Vera sighed as she heard the sounds of Dean in the upstairs bathroom getting ready for his first day at his new high school, while Katherine was having fun testing out the breakfast machine down below. A school day meant it was going to be a long while before she got to see him again. The door opened and he walked out, his hair combed but still a bit damp from his shower and dressed in a Shinedown T-shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Hope you have a good day," Vera said.

"Thanks," he replied with a smile, slipping on a light jacket and picking up an old looking backpack.

Vera examined the bag. "Does that thing have holes in it?"

He laughed. "Yeah, I've had since I was in middle school. Dad bought it for me." He smiled at a memory Vera couldn't see before his smile faded for a moment. Then he seemed to shake it off and slung it over one shoulder. "Holds memories along with my books." He said as he walked out of the room and towards the staircase.

Vera followed behind him, enjoying the sight of his swaying butt once again as he made his way towards the dining area where Katherine had already set out some plates of food and a glass of orange juice on the table. "Here's yours, Dean!" Katherine called to him as she hurried back to the kitchen, clearly enjoying using the old invention.

Vera stopped suddenly, sensing something in the area and scanning the room.

"Thanks, mom," Dean called back, sitting down and starting to eat. Looking up, he noticed there were three other plates for three other chairs already on the table as well. "Hey, mom? Who-"

"Lena!" A voice rang out, making him jump and making Vera groan, and Lena appeared out of thin air in one of the chairs!

"Stella!" The same thing occurred with Stella next.

"Bertha!" And with Bertha.

"Together, we are... the Nightingale Trio!" They chorused together, each doing ridiculous poses with their arms before laughing out loud at their planned entrance.

"What are you three doing in here?" Vera demanded.

"Eating breakfast!" Stella proclaimed with wide innocent eyes.

"Yeah!" Bertha waved a hand right through her large stomach. "I mean, look at me, I'm wasting away!"

They all burst out laughing again.

Vera's hair started to flutter as her eyes began to glow blue. She would send them flying all the way to China.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on!" Katherine cried out, hurrying over in front of Vera while thankfully not spilling her own food from her own plates as she set them down. "I'm sorry, sweetie, I was going to ask you... it just kinda happened."

Vera calmed down, not wanting Katherine to be in the way of a psychic blast. "What do you mean?"

"Okay..." Katherine took a big breath and began to explain. "Okay, so they popped in while I was starting to make breakfast and I just kind of absentmindedly asked them if I could fix them a plate. So of course, I started to laugh at myself, but then they told me that they actually could eat! Sort of, anyway! And this just seemed like an amazing breakthrough! I mean, ghosts eating? It's unheard of! Anyway, so I made them some food to check it out, and well, here we are!" She finally took another breath.

"I'm pretty sure you were tricked, mom," Dean muttered, glaring at the sisters.

"Shows what you know, handsome," Lena said, with a wink. "We're quite capable of eating. Yeah, our taste is kinda... dulled from when we were alive, but we can get a sense of it at least. We don't need it, but it's not bad to have once in a while."

"Anyway..." Katherine interrupted. "I guess I was just hoping to be the one to take the first step in calming things down around here." She looked directly at the sisters. "Show them that we're not here to take away their home, their little sister, or send them away either." She looked at Vera and Dean. "But I hold both of your opinions in more importance than mine, so if you don't think they deserve that chance, I won't protest."

Vera looked at Katherine's face and then the faces of her sisters. Finally, she looked at Dean. "I'll go with whatever Dean wants."

Dean looked at her in surprise and then looked back at the sisters. He narrowed his eyes before thinking back to his mom's enthusiasm at getting to study more than one ghost, and finally shrugged. "Sure, whatever. If they behave, I don't got a problem."

"Hmph!" The sisters all turned up their noses at him in response to the idea of behaving.

"That settles it for me, then," Vera said, smiling at Katherine.

"Great," Katherine exclaimed. "Okay, girls, dig in!"

The sisters all began shoving food into their mouths with their hands, the forks and knives completely forgotten. Katherine's enthusiastic face immediately turned to one of disgust, as did Dean's. The chewed up food could be seen inside their mouths as they ate, and even worse, the chewed-up remains of the food passed right through their stomachs and fell to the floor and chairs!

Thankfully, they didn't have saliva so the food didn't look... slimy. It was just in pieces as if someone had cut it up with a knife. Of course, that didn't stop it from being disgusting.

"Wow..." Dean groaned, feeling a bit queasy.

"I admit, I... didn't think about the lack of a digestive system..." Katherine said, looking a bit green at the process.

"Girls, we have company," Vera said loudly.

"Oh, yeah? Well, company loves misery," Lena said, chewing with her mouth open.

"You guys are disgusting, obnoxious creeps," Dean snapped.

"Thank you!" The three sisters chorused.

