Las Vegas, Nevada

Sam

Sam bit his nails nervously as KJ sped down the road. Even though he was pretty sure the demon was speeding, they still weren't driving fast enough. What happened to Lili? Was she okay? Who had screamed? Why had they screamed? What had been the last thing he said to her? Why didn't he say goodbye to her? Why did she have to work so late anyways?? God-dammit!

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he nearly didn't see the figure dart out in front of them. But he recognized that flash of red anywhere, and he lurched forward, shouting "STOP!"

The car screeched to a halt, bumping the person who had run out. Sam was already out of the car before it came to a complete stop, and he raced to the front. Lili was sprawled on the ground, struggling to her feet. Sam started to help her up, but when he touched her, she screamed and tried to get away.

"Lili! Lili! It's me, Sam! Stop hitting--oof!" He clutched his gut after Lili kneed him. "KJ, help?" he asked breathlessly, falling to his own knees.

KJ

Sighing, he exited the vehicle and rushed around to grab Lili around the middle. Sam dealt with the flailing limbs. "Lili!" KJ growled, tightening his grasp on her so that maybe physical pain would snap her out of it. "What happened?"

He noticed the blood, the seriousness of the situation finally settling in, making his horns tingle.

"Lili," he restated, a bit calmer but certainly more dangerous. "Calm. Down. Now."



Monica

Left alone, Monica wasn't quite sure what to do. Her spine tingled horribly with thoughts of what was happening to Lili. Sam seem so worried. It had to be serious. And KJ jumping down and his growling demand for her to stay. She knew she wouldn't be helpful if she went along, but not knowing was making her anxious. These were her employers, her roommates. She had to care if they were alive or not, it only made sense.

Biting down on the head of yet another gummy worm, she wondered if she should try and contact Shen. But she had no idea how to do so precisely.

A knock echoed from the front door.

From the kitchen, she heard a soft girlish giggle.

Monica sat up straight, gummy worm dropping from her fingers to the floor. If they were back already, they wouldn't knock. Should she answer? She technically lived here now right? Rubbing her fingers on her shorts to get the sticky sour sugar off, she started forward and swallowed hard.

Glancing through the peep hole, she saw a man. Normal looking by all means. Tall. A bit rugged and unshaven though, his brows pulled down slightly. Maybe she shouldn't answer. What if he was dangerous and she just couldn't see it through this small hole.

His eyes clicked over to hers.

Gasping, she fell away from the door and nearly landed on the ground. The ghost girl giggled again somewhere inside the townhouse.

"I can hear you breathing," his voice rang through the door, muted. "Open up."

Monica straightened, worry never leaving her brow. She turned the knob and carefully pulled the door open, shoulders raised slightly as she looked up to him. "H-Hi?"

His lips didn't frown, but didn't smile either. "I'm your neighbor. Same building. We share a wall."

"Oh...uh, hi, I'm Monica," she introduced, holding out a hand. "Just moved here."

His eyes flicked down her body, then back up to her face. "Really."

She didn't know what to say to that.

"Tex," he said, taking her hand in a warm grasp. His grip was steady and strong, a measured shake performed before he pulled away. Monica let her arm fall to her side lamely, realizing just how bright his green eyes were. "I just wanted to see what the ruckus was about," he explained.

"We were playing games and then uh...they uh...left."

"I see."

"I can let them know you...stopped by?"

Tex shook his head, golden brown hair catching the porch light. "No, its okay. They don't know me."

"I...oh, okay..."

He turned and left after that, no goodbye or thank you. Monica watched him step over to his side of the porch, fumbling with the screen door before glancing back over to her. Monica squeaked a little and slammed the door shut, face red.

Lili

"Calm. Down. Now."

The stern words, combined with her restraints forced Lili into sanity, even if it might be brief.

She gulped, tears still streaming. She was so shaken she didn't even have the conviction to glare at KJ's rough handling of her. Her perfect bottom lip trembling, Lili blubbered shakily, "Th-there was....this...this terrible m-monster! And..." she gulped again. She wiped her streaming eyes with a few of her fingers, smearing tears, mascara and blood on her fingertips and expensive nail polish. This she did examine with distaste. Distracted slightly by the mess on her hands, she continued, "I...I didn't get to see it...but I heard this s-strange m-music and, and then Sam c-called and Daisy went to give me m-my phone and...and then it ate Daisy!" Her last words crescendo-ed from the graphic memory of it, and she ripped her arms away from Sam's grasp to bury her face in her hands, sobbing once more.

Sam just looked on, horrified. "Where...is it now?" he asked tentatively.

