I remember when Andrea was at dinner with her dad, and he slipped her an envelope of cash so she wouldn’t fall behind on rent. Clearly, Miranda’s assistance did not get paid very much. Anyone have any idea how much they paid roughly? I’m just curious, considering how much Chanel, Gucci, etc..

Last night, I was bored and scrolling through Netflix. In my country, Mother of the Bride is currently number one and since I have a thing for Netflix movies, rom-coms (good or bad) and like Miranda Cosgrove, I went for it. As soon as they brought up the fact that the bride’s mother and groom’s dad used to date, I thought "Okay, so they're obviously not getting together if their kids are marrying each other" since that wouldn't be right.
Once they started to get more friendly and Brooke Shields was falling for Chad Michael Murray, I was kinda bored but thankful that it seemed to be going in a different direction. But then the scene where Brooke and Benjamin Bratt are stranded came on, and I immediately noticed the romantic foreshadowing (it was definitely more than a platonic conversation). Then she seems to blow off Chad (or I assume) and I could immediately tell that they were going to put the parents together while their children still marry. As in Miranda Cosgrove and her husband will technically be step-siblings. Right then and there, I turned the TV off.
I went to see if I was correct and not only that, but the parents get engaged at the wedding reception of their daughter and son?! Who greenlit this movie because out of all of Netflix's screwups, this was the most icky to me IMO. I really hope the cast were in this just for paychecks. On the other hand, Rachael Harris' character was hilarious, though 😂 I would watch a whole movie on her.
I hope I'm not alone in seeing this and other people think this too. Comment down below.

I will preface this by saying I made a terrible mistake and a complete lapse in judgement due to a selfish decision I made. I ended up crashing my car into a pole. I was not hurt and no one else was involved.
The people that saw the crash called the ambulance. After that, a rookie officer and a trainee showed up on the scene but I was already in the ambulance so they couldn’t do a field sobriety test on me.
I was taken to the hospital where the hospital drew my blood. I thought that was the blood test so I told the officers I don’t want to give any more blood. Turns out that was just the test for the hospital, not the police. I was cuffed and taken to the station but I was not told my Miranda Rights.
I sat in the police station for what must’ve been hours until they got a blood warrant. By the time my blood was drawn, it was well over 3 hours since my crash and I insisted that I did not know what the refusal meant because they never read the refusal script to me.
I ended up getting sent to county with the pink slip, but not a single violation on the pink slip was checked off (not even refusal) and my BAC has not come back yet.
I’ve been drowning in guilt with this stupid ass decision that I made, but I am trying to find silver lining, if there even is any. I do have an attorney retained as well, they are waiting for the police report.

I watched the movie "Mother of the Bride" yesterday on Netflix. It isn't a very good movie and it had all the visual characteristics of a DTV movie (different shot framing, not many actors/extras, small sets, etc) but the way they deliver the dialog left me wondering why they do it that way.
I've seen other DTV movies with not very well known actors and I always thought it is that maybe they werent very good, but in this movie you got Miranda Cosgrove, Brooke Shields, and Benjamin Pratt in it. I've seen them in other productions and, they're no Leo DiCaprio but they are good actors.
In this movie, however, every line they deliver sounds like they stopped in the middle of a sentence and they rarely speak more than 1 or 2 lines in a row.
Is there a reason for this or is it just that the script is terrible and the performers just don't care?

Sudden Stop By Alan Wake
Alex Casey had seen it all in his 15 years as a detective with the New York Police Department. He'd solved countless murders, worked on high-profile cases, and even earned a few commendations. But nothing could have prepared him for his own sudden stop. It was a typical Friday evening when Alex was driving home from a long day at the precinct. He was running late for dinner with his ex-wife, Miranda, and their two kids, so he was speeding along the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. As he approached the Manhattan Bridge, he noticed a strange smell filling his car. At first, he thought it was just the exhaust from the car in front of him, but then he saw it: a huge cloud of smoke billowing from the bridge itself. Alex's heart skipped a beat as he realized something was very wrong. As he slowed down, a black SUV cut him off, forcing him to swerve into the oncoming lane. Alex tried to regain control of his car, but it was too late. The SUV rammed into him, sending his car crashing onto the side of the bridge. Alex tried to get out of the car, but his door was jammed. He pounded on the window, screaming for help, but no one came. The SUV sped away, leaving Alex alone and injured. As he struggled to free himself, Alex saw a figure emerging from the smoke. It was a tall, imposing man with a cruel grin spreading across his face. Alex recognized him as Victor Vex, a notorious gang leader who had been at the top of his most-wanted list. "You're going to pay for all your meddling," Victor sneered, pulling out a gun. Alex knew he was doomed. He tried to beg for his life, but Victor just laughed and pulled the trigger. Alex's world went dark as he felt his life slipping away. The paramedics arrived soon after, but it was too late. Alex Casey's time had come to an abrupt stop. The city's finest detective had fallen victim to his own killer instincts – and now his own life would be left in cold blood. As they wheeled him away on a stretcher, Alex saw Miranda's face one last time. Her eyes were red from tears, and her expression was a mix of shock and grief. She knew she would never get to tell their kids goodbye. The sudden stop had taken Alex away from the world of crime and punishment, but it would never forget the man who had fought for justice every day of his life – until it was too late.
Alan Wake is a critically acclaimed author known for his dark and suspenseful thrillers. His latest novel, "Sudden Stop", is a gripping tale of murder, betrayal, and revenge that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end

NOTE: I AM GOING INSANE. I had to move because my family had to sell the house because debt sucks. Life is stressful. Brain bad.
Anyway, I have FINALLY managed #43 and #44 should not be too far behind. I'm sorry for the wait/delay. I have written like... half a dozen half-chapters. The good news is that at some point soon-ish, a bunch of pre-written stuff will come together!
Thank you to u/tulpacat1 and u/BainshieWrites for helping me when I was going insane.
I zombily forgot to link to the crossover place! Sorry!!! This is a crossover with Feathers of Deceit by the fantastic u/KaiserMarcqui! Check it out if you haven't already! Here is the scene from the other POV. (You can tell by the date just how long ago the dialogue was written).

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SECURITY FOOTAGE TRANSCRIPT, MODIFIED TRANSLATOR SETTINGS ANDES-5
[standardized human time]: December 11, 2136
[Dr. Miranda Rodriguez enters the room where [2-B] is located, sporting an external translator hanging from her neck. Lihla is hidden behind the open door.]
Dr. Rodriguez: I’m so glad you’re awake, sweetheart, we need to talk.
[At that moment and for the duration of the recording, the translator outputs her words in the arxur language. 2-B’s whole body tightens within the blanket, wrinkling and bunching it up around her.]
