Survival
She didn't know where she would go, she just knew she had to get out. She also knew that she would be caught and probably sent to another home, but she knew it was worth it. She got out of bed and got dressed. Then crawling out of the bedroom window she ran hard.
She ran around corners and through stoplights only stopping to get air. She laughed to her self; one of the advantages to running away a lot was that she was very fit and strong. Then again if her family was still alive she could have just played sports with her twin to be fit. The thought of her dead twin sent a tremor of loneliness through her. Her family's death had left a hole in her but none hurt worse then the loss of her second half.
The girl ran on to an abandon street. She hid there as the sun showed its face across the small city in New Mexico. Maybe she would be transferred someplace cold like Nevada or Colorado. The orphan hated hot weather. In fact, if she thought about it there wasn't much she liked about life. All she knew was that she had to survive.
The sun sank as the girl walked away from her shelter. She looked at the tint of pink in the sky and smiled. The girl had to admit it was beautiful. She picked up her pace to a slow jog. She couldn't go as fast today since her muscles were stiff and she was hungry. The foster child ran into a flat area and hoped that no cops come by.
Just her luck a cop car rolled by and flashed its sirens. The girl stopped knowing from experience that it was useless to run. Last time she ran the cop smashed her into a wall. The fourteen-year-old took a deep breath. She didn't hate cops exactly; she just didn't like the ones that were after her.
The cop was a twenty-three-year-old man with black hair and a dark tan from the sun. Had she not hated him for finding her the teenager might have thought he was handsome.
He got out of the car and put her in a pair of handcuffs. He put her in the backseat of the patrol car, closed the door and drove away. Turning around the girl watched her temporary freedom disappear. The officer drove to a local jail where he locked her up.
The girl spent the night there until her social worker came to pick her up. Her social worker, Caroline, said the same thing she heard forty-seven times. "You have to stop running away. You know your never going to get adopted this way. You are just going to get sent away. Foster parents have little to no tolerance for this kind of behavior."
"Sorry," the girl mumbled.
"Then stop running away."
Caroline and the girl drove to her current foster home. "I've made arrangements for your transfer. You're going to be living just outside of San Francisco," her foster mother announced as soon as the runaway walked into the house. "You get to live in a group home," she told the girl, her tone threatening.
'At least the weather's cooler,' were the girl's thoughts.
Within an hour the girl was packed, feed and shoved into Caroline's car. They drove to the Santa Fe airport about 12 miles away. The girl boarded the plane alone. The airplane went to Los Angles before landing in San Francisco.
The San Francisco airport was huge. The girl waited for twenty-five minutes before someone came to pick her up. All of her belongings fit into one carry-on bag so she didn't need to go to the luggage claim.
The car stopped at a large house on Wilcox road. The girl got out and walked into the blue building. Right away she knew this place was going to be worse.
As she walked by the kids hissed, and made crosses with their fingers. They made fun of her loud enough for the whole house to hear. Laughter echoed through the room.
"I'm Susan," a gruff voice announced. "Follow me." The woman led her down the hall into a large room filled with bunk beds. They passed a half a dozen beds until they came to one in the corner. "You will sleep here. You are required to be in bed at eight o'clock."
By the time the girl got food it was a quarter to eight so she retired to bed. Her head throbbed, as she lay down exhausted. She wasn't able to sleep though; she was too worried the other kids would do something. It was three in the morning before she finally fell into an uneasy asleep.
Waking up later that morning, the girl found syrup being poured on her face. The boy doing it ran off when she opened her eyes. Getting out of bed to wash off her face she stepped in a large pan of ice water. Her feet stung as if they had been stabbed with a thousand needles.
The girl could barely walk by the end of the day, as prank by prank had been committed. Everything from eggshells to sharp rocks had been used to hurt the girl.
The next day the other kids went through the girl's things. She woke up to the sound of glass breaking. She screamed in fury as she saw her family photo covered with glass.
To top it off she had one of her weird nightmares where she saw someone killed. This time it was a 27 year-old white male with short brown hair and a Navy SEAL jacket slumped against a brick wall unconscious. There was also a black woman being strangled by some sort of red demon.
She went to pick up her picture. The frame was completely destroyed but the picture was fine. She put the picture at the bottom of her suitcase and covered it with the rest of her belongings.
* * * * * *
That night after the endless tortures of the day the girl ran away. She ran and ran. She didn't know the area well enough to have a destination so she went for distance. She ran for about an hour without stopping. Then walked for a few minutes before running again.
When she stopped she climbed into an abandon shelter for protection. That morning she slept on a hardwood floor. Tossing and turning the child struggled to sleep. The fact that she was scared didn't help.
* * * * * *
When darkness enveloped the area the next day she started to run again. She noticed a cop car through the trees about a block away. The girl ran into the nearest building to hide. It was a church.
