Sarah Amouria's Story

Brooke read over the website for what seemed like the twentieth time in the last week. She knew she had something different about her but she had no idea it was something like this. Seeing dead people wasn’t exactly something you could just explain away, however. At first, she didn’t believe it. She was ready to accept she had some kind of mental illness but ghosts? No way. It wasn’t exactly something a sixteen year old girl could tell her housekeeper now was it?

She’d first started seeing them a few months ago, right around the time that puberty hit her like a landslide. Thank god Anita had had the day off or she would have been committed right there and then. People started coming into her home, asking her things, yelling at her, she didn’t know what to do. By the time her father came home from Berlin late that night, though, she’d managed to get herself under control and not flinch when a ghost came near her. It wasn’t until last week that she had really discovered what she was, however, and now she was preparing to go to this gathering that very evening. The dress code was casual, come as you are, but Brooke wasn’t one to arrive in sweats.

Pulling on her favorite distressed jeans and blue knit sweater, she straightened her hair and dabbed on a bit of mascara. “Well, don’t you look lovely,” said a voice behind her that she knew well. She stiffened briefly, then manually relaxed her shoulders and exhaled.

“It’s not very nice to sneak up on people.” She said, twirling her hair into a braid and pulling on some brown knee-high boots.

“Ah, but when you’re dead, you don’t have to be nice,” he said, coming forward to put his hands on her shoulders and brush the hair away from her neck. He put his head on her shoulder and smiled, but she couldn’t smile with him. His head wasn’t really on her shoulder, it was hovering a centimeter above it, otherwise it would pass through her. Cameron had once been right there with her, able to hold her hand and kiss her and go out with her without it seeming weird that she was talking to herself. But, a fatal car accident last month ended that forever. For some reason, he hadn’t moved on. And he wouldn’t tell her why.

“I have to leave. The gathering starts in an hour.” Brooke said as she twisted out of his reach and grabbed her phone from the stack of homework she had yet to complete.

“Can I come? It’ll be fun to see others who can possibly see me.” Cameron smiled endearingly, and once that would have broken her down with no hesitation. Today, she simply shrugged and kept moving out of the house.

“It’s not like I can stop you,” she said. Brooke got into her dark green Jeep and pulled out of her five-door garage. Driving down the highway with Cameron imitating the radio voices the whole drive (maybe he thinks being dead gives him an excuse to be an idiot); it didn’t take long to get to the Gathering.

When she arrived, she saw several people milling about, eating foods and chatting. She also saw some people hiding out in corners, just observing. Sighing, she looked around and saw Cameron listening in to someone’s conversation without their knowledge and she rolled her eyes. She glanced around again and, spying a safe spot on the wall near the dessert table, she leaned against it and waited to see just how many people were like her. Frankly, she wished she were just plain human, instead of a freak who carted her dead boyfriend everywhere.

She nibbled on some chocolate and watched as more people started to enter, of all ages. A little boy who couldn’t be passed the age of 13 walked in. Is it possible for someone so young to hide this secret? Not that I’m much older, but still. She turned her head to the right and saw a girl about her age with cool hair and tattoos, instantly Brooke admired her, as well as a blonde who looked her age. The blonde seemed to have a sort of… wary…nature. What’s up with her? Another guy who had to be over legal drinking age was standing across the walk, and another guy maybe a year or two older than her next to him. These people all looked normal, but were they?

“So, what do you think? Anybody look off their rockers?” Cameron said, floating over to her and imitating her position against the wall. She spared him a glance but shook her head.

“No. They all look…normal.” Brooke shrugged and continued to nibble on the chocolate. Maybe she should talk to someone, or should she let someone talk to her? She didn’t know what to do. I guess I’ll just talk to Cam for now… She turned to her ghost and continued the conversation, not caring if anyone thought anything of her. I mean, they were all there because they thought they were freaks, she might as well embrace it.

Michael Tanner:

Michael's head was still pounding. He had a rough morning, after all. Last night had been a full moon, which meant a mandatory shift. And now, Michael was waking up in a field in the middle of the forest, completely naked, with a pounding head. "What the hell did I eat last night..." he asked himself, then looking over at a ravaged deer. "Jeesh. Guess I had an early breakfast then". That is when he looked around, and noticed two things were missing. His brother, and their bag full of their stuff. "Damnit. Must have dropped it".

He began calling out for his brother while searching for their bag. He followed his own tracks, only to find the bag was tossed onto a branch two stories up, and his brother was right beneath it. "How the fuck did it get up there?"

"When you were hunting the deer, you got so into it you kinda lost yourself. the bag flew off and into that tree, and I fall barely short of being able to make that jump. So, if you would please?"

