AUTHOR'S NOTE: I think we would all love it if Dean could be the one to dole out some "Winchester-Style Justice" on all the misbehaving kids in this story...but realistically, I can't see a parent being comfortable letting a stranger (or a neighbor) punish their kids. This chapter is from Dean's POV once again.
Thank you for all the well-wishes about the puppy- she had a re-check, and her broken bones are healed. We can work up to regular activity in the next 2 weeks, and then...obedience training! She's a Pomeranian, and on the small side, so she's a tiny ball of floof, and she's adorable!
AshtynnAlba, EmilyAnnMcGarrett-Winchester, Elliesamdeangirl, NoilyPrat, Lillie1002, Ashazara, MariaKata, fanclaire, Auphepet, Claire, LexieLou, wandamarie, Marlebelle76, Pharmergirl, and Guest, Thank you! Merci Beaucoup! and Kiitos! for leaving comments, I love hearing from all of you, reviews make my day, and your continued support means a lot!
Beta'd by the amazing Alexofthegarden, CrzedPanda, and Edge_of_Clairvoyance.
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"So get this," Sam pointed at his laptop screen, "The old lady who died in the house had dementia. I found several police reports from before she died, she'd do things like leave the house and wander blocks away, sometimes just getting lost, one time ending up at a neighbor's house thinking it was hers; digging up seeds in the backyard garden – or the neighbours' garden – and then re-planting them. Things like that."
He pressed a computer key and another screen popped up, of another police report. "The family tried locking her in the house when they weren't there, but she panicked and called 911. That kinda got them in hot water with the county. So they had to hire people to come and basically babysit the old lady during the day."
Dad turned his laptop towards me. "I found the report from the fire marshall...she was in her room when they found her, at the door, just like we've seen with Charlie."
"How did the fire start?"
Dad scrolled down the page onscreen. "There was some faulty wiring, the house was old and they were slowly replacing things. They had put in an order for a work permit with the county."
"Charlie said a couple of names—Sharon, I think, and...Melanie? Could they be the old lady's family?" I racked my brain to remember what she had said.
Just then, Charlie screamed. All three of us looked at each other and ran down the hall into the living room.
Charlie was standing at the front door. As we entered the room, she fell down, coughing and gasping.
"Charlie! Charlie, are you okay?!" I picked her up and propped her upright in my arms, looking at her face.
Her eyes were closed. She continued to cough, clawing at her throat. "Can't—breathe- so-hot-"
I shook her. "Charlie, wake up!" I exclaimed, and she startled and blinked up at me. Then she burst into tears and grabbed onto my arms. I picked her up and carried her over to the sofa.
"M—my chest h-hurts," she whimpered. "Smell s-smoke."
"What happened?" I asked.
She turned her face into my chest and mumbled something. I leaned down. "What did you say, kiddo?"
"Noooo!" She wailed, clutching at my shirt.
"It's okay. You're okay, you're safe now. We're here with you." I held her, smoothing her hair back from her face as she wept. Her body felt hot against me. I leaned over and grabbed the ear thermometer off of the coffee table.
I felt worried that Charlie had had another nightmare, and wondered how we could prevent it from happening again. The thermometer seemed to take forever- after it beeped, I looked at it. "It's 102 now." I said grimly.
"I'll get some more ibuprofen." Sam went into the kitchen.
"How are you feeling, darlin'?" Dad asked her.
"I dunno." She sniffled, sitting up. Her crying had slowed, and she wiped her face with her palms.
"Here you go." Sam handed her a small cup of medicine and a glass of water.
She drank the medicine and then downed the whole glass.
"Whoa, you must be thirsty." Sam said. "I'll get you some more."
"I want lemonade." She looked up at me.
"You still want to get pizza for lunch? We can see if the pizza place has lemonade for you." I said.
"M' not hungry." She rubbed her eye with her fist.
"Well, how about we order some, and then you can have some later if you want. Black olive okay?"
She nodded, and stood up. "Gotta go to the bathroom."
After she left, Sam looked at me. "Cause of death for the old woman was smoke inhalation. I'm guessing that's what the coughing was."
"Shit, I really don't want Charlie to have to go through seeing someone die like that." I said. "What if she starts, you know, remembering everything, or seeing it?"
