Trapped. That was all Nikki could feel in her chest as she struggled against the crushing bonds around her wrists and ankles. Her heart pounded painfully against her ribcage and each icy breath made the stinging pain a thousand times sharper. As she opened her eyes to slits, she closed them again hurriedly, seeing only the sickly green glow of the cavern around her. She kept her eyes squeezed shut tightly, her hands burning from the cuts in her palms where her fingernails had been stabbed through her flesh with her agonizing fear. She could hear nothing but her own rapidly increasing thunderous heartbeat in her ears, and she was on the verge of crying out with worsening madness before the sounds immediately ceased. The change was so spontaneous that Nikki dared not move, not trusting whatever was going on around her.
The atmosphere gradually opened up and Nikki felt the bonds holding her down disappear. She testily loosened her fists and felt a wave of relief as the burning intensity from her palms ebbed away into nothingness. The cold was instantly gone as well, replaced by a warmth that could only be coming from the afternoon sun. As Nikki licked her lips tentatively, she felt a soft breeze blow her long hair across her face and the tickling sensation caused her to reflexively raise her hand up to brush the hairs back behind her ear. When she shifted, she felt the oddly-familiar scratchy presence of grass beneath her.
Nikki jerked upright and stared at her surroundings, noticing the meadow from her dream on the plane. The wildflowers and long blades of grass swayed around her and as she glanced over her shoulder, intrigued, Nikki recognized the willow tree that she had investigated in her last dream. A thoughtful frown pulled down the corners of her mouth. The breeze rustled the trees and grass around her and Nikki propped her elbows on her knees with a deep, searching stare across the calming landscape. The sound of the lazily waving trees gradually switched into a sound like a pounding rainstorm and alarmed, Nikki tried to push herself up from her relaxed position of lying in the grass. The instant she did so, everything morphed into darkness once again.
Gasping with a terrified start, Nikki tried to claw herself out of the tangled blankets on her bed. No matter how furiously she fought, the blankets seemed to get even tighter around her limbs until finally she stopped her fruitless fighting and lay on her stomach, her face down in the pillow with a frustrated grunt. Her other senses finally caught up from her hasty rush to wakefulness and she froze as she seemed to still hear the loud rustling of the leaves on the unseen tree around her. She lifted her head from the depths of her pillow and stared around at the dark bedroom. A line of fluorescent light filtered in from the cracks of the bathroom door to her left and as her mind continued to catch up, Nikki felt ashamed at the fearfulness she'd just expressed. The constant rustling sound did not belong to trees and the sea of grass from her dream, but instead she realized it was coming from the shower in the bathroom. She relaxed only slightly and then after a moment she slowly began untangling herself from the twisted blankets. Once free, she sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the red numbers from the alarm clock on the nightstand. She still had over an hour until she needed to get up and ready for work.
"Mmrow?"
Nikki ran a hand down her face and saw a small dark shadow creep out from under the bed by her bare feet. She smiled in warm relaxation and reached down to rub her cat's soft head. Hal mewed again with a reassuring chirp and then wrapped himself around her ankles, letting the girl know he had been close by watching her through her nightmare. He always did.
Sighing wearily, Nikki shook her head at the odd vividness of the dreams she'd just woken up from. Pushing the memories from her immediate thoughts, Nikki tugged her hair out of the bun she'd put it into before bed just a few hours prior. She was just combing it out with her fingers when she heard the shower switch off. Sitting in the dark bedroom, Nikki began to braid her long brown hair over her shoulder, still contemplating the coincidence of having the same dream of the meadow twice in the same day. The aspects of the place were so lifelike and tangible, it left a queasy feeling in her gut just mulling over it. She was just finishing up her braid when Shawn emerged from the bathroom in a fresh t-shirt and jeans, rubbing at his wet hair absently.
"Morning," Nikki greeted him quietly, tying off the end of her braid with a tired smile. Shawn tossed his wet towel onto the hook on the back of the bathroom door and then turned to face her. Seeing only his silhouette from the steamy light flowing out of the bathroom across from her, Nikki could see his shoulders sag wearily.