Michael positioned himself below, and jumped up. Using his werewolf strength, he just managed to make it up and break the branch, causing the bag to fall and his brother to catch it. "Not yet though, I would like to find the road first, and we will be faster in our wolf form".

Michael secured the bag over his shoulder, and began to shift. It was semi painful, but soon the boy was gone and the beast was in his place. His brother followed suit, and they began to search for the road. It had been years since his first transformation. But for his brother Kyle, this was only his second Full Moon. He was worried about Kyle. For some reason, Werewolves experience their first transformation at age ten. He remembered the whole "werewolf" discussion with his parents, and how undelightful it was. He had been an early bloomer, transforming at the full moon before his birthday instead of after it, so technically he was nine when he had his first transformation. Which of course, only made it more awkward, as they had the meeting immediately after he made it back home during his first shift, even before he could change. The first full moon is always the worst and most violent, and Michael had left a path of destruction.

Kyle seemed to be managing well though. He had to admit, what was worse was that he had to explain it to Kyle. Kyle's first full moon came after they came home and found their mother missing and father dead. And not even Michael, who was a natural born tracker, could track her.

After finding a road, they ran across it till they finally reached the town they were headed for. They shifted back into human form, quickly got dressed, and made their way there. As a mandatory thing, Michael and Kyle wore non-laced shoes, sweatpants, zipper jackets, and shifts that were not too tight. Basically, they could get dressed and undressed in under a minute, a useful trick for a werewolf.

When they reached the gathering place, they did not immediately enter. Instead, they jumped up to the second story, and entered from there. Once they reached a place they could see everyone in, they jumped down, not even giving any sign of pain as they landed. "Now, Kyle, stay close to me" he told his brother, as they walked throughout the crowd. Then he broke the silence. "so, who organized this exactly? Are they going to speak any time soon?"

Sarah pushed through the crowed of people in front of her, almost bulldozing half of them over as she did so. There seemed to be some kind of festivities going on close by, and thus, people were gathered to make their way to them. She hadn't bothered to ask what it was, as it wasn't of any kind of importance to her, she had more pressing matters to attend to. Not too long ago, while she was at the library browsing the web, she came across a website that had somewhat peaked her interest. It at first, seemed like nothing more than an annoyance. She hadn't searched for the website itself, just came across it by chance. It was directed at people it called supernatural, saying that there were more like 'you' out there, and there was some kind of gathering. Normally, she would have laughed at it and completely ignored it, however now it was different. Several months ago, she was being chased by the cops, who caught sight of her at a coffee shop. They were stupid enough to tell her to just turn herself in, which she wasn't sure why, it had be years of them telling her to do that. As normal, she ran away, hoping that yet again she could outrun them on foot.

She had run what seemed like miles, until eventually she was cornered by several cop cars, that seem to have been waiting for her. Her first instinct was to go for her gun, but this would likely get her shot. She had went through a moment of panic, shouting profanities at them and making less and less sense as she went along. It took her a second but she had noticed that the cop cars weren't placed firmly on the ground anymore. They were floating, slightly above it. She wasn't sure what was happening but she wished nothing more than for them to go away, in her rage the cars were tossed backwards and hurled into the walls of the buildings that made up the alleyway. "Interesting." she had thought to herself.

From that day on she had worked on understanding and trying to control this ability, and though it had been a struggle at first, it was becoming more second nature. She hadn't bothered to think if there were more people out there like her, she didn't really care when it came right down to it. Sarah wasn't someone who trusted other people, or even liked most people, she didn't give a fuck if there were others like her. But now, she was finding it harder and harder to get by on her own, always running from someone, looking for another, and getting into trouble. She had been living on the streets since she was fourteen years old, her mother and father were both dead, her little brother missing, and the whereabouts of her older brother was anyone's guess. Authorities had said he was likely dead, but until she had proof she believed otherwise. She had been looking for her little brother since that day, and no one was going to stop her from finding him. She would find him or die trying.

"Hey watch where you're going!" Sarah turned her head to the man which had just shouted at her. "Where I'm going? You're the one who fucking walked into me asshole. Get the hell out of my face." The man seemed surprised by the way she had spoken to him, but as were most people. She ran across the street, nearly getting hit by oncoming traffic as she did so, and headed towards the general direction of this so called gathering. Sarah looked as she always did, her hair was pulled over to one side, she had a tank top, with black skinny jeans and combat boots. Over her shoulder was a small bag which she took with her everywhere. It was something she never put down, it was almost glued to her. But anyone else which stashed guns and their only source of cash in such a thing would probably not put it down either. Sarah always looked simple, she didn't dress up and her clothes were usually casual, or urban. Though her clothes were also usually stolen, so sometimes she had to compromise. If anything what made her stand out were the assortment of tattoos on her arms.

