Santa Fe, New Mexico
At a rental apartment, two young girls were in their room doing separate things. One girl was about nineteen years old, and she had light skin, long black hair tied in a high ponytail, and brown eyes; the other girl was around twelve or thirteen, and she had medium-length dark brown hair with blue eyes. The older girl was sitting on a bed, reading a magazine while listening to a CD player with headphones over her ears; the younger girl was sitting in a corner of the room with her arms over her knees. The older girl wasn't exactly reading the magazine; instead, she was skimming over the pictures. Just then, she looked over at her sister and asked, "You okay, Kat?"
Kat, the younger girl, moved her eyes upward and mumbled to herself.
Her older sister, Michelle, got off her bed and crawled her way over to Kat. "Kat, you know how I hate mumbling," Michelle said with annoyed look.
Kat huffed and said sarcastically, "I said that everything's okay."
"You don't sound okay," said Michelle. She stopped to think for a moment and then sighed, "I know. Mom's death was hard on all of us. But the most important thing is that it's not anyone's fault – especially yours or mine."
"You say that all the time and nothing changes," Kat sighed to her sister.
Those words hit Michelle deep inside, and she knew what Kat meant. Ever since the girls' mother, Amelia, died recently, both Kat and Michelle felt torn apart from each other, and their father James.

James Harvey was a psychologist, and he was now gaining an interest in paranormal communication; i.e., communicating with ghosts. Now he was determined to make contact with Amelia's spirit while helping other people who experienced hauntings and poltergeists in their homes. Because of his new research, James had to move around the country with his two daughters, destroying Michelle's dreams of going to college and limiting Kat's chances of fitting in and making new friends with kids her age. Thus, Michelle and Kat were going through daddy issues with James; Michelle's issues were worse, because she would often end up fighting with her father.
Today, Michelle tried not to remember her latest fights with her father as she tried comforting her sister. "Kat, please," Michelle said, "I'm not trying to be mean, but we can't let Mom's death haunt us forever."
Kat's eyes became moist as she glared at Michelle and snapped, "You know what? If you're so positive about what's going on right now, maybe you can see if you can explain it to Dad!" She stopped to sniff and snarled sarcastically, "I'll bet you'll have a great conversation. Now leave me alone!"
Michelle got back on her feet as Kat buried her face in her arms, and the older sister muttered as she walked away, "Fine! Go ahead and continue getting lost in your own little world."

Michelle went out of the bedroom and walked a little ways down a hall before she reached the small dining room and sat down in one of the chairs by the table. James was looking at some paperwork when he noticed his older daughter slump into the dining chair. "Michelle, are you okay?" James asked with concern.
"Yeah," Michelle mumbled under her breath, "I guess."
"Another disagreement with Kat?" her father asked as he approached her.
"Yeah," Michelle said, "She doesn't let me comfort her whenever she thinks about Mom. Dad, I do my best, but I just don't wanna be attached to Kat like a second mom all my life."
"But sweetheart, she needs you," James said, "Kat's only a preteen, and it's a good time for you two to bond and come close to each other when you need comfort."
"But what about you?" Michelle asked with a frown as she looked at her father, "You're NEVER there for us. All you do is research ghosts and try to talk to Mom again. And to make matters worse, you're ruining my dreams of going to college!"
"Michelle, I'm doing the best I can to support you and Kat," James explained as he tried to remain calm, "But when other people need my help, we have to go over and help them in person. I'm sorry, but your college plans can wait!"
"You're not being fair!" Michelle yelled, "You're never fair with me – or Kat!" She then got up to leave.
"Michelle!" James called to his older daughter as she walked off; all he got for a response was a door slamming.

Michelle was in the bathroom, banging on the bathtub and toilet seat with a wet washcloth. Just then, the door opened, and James walked in with a disappointed look. "Michelle, please!" he said as he held his hands up, "Act your age! I know this sounds like a lot of pressure on you, but we have to flexible!"
"Flexible?" Michelle repeated with sarcasm, "As if that's the best method in the world! Sure, I can be flexible and weaken my dreams of going to college!"
James tried reasoning with his daughter, "Michelle, I never said anything about ruining your dreams. What I'm saying is that ever since your mom died…"
"You've torn our family apart!" Michelle interrupted angrily as she stood up to walk out.
As his daughter walked out, James exclaimed, "Michelle, please!"
"Go reason with Kat!" Michelle shot back, "See if you can try talking sense into HER!"
"Michelle!"
But it was too late; Michelle had already gone outside the house to gather her thoughts. James just sighed with frustration before he decided to go back to his studying.