"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to wake you up." Shawn apologized lightly. He turned to the dresser just by the open bathroom door and began rummaging in the top drawer blindly. Nikki switched on the bedside lamp and Shawn easily found the pair of socks he had been searching for. He closed the drawer and then moved towards her, perching on the edge of the bed next to her.
"You didn't," Nikki said softly, her face thoughtful as she remembered the confusion she had woken up to. "I woke myself up I think."
"Dream?" Shawn asked knowingly as he tugged on his socks. Nikki smirked to herself in amusement. She couldn't keep anything from her once-ghost-boy-now-emotionally-tethered-living-boyfriend.
"Yeah, kinda. But also…memories." She admitted quietly. Shawn noticed the thoughtful edge to her voice. He straightened up and a guilty look passed across his expression. Nikki rested her hand on his reassuringly. "Not a premonition, I don't think. Just a regular dream. It was a little too lifelike for my liking though."
"You and I both know how slim the chances are of you just having a 'regular' dream." Shawn said teasingly. Nikki pouted at him, offended.
"What do you mean by that?" She demanded. "I have regular dreams all the time. Remember me telling you about the one with the elephant?"
"And a week later, we were called to the zoo where ghosts were provoking the animals into busting out of their containments? Egon almost got trampled by an elephant."
"You're making that up! I didn't see that!" Nikki protested, her eyes wide with worried surprise.
"You were over by the food court with your dad and Peter. It was just before we found the ghost." Shawn said, waving a hand dismissively through the air. "And to give you another example…when we got that call from the barber shop on the East Side? You had dreamt just a few days before about getting a haircut. Which did happen as a result of the shop's poltergeist sneaking up behind you with a floating pair of scissors."
"Hey! I saw him…he was a sweet old man just wanting to do his job. I would've let him cut the rest of it, but you guys rushed me." Nikki said, unable to stifle the amused smile as she remembered the one good call they'd had that week. When she had crossed him over, he had murmured his wife's name in her ear which caused Nikki to burst into happy and emotional tears at the hopefulness it gave her that she really was helping willing ghosts to cross over when she used her gifts.
"Uh huh." Shawn said, shaking his head. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek before he hauled himself to his feet with a tired groan. "I have to go…Ray just called. Just don't take that dream lightly, you know? Even if it did seem like a memory, it may mean something. I know how these things work, ya know. My parents used to research dream meanings and their other spiritualist friends were very firm believers in the power a vivid dreamer possessed."
Nikki froze at Shawn's casual mention of his parents and the cult, that terrifying part of her memory dream breaking through her thoughts. Shawn just missed her brief expression change when he glanced at the alarm clock over her shoulder. As he slipped his sneakers on in the hallway outside the bedroom door, Nikki got up and nervously began remaking the bed from her flailing fiasco in an attempt to avoid his gaze. The fact that her dream had caused her to recall that awful, awful night those years ago left an icy feeling in her stomach.
"I'm hoping it's nothing," She said with forced optimism. Shawn came back into the room as she turned back around and he wrapped his arms around her reassuringly as he planted another tender kiss on her cheek. She smiled warily and then lifted her face to kiss him in return on the lips.
"I've gotta go…are you sure you're alright?" He asked hesitantly with another glance at the clock by the bed. Nikki nodded and then gently shoved him back towards the door.
"I'll just fix myself some breakfast and get ready a little early. Maybe I'll stop by the coffee shop on the way to work since I've got time." She said casually. Shawn stared at her levelly for a moment and then nodded, seeming satisfied.
"Okay…you call Janine if you need anything, okay? She'll relay the message to us wherever we are throughout the day." He said, inching back through the doorway and down the hall. Nikki watched him scoop up his keys from the counter and was about to sit back down at the foot of the bed when he whirled around and pointed at her. "Don't forget…meet us at the firehouse when you get off work this afternoon, got it?"