2-B: I am not delicious, I am disgusting!
Dr. Rodriguez: …Oh, is the word sweetheart–okay. Um. What would you like me to call you?
2-B: my name is 86392-B.
Dr. Rodriguez: …I’m going to have a hard time with that, young lady.
2-B: So call me prey like a boss that doesn’t lie.
Dr. Rodriguez: …My goodness. Um. That is a lot to unpack there. Let’s bypass names for now, you can tell that I’m talking to you here.
[Dr. Rodriguez loosely swings the door shut with her foot, and walks over to a desk that has been placed next to the bed, placing down her pad on it. Just before she sits and turns towards 2-B, Lihla quickly and silently slips past the door and under one of the other, currently unoccupied beds in the room. Dr. Rodriguez takes a slow, deep breath.]
Dr. Rodriguez: Look, I understand that you’re very distrustful of us. That’s completely natural given your background, and I know you will take time to adjust. There is no rush. Trust takes time to build.
2-B: Trusting bosses is stupid. No boss is good boss.
Dr. Rodriguez: …Right.
[2-B offers no response. Dr. Rodriguez fiddles with the plain golden ring on her right hand.]
Dr. Rodriguez [voice hushed]: That said, we’re in a bit of a situation. We want to keep you safe here, but we may not be able to do that if you continue to pose a danger to those around you.
[2-B offers no response]
Dr. Rodriguez: We’ll do our best to keep you out of harm’s way, but we’re going to need your cooperation in the matter.
2-B: Is the Savageness dead?
Dr. Rodriguez [shaking her head with a smile]: Oh, not at all. Andes is alive, well, and expected to make a full recovery. We’d be having a very different conversation, if they were dead.
[2-B looks at Dr. Rodriguez more intently, her ears fixed towards her now. Her muscles tighten.]
2-B[voice quiet and uneven]: How long before he chops me up?
[Dr. Rodriguez’ eyes bug out and her jaw falls. She spends four seconds immobile before shaking herself and resuming the interaction.]
Dr. Rodriguez: Nobody is going to chop you up. Andes does not want to hurt you.
[2-B’s paws tighten into fists and her ears slant backwards]
2-B: You lie! All lies, all the time!
[Dr. Rodriguez takes another deep breath.]
Dr. Rodriguez [softly]: I am telling you the truth. It is very important that you do your best to be calm and composed in the coming days, because in order to make sure no one hurts you, we have to show them that you are not dangerous.
2-B: I am very dangerous. I am dangerous and scary and disgusting!
[Dr. Rodriguez sighs.]
Dr. Rodriguez: Perhaps we can have this conversation when you are more settled down. I’ll have someone bring food at the end of the claw. Please ask if you want to use the washroom.
[Dr. Rodriguez stands up and walks out of the room. Once she is out of the room, Lihla peeks from behind the unused bed.]
Lihla: See? Savageness Director is strong. Nobody can kill him.
2-B: The legend killed an old boss. I can kill a new one.
Lihla: You think you are strong, but you are wrong. You are weak because you don’t understand.
2-B: I understand you are stupid. You believe their lies. Marco too. They will take you to the chopping place and you’ll walk in happy.
Lihla: There is no chopping place in prey planet. New place, new rules.
2-B: There is always a chopping place. We don’t have to know where to know it’s there.
[Lihla stands there for a long moment, her tail swaying side to side. She exits the room without another word.]
____
Memory transcription subject: Varla, Nurse at the Venlil Reintegration and Rehabilitation facility
Date (standardized human time): Dec 11, 2136
I almost tried to extend my leave after such nerve-wrecking paws. First, my stupid breakdown in front of the Director; second, with the wave of stampedes across the planet due to the raid alarm; third, the news that the Director had single-handedly saved the lives of thirty-seven people with his emergency human-leg-powered ambulance, only to be hit by a car for his trouble; fourth, that the girls had escaped; fifth, that one of them had stabbed him and… Well that was probably it, but it was a lot!
I knew working for humans would be stressful when I applied, but I didn’t realize it would be this stressful! So many problems, all happening so quickly, and when I got back Ayodele was just… working. Like it was normal! I spent the whole time on edge, almost jumping out of my wool when I heard a sudden noise because one of the children dropped a toy brick by accident.
Halfway through my shift, I heard they were talking about not sending that little monster to a Predator Disease facility. Dr. Rodriguez had been put in charge of her care while Director Andes recovered, and they were debating how to organize the situation to ensure the safety of the herd and the predator girl who had already tried to kill someone. My fur began to stand on end at the thought of her staying in the facility. At least the humans think she should be separated from the herd for now. I kept thinking about Director Andes, unarmed, willing to take a knife to the gut in the line of duty.
Is it okay to have a crush on him if he’s not a monster? Probably not. I was being ridiculous. Even if I hadn’t been, humans apparently thought dating underlings was predatory, so he wouldn’t want to do that. He probably didn’t want anything to do with someone so pathetic and weak that being told humans don’t want to eat her made her rush off to cry in her car for half a claw while she tried to calm down.
It was probably more like a third of a claw. Still too long, obviously. Plus the leave.
It didn't make any sense. It matched what he said, but… it didn’t make any sense. Nobody would have held it against him, if he’d fought back. Rumours said he hadn’t even tried. What kind of… “omnivore” didn’t even defend himself?
“It’s so sad,” Ayodele told me as we finished our shift together. “She’s spent her whole life trapped in this eat-or-be-eaten world… Literally! Her life is already going to be so difficult…”
“Sad? She’s dangerous!” I said reflexively. I should have thought better of it, but it was just so ludicrous!
“She was afraid we were going to eat her. You should understand what that's like,” Ayodele told me, suddenly defensive on behalf of the predator-diseased monster who had nearly killed Director Andes.
“I was afraid too, and I didn't try to kill anyone because of it,” I said, putting my paws on my hips.
She raised an eyebrow. “Did you grow up watching the arxur eat your friends and siblings every day?”
“Well, no, but–” she cut me off before I could finish, glaring at me with the full force of her binocular eyes.
“Right. I think her reaction being more extreme might make sense given those circumstances, Varla.”
My paws and tail were starting to tighten in frustration. Arguing was useless, so I flicked an ear her way and focused on my pad. Once my shift was over, I stumbled out to my car, almost in a haze. What kind of people reserved so much kindness and patience to those who would kill them if given the chance?
I had to learn more about humans. Even if they were “false predators”, even if their eyes meant nothing, even if they were overwhelmed with nurturing instincts… It didn’t make any sense! Self-preservation should kick in at some point!
