"No!" I yelled at Dean, springing to my feet from the couch where I was sitting next to Ben. "No! I don't want to move. I'm not moving!"

Standing in front of us, Dean actually gave me an understanding look. "Jessie, I know it's hard…"

"It's not just hard! It's mean! I have friends here. It's summer break! Ben and I were supposed to go camping with Kara and Liam. Now you're ripping me out of here just like you dragged me here. I never get any say in anything we do. You just snap out orders and expect everyone to drop everything and obey you like some kind of drill sergeant…" I ranted, leaning forward towards him, my hands clenched next to my thighs, ignoring Ben's hiss of shock from beside me.

"Jessie, sit DOWN!" Dean interrupted and pointed at the couch. "Now!"

"No!" I yelled at him, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at him.

"Really, Jessie?" Dean asked, his voice oddly soft and patient. "This is the hill you want to die on?"

I stared at him, nervous now, and then slowly sank back down onto the couch. He gave me a look. "That's your last warning. You can tell me how you feel, but you are not allowed to yell at me. Got it?"

"Yes," I said, and he raised his eyebrows at me.

"You want to listen to the rest of this from the corner, little girl?" he asked.

I flushed. "No, Dad."

"Then answer me right."

"Yes, Dad," I whispered and dropped my eyes. I could feel him watching me for a couple more seconds before I felt like I could look up again. My stomach was aching already.

Lisa moved closer to Dean on the other side of the coffee table and put her hand on his shoulder in support.

"We are moving," Dean said, and Lisa nodded so we'd know she agreed with him. "The djinn found us here and it's not safe anymore. If one monster found us, another one could just as easily find us." I snorted in derision, but he ignored me. "I'm not risking your lives by staying somewhere where we could easily be found."

"Oooh," I drawled out, rolling my eyes. "So this is just about your paranoia and over-protectiveness."

"Jessie!" Lisa scolded.

"No, it's not fair. He's not thinking about us at all!"

Lisa glared at me and stepped forward. "We are ALL he's thinking about, missy. We are all he ever thinks about. Ever!"

I paled, feeling like she'd slapped me, and Ben scooted a little closer to me to show me he was on my side. He hadn't said anything, but I knew he wasn't happy about this decision either. He had a whole group of kids he hung around with now and he was going to lose them when we left. I dropped my eyes and swallowed the rest of my words.

Dean gave her a grateful look and continued what he was saying. "We found a house in Battle Creek, Michigan and we need to be out of here by Friday. I already gave my notice at work and so did Lisa, but we're going to need your help packing."

"And then we're just gone? Can I at least tell Kara where I'm going? So maybe she can visit me sometime?" I asked. My anger was turning into hopelessness. With both Dean and Lisa on board and the fact that they'd already found a house to rent and put in the down payment… Well, there was no way we weren't going, no way to talk them out of it.

Dean let out a heavy sigh. "I'm so sorry, Jessie, but no. You can tell them you're moving, but can't tell anyone where. If they don't know where we are, they can't tell anyone either, and we'll all be safer, including them."

I stopped talking then and just stared at my hands in my lap, at the purple that Kara had painted on my nails just the day before. Meanwhile Dean and Lisa kept talking to us about packing the house. With the short time table and no money to hire movers, they were going to need the extra help from us with packing and loading the moving van.

We'd just done this a little less than a year ago. My stomach was burning and I fought tears. Would we ever stay in a single place? I'd made friends… I liked it here. This really wasn't fair, but there was nothing I could do about it.

"You two have any questions?" Lisa asked when they were done explaining what they expected of us.

I lifted my head. "What about Sam?"

"What about him?" Dean asked me. "He's still hunting."

"Is he going to know where we are?"

"Yeah," Dean said. "But I told you, don't expect a lot of visits from him. He's out there keeping people safe. He doesn't have a lot of time for social calls."

I looked back down at my hands. Sam hadn't even given me his new phone number. This wasn't like before when I'd been split from him, where I'd had his number and could text him or call him. He hadn't even asked about school or whether I liked my normal life. It was really weird and I didn't understand what was going on, why he was so distant… When Dean got back from hell, he wasn't like this. Why was Sam?