"Call Missouri," Dad suggested. "She can give us advice, or talk to Charlie about it."
"Talk to Charlie about what?" Charlie asked as she came back into the room.
Dad, Sam and I all looked at each other. "We're thinking it might be good for you to talk to Missouri," I said smoothly. "About what you saw in the house, and the old woman."
Charlie flopped onto the sofa. "I don't wanna talk about it," she said angrily.
"Why not?" Sam asked.
Charlie set her jaw. "'Cause I- I just don't! And anyways I can't really remember much!" She folded her arms over her chest.
"You don't remember? What about this morning, when you said-"
"I said I don't remember!" Charlie grumped, glaring at me.
I drew back, offended. "All right, you don't have to get nasty about it. If you need to talk, we're-"
"I DON'T WANNA!" She yelled.
"That is enough!" I snapped. "You do not raise your voice to me!" I knew she wasn't feeling well, but that was no excuse for her to speak that way, and I wasn't about to let her get away with it, fever or not.
We stared at each other for a long moment, and then her face crumpled. "I'm sorryyyyy!" She wailed, bursting into tears again. She leaned forward, grabbing at me.
It had been a while since we'd had to deal with her seeing something and I'd forgotten about how moody and emotional she got afterwards. "Come here," I sighed, pulling her onto my lap. I held her again as she cried some more.
"How about I call for the pizza?" Sam asked.
I nodded at him. "Meat lover's for me, please."
Charlie couldn't seem to stop crying. She'd slow down, and I'd shift her, thinking I could put her down and get up, and she'd start sobbing again.
"What's going on, kiddo?" I asked gently.
"I—I-can't-I-d-don't-" her chest hitched.
I pulled her close. "It's all right, I'm here, and I'll hold you as long as you need me to." I was curious as to why she was crying so hard, but I also wanted her to feel better. I hated it when she cried.
Eventually her sobs quieted again. "You okay now?" I looked down at her and smoothed her hair back from her face. "You feel like talking?"
She sat up and sighed heavily, squaring her shoulders. "No, I'm okay." She wiped her face with her palms. "M'okay." She climbed off of my lap and grabbed a box of tissues that was nearby, and blew her nose. I watched her to see if she'd tear up again, but she didn't. She reached for the TV remote.
"You sure you want to watch TV all day?" I asked.
She shrugged, turning the TV on and flipping through the channels until she found a cartoon show to watch.
Addi's father called me around dinnertime, to ask how Charlie was doing.
"She's having a reaction to the booster she got, she's been feverish and sore today." And whiny, and clingy, I thought, but I wasn't gonna say that to him.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully it won't last too long."
"Yeah, I hope so."
"I got some more information out of the girls." Jim said. "Aubrey's been hanging out with the Maddox boys, mostly Timmy and Matt. Matt's the ringleader, he's 14, and he's got attitude for miles. Timmy follows him around, he's Aubrey's age, and does whatever Matt says. Josh, the youngest, is in Addi's class, and he sometimes gets roped into things with them, but he's mostly a good kid. There's a couple of Matt's friends who hang out with them too, Robbie and Parker, they're his age, delinquents in training. They like to dare each other to do stupid, dangerous stunts, and a couple of them have had to go to the ER for a busted lip or a chipped tooth. We've told Aubrey that we don't want her hanging with them, but she hasn't stopped. Yesterday it was the three Maddox boys and Robbie at the playground. Timmy and Matt were the ones who grabbed Charlie, and I think Josh was behind her, pushing on her back. Robbie was there too, but he was just egging them on. All the boys ran when they saw the sheriff's car."
"Okay, thank you for letting me know. I think I'm going to go talk to the boys' parents tomorrow night."
"Well, good luck with that." He said sarcastically. "Their father took off several years ago, and their mother is pretty overwhelmed, she works full-time. The oldest boy used to help out with the younger ones, he was the one waiting at the bus stop and watching their baseball games and whatnot, but I don't know what's been going on with him lately."
"Thanks for calling, Jim."
"Oh, by the way...Darlene had the idea of having the girls make an apology card for Charlie, Addi came up with the idea, and Aubrey agreed, after I tanned her butt. It's amazing how well a belt can adjust an attitude." He chuckled.
"Yeah, it can."
"So they'll be dropping that by in a couple of days, although Aubrey's grounded indefinitely for the near future."