A priest ran into the room in alarm. He saw the girl and his face softened. He went up to her and knelt to make eye contact. "What are you doing here so late?" he asked her.
"It was an accident," the girl replied shakily. A sweat from fear covered her body. "I'll leave," she turned to go.
The priest grabbed her arm gently, "It's hardly an accident runnin into a church and startling everyone."
"I'm sorry," the girl whispered bowing her head to hide face.
"It's okay. Let's start over. I'm Father Callahan. What's your name?" he asked.
"I don't know," the girl answered honestly.
"Do you know where you live?"
"No, it's a children's home at the other side of town, but please don't take me back."
The Father had heard of that home. It was suppose to be for delinquents, not where he would expect to find a like this girl. "You can spend the night here and we will see what happens tomorrow," he said coming to a quick decision.
"Ok," the girl agreed. She followed the Father as he led her to get some food. Then he showed her into a small bedroom. The girl had planned to run away that night, but as soon as she lay down she fell asleep. She felt so safe and secure. At first she slept dreamless, but then it hit her hard, the vision from two nights ago.
The vision was more realistic and vivid then before. She woke up suddenly, a scream escaping her lips. She closed her mouth fast before she got yelled at.
Callahan came in and flipped on the light. He must have seen her shake because he came over and held her in a tight hug. He held her sweat soaked body against his muscular chest for quite a while before asking what had happened. As she described the two people from her vision a trace of fear crossed Philip's face. He knew two people that fit that description. One of them was an ex- Navy SEAL. The child, looking off into space, didn't notice.
When the girl went back to sleep she slept dreamless for a few hours before waking up. Father Callahan had stayed with her, sleeping on the small sofa by the door. If it was to make sure the girl didn't run away he didn't mention it. The girl decided this would be a good time to depart this place. Although, who knows maybe Philip would let her stay at the church and do something. She felt safe here and Father Callahan was nice to her although things would change if he knew what the child service people knew. Maybe she should listen to her social workers and stop running away, but no she couldn't do that.
When she opened the door the hinges creaked and the Father woke up. "Are you hungry?" he asked sleepily
"Yes," the girl said startled.
During breakfast the Father didn't ask about the children's home, instead he asked if she wanted to come with him to see some friends of his. Fearing the alternative, going back to the children's home, she said yes.
After breakfast they both got into a dark blue Toyota Camery. They drove around the bay and got on a ferry headed to Angel Island. The girl looked around, she and the Father was the only ones on the boat. "Father were are we going?"
"The vision you had last night is…is something known as the Sight. It give you the power to see certain events that will happen . . ."
"You mean the visions are real." The child interrupted.
"I'm afraid they are. I'm taking you to see some people that work with these types of things." What he didn't tell her was that he thought the two people in her visions were two of his close friends and ex-co-workers. At one time he, like the two and their boss Derek had worked with paranormal events and poltergeists. He didn't want to worry the poor girl any more.
The girl stayed silent thinking about what the priest had said. She had seen people being murdered. Well she had before but … her visions were real. She felt so strange. Since as long as she could remember she had had nightmares of people being killed. How many of those had been real and how many came from what she had seen as a child, well a younger child?
When they drove off the ferry they pulled up into a driveway and the girl gasped. In front of her was a large mansion. It was decorated to look like a castle with large stone walls covered in beautiful red flowering vines. "Wow," the girl whispered in awe. "Are you friends multi-billionaires?"
The man chuckled. "No they don't own this house. It's owned by a worldwide foundation that supports their research. Three of them live here but another woman lives in the city with her daughter."
"Oh," the girl said still in awe.
They got out of the car and walked to the front door. After ringing the doorbell the two waited. It didn't take long for the door to creak open revealing an older man of about forty-seven with gray hair. His face was filled with stress. "Philip, it's good to see, and who is this young lady." The man spoke with a light Dutch accent.
"Derek it's good to see you too; I found her in my church just before midni…"
"Philip?" a young man's voice interrupted. The man walked around Derek exposing his face.
The girl stepped backward in horror. She recognized the face immediately as the man from her latest vision. Philip put an arm around her back pushing her forward as she started to slide off the step. 'It's just a coincidence,' the girl thought, 'just a coincidence.'
"Hello Nick," the Father said his hand still behind the girl's back. Worry filled his mind. The girl's reaction had confirmed his suspicion. Nick was the man from this girl's vision.
Nick Boyle squirmed uncomfortably. He knew he was the cause for the girl's fear, but he didn't know why or what to do about it.
Derek Rayne's mind raced. 'What child would fear Nick? Why had Philip brought her here?' Finally the Dutchman broke the silence. "Why don't we all come inside," he said while pushing the door open all the way.
The girl followed the three men reluctantly. A black woman, Alex, walked into the room. The child saw the women and her vision flowed into her mind. It was so intense that she started to pass out. Foreign arms caught her as she fell. She opened her eyes immediately. Derek was standing over her, Philip next to him and the woman behind them. She twisted her head around to see who was holding her up. It was Nick. He lifted her to her feet where she stood shaking. She had never had a vision while still awake.
