Supernatural series (including a little sister)

by immieimke

Hi everyone! Here is (hopefully one day) the whole supernatural series, rewritten to how I'd like to see it. Right now, I'm not yet making a lot of changes (apart from an added female character of course), but later I probably will! I'll see how it goes. I'm still working through season one now, but I am having a lot of fun! Hopefully, you'll have fun too! I don't own supernatural!

8. Episode 8, Bugs

Bugs

"Do we really have to do this?" I protest, glancing sideways at Sam. He's right next to me, lounging on the hood of the impala, his head buried in a newspaper. He absentmindedly hums at me, as a sign he heard me, but keeps his eyes focused. "Never mind." I mutter under my breath. I let myself slide down a little further, so that my back is more comfortable against the window, and stare up at the sky. It's pitch black, I can see quite a few stars. On the left of me, I can hear a motorcycle leaving the area, splashing through the water that's covering the road. It's been raining none stop the last couple of days. On my right, I can hear noises of music, party and chatter coming out of the bar we're parked right next to. Dean's in there, doing god knows what to get us some more money. We're almost out of our old stash and now that it's the three of us, we use up more money. I hate the fact that both my brothers need to hustle or steal from others to get us through, but I have decided not to complain about it any longer. It doesn't help.

"Hmmm, hey." I glance up at Sam and raise my eyebrows, when he hands me the paper. "There, on the front page are some articles. How about you look at them, huh?" He is wearing a grin, watching me fold open the paper and glance at the front page. "As in for a new case?" I question, an uneasy feeling growing in my stomach. Putting me on the spot like that makes me slightly anxious. "You'll see it when you find it." Sam reassures me, before leaning backwards and folding his arms behind his head. I mockingly repeat his sentence under my breath, my eyes scanning through the articles. On the right, one article catches my eye. I focus on it. The headline speaks of a local death being a medical mystery. I start reading, but am distracted when Dean exits the bar. He's wearing a huge smile on his face, coming down the steps. He flashes some bills at us, chuckling. "You know, we could get day jobs once in a while." Sam drily comments, not impressed by the bills in Dean's hands. Dean looks down as he counts the money. "Hunting is our day job and the pay is crap." He states. "Yeah, but hustling pool? Credit card scams? It's not the most honest thing in the world, Dean." Sam continues. I raise my eyebrows at him. Whenever I ask anything about it, or give my opinion on it, I get waved away. He, of course, is allowed to challenge Dean on it. I huff in annoyance, shaking my head. "Well, let's see..." Dean puts his empty right hand up. "Honest..." He mutters sarcastically, before putting his left hand that's holding the money up, glancing at it. "Fun and easy..." He finishes, pulling both hands up and acting like a scale, where his left hand weighs more. Sam can't help but grin at it. "It's no contest. Besides, we're good at it. It's what we were raised to do." Dean concludes, stepping forward and putting the money in his wallet. "Well, how you were raised was jacked." I state. Both of them glance sideways at me in confusion. "Says you." Dean comments drily, before looking back at Sam. "We got a new gig, or what?" Sam grins, pointing at me. "You ask her." Dean frowns before looking at me. I quickly bow my head and intently stare at the article. "Well, uh... maybe. It's in Oasis Plains, not very far from here, I believe." I mutter, my eyes quickly scanning the rest of the information. "Let's see, uh... Where was it? Ah, here. Uh, a gas company employee named Dustin Burwash, is suspected of dying from uh..." I squint my eyes at the long word that's next. "Creutzfeldt-Jakob." Sam finishes the sentence for me, hopping off the hood of the impala. "Huh?" Dean looks up at him in confusion. "Human mad cow disease." Sam explains shortly, glancing back at me and motioning for me to hand over the paper. I do and Sam unfolds it on the hood. "Mad cow..." Dean ponders, leaning forward to examine the article. "Wasn't that on Oprah?" Both Sam and me frown, intently staring at him. "You watch Oprah?" I ask him, flabbergasted. I've never seen him do that. Dean looks slightly embarrassed and is quick to change the subject. "So this guy eats a bad burger. Why is it our kind of thing?" Sam grins, before shoving the paper back towards me. "Why is it our kind of thing?" He asks me. I flush bright red, quickly grabbing the paper. Sam's testing me. He's throwing me in the deep here. It's a method of teaching, I know it well, I do have to say, that right now I don't really appreciate his method of teaching. "Well, uhh..." I decide to just read out what the article explains about the mad cow disease. "Uh, Mad Cow disease causes massive brain degeneration, it says here. It takes months, sometimes even years, for the damage to appear." When I read the next line, I gain confidence. I understand now. "This guy, Dustin, his brain disintegrated within like an hour. Maybe even less." I add, looking up at them. The red flush has died down and I am very thankful for that. I'm also very grateful to Dean, who doesn't give any remarks on that and simply reacts to what I just said with a nod. "Okay, that is weird." Sam takes back over. "Yeah. Now, it could be a disease... or it could be something much nastier." Dean nods, looking quite impressed. "Alright, Oklahoma." He states, moving towards the door of the front seat, opening it. "Good work, and get your ass off my car!" It was half meant to be a compliment and half meant to be an insult. I roll my eyes, but move myself off the hood and crawl back into the backseat. "Man. Work, work, work." Dean jokes as he starts the car. "No time to spend my money." He adds, giving me a wink through the review mirror. He then speeds off into Oklahoma's general direction.

During the ride I listen to Sam and Dean discussing what they're going to have to find out. I, remembering from the article, suggest we go speak to one of the colleagues of this Dustin person. His name was mentioned in there. Dean agrees and thinks it's best to act like we're distant family or something, to get that guy to talk. There's never a guarantee that it will work, but it might be our best chance.

A comfortable silence falls, when we all know what to do next. Dean puts on music and Sam dives back into the article, to overlook it again. I am simply staring out of the window, when something Sam mutters catches my attention. "Oh, hey, by the way. Did you also hear those noises last night?" Sam doesn't take his eyes off the paper as he asks Dean that question. "Yeah, I thought someone was breaking in. But uh..." The sphere in the car tenses up a little. Dean glances through the review mirror, right at me. "I think it was someone having a bad dream again." He adds. In my mind I curse him. I also curse myself. I've been having nightmares and they are getting more frequent. Two nights ago, demons terrorized my dreams. Last night the Hook Man did. That legend has a soft spot with me anyways, since I already knew about it before we did that case. It used to scare me when I was little.

Sam turns his head and worried eyes meet mine. "You still sleeping that bad?" He asks me softly. "It's not that bad... No, really. I just uh..." I try to think of something that can save me from this awkward situation, but Dean decides to interfere. "Stop lying." He barks, turning the music all the way down. "You've been up in the middle of the night for the past week or so." He adds, glaring at me through the review mirror. "I haven't... Not every night." I weakly protest. Dean's not having it. "Yes, every night. I can hear you murmur things, you do not stop moving as you sleep and I've seen you scaring yourself awake about five times." As he lays the statistics out in front of me, I sink a little further back in the cushions. How could I ever think I would be able to keep my nightmares from him. He basically noticed everything, from when they got worse about a week ago, to now. "You sleeping that bad, honey?" Sam's tone is way too sympathetic for my taste and I growl. "Well, you just heard the statistics from the news reporter over there." I snap at him, crossing my arms across my chest. "You know, you could talk to us, instead of trying to block everything out and ignore any attempt we do in asking what's wrong." Is Dean's dry reply to that. "I don't want to talk about it." I snap at him. Dean simply raises his eyebrows at me, his glance turning into an angry glare. I let out a deep sigh. "Okay, alright..." I mutter apologetically, raising my arms in the air. "Just keep to your own business, both of you." I add under my breath, diverting my eyes back to the road. "You are my business." Dean replies strictly, before giving me my space and turning the music back up.

I stay uncomfortable the rest of the car ride. The fact Dean knows exactly what's going on with me, even with my hardest attempts to hide it, is a wakeup call. Maybe he's right. Maybe I should just tell them. However, what'll happen then, is they'll reassure me it's not real. That's not going to help. It is real. My dreams themselves might not be, but the monsters in them are. Plus, they'll think I'm weak and Dean might consider to stop teaching me things. They don't have nightmares after every damn case they solve. They don't wake up screaming. I do.

As we arrive in Oklahoma, a motel is spotted soon. Sam has us checked in within minutes. I stay silent and listen to my brother's light chatting, hoisting my bag with my clothes into the motel room. It instantly becomes clear that this one is cleaner than any I have been in, since I left with Dean to find dad. The two beds are made and the sheets actually smell freshly washed. Even though there is less space than usual and I'm sure we'll all soon feel cramped up, the room is nicely decorated. Fresh and light. There are no stains on the curtains, or on the carpet. There's a wooden table next to the window with enough space for three people, and a couch in the other corner. No TV though. I don't think my brothers notice. Sam takes place at the table with his laptop instantly, probably already starting some research on the mad cow disease. Dean drops his bag on the left bed, grabs two beers out of the cooler we brought, hands one to Sam and then drops down on the couch. I quickly claim the other bed, by imitating Dean and dropping my bag onto it. "Hey, no, no, no!" I flash my head up, when Sam protests. "I am way too tall to sleep on the couch, Skye!" He continues as soon as he has my attention. "So?" I question, sitting down on the bed. "So, get that bag off that bed. You are tiny enough to comfortably sleep on the couch!" He adds, raising his eyebrows at me. "What about Dean?" I protest slowly. "I have delicate muscles that need some very good rest." He mutters sarcastically, joining the conversation. "Alright, that's settled then. Your delicate muscles can rest on the couch." I conclude, standing up and moving towards the bathroom. "Ain't happening, pup." He calls after me, a big grin on his face. I decide to play the dirty card, since I seem to have no other choice. "Look, I need the rest. Okay? I mean..." I trail off slightly, glancing at the ground. I know bringing my nightmares into this is manipulative, but I ain't sleeping on the couch. I hear Sam sigh deeply. "Fine." He mutters under his breath. I look up, smile brightly at him and quickly open the bathroom door. "Why, you little..." I can hear Sam growl, as he instantly figures out I played him, but I dash into the bathroom and quickly close the door. The bathroom looks just as clean as the rest of the room and to my surprise, I see a washing machine in the corner. "Dean, do you have two dollars?" I yell, reading the instructions on the side of the machine. "Yes, why?" Dean calls back. I walk back and open the door, glancing at both my brothers. "Good. Give them to me. And give all your clothes to me. There's a washing machine in here." I announce. Sam and Dean both stop what they are doing, and all of us get our dirty clothes out of our bags. "Thank you." Dean mutters as he moves past me, bending forward to give me a quick kiss on my forehead. "Thanks." Sam does the same, a few moments later.

The night is peaceful. The tension that was in the air between us earlier, has disappeared. Sam is researching with his third beer. Dean has his feet up on the salon table, humming to himself, reading the paper. And I, as boring as it is, am being a good girl. Positioned on my bed and studying math. I am quite good at math and even though I do not find joy in solving the problems, I do know how to do it. It's nice not to need any help with something for once in a while. I enjoy the peaceful silence between us. That disappears the second I let out a loud, comfortable yawn. "Bed time!" Dean's teasing voice comes from my right and I throw a glare at him. "What? You think I'm kidding? With how bad you've been sleeping this week?" He challengingly raises his eyebrows at me. "Hey, I..." I start, but am rudely interrupted. "Get to bed, Skye. You need all the sleep you can get." Dean repeats, motioning his head towards the bathroom. I roll my eyes, but decide I do not have the energy to argue with him. I change into my comfortable clothes and take my time completing my evening ritual. When I get back, Dean has joined Sam at the table and they are softly discussing something. Both of them fall silent when I re-enter the room. I let out a deep sigh. "I'm fine. I really am!" I tell them, trying to not sound annoyed. "I know." Sam drily answers me. Dean continues the motions he was doing before, nodding towards the bed. "Yeah, yeah." I roll my eyes, diving into the clean bed. It's a good feeling to sleep in a bed that actually seems clean and smells like it too. I turn my back to my brothers, snuggling into the pillow and closing my eyes. The soft voices of both my brothers soothe me to sleep.

"SKYE!" It's cold. So cold. Spirits everywhere. Everywhere around me. Terrifying faces staring at me. Into my soul. I can feel them inside of me. "DEAN!" I scream at the top of my lungs. My brother is nowhere to be seen, but he's calling out to me. In pure panic. "WHERE ARE YOU?" I scream, jumping around. Mist surrounds me. The spirits move closer. And closer...

