A/N: This is a crazy time in the world right now. It feels super weird to be a part of it. I'm stuck at home and while I have all this time for writing, I have good days and bad days. I'm posting this now because this fic is fun and I'm way ahead of this chapter and I just hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do. Be careful out there and feel free to message me (here on on tumblr at asirensrage) if you just need someone to talk to.

Chapter Four

I felt like shit the next day.

It likely had to do with crying my eyes out for a good part of the night because for some reason I couldn't stop once I started. It made me think of that Dane Cook joke about crying and how people tended to just think of everything terrible that happened just to make themselves cry more. It didn't take much to set me off further. On the bright side though, my arms finally felt like they were mine again and that was a strange thought.

I got to my locker in relative peace. People were still staring and whispering to each other but so far no one had said anything to me. I was already tired and the day had barely started. I needed coffee. Unfortunately, they didn't tend to supply it on hand to students and wasn't even sure if Starbucks existed yet. The things I would do just for a frappuccino.

"I can't do this anymore!"

I turned at the sound of the hushed whisper. Jonathan was standing a few lockers away with a girl. She sounded stressed. I turned back to my locker but focused on the conversation. Was I wrong about Jonathan? Was he like the rest of the douchebags I had come across so far? Despite my exhaustion, I was fully prepared to go over and help out a girl if I needed to.

"We'll figure it out," he sounded far more calm than the girl did.

"I can't stand being here, Jonathan. Barb is gone and no one...no one cares. The only people still looking for her are her parents and they...they deserve to know the truth."

All of my thoughts came to a screeching halt. Hold on. A girl was missing? And why did it sound like they murdered her? It hit me suddenly that they might have been talking about the girl Robin had mentioned who had gone missing. This was a world with monsters and things that hid in the dark, not just humans. I dug my fingers into the fading bruise on my arm without thinking.

"I know," Jonathan said. "But until we figure out how...without the government locking us up, we can't do anything."

Of fucking course the government was involved. After all, in most movies that had monsters, they were either brought here or created by either governments or corporations. Sometimes both. This was worse than I thought. Avoiding detection and suspicion from Tammy's family and friends was one thing, the US government that may or may not be involved with monsters was a whole different ballpark. I needed more information. What the hell was I going to do?

The day passed by in a blur.

The most I could think of was that I had to continue to try to hide in plain sight. I couldn't do anything too radical that would draw attention. This meant that my plans to research my...condition would have to be carefully done. I wouldn't be able to start requesting newspaper clippings and a multitude of science journals without a solid reason why. I also had to make sure I avoided the government building and any of the employees. I didn't think it would be too hard, government people usually stood out in some way, depending on the type of employee they were.

I was lost in thought, trying to consider if I had already screwed myself over by changing Tammy's schedule. I couldn't have done too badly because I had my reasons why. Well, Tammy did. Something pushed me from behind. I stumbled forward, catching myself by pure luck before I fell. I turned to see what happened and some girl was staring at me. She had her hip cocked to one side and her arms crossed in front of her.

"What was that for?" I demanded. I had never seen this girl in my life. At least, I didn't think I did. Tammy might have, but I didn't think Tammy had any enemies. Unless it was a rival. Did Tammy have rivals? Was that a thing?

"What do you think?" She nearly snarled.

"I don't know? That's why I asked." I motioned to her, trying to convey my confusion. People had already stopped to watch us in the hall. At least it was a small consolation that they didn't have cell phones to record this. The only consolation really about not having cell phones. Or internet.

"You think you can talk to my boyfriend like that and I wouldn't react?"

I stared at her for a second. Her boyfriend? When did I...It clicked. She was the girlfriend of the asshole in Shop. Tommy or whatever his name was. "Oh, right. So you pushed me?" I hadn't had to deal with high school girls and their drama in a long time. Guys I knew, they didn't really change, but I wasn't entirely sure how to deal with this.

She shifted her stance slightly and looked smug. "Yeah," she said. "I did."

"Okay…" I drawled out, trying to think of a response. "And?" The girl's face scrunched up and I could see her getting more upset. "What do you want?"

She moved forwards, stepping closer to me. "Listen you grody little toad," she said. I stared down at her. I didn't realise how tall Tammy actually was until right now. I had only ever reached like 5'6", but Tammy was taller. The girl in front of me was not.

"Are you sure you're calling me little?" I asked, trying not to laugh at the image I'm sure we presented. I watched as she clenched her jaw, apparently trying to control her fury. Something told me that she did not appreciate my comment. She likely appreciated the stifled laughter I heard around us even less. "Well?" I asked, uncertain if she was actually going to respond. The sooner this was over with, the sooner I could get on to more important things like figuring out how to avoid getting kidnapped and experimented on by the government. "If you're not going to use your words, there's really no point in this, is there?"

"You burned my boyfriend!"

It took me a second before I realised she didn't mean literally. "Your boyfriend is a dick," I said. "He also came onto me, so maybe you should reconsider your choices in that department."

"As if! He would never try to fuck a giant freak like you!"