When she calmed down the group moved into a library. There was a world map as big as one wall. The other three walls along with an upper level were filled with book. The five sat down at a large wooden table.
Derek asked the girl to explain what she saw in her visions. The girl got up and paced nervously. A butler came with a glass of water, which she sipped nervously before flustering to explain what she saw this time using Nick's and Alex's name. Alexandria Monreau was deep in thought and looking worried. Nick was looking ready to fight. Derek looked thoughtful as well as scared for his comrades. Philip's face was somewhat emotionless. He was able to hide his expression since he had already heard the description.
"Are you sure it was Nick and Alex?" Derek asked.
"Yes," the girl murmured looking at everyone. She was scared beyond belief. 'What would they do? Would they think she was lying and hate her for it? Maybe they would think she was crazy. If she hadn't been terrified she would have found that thought funny. A mental institution would be better then her foster homes.
A forced smile crossed Derek's face. The girl knew it was forced but it meant he didn't hate her. Nick walked over to her and crouched to eye level. "Did you really see that?"
"Yes," the girl said nervously.
"Okay. Do you want to go get some ice cream?"
The girl loosened up. This might not be so bad. "Yeah," she replied meekly.
"Anyone else," Nick asked. They all declined knowing that if anyone could get close to the girl it was Nick.
As soon as Nick and the girl left, Derek turned to Philip. "What do you know about her?"
"Not much. She says she doesn't remember her name. She lives in a Children's home across town from my church."
Using his handkerchief Derek picked up the glass that their visitor had been drinking from and handed to Alex. "Take this to the lab and see if you can find anything on her. I hope you can get some fingerprints from the glass."
Taking the glass from Derek, Alex turned toward the large world map and stood in front of it. She waited as a small red light scanned her eye, checking her identity, before walking through the now holographic map into the computer lab. Dusting the glass she found a full set of fingerprints. She entered the prints into the system.
Before there was a chance to find a match Nick and the girl returned. Alex, who had seen them arrive on one of the many cameras placed around the property, went out to meet them.
How Nick got through to the child the others just wondered but when the two walked into the mansion they looked like father and daughter. Philip and Derek rejoined them and they sat down. The butler brought them all some drinks.
"So what did you do today?" Derek asked.
"We went to Baskin Robins for some ice cream and then we watched the seals in the bay," the girl answered enthusiastically.
"What do you want us to call you while you're here?" Alex asked trying to keep the conversation going.
"I don't know," she answered starting to lose her smile.
"It can be any name you want," Alex pushed.
The girl thought for a minute. "How about Jen?" she asked her smile coming back. "Do you guys live here all the time?"
"Yes," Derek responded. "The three of us live here."
After a talk that lasted about an hour it was decided that Jen would stay on Angel Island until her visions were sorted out. Philip would go back to his church on the mainland. Derek would call Rachel, a physiatrist who worked with Derek, Nick, and Alex. He would ask her to bring her daughter Kat over tomorrow.
Alex and Nick showed the girl where she would be sleeping. "Do you have any extra clothes with you?" Nick asked her.
The teen shook her head. "I left everything I own at the home."
"OK we'll go see what we can find you so you can get out of those dirty clothes," Alex told her.
"Thanks."
Jen lay back on her bed as the two adults left. Nick came back minutes later with a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt. "Sorry the clothes are a little big but they are clean," Nick told her. "Just hand me your soiled clothes and I'll wash them," he said while walking out the room.
When Jen had changed she opened the door separating her from Nick. Nick's hand went to his face, hiding a grin unsuccessfully. "It's not that funny," Jen told Nick biting back a smile of her own. The man just continued to smile. "Here's my clothes," Jen said pushing her raggedy clothing into his arms.
"Do you have any idea where your children's home is?" Nick asked.
Jen turned away. "I thought you said I could stay with you for a while."
"Hey calm down." Turning the girl around to face him Nick told her, "I was just wondering if you knew so we could get some of your other things"
"Ohh, umm I might be able to retrace my trip if you could get me to Father Callahan's church."
"Yeah I can do that. We'll wait until your clothes are clean and then try to find it."
* * * * * *
"What if I get in trouble or they make me stay there?" Jen babbled nervously. She, Nick and Derek were in the car trying to find the children's home.
"Well we will do our best to keep you with us," Derek promised.
"I don't want to go. I'm scared," Jen admitted.
"Don't you have any personal items you want to get?" Nick asked.
About to say no, Jen thought back to the picture she put under all her cheap clothing. "Ok let's go," the girl said with more nerve then she felt.
Suddenly Derek's cell phone rang causing Jen to jump.