Sarah was really weary about this whole thing, it could easily have been a hoax or a recipe for disaster. A bunch of supernatural individuals in one place, that are somewhat new to their abilities. Whose bright idea was that? If things weren't so bad she would rather have stayed alone, but she supposed it couldn't be helped at this point, and she was somewhat curious. Although, she didn't plan on talking to any of this people, or making friends. She never made friends anyways. In the distance she saw a bunch of people gathered, but yet spread about like lost puppies. "Right, that must be it." She walked over at a rather steady pace, while glancing around her every now and again to make sure she wasn't being followed. Hopefully this is isn't a waste of my fucking time, like I have any to spare really. Sarah stayed off to the side from the others, not really wanting to be bothered by some idiot that might ask about her, or want to know what her abilities were, or some shit she didn't want to bother answering. It seemed like a good deal of these people were younger than her. Great.

Sarah was not fond of most teenagers, they always seemed to find one way or another to piss her off. She herself was still young, but there was something that came along with being a teenager that turned many into complete idiots that thought they knew everything about everything. It was irritating. "So, who organized this exactly? Are they going to speak any time soon?" She noticed a rather younger boy ask. He looked to be around the age her younger brother would be now. She felt a wave of guilt wash over her, she should not have been wasting her time here. Behind her, she noticed a girl talking to what seemed to be herself. However, this was some kind of supernatural group of people, she grinned to herself. Who do you see that I don't? She thought. Although, she could have just been crazy. Crazy people was all she needed right now. The way she spoke, and her body language, made it seem like she was familiar with this person or people she was speaking to. Sarah continued to observe the rest of them, it was probably going to be a long day.

Lily sat quietly in front of the grave stones, her journal sat on her lap as she wrote a few things down, stopping to push her bangs behind her ear when they fell in her face, she closed the journal looking at the names engraved in the stones, she sighed waving her hand in front of each stone a series of flowers blooming in front of them after,she didn't understand this ability that seemed to have magically appeared, but what she did know was she could do things other people couldn't, what other people wouldn't consider as normal, It wasnt a new feeling being un-normal, she was never quite the same as the other kids, she was more optimistic and happy, always had a smile on her face and for some reason the other kids found that odd.
Sighing Lily stood up brushing off her jeans walking towards her new house, which she had been avoiding since her new parents were there, people she didn't know who decided to adopt her after her parents died, she wasn't sure if she would ever classify them family, or just people who in a way she supposed saved her.

When Lily entered her room, it was a mess of research that she had been doing trying to figure out what had happened to her, she collected the scattered papers putting them in a nice pile on her desk beside her unfinished math homework that she would probably end up doing at 3 in the morning. Which now wasn't to unusual. She went to her mirror when she was satisfied with her room and brushed her auburn hair out smoothing down the frizzy parts before pulling on a sweater and grabbing her bag, she told her "parents" that she was going out to meet some friends before leaving the house, she put her bag in the passenger seat of her car before getting into the drivers seat.

Lily walked into the area uncomfortably hearing a younger boy speak up, she looked that direction but her eyes set on an empty spot at the end of the desert table where she decided she would go, there was a girl who looked to be her age in that direction anyways, she took the spot she saw and leaned against the table, her as scanned the room and she gently smiled as people walked by, she was confused as it was and this wasn't helping, a gathering of supernatural people? She was supernatural now though, she guessed it made sense, but why gather a bunch of them in one place, what was the point of that?

Max sat in the parking lot of a "gathering of supernatural beings", debating on weather this was all some not so elaborate trap, or his chance to meet others like him who could help him. The irony of is he was in the driver seat of a car he stole just so he could drive three states over just to get there. So in reality turning back wasn't even an option.

He had to go in. And soon because he was already definitely late.

He held his pinkey nail up to his left nostril and inhaled sharply, relishing in the familiar warm burn in his sinuses that ushered in the numbness at the back of his throat. Suddenly he felt there was nothing he couldn't do or accomplish, eyes wide ready to run a million miles. The thought of confronting an entire room of strangers sober, supernatural or no, was not an appealing one. He had his claustrophobia to thank for that. But now he had his daily dose of courage and he was ready to go. Before going in he made sure none of the car doors would lock, in case he had to make a swift exit. He had to hotwire the car itself, and smashing the window out would be precious time wasted.

Satisfied, he headed inside.

