Chapter 27

"John, can you come here for a second? I've run out of hands and these cans are about to rain down everywhere..." Aidan splayed her hands against a tettering stack of tomato sauce and green beans cans.

John hustled over and helped her get them set back upright, "There ya go."

Aidan smiled up at him, "Thanks. And, um, sorry about this; you really do seem like a nice guy." A flash of confusion appeared on his face just before she reached out and touched his arm. She loved that look of confusion that always appeared after she apologized. His gaze glazed over and he crumbled to the floor. She shoved him further into the corner of the large pantry and bent down to erase those last few seconds from his memory. She shoved that little bit of her attention that was keeping him unconscience, to the back of her mind and changed her appearance to match his. She walked out into the kitchen and closed the door behind her.

All the inmates were engossed in their work--a few minutes in the pantry and the lonely female presence inside the prison was; out of sight, out of mind. Aidan reminded herself that she was John, a man, and changed her stance and stride. "Hey," she called to the inmate closest to her, "which one of you takes care of the meals for death row?"

He turned to see who was speaking to him before he decided on how to respond. Aidan scanned the dining hall on the other side of the buffet-style serving counter. Cameras covered the entire hall in their cross-fire, while two more covered both entrances. The inmates reply pulled her focus back, "Martinez has that pleasure...boss." He smirked and measured the level of threat she/John entailed and seemed satisfied with John's small stature. Oh, if you only knew what I could do to you, Aidan thought and felt Nadia's annoyance surface briefly. I know, I know, hurry up, she rolled her eyes.

Aidan stared back at the inmate and let alittle bit of her influence seep into him. His smirk slowly melted off his face and he took a step back before recovering himself and going back to work. He continued to glance over his shoulder every few seconds. Aidan couldn't help the smug smirk that formed on her face, "Thanks." She looked passed him at the man he'd indicated as being Martinez. Judging by the back-off aura that he projected, it was obvious he suffered horribly from the Napoleon Complex. At about 5' 5'', Martinez was a showcase of overcompensation. He was covered in tattoos and holes were piercings had once been.

She channeled the male dominence she'd seen on tv countless times and headed straight for him, "How's it going?" His head stayed pointed at the pot in front of him and only his eyes rolled up to look at her. He grunted as a response and went back to stirring his concoction. "Whatcha making?" He pointed at a bag of rice that lay on the counter beside him. She poked the bag, "Real conversationalist, huh?" She said dryly. She sighed and mumbled, "I really don't have time for this." Normally she enjoyed the game that these encounters usually were for her; but she was bored and could feel Nadia getting anxious.

She closed her eyes and concentrated until everything around her fell silent. She sighed, relaxed, and glanced around the kitchen and dining hall. Every person within sight had crumbled to the floor just like John; no touch needed. With a deep breath, she calmed the rush of power that flowed through her; she was getting stronger. She felt Nadia's alarm about the cameras; relax, we have plenty of time to drop in a few of the roots and boogey before anyone comes a-knocking. She pushed the bag of rice out of the way and pulled the bag of Hemlock roots out of her pocket. After a quick run over with a knife, the roots were small enough to be thought of as just another ingredient; nothing suspicious about them at all. She swept them off the counter and into her hand and dropped them into the pot with a small splash. She was giving it a quick stir when the static of a radio down the hall caught her attention. Someone was coming.

She hurried back to the pantry and changed back into Grace Klein. She knealt down beside John and let go of the hold she had on him and everyone else. "Are you alright?" she asked John with concern.

"What happened?" he blinked and rubbed his forehead.

"You collapsed," she helped him to his feet. "Are you sure you're okay?" He nodded and glanced around in confusion. "What do you remember?" she asked.

"Uh... I was helping you with the cans that were about to fall and then..." he thought hard.

"Yeah, then you just dropped," her voice dripped with concern and shock.

"Sorry," he looked straight at her for the first time since he'd regained conciousness. "I didn't mean to scare you."