"Okay, thanks again, Jim." We said our goodbyes and hung up.
After we had dinner, and Charlie had a bath, she seemed to really perk up. I hoped that meant that she was feeling better. She went to bed without a fuss, and I was hoping we'd be putting everything behind us. I took a shower, fully intending on going to work tomorrow.
I was jolted out of sleep by a loud scream. I threw the covers back and ran down the hall. I could hear coughing and gasping coming from behind Charlie's door.
Sam came down the hall. "Another nightmare." He said grimly.
I turned the doorknob, calling, "Charlie?" There was some resistance behind the door. "It's stuck, or something." I glanced at Sam, and pushed on the door, opening it part way.
I peered around it to see Charlie laying on the floor, limp, right behind the door. I gently pushed the door open a little more, and then hurried in, squatting down next to her. "Charlie? Wake up, Charlie!"
I lifted her to a sitting position, my arm circling her back. She was hot again, and her whole body was drenched in sweat. She gasped, clawing at her neck, and then coughed and gulped air.
She opened her eyes and looked around, panic on her face. "I-c-can't-breathe!" She exclaimed. "C-can't g-get a-b-breath!" She gasped, breathing shallowly, and began to cry.
"All right, slow down. You're hyperventilating." I told her. "Slow breaths, breathe with me." I breathed out slowly, and then in. She continued to breathe rapidly, whimpering and sniffling.
"Charlie, try not to cry." Sam said.
"I-c-can't-"
"Yes you can, focus on me." I put her hand on my chest and took a slow deep breath in. "Feel that? Breathe with me."
It took a couple of tries, but eventually her breathing slowed. Sam brought over the ear thermometer and checked her.
Her fever was 101, and Sam said her bedsheets were damp with sweat as well. He changed the sheets while I picked her up and walked with her, trying to soothe her. She had started crying again and couldn't seem to stop, just like earlier in the day.
Finally the bed was made and I was able to sit down. I set her in my lap and brushed her damp hair off of her face and neck. "You want to talk about it?"
"Nooo." She whimpered, pressing her face into my shirt.
"All right, let's get you changed into new pajamas." I picked up the nightshirt that Sam had laid out.
"Nooo, don't leeeeave!"
"I'm not gonna leave you." I reassured her. She was gripping my shirt tightly, her head down.
"Do you remember what you dreamed about?" I asked quietly.
Her chest hitched. "No, no, noooo!" She wailed, starting to cry again.
"All right, all right, shhhh." I gathered her into my arms again.
Sam came into the room with a glass of ice water and a dose of ibuprofen and set them on the bedside table.
"Thanks, Sammy." I said.
"Need anything else?" He asked, and I shook my head.
He sat down next to me, and put his hand on Charlie's back. "Hey, sweetheart," he said, rubbing her back. "Is there anything we can do to help you?"
She whimpered wordlessly, burying her face in my chest.
After a few minutes, I nodded to Sam. "I got this."
He squeezed my shoulder and stood up to go back to his room. Charlie eventually calmed down again, and I convinced her to let go me of long enough to get her changed into the dry pajamas and take the medicine.
"Don't leave," She begged, grabbing me again. "Stay here with me." Tears filled her eyes.
"All right, kiddo." I moved up to the head of the bed and sat down, and she climbed into my lap and snuggled up. Every once in a while she'd let out a sob or her chest would hitch. It seemed like it took a long time for her to fall asleep, and I eventually fell asleep sitting up in her bed.
Charlie woke me up again later that night, whimpering about "It's so hot" as she got out of bed, but I managed to grab her before she got to the door. I steered her back to bed and was able to get her settled and asleep by humming to her and rubbing her back.
I laid down in bed next to her and fell into a restless sleep.
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I walked onto the Maddox's porch, followed by Sam and Dad. I had told them what Jim had told me about the Maddox boys. Charlie had started feeling better in the afternoon. Imani had come over for dinner, and she was going to stay with Charlie while we talked to the boys.
I could hear loud music coming from inside the house. No one responded to the bell, so I banged on the door.
I heard someone yelling, and then the door opened. A short woman wearing a business suit, her blonde hair pulled back in a bun, stood there. "Yes?"