* * * * * *
Alex sat down at the computer that she had been working at earlier. Typing on it she searched for any records of the girl. Surprisingly it didn't take too long. It turned out that the Child Services now had all their kids fingerprinted. She immediately called Derek, who was with Nick and Jen looking for her children's home, on his cell phone.
"Derek, its Alex. I found out about the girl. Her name is Kara Argon. When she was four her parents, five brothers and twin sister were some how kill. She was the only survivor. Then she went in and out of foster homes for nine years. Derek her file says she can be violent and you had better watch her; she's a runaway. She must have just been transferred also. This file says she lives in New Mexico."
"Well could it be right, about the location?" Derek asked trying to prevent Jen from knowing he was talking about her.
"Well I suppose but how would she get to San Francisco."
"I don't like the sound of this. Can you see if you can find anything else?"
"I'm on it."
"OK I'll talk to you later." Derek said ending the call on his phone. He then turned to Nick, "that was Alex. The situation is a little more complicating then we thought."
"You mean me don't you?" Jen asked Derek.
"Jen can I ask you something?" Derek asked Jen changing the subject. To the girl's nod Derek asked, "What happened to you family?"
Jen looked down and swallowed the lump in her throat. "When I was young they all died." Flashbacks hit the girl causing her eyes to water. Sniffling she whipped her damp eyes.
Derek watched the girl in his rearview mirror. "Do you know what happened?"
The girl shook her head no.
"So your whole family was killed and you don't know how." Derek's voice was filled with suspicion.
"Derek stop it," Nick ordered.
"I was only four," Jen informed him. "They just died in the middle of the night." Tears streamed down her face.
What if she wasn't some kind of spy, Derek wondered? "Look I'm sorry. It's just that I'm under a lot of stress and a stranger shows up at my doorstep saying two of my friends are going to be murdered. Then to top it off she has no past."
"I have a past," Jen argued whipping her face. "Just not much of one."
Derek smiled. "When you do work with supernatural things like I do you can get paranoid sometimes. Will you forgive me?"
Jen sighed. She was blessed, or cursed with a very forgiving nature. "Yeah. Just please don't ask about my family."
"Alright no more questions about your family."
"Can I ask you a question?" Jen asked Derek.
"It's only fair. Go ahead."
"What do you do for a living? All Father Callahan said was that you dealt with people with the Sight thing I have. That doesn't seem like much of a way to make a living."
Nick chuckled. "This is your question."
Derek looked at Jen in the mirror. "You don't ask easy questions, do you. Okay fair is fair. There are unexplainable things that happen in the world, things that are paranormal or are caused by poltergeists. We try to protect the innocent from getting hurt or killed by them." Still watching the girl Derek noticed that she didn't look shocked by what they did. 'Although if she had visions with demons in them that would explain it,' Derek thought pushing any more suspicious thoughts away.
'Where were they when I was four.' Jen thought to herself. Then she scowled herself. They were only human; they couldn't be everywhere.
"Alright this is the church. Which direction did you come from?"
After they seemed to spin around in circles for about an hour Jen got them to the children's home. Jen shook slightly as they walked to the front door. Nick put a hand on Jen's shoulder to comfort her. "You ready?" Nick asked.
Jen nodded weakly so Derek knocked on the door. A tall woman answered the door. "Ohh you brought my child home. Thank you." The woman grabbed Jen's arm and pulled.
Nick held the girl close to him. "We need to talk to you about that," Nick told the woman. "Is there some place we can talk in private?"
They walked into the home. "My name is Susan," The woman told the two men. To Jen she said, "why don't you go to your room."
So while Derek and Nick followed Susan, Jen went to the room she shared with the other foster kids. She found all of her things thrown around the room. The only good news was that the other children were at school so there was nobody to bother her.
As she started to pick up her stuff she found that the vandals had left her picture alone. 'At least they had some honor,' Jen thought picking up the picture. She stared at her family portrait gently touching each face on it. She missed her family so much. There was still a painful ache even though it was ten years ago.
"What's that?" a voice asked causing Jen to jump. She showed the picture to Nick who was standing next to her. She had been so deep in thought she hadn't heard him walk up to her. "Is this your family?" he asked gently, sitting on the bed. Jen nodded. "Come here," Nick told her stretching out his arms.
Jen crawled into his arms. "I miss them so much. I wish… I wish I could have died with them." Jen confided in him. She bit back tears; she had cried enough for one day.
Nick stroked Jen's hair softly. "I know it hurts but if you had died I wouldn't have gotten to met you."
"Would that have been such a bad thing?"
"Yeah," he said with a nod. "I think it would have been."
Jen looked up at Nick. "I don't understand. Why are you so nice to me?"
Ruffling the child's head he told her, "I guess I just have a soft spot for cool kids."
Derek watched the two uneasy. He had seen Nick get hurt with his too large of a heart. He couldn't stand to see his younger associate being mentally hurt. For that matter he hated to see the man hurt at all. The Dutchman resolved to watch this girl very carefully.