She smiled reassuringly, "Let's just get you to the infermery." She wrapped a arm around his waist and helped him out into the kitchen where confusion filled the air. Everyone was looking around at everyone else, trying to figure out what happened. I've got to learn to think these things through before I do them, she thought to herself. She closed her eyes again and sent out a wave of energy and when she opened them again, everyone was back to completing their tasks like nothing had happened; because, for them, nothing had happened. The last two minutes of their lives had disappeared and none of them would ever notice.

"Except the fact that it is forever captured on film..." Nadia replied nastily.

Aidan rolled her eyes, "Child's play," she mumbled.

"What was that?" John asked at the doorway.

"Which way?"

He pointed to the right, "You know what, let me just get another guard down here and escort you out--if you're finished, of course..."

She smiled with relief but tried not to show it; she needed to get out of there, "Oh, yes I'm finished." She hoped he didn't notice that she wasn't removing any contaminated cans, "Are you sure you can manage?"

He laughed, "Of course. It was nice to meet you, Ms. Klein," he reached out his hand and shook hers. He asked for someone to meet them over his radio and they waited until Rich showed up. John mumbled, "Sorry," under his breath.

Aidan chuckled, "Thanks. Feel better." Rich came up to her side with a big grin. Obviously he thought this was his second chance to prove to her that they were meant to be together--at least for a night. She didn't waste any time, as soon as John was out of hearing distance, she turned Rich from a horny, arrogant guy to a mute. He walked beside her in silence and she grinned smugly. See, the easy way can be just as enjoyable as doing it on your own, magic-free. She turned and asked him, "Where do you keep the video stored?" She nodded to the nearest camera in the least obvious way she could and made him give up the answer.

"In there," he nodded to the room they were just about to pass. The door was locked with a heavy padlock and she was within sight of two different cameras.

She thought quickly through her options before stopping and squatting down to fix her shoe, "My straps come loose..." Rich was quiet again as he stood behind her. She fidgeted with the strap for awhile until he looked down the hall. As fast as she could, she touched a finger to the floor and stood back up. "All set," she heard the whoosh of flames consuming everything in the room, coming from the other side of the door. She walked back to the front enterance with Rich and said a quick goodbye before hurrying out to the car. As soon as she was behind the steering wheel and backing out of her parking space, she released him.

"And now we wait," she sighed. Before she could stop her, Aidan felt Nadia grab hold and yank her back into their mind and out of control of their body. "Bitch."

Nadia smiled smugly. "Yes, we wait just long enough to confirm that the roots worked-"

"And so that we know exactly how many to cross off our quota," Aidan interrupted, still grumpy about being expelled so rudely.

"Yes, that too." She thought about the agreement she'd made; they had 323 souls left to collect after San Quinten and those two rapists from the alley. She still wasn't sure how many people Florida State Prison had on death row; the websites she'd checked contradicted each other. This collection could bring the end of her deal within striking distance or it could just make a dent. She'd never before hoped that she'd poisoned alot of people; it wasn't a pleasant desire.

Aidan was rolling her eyes at Nadia's guilt. Nadia stopped at a red light and waited while she continued to calculate in her head. An odd feeling of dread and fear flooded through her and even Aidan froze. It was hard to breath, like the feeling had manifested and was wound around her chest like a python. She glanced in her mirrors and looked around frantically; she could feel something cold and hateful just out of reach and sight. The light turned green and she slammed on the gas petal in a way that put any drag racer to shame. She was shaking and near tears in terror.

"What the hell was that?" Aidan asked in shock herself.

"I don't know," she whispered and sped back to the hotel using every ability she had to avoid every light, cop, and accident along the way. Using her abilities so much made her feel more grounded. She was a force to be wreckoned with; what could have possibly made her that terrified? The fear she'd felt was unexplainable. There was no obvious cause for the panic she'd felt in that split second. So what the hell was it?

She didn't waste any time running up to her room, locking the door with its flimsy little chain, and pulling the curtains closed. She'd just gotten all of her things in her bags when her phone rang. She jumped back and the corner of the table jammed into her back, "Good lord!" She took a deep breath and looked at the screen, Sam. "Sam?" she asked cautiously, ready to dump the phone and run out the door if need be. After what had just happened, she wouldn't of found it hard to believe that whatever it was, could've gotten to Sam and Dean.

