"And I could run like a coward for the door,

But I'll never get out,

Your freaking me out."

-copeland, control freak

"Azura! Wake up! Your going to be late!" I hear my mother yell up to me.

I groan and roll over, placing the soft pillow around my head until I feel someone tugging me.

"Alright! I'm getting up!" I huff, but take it back as soon as I see Violet smiling at me, "Oh its just you, nevermind then."

"Good morning to you too. Now get your ass up and get ready."

I stretch and yawn as I remove myself from my bed and trod over to my closet,"Since when have you encouraged me to go to school?"

Violet shifts her body to face me,"Since I decided it will get you out of this house."

I roll my eyes,"Vi, calm down. Your making me cold," I add sensing her,"You know me. I can handle myself."

"That's what you think," she sighs,"You know that I caught Tate watching you sleep last night?"

I nearly drop the dress I had selected for today before I spoke,"He was?"

"Yes, you don't understand what Tate is like."

"Then help me too. I really want to know what happened," I state, but she merely shakes it off.

"Go to school," and with that she vanishes from my view.

"Azura Juliet Talon! Get down here now!" My mother yells again, this time using my full name, which indicates for me that she is trying to be serious. I finish getting ready and throw one quick glance at the mirror before hurrying downstairs. As soon as I got to the last step however, there was a defining crack and laughter, which took me by surprise, and I caught sight of two red heads before they disappeared completely. Scowling at the stupidity of it, I finally made it into the kitchen only to find my mom sitting with-

"Vivien!" I yell and rush over to hug her. When we broke apart I caught her giving me a once over.

"Azura, you've grown too much."

I shrug slightly,"Well, you know me. Never stopping. Sorry it took me so long. I think we have some trouble makers here."

"Vivien was just giving me the info on this place. It seems we have quite a few unwanted ghosts," my mom chuckles, which doesn't shock me at all.

In the years of my life with my mom, the abnormal became normal and the strange became fascinating. I had obtained my senses at a young age and when mom had found out, she went over the top ecstatic. It was just me and mom for as long as I could remember and without her, my puzzle wasn't solved, the same as if I wasn't with her. I loved who I was and I loved that I could see what others couldn't.

I grab an apple from the fruit bowl,"Yea Violet was telling me, but she doesn't seem to keen on discussing certain subjects."

Vivien looks from my mother and then back at me,"Its been hard on Violet but its also not my place to say what happened to her. I'm sure she will tell you when the time is right."

I eye them both suspiciously. What was it that they knew? I could sense something was off, but didn't press on any further. I grab my car keys from the hook by the door before giving Vivien and my mother a hug good-bye.

"Please, no fighting this time," my mother says sternly, but I see she is trying not to smile as Vivien laughs.

"You and Violet are too much alike."

I throw a smirk at Vivien before I exit the kitchen,"Scary, isn't it?"

Its not that I wasn't a good student, I just hated the whole idea of high school, even if I only had a year left, it was still utter torture. Stupid cliques and stupid football games and people comparing whose parents bought them the best car. Then again, I was in California now, which only made things worse. I was actually welcoming a fight at this point. The only thing that could sustain me was English, but they were already covering something I had already studied. Perhaps I could make everyone else look stupid?

"Ms. Talon?" I hear the teachers voice come into focus, causing me to look up,"Are you with us?"

I look around the room, every stupid face on mine,"Yes, sir. I'm with you."

He looks at me as if I'm some inferior child,"Then would you mind telling us what Shakespeare meant when he wrote "Out damned spot?" in Macbeth?"

I smile, somewhat entertained,"Lady Macbeth's husband has killed the king of Scotland at her urging, but her guilt over the murder gradually drives her insane. When she speaks this line she is sleepwalking, and she imagines that a spot of the king's blood stains her hand."

The silence from the man before me gives me immense satisfaction just as the bell rings.

"Class dismissed," he says quietly before slumping over to his desk.

I swing my bag over my shoulder and exit the prison, as a boy with dark black hair and green eyes strides over next to me.

"Can I help you?" I ask, stopping to look at him.

"It's Azura right?"

I stare at him blankly, finally getting a good look at him. He was tall and his face was defined, and his eyes had a somewhat dreamy expression to them. He was almost as good looking as Tate. Wait-why was I thinking about Tate's looks right now? I snap myself back into reality, knowing how the dangers of my mind worked.

"Yea, I'm Azura."

He holds out his hand and I take it reluctantly. No boy had ever given me a handshake as a greeting and it took me off guard.

"So you just moved here?" He asks, sounding mildly interested. The crowds of students were rushing past us to get to lunch and I felt somewhat annoyed by being placed in the center of this.

"Uh, yea-from Boston. Listen, not to be rude or anything, but I kind of wanted to get to the library."

I see his smile falter a little and I feel like a bitch.

"It's cool. I understand. Well, I guess I'll see you around then?"

I nod politely before heading in the opposite direction. It hadn't been a lie that I was going to the library during lunch. It had been a habit of mine since I could remember. Violet would come with me on occasion, hoping to read about some kind of Russian mean of torture. I was more for myths and legends than anything else. The library was way too quiet when I entered, and I could of sworn I heard my footsteps echo as I made my way to the fantasy section. It was uncommonly cold as well, almost dead-like. Dead-like? Why should it feel like that here?

"Shut up Steph!" I heard a voice yell and looked throughout the book shelves to see a group of students gathered at a table in the far corner. It was as if a wave of ice cold water washed over me. I could feel my heart thump in my chest as my skin grew colder. I closed my eyes, images filling up my mind. The very library I was in at that moment. I couldn't see his face, but I saw the gun. I saw them fending for their lives. The blood was everywhere. I heard the screaming and the gun shots. I reached out to try and stop him…one after the other they went down.

