Chapter 2
One minute I was in a deep dreamless sleep then the next my mind came alive in a jolt of activity.
The burning aches coming from every joint in my body was the first clue that I wasn't dead. From everything I had read it suggests that when you die you stop feeling pain. You no longer had a physical form. Granted, it was just a theory and no one but the dead knew for sure but it made sense and I had no reason to doubt it.
My eyes feel weighted down and I realize my body isn't fully functioning yet. My limbs are heavy and it feels like I am treading water. I hadn't felt like this since I was eighteen and Harmony convinced me to join her and her friends at a college frat party.
That had been the first and last time I drank.
Did I go out last night? I can't seem to remember much. My thoughts are a jumbled mess and the pain in my chest was starting to grow in intensity.
"Harm." I call out for my sister and the word takes on a roughened edge as it makes its way past my dry throat.
There is no response. The only sound reaching my ears is of a faucet dripping somewhere in the room in an annoyingly rhythmic beat.
I force my eyes to open and I'm immediately aware that I am not at home. The layout is all wrong. It's dark but the dim glow from the alarm clock sitting on a table beside me casts enough light that I can see a sleeping form in the bed next to me. I don't know why it has taken me so long to figure out I'm not in my own bed. The pillow my head is laying on is flat and in need of a good fluff. The blanket draped over me is not the soft cotton comforter I bought on sale a month ago but an itchy fabric that was probably designed as some sort of torture device.
Throwing the sorry excuse of a blanket off my legs, I sit up and immediately regret it. My head starts to swim leaving me even more disoriented then I was before. My feet are clumsy as I try to make it to the bathroom. Trying to navigate an unknown room in complete darkness should be an Olympic sport. Then when you add in the fact I was trying to stay quiet so that I didn't wake my sister it felt like a real life game of don't wake daddy.
After two stubbed toes and a few choice words mumbled under my breath I manage to make it to the bathroom. As soon as the click of the door sounded behind me, I felt along the wall for the familiar touch of a light switch. Flipping it up I was met with a light assaulting my eyes and making me instantly snap them closed. A few deep breaths manage to keep the nausea at bay.
A few minutes later I decode to give it another try. Only this time slowly opening my eyes so that they would hopefully have time to adjust to the sun currently incased in a fluoresce lightbulb above my head.
The view wasn't much better.
"Where the hell am I?" I mumble to myself as I look around the room.
The bathtub was a disgusting avocado green, well for the most part it was, it was littered with brown stains, I didn't want to think about where they might have come from. The tattered shower curtain was riddled with mildew and no telling what else.
Mold was bordering the ceiling. Black veins that were fanning out in some corners of the room in a way that it looked like someone had deliberately painted them there.
I was hesitant but some sick part of me needed to know what the toilet looked like. I walked slowly and my hand hovered over the toilet seat. What was I afraid of? It wasn't like it was a jack in the box and something was going to jump out. Hopefully.
When I lifted the seat it met my expectations. Just like the rest of this place it was in dire need of a scrubbing, better yet it all needed to be removed and burned. I was half tempted to call the CDC since there was no telling how many diseases were spawning in this room just waiting to be discovered.
Feeling like I needed to wash my hands I turned to the sink and twisted the rusty knobs. I was instantly greeted with the angry groan of old pipes coming to life as water was pushed through them. It made me jump and take a step back. Then the water shot out in erratic spurts. I was just grateful that it looked like water. I fully expected it to be brown.
Grabbing the small bar of soap lying on top of the sink I read the paper wrapper, "Magnolia Inn".
I knew this place. Well I didn't know it personally but I knew of It. It had a reputation in my town and was rumored that they had an hourly rate.
Why the hell am I here?
Anger had me going for the door and not caring if I woke my sister up anymore. I wanted to know what she had gotten us into now. There was a reason I called her Harm and it wasn't just because it was a shortened version of her name. She did more harm than good the majority of the time.
I should be pissed at myself.
I am usually pretty good at reigning her in and stopping myself from getting as out of control as she is but it's easier to blame her.
When I pull the door open the light floods the room but before I can say anything the only other door in the room starts to open.
I stand there waiting to see who was coming into the room. I can hear someone talking.
"Thanks Bobby we'll see you soon." He closes the door behind him and runs his hands through his hair. It is an act I knew well and my main outlet when frustration was building up.
"Sam?" my words are whispered and riddled with confusion but still manage to make their way across the room. Making him look up.
"Hey you're up." He has a smile that was more forced then genuine. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine." I lie.
I am sleepy, grumpy, and more than a little confused at this point. Why are my sister and I in a cheap motel with a stranger named Sam? This goes beyond anything Harmony had done before and I try to remember the events that have led me here.