When he first walked in he was actually a little disappointed. It looked like nothing more than a room full of sorry gullible fools, just like him, tricked into coming to the middle of nowhere. Then he started to think there was probably Special Forces on their way now to storm the building and wrangle up all the monsters they could lure out. He had to force his mind to stop there. The last thing he needed was to let those dark thoughts rule him, or else he would bolt out the doors and drive home any second. Then he realized that he'd just been standing there in front of the door for five minutes staring like a freak, which would make him double the freak.

His game plan was to play it cool, not draw too much attention at first so he could scope the place out without looking suspicious to whoever could be watching. Now people were staring at him. More like glancing, but they were obviously getting sketched out and so was he. Max began to make his way through the crowd to make his first stop at the refreshments table to pile up a plate with all the desserts he could risk carrying through a room full of people. It was reminiscent of his first and last highs school dance, where he ate desserts and stuck to the walls or corners off to himself. Except this time it wasn't him making everyone uncomfortable, it was the fact that no one knew who or what stood within arm reach in every direction. Or who was in charge. And he wasn't the only one to default to sitting in a corner.

He found himself intruding upon the solitary sanctuary of a young blond girl who looked like she didn't have anymore of an idea what was going on than him. Though he could say for sure he'd never met the girl in his life, something about her seemed oddly familiar. It made him curious but he didn't say anything to her, not sure how she'd react.

Though just standing around people and not speaking got awkward quick. He hopped something would happen soon.










.

When no one came forward about who planned this, Michael went on high alert. After all, someone had to actually create the website right? He made sure Kyle kept close to him, as they walked around. Then, in a moment on curiosity, Michael ripped open one of the crates in the room to see what was inside. It was just some random stuff. And, at the very least, that would be an icebreaker for conversation right there, because there was no physically possible way Michael should have been able to open that unless he was a werewolf.

For a moment, Michael thought he heard footsteps, only then he realized they were in a giant building full of people. Still, he was fairly sure the footsteps were not theirs, but his paranoia was also skyrocketing at the moment. He walked over near this one person, leaned against one of the support columns, and smiled. "If you think that was cool, you should see my greatest trick. I bet I could scare everyone in the room with it. You want to know something? I could tell you how many heartbeats you have per minute from across the room. Names Michael by the way, I am a werewolf".

Being a werewolf had severely increased his confidence. Plus, he found it entertaining to scare people sometimes. He thought he smelled something weird, but put it aside. "So, what are you? Also, who do you think set this up? Someone had to post the site, after all. I would prefer to learn at least that before I go. It is a full moon tonight, after all".

Kyle stop pestering him about something to eat. "Oh, this is my younger brother Kyle. And Kyle, stop fussing, we had a big breakfast".

"No, YOU had a big breakfast. You ate the whole thing!".

Michael sighed. "Alright, here..." he said, taking a banana out of his bag and a bag of chips. "This should settle you for now, and I can steal you a proper breakfast later".

He looked back towards Sarah. "Dad is dead and my mom is missing, so I am the only one he has to look after him. Poor kid, I worry so much about him".

More and more people poured into the room, each one looking more lost and confused than the next. Some of them had started to converse with one another but most people seemed weary, keeping to themselves. If she knew there was going to be so many people, she probably would not have come. Sarah quickly started to get annoyed at the mere presence of those around her. She was looking for at least one person that didn't have a dumbfounded expression on their face, but such a person didn't seem to exist. Each second that passed felt like an hour, she didn't like to sit in one place for too long, and it felt like too long already. There were just too many scenarios in which things could go wrong, part of her wanted to kick the ass of whoever created the website for not thinking this through as they should have. Assuming that it was real, and they hadn't all gathered there for nothing.

Sarah saw the boy she'd noticed earlier leaning against the column beside her. "If you think that was cool, you should see my greatest trick. I bet I could scare everyone in the room with it. You want to know something? I could tell you how many heartbeats you have per minute from across the room. Names Michael by the way, I am a werewolf". She couldn't help but grin ever so slightly at the words 'I bet I could scare everyone in the room with it.' "I'd love to see that, half of these people look scared shitless already, would be fun." Rather interesting that he was a werewolf, since she was only human she hadn't thought of there being different kinds of species here. However, she was glad to know there really were other supernatural beings here. She wasn't particularly fond of where this conversation was heading, though. Exactly what she wanted not to happen. Some random person coming up to her, asking about herself and in turn going on about their abilities.

"So, what are you? Also, who do you think set this up? Someone had to post the site, after all. I would prefer to learn at least that before I go. It is a full moon tonight, after all". Sarah glanced ahead of her as she spoke, "Me? Nothing interesting or of your concern. I haven't a clue though, but it all doesn't sit very well with me, too many of us here, that idiot might just get us all killed." Sarah paused and turned towards the boy, briefly glancing at the younger boy beside him. "We could have technically all been lured here for something, it was obviously easy enough. Or you know, maybe they just do want us all to make friends, as juvenile as that sounds." She laughed as she spoke those last words, there was a reason behind everything, and she'd find out what that was.