"Oh, so now I'm a giant," I muttered. She didn't even try to deny the cheating. That was sad. "I have witnesses that prove otherwise if you really want to ask them."

"Do you honestly think you're something now that you're stepping into your butch shoes? As if that will ever correct the tragedy that is your face, which you should bag. You're a nobody and you always fucking will be. And if you ever come near my boyfriend again, I will ugly you up further that the only show business you get into will be the freak show business, not that you shouldn't already be there now."

I felt myself straighten. She was aiming for the heart of Tammy. It was cruel, and I'm sure if I was actually a teenage girl with dreams of stardom, it would be enough to make me want to hide and cry forever. I could see why her and Tommy were together. They had the same mean streak in them.

I didn't need to move any closer to look down at this girl, but I felt myself smile slowly. She blinked at me, like she wasn't certain she was really seeing it. "I get that you're upset about your boyfriend," I said softly. "Poor Tommy, tried to cheat, got called out and looked stupid. Just because you're willing to put up with his behaviour does not mean that anyone else is, or that they should. But," I raised my voice slightly. "If you have half the brain cells you seem to think you do, then you'd know that being cruel to everyone isn't going to solve your myriad of problems. And if you ever threaten me again, I will rip out your hair so hard it will never grow back properly, do you hear me?" It felt like a stupid threat but one that I felt like she would actually understand. I wasn't sure if she'd take me seriously though.

I looked away from her. Everyone around us had leaned closer, likely trying to hear what I was saying to her. I stepped back from her and walked away. The crowd around us parted so I could leave. I was pretty sure the girl was likely furious. The situation probably hadn't gone as she planned. I couldn't bring myself to care. You couldn't try to cut someone down and not be prepared for the eventuality that someone would cut back. It gave me an idea though. I just had to convince Tammy's parents first.

"I want to quit dance."

Tammy's parents looked up at me from where I stood in front of the television. I had an entire speech planned out. I just needed their attention.

"What?" her mother cried out. "Why?"

"Because," I said, "I think it's time I branched out into other avenues that will be more useful." Tammy's father was watching me carefully. "I have studied dance for years, but if I'm actually going to go to Nashville, I want to be safe. I want to take self defence this year." I kept talking, picking up my speed slightly just to keep them from interrupting. "Think about it, Joni Mitchell, Olivia Newton-John...what do they have in common? They are stars and they have stalkers! If I'm going to be famous, this is a potential...problem I could be dealing with. It's way more common than you'd think." Both her parents had settled, frowning slightly as they thought about what I was saying. It wasn't really comforting on their end. "And we all know what happened here!" Even if I didn't really. "People went missing! One girl is still gone and no one knows what happened to her. I don't want that to be me. So...please?" I ended with a simple question, trying to actually sound like a teenager.

Her parents looked at each other.

"She has a point," her father said. "I don't want our girl out in the world without protection. They just caught that Bundy fellow not that long ago and he had been attacking women for years."

Her mother nodded. "You'd have to keep practicing your dance," she said. "But I'd rather have you safe."

"I will," I promised. I wasn't fully intending to keep it, mostly because I couldn't actually dance.

"And you'll have to pay the difference," her father said. "Dance isn't cheap and I'm sure self defence won't be either." He looked at her mother. "Doesn't hurt to teach fiscal responsibility."

"I will," I said. "I can get a job and-"

"Oh! That reminds me," her mother said suddenly. She smiled at me. "Mrs. Sinclair called earlier and asked if you'd be available to babysit this Friday. Her regular babysitter moved to go to beauty school."

"What?"

It turned out that Tammy babysat. I could count on both my hands the few times I spent with children. I had never needed to take a babysitting course or actually take care of kids for money. In fact, I was pretty disinterested in them overall. Especially considering how terrible most of them seemed to be. I couldn't refuse, especially since I now needed the money. This was going to be interesting.

I stood outside the Sinclair house. Tammy's father was waiting to watch that I got in the door so there really was no escape. Not that I was going to take it. I could handle it. How hard could looking after two kids be?

"Tammy! Thank you so much for coming!" Mrs. Sinclair greeted me as she opened the door. I turned back to wave off Tammy's father before smiling at the woman in front of me.

"It's no problem."

"We should be back around midnight," she moved aside to let me in and closed the door behind me. "The numbers are all on the fridge. Lucas is spending the night at Dustin's so you only have Erica. She's upstairs in her room. If she tries to convince you that we said it was fine for her to watch a horror movie, it's not."

"Okay," I said, nodding. I wondered how old she was if she was already trying to pull things over her parents.

"And she can't have any more candy for the night. No matter how much she begs. She's going to end up getting a cavity at that rate." Mrs. Sinclair turned away from me and yelled up the stairs. "Erica! Tammy's here!"

"Hi Tammy," I turned to see a man I figured was Mr. Sinclair coming out of the other kitchen. "How are you?"

"Good, you?"

"Late," he said, looking over at his wife. "Or we're going to be."

She instantly looked at him, "was I the one who couldn't choose a tie?"