"Nadia!"

"Dean?" Even being as scared as she was, her stomach still clenched in surprise and joy.

"Where are you?" he asked frantically.

"Uh... I can't tell you. Are you okay?"

He growled with frustration, "I'm fine, are you?"

She wasn't sure how to answer, so she took a deep breath and said the first thing that came to mind. "Something's...wrong."

The line was silent for a long time. "You need to get here. We're in Colorado, or I'll come to you..."

Nadia knew she should be opposed to this, but what she'd felt today had shaken her to the core. She needed their help; Aidan wasn't even argueing that. "I'm leaving right now. I'll take the first flight out, I promise."

"Where are you?" he demanded.

She bite her lip, "Florida."

He groaned. "Nadia..." she heard the familiar edge of worry in his voice.

"I'm on my way," she promised. She quickly checked her computer for flights to Colorado, "There's one that leaves in an hour. I'll be in Denver by 1:38."

"I'll be there."

"Thanks..." She wanted to add 'for caring' but things were still weird between them. One random, worried phone call didn't change anything. "See you soon."

"Be careful," he warned and they both hung up. Nadia shoved her computer into her bag and quickly double checked to be sure she hadn't forgotten anything and then hurried down to the check out counter. As she fidgeted and waited for the concierge to give her the okay to head out, she glanced around and saw a tv to her right. The news was on. "A visit earlier by the health department to investigate a shipment of canned goods, has lead investigators to believe that the visit may have come too late. Forty-eight prisoners died at the prison just a few minutes ago, along with two inmates who worked in the cafeteria and a guard who had tasted some of the contaminated food. The prison has sent samples of all of the food that was prepared today to be tested as soon as possible. These deaths have forced all of the prisons in Northern Florida to dispose of all of the food they have in stock. The governor has released a statement saying: 'The public should not be alarmed; the state's prisons recieve all of their food and beverage products from a private supplier. No one in the general public needs to worry about their own safety when it comes to contaminated goods in their home.' We will keep you up to date with the story as more information is gathered."

"It's gonna cause a state-wide panic no matter how many assurances the governor releases." The concierge slid Nadia's reciept onto the counter and held out a pen for her to use. She was still dumbstruck by what she'd heard and it took her a minute to realize what she needed to do. "Pretty crazy, huh? But I heard that most of the prisoners were on death row already anyway." He chuckled softly, "Saves us tax payers a few bucks."

Nadia stared back at him, shocked that he could be so cavelier about the deaths of 50 people. It was ironic. Here she was, half demon, and she could hardly think straight and someone completely uninvolved and with a clear conscience shrugged the whole thing off as just a money-saving fluke. "Yeah, crazy." She signed the paper and stuffed her copy into her pocket and left. All she could think about was the newswoman's words, "...and a guard..." First a hunter, now a guard; one thing was for sure; they were never using poison again.

Nadia was slowly realizing the perks of being what she was. She'd always avoided using her abilities as much as she could because she didn't want to think of herself as using short cuts. Her entire life, she'd trained herself and been trained to protect herself with her own to hands; to use her brain. Using her abilities made her feel...lazy. She was also willing to admit that she wanted to feel like she could hold her own around Sam and Dean without the supernatural backing that came with her genetics. But as she hurried to catch her flight, she was growing more and more fond of her special abilites. Everyone in line for tickets and baggage check-in were extremely kind and let her jump to the head of the line and even airport security let her through in record time.

In an effort not to be put beside another Lars Ulrich wanna-be, she asked for a seat in the emptiest section of the plane; first class. She ran to the gate, thankful that she didn't have to wait at all for the flight, and dropped into her seat. She grabbed her phone before the flight attendant came around snapping at her and texted Dean: On the plane now. Let u know when we r almost there. She immediately got a reply: Will be there.

She smiled, sighed, and shoved her earbuds in her ears. As she anxiously watched the flight attendants pace up and down the aisles, she considered making the pilot just get the plane in the air; but figured that was pushing it alittle too far. Metallica's "The Thing that Should Not Be" filled her ears and she tried to keep the anxiety and excitment about what lay ahead out of her mind.