"Stop it!" I yelled, but I knew he couldn't hear me as he approached the last girl under the table.

"Please! No! Why?" she cried, the tears overwhelming.

"BAM!"

I opened my eyes. The quiet library coming into view once more. I looked back through the shelves to see them all siting there still. They were dead. All of them. I had been there just moments ago when it happened. But, it must have been years ago. Were they unable to move on as well. Trapped for a never-ending eternity just like Violet?

"Seriously Chloe, get a grip. I was just joking," the blonde girl snapped back at the brunette one, who folded her arms smugly. I couldn't help but realize who they all looked like together; The Dead Breakfast Club. The blonde one was the basket case, clearly, her dark clothes giving her away. The brunette ones was a cheerleader, and obviously a princess in her peoples eyes. The boy with short light brown hair was wearing a jock jacket. The boy with dark curly hair and glasses was plainly the brain and the last boy who had neck length dark brown hair was certainly the rebel.

"Give it a rest you two," the jock said,"You two have been giving me headaches for years now."

"Kyle my man," the rebel responded,"They're women. We are forever cursed."

"Oh shut up!" The two girls spat back.

Slowly and without alarming them, I made myself noticeable.

"You guys may want to keep it down. You are in a library."

The looks on they're faces were indeed alarming, even though I had not intended it. They probably didn't realize anyone could see them, let alone hear them.

"Did she just talk to us?" The princess asked, looking from the others then back at me.

"Wait-you can see us?" The jock said standing up and getting rather close to me. I could feel how cold they all were and drew my jacket closer around me.

"Yes, I can see you. Don't freak out."

"Who the hell are you?" The basket case questioned, angrily and soon they were all surrounding me.

"I'm Azura. I just moved here. I usually go to the library during lunch. I didn't mean to interrupt your little pow-wow."

The brain laughed before speaking,"Eternity isn't a pow-wow. In case you haven't noticed, we are dead."

I smiled,"Yea, I think I got that part down. I'm a medium. So is my mom. We just moved into the Murder House."

I saw they're faces contort with fury.

"A medium?" The basket case replies,"Jesus fucking Christ."

"You mean you live with that bastard Tate Langdon?" The jock questioned. The resentment in his voice was audible.

"There's a lot of ghosts there, but yea, Tate is there. Why?"

None of them answer and I see a tear fall from the princess.

"I know what happened to you guys. I saw it all, right before I talked to you. I'm so sorry. I know that you can never get your lives back."

The jock turns away from me before speaking and his voice is as cold as his energy,"You can thank Tate for that."

I feel my heart drop into my chest,"Tate? Tate did this?"

"Oh, so you saw everything but the person who murdered us?" The princess yells.

"I-sometimes-I can't control what I see. There's got to be an explanation for why he went off like that," I see they're faces become angrier and I continue on, quickly,"Not that I'm justifying what he did or anything."

So why was I trying to find a reason for Tate? I didn't even know him. To everyone I knew so far, he was some kind of monster. He was a murderer. But why? Why did I sense good in him?

"I want to help you guys." I blurt out suddenly, making them all look at me like I'm insane and truth be told, maybe I was.

"Help us?" The rebel asks, unsure,"Help us how?"

I stumble over my words trying to find the right ones that don't sound lame,"Crossover, obviously."

I half expected them to laugh at me, but they don't. They only eye me curiously and I sense hope radiate off them.

"You can really do that?" The brain inquires and I nod.

"Yes, I really can. Its what I do. If you'll let me. I know you don't know me, but I've seen what happened and I can feel what you feel. Just, let me try. I doubt you can bare an eternity like this."

They don't answer right away and after a few minutes I consider walking away until the jock extends his hand out to me, reminding me of the boy from earlier.

"I'm Kyle."

I take his hand and shake it.

"And this is Chloe," he points to the princess who smiles faintly,"This is Amir," he points to the brain who nods,"Kevin,"he points to the rebel,"And finally, Stephanie." he points to the basket case who is glaring at me,"We are always here."

"I understand," I reply as Stephanie approaches me.

"Look, I don't think I like you and I sure as hell don't trust you, but I'll buy into this crap because its pretty much my last option."

"Cool it Steph," Kevin growls, causing her to back away from me. I hear the bell ring overhead.

"I better get going. I'll see you guys later."

I sling my bag over my shoulder and make my way for the door before I hear Kyle speak.

"Hey, be careful in that place. You don't want to be dead. Trust me."

I watch them deteriorate before my eyes before heading out the door and to my car, thinking about what Kyle just were boxed in. All of them. Unable to move on and forced to spend eternity with the memory of how they died. How long did it feel like for Violet? For every lost soul that wandered the earth? But, even if Violet was able to move on, the force of the house kept them there and that was what I needed to stop in order for her to escape. Even though I would lose her forever.

I finally make it home and shut the engine of my car off, sitting still for several minutes, just listening to my shallow breathing. What if I couldn't find out how to help them crossover? What if I couldn't help anyone in the house? I knew I was being silly, however. I had helped spirits crossover before, although it had never been so advanced before. The house contained the essence of evil, a force unlike anything I had ever felt before and yet, I still sensed good. Just like I had with Tate.

"Are you thinking about me?" A soft voice whispered from behind me and I felt my body go numb. I looked up into the mirror, only to see Tate smiling devishly back at me, his eyes boring into mine.

The world is a filthy place. It's a filthy goddamn horror show.

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