"Um, Dean...?" Katherine said worriedly.

"Is it really so hard to at least try to be a little more respectful?"

"Ah, shut it, skin bag," Lena spat.

"Piss off!"

"Take a hike!"

"Get a grave!"

"Ooh, he got you there!" Bertha said, laughing.

"Come on, honey," Katherine said, quickly steering Dean out to the living room. "Um, Vera, please get Dean's plate, sweetie!"

"Good idea, Dr. Mom," Stella said. "Gotta keep him safe!"

"Drop dead!" Dean yelled.

"Too late!" The three sisters practically fell over laughing.

"You're cleaning that up," Vera warned the sisters as she picked up Dean's things and followed him into the living room. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright," Dean said, sitting on the couch and placing the juice on the table in front of it. "God, they just... infuriate me."

Katherine kissed him on the head. "Just... let me try to work with them, okay? See if I can calm them down."

"Alright, just be careful, mom."

"Always, sweetie," she said, walking back towards the kitchen. "Now I just hope they haven't messed with my plate..."

Dean and Vera chuckled and he sighed. "Well... at least we learned something new about ghosts. You never told us you could still taste stuff."

"That's because I'm not sure I can," she said. "I certainly don't remember giving anything a try. My sisters have traveled who knows how far across the country, so they probably got it into their heads to try different foods they found on their travels. Then they figured it out. Me... I've never left here and no one's ever offered me food, that's for sure. So I guess you could say I'm out of practice."

"Well, in that case..." Dean said, spearing a piece of pancake and offering it to her with a smile.

"Oh, no," Vera said, holding up a hand. "That's your food, and besides, you saw what just happened with my sisters. It's so gross."

"Yeah, but they're icky," Dean countered, making Vera laugh. "You're not."

"Food's still gonna fall out of me, though," Vera reminded, shivering in disgust.

"I won't mind it as much," he said with a laugh.

"It's fine, Dean, really."

He pulled the food back and set it down. "Okay, okay... what about this, though?" He picked up the glass of orange juice.

"Dean," Vera protested. "That's still gonna make a mess."

"Just take a drop!" He added helpfully. "Get some with a finger and then try it. Whatever falls out is just gonna be a drop, which is nothing, and you still get to taste something."

"Huh," Vera said softly. "That's not a bad idea."

"Go ahead," he said, standing up and bringing it closer to her. "You know, as long as you don't have ghost germs or something."

Ignoring the feathery feelings as he got closer, Vera giggled and then dipped an index finger into the juice, quickly taking it out and tasting a tiny drop of juice. Her eyes widened a bit in shock and then a smile formed. "Oh my god... I can taste it. Like... not all the way, but it's there. I can taste it! I can taste!"

Her excitement made Dean smile as he set the glass down. "Well, now I know I can trust your sisters on this. I was beginning to wonder if they just said what they did so they could gross us out."

Vera giggled, still a bit taken aback by the new human sense she had discovered she still possessed. "That sounds like something they would do. But no... it's true. Wow."

"You've taken another big step in learning about yourself," Dean said, smiling. "I can't wait to find out more."

Damn feathery feelings again.

Later, Dean was making his way outside of the house as Katherine followed him out. "Are you sure, Dean?"

"Yeah, it's not that far," Dean replied, checking his iPhone for the time. He still had thirty minutes before school began. "I was surprised how close it was, actually. I feel like getting in some running anyway. Plus, I'd like to get a look at the town at my own pace. Check things out as I walk."

"Well, alright... do I pick you up, or are you gonna walk back home too?"

"Yeah, I'm planning on coming back myself too."

"Okay," Katherine said, suddenly looking emotional. "My baby boy is growing up..."

"Mom, I'm just walking to school," Dean said exasperatedly. "I'm not even driving yet."

"Yeah, but pretty soon, you won't even need me for that," she said, bringing Dean into a hug. "Let me have this moment."

Dean let out a comical sigh as he hugged his mom back. "Remember what you always say. No matter how much I try to escape, I'm still your baby boy. Then here's the part where you kiss me on the head, and add 'my little angel', and then again and say 'my amazing son', and then..."

"Okay, okay," Katherine said with a smile, kissing him on the cheek. "Now get the hell out of here."

Dean burst out laughing as he walked down the steps from the front door. "See? You need to break tradition more often!" His mother laughed and went back into the house.

Dean stretched out his legs and took a few preparation breaths before beginning to run down the dirt road away from the house to get to the street that led into the town. He didn't plan on stopping until he actually got there. He enjoyed getting in some exercise when he could, and he hadn't any chances to do so lately, aside from running away from Vera after he and her had kissed. Dean realized they had never once spoke of that awkward little incident since it happened, which was probably for the best.

After the ten hour car drive up to the town of Friendship, which Dean was almost surprised to remember had only been two days ago, he'd definitely felt a need to get out and start to do some real running. And so he did, taking in the gentle breeze that came from being so close to the ocean.

