Chapter 2
The gang was walking home past Spooksville's graveyard that night when they found Amy. They found it strange that they discovered her unconscious on Madeline Templeton's grave and they found it even stranger that there were flowers and grass growing beneath her on the witch's eternal tomb. Before that, however, they were talking about Spooksville and its paranormality.
"I find it increasingly interesting how Spooksville has been nearly devoid of the paranormal since Ann Templeton left," Watch mentioned as they started to pass the park which stood next to the cemetery.
If truth be told, Watch looked and acted much the same way he did four years ago. He was taller of course, and his voice was deeper, but otherwise he still had thin blonde hair, thick glasses, and two watches on each arm; each one set to a different time zone in America. He still had a great interest in the sciences and the sky and had an ever-growing interest in Tira Jones, the girl who had been possessed by an orb called a No-One up until four years ago.
When the gang had first met Tira, Watch was utterly captured by her even after she succeeded in possessing Adam and then tried to possess him and then the rest of the small, ocean side town. Her long silky black hair and incredibly dark blue eyes were the main subject of talk for a number of boys in town, but she never pursued anything with anyone; Watch believed it was because she was so shy and reserved, but he wasn't aware of who those traits kept her from.
Actually Tira usually hung out with them, but was not there that particular night, along with George Sanders, another friend of theirs who they had met on the first day of middle school. He had developed quite a bit over the years. Originally awkward and seen as a nerd, George shed his stereotype and gullibility. He was still a very good student, though he had realized that Sally was Sally and he shouldn't take her teasing seriously.
"So do I," Adam chipped in. "There hasn't been a major crisis since the shape shifters."
Originally very insecure about his looks, especially his height, Adam had no reason to now. He was taller than both Cindy and Sally and was nearly Bryce's height. Adam had finally discovered girls, much to Cindy's delight, though he was still rather shy. He indisputably remained the gang's leader over the last four years and continued to have many insightful ideas even though the level of paranormal activity had dropped substantially in Spooksville.
"That's because the witch caused it all. Without her here Spooksville is almost normal," Sally cut in. "Now the town can be spared of the anguish that the Templeton family has inflicted on the innocent for the last two hundred years."
Sally was still very against Ann Templeton; at least that's what she said. The gang knew she really didn't mind the town witch, though she was still afraid of her. Sally hadn't changed too much either. She had long brown hair and dark brown eyes and was fairly tall for a girl. She was still very assertive and loud and continued to have six cups of coffee a day to balance her out, or so she claimed. She and Cindy got along a lot better now; it was good seeing the girls being pleasant to one another on a more regular basis.
"It does seem a bit suspicious," Cindy agreed.
Over the last four years, Cindy had developed into a beautiful young woman. Her long blonde hair and deep blue eyes acted as a magnet for the boys in town. And even though she attracted a great deal of attention, her heart still belonged to Adam. After their last adventure on Titan, Cindy was almost positive that Bryce was for her but she had a significantly abrupt change of heart soon after.
"It may be true that the witch had some sort of influence on the level of paranormality in Spooksville but I doubt she had a substantial effect," Bryce spoke up. "Since Spooksville has been relatively normal and to us that's really abnormal, I'm inclined to believe that something of great importance is going to happen, especially since Ann trained us and told us we'd be protecting Spooksville while she's gone.
Bryce had by far changed the most out of all of them. When he had first met the gang he had been arrogant and self reliant, but as time went on, he sort of became one of them: social and humble and even developed a sense of humor. Now he had receded back to his old reputation of being James Bond-like. He became more arrogant and even more self-relying than he had ever been, plus he turned into somewhat of a womanizer. So when they found Amy in the graveyard, he naturally tried to take charge.
It was then Watch noticed Amy and the dark red flowers growing all around her. At first he thought he was seeing things. He stopped and let the gang walk by as he cleaned his ever-thickening glasses and placed them back on. No, there was still something there.
"Wait," he called. Everyone stopped and turned around.
Adam followed his friend's line of sight and was as surprised as Watch. "Is there someone on Madeline Templeton's grave?"
"Are those flowers?" Cindy asked in disbelief.
Bryce immediately took action by pulling out his lock picking kit from his back pocket to pick the lock on the cemetery's gates. It didn't take long and as he pulled off the chain which held the gates closed, Adam and Watch pushed the gates open. Bryce then rushed over to the young girl who had to be about their age.
"She's alive, just unconscious," Bryce told them, checking her pulse and breathing. "She probably came through the Secret Path," he added, looking up at the witch's tombstone.
"Should we take her to the hospital?" Cindy asked with concern.
"The hospital will just use her for some sort of sick experiment," Sally insisted. "A real sick one. She'll be so mutilated, no one will recognize her. Not that anyone in this dimension will know her," Sally looked over at Watch. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing," he answered. But it was apparent there was something.
"I'll take her to my house," Bryce decided as he lifted her carefully.
Watch bent down and picked a few different flowers where no plant had ever grown before. And perhaps was not meant to.
"What do you think this means?" Adam asked.
"I think Bryce is right," Watch said. "Something big is going to happen."