Fuel

Morrigan pulled out her tissues and sighed. "Well, he's, he was...my older brother. He came here to investigate something at the high school. Something supernatural if you understand what I mean."

She looked over at the luggage she'd yet to unpack. "He thought I might be able to help him because I'm good at sensing things that other people can't."

This is not happening...

Aly sighed and looked around.

"You're a hunter? Was Shane a hunter?" I can't believe I'm about to ask this. "Do you know what kind of thing he was hunting?"

"Shane was always the one in my family who took the most initiative. Dad never wanted Kyler, my other brother, and I to go out hunting with him. He thinks it's too dangerous. He always trusted Shane, though. He'd send Shane out on jobs all the time."

Morrigan closed her eyes to think a minute.

"Shane called me about a week ago, told me he'd heard about a job from a paper- my guess is that he wasn't the only hunter who caught wind of it. He'd started investigating, but didn't find anything that pointed him to a particular creature. He seemed to think it was some sort of shapeshifter, but he didn't get around to telling me before...before he was attacked."

She lowered her voice.

"Alright, I think you've figured out I'm not with the FBI--anymore anyway, had my own shape-shifter issues. There's another group of hunters here. If you could tell me which article he was working off of, that would help. We're going to do everything to catch this...thing. I promise."

Morrigan looked in her bag and pulled out a copy of the Chestertown newspaper.

"It says right here there have been several bizarre things going on in town. Maybe we ought to talk to some of the locals, see what they know about any new people or strange happenings in town. Someone must have given," the name caught in her throat. "...Shane the lead at the school, but I'm not sure who. Are there any other hunters in the area who might have led him there?"

"Thanks."

She took the paper glancing briefly at the scribbled on pages.

"I'm with a caravan of five, but we just arrived this afternoon. One of our members is from around here and insisted we follow up a job in the high school--something about blood in the cafeteria."

She took a deep breath.

"I know this is going to be hard, believe me--I lost my older sister some time ago--but you need to rest and let others handle this. The police--the real police--are going to want to keep a close eye on you. Stay close to me and I'll help you through this. Let's get you up to your room and get this blood off you, okay? Then I have to go back out there--my partner can only hold off the wolves so long on his own."

Morrigan collapsed on the bed in her room. She'd barely gotten off the bloodstained clothing before she was holding onto the pillow and trying to hold herself together. Aly had left to take care of business, and now she felt terribly alone.

Aly helped her off with the blood stained clothes, putting them into a plastic bag as she did so. Then she waited as the girl showered before returning downstairs, texting as she went.

Rome, vic was a hunter. His sister is in rm 327. She knows she's not alone. Didn't know what brother was hunting. More when I know. ~Aly

She slipped her phone back in her pocket and handed the bag of clothes to the lead investigator.

"The vic's name is Shane Beretta. He was on vacation with his sister, Morrigan. She's in room 327 when you need her."

She walked over to where Caleb was standing. He still looked preoccupied, even worried. Her voice lowered as she spoke.

"It was a brother/sister hunter pair. The sister is upstairs. I explained to her the nature of this investigation. Maybe you can make sense of this?" She handed him the scribbled upon newspaper. "He was working a job but didn't have a chance to tell her what it was he was hunting. I'll follow up with the PD."

Meanwhile in the Mustang on the other side of the town


“The plan is you shut the hell up and get out of my car!”
No!

Lenna didn’t say anything until she pulled into the parking lot of the school.

“We drive to the, my high school. We can say I wanted to have a look around for I dunno closure or some other sh*t normal people visit their old schools. We have a look around, hope to find someone we can ask about the blood. We say I got worried about old friends, not that I had any. But let’s just hope the teacher doesn’t know that. We check the place for EMF, maybe we find a ghost. Or maybe it is a cursed object. Anyway we find the source and kill it. And then we leave this freaking town. I hate it here. I’m counting the seconds until I see the town in my review mirror.”

The Mustang had stopped but Lenna didn’t move, she just stared at the school building as the people on the Titanic must have stared at the ice berg.