"Skye!" My eyes fly open. A loud and raspy scream is echoing through the room and it's only after Dean has shaken me roughly, that I realize it's my voice. My scream. As soon as I realize that, I gain control of my voice and stop. My wide eyes meet Dean's and I spill over. I just spill over. I feel Dean's strong arms wrapping around my frame soothingly. He lets out a deep sigh. "Baby, this needs to stop." He whispers into my hair, his voice layered with worry. "I don't know how..." I whisper in his chest, furiously wiping away the tears that are streaming across my face. I can still feel the fear clutched at my heart, even now I'm awake and have realized it was a dream. How do I stop this? I've been breaking my head over it for weeks.

Dean lets me cry, before he leans away and grabs my face between his hands, wiping away my tears with his thumbs. "What is scaring you so much, that you keep having these dreams?" He asks me softly. "Everything..." I admit, glancing up at him. "Everything, Dean. It started from the moment we got Sam and I saw the white woman..." I add, glancing back down. I hate how weak I feel. I ball my hands into fists and try to force myself to stop crying. "Hey! Hey, look at me..." Dean guides my eyes back to his. "They are dreams, Skye. Just dreams." He tries to reassure me the best he can, but that's not helping. "They're not, Dean. They're not dreams, they are real." I throw back at him, slowly leaning back a little. "I hate to admit this, I really hate it... But I'm terrified. Terrified of everything out there. I was never let in on anything..." I stop talking, not knowing how to explain to him how this feels for me. "You were kept out. So everything you heard about what's out there, came through a filter. A filter of someone telling you what's out there. This is the real deal." Sam's voice reaches my ears and I glance to the left. He's sitting upright on the couch, his eyes filled with concern. He explained what I feel perfectly. "Yes." I let out a sign, slightly relieved someone seems to understand. Dean is looking at his little brother, who shrugs at his glance. "It was like that for me, too. When I found out and you and dad kept telling me stories, it was not so bad. However, when I saw it with my own eyes... a whole different story." The last part he mutters under his breath. Dean shakes his head shortly, before looking back at me. "Alright. You got me there. These things are real, yes. They are. Very real, in fact. That's why we do what we do, Skye. We kill these things to save others from them." Dean grabs my face between his hands again. "However, we are hunters. We know how to deal with these things, pup. We know how to kill them. Not one of them is going to get to you, do you hear me?" He is staring so intently at me, all I can do is nod slowly. "Are you never scared, Dean?" I ask him slowly. Dean seems conflicted for a moment. Sam decides to answer my question for him. "Of course he is, honey. So am I. I was a wreck for a week after I did my first hunt. I still get scared, sometimes. Trust me, you'll get used to it. And what scares you now, won't even matter in a few years." He gives me a soft smile. His words are very comforting and I'm able to smile back to him softly. Dean scrapes his throat awkwardly, before bending forward. "Whatever happens in those dreams, pup, you have control over them. You do. Dreams are a form of our imagination. If you or anyone else need help in your dreams, make sure it happens. You're not powerless, you never will be." He presses a kiss against my forehead, before standing back up and diving back into the other bed. I inhale deeply, taking those words to heart. He's right. "Go to sleep, Skye." Sam hushes at me and I let myself fall back down into my mattress.

The next morning, we make the first step in our case, talking to Dustin's coworker like I had suggested. We pack everything back up and leave the motel room. Since I don't know what's next, I say goodbye to the unusual clean room with a little sadness. Sam found out where the victim worked; Oklahoma Gas & Power CO. Dean parks the car in the parking lot of the huge building this company is in. But before we do anything, he turns to me. "Hey, just a moment…" He claims my attention. "I've been thinking… Maybe we're doing you wrong, by taking you with us." That statement angers me, but I decide not to protest instantly. That's not going to help. "What do you mean?" I ask him through clenched jaws. "Well, you are having these nightmares because I disrupted your teenage life and dragged you with me to find dad…" I notice that he sounds guilty when he says that, which aches my heart. "Dean, you didn't…" He does not let me finish. "Maybe the nightmares will stop, Skye." He tells me, determination in his eyes. "You think they will?" I ask him incredulously. "Dean, it's too late for that. I have already seen it. I've already heard it. There is no chance for me to continue my normal life. I didn't even have one, to begin with." Dean frowns at that last statement. "Dean, I have known what's out there and what you and dad do, for ages. I've heard about hunts, about ghosts and everything. There was no chance for me to be a normal teenager from the moment that happened. And that's not on you, by the way." I stop for a minute, leaning closer to him. "Listen, you had no choice in taking me with you and I am sure as hell not blaming you for it. I want to hunt, you know this. I want to be like you, and Sam, and dad." Dean's eyes soften and he shortly shakes his head. "If only you wanted different things…" He mutters, giving Sam a knowing look. Sam huffs, joining the conversation. "Would they stop, Skye? The nightmares?" It's an honest question. "No." I answer him shortly. "I don't know what will, but keeping me out will only make them worse. And will make me feel bad, too." With that, I shut down every intention Dean might have had on making me stop hunting. He awkwardly clears his throat. "Well, let's move then."

We get out of the car and spot a tall man with brown hair and beard. He just walked out of the building, building plans in his hands. Sam decides to just go for it. "Travis Weaver?" He asks, as he stops in front of the truck the man is standing by. The man looks up with dark eyes, it's clear he's not feeling very good. "Yeah, that's right." He confirms with slight confusion. "Are you the Travis who worked with uncle Dusty?" Dean joins in, glancing at Sam swiftly. The man leans his head to the side, glancing down at me. "Dustin never mentioned nephews. Or a niece, for that matter." He states. Sam glances down, Dean raises his eyebrows. "Really? Well, he sure mentioned you." He continues, looking at Travis expectantly. "Said you were the greatest." He adds a compliment in there for good measure. I give the man a sympathetic smile. Travis smiles brightly at that compliment, his posture changing. "Oh, he did? Huh..." He looks down, his eyes turning sad again. "So, we wanted to ask you uh... What exactly happened out there?" Dean's tone is friendly as he asks the man for the details we need for the case. Travis shrugs, shaking his head hesitantly. "I'm not sure. He fell in a sinkhole, I went to the truck to get some rope and, uh... by the time I got back..." His face falls and he swallows the last words of that sentence. "What did you see?" Dean gently pushes him. "Nothing. Just Dustin." Travis answers shortly, his face scrunching up. "No wounds? Or anything?" Sam joins in, glancing at Travis in slight confusion. "Well, he was bleeding. From his eyes and his ears, his nose... But that's it." Travis points at his face as he recalls what he saw, before hopelessly glancing at Dean. "So, do you think this could be this mad cow disease thing?" I ask him directly, wondering what's going on in his mind. He still seems hesitant. Travis shrugs slowly, his eyes on me. "I don't know. That's what the doctors are saying." He concludes. "But if it was, he would have acted strange beforehand, like dementia, loss of motor control. You ever notice anything like that?" Sam looks at him expectantly, but Travis just shakes his head. "Nahh. No way. But then again, if it wasn't some disease, then what was it?" He turns his question to Dean. "That's a good question." I mutter, glancing at Sam. "You know, can you tell us where this happened?" Sam interferes, slightly leaning forward. Travis nods eagerly, reaching for the building plans he put on the truck when we approached him. He takes his time to explain to Sam where the instruction site they were working on is, before saying goodbye to us. We thank him, watching him walk away.

"Jeez. Poor man." I mutter sympathetically, following Dean and Sam back to the impala. "Well, someone doesn't just fall in a sinkhole and die from mad cow disease." Sam states, getting back in with a frown on his face. "Especially not if this guy was not having those symptoms you talked about." I agree with him. "You know, he could have just died from the fall." Dean suggests, starting the car and driving it back towards the road. "You don't bleed out your ears, nose and eyes when you fall, Dean." I inform him. He huffs at me.

It doesn't take us long to find the construction site. The whole is broken up. Vans and trucks everywhere. Builders walking around, chatting with each other as they work. A green street sign tells us the builders are working on luxury homes from Oasis Plains Estate. It's not hard to spot the construction site we need. Yellow police tape is spread around it, making it a crime scene. Dean parks the car on the side of the road. As I get out, I notice more police tape. This time around a smaller area. It's tied to a big tree. Right next to the tree is a large, deep looking hole in the ground. "Huh..." Dean mutters, approaching the hole. Sam and I follow him. "What do you think?" He asks Sam, stopping in front of the police tape. We all stare at the hole. "I don't know..." Sam starts honestly, his eyes flashing around our surroundings. "But if that guy, Travis, was right, it happened pretty damn fast." He adds, ducking under the police tape. "So, what? Some kind of creature came from out of the ground and killed him?" I splutter, crawling under the police tape. "Or ate his brain?" Dean follows my thought, more serious then I had meant my comment to be. "No, there would be an entry wound. Till now it sounds like this thing worked from the inside." Sam comments, crouching down and staring into the hole. I copy his motion and stare through the branches, roots and dirt, into the dark hole. I can't really see the ground that well, not even when Dean points his flashlight in there. "Huh... Looks like there is only room for one." Dean mutters, standing back up. "You want to flip a coin?" He raises his voice slightly, to make sure Sam hears him, getting back out from under the yellow tape. He walks over to a pile of dirt a little further away. "Dean, we have no idea what's down there." Sam argues with him. I watch Dean pick up a coil of blueish robe and start walking back, a slight grin on his face. "Alright, I'll go if you're scared... You scared?" He teases, this time hopping over the yellow tape. I snicker softly. Sam ducks his head, his eyebrows raised. "Flip the damn coin." He challenges, making Dean laugh. He reaches in his pocket and pulls out a copper coin. "Alright, call it in the air... Chicken." He grins widely as he tosses the coin up in the air. Sam instantly snatches it away, balling that hand into a fist. "I'm going." He states matter of factly. "I said I'd go..." Dean reacts, his eyes playfully twinkling. "I'm going." Sam replies in confidence, ducking down and reaching for the rope Dean retrieved. He starts tying it around his midriff with a little more aggression than needed. "Alright." Dean easily agrees, grabbing the other end of the rope. I just roll my eyes as I watch them bicker. Boys and their desire to prove themselves, it never gets old. "I could go." I joke, leaning back against the tree. I can't help but laugh, when both heads snap into my direction angrily. "You gohot to stop doing that..." I shake my head, a bright smile on my face.

Dean has tied the other end of the rope around his midriff and just for good measure, I grab the middle. Sam slowly approaches the hole and takes another glance down. I can see on his face he doesn't want to go, but he got called out by his big brother. In classic little brother style, he goes through with it, crouching down and throwing his legs into the hole. "Don't drop me." He calls out to Dean, letting himself fall down. The thud a second later confirms he has landed. I grab the flashlight off the ground and toss it down at him. "Anything?" I yell out in curiosity. "Not yet. There's some blood down here, but I'm sure that's from Dustin." He calls back up. Dean rolls his eyes at me. "Why yes, captain obvious." He is still teasing Sam and I give him a playful shove.

It does not take Sam long, before he calls out at us to pull him back up. Dean walks backwards and we both put our muscles into dragging Sam back out the hole. He's covered in dust as he climbs up, wiping it away in annoyance. "Anything?" I repeat my earlier question. Dean unties the rope and puts it back where he found it. Sam sticks out his hand to me. There is something small and black in his hand. I frown. "The hell is that?" I ask, bowing forward. "A beetle." Sam drily answers, balling the hand back into a fist. "Why did you bring that? Did you find just one beetle?" I am thoroughly confused, staring at him. "No, there were more." He shrugs. "What did he find?" Dean questions from further ahead, walking back to us. "Let's go, Dean. There was nothing down there besides this." Sam holds his hand out and motions for Dean to follow.

