halter dress, red spangled with a feather boa draped over the top of the hanger. "He's a prison guard, Brian's a convict, you can be a hooker!"

"Hooker?"

"Ooooh!" Sophie moaned, "A hooker, a lady of the evening?" Brenna stood there stone faced.

"A prostitute? Geez, a whore?"

Brenna's mouth dropped open, "A whore! Gods!"

"Oh it's all in fun, it's not like we're going to make you turn tricks or anything. It's a party for crying out loud. Fun, pretend. Then you'll look like you belong together, Rachel you could dress up as a pimp."

"Well I did have a..." She blushed pink, "A cat suit planned...but I guess pimp would be more fun. Let me see what I can find on the rack here. Will that dress fit?"

"C'mon let's try it on." Sophie started to drag Brenna to one of the fitting rooms but she stopped short.

"A whore? Will people not think I am, well...I do not want to be...a whore."

"For real? Party, please keep that in your head, this is all for fun. Chase will get a kick out of it."

Brenna allowed herself to be led to the dressing room while Rachel searched the racks.

"Yell to me when you' have it on and I'll zip it up."

Brenna slid the dress up her body and slipped her arms through the straps, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror of the little booth and smiling, though she felt a bit ashamed. After all being a whore wasn't exactly a good thing. But Sophie was right, it was all in fun. She opened up the door and presented her back to Sophie who zipped up the dress. She turned around and put her hands out, "Well?"

"Gee it's even slightly roomy, let me tie the sash in the back."

Brenna put her hands on her hips and posed, mimicked blowing a kiss and Sophie clapped her hands. "Oh you look like a loose woman. We can make you up with really red lipstick, bright eye shadow, Rachel look."

Rachel's head poked out of the rack, "Oh now that's slutty. Hold on."

She brought out a shiny blue suit jacket, taking it from the hanger and donning it. She unhooked from the hanger a hat with a fur strap around the middle and put it on her head. "And I think we have platform shoes around here somewhere." She adopted an aggressive swagger as she walked towards them, "Bitch, what you doing here, I told you to stay on that john and get some tricks turning."

Sophie was doubled over with laughter, "Now you slide up to her, Bren, like you're trying to make good with her."

Rachel mimed slapping her, "Naw you think you fancy. Get out on that corner and show 'em some A and T!"

"A and T?"

"Ass and tits, gonna have to learn the lingo if you wanna work with me."

Brenna rolled her eyes but she'd never had more fun. She wished, in fact, that she could have come to this school seasons ago. Midgard was becoming her home.

That afternoon, before the party, they met in Sophies room to get dressed. Brenna felt a bit unsteady in the high heels they gave her. "But you wouldn't look half as slutty in flats." Sophie admonished her. She couldn't stop laughing at Rachel's fake eyeliner mustache. "I do hope that comes off later. You would look very funny going to class like that."

They were about to leave for the gymnasium when they heard outside the door, "Prisoner, knock!"

"Yassum," Rachel swung the door open and Brian's face fell, "Aw, i'se didn't get to knock guard, sir."

Chase poked Brian with a nightstick, "That's cause you weren't quick enough. Half rations for you." He looked into the room to see Brenna. "Holy mother of mercy! A hooker, that's what you didn't want to tell me?"

Brenna had refused to reveal what she was wearing when he had asked. She had to admit, she was afraid Chase would disapprove but she was determined not to spoil Rachel's fun. "That's right."

Rachel muscled in front of Brenna, "And if you want to talk to her, it's gonna cost you ten bucks. She's not cheap."

Chase waved his nightstick at Rachel, "What I tell you about bringing your ho's around here?"

Brenna smiled, relieved to see Chase playing along though as they headed down the hallway, she noticed he kept close to her. At one point he leaned over and whispered, "Brenna, you are a knockout. You never cease to amaze me. Rachel do your hair like that?"

