Bulma laid down in her bed completely bored. She'd ran out of a house party one of her friends were hosting when she found her latest boyfriend making out with someone else. Sure, he'd been very inebriated, and he wouldn't remember anything in the morning, but she was through with him.

At long last since she'd laid down on her bed, her anger had subsided. It was Halloween night, however, and she still wanted to salvage it. There was only one person she knew that wouldn't be caught dead at a party and so was free from all the drama: Auden. She wondered what he was doing. Likely, he had his nose in a book, taking unnecessarily exhaustive notes, burning the midnight oil in brain numbing schoolwork. Auden didn't seem to know what taking a break even meant. It was too bad he didn't have a cellphone so then she could bother him to death. The way he stayed at school long after it was over just to spend untold hours on the computer, Bulma supposed he'd probably enjoy a decent cellphone. She thought of simply buying him one, but maybe that would be too much. He wasn't exactly all that enthusiastic about her buying him things, but he appreciated her gifts all the same. There was no way she was going to let that poor boy continue using those eyeglasses when he obviously read enough for several people each night. She couldn't imagine putting herself through that kind of torture. Was going to college really all that important?

He, at the very least, had a house phone. He didn't answer it often, but she was desperate enough to try it out. She grabbed her cell after a few moments of indecision. Then she started ringing and ringing. It took about five minutes of this before she finally got what she wanted. She smiled to herself as an annoyed Auden answered the phone.

"Ugh, Bulma, what do you want? I'm busy right now."

"Nice to hear your voice so late at night. You're not doing anything important right now, are you?"

"What part of 'I'm busy', do you not understand?"

"Doing homework?"

"Yeah."

"But we weren't assigned homework this Friday. Saturday's free, baby!"

"I-It's just something extra I was doing."

"I knew it. You're busy overachieving again. You're probably looking through the next chapter already. Just wait for school like the rest of us. It'll still be there, I promise. After this weekend, you can read textbooks to your heart's content."

He sighed at this. "So why did you call?"

"Is your mom home?"

"No. Night shift on Saturday."

"Perfect. Now, another question. How do you feel about Halloween?"

"Umm…well, Mom doesn't celebrate it. She says she doesn't want to celebrate Satanic holidays."

"But what do you think about it?"

"Well…I like candy. I don't really believe in God or Satan and I like the cool decorations. You know the ones we put up in school? That was kind of fun to do. And…"

"And?" she said when he paused.

"Nevermind, it would be pretty reckless of me to say."

"Ah! Now you have to tell me!"

"Just forget I said anything. Now will you tell me why you called? You just wanted to talk about Halloween or something? Wasn't there this big party someone was throwing?"

"Forget that stupid party, I have a better idea! I know this haunted house we could go to. I didn't want to go alone."

"A haunted house…" he said as he was likely thinking about it. "I don't want to go outside—it's cold!"

"How about I buy you a nice winter jacket that'll keep you nice and insulated—will you go out with me then?"

"Bulma, you don't have to bribe me all the time."

"Alright, that settles it! I'll be over in a little while. You don't mind riding hover bikes, right?"

"Hover bikes? I've never ridden one before."

"Then sit tight."

"No, wait—

She hung up before he could start fully protesting. With an objective in mind, she hopped out of bed and grabbed her vehicle capsule. She had a couple destinations to head to. Her parents weren't exactly concerned about where she went especially on Halloween when she was liable to be at a party all night. Since she'd made it to high school, they gave her a lot of freedom to do as she saw fit. Having the IQ of a genius, they trusted she could make good decisions for herself.

She wore her hair down and had already changed out of her party clothes to something more suited for travel—her red tube top, light brown cargo shorts that accentuated her legs, and her favorite durable sneakers perfect for walking long distance. She wondered if Auden might finally slip up and let his eyes wander and linger somewhere other than her face this time. She always wondered that no matter how often she hung out with him in school, but surely outside of school things could be different. And killing two birds with one stone, she also had someone to drag along on her zany adventures when everyone else had better things to do.

Bulma sped off from her quiet home and took a shortcut to the nearest department store. She was just in time to get in and out with a good jacket. She got a little carried away when she found his size quickly—a mint green parka and a baby blue sheepskin jacket with a Napa finish. The latter was much more durable and perfect for going through big scary houses. She'd spent a pretty penny on both, but it was barely a drop in the bucket for her. She knew he'd look fabulous in those color with his blond hair and warm skin tone. Besides, she needed a proper bribe if she was going to pull him away from his dreadful books.

Her feet pressed the pedal a bit harder subconsciously as she shot into the rundown, lower income side of town. People were still out as well, smoking and drinking—she tried not to make eye contact. Youths at the party had been doing the same thing, but for some reason this felt a little scarier to her. She made a beeline for his apartment, popped her vehicle back in the capsule and knocked on the door. It didn't take him long to answer much to her relief. Last time she'd came, the door had been open already because the locks were broken; she hoped they'd gotten it fixed by now.

"Ta-DAH!" she shouted as she stepped into the place. She brushed passed him.

"Bulma, you seriously came all the way here?"

"Of course! We're going to the haunted house! I bought you some decent jackets too as promised."

She walked over to the nearest couch in the living room and opened the capsule with her purchases. She watched as his scowl turned to fascination as he took in what was laid out. He bent down on his knees to get a closer look. The first place he looked was the size tag and then he gave a quick, barely perceptible nod to himself as he continued his inspection. She knew she'd sized him up perfectly. Even underneath all those ill-fitting clothes, she could tell what would fit him.

"Bulma…these are incredible…I don't know what to say," he said with a slight warble in his voice.

"Wait, you're not crying, are you?"

"S-Sorry," he said glancing up at her with watery eyes. "They're so expensive. I can't imagine…"

"Geez, they're just jackets, Auden. Now are you going to come with me?"

"I hate having to wait at the bus stop in the freezing cold all the time," he said ignoring her last question. "Day in and day out. Even when I get to school, I never quite warm back up before I'm back in it again. Then it never gets warm enough at home—I'm just cold and miserable all the time. Summer is way better. Thank you, Bulma—really, I'm grateful."

"Alright, alright already," Bulma said slightly embarrassed. It was almost always like this whenever she got something for him. Secretly, she liked his gratitude, she could eat it up all day. It was so easy for her and yet, apparently, it meant so much to him. It was kind of cute.

"I feel obligated now to go with you. If you're still dead-set on going, then count me in."

"That's the spirit!" she said rushing over to hug him with all her might. Sometimes he'd tolerate her, but this time he pushed her off immediately. "Hey!" she shouted.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I don't like stuff like that," he said with a hard glare. "I feel like a broken record sometimes."

"You barely like anything, what's new? Besides, everyone needs a little hug every now and then—especially you."

"Especially me, huh?" he said wearily. "You're really hardheaded, you know that?"

"Well, you're more hardheaded. Every time I try to get you to loosen up, you're pushing me away."

"I should do it more often," he said under his breath even though she was just able to hear it. "What's with the light clothes for the nippy weather outside?"

"Is that really all you see?" she said teasingly as she stood up and did a slight curtsy with her leg and then a quick shake of her chest.