My face must have showed something because Sam took a step forward and asked, "Are you in any pain?"
The word pain makes me shiver and I remember that man from last night and how his words affected me. Turning my head to the twin bed in front of the bathroom. I can clearly see the face of the sleeping form that I had mistaken as Harmony.
It wasn't my sister face.
It was Dean.
In an instant everything flashes through my mind and I remember it all. My sister is dead. I was attacked by something last night. My sister is dead.
How could I forget that? What kind of sister was I? Here I was blaming her for something she had nothing to do with and she is dead. My stomach rolls as the guilt takes over and then I'm making a mad dash back into the hazardous bathroom.
I hadn't eaten more than a few crackers in days so it doesn't take long for my stomach to empty what meager contents it has. I sit on the floor with my knees pulled up to my chest and try to remember to breathe.
Sam knocked on the door before coming in without waiting for my go ahead.
"Thought you might need this." A cold bottle of water was handed to me and I nodded my thanks out of obligation.
I never would have thought that I would be here. Sitting on the floor of a cheap motel counting the broken tiles surrounding me while my sister was buried eight feet under the sunshine. I knew I had a new turning point in my life after Harmony died but this? This is too much of a 180 for me. The ache in my chest starts to remind me it is still very much there.
"What was that thing?" I ask as I rub below my left shoulder trying to dull the discomfort. Hopefully I don't sound too off by calling whatever we encountered in the cemetery "A thing" rather than a man.
Sam is still leaning against the doorway and watching me like I might make a run for it any second but he runs his hands through his hair again before answering.
"I don't know."
Normally I would be full of questions but right now I just want to get out of here. Move on. Learn to live a life without my sister in it. The sooner I can do that the sooner I will be able to forget this paralyzing grief.
"I've got to go." Standing up I remember where I am and remind myself not to touch anything else in this room. I also make a quick note to pick up hand sanitizer and to burn these clothes as soon as possible.
"I don't know. Are you sure you're alright?" He moves to the side giving me enough room to walk past him "I mean we still don't know what that thing was or what happened."
"Well when you find out look me up." My hands pat along the front pockets of my jeans "I need to get out of here." I take a second to look around the room. My cellphone and keys aren't in my pockets and I'm not seeing my purse anywhere either.
"Have you seen my- -You know what forget it. I'll walk home." I hear what sounds like a bear waking up from hibernation coming from the other bed but I don't bother turning around. I even ignore Sam's offers of taking me home. I didn't know these men and there was no way I was going to show them where I lived. Not after last night.
I use the bottom of my shirt to turn the door knob of the front door. I take a second to realize that touching a doorknob is the least of my worries but this is what I've always done. When problems became too much for me to handle I focused on little ones. Ones that I could handle. Like refusing to stay another second in this cesspool.
Once the air hits my face I bring as much of it into my lungs as I can. The motel is right beside the highway so I'm unable to hear anything other than the sound of speeding cars as everyone makes their way to work. The sun is just barely starting to make an appearance, its mixture of orange and pink quickly filling the sky.
Alright I only had to walk about eleven miles.
Releasing the air I had been savoring in my lungs I take my first step. Happy to be away from the men who were wreaking my life more than it already was. I needed structure. That was impossible enough after watching my sister be lowered into the ground yesterday but then they show up and suddenly I'm waking up at the Magnolia Inn. No thanks.
Another step and my chest starts to throb a little more. I shake my head trying to ignore it but after another step it only gets worse.
Another Step. I have to stop and catch my breath. Bending over with my hands on my knees as sweat beads on my forehead. A minute ago the pain was nothing more than a dull ache but it was quickly making its way down my arm and spreading throughout my body.
Wiping the sweat from my forehead I convince myself to keep going. It's nothing more than the emotional pain I had been feeling for days manifesting into physical pain. Harmony was dead and nothing was going to change that. I needed to brush it off and deal with it when I got home.
Another step. The agony shoots throughout my body in a flash of white light. It's like nothing I had ever felt before. I'm convinced that my insides are being torn out of me. I hear a noise over the rushing of my own heartbeat as it works overtime to send blood to my brain in an attempt to keep me cognizant. It takes me a while to figure out the sound is coming from me. I'm screaming. I'm curled into a ball trying to fight whatever was happening to me and the only thing I can do is scream.
My vision starts to flicker in what I assume is me starting to lose consciousness.
I see boots in front of my face.
Blackness.
I'm floating. No wait I'm being carried.
Silence suddenly fills the air around me, where a minute before the space was being filled with my cries of pain. My throat is rough from my screams and I gulp in deep choking breaths trying to stop my sobs and tears.
I look up to see Sam looking at me with a look of concern.
Blackness.