“Are we getting out of the car, or do we just investigate from here?” asked Rome.

“Punch him, he deserves it for a question like this. He is a freaking smartass.”
Not right now, I’m working. Please, Nick just be quiet for some time.

“Let’s go.”

Lenna jumped out of the car and went to the trunks. Even though she didn’t use fire arms, she still had quite a few in her trunk. She picked up the EMF-meter and looked surprised when she turned it on.

“Oh I thought I put in new batteries. I think I have some more here." She pushed a shotgun careful out of her way and picked up a new pair of batteries. But the EMF didn’t work with them either, it didn’t show any sign of being turned on.

“Fine this thing doesn’t work. Whatever. You are psychic you should sense the supernatural. So concentrate inside.”

Lenna picked up a small Glock, check the magazine she didn't bother to use the holster she got a few days ago form Caleb.

“Okay I’m ready, let’s go. We have work to do.”

“You shouldn’t have to do this.”
It’s my job I help people.
“Yeah and how much really thank you for it?”
I don’t need anything from anyone.
“You need to be free, free from your hallucinations.”
You know how to stop them?
“Yes, trust me Elle!”

Lenna closed the trunk loudly and turned around to the school.

"No EMF, huh? I wonder if there's an app for that," Rome said, pulling out his phone to "check" and then laughing at his own joke. "Aww, hell, look, I've only got one bar out here. Tell me, how did you survive going to school out here in...the...boonies."

Rome paused. Of course! This was her hometown--where her brother died! No wonder she's acting weird. She hates this place because it reminds her of him. Duh, Remington. Major duh.

Hugely relieved, Rome managed to laugh when she told him to be her EMF.

"What? You think I can turn that crap on and off like a lightswitch?" He grinned sleazily to emphasize his point: "Romulus Remington has many talents: Being psychic at will is not among them."

But she didn't find him funny. Which, okay, was understandable, considering.

"Okay, sorry. Let's just get this show on the road and get out of what the f*ck are you doing with that?!"

Because Elenna Fee was holding a gun.

"What?" she asked venomously, impatiently, jutting a hip out like a twelve-year old pretending to be 21.

Rome stammered. "I dunno about you, chica, but I'm thinking of putting in a call downstairs to make sure someone didn't turn down the heat, if you know what I mean."

"Shut up, Rome, let's go," she said, putting the weapon in the waistband of her jeans as if nothing was out of the ordinary--

"Except that you're gonna shoot your ass off. Lennie." He jerked his head. "C'mere. If you're gonna carry that, you're gonna carry it right." As she approached him, gingerly, tentatively, he then proceeded to remove his own shoulder holster and re-fasten it onto her: "Okay, buckle that there, I don't wanna touch your boob." He then rummaged around for a side holster that would accommodate his Desert Eagle, and placed the sawed-off inside his jacket.

"Okay, now we're ready." He stared at Elenna fondly, like he was watching her grow up before his very eyes. "You lead, I'll follow."

Caleb read over the newspaper clippings and the notes scribbled in the margins, scratching his chin and nodding silently to himself. He turned and grabbed Aly by the arm, bringing her close as he rasped in her ear.

"Missing hearts. That's a Werewolf trademark," Caleb hissed, making sure no one else could hear.

Aly couldn't help the laugh that escaped until she noticed how serious he remained. His features seemed to darken and tense like a wild animal honing in on its prey. She stopped laughing.

"Wait, you're serious? The wolfman did this?" She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "That figures. Alright, it's a werewolf--like I'm going to present that as an option to the police. What's our next move? I don't suppose the Big Bad Wolf has an MO?"

Nick walked in circles around Elenna and Rome, while Rome put the holster on her.

“If you dare to try anything, I swear I kill you. Right in front of her.”

Lenna looked still pissed, but also somehow thankful. He needed to do something against this, fast. He couldn’t push the jerk away, but he might be able to push his sister away from the jerk. After all she was his little sister and knew which button to press so that she does what he wants.

You are mine, Elle. Forever!

Nick stopped behind his little sister.