"Right after work," She promised with an amused sigh. He grinned at her warmly and then was out of sight in the next instant. The sound of the front door shutting quietly after him cast the whole apartment into silence and Nikki finally lowered herself back down to the bed. She could already tell she had a long day ahead of her.
"Have a nice trip home, hun?" Rachel Morgan's soft voice asked when the bookshop was silent once again after their third customer of the day had drifted in and out in the span of five minutes. Behind the small desk in the right side of the shop, Nikki smiled at the woman and nodded sweetly.
"It's always a wishy-washy visit with Mom. Always the protests to go back when she knows I'm happy here." Nikki said with a dismissive wave of her hand. Rachel chuckled and shook her head, finishing up with her straightening of the symmetrical book stack that filled the corner of the small shop by an already-overflowing shelf. She folded up the now-empty cardboard box and came back around the desk to oversee Nikki and her inventory list.
"She'll ease off about it eventually, I'm sure. My mom begged me to get out of her house when I was eighteen. You've only been living here what, two years now?"
"Almost three, yeah." Nikki said absently as she tossed another book onto the small stack growing on the left side of the desk. She jotted down the count and then stood up to allow Rachel to sit down while she grabbed the books she'd just accounted for. "How much longer until she eases up on that, do ya think?"
"Mmm…maybe another few years. It's hard to tell with divorced parents only sharing one kid. Since you've lived with her longer, she'll be expecting you to come running back. But things are going so well with your boyfriend, right? She might be getting a little afraid from that bit of news too. Have you two gotten around to ya know, discussing your futures yet?"
Nikki felt her face redden at the question. Rachel was only about ten years older than Nikki herself, but she seemed much more grown up at times. True, she had taken over Ray's Occult since Nikki's father had returned to Ghostbusters almost six years prior. She also had two toddler-aged children with a husband who owned a club just a few blocks down the street from the bookshop. Things really seemed to just click into place for each of their lives and Nikki had found herself on numerous occasions a little envious of her coworker.
"No…not yet." Nikki said, searching the shelf along the opposite wall and where she had taken the small stack of books from. Finding the large gap in the books, she took a moment to order and return them to their designated places. She then shifted to the right and took the next section from the shelf and turned back around with her arms full of the heavy volumes. She caught Rachel's pitying glance for a brief second before it changed to a teasing one. As Nikki set the books on the corner of the desk, Rachel brushed her bleach-blonde hair behind her ears and picked up the pencil to catalogue the books on the papers in front of her. Nikki could feel the other woman's gaze on her but her embarrassment made her keep her own direct attention elsewhere. As she flipped through the publishing pages of the topmost book in the stack, she heard Rachel clear her throat and start scribbling in the record book.
"He'd better make a move soon…you're too sweet to pass up. Some other young man might come in and sweep you off your feet." She said softly. Nikki felt her blush deepen and when she looked up at Rachel, the woman smiled teasingly at her. "I'm serious!"
At that moment, the bell over the door rang signaling the entrance of a new customer. Nikki's gushing stare turned to one of alarm as she noticed that the newcomer was indeed, a young man, maybe the same age as Rachel. Nikki shifted away from the front of the desk, flashing a shy but welcoming smile at the potential customer. She caught sight of his well-built figure and casual dress appearance along with a mop of dark black hair that was worn swept back from his face. His face was colored with stubble that had an odd neatness to it, but Nikki quickly directed her attention back to the books she was rifling through. Rachel slipped the pencil to Nikki with an amused smirk, clearly having the same coincidental thought as Nikki. The shop owner stood up from her seat and rounded the desk, allowing Nikki to take her place while she greeted the customer.
"Hello! Are you looking for anything in particular today?" She asked the man politely. Nikki glanced up just far enough to see that Rachel was self-consciously pulling down her jean skirt and fumbling with her appearance under the newcomer's gaze. While he was focused on Rachel, Nikki slipped another furtive glance at the man, just out of curiosity. He wore a white t shirt that seemed to be a size too small, because it hugged his shoulders and torso tightly. His skin was a rich bronze color, though from Nikki's skeptical gaze it didn't appear to be from a tan.