Not only did he not react, he seemed more interested in the jackets she'd bought. He'd rightfully decided to wear the sheepskin one as he began putting it on.

"Ugh! You don't even see me."

"What are you on about now? I'm getting ready. You can just freeze to death outside."

"It's not even that cold! Stop being so dramatic."

"I'll be right back. Let me find some shoes first."

She waited with crossed arms as he made the short trek to his room. "Hey! Wear your hair down today!" she shouted down the hall so that he could hear.

"No!" he shouted back and that was that.

She sighed inwardly to herself. It was always one step forward and two steps back with him. As much as he got on her nerves, she liked when he stood his ground, she liked when he was unapologetically himself. That was the side of him that she adored the most. Whenever he compromised, she wished that he didn't, but then she wished that he did. She wasn't entirely sure how to sort all of that out in her head. Bottom line was that he was entertaining enough for her to hang out with every now and then when she wasn't steeped in her usual high school drama. She wondered if she could confide in him things that most people didn't know, but he always seemed so busy. Besides, she didn't know him that well. Better to keep things strictly friendly and professional. Considering how quickly their romantic relationship had dissolved on that one fateful day at the lockers, she wasn't sure if she could fully trust him. Clearly, he had some deep-seated issues if his response to a pretty girl giving him the best kiss in the world, was to run.

"I'm ready," he said when he stepped out again.

He wore the same holey shoes from school. Maybe she'd buy him some shoes later if he proved to be a decent adventure buddy.

"Alright then, let's go," she said as she headed outside.

With a pop and puff of smoke, her bike reappeared waiting to be used once again. She climbed on without a second thought but glanced back when Auden didn't follow immediately.

"It's not gonna' bite ya," she said to a concerned looking Auden.

"It's not that I'm worried about." He shook his head and then climbed on, sitting directly behind her.

"Hold on tight to me," she advised.

It took him another long moment, but he eventually did so. She could feel his warmth against her back, the faded smell of his cheap cologne he liked to wear to school, but more prominently, she could feel him shivering and his breathing a bit too quick.

"Cold?" she asked.

"No, this jacket is working wonders."

She chuckled at his verbiage. "Oh, I get it. You're nervous. Never been so close to a pretty girl."

"Can we just go before I change my mind?"

"Okay, fine then," she said in a teasing voice.

She sped off immediately and whipped through the neighborhood. They had a ways to go before they reached their destination. It was outside of the city and deep into the nearby forest. His trembling seemed to ease off twenty minutes in much to her amusement. If he was already this visibly scared of riding a bike with a girl, he was definitely going to be at his wit's end at a haunted house. She was surprised he'd agreed. Maybe it was a sign of some improvement on his part. The more she exposed him to things, the more open he might become. It was worth a shot. Despite herself, she thought it was kind of cute, how shy he was. She enjoyed bringing him out of his comfort zone.

She'd actually never been to this place before. She'd only read about it online. It had the most credible ghost sightings to date, and it was right in her backyard! She'd kept putting it off as even she wasn't immune to fear and she couldn't find anyone to join her. Now was the day that her questions would all be answered. She didn't exactly have the right equipment for ghost hunting, but she just wanted to walk through to see if she felt anything at all. Places like these had a certain aura.

She slowed down the bike as the large, darkened mansion came into view behind all the trees and overgrowth. She carefully made her way through the partially opened gate—other people must have gone in before—moving around the courtyard with a gray, dried up fountain, and went to the tall entrance steps, wide and beckoning. This place had to be haunted. It was so dilapidated, and the air felt a little frosty here compared to anywhere else.

As soon as the bike stopped, Auden hopped off the bike as if it were poison. He was still a bit anxious about the whole thing which was a little ridiculous. She rolled her eyes as she capsulized her bike.

"So? Scared yet?" she said to Auden who'd been gazing up at the place silently.

"Fascinating," he said. "I never knew such an elaborate place was even out here so close by. Imagine what it must have looked like in it's heyday—it makes you wonder why it fell into such disrepair."

"Huh," she said looking up as well. "I never thought of it like that. It just looks scary. I bet there's ghosts in there."

"When you said haunted house, I didn't think you had this in mind. This is just some old house. It's not like it's an attraction or anything."

"Oh, no, I only want to go to the real thing."

Auden snorted at this. "The 'real' thing? Bulma, there's no such things as ghost. We're more likely to see a huge rat than anything else. Some night creatures even have eyes that reflect light which can be a little startling if you're not ready for it. In a place like this, a bet a lot of animals have taken shelter here." He turned to look around at the courtyard. She noted his expression of wonderment as he took it all in. "Maybe some time before we were ever born this place was just like any other regular home. They probably had no idea that in the future, it would be described as a 'haunted house'. Funny how time changes our perspectives on things."

"Well, I'm glad someone's having fun. Say what you will, but this is the perfect hiding place for spooky things."

"I hope you have flashlights. I wouldn't be surprised if there were cave-ins."

"Way ahead of you." She used another capsule to release a set of powerful flashlights that could light over a hundred feet in front of them. "Turn it on like this," she said showing him the button. "I put in fresh batteries, so they'll last for 16 hours which is more than enough for us. And it can use solar power to recharge."

In this way, the two of them held flashlights in front of them lighting as much as possible around them. It was nice having Auden nearby. To her surprise, he wasn't the least bit scared or jumpy. Having a cooler head beside her might be her saving grace because she was already being drawn in to the spookiness and they were just outside. Auden took the first few steps forward as Bulma was hesitating. She followed along quickly before he caught on to it. She was just a few paces behind him, waving her light to anything that moved. Unfortunately, a lot of things were moving, leaves rustling, gravel crunching, creatures making noises.

"It's just nature," he said in quiet tones, "a lot of critters are probably taking shelter and they're a lot more active at night."

"R-Really?"

"Really."

He had all the fuel in the world to start teasing, but he didn't seem interested in that. She put on her brave face and stayed her hand, resisting the urge to turn to every minute sound. Inside was much worse. There were way more sounds and it sounded like things walking. There were fluttering noises, whistling noises, and worst of all creaking noises of someone or something sneaking around.

"Do you hear that?"

"Sounds of an old building slowly deteriorating with time."

"Could it be a ghost?"

He sighed exasperatedly. "Ghosts don't make noises, right? They're immaterial. If there was a ghost, we wouldn't see it coming," he ended cheekily.

She pushed his shoulder playfully which only got her an annoyed looked from him.

"It's amazing how much you like to touch people. You just can't resist."

"Is that really what you're worried about right now?"

He shook his head and returned his eyes to the front. They passed a couple portraits, but one of them Auden stopped in front of.

"What is it?" she whispered.

"It caught my eye. Look at it. Do you see what I see?"

"You're scaring me, Auden." Despite herself, she looked closer. It was the portrait of an older women in a big, old-timey dress. Immediately, her eyes were drawn to the woman's eyes which had been cut out. She gasped at something so obviously out of place. "Wh-Why do you think it's like that?"

"I have no idea. Maybe someone didn't like her. We're clearly missing a lot of context."