This time waking up was a lot worse than the first time. Slowly I start to hear the muted sounds of someone yelling.
"Dean! Grace!"
I try to answer but only a groan makes its way out of my mouth. I can feel the itchy blanket rubbing against my arms and I want to push it off but I still can't move.
What the hell was happening to me?
"Sam?" I hear the raspy sound coming from beside me. God he almost sounded worse than I did.
"Yeah Dean are you okay?"
"Oh yeah. Just peachy. The girl?"
"She's here. She's alive."
Well it was good to hear confirmation that I was alive. I permit myself to open my eyes and see that my attempt to escape the room had failed. My head is turned toward the neighboring bed and I see Sam trying to help Dean sit up. He looked to be in about the same shape I was in.
My body feels bruised, battered, and beaten but I know if I looked at myself there would be no marks to reflect what I'm feeling. I know because no one touched me and yet the pain I had felt was like being thrown against a wall of rocks repeatedly.
"What the hell happened?" I here Dean voice what I had just been thinking.
"No clue. One second we were talking then you start complaining about your chest hurting. I thought you were having a heart attack until you started screaming and convulsing on the bed. I found Grace outside doing the same thing."
My breath was still coming in small gasps in an attempt to keep my chest still. Even though it had returned to nothing more than a dull ache I was afraid moving might cause it to flare up again. The pain was still fresh in my mind and I never wanted to feel anything like that again.
I feel the bed shift as a new weight is added. I flinch when the unexpected coolness of the damp cloth Sam lays on my forehead touches my skin.
"How are you feeling?"
A glare at him for asking such a dumb question.
"That good huh?" A nervous chuckle is mixed with his words and I can't help but feel sorry for Sam. He had as much of a clue as I did about what was going on and he could do nothing to help his brother.
"So." Dean slowly stood up "What's the plan?"
After listening to Sam and Dean for an hour go in circles about what their next step should be, I was more confused than ever. Words I didn't know or understand were being thrown around and some of the words I knew but my mind refused to believe that a witch or a vampire was responsible. Even after what I had seen at the cemetery my mind was trying to convince me that Sam and Dean were nothing more than two nut bags that I needed to get away from and quick.
Finally feeling well enough to sit up. "Look." I swing my feet over the side of the bed and ignore the protests every joint in my body yelled at once. "I don't care what you two do but I have an exam next week and I need to study."
"Seriously? Study?" Dean had a look like just saying the word study left a bad taste in his mouth.
"Yes study. I want to forget all of this." I gestured my arms around the room trying to show that I wanted the last forty-eight hours wiped from my life. Even if I believed Sam and Dean's fantasies, what was I going to do? I couldn't help. I was already too far out of my element and could feel my brain shutting down as it started making small tasks for me to do when I got home.
The dishes need to be done. I need to go to the grocery store. Check on dad. Find my car, keys, and phone. I should probably set up an appointment with my doctor. Oh, and I have study group tomorrow. It's my turn to bring the snacks.
I hadn't even realized I was talking out loud until I looked up and saw Sam and Dean staring at me like I had sprouted a second head.
Heat flooded my cheeks after being caught in one of my downward spirals. This would normally be when Harmony would make a joke or bring the attention off of me but she wasn't here to save me.
I couldn't think about why my sister not being here right now so I shoved any thought of her deep into the back of my thoughts.
Without another word I went back toward the door. Opening it up and squinting as the heat from the day hit me in the face. It was in full swing.
Well it's going to be a fun walk I thought to myself as I went out the door.
"Grace wait-" I could see Sam's head sticking out of the door.
"Let her go Sam."
I left the sounds of their voices behind me and continued walking again. Only to have a repeat of what happened earlier start up. five steps out and my chest was throbbing. Another step and I was sweating. I didn't move because I knew what another step would mean.
"Dean what's wrong?" I could hear Sam yelling again and I turned around to see Dean mimicking my pose. Bent over with his hand grasping his chest trying to bring enough air into his lungs but failing.
Sam kept looking at me then at his brother again. I saw the moment as realization came over his face. "Grace don't move he shouted." As he ran toward me.
Don't worry I wasn't going anywhere except maybe back on the ground I thought to myself.
I was back in his arms as he picked me up and started walking back to the room and closer to Dean. I wanted to protest being carried like a baby but all I felt was relief when the discomfort in my chest subsided with each step he took.
It seemed to have the same effect on Dean because his breathing had steadied and he looked more pissed off then in pain now.
"WHAT. IN. THE. HELL?" he growled.
