AUTHOR'S NOTE: To the guest who was worried about something bad happening to Imani and the pregnancy, rest assured that she will be fine! I'm not going to have anything negative happen with that storyline. Sam deserves some happiness, don't you think?

Guest, Wandamarie, Tamilyn313, Tumblr-Tidbits, sueturpen, fanclaire, dramakid313, MariaKata, son-princess, bookwormbri02, LexieLou, TwightHeart, Thank You for leaving reviews! My Muse and I would love to hear from more of you!

And, a Very Happy Birthday to Tamilyn313! Thanks for all your encouragement and ideas you've shared with me!

~ ~ spn ~ ~ spn ~ ~

"All right, sign here and here, and initial here and here, and Charlotte will be good to go! You can leave whenever she's ready!" The nurse- her aura was dark yellow- handed Daddy a pen and glanced at her watch. Daddy scribbled on the form and handed the clipboard and pen back to the nurse. She removed a couple pieces of paper. "These are your copies. And you've got the accommodations list and information from the neurologist?"

"Right here." Grandpa John held up a blue folder. His aura was the same greenish-blue it had been yesterday. "Thank you." He took the papers and slid them into the folder.

"Yeah, thank you for everything." Daddy said to her. His aura was green with a slight red tint. "Charlie?"

"Oh, uh, thanks." I said.

She smiled. "You're welcome. Good luck, I hope your concussion heals soon!" She left the room quickly.

I had had a CT scan earlier, and it wasn't as scary as an MRI, but it was loud. Dr. Washington had said that my brain injury was stable and I could go home, and there was a whole list of things I wasn't supposed to do- I couldn't even run or jump for a while!

Grandpa John brought my backpack over and set it on the bed. "You need help getting dressed?" He asked.

"Can you untie my gown?" I slid off the bed and turned around. He untied the strings of my hospital gown and I pulled it off and tossed it on the bed. I opened the backpack and pulled out a pair of jeans and a Hello Kitty shirt, and got dressed quickly. "Can we get pizza for dinner tonight? I really want some black olive pizza."

Daddy laughed. "Sure we can." He picked up the bear and the mug and put them in the backpack. "You want to carry the balloons, Charlie?"

"Yeah!" I bent down to slide my shoes on. When I stood up, a wave of dizziness overtook me, and I leaned on the bed.

"What's wrong?" Grandpa John put his hand on my arm, supporting me.

"I got dizzy." I put my hand up to my head.

"Sit down for a moment." He pushed me to sit down. He put the folder into my backpack and zipped it closed. "Do you want me to carry you?"

"Dad, she should be okay." Daddy said.

"I don't want her to fall." Grandpa John responded. He looked at me. "Still dizzy?"

"No." I stood up, and Daddy brought the balloons over. I took them from him, and Grandpa John shouldered my backpack. He held out his hand. "Let's go, darlin'."

I took his hand and we walked out to the parking lot. The sunlight seemed very bright and I lowered my head and put my hand up in front of my face.

"What's wrong?" Grandpa John asked.

"The sun's bright." I muttered, scrunching my eyes until they were almost closed.

"The doctor said your eyes could be more sensitive, we'll have to get you some sunglasses. Go ahead and close your eyes, I'll carry you." Grandpa John swung me up into his arms. "Dean, are there any in the car?"

"Yeah, there's probably a pair in the glove compartment." Daddy replied.

I heard the squeak of the door hinges, and opened my eyes as Grandpa John set me into the back seat. Then he walked around to the passenger side and after a moment of rifling around in the glove compartment, handed back a pair of sunglasses with black frames. "These should help."

"Thanks." I put them on and leaned back on the seat- my head was hurting. I buckled my seatbelt.

"All right, I'll see you at home." Grandpa John tapped the roof of the car and walked off to find his truck.

Daddy looked at me in the rear view mirror. "How ya doing?"

"My head hurts."

He started the car. "When we get home I'll get you some medicine."

On the way home, I kept my eyes closed and leaned my head back. The motion of the car made me feel a little sick to my stomach.

Uncle Sam's car was at the curb when we pulled into the driveway. I leaned forward. "Is Uncle Sam back?"