"I'm actually looking for Dr. Ray Stantz…this is his bookstore, yes?" He asked the pair of women, his voice deep but smooth. Rachel's welcoming smile grew to mask her slight irritation at having to answer the question she'd been asked hundreds of times before. Nikki resumed scribbling the books' titles in their inventory notebook as the store's owner responded to the newcomer's question.
"It was. I'm Rachel. I've been running this shop for the past few years since he's returned to working as a Ghostbuster."
Nikki inwardly applauded the other woman for her condensed explanation and ability to keep her dignity at very often having to deal with potential customers always coming in to inquire about the renowned Dr. Stantz. She noticed the young man's hesitant glance around the store and the twitch of his eyebrows at the news Rachel had given him. When his gaze flicked to Nikki, the younger girl nodded at him apologetically before she addressed him.
"Was there something you needed him for?" She offered lightly as Rachel quietly made a disapproving noise in her throat at the attention being taken away from her bookstore. The man seemed to rock back on his heels as if contemplating turning tail and retreating out the door at the uncomfortable tension in the store. After a few seconds, he took another few steps toward them and let his disappointed expression shift into hopefulness.
"Well, I was hoping to see him about some experiences I've been having. You see, I ran into this ghost that…"
"I'm sorry, we don't answer things like that here," Rachel interrupted him, her inviting demeanor completely retracted. Nikki cringed with embarrassment for the man, and flashed her coworker a pleading look. Rachel ignored her and set her jaw judgingly before she continued. "If you need help dealing with a ghost, call the Ghostbusters' official number."
"Rachel…" Nikki muttered to the other woman. The young man's shocked face melted back into polite conversation as his gaze traveled from the rude shop owner to Nikki still seated behind the desk.
"No please, that's not what I was going to ask," He said gently, his voice not rising despite the tension he must've felt at being interrupted. "I don't need help with the ghost, I already handled it…"
"Well then what do you need Ray Stantz for?" Rachel said, her accusatory voice lightening only a tiny bit as she raised an eyebrow at the man across the small store. The man's face stretched into a brief smile and he took another step towards the pair of women, extending one arm out with a steadying hand in front of himself as if to ward off the woman's steely tone.
"Well I understand he's one of the more easy-going Ghostbusters and I was hoping to question him on psychic abilities…" He paused and then seemed to ponder what he was about to say before his broad shoulders sagged and he continued on. "I know this is probably going to sound crazy to you both, but, years ago I…I kind of interacted with this ghost and it responded intelligently to my speaking to it, and I wasn't sure if that was a…normal occurrence…? I don't know…I just wanted some insight into how I maybe should've handled the situation? I mean…it was…" The man fell into befuddled silence as he trailed off, noticing the surprised expressions of the two women staring him down. Rachel's face was screwed into a disbelieving look of concern, probably for the man's sanity. Nikki's on the other hand, was full of surprise at the relatability of the man's explanation.
"You talked to it?" She repeated, unworried about hiding her complete interest in the matter. The man paused in running a hand through the dark waves of his hair and seemed surprised at her piqued attention.
"Yes of course! What else was I supposed to do?" He shrugged nonchalantly. Nikki glanced up at Rachel who was, for the moment, quiet on the matter. Nikki put her pencil down and leaned further over the desk, her elbows pressed against the counter with anticipation.
"And it talked back? You understood it?"
"Yes…" He replied, his voice turning somewhat skeptical. He blinked hurriedly and then tilted his head to the side, regarding her expression with hopefulness. "I was talking to it as clearly as I am with you right now. She appeared to be a middle aged woman in a navy pantsuit…she was asking me for directions on how to get to her home. And we were nowhere near where she needed to go, so part of me thought she was crazy and then…and then someone walked right through her down the street…"
Nikki felt a chill pass through her when the man stopped speaking and she could feel Rachel's knowing glance on her, though she didn't glance up at her. Nikki swallowed hard in thought and smiled with disbelieving humor. The man clasped his hands together in front of himself with a worried grimace on his face.