I was still in Sam's arms so I started to struggle against his hold, letting him know that I wanted down. He quickly set my feet on the ground but I hated how easy it was for him to pick me up in the first place. I hated being small. Always had. Then again pretty much half the population would be considered small standing next to Sam. I quickly try to guess how tall he is and he has to be at least 6'4" but it's hard to gauge that just by staring up at the man. I'm snapped out of ridiculous line of thought when Sam starts talking.
"I think whatever that thing was last night did something to both of you."
"You think?" Dean snapped at his brother.
"No Dean I mean-" he paused as he ran his hands through his hair "I mean I think you two are connected somehow."
"WHAT?" Both Dean and I yelled at the poor man.
"It only happens when you two are separated. We can test it again-"
"No." Dean interrupted then cleared his throat. "I mean we believe you."
I thought what Sam had said sounded preposterous. People weren't connected like that. What he was saying -it was impossible. Made no sense.
Yet he was right as far as I could tell. I wanted to make sure so I started to walk backwards as the two men were too busy arguing with each other to notice my departure. I kept my eyes on Dean and when I started to feel the ache that I was quickly becoming familiar with, his fist went to the same spot on his chest and started to rub. It was a mirror image of where I was feeling mine.
I took another retreating step and groaned at the sharp stab. So did Dean.
Oh God. It was true.
Dean looked up and saw that I was about fifteen feet away from him. That must have been when he realized Sam was right. Both of his hands went up to his face in a desperate attempt to scrub whatever was happening to us away.
As much I want to run away and lock myself in my own room where I could spend the day buried in my blanket I also don't want to take another step away from Dean. Not if it meant a repeat of the last times.
My brain works overtime thinking of a solution to all of my many problems.
I'm dreaming? Wait are you supposed to feel pain in a dream?
Hallucinations? I haven't been sleeping well so maybe this is all brought on by sleep deprivation.
Maybe I was abducted by aliens and this is some weird mind experiment to see how far I will go until I break?
Each possible answer sounding more ridiculous than the last but none of them sounding more ridiculous than the fact that I am somehow physically tethered to a complete stranger.
I feel the signs of a panic attack coming on. It's starts in my stomach and claws at my throat trying to freeze my lungs and leave me helpless. I look around for Harmony but she isn't here. I'm once again reminded and realize she will never be there to help me when one of my rare attacks take hold.
My mind is done trying to protect me by compartmentalizing all my issues into smaller ones that I can handle.
"Oh Shit" I hear someone mutter and I know the words hadn't left my mouth. I couldn't get enough air into my lungs to talk.
"Grace." Someone is holding my hands and touching my face. "Grace. Look at me."
I open my eyes and I'm disappointed to see Sam. He's not my sister. I still make myself focus on his words.
"That's it slow" He is breathing along with me like I need a breathing coach. How pathetic is it that I need lessons in how to breathe now? Slowly mortification starts to take hold as I look at the concerned faces of Sam in front of me and Dean standing behind him. I didn't know these two and yet I had just broken down in front of them.
Only Harmony knows about my attacks. Everyone else thinks I have it all together. Sure I'm socially awkward but I'm putting myself through medical school and manage to put on a façade of complete control.
With one last deep breath I nod my head and start to stand up. Sam still has my hands in his as he gets to his feet with me. I should have known that he was on his knees in order to be eye level with me but I'm still surprised by his actions.
Once I'm standing and Sam knows that I'm steady on my feet he lets go.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. It's just a lot to take in." which is an understatement.
He gives me a sympathetic smile before turning back to Dean who is pacing like a caged animal.
"I'll call Bobby again and see if he's heard of anything like this happening before."
I watch as he starts walking back to the room. Dean starts to storm off in the opposite direction but after a few steps we both experience a twinge of pain. Making him immediately stop.
"Sorry" he mumbles as I take a few steps to close the distance between us. "I guess it'll take some getting used to."
I take a second to actually look at the man beside me. The man I am apparently attached to for the time being. He's tall, not Sam tall, but at least six foot. Physically he is perfection but where Sam has a kind look to his eyes Deans are hard. I briefly wonder what put that look in his eyes before I decide I've ogled him enough and turn away.
"Y'all seem to be taking it pretty well." I offer as a way to break the tension I'm feeling in the air.
"Just another day for us."
I still can't believe this is happening and that I am taking it somewhat okay. A part of me thinks I'll still wake up any minute but everything seems too real for that to be the case.
"I just want to go home." I mumble to myself but apparently it wasn't as quiet as I thought because Dean looks over at me.
"Look Sammy and I will figure this out." For some reason I start to believe him and find myself nodding along with him. "I'm starving. How about we go check out the vending machine?"
The thought of food puts my stomach into a fit of somersaults. I would say it is from the pain I had experienced earlier but I haven't really eaten since that day in the library. Still I can't deny Dean an opportunity to eat so I nod my consent to him and start to follow.