Once back in the car, Sam shows Dean the dead beetle in his hand. I stare at it, feeling slightly uncomfortable. I don't really like bugs, but dead bugs I dislike even more. I'm always afraid that somehow they're going to spring back into action, scurry under your clothing and bite, hurt or sting you. Dean starts the car with a steel face. "So you found some beetles. In a hole, in the ground. That's shocking, Sam." He states sarcastically with a slight shake of his head. Sam lets out a sigh. "There were no tunnels, no tracks. No evidence of any other creature down there..." Sam starts to defend himself and explain to us why he brought up the beetle. "You know, some beetles do eat meat. Now, it's usually dead meat, but..." Dean cuts him off. "How many did you find down there?" He questions, glancing over at the dead beetle in Sam's hand. "Ten." Sam answers shortly, moving his hand up closer to his face. He sightly shoves the dead bug in his hand, but nothing happens. "It'd take a whole lot more than that, to eat some dude's brain." Dean points out, his eyes back on the road. "Well, maybe there were more!" Sam argues, slightly raising his hands in the air. Dean bites his lip with a shake of his head. "I don't know, it sounds like a stretch to me." He mutters. "Well, we need more information on the area, the neighborhood. Maybe something like this has happened before." Sam argues. Dean glances right as he listens and his lip slightly twists upwards. I follow his line of sight in curiosity. Sam exclaims a "What?" We're driving through town and are about to pass a house that has a sign up. An invitation for an open house, red balloons are in the front yard as a form of decoration. "I know a good place to start..." Dean starts. As we drive past, I see the sign up close. An invitation for a barbecue from the new buyers, is on the bottom. "Kind of hungry for a little barbecue, how 'bout you?" Sam gives him a knowing look. "What? We can talk to the locals?" Dean argues, raising his eyebrows. "And the free food's got nothin' to do with it?" Sam reacts sarcastically. "Of course not, I'm a professional." Dean glances back, wiggling his eyebrows at me. "Right." Sam mutters. "You hungry, pup? Want in on some meat?" Dean ignores Sam, his eyes on me. "Sure. Meat's meat." I grin at the approving look my big brother gives me. Dean then glances over my head, back at the open house, before spotting a parking spot on the left side on the road.

"Jeez. Growing up in a place like this... It would freak me out." Dean mutters as we exit the car. He's glancing around him at the nice, middle class homes with a scrunched up face. "Why?" Sam and I react in union. If you ask me, these houses look nice. Nice and warm. Like when you come home from school, a mom with tea waiting for you. Dad coming home from work to all have dinner together. I can't stop the sad feeling creeping over me, as my mind fantasizes about how that would be.

"Well, manicured lawns. 'How was your day, honey?' I'd blow my brains out." Dean states, way too matter of factly. Sam clearly seems surprised by that. It doesn't surprise me. I know how Dean's mind works a little too well. "There is nothing wrong with 'normal'." Sam argues, staring at his brother in confusion. Dean moves forward and onto the driveway of the house where the barbecue is supposed to be. "I'd take our family over normal any day." He concludes, as if that argument is the most logical thing in the world. "That's cause you haven't experienced normal, Dean." I point out to him, following him towards the front door. "This is normal to me. And to you." Dean states. I can't really put my finger on the look on his face.

We've reached the front door of the house and Sam knocks. A slight awkward silence has risen after that conversation. I glance at the street, waiting for someone to open. A middle aged man, wearing a beige suit, opens the door with a smile on his face. "Welcome!" His tone is friendly and inviting. "Is this the barbecue?" Dean promptly asks. "Yeah. Not the best weather, but..." The man starts small talk, glancing outside at the wet roads and cloudy sky. He then sticks his hand out to Dean. "I'm Larry Pike, the developer here. And you are?" Dean takes the man's hand with a smile. "Dean. This is Sam..." The man shakes Sam's hand and then offers it to me. "And I'm Skye." I introduce myself, shaking the man's hand. "Sam, Dean and Skye, good to meat ya. So, you're interested in Oasis Plains?" The man instantly starts his business talk. "Yes, sir." Dean nods at him with a friendly smile on his face. "Let me just say..." The man starts, intently looking at Dean. "We accept homeowners of any race, religion, color or..." He slowly eyes my two brothers. "Sexual orientation." He finishes. I instantly clamp my hand in front of my mouth to not start snorting. Sam raises his eyebrows, before a grin breaks out on his face. Dean just seems taken aback. "We're brothers..." He points his thumb to him and Sam. "And this is our little sister. That's why we're interested, you know. She's in high school..." He starts to explain awkwardly. The man opens his mouth slightly, leaning back in embarrassment. "Our father is getting on in years too, so we're looking for a place for him." Sam adds to the explanation, even though that does not match with what Dean just said. "Great! Great, well Seniors and little sisters are welcome too. Come on in." Larry puts a step backwards and fully opens the door, anything to make the situation a little less awkward. Dean steps inside and Sam and I follow. The home looks nice. Nicely decorated. Larry is leading us to the back yard, but I get a few glimpses of the living room and the kitchen. Upon entering the backyard, I can see it's a large open space with quite a lot of people in it. Women and men from what seems like all ages, happily speaking together like a big group of friends. That's nice, to have a neighborhood like that.

"You said you were the developer?" Sam asks Larry, stepping into the backyard. "Eighteen months ago I was walking this Valley with my survey team. There was nothing here, but scrub bush and squirrels. And you know what, we build such a nice place to live that I actually bought into it myself. This is our house. We're the first family in Oasis Plains." As the man explains his story to us, he leads us further into the backyard and towards a blonde woman wearing a very ugly, pink vest. "This is my wife, Joanie." Larry introduces us to her. She greets us in a soft, motherly tone, shaking our hands. "Sam, Dean and Skye." Larry tells her, before leaning into her a little closer. "Tell them that you love the place, honey..." He jokes a little, leaning back. "And lie if you have to, cause I need to sell some houses." He adds, an awkward grin on his face. "Right." Joanie mutters, letting out a laugh. I also force a slight laugh, trying to keep my face in control. "Boys and girl, please excuse me!" Larry moves past us and disappears, leaving us with his wife. "Don't let his salesman routine scare you. This really is a great place to live." Joanie starts. I spot a smaller woman with a tight bun in her hair appear from behind Joanie and instantly step forward. "Hi, I'm Lynda Bloome, head of sales." She proudly states to us. She takes place next to Joanie. Joanie points at her with a smile. "And Lynda was second to move in. She's a very noisy neighbor, though..." Joanie gives me a warm wink, before doing exactly what her husband just did. She turns left and walks away, leaving us with Lynda, who's laughing at that comment a little too loud. "She's kidding, of course." She then reassures us, before continuing the business talk Larry started. "I take it you are interested in becoming home owners?" She looks at Sam and Dean expectantly, having noticed I'm definitely not old enough to have that kind of jurisdiction. "Uhh..." Dean starts, turning sightly sideways and awkwardly glancing at Sam. "Yeah, well..." Sam starts, but is interrupted by Lynda. "Well, let me just say, we except home owners of any race, religion, color, or...sexual orientation." She finishes the sentence we have heard before, with a big inviting smile on her face. Dean chuckles, glancing down. Sam has to resist the urge to roll his eyes. That's the second time my brothers have been judged as gay. It's freaking hilarious to me. I try to muffle my laughter into a cough. "Right. Uhh, well I'll take my adopted daughter, since that's clearly what you think she is, and go talk to Larry. Right honey?" Dean grabs my shoulder, continuing with the joke. As he turns around to a very surprised Sam, he reaches his hand out and smacks him on his ass. I am no longer able to hold in my laughter, letting Dean drag me away, leaving a very embarrassed Sam behind.

Dean and I move inside the house and find Larry quickly. He offers us a tour and we let him lead us through the house. The kitchen is very well decorated. A nice auburn color, mixed with darker cabinets and a wooden floor. Dean is clearly very uninterested in what Larry has to say about everything, but I listen with interest. As Larry leads us upstairs I can't help but wonder if I'll ever have an house like this. If our family, as hunters blessed with the burden of knowing what's out there, will ever settle. It seems unlikely, since all we do is move around. I'm still young though, who knows where I'll end up in fifteen years.

Dean decides to make the conversation more interesting, when Larry has showed us the master bedroom. "So uh, Larry. I hope you don't mind me asking, but we did hear one of your guys at the building firm died this week." He starts, grabbing my arm and drawing me a little closer to him. "It got my little sister quite spooked. It's not like something's going on, right?" He pushes on. I try to make my eyes look bigger and slightly frightened, to play my part. "Oh, you heard. Well, I am very sorry for Dustin's family that he got into that accident. Things like that are always tragic, but don't you worry sweetheart..." He addresses me now, putting a fatherly hand on my shoulder. "It was only that, an accident." I glance at him. "Did it happen before?" I ask, hoping to get more information. "Sadly so, Skye. The job of building houses with heavy materials is a job that sometimes brings unlucky accidents, you know." He answers me. That peaks Dean's interests. "What happened before?" He asks. "Oh, details are not really important. One of my surveyors also sadly passed about a year ago." Is Larry's vague, but interesting answer. "Did he fall?" I push for more information, which he gives. "Oh no, nothing like that. He sadly had a severe allergic reaction to a bee sting. Could not have been foreseen." He mutters. "Oh no, of course not." Dean assures him.

Larry continues with the tour after that and I let my scary girl facade go. "So, you have three choices. Carpet, hardwood and tile..." Larry is explaining the choices to me and Dean as he takes us back downstairs, when Dean interrupt him. "Whoa..." He starts, stopping dead in his tracks. I follow his line of sight and notice a jar filled completely with all sorts of bugs, standing on a nearby side-table. "Someone likes bugs." Dean mutters, turning around expectantly to Larry. "My son. He's into insects. He's very uhh... inquisitive." Larry explains awkwardly. I listen to him with a scrunched up face, not able to take my eyes off all the creepy crawlers. Larry quickly tries to change the subject, leading us towards the backyard. When we enter, I spot Sam in the back. He's talking to a teenager that actually looks a lot like he did, when he was about fifteen or sixteen. The boy has a big freaking spider in his hands. I instantly move a little behind Dean as soon as I see it. Larry, however, is not backing down. "Matthew." He calls out in a strand tone, before marching up to Sam and the boy. Dean and I follow him slowly. "I am so sorry about my son and his... pet." Larry mutters to us with a scrunched up face. "It's no bother." Sam assures him kindly. I raise up my eyebrows. The kid is holding a freaking tarantula in his hand, yes it is a bother. "Excuse us." Larry grabs his son's shoulder and leads him away. He looks embarrassed, which gives me a sad gut feeling. A father should never be embarrassed of his kid. Sam lets out a scoff, turning to Dean, who is looking at him expectantly. "Remind you of somebody?" Sam questions, following Dean's glance. Larry has taken his son up on the porch and is clearly berating him. Dean clearly does not understand Sam's question. "Dad?" Sam continues, taken aback by his brother's confusion. Dean frowns. "Dad never treated us like that." He protests. Sam huffs, shaking his head. "Well, dad never treated you like that, you were perfect. So was she." He nudges his head in my direction. "He was all over my case." He finishes. Dean clearly does not seem to agree with that. I scrape my throat awkwardly, glancing at the ground. "You don't remember?" It wasn't really a question, I can see the determination in Sam's eyes. "Wha... Maybe he had to raise his voice, but sometimes, you were out of line." Dean mutters in a slight hush. I shake my head at that. I definitely remember, for me that wasn't that long ago. Sam scoffs with a laugh, looking away. "Right. Right, like when I said I'd rather play soccer then learn bowhunting..." Sam's tone has taken a sarcastic turn. I let out a soft sigh, hoping I don't have to break up whatever this is turning into. "Bowhunting is an important skill." Dean defends dad, the same determination in his eyes. "Guys..." I mutter slowly, grabbing Sam's arm. Sam rolls his eyes and pushes my arm away from him softly. "Whatever." He turns his eyes to the sky, before gaining back composure. "How was your tour?" He asks drily. "Excellent. I'm ready to buy." Dean jokes slowly, getting a slight laugh out of Sam. "Really? I get my own room?" I play on, blinking my eyes pleadingly at Dean. Dean chuckles, throwing his arm around my shoulder. "Sure. However, we do think we might be onto something, aren't we pup?" He starts, giving me the space to tell Sam what we found out earlier. "Yeah. Looks like Dustin Burwash wasn't the first strange death around here." I tell him, peaking Sam's interests. "What happened?" He asks. I let Dean take over. "About a year ago, before they broke ground, one of Larry's surveyors dropped dead while on the job. And get this, severe allergic reaction to bee stings." Sam glances at me. "More bugs." He concludes. "More bugs." I nod.