She patted her hair self consciously. Rachel had brushed it in an updo and sprayed it with a ton of hair spray. She'd added chunky plastic jewelry and clip on earrings. Brenna tried to keep the boa tied around her neck however, as she was shocked at the cleavage the dress showed.

The lights in the gymnasium had been traded for black light poles all around the sides of the room and there were fog machines going off every so often. "Thriller!" Sophie cried, "Oh they're going to do the dance." She grabbed Brenna's hand, "Come on I wanna watch."

They drifted through the crowd, Brenna turning so she felt like a top, looking at all the different costumes. A spotted dog with an over large head that he had to hold on to. A mummy with an Egyptian queen on his arm. She was glad she hadn't picked that costume. There were a couple of kids with leotards on, glow sticks attached to their limbs and the rest of their torsos. She was fascinated with them until she saw a girl in a red hood over a short frilly dress accompanied by a hairy wolf.

"Such costumes, I have never seen the like. This is Halloween?"

"For teenagers, yeah." Sophie shouted above the din of the music, "The little kids go trick or treating, remember like I told you?"

"For candy, yes. I like this better though."

"Duh, you're a teenager."

"Hey what's the going rate these days for an hour, baby?"

Brenna whirled around. It was Dylan, dressed up in a yellow shirt and pants, a brown hat and a large round sticker on his chest that read "Chiquita" on it.

"What are you supposed to be?"

He opened up his arms, "A banana? Isn't it obvious?"

Sophie put her hands over her mouth at first, finally bursting out with a loud laugh, "You said I would find your costume appealing. Oh god I'm such a ditz!"

Dylan nodded, "I thought you got the play on words. I guess I was wrong."

Sophie twitched her whiskers and sidled up to Dylan, "I'll find you appealing later."

Dylan hugged her from behind, "Oooo, here kitty, kitty."

Chase reached over and poked Dylan with his nightstick, "Hey no public lewdness."

"He's right," Came a voice, startling them all. Logan stood behind them, wearing sunglasses, a white t-shirt and a black leather jacket and pants.

"Oh hell no, sir." Dylan flung his arms behind his back. "Hey, James Dean right?"

Logan stared at them, "Yeah you go with that," He turned his head towards Brenna though with the dark glasses she couldn't be sure at first that he was looking at her. "You having fun tonight, Bren?"

"Yessir,"

"Your father would probably flip if he saw you dressed like that." a smile crept onto his face.

"Undoubtedly."

Logan seemed to scan the room, "Just behave is all I'm telling ya." he nodded to them and continued on through the crowd.

"Why do we even need chaperones?" Dylan grumbled as he resumed hugging Sophie, yelping when Chase popped him on the seat of his pants.

"Um, because of you?"

Rachel tugged on Brian's arm, "Come on let's go get our tarot cards read. I looked over at the booths and the lines aren't too bad."

Brian rolled his eyes and glanced at Chase, "Whadda ya say? You wanna head on over?"

"Hey, why you asking him?" Rachel cried as Brian pointed to him, "He my guard, baby, I don't listen to him, he gonna take away my conjugal visits."

Chase took Brenna's hand, "You gonna try getting your fortune told?"

Brenna looked at the various tents set up around the perimeter of the gym, they were festooned with bright silk scarves, strings of lights, strange symbols.

"I do not know, one should not know too much about their future."

They stopped before one of the tents with a sign hung by the closed flap, "Psychic readings Five Bucks."

Brenna opened her purse. She had saved money for the week. She had started to work in the school library three nights a week to earn some extra money, providing her with the means to buy things like pens, paper, pencils, a candy bar on occasion.

"I'll give you the five bucks if you need it." Chase was taking his wallet out of his pants.

"No I have it, honestly." As she was taking the bill out of her purse, a student exited the tent, waving as he passed them.

"Hey Chase."

It was Billy Kennedy.

Chase shook his head, "Probably gave the lady gray hairs. Go on, you're the next one."

"Alone?"

He pointed at the sign where the small print read, "One person at a time, please."

"Are you scared?" Chase rubbed her back.