"So are you guys ready to go?" Derek asked.
"I get to come with you?" Jen asked excitedly.
"Yeah you do. Derek talked that lady Susan around."
"Goodnight Jen," Nick whispered as he turned off the light in Jen's room.
"Night," She mumbled half asleep. When the door closed she was sound asleep.
This time when she woke up with a scream it wasn't a vision that she saw as much as a flashback. Nick came into the room, like the girl he was covered in sweat. Derek closely followed Nick. His hair was tousled but it didn't look like he had been asleep. Alex came in as Nick hugged the girl.
Looking at the three people that surrounded her, Jen looked away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."
"It's ok. What did you see?" Nick asked turning her head to face him.
"I lied, I'm sorry lied."
"What did you lie about?" Derek asked sternly.
"I was four. I don't even really understand what happened but I was asleep when it started. I shared a room with my brothers Andy and Jon and my twin sister Sara. I heard a scream come from one of the other rooms. I figured that someone just had a bad dream. That's when the demon came into my room. It was the same demon that I saw killing you and Alex," Jen told Nick. A flash of light went into my brother Andy. The demon, it came over him and started to kill him. The light looked brighter as it went into Jon. With a scream Andy's body went limp.
"Jon ran over to Sara and me. He was trying to protect us, but he was only six. He put himself in between me and my sister. The demon started to kill Jon. Then I felt a surge of power. My brother fell against me limply. Sara started to try to protect me. She was older by an hour but sometimes she acted like the difference was years. The demon started to kill Sara. I remember her saying that there was only enough power for one of us and that one of us had to survive. I felt another surge of energy. She stopped breathing just like that.
"The demon focused on me. Suddenly he just stopped and he disappeared. Someone next door must have heard my families' screams cause I remember hearing sirens. I tried to hide under the bed but a police officer found me. He took me to social services and from there I was in and out of foster homes." She looked up her face begging them to believe her story. Alex looked like she did. Derek and Nick looked mad and frustrated. 'What would happen now? Would they start hating her like the foster homes did.' The girl could only wonder as seconds pressed into minutes. Nobody seemed to know what to say.
Nick paced the floor in the library. "How could we not have been there? We are supposed to protect the innocent. That's the whole reason the Legacy was made. How could this story just slipped through the cracks."
"Nick calm down. We can't catch everything and we had no way to know that something like this would happen," Derek told him.
"Nick you and I would have only been teenagers. There is no way you could have done anything and before Derek took over this house was nowhere near as productive."
"I know all that, it's just hard. I wish there was some way we could have prevented her family's murders."
"We all do Nick," Derek told him. Unlike Nick and Alex, who were seventeen and fourteen, Derek was working at the San Francisco Legacy house. "Her story does match the facts, right Alex?"
"From what I have found… yes. Her five brothers and twin sister were killed sometime near midnight while they were sleeping. Her parents were in the living room when they were killed. That's about all the police could find out. There was no sign of a break in or of a guest and no suspects or even anyone who wanted to hurt the family. There were also no signs of why Jen was the only survivor. The only reason she wasn't a suspect was because she was only four."
Suddenly Nick grabbed a beeping pager. Looking at the small screen on it he announced, "there has been a security breech. It looks like its Jen. I'll be back." With that he turned and left.
The girl lay awake in her bed thinking. 'It was still dark; she could run away. Derek and Nick were mad at her so what was the point of staying. Except the fact that they were the only ones that knew about her visions. Maybe they weren't mad. No, she had seen their faces; they were mad.' With that decided the girl got dressed quickly and climbed out of the window. From there she jumped off of the roof rolling as she landed on the soft dirt. Getting to her feet she ran down the driveway toward the front gate. Two men were standing in front of her coming toward her. Another two men were coming up behind her blocking her path back to the mansion.
The two men from behind her walked toward her leading her to the other two. They just stood there keeping the girl with them. "Who are you guys? Where did you come from? What are you going to do to me?" Jen asked, her voice shaky. The men didn't answer.
About two minutes later a red Mustang pulled down the driveway. It was Nick. He got out and went over to Jen. Kneeling down he asked her if she was ok. She nodded her head and Nick turned to the four men. "Will you guys lighten up. She's a fourteen-year-old girl. She doesn't have a gun and she can't beat you up."
"Yessir," the men said simultaneously.
"New recruits," Nick explained as he lead her to the car. As the drove back toward the house Nick asked, "so why did you do it?" Jen's heart started to race. "Runaway I mean," he clarified. Jen relaxed.
"After I told you what I saw when I was little you and Derek looked like you were mad at me."
"Jen we weren't mad at you. We were mad at the fact that your family was killed and with all the technology we have we couldn't save them."
"Oh, I'm sorry I tried to run away," Jen said bowing her head.
"Hey don't worry about it. Just no more running away ok. Do you want to go for a walk?"