"Alright, let's get out of here." Dean leads us out of the house and back towards the impala. Thankfully, we don't see Larry and don't have to make up an excuse as to why we're leaving. It's getting slightly darker, it's raining softly. I quickly slide into the backseat, stifling a yawn. I purposely do not let the exhaustion that's around the corner catch up with me, but I know I can't hold that forever.

Dean tells Sam to drive. He grabs dad's journal out of his bag, clearly taking the lead in doing the research this time. As Sam drives us out of the neighborhood, Dean starts his thinking process out loud. "You know, I've heard of killer bees, but killer beetles? What is it that could make these bugs attack?" He ponders, ruffling through the pages of dad's journal. "Well, hauntings sometimes include bug manifestations..." Sam starts. "Wait, really?" I ask him in surprise, but Dean talks over me. "Yeah, but I didn't see any evidence of ghost activity." He shrugs, his eyes focused on the journal. Sam sighs. "Yeah, me neither." He agrees. "Hello? Anyone going to tell me how hauntings can include bug manifestations?" I cry out when the conversation dies down. Sam chuckles, glancing at me through the review mirror. "The smell? Rotting flesh? Demons literally leave a smell of sulfur behind..." He sums it up for me, like it's logical. "Have you never seen a horror movie?" Dean turns around in his seat with raised eyebrows. "My life is a horror movie, so no thanks." I snap back at him. "Maybe the bugs are being controlled somehow? By something or someone?" I suggest. "You mean, like Willard?" Sam questions, slightly glancing back. "That's not that bad of an idea... Bugs instead of rats." Dean reacts to my statement. Sam shrugs. "Well, there are cases of psychic connections between people and animals. Elementals..." I finish his sentence for him. "And telepaths..." I nod. "Yeah, that whole Timmy-Lassie thing..." Dean looks back down at the journal and I can basically see the wheels in his brain turning. I suddenly realize I have seen someone today, that had a fascination and weird, very weird connection to bugs. "Larry's son!" I cry out, startling both Dean and Sam. And while Sam reacts in confusion to my statement, Dean seems to instantly understand. "Yes! Larry's kid. He's got bugs for pets." He confirms, pointing to Sam. "Matt?" Sam questions slowly. "Yeah." Sam shakes his head slowly, running that possibility through his brain. "He did try to scare the realtor with a tarantula." He then adds drily. "I would have chugged him straight across that perfect garden." I mutter under my breath, the thought of that tarantula giving me goosebumps. "You think he's our Willard?" Dean asks Sam. "I don't know. Anything's possible, I guess." Sam doesn't seem too sure in that statement, but it seems to be enough for Dean. He turns his head back to the road. "Oh, hey. Pull over here." He states a few moments later, pointing to the side of the road. I curiously follow his eyesight. Sam swerves the car to the left and does what he was told, pulling over. The car stops in the driveway of a house that looks a lot like the one we visited earlier, though this one is clearly empty. No resident has moved in yet. "What are we doing here?" Sam asks in confusion. Dean gets out of the car, beckoning me to follow him. "It's too late to talk to anybody else." He then answers Sam's question. "We're going to stay in an empty house? What about a motel room?" I question, following his lead and stepping outside into the chilly air. Sam shakes his head, watching Dean pull the garage door open. "We can't just..." He starts, but Dean turns back to him with a sneaky grin. "I wanna try the steam shower, come on!" He grins widely, motioning for Sam to follow him. Sam blankly stares at him from his position behind the front wheel. I am also uncertain what to do here and keep my position next to the car. "Both of you, come on!" Dean growls, glancing sideways nervously to check if nobody has seen us. Sam grimaces, but steps his foot on the gas pedal and basically races the car into the large garage, startling me. Dean keeps holding the door up for him, but almost drops it when Sam slaps him on his leg through the open window as he drives past him. I let out a loud laugh, before shivers from the cold run across my spine and I hastily dash inside. Dean grunts, but quickly pulls the garage door shut, when the car is in. "Don't slap me, bitch." He growls at Sam, who steps out of the car with a large grin on his face. "Jerk." He cheekily replies, before glancing around. "So, what now?" Sam asks. "Let's check out this house!" Dean gives us a bright smile, before opening the garage door that leads into the house, stepping through. Sam rolls his eyes, but grabs my arm and pulls me with him as he follows his big brother.

The house looks a lot like the one we were at earlier, not only from the outside but also from the inside. There is already some furniture installed in the kitchen. From a sink to a stove, to a dark wooden table in the middle. The chairs are still missing. "You know what, this looks nice." I state, leaning against the counter. "It does." Sam nods as he passes me. "Would you ever want to live in some place like this?" I ask him curiously. I know what Dean thinks about it, but I don't really know what his opinion is. Sam frowns, glancing around the kitchen area. "Well, maybe one day..." Is his vague answer. Then he walks out. I let out a sigh, following him.

We get lucky. In the living room, a large couch has already been positioned close to the windows. "That should fit Dean and me." I suggest with a smirk, glancing at Sam. "Ah, okay, sure. Where do I sleep?" He replies with a grin. I shrug at him, gesturing behind me to the kitchen we just came from. "There's a nice wooden table back there..." I tease. Sam's eyes darken playfully. "Oh, so I'm just supposed to break my back on a wooden table, huh?" He slowly puts a step forward. "The impala is also still free! I mean, look at that couch! You wouldn't fit, even if you had it all for yourself." I chuckle at my own insult. Sam growls, before dashing forward and grabbing my arm. I let out a surprised noise, he was faster than I had anticipated. "You cheeky little..." He locks an arm around my neck and pushes my head into his chest. "H-hey!" I muffle, trying to turn my body, trying to escape. Sam has me in a tight lock though, and proceeds to let his knuckles descend on my head, messing up my hair entirely. "Sam! S-Sam, stop!" I can't help but squeal and let out a few laughs, trying to get out of his grip. "You know, this is actually not a bad situation for some training." Sam points out, literally lifting me up and dropping us both on the couch. "You remember how me and Dean used to train with dad?" He asks me as I land on top of his chest, my legs sprawled out on the rest of the couch. "Y-yeah." I grunt, grabbing the arm that's locking me in my place with both hands. Dad used to make Sam and Dean fight each other to teach them fighting techniques. They wouldn't actually fight with each other, although they've done that too, but were allowed to hurt each other a bit. Dean used to win all the time, since he was bigger and stronger. But over time, as Sam got bigger and taller, the training method became more fair. "Okay, good. Get out." Sam keeps his arm in place and hooks one of his legs around both of mine, basically pinning me on top of him. "How c-can I get out! I don't k-know how!" I growl at him, already panting from the effort of struggling. "Keep calm. That's the first thing. He has you, accept that." Dean's voice comes from my right, a smirk clear in his tone. I slump down, stopping my efforts. "What now?" I growl. "Are you able to move your arms?" Dean asks. "Y-yes." I grunt, realizing I indeed have both my arms kind of free to move. "Good. In one burst you are going to pull out a leg, kick him in his shins and at the same time move both your arms in between the arm he has locked around your neck." I inhale deeply, before doing exactly that. In one big burst of energy, I muster all my strength and withdraw my left leg as hard as I can. It shoots out from between Sam's legs. I stamp my heel carefully into his shin, I don't actually want to hurt him. Sam grunts, his lock around my neck loosening a little. "Good. He didn't expect that, so it distracted him. Wrestle your arms in between that arm around your neck, favorably in a cross form." Dean's tone is no longer holding a smirk, he's seriously trying to teach me. I turn my head and in another boost wrestle my arms in between Sam's arm. "Okay, now with another boost, push your arms forward as hard as you can." Dean tells me. I once again muster all my energy and push against Sam's arm as hard as I can. Sam's arm flings back, releasing me from my headlock. I inhale deeply, glad to get some air back into my lungs. "Don't breathe yet, pup. Your attacker always wants to get back on track. Now you've got yourself partly free, make sure he can't get to you again! If that's a vampire, you need to make your move quick." Dean calls out to me. I quickly flash my body to the left and roll myself off of Sam, falling to the ground. I jump back up and quickly run to the doorpost, where Dean is standing. "Good job." He flashes a bright smile at me, lifting his hand, asking for a high-five. I clamp my hand onto his, turning around. Sam's gotten back into sitting position on the couch, also smiling brightly. "Now, for the first time, that wasn't bad." He tells me, crossing his legs. "Obviously you weren't moving, so it doesn't really count." I point out to him. He gives me a cheeky wink. "Oh no, I was simply left powerless by your strength." He jokes. I roll my eyes with a snort. "Bite me." I retort. I then glance past Dean, into the hallway. "So, anything good upstairs?" I ask him. "Unfortunately no beds in here yet, but we can both fit on that enormous couch." Dean answers, slumping a loose arm around my shoulder. I laugh and turn back to Sam, raising my eyebrows expectantly. "Fine, fine. I'll find another place." Sam groans, shaking his head shortly.

The evening is quiet. We're in a house, which means we have way more room than we normally have in a motel room. All of us take our time in the bathroom, trying out that awesome shower Dean was so eager about. I have to give it to him. When I'm under, I almost never want to get out again. When I finally do, I take my time to take a little care of myself. Now that I have the room for it, I might as well. I carefully comb through my hair and braid it in. I find a moisturizer in my toilet bag and cover every inch of my face with it. I brush my teeth for almost five minutes and change my current earrings for new ones that I find in the left side of my bag. I believe dad got me those for my fourteenth birthday or something, but that doesn't matter. I have to start thinking about things like these, now I'm a hunter in training. Long earrings and loose hair could make it quite difficult in a fight.

When I get back downstairs, Sam offers to help me a little with my science work for the exams. I gratefully take it, he's a good teacher. Both of my brothers are, they just have their different qualities.

Later on the evening, Dean and me nestle ourselves on the couch. It's actually very comfortable. More comfortable than most motel beds I've slept in, which causes me to fall asleep quickly.

It's three in the morning when I crash off the couch, sweat covering my entire face. My mouth is still wide open, with no sound coming out. Dean's annoyed, sleepy huff and his movements on the couch right next to me, scare me to death at first. Then, they bring me back to reality and my beating heart slows itself down a little. I'm in the house, Dean's right next to me. I'm safe. I hesitantly get up from the couch, my body shaking slightly. I don't even remember what I dreamt about this time, I just know that it terrified me to the core. I get back under the blanket on my half of the couch and stare at the wall, taking my time to calm down. I'm very thankful I didn't wake Dean up this time. Sam's in the car, in the garage. He also did not hear me. That brings a little peace and I dare to close my eyes again. I'll figure this out on my own.

Morning comes faster than I hoped it would. When Dean roughly wakes me up and informs me he's going to dive in the shower, I feel like I slept a few minutes, instead of hours. I take my time to wake up and get off the couch. I went in that shower yesterday, Dean won't be out anytime soon. He has to, though, when Sam enters the house and informs me something came by on the police radio in our car, that needs our attention. "What happened?" I ask, stifling a yawn. "Did you even get any sleep at all?" Sam ignores my question and glances at me in concern. "Yes. What happened?" I repeat my question. "Dead person a few blocks from here." He answers me shortly. "Where's Dean?" I point up the stairs with a grin. "Shower." Sam groans, shaking his head. "Well, I'll go get him. You change." I watch him stamp up the stairs in annoyance. I dash to my bag, change my sweatpants for jeans and Dean's shirt that's way too big, for a white tank top. I don't really have a vest to go over it, so I make my way towards the impala and search through Sam's go bag. "Yes, that'll do!" I mutter to myself, when I find one of his plaid blouses. I shrug it on and tie it up at the font. It's way too big for me, I have to a least look a little decent.

Sam comes back downstairs a few minutes later and frowns when he sees me. "That's still too big for you." He then mutters, a fond smile spreading across his face. "Not like this, right?" I glance down, slightly insecure. "You're just very tiny. But like this, its fine." He answers me, giving me an approving nod. "Good." I smile at him. "Keep out of my bag, though. I can't wear any of your clothing!" He points an accusing finger at me, a grin still on his face. I laugh at that, already picturing him only getting his forearm into my jeans.

Dean comes down a short while later, his hair still damp from the shower. He has a very pleased look on his face. "Wow, that's the best you've smelled in years." I tease as he walks past me. He completely ignores me, just sticks out his hand as he walks by and gives me the middle finger. I snicker, following him towards the garage.