I spoke carefully, trying not to let my anger show. "Hello, I'm Dean Winchester, this is my father John and my brother Sam. I wanted to talk to you about an incident that happened that involved my daughter and your sons-"
"Oh, you're the father of the little girl." She looked tired and resigned. "Come in." She opened the door wider, and we entered the house.
The living room was crowded and messy, with stacks of books and magazines on the coffee table. Jackets, clothing, and shoes were strewn across the floor and furniture, as well as backpacks and a couple of skateboards. The smell of meat cooking wafted in from the kitchen.
On the sofa sat three boys, two of them holding video game controllers. The smallest one looked like he was the same size as Charlie, and he had short brown hair. He must have been Josh.
The boy in the middle was probably Timmy- he had lanky limbs and was wearing a shirt that was too big for him and jeans with huge cuffs. The tallest boy, Matt, had blonde curly hair and hooded eyes, and just oozed attitude.
The woman walked over to the table and grabbed a remote, pointing it at the TV. The TV turned off.
"Aww Mom!" All of them protested, looking over at her. Timmy threw his controller onto the coffee table in frustration, and Josh crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. "Now m' not gonna get my turn!"
"I told you all yesterday, no PlayStation for at least a week!" She snapped.
She returned to me. "I'm Anne Maddox." She extended her hand and we shook.
The boys began to poke at each other and rough-house, ignoring us.
"How is your daughter?" Ms. Maddox asked. "I heard she had to go to the hospital."
"Yes, she did," I nodded. "She needed stitches-"
Matt grabbed Timmy in a headlock. "Hey, git off!" Timmy yelped, pulling on Matt's arm.
"Boys, what do you have to say?" Ms. Maddox asked.
They acted like she hadn't spoken. Timmy elbowed Matt's stomach, and Josh jumped on top of them.
"Boys!" Ms. Maddox snapped.
Dad took a step towards the sofa. "All right, front and center!" He barked, snapping his fingers and pointing.
Josh and Timmy responded automatically, getting up and coming over, their eyes wide. Matt slowly unfolded himself and ambled over, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking at the floor.
"I'd like an explanation," Dad said in a hard voice. "What happened at the Stillson house two days ago?"
The smallest boy squirmed, getting a nervous expression on his face. I couldn't blame the kid; Dad using his military approach almost made me jump to attention.
"Josh, do you have something to say?" Ms. Maddox asked him.
He darted a glance at her. "Uh-"
Matt spoke up, his voice dripping with condescension. "Josh doesn't have to say anything. I told you, you can't prove that we were there. You weren't home, as usual, so you don't know what happened, only what the sheriff said, and you know they don't like us over there. Officer Jackson has a hard-on for me, he's always lookin' for reasons to haul me into the station."
Ms. Maddox looked chagrined as Matt started to talk, but at his last sentence, she looked shocked. "Watch your mouth!" She snapped at him.
"Let me tell you what happened," I said, looking at each boy as I spoke, letting the anger that was simmering show on my face. "My daughter scratched her arm on a rusty nail inside that house, she had flakes of rust in the wound. Do you know what that can do? It can give you an infection or even gangrene and kill you. They had to give her stitches, and a tetanus shot that made her come down with a fever. She's also having nightmares. And all because you thought it was a good idea to take her into an abandoned house. I wanna know why you did it, and I wanna know now."
Josh glanced at his brothers. "Well Aubrey said-"
Matt leaned over and smacked Josh's head. "Shut up, Josh!"
"Aubrey?" Ms. Maddox said. "You were with her? Well no wonder!" She shook her head.
Josh bit his lip and fidgeted with his shirt sleeve.
"Yeah, I heard how it was all Aubrey's idea," I told the boys, "Her little sister told us everything. She overheard Aubrey telling you that it would be a 'fun joke' to put someone in the burnt house."
Matt glared at me, and suddenly the anger in me roared to life. My voice was a deep hunter's growl. "My daughter has marks—bruises- on her upper arm where someone grabbed her. And she lost her bracelet because of the tight hold on her wrist. Because of your tight hold on her wrist!" I stepped towards Matt, and his eyes widened.
"Bracelet?" Ms. Maddox asked.
I looked at her and nodded. "Yes, she has a charm bracelet that she got for her birthday. It got pulled off in the house, and a couple of the charms fell off as well." I looked back at the boys, raising my eyebrows. "So I want to hear an explanation from you."
