ADDED NOTE: I have no idea why the first few paragraphs decided to make one giant paragraph, but I fixed it. Author's note: Thank you for the well wishes. I handle it well most days. Not every day though. Also, I don't think the site is sending out emails when I post chapters. I'm not sure why. EDIT: I got the metal taken out of my leg Tuesday and the chest line taken out Friday. I'm so so happy. I also finished college finals and have a few weeks before I have to return to school.

(Sioux Falls)

Everyone made it back to Sioux Falls in one piece and Andy was anxious to see his parents and Lauren. He wasn't sure if they would be really mad at him though. He was also excited about Christmas. They had entered the first day of December and he had been given an advent calendar. He had never heard of such a thing, but it was filled with candy. He could get behind a piece of candy every day until Christmas.

Dean had given Ian his piece of candy but stashed the advent calendar in a box with food that Marie sent him back with. Ian wouldn't understand that he had to wait a whole day in between treats. He'd eat the whole thing in five minutes. He stared at the boxes of food and took a deep breath.

Taylor reached around him. "The boxes are labeled."

Dean tilted his head. "Oh, they are." He pulled a big one out and handed it to Taylor to carry inside. "Uh, make room for that." Taylor was good at freezer Jenga. He took all the other food out and placed the new dishes at the bottom. Having food made him less anxious. He hadn't gone hungry at all since he moved into Bobby's house. That should have been a given, but he did think about his old life from time to time.

Sam had driven Caleb's truck back to Sioux Falls. It was a detour but a welcomed one.

John left the younger people to carry boxes inside and rounded up Andy and Ian. He had Kate go with him and stopped by Jody's house to pick up Riot. He let the boys loose in the house and started putting food away in Caleb's freezer. He also made sure the house was warm for when they brought the baby home.

Kate was loving how often she got to zap around. That is why John had her go with him. He drove Caleb's truck to the house and he would need a way back. She was working on talking him into allowing her to do the same for Sam and Jess. Zapping was free. Zapping was fast.

Karen had already made it back to her house. She was thrilled that everyone was back home. Well, her home. Witnessing Lauren's birth was something she wouldn't have missed for anything, but it was also nice to step back into the chaos.

April fastened Lauren into her car seat and tucked a blanket around her. She made sure she was well covered to combat the cold outside. She smiled at Caleb. "She will survive the drive home."

Caleb gave her a small smile in return. "I haven't held her that much."

April nudged the car seat so that Caleb would lift it. "You are spoiling her."

Caleb grinned. "That's what I'm supposed to do."

John pulled Caleb's truck under a covered area so that they could get in without getting snowed on. He had yet to see Lauren. Only Kate and Karen had. He tossed Caleb the keys and walked around the side of the truck to get a look at her. "She really is tiny." He chuckled. "Both Sam and Dean were big. I don't think I've seen one that small."

April got into the backseat with Lauren. "Was Mary tall?"

"Tall for a woman." John said.

April let Lauren's hands free from the blanket. "I'm short. So, this one was bound to be on the small side."

Kate was trying to entertain the boys until John and their parents got back. She shamelessly compelled them to calm down because it was too hectic for her to be comfortable. She heard the truck and told Andy that they were home.

Andy slid to the front door and bounced on his toes. He stepped back when it opened and immediately pulled Lauren's car seat down to look at her. He didn't have many memories of when Ian was a newborn. He was older now though. He asked if he could hold her and ran to the couch when Caleb said that he could.

Ian was confused. He was hesitant around the new addition.

April gently handed Lauren to Andy and told him to be gentle. She explained how to support Lauren's head and sat down beside him.

Ian got the courage to investigate the bundle and gasped when he got close. "Baby?"

Caleb nodded. "That is your baby sister."

Ian reached out to touch her but recoiled. He slowly reached out again and got a bit more comfortable with her.

April was relieved that Ian was happy so far. She assumed that he'd be jealous. She quickly grabbed his hand and told him not to poke the baby in the eye. Why did every toddler go straight to the eyes?