Without looking back, we make our way towards the new crime scene. It's raining quite heavily. Sam guides us through the streets. When we approach, I can see the houses appear. The same houses as we went to yesterday. I frown as I glance towards one of the middle houses. Police and paramedics are already working, the front door is open and a stroller with a black body bag is being pushed outside, towards a black car. Undoubtably the coroner's office. Dean parks the car directly behind a police car, whose sirens are still running. "I have two umbrella's." He mutters, glancing outside with a grossed out expression. "Good enough." I mutter, reaching behind me into the small part of the trunk I can access. I pull the two umbrella's out and hand them over. We step outside and I dash towards Dean, trying to not get too wet before his umbrella shields me. We approach what looks like a very upset Larry, who's standing under an umbrella, just finishing a conversation on the phone. He looks up warily when he sees us approaching and hangs up, lowering the phone. "Hello… You're uh- back early." I can see he's not that happy to see us this time. "Yeah, we uhh, we just drove in. Wanted to take another look at the neighborhood." Dean explains, glancing around him slightly. "What's going on?" Sam asks him. Larry lets out a slight sigh, shaking his head shortly. He looks sad and overwhelmed. He slowly glances backwards, where the body bag is being loaded into the black car carefully. "You guys met, uh, Lynda Bloome at the barbeque?" Sam nods in recognition. "The realtor." Larry nods slowly. "Well, she uh… passed away last night." All three of us raise our eyebrows. I swallow, we literally spoke to her yesterday. "What happened?" Dean asks incredulously. Larry shrugs sadly. "I'm still trying to find out. Identified the body for the police." He explains, glancing backwards in sorrow. A policeman standing in the front door of Lynda's house is motioning for him to come. "Look, I- I'm sorry, this isn't a good time now." He glances back at us apologetically. "Hey, it's okay." I tell him reassuringly, scooting a little closer to Dean to stay dry under his umbrella. "Excuse me." Larry walks towards the house, leaving us behind. Dean and Sam glance at each other knowingly. "You know what we have to do, right?" Sam gives him a nod. "Yeah, get in that house." I glance up at him. "See if we have a bug problem there, too." I conclude. Dean puts a hand on my shoulder and we all turn around. "Around back!" Sam hushes, and we casually stroll around the block. "We can't all go." Dean says as we approach the fence to Lynda's garden. "Three is way too obvious." Sam agrees, glancing down at me. "She's tinier, easier to hide and easier to get into small spaces. I'm taking her." He then concludes, giving me a cheeky wink. "Hey, I'm not…" Dean's about to protest, but Sam pushes his umbrella into his hands and grabs my arm, dragging me towards the fence. "Teaching moment, Dean. She needs the training." Sam is way too happy with himself, as he throws a bright grin back at his brother. Dean watches in annoyance, how he puts his hands together and motions for me to put my foot in it. I glance at the fence. I could probably get over the fence without his help, but his way is faster. I place my foot in his hands and within seconds, he literally throws me into the air, up the fence. I grab the top of the fence and land on top of it. I throw an excited grin down to Dean, who is looking at me with wide eyes. "See ya." I chuckle, before jumping onto the side of the house, holding myself up on the wooden pillars. I can see Sam is right behind me and I climb towards the window, sliding it open. I roll myself inside and land on both feet. I move aside, Sam slides through the window only a second later. "You are better at climbing than I thought." He praises me with a laugh, landing on the floor. I grin widely at him.

Sam and me both stand up and glance around the room we've arrived in. It's the crime scene, that's for sure. Sam's standing right in front of the drawing of the body on the floor, made with black tape. There's a shoe right next to it. There are very clear signs of a struggle. "Well, guess this is the place." Sam hushes at me, stepping over the tape and into the bathroom. The shower has been completely shattered, glass all across the floor. A white towel lying in the midst of it. "No kidding." I huff at him. Goosebumps have appeared on my skin as I glance around the room, not yet moving. "Come on." Sam beckons me, kneeling down next to the towel. The glass breaking under his feet. I scoot a little closer and watch as he slowly lifts the towel. I keep myself from jolting backwards just in time, when a bunch of dead spiders suddenly fall from the towel on the floor. "Eeeeew… oh god, ew…" I scrunch up my face. "Spiders…" Sam concludes, glancing back up at me. "Hmmm, they didn't all just arrive here and kill that woman, I assume. You think it's from that dude? With the big spider?" I ask Sam, shivering at just the thought of spiders having crawled all over that poor woman. "Matt." Sam corrects me deliberately, clearly annoyed I did not call him by his name. Then his face softens. "Maybe…" He glances back down, before standing back up. "Come on, let's get out of here." He grabs my arm as he walks past me, back towards the window. "We don't need to look at anything else?" I ask him incredulously. Sam turns around with a chuckle. "That's all for the police, honey. We don't do that. We look for the information we need and then get out. It would be a waste of time to check this whole room, while we found the biggest clue right there." He explains to me, pointing at the dead spiders in the bathroom. "But if you want to, by all means…" He grins at me, before sticking his torso out of the window, starting to climb back outside. "No, no thanks." I take one last look at the spiders, shiver at the thought of them killing that woman, and then quickly go after Sam. We both climb back down, the same way as we came. Sam lands next to a surprised Dean, who's still standing there with the two umbrella's. "C'me here." Sam looks up at me as I crouch on top of the high fence. He sticks his hands out and without thinking about it, I let myself fall over. I topple down, right into his arms. He catches me. He puts me on the ground like I weigh nothing, and then looks at Dean. Dean's staring at us in annoyance. "That was fast." He exclaims, motioning with his head to the house. "Yeah, well… more bugs." Sam tells him. Dean groans, shaking his head. "More bugs." He repeats miserably, handing the umbrella back to Sam. "Yeah, bunch of spiders this time. Might be from the kid… Matt…" I correct myself, when I see Sam's glare. Dean smirks. "Would have loved to see your face." He whispers under his breath. I ignore him and simply follow them back to the impala. "We need to get to the kid." Dean announces, unlocking the car and getting inside. Sam is quick to find out which school he goes to and we make our way over there. The school bus has just pulled up when we arrive and are parked on the side of the road. All of us watch with interest as Matt approaches, then walks around the school bus and crosses the street. "Isn't his house that way?" Dean comments drily, pointing his thumb into the direction we just came from. "Yup." Sam confirms just as drily, watching Matt reach the other side of the road. "Where the hell is he going?" I ponder with a frown. Matt just reached a few steps going down, and he takes them, slowly disappearing out of sight. Sam and Dean let out a sigh in unison, before Dean shuts off the car. They both exit. "Where are we going?" I question, quickly following their lead. "As I said, we need to get to that kid." Dean repeats slowly. He throws Sam a knowing look, before they initiate a walk to follow the kid.

We cross the street and take those steps down, just like Matt did. We enter an area filled with trees. A park, but looking a lot like a forest. It's muddy, the air thick. We follow the path and soon I see the boy in the distance, standing next to a rather large tree. "What is he doing?" I whisper in confusion, ducking under a heavy branch. "Let's find out." Is Sam's short reply.

"Hey, Matt." He calls out, when we get closer to him. The boy jolts, before quickly turning around. There is a large praying mantis on his hand. "Remember me?" Sam initiates further contact, while pushing his hands into his jacket. Matt's face is filled with surprise, as he glances at each of us. "What are you doin' out here?" He questions, still holding up the hand with the insect. "Well, we want to talk to ya." Dean shrugs his shoulders, grinning slightly at the kid. Matt glances at me and something dawns on his face. "You're not here to buy a house, are you?" He questions in a lower tone. We all stay silent. My glance stays on his hand, where the bug is moving. It's not doing anything, but I hate the way it moves. I hate the way it looks. "You're not here to abduct me, right?" The boy laughs, slightly nervous. Dean chuckles, while Sam shakes his head. "No, no. I think you're safe." He comments, amusement in his tone. "You wouldn't fit in our car anyways." I add drily, raising my eyebrows at him. He flashes me a slight grin at that comment.

"So, Matt…" Dean clears his throat, before continuing. "You sure know a lot about insects." He glances at the bug on Matt's hand. Matt glances at it as well, before shrugging. "So?" He questions. "Do you know what happened to Linda? The realtor?" Dean continues, a knowing look in his eyes. Matt glances down a second, slowly nodding. "I heard she died this morning." He confesses. "Mmm, that's right. Spider bites…" Dean whispers that last part, slightly challenging the kid. Sam glances back at him, slightly annoyed, before taking over. "Matt, you tried to scare her with a spider…" He directly confronts the kid. Matt turns his attention towards him, before he realizes he's being accused. "Wait… You think I had something to do with that?" His eyes grow slightly wide. "Well, you tell us." I lean my head to the side and stare at him, silently challenging him to tell us he did. "Hey, no! That tarantula was a joke." I scrunch up my face as the memory of that spider comes back to haunt me. "Anyway, that wouldn't explain the bee attack or the gas company guy." He then adds. I frown. That's an odd response. Sam and Dean also caught on, their postures slightly changes. "You know about those?" Sam questions, straightening his back. "There is something going on here. I don't know what, but… Something's happening with the insects." The boy looks back down to his hand. "Let me show you something." He starts, before bending down and putting the praying mantis back on the branch. He heaves his bag across his shoulder, before walking away. Initiating for us to follow him. I feel slightly uncomfortable to do so. I'm pretty sure he's just going to lead us to more insects. We follow him regardless. "So, if you knew about all this bug stuff, why not tell your dad?" Sam asks. "Yeah, maybe then he could clear everyone out and it would stop." I join in, glancing sideways at the kid. He glances back with an exasperated sigh. "Believe me, I've tried. But uh, Larry doesn't listen to me." I frown. "Why not?" Sam continues. I shake my head shortly. This kid just called his dad by his first name. That's a sign. I've never heard anyone around me do that. "Mostly? Because he's too disappointed in his freak son." Matt answers. Sam scoffs, glancing forward. "I hear ya." He mutters quietly. The tension changes. "You do?" Dean asks Sam, his attention now on his little brother. Sam slowly turns backwards to glance at him, his face tense. I decide to change the subject, quickly. "Matt, how old are you?" I ask him. He turns to me. "Sixteen." He says drily. Same age as me. "Well, don't sweat it. Cause in two years, something great's going to happen." Sam overtakes me. Matt scoffs, glancing at him. "What?" He asks incredulously. "College." Sam nods at him with a knowing glance. "College. You'll be able to get out of that house and away from your dad." He finishes, his face contorted. I stop walking in surprise, Dean almost collides with me. "What kind of advice is that? The kid should stick with his family." Dean states, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and continuing to walk. Maybe to emphasize his words, maybe just because he almost bumped into me. I don't know, but the tension is getting heavier and I am pretty sure no one is talking about the kid anymore. Sam doesn't react to that statement, at least not that I can see. Until he stops and lets out a deep sigh, turning around halfway to Dean and me. He looks like he's about to say something, frustration clear in his eyes. Dean stares right back at him, determination in his. "How much further, Matt?" I ask the kid, my voice slightly higher than usual. "We're close." He promises me, before continuing to lead the way. Sam and Dean keep staring at each other for a few more tense seconds. "Stop." I hiss at them angrily, before pushing Dean's arm from my shoulder and following the boy. I am not about to get into family drama, the kid's right there for crying out loud.

A few steps further and that's when I hear it. Buzzing. A lot of it. Like a low rumbling sound in my ear. Continuous. I'm slightly nervous to walk any further, but Matt stops a few feet away from me. He turns around to us. "I've been keeping track of insect populations. It's, um, part of an AP science class." I scrunch up my face, suddenly very happy I'm not going to any physical lessons and do not have to keep myself busy with something like that. "You two are like peas in a pod." Dean comments drily and when I glance at him, I see his eyebrows are raised. Sam only slightly reacts to it, glancing back at Matt. "What's been happening?" He asks. "Well, a lot." Matt glances at the clearing in front of us. "From bees to earthworms, beetles… you name it. It's like they're congregating here." We all stare at the clearing, that's literally buzzing with insects. "Why?" Dean asks. "I don't know." Matt answers shortly. Sam's eyes stop moving when they glance across a larger pile in the clearing. Like a tiny hill, grass and moss growing on it. "What's that?" He asks. Matt seems hesitant, as he also looks at it, not quite sure. Dean glances from Sam, to Matt, before shrugging and stepping into the clearing. "Dean, don't!" I hiss, but Sam and Matt are already following him. I do not trust this one bit. Everywhere around my are insects, so I decide to just simply stay back and watch.