"I don't know!" came Lili's muffled reply, as she shook her head, "I just ran as fast as I could, and then this idiot hit me with a car!" Now Lili withdrew her face from her hands and glared angrily at KJ, her mascara and eyeliner streaked down her face like little black trails. "You should really watch where you're driving, you know!" she shouted, "You fucking hit me! What's your problem anyways??" She tried to punch him, but Sam had re-grabbed her arms and was trying to reason with her. She resorted to kicking, but before she could stab her heel where it would hurt, her ears picked up a faint melody again.

"Oh no!" she squeaked airily, eyes wide with fright, "It's here! Fuck, it's here! I can hear it!" She wriggled in Sam's grasp.

Sam

Hear it? He strained his ears.

"What does it sound like?" he asked, body tense but not sure whether to move or not. It wouldn't be the first time that Lili had been paranoid about something. He didn't want to overreact in case it was just the police or something.

"It's this music! Can't you hear it?"

Music? "I don't hear anything," Sam said.

"It's because you're fucking drunk and stupid!" Lili shouted, trying to twist away from his and KJ's hold, "But I hear it, and it's coming closer!"

"No, seriously, I don't hear it!" Sam said, "But...I guess it wouldn't hurt to get back in the car?" He looked over at KJ.

KJ

He nodded. Quickly.

"C'mon," he urged, grabbing Lili unceremoniously and shoving her into the car. "Sam, you drive."

He slid into beside Lili and sighed, adjusting the girl's top so her breasts weren't sticking out any longer. "You should stay covered up," he said, smirking a little despite the circumstances. "We don't need distractions."

Sam started the engine and they started away. KJ kept his senses up, feeling only the presence, but not seeing anything. Lili wasn't making this up though. Clearly. "See anything?" he asked Lili instead, his suspicions rising. "You can see it right?"

Sam

Sam drove like a madman. Half because he was worried about Lili (he really did love her, despite their constant quarrels. Even though he told her to gtfo all sorts of times, he really couldn't comprehend living without her), and half because some monster that he couldn't hear or see might be after them. Assuming said monster existed.

After KJ asked Lili if she saw anything, Sam knew it must exist. If KJ was suspicious, everyone should be suspicious. He peeled his own ears as he ran a red light, but the only thing he could hear was a distant siren.

Suddenly, Lili screamed. As a knee-jerk reaction, Sam slammed onto the brakes (even though it was probably the exact opposite of what he should have done), and spun around. "What is it? What's wrong? Do you see it?? Where is it??"

Lili whimpered and held up a finger. "I broke a nail!" she whined.

They eventually made it back to the townhouse with no disturbances (minus the speeding ticket). Sam, for once, was defending Lili and her broken nail against KJ, who wasn't nearly as understanding. They stumbled through the door, Lili first, who was very quick about telling them to shut the door and lock it. In proper lighting, Lili really looked dreadful. There was blood all over her, a large bruise on her shoulder from the car, and the heel on one of her stilettos was nearly broken. Sam helped his sister upstairs and threw away the glittery dress (she didn't want it anymore anyways). After a lengthy, and silent shower, Lili slipped under her bed sheets under the supervision of Sam.

"Just get some sleep," Sam said, "You'll feel hella better in the morning, I'm sure."

"Do you think it'll be back?" Lili asked, her voice sounding younger and more scared. It reminded him of years ago, when they were still children and living on the streets. There was a group of bullies who knew of their extremities, and Lili had been particularly frightened of them.

"Nah," Sam said reassuringly, "It was probably just stopping by. Most likely on its way to Hollywood. More Daisys for it to eat over there....more attractive too."

Lili pouted. "It's not funny," she said reproachfully, "Besides, Daisy had nothing on me."

"Yeah, but Lilis must not taste nearly as good," Sam joked. Lili punched him, but smiled. "You're poisonous. That's why your hair is red. It's like ladybugs. They're bright colored so birds won't eat them."

Lili stared at Sam. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Oh shut up."

"You shut up!"

"Good night, bitch."

"Night, asshole."

Sam kissed Lili on the forehead, turned off her light, and shut the door. He walked down the stairs and sighed. "Might not want to go out tonight, Monica," he said, flopping onto the couch.

Monica

Sam and KJ's return with Lili revealed little about what happened. KJ filled in a few blanks before disappearing down to the basement, with a beer. She considered following him, telling him about Tex, but part of her was still...well...uneasy about his...appearance.

Sam came back from upstairs, flopping on the couch saying, "Might not want to go out tonight, Monica."

Well, judging by the state Lili was in, aka blood covered, Monica already figured that out. Leaning forward in her chair, adjusting her tank top in the process since it fell forward a bit, she asked, "Is she fine? I saw blood but...she seemed okay."

Flustered it seemed, Monica glanced over Sam and figured something definitely went down. "What was it?" she asked, actually interested. After the electricity monster wires, and seeing what her new roommates actually were, including a ghost girl, she wondered what else was out there. Eyes wide, she clasped her fingers together and waited.