"Please…don't think I'm crazy…I promise you, I'm not…"
"I don't think you're crazy, that's just it…" Nikki said reassuringly. She stood up from her seat behind the desk and extended her smile to him, her eyes wide. "I see the same thing you just described on a daily basis."
"Nikki…" Rachel murmured cautiously. Nikki waved her off with an apologetic shrug.
"This is an occult bookshop, Rach. It's not an uncommon topic to discuss in here." The girl said simply. She turned her hopeful attention back to the handsome, dark haired man staring quizzically back at her. "I've been communicating with ghosts since I was a little girl. And funnily enough, Ray Stantz is my father."
"Your –?" The man breathed, his face going blank as his mind processed everything with lightning speed. Relief at not being thought insane washed into confusion and then to bewilderment at finding a route to what he'd originally come into the store to find. He wet his lips and then shook his head, directing his intensely focused gaze to Nikki once again. "I don't know what originally triggered my seeing ghosts, but I…I can't stop seeing them now. I ignore them mostly if I can clearly see that they're ghosts, but sometimes I'm stuck in a conversation with seemingly thin air and people threaten to have me committed…"
"I've been there, trust me. Not fun," Nikki shrugged knowingly. "How long have you been seeing these ghosts, and, if you don't mind me asking, what drew you to want to talk to my dad about this?"
"My first interaction was with the woman I just described…and I was fifteen years old." He said, pausing to let that fact sink in. At a quick glance, Nikki could guesstimate that by that information, the man had most likely been seeing ghosts for almost half of his lifetime. His gaze moved to the floor for a moment as he continued to speak. "I guess I wanted answers on how to stop it? I'm kind of sick of not being able to help ghosts like they want me to…and most of the time the voices just…overwhelm me."
Nikki pitied the man. She'd been in his position an uncountable amount of times before, with no one to lean on until her secret had finally come out to her father and his friends a few years prior. She closed her eyes for a moment, wishing for the right things to say to the poor man who seemed in desperate need of affirmation. She opened her eyes when she felt a light nudge in her side from Rachel who was trying to hurry the odd conversation along.
"Well, I can recommend several books that I used when trying to figure things out for myself…" Nikki said, turning back to the desk to retrieve the inventory checklist to refer to. "And although it's going to sound strange, I'd like to invite you to come and visit with my dad and the other Ghostbusters anytime you're able to. I'm more than positive they'd be ecstatic to hear about another person who can converse with ghosts like I can. They've treated me as a special case these past few years ever since they discovered what I can do…"
Nikki broke off into a nervous chuckle and met Rachel's playfully chastising stare before she raised an eyebrow at the man across the desk from her. He smiled in thankful relief and nodded rapidly.
"I would like that very much, Miss Stantz," He accepted almost immediately. Nikki smiled at his contagious excitement. He suddenly pressed a hand to his head and scoffed at himself. He crossed the rest of the way to the desk and extended his hand over the countertop to offer a shake to Nikki. "Forgive me for not introducing myself as soon as I came in…I got caught up in everything. I'm Marcus Russell, but please, call me Mark."
"Call me Nikki," The girl replied as she accepted his hand lightly. Her breath caught in her throat as a spark of warmth rushed through her when their palms met. In the millisecond that she processed the sensation, she looked to Mark's face to see if he'd felt the same thing she had. There was nothing in his radiantly eager expression that gave away he'd noticed anything out of the ordinary and when he released her hand in the next instant to shake Rachel's hand as well, Nikki inwardly scolded herself for even imagining she'd felt the odd sensation. "What do you say? Would you like to take a look at some of those books?"
"Absolutely," Mark nodded with a warm grin. He stepped back to allow Nikki space to walk around the front of the desk to lead him to the first shelf that contained some possible books of interest. "Anything to help me keep from going even further insane."