As the town eventually came into view, starting with a small neighborhood, he finally slowed down to a simple walk, breathing heavily and wiping a little bit of sweat from his brow. Stepping onto the sidewalk, he began to travel more casually towards his destination, taking time to look at his surroundings. Nice houses and neatly trimmed yards with cars beginning to move out as adults went to work. A particularly large Great Dane barked, or rather roared at Dean, and he jumped at the sudden shock, thankful the dog was behind a fence.

"Whoa, easy boy," Dean comforted with a smile. "I'm not a bad guy." But the growling and barking continued, as if Dean was frightening the dog.

"Well, alright then. Be a dick." Dean shrugged and kept walking down the sidewalk. He heard some kind of a bell noise somewhere. Then again. Getting closer and closer.

"Watch it!" A voice screeched, and Dean jumped and stumbled to his left as a teenage girl with long blonde hair rolled past him on her bicycle, still ringing her bike's bell. She looked over her shoulder to give him a scowl and turned back, continuing her ride to school.

Okay... someone got up on the wrong side of the bed, Dean thought to himself. He looked down to the grass, and saw some of his notebooks had fallen on the ground. Quickly taking a look at his backpack, he saw that it was wide open. He sighed, realizing it must have been one of the sisters. "Damn it..."

"Stop being a bitch, Amber!" Another voice rang out and Dean turned to see an Asian girl on a skateboard roll up to him next, slowing down and stopping. She dismounted the skateboard and turned, sending a pretty smile his way. "Hiya."

"Um, hey," he said, smiling politely.

"I'm Amy," she said, holding out her hand. Dean took it. "The mean girl who nearly winged you is my sister, Amber. I'd say you'll get used to her, but you won't, so don't."

Dean let out a small chuckle, and turned to look in the direction of Amber and then back at Amy. "Your... sister, you said?"

"I'm adopted," Amy clarified with a smirk. "And no, you're not racist for being confused. You probably weren't even thinking that, but there's always someone who gets worried that they'll offend me when they get curious enough to ask, so I'm just taking a precaution."

Dean laughed. "Fair enough."

The sound of a scream was heard, and the both looked up to see Amber on the grass of a lawn, having fallen off her bike somehow. "Oh, dear," Amy said with amusement as her sister jumped up and started yelling at no one, just letting out her frustration. "Karma is an Amber."

Dean laughed and Amy smiled at him again. "Anyway, sorry about her. It's just how she is, unfortunately. Our parents are some of the sweetest people alive, so I really don't know how she ended up like she is."

"It's alright," he said, dismissively waving. "No harm done."

"Glad to hear it! You, uh... need some help there?" She pointed to his scattered supplies.

"Oh! No, no it's alright! Don't worry!" His cheeks burning, Dean quickly scooped them up and put them back in his bag, zipping it shut this time.

Amy, meanwhile, was casually staring at his butt while he worked, stopping as soon as he turned around. "So, I guess you're headed to Fenton, then? Freshman?"

"Yeah, Fenton, and I'm a junior."

"Sorry," she chuckled. "You look younger than you are." She smiled as she seemed to study his face as he felt his cheeks grow warm. "Well, I'm a junior too. Maybe we'll run into each other at one point."

"Yeah, maybe," Dean said.

"Cool," she said, positioning herself on the skateboard again, and starting to roll away.

"I'm Dean," he suddenly blurted out.

She turned around while rolling away, a bit surprised, and then smiled. "I know! Robison, right? See you at school!" She turned a corner by some bushes, and Dean could no longer see her. Unknown to Dean, Amy flinched as something hit her on the head. "Ouch," she said, rubbing a spot on her head as she stopped and looked down to see a small acorn rolling on the ground. "Wow... squirrels on the attack today."

Dean sighed as he continued to walk, looking at the ground. "That's right... we made the news. They let everyone know we'd be showing up. Hopefully, no one at the school watches the news."

Everyone at Fenton High School had watched the news.

Dean collected his schedule and locker assignment and made his way through the hallways, repeatedly glancing at his surroundings and then schedule. His last high school had had four big hallways on two floors lettered from A to D. It had been simple to get around. This school had a very confusing layout to get used to, with the numbers of the classrooms and offices seemingly at random.

When he finally found his class, most of the students were already in their desks. To his great disappointment, he saw Amber was among them. Spotting Dean, she rolled her eyes and looked down at her phone.

Dean presented his note from the counselor to the teacher, informing her that he was a new student. She nodded and then addressed the class. "Listen up, everyone! We have a new student today!"

Are you serious? Dean thought, trying not to groan out loud. Unlike Amber, who did groan as loud as she could. Who does this anymore?

"His name is Dean Robison. Please give him a warm welcome now!"

