Chapter 13

"You could have told me," Sam confronted Dean while Sasha talked to Castiel.

"You were too close to her. I was protecting you."

"You know I'm an adult and can take care of myself, when are you going to accept that?" he huffed at him.

"You'll always be my l'tle brother no matter how old ya are dumb ass," Dean told him. "I had to be sure she wasn't dangerous."

"Boys, enough," Sky fussed at both of them as she stepped between them and pushed them apart. "We've got bigger things to deal with right now."

"Have you found out anything else out about this creature?"

"Are you talking about what is happening at the school?" she asked looking between the two.

"You know about that?"

"Yes I was just starting to investigate it when the shooting happened. I think I know what it is."

"You do?" Dean asked looking interestingly at her. "What?"

"Let's go downstairs and I'll show you what I found. No wait, I need my laptop from the library," she frowned stopping in the doorway.

"No problem, I brought it with me," Sky smiled picking up the computer bag from beside the couch.

"Thanks," she said accepting the bag. "Okay, let's get go downstairs."

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Sam sat beside Sasha as she began to quickly go through her computer pulling up articles and sorting them. He was impressed with her computer skills and watched her open the files onto a larger screen mounted on the wall beside her. Dean and Sky began to scan her research as she began to explain what she had found.

"At first I thought it might be a Shtriga or Crottoa, but ruled them out. That's when I ran across this journal entry from a missionary back when the Mayans were in South America. It talked about a creature who stole a person's light. It was called Devourer of Light. Many young people died in this one village, all drained of their light."

"A person's light is their soul," Castiel commented from the corner.

"Correct," Sasha agreed with him.

"So why is it showing up in this country?" Sam asked glancing over her shoulder at her research impressed with her work.

"My guess, the destruction of the Rain Forests in South America. It migrated into America finding easy prey here. I think it adapted to survive."

"Did you find any other attacks like this anywhere around?"

"In Texas ten years ago, there was a town where teenagers went missing from a local high school. None of the victims were ever found and they never had a suspect. Eight years before that, private boy's school in Mississippi, same thing students missing, none were ever found. Nine years before that an orphanage that children disappeared from. Most were marked as runaways back then. There's no telling how many runaways could be its victims," she sighed.

"So it slowly drains a person's soul until it kills them," Dean said. "So how do we kill it?"

"Well, I hadn't got that far yet, the shooting kind of side tracked me."

"Why don't you and geek boy get at it and we'll go grab some dinner," Dean said slapping Sam on the chest in passing almost knocking him to the floor.

"Ow! Jerk!"

"Bitch," Dean answered with a wave. "Come on Sky."

"What should I do?" Castiel asked.

"Why don't you go fill the others in on what we found out? Okay to have them over for dinner?"

"Alright, I will go tell them," he said before disappearing from the room.

"I guess," Sasha said cautiously. "Who are the others?" she asked Sam after the Dean, Cas, and Sky left.

"Our sisters and Sky's younger brother. We have no secrets, they all know about the supernatural and I guess you could say we all are hunters, though we try to keep the girls away from the really dangerous ones."

"Wow! I never knew Claire could be a hunter, for that matter any of you. You all seem so normal."

"You think we'd have a sign on our back saying Hunter?" Sam chuckled at her. "We're just people who know more than most. But I could say the same about you, never thought you would be a...Keeper of Mystic Knowledge either."

"Touché. Sam, I don't know if I feel comfortable with more knowing about me," Sasha frowned knowing the more people that knew about her, the better the chance she was exposed and her library ransacked by those who would use it for evil.

"Hey, don't worrym" Sam assured her. "They don't have to know about this part of it," he nodded toward all the books around them. "We understand about keeping things quiet. I'll text Dean and let him know to not tell them."

"Really? You don't think he will be mad?"

"Yes, your secret is safe with us and no, he'll be okay. Well, we'll have to watch Cas, he can be...Too naive at times. It's hard for him to lie very well, but he has gotten better at it, you know him being an angel and all. Sometimes he's like a child," Sam chuckled remembering some memories of Castiel trying to fit in and understand humans. He could be manipulated pretty easily if you knew how to do it.

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"Hey guys," Sam called to the group trouping in the front door of Sasha's house.

"Sam."

"Sammy."

"Hey man."

"This is Sasha; she's helping us with this case," Sam introduced her to the family. "This is Cole, Sky's brother and you know Claire already and that is Krissy and Alex our sisters. And you've already met Cas over there."

"Hi, nice to meet everyone," Sasha told them a little overwhelmed by the crowd.

"Same here thanks for the help," Krissy told her giving her a once over and eyeing Sam with a cocked eyebrow making him blush.

"Hey Sasha, glad you're okay," Claire told her moving into the living room.

"Hi," Alex nodded shyly.

"Hello," Cole said holding out his hand to shake hers.

"Got food and drinks," Dean announced coming in with cartons of drinks and Sky following him carrying bags of food.

"Great, I'm starved," Krissy grinned heading for the kitchen.

"When are you not hungry?" Cole teased giving her a quick hug.

"Bite me," she sneered as she helped Sky removed cartons of food.

"Do you have paper plates?" Sky asked Sasha who was amazed at the amount of food being set out on the counter.

"Yes, in the pantry behind you and there should be cups in there too and ice in the freezer."

"Thanks, hey! Wait until we get it ready," she fussed at Dean who was trying to snag a roll.

"Is it like this all the time?" Sasha asked Sam as they stood to the side of the boisterous group.

"Pretty much, you get use to it thought," he chuckled.

"Do you all live together?"

"No, the girls live with Jody, Sheriff Mills, and when we're in town, we stay with Sky and her brother. We live only a few blocks apart."

"So are you really related?"

"Well not by blood, but by circumstances I guess you could say we became a family. It's a long story; Jody took in Alex and then Krissy and finally Claire. Cole and I were kidnapped and Dean and Sky met rescuing us, been together ever since."

"Wow, you guys must of had an interesting life and some amazing stories."

"I guess," he said hanging his head for a moment thinking about the past and all they had been through over the years.

"Hey," she said softly laying a hand on his arm. "Didn't mean to stir up any bad memories."

"No, no it's okay."

"Sasha, since we invaded your home, you may go first," Sky called to her holding up a plate. "Dean! Back off from the food...Slowly," she ordered causing Dean to jump back and mumble something under his breathe.

"Sam get your girlfriend in here to start before we starve to death."

"Dean!" Sam hissed trying not to show his embarrassment.

"Okay," Sasha giggled taking the plate and stepping to the counter to fill her plate with food.

"Get in line girls, us men need sustenance."

"Oh God Dean, go ahead before you fall over from hunger," Sky said pushing him in front of her.

"You don't have to tell me twice."

"I have some folding chairs in the closet," Sasha told Sam mentally counting heads and her chairs.

"Cole, closet, extra chairs."

"Got it," he said getting out some chairs and adding them to the ones already around the table.

With a little squeezing and shifting everyone was able to sit around the table to eat. The brothers and sisters threw jabs at each other while everyone enjoyed the food. Sasha began to relax and enjoy the company of these new found friends. It felt good to have people she could call friends to hang out with. Sometimes it was lonely doing what she did. She was afraid to let anyone get close for fear of her secret getting out. But with Sam, it seemed like they clicked the first time they met and it felt right. With all them knowing about the things in the dark, Sasha felt a kinship with everyone.