Instantly I want to tell him to slow down it seems that for every step I take he has taken three. Luckily the vending machine wasn't that far away and he is already standing in front of it looking at the selection of salty and sugary snacks.
"Aha. They have Moon pies!" he digs into his pocket fishing out enough change to free the captive treat. "Come to daddy." I almost laugh at how excited he is. His hands are rubbing together eager to touch the moon pie as soon as it falls to the slot. As soon as it does he grabs it and rips it open. Closing his eyes as he takes a bite.
You would think he just ate a piece of heaven itself by the way he moans as he starts to chew.
"Want some?" I barely understand what he is saying as he holds out the partially eaten moon pie. His mouth is full and crumbs are falling out of his mouth.
Smiling I shake my head to turn down the offer.
"Bobby's going to look into it but off the top of his head he hasn't heard of anything like this case before."
"Well let's pack up and hit the road." Dean says through another mouthful which makes Sam grimace in disgust.
No one is talking to me as I listen to them discuss their plans but I realize Dean said, "hit the road".
"I can't go" My voice is quiet and doesn't seem to reach the ears of the two men standing in front of me. They are still talking to each other making plans. I clear my throat and luckily Sam turns toward me.
"I can't. I have to go home."
"Of course. We will swing by your place so you can pack before we heard to Bobby's." he turns back to Dean once again leaving me out of the conversation.
He misunderstood what I was saying.
"No I mean I can't go. I have things to do."
"Oh I'm sorry to inconvenience you sweetheart but is whatever you have to do more important than fixing whatever the hell this is?" Deans hands move back and forth between him and I "Didn't think so."
For some reason the way he dismissed me makes me angry. How dare he try to say what I have going on isn't as important. I'm sure if I sat down and thought about it he would be right but my world has been turned upside down too many times lately and just up and leaving what I've worked so hard for isn't going to happen.
"No." both are looking at me and I have the urge to duck down under their gaze but instead I straighten my shoulders. "I'm not going."
I flinch when Dean makes a noise equivalent to a growl and starts walking toward me.
"Dean." Sam steps in front of me blocking my view.
It was agreed, much to Dean's distaste, that we would leave tomorrow and head for their friend Bobby's place. I made it clear that I needed to be back by Friday. There was no way I was going to miss my final exam. I've worked too damn hard to make my dream possible and missing Dr. Hayes' final would make it ten times harder to get the internship I wanted.
"Turn right up here." I lean forward from the back seat of a car Dean introduced as Baby. I was hesitant at first, having two strange men knowing where I lived, but there was no way around it. I sure as hell wasn't spending the night at the Magnolia Inn. A shiver runs down my spine just remembering the bathroom of the place. Disgusting.
I watch out the window as the road Dean takes passes by all of the familiar buildings. There is nothing better than living in a small town, of course it's not as small as it used to be but the charm is still there. For the most part Harmony and I grew up here. All the memories I have are in this small town, well the good ones are anyway.
"Left at the pharmacy then right at Oak St."
I haven't been listening to Sam and Dean talk they are more of a background noise for me as I think about everything that needs to be done. After Dean threated to throw me in the backseat of his car I've tried not to bring any more attention to me than necessary. Luckily I've had years of practice.
"The apartments. You can park next to the motorcy-" my words are cut off when I see someone leaning against the bike. As Dean drives closer I can't help but roll my eyes when I see who it is. He looks up when he hears the rumble of Dean's car and before I can tell Dean to keep driving I know the guy saw my face through the windshield. He stands up and squints at me with a confused look.
Dean followed my directions and parked. As soon as the car was turned off I see Sean coming around to the passenger side and opening my door.
"Gracie?" I try to slide out but the leather seats and heat have the back of my thighs sticking "Where the hell have you been? The whole damn town is out looking for you."
"What? why?" I ask. I haven't been gone more than a few hours and I thought twenty-four was when they can file a missing person's report.
"Mr. Weston found your car, purse, and cellphone in the cemetery. Called the cops because he said it looked suspicious."
"As you can see Sean I'm fine and you can call your brother and have him call off the search." I start to walk past him and up the stairs to my apartment.
"Come on Gracie you know that's not going to work. Mark is going to want to talk to you." He grabs my elbow which forces me to stop walking.
The deep sound of someone clearing their throat behind us has Sean loosening his grip on my arm and turning around. I don't know how he could have missed Sam and Dean they basically demanded attention just by their appearance alone.
"Who are these guys Gracie?"
"Friends."
"I've never seen them before so they can't be close friends."
"Well Sean, not that it's any of your business, but I go school with them." I surprise myself with how easy the lie rolls off my tongue. "My car broke down last night. Sam and Dean" I nod to them standing close to us "happened to be visiting their grandfathers grave last night as well."