"Well, I guess so. I haven't really talked to him." Daddy grabbed my backpack out of the front seat and got out.

Grandpa John's truck was already parked, too, and he opened the front door of the house. "There she is!" He said with a big smile. He held the door open for us.

Once inside, I let go of the balloons and hurried over to Uncle Sam, throwing my arms around him. "Uncle Sam!" Happy tears came to my eyes.

"Hey, Charlie." He leaned down and hugged me. "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts and my tummy feels yucky." I said. "But I'm glad to be home!"

He pulled back and looked at me. "What's with the sunglasses? And why do you feel so bad?"

I let him go and pulled the sunglasses off, and then put them back on my face- it felt better with them on. "The sunlight hurt my head, and I started to feel sick on the way home."

He straightened up and looked over at Daddy. "She's never gotten motion sickness before, has she?"

Daddy shook his head. "Maybe it's related to the concussion."

I took Uncle Sam's hand. "Are you home now?"

He looked down at me, squeezing my hand and dropping it. "Well, uh-" He looked at Daddy, his face uncomfortable. "I wanted to say, I'm going to be dividing my time between here and Imani's place for now. I'll be here during the day to help out with Charlie, because you work, Dean, but I'll probably spend the evenings and weekends at Imani's."

I looked from Daddy to Uncle Sam. "But- you won't be here to say goodnight to me!" I protested. "Does that mean we won't see each other on the weekend ever? Why?" Suddenly, I burst into tears. "Is it 'cause of me? 'Cause I'm too much trouble?"

"Sam, couldn't this have waited?" Daddy sounded annoyed. "We're not sure about some of Charlie's...side effects, and with the concussion we may need a little more help."

"Her...oh. Oh, yeah, Dad told me." Uncle Sam squatted down in front of me. "Charlie-Charlie, listen to me-" He put his hands on my arms. "It's not because you're too much trouble. Imani is having a hard time because of the pregnancy, it's hard on her body, and she's tired a lot, and I want to be there to help her and take care of her. Your Dad and Grandpa are still going to be here, and I'll be here most of the day, and if you need more help, I can stay." He wiped my cheek with his thumb. "C'mon, don't cry. You just got home from the hospital, that's something to celebrate."

Crying had made my head start pounding. "My head hurts worse." I moaned.

"Let me get some ibuprofen." Grandpa John left the room.

Uncle Sam gave me a quick hug and stood up.

Daddy was watching me. "Charlie, are you still- seeing auras?" He asked quietly.

I pulled the sunglasses down to look at him, and then pushed them back up on my nose. "My eyes feel-funny-like, sensitive? And the sunglasses feel better. I can't really see the auras with the sunglasses on."

"Did you tell the doctor?" Uncle Sam asked.

Daddy shook his head. "I asked in a roundabout way about her vision, he said things may get blurry if her eyes get tired, or she may see flashes of light in her vision before a headache, or there may be a halo effect around certain types of lights. Nothing about seeing auras. I'm going to look it up in the lore."

Grandpa John came into the room with a medicine cup and a glass of water. He handed me the cup, and I took the medicine and drank some of the water. "Charlie, you should go upstairs so you can rest."

"I don't wanna rest!"

"It will help your headache." Grandpa John motioned to the stairs. "Come on."

I sighed and looked up at Uncle Sam. "Will you take me up?"

"All right." Uncle Sam took my hand.

"You're not gonna leave again, are you, Uncle Sam?" I asked worriedly as we walked up the stairs.

"No, not tonight."

He pulled the covers of my bed down as I took off my shoes. "How long do I have to stay in bed?"

"For a little while, see if it helps your headache. If you still have one in a bit, come back down." He took the sunglasses off and put them on my bedside table.

I laid down and he hugged me, then pulled the covers up and tucked me in.

"Uncle Sam!" I called as he left.

He stopped at the door and turned. His aura was yellow-green."Yeah?"

"If you leave, come say good-bye, okay? And- and don't fight with Daddy, okay?"

"I'm staying, Charlie. And we won't fight." He smiled at me, and then closed the door behind him.