Sam

Sam ran a hand through his hair, still shaky. He wondered if he should get himself another drink...but Monica's question distracted him from the thought.

"I don't even know what it was," he said, "I even wondered if it actually existed. I mean, it probably does, Lili doesn't usually make this big a fuss unless it's over something important. And all that blood! She likes that dress, too. There's no way she'd spill blood on her dress on purpose."

But...but something didn't fit. Lili freaking out in the car. Did she say she heard it? But why didn't he or KJ? Maybe he was too panicked to hear anything? That part didn't make sense....

He voiced this concern out loud. "I know she's not lying. But when she said she could hear it, I couldn't hear it. And KJ couldn't even sense it. At least, not through hearing it. So I'm wondering if maybe she was just paranoid after we got her. I mean, we did bump her with the car. She could have hit her head. Be disoriented. And, like, she said she heard music. I'd hear music, right? Music is pretty hard to miss."

Sam tugged at his curls, a nervous habit. He twirled the hair around his finger, leaning back, "I don't know. All I know is what Lili told me. Better safe than sorry." He turned over to look at Monica. "What about you? Anything interesting happen while we were gone?"

Monica

The mystery of the creature that attacked Lili's friend intrigued Monica, her eyes glazing over as Sam continued, her thoughts turning over and over. She had read plenty of books of course, and seen movies. The only thing she could think of was a Siren but...that didn't make any sense. Lili was a girl. And this wasn't way back when on a ship lost at sea...

"What about you? Anything interesting happen while we were gone?"

Monica tensed a little. Should she tell him about Tex? The strange neighbor had said not to, but perhaps he was lying about not knowing them. Monica cleared her throat and replied, "Our neighbor...stopped by." For some reason, she felt like Tex was listening on the other side of the wall, his green eyes crinkling as he smirked. Her heart fluttered badly and she pushed on. "Tex. Have you...met him?"

"Met him?"

KJ had appeared, making Monica jumped. He laughed at that and settled down beside Sam, quietly asking, "Is Lili doin' okay?"

Monica sent him a glare, his red face shielding worry and showing only amusement. "You know Tex?" she questioned.

KJ grinned, nodding. "Met when we first moved in. Well...I shouldn't say met. We established our territories. So to speak..."

Scrunching her face, Monica said, "Established...territories? What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, he's bad news," KJ revealed, leaning forward so his elbows balanced on his knees. "Don't talk to him."

"W-why?"

He shook his head, eyes rolling. "Just do what you're told, Human."

Still in the kitchen, the ghost girl let out a cackle.

Sam

"Lili's fine," Sam said, "At least, she will be."

At mention of their neighbor, Sam made a face. "Tex? Is that what his name is?" he scowled, "Worst fashion sense I've ever seen. What is he, a lumberjack? Best to stay away from him, in case it's catching. And he's even creepier than KJ when he looks at Lili."

He heard laughing, and shot his eyes towards the kitchen. "What's so funny, ghost?" he demanded, "And while you're at it, mind getting me a beer?"

"Nothing's funny," the girl said blandly, rising suddenly from the floor in front of him with an odd look of severity on her face, "I'm just doing it to unnerve you." Her straight face collapsed into a macabre grin shortly after, and she started giggling again.

"Oh, shut up, you stupid ghost!" Sam said, and he threw a pillow at her. It rebounded and flew back towards him, smacking him full on the face.

"Technically, I'm a poltergeist," she sniffed, still grinning.

"Whatever you are, just leave!" Sam shouted, nearly as red-faced as KJ, pointing in no direction in particular.

"If only I could," she said, fading away into invisibility. Her laugh lingered, and travelled throughout the room before dwindling downstairs into the basement.

Already on his feet, Sam stormed into the kitchen. He needed to drink something. He pulled open the fridge to see that all the alcoholic beverages had mysteriously been spoiled, their tops open and exposing them to the air. Muttering, Sam settled for a diet Coke and returned to the couch, slumping down angrily.

"What the hell is her deal anyways?" he muttered, "The hell is she so happy for?" He gulped down the can angrily. "What time is it anyways?"

KJ

"Late," he offered, not truly sure.

He snatched Sam's soda can and took a swig himself. "Should we head to bed? Where's our Asian anyway?"

His eyes glanced over the room once as an effort, then he motioned to Monica to follow him upstairs. "I'll show you your bed now, got distracted earlier."

Together they climbed the stairs, Monica giving Sam a wave good night. KJ led her to the other available bedroom and she saw two twin sized beds with their heads put together in the corner.

"Kinda tight," KJ admitted, closing the door. "But the beds are damn comfortable."

He proceeded to remove his shirt and pants, revealing green boxers beneath that contrasted in a Christmas-like way with his skin. Monica remained by the door, tense for some reason and he faced her, eyebrow raised. "Gunna lay down? Get in your PJ's? What?"