“Elle, you know he is lying to you, right? He is dreaming of you, he is dreaming of you when you wear nothing else then his friggin holster. In those dream he never hesitated to closer or open it. He doesn’t see you so much as sister as he is telling you. He wants you, but he is not that dumb as I thought. He knows he won’t get very far with his normal Casanova attitude, so he wins you heart by pretending to like you as sister, and in the end you end up in bed with him. Walk away from him as long you can look in the mirror and not hate what you see. Or do you wanna be in the same position as Alison? She has the RR branding on her forehead forever.”

Lenna shook her head. She heard him clearly as a bell.

No. No. No. No. He doesn’t!

Lenna put on her jacket, while Rome looked weirdly at her.

“Stop looking at me like this. I’m not one of the girls you can undress in your mind.” She turned around and walked slowly to the school. She suddenly remembered her first day here. Nick drove her to School, of course he did, it was his senior year.

“You gonna be fine Elle, and if anyone is mean to you tell me. I’ll handle it then for you.” Nick looked fondly at his little sister.
“I can’t just come running to you when people are mean to me. I can handle them myself. Stop worrying about me. And don’t look at me as I’m an adorable 5 year old.”
“I can’t help it you are adorable.”
Lenna turned around and went into the opposite direction as Nick did.
“I’ll pick you up at 3.”Shouted Nick to her. She just waved without looking at him.
He waited in the Mustang at 3PM, when Elle finally arrived she didn’t looked to good. She had a cut in her lip and a bruise on her jaw. She handed him a letter from her teacher. “It wasn’t my fault.”
“What happened?”
“I was reading a book about supernatural being in Scotland and a boy told me that there are no such things as monsters. And I asked him how he can be so sure. And he said because his dad said this. I asked if his dad ever was in Scotland. He said no. I said then your dad is ignorant. He came over and punched me, I pushed him back and then my teacher came in. It wasn’t my fault!”
Nick chuckled. “You are unbelievable Elle, I can never let you alone. You always get into trouble like this.”

Lenna moved without realising a bit closer to Rome, as if she was scared of something or someone?

“I’m not sure if you should let me lead in here. All I did here was getting into trouble.”

"Hey, what do you think I did high school? Besides banging cheerleaders and hot math subs--" Rome paused for a moment, lost in the blissful memory of the lines that ran up the back of Miss Kelly's stockings...Mmm! "--I basically did nothing else but learn to talk me or my dumb brother out of trouble. I'm surprised I could read coming out of high school. Anyway, that was what, three years ago? Last time you were here?"

"Try five," she ground out.

"Great. You're a young woman now, you're not a kid: no one's gonna recognize you. Anyway, I'll get us in," he said, sweeping an arm over her shoulder affectionately as he steered her towards the front office.

"What're you doing?!" she hissed, trying to pull out from under his arm, but he held on tightly and spoke to her through the clenched teeth of a fake smile:

"Just follow my lead. You want in? I'll get us in. You can sneak away when you like."

Rome's phone buzzed, and he checked it quickly: Rome, vic was a hunter. His sister is in rm 327. She knows she's not alone. Didn't know what brother was hunting. More when I know. ~Aly

"Geez. That sucks," he whispered, and texted her back: Roger that. Just got to the school. Stay safe.

Rome walked into the main office with a flourish, focusing all the room's attention on him, so that even if anyone could recognize Elenna, they didn't want to. He explained to the attractive secretary that his father was buying he and his new wife a house in the area for a wedding present, and he wanted to check out the school system before deciding to move here. It was all very rich yuppie talk which he hadn't really been in contact with in years, but he remembered his own dad pulling the same stunt with the schools he and Raws had been sent to. He thought it was a ridiculous notion, checking out the schools in the area in preparation for your unborn child, but the rich were due their eccentricities, and he was taking advantage of that.