I made my way to a more human-friendly bookstore, and started looking for things humans wrote for each other. There was a free digital selection screen, where you could buy books and request they be printed in a specific make. I chose the cheapest print-to-order design. I just wanted the information, and I wanted it with blank pages every chapter and large margins to make notes. I also wanted to make sure nobody could hack into my book, or see it in my account, or catch me reading human books on a holopad. Maybe it was paranoid, but thinking about Director Andes–about humans in general, really– always felt somehow wrong.
That all meant that human books would be more expensive. I sighed and trudged over to the digital selection screen.
Once there, I was met with a veritable avalanche of human literature, and no idea how to tell which ones would be too much for me, or which ones would be obvious predatory deception. I kept thinking about his words. “Nurturing instincts”, “innocuous” eyes. It didn’t make sense. Even if the Director was telling the truth about himself, even if humans specifically were predators in some… vestigial, irrelevant fashion… they eat flesh! I know they eat flesh. Director Andes even mentioned them having farms. They’re not misunderstood prey.
I flipped through dozens of options before giving up and looking at my neighbour, a young Krakotl who seemed very immersed in her own screen. She was looking at human books too. I shouldn’t have done anything, but my screen was terrifying and I didn’t know where to begin. I lightly tapped her wing to call her attention.
"Do you… do this a lot?” I asked, my voice on the quiet side to avoid calling attention to us. “I don't know how to judge human literature."
She tilted her head towards me. “I’m guessing this is your first time here? It is mine, too.”
"Yeah, I… I think I thought I was being open-minded, working with them, but I don't understand them at all,” I told her, my tail coiling anxiously. “I hoped this would help, but now I'm more confused!"
“Well, everything about humans is confusing. I’ve been hanging out with a human lately and, to be honest, I still can’t wrap my head around how they function. Everything they do, everything they say, it’s just so confusing.”
I felt like a ‘make it yourself’ toy that had been getting wound up tighter and tighter, and suddenly let free. "Yes!” I almost shouted. “Ugh. My boss is a human, and a strong one too, he has these veins that pop out on the skin of his arms, and… he apparently has never been in combat with another human.”
Was he ever in combat with anything? He said he’d never gone hunting. I thought about him lying on that medical bed, so… helpless. And yet still so strong. Able to withstand such injuries and still hold the respect of his people. If he couldn’t, they’d probably cull him, right? I kept talking. “He just… likes being terrifying? But not to be terrifying."
“Exactly!” she said, her eyes lighting up in agreement. “Nothing they say makes sense; it’s as if they rationalize everything in ways opposite to how we’d do it. I’ve been going through very old literature from my people with my human friend, and the conclusions he takes from the texts are nothing I could come up with.”
My ears perked up at that. "What has he said?"
“He seemed to think that Krakotl could kill other Krakotl! Preposterous, I say. Everyone knows that prey don’t kill other prey.”
I frowned. I knew people who had died trying to defend the human homeworld. They were not killed by humans, or even the arxur. Humans might bring forth strange situations and bizarre ideas with them… but they didn’t make the krakotl fleet attack venlil ships. Kalsim did that.
"...Except in the extermination fleet, right?" I asked.
She stumbled over her words as she tried to respond. “W-well, yeah, but they’re an exception. To think that we’d kill each other in ancient times! I understand his reasoning – humans killed each other in ancient times, so other species must’ve, too. And while I find it a bit flimsy, I’ll admit it is an interesting thought to entertain. The Extermination fleet is an exception to this, as it was a desperate measure that…” She sighed. “Honestly, shows that we can be murderous, too.”
Her posture dipped a tad as she finished. I found myself getting a little lost in her explanation, and thought back to Director Andes’ words. I do not have any particular desire to eat you.
"What else has he said?” I asked. “My human said that he has no bloodlust. Of any sort. And had none of it as a child either."
Should I have called him ‘my human’? That doesn’t mean anything, right? He’s just the human I am most routinely in contact with. Except that’s probably Ayodele. He’s… the human I brought up earlier. That makes sense.
My question seemed to energize her again. “My human has admitted he has no bloodlust, too! It’s so weird – I’ve developed a hypothesis; that there’s some kind of division within human society between those who have bloodlust and those who don’t. See, I’ve been reading one of their books, and it centers on crime – which includes killings! Yet it was treated so nonchalantly, but at the same time, it was still seen as wrong. It’s the only possible logical explanation.”
I flicked my tail in thought. Did that make sense? Maybe the farms were staffed exclusively by humans who were “real predators”, while all the prey-humans had “vegan” diets and would willingly treat non-human people as their equals… "And the reason no human here admits to it is because the UN would never let a blood-lusting human onto Venlil Prime. It would be a political disaster…"
Her posture shifted up more excitedly. “Exactly! It all makes sense. I’m certain that they’re hiding something from us.”
"How separate are these two subtypes? Maybe they genuinely don't know," I proposed. It did not take very long, since we made contact with Humanity, for the kolshian-farsul conspiracy to come apart. Maybe it would not be long until some human conspiracy fell apart due to prey species’ scrutiny. Maybe Director Andes genuinely did not realize there were humans currently alive who were real predators. Maybe the “urban, academic population” was some sort of prey-human cluster.
“I haven’t thought as far, but I’m sure that they must be somewhat aware of it, as their own Exterminators are equipped to deal with their own people. It might be similar to our own predator disease, but at the same time, it feels like it’s more widespread for humans.”
That didn’t sound right to me. Predators should be immune to predator disease, no? They would already have it by default. I asked about her book,, but my mind kept spinning around the notion of such a division. It would have been in the briefings. I knew that the UN hid things from the venlil, but something of that magnitude would pose a threat to our population. The humans wouldn’t risk endangering their closest ally during a war by withholding important information, would they?
“— murder is treated very nonchalantly, from what I gather, in the humans’ world.”
I tilted an ear to signal I was thinking. "Hmm. Humans treat a lot of terrible things nonchalantly. Like my terrifying boss."
She leaned a little closer to me. “Yeah? What’d he say?”
"He was just very comfortable with our Arxur-speaking children at the facility. And…” I probably shouldn’t spread stories like that without asking him if they were true, but… “I heard rumours he spent time with the greys on Earth during cleanup."
The karkotl’s beak fell open, and her feathers started to puff up. “A grey?! I can’t believe it, I hope he has nothing good to say about it.”
I signalled ‘quiet’ with my tail. We are in public! "Well, he hasn't said anything at all. It's mostly rumours. But it's still so strange! Such a strong, terrifying predator, and he will gently carry a sleeping patient to bed… I just don't know what to expect, with humans."