~ ~ spn ~ ~ spn ~ ~

"Charlie?" Daddy said quietly. Someone rubbed my back. "Charlie, wake up, the pizza's here."

I raised my head and looked at him. The room was mostly dark. I rolled over and sat up, rubbing my eyes and yawning.

"How's the head?" He asked.

"It's okay." I pushed the covers back and climbed out of bed.

"No headache?"

"Uh-uh."

"Good." He took the sunglasses and put them in his pocket. "I'll bring them downstairs in case you need them again."

I followed him downstairs to the living room. Grandpa John and Uncle Sam were there, the pizza boxes spread out on the coffee table.

Uncle Sam held up a plate with two slices of black olive pizza on it. "Here you go." He smiled at me.

"To celebrate you being home, I thought we could watch the first episode of a new cooking contest, it's for desserts." Daddy told me as I sat down. I took the plate and held it in my lap.

Daddy sat down and picked up the remote, turning the TV on and finding the right channel. The show was called "Baking Wars" and the theme song had explosions in it. The loudness of it annoyed me a little.

Daddy started to eat his pizza. A commercial started, it had people dressed up in old- fashioned bright costumes and singing and dancing in a silly way. Daddy laughed and looked over at Uncle Sam. "Oh geez, isn't this that song by the Partridge Family? Man, I had such a crush on the older sister."

Uncle Sam shook his head, chuckling. "You had a crush on just about every girl in every TV show, including cartoons."

Daddy laughed again. "Hey, Daphne will always be a hottie in my book!"

Uncle Sam laughed too. "And you call me a weirdo!"

My head twinged from the noise.

The next commercial had men playing basketball while a song played. "The boys are back in town, boys are back in town," Daddy sang along. "I can't believe that so many classic rock songs are in commercials these days!"

"Can you quiet down?" I asked, as my head twinged again. "All the talking is making my head feel funny."

Daddy looked at me with concern. "I'm sorry, kiddo. Do you have another headache?"

"No, it- it keeps, like twinging with pain, though."

The show started again. "And now back to-BAKING WARS!" The host shouted, and an explosion sounded.

That did make my head hurt, and I winced. All of a sudden, everything seemed to be too much. The light and movement from the TV and all the talking and noise- I felt dizzy, and set my plate down.

"Charlie?" Uncle Sam leaned forward, staring at me. "Your face is as white as a sheet. What's wrong?"

I put my hand up to my head. "I don't feel good."

Daddy grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. "Does that help?"

"Yeah-but it's- everything is too much!" I started to cry, and covered my face with my hands.

"What can we do to help?"

'My head hurts from the light an' the noise is making me feel weird." I sobbed.

"Okay, we can turn out the lights."

I heard clicking sounds and could tell the room got darker.

"Here, you want to lay down? C'mere." I opened my eyes, and Daddy sat back on the sofa and put a pillow on his lap. I laid down with my head on the pillow.

"Do you want me to rub your head?" He asked.

"I don't know," I sobbed.

He started to run his fingers through my hair. "If this doesn't help, tell me, and I'll stop." He said. He began to gently rub my scalp. I calmed down and stopped crying, and then I felt myself drifting off to sleep.

~ ~ spn ~ ~

I woke up in my bed the next morning. As I stretched and then sat up, I realized that my headache was gone. I climbed out of bed and went downstairs- as I walked toward the kitchen I could smell coffee and bacon and hear the deep voices of my family. I was overwhelmed with a sense of relief that I was home and not in the hospital.

I padded into the kitchen-Daddy and Uncle Sam were sitting at the table with plates of food in front of them, and Grandpa John was standing at the stove. They all looked at me.

"There she is!" Grandpa John turned toward me. "C'mere, darlin'!" He leaned down to hug me. "It's so good to see you."

I heard a chair scrape back as Grandpa John let me go. Daddy was holding his arms out.

"C'mere, babygirl." HIs voice was husky, I went to him and he grabbed me up in his arms, hugging me tightly. "I'm so, so glad you're home." He whispered.

I hugged him back. "Me too, Daddy. You're hugging me too tight." I gasped.

He let me go. "Sorry. I'm just really happy."

"Hey, Charlie." Uncle Sam smiled at me.