"We should go," he said quickly, smiling at both of us. Mrs. Sinclair gave me an amused look and nodded. He grabbed her coat and helped her into it.

"If you need anything, the number for the restaurant is on the fridge."

"I'm sure we'll be fine," I said. I waved them out of the house. "Have a good night! Enjoy the peace!" I called out after them.

"Oh we will!" Mr. Sinclair called back. I closed the door as they got into the car. I looked up the stairs. Time to find out just who Erica was.

Finding her bedroom was fairly easy. I could hear her voice coming from her room. I passed by what looked like a typical boys room and the door to her room was closed. I knocked.

There was silence for a moment before someone called out "I'm not here!"

"Alright not here," I called back. "Have you eaten?"

There was a beat of silence. "What do you have?"

"Depends on whether or not you've already had dinner, and what you have, I guess. I'm making me a grilled peanut butter, honey sandwich."

The door opened suddenly. The girl stared up at me with her face crinkled up. "That sounds disgusting."

"Don't knock it til you tried it. Now, do you want one?"

"You're not trying to poison me, are you?" she asked.

"Why? Did you do something worth being poisoned for?" I raised my eyebrows at her.

"No!" she said quickly. I tried not to laugh.

"Then you don't have to worry, do you?" I grinned at her. "Come on, you can tell me what movie you're trying to convince your parents to let you watch and why." I turned and headed back down the stairs. The sound of footsteps and beads clacking together followed.

Erica was watching me carefully as I grilled the sandwiches. She didn't look too pleased when I sliced apple to add into them, but she accepted my "trust me" warily.

"So?" I asked. "What's the movie?"

She put her elbows on the counter and looked ready to negotiate. She was so tiny that it looked hilarious.

"Alien," she said, her tone daring me to disagree to it.

"Good movie," I agreed, flipping the sandwiches. "But I can see why your parents don't want you to see it. What's your side of the case?"

She looked at me confused. "What?"

"Why do you want to see it?" I elaborated.

"Because! Sandra has already got to see it and it's been out forever! Who doesn't want to see a girl fighting monsters? I have to deal with having a giant nerd for a brother, I should at least be allowed to see movies I want!"

"Hand me some plates," I said. I took them one by one and plated the sandwiches before cutting them on an angle. I handed one to her. "You make a good point about a female lead. They don't happen often and not in a scifi movie like this one, but you shouldn't want to watch it just because someone else did. That's not a good argument in your favour. You should focus on…" I tried to think of something to say. There were a lot of things that happened in the movie and their actual relevancy and meanings to the world. Many were above this kid's level. "The character Ellen Ripley. There aren't nearly enough strong female role models out there saving the day without needing a man for girls to look up to. Also, tell them that you heard that they show different reactions to fear and how people deal with it. There's also a case of.." I stopped myself. "Never mind, that would spoil some of it. What if you brought Lucas into your argument. Your parents might be more open if it was both of you arguing to see it. Together."

She made a face. "I don't want to watch a movie with that turd."

"I'm just saying to consider your options. Two against two are better odds than one against two. Besides, he can't be that bad."

"You don't have to live with him," she snarked back.

"That's true." I decided to leave it. Clearly this was going to be a case where the siblings got along when they were older. Maybe. "What's your case for nightmares?"

"I don't get scared!" she exclaimed through a mouthful of food.

"Everyone gets scared," I said. "Just in different ways to different things. And those things change too. So, on the off chance you'd get scared and have nightmares, what's your plan?"

"My plan is to not be scared."

I ate my sandwich. "Okay, but consider this. A lot of this movie builds fear without actually showing the monster. It's the constant feeling of being watched, waiting for something to reach out and get the characters and wondering who is going to survive and how. You're telling me you're going to be going to bed in the dark and not wonder if something is there waiting after watching that?"

She scowled at me. "No, I'm not."

"Alright," I said, smiling slightly. I didn't believe her. I had nightmares when my dad let me watch it. "How was the sandwich? Did you survive to tell your friends what your babysitter tried to poison you with?"

"It was better than I expected. Can I have another?"

"Sure." I got up, grabbed her plate and started prepping another sandwich.

"So, does this mean you'll let me watch it?" She asked, hope clear in her voice.

"Hell no," I said. "I gave you arguments you can take to your parents. That's enough for me. Besides, how old are you again? Five?"

"I'm nine, jerk face!"

I felt myself cackle. This kid was great. She was way more entertaining than I expected. "Alright, so you got a few years. Don't worry, by the way," I said over my shoulder, "if they say no. It's a popular movie. There will be more of them. More than needed, except for the one with Michael Biehn." I muttered the last bit, thinking of the franchise just kept going and the attempts to merge it with Predator.

"What?" she asked, suddenly next to me.

I jumped. "What the hell? Did you teleport?"

"I walked," she deadpanned. "Is it done yet?"

"No," I said. "I forgot to add the cyanide."

She glared up at me. "You're so weird."

"Yup," I popped the p. "But at least it makes me interesting."

[tbc]