She lowered her voice. “Neither do I, to be honest. Everything I’ve heard about humans seems like almost the complete opposite… You know, despite the obvious ‘predator’ signs, it’s as if my human friend went against all of that! He’s so sweet sometimes.”
"How?" I asked, trying not to think about how enticing the prospect sounded to my ears.
“Just the other day, yeah? He’s invited me to a ball they’re holding in his shelter, and he just goes and asks me to practice dancing with him. It might seem weird, but it seemed so lovely to me…”
"They can dance?" I asked. I imagined Director Andes doing those strange movements he did sometimes in the recreation room. Were those part of human dancing? Did they go on the palms of their hands, or squat down? He was so strong, so deliberate with his movements… He’s probably an amazing dancer. I imagined him doing pirouettes in the air to some aggressive, violent human music with chanting and drums.
“It weirded me out at first too; I wasn’t too sure on how that’d work out. Their dances are so unlike the Krakotl’s. More than energizing movements to attract a mate, it seemed much more… I don’t know how to properly describe it, but it was much more gentle. Definitely unlike any dance I’d seen.”
"They dance gently?" I couldn't shake the shock. With muscles like that, I would expect dances to look almost like fights. Then again, if he knew how to fight, would the girl have been able to hurt him..?
She kept talking. “Yeah! It’s so strange. He did tell me there were many other types of dances, but the one he’d practiced with me was just like that. It’s like I was almost in a trance, with him holding me in his arms…” her feathers shifted and her face grew a slightly deeper purple.
"I see. I've heard humans can ensnare prey with a trance, so be careful with that," I said. It was probably a crush. Just like how I probably had a crush. But I hadn’t fully ruled out the “humans can affect the minds of the krakotl, and also maybe other prey species” hypothesis. Maybe LastDefense233 wasn’t an idiot.
Maybe there was a better reason for this whole situation than “you’ve fallen in love with the flesh-eating monster”.
“I am! I know full well what I’ve gotten into,” she said. “You know, I’ve already been told by some people that I’m playing with fire, but I’m not naïve. I still have my eyes set out for the human’s deceit.”
I thought back to her idea that there are ‘prey’ humans and ‘predator’ humans, as two distinct classes. It didn’t seem right to me. "That's good. I think the humans at my job are mostly honest but… they don't understand what it's like to be prey."
“They really don’t seem to comprehend it! It’s as if they actively try not to acknowledge that a distinction exists between ‘predator’ and ‘prey’,” she agreed.
"Just a few paws ago, my director said that humans can consider the same animal predator and prey! It's like black can be white sometimes to them!" I hissed. They could eat meat, but chose not to. They had tiny teeth, but binocular eyes. They were big and strong and deadly, but also… long and gangly and bent in odd ways… They spun their heads around like they were about to pounce, but were almost blind on the sides and easily startled.
“It really is plain ludicrous with them. Some of the things they say are like that but, to be honest, I find it kind of endearing, you know – it’s as if they were full of naïveté on how the natural order actually worked. It’s so strange to think of how a predator perceives the world.”
I thought back to those shakes Director Andes was always drinking. How much had he given up, to accept a role helping people he had nothing to do with? "Especially predators that choose to avoid predating, right? It's such an… idealist thing. How they fight against their own nature."
“Yes, exactly,” she agreed, “I find it kind of noble, in a way. Like they’re trying so hard to be just like us, yet their own nature betrays them.”
I was about to ask her about what her human looked like when I realized we'd been hogging the stations for a while, and started to feel guilty about it.
"What book will you get?" I asked instead.
“Ah, right! You know, it’s not for me, but for my human. There’s this festivity they have about gift-giving, and I was thinking of gifting him a classic Krakotl novel translated into his language.”
There is a human festivity about gift-giving? I should look up human festivities. What if the Director expects a gift? I asked something polite while my mind got stuck on the idea of upcoming human festivities. How often did humans celebrate? What did they celebrate? Did they have birthdays, or something like their ‘first kill’? Was that too predatory? Did they celebrate the first time they ate a vegetable?
Somehow, the topic turned to human music she’d listened to.
"Was it slow too? Like their dance?" I asked.
She tilted her head one way and then another, as though swirling her thoughts around inside her skull. “The piece of music he put on for me was somewhat slow… But I don’t know if that’d reflect on the rest of their music. Though ‘slow’ isn’t perhaps the right word for it; it was sometimes slow and sometimes not.”
"Ah. Unpredictable, like they are?” I asked, flicking an ear in understanding. Music was something I hadn’t given much thought to, but maybe it was the key to everything. “In my facility, they are teaching a venlil child music in order to help him relearn how to speak after an injury. They're using venlil music, of course, but… they understand it differently. Maybe humans use music in other strange ways. It could be the secret to their power over their instincts. Then again… They keep saying those instincts aren't real."
“Yes, exactly: unpredictable! And I hadn’t thought of their music like that. To be honest, I hadn’t paid much attention to it, but what you’re saying does sound interesting…”
I lowered my voice more, suddenly more worried about being overheard. "Do you ever wonder what it's like? To be one? The Krakotl were cured centuries ago, of course but… I keep wondering about it. About what it's like to be like them. So much… power."
“It’s a thought that’s sometimes crossed my mind, but frankly I wouldn’t want to be like them…” her head dipped sadly for a moment. “To be fighting against your own instincts all the time, telling you to eat people! I don’t think I’d have the mental fortitude for that.”
I nodded, like a human. I didn’t realize I’d started until after I’d stopped. "It must be patience beyond imagining… Incredible self-control, with temptation just… everywhere. Everywhere around them now. Everyone they talk to here who isn't human, every time they walk by a park and see birds flying by…"
“Yes, just like that. In some weird way, I find that quite admirable… And they even deny they have such a thing! It must get so tiresome to pretend you’re civilized all the time.”
That was… An interesting way to put it. Pretending to be civilized. Isn’t that what every society is doing? Isn’t that what PD facilities are for? To help us pretend? We’re all animals, after all… We’re all prey.
"Is it even pretending, at that point?"
The question threw her off. “Perhaps not? I did say earlier that I believed there were two ‘types’ of humans… So perhaps they really don’t have a bloodlust instinct? But that wouldn’t make sense – they’re predators!”
I flinched. We were being too loud. I should just get back on track and ask about human books. "Did your human friend tell you of any human books I could try? Maybe if we could understand them from within…"
She paused for a moment, presumably scouring her memory for information that did not exist. “Not really. He mentioned that their ‘crime mystery’ genre is somewhat similar to our Exterminator fiction after I told him what it was about… I’ve read one book from that genre and it’s been quite fruitful in trying to understand them.”
I flicked my ear in agreement, instead of nodding, like a normal person.