I can tell he doesn't believe what I'm saying but I just want to get rid of him "What about your purse and phone? Why were they left in the grass?"
"Christ!" I shout at him "I just buried my sister. My phone was dead and threw it because I was mad. As for my purse I was pretty upset so maybe I threw that to. Alright?"
"No Gracie it's not alright." He gets closer to me in an attempt at privacy from Sam and Dean "This isn't like you. I get that your hurting but no one has heard from you in days. You don't answer your door when people come to check on you and honestly you look like shit. When was the last time you ate something?"
I have to take a few deep breaths to calm myself. I've never been quick to anger but Sean needs to mind his own business.
"I get it Sean. You're worried about me but I'm not your problem. So tell your brother I'm sorry for causing all this trouble but I'm fine." I force a smile and pat his cheek "Really. I just want to be left alone."
"Okay but if you need anything you let me know. I'll come by tomorrow to check on you." He raises his hand up to stop me from arguing. "Tomorrow. And you better answer your door or I'll break it down."
"Just make it after lunch. I have to study." I lie. I have no intention of being home then.
He smiles and nods before turning around and almost running into Dean and Sam. It's almost comical how he looks them up and down trying to assess them. Sam glances up at me with a raised eyebrow and I shrug.
We've been friends since we were little but I've never viewed Sean as anything other than a friend. Recently I wouldn't even call him that but I don't have time to dwell on those issues. I've got enough on my plate.
I wait until Sean leaves before I start back up the steps with Sam and Dean behind me. The apartments were built in the 50's but were remodeled about three years ago. The owners wanted to keep the place the same for the most part but update all of the electric and plumbing so it has all of the original hard wood floors and overall feel of the time period.
I was so excited when Harmony and I found out this place was in the price range we were looking at. It's surrounded by old oak trees with moss hanging off the branches. It's a little bit of a drive to my school but totally worth it in my opinion.
"So who was the dweeb?" Dean asks as I try to find the spare key Harmony hid somewhere. She locked herself out of the apartment so often that we figured it would be easier to hide a spare then it would be for me to drive back from school every time it happened.
"No one." Is my response. I know he is talking about Sean and that is a subject I don't want to talk about. Especially with him.
I stand on the tips of my toes in order to reach the top of the door frame. My fingers inching along the small ledge until I feel the key.
"That's not safe you know." I decide to ignore Dean's safety advice as I push the key into the door and turn.
The room is silent as I step inside. I walk past the coffee table. An open bag of Cheetos, half a glass of sweet tea, and a fashion magazine are scattered all over it. I know it's messy but I can't bring myself to clean it yet. I can't because I know one of the last things Harmony did was sit on that couch with the magazine in her lap. I know she would reach over and grab Cheetos while flipping through the channels trying to find some mindless entertainment. The remote still has her cheesy fingerprints on it.
I sit in the chair across from the couch sometimes picturing that she is still there. The day after she died I sat there waiting for her to come through the door so I could yell at her about cleaning up. Then the next day it became me talking to her like she was still there.
"You okay?" I jump when I hear the voice. I hadn't realized I was just standing there staring at the table until Sam interrupted my thoughts.
I ignore him because I don't want to lie and say I'm fine. Looking up I see Dean has is head buried inside my fridge. I watch as he pulls out a dish covered with aluminum foil. Lifting it up he smells it and nods his approval. He can have it. My fridge is full of various dishes and desserts. Everyone kept leaving them outside my door.
That is one tradition in the south that I don't understand. When a loved one dies the first thing everyone does is make a casserole. I guess nothing says, "I'm sorry for your loss", like mixing together green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and fried onions.
"I gotta ask" Dean starts with his mouth full of Mrs. Miller's apple cobbler "What's with all the mirrors?"
I take a minute to look around and notice that the room might seem odd to a stranger. Every mirror and shiny surface I have is covered up with something. Not to mention every photo is either turned around or laid face down.
I ignore his question and watch as he flops down in the recliner.
"I'm going to take a shower. Make yourself at home." I say the last more toward Sam since Dean apparently has no problem making himself at home in my house.
"Thanks Grace." Sam goes to sit in the other chair. I watch as he walks in front of his brother and deliberately knocks Dean's feet off my coffee table. The glare Dean gives his brother makes me jealous. It is something Harmony would have done.
I walk into my room and look around. My room is the smaller between Harmony's and mine but I never cared. All I need is a desk, dresser, and a bed. I take a second to look around and see that my room has no personality at all. Everything in my room was either brown or green. I decided on the color scheme after reading an article that suggested earth tones were relaxing colors and actually improved study habits. Nothing but a velvet print of dogs playing poker is hanging on the wall. Harmony managed to sneak in and hang it up after visiting a local flea market. She said it would liven the place up. I thought it was hilarious so I never took it down.
