I wasn't a T.V. watcher, but I was hooked on this show. I couldn't get enough of it, and frankly, spent way too much of my free time watching it. There was just something about serial killers that fascinated me.

"Hi."

I looked away from the screen and regarded Michael. He seemed nervous as he looked at me.

"Hi," I said quietly. It had been a week since the party, and we hadn't spoken much aside from pleasantries.

"I know that you're mad at me, but I need help."

I picked up the remote and raised my brows at him as I paused the show.

"What's up?"

"You know how we did a stupid thing at the party?"

I raised my brows further. "Yeah."

"After I left, they played with the board again. And didn't say goodbye properly," he said after a minute, "They're really freaked out. A lot of weird things have been happening."

I cleared my throat and licked my lips. "They did?"

"Yeah…I heard it from someone else, but Brigette said that Peter has been getting the worst of it," he said and shifted on his feet, "Are there any tips you know to help?"

I sighed and stood up, walking past him and up to my room.

"Give me a minute," I hollered down the stairs.

We were back at the house where the party was hosted. When the door was opened, I recognized the man who opened the door. The snot.

"What is she doing here?"

"You want the help or not?" I bit out, raising my brows at him. He looked from me to Michael before he stepped aside for us to come in. I felt it the moment I stepped over the threshold. It felt heavy and almost intoxicating.

The boy led us into the living room where three others were sitting on the couch, each looking equally as exhausted.

"You brought one of the freaks?" another man asked and I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not the idiot that played with a spirit board and didn't close the connection properly," I pointed out. The red-haired girl grimaced and she rubbed her shoulder, wincing.

"Does your shoulder hurt?" I asked her. She looked at me and nodded slowly. I walked towards her and set my bag down on the coffee table, gesturing for her to lean forward. She did and I lifted the collar of her shirt. I found exactly what I expected.

"Did you know that you have a huge bruise on your shoulder?"

She shook her head. "No. And I have no idea where it came from. My back is scratched up too."

I stood up straight and frowned. "It's left a mark on you. It wants you to know that it knows it's there. Have you had any weird dreams since the party?"

She nodded. "Yeah, really strange ones."

I nodded and went to my bag, going through it before pulling my things out. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to cleanse them, or the house, but I was going to try.

"Do you still have the board?"

"Yeah, but I was going to burn it."

"Don't," I said as I took the last of my things out. Once I looked over all of my things I looked at the man that let us in.

"Your name?"

"Peter."

"Where's the board?"

"In the garage," he said, "Why?"

I put a cloth out of my bag and tossed it to him. "Don't touch the board directly. Bring it in and put it on the table," I explained. He left the room and I felt the hair stand up on the back of my neck, spinning around.

"Jesus," I whispered and ran my fingers through my hair.

"Whatever they were messing with is strong," Mason said with concern, "Are you sure you can take this on your own?"

"I'll be fine, but once I start this, you won't be able to contact me, Mase," I explained, "Just stay outside with Ivan. Keep an eye out for anything strange outside."

He nodded and I turned back to the table, ignoring the looks the others gave me. Peter came back into the house and gingerly set the board on the table.

"Where's the planchette?"

"I'm not sure," Peter said hesitantly and I sighed, closing my eyes.

"Stupid," I whispered as I set the stones around the board. I could feel heat coming from the board as I set the stones down, outlining the stones in salt for good measure.

"How do you know what to do?" someone asked from behind me.

"There's more of us 'freaks' than you think," I replied dryly as I glanced over my shoulder. One of the first things Jerry taught me how to do it, how to remove a spirit from myself or y home. He walked me through it at the house. He explained that cleansing myself was the most important thing, and the first step was to cleanse the person and then the house. Sometimes you needed to do it twice, so I was going to start off where I knew to start.

And the only center I knew of the activity of the house was that board.

"We're going to try something and then cleanse the board. It may not work, but I'm going to cover all of my bases," I started to explain before stopping, feeling the presence behind me. I turned slowly and froze. I couldn't exactly see what was here, but I could almost see the outline.

"You aren't welcome here," I stated, knowing that it wouldn't do much, but it was better than nothing. I could feel the eyes on me from the others in the room.

"You are not welcome in this house," I repeated. I turned back around and kneeled on the floor, taking my candles out of my bag. It looked like a lot of theatrics, but I was taking the steps Jerry taught me.

"Candles? Really?"

"The candles are infused with sage," I said as I lite them and then asked for a clear glass. Peter looked confused but brought me one.

I gestured for all of them to kneel at the table and I put the glass open side down on the board.

"What are you doing?" Michael asked.

"Your friends didn't close the connection, and by losing the planchette, you've left it open for anything to come through. By making a planchette, I can open a new connection and properly close it."

"And that will take care of what is happening?" the redhead asked.

"Sort of. It will prevent more from coming through," I said as I set the makeshift on the board. I cleared my throat and gestured for all of them, aside from Michael, to put their fingers on the planchette. I took a slow breath and opened my mouth to speak, but the planchette wiped towards 'hello'.

