Chapter 16

Sam inches forward at the sound of Lina's voice, but Dean moves to the center of the door, completely blocking the entrance.

"I just want to hear what she's trying to say," Sam says with a sigh.

Dean's eyes dart between the door and Sam. After a few seconds he moves over a little bit, allowing Sam to press his ear against the door.

"I promise I won't hurt you," Lina's small voice shakes, "I just want to talk."

Sam turns to Dean in response.

"She may be able to help us," Sam tries.

"How? By killing us?" Dean shoots back.

"I know about the spirit," Lina pleads.

Sam widens his eyes and nods his head in the direction of the door. Dean's eyes twitch as his conflicting emotions collide. After some time, Dean's shoulders drop and he reaches behind himself. He pulls his gun out and then nods to Sam. Sam nods in return as he backs away from the door. With his gun ready, Dean grasps the handle.

"Three, two, one," Dean whispers. Then he swings the door open.

Sam rushes in behind Dean and gasps when he sees Lina lying on the floor. He lunges forward to go to her aid, but Dean throws his arm up in defiance.

"We're playing by my rules," Dean states.

Lina rises into a sitting position and rubs her arm, which appears red and scratched. She looks to Sam and offers a tired smile. Sam's stomach turns as he takes in Lina's pale complexion and bloodshot eyes. Something's wrong, Sam thinks.

"I wasn't expecting you guys to barge in, I guess I didn't get out of the way fast enough," she mumbles with a small laugh.

"Lina, are you okay?" Sam asks genuinely.

"What do you know about the spirit?" Dean interrupts. He moves in front of Sam and points the gun at Lina.

Lina shrinks away from Dean's malice and slides to the wall furthest from him. She wraps her arms around her knees and coughs quietly before speaking.

"I don't know much I'm afraid. I didn't even know ghosts or spirits existed until yesterday, but I have no other way of explaining what happened," Lina pauses and coughs again, "After you drugged me, I was still faintly conscious for a few minutes. I heard a voice speak to me. It said, 'You don't belong here. If you leave, don't come back.' I barely opened my eyes and saw the silhouette of a man walk into the water and then vanish. I know you think I killed Denise, but I didn't. I couldn't. That man though, I know he's the culprit." Lina raises her chin and looks at Dean with feverish eyes. "He's the one who drowned Denise."

"The spirit could have drowned Denise, thinking she was Lina. In the middle of the night it would probably be hard to tell the difference between them," Sam adds to back up Lina's conclusion.

"Yeah I know," Dean mutters, "The mermaid didn't kill Denise."

"So you believe us?" Sam whispers incredulously.

"Of course the spirit drowned Denise, all the facts point to him," Dean says in an obvious tone.

"What? Why didn't you say this before?" Sam nearly screams. Dean turns to Sam while still keeping the gun trained on Lina.

"That doesn't mean… Lina isn't dangerous." Dean starts, "Or have you forgotten the real reason we went to the college in the first place." Sam opens his mouth to counter Dean's statement, but Lina's voice interrupts his anger.

"Um, why would the spirit want to kill me?" Lina asks quietly.

"Because you're a mermaid," Dean states bluntly.

"What?" Lina says before quietly coughing again. Sam quickly jumps in before Dean adds any more hostility to the situation.

"You see we believe the spirit is Jeremy Flanders. He was the former owner of a fishing company, called Ocean Delicacies which used to be located on your college campus."

"What are you doing?" Dean spews, "Don't tell her everything."

"She needs the whole picture," Sam objects before turning his attention back to Lina.

"Flanders' insisted that his father was killed by a mermaid. We believe he is haunting the school grounds and enacting his revenge on any mermaid he comes in contact with. Unfortunately Denise…" Sam's sentence trails off.

"Everyone always thought Denise and I were twins," Lina says slowly putting the pieces together, "Oh god… She's dead because of me."

Sam swiftly maneuvers around Dean, and reaches Lina before his older brother can react. He places his hand on Lina's shoulder and speaks softly.

"Lina, Denise's death is not your fault. Please don't blame yourself," Sam pauses and looks at Dean before continuing, "Trust me."

Dean sighs and drops his aimed gun.

Lina nods slightly. She turns to speak to Sam when she suddenly falls into a coughing fit. Sam subconsciously moves his hand from her shoulder to her back in comfort. After her coughs subside she rests her forehead on her knee. Sam can feel her trembling under his touch. Now up close Sam can see Lina's complexion. Her skin is not only pale, but incredibly dry – dry to the point that it is flaking off on her clothes. What did Bobby tell us…? Water. She needs water. Sam turns to his brother.

"Dean, she needs water." Sam demands.

"Like a glass of water or a bath?" Dean replies. Sam turns to Lina for the answer.

"I need to swim," she says quietly, "I'll die otherwise."

"How long will you last?" Dean asks with a blank expression.

"Probably only a couple of days. Also since I've been out of the water for nearly two days, taking a bath won't help. I need to swim somewhere. Like the ocean or a lake."

"Dean we have to drive her to the ocean right now," Sam says as he rises. He helps Lina to her feet and supports her. He begins walking towards the exit when Dean moves in front of him.

"No," Dean states. Sam takes a step back in surprise, but his moment of stunned silence is short-lived.

"What do you mean no!?" Sam screams.

"Can I speak to you privately for a moment?" Dean says calmly.

"Fine," Sam huffs in annoyance. He follows his brother to the entrance of the panic room and leans in when Dean begins speaking.

"I don't want to bring Lina to the ocean because she can easily escape."

"She needs to swim!" Sam replies instantly.

"I realize this. That's why we're going to burn the bones of Jeremy Flanders, and deliver Lina back to her college. Okay?" Dean answers quietly.

Sam thinks about retaliating, but he knows his brother's plan is the best deal he is going to get. If they can quickly eliminate Flanders' ghost, Lina can be back at her college by tomorrow. Judging by her appearance they need to hurry.

"Fine, we're skipping our meeting with Flanders' girlfriend then. We need to burn his bones as soon as possible," Sam pauses as a sudden thought occurs and then continues speaking hesitantly, "Flanders does have bones, right?"

"Yeah, he wasn't cremated," Dean says with a devious smile, "And I know exactly where he is buried."