I walked around the table to him and hugged him too. "Hi, Uncle Sam!"

He kissed the side of my head. "How are you feeling?"

I slid into my seat. "M'okay."

"How's your head?" Daddy asked.

"I don't have a headache." I reported.

"Charlie, you want some scrambled eggs?" Grandpa John asked. He set a plate of bacon in the middle of the table. "Careful, the ones on the left side just came out of the pan, they're hot."

"Okay. I mean, yes please."

"Good girl." Grandpa John ruffled my hair as he turned back to the stove.

I picked up a slice of bacon and as I took a bite, I realized that Daddy and Uncle Sam were both watching me.

"What?" I asked, shoving the rest of the piece into my mouth. I grabbed another piece.

They glanced at each other. Then Daddy cleared his throat. "So, Charlie- still seeing auras?"

"Yeah." I said. "All of you have 'em. They're real bright now, I guess 'cause of the sunlight."

In the morning, the kitchen got a lot of sunlight and the room was always bright.

"Imani is trying to find out if there have been any studies on people who see auras and what part of the brain is being accessed." Uncle Sam said. "Since this is new, there's a possibility that it's a side effect of your brain injury."

Grandpa John sat down with a plate and began to eat. As I listened to them talking, my head began to hurt a little, but I didn't say anything. I helped Daddy clear the table off and then Uncle Sam and I went into the dining room to work on my schoolwork.

~ ~ spn ~ ~

"At Chris's birthday party, there are 21 slices of pizza and 7 guests. How many slices of pizza can each guest have?"

"At Chris's birthday party, there are 21 slices of pizza and 7 guests. How many slices of pizza can each guest have?"

"At Chris's birthday party, there are 21 slices of pizza and 7 guests. How many slices-"

I shoved the tablet away from me and rubbed my eyes. I had been reading the same sentence over and over and not paying attention. My head was hurting worse now, there was a dull throb behind my eyes.

I heard movement behind me. "You okay?" Uncle Sam asked.

I opened my eyes and turned- he was standing next to me. "I keep reading the same sentence again and again, it's like it's not going in my brain."

"Is the tablet bothering you?"

I glanced at it. "Uh, I dunno. It feels like I've been doing this for hours and hours!" I whined.

He glanced at his watch. "It's only been about an hour." He picked up the tablet and scrolled down the page. "I can try reading the problems aloud to you. Want to try that?"

"Okaaay." I sighed as I opened a notebook and found an empty page, then got out a pencil.

He read, "'At Chris's birthday party, there are 21 slices of pizza and 7 guests. How many slices of pizza can each guest have?' So, what do you need to write down?"

I thought about it. "Umm...21 and 7."

"Go ahead."

I wrote the numbers down and then sat there staring at them.

"Charlie?" Uncle Sam snapped his fingers next to my ear.

I startled, looking up at him. "What?"

"You were just sitting there zoning out. How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts." I put the pencil down and rubbed my forehead.

"How long has it been hurting?"

"Uh, I dunno." It felt hard to think. "Since breakfast?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" His voice was stern. "You need to take a break when you're not feeling well."

"I just-I dunno!" Suddenly I felt like crying.

"It's okay, just let someone know next time." His voice was gentle now. "Let's get you upstairs to take a nap."

I burst into tears. "I don't wanna take a nap!" I wailed.

"What's going on?" I heard Daddy's voice.

"Her head's been hurting since breakfast and she didn't say anything. I told her she should rest." Uncle Sam told him.

My chair was pulled back, and then Daddy was there, hugging me. "Hey, why the tears, kiddo? A nap isn't the end of the world."

"M' not a baby!" I said grumpily.

"You're not, but the doctor did say you should take rest breaks during the day. C'mon, come lay down on the sofa with me." Daddy coaxed.

"Can we watch TV?" I sniffled.

He rubbed my head. "No, that's not a good idea when you've got a headache. Lay down with your eyes closed for a little while and see if that helps." He picked me up and carried me into the living room, and in a couple of minutes I was settled on the sofa with my head on his thigh. He stroked my hair back from my face, and I closed my eyes and began to doze.