"Nothing," she muttered, taking a step forward and gesturing to the beds. "Which...which one's mine?"

KJ pointed to the one beside the wall. He preferred the one under the window.

Sinking down, her pulled the blue comforter over his body and turned away from Monica. He felt better already, not having slept properly in days. His eyes closed and he listened as Monica shuffled around the room a moment, perhaps undressing or fixing the blanket a certain way, and then slipping into the bed. Their heads were close together, so KJ whispered, "Night Human," before drifting off to a quick sleep.

Sam

"Didn't you hear? He went off to China or something. Some sort of business trip." Sam answered.

"It's because you spend all his money," the ghost girl said from downstairs. Sam stomped loudly on the floorboards to show he didn't care for her opinion.

He followed after KJ and Monica, splitting at the head of the stairwell to his shared bedroom with Lili. He opened the door quietly, but it appeared that Lili had already fallen asleep. She was a heavy sleeper. Especially when alcohol was in her body. He quickly undressed and slipped into his pajamas in the dark before sliding into his bed next to Lili.

---

Shen

After several hours of flying, Shen finally reached China. The great dragon touched down on a nearby mountain, shifting to its human form as it ambled down the great slope.

The Asian man stepped onto the cobbled road, briefcase in hand. It was still early afternoon, but he needed to sleep. He managed to bargain for a half-price room at one of the hotels--with the argument that he wanted a 2-bed room without the beds--and he curled up in his serpentine form for a few hours to recuperate before venturing deeper into the mainland.

---

(cue next morning?)

Monica

The next morning brought sunlight and a break from the vivid barrage of nightmares. Monica had woken at least five times in a cold sweat, dreaming about tailed hotties, KJ eating her legs, Shen hobbling around with his electrified wire friends and a naked Lili battling a giant serpentine creature that was defeated with mere salt. But the worst were the images of Tex. His green eyes glowing and a cackling laughter ringing in her ears like a needle attacking her eardrums. Twice his size in real life, he loomed over her, laughing at her faults and her "humanity." She was weak and needed to be a slave.

She woke, gasping for air.

KJ poked his head inside, eyes half-closed. "You done with your frickin' wet dreams?"

Monica shot up to a seated position, pulling the blanket up to cover herself since she only wore a bra. "What are you talkin' about?"

Eyes rolling, KJ used a high-pitched and very mocking voice to explain. "Oh Tex...No...Tex, please...Oh God Tex..."

Face hot, Monica shrank into the sheets. Had she really sounded like that?

KJ continued. "I could barely sleep!" He crossed the room, snapped the blinds shut and flopped down on his bed. "Get out. I'm napping until another disaster occurs. Okay? Out!"

Monica hurriedly dressed and left the room, closing the door behind her.

She stood in the hallway, feeling disheveled and hair sticking out every which way. She needed to brush her teeth, she knew, but her stomach protested to be fed first. Slowly, she made her way downstairs, mind spinning with the different images and nightmares, shivering at the thought of KJ snacking on her toes.

Lili

Lili woke first, surprisingly. She didn't remember any of her dreams, but knew that she hadn't woken up in the night. Just eight hours--maybe even more!--of uninterrupted sleep. Just how she liked it.

She dressed a bit more conservatively today, though that was hardly saying much. Any outfit where her ass was even half-covered was considered 'conservative' on her terms. She liked her booty shorts a lot.

She was drinking coffee when Monica came down the stairs. She narrowed her eyes at the sight of the bed-head and sloppy dressing, and tutted between her glossed lips. Not that she had spent her usual hour and a half of preening this morning (she had cut it down to 45 minutes. She was nearly ashamed!) but at least she didn't look like she had just rolled out of bed! Some people, honestly.

"Morning," she said aloofly, tapping her recently clipped nails on the counter. The broken nail from last night wouldn't have done well at all, and she took the necessary sacrifices. "Apparently someone had an eventful sleep?" she had heard KJ's shouts from upstairs. "Did I hear him mention wet dreams?" She winked at the human through a smirk.

Monica

She cringed at Lili's comments, cheeks coloring a bit. "It wasn't..." she started, then sighed. "Never mind." Lili seemed like one of those people who didn't let anything go. Arguing with her would be pointless.

Monica searched a few cupboards, deciding on cereal. Plopping down at the table, she shivered in the morning air, glancing out the window to the backyard. The space was definitely small, but carried the mark of half monsters living there. As she had seen before, destruction followed this group around. Grass barely existed back there. As if it was all singed away by some sort of scattered fire. She wondered what had happened, but didn't ask.

Her nightmares were fleeting, not fast enough, but enough to function properly. She didn't speak to Lili at all, though she wanted to ask if she was doing okay. Honestly, Monica was extremely intimidated by her looks and confidence. Scurrying out of the kitchen, she frowned to the carpet and hurried up to the bathroom.