"Ok," Jen said as Nick parked his car.
He led her around the house to a beautiful garden. He led her through the flowers and roses deep into the yard. They came to a clearing with a stone bench. "Sit down," he suggested.
"Why does the Luna Foundation give you guys so much money?" Jen asked Nick suddenly.
"I don't know. They have supported our research for years but the actual answer is generations forgotten."
"By research you mean ghosts and demons and stuff, right?
"Yeah, but it's more then that. We also study artifacts and ancient cultures."
"Wow, how did you get involved in this program?" Jen asked intrigued.
"Both of my parents were researchers at this house," Nick told the girl solemnly.
"That must have been fun growing up," said Jen enthusiastically.
"Actually it wasn't,"
"Well why not?" the girl asked confused.
"Umm well my dad use to get drunk and beat my mom, my brother and I. Then my brother ran away when he was sixteen leaving me to fend for myself. My dad was killed about ten years later, then my mom died about five years after that." Nick chuckled slightly. "I've known Derek for twenty years and I'm already telling you things I still haven't told him."
"I wish more people felt that way. All everyone sees me as is a cursed girl because all nine people in my family were killed and I survived."
"Was it that bad in your foster homes?" Nick asked sincerely.
"Yeah the kids always teased me and the adults would never help me. Sometimes the adult would even provoke the kids. They hated me cause they didn't see how I could be the lone survivor unless I was involved somehow."
"That's why you run away."
Yeah. I'm not usually one for running away from my problems, well with the exception of tonight. I just liked the freedom even if it's just for a few hours.
Nick put an arm around her and hugged her. "I'm sorry. We should probably get back to the house now. It's getting late."
"You call that a house. It's more like a castle."
"Yes well I can't exactly call it a castle," he told her. "There's no flag." He explained seeing her confused look, "every castle has a flag."
Jen shrugged, "I'll take your word on that one. This is the closest I've ever been to a castle.
* * * * * *
The next morning Jen went downstairs to the kitchen. There was nobody there. After searching the lower part of the house and finding it deserted the girl sat in the living room on one of the nice soft, overstuffed sofas.
She was so deep in thought that she didn't realize someone had joined her until Alex asked what she was doing. "I was just thinking," the girl told her.
"What's on your mind?" Alex asked.
"Philip said I have the Sight; that the visions I have when I sleep are real."
"That's right. I'm sure some might be just nightmare caused by you witnessing your family's murder but unfortunately most were probably real people."
"It's just weird to think that I saw all those people murdered."
"I know it's not much but some of them were probably saved."
"Do you know anyone else with the Sight?"
"Actually Derek and I both have it."
"What's it like to not know weather the things you see are real? Does it get any easier to tell the difference between visions and nightmares?"
"Sometimes are harder then others, but after awhile you notice that visions have a different tone to them. Derek is very good at it. He never has problems confusing the two."
"Derek has nightmares," the girl asked clearly shocked.
A chuckle came from the doorway. Jen and Alex turned to see Nick. "He's more human then he looks," the ex-Navy SEAL informed the girl.
"Not much more," Derek admitted from behind Nick.
Jen blushed. "I didn't mean…" she started.
"Hey don't worry about it, Derek's probably flattered," Nick joked.
Derek pointed at Nick; "if you keep this up I'll stick you an paper work duties for the next month."
Nick grabbed is head in pain. "Ohh no please. It's giving me a headache just thinking about it."
As Jen suppressed giggles Alex rolled her eyes. "Come on, Jen. We'll leave these two to it and I'll give you a tour of this place."
* * * * * *
That night Derek got a call from an old friend. His friend needed his help. As he got his coat and car keys he called out to Nick, Alex, and Jen, "Alright I'll probably be home late tonight, so don't hold dinner for me. I may not even be home until after midnight. I'll have my cell phone in case of an emergency."
"Yes Daddy. We'll be good and try not to burn the house down," Nick joke.
"I know the number for 911," Jen added brightly.
Derek pointed a finger at them. "You two are nothing but trouble," he informed them. Nick grinned mischievously. Jen on the other hand beamed with pride. "You would think I just gave you guys a compliment." He put a hand on Alex's shoulder apologetically. "Alex I'm sorry I have to leave you alone with these two.
"I understand Derek. But it's O.K. I'll just ground them both until you get home."
"All right good if you need to beat them feel free to borrow one of my belts."
Jen and Nick both winced, "I'm sorry I'll be good. Just please don't use the belt," Jen pleaded while smiling.
"Seriously you three watch your backs'," Derek ordered. Then he turned and left before anyone had a chance to reply.
As Jen started to fall asleep later that night she heard Alex scream. Getting up clumsily the girl ran downstairs to see Nick with his gun. She watched in horror as the demon from her vision grabbed Nick and threw him against the wall. He lay there unconscious. The demon grabbed Alex by the throat and lifted her off of the ground strangling her. Her legs kicked in the air while her face went bright red.