The doorbell ringing woke me up. I turned my head- the TV was on with the sound down and the subtitles onscreen. Daddy patted my shoulder. "Sit up, Charlie."

I sat up, rubbing my eyes, and he got up and went to answer the door. "Oh, hi, Stella. Hi, girls." Daddy said.

"Is Charlie home? Can she play with us?" I heard Macy ask.

I hurried over to the door. Macy and Cara were standing in front of Miss Stella. Cara hopped in place when she saw me. "Come pway, Taw-ee!" and Macy exclaimed, "Charlie, you're home!"

"How are you doing, Charlie?" Miss Stella smiled at me. Her aura was red, and both girls' auras were green and blended into each other. "We were sorry to hear about your accident."

"She's doing okay." Daddy put his hand on my back.

"Can she come out an' play?" Macy asked hopefully.

"Well… no. The doctor said she needs to rest right now, so she can't really be very active, no bike riding or running around."

I took Daddy's hand and gave him puppy dog eyes. "Can't I go out and play with them for a little bit? Pleeeease?"

He shook his head. "No, Charlie." He said regretfully. "Maybe in a couple of days, depending on how you're feeling. But for now you need to take it easy."

"That's not fair!" I complained.

"Doctor's orders, kiddo." He said firmly.

"I'm sorry to hear that. We'll come back another time, all right? Come on, girls." Miss Stella held her hand out and Macy took it. Cara whined wordlessly, but Macy took her hand and pulled her along.

Daddy closed the door. "I'm sorry, Charlie-"

"It's not FAIR!" I stomped my foot.

Daddy held his hands up, palms out. "I know, but remember all the things the doctor said you weren't supposed to do? We have to abide by that. Right now your brain needs rest. And you didn't feel well earlier, did you?"

"This is dumb!" I snapped.

Grandpa John had come into the living room. "Charlie, you want to help me make lunch?"

"No! I'm not hungry!"

He gave me a look. "All right, lose the attitude."

Suddenly I remembered that the first time he had spanked me, I had been mouthing off about lunch. He didn't like it when people were disrespectful. I gulped and said, "Sorry, Grandpa John."

He smiled at me. "I know you're frustrated, darlin'. I was just trying to give you something to do. Come set the table."

I followed him into the kitchen, and Daddy came behind me and got out the plates.

While we ate, Grandpa John told me that Pamela was going to come over to talk to me tonight. She had never met a child who was psychic and wanted to ask me about my abilities and experiences.

After we cleaned up from lunch, Uncle Sam helped me with my schoolwork. He read me a short story and then asked questions about it, and then we talked about which words were nouns and verbs and wrote lists of them. Then he tested me on some of the vocabulary. By then, my head was hurting a little, so he said I could take a break and play in my room for a while.

Pamela showed up as we were finishing eating dinner.

This time, she was wearing big dangly silver beaded earrings that tinkled slightly when she moved and the black leather vest over another t-shirt. Her aura was purple with silver streaks.

"Why does your shirt have a banana on it?" I asked.

"It's the cover of an album by a band called The Velvet Underground." She told me. "Geez, Dean, you need to start playing the classics for this kid! Don't tell me that all you play for her is Bad Company and Zeppelin!"

"Well, uh, Velvet Underground is, uh, a little out of my wheelhouse." Daddy said.

Pamela bumped elbows with me. "Stick with me, kiddo, I'm gonna play you all kinds of different music. Prepare to have your mind expanded."

"You're not gonna sneak my kid into a nightclub, are you?" Daddy joked.

Pamela winked at him. "Not yet, anyway."

Grandpa John came into the room. "Hey, Pamela. Have you eaten? I could fix you a plate. Would you like some coffee, I just started a fresh pot. Or something stronger?"

"Well hel-lo, Mr. Winchester!" She smiled at him. "I already ate, but I'll take some coffee now, maybe you and I could go out and grab something stronger sometime."

He looked embarrassed, and rubbed the back of his neck. "Uhh...sure, I guess." He glanced at her shirt. "Velvet Underground-good album."

Pamela laughed. "Glad to see that one of you's got good taste!"