"Oh, this is my younger brother Kyle. And Kyle, stop fussing, we had a big breakfast .Alright, here..." he said, taking a banana out of his bag and a bag of chips. "This should settle you for now, and I can steal you a proper breakfast later". He looked back towardsher. "Dad is dead and my mom is missing, so I am the only one he has to look after him. Poor kid, I worry so much about him". Micheal and Kyle, she noted to herself. She couldn't help but be a bit concerned about his little brother, Micheal was young enough as it was. This wasn't the place for either of them, but from the sound of it, they didn't have much choice with where to go. Something like this could easily appeal to them. When she heard that his dad was dead and his mom was missing, it made her think of her own parents, but she likely had a very different story to tell. There was something about children that always made her feel a bit on edge. They were often very trusting and sometimes easily deceiving because of their age.

Sarah always thought children were manipulative, and that it was something parents rarely noticed. They just seemed so innocent that everything that came out of a child's mouth seemed genuine. She couldn't help but feel for the boy, and at the same time was just as weary of him as the rest of the people in the room. "Hello Kyle." she said, managing to muster up a more friendly tone of voice. "You know, Micheal, you talk too much." She meant this in several different ways, he talked about himself more than he should, and he just talked so damn much. She wasn't minding it though really, she was intrigued by the way in which he spoke. He seemed younger sometimes, and then older at others, it was almost cute. "Actually, I may have something for your brother." Sarah let her bag slip off her shoulder and opened it up, at the same time not taking her eyes off the brothers. Earlier she had stolen a sandwich for herself, but didn't had the chance to eat it being too busy on a foot chase. She felt her way through the bag and barely managed to grab the sandwich without dropping it. She had so much stuffed in the bag, and having guns within it always made her rush through everything haphazardly.

"Here." she said, handing it to the boy. " I bought this for myself before I came here, but lucky for you I've lost my appetite." Sarah slung the bag over her shoulder again. "Micheal, you better keep a good eye on him, he can't get lost in a place like this." Sarah sighed. A few people glanced their way and one started walking towards them. Great, more people that want to talk. "Hi I'm - " This was not going to happen. "I don't care, what gave you the idea that I wanted to talk to you?" The person then sweared at her and walked away. "People." she under her breath. "Micheal, what do you plan on taking away from this?" For once she was actually curious, when a sibling is in charge of another they usually are forced to grow up before their time. She knew this from experience. Sarah was this close to walking away, not from the boy, but from the whole situation. She couldn't imagine a good outcome from this anymore.

Michael nodded. Honestly, he was a little bit disappointed. He and Kyle were the only werewolves there. He could tell by everyone's smell. "Yeah. I would do it too, except shifting in front of all these people...I'd prefer to only have to do that if needed. I like these clothes and I'd rather not have to shift in front of so many people". Of course, when Michael said shift he meant be naked. It was the one real downside to being a werewolf.

"I see I am not the only one who thought this might be a trap. It's why I made sure to have a few alternate exits. The wall behind you is less dense then the rest of the walls. I can smell the rust and wood decay. If I shift, I could easily break through it and escape. Additionally, I can jump up to the walkway above with my brother and exit through a second story window or fire escape. Then, there is a maintenance shaft partially under the crate over there. It leads to storm drains or sewage tunnels, I can smell the sewage from it. And then finally, there is an old tunnel in the basement, probably built for the Underground Railroad, that connects to City Hall. I know this from the fact it's infested with bugs, along with a faint smell of old ink". He smiled. "Having enhanced werewolf senses can be fun".

As she have Kyle the food, he thanked her. "Well, I came all the way here. If I don't talk to people, then why bother coming in the first place? Il admit though, I find it disappointing me and Kyle are the only werewolves. Personally, I think it's stupid if we all come here and none of us talk. It is the point we all came here in the first place, right? To talk and meet others like us. Personally, I guess this seems kind of silly, but....I was hoping mom might be here. Guess that is too much to ask..."

"Personally, what I hoped to get from this was knowledge help, friends I guess. I know it sounds silly, but for me, who has to constantly move around while looking after a younger brother, I need stuff like that. So if there is even a chance, I have to take it. Otherwise, what? I am supposed to raise Kyle with no proper education, no real money, and no house? Fact is, I need this. Hell, I still need to teach Kyle the rest about being a werewolf. So far the only thing I had time to teach him between all the running around is how to get dressed and undressed in under 40 seconds. He claims I ate the whole deer last night before he got a chance, but I know him and me. He still hasn't gotten used to being a werewolf yet, including the taste of deer and what not. It took him a month before he finally shifted in front of me".