He was so impressive, apparently, that, after procuring Visitor Badges, presently the Vice President of North Warren Central School came out of his office to give them the tour. Rome was very quickly caught up in slick-and-quick salesmen repartee with Mr. Greenburgh, talking about curriculum, the new addition to the building, the recently updated textbooks, and that the school was proud to offer Latin, Spanish, French, and German language. Forgetting completely about the mission at hand and setting his brain up firmly in small-town Suburbia, Rome decided that if he was ever dumb enough to get some chick pregnant, he would seriously consider sending his kid here.

"...And here is our gymnasium. I'm afraid I can't show you the inside, as there was a small incident last week we haven't cleaned up yet--"

"Incident?" Rome pricked up his ears at that, but the Veep waved his hand dismissively.

"We normally have very well-behaved students, but you know how children get when they are proud of their school. Apparently some 'prank'--" the old man actually put his fingers in the air to indicate quotation marks, which Rome was certain hadn't even been cool when this guy was young, "--was executed after a big basketball win over our rivals."

Rome laughed, switching subjects quickly and guiding Mr. Greenburgh away from the door. "So you have a good basketball team?"

"Ah, yes. We've gone to State the past five years, amazing for a school our size."

"And how about a pool? Surely you have a....pool? No? Well, that can't abide: I'll have to ask my father about making a donation."

The Veep's eyes sparkled so brightly, Rome felt dirty.

It wasn't until they had come to the library that either of them noticed that Elenna had gone.

"Oh! We seem to have lost Mrs. Remington!"

Rome shook his head and grinned covertly. "Most likely in the ladies room. She's, uh," he made a gesture indicating a pregnant belly until the old man brightened in acknowledgement:

"Ahh! Congratulations, sir!" Then, "Is she all right? Should we wait for her?"

"She doesn't like to be fussed over, you know how women are these days, and I think she'll find us easily enough when she is ready. I'm particularly interested in viewing your computer labs...."

Lenna didn’t like being so close to Rome, or maybe she did in a way.

“Take your friggin arm of my sister, you sleazy chauvinistic pig.”

She felt okay, until he introduced her as his new wife, when she felt as she needs to puke. Yeah she trusted him more than anyone; yeah it was hard for her to hate him as Nick wanted her, but his wife? She wanted to run and hide in the girl’s bathroom, just like she did in her time here. But she couldn’t run, Rome held her tight and weirdly let it still look normal.

It is kind of nice in his arm.
“That is what he wants you to think. And the next thing you know is you without clothes next to him, or more him rushing off to the next girl in your team.”
You don’t know that.
“I know this type of guy!”

Lenna followed Mr. Greenburgh and let Rome do the talking. She didn’t pay much attention to any of the conversation until she heard Mr. Greenburgh. "...And here is our gymnasium. I'm afraid I can't show you the inside, as there was a small incident last week we haven't cleaned up yet--" Lenna looked at Rome but he was busy. She finally loosed his gripped and she could disappear when the two men kept walking. Rome had Mr. Greenburgh under control, and she sneaked into the gym. And there it was. Half of the floor was still covered in something red. She went slowly closer, as if someone was around and could stop her.

"That is nothing, Elle. Go now is your chance to leave the pig.”
Go, away!

Lenna kneeled down and touched the red stuff on the floor. It was, well blood red but was it really blood? Lenna bend down closely to have a better look, when suddenly on the other side of the hall a door got closed noisily.

“Gee.” Lenna jumped up. It was the same lacrosse coach as it was five years ago. She knew him so well. He was Nick’s coach and she watched so many practises.

“Coach Miller,… I mean I was just here with my um fiancé, husband, Rome and we are checking out the area. I mean the school system, because we get a house, his dad I mean my father-in-law is buying us a house and...” Lenna was so bad in lying sometimes.

“Elenna Fee?”

Lenna looked shocked. It was so long ago she was here and she never spoke to the coach.

“See I told you, you should have left when you had the time. Here you are, you are caught. How do you explain yourself now?”
I don’t know yet.

“No, I’m sorry I’m not Elenna whatever. I’m Lennie Remington. Sorry I’m here. I shouldn’t be here. I was just curious about the incident. I wanna be a teacher one day um a science teacher and this looks really interesting in a way.”