I grab a change of clothes and walk back toward the living room. My room is right off of the common area and then there is a hallway that leads to Harm's room and the bathroom. I see Sam on his laptop and Dean finishing up the last of the cobbler while laughing at the TV.
I just make it just past the kitchen before my chest starts to ache.
"Dean."
"Yeah." He doesn't bother looking away from the TV
"I need to take a shower."
"Okay."
"I need you to come with me."
I didn't realize what I said until both Sam and Dean turn around and look at me. Sam with an amused face and Dean with a cocky grin.
"Told Ya" Dean slaps Sam on the chest as he gets up "She has a thing for me."
"No. I-I mean can you just wait outside the door?" My face is hot and if I bothered looking in a mirror it would be bright red.
"Sure." He winks at me and I'm too embarrassed to say anything else so I just turn around and walk down the hallway. At this point I don't care if he is following me. I just want to get out of the room.
…thanks for understanding Sandy. I should be back in town before the exam I just need to finish some stuff up here.
I hit send on the last email I needed to send before heading out tomorrow. I still hate the idea of going on a road trip with two unknown men and during a time when I should be hunkered down in my room studying. Dr. Hayes was kind enough to give me an extension in light of Harmony's death but there is no way he is going to be even the slightest bit lenient on grading me.
A knock on the door has the three of us looking up. Dean and Sam stand up and motion for me to stay where I am. I watch as Sam goes to the door and nods at Dean who is standing off to the side with a gun raised. By the way they are acting, I get scared. What do they think is on the other side of my door?
Wait. I'm confused do bad guys normally knock?
"Grace." The sound of more banging on my door makes me jump in my seat. "It's the sheriff open up or I'm coming in."
"Do you have a warrant? If not go away." I shout back. Why won't anyone leave me alone.
"Damn it Grace just open the fucking door."
Growling I walk past Sam and Dean and yank the door open.
"What do you want Mark?"
I watch as his face falls from Anger to pain. This is why I have been avoiding people. Everyone knows Harmony is dead but no one is allowed to heal because they keep seeing her ghost. Me. Being identical twins we shared a face.
Mark has to clear his throat a few times before he is able to recover. Even then he still won't look at my face. "I have a few questions for you Grace."
"Come back tomorrow." I start to close the door but his hand holds it open.
"No Grace I won't come back tomorrow." He shoves his way past me so he is now standing in my living room. "I know you are hurting. We all are but you can't go scaring people like you did. It's not like you at all. You're a smart girl…" He stops talking when he turns around and sees Sam and Dean standing next to me.
"Hi" Dean gives a little wave of his hand. I'm glad to see he put the gun away.
"Who the hell are they?"
"Like I told your brother. They are friends. I'm going to stay with Margie a few days and since my car broke down they were kind enough to offer me a ride." Again with the lying?
"Can we talk in private?"
Normally I would agree but I don't want to risk getting too far away from Dean. If Mark sees an episode, then I'll never get out of this town because he will rush me to the hospital.
"No Mark we can't. I'm going to bed I have to get up early in the morning."
"Fine." He stalks back toward me and the open door but surprises me when he grabs my arm and pulls me outside with him. Luckily he stops right outside the door and turns so his face is next to mine. "I loved your sister. She was the love of my life and she loved you. So don't think I'm going to let you sit out here and wither down to nothing. It would hurt her to see you like this."
"I just want to be left alone." I say in a defeated voice. I want to tell him I'm sick of everyone seeing me as my sister and having to relive how much they wished it was me who had died and not her, but I keep my mouth shut.
He steps back to look at me, even though I know it hurts him to do so. I don't know what he sees but ultimately he nods and gives an understanding look before casting his eyes away from me again. "I'll get your car out of impound and have someone drop it off. Here's your purse and phone." He hands my bag over but refuses to look at me. "With the weather lately you should -uh you need to put her bike in storage."
With the reminder of Harmony's motorcycle, I reach inside and grab the keys from the hook just inside the door.
"Here." I hand them to Mark "You can have it. I was always too afraid to ride it and you know how to take care of it."
"Grace I can't."
"Just take the keys Mark. She'd want you to have it anyway."
I watch as his throat bobs for a few seconds before he clears his throat again.
"Thank you." He turns to go back downstairs "but you better call me when you get back in."
"Yes sheriff." I say over my shoulder as I close the door.