I looked up and rolled my eyes.

"Hi, Ivan," I drawled.

"At least you don't have to make contact with someone else. Now you can just close the connection," he said, his fingers hovering over all of ours.

"Goodbye, Ivan," I said with a smirk, purposely moving the planchette to 'goodbye'.

He was still there, but I could tell that the connection had closed. There was a sense of stillness in the air. There were still other ghosts or entities there, but I could tell that the 'portal' was closed. I flipped the glass upright and set it down beside the board. I stood up and started the process of cleansing the living room. I went over to each of the teenagers, glaring at Peter when he made a face over the smell.

"If you weren't stupid, I wouldn't be doing this," I pointed out. Once I finished them, I moved through the house, going into each room. It took almost an hour to finish, but when I was done, I could feel the air was lighter.

There was still something here, something relevant and strong. It was clinging to something. The redhead shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her eye twitching the slightest bit as she watched me. I walked towards her, my head tilted slightly as I looked at her. She looked normal, but at the same time, there was something about her that made me pause.

"Who was the first to experience?" I asked, looking around at the teenagers.

"I was," the redhead said quietly. I nodded and stepped closer, slipping my bracelet off and sliding it onto her wrist. It was almost like the crystals were soap mixed with black pepper. The entity attached to her bounced back, ruffling her hair as it detached itself from her.

I walked around the couch, following the shadow. I couldn't see what it was, but it moved swiftly through the house, trying to find someone to latch onto. But everyone here was protected now.

"Rose!"

"Bring me the smudge stick!" I called back to Michael. I heard his feet scuttle across the floor before he appeared beside me, holding the burning stick.

"You are not welcome here. Leave!" I said firmly. The figure flickered, almost like it was going to disappear, but it was stubborn. I took a deep breath and lowered my hand, the smudge stick still in my hands. This wasn't something I liked doing. It made me feel uneasy, and I didn't know how to completely control this power, but I wasn't going to let this thing hurt these kids anymore.

I felt something in me stir, something deep and dark inside of me. It felt like a tidal wave rolling away from the shore, the power rising to the surface.

You are not welcome here.

The room felt like it started to shutter, things on the counter behind the entity started to shake. It was a quiet noise, almost as if a heavy drill was being used in the next room. In an instant, the entity disintegrated, dissolving like dust into the wind.

I could hear the sigh of relief from the next room. I could feel the relief in the air too. I licked my fingers and squeezed the top of the burning herbs to snuff it out.

"Did you do what I think you just did?" Michael asked quietly. I nodded and went back into the main room, looking over each of the teens.

"You guys felt it too?"

The red-head nodded, the relief clear on her face.

"What did you do?" she whispered.

I shook my head and licked my lips. "Don't ever use a board again. And don't call out to the dead. Even if it's family. You call out to one; you call out to everything," I said as I collected up my things and put them back in my bag.

"Thank you," Peter said quietly, "I didn't think this stuff was real until…"

"Yeah, neither did I," I said as I zipped my bag shut, "I thought I was crazy when I saw my dead best friend weeks after his death. But, it's my reality now."

Tilly watched me with a concerned expression. I knew that she noticed I was on edge. I had come home and went to my room, locking the door behind me. I felt uneasy and I had spent so much time pushing that power down, and now, it was right at the surface.

"I think that we should discuss this," Tilly said and I bit my lip.

"I hate this feeling," I whispered, biting the edge of my nail.

"Explain the feeling to me," she urged, "You know that holding this in is unhealthy."

I pulled my feet up on the edge of the chair.

"It's like the darkness…but worse," I whispered, "It's suffocating, and I feel like letting that small fraction of power out is going to take twice as long to stuff it back down."

"Stuffing it down isn't going to teach you control," Tilly said and I bit my lip.

"It's too dangerous," I whispered.

"But ignoring it is worse," she pointed out.

I sighed and sucked on my teeth. i shouldn't have done it, I should never have used the power I had. But at the same time, I couldn't let those kids get hurt.

"I think I should start taking the meds again."

"No," Tilly said firmly.

I cocked my head at her.

"Excuse me?"

"You are not going to hide behind the medication, Rose. You need to learn to channel this, to learn to control it. Do not let your powers scare you. Master them! You are incredibly powerful, and the medication is just a crutch now. You can't hide from this forever. One day you are going to walk up and realize that you have don't something subconsciously!"

I sighed and stood up, running my hands through my hair.

"Our session is over," I stated as I started to walk out of the room.

"Rose!" Tilly called after me, but I shut the door between us.

I had my headphones in as I laid on my side. The music seemed to drown out the world around me enough that I could pretend that I didn't exist for a little while. I could feel the vibration of Nacho near my legs, his purring rumbling against the sheets.

I felt the bed dip behind me and knew that I could only be one of three people; Gabriel, Dimitri, or Sheila.