“Well I’m sorry I really thought you looked like one of my player’s sister, my mistake. This prank is nothing else than paint, a lot of paint. It will take a lot of money to clean up. So are you lost, do you want me to take you anywhere?”

“No I’m thanks. I’ll find Rome somehow. Thanks coach.”

Lenna went out of the gym and leaned against the wall.

“Sh*t it’s just paint. This can’t be true. It’s a job. It’s a real job. I can’t be wrong. Everything is falling apart.”

Lenna collapsed and hugged her knees.

“What is happening to me?”

“You finally get what I am telling you. There are no monsters.”

“There are. I've hunted them for years. This is a hunt. I just have to dig deeper. I come back later when the school is empty and then I show you that there are monsters.”

Lenna got up looked through the door of the gym, the coach was gone. She sneaked back in got a sample of the stuff on the floor and went back outside. She walked around to find Rome and Mr. Greenburgh not to far from the library.

“Hey, sugar cookie I’m sorry I needed the bathroom.”

Lenna looked blush and was out of breath, she was running around to find them quicker. Mr. Greenburgh grinned weirdly at her. She looked questioning at Rome.

Rome bridled at her use of "sugar cookie" but presumed she had been away long enough to have seen whatever she needed to see.

"So what do you think, honey bun?" he asked her cornily, ignoring Mr. Greenburgh's leering at her which frankly pissed him off. Takes a pig to spot a pig, apparently, and this guy totally shouldn't be supervising 14 to 18 year olds. "Are we done looking around here?"

She nodded. She looked a bit breathless and as though she had been crying. Rome dared to hope maybe she had gotten whatever she needed to out of her system, had decided there was nothing going here, and was ready to get back on the road.

Yeah, right.

She nodded. "Yeah, we can go." As soon as they were out of sight of the front door, she jerked her shoulder, shoving him off. "There's a hunt in there, Rome!"

"Whoa...kay...chill out, time, dudette. What'd you find?"

She produced some crusted flakes of red stuff in a plastic bag. Rome took it and inspected it. "This it? No sulfur? No cold spots?"

"I'm telling you, Rome, that's a hunt right there."

Rome opened the bag, smelled the stuff. It didn't have that metallic tang he was expecting. It smelled moldy, wet, it smelled like--

"Don't touch it!" she shrieked, snatching the bag back, but too late.

And that was where Rome lost his temper: "Sh*t, Elenna, that's paint! What the hell are you on, anyway?" He tried to control himself, but it just wasn't working. She was freaking him the hell out and it had to stop now. "Look, I get it that you're upset being back here, but that doesn't mean you have to go completely psycho! I don't scare all that easy, but you are scaring the crap out of me!"

"Don't be so overdramatic," she snapped.

"Bullsh*t, overdramatic! You are completely off: you're on edge, you're erratic, you're--you're tail-spinning, girl, and you refuse to talk about it, except to yourself, and you're imaginary car friend, and you won't let me help you!"

Okay, apparently the line about the imaginary friend cut a little deep. But Rome was on a roll. He didn't have much of a temper, usually, except with--well, until now--Rawson, when he was acting like a moron. Apparently the only people who had the power to truly get him riled up were the people he cared most about?

"I don't need your help!" she screamed, stamping her foot.

"Yes, you do! You're the only one who thinks you should have to do this on your own! Please, Lennie, it’s killing you!" Okay, that didn't come out nearly as unaccusing and gentle as he had meant it to. He must be way angrier than he thought. He took a deep breath and tried again: "Please. We've both lost people, lost our parents--hell, if Rawson doesn't show up again, we've both lost our brothers. And now am I gonna lose you, too?"

He had possibly succeeded at achieving tenderness in his voice, but just in case, Rome braced himself for fists to start flying or--oh, crap, she was holding a gun, wasn't she?

((OOC: I stole some (okay, most) of the Rome-Elenna fight from a Sam-Dean fight in "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things." Thought Ariel might like that! ))

Lenna stared at him, for a moment he got her. For a moment she heard him and this time really heard him, but there was still the voice in her head. And this voice didn’t care if it hurts her feelings.