Once inside I press my forehead against the door then I hear Harmony's motorcycle start up. I knew Mark wouldn't want it sitting outside another night. She had loved that damn thing and he loved making her happy. He was a good guy and genuinely loved my sister. No one understood how Mark, who was the law in our town fell so hard in love with Harmony, who was known as a wild child. She would always say that she kept him on his toes and lord knows she did.
Harmony might have been wild but everyone loved her. She was such a free spirt and went out of her way to make people smile. The complete opposite of me who preferred to be left alone with my nose in a book.
I've been pretty numb since leaving the motel but after seeing Mark I start to feel that bubble of loss grow bigger.
When I turn around I'm surprised to see Sam and Dean standing so close. I keep forgetting they are in the same room honestly. For some reason I don't mind them being around, I would prefer to be alone, but they didn't know my sister and the light she brought into the world. I didn't see the pain cross their face when they realized I wasn't Harmony. To them I'm just Grace.
"If one of y'all want to sleep in my bed go for it. The sheets are clean. I'm not tired." Which is another lie. I'm exhausted but I know if I sleep then I'll dream about her and wake up feeling the pain of losing her all over again. If I stay awake I can hold onto that pain so I know where it is and I can't be fooled into thinking it was never real.
Ignoring the protests coming mostly from Sam I sit down and grab my notebook.
I wonder if Hayes is going to put anything about protein C deficiency disease on the final, I think to myself.
Ultimately I decide it's probably better to go ahead on brush up on it just in case. If I don't It'd be my luck a whole section would be dedicated to the rare diagnosis.
After a while Dean takes up my offer of sleeping in the bed, luckily my room seems to be in the safe zone from where I'm sitting. I figured he would be doing most of the driving and there was no sense him trying to get comfortable on my small couch or recliner.
I look over at Sam who is sitting across the way from me, his brows are drawn together as he stares at his laptop screen. The faint glow coming off from the computer making the lines on his forehead stand out. When he runs his hands through his hair for the third time tonight, I decide he needs a small break from looking at the screen.
"Sam?" His head snaps up to me "Can you get me another cup of coffee? I would but I don't want to wake Dean." I haven't moved from my spot since Dean went into my room. The fear of whatever pain starts when we were too far apart keeping me firmly planted.
"Yeah sure." Closing his laptop, he makes his way to my kitchen. Harmony tried to make it look like a 1950's diner but she couldn't settle on a color scheme and painted every cabinet in there a different one. Eventually she gave up and never bothered to repaint them.
When he starts walking back to the small sitting space we're sharing I close my own notebook and sit up a little more. Graciously accepting the mug, I bring it up to my face and inhale the wonderful scent of caffeine.
I wait for him to sit back down on the couch with his own cup before I speak, "So what is it you two do exactly?"
"I didn't know if you were going to ask" he chuckles "You seemed to be just going with the flow for a while there. I didn't think you really cared."
"Sorry I've had a rough couple of days." That is being kind.
He nods like he understands. I appreciate the fact that he didn't offer any condolences for the loss of my sister. Instead he changes the subject and answers my question.
"Dean and I we're hunters. Except we hunt supernatural things. Dean calls them the big uglies."
I take a sip of my coffee and bob my head like I understand what he is saying.
"So vampires are real?"
"yep."
"werewolves?"
"yep."
"Unicorns?"
"Haven't seen one of those but in our line of work you learn to never rule anything out."
"So who is this Bobby? Another hunter?"
"Yeah Bobby was pretty much a second dad to us. He would watch us when our dad went on long hunting trips or the rare times he thought it was too dangerous for us. His place is the only place that feels like home."
I have more questions about his life and even his past but I'm in no position to ask anything too heavy. He might ask me questions in return so I decide to keep the conversation light.
"On your laptop do you have like a special hunter's search engine or something? You've been staring at it for hours."
"Oh yeah it's really private." He grabs his computer and turns it so I can see the screen. I can't help but laugh when I see the Google search bar at the top with the words 'What supernatural being can control weather?' typed in it.
"Any luck?"
"Tons of answers but nothing matching the description of what we saw the other night."
I shiver at the reminder of that thing and how uneasy it made me feel. I know that I am taking everything pretty well considering that not one thing that had happened to me over the last day made sense. Honestly it all seemed so surreal still.
My sister was dead, I accepted that but people die every day.
Surely, people do not get attacked by an unknown supernatural being and are rescued by two attractive brothers who hunt said beings for a living every day. Hopefully that was an uncommon occurrence right?
One thing I knew for sure was that whatever thing was connecting Dean and I was a first for all of them. They were the experts after all and they seem to know what to do. I could say Dean and Sam are lunatics but I have seen firsthand what they are talking about and have to admit what they say makes sense. Being a person of science and reason I know that even the most ridiculous answer is the answer if all evidence pointed that way.