Ms. Maddox walked over to the TV stand. There was a small bowl on a shelf that had a mixture of things in it, bobby pins, loose change, paperclips. She fished around in the bowl for a moment, and then held her hand out, palm flat. "Is this one of them?"
Everyone looked—the pie charm sat in the middle of her palm.
I nodded. "Yes, it is, that's the one that went missing."
She held it up. "I did laundry last night, and you know how I always have to roll Timmy's pants cuffs down." Timmy lowered his eyes to the floor. "When I unrolled the cuffs, some mulch from the playground fell out, and this." She waved the charm at the boys. "You want to keep telling me that you weren't there?" She handed the charm to me, and I put it in my pocket.
The two younger kids gaped at us, their faces getting red. Matt's face didn't change.
Timmy pushed Matt. "I told you, you got to stop hangin' around with Aubrey! She's always trying' to play jokes on people and sneak around, and she's just- mean! She tries to come up with funny things 'cause she likes you but she's not funny, she's just a- a bitch!"
Josh gasped, and Ms. Maddox drew back, offended. "Timothy Alan Maddox! I don't want to hear you saying that ever again!" She glanced over at us, her face reddening. "Honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do with you boys!" She shook her head.
"You boys should be working together to make things easier for your mother, not harder." Dad spoke up. "You've all got to pull your own weight in a family."
Matt shot a look at Dad. "What would you know about it, old man?" He asked disdainfully.
Dad shifted his weight, squaring his shoulders like he was about to start his 'drill sergeant routine'.
Sam glanced at him, and started talking to head Dad off. "We would know about it because it was just us three." Sam reached over and touched my shoulder. "Our mother- passed away when I was- a baby. And- our Dad's job took him- well, we traveled a lot, and it was just the three of us against the world. I'll admit sometimes I got frustrated with things and made it harder for him when I was a teenager, but now that I'm an adult, I see why my Dad did what he did."
Sam glanced over at Dad and offered him a small smile. "And my brother's relationship was the most important thing to me, I knew that he always had my back, and I always had his. You guys should know this too, family's all we've got."
"That's what I've been telling you!" Ms. Maddox said to the boys, getting tears in her eyes. "I need you to work with me, to help out! Now more than ever!" She folded her hands in front of her imploringly and looked over at us. "My husband- he left when Josh was small, and it hasn't- it hasn't been easy. My oldest should be in college, but instead he got a job so he could help out here. He's usually the one packing lunches and checking homework, but he's been real busy for months now. He works construction and the company got the contract to build that shopping plaza over on Route 631. He's exhausted when he gets home at night. My second son is 16, and he used to help out with the younger ones, but- well, he's fallen in with a bad crowd." She grimaced.
Matt shuffled his feet. "You don't gotta tell them our whole life story." He said sullenly.
I looked at the boys as I spoke. "I know it's not easy when there's only one parent around. It can get pretty lonely, but like he said, family's all you got. And you-" I pointed at Matt. "-should be looking out for these two, not leading them into trouble. You've got to be someone they can look up to."
Matt blushed.
"I like you better when you're not hangin' out with Robbie, Matty." Josh said quietly. "He's mean to me, and it makes you get mean."
Matt blushed harder, staring at the floor.
Josh looked over at me. "I'm real sorry about—Charlie an' all, I didn't mean- I mean I didn't think-" His face got red. "I like her, she's always nice to everyone, an' she's funny. How come she doesn't go to school?"
"She's homeschooled." I replied. "Thank you for apologizing."
Ms. Maddox looked at the other two. "Boys? You have anything to add?"
"Uhh...we're real sorry..." Timmy said, and Matt mumbled, "Sorry."
"Let's make sure nothing like this happens again." I said sternly. "Think before you act. And you-" I addressed Matt, "Should be watching out for the kids that are younger than you."
I looked at Ms. Maddox. "I'm not going to press charges, I don't think getting embroiled in a court case would be good for anyone." I looked pointedly at the boys. "And I don't want to hear about any more shenanigans from you all."
"You won't." Josh said. "Right?" He elbowed Timmy, who shuffled his feet and said, "Yeah."
"Thank you." Ms. Maddox said with relief. "That's the last thing I need, to have to go to court. I'll have you know, these three are grounded to the house for two weeks and have lost their electronics for at least one. And again, I'm very sorry about your daughter."