The three of them approach the pile and Dean walks on top of it. He kicks into something, before crouching down and grabbing a stick. Too curious for my own good, I run towards them. The pile comes into my view and on the top, it's just straight black. Black, with worms fidgeting and crawling all over each other. "Ugh." I scrunch up my face and hold my breath, as I watch Dean poke a stick into the black hole at the top. The stick hits something and makes a hollow kind of noise. Dean looks back at Sam meaningfully. "There's something down there." He turns back around and glances at the hole. "Ah, crap." He mutters under his breath, before sticking his hand in there. I take a slight step back, my glance lingering on the piles of worms. It simply looks disgusting. Dean takes ahold of something and slowly starts pulling it up. A skull, covered in dirt and worms, appears from inside the hole. A human skull, that's for sure. "Ahh, man." I put my hand in front of my mouth, a sudden sour taste in my mouth. Dean glances back at Sam, the skull still in his hand. "We need to get these to someone." Sam crouches down as well, glancing at the skull.

"Puppy, take Matt back to the road, please. I'm sure his father's looking for him by now." Dean turns his head to me. I happily agree. "Oh, and then please bring the carton box from the car. Here." Dean ruffles in his pockets, before handing me the keys to the car. I let out a deep sigh, taking them from him. I'm not sure what they're going to do, but I do not want to dig my hands into a pile filled with worms, searching for the body that belongs to that human skull.

"Come on." I motion to Matt, before stalking back towards the woods. "Crazy, huh… Do you think there's more down there?" Matt asks me, looking very intrigued. "I have no clue, but we'll rap this up, Matt. No worries. We'll bring those to the police." I'm straight up lying to him, but he doesn't have to be more involved then he already is. It's safer for him not to be.

Matt and I walk back to the street. I can see he's really not excited to go back home. The closer we get to the road, the more he starts fidgeting and glancing around. "Hey, I'm sorry you and your dad are not doing well." I tell him in all honesty, climbing back up the stairs. Matt gives me a surprised look. "I mean, I can only imagine how bad that can suck." I glance at him, giving him my friendliest smile. "Thanks…" He mutters, clearly taken off guard. "Oh, and thanks for showing us!" I put my hand on his shoulder for a moment, before crossing the road and heading towards the impala. I retrieve the box Dean had been talking about, from the trunk. I'm not sure what my brothers are planning, but I guess this also is hunting. Digging skulls out of unmarked graves and dragging them along in boxes.

When I turn back, Matt is still standing on the sidewalk. His eyes on me and my box. I shake my head shortly, before crossing the road. "Go home, Matt." I tell him softly, nodding my head at him. "I can help?" He questions, glancing at the box. "Thanks, but three of us are already looking at it. Four will just be too much." I explain patiently. "How old are you?" He then asks me, out of the blue. "Sixteen." I answer him shortly. He raises his eyebrows. "Shouldn't you be in school, or something?" He genuinely looks confused. I smirk. "Go home, Matt." I simply repeat, tightening my grip around the box and descending back down the stairs, leading into the forest. Leaving Matt behind.

Thankfully, I'm good with directions and have found the clearing in no time. I can hear my brother's voices as I come closer. "Another one." I hear Dean call out. I start jogging and reach the clearing. Both of them are still near the pile, but two skulls are lying next to it now. "You found more?" I call out to them, making my way across. "Yup. And there's another one in here, for sure." Sam explains, motioning for me to come to him. He grabs the box from me and gently puts the two skulls in there. "Here." Dean pants, lifting a third one out of the pile. "Found any other bones?" I ask him, crouching down and glancing into the dark hole swiftly. "No, nothing else. Just heads." He tells me, grabbing the stick and poking it back into the hole. "Weird." I conclude.

No more skulls are found in the hole and we leave the clearing with a box with just three of them. It's a weird walk back, since Sam is carrying a box with literally skulls inside. It makes me nervous.

"So… A bunch of skeletons in an unmarked grave." Sam mutters, glancing down at the box. "Yeah. Maybe this is a haunting. Some pissed off spirits with some unfinished business?" Dean answers, glancing sideways. "Maybe… As in the spirits from these skeletons?" I ask him. That doesn't sit right with me, but who knows. "Question remains, why bugs?" Sam looks down at me. "And why now." I nod my head.

We reach the car safely and Sam places the box on the backseat. "We don't have tools to examine these skulls." Dean says, glancing at the box. "Well, these are school grounds, right? Maybe there's a department here or, I don't know, even a science class where we could do some experimenting." I suggest with a shrug. "No way in hell I'm going back to science class." Dean jokes. Sam, however, is already busy and soon on the phone with some department close by. He acts his way through it expertly and then proudly informs us we have an appointment in about an hour.

Dean uses the remaining time to get us some lunch and we eat outside, on top of the car. "I mean, come on, Skye. What would you rather have. Be in a stupid house right now, having formal conversations while eating God knows what? Or here?" He motions to the car, himself and Sam with a happy smile. I grin back at him. "Dean, I don't think the impala is more comfortable then a chair." I tell him. He rolls his eyes, waving that argument away. Dean and I continue to bicker and compare the situations. Sam stays out. He stays quiet. I try not to worry too much about it. Dean has noticed it too and cuts right to the chase.

"Hey. So, with that kid back there. Why did you tell him to just ditch his family like that?" He glances at Sam with a determined look on his face. Sam is quick to react. "Just, uh… I know what the kid's going through." He looks back at Dean with the same determination. I suppress a groan when I see Dean's face. "How about telling him to respect his old man, huh? How about that advice?" Dean raises his eyebrows. Sam actually laughs, shaking his head. He's about to answer, but I interrupt him. "Guys, can we just at least recognize that this is so not about that kid? But about us and dad? Or rather, you guys and dad?" I glance to both of them. Sam points his finger at me. "She's right. You think I didn't respect dad. That's what this is about." Dean glances sideways, an annoyed expression on his face. "Just forget it, alright. Sorry I brought it up." He mutters, making a move to stand up. "I respected him." Sam continues stubbornly. Dean sits back down, his eyebrows still raised. "But, no matter what I did… It was never good enough." Sam finishes, his eyes shining with sarcasm. And sadness. "So what are you saying? Huh? That dad was disappointed in you?" Dean asks, still looking tired and frustrated. "Was? Huh… Is." Sam retaliates. "Always has been." I shake my head. "No, Sam. That's not true." I try to tell him. "Why would you think that?" Dean raises his voice a little, more frustration spilling out. "Because I didn't want to bow hunt or hustle pool, because I wanted to go to school and live my life. Which, in our whacked up family, made me the freak." Sam puts his finger right on the truth and stares into Dean's eyes. "You can have mine, if you give me yours." I mutter sarcastically, the irony of it just too amusing. "What?" Dean glances at me. "He wants the normal life that dad's trying to force me into." I copy Sam and blatantly tell him the truth. Dean rolls his eyes and ignores that completely, looking back at Sam. "You are kind of like the blind chick in the Munsters." He huffs, slightly smirking. Sam isn't laughing, though. "Dean." He starts, dead serious. "You know what most dads are when their kids score a full ride? Proud. Most dads don't toss their kids out of the house." He finishes, clearly talking about the horrible fight that happened those years back when he chose to go to Stanford. "I remember that fight." Dean nods. "In fact, I seem to recall a few choice phrases comin' out of your mouth." He stares Sam dad in the eyes. Sam stares back, clearly taken aback by that statement. He glances sideways, shortly nodding his head and huffing. "That's not fair." I point out to Dean. I'm surprised myself, I didn't think Dean would ever talk about that night ever again. "Yes, it is." Dean shots me down. "You know…" Sam starts with a shake of his head, before glancing back at his brother. "Truth is. When we finally do find dad, I don't know if he's even going to wanna see me." He smiles one of the saddest smiles I've ever seen on his face. It's making my heart ache. This whole conversation is making my heart ache. "Can we stop?" I mutter, already knowing I'll be ignored. "Can this stop? Cause this is just crap. You're both talking crap." I glance up at Dean first, who's still staring at Sam after that last statement. "This is not crap, what I'm about to say now." He puts a hand on my shoulder, although his fist is clenched. He seems to be contorted. "Sam, dad was never disappointed in you. Never." He starts. Sam heaves his eyes to the sky, clearly not believing one word. "He was scared." Sam raises his eyebrows. "What the hell are you talking about?" He questions, now just looking hurt. "He was afraid of what could have happened to you, if he wasn't around." He now turns to me. "That's also why you are still with me and he kept such a close eye on you." He seems almost angry as he says that to me. Then he turns back to Sam. "But even when you two weren't talking, he used to swing by Stanford whenever he could. Keep an eye on ya, make sure you were safe." Sam's eyes have widened, and so have mine. "What?" He questions. Dean nods, a sad look appearing in his eyes. "Yeah." He just huffs. I keep looking at him. Even I didn't know that. I was there during the fight, but even I didn't know dad did that. Sam clenches his jaws. That information clearly hit him. "Why didn't he tell me any of that?" He asks, his tone heavier than before. Dean inhales deeply. "Well, it's a two wat street, dude. You could have picked up the phone." Sam sadly stared back at him, glancing down after a few tense seconds.

Dean stands up, marking the end of that conversation. "Come on, we're going to be late for our appointment." He mutters, grabbing my arm and helping me off the hood of the impala. I stay silent too, climbing back into the passenger's seat. Dean starts the car, waiting for Sam to recollect himself and step inside. The silence is heavy, during the short ride towards campus. Dean eventually puts rock music on, when he can no longer bare it.

We arrive at a large building and make our way inside. Sam has covered the box with his jacket. No one needs to see that. A professor literally takes the box from us and takes his time examining them, while we are told to wait in the lecture room. We do so in silence. I make sure not to sit next to both of them, not wanting to make any mistakes and make one of them think I'm choosing a side. That's gotten me into very nasty situations before, whenever my brothers would argue or fight.

We all three eagerly jump up, when the professor returns. "So, you three are students?" He asks, entering the room with the box under his arm. "Yeah." Sam answers enthusiastically. "Yeah, we're uh… we're in your class." Sam raises his hands, to exaggerate his point. "Anthro 101." I nod, completely making that up. "Oh, yeah." The professor looks at me. It's quite an old guy, I'm sure even he doesn't know how many classes he teaches. "So… What about the bones, professor?" Dean points at the box the professor put on his desk. He glances down at it with his eyebrows raised. "Well, this is quite an interesting find you have made. I'd say they're about a hundred and seventy years old, give or take." Dean and I simultaneously raise our eyebrows. "Timeframe and the geography heavily suggest native-American." He glances at Sam, as he gives him the information. "Were there any tribes or reservations on that land?" Sam asks with a frown. "Not according to the historical record. But, uh…" He looks kind of awkward, as he continues. "The relocation of native peoples was quite common at that time." Dean glances down with a swift nod. "Right." Sam turns back to the professor. "Well, were there any local legends?" He asks. "Yeah, like oral histories or other stories around this area?" I try to help the professor along. The professor looks at me, before bringing his hand to his beard. "Well…" He starts pondering. "You know, there's a Euchee tribe in Sapulpa. It's about sixty miles from here. Someone out there might know the truth." Dean smirks, before glancing at Sam. "All right." He mutters. We have a heading again. And a good one.