"No, I feel silly." She glanced around the gym. Sophie and Dylan were standing at the tarot card tent. They smiled at her and Sophie pointed towards the tent. Brenna nodded and Sophie shot her a thumbs up.

"Go on, I'll wait here." Chase walked to the gym wall and leaned against it.

Brenna sighed, then poked her head into the tent, "Hi?"

The woman, a pretty plump redhead in a green cotton tunic and a darker green broomstick skirt, waved her inside.

"Come in, come in. My spirit guide has been positively frantic to get you in here!"

The woman was seated at a card table and she pointed to a chair on the opposite side. "My name is Bridget. I am a psychic and a medium. Welcome to my..." She looked about the tent and smiled, "haven."

Brenna sat down and handed Bridget the five dollar bill.

"Oh, okay I don't usually require payment until the end but that gets things out of the way first."

Brenna looked about the tent. On the table were two white pillar candles that flickered in the air. There was also a cone of incense burning on a small metal plate and a statue of a gold plated cross with a rounded top. She tried to recall what it was, she had seen it before. Bridget noticed her staring at it. "It's an Ankh, the Egyptian symbol for eternal life, or the afterlife, whichever you believe in...alright, okay."

Brenna tilted her head, "Excuse me?"

Bridget laughed and waved her arms, silver bracelets jingling musically, she had to have had ten on each arm, "My spirit guide is telling me to get on with it. Her name is Agatha, she was a well to do young woman in the late nineteen-hundreds when she was struck down in her prime by diptheria. She came to me when I was a little girl, all alone in a new house, a new school with no friends. She's been with me ever since...whoa, okay, tell him to hold his horses."

Brenna felt a tiny bit like she'd stepped into one of those old shows Chase and the others had introduced her to last week...what were they called, the Twilight Zone? She briefly considered thanking her and slipping out of the tent but Bridget was rubbing her hands together, her eyes closed. She took a deep breath then let it out.

"Give me your hands, on the table, flat."

When Brenna hesitated, Bridget smiled broadly, her teeth were stark white with just a smudge of her coral lipstick. The music outside the tent was muffled, "I won't hurt you child. I have things to tell you."

Brenna put her hands on the table and Bridget at once covered them with hers. Her hands were warm, moist, not clammy, motherly.

"Agatha has someone with her. It is a man. Do you know someone named Christopher?"

Brenna was so startled she nearly jumped from her seat, "I know of one named Chris. He is my uncle, well we call him uncle. But he is..." she paused, "He is home with my family."

"I'm getting to it, wow, he is an impatient spirit. I hate to tell him he has nothing but time now." Bridget glanced around the room, seeing something she could not.

"Okay, he says he is here to watch over you since your father cannot."

Brenna shook her head, "The only man I know named Christopher is my uncle. I know of no other Christopher."

Bridget shrugged, "He claims he knows you."

Brenna's heart was beginning to pound, "I know of no one else." She knew she was starting to shout.

"Alright, okay...don't get upset honey. Okay he says ask him a question he will answer it for you."

Her stomach was starting to turn, she was feeling dizzy. If it was truly Chris, then something horrible had happened at home. The feeling she'd had a couple days hence, as if she were being watched..she swallowed hard.

"What did we talk of at the forge that day with my father?"

Bridget cast her a strange look, "He's agitated, saying something about being old and forgetful...wait a minute." Bridget wrinkled her nose, "Really? Alright. He says you discussed the dream you had about Midgard?"

Brenna yanked her hands from Bridget's and covered her mouth, "No, no, no."

Bridget's face softened, she reached for Brenna's hands again, "You didn't know he passed on, dear. He says he is sorry, he didn't mean to frighten you. He wanted to watch over you for your family. Hold on, he's sending an image to me. This one is a warning but he knows not where it comes from only that you have seen it." She closed her eyes again, put her head down on her chest. "I see a room, it is dark the walls look metal, but there is a patch of light in the middle, coming down from some sort of vent in the ceiling. In the light on the floor there is a dagger or a knife of some sort. Dark steel, the hilt is carved with snakes..."