"Hey, baby!" A girl in the back of the class called, causing many laughs to be had.

"Hey, he's mine!" Another girl said, as they both burst out laughing.

"Everyone shares something at the start of the year with the class, Dean. So, why don't you tell us a little about yourself?"

"How many ghosts have you caught?"

"You ever talk to a ghost?"

"About 183 and yes, I have," Dean said casually, getting a couple of chuckles. He turned to the teacher. "I think that's all I gotta say."

"Nice!"

"Damn... savage!"

"Yeah, we all know who he is, miss," Amber said loudly, rolling her eyes. "Let him sit down!"

There was a collection of agreements around the class, and the teacher chuckled and gave Dean a pat on the shoulder. "Go ahead, Dean."

For the moment, Dean found himself actually grateful for Amber's existence as he made his way to the back of the class. The rest of the period passed without incident, thankfully. As the bell rang, everyone got up to leave. A loud scream got everyone's attention, and they looked to see Amber fall to the floor, her shoelaces having been tied together. Dean walked out of the class while she was ranting.

After his fourth period class, it was time for lunch. Dean was trying and failing to open his locker to leave some books behind. It seemed to be stuck. Just as he was about to give up, two hard knocks caused it to swing open. Dean turned in surprise to see Amy smiling at him. "Had that locker last year," she explained.

"Thanks," Dean said warmly, glad to see a friendly face.

"People giving you a hard time?" She asked, leaning against the lockers.

"Couple of annoying questions, but for the most part, it's a lot better than how it was at my last school. Only one trying to give me a hard time is actually Amber, but it's not going so well."

Amy laughed. "Yeah, that's her, alright. She'll just zero in on someone and decide she has to let them know just how inferior they are to her."

"Does she give you a hard time?"

"Always, but in the opposite way. She keeps trying to convince me to join her little clique of assholes and telling me how much better I am than most of the people here. I'd be flattered if she wasn't so horrible to people. She tells me I have bad taste in friends. I disagree, I think I have awesome taste, but I guess that depends on you and whether you actually want to be my friend."

Dean chuckled, closing his locker. "I think that can be arranged."

"Great. Oh, and BT-dubs," Amy said. "Smile."

"Huh?"

"Just smile."

Dean felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around. Flash! "Agh!" He groaned, dazzled and bumping into the lockers behind him. His cheeks burned as he heard Amy giggle at his misfortune. He blinked his vision back to see a boy with dark hair holding up a camera, and a girl next to him rolling her eyes.

"Shot for the Fenton High paper!" He exclaimed, taking Dean's hand and shaking it roughly. "Hi! I'm Rory McCann! Big fan of the supernatural and you!"

"Me?" Dean asked.

"Yeah! You and your mom going around hunting ghosts? That's just amazing! How cool is it to live like that?"

"It's... pretty great, actually," Dean said uncertainly. On the one hand, he remembered how much he didn't like it, but that had changed in a big way in just two days. Besides, he didn't want to ruin this boy's enthusiasm, even if he had just blinded him.

"Okay, Rory, let's try again so we don't make the poor guy look silly in the issue," the girl said.

"Sorry, Jennie!"

Jennie walked over to Dean and ran her hands through his bangs a few times, pushing them out of his eyes. "Um..." Dean said, feeling like his personal space wasn't being respected. Then again, after the sisters, he supposed this wasn't that bad.

"Oh, and definitely this... fix up that complexion," Jennie said, more to herself as she pulled out some makeup and fluttered a makeup brush in Dean's face several times. Dean was too confused to move. Okay, now this girl was getting a little annoying.

Amy was busy cracking up and Dean looked at her with his eyes. She smiled and fist-pumped the air, silently encouraging him to keep at it. Now he was blushing again.

"Perfect! Smile!"

Dean relented and Rory took another picture. Dean looked at Amy like he needed someone to save him. "Okay, guys, I think that's enough bugging Dean."

"You're right," Jennie said. "Thanks, Mr. Robison. We appreciate your help!"

"Totally! Well, hope to see you around! You need help with anything, let me know!" Flash! When Dean could see again, Rory and Jennie were gone. He turned to look at a very amused looking Amy, as if he couldn't believe she didn't warn him.

"I told you to smile," she quipped, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Come on, let's get some lunch, new friend."

After the rest of the day had thankfully passed, Dean made his way out of the doors of Fenton High School and began to run his way back home. He couldn't wait to get back to a much more interesting part of his day. Though today could have been a lot worse, he figured, and he was just starting to make himself a new friend. Maybe if he could convince Rory to put the camera away, he'd be fun to hang out with too. All in all, not so bad.

As he walked in through the front doors and shut them behind him, Vera appeared out of thin air outside, letting out a long held breath (that she didn't need) after being silent for eight hours of school. "What a day!" She said to herself.