Michael had clearly never expressed this before, but the only person who he could before was his brother. So finally, he was venting. "I am going to take a guess and say you think I am eleven, right? Nope, I am thirteen years old. But because werewolves age slower then everyone else, I look ten or eleven. See my brother? He looks like he is maybe seven or eight, right? No, he is ten years old. This means, I am probably going to hit puberty when I am 15 or 16, 14 if I am lucky. My mom actually had a saying, 'Werewolves age slower then humans, but mature quicker'. I actually skipped first and fourth grade, and Kyle skipped second grade. I am not above saying it, I need help. But I can't go to the foster system, because even if whoever killed our dad didn't find us, what if we get separated? What if someone sees him shift? What if something happens to him because I can't protect him?"

"So honestly, I hope to get something from this that helps me. In retrospect, that sounds really stupid". He took a breath. "Honestly, I must seem ridicules, telling you all this when we just met. I have just never been able to vent like this before I guess".

He looked back at Kyle, who was busy eating. "Being an older brother sucks".

Brooke smiled in awe when Felix made the flame appear in his hand. “That’s amazing!” She guffawed, looking up at Cameron. He scoffed and shook his head, and if he had been alive she was sure she would have seen a flush to his face.

"A lot of people view fire as a destructive thing. Something that burns and cleanses and takes homes and loved ones away. But, a lot of people forget that without fire, there is no warmth. No life giving heat that saved most of our species from dying out in the cold. It gives light to push away the darkness. It, in a sense......is life." Brooke nodded with Felix’s words, and grinned in agreement.

“I totally agree with that,” she said. “It’s the same thing with ghosts! People only know what they see in movies, the big bad poltergeist or the sweet little pudgy kid. In reality, ghosts are just apparitions of life, in need of closure or message. Obviously not as poetic as what you just said, but on some level, it is the same thing.”

Felix stared at his flame for a few more seconds, then shook his head a bit and closed his hand, extinguishing the flame. Brooke realized he had been too focused on his magic to hear her, but she didn’t mind. She was really more speaking to herself, in a way. It was a realization for herself that just seemed to flow from her lips. "Sorry about that.....I tend to ramble. I guess I’ve never really had the chance to talk openly about what I can do. I guess this meeting wasn't such a bad idea, huh?" Felix stated, obviously embarrassed by his past soliloquy. Brooke smiled and nodded.

“I know, I feel the same. It’s really nice to be able to share this with someone. Someone other than the dead,” she said, waving a hand in Cameron’s direction. He scowled, crossing his arms.

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean? I thought you enjoyed my company!” Cameron pouted and Brooke rolled her eyes. It wasn’t like she didn’t, it was just too much of a reminder that Cameron’s time was gone, and he for some reason hadn’t gotten the chance to move on.

Cameron did the hair thing and Brooke swatted at him before turning apologetically to Felix. He mentioned that he lived in Chicago, and all the crazies that lived there. OOC: from a Chicagoan, we’re not ALL crazy… She smiled and nodded. “I suppose, but still. It’s nice that you’re fascinated, I guess.” She laughed a little, and Cameron rolled his eyes at her.
“Really? I’m right here!” He waved his arms and she paid him no mind. She was being a little mean to him she knew, but he had been following her around for the past month making it remotely impossible to strike up a conversation with anyone. And now that she could without worrying about them thinking she’s crazy, it was quite refreshing.

"So, how far did you have to travel to get here? She started to say something like, “Oh, not far since I live in Buffalo…” but he interrupted her with what seemed like a very urgent question. “OH! And before I forget, I have to ask you something incredibly important......" Felix face got serious and he leaned in close, hands in a pyramid. [b]"Is it true what they say? He looked around and leaned in closer, only about a foot from her face. "Is it true that the average person has at least 5 ghost butts on them at all times?" His face was dead serious....but then a small smile began to crack through. She laughed a hearty, real, laugh for the first time in weeks.

“What the hell is a ghost butt---“ She started to say but then she heard some shouting near the front. Turning to look, she saw many men and women in white lab coats swarming the front of the room. She let out a yelp, eyes wide, and shot out of her seat. “What is…what do they…they’re scientists! We have to…I…” Brooke tried to get her thought out, but her throat caught. This is exactly what she’d been afraid of. She turned to Felix, then to Cameron, who was watching urgently. As instinct, he tried to pull her close, but his arms passed right through her. He gave her the most stricken expression, which is what really made her more afraid than if he had been able to hold her.

