"Banshee?" Carl stood there in disbelief, unable to wrap his mind around the idea. "But that's impossible. The banshee is a fairy, not a human and she's never seen, only heard."

"It seems your information was wrong Carl. This woman is in fact a banshee." Van Helsing let Kathleen go but continued to stand in front of her. At that moment, she seemed so small, he towered over her and it was like she was growing even smaller.

"How is that even possible? The legends make no mention of a human ever being a banshee. They make reference to the fact that the banshee can take the form of a loved one that has passed on and that she can look like anything from a young woman to an old hag, which would work here in…"

"Carl!" Van Helsing yelled, he was getting a little tired of Carl's ramblings. But he knew he only did that when was nervous.

"Sorry." He said quickly.

Van Helsing turned his attention back to Kathleen. He watched as her body shook as she held any emotions she was feeling. He could only guess at was running through her mind. "Would you care to give us an explanation as to why it is possible for you to be a banshee?"

Kathleen turned away and walked to a large rock nearby. She sat down on it, bringing her knees close to her body and lowering her hood. He could tell she would need a moment to gather her thoughts, it's not everyday she has to explain her deepest secret to someone. She didn't focus on either one of the two men, but out over the fields in the far distance. Carl began to wonder if she would ever speak.

"You of all people should know that legends stem from truth; they're all based on something real, even if the end result is far different then the reality." She finally said. "This is no different. The reality is…that when a woman dies during child birth and she gives birth to a female, there is a chance that the child would be cursed; starting their life in death. There are several conditions that must all be true for the curse to take affect. It all depends on how the mother died, at what stage the mother died when the child was being born, things like that." Emotions became too much for her as a painful memory surfaced and she had to stop to regain her composure. "My mother bled to death and I was born covered in her blood. I began my life by seeing death. And I would be cursed to see death, to sense death, for the remainder of my life." Kathleen lowered her head, unable to speak any longer.

Van Helsing could do nothing but stand and listen. He had gotten to the truth but it was far from what he expected. There were still questions he had, but he couldn't bring himself to ask them.

But it seemed that Carl's curiosity was much stronger than his own, "How did the truth behind the banshee go from that to being a mythical fairy?" Van Helsing felt a little angry towards the friar but he knew that the questions needed to be asked.

Kathleen lifted her head and took in a deep breath as she thought about the question, Van Helsing could see her mind search for an explanation. "People want a reason for why things happen in the world around them. Why the sun rises, why the moon has phases, why the seasons change. They need it explained, so they come up with stories for why they happen. It's been happening for millennia in every culture around the world. My culture is no exception. From the beliefs they held at the time when we first appeared and few sightings of a banshee, the legend grew. And those who are like me have allowed everyone to belief in the legend instead of giving them the truth." She looked directly at Van Helsing, "You have no idea what it's like to carry such a burden and fear that people would discover what you really are."

Van Helsing gave her a small smile, "Actually, I do."

She gave him a confused look but before she could ask him what he meant, Van Helsing held his left side and began to collapse. Carl grabbed him the by arm and caught him before he could fall, guiding him to the ground. He then propped him up a fence pole nearby. Kathleen rushed over and knelt by Van Helsing.

"I'm alright, just a little pain." He said, trying to reassure them.

"If that were true, you wouldn't have collapsed. Let me see." She said sternly.

Reluctantly, Van Helsing let Carl help him remove his coat from his left arm and lifted his shirt. There, they could see a large bruise in the shape of a hoof.

"Looks like the horse kicked you harder than you realized, it looks bad." Carl said.

"Looks can be deceiving." Kathleen said then turned to Carl, "Go back into town, down the main road. Take the first left, walk to the next street and on the right-hand side, the house next to the one on the corner is the doctor. Bring him back here. Tell him I sent you."

"Right." He turned to Van Helsing, "I'll be back soon." Carl ran as quickly as he could. Van Helsing could only laugh as the friar seemed to waddle a bit as he ran.

"So, how bad does it look?" he asked, now that Carl wasn't there to blow everything out of proportion.

"Bruised rib, maybe cracked. Don't worry, you're not going to die." Van Helsing had no reason to doubt her. If he was going to die, she would sense it. "Just sit back and wait for the doctor, he's the best there is."

"You never did answer my initial question." Feeling that since they were going to just sit there until Carl returned, he figured he'd get more answers.

Kathleen moved to a sitting position and looked down at her hands. "There's nothing I can do. I see death that will happen and nothing can stop it from happening."

"You could at least try, warn the victim before the Dullahan kills them, giving them some advantage." Van Helsing could see her anger rising. But it wasn't directed towards him, it seemed like it was more towards herself.

"I have tried. Do you honestly think I've spent my entire life seeing the deaths of those I care about and not tried to save them. There's nothing anyone can do about natural causes, but accident's and murder…but there's no stopping them. No matter what I've done, it happens exactly as I've seen it. Sometimes, it was my effort to save them that cause their deaths." There was guilt in her voice.

"That's why Connor is angry with you, he knows what you are and feels that you should've been able to save his friend." Van Helsing said, making the connection.

"Our friend," she corrected, "Only one of two people that knew. But I gave up warning people directly years ago. Now, like everyone else, he has to listen for my keens and wonder who is next."

"Keens? You mean you're cries. You still haven't explained that."

"Seeing the death of someone is very painful and traumatic. When I have a vision, the only thing I can do is cry out. It is the cry of every person in the town, past and present. I am the voice of every person." Kathleen got very quiet as she spoke. Her face suddenly changed to very sympathetic and she looked directly at Van Helsing. "Who was she?"

"I don't want to talk about it." He said after a moment, his mind had wandered to Anna and Kathleen had picked up on it. He couldn't look at the young woman

"I'm sorry. It's just her death weighs heavily on you, I can't help but feel it." She said sympathetically.

Feeling he had to give her some sort of explanation, he said, "She was someone I cared about very much. I guess I still haven't gotten over her death."

He was surprised to feel Kathleen's hand on his. A strange feeling came over him as he watched Kathleen go into some sort of trance. Her eyes began to well up as a sense of peace came over him.

Coming out of her daze, she looked him in the eyes. "You no longer have to mourn her alone." Van Helsing didn't know what to say, no one had every offered to take the burden from him. "And for what it's worth, I don't think you are to blame."

"Thank you." He finally said.

At that moment, Carl had arrived with the doctor.