"...Alright. Well, thank you for the conversation. I will… try to find something before the clerk gets mad at me," I said, blooming a little as it sunk in that I'd been at the station for so long.
Her feathers puffed up a little in surprise. “Ah, yeah, you’re right! My bad, but it’s been quite an interesting conversation.”
"...Would you like to talk about humans some other time?"
“Yeah! I think that’d be nice.”
We exchanged information, and she headed off. I returned to the screen, searching by genre. There was a whole section of human romance. A warm bloom came to the tips of my ears, but it did not stop my paw from tapping the "see more" button.
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2 weeks later Lauren and Greyson drove up to her new home with boxes and whatever she hadn’t sold. Lauren had walked through her empty home and said goodbye to each room wondering if she was making the right decision. The house was pretty much sold already and Lauren reminded herself to keep going.
“Audrey will come around Ma. She really will miss you and she doesn’t want to change. God forbid she tell you right out that she is going to miss you. “ Greyson said. Lauren hadn’t spoken to Audrey directly since she had told the kids she was moving. She had come over at one point to get some furniture and mementos and had been snarky the entire time that Lauren had been in the house. Lauren had had quite enough of it and went to the backyard to smoke until Audrey and her man of the week had taken off. They hadn’t even come out to tell her they were leaving. Lauren had had another good cry after that and then made herself margaritas with her mixer and called Natalie to come over for a good farewell bitch session. They had gotten tipsy and talked about ungrateful kids and sent nice little waves to Grace who huffed at them.
“Well, maybe she will and maybe she wont. She always favored your father and I never told her she had to pick sides but all the same she felt like she had to. The divorce was harder on her than it was you older two.She was only 8.” Lauren said lamely.
“I think Cora and I were just glad you guys weren’t fighting. Dad was great with us but he treated you terribly the last few years you were together and it was just so much easier to not hate him when you guys weren’t around each other. Audrey was definitely his favorite though and any time she came over he just made sure they did everything she wanted because he was afraid she’d hit puberty and would decide she didn’t like him anymore. Like Cora.”
“Well that makes sense. How’s you-know-who?” Lauren asked changing the topic.
“Miranda? Alright I guess. Her mom picked Liam up last night for the weekend so I could help you, says she called a month ago and sounded good. I don’t know if that means anything or not but I don’t think she is going to come back wanting to be Liam's mom. At least not any time soon. I don’t really care, she had him and that was the deal. That’s all I asked for. I’d have supported the other way too but I really hoped she’d just let me keep him. She told everyone who asked she didn’t want kids. Everyone. I kind of wonder if she’ll want to meet him and be afraid to because everyone will expect her to be someone to him.” Grayson drummed his fingers anxiously. Lauren couldn’t understand this arrangement that Grayson and Miranda had. She kept wondering if it wasn’t some form of depression or something but Grayson insisted it wasn’t. He’d had Liam all to himself from day one and never complained.
“You think taking this was too impulsive? The job? I didn’t even do a face to face interview. It was on that skype thing. Eric set it all up. It’s legit but maybe I should’ve driven up first to check it out. Maybe I’m just running scared.”
“Maybe it was but taking risks makes your life exciting. Besides, I hate thinking of you alone in the house waiting for something bad to happen.” Grayson patted her leg. “Besides you said there were discounts on cabins and I’d like that. Plus unlike the last job, if Liam gets sick he can hang out with you when he can’t go to daycare.”
“I would like that.”
They pulled onto a winding dirt road and drove another 10 miles. The woods on each side of the road pressed in on them. It was a nice feeling. It was quiet out here and Lauren appreciated it. She had thought she would be more scared to be alone out here but she found herself looking forward to it now. Settling down and maybe a beer.
The GPS took them toa large sign marked Camp Thellgar in front of a fork in the road, one marked OFFICE and the other marked CAMPING. They turned into the OFFICE fork on the left. A man sat on the porch at the first building they came up to. He shaded his eyes and stood as they approached. Lauren took a shaky breath.
“Does my eye still look weird?” Lauren asked Grayson.
“Nah, the makeup covers whatever is left. It looks a little off I guess but I don’t think anyone would guess why. You’re old, he’ll think you had a stroke more than likely” Grayson teased. Lauren let out a high pitched laugh and took a deep cleansing breath.
“Hi I’m Steven Connor, you’re Lauren Jackson I hope.” Steven stuck his hand out for her to shake.
“I am indeed. Nice to meet you, you look different in person.” Lauren said laughing. He did, he looked older than he had on the computer, tired maybe. Steven shrugged. “This is my son Grayson, he’s helping bring my stuff up for me.”
“Right, good of you to help your momma. Come right in here. This is the main office, just off of what will be your cabin. Initially they were one in the same but years back we decided the caretaker could use some more privacy when we added more cabins in. The cabins have only been part of the deal for about 15 years, before that it was just the tent sites. No electricity on those. They’re a little easier to maintain. This time of year we mainly get people who want to use the tent sites, families out for a day hike. Summer rolls around and you’ll be pretty busy. We hire help from the nearby towns, you’ll let them know what to do but you’ll need someone in the office most of the day. There’s an alarm here that will pop up on your phone, when synced with the app of course, that way you can be out on the grounds. There’s an ATV for getting around a little easier. You’ll be in charge of taking reservations and handling the payment, cleaning up the campsites when they leave, looking in on them to make sure they’re kept up. Same with the cabins. Do a thorough cleaning and dust once a week. Aspen Cunningham, that’s the girl from town, she’ll be up every other day to assist with cleaning out the cabins. Here’s the card for Aspen, the card for a maintenance guy we use, Roger, and my card if you need to get ahold of me.” Steven led her from the office which was a small front room with a storage room behind it. Off of that there was a door with a good lock that led into a small house. It came in by a small half bath and then stairs leading to 2 bedrooms upstairs and a full bathroom. Next to the stairs a door led into a small living room with a few bookshelves and a dated TV, past that a kitchen with a dining area. It was cozy and Lauren was in love immediately.
“The last guy was pretty organized, we have our own binder we put together for new employees, he made his own as well. I skimmed through it, mostly a heads up on common maintenance issues. There’s a copy of maintenance performed on each cabin and site that also goes in the main book that’s stashed in the office.” Steven handed her a heavy worn binder.
“I’ll go ahead and start bringing in your stuff mom.” Grayson said backing out the main front door that didn’t lead into the office. Lauren followed Steven into the office and he showed her where anything she could need to find would be. She watched a safety video that featured Steven’s family, made when Steven was a kid. His smiling face running around in the background.
Grayson hung out for a while after Steven left. Lauren was overwhelmed and felt exhausted. She wandered through her new house while Grayson made her spaghetti. She laid on the bed. It was firmer than she was used to but it was ok.