Jen snapped out of her shock. She had to do something. Alex and Nick had given her nothing but kindness. She couldn't standby while they were killed. "Let her go," Jen demanded stupidly.
To her surprise the demon listened. He dropped Alex and approached her. "You," he growled grabbing Jen. The creature carried the girl away.
Alex, holding her throat in pain, saw the girl disappear. She got up and struggled out the door, but Jen was nowhere to be seen. The woman ran back to Nick. After she roused the man Alex called Derek.
It took Derek about a half an hour to get back. He found Nick pacing the room sweat covered his body. Alex was trying to calm Nick to no effect. The man would not stop walking.
Something caught Nick's eye. He stopped walking so suddenly that Derek nearly ran into him while trying to get him to calm down. He ran to the fourteen-year-old girl that stood in the doorway. The girl stepped back in horror.
"Nick stop," Derek ordered. Turning to the girl that looked identical to Jen he commented, "I don't think that's Jen."
"Are you Jen's sister Sara," Alex asked the girl. The girl nodded her head.
"Do you know where she is?" Nick asked desperately. Again the girl nodded her head. "Will you take us to her?"
"I have been looking for you, you know?" The demon hissed to Jen. Jen squirmed in the chains that held her arms over her head. "You got me in trouble with my boss."
"Ohh I'm so sorry," Jen replied sarcastically.
"You may not be now, but you will be soon," he threatened. "Do you even know how your family feels about you? Why don't you talk to them for a while." With that said the demon vanished.
"I can't believe you," a voice said. It was soft and smooth, a voice that had lolled Jen to sleep many nights when she couldn't sleep. Jen looked around trying to find her mother. A tall beautiful woman walked out of a dark corner of the empty room. She was shaking her head sadly. "I called you my daughter. You are a disgrace to my family."
"But why…what did I do?" Jen asked her mother.
"What did you do?" The woman yelled. "Jesus your brothers and sister were being killed and you didn't even help them. They died while you just lay there. You should have helped them." The woman turned around and left.
"She's right you know?" her father said. His voice came from behind her.
Jen turned twisting in her chains. "Daddy?" she croaked. Her father stood there with his hands in his jean pocket. He looked just like she remembered.
"I was so happy when I found out that you and Sara were girls. After six sons I did want a daughter. I was so disappointed with you. You were…" the man sighed heavily. "Well it's no matter. My sons reminded me that I still had one daughter. At least Sara isn't some wimpy disgrace."
"I'm sorry Daddy, I just…"
"I don't want to hear your stupid excuses," the man snapped.
Jen's head drooped down, tears streaming down her face.
Derek, Nick and Alex ran into an abandon build. Jen's sister had led them there. She had stopped short of the property. It was apparent to the three ghost chasers that whatever was going on in the building Sara wasn't allowed in.
The trio scurried down the hallway until they came to a dimly lit room. They saw Jen immediately. She was in the center of the room, her arms chained above her head. Her head dangled at an old angle.
A boy that resembled Jen stood in front. He looked to be about nine years old. Like her parents he was chastising her for things that she couldn't have helped. "Do you know how crazy Dad went. He was so disappointed that his youngest daughter and child had disgraced his whole family. We worked so hard to get him to remember us, to remember that we had died with dignity and honor."
"Jen you have to listen to me," a voice said shattering her trace with her brother Andy. She looked up at Nick. "That's not your brother. I know it's hard to understand but it's the demon. He has taken your brother's form. You have to fight him. Don't let him win."
"Of course I'm real. You know I'm right. You know you're a disgrace. You'll never make our family proud. It's all your fault you let us die."
"No it's all your fault. You were the oldest in the room. You were suppose to help us," Jen yelled back. She lifted her head up; her eyes glistened with anger. "You were suppose to help us," she repeated.
The boy's skin rippled and Andy turned into the demon. Nick grabbed his gun and fired the gun five times. The demon screeched high and loud, the voice echoing in the stone room. He vanished in a twirling line of red eerie smoke.
Alex ran to the girl and struggled with the chains. "Nick I need you to help me pick these locks," Alex called.
Nick ran over pulling out a leather pouch. He pulled two pins out and in the matter of seconds had the girl unlocked. Alex planted her onto her feet but she collapsed into Alex's arms. "Is she ok?" Nick asked concerned.
"Yeah I think it's just exhaustion. She isn't physically hurt," Alex replied.
Alex passed Jen off to Nick who picked her up in his arms and carried her to the car. She snuggled against his chest. He stroked her hair. Before Nick could close the door Derek stopped him. He put a hand on Jen's shoulder. "Jen you know that what the demon said was not true, right?" Derek asked. "He was just trying to hurt you."
"How did he know that I blamed myself?"
"They get into your mind and they make your biggest guilt or fear seem real. Take my word on it, never believe what a demon says."
"Thanks Derek," Jen said losing her voice.
