Hi! I know these chapters have been painfully short, but I've been fighting an infection the past week or so, combined with pregnancy and anxiety and a 5 year old who is taking advantage of his weakened mother, and you don't have a lot of juice left for writing. But I write because I have to keep going. I need this to stay sane, to remind myself I am more than just pregnant, tired, and sick.

2

As the Professor said, in order to become a good parapsychologist/ghost hunter, you need to know enough about everything.

But I still had to ask the metal works instructor where I could find a building code contractor who'd have mercy on a college student and let me borrow his survey equipment. That Naru hadn't included in my package of goodies. For that case, neither had he included cameras. Just one thermograph. Jerk.

The contractor hovered over my shoulder as I opened and closed the tripod around the building, squinting through the display and taking the measurements. At least he stayed by the tripod when I stuffed the rather unwieldy depth sensor into the soil next to the building.

"I'm still surprised you know how to do any of this," he said, though he frowned through the compliment.

"Lots of haunting can be explained by structure flaws," I said for the uptenth time. "And it's just basic trigonometry." Which I actually did pretty good at.

"Well, there's a lot more to my job than trigonometry, I can promise you." This time he didn't even bother to hide his sour tone.

And since it was only his good will allowing me to use his tools without charge in the first place, I kept my mouth shut. But I could've reassured him I had no interest in taking his job from him or professing I knew everything about it. Ghost hunters just needed to know enough.

"Seems the foundation on the west side has been compromised by the clay underneath," I said after an hour, when the contractor was beginning to look beyond antsy. "The entire area beneath the foundation is a bedrock clay mixture, but there's more clay here than bedrock and I guess lots of water or shifting took advantage of that." I stood up, eyeing the results of my calculations. "The North-West corner is an entire five inches lower than the rest of the corners."

"Does that mean you're done?"

Even if I wasn't, I was certainly done with him. "Yeah. Thanks again for letting me borrow your tools."

He 'harrumphed.' "What kind of proper college doesn't have surveillance equipment? It's used in geography and architecture as well."

I kind of paled at that. I hadn't thought to ask the geology professor…

"Well, you can't have it all!" I said cheerily, being sure to do the straps right as I gave back his stuff.

He didn't say good-bye. He just took his stuff and left me in the gloom of late winter afternoon.

My stomach grumbled and I sighed. My fingers felt numb.

And I still had calculus 1 homework to do tonight.

Back home, Ayako greeted me from our beat-up thrift store table, munching on a bowl of mac and cheese with olives and hot dogs mixed in.

"More's on the stove," she said with a greeting smile.

I grunted in thanks and kept my hands around the pot for a minute to thaw them before scooping up some whatever it was.

"You look like you met a special grade of stupid."

"More like a special grade of rude," I said. "And I still got to get measurements from the inside. Why did they have to build it so freaking huge? It's going to take me all weekend to finish the report on just the foundation and frame. Ugh."

"There's a reason I quit."

"I thought it was because Professor Davis was too much of an asshole?"

"I can handle asshole if it keeps to itself and others," she took another bite and swallowed. "When are you going to get a boyfriend?"

"Random much?"

She shrugged. "You're a junior in college and haven't gone out once and, as that guy says, you're not ugly." Her expression blanched. "Are you gay?"

"No! I like boys! I like boys a lot!"

"Just not enough to date them," she said with a pink little smirk. "Or is Takigawa getting in the way?"

"No, I have other guys interested."

She dropped her spoon with a loud clank. "News! Who?"

And since Chance was technically statutory rape ready to happen, "None of your business. You'd just tease me and make fun of me anyways."

"True there." More chewing. "Anything progress with the professor?"

I raised my eyebrow as I raised my first spoonful of stuff. "Progress?"

She threw her head back in exasperation. "Don't give me that crap. You were cuddled up to him on YOUR bed, sleeping away, and then there was that time you came out his room while we were at that mansion—"

"No progress," I said bluntly. This wasn't exactly the conversation I wanted to have. Ever.

Her brow furrowed with her frown. "What kind of crap is this? I know you like him."

"Negative 2 and ten."

"You are not a negative 2. And I'm sorry, but professors don't just come over to check on students that have missed too many classes and snuggle up with said student in bed."

"He's a friend."

She snorted. "He's a friend," she repeated, as though it were the stupidest thing she had ever heard. "Ask him out," she said through a mouthful of mac.

"No."

"Write him a love note."

"Heck no."

"Corner him in his office and—"

"NO!"

She dropped her face to her palms. "Gawd, you're so boring. He practically slept with you—"

"And he's a friend," I said, harsher than I meant it, standing and taking my bowl with me. "And I have calculus homework, so excuse me."

In my room, I slid down my door and stared into my bowl, suddenly not all that hungry.

"I totally told him," I whispered.

After all, conscious was still conscious and I was bound to remember eventually.

And he had done nothing.