John pulled Caleb to the side and spoke to him about the incident at Marie's house.

April was feeding Lauren, so Caleb told Andy to go to the other room with him and John.

Andy slid off the couch and followed them. He was nervous and didn't want to talk about what had happened.

Caleb sat down and pulled Andy to stand in front of him. "John tells me that you really messed up the other day."

Andy looked down at his shoes. "I did."

"What did you do?" Caleb asked.

Andy chewed his lip and shifted from one foot to the other. "I took Ian's bracelet off."

Caleb stiffened but stayed calm. "Why?"

Andy looked from John to Caleb. "That time it was that he hit his mouth and I wanted him to heal. I didn't clip it good." He sighed. "I did it some before that for stupid stuff."

Caleb rubbed his face. "Why would you think that was okay?"

Andy squirmed. "I don't always have the best judgement."

Caleb blew air through his nose. "John also told me that the two of you had a lengthy conversation about this."

Andy's eyes got wide. He flicked them to John and then back to Caleb. "He almost killed me."

"You were a long way off from dying." Caleb said. He tilted Andy's chin up. "You cannot do that again. I'm on the same page with John. If you do something like that again, that risks your life and the lives of others…." He closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm not happy. That was scary for everyone. I'm assuming John got his point across."

Andy nodded his head quickly. "You don't have to do it again."

Caleb was confident that John did get his message across. Had it been someone else, he may have had a repeat conversation with Andy. Having been in Andy's shoes before, he knew that John was good at making points. "I'm not going to….. this time. If this happens again, be it with Ian or with weapons, you won't be so lucky."

Andy sighed in relief.

Caleb patted him and told him to see if his mom needed anything. He stood slowly and met eyes with John. "I am sorry that you had to deal with it."

John shook his head. "You needed to come home and it not be the first thing you deal with."

"I'm hoping Lauren has more sense than her brothers do." Caleb said."

You might just get that lucky." John said, clapping Caleb on the back. He told Kate it was time for them to go and said goodbye to April and the boys. He had something else he needed to do.

(Bobby's house)

Taylor dumped a pile of clothes into the washing machine. He heard his name and shut the lid. "Yes, sir?"

John tilted his head. "I need those coins I had you look at."

Taylor walked up the stairs and sat down on the floor. He pulled the box out from under his bed and startled as a beer can rolled out behind the box. Taylor was slightly panicked. "That isn't mine."

"I've heard that line before." John said.

Taylor briefly wondered if Kate had done it and if he should take up for her. No, that was a horrible idea. "Dad, I haven't had any alcohol since the party."

John told him to pull the other stuff out from under his bed.

He paled as two more cans rolled out.

John snapped his fingers to tell Taylor to get up. He bent slightly to be at Taylor's eye level. "Do not lie to me."

Taylor shrunk. "I promise they aren't mine."

Dean knocked on the open door. "Oh, that's where those went."

Taylor held his chest. "See, they aren't mine."

Dean walked around John and grabbed Taylor in a head lock. "About the only way I can prank you is to make you think you screwed up."

Taylor fanned his face. "After what you did to Kate, I should have known." He looked at John. "That was a little too convincing."

John shrugged one shoulder. "It is good to know that you still have an aversion to alcohol."

"I don't even want to look at it." Taylor said. He shook his arms out as they tingled. "Hey, my pranks on you are harmless. This was dirty."

Dean smiled. "I can't jump scare you."

Taylor furrowed his eyebrows. "When did you do this?"

"When you were at school." Dean said.

Taylor counted back in his head. "That was at least a week ago."

"Worth the wait." Dean said. Typically, his pranks on his younger siblings were cheesy. He had glued Sam's hands to stuff more than once. With the younger two, he had to get creative. They were smart but both lost all forms of thought if John looked the least bit angry

John picked up the box of coins. "I do want to look at these. Clean that up and then meet me downstairs."

Taylor hip checked Dean. "Pure evil."