She could tell whose products were whose pretty easily, KJ's simple, the twin's stuff more complicated and addressing style and beauty. Not that they needed much help...


Sighing, she brushed her hair, brushed her teeth, all the while looking at her boring reflection and comparing herself to Lili and Sam. How two such wonderful faces could exist drove her batty. They must have lived nice lives, even with their abnormalities. The bonuses of being beautiful. She imagined them in a mansion with servants and nurses and all the toys they could ever want as children, attending the best schools and having grand parties with their parents for every holiday. The image was indeed ridiculous, and she giggled to herself a little as she exited the bathroom.

"Something funny?"

It was the ghost girl. Monica's smile faded. She still wasn't used to all this paranormal stuff. "Uh...no I..."

"You done?" the transparent girl snapped.

Monica stepped aside, eyebrows rising. The ghost girl slid inside, stuck out her tongue and slammed the door shut. Monica stood there, wondering what on earth a ghost wanted to do in a bathroom.

Lili

Well that was number one the "Most boring breakfast conversation ever" list. Not the shortest, though. KJ topped that with the first time he joined the group.

Hmph. Well, what did Lili care? Did that skinny twig of a girl think she was too good for Lili? Just because she had normal feet? Or, maybe she just felt intimidated...as she should! Lili flounced to the sink and put her mug inside, but went upstairs without washing, or even rinsing it.

She headed for the room she shared with Sam. Her brother was still sleeping, and hardly flinched when she turned the room light on and opened the windows. Next she tore off his blanket. That definitely got his attention.

"Li-liiiiii" he groaned, groping for the warm thing, "Give it baaaaaaack." He flopped over on his stomach, face buried in his pillow and his tail curling around his leg, trying to keep warm as well.

"You need to get up! Rise and shine and all that shit." She stared at the blanket before gathering an idea. Childishly, she wrapped the blanket delicately around herself like a cloak, or a robe, without messing up her perfect hair of course. "Look! I'm that....that Obee One guy, from Star Wars!" She began inhaling and exhaling deeply. "Sam....I am your mother!"

Sam didn't budge, but she heard a muffling. "What?" she asked, dropping the blanket. "What did you say?"

The auburn-haired man turned his head slightly. "I said you got the stupid quote wrong." A pause. "Besides. Mom looked wayy hotter than you."

After several shouts and loud whackings, Sam finally stumbled out of the room, falling on his butt. "Sheezus!" he exclaimed, rubbing his eyes, "The hell is wrong with you?" He staggered to his feet and disappeared into the bathroom, his tail clearly shorter than it was before. Lili just sniffed, though her eyes glinted, and she waltzed over to KJ's room, ignoring any stare Monica might have given her. She knocked on the frame and leaned against the door.

"Oh KaaaaaayJaaaaaay!" She called in a sing-song voice, "Is de widdle wed demon tiwed?"

A shout emanated from the bathroom. "God dammit, Ghost!! The hell are you doing there?? Can't a man take a piss in private?!?"

KJ

"Infernal woman..." he breathed, scratching at his horns and trying to remain where he lay. Lili's voice, combined with Sam's shrieks, did it though. Crossing the room, he tore the door open, Lili falling into him. His hands caught her wrists tight, brows low. It was a sight she should know not to mess with, not matter how pretty she thought she was.

Without a word, he tossed her, semi-gently, to the side and passed Monica without a glance. The basement called to him.

He continued his meditations and training, trying to relax again. If he could find calm, perhaps he could find sleep.


Monica

KJ wasn't happy. Monica even jumped to the side as he passed for fear that he would shove her as well. The red demon man slammed the basement door, quieting after his descent down the creaking stairs.

Monica glanced to Lili, eyebrows high. "Mr. Sunshine."

--

In the opposite townhouse, Tex flipped through another book. He realized the time after hearing the distant, but yelling, voices of his neighbors. The clock revealed the exact numbers, though he forgot them as soon as he looked away.

Standing, he sighed around the leaning towers of books around him on the floor. He could barely see his front door, let alone the path to the stairs to his bedroom. Eventually he made it there, theories swirling in his head about unheard music, dead girls and that human...the Monica character...his lips smiled a little. Quite the addition to their little play group. Quite indeed.

Lili

The fiery haired beauty collected herself snootily, sniffing even though secretly she felt somewhat upset. Throwing her around like that..."Brute!" she called after him. Straightening her shirt, she gave a loud "Hah!" to Monica's statement. "More like Mr. Thundercloud."

"I'd be Mr. Thundercloud too if you woke me up like that," Sam said from the bathroom, the ghost apparently gone. "Instead I'm Mr. Tornado."