After they ate Grayson hesitantly left. Reminding her to call if she needed anything, asking if she was sure she wanted him to leave. Lauren had a feeling he would’ve spent the night if Miranda’s mom didn’t have Liam. There was a firepit in the backyard so she got a fire going and sat back watching the flames while she drank a beer. She thought about getting stoned but it felt too new here and she was afraid of freaking herself out. The noises of the woods were relaxing. It felt quiet. Quiet was exactly what she needed.
The next few months went quickly, Lauren got in a groove of checking all the sites in the morning and doing general maintenance. Aspen, the girl who cleaned, came up twice a week not every other day like Steven had said. She was a sweet girl and spent a few hours dusting and vacuuming the empty cabins. Lauren and her got along really well and Lauren was grateful for the company. Summer came and Lauren was busy, she barely left the office it seemed. If it wasn’t reservations, it was families asking for maps of the trails or information on the town below. It was a nice busy. Lauren had expected the cleaning to be worse than it actually was, most people cleaned up after the campsites before they left. Fall came and the people started to slow down, most of the people she saw were people hiking the trails and less camping By November she was slow again.
One day her phone went off alerting her to a visitor in the office. She jumped on her ATV and headed back up. There was a small run down car waiting when she pulled up. Lauren ran her hands through her hair as she entered the door. 4 middle aged women stood waiting patiently.
“Sorry, I was a little further out today, how can I help you? Cabin?” Lauren asked, coming around the desk.
“Where’s Jim?” One woman with darker hair asked.
“Jim? Was he the man before me? I’m afraid he doesn’t work here anymore. Just me, I’m Lauren. Regulars?” Lauren grabbed the binder from underneath the counter and flipped through until she came on regulars. Scanning the list she found a November regular, along with a few other months. “Ok, here we are. It says the Helgas, tentsite 42. Yes?”
“That’s right, what happened to Jim? I'm surprised to see that he’s gone.” The dark haired woman handed over her credit card and tapped on the table anxiously. The other women moved around like they were trying to look as if they weren’t paying much attention.
“Not sure. No one really told me and I didn’t think to ask. I’ve been here since late spring, right before the summer rush. “ Lauren felt like she was being judged by the women.
“We’re particular about our privacy.” One of the women from the back said, trying to sound casual.
“That’s no problem, I won’t need to come by until you leave.” Lauren assured them.
“Jim left the entire area alone. I mean, we prefer to be left completely alone.” She clarified. Lauren was taken aback but nodded. After they left and had driven off she looked back down at the binder.
Helgas
Camp site 42
November Full Moon
December 21
March 21
Require all sites in the area empty. 3 day reservations. Noise level low, some disturbances.
Lauren closed the binder. She’d flipped through it before but obviously hadn’t retained much information. It occurred to her that this wasn’t in the main binder. She picked up the company binder, flipped through until she found regular reservations. Nothing helpful from the last 10 years. She booted up the computer and pulled up the spreadsheet. There it was. Reservations, regular. A list of people and campsites and cabins. The program was designed to automatically block off the areas that were supposed to be reserved. Campsite 42 was not on the list for today. Maybe because it was a full moon reservation and not a specific date? Lauren flipped through December and it wasn’t in there either. She sighed. Lauren went to the main screen and added in the December reservation and it stopped her. Ok. So it's here somehow. Or it wouldn’t have stopped her. But it doesn't show up. It’s hidden. Lauren crossed her arms and dropped her head down. She wasn’t completely computer illiterate but she really didn’t know how to see this. The last guy, Jim? Jim. That guy must’ve done something to the computer system. Why would he have done that? He did all the reservations. Unless he didn’t want the company itself to see. They could log in through the main office and see what was going on up here. There was another location they owned and the computer program was designed to work with that one. Lauren shook her head and sighed. Maybe she could get ahold of Steven and ask about Jim.
Lauren opened Jim’s binder again. There were only a few regulars that didn’t have reservations that showed up in the company system. By the time she was done it was dark outside. Lauren sighed and shut everything down. She locked up the office displaying the note to ring the doorbell. The doorbell that alerted her phone to a visitor that would need checked in. Lauren wasn’t worried about it, not in November. It was warmish for November but still cold. No one hunted up here because it had too many people walking up the trails, further out maybe but they would rent a cabin ahead of time if they stayed up here and on the weekends.
Lauren went into her kitchen and got a jar of chili out of the fridge. Cora had made some and sent it home with her after Saturday dinner a few weeks ago. It was easy to heat up. She got a glass of wine and started a fire in the fireplace to warm the house up. She turned the tv on and laid across the couch until she could smell the chili. She’d had a bus day and found herself drifting off before she’d finished eating so she cleaned up and took herself to bed.
Lauren found herself awake in the forest. Barefoot. It was silent. Completely silent. Lauren cautiously spun around trying to get her bearings. She saw movement off to the right. Her heart stopped, she looked over trying to make sense in the dark. Something moved next to the trees, an animal? Lauren took a step toward it without thinking.
Someone or something stepped out wearing an animal skull. Deer? Lauren couldn’t think through her fear. The clothes were baggy and run down. Like a t shirt over loose black pants tied up with a rope and black cardigan. With a black long jacket.
“Who are you?” Lauren asked, dazed.
“I should ask you the same thing. Where is the keeper?” The thing asked, but it wasn’t said aloud, she heard it in her head.
“I-I don’t know. I just got hired here a few months ago. My friend's friend helped me get the job.”
“Then the Keeper sent you here.” The thing insisted
“I don’t think so, the man before me, I didn’t know him.”
“I see. What did they tell you about this place?” The thing asked, circling her. Lauren realized it was tracing her with a skeletal finger.
“How to take reservations and how to clean.” Lauren murmured, trying not to look as scared as she felt.
“I could tell you.” The thing offered. Lauren felt her anxiety rise up and suddenly felt like she needed to be gone. She shouldn’t trust this thing, whatever it was.
“Um, no thanks.You could-could tell me who you are though.” Lauren said instead
“I’m insulted is what I am. You’ll have to figure out who on your own.” With that he was gone and she was in bed sitting up breathing hard. The raspy voice still echoing in her head.
Lauren blinked. A dream. It was a dream. But it had felt real. She checked her feet and saw that they were clean. A dream.
Lauren’s whole day was off after that. Everything looked sharper almost and she found herself pinching her arm to make sure she was actually awake. She avoided the tent sites circling around with the Helgas but found herself inspecting the rest of them carefully, unsure of what she was looking for. After that she rode down to the cabins and did a quick inspection, checking the windows for torn screens and the doors for any sign of break in, double checking the lock. All good. Lauren was done early and decide to walk one of the trails to shake off the oddness. There weren’t a lot of trails she hadn’t already walked so she picked one of the harder ones and grabbed her backpack with snacks and water.