We exit the building, the tension all but gone. Different worries and ideas stuck in our minds. For me, however, it's the end of this journey. At least for today. I need to study and Dean is not afraid to remind me of that, as we get back in the car. He's very surprised, when I don't really protest, like I normally do. I have spoken to and interrogated enough people for today. "You think you can get back into that house we slept in last night?" Dean challenges me, driving off into that direction. "Obviously." I mutter. "Gives you a chance to practice your breaking in skills." Sam chuckles slowly. "The house is literally open." I remind him, which shuts his chuckles back down. "Hey… If I go and study like a good student who definitely wants to pass the exams, will you take me out shooting again tonight?" I batt my eyelashes at Dean. He glances at me through the review mirror. He laughs, but then shortly nods. "I uh… I could take you out too, you know?" Sam's voice has a weird kind of tone to it, as he interferes into the conversation. "Of course you can." I instantly react, trying to ignore the sting of guilt entering my heart. "You know, that's an even better idea. Then I can do some things of my own." Dean happily answers, giving me a friendly wink through the review mirror. "She's gettin a lot better, but you need to stay away from her when she pulls the trigger. She once nearly shot me, her aim can still use some work." Dean says directly to Sam, a large grin on his face. "He's exaggerating. I didn't even have the gun aimed in your direction." I instantly protest, a large smile spreading out on my face. Sam chuckles. "Well, good to know. I'll help you with your aim." He turns around to me slightly, excitement forming in his eyes. I smile back at him, but the guilt is very present. I've been shooting and practicing with Dean, since that first shooting lesson a few weeks back. Mostly that's just how it goes. Sam'll be busy with research or other things and Dean will randomly say; "Grab your coat, let's move." But, now that I think about it. It has just been Dean, taking me out to shoot.

My brothers drop my off at the house and drive off instantly. I watch them leave, before carefully checking the street. No one in sight, thankfully. I sneak my way around back and try the back door. Open. Not surprising, but still a little weird. The house looks just like we left it. The first thing I do, is grab my sweats and a towel from my bag and take the longest shower ever. Now that we can, why not? I do eventually have to get to studying. I've been slacking, I know I have. The exams are not long now and I need to get on that. Things like science and math are just not something I find fun to do. Chasing down the bad guys, is fun to do. I guess I also do not really see the point in passing my exams, when I'll hunt the rest of my life anyways. What do I need mathematics for then? However, I do know dad will beat me into my grave, if I don't pass. His dream bubble of his little girl becoming a normal person, will burst and he will not be happy about it.

I nestle on the couch after my long shower, ignoring my growling stomach. I'm sure Dean will bring back something to eat later. I dive into math and try to focus best I can. Outside, it's slowly getting dark. The evening is approaching. I am rudely interrupted, when my phone rings. It's Sam.

"Yeah?" I answer. "You need to go to Larry's house right now, Skye." His tone is urgent. Very urgent. "What? Why?" I let my math book fall on the couch and sit up. "We spoke to a native man, Joe White Tree. Larry build his houses in a cursed Valley." Is his short explanation. "Cursed?" I stand up from the couch, dashing to my bag. "Yes. Apparently some two hundred years ago, a band of native-Americans lived in the valley. The calvary wanted to relocate them, but they did not want to go. The calvary murdered everyone, so the chief cursed the lands and spoke that no white man would ever live on the valley land again. That nature would protect it." I let out a small gasp. "Insects." I whisper into the phone. "Yes. In six days, during this time of year, nature will protect the land. Tonight it's the sixth night." I reach for my jeans and shake my head. "How the hell do we break a curse?" I ask urgently, putting the phone on speaker and laying it on the table. "You don't, Skye. You get out of its way. We need to get everyone out of there." I can hear Dean's voice in the background. The roar of the impala covers half of that, but I understood it. "Get yourself and these people out!" Sam's voice is filled with concern. "What the hell do I say to them?" I cry out, changing back into my jeans. "Anything that'll get them out!" Dean yells in frustration. "I can get to Max!" I yell back, throwing my jacket on. "Yes! Get to him, he'll work with us! Go, now!" I give the phone an understanding nod, before hanging up and sprinting out of the house with my bag. They're counting on me now, I need to come through.

Heavily panting, I reach the front steps of Matt's house. I ring the doorbell and impatiently wait. Larry is the one who opens it, looking very relaxed. If he only knew. "Hello, sir! I was wondering… Is Matt home?" I try to get my breathing back under control, trying to seem innocent and not panicked. "Oh, hi! Uh, do you know my son?" He looks at me with slight suspicion, lingering in the door. I'm glad I did not use a gas leak as an excuse, he would have never believed me. "Well, I'll be transferring to his high school and it would be nice to have a friend, before I go in there alone." I make up, right on the spot. Larry gives me a sympathetic glance, opening the door further. "I can understand that. Wait here, I'll see where he is!" Larry disappears and I stare into the empty hallway. I nervously glance around. There are no bugs in sight… Yet…

Larry comes back with Matt, who seems to be upset about something. He looks off. "I'll leave you two to it, then." Larry gives me a weird look, before walking back towards his living room. "Skye, my backyard is crawling with bugs." Matt whispers to me, instantly telling me why he's worried. "I know, I know! Matt, we need to get your family out of the house. Right now." I tell him urgently, putting a hand on his shoulder. "What? Why?" His eyes widen as he looks at me. For a second I hesitate. Do I tell him about the curse? I decide to take the middle road. "Something's coming and it's coming fast." I hiss, my eyes flashing around me. "More bugs." He concludes for himself, instantly understanding. "Yes, yes!" Delighted he understood so fast, I squeeze his shoulder. "We need to get your dad and mom out! Now." I repeat to him. "How? What the hell am I going to tell him? He never listens to me!" Matt looks at me, fear in his eyes. I'm not sure it's fear for the bugs, or his father, but it's there. "Okay, we can just make something up. You fake a stomach pain, so bad he'll have to take you to the hospital!" I hiss at him. The fear in his eyes disappears. "I can do that!" He nods, before storming back inside with his hand clutched to his stomach. Leaving me behind on the porch, with the door wide open. "Matt? Matt, what is it?" I hear a woman's voice, filled with concern. I hear some more commotion and just want to step inside to go look, when the door flies open and Larry comes stalking out, Matt right behind him. "Why the hell would you make that up?" He asks, his voice raised and filled with anger. "No, dad! I'm serious." Matt protests, seeming at loss of what to do. "You'd not be able to walk, if your pain was as severe as you just told me." Larry shoots him down in an instant. "Mister Pike!" I call out to him, instantly getting his attention. "Did you put him up to this?" He reacts just as angry, pointing a finger at me accusingly. "Mister Pike, please. You need to listen! You, your wife and Matt need to get out of the house! Now!" I try to sound as urgent as I can. This man needs a whole lot of motivation, that's clear. "Why would we need to do that? Huh?" Larry is getting angrier, I can see that. "Who are you, to tell me to get out of my house?" He takes a step closer to me. "Mister Pike, this night everyone in this valley will be attacked by something, okay? Just please, you need to listen to me!" I start to become frustrated, not knowing how I can get this man to listen to me. He's about to go off on me, when I hear the roaring of the impala in the distance. It's coming closer, fast. Thank god, they made it. Larry watches with me, how the impala skids to a halt in front of his house and both my brothers jump out. More fuel to Larry's fire. "If you don't get off my property now, I will call the cops. What is this? Some kind of sick joke?" Larry points his finger right at Dean. Dean doesn't react, but simply grabs my arm and yanks me towards him, taking on a very protective stance. "Why the hell are you guys still here?" He hisses at me, a little judgmental. "Do you see that man? You try and get him out." I hiss back. Sam takes over the conversation. "Look, it's 12:00 a.m. They're coming any minute now. You need to get your family, and go! Before it's too late." Larry raises his eyebrows. "Yeah, you mean before the biblical swarm!" He replies in full sarcasm. "Larry, what do you think really happened to that realtor, huh? And the gas company guy? You don't think something weird is going on around here?" Dean raises both his hands in the air. Larry's eyes grow darker. "Look, I don't know who you are, but you're crazy! You come near my boy or my family again, we're going to have a problem!" He points another angry finger right at Dean's chest. "Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is a problem right now! In your own backyard!" I yell out from beside Dean, getting pissed off at how the guy is treating us. I can see more and more, why Matt has problems with him. "Dad, she's right! I think we're in danger!" Larry turns around to his son, fuming. "Matt! Get inside." He screams at him. "No!" Matt yells back, but is overpowered. "Now!" I can see a change in Matt's eyes, right then and there. "Why won't you listen to me?" He raises his own voice higher. "Because this is crazy, it doesn't make any sense!" Larry yells back, pointing back at us. "Look, this land is cursed. People have died here, now are you really taking that risk with your family?" Sam seems just as angry now.

"Wait." I mutter softly. Something has caught my attention. A low, buzzing sound. The same kind of buzzing I heard at the clearing where we were with Matt. Dean puts a hand in the air. "Do you hear it?" He questions Larry, catching onto my trail. Larry raises his eyebrows slightly and leans his head to the side, clearly listening for the first time since this conversation happened. He looks up, clearly very confused. "What the hell?" He mutters, more to himself. A loud electrical noise catches our attention and I glance to the left. The blue lamp, hanging by the side of the house, is flickering and bugs are hitting the light, giving off sparks. "All right, it's time to go. Larry, get your wife." Dean mutters, glaring at Larry. "Yeah…" The man mutters softly, before turning around and running into the house. "Guys!" Matt lets out a panicked noise, glancing to the right. Larry stops and follows his glance. So do I, but I wish I hadn't. Hundreds upon hundreds of flying bugs are appearing above the trees in a big, black swarm. My heart stops beating for a second. Only now do I realize what this actually means and that my worst nightmare might come true in just a few seconds. "Dean!" I hiss in panic, tugging on his leather jacket. "O my god." Larry whispers, completely flabbergasted. "We'll never make it." Sam hisses, eying Dean. "Everybody in the house. Everybody in the house! Go!" As Dean yells, the light next to the door almost but explodes with how many bugs are flying into it. It's a terrifying sight. I fall into a sprint and follow everyone into the house quickly. Dean closes the door, as Sam turns to a very distraught Larry. "Is there anyone else in the neighborhood?" He asks. "No, it's just us." Larry pants, turning around when he hears his wife's footsteps coming from the living room. "Honey, what's happening?" She asks in concern, before heaving her head up and glancing around. "What's that noise?" No one answers her, as we all listen to the commotion that's happening outside. "Call 911!" Sam says to her, having no time to explain. I turn around and jolt, when something bangs against the closed door. "Crap!" I curse, putting a quick step back. "JOANIE!" Larry yells, snapping his wife out of her trance. "Okay!" She whispers, before quickly starting to move. I keep staring at the door. This house will never be able to keep them out. Not with how many they are. "I need towels!" I hear Dean mutter hastily, letting Larry lead the way to wherever he keeps the towels. Sam grabs my shoulder and at the same time, Matt's arm. "We need to lock this place up, come on…" He pushes both of us towards the stairs. "Doors, windows, fireplace, everything, okay?" He yells as we sprint up the stairs. "Phones are dead." I hear Joanie mutter in panic. "They chewed through the phone lines." Dean concludes. The rest I cannot hear anymore. I race into the first room I see and turn on the lights. I dash towards the windows and check if they're locked and secured. That's when the light flickers. I stare up at it in terror, before darkness surrounds me. "Crap!" I whisper, turning back around. Real panic is starting to settle in, which is the reason for my scream, when bugs literally trash against the window. It makes a sound like heavy rain. "Get back!" I hear Sam yell from the hallway and I bolt out of the room. Together we race back downstairs, we're too late. Doom is already settling in.

Dean, Larry and Joanie are standing in the living room, all staring at the windows. The sound is so loud. Joanie cradles Matt as soon as he's within her reach. "What do we do?" I whisper, reaching for Dean. The windows are slowly turning darker, simply because hundreds of bugs are crawling over them in every space there is. It looks like bees, but I cannot be sure. It's too dark.

"What do we do now?" Larry repeats my question, glancing at Sam. "We try to outlast it. Hopefully, the curse will end at sunrise." He answers, his voice calm and collected. "Hopefully?" Larry yells, his eyes widening. "Come on." Dean mutters to me, before leading the way towards the kitchen. "What exterminates bugs?" He asks me urgently. "Chemicals… Or some kind of bug spray." I answer quickly, entering the kitchen after him. "Search." He orders. I instantly run towards the cabinets and start pulling them open. Bug spray might be able to save our lives right now. The only resource that could. "Here! Here." Dean hushes, crouching down in front of the cabinet under the sink. He reaches inside and pulls out a large, black flask. "Any more?" I ask, but he shortly shakes his head. "Come on." We both make our way back to the living room. Dean stalks towards Sam and shows the can to him. Joanie sees it too. "Bug spray?" She questions, her tone filled with disbelief. "Trust me." Dean tells her firmly. Exactly at that moment, the floor boards start to creak, adding to the noise coming from the windows. I look down with a gasp. "What is that?" Matt asks in panic, moving even closer to his mother. No one answers, as another rumbling sound coming from the fireplace joins into the mix. Sam takes a few steps forward, slowly approaching it. Dean's right on his tail. "The flue." Sam mutters, his gaze fixed on the fireplace. The noise is becoming louder with the second. I let out a quivering breath. We're about to be overrun. I can feel it.