"C'mon, let's keep going before I lose my nerve."

He paused for a bit longer and then continued. All the while, she felt like someone was watching them. She started to look back more and more often, but nothing was ever there. Maybe the haunting had already begun. Maybe the ghosts were already following them.

"Calm down, Bulma," he said after a while, "Our senses can easily be fooled and when we're scared, we're even more susceptible."

"I'm not scared," she argued back in a whisper.

He didn't respond, but she got the message. In the distance they heard a loud creak and it sounded exactly like a heavy footstep. Bulma quickly shined her light to where she thought the sound came from, but she saw nothing. A brief wind slid across her face and she jumped away from it.

"Okay, that had to be a footstep, right?" she whispered frantically.

"Possibly." He said still making slow progress forward.

"Possibly?"

The floor they'd been walking on felt quite solid. Aside from the rubble, this didn't seem like the sort of floor to make noises.

"It's not impossible for other people to be here too—they're more likely to be here than ghosts."

"Who in their right minds would want to stay here?" She made sure she continued to be right behind him slightly to his right shoulder.

"It's a dry place, safe from the elements and most of all free. If you didn't have to place to stay, this wouldn't be such a bad place to be."

"Oh," she said after a moment when she realized what he was getting at. Bulma didn't often think of things like that. When the going got tough, there was always a capsule handy.

She heard another creak and this time she stopped since it seemed closer.

"C'mon," he said quickly as he pulled her over into a nearby room.

The door was off its hinges, but at least they were out of the hall. She held her breath when he eventually peeked around the corner to see anything.

"See something?" she asked. Please say no…

"Nothing. But I have a feeling people do live here. Could have just been an old house sound, but let's be a bit more cautious."

"I don't get it," Bulma said as she watched him stand up.

He glanced back at her questioningly.

"Why aren't you scared? You took that way too well. Are you in on all this or something?"

He seemed annoyed with her, shaking his head as if it was obvious. "I don't have the luxury of being afraid of imaginary things."

"They're real," she insisted.

"There's one thing I've always been afraid of though." He was looking at her now; he had her full attention. "When I think about how little control I have over my life, it frightens me more than anything else."

"Control? What do you mean? We always have to put effort into anything we do. We choose how our lives will end up being."

"But why do you think the way you think? Why do you hold the values you do? We're largely shaped by DNA and our environment. We can't choose what family we're born into. We can't choose our environment in the beginning. They're all things we can't control. When I think about how this all came to be, it gives me chills knowing that the idea that things happen for a reason is completely nonsensical in the face of a reality that simply is. It didn't ask to exist, it simply did and this is how it turned out. We're so tiny and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Time has gone on forever and our lives occur in the blink of an eye."

"Well, I chose to go to the haunted house."

"You chose perhaps, but everything else had to be in place in order for you to do so. Our own free will may well be an illusion. You had to like haunted houses, you had to own a capsule bike which isn't cheap by the way, you had to be able to find out the place existed in the first place. All you did was do exactly as your own reasoning and environment dictated. You were a small piece of the puzzle. Doesn't that…make you scared when you think about it?"

"The way you explain it, it kinda' does. I don't want to believe it. I choose not to believe it. I can't—I don't want to see the world like that because then…"

"Everything is pointless."

Saying it out loud made her stomach queasy. She shook her head as if it would get rid of the thoughts forming in her mind. "I don't want to talk about that right now. We have worse things to worry about now."

"Your ghosts?" he said this time teasingly as she shined her light through the doorway.

"Or anything," she said. "You can't tell me it doesn't feel weird around here."

"It's very quiet here," he admitted. "I'm not used to that. The normal signs of life isn't there aside for all the random creaking noises or things blowing in the wind. Could be footsteps. Could be nothing."

"Let's keep going. We've barely made a dent in this place."

The gloomy darkness was just getting to her. The atmosphere felt heavy. What sort of history did this house have? What sort of secrets, if any, did it hold? Every once in a while, a sharp wind would blow through the place no doubt through broke windows.

"Auden?" she asked when she noticed he wasn't following. Her light turned to him.

He didn't seem well—one hand pressed against his head and his expression suggested he might have been in some pain. "Sorry, I just feel a little lightheaded. Just give me a moment."

"Alright," she said. "I'm not leaving you. We came here together; we'll leave here together."

"That's nice to know."

Even his voice sounded a bit strained. She flashed her light around the room at overturned furniture and peeling wallpaper. A dusty piano sat in the back, but she was too scared of making sudden sounds to mess around with it. Maybe this was a music room or an entertainment room.

"Alright, let's go," he said after a moment. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"We came all this way here. It would be a shame to turn back now."

Part of her knew that he was just putting on a brave face. One did not get over lightheadedness so quickly. Another part of her was intensely curious. This was all turning out to be much more interesting than a party. Besides, maybe the place was just getting to him. Maybe he was scared, and he didn't want to admit it.

They continued down the long, grand hallway. It was quite wide as if it were made for giants. A few times, they crunched over broken glass. That didn't bother her until she remembered Auden's compromised shoes. There were probably all sorts of nasty things on the floor. When she moved her flashlight down to observe his footsteps, she noticed that he was being very careful and stepping very gingerly—that's why the progress was so slow. When she moved her light up again but slightly to the right when she noticed a stairwell in the distance, she screamed and kept screaming. She grabbed his hand and turned the other way down the hall they'd just been walking.

"What's happening?" he shouted as he struggled to keep up.

She wouldn't let Auden fall and she wasn't going to let go of his hand. "A person creature thing—I saw something and it was looking right at us. It was watching us."

Sure enough, as they ran, she heard much heavier footsteps scrambling behind them. Adrenaline was just beginning to kick in for her and thankfully for Auden as well who was no longer lagging behind. She turned down the next hall she found and down another. They were just running freely now. She took a chance and let go of his hand since it was becoming harder to run like that. She made sure he was nearby the whole time. A strong gust of wind pushed back against them intently as if it had a mind of its own, growing in strength until they couldn't quite move forward anymore. When she swung her light up, she saw something flitting passed. She kept swinging her light trying to get a better view until she saw more white translucent forms descending upon them.

"Auden, look, look! Do you see that?"

Auden turned his light up as well, looking around with heavy breaths. "No, what are you talking about?"

"Are you blind?! Ghosts! And we can't even get away! What are we—

When Bulma heard a hard thump near her, she turned her light to Auden and realized that he'd fainted.

"Auden? Auden!" she cried out now as she tried to wake him up. She dropped to her knees and shook him.

Frantically, she looked up again with her flashlight and the room was empty. The billowing wind had stopped. She couldn't believe it and she kept looking for any little sign. There was a lot of dust and the ceiling seemed far, far away. There must have been at least three floors to this massive house. When she heard movement from Auden, her light turned to him again. With a groan he sat up on his own.

"Are you alright? What happened to you?"

"I was just…lightheaded again. All that running wasn't so great for me."

"Do you think it has something to do with this place. Maybe something's gotten to you."

"No," he said shaking his head as he climbed back to his feet. "It has nothing to do with that."

She helped stabilize him when he seemed to stumble.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly.