In the months since moving up here she had grown stronger from the work and the access to trails. Anytime she felt herself slipping into a depressive episode or started thinking too much she would go on a long trail and try to exhaust herself. At some point she had started running in the mornings although had stopped in the last few weeks because of the cold and how long it took the sun to rise. Lauren ran a few miles awkwardly with the backpack and then slowed. There was a not well used trail off to the side. She was certain she was still on the company's property but had not seen this one before so she cautiously went off the main trail and headed down it. It didn’t take long for it to grow darker with the trees overhead. There were still nature noises but they seemed almost muted. Lauren pinched her arm just to make sure, it definitely hurt. She was definitely awake. Lauren pulled her camera out of her bag and began snapping pictures of the area around her, partly to remember where she had come from and partly because she was in awe of the area around her. It was beautiful out here and the trees made her feel small and light. She checked her phone and saw that it was nearing dark. She stopped and drank some water before turning around. Lauren moved at a brisk pace as she headed back and almost missed the flash of light off to her left. But as such she had just managed to catch it and it stopped her in her tracks.
“Hello?” Lauren called out, if it was a hunter she had run into, which she didn’t think it was, not as close to the campgrounds as they were, but if it was she wanted it clear they were dealing with a person. No one answered her though. She hesitantly stepped off the trail and walked toward it. She couldn’t think of anything that would flash out here. Cameras? She wasn’t aware of any out here but it had never occurred to her to ask anyone. Regardless, she should check to see if it was a camera before she asked about there being any. She came to a massive tree. She craned her head back and light hit her eyes so that it was difficult to make out the top of the tree. The branches started low giving her a compulsion to climb upwards. Off to the side of it the roots rose up seeming to form a circle. Lauren took a few pictures of it without thinking. She got as many different angles as possible. She had seen roots that came out of the ground but had never seen one that formed a perfect circle. Lauren looked around and realized that it was dark now, she checked her phone and saw the battery was almost drained. She had been here for 3 hours. Lauren blinked and shook her head. 3 hours? That was impossible. She started shaking and spun around when she realized how silent it was, even for night time.
SNAP
Lauren gasped and took off running. She didn’t think about anything other than heading back in the direction she had come. Adrenaline coursed through her and she felt like she was running faster than she had before. It was dizzying how sharp everything was and how fast it seemed to go by her. She hit the main trail and kept running. She could feel her energy start to dip and she pushed herself harder. By the time she emerged from the woods she fell on the ground sobbing and gasping for air. She grabbed a fistful of grass with one hand and put her other palm to her mouth to stifle the sobbing, screaming sounds she was making. It felt like an hour of laying on the ground trying to collect herself. It was one of the Helgas that found her.
“Are you ok? Ma’am? Guys! She’s out!” Lauren heard the thinner of the group yelling for her friends to come help The 4 of them lifted her to a sitting position and tried to get her to respond. Eventually Lauren started to come to and her breathing returned to normal.
“What happened? “ The dark haired one asked firmly,
“N-n-nothing. I-I-I don’t know. I was in the woods and I heard… I don’t know. I’m so sorry, I have no idea what came over me.” Lauren stuttered. Trying so hard to reign her emotions back in. “Nothing, I just lost track of time there and I guess I got myself spooked. I have quite the imagination. What are you guys doing here? Was there something you needed?”
“We came up to see if you were ok, we were doing a little night hiking and saw you running and we followed you.” The dark haired one said. Lauren thought she was lying but didn’t know why she thought that.
“I could use some wine honestly, would you 4 like some wine?” Lauren felt like she was drunk as she walked back to her back door, the short one linked her arm in Lauren’s and walked with her steadying her.
“Wine sounds nice, we have some back at camp, we could get ours and bring it back.” She told Lauren in a soothing voice. A mom voice.
“Nonsense. I always stock up in town, I have plenty. I’ll get a fire going and-”
“We can get the fire, you get the wine and Addy here will help you bring out the glasses.” The dark haired one gestured to the short one who smiled and headed toward the door to open it for Lauren.
Lauren had 2 wine glasses and used regular glass cups for everyone else. She grabbed a couple bottles of red wine she’d gotten clearanced out after Halloween, the bottle had a blurry outline of trees and Lauren had felt it looked so magical she’d bought 6. Of course it wasn’t her favorite so now seemed like a good time to try to offload a little.
“I’m Lauren by the way, I know that’s Addy, who are the rest of you?” Lauren asked as she and Addy passed out glasses and poured wine in front of the fire.
“I’m Sara. “ The dark haired one said taking a generous drink from her cup
“I’m Therese.” The blond smiled and waved,
“I’m Rian.” The thin one said, pronouncing it Ree-ann.
“Is this a girls trip? I hope I didn’t mess anything up.” Lauren asked, pulling her blanket from the house tight around her. The fire was nice and warm but not warm enough to fend off the November chill.
“You didn’t mess anything up, honestly we were hoping to speak with you anyway. We knew Jim fairly well, I guess as well as you can know someone you only see 3 times a year. He had a pretty good idea of what he’d signed up for when he started but we got the feeling you didn’t and we were curious.” Sara said, watching Lauren’s face intently.
“I guess I don’t. I’m not sure what you mean.” Lauren said, wondering if they were crazy. The witchy types who came out here to dance naked in front of a fire and sing before going back home to suburbs and corporate lives with toddlers and teenagers. Lauren had dealt with those types over the summer but not very many.
“Well how did you get the job?” Therese asked, spinning the wine in her glass like she’d already had a few before they started.
“A friend of a friend. I was looking to make some changes in my life and he thought I would be a good fit here.”
“The Keeper?” Sara asked, leaning forward.
“I don’t think so. He just seemed like a regular guy. Who is the Keeper? “ Lauren asked nervously. The woods looked darker and it occurred to her that she didn’t know if she could beat them back in the house if she wanted to run. Then she remembered the Keeper comment from her dream, now hazy but still there.
“The Keeper doesn’t do a whole lot from what I can tell, not directly I mean. He just keeps information and contacts who he needs. He got Jim hired on, we don’t know much about him, we’ve personally not seen him ourselves. We’re not sure if he changes every so often but as far as we know it’s been the same person always. These woods are full of magic you see and not all of it is good magic. “ Sara explained. “We come out 3 times a year to make a blood sacrifice to Eglas. He or She, is a … something. Hungry mostly. Instead of one person we use 4 or 5 sometimes. Same amount of blood and no one dies. Occasionally one person will donate more for a favor but it’s not often.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Lauren said dumbly.