I kept my eyes closed and licked my lips, sighing when someone pulled the bud from y ear.

"That is so loud I can hear it," a Scottish voice said and I rolled over in shock.

"Mom?" I asked as I pulled the other one out, Nacho whining and jumping from my bed.

"Hi," she said softly, a small smile on her face. I wasn't sure what I was more surprised about; that she was here or that she was wearing shorts and a tank top.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I set my phone and earbuds on the nightstand. She smiled and shifted on the bed, crossing her legs on the bed. I sat up and smiled at her, genuinely happy to see her. It may not have seemed like it on the outside, but I was happy on the inside.

"Belikov called me. I was at Court for a training seminar and I told my charge that I was going to take the weekend to see you. He was more than happy to give me the leave," she explained. I nodded and smiled at her again before I heaved a sigh. I wasn't sure what it was about my mother sitting on my bed, but I felt my composure break.

I started to sob. She didn't seem phased, and she just wrapped her arms around me, shushing me softly as she pulled me towards her. I wrapped my arms around her waist and rested my head against her shoulder.

"It's okay," she soothed, rubbing my shoulder as I cried. I heaved a sigh after a few minutes, lifting my head, and looking at her with sore eyes.

"This is so hard sometimes," I whispered and she nodded.

"I understand," she said with a nod of her head. I bit my lip and rested my head on her shoulder again, sighing heavily. While Tilly had wanted me to talk to her, I verbally vomited talking to my mom. I told her everything; the involvement with Robert, the intense increase of supernatural activity around me, the mental exhaustion of learning my abilities, and working with Sheila and Martin on the issue for the Royals.

She listened to me pour out everything, rubbing my arm.

"Sorry, that was a lot."

"Don't be sorry. It's the longest I've heard you speak," she said softly and tucked my wet hair away from my face. A wet laugh bubbled up my throat and it crackled loudly. She smiled and kissed my temple, tracing her fingers over my shoulder.

"Your friend Gabriel is very kind," she commented and I nodded, rubbing my nose with a smile.

"Yeah, he's great," I said as I sat up. She nodded and cleared her throat, gesturing to Nacho.

"I see you have another friend."

I hummed and tsked a few times, calling him to the bed. He crouched like he was going to pounce, but it didn't work out in his favour. He barely made it off the desk because of the paper he was on and thumped onto the floor. I laughed and leaned over the edge of the bed, picking him up and placing him on the bed. I scratched his head and smiled as he purred, rubbing his face against my hand.

"He's very sweet," Mom commented as she brushed her fingers over his fur.

"He is. Loud, but sweet," I mused. Mom looked at me and sighed quietly.

"How about you and I go into town for dinner? I think maybe you could use a distraction."

I nodded and stood up, glancing at my face in the mirror.

"Yeah, just give me a few minutes to get cleaned up," I said as I stepped into the bathroom.

I thought that Mom would make a protest about having a fake ID, but I was happily surprised that she didn't say anything. Instead, the two of us sat at the bar and drank.

"So tell me about Court. What have you heard?" I asked as I set my glass down on the table a little harder than I meant to.

"Not a lot. But Lord Szelsky had heard conversations from his sister that the Royals were trying to push something unfavourable. It didn't take much to connect the dots to what Belikov was talking about."

"Dimitri told you about this?" I asked.

Mom tilted her head side to side as she sucked on the lime, her eyes squinting at the burn from her tequila shot.

"Not exactly. He didn't give me much information, but said that it involved you," she explained. She ordered another round of shots for us and I smirked at her.

"I never took you as a drinker," I pointed out as I took a sip of my beer. She smiled at me.

"I was when I was your age. Sometimes I let loose, I'm not as much of a stickler as you think I am," she chuckled as she picked up a nacho.

I nodded and took one of the new shots and clinked my glass against hers before shooting it back. I hissed and grimaced as it burned down my throat.

"Why is the world so messed up? I mean, why can't the Moroi just be content with what they have? They don't need forced soldiers or supernatural slaves."

"Fear," she mused as she looked at her drink, "They're scared of what you all are capable of. You all are stronger than them."

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. I looked at the empty shot glasses in front of us and pursed my lips.

"There is no way that we are walking back," I giggled which made her laugh too. I picked up my phone and put it to my ear as it rang.

"Hello?"

"I'm drunk," I said and Gabriel laughed on the other side of the phone.

"I'll come pick you up," he said as he laughed and hung up. I smiled at Mom and dropped my phone on the table and stretched my arms over my head. I tried very hard all night not to make eye contact with the man who hung out near the pool tables. I knew that moment he noticed I saw him, but thankfully, he seemed to understand that I was off the clock.

Rough edit. I am not an expert on cleansing, so I'm going off what i was able to find online.

Also, I probably feel how Rose is going to feel the following morning. I had wayyyy too many rum-based Jell-O shots last night lol.