Dean blocked him. "It is called payback."

Sam talked to Tony again. He sighed. "We are going to have to start heading back."

Kate hugged Sam. "Dad, can I?"

John scratched his chin. "Castiel may be available."

Kate whined. "I'm available."

"That is up to Sam and Jess." John said.

They were on board with an all-day trip turning into a two-minute trip.

John cleared his throat. "There and back, Kate."

Kate snorted. "I know. I can only use my powers for others, never in a way that I might get some form of enjoyment."

John smirked and shook his head.

(Stanford)

Milo jumped and hissed when Sam and Jess showed up but quickly trotted over to them and rubbed against their legs.

Jess scooped him up and scratched behind his ears. "See, I told you that we wouldn't be gone that long." She didn't like leaving Milo at the house but he had plenty of food and water. They couldn't trust anyone to house sit and no one was able to cat sit.

Kate petted Milo. "He's so cute."

Sam nudged her. "There and back."

Kate rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying my goodbyes." She kissed Milo on the head and hugged both Sam and Jess. "Peace out girl scouts."

Sam smiled when Kate vanished. "She has been hanging out with Charlie too much."

"Charlie quotes are awesome." Jess said. "She is an original."

They had more time until Tony picked Jacob up. He thought Jacob smelled like sour milk. "How about a bath and some clean clothes?"

Jess put Milo down and helped Sam run a bath. Jacob was a water bug and liked to float around, aided by Sam's hand. They had learned so much about him and had to give him back. She felt awkward telling Tony about things they had found out. She didn't want to overstep. Jacob liked being outside and colorful lights. He liked kicking his legs and rarely stayed completely still. She sighed and got new clothes for him. He despised the cold air that hit him as he was lifted from the tub so they had also found out that a small space heater next to where they were changing him prevented him from freaking out.

Sam let Jacob float until he didn't want to float anymore. It started to wear on his back and neck but he didn't mind. He let Jess get Jacob dry and changed and messaged Tony to see when he would stop by. They'd be back in classes and wouldn't be able to watch Jacob anymore. He heard Jess singing softly to Jacob and his heart melted. He was not ready for a baby. He was NOT ready for a baby.

(The Roadhouse)

Ellen talked to Jo about Noah and the conversation was not as bad as she thought it would be. Maybe John letting her know ahead of time helped Jo.

Jo was happy that Ellen was okay with Noah.

Noah had visited the bar to say hi to Jo and to pick up some weapons orders. He gave her a quick Kiss on the cheek and blushed when Ellen looked at them.

Ellen shooed Jo away to speak to Noah. "I know. You don't have to panic."

Noah's breath hitched. "I think the knowing is what I should panic about."

Ellen gave him a smile. "I know your family. Just don't hurt my daughter."

Noah nodded. "Yes ma'am. I won't."

Ellen walked away to give Jo a chance to talk to him again. She didn't have any bad feelings towards the boy but being intimidating as a woman was what made her able to handle the rowdy crowd of hunters. Also, she knew she'd kill someone if they hurt Jo. Noah was a nice person from a good family but her mind was set.

The Roadhouse was slightly crowded. That happened every year. For any holiday, hunters sought refuge inside the small bar. Hunters didn't hunt quite as much in the winter. So, they drove up to the Roadhouse and drowned their sorrows for a few hours.

Jo had worked out a system with some help. There was a board with newspaper clippings and photos. That had been there for years. She just added another to the side of that one. She rearranged the first board and added labels to the top of the board. It was easier to see if the newspaper clipping was left to alert someone to take over a case or if it was an obituary. The second board had a map of the United States. She placed thumb tacks across it and chose a different color of thread for each creature. They could track where creatures were congregated. They could track the freaks. It also showed other hunters where not to go unless they were an expert with that creature. Her last addition was a clipboard placed on a small table below the boards. She and Charlie were creating a list of names and phone numbers. Most hunters were secretive but several had given her their number and what they hunted. Once Charlie got the website updated, hunters could easily find other hunters who may know more about a certain creature.

