Zoe's protests about not feeling up to going to the party had fallen on deaf ears. For every excuse she offered, Haley brought forth a reason for her to go.
Zoe didn't feel she'd be good company. Haley didn't think Zoe would be any better off staying home alone.
Zoe didn't think it was a good idea to party when she'd nearly had a panic attack. Haley reasoned rum shots would help calm her nerves.
Zoe didn't think she would make any friends while she was still shaky. Haley pointed out that Zoe didn't need to do anything because everyone was expecting and looking forward to meeting her at the party.

It was the very real threat Haley made that forced Zoe to suck it up and go to the party.
"Look, if you don't feel like going to the party, I can arrange to have the party come here with one word." Haley had held up her mobile threateningly. "Either way, it is happening."

Zoe was chewing her nail nervously on the drive to Tanya's house. She was quiet most of the time. So was Kyle. She guessed he must have sensed the change in her; the automatic reaction she had to distance herself from others on an emotional level. Or maybe he was still wound up about her and Jess's meeting. Zoe tried to convince herself she didn't care.
Haley did most of the talking. Predicting what Tanya might wear. Warning Kyle of a possibly planned occasion when Tanya might corner him alone. Her bets on which football team was going to win the game that night...

Zoe felt her heart skip momentarily when they arrived at Tanya's house. The street was crammed with cars parked up on the sidewalks. Kids littered the sprawling front lawn, music and laughter danced through the evening light. Zoe didn't meet any of the curious eyes that followed her into the house.

Tanya greeted them inside, wearing what Haley referred to as a 'ouch-short' mini dress.
"Well, you guys look fab!" Was all she said before disappearing into the milling crowd of party-goers.
Haley introduced Zoe to a few people – Zoe found it all a big blur, unable to remember names or which faces she was supposed to have met already. Every time one person would start a chat with her, three more would come and introduce themselves. There were so many questions flying at her, so many people flogging around her, that Zoe started to feel the disconcerting sensation that she was the life of the party.

She turned down several offers to dance, and she found it strangely exciting to have the girls hang on her every word. It was different to what she was used to. Even though she had always been the girl every guy thought he wanted, and the girl every other girl either hated or wanted to be, it had never before been so obvious.

This is insane, Zoe thought to herself. Haley had vanished from her side amid the chaos, but Kyle stuck to her side like a pit-bull ready to attack anyone he felt was a threat. It wasn't long before the inevitable happened.
They were standing by the buffet table, Kyle getting her a glass of punch, when Bruce approached her.
"Want to dance, Zoe?"
"I'll pass, thanks." Zoe offered a smile.
"C'mon. I'm a good dancer."
"No, really, Bruce..."
"It'll be fun. Come on, I promise you'll enjoy yourself."
"Maybe later."
"Oh, Zoe, just one little dance, please?"
"Take a hike, Bruce." Kyle appeared next to her suddenly and Zoe's mouth dropped open.
"How about you take a hike instead, Locke." Bruce's pleasant smile and warm eyes had turned cold and ugly. "Are you with this loser, Zoe?"
"Who are you calling a loser?" Kyle snapped, stepping forward.
"What's gotten into you two?" Zoe gasped, afraid at the hostility between the two friends.
The two guys paused for a moment to look at her.
"Zoe doesn't want to dance with you." Kyle broke the awkward silence.
"Because of you?" Bruce asked through gritted teeth.
"Yeah, maybe." Kyle smirked.

They were right in each other's faces now. Zoe stood, rigid, cringing, waiting for the first fist to swing and break the argument into a full-out fight.
"Can you two please quit it?" Zoe cried out when Bruce gave Kyle a good shove.
"Hey!" Haley appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Zoe's arm. "Zoe's not dancing with either of you morons. The game is starting, so you'd better get your butts in there if you want good seats."

Zoe allowed Haley to lead her away from them. She let out a slow breath of relief. "Thanks."
"That was really weird. They were acting like..." Haley stopped herself and sent Zoe a curious, suspicious look. "Like idiots."
"There you guys are," Tanya hissed from behind them, and they were both steered toward the sliding doors leading onto the backyard.

"Is everybody else already there?" Haley asked over her shoulder.
"Yeah, Kim is setting up the stuff." Tanya said.
"What stuff?" Zoe asked, alarmed. Her heart had involuntarily picked up speed, and now she was doubting whether she wanted to do this at all.

"You'll see." Tanya said.
Zoe felt her confidence fritter away when the Willis house came into view. The white plastered walls gleamed eerily in the moonlight.
"Maybe we should think about this..." Zoe started when Haley threw open the gate.
"We did." Tanya said impatiently.
"I don't think this is such a good idea." Zoe said weakly.

No one replied. They followed the footpath around to the back of the house, and stepped through the back door. They were in a dimly lit and empty kitchen. Zoe glanced over her shoulder at the door as it swung shut, and froze. She took a step toward the door. She could have sworn there was a person standing by the window just a second ago. Now the figure was gone.