I nodded. "Thank you."
She walked us over to the door, and opened it. "Have a good night." She said as we left.
I got behind the wheel of the Impala. "Well, that went better than I expected." I glanced at Dad in the passenger seat as I pulled away from the curb. I felt better now, and realized I'd been tense with worry about this.
"Yeah. I hope those kids shape up." Dad agreed.
"I hope so too. Maybe the younger ones can continue to influence the older one." Sam said, pulling out his phone. "I'm texting Imani to let her know we're on our way back." After a few moments his phone beeped. He smiled fondly as he read her message, and it almost made me smile too; it was nice seeing him happy with a woman.
When we came into the living room, Imani turned her head. Charlie was asleep on the sofa, with her head in Imani's lap. Charlie's hair had been braided.
I was glad to see Charlie sleeping peacefully- she'd been restless all night, and I hadn't slept well in her little twin bed either. Both of us had been out of sorts in the morning, and she had whined and complained about me going to work. Sam had reported that she had been listless and clingy all day, and kept mentioning that she thought she smelled smoke.
Imani eased out from under Charlie and slipped a pillow beneath her head, then motioned to us.
We followed her into the kitchen. She turned to Sam, and he leaned down and kissed her. She smiled up at him as they slid their arms around each other, and looked at us. "There is spirit here." She said. "I couldn't really get much else, except a presence."
"What, you mean, a ghost?" I asked. "I haven't felt any cold spots, have either of you?" I looked at Sam and then Dad. They shook their heads.
"I'm not sure. It's not demonic, or evil, but- there's something here."
"Could it be- inside of Charlie?" I asked. "I'm pretty sure she's been having dreams about the old woman dying-"
Imani shook her head. "No, there is a definite presence here." She motioned around the room. "It would feel different to me if Charlie was channeling or possessed."
"So, okay, say something followed Charlie home from the house. How do we get rid of it?" Sam asked. "Salt and burn?"
"Well, we've got to figure out if it hitched a ride with Charlie, first." I said. "And how."
"The way that Charlie keeps reliving the same scenario over and over again tells me that it's most likely a death echo." Dad said.
"But we've never seen it, doesn't the spirit usually materialize in that case?" I asked.
Sam nodded. "Let's get out the EMF and everything, give Charlie's room the once-over."
"Charlie should sleep well tonight, I did some massage. She's been holding a lot of tension in her neck and shoulders, and I worked it out. Poor thing is exhausted, I could tell, and the massage helped her relax." Imani told us.
"Thank you. Can you do me next, I've had a crick in my neck?" I joked.
Sam rolled his eyes, and Imani said, "Really? I can-"
I held up my hands. "No, I'm just kidding."
Dad went back to his room to get the EMF and some other stuff, and he and Sam went upstairs.
I grabbed a beer out of the fridge and offered it to Imani. She shook her head, so I opened it and took a swallow.
"Can you tell if Charlie is dreaming, or if she's actually reliving what happened to the old woman?" Imani asked me.
"I think she's reliving it. Seeing it, like she does, you know? She gets dizzy, and confused, and then if we don't wake her she starts to cough and claw at her throat. The woman apparently died of smoke inhalation."
She nodded. "That's what it is, then."
I was confused. "What what is?"
She looked me in the eyes. "Charlie is keeping something back from you, that's what's got her so tense. It's like she's using everything she's got to hold it inside. I'm wondering if she's already experienced the woman's death and just hasn't said anything."
"Why would she do that?" The thought of Charlie seeing the old woman's death, and possibly experiencing it for herself, made me feel sad for her. And I didn't like the idea that she was keeping things from me, either.
She took a deep breath. "It's hard to deal with death, as you know. To witness it is difficult for anyone, and then if you have abilities that bring you—closer-to the experience, that's another level of difficulty. And for one so young, it's tough. I was younger than Charlie when I had my first experience with someone crossing the veil, but I had people to guide me through it. It may be that Charlie doesn't want to burden you with that knowledge, because it can seem big and terrible to a child, or she just doesn't want to deal with it on any level, so she's keeping it pushed down. The only way to know for sure is to talk about it with her."