"Can I go to Kara's?" I asked, still staring at my hands. Thinking about Sam made me feel even worse. I needed to talk to my best friend.

"Not today," Dean said. "We need to start packing.'

I looked up at him. "Can she come over and help me pack my room?"

"Not for now," Lisa agreed with Dean. "Let's get started and then maybe tomorrow you can have her over to help. You guys go up and start your rooms."

Dean carried some flat boxes up to my room for me and a tape dispenser. He set the boxes on my bed and put the dispenser on top of them. Then he turned to me and ran a hand down my hair and over my braid, his expression pained. He actually looked a little ashamed.

"I'm sorry, Jessie," he said again, leaning down so he could look into my eyes. "I'm sorry I'm dragging you out of here after we've made a life here. I'm sorry they found us and that it's not safe anymore."

My heart pounding with fury and hurt, I looked into his earnest eyes and nodded, unwilling to speak with that expression on his face, unwilling to argue with his regret. I'd just explode at him again, and I couldn't do that to him, not when he looked like that, but I couldn't forgive him either.

He kissed me on the forehead and left me to it. When I heard his feet descending the stairs, I muttered to myself, "You can go wherever you want, but I'm not moving."

I assembled three boxes and then looked around at my room. When we'd moved here, I'd had almost nothing, just my skateboard, my necklace, some books, my snowman, and a duffel full of clothes. Now… wow. I mean, none of it was expensive and some of it was bought used, but I had furniture and bedding, and just a ton of books. I spent at least half of my allowance every week on books from the used book store. I even had art, sort of, mostly cheap prints or printouts of images or drawings I liked from the Internet: skaters, fires, and forests, taped to the walls. I even had a light string pinned with a variety of pictures of me, Kara, Liam, and Ben, and even some of Dean and Lisa. I had one picture of Sam up there that I had taken with Dean's phone. My phone at the time had taken awful pictures.

It didn't matter what was in this room, though. I wasn't packing it and I wasn't leaving it. I grabbed the boxes and went downstairs to the living room. I'd start packing there.

I'd packed all three boxes and was starting on a fourth when Dean found me. His hand landed hard on my shoulder and he dragged me to my feet. I hadn't even heard him come into the room.

"What in the hell are you doing down here?" he asked, turning me to face him. "You're supposed to be packing your room, not this room."

I stepped back from him and his hand fell from my shoulder. "Who cares where I'm packing?" I demanded, ignoring his annoyance in favor of my fury. I put my hands on my hips. "At least I'm packing something."

"We told you to pack your room," he said, taking my arm and pulling me towards the stairs.

I yanked away from him, surprising him a little. "'We' didn't tell me to pack my room. Lisa did," I shot back.

His mouth tightened into a thin line. "I am trying to be patient with you, Jessie, and consider how this move is making you feel," he ground out. "But I am in no mood for your nonsense. There's too much to do. Get your butt up there and start packing." He pointed up the stairs.

"No," I shot back at him, taking a step away from him and the stairs. "I'm not packing and I'm not moving. You can go without me for all I care. I'm staying here. I'll take my chances with the monsters."

Dean's eyebrows lifted and then he just grabbed me and flung me over his shoulder. I shrieked and kicked the air without thinking, and then his arm held down the backs of my calves and I couldn't kick anything. I hated being this small!

"Dad, put me down! Put me down!" I demanded as he climbed the stairs with me on his shoulder, my stomach bouncing against the hard bone and muscle there. He ignored me and carried me into my bedroom before putting me on my feet. I backed up quickly, until the back of my knees hit the bed, certain I was in for it.

But the look on his face was determined, not angry. He moved towards me and I scooted to the side, expecting at any moment that I'd be over his lap with my shorts down, but he just passed me and picked up one of the boxes. I stood there bewildered as he assembled two of the smaller boxes made for packing books and two of the medium size boxes. He set them on the bed.