"It's alright. Do you think we should turn back?"

"I'm fine," he said.

"You don't seem like it."

"What was all that about ghosts before?" he said changing the subject.

"You really didn't see it? I know I'm not crazy."

"I'll just have to take your word for it. I really didn't see anything."

"What about the footsteps?"

"Those? I think I heard something. I'm not sure."

"Oh my god, Auden. There's such a thing as being too much of a skeptic."

"No there isn't. You're either skeptical or you're not. It was too much happening at once to confirm. I knew you were scared so I just followed your lead. Maybe you did see something. Better to be cautious than sorry."

Bulma flashed her light now up and down the massive hall they were in. There was nothing now. What was going on around here?

"Kind of strange for everything to stop on a dime. Almost like someone messing with us."

"Or they're playing with their food before they eat them. I heard animals like to do that," Bulma said thinking back to a documentary she had to sit through in biology.

"Yeah. Humans. We love hunting for sport."

"Maybe these ghosts are haunting for sport and they're trying to cause a rift between us by having me see them and not you."

"Nice hypothesis," he said with a chuckle. "Now how to go about proving that…"

"Oh, shut-up! Let's stay alert and don't separate, okay? We're in this together."

"Of course. I always consider whatever you have to say even if I don't believe you or come to different conclusions."

"Are feeling well enough to move?"

"I'm fine," he insisted. "Don't worry about me. It's nothing."

"I'll take lead then," she said as she started moving.

"Make sure you don't jump at every little thing that moves."

"Shut-up."

The progress was even slower than before and Bulma had no idea where they were. They'd turned down too many halls.

"Hey, do you hear anything out of the ordinary?" she asked after a while of snail progress. She was sure she'd heard distinct footsteps again. The hairs on the back of her neck were sticking straight up and likely wouldn't go down until they found an exit.

"Not really. Just the usual ambient noises. When we're scared, our minds can conjure up many falsehoods to explain something we don't fully understand."

"You're back to that again?"

"It's more plausible than ghosts. But I haven't ruled out that maybe someone else is here."

Another shiver ran down her spine as she thought about the prospect. It excited and scared her. Eventually the fear might overtake the excitement; for now, it was best to move on. Nothing more was happening here.

"I'd rather not have to run anymore. I just don't have the energy for it," he said after a while from behind.

At this, she turned her flashlight back to view him better. He blinked in the brightness. "That definitely doesn't sound like you're okay." She turned her light down a little lower so that it wasn't directly in his eyes. He looked paler than usual.

"I'm just the guy who spends all his time inside reading. I'm not cut out for all this."

"Right," she said turning. "Well, we might have to run again. I'll drag you along if I have to."

He sighed wearily at this but said nothing more on the subject. Even if he didn't want to admit it, there was definitely something wrong with him. Maybe the house was getting to him. Maybe something was making him weaker and it had something to do with why he hadn't seen anything, but she clearly had. No one was going to tell her that it was just some hallucination. She knew what she saw! Who knows? Maybe he was dying. Maybe he was turning into something. She paused once again to take a second look at him just to make sure she hadn't missed anything.

"What?" he asked annoyed.

"Nothing," she said studying him and then continuing.

Other than his paleness, nothing else seemed amiss, but she'd have to keep her guard up. She paid close attention to his steps and every other little sound. Why wasn't it quiet? If they were the only ones here, why was there so much noise? She couldn't get the image of the creature out of her mind. It was somewhere prowling.

Suddenly, a door slammed shut a few yards in front of them—she'd watched it close. She jumped back in the same breath into Auden who stumbled a little.

"Okay, I know you saw that. Someone's there," Bulma said in the quietest whisper she could manage and still have human ears hear her.

"I saw it."

There was a brief feeling of relief knowing she wasn't alone in her observation. "Clearly a ghost!"

"It might have been the wind."

"Are you serious, right now?"

"The wind really can make a door slam shut," he insisted. She had to turn her flashlight on him again to make sure he wasn't just playing around. "My door's done that all on its own before when I had the window open. It probably has something to do with the pressure. It can also open back on its own if there's enough force. It might even be difficult to open back up."

"Okay, Einstein, you wanna' go and test out your theory?"

"I'm not that crazy. It could've been someone."

"Exactly!"

The door slowly creaked open again and Bulma was taking off, dragging Auden along with her. She couldn't find anywhere else to go other than a staircase that only went up and eventually they were huffing and puffing up the stairs. She wanted to keep going, but Auden aggressively pulled away from her, managing to get out of her grip.

"I have to stop, geez," he said breathing hard again.

"You're not going to faint again, are you?"

She had her flashlight on him again and he frowned at her. "Why did we run up the stairs? Isn't that away from the exit," he chastised.

"That's the only way I saw!"

"We should have just turned back."

"Back to that other thing? You want to go back then be my guest."

Auden took a moment to straighten himself again. "I am not running anymore," he said stolidly.

"Wait," she said as she looked up when she heard more noise. "Wait," she found herself repeating as she saw translucent white shapes flowing slowly out of the walls nearby. Her flashlight whipped around quickly as she heard a myriad of new sounds. She heard some cackling as well as more misshapen things beginning to appear from the high ceiling and even the floor. "We have to run, we gotta' go! Let's move!"

"I can't!"

"We have to. DO YOU SEE ALL THE GHOSTS!?"

"No," he said breathlessly, "I don't see anything."

"Look, at that!" she said pointing her light towards the largest of them moving tauntingly closer to them.

"There's nothing there, Bulma."

Bulma turned to make sure he was looking in the right spot. His eyes were, in fact, trained on that same area and he seemed none the wiser about the approaching danger. "You're just going to have to trust me!" She grabbed his hand as hard as she could so that he couldn't let go and they were off again.

This time, the apparitions were coming from everywhere and she wasn't sure where to go. She needed to find another stairwell. Maybe another floor would be safer. Auden stumbled and swore behind her, but at least his feet were moving. His protests died out in favor of desperately trying to breath. The solid ground from before now felt less secure. It was as if the top layer was disintegrating revealing wooden flooring that creaked loudly with each pounding step. She was glad to find yet another stairwell at the end of the hall, but it led upwards. She paused and whipped her flashlight around and saw that the entire corridor had come to life. They had to keep going.

They struggled up the stairs that eventually became a narrow straight stairway closed in on either side by grayish walls. If one was claustrophobic, they wouldn't fair well here. The only way to go was up and she couldn't quite see the end yet. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw an opening into what looked like the night sky and a bright Hunter's Moon peeking down at them. It was better than feeling trapped. She found it harder and harder to pull Auden along until he planted his foot down causing her to stumble backwards—she grabbed the railings before she completely lost her balance.

"I…can't…!" he said through heavy breaths.

He was heaving painfully and grabbing his chest. His face was completely red from the effort. Her prepared reprimands died in her throat. When he tried to look at her barely able to hold up his flashlight, his eyes were unfocused.

"Okay, we'll stop for a brief break. But they're still back there. We can't rest for too long."

It took him over a minute to respond though she watched him make a few attempts, his voice simply wouldn't emit—his breathing took priority. "You never listen to me," he whined. "We're just…running for no reason."