“He can’t lose what he never had.”

“You can’t lose me Rome. I was never yours. I never belonged to you. Let me drive you back to the hotel so you can help the others, whatever they do. I’ll finish this hunt here and then I’m gone. I don’t need you. I am not a substitute for your brother.”

Lenna passed him and walked back to the Mustang.

You are not imaginary, right?
“No, just because you don’t see me doesn’t mean I am not real. Can you see the wind? Or the love you have for a person?”
Right.

“Before we leave I wanna have a look around the gym, maybe I find something there.”

Lenna was calm, but maybe too calm after Rome’s harsh words.

“And just so you know, I feel nothing being back here. This place is nothing then another friggin town on the map. Not more. I have no home I could come back, and I will never have one.”

When she walked to the gym she didn’t bother to turn around if Rome was following her. She was too annoyed of him. She had the feeling the moment they could have parted as friends was long gone.

Aly shook her head.

"This is one crazy trip--it has to be." She murmured. "Alright, you follow the body, and see if you can get any other evidence. I assume a silver bullet in the heart is the weapon of choice?"

He nodded stoically. Caleb seemed distracted even agitated.

"I'm going to the precinct to dig through their cold case files. If this is...I assume only on full moons then? Right--we'll meet back up when we have something. Good luck."

Just being around him made her uncomfortable. It was nice to get away again. She slipped her phone out again and started to text.

Caleb says werewolf. I'm headed to the station to read up on cold cases. What else should I do? ~Aly

The two FBI agents were talking. It looked like they planned to split up. One young police officer got curious. He always wanted to be a FBI agent, just like in the TV shows, but after he applied for it they never got back to him. Maybe if he helps those two agents they can help him.

“Ma’am, Sir, Lady, Gentleman um agents any ideas what happened here? There is another murder not far from here just like this one. And our town is kind of famous for weird deaths. Ever heard of a murderer using silver bullets?”

Rome was pissed off. And he was hearing things. Voices, like they were spoken too softly to hear but his brain picked up on them:

“He can’t lose what he never had.”

I'm annoyed at him. The moment we could have parted as friends was long gone.

But, unlike some people, Rome had accepted he was crazy and just heard things sometimes, so he didn't talk back to the voices.

He did, however, get angry.

"Elenna Abigail Fee!" he snarled, grabbing her by the wrist and yanking her around to face him. "Don't walk away from me."

"Let me go, Rome!" she said, sounding angry and scared. This almost made him want to back down, not wanting to frighten her. Almost.

"Not until you listen to me!" he growled, gripping her by the shoulders and pushing her back against the side of the Mustang--hard. "Elenna, you told me to be your EMF reader, and that's what I'm doing: I'm telling you there's nothing here that's worth hunting, and nothing that's good for you. Now you get back in that car right now and this won't get ugly."

"What're you gonna do to me?" Elenna tried to sound tough, daring him to touch her, but deep down she sounded scared. Which made Rome feel like a douchebag. But if it made her listen to reason... Rome huffed out a sigh.

And saw his breath.

This was his only warning before an unseen force slammed him from the side, knocking him about nine feet sideways into a nearby tree.

Elenna screamed and covered her head. Whatever it was had almost got her, too: that was lucky.

"Get in the car!" Rome shouted to her, drawing his sawed off shotgun in one hand and his Desert Eagle in the other, waiting for the creature to appear again.

Nick saw red when Rome pushed Elle back against the side of the Mustang—it looked pretty hard.

“What the f*ck are you trying to prove here, jerk. She is a kid, a little girl. Listen to her she is terrified.”

Nick punched Rome with all his strength in the side, and it was impressive. Rome flew several feet. He did nearly hit Elle, but he didn’t care.

“If you friggin touch her again, I friggin kill you here and now!”

Nick didn’t wait long he appeared behind Rome’s back and kicked him hard. He trembled and fell. Nick didn’t wait for Rome to go up, he kept kicking him. Rome shot with the shotgun at him, and he thought he doesn’t affect him, but it hurt as hell.