He turned to me then and met my eyes. "It's 4:30 now," he explained. "You have until dinner time at six to pack these boxes with your stuff from within this room. Is that specific enough for you, princess?"

My ire rose and I spat out, "Yes, Dad." The princess comment stung.

His eyebrows rose, and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before saying, "Jessie, I've said I'm sorry, but you need to lose the attitude. We are moving. You are coming with us." He still didn't sound angry, but I could tell I was pushing his patience.

I didn't care. I just looked at him with my hands clenched at my sides, fighting against my own anger at the fact that he wasn't angry, which made no sense but was how I felt.

He studied me for a minute, reading my expression and body language. "You are confined to quarters until I come get you," he said, frowning at me.

"Military speak?" I sneered. "Really, Dad?"

"Fine," he shot back. "If you want to act like that, you're grounded to your room for the rest of the night. I'm tired of your attitude."

Indignation rose in me. "You said until you come get me!" I wailed.

"And you decided to make everything more difficult on yourself. You're welcome. Get to work. Don't close up the boxes when you're done." He turned and left the room. I stared after him, fuming. Fine, he wanted four boxes packed with my stuff, he'd get it.

I grabbed one of the book boxes and looked furiously around the room for something that would fit it perfectly. It wasn't winter so I grabbed my huge fluffy comforter and shoved it down in the box. It barely fit, but I managed to cram it in. I fit two more smaller blankets in the other one. Then for the medium size boxes, I filled one with two extra pillows that I had for when Kara slept over, and in the other I put in my desk lamp and my reading lamp, surrounding them with my winter coat and a couple of hoodies to keep them from bouncing around.

All in all, it probably took fifteen minutes. Then I sank to the floor in front of my bed and hugged my knees to my chest. I considered leaving the room again to go 'help Ben', but I knew that wouldn't fly. Besides, he was probably in there crying while he packed and I knew he wouldn't want me seeing him like that.

I pulled out my phone and started texting Kara. She didn't answer right away. It was Sunday and they usually had a big Sunday family dinner at least once a month with all the extended family at her grandmother's house. The kids weren't allowed to have their phones because they were supposed to be hanging out and talking with their cousins or other family members.

I didn't know when she'd be able to answer, so after a few minutes passed and I got nothing, I just laid it all out for her. I told her we were moving on Friday and that I didn't want to go and lose everything I'd gained here. I told her I couldn't even tell her where I was moving to because Dean thought it was too dangerous after what happened with the djinn. I had explained all that to her when it happened a month ago, to explain why the police would never find the people who killed our neighbor Sid and his wife. I told her I was mad and that I wasn't moving despite what Dean said. I was going to find some way to stay here, even if I had to run away and hide in an abandoned house until they left. I told her Dean had grounded me to my room for the rest of the night because I wouldn't pack my room.

Then I hugged my bent legs to my chest and cried into my lap until I was just plain worn out. I wasn't packing any more boxes unless explicitly told to do so and I wasn't going to sit here in boredom until dinner was ready, so I got the book I was reading from the side of my bed and settled in to read.

I was too engrossed in the story to hear Dean when he came up the stairs an hour later. The first indication I had that he was there was his gruff, "Those boxes better be packed."

I jumped and set the book down, unexpected guilt spreading hotly through me. I fought it down and got to my feet. "Yeah, I packed them."

He looked around my room and at the bookshelves specifically. "With what?" he asked, his voice deepening with warning. I swallowed and looked involuntarily at the boxes where I'd put them in front of the closet. He saw where I was looking and crossed the room. I scuttled towards the door, hoping for an escape route, and watched him gaze down into the boxes before raising his head to look at me.

He didn't say anything to me. He just picked up three of boxes one by one and dumped the contents on the bed before dropping the boxes back on the floor. He left the one I had packed my lamps in.

"No," he told me shortly. "Try again." He turned to leave the room.

"It's dinner time," I pointed out. He turned again in front of the door and met my eyes, his mouth a thin line. I was definitely starting to get to him. Good.

"I'll bring yours up to you," he said. "You can eat it in here." Then he left.