Derek patted her shoulder. "You're a good kid."
"And you're a good adult," she said with a smile. Derek laughed and closed the car door. Jen hugged Nick. She was safe and comfortable. The teenager fell asleep in the man's lap.
When Jen woke Rachel, the physiatrist was there along with her daughter Kat. Rachel talked to Jen alone for about an hour. She asked the girl about what she had seen and about how she felt. Although the girl didn't feel very comfortable with talking to the strange woman Derek, Nick and Alex said that it would help. She answered Rachel's questions vaguely.
After their session Jen's curiosity got the best of her. "Rachel why do I remember everything about my family but I don't even remember my own name?"
"The only think that comes to mind to explain that is that between the harassment in your foster homes and the personal guilt that you were putting your self through you didn't feel your self worthy. Your family, although dead were the most important thing to you so you remembered them."
"Oh I guess that makes sense."
Jen was packing her belongings into a bag when a white light flashed behind her. She turned around to face her brother Andy. He was tall and blond, the man he would have been if he had not been killed. Jen couldn't explain how she knew the seventeen-year-old was Andy grown up and not her other brother Tony, who was seventeen when he died.
Andy put his hand on Jen's shoulders. "I love you," he told. "I'm so proud of you. We all are especially Mom and Dad. We're all sorry it turned out this way. You and Sara were both suppose to survive. But…" His eyes flashed with something that looked to Jen like anger. "Well things got kind of messed up. You don't need to worry about that yet. If things get a little hard or strange just take one day at a time. Remember you have to survive,"
"Why is it so important for me to survive,"
"You'll understand when you're older." He smiled. "I always wanted to say that. You'll find out soon enough. Just trust your instincts and keep your friends close." He hugged her fiercely. Then he put a hand on her cheek as he started to disappear. "Be good Jen."
"I will. Tell everyone that I love them."
"We know," Andy said before the room went silent again. Once more she was left to the unhappy job of getting ready to leave Angel Island.
A few hours after Jen left Nick paced the library talking to Alex. "She saved our lives. There has to be something that we can do for her." He said referring to Jen.
"Why don't you adopt her?" Alex asked. "You two seemed to really like each other and she's a real good kid."
"I don't know. I'm scared that she will be physically or mentally hurt because of the Legacy."
"Nick don't blame the Legacy. She's going to be hurt no matter where she is. The only difference is that here she will have friends to support her."
"But demons could kill her. She would be put in danger all the time," Nick reminded her.
Suddenly an eerie glow filled the room. Nick drew his gun. An old woman appeared. "Nick you have to follow your heart. It won't steer you wrong," the woman said. " There is an important reason Jen had to survive. You have to help my daughter find her place in life." In a flash of light she was gone.
Nick walked into Derek's office with confidence. "Derek I don't care what you say. I'm going to adopt Jen," he announced. Derek rummaged through some papers silently. After a brief pause Nick asked, "well… Aren't you going to say anything."
"I thought you said you didn't care what I thought," Derek replied with a sly smile.
"Ok so it does matter. Derek you know I value your opinion. I just want you to support me."
"Well alright I do support you. Here's the number for social services," Derek said handing Nick a slip of paper"
"You knew I would…"
"Let's just say I suspected."
Jen was quickly returned to the home on Angel Island. The first thing she did was redecorate her room. She and Alex worked hard to find the right colors and patterns. As it was Jen's first room she took great care in the decision. When Nick came in to 'help' paint went flying scattering them all with light blue, yellow, and green specks. Finally to two females kicked Nick out of the room.
She sat in her newly decorated room happy. It was perfect. Everything was wonderful. For the first time in years she knew everything was going to be almost normal for a change. Things changed when Nick entered the room. He sat down next to Jen on her bed. "There's something I need to tell you. I work for something known as the Legacy."
"What's that."
"It's a top secret organization created to protect the innocent from creatures that inhabit the shadows and the night. It's been around since the beginning of time. The Luna Foundation covers and supports our work. Derek, Alex, Rachel and I are all members of the San Francisco. Philip used to be a member too. Derek, he's what's called a Precept. Basically he's the boss.
"There are houses all over the world. The main house is in London. William Sloan is the Precept of that house and he is the big boss all of the other houses." Nick told her all this and then looked at Jen. Jen sat there in shock. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. It's just… well so much for getting a semi-normal life."
"It's a normal life," Nick retorted.
"Yeah right." Jen said sarcastically. She smiled things would still be great.
"Jen we should talk about your name," Nick said looking up from some final paperwork for her adoption. "You were born Kara Kathrin Argon. Do you want to keep that name."
"I don't know. I kind of want to be a Boyle. I mean if it's okay with you. I also don't want to forget my parent's name. Now I feel more like a Jen then a Kara," Jen admitted.
"How about Jen Argon Boyle?" Nick suggested.
Jen smiled, "I love it."