"Zoe," Haley whispered, tugging at her arm.
Zoe followed Haley through the dark house. It was almost too quiet. They found one of the rooms in the back of the house decorated with a hundred lit tea candles. A round make-shift table had been erected in the middle of the room. Tanya was already sitting down. Zoe recognised the girl with cinnamon coloured hair as Kim, and the one with wild black curls was Lisa – Zoe remembered her from Chemistry class. Zoe sank down onto her knees beside Haley, and swallowed hard.

An Ouija board was on the table – a beautiful one carved out of Yew wood with bold letters and decorated with a million tiny moons and stars along the edge. The planchette was made of the same wood and was set aside on the table.

"Now. First things first." Tanya flicked her hair over her shoulder and sent a serious look around the table. "For those of you who haven't done this before. You have to have an open mind. If you don't believe the board is going to work, then it probably won't. Now, I want everyone to close their eyes, and relax every body part starting from the toes..."
Zoe closed her eyes.
"Is this really necessary? If we didn't believe it would work, we wouldn't be here trying it out." Haley interrupted. "Besides, time is of the essence. Kyle is going to start looking for us at half time."
Zoe opened her eyes to look at Haley's impatient expression.

"Fine. Suit yourself." Tanya sniffed. "You need to be serious. Contacting the dead is no joke, so don't treat it as such. With that said, you don't need to be too serious. I've contacted lots of ghosts who had a good sense of humour."
Zoe arched her eyebrows in surprise, but looked away when Tanya glanced at her. Ghosts with a sense of humour? The only ones Zoe had ever seen with a sense of humour, was Stinky, Stretch and Fatso.

"Right. Because they're so happy to be dead." Haley commented.
"Ugh. Shut up." Tanya frowned at her. "Now, it's vital that you keep in mind that whatever the board spells out, won't necessarily come true, or be true."
"Come true? You mean like... like a prediction or something?" Haley demanded.

"Sort of like a prediction. Ghosts can sometimes see the future." Tanya said.
"Nah-ah." Haley shook her head. "Ghosts shouldn't be able to do that, Tanya. Are you sure you know what you're getting us into?"
"Oh, please, Haley, I've done this like a million times." Tanya said. "Now, whatever happens, it's important that no one gets up and leaves the room before we say goodbye to the spirit. Else you're basically inviting it to follow you around, and then you'll have some problems. Is that understood?"

There was collective chorus of 'yes' around the table, except for Haley.
"Gaa. I don't think I put on enough deodorant. I smell like my house." Haley wrinkled her nose. "Or is it just me?"
"The candles are sage-scented." Kim said helpfully.
"Now, I need you all to be quiet while I do the prayers." Tanya said.
"What prayers?" Zoe asked, alarmed.
"For protection. Just in case." Lisa said with a reassuring smile.

"Dear spirit. As we sit with you now, we open our hearts. We surround ourselves with the love and light of your protection. We release any negativity..." Tanya started, sitting up straight with her eyes closed.
Haley giggled. Tanya stopped, and gave Haley a withering look.
"We release any negativity," Tanya said again. " That we have picked up throughout the day so that we speak to the universe with the purity of our souls. We ask that any energy be given for our absolute good."

Zoe tensed when she caught movement at the window from the corner of her eye. She turned her head to look at it. Nothing but open air.
"Dismiss now all energies that are not of the Highest and Greatest source. As we bathe in your grace, we will listen to your resounding voice within us. We will be true to our hearts, and your gentle guidance." Tanya finished.

Haley seemed to be the only one fighting not to laugh.
"Okay. Now everyone puts one finger on the planchette. Whichever one you'll feel most comfortable with using." Tanya said, placing the small object onto the board and resting her index finger on it.
Kim and Lisa put their fingers on it, and so did Haley. Zoe was the one who hesitated.
"Come on, Zoe. You don't have to be afraid." Tanya said almost coaxingly.

Zoe pursed her lips. Oh, what the hell. She put her finger on the planchette.
"Now what?" Haley asked.
"We wait for someone to come by." Tanya shrugged, and cleared her throat. "Is there anyone in the room with us now?"
Zoe felt her stomach turn into knots when the planchette slowly moved toward the Yes circle.
"Did you die here?" Kim asked.
The planchette moved to the No circle.
"What is your name?" Haley asked. Her smile was gone.
The planchette moved around the board, not landing on any specific letter or number.
"It does that sometimes." Tanya whispered, then said louder. "It's okay. You don't need to tell us your name. Can you tell us how old you were when you died?"
No.
"Are you a girl?"
No.

"Are you, like, hot?" Lisa asked with a giggle, winning a nudge from a smiling Tanya.
Yes.