I flopped onto the bed and crossed my arms over my chest. I didn't care what dinner was. I wasn't eating it. I wasn't packing boxes. I wasn't moving. I wasn't going to do anything Dean said. I sat there until Dean came back up the stairs and dropped a plate of Peking duck with rice on my desk, my favorite Chinese dish. Guilt flooded me again but I ignored it.

Dean turned and tilted his head, regarding me. "Jessie, I've tried to make this as easy on you as I can. I've explained why we have to move. I've tried to be as understanding as I can be about your feelings about the whole situation. I've put up with your honestly awful attitude and disobedience all day…"

"I did what you told me!" I interjected but he raised a hand to stop me.

"So I'm going to explain one more time what I want from you," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "And then you're going to do it or you won't like the consequences. You get me?"

I nodded, but then quickly added, "Yes, Dad." I did understand what he wanted, but I didn't care about the consequences unless they were that we weren't going to move.

"You're going to eat your dinner," he said. "Then you're going to pack those boxes. You're going to put books in the book boxes and anything that's not bedding or clothes in the other box. I'll be back in an hour. You had better be done by then." He turned to leave.

"Gestapo," I muttered under my breath, but if he heard me, he didn't stop. I turned and picked up a book box. He wanted books in the book boxes and other stuff in the other box. "Fine," I said. "See how you like this."

I flung three books into each book box. I gathered up some of the stuff on my desk and dropped it into the medium size box, not caring that pencils, pens, and other random school supplies were just sliding around in the bottom. It didn't even fill the box by a third. Ignoring my dinner, I picked my book back up and went back to reading.

I knew I was really pushing him this time, so I was paying more attention and I heard his steps on the stairs an hour later. I shoved the book under my pillow and jumped out of the bed, standing nervously next to it and trying to gather my courage for the next round.

Dean eyed me when he came into the room. He glanced at the desk first, where my plate of cold Peking duck waited. I hadn't moved the boxes when I was 'packing' them and he moved towards me and glanced into the boxes. His face darkened and he raised his eyes to mine.

I took a step back, out of grabbing range. Then I raised my eyebrows and chin to show him I wasn't scared of his 'consequences'. "Books in the book boxes," I announced cavalierly, waving my hand at the boxes. "Other stuff in the other box. Just like you said."

He wasn't impressed. "Sam's talked to you about the letter of the law versus the intent of the law," he said quietly, a hardness in his voice that hadn't been there earlier today. "So I know you didn't misunderstand me, did you?"

I paled at his tone more than his words and put my hands behind my back, scraping my teeth over my bottom lip. I didn't want to lie, though. I wanted him to know that I knew exactly what I was doing.

"No, I understood," I said, trying for a challenging tone and failing completely. I squeaked as the words left my lips.

"I don't have time to babysit you during this," he growled at me. "There's too much work to be done, and I'm not leaving Lisa and Ben to do it all. You're going to pack your room or we'll move without your stuff. It can just stay here for the next renter."

"Maybe I'll stay here for the next renter, too!" I shot back at him.

His face darkened even more. "You, little girl, are moving with me. But right now, you're getting a spanking for disobeying me."

I'd finally gotten the reaction I'd been pushing for all day. My heart beating with alarm, I turned to run, but he closed the distance between us and caught me easily. I shrieked, and he shut the door. Then he bent me and tucked me against his hip. I had to put my hands on my knees for balance, and his hand fell over the top of my shorts, hard. I shrieked again and his hand fell and fell, but I didn't cry. I wasn't crying for this one. I wasn't moving and this was his fault and I wasn't sorry. I wasn't.

It was hard not to cry, though. The spanking hurt and despite what I kept telling myself, guilt kept creeping in around the anger. I couldn't shove it away as easily when my butt was getting more and more sore, and I knew it was my fault, but it wasn't my fault, it was Dean's. I wouldn't be getting this spanking if he wasn't making me move. And then I was crying because I didn't want to move. I didn't want to leave Kara. I didn't really care about the rest of it, but I was going to lose Kara.