Ellen let Jo do what she wanted but did tell her not to use full names. They didn't need a smart creature finding the website and hunting down hunters.

Jo stepped back and tilted her head. "How does it look?"

Noah eyed the layout. "It makes sense to me."

Jo hugged him. "Now if one of those guys messes it up, I'm going to be mad."

Noah smiled softly. "I don't think anyone would want to make you or Ellen mad." He had witnessed that situation twice and the look on Ellen's face had been seared into his brain.

(Back in school)

Kate hated that the short break was over. She wanted a few more days. Well, she wanted a few more weeks. Better yet, she could just leave school forever. It didn't help that John was going back to the facility while she and Taylor were at school.

Taylor didn't mind going back to school because Hailey was there. He some of the calmer details of his Thanksgiving break and listened to her as well. No one in her family seemed the least bit rowdy. That one aunt probably used to be but Hailey got a normal break. Taylor got to fight Ian and keep the house from blowing up.

Hailey grabbed Taylor's hand. "We could really use a strong guy to help move decorations from the storage room."

Taylor smiled. "What kind?"

Hailey grinned. "Christmas, duh." She pointed to the colorful leaves and pumpkins that had been placed along the balcony above the cafeteria. "It is no longer fall."

Taylor shrugged. "I'll do what you want me to do." He was more than happy to help her. It wasn't like the work was going to make him tired.

(John)

John and Bobby visited the facility where the lamia had been held. Cas graciously put the man into a deep sleep due to the length of his stay. John left the man's cell phone in his cell and backed out.

The lamia slowly woke up. He was starving and could smell both humans in the room. He growled and started to lunge but dropped to his knees.

"Your wife and kids are okay." John said.

The man held his head. "I didn't tell her that I'd be gone this long."

"You weren't expecting to return. You expected me to kill you and just hoped that I wouldn't kill your son too." John said.

The man grimaced. "Please don't kill him."

"We don't kill kids." John said. He opened his journal and double checked a formula that had been created at the lab. He checked a locked box outside the room and found what he needed. "The angel brought this stuff down. If you want to try this out, I'll set it up."

The man studied the bundle of stuff. "This will cure me?"

Bobby sighed "We don't know. It could kill you."

The man nodded. "I'll try it. If I die, I beg you not to go after my boy. He is still a kid. He hasn't hurt anyone."

John was uncomfortable working with a creature but he reminded himself that a cure would be helpful. They could cure certain creatures and turn them back into a human. He followed the directions and mixed the ingredients together. He had Bobby get boiling water and pour it into the cup. He pulled his face back. It wasn't a pleasant smell.

The lamia sat down on the concrete and waited for John to reach through the bars and place the cup on the ground. He was still starving but fighting his lamia side in order to not harm John.

John stepped back. "You said you were born with it?"

The lamia sighed. "I don't know. I know my son was."

John just nodded. The concoction seemed like a shot in the dark. He watched the man chug the liquid and grimaced when his face contorted. It likely tasted as bad as it smelled. He started a timer and brought two chairs to sit in front of the cell.

At first, the lamia felt nothing. He started to grow warm and got up to pace. His hands and feet were burning and turning red. He growled as the burns creeped up his arms and legs.

John and Bobby sat through an uncomfortable thirty minutes as the lamia fell victim to the concoction. Monster or not, it was hard to watch.

Cas was called in to see if the lamia was dead. He put his hand over the lamia's eyes and paused. "He is human."

John and Bobby traded shocked looks. "Is he dead?"

Cas shook his head. He placed the man back on his cot and let energy pulse into the man's head.

John got up and touched the bars of the cell.

The man slowly sat up. He was in pain. His eyes burned. His body felt like it had been torn apart. He was shaky and disoriented. He took a fresh cup of water from Cas and sipped it. He closed his eyes and calmed his body down.

"How do you feel?" John asked.

The man looked down at his hands. "I wouldn't want to do that again."