“Felix…I…what do we do? Do we run? We should run. Come on!” She said, seeing a group of scientists heading towards them. One of them had a syringe in their hand, as well as many others who were swarming on the rest of the supernatural. She could see the people she had noticed earlier running towards the back entrance, and she followed, grabbing Felix’s arm. “Cameron, come with us!” She shouted to him and he sped towards them. They made it to the door just as the scientist who had been in their direction got to the table they had been at.

Brooke slammed open the door and crashed head on into the girl with the tattoos, who was with the two younger boys she had seen earlier. She could also see the others crowded in the back too.

“Well, what do we do?! We have to get out of here!” Brooke exclaimed, not realizing that she was still holding on to Felix’s arm with a rather tight grip. Cameron sped around her then, looking her up and down and breathing heavily. “Scientists. Everywhere.” He said and her eyes got wide with fear. How were they going to get out of this?

Lily noticed the white coats and was quick to make her way outside, she went over to the girl she saw when she first walked in who she assumed had a gift of her own. "What do we do now?" Lily asked her coming up beside her, she hadn't talked to anyone at all, and now there were scientists everywhere. If they caught any of them they would most likely be tested on, or held for questioning of some sort. Lily knew she would probably be able to distract them or at least keep them busy until everyone else got away. "I could Distract them." She said to the girl who looked rather worried and frightened. "Using small amounts of magic, I could keep them distracted while the rest of you get away." She was as worried as everyone but, she was pretty sure she would be able to give them enough time to at least have a chance of escape, and then get out herself. If she played it smart.

Sarah's attention turned to a bunch of people in lab coats that came pouring into the room. "Shit." She said under her breath. She wasn't really surprised, but it was something she was hoping wouldn't happen. Everyone started running towards the nearest exit in what seemed like a very mob style mentality. She assumed, if she went another direction there was a chance she would be seen among the others. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a girl trip and fall, only to be trampled over by another person trying to get away. For a bunch of supernatural individuals, they sure seemed cowardly. Sarah then saw Micheal shift into a werewolf and bite off the arm of one of the labcoats, towing his brother on his back, then running for the nearest exit. She then heard a gunshot which she saw to hit Kyle, though Micheal hadn't seemed to notice.

Sarah ran after Micheal, throwing what seemed to be everything in her path towards the labcoats behind her. Sarah had a photographic memory and thus, she became very accustomed to being able to move objects without having to look at where they would end up, because she could see it already. A table in which she threw seemed to hit multiple people, and allowed for her to exit the building without anymore trouble. However, this was likely just the beginning. When she made it outside a girl crashed into her, hitting her in the head, panicking and asking what they should do. " Watch where you're going! I don't have time for this shit!" she shouted as she scanned the area.

All she needed was miss I see dead people causing her to be caught. Sarah should have known better, she did know better. She cursed to herself several times. She saw several people pouring into a car, and Micheal standing there with his brother, apparently examining the wound in which he had received. Sarah dashed over to them, glancing quickly into the car. It was rather full, not only that but the person in the driver seat seemed to be having issues starting the car. What a hopeless bunch of people. Sarah pushed Micheal and his brother into the car, slamming the door behind the two. She noticed cars heading in their direction, from what seemed like various sides of the block. "This is no good." At this rate, the car was going to be surrounded, and the chances of all of them, or any of them getting away would have been slim. She wasn't sure if the car was going to even be able to start, but they needed time regardless.

Sarah made her way to the back of the car, and threw several vehicles in the direction of the cars which seemed to be coming at them. It had the effect in which she wanted, as soon as several of the cars clashed, some of them causing the others to smash into nearby buildings - a few of the cars halted. That was when she noticed that the coats from early had now made their way out of the building. This was too much, how many of them were there? Moreso, why wasn't anyone fighting back? Why was the only one that fought back, the youngest one of them all? Sarah saw the girl from earlier was about to get snatched up by one of the coats. She heard gunshots behind her, likely coming from one of the vehicles that were still intact. "Duck." she said, as she raised a gun in her direction. If they were going to get out of here alive, they going to have to do more than just run.

Brooke apologized for running into the girl, but balked in surprise when she yelled at her. Though, she supposed that stress had gotten to them all—all who had been a part of the gathering, anyway—and didn’t choose to linger on it. Instead, she looked around. She had lived a sheltered life, and knew nothing about running away from people. Cameron dodged back and forth, looking for ways to protect Brooke. He shouted and pointed to a car that the tattooed girl jumped into. It looked small and cramped with all those people stuffed in, but Brooke knew it was her only shot.