And then he was done and pulling me back to standing. He closed his arms around me to comfort me and I shoved away from him. He looked surprised, then his face closed with hurt. I rubbed tears off my face and grabbed a tissue from the box on my desk to blow my nose.

"Sit down and eat your dinner," he said, pointing at the plate.

"It's cold," I whined, but I sat down in my desk chair, hissing as my butt hit the seat. I didn't want another spanking and food was one of those things Dean got insistent about.

"Then you should have eaten it when I brought it up here," he said.

I scooted the chair closer to the desk and picked up the fork. I stabbed a piece of duck and realized he hadn't left. "You're not leaving?" I asked in a small voice, looking up at him.

"Not until you eat at least half of your dinner," he said. "You know you need it and you better not push me about it. I've had enough out of you today."

I nodded and dropped my head, eating the food as fast as I could just to end the tension in the room. It wasn't bad cold, not really. I ate the whole plate and then looked back up at him.

"Good girl," he said and held out his hand for the plate.

I gave it to him. "I need to light a fire," I told him. "I haven't lit one today."

Dean scoffed. "You only need to light a fire every three days, little girl. You've lost the privilege of practicing today. We'll see if you can earn it back for tomorrow."

I watched him leave, my heart beating hard and my stomach swirling. None of this was fair. None of it! No one understood. Oh, they said they understood, but they didn't. They didn't get it. They were all getting to leave with all the people they loved, not just some of them.

I flung myself across the bed and opened the bay window. Then I dumped the few things I had put into the boxes out on the bed and flung the boxes one by one out the window, watching them roll down the roof there until they fell off the edge to land on the ground below. Satisfied, I stood there staring at the window.

"Can't pack with no boxes," I said. "Can't leave the room to get more boxes. Guess I can't pack." And I sat down on the bed with a satisfied harrumph.

My phone binged with a text message, and I realized I'd lost it in all the commotion and fighting. I scrambled around on the bed before finding it under my fluffy comforter. I flung the comforter aside, scattering pens, pencils, and post-it notes across the floor.

It was Kara, of course. The only other person it could have been was Ben, and he could just show up in my doorway if he needed something.

Kara: No! You can't move! You just got here!

Me: I know. I don't want to go. I've been fighting Dad on it all day! I just threw the boxes out the window.

I watched the three dots that meant she was typing a message. They started and stopped like five times. It was killing me. Finally, she sent something.

Kara: Are you grounded?

Me: Just for tonight. He's starting to be really mad at me. He even threatened to just leave all my stuff here if I don't pack it. But I don't care. I'm not leaving.

Kara: Stop fighting him. Pack your stupid room.

I blinked, hurt. Did she want me to leave?

Me: Then I'd have to move. Do you want me to go?

Kara: I know your dad. He means it. You're moving with or without your stuff. You run off and hide, he's going to find you and make you go with him. You're not getting out of this. He won't let you.

Me: Then I'm going to make it as hard on him as possible.

It wasn't fair that it was easy for him to up and leave, and it was so hard for me. I wasn't going to let him off easy, all obedient daughter. He was going to know how much I hated this.

Kara: You're going to get yourself grounded.

Me: Sooooooo?

Kara: So then you won't be able to come see me before you leave. If you do what he says, he'll let us visit each other as much as we can until you have to go. You know he will, but if you get all stubborn, he's going to ground you and I won't get to see you again.

Her words hit me like a truck. I hadn't thought about that, not at all. Tears grew and flowed down my cheeks. She was right. If this went any further, he wouldn't let me see her. He wouldn't let me stay the night at her house. He wouldn't let her stay the night at my house. I was such an idiot.

Kara: Jessie?

Me: I'm so stupid. You're right. I'm sorry. I want to see you before we leave. I'll pack my room. I'll see if Dad will let me see you tomorrow.

A shadow dropped over me from the doorway and I looked up to see Dean holding the boxes I'd tossed out the window. I swallowed hard and typed one more thing into my phone.

Me: Gotta go.

Dean dropped the boxes onto the floor in front of my desk and stood in front of me with his arms crossed over his chest. He nodded his head towards the boxes.

"You wanna explain that, little girl?"