"There was a guy in my battalion who was obsessed with Nico, he had a portable tape recorder and listened to the tape all the time at the barracks. He swore that the next time he got leave, he was going to go to Europe and find her." Grandpa John started to walk into the kitchen. "What do you take in your coffee?"

We followed him into the kitchen. "Did he ever meet her?" Pamela asked.

Grandpa John got a couple of mugs out of the cabinet and set them on the counter. "Uh, no, he was, uh, lost in a firefight at Da Nang." He filled a mug with coffee and held it out to her.

She took the mug. "I take sugar, thanks. Sorry to hear that."

"Par for the course, back then." He set the sugar bowl on the table and got out a spoon for her.

She spooned some sugar into her cup and stirred it. "Well, where would you like to go and talk?" She asked me.

"Want to see my room?" I asked.

"Sure, kid, lead the way."

She followed me up the stairs and into my room, walking over to the dollhouse. "Wow, this is pretty cool!"

I stood next to her. "Thanks. Uncle Bobby found it and did most of the work on it, and Grandpa John and Uncle Sam and Daddy all helped."

"Uncle Bobby?" She said delightedly. "That's adorable." She leaned down and picked up one of the armchairs and looked at it. "They made this?"

"Yeah, most of it, some of the furniture and stuff they bought."

"That's pretty special."

"Yeah, I had a dollhouse once." I wondered if she knew about my life before I met Daddy. I glanced at her. "I didn't know Daddy before, I only just met him last year. I lived with-it was just my Mom and me."

"Bobby and John told me about your mom and how she passed and all, I'm really sorry that happened." She put her hand on my shoulder and squeezed it, giving me a sympathetic smile.

I smiled back at her. "Thanks. It was hard, but I'm used to being with Daddy now."

"You all seem like a really close family." She turned her attention back to the dollhouse and pulled a tiny book out of one of the shelves. "Oh, look at this, it's a real book! With writing in it!"

"Yeah, Uncle Sam made the books."

She thumbed through the book and then placed it back on the shelf. "This is amazing. And look at this little crib, how cute!" She picked it up and looked at it. I had put one of my Hello Kitty figurines in it "So, you've had your abilities since you were a kid? I mean, younger than you are now?" She chuckled as she put the crib back.

There were some other Hello Kitty figurines in the dollhouse from the last time I had played with them, and now I started to remove them. "Yeah, ever since I was real little."

I walked over to my shelf with my hands full and dumped the figurines, then started to stand them up and arrange them. She came over and stood next to me, looking at everything on the shelves. "Harry Potter and Hello Kitty. Pretty cool."

"You know who Hello Kitty is?"

She looked at me. "Yeah, of course. Who doesn't?"

"Daddy and Uncle Sam and Grandpa John! They said they couldn't even tell that she was a cat!"

She shook her head. "That's guys for ya. So, do you remember how you found out about your abilities?"

"Umm...I dunno, it was just-always there, y'know? Like, when I'd have to hold my mom's hand when we were crossing the street, I'd always know how she was feeling, and sometimes I'd get, like, pictures of it." I moved a couple of the Hello Kitty figurines next to each other.

"How do you mean?"

"Like if she was mad about someone at work, I'd see a picture of the person in my head and feel her anger. Or if she was worried about paying bills, I'd see her writing a check and feel her worry."

"That's a lot for a little kid to take on."

I shrugged. "I just- I tried to make her feel better, I'd tell her not to be worried an' stuff."

"What would she do?"

I thought back. "At first she'd just say, 'I'll be all right" but then she started asking why I was saying that. And then- when I started saying things to other people-" I squirmed at the memory of her getting angry with me.

She patted my arm. "It's okay, Charlie."

I looked down at my feet, feeling my face get hot. "Like one time we were at Thanksgiving an' Great-Uncle Max was sitting next to me, I was tryin' to put mashed potatoes on my plate and he put his hand over mine to help hold the spoon, and I saw-" I closed my eyes against the shame that I had felt. "I saw him taking secret drinks out of a flat silver bottle, and I-I said it, I had to say it." I looked up at her, tears welling in my eyes. "I couldn't-I mean, I tried not to say things that I knew like that, but it made me feel yucky, like a tummy ache."

She nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean, when I tried to deny things I'd get headaches."

"You would?" I swiped at my eyes.

"Yeah, when I was younger, there were some spirits that would bother me, and talk to me a lot. If I tried to ignore them or make them leave me alone, I'd get a terrible headache. Did that happen a lot for you, the knowing things about people?"

"If I touched them. I realized that's how I was knowing things, so I tried to stop. And I'd try to not let it happen, but I-I couldn't stop it. And I tried to not say things, and sometimes I could keep it in, but it would make me feel bad."

"I'm guessing by how you reacted, that the people in your life weren't exactly receptive."

"What do you mean?"

"Did you get in trouble for the things you said?"

I nodded, remembering how scared and sad I had felt when my mom yelled at me. "My mom would get upset. And I tried- I tried to tell her that I couldn't help it and she just- she yelled more. So I tried to stop."

She nodded again, her mouth set in a grim line. "It sucks when your family doesn't understand or support you." She ruffled my hair. "But now you've got a bunch of people who support you, so that's really cool."

"Yeah."

"So, you only ever knew things about people if you touched them? Ever have any dreams that came true?"

"Uh, when I was sick I had a bunch of weird dreams, but one of 'em did come true. And I used to have dreams about people with black eyes, but I don't know-I asked about them, but all Missouri said was that they had evil inside them."

"Huh. Are you able to control fire or water or anything like that?"

I shook my head.

"Can you get information from objects or photos?"

"Um, yeah. I- I can get information from things if I hold them. Missouri said that something that's important to someone holds a lot of memories or emotions, or if it's something that they used a lot like a pair of glasses, it holds the person's energy."

"That's true. Missouri's great, isn't she?"

"You know her?"

"Heck yeah, I do! Us psychics gotta stick together, ya know!" She smiled at me. "What about reading people's minds? Can you look in someone else's head?"

I blushed again, remembering when I'd looked in Daddys' head and gotten in trouble for it. "Um, yeah, I tried once...Daddy said I wasn't allowed to do that. Missouri said it's like snooping, and that I shouldn't do it, even if I want to know something like what my birthday presents are."

Her frown changed to a laugh. "I see. Yeah, if that's an ability you have, you don't want to abuse it. How about being able to move stuff with your mind? Ever done that?"

"No."

"What about the experiences with the old lady's spirit, can you tell me about that?"

I told her everything, from the beginning. She asked a lot of questions about how things felt when they were happening. I was hesitant to talk about when the old lady was remembering the fire, because it was so scary.

She looked at me sympathetically. "I've had experiences like that where I've been with a spirit when they experienced their death. It can be really intense and scary."

There was a knock on the door. We both turned- Daddy was standing there. He came over to the bed, frowning. "Just checking up on how you're doing, Charlie."

"M'okay, I guess." I realized that my head was hurting, a dull pressure that went around my head like a headband.

He smoothed his hand over my hair. "You sure? You want to come downstairs for a snack?"

I looked at Pamela. "Is that okay?"

She nodded. "Sure, kiddo."

When I stood up, I got dizzy. Daddy grabbed my arm. "You okay?"

"Just got dizzy for a sec."

"All right. Walk with me." He walked next to me down the stairs, looking at me every so often.

Grandpa John and Uncle Sam were in the kitchen. Grandpa John was holding a short glass with amber liquid in it. There was a plate with apple slices on it on the table.

Uncle Sam held up a brown bottle. "Beer?" He asked Pamela.

She nodded at Grandpa John. "I'll have what he's having."

Uncle Sam got out a jar of peanut butter. "Want peanut butter on the apples?"

"Yes please." I slid into my chair

Daddy got a glass of ice water and set it in front of me. "Drink this. How's the head?"

I took a sip. "Uh-it hurts, a little."

"Describe 'a little'." Uncle Sam frowned with concern.

"It feels like-like there's a band all around my head that's too tight."

"Anything else? Are you seeing flashes of light or anything?"

I looked around at each of them. "No, no flashes. Your auras-they don't seem as bright right now."

"Huh." Pamela said. "Well, much as I'd love to hear more, I think we should take a break, kiddo. I can always come back later."