Brenna had started a violent shaking.

"This, he says, is something you have seen yet not seen."

"In a dream." She whispered at first, then louder, "In a dream."

"He says the place is real, avoid it at all costs."

She was out of the seat now but Bridget waved at her, "Wait, he says he doesn't know how long he will be allowed to stay. That he missed you terribly and that he and your family are very proud of you."

"It cannot..." She clamped her mouth shut tightly, grabbed her purse and darted from the tent so fast that she nearly ran into a couple of students waiting outside for their turn. Chase watched her run for the gymnasium door, pushing her way through the crowd. "Brenna!" he tried to shout above the music as he ran to catch up with her but she kept moving until she had reached the doors into the hallway.

"Damn!" Chase swore as she disappeared into the hallway.

She had broken out into a cold sweat. The porcelain of the toilet bowl felt oddly soothing even if the retching clench of her stomach did not. She had purged the contents of her stomach, the evening meal, reaching the bathroom with barely enough time to spare. "Brenna are you in there?"

It was Chase. She took a piece of toilet paper and wiped her mouth. She would have to get a bottle of water. "Yes. Hold on." She felt her stomach tighten again and the tears threatening to overtake her. Uncle Chris, gone? She hadn't even had a chance to see him for the last time, and Chris had been her father's closest, dearest friend? What must he be going through at this point?

She stood up from the cold tile floor on wobbly legs. She had long ago shed her high heels, the night quickly turning somber for her. She exited the stall to find Chase standing beside the sinks, arms crossed.

"What the heck happened, baby?" He opened his arms to her and she flew into them.

"Chase, I think my Uncle Chris has passed on. The psychic said he was here with me, that he was going to watch over me."

Chase caressed her back, "Hon, those things are just for fun."

Brenna backed from him, catching movement out of the corner of her eye and giving a little shriek before she realized it was their reflections in the mirror.

"No the spirit knew something only my uncle would know. It was about a dream I had. We had talked of it with my father." She felt weak, "I need to sit down."

Once in the hallway, Chase started to direct her back to the party. At first she protested but he was able to coax her inside, telling her they could sit on the bleachers for a bit so she could calm down.

She watched the costumed students dancing around, shoved under Chase's arm. "Wow, I mean talking to someone from beyond the grave, and on Halloween night."

"Chase!" Brenna cried.

"I'm sorry. It was uber cool. I mean not the fact that your uncle is obviously..."

"Dead, the word is dead and I cannot believe it." She put her head in her hands. "I cannot believe I wasn't there."

"Well you said yourself, you make sacrifices to be happy."

She leaned back onto the next bleacher, "Listen, Chase, I am going to my room. I'm feeling awful."

"Let me come with you, then." Chase started to get up.

"No, you stay and enjoy yourself. Catch up with everyone else." She put her hand on his shoulder.

"I don't like leaving you alone when you're like this." Chase kissed her forehead.

"I am a big girl, I promise I will be fine. I just don't have the heart for this anymore."

She wrapped her arms around his waist, pushing her face into his chest and breathing deeply, "I will talk to you on the morrow."

"Okay, if you're sure. I'll meet you for breakfast."

She managed a smile, "I love you."

Chase pulled her tighter to him, "Love you too, babe."

Her room, thankfully, didn't make her uneasy. She changed into a long nightgown, brushed her teeth and drank at least three glasses of water before she retired under the covers of her bed. She knew she would pay for the water in the middle of the night but it had made her feel so much better. At least until the words of that psychic returned to her and she lay there staring at the clock as the green numbers changed again and again. It wasn't the fact that Chris was indeed gone, though her heart broke every time she thought of him. Not the fear that he was here with her. It was the dream, the room she'd seen herself in with her father. He had seen it, the psychic had seen it in the very least, and the warning Chris had sent her. The room was real, avoid it at all costs.