Lili pouted and tossed her head before clopping down the steps. "Come on, Monica," she said, taking the hand of the only other female in the house. The angry male population of the townhouse had made her feel more kinship towards the human, even if she was just a stick of a thing, if only for the fact that they shared the same basic physiology. "Let's get out of this...this testosterone-filled HELL-hole."

She was slipping on her wedged, close-toed heels when the possibility of the monster from the previous night showing up hit her. "Well, it probably wouldn't come out in daylight," she muttered to herself, "It seemed like more of a night-time thing..." She pocketed her mace anyways.

"Hurry and put your shoes on," she ordered Monica, her hand already on the door knob. She couldn't help but be envious, though, of her human feet. She could wear open-toed anything with those. Unable to stand the sight of those normal, soft-skinned toes, she flounced outside, the screen door slamming shut as the other door swung slowly inside.

Monica

Being dragged downstairs wasn't fun. She stubbed her toe, not that Lili noticed. A day out sounded nice though and Monica pulled her sneakers on and made sure she had her bag of gummy worms handy. She waved up the staircase to Sam goodbye and was sure KJ wouldn't care about the girls leaving.

Monica did wonder about the monster though and as she followed Lili out, asked, "Are we okay with that monster and...the electricity and...should we bring weapons?" It seemed like the intelligent thing to do was all. She wasn't sure how they would fare without them if attacked. Well, she wasn't sure how SHE would fare if attacked. Again. Fingers to her temples, she tried to erase her nightmares away.

Lili

Monica brought up a good point. "Hmm." She stepped back inside and grabbed her purse--eventually she would have remembered it--and went into the kitchen. She stuffed a couple kitchen knives inside it, sleeves over the blades, and added another thing of mace just in case. "There," she said, jiggling the bag, "Should be good. Though I doubt the monster from last night will come out. As I said...though you probably didn't hear, but I said that it seemed like a night-time monster. If you hear any music, just run the other direction." Lili ruffled her hair and went back outside.

"Goodbyeeeee, Saaaam!" she called.

"I'd take one of his guns, but he hates it when I do that," she told Monica when they were outside. The warm sun beat down on them, and Lili smiled. "Today is my kind of day!" she exclaimed, "Let's go shopping!" She took Monica's arm and pranced down the steps to the dusty sidewalk. "What's your favorite store? Do you want to get purses or shoes? What about scarves? Not that you need them here, but they're an essential fashion accessory, ya know?"

Any hostility Lili might have felt towards Monica had pretty much disappeared. The presence of another female was now a welcome one, rather than threatening. Now they could do girl stuff together!

Monica

Awkward couldn't begin to describe how she felt walking down the street with Lili. Though she seemed like a normal girl, looked like one at least, Monica couldn't help remembering, and occasionally glancing, down to her feet. "Uh...no favorite store."

She sighed, squinting a little in the sunlight. Pulling out her glasses case from her pocket, she slipped her black framed glasses onto her face and fidgeted with them a little. Her eye sight wasn't so bad that she needed her glasses 24/7...well, it kinda was, but she hated her glasses. Having experienced demons, electronic monsters and with a new monster probably on the loose, she decided to be as sharp as possible.

They ended up taking a taxi, a service that was rather expensive, but to Lili's taste as she refused the bus. Monica slid in the back seat with her, smelling her perfume and wondering if she should have put some on as well. Being around Lili made her feel less like a girl and more out of place than anything. If she was ever going to be an actress, she needed to look and act a bit more like Lili. She seemed to have it figured out.

So, as reluctant as she was, she said, "Maybe we could go look at...uh...dresses? I don't have much more than this..." Her eyes traveled down to her black shorts and tank top.


KJ

Meditating didn't calm him down, nor did it help him relax and find sleep again. He trudged upstairs, found the kitchen, and started pouring the contents of a box of cereal straight into his mouth. The dry bits crunched under his sharp teeth.

Then he sensed the ghost girl.

Turning his head, a few yellow bits falling to the floor, he squinted. "What?"

She only giggled, leaning against the wall beside the refrigerator, though floating about six inches above the ground.

"You're not funny."

"I'm not trying. You should wait."

"For what?"

"Oh, for what indeed?" She giggled, a bit louder. "I can't tell you. It's a secret after all."

"A secret?"

"Yes."

"Then you're of no use to me, are you?"

"Oh I could be, big boy." She began floating closer to him, eye lids falling a bit.

KJ's eyebrows raised. "Big boy? You've expanded your vocabulary."

"I think about you."

"Sure."

Now she floated right in front of him, making eyes and trying to touch his arm, though she couldn't. He only felt a cold brush his skin. He remained where he was, smirking. "What are you trying to do?"

"Do you think...you're ready?" Her eyes flashed up to his.

"Ready?"

"For what's to come?"

KJ's face slacked. "What do you know, Ghost?"