"I know what I saw, and you can't convince me otherwise."

"Clearly."

"Now c'mon. If you can talk, you can run."

"Doesn't really follow. One takes far more effort than the other."

"Oh my god, Auden—now's not the time to get pedantic. I'm not leaving you behind, okay? So if you choose to give up than you're making me give up too. You don't want to be responsible for getting someone else hurt, right? We don't have that far to go. We're almost outside."

He seemed somewhat restored as he leaned on the railings. "I don't want to hold you back. Let's keep running around like a couple of idiots."

"That's the spirit," she said with a smile.

He only grimaced in return. Bulma went to grab his hand but he evaded her attempt this time.

"Don't worry. I'll keep up this time. I already skid my knees twice now."

Bulma guided her flashlight down revealing his torn pants and some blood seeping through. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I had no idea. I wasn't thinking!"

"It's just a scratch, but I think I've learned my lesson. Let's get off these stairs already."

Bulma paused for another moment giving him a sympathetic look before continuing upward. She looked back to see if anything was following them. Miraculously, the path was clear. Then she turned back sensing something watching them just out the corner of her eye. But there was nowhere for anything to be hiding. It was a one-way path. Maybe her mind really was playing tricks on her.

Bulma noticed that Auden had a limping gait as she went at a medium pace. Quiet pained noises from each step came at regular intervals. Perhaps he was hoping she wouldn't notice, but it was plainly obvious. He really wasn't in any shape for another chase. Then something flitted past her vision from the limited view they had outside.

"No," she said under her breath.

Then time seemed to slow down as the ill-formed humanoid figure she'd sighted earlier came into her direct line of sight. It was a dark silhouette against a slightly illuminated backdrop. It took her a moment to realize that she was already screaming. She'd knocked Auden out of her way and started back down the stairs. She could hear it coming. She had to go. She had to go! Wait, Auden. She twirled around and noticed him struggling to climb back to his feet while the creature had already made shocking progress towards them.

"Fucking run, Auden!" she screamed.

"Bulma, wait, where are you going? Don't leave me!"

His pleading voice stayed her frantic escape. She could make it if she just left him, but he was her responsibility. She was the one who'd brought him out here in the first place. Her heart was beating fast, but she decided to turn back. Her light illuminated her friend expecting to see the monster upon them only to find the path behind him empty again. Nothing was there.

"Bulma, please, there's nothing there. Just listen to me for once in your life."

She kept looking from as many angles as possible as she crept closer back up to his position. The confusion must have been written clearly on her face. "Wh-What did you do? It was there," she said in a shocked whisper.

"Nothing. I didn't do anything other than attempt limping back down these insane stairs."

Her eyes were still looking elsewhere, back and forth to see if there were any telltale signs. "I saw it, Auden. I know I saw it. The footsteps. You have to have heard the footsteps, right."

"I did hear footsteps," he said heavily.

Her eyes widened and she finally looked at Auden now who seemed in far worse condition than before. He really needed to go home and rest. The redness under his eyes were hard to miss and his slow blinking suggested he was either going to faint or fall asleep.

"Light ones from outside. Could have been an animal or something. Maybe a person. Who knows?"

"Better than nothing, I guess. You think we should keep going up?"

"We're almost there and I've had enough of this old, musty air."

Some fresh air might do him some good. With a nod, she took her time making it up the rest of the way. Every other second, she kept looking back to make sure Auden was still following. He seemed like he was in a daze and that he was just going through the motions. Going up a long flight of stairs might not have been his favorite pastime.

Once they were outside, she breathed in the fresh air deeply. They were on a balcony that had a nice view of the dark, ominous woods that sat behind the mansion lit up by the brightest full moon she'd seen in her life. She could see the rustling leaves on the outstretched branches swaying in the infrequent strong gusts of wind. The night had gotten chillier and she shivered just a little. Still, there was a part of her that burned with excitement as her adrenaline was just beginning to ease off. They were safe for now, at least.

When she turned to see what Auden was doing, she found him sitting against the metal bar railings off to the side. She might have thought he was resting if his position hadn't seemed so haphazard.

"Auden?" she called out in alarm.

When he didn't respond, she knew he must have fainted again. What was that all about anyway? Was the house really doing something to him? There had to be a reason he wasn't seeing anything or else he was blatantly lying to her to get on her nerves—she wouldn't put it past him.

An old woman cackled behind her and Bulma gasped as she turned on her heels towards the sound. It was a tiny old woman with silvery blue hair winking at her in amusement from under her tall witch hat.

"Hey! What's so funny, old lady?"

"Oh, don't mind me. I was just having a little fun with you kiddies!" The woman could barely contain her laughter.

"What did you do?"

"I just placed a charm there and a charm here. I couldn't resist! You two were looking for trouble, weren't you? You should have seen the look on your face, sweetie. Tonight's the perfect night, don't you think."

"Wait, it was you the whole time playing a prank on us? You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"Oh hush, kiddie. I did you a favor. This is a favorite haunt for criminals and the homeless. I scared off the nasty ones. Now why in the world would you risk coming out here of all places all by your lonesome?"

"Well," she said haughtily as she realized that the woman was making a lot sense, "It's Halloween!"

"It is indeed. It is indeed."

Bulma glanced over at Auden to see if he'd awakened yet. He seemed in the midst of rousing himself. It had definitely been another fainting spell.

"What did you do to him?" Bulma said pointing to her friend.

"Nothing at all, sweetie. All I did was have a little fun. You seem like a thrill-seeker, girl. I bet you ate it all up."

"So it was all an illusion?"

"Well," the old lady said drawing out the word, "It was real to the person who experienced it."

"Do they…" Bulma began in conspiratorial tones, "Do ghosts really exists?"

"They don't," Auden said in irritation from behind. "At least, I don't believe they do."

Bulma turned to him angrily. "Oh shut-up! Nobody asked you!" She stuck a tongue at him for good measure.

The old woman began laughing again. "You two make quite the duo. I adore it. It's been a while since I've been near such vibrant personalities."

"Vibrant? That guy is a doorknob. I have to drag him outside every now and then before he turns into a statue."

"You're being way too dramatic," he complained.

"By the way, you still haven't told me what you did to him. He didn't see any of the ghosts. Was that just you trying to be funny again?"

"My magic is fear-based, dearie. Its strength is directly proportional to how much fear is in your heart. Everyone is scared of something. Even your friend over there. If I completely stripped him of what little control he has, my magic would work wonders on him."

"I've never heard of anything so made up in my life. Fear-based? It just sounds like you're making excuses."

"Auden!" she said in warning as she turned to him. "I wouldn't push her if I were you."

Auden, already standing once again, looked at her unmoved by her comment. "I will not be forced to listen to this quackery as if it's real."

"I love your spirit, young man. It takes a mind like yours to truly understand the intricacies of magic use—it isn't for everyone and it requires long study." The woman turned to look at Bulma. "It's clear to me that your friend is malnourished from days of inadequate nutrients."

"What?" Bulma asked startled. When she looked at Auden, he turned away in embarrassment.