"Do you still feel like a lamia?" John asked.

The man twisted his neck and flexed his legs. "I don't know." He approached John although his legs were stiff and weak. "You don't look like a meal."

John stepped back.

"I was hungry when I woke up." The man said.

John asked Castiel to get a burger or sandwich for the man.

The man took the burger as it was pushed toward him. He bit into it and groaned. He remembered liking burgers when he was young. That changed when his lamia side kicked in. Only human blood and flesh appeased him. No, the burger was so good that he didn't want to eat it too fast. He was able to call his wife and tell her that he should be returning home.

An hour slipped by and Castiel was absolutely certain that the man would not turn back into a monster. He could read his thoughts and intentions. He truly just wanted to see his family again.

"My son." The man said.

"He won't turn too soon, will he?" John asked.

"Not for a few more years." The man said. "Maybe two."

"We can work this cure out. I don't think a child would survive that." John said.

The man was so grateful that this hunter had spared his life and helped him. He was gambling when he showed up at Kate's school.

"It might not be so bad if the kid isn't a lamia yet." Bobby said.

None of them were sure but the man was released from his cell. He asked to see what was making the haunting noise that filled the hallways.

John let him see the freak.

The man recoiled. "What the hell is that?"

"We just call them freaks." Bobby said.

While the lamia had been burned from his body, he retained a certain level of instincts. He had been around plenty of creatures since he was one himself. None of them scared him like that. "Why is it here?"

"We are trying to figure out how to wipe them out." John explained.

The man needed to walk away from the freak's cell. His stomach twisted. He had been worried about hunters finding his family. He had even worried about rival groups of creatures attacking them. The freak made him forget about those threats. "I want to see my family."

John gave him a small bag that contained all of the ingredients he needed to redo the cure. He'd just need to add water. "If you don't stay human…"

The man thanked him. It felt weird. He looked at hunters the way that hunters looked at him. He had been taught to fear them. John was menacing, especially when he showed up at Kate's school. Somewhere, in John's soul, the man could see the concern for his children. They were the same in that way.

John and Bobby sat back in the chairs outside the lamia's cell.

"That was something." Bobby said.

"I would have just killed him." John said.

"You didn't." Bobby said.

John rubbed his neck. "Being too merciful will get us killed."

(Jess and Sam)

Jess felt empty without Jacob around. She was a caretaker and felt useless once his dad picked him up.

Sam had just gotten home from his last class of the day and wrapped Jess in a hug. "You look confused."

Jess melted into his arms. "I don't know what to do."

Sam fell back onto the couch so that she would go with him. "You go back to school and get a full night of sleep."

Jess shifted so that she was leaning back with her head on Sam's chest. "Not all of us like school."

Sam kissed the top of her head. "You've got to get a degree to be an advocate for the kids."

Jess clicked her tongue as Milo trotted over to her. She patted the couch and relaxed when he curled up beside her. "I think you becoming a lawyer is more important. I can advocate without a degree. You can't represent Dean and get him out of jail without one."

Sam snorted. "That is true." He could tell Jess was still lost in her head. He pulled his phone out and dialed the number to Jess's favorite pizza place. He ordered her favorite and sat back as he waited.

Jess sighed happily. "If you buy me pizza every time, I'm sad, I'm going to get fat."

Sam poked her ribs. "Then stop being sad."

Jess felt better. Sam was always able to lift her mood.

Sam left her to grab the pizza from the delivery driver and placed the box on the coffee table. He got paper plates and napkins. They had done that exact thing many times before. Greasy pizza was meant to be eaten in front of a tv.

Jess settled in and was content. Her heart was full.

(Sioux Falls)

Taylor stayed after school to help Hailey so Kate talked to the art teacher.

The plan was for Kate to make a list of everything she needed so that the school could pay for it. The mural would be big and she didn't have enough money for that much paint. Of course, she would bring some of her own so that she could ward the place. She had to wait for a sunny day so that the paint could dry before snow hit it.