"Maybe nothing," she giggled, looking up to the ceiling. "Or maybe...everything."

"Tell me!" He swiped at her, but her image had already faded into nothingness. He searched around the kitchen frantically, not liking the tingling in his spine, or his horns. Something told him that she wasn't lying. Remembering that the girls had taken off, he hoped they were safe.

He tossed the cereal box on the counter and started upstairs. "Sam, have you heard from Shen?"

Lili

"Dresses? Sure!" Lili exclaimed, "Yeah, you could really use an uplift. Honestly, no offense, but how can you walk around in just that?" Hadn't she heard of taste?

They got off at the strip, where Lili babbled nonstop about the newest fashion trends, her opinion on the new color swatch of the year, "So much better than that awful tangerine! Plus I have green eyes, so it'll just make my eyes pop! Only thing I'm worried about is that I'll look too Christmasy...oh, wouldn't that be awful?!?", whether she wanted the same sequined dress or a different one, and--after getting her hands on the Hollywood Reporter--tutting about Taylor Swift and her most recent break-up.

She didn't shut up until they passed by a macabre scene surrounded by an ominous perimeter of yellow tape. Police were everywhere, and Lili quickly realized this must have been where Daisy was killed. "I work there," she said quietly, pointing at the nightclub right next to the dark alley. She sniffed and quickened her pace, silent until they entered the nearest clothes store.

Sam

"Shen? The hell, I ain't got no long distance calling card!" Sam said through the bathroom. He was gelling his hair into a faux hawk, paying ridiculous attention to each and every strand. "He left yesterday, so...." he tried to calculate the distance between here and China, which proved more difficult when he had to remember where exactly China was, "I dunno. Maybe he'll be back tonight? How fast does he fly anyways?"

A humorous thought popped into his head, and he leaned out the bathroom, "Hey...hey, wouldn't it be funny if Shen had one of his shellfish episodes while he was flying? Like, what if he randomly became a clam, and he's at the bottom of the ocean somewhere. And some diver comes and tries to open him up to look for a pearl, but Shen ends up eating him because he turns into a dragon. Wouldn't that be crazy?"

"Idiot," the ghost girl's disembodied voice giggled, "You have no clue."

The voice didn't say anything more, and Sam looked at KJ. "What's up with her? Is it just me, or are all the girls especially annoying this morning?"

Shen

The Asian sighed exasperatingly. His suitcase was being checked by the local police due to a suspicious call from the motel owner. Everyone doubted that the magnificent riches he had packed truly belonged to him, and he knew they were waiting to steal it away for themselves. Human pigs!

He crossed his arms, planning an escape route that would mentally scathe the least amount of people, when he heard a rather interesting phone conversation. An official looking man was jabbering away in a not quite Chinese language. Shen recognized it as Japanese, and listened intently. Apparently the other man on the phone was unhappy. Some sort of rich client, judging by all the honorisms this guy kept using. But...strangely...Shen strained to hear more. What he heard next surprised him so much he nearly turned into a clam at that very moment!

Instead he fell out of his chair. The man on the phone looked at him strangely before walking off. The police officers also eyed him oddly, but Shen didn't care. He needed to get to Las Vegas quickly!

Monica

The yellow tape helped Monica reconcentrate on walking. Lili's yammering had become dull noise, as much as she tried to listen. If it wasn't so incoherent, she may have been able to keep up, but the constant switching of topics was growing too tedious to try to work out what was happening.

Glancing over the scene, she saw no body, though she supposed that was the point. A few officers gave her dirty looks, as if her curious eyes disgusted them. She scowled in response and followed Lili down the sidewalk and into a clothing store.

The AC felt nice. Monica glanced around the clothes eagerly, imagining dressing up like an actress. Lili still seemed a little put off by the scene outside, so Monica grabbed a straw hat, plopped it over her hair and walked up to Lili with a broad smile. "My dear, dear Lidia, would you be a DAH-ling and fetch me my coat. We're going on an outing. Isn't it exciting?" In a fit of giggles, she pulled the hat away and felt her cheeks growing red. It was worth it though. She had wanted to showcase that character for awhile, to anyone really.

"Her name's Georgia," Monica explained. "A little character I came up with."


KJ

"Agreed," KJ answered in a low voice. His eyes checked the hall, but the ghost had vanished. "The girls went out. Think they're okay?"

It wasn't in his nature to leave the helpless unprotected. It just wasn't...right. He may come off moody, which he was, but truthfully he cared whether Lili and Monica died or not. And dying wasn't an option he was big on.

Lili

Lili watched "Georgia" speak to her dumbfoundedly, mouth open. When Monica finished, she had to think about whether she liked what had happened or not. Character...Her face brightened and she exclaimed. "Like an actress? Are you trying to be an actress? Like in Hollywood?!?" She nearly shrieked.