“You are a bigger dick then I thought.”

Rome was up on his feet, which let Nick threw some more punches at him. When suddenly another shot hit him. Lenna was holding a shotgun in her hand. She was shivering and pale as a sheet. It was time for a strategic withdrawal for some time.

“Fine I can't defeat Rome while he is with you, so I’ll wait for the next moment when we are alone. And that time you will be mine.”

Sh*t he uses my whole name. I’m in trouble here. But why I’m just doing my job, right?

He hurt her when he pushed her against the Mustang. But it was more than just Rome using her full name, her head was exploding she felt suddenly so angry, and then scared. Really scared. First she thought of the anger but then she realised it was not the anger, it was Rome. The last time he was that angry, he wasn’t himself, he was possessed by Andre. This thought made her even more scared. And then she saw his breath, and she felt the cold spot just before Rome flew against the tree. At this point she was terrified.

Rome shouted at her, she wasn’t sure what but she knew she needed to do something to help him.

Invisible, cold spot, what is acting like this? Gee a ghost, salt, shotgun.

Lenna run around the Mustang and took the shotgun out of it and she shot at the point behind Rome. Something changed around them, and this let Lenna change. She realized that she could have hit Rome.
I could have killed or injured him.

Lenna dropped the shotgun.

“I’m sorry are you okay? Did I... are you...? Rome I’m sorry.”

Lenna shivered and held on to the Mustang so she didn’t fell. She felt awful and confused.

And just as soon as the attack started, the thing--ghost, probably, but he'd have to ask his Encyclopedia of Weirdness when she was sane again--disappeared.

Rome straightened up, groaning. Nothing broken. Probably. Ow.

"Holy crap, Lennie, you just totally saved my..."

She had dropped the gun. And she was shaking and looking like she was about to cry, terrified that she had just fired a gun. It was the most beautiful thing he'd seen in days: that was his Elenna.

"Aww, c'mere, girl," he said, pulling her into a hug, surprised and pleased when she clung to him a little desperately. "It's okay, you didn't get me, we're good. You saved my ass, remember?"

She sniffled and nodded.

"I guess you were right about there being a hunt here. God, I'm sorry for not believing you, Lennie, baby. What was that, a ghost?"

Another sniffle and a nod.

"Okay. Man, I'm sorry for losing my temper. Sorry for not believing you. But I think we should get out of here. Get back with the others, do some research, and come back when we're more prepared. Yeah?"

Another nod.

"You think it'll attack any kids?" For the first time Rome looked around. They were alone in the parking lot. No one had seen their fight, presumably, and they had parked a ways from the building itself. "Is it safe to leave?"

Elenna shrugged. She looked tired, drained, lost.

"Okay, never mind. I'm sure they'll be fine. We'll go now. You want me to drive?"

"No!" she woke up a little at that. "I'll drive."

"Okay." Rome collected the discarded shells and slipped them into his pocket, groaning again as he slid into the passenger seat next to Elenna. As he was checking himself out for anything more than bruises to his dignity, he unearthed his phone, which was flashing (1) New Message:

Caleb says werewolf. I'm headed to the station to read up on cold cases. What else should I do? ~Aly

"Aww, hell," he groaned. Elenna raised an eyebrow. "Apparently we got us a werewolf, too. Two hunts in the same town, imagine that. Well. Good thing there's so many of us. Wish Dan and Raws were here, though, just the same."

He texted Aly back: Caleb knows his stuff. Which sucks, cuz we got a haunting at the school, too. Research time, did I mention I hate research time?

Lenna felt a bit more okay when she got in the car, but the word werewolf threw her off again.

“You sure it’s a... you know what?”

Lenna might act more like Lenna right now, but this werewolf hunt wasn’t what she wanted. All those time with Rome and Raws she managed to avoid the possible werewolves and let other hunter deal with them. And here she was sitting in her brother’s car, her brother who was a werewolf; he died because of a werewolf.

“I don’t like them.” Lenna looked embarrassed away.