"But I like talking to you!"

She laughed and reached over to ruffle my hair. "I've enjoyed it too, you're a pretty cool kid. But making sure you take care of that head is more important."

Daddy took a sip of beer. "How about I run you a bath, and then read to you before bed?"

"Can I watch the new baking show?"

He shook his head. "Not if you have a headache."

"Aww!" I pouted.

He pushed the glass closer to me. "Drink some more water. Do you want some ibuprofen?"

I took a drink. "I dunno."

"Let's see how you feel after the bath." Daddy said. "C'mon, let's go upstairs."

"Okaaay." I got up, and then impulsively hugged Pamela. "Thanks for talking to me."

"Oh!" She laughed with surprise, and hugged me back. "You're welcome, Charlie. Get some rest."

I followed Daddy up the stairs and grabbed my nightgown from my room. Daddy was sitting on the edge of the tub, his hand under the running faucet. "Is this too hot?"

I leaned down and put my hand in the water. "No, that's good." I took my clothes off, dropping them on the bathroom floor, and climbed into the tub.

"Make sure you put your clothes in your hamper." Daddy opened the linen closet and got out a washcloth and a towel. He set the towel on the closed toilet seat and handed me the washcloth, then turned the water off. "You want me to stay here?"

"No, m'okay."

"Holler if you need anything." Daddy left the door ajar. I laid back in the tub, submerging my body in the warm water. I felt myself relax as I tilted my head back and wet my hair. I thought about Pamela's visit-I hadn't thought about some of that stuff in a while. I remembered how scared I would feel when I was little and dreamed about the people with the black eyes, and how the lady named Mary would come to visit me. I remembered being at Missouri's and how she taught me how to block. I hadn't practiced anything she had taught me in a while, I needed to try that again. Then I thought about when I was in the veil with Imani, and I remembered when I heard my mom's voice. Sadness rose up in me and tears filled my eyes. I sat up quickly, the water streaming off of me, and scrubbed my face with the washcloth. I was not going to cry!

I picked up the bar of soap and lathered the washcloth, and then started washing. Concentrating on that made me forget about being sad. I washed my hair, and then pulled the stopper and got out. After I dried off, I rubbed my hair until it was damp and got dressed for bed.

I was standing in my room, brushing my hair out, when there was a knock on the door jamb. It was Daddy. "How's it going?"

"Fine." I said.

He folded his arms. "You left your clothes on the floor in the bathroom, and you also just dropped the towel on the floor instead of hanging it up. What did I tell you?" His voice was stern.

Suddenly I felt overwhelmed. Why was he asking me to do this? Why was it always schoolwork and chores? I put the brush down on the dresser, and then I burst into tears.

"Charlie?" Daddy crossed the room quickly, squatting down in front of me. He looked me in the eyes. "What's wrong?"

"It's just- just- everything!" I wailed. "I- I don't know!"

"Okay, c'mere." He gathered me into his arms and stood up, carrying me over to the bed and setting me on his lap. "You've been out of sorts all day, do you know what's going on?"

"I dunno...I was thinkin' about- stuff- during my bath."

"What kind of stuff?" He pushed my hair back from my face.

"Like about when we were at Missouri's. And when I was in the veil and heard-m-my m-mommy's v-voice." I started sobbing, and he hugged me tightly.

"It's okay, kiddo, go ahead and cry. Let it out."

I put my arms around him and buried my face in his flannel, crying hard. My head started throbbing as I bawled, but Daddy started to rub my head and I began to relax. I was exhausted by the time I had finished crying, and I began to drowse on his lap.

I felt him lifting me up and laying me in bed. He pulled the covers up and tucked them around my shoulders, and then I felt him kiss my forehead. "'Night, Charlie. Sleep well."

~ ~ spn ~ ~ spn ~ ~

Another Author's Note: The Velvet Underground were an avant-garde rock band fronted by Lou Reed, and they had a singer called Nico on a couple of their albums. Their debut album did have a banana on the cover! If you'd like to give them a listen, my recommended songs to look for are Femme Fatale; I'll be Your Mirror; Sunday Morning; Waiting for the Man; Heroin; and Venus in Furs.