"Well fuck, why didn't you tell me? That's so cool! Oh, you could do it, I'm sure,"--Lili had been fairly impressed with Georgia, even if she hadn't been sure what was happening at the time--"You HAVE to take me to Hollywood, though! If you make it big-time! Oh, please oh please oh pleeeeease, will you take me to Hollywood? I could be like your personal dresser. Or bodyguard. Whatever!" Excited beyond belief, Lili thrust out her pinkie, "You have to promise! Promise you'll take me to Hollywood!"

Sam

Sam exited the bathroom, hair done. "Yeah...Yeah they should be okay," Sam said, though he was a tad bit doubtful, even if it was daytime...

He hopped down the stairs and flipped the TV on. More news, and as if by coincidence, they were showing the crime scene of where Daisy had died. Some close-up footage made Sam wince, and he left to the kitchen to get cereal. "Speaking of which, you might want to see this, KJ." he called, pouring milk and watching the screen from a safer distance. The police, predictably, had no clue what had happened, and were suspecting either an incredibly violent killer, or even an animal.

Monica

Laughing so much her abs hurt, Monica stuck out her pinkie as well. "I promise, I promise," she laughed. "Though I doubt it'll happen."

They started looking through the dresses, Monica eyeing a lovely green with brown lace one, while Lili seemed more interested in the more flamboyant designs. Monica didn't have much money, but slipped into the changing room to try it on anyway, just to see. Gingerly, she stepped out of the changing room without her sneakers on and glanced at her reflection. The hair wasn't good, nor the twig-like legs, but the dress...was gorgeous.

"Nice," a male voice commented from behind.

Spinning about, Monica made a weird squeaking noise and found the culprit. He was about a head taller than her, sporting jeans and a plain black t-shirt. His blonde hair sat short and slightly pulled together on top like an attempt a a mohawk without any hair to deal with. It actually looked strange, but Monica wasn't worried about that. Her cheeks pinked.

"Me?"

"Yeah, you."

"I uh...thanks."

He chuckled once. "You're uh...welcome."

Monica adjusted her glasses and them tore them away completely. "I was just...with a friend...I'm...going now." Dashing back into the changing room, she listened for him to walk away, which didn't seem to be happening. Not until the stall beside hers opened and a female voice spoke.

"Ready to go, babe?"

The young man replied, "Yeah, sure."

"Do you like my dress?"

"It's...a dress."

The couple started away, voices fading. Monica carefully opened the door and searched for any trace of the blonde boy. There was none. Glad to be alone then, she slipped her glasses back on and went back to the full-length mirrors. Her smile slowly returned and she swayed back and forth.


KJ

He glanced to the TV set, taking in the gruesome sight of the dead girl's mangled body. "An animal...right. What in Las Vegas could have a jaw like that?"

The segment ended, leaving KJ to head back to the kitchen, pouring more cereal into his mouth from the box. "I've wracked my brain. I don't know what this thing is. I doubt you do. We might need an expert. With books and stuff."

Lili

The red-head stepped out of the dressing room, clad in a bombshell red cocktail dress with a plunging neckline, in time to see the end of the conversation between the blond guy and Monica. She eyed the couple leave, before sneaking up behind Monica, popping behind her and smirking at their reflection. "Who was that?" she asked excitedly, "Oh my god you look great! At least, the dress looks great on you...Hair could use some work...but yeah, you could totally pull off an evening gown."

Done with her compliments, Lili looked at herself in the mirror. She pursed her lips. The dress looked fine, duh, but the style wasn't really hers. She preferred strapless to anything. She stepped off and perused through the dresses. She found a longer, hip-hugging sleeveless that ended in a tasteful mermaid tail flair. She tried it on eagerly before stepping back to the mirrors. "Ah!" she exclaimed approvingly, "Now this is hot! A bit short, but I could wear it and no one would see my feet! Even with heels!" This prospect excited her, and she knew she'd buy it. She tried on a couple more dresses, and ended up adding a sleeveless black short dress with gold trim and sequins to her purchases. As she headed towards the counter, she looked at Monica

"Did you find something you wanted? It's on me," she held up her credit card, winking.

Sam

"An expert? On monsters? Right, let's go look in the telephone book for one!" Sam waved his spoon around as he talked, splattering milk around. "For once I actually kind of wish Shen was here....he could call up one of his voodoo-voodoo Asian friends, or pull up some mystical Chinese book or scroll or magic or some shit like that."

As Sam slurped up the rest of his cereal, he thought about KJ's question more seriously. Someone with books? Well, he remembered that one day when the guy next door had ordered a shit ton of books...the boxes were so numerous that they blocked the path to their own door.

"What about...what's his name...Texas? Tex? What about him? He has a lot of books...maybe he has something on...oh, I don't know, stripper eating monsters? Worth a shot anyways..."