"All right, I think everybody needs to get upstairs…" Dean cannot even finish his sentence. The fireplace bursts and hundreds of insects fly into the living room. Within seconds, they surround us, the buzzing now so loud I can hardly hear anything. I scream, swatting my hands around me in an attempt to keep them from touching me. Terror fills my lungs, my heart racing. "Everybody get UPSTAIRS! NOW!" I can hear Dean's yell coming from somewhere around me. I dare to open my eyes and see he's spraying the bug spray all around us, fire erupting from the can. "Go, go, go! GO!" I flash my head to the left and can make out the stairs not far from me. I burst out in a run, keeping my arms to my face in a desperate attempt to protect myself. I'm sure bugs are already crawling over me, I can feel them. The rest is right behind me and we race up the stairs. Panic ensues, everyone screams and yells. Dean's trying to keep the bugs from following with his spray, but it's useless. Ten million bugs against one can. I sprint up the second staircase, everyone spurring me on to get as high as we possibly can. "Go!" Larry passes me and pulls a cord hanging from the ceiling. A ladder drops down right at my feet. Without hesitating, I start climbing towards the attic as fast as I can. "Close it! CLOSE IT!" Sam yells from somewhere behind me. I swirl around and see how he falls down next to the hole, grabbing the cord. Dean tries to fight off anything that wants to join us up here with his spray, until Sam manages to close the entrance to the attic. A sort weird calmness falls over us and I bend forward, trying to get my breathing back under control. We're not off the hook, this is just the calm before the storm. On cue, dust comes falling down from the roof, covering me in it. Everyone glances up, the buzzing sound getting louder and louder in the background. "Oh, God, what's that?" Joanie moans, her face filled with terror as she glances up, cradling Matt to her chest. Dean comes closer to us, glancing up as well. "Something's eating through the wood." He mutters. "Termites." Matt whispers from behind his parents, in the corner of the attic. "Get back! We all need to get back!" I call out, stepping forward and grabbing Sam's arm, pulling him back towards the wall. "Get back!" Dean repeats after me, pointing towards the corners of the attic. Larry, his wife and Matt quickly start to move even further back. With wide eyes, I stare at the wooden roof above us. The gnawing noises become louder and literal holes start to appear in the wood. I brace myself.

The wood bursts. Once again, hundreds upon hundreds of bees swarm into the little attic. I can hear screams coming from my left and right. I duck, hiding my face. I feel the insects all around me. Dean yells out in frustration, before pointing his can at the swarm and spraying at them. It only makes them madder. Sam and Dean start moving around in panic. We have to clog the hole. For a few seconds I do not know what to do. I just stand there, frozen in my spot as the swarm entering the attic gets larger with the second. Then, my eyes focus on Matt. He's staring at the swarm, eyes wide and filled with terror. And I remember. I remember why this is what I wanted to do. To protect. To save.

I spring into action instantly, searching around for something that could clog the hole in the roof. Trying to ignore the bees as best I can. I know they're on me. I have felt a few stings already. I know I'm just as terrified as Matt is. But I signed up for this, he did not.

"Here!" I jump towards Dean with a wide board in my hand. He takes it from me instantly, as Sam approaches with a large wooden stick. "You got it?" He grunts through his raged breathing. "Yeah." Dean calls back, before slamming the board onto the hole. "Go, go, go!" I yell at them. Sam tries to make it stuck with the stick. It seems the work for just a second. However, a second hole across from us breaks through the roof and bees are swarming inside. I hear Joanie scream. It's useless. Nothing we do can stop this from happening. I let out a scream of terror myself. Sam grabs me and hides me behind him, as Dean sprays at the new swarm entering the attic. The situation seems hopeless. More stings, I can feel them on my back. The thought that these beasts are inside my clothes, makes me mad with fear. I start jumping up and down, slapping at my own body in hopes of killing them or at least getting them out. The hole we just clogged up, breaks back down. I did not think it was possible, but more bees fly in. They just keep on coming. Dean continues to spray as he tries to see, which is getting harder and harder with how many bees are in here. Sam and I jump back and Sam pushes me towards the Pike family, who are all also swatting at the bees. Sam opens up his coat and tries to protect them as well as he can, hovering over them. In a blind panic I repeat his actions. I pull out my plaid blouse, and try to cover them with it. Dean's doing the same thing to himself a few feet back. The buzzing is deafening. It feels like we sit there for an eternity. Just getting stung, millions of bees after us, buzzing so loud it makes our ears ring. Until Dean calls out. "Look!" I dare look up. Through the holes in the roof, the sky is turning red. And from red, it goes to blue. Sunlight starts seeping into the holes in the roof, creating light.

With wide eyes, I watch how the bees start to move. In one collective swarm, they fly towards the holes and out of the attic. In fright, I now realize how much of them there really were, now that I can see them. Slowly, I stand up and move away from the terrified family, slowly shrugging my blouse back on. An immense relief washes over me. It really seems to be over. We made it. Do not ask me how, it was us against millions of bees, but we made it.

Dean and Sam follow me, also rising and moving with me towards one of the holes. We all three move under it and stare at the sky, where the morning sun is settling in. The enormous swarm is moving through the air, towards the trees. Sam lets out a few relieved gasps, shaking his head. I can't believe it, but he actually slightly grins.

Slowly, we lead the family back downstairs. The house is broken, that's for sure. Thankfully, we are not. "I, uh…" Larry doesn't seem to know what to say. His eyes are wide and he looks like a lost child. "Collect yourselves. Be there for each other. Now more than ever." Is all Dean grunts to him, before grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the front door. "We need to do the same." Sam mutters softly, before following me and Dean back outside. We all are very quiet. My arms are sore, my back is hurting, my eyes are burning with exhaustion. There's not really much to say. With a chuckle I stop, just in front of the impala. "He survived!" I cheer to myself, walking up to my bag that's still lying on the sidewalk, next to the house. I bring it over to the car and safely put it back in the trunk.

"Anyone want to take some rest in that house?" Dean asks slowly, pointing his finger backwards at the house where we stayed before. "Nah." Sam answers slowly, another grin appearing on his face. We find a gym not far and sneak into the washing rooms there. Something we used to do a lot when we were on the road and in desperate need of a shower.

The first thing I do, when I'm in the empty ladies room, is take that shower. I don't really care about anything else. I undress, before turning around and glancing over my shoulder at the mirror. As I suspected, at least ten stinging wounds are covering my back. I shiver at just the thought of how many bees must have been on me. They don't hurt that bad, thankfully. It could have been a lot worse.

Its only when the hot water is pouring down, literally washing any leftover bug off of me, that I finally realize this is over. And what a disaster it was. It, however, gives me a calmer feeling than I expected.

When I get out of the shower, freshly dressed in new clothes, I brush my hair and collect my things. Dean and Sam are already waiting for me, bickering about something. "I have at least twenty." I hear Dean say, his tone filled with mock pride. "Twenty? Come on, man. Thirty, just on my back." Sam retorts, a small grin on his face. "Are you seriously comparing bee stings right now?" I ask them incredulously, approaching them. "How many do you got?" Dean asks me, mock leaving his voice, replaced by worry. I shrug. "Maybe ten to fifteen that I know of. I just checked my back." I inform him. "Maybe I got some ointment somewhere for that." Dean mutters more to himself. "There's an apothecary down the road." Sam buds in, glancing across my body in concern. "Don't sweat it. I don't even feel them." I wave their concerns away quickly. I'm lying, my back is burning sure as hell. It's, however, not something I need any medicine for.

We get back to the car and make our way towards the first café we find. Now that I showered, the exhaustion sinks in. I sit in my chair, leaning back and making myself as comfortable as possible, almost disappearing into my hoodie. I slowly sip my coffee, listening to Dean and Sam talking about the case. About the curse and how it became a curse. We can all agree how horrible the calvary was, what they did. I do not even want to think of how that went down. In that case, I am sometimes ashamed to be an American. We did so many things wrong, certainly to Native-American people.

When my large burger arrives, I stuff it down in minutes. I forgot how hungry I was, until I smelled it. Dean has his finished even quicker and leans back, completely satisfied.

It's late in the afternoon, when we decide to drive down to Larry's, just to see how they're doing. I fight to keep my eyes open, during the drive. When we drive into the street, I can see a moving van in front of the Pike family's house. Workers are loading in whatever they can. Whatever could be saved from the attack last night. Larry is standing outside, sorting out some boxes. He smiles brightly when he spots us, stepping out of the impala.

"What, no goodbye?" Dean teases, approaching the man and sticking out his hand. Larry takes it with a friendly nod. "Good timing. Another hour and we'd have been gone." He explains, also shaking Sam's hand and then mine. "Gone for good?" Sam asks him. "Yeah. The development's been put on hold, while the government investigates those bones you found. But I'm gonna make damn sure that no one lives here again." He stares at Dean, as if he makes him that promise. "You don't seem too upset about it." Sam leans his head to the side with a questioning look. "Well, this has been the biggest financial disaster of my career, but…" Larry glances sideways, looking over at the garage where Matt is hoisting a box down the driveway. He looks up and gives us a small smile. "Somehow, I really don't care." Larry concludes, glancing back at us. I glance down at the ground, a smile appearing on my face. That's good. Very good.

Sam gives Dean a quick nod, before turning around and walking away from us, towards Matt. I watch him with a fond smile, before letting Dean lead us back to the impala. Dean leans against it and pulls me towards him, wrapping an arm around me. I take that moment to finally ask him what I have been wanting to ask him, since the beginning of this case. "Hey, go easy on Sammy, okay?" He frowns, glancing down at me. "He and dad have always been different, you know that. But please, stop belittling him like that. Like he had a choice, like he wanted to fight with dad that much." I explain slowly. Dean's eyes darken a little. "He had a choice." He mutters. "So did dad." I remind him slowly. I know how Dean looks at dad, I know he has mad respect for our old man. That, however, shouldn't make it okay for him to be so hard on Sam. Dean bows his head, staying silent. Overthinking what I just asked him. We do not have any more time to continue this conversation, cause Sam is approaching us. He gives us both a small smile, before turning around and glancing back at Larry and Matt. Who are now speaking to each other with a lot less anger and a lot less yelling. Sam slowly leans on the car, next to me and Dean. The atmosphere turns sad.

"I want to find dad." Sam eventually mutters, glancing down. "Yeah, me too." Dean replies slowly, squeezing my shoulder as I nod. I'd love nothing more. "Yeah, but I just…" Sam shakes his head, letting out a soft sigh. "I want to apologize to him." He then adds. I glance up at him, leaning my head to the side. It must have been Larry and Matt, seeing their relationship, that made him rethink his relationship with dad. "For what?" I ask him softly, leaning across Dean so that I can try and get a better look at his face. Sam inhales slowly, he actually seems to be sad. "All the things I said to him… He was just doing the best he could." Sam glances down again, biting his lip. Dean nods slowly, leaning just a little closer to Sam. "Well, don't worry. We'll find him." He starts. "Then you'll apologize and within five minutes you guys will be back at each other's throats." He concludes in a lighter tone, raising his eyebrows. Sam and I both laugh at that statement. Nothing could be more true. I lean a little closer to Dean, so that I can reach out and grab Sam's arm. "Yeah… Probably." Sam chuckles, grabbing my hand and squeezing it softly. Then he stands. "Let's hit the road." He suggests, looking calm and collected again. "Let's." Dean nods. We move back into the impala. I must say I'm glad I can finally get in. God knows how long we'll be driving, at least I can get some sleep now.

Dean starts the car and throws the volume up. Rock music blasts from the speakers. With one last wave to Larry and Matt, we drive off. I slowly lean forward. There's only one more thing I need to do, and maybe it'll cheer Sam up a little as well. "Hey." I mutter, putting a hand on his shoulder. He turns to me. "Will you take me out to shoot in the next forest we pass?" I ask him. His face softens. "Sure, honey! I owe ya one, don't I?" I chuckle. "Well, last night we were a little too busy fighting off a billion bees. So don't sweat it." He laughs, shaking his head. It's good to see him laugh again, even if it's just for a little while.