Towing Felix, who still hadn’t said a word, she threw herself into the car, pushing aside whoever was at the window. Suddenly, she looked up and saw tattooed girl with a gun and she heard a shot. She couldn’t help it, she shrieked. She saw hundreds of ghosts surrounding the car, looking for the only person who could see them. She shouted to the driver—no idea who it was—and told him to hurry up.

“Just don’t look at them, Brooke.” Cameron said and Brooke nodded. She looked around, knowing a surefire way to get the scientists off their trail while the guy started the car. She tugged tattooed girl down, apologized, and stood through the sky light ((Assuming there is one)) and closed her eyes to drown out the screaming of other terrified supernaturals.
Brooke breathed in, pictured all of the ghosts she saw pulling themselves back into their bodies, and opened her eyes. The undead rose before her, moving as one towards the live scientists who shot at them, but no bullet harmed the already dead. She sat back down, mollified.

“That should keep them distracted enough for us to get out of here, but only if you start the car!” She exclaimed, not used to being so scared and frustrated. Cameron looked at her sadly. She didn’t know raising the dead was part of her abilities until she had visited Cameron’s grave for the first time by herself. She had kneeled there, crying over his tombstone, and wishing he could be beside her, when she heard a rustle beneath the ground. Then she heard knocking, and shifting. Suddenly, the earth had cracked, revealing a tiny peephole into the ground where Cameron’s casket lay. The casket had moved, causing her to shriek and move back. Cameron’s ghost hadn’t been with her then as he always was, so she had pictured him to come back to her inside her mind. The casket stopped moving, and an angry Cameron had stood in front of her.

”What the hell was that?” Cameron exclaimed.

“I…I don’t know. Were you…inside there?” She asked, mystified.

“Yes! You put me there!” He yelled, crossing his arms and glaring at her.

It wasn’t until she had explained herself that they had both realized an extent to her power. She could raise the dead. She hoped her new found ability helped them escape what would surely be a hostage situation.

An interesting fact to note was Michael. When he was outside the car and got in, he was naked. Yet, without making any fuss, with no noise or frustration, and in under 20 seconds, he was wearing sweatpants. He would be wearing more if he didn't think he might need to shift in the near future. That was another thing he wanted to avoid. Shifting in a crowd of humans. Now, he had accepted the fact people were likely going to see him naked due to shifting. Even his brother was adapting to that, though neither of them liked it. But, if he was seen as a werewolf in the middle of a human city? If people found out werewolves existed? Then he, and his brother, was screwed.

Also, because he wasn't wearing a shirt, you could see where a bullet grazed his arm. It was a flesh wound, but a bad one. Though it was healing fairly quickly. Werewolves, along with having an immunity to diseases, healed quickly. Which is why he was glad Kyle did not have a bullet inside him, that it went out the other side. If the bullet had stayed inside him, it would have made healing impossible until it was removed.

However, as the car failed to started, Michael got worried. "Do you need someone to push or something?" He asked, knowing fully well he could push the car in human form. He then looked at Kyle, who was moaning in pain. "Hey, Kyle. It's me, it's your brother Michael. You are going to be okay, alright? Just think happy thoughts".

"Quickly, get this thing moving! I can hear the scientists getting close! They are nearly done inside, and when they are, they will come outside. So get this damn thing moving!" He yelled, unaware the wound on his arm had started to bread. Most of Kyle's clothes were bloody, he would have to get him new ones.

Just when Max was ready to crack and just run for it, the car came to life!

Max wasted no time throwing the car into reverse and slamming down on the gas. For a several seconds that seemed to stretch into minutes, the wheels just spun in place, kicking up black pebbles and sand that was once an asphalt parking lot. In his urgency he'd put way too much gas and the wheels were simply moving too fast to gain any traction on the terrain. It wasn't an off road vehicle. Max relaxed on the gas peddle and the suddenness in which the car finally shot backwards, and a large bump immediately after, caused them to all at once lurch forward violently. Those in the back would only hit the back of front seats, and each other. Max and June however, got a face full of dashboard and steering wheel, and a dazed Max slammed on the breaks causing everyone to then be pushed back into their seats. A chorus of groans and profanity followed.

He could already feel the blood, thick and warm as it trailed downward from his forehead and it energized it. His blurry vision cleared up, and the pain he knew he should be feeling in his skull only translated as a dull tickle. Now he could see what had caused the bump. When the car shot back, an unfortunate idiot who had already gotten past the blockade and was standing behind the car, probably about to fire into the back window.

He smiled down at the crippled white coat who was barely conscious You guys sure know how to throw on hell of a party! he said as shifted to Drive and pulled out of the driveway, satisfied with his one liner. He put his feet to the pedal and sped out onto the main road and took off.