Taylor raised his arms above his head to grab a pumpkin from its perch, high above the tables. He felt a twinge of pain but grabbed some leaves as well.

Hailey took the fall decorations and handed Taylor some garland and snowflakes. She told him where to place them and stood back. Had she tried to do it herself, she would have needed a ladder to put on top of the table just to reach the very bottom of the balcony. Taylor seemed more coordinated.

Taylor scrunched his nose and wiped his face on his shirt. The snowflakes were sparkly and the glitter was falling onto him as he placed them above his head.

Hailey laughed. "It isn't that bad."

Taylor shook his hair out. "I don't like glitter."

Hailey gave him a wreath for the center and hugged him when he got back down to the floor. "It looks great."

Taylor rubbed her back as he hugged her. "Is that all you need?"

"The committee will do all of the other stuff tomorrow. We just couldn't reach that." Hailey said.

Taylor smirked. The committee was formed to decorate the school for different events. They were picky and each set of decorations had to outdo the ones before. "If you find anymore high places, just let me know." He felt another twinge of pain and felt along his spine just incase something was poking him. He heard Kate call his name and spun around. "Coming." He kissed Hailey quickly and reminded her that he was always happy to help.

Kate told Taylor about the mural idea. "This will be the biggest piece that I've done."

Taylor shrugged. "You will do a good job. It has to be better than the eagle that is out there right now."

Kate giggled. At some point, the school had let someone put the eagle logo on the wall beside the main entrance. It was faded but looked a little wonky. "Who ever painted that must have forgotten what an eagle looks like." She sucked in a breath of air. "We should put googly eyes on it."

Taylor raised both eyebrows. "I don't think the school would like that."

Kate grinned. "They wouldn't know."

"They have cameras." Taylor said.

Kate skipped down the steps. "We have abilities."

Taylor saw John's truck and turned to walk to it. He opened the front door. "How did it go?"

John waited for Kate to get in. "As far as we can tell, he isn't a lamia anymore."

Kate rubbed her hands together. "As far as you can tell?"

"Castiel studied him." John said.

Kate's mind started to race. "So, we can cure a lamia."

John tilted the rearview mirror to make eye contact with her. "That stuff almost killed him. It could still kill him. We do not know what is going to happen."

Kate shrunk. "I'll just wait for updates."

Taylor felt the pain again. This time, it was closer to his legs.

John eyed him. "Are you okay?"

Taylor rubbed the sore spot. "I keep getting these jolts of pain."

John slowed the truck down. "How long? Where are they coming from?"

"They just started. I was reaching up to get pumpkins down and the first one hit me." Taylor said.

John continued his drive to Bobby's house. He asked Taylor a battery of questions. Surely it couldn't be a pinched nerve.

Taylor got out of the truck once they stopped. He hadn't gotten another jolt so he felt like it was a fluke. As he opened the door to the house, he tensed. He felt like his tendons were snapping.

John kept him from falling back. He checked him over and asked what he was feeling.

The pain had dissipated but his arms and legs were sore. He was sent inside and told to sit down on the couch. He felt weird but couldn't explain what kind of weird.

Kate tried to read him. The sensation was weird indeed. She took in information and sat back on the coffee table. "Hey, Dean."

"What?" Dean asked, walking from Bobby's office.

Kate pulled Taylor to stand. "Go stand in front of him."

Taylor was confused but did what she told him too.

Dean slowly narrowed his eyes. He stepped back and gave Taylor a hard look.

"What?" Taylor asked. He saw the change in Dean's eyes and thought he had made him angry.

Dean noticed it right away because he constantly checked Taylor's height. Okay, maybe it wasn't constant but he lived with the knowledge that the kid would outgrow him quickly. He looked at Taylor's feet. "When did this happen?"

John wasn't following. "Do you want to explain?"

Kate hopped from foot to foot. "Growth spurt."

Taylor winced. "That didn't feel like a growth spurt."

"It would do that if you grew all at once." Kate said.