"I've told her more than once that she can tell me- tell any of us- what she remembers, that we're here for her." I said. "She won't talk."
"Remember, Charlie isn't used to opening up to people. She was on her own and taking care of her mother for two years, and she had no one to turn to for help. She's still learning how to do that." She smiled. "And, I've heard from someone else that you Winchesters don't really talk about things-emotions- with each other. I'm trying to change that, but it's slow going."
It took me a second to realize what she was saying, and I chuckled. "Yeah, growing up with a military dad, it was 'Rub some dirt on it and walk it off'", I imitated my Dad's gruff voice, "None of us have ever been big on 'You hurt my feelings' and that kind of thing."
"Charlie has helped with some of that." She smiled again.
"Yeah, she has."
Dad and Sam came into the room just then. "It's all clear," Dad said. "There's nothing there."
"Hmm...could there be a piece of wood from the house stuck in her shoe or something?" I wondered.
"We can check." Sam said.
We walked into the living room. Sam ran the EMF over Charlie's shoes, which were by the door, and her jacket, which was slung over the armchair. The device was silent.
Sam walked over to Charlie. She had pulled her knees up and tucked her hand under her head. He moved the EMF over her body, starting at her feet. When he got to her head, it lit up and began to warble.
The sound woke her, and she sat up, blinking sleepily. "What're you doin'?" She mumbled, rubbing her eyes with her hand. I noticed she was wearing the charm bracelet- she usually took it off every night, and she must have put it on earlier.
"We're just checking something out." I said smoothly. "You don't need to be scared."
Sam moved the EMF around her head again, and it was silent. "Huh." He said.
"Oh, Charlie, we got the pie charm back." I reached into my pocket and pulled it out.
"Yay!" Her face lit up, and she reached out for it. As her arm came up, the EMF lit up again. It started to squeal.
Sam looked at me. "Do you think-"
I nodded. "Charlie, take the bracelet off for a sec."
She looked up at me. "Whyyyy?" She whined.
"Because, we need to check it."
Tears began to pour out of her eyes. "Noooo! Don't take it awaaaaay!" She clutched her arm to her chest.
"We're not going to, we just need to examine it." Sam said.
She grudgingly removed the bracelet and placed it on the coffee table. As soon as Sam got near it, the EMF went off.
Charlie looked up at me, a scared look on her face. "What does it mean, Daddy?"
"Well, it means that somehow, your bracelet has a spirit attached to it."
Charlie looked at all of us, a shocked look on her face. Then she burst into tears, hunching over and covering her face with her hands.
"What is it?" I sat down and put my hand on her shoulder. "Charlie, what's wrong?"
She continued crying, her shoulders shaking.
I glanced up at Sam, feeling helpless. "Honey, we can't help you if you won't talk to us." I said to her.
"It—it's the old lady!" Charlie's chest hitched as she spoke. "She- she's here, an' she w-won't leave me alone! I—don't- under-s-stand!" She wailed.
"What don't you understand?" I asked, confused.
"I—I k-keep s-seeing things, an' I get f-flashes of s-stuff, her memories, I guess, b-but it's all j-j-jumbled. An' I keep getting' c-confused a lot."
"That must be why you keep saying you smell smoke, too." Sam said to Charlie. He frowned. "How did the spirit get attached to the bracelet? Normally, spirits attach to something that has meaning to them, like a wedding ring or a pair of glasses. The bracelet isn't even hers."
"Let me see it." Imani leaned over and held the bracelet in her hand, closing her eyes for a moment. Then she opened her eyes and looked closely at each charm, running her fingers over them. She held it out, pointing to the large pink bead. "It's here. She's in this bead."
Charlie looked at me. "That's the dirty one!"
Imani nodded. "You see the reflection of her essence. Sometimes wandering spirits can be attracted to things like mirrors or faceted glass or gems, and that may well be what happened here."
"Why now, though?" I asked. "Why'd she decide to hitch a ride with my kid?"
Imani gave me a look. "Charlie may not broadcast her abilities, but spirits and other supernaturals will be able to sense her. They can sense people who are more receptive or who have some sort of extra sensory abilities or perception. And if they are troubled, they may seek the sensitive person out. I'd say she realized that Charlie had abilities and thought she could get help."
"Well, what do we do now?" I asked.
"We figure out a way to help her cross the veil." Imani said.