Everyone broke into giggles. Haley, however, looked a bit pale.
"You guys are so pathetic. How can you hit on a ghost?" Haley asked in disbelief.
"Are you alone?" Tanya asked.
No.
"Do you know who is with you?"
Yes.
"At least he's not lonely." Lisa sighed.
"How did you die?" Haley asked.
The planchette moved around randomly again. Haley frowned.
"Where did you die?" Kim asked instead.
The movements became jerky.
"Ask a different question. Sometimes they get too upset to talk about the details." Tanya said. "Um... I got it. You said you didn't die here. So why are you here in this house?"
"Why doesn't it want to answer any of my questions?" Haley complained.
The planchette moved to pause on the W.

"A," Kim read the next letter.
"I." Tanya said.
"T." Lisa said.
"Waiting." Haley said.
Zoe was glancing around the room, uneasy. She could see them. It was a given fact that she could see them – so where were they?
"What... what are you waiting for?" Zoe asked.
Y.O.U.A.R.E.T.H.E.P.O.R.T.
"You are the... portal?" Kim blinked, confused. "What?"

"What is... what's that? What's happening?" Lisa cried out when the flames of the candles flared far higher than they should be able to. Shadows seemed to leap across the walls – not just normal shadows from the candles but shadows that looked shaped like... people.
"Stop it! Say goodbye, say goodbye! No, don't let go of the board! Say goodbye!" Tanya was shouting.
Zoe was vaguely aware that they were yanking the planchette to the goodbye circles. The shadows disappeared, but the candles seemed dimmer somehow.
"What was that?" Kim yelped.
"I don't know!" Tanya said.
"That wasn't right! What happened?" Lisa nearly sobbed.
"I don't know!" Tanya shouted, as fearful as the others.

"I thought you knew what you were doing." Haley's voice cut through the panic in the room.
"I..." Tanya started.
"You said you knew what you were getting us into." Haley said coldly as she got to her feet.
Zoe cringed away when Haley kicked the table over angrily. "Damn it, Tanya! You shouldn't screw around with things that you don't understand!"
"But..."
"Come on, Zoe. We're getting the hell out of here." Haley snapped.

Zoe followed Haley from the house quickly. She wrapped her arms around herself, glancing around alert as they walked down the darkened street.
"Where are we going? Tanya's house is that way." Zoe said worriedly. She'd never seen Haley so furious before, and she hoped she never would again. An angry Haley was a scary Haley.

"Somewhere safe." Haley responded curtly, then gave her a sidelong glance. "I'm so sorry, Zoe. I thought it was just child's play, I really did. I had no idea this would happen."
"What did happen?" Zoe asked after a moment. It was hard to keep up with the brisk pace Haley set for them.
"I think I might know. But I need to make sure." Haley said quietly. She offered a small smile.

"Where... we're not going in there?" Zoe asked when Haley turned toward a large abandoned building.
"We sure are. Trust me on this, Zoe. I know what I'm doing." Haley said gently.
They stepped through the large double doors. They swung closed on squealing hinges behind them, and the sound echoed eerily through the silent hallways. Zoe glimpsed an old, withered sign on a bulletin board reading Vista Grande Asylum.
"Haley, I want to go home." Zoe said, jogging to keep up with her.
"I'll take you home soon enough. But first, I want you to meet a friend of mine," Haley said, and lowered her voice. "He is a little bit odd, so try not to get freaked out."

Zoe swallowed nervously as she followed Haley down the dimly lit hallway, wondering how she was supposed to not freak out wandering the halls of a run-down asylum in the middle of the night.
"Haley," Zoe whispered uneasily, eyes darting from shadow to shadow on the stained and cracking walls. "I don't think we should be here."
"Don't worry, Zoe. It's not haunted, if that's what you're worried about." Haley whispered back over her shoulder. "Just trust me on this. If anyone will be able to decipher what the hell happened at the party tonight, it will be Davis."
"Who exactly is Davis again?" Zoe asked in a small voice. There was something wrong about this place; the peeling walls and dust strewn floors seemed to radiate some frightening aura she couldn't distinguish.

"He's the Spirit Guru, you could say. He knows just about everything there is to know about the spiritual world." Haley said and stopped suddenly.
Zoe froze in her tracks and cautiously peeked across her shoulder at the hallway ahead.
"Did you hear that?" Haley asked, her voice barely a whisper, eyes wide as she looked up and down the hallway.
Zoe bit her lip hard and listened intently. Her heart was pounding painfully in her ears and for a moment she was afraid her heart would simply stop functioning all together. Then a faint noise from somewhere up ahead made both girls' heads snap in the direction. Zoe straightened up, ready to bolt back to the main entrance, but found she was rooted to the spot when Haley darted forward instead.
She wanted to call her back, but found she had no voice or breath to do so. She watched anxiously as Haley paused in one of the doorways and peeked inside. There was a deep exhale, and Haley motioned Zoe closer.