Taylor felt of his arms. He looked back at Dean and tilted his head.

Dean made eye contact with John. "Do you know anything about this?"

John thought Kate's theory might be right. Due to the placement of the sudden pains, it made sense. If someone grew too fast, they would have pain in their joints and bones.

Kate stood beside Taylor and raised her arm. She knew where his head hit her arm. She knew this because she often tried to smack his head or put stuff on his head. If she was right, he had gained two inches over the span of seconds. "He might outgrow you before 16." Kate said. Older Taylor claimed that Dean had been grumbly about his height after he turned 16.

Dean honestly didn't mind. That was just their thing. "Well Kate will never outgrow me."

Kate crossed her arms. "I'm going to learn how to shapeshift and make myself taller."

Dean messed up her hair. "I have met older you. You are a pipsqueak."

Kate sought Karen out since all the guys were relishing the fact that they kept growing after they turned 12.

Karen smiled at Kate. "Don't be so upset."

"I have wings and they don't. So, really, I am the winner here." Kate said.

Karen offered her a fresh piece of garlic bread. "That's the spirit."

Kate chewed as she thought. "Can I drop things an inch or two?"

Karen wasn't sure what she meant.

"The light in the living room. I could adjust it to be lower." Kate said.

Karen gave her a smile. "Do you want them to hit their heads?"

Kate shrugged. "Maybe."

Karen placed a large bowl of salad on the table. "I bet Bobby would be more than willing to help you with that."

Kate didn't doubt that. Bobby had a mischievous streak that she loved. They all did but Bobby was better. He acted grumbly and gruff but somewhere, hidden deep within the trauma, was Bobby's kid side. He was less grumbly after Karen returned to earth. Of course, he tried to hide that. She helped set the table and gave Karen a small smile. Operation 'torment tall people' was well under way.

(That night)

Hannah had been sleeping for a few hours before she heard something. She sat up in bed. Her room was dark. She slowly got out of bed and turned her light on. It wasn't the dog. It wasn't her siblings. It wasn't even a demon. She had a lock on her door to keep the siblings out and warding to keep the demon out. She spun around as wind filled her room. "I can't be a vessel anymore."

The bright orb of light bobbed in the air.

Hannah felt a sense of urgency. She could understand the high-pitched whines and pops coming from the angel's light. "I promised I wouldn't." She listened as the angel spoke. She bit her lip and sat down on her bed. "Okay, but only so you can show me. You can't stay." She felt the ball of light hit her and fell back onto her bed. She saw flashes and tried to control her mind. She woke up in a dark room. She was laying on her bed with her blankets around her. Was that a dream? She thought about what she had seen in the flashes. She looked at her phone that was charging by the bed. She needed to call Kate.

Calling Kate was a bad idea. She fumbled around with her backpack and produced a pencil and a notebook. She could just write it down. That way, they couldn't get mad and think she was feeding Kate information. Her body did ache though. It got a bit worse each time the angel used her as a vessel. She scratched at a spot on her neck and turned her lamp on. She quickly wrote notes about the ordeal. Kate, eventually, could make sense of them. She exhausted her memory of the flashes and placed the pencil and notebook on her desk. The flashes were likely symbolic and not literal. The last thing she saw was a cloud rolling toward her. It looked like a sandstorm with red sand. Red seemed to be a theme with all of the flashes. She couldn't comprehend them like Kate could. She sighed and settled back into her bed.

The streetlights outside of Hannah's house flickered and popped. There was a sizzle of electricity in the air. The flickering stopped directly in front of Hannah's front door. The light on the porch flickered once and crackled.

A neighbor stepped outside. He had been up, having just returned from a long shift at the hospital. He watched the flicker make its way down the street. It was odd. He didn't see any lights on other streets flickering. His house lights were fine. He saw bright red light build from the light on Hannah's porch. He briefly thought it had caught on fire. He watched the light fade to a dull hue and went back inside. He needed to stop working 14 hour shifts.