"That's why he's been fainting. I hope I gave you the fun and adventure you were looking for, young lady. May you remember this day, many years to come. Very few people can say they got to go through a haunted house done up by a true witch such a myself! As for you, young man, I'll give you this. Hold out your hand."

"Huh?" he asked confused.

"Just do it, Mr. Know-It-All," the woman said seemingly losing patience.

Bulma suspected that he followed orders out of respect to the elderly. Once he did this, a book appeared in his hand and he visibly jumped at the sight of it. The woman chuckled at this.

"That is the first book I was given when I began my long journey in learning magic all those years ago. It feels like a lifetime ago. Through careful study, you might find your mind change about magic and its existence."

"It…seems like something really important to you. Maybe you should keep it and give it to someone truly interested."

"No, I've made my choice, boy. Keep it. It's for your eyes only. Maybe one day, you might thumb through the pages."

"Okay," he said as he finally grasped it in his hands. He didn't even attempt to open it in that second.

The woman began cackling again at her own private joke. "Alright, kiddies, I think I've had my fun tonight on this Halloween—it's already the next morning and I need my beauty rest!"

"Wait!" Bulma said as the woman turned from them. "What's your name?"

"Oh my, where are my manners? I'm Meredith, The Witch of Illusion and Clairvoyance. Perhaps we'll meet again one day."

In the blink of an eye, she vanished into thin air and Bulma stared in amazement. She felt the air shift around her and before she knew it, she was back at her bike again. She panicked when she didn't see Auden right away, but he was just out of her line of sight to the side of her.

"Now what do you make of that?" Bulma asked teasingly. "We met a real witch! We should have asked to get our fortunes told. Auden?"

He seemed in shock as he looked around himself.

"See? Mind blown, right?"

"No," he said shaking his head. Now it was his turn to panic. "No, there has to be an explanation for this. There has to be!"

"Yeah. Magic."

He turned to look at the dark mansion once again and he seemed to be lost in thought as he didn't bother answering her back.

"C'mon, let's go back home. We'll figure all this out later."

"Yeah," he said after another long pause. "You're right, I'm getting dizzy just from standing."

She looked at him when she was reminded of what Meredith said earlier and he seemed to notice what she was thinking as he chose this time to look away from her with flushed cheeks. With a sigh, she climbed on the bike and he followed in suit this time without much provocation.

"We're getting you something to eat."

"No, it's not that serious."

"You were falling out after just a short run. How long has this been going on?"

"It's not like that. I-I just get distracted with studying a lot."

Bulma turned to look at him from her seat. It was then that she realized that Auden had quite the poker face perfect for lying. How many times had he lied to her and she hadn't noticed? Still, it was plausible that he'd disregard eating with his all-important studying. It was plausible, but it could still be false.

"Please, just take me home. Could you do that for me? I don't have the energy to keep arguing with you."

Her eyes softened at this. "Alright," she said giving in. "But if I see you again and you haven't improved, I'm getting you something to eat."

"Okay," he said barely above a whisper.

"Put the book in the pouch over there," she said pointing to the back of the bike.

He obliged and soon she was speeding off. Getting back seemed faster than going out there in the first place. Somehow though, it was still enough time for Auden to doze off on her back. Gone was the awkwardness from before. It seemed he was too tired to keep that up. She knew it didn't mean anything in the least, but she still got a warm feeling both in her stomach and groin as she felt his gentle breaths against her and his hands resting in her lap with a loose grip around her waist. The moment was broken when he started snoring, however. Get it together, girl!

She drove slower knowing that he wasn't attentive. She leaned forward as well so that his weight would shift towards her. It was quite the balancing act, but she felt that it was the least she could do. She had to rouse him once they got there in which he proceeded to stumble off the bike. Getting one leg over the seat was far more trouble than it needed to be; she ended up helping him do it just then remember his injured knees.

"I could stay and get that bandaged up."

"That's alright. I know how to wrap a bandage."

"And don't forget your book."

He didn't seem all that enthused about it as he grabbed it from storage. "Yeah, can't wait to dig into this one," he said sardonically.

"Well, I think it's a one-of-a-kind book and you'd be an idiot if you didn't at least skim through it."

"Right," he said unconvinced. "I guess I'll see you in school then. Good night. Don't ever ask me to do this again."

Bulma smiled at this. "I'll try!" After a brief wave, she revved up the bike and began through the parking lot towards her house.

Exhaustion was just beginning to get to her as she capsulized her bike. The time was over half an hour after three in the morning. It wasn't often she'd stay out this late. The lights were off in the house and she kept it off as the mere thought of dealing with bright lamps was giving her a headache. She took a quick shower and switched into her pajamas.

"I hope he's okay," she said to herself.

There was no way to call him and even if she did, he probably wouldn't tell her everything. He never told her everything. She could tell that he didn't want to be a charity case, but she couldn't help wanting to splurge on him every waking minute. Despite herself, she pulled out her phone and called up the nearest late-night fast-food restaurant that was still open. She offered a generous tip to anyone who could make a speedy delivery to a specific address. With that out of the way, she could finally rest without worry. Surely, he wouldn't turn down free food at his doorstep.

PRESENT DAY:

Halloween wasn't what it used to be. Her kids were grown and kids didn't trick-or-treat as much. It was all about dressing up and going to parties. Not that it hadn't been like that before, but now it seemed even more so. Maybe it was just her. Maybe she was just getting old. She'd thrown her own party, inviting everyone she knew from her job to personal life. Her place was big enough for it. Paparazzi had been there as well just to remind her that she was, in fact, considered a celebrity. Vegeta saw to them swiftly.

She found herself thinking back to the haunted house she'd dragged Auden out to another lifetime ago back when she didn't fully understand the definition of personal space. For years, their paths diverged far away from each other, but now she was back in touch with him. If he had his way, they'd never reconnect. The thought alone made her a little sad. His impression of her was so abysmal that he'd be fine with never seeing her again. Had she been that bad?

He'd been invited to the party this time, but, of course, he didn't come. Auden didn't do crowds especially not of unfamiliar faces. Now that Aster was no longer there to nudge him out of his shell somewhat, he was even more of a hermit these days. He never answered his phone. He'd made it clear that he hated surprise visits from her. He just wanted to be left alone, but that felt like the worst thing for him right now. Was she being too pushy again? Was she just making things worse trying to talk to him at all?

Wait! It was the same Halloween that they'd gone to the mansion. At least this year, it happened to fall on a Saturday just like it had before. In her opinion, it was the best day for Halloween. Having it in the middle of the week always felt awkward. Maybe for old time's sake she'd check out the mansion again. Not go in—she was too old for those kinds of shenanigans and much too tired from today's toils of hosting a major party. She just wanted to drive to the entrance and reminisce. That sounded peaceful actually. Maybe she was turning into Auden after all wanting some time to herself.

She'd been leaning on the railing of her balcony peering up at the full moon. A bout of déjà vu had struck her when she'd first stepped outside. It had been the full moon on that day as well—the Hunter's moon, the second full moon of that month. Having all of that happen at once was quite a rarity. Clearly it was a sign. Already she could see Auden's unamused look with her "magical" thinking. Of course, these things were scheduled to happen at a certain time and it just so happened to be tonight. Still, the circumstances felt a little…spooky.

When she stepped back inside her bedroom so that she could make her way downstairs to the entrance, she noticed her sleeping husband make a movement in bed. Always alert, he must've known that she wasn't in bed with him right now and likely pretending to still be asleep.

"Vegeta, I'll be going out for a little while. Don't worry."

He didn't respond quickly and for a moment she thought she'd mistook his wakefulness. "Don't do anything stupid," he said wearily from under the covers. He left it at that.

"Promise."

Bulma had long since come to terms with the fact that Vegeta knew where she was at all times of the day. There was no sneaking up on him, there was no surprising him (at least on her own). He was connected to her in ways she couldn't fully understand. It made her feel safe from danger. If anything went wrong, screaming was all she needed to do and he'd be there unless you were Laputa who could hide ki signatures, but that was an outlier situation.

Instead of a bike, she climbed into a hover car that was already out in the driveway. It took her a little longer than usual to find her way, but eventually her memories kicked in when she found the proper road that led to the lonely mansion near the forest. She'd never gone back to research who could have owned this place in the past, wanting to keep the mystery alive. It wasn't important knowing such information. Whoever it had been, they had long been lost to time just like they all would in due time. Leave it up to Halloween to put her into a somber mood.

She noticed with a start that another car was there, and she knew it immediately to be Auden's. The license plates matched as well.

"Well, well, looks like we both had the same idea. I wonder what brought him here tonight," she said out loud to herself.

The coincidences were starting to stack up and leaving a delightful shiver down her spine. It was possible that she was even braver than she had been in the past. The tall black gate was parted the same way it had been before—it hadn't moved in the slightest and if anything had become even more firmly in place. She had brought her flashlight as well, but even without it, she could see passed the dried fountain to a figure that was sitting at the foot of the large, grandiose stone stairs leading into the foreboding pitch black entrance. It was well lit where he sat. He had a large outside lamp and as she stepped closer, she noticed a comfortable looking blanket large enough for quite a few people and a very elaborate cooler. He must have had a picnic out here in the middle of nowhere by himself. Auden was nothing if not strange. Then again, she was here as well. At least he had something to entertain himself with. He was clearly reading something in his lap, but he wasn't wearing any eyeglasses. Casually, he took a few sips of water from a perspiring water bottle nearby.

She stepped noisily so that she wouldn't startle him too much. He looked up eventually not the least bit frightened in standard Auden-fashion.

"Bulma?" he said a little confused. "What are you doing here?"

"I was going to ask you the same question."

He looked back at the mansion as she stood nearby silently. It was then that she noticed that nearly half of the building had fallen down into rubble. "Geez, what happened to the place?"

"Rain, wind, and time probably. The foundation is finally crumbling. One day, it won't be here at all and the forest will overtake it."

"I don't know why, but…that kind of makes me sad."

"All things come to an end sometime. Isn't that the lesson we're supposed to be learning from Halloween?"

"Yeah, I guess. I don't like to think about it."

"Tonight just felt special and I didn't want to be inside at the moment," he said answering her previous question. "Among other things."

"Well, I'd say the same. I was just thinking about this place. Then I saw the full moon and realized what day of the week it was…"

"I noticed that too not too long ago."

"Spooky, right?"

Auden chuckled at this. "If you allow yourself to read into coincidences, sure."

Bulma smirked at this. She wondered when he was going to offer her a seat. "Whatcha' readin'?"

"Foundational Magic, Volume 1. That book the witch gave me. Thought it'd be fitting to dive into that infernal book in honor of Meredith."

"So you still have it. I knew it! When I asked to get it from you later, you told me you'd lost it."

"I had. I couldn't find it where I last placed it and I searched everywhere. It was gone. Then today, I found it again in my desk drawer at home."

"You say that so calmly like that wasn't some weird magic stuff going on."

"It was definitely weird at the time. When I saw that book, I thought about this place again and decided to pay a visit."

"You were…beckoned here," she teased.

"Possibly. I can't rule anything out."

"Woh, the old Auden wouldn't even acknowledge the supernatural."

"I'm not that person anymore and I'm sure you've changed as well."

"Hey, are you going to invite me to sit with you or what?"

He sighed. "Interrupting my solitude—that part of you hasn't changed."

"Oh my god, am I really annoying you?"

"It's fine, Bulma," he said wearily, "You're already here and it would be rude to not invite you. It takes me a moment get used to company if I wasn't expecting it in the first place. Don't mind the attitude."

Bulma took the time to take off her boots and then sat down on the soft blanket. She decided after a moment that she'd lay down on her back since the blanket was long enough for that.

"If you were thinking of going in, I'm not doing it. Go find some other pushover."

"Oh, no, I wouldn't dare. You really think I'm still that reckless?"

Auden shrugged at this. "To tell you the truth, I'm being a reckless myself sitting out here like this. I never told you this before, but I like haunted houses and the idea of encountering spooky things within always entertained me. I was a little disappointed that I never got to see the same things you saw; I didn't allow myself to fully engage in the moment."

"Well, I'm glad that you didn't. Who knows how far Meredith was willing to go? We were her entertainment for the night. Someone needed to have a clear head."

"The more I think about her the scarier she seems. What was she doing out here anyway? Why terrorize a couple of impressionable kids?"

"She definitely had a few screws loose," Bulma agreed.

They were quiet for a while after and she didn't feel the need to disturb the peace. Instead, she listened to all the wildlife around. The crickets and cicadas sounded like they were just inches away. Every once in a while, she could hear the flutter of old pages being turned.

"Makes me feel really nostalgic," she said quietly.

"Things were simpler back then, weren't they?"

"Well, a lot happened to me since then. I've seen things that would make our little romp through the haunted house seem like child's play. And I became a wife and a mother, a businesswoman—oh," she said stopping herself.

He glanced down at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry, I didn't want to sound like I was bragging or anything."

"It's perfectly fine. Those things are true. Things have changed a lot for you since then."

"Yeah," she said relaxing once again.

"When I was that age, I used to think I knew more than the average person and was smarter than everyone else. I would look down on everyone pretending to be better as a defense against how my peers really saw me. I was 'enlightened', I thought. A wise person would realize that they know almost nothing and that there is always someone out there who can do what you do better. When I stopped assuming I knew everything, I started to learn again. That's still my favorite pastime even if I don't have as much time to do it. If I could spend my days always learning new things, I think I'd be the happiest person alive—or close to it anyway."

"What's so important about learning things?" she asked before she could bite her tongue. At least it was better than lamenting his daughter all the time. Whatever he took joy in would be fine with her—it just sounded so…simplistic. Shouldn't he want something more?

"That's the thing. Nothing is important until we make it so. We create meaning where there is none. That same question could be applied to anything. Why is anything important? The answer is that it makes life worth living. And there is so much I don't know and never will know."

Bulma let his words wash over her. On a night like this, it was perfect. The mixture of nostalgia and thought-provoking sentiments was strange and fitting. A thought came to her mind. "Did you get the food delivery I sent you?"

"I did," Auden said already knowing what she was referring to. "It was quite the ending to the night trying to bandage myself up because I was too prideful to accept your help. My hands weren't exactly steady and I kept falling asleep. I was trying to keep everything sanitary but failed miserably at it. That knock on the door scared the shit out of me. I supposed it was a nice wakeup call though," he laughed. "Anyways, I didn't even make a fuss. I didn't question anything. I just accepted it because the smell of hot food was dizzying. I'm glad you weren't there to see me tear into everything like some kind of animal."

Bulma laughed at the imagery. "That would have been fun to see actually. I'm sorry you had to go through all that. Maybe being stubborn and pushy has its merits."

"Sometimes," he agreed. "Forget the studying goals I'd had that day. I slept like a baby until the next afternoon and I was sore all over. So after I got home after our little adventure, I did nothing else of import for the rest of the weekend. I hope you know I wasn't nearly as ahead as I'd wanted to be, come the following day of school."

"Good," Bulma said with a smile. "It sounds like you really needed the time to recover. It wasn't that rough for me. I was a hundred percent as soon as I woke up again sometime in the afternoon. And I also had a fun little breakup with my boyfriend later on."

"Sounds tiring."

She laughed. "It needed to be done and I was glad I got it over with quickly. I still want to read that book, by the way."

"Well, I have it right here," he said offering it to her.

"No, I'll let you finish."

"Please, I was just reading just to be reading. I'm not really understanding anything at the moment."

Slowly, Bulma sat back up. She couldn't remember it ever being so difficult to do such an easy activity. Nothing like lying on the hard, flat ground to remind one of their age. He held the book out to her. When she grabbed it from him, she felt a sharp burning sensation in her fingers, and she snatched her hand back letting the book fall to the ground. "Ah! What the hell?" she shook her hand vigorously.

"What happened?" he asked in wonderment. He went to go take up the book.

"Don't touch—

But nothing happened when he touched it. He looked at her curiously. "Are you hurt?"

"I got burned. Maybe it's some protection spell."

"You have it all worked out in your head already, huh," he said amused. "Meredith must have done something to the book."

"And maybe it has something to do with it vanishing when you were about to let me borrow it."

"She did say it was for my eyes only. I remember that distinctly because I thought it was odd. Why single one person out like that? Anyone with eyes could read it, right?"

"It has to be a spell," she said confidently.

"Let's try this. I'll open the book and you read."

She peered over now as he flipped to the first page. She was waiting for him to flip again when she saw that it was blank until he kept it there for ages.

"Stop playing around, Auden, it's blank."

"Blank?" he asked confused. "I'll read it out loud then—the words right on the page."

When he started reading, it sounded exactly like gibberish. It could have been words, but it stopped short and turned into something meaningless at every utterance. "Wait, stop. What are you even saying?"

"I'm saying…"

There was more gibberish and then Bulma cut him off again. "I won't be able to learn the contents of that book unless maybe you paraphrase, but you said you don't really understand what you're reading."

"I don't. It's like a textbook. It starts out describing something nonsensical using vocabulary I've never seen before and then the explanation goes nowhere. The punctuation is there but the sentences don't make any sense. It's a little dizzying to be honest and then I just kept going looking for any discernible meaning something to make it all make sense. It feels like something beyond my comprehension strangely enough."

"Something beyond your comprehension? Geez, I don't stand a chance."

"There's a term that keeps repeating: mindforce. It must be important somehow. And, I also found something else interesting."

Bulma watched as he placed the book on the ground while turned to a certain page—it looked like it was midway through the book. After he pulled his hand away nothing happened. When she glanced at Auden, however, she noticed his eyes were still trained on the book. Something was there that she couldn't see. It was an eerie feeling.

"If I'm right, eventually it should—

The two outward pages began to lightly illuminate. Fascinated, she leaned a bit closer to get a better look. The intensity of the light increased slowly and then suddenly ramped up until it blinded her. When she was able to see, she found herself elsewhere.

She couldn't stand, she was simply there. It only took her a moment to realize that she was back in her house, but something felt different. In the large kitchen, her mother was chopping onions and then a small white robot with tiny scissor hands zipped through the entrance straight for her. Bulma thought that it was just some CC bot that been created for home use. When it started ripping wantonly into her mother's back and the bloodcurdling screams could be heard as she struggled in vain against it, she knew it was anything but. She wanted to yell for help, anything. She didn't want to watch her own mother be…Where was Vegeta? She was shown another scene of her father facing the same fate along with Bra. Then she saw herself. It was too much blood, it was too much death. What was she seeing? She knew something must have happened to Vegeta if he wasn't there already making quick work of the bots. She was missing a lot of context. All she knew was that her entire family was in danger. Then she heard a crumbling noise. Up above, the ceiling was caving in. That was when she found herself back outside sitting next to Auden as if all was well.

She yelped in surprise. "What happened?" Auden seemed to come to just as she had a few moments later.

"A glean into the future," Auden said as if he heard her question. "Remember when you said you wanted the witch to do some fortune telling—well, I think that's how you do it with the book. It was the only part so far that made even an inkling of sense. What's wrong?"

He must have noticed her wide-eyed panic as he'd turned to look at her. "It was…horrifying what I saw. Everyone was dying. I don't—I don't want that future."

"Oh, Bulma, I'm so sorry. There's no way to verify anything that we saw. No one can really know the future, even fortune tellers say that. So maybe you were missing the full picture or it doesn't happen at all."

"I appreciate your attempt at comforting me, but I think I'll use this information to my advantage. I've been through much worse anyway. If I already know what might happen, it can more easily be averted. Nothing's set in stone."

"Exactly."

"What did you see?"

"Well," he began slowly as his eyes looked up to the sparkling full moon. "I was somewhere far, far away, maybe on another planet—the environment felt so foreign. I saw several children and perhaps they're my own, I'm not sure and everything feels so welcoming…like a home. And wherever it is, it's sweltering with dry heat." He turned to look at her again. "It seemed like complete fantasy."

"Mines felt surreal too."

Bulma sat back down on the blanket again rummaging over the troubling vision she'd had. If there was even one ounce of truth to this, then Earth was in trouble. It made Vegeta's attempts to prepare more Earthlings to defend their own planet seem even more pertinent. Admittedly, even she thought that he was on a foolhardy endeavor, but they were only getting older and they wouldn't be around forever. More people would have to step up to the plate eventually or Earth might not last very long. Space was vast and full of powerful aliens that might wish their little peaceful planet harm.

They stayed out there longer and Bulma didn't even bother looking at the time. Instead, she listened to the soft rustle of paper being turned and gazed up at the dazzling orb in the sky. This was perfect, this was what she'd been looking for all day. To end a day like this felt almost magical. She was teleported back in that moment of time when life had indeed been simpler. Little did the girl of her memories know the path that life would lead her on. It was bittersweet seeing that time had passed so quickly. Somehow, she knew that her path would once again drift away from Auden. Whatever he wanted out of life, she hoped that he found it. She'd found her own happiness besides; the trouble was always in how to keep it that way.