“He/She said they came to visit you last night. They said that you didn’t know much about your job. Eglas seemed very angry so we came to help you” Rian told her.
“There’s not much to your job. You keep the grounds maintained and then you make sure that we are able to do our work. I don't know what else is in the woods but I know about Eglas. My family has for at least a century come out and offered blood to keep Eglas satisfied. When they started settling the area, they disturbed a lot of spirits. Eglas was curious and found the taste of human blood to be… good I guess. Eglas would go into homes and take people, in the beginning it was a lot. Most families fled the area, but the ones who stayed came to Eglas one night and offered to give him what he wanted if he backed off. Or she, really Eglas has no real gender. It’s a fairy or demon, I’m not sure. Either way, Eglas was satisfied with a person a year but that got old quickly, not a lot of people lining up to do that obviously, they really weren’t getting a lot out of that deal back then, they could farm the land peacefully and that was it. One day a young farmer offered himself but when it came time he talked Eglas into changing the deal, a little from the strongest men in town. Eglas got the best there was and it was willingly. Eglas threw in the part about 3 times a year since the body wasn't included in the deal. That’s the lore anyway.” Sara told her story well, moving her hands and body, changing her pitch like a natural born storyteller.
“I think fairy because it makes the most sense with the woods and the deal making. You don’t have to believe us yet, you will eventually, but we come out here and do our ceremony and leave.” Addy told her.
“That sounds, nice.” Lauren said hesitantly. She drank more and could already feel the events of the afternoon fuzzing away.
“He’ll come to you again tonight, you’ll know who he is now. “ Therese said, smiling nicely.
“And you’ve done your ceremony already?” Lauren asked, trying to see if there were cuts visible. The girls nodded and Addy pulled her pants down showing off a long cut on her thigh. Lauren hissed through her teeth at the sight of it.
“Oh it’s not so bad. It hurts but it always heals quickly like it was never there. “ Addy assured her.
“Jim knew about this? “ Lauren asked, remembering a note in the binder about them being .
disturbing or something
“Yes, he did.. He knew before he started though. It kept him safe. We were a little worried that leaving you to the wolves so to speak, that you wouldn’t survive.” Rian explained.
“I’m afraid I’ve worn myself out. I think I’ll go to bed.” Lauren said, getting up carefully. The women were nice company and Lauren couldn’t think of the last time she had sat around the fire with anyone, but the conversation made her nervous. They looked at each other and nodded.
“We leave early tomorrow but I’ll leave my card on your door, you can call if you need anything.” Sara assured her.
Lauren didn’t get into bed as much as she collapsed into it. Her legs ached already and she knew that she wasn’t getting around much tomorrow. Between the wine and adrenaline wearing off, Lauren was able to fall asleep quickly.
She was out in the woods again. She must be dreaming because she wasn’t hurting.
“Do you know who I am?” The creature asked in her head again. Lauren couldn’t see the creature but didn’t feel the need to look for it either, just stood waiting.
“Eglas.” Lauren answered out loud. There was a chittering sound that somehow sounded pleased.
“Smart woman. I have been watching you.”
“I’d prefer you didn’t.” Lauren said dryly.
“You have questions.” Eglas stated.
“I can find answers.”
“I can give you answers if you ask me. It’s easy.” Eglas encouraged.
“Nothing is ever free and I have no intention of indebting myself to you. Accidentally or otherwise.” Lauren said, making herself clear. Eglas chuckled out loud and Lauren heard a swooshing through the trees. Lauren involuntarily shuddered.
“Have it your way, but you know where to find me.” Eglas said.
Lauren woke up the next morning as sore as she thought she would be. She managed to drag herself out of bed and to the bathroom and pulled on sweats that could pass as clothes. She thought that was the advantage of getting older, no one expected as much fashion wise. Lauren considered sitting on the stairs to go down but pushed through each painful step until she was in the kitchen. Ibuprofen and a freezer meal with a bottle of wine and she headed to the living room. She’d be close enough to answer any visitors if they came but she could sleep on the couch or watch tv. Lauren couldn’t find anything interesting on tv, or not enough to block out the clear dream she’d had last night that seemed to stick to her. When the ibuprofen kicked in she felt good enough to sit up, she looked around the room and noticed the bookshelf was getting dusty again. There were books on the shelf that had come with the place but Lauren had never really looked at them before. After flipping through movie selections and still not seeing anything she could find any interest in she got up and wandered over to the shelf. Reading the titles she figured out why she hadn’t wanted to read them before. History of the area mostly. Then a book about ghosts in the area, that sounded like it could be interesting. When Lauren was a kid she devoured books about ghosts. Next to it was a book without a title, it was slim and blended with the other books well. Lauren grabbed it as well, mostly curious. She settled back on the couch and pulled the blanket around her. The book was interesting, the usual ladies in the woods and drowned men, children warning of danger. Then there was a chapter that mentioned Elgas.
TRANCHLURE
He arose from the mud, hungry,ravenous.
He crept through the trees and on the strange mist observant first.
When the people came and Eglas fed He found a way to satiate the hunger and then slept for years and was awoken
He massacred the nearest town and those who lived in the woods found a way to drive him back into the caves, not dead but mostly sleeping until someone falls into his cavern, never to return.
Was it about Eglas? She didn’t think so.
Lauren went into the office and grabbed the binder that mentioned the Helgas. Even the binder was coded though obviously.
With her limited knowledge though she was thinking that they were groups of worshippers coming to celebrate differently. Lauren wondered if she could order some books on astrology to understand it better.
She opened up another book on fairies, but this had highlighted sections. A recipe for some kind of tea to see fairies. In the side there were some notes on things to leave out around the forest, offerings for the spirits. Lauren traced the handwriting and wondered if it was Jim who had written it or someone else. Apples was what it said.
There was a ring telling her someone was here. Lauren got up again carefully and headed in to the office. A man with a sleepy toddler on his shoulder stood waiting. He looked haggard and nervous.
“Cabin?” Lauren asked softly.
“Uhm, yes please.” He said.
“Any preference? You kind of have your pick this weekend.”
“Something toward the back.”
“Alright, cabin 15, more towards the middle honestly but it branches off so it’s a little more secluded?”
“Yes sounds fine. ‘
Lauren handed him his keys and a small map and sent him on his way, she then hobbled back to her couch. Sighing, she went back to the original book and started a story about a woman who had gotten lost in the forest and run into a sprit offering wishes. A wispy in between soul. Lauren noted that the spirit could be found by a landmark she knew. Slowly she started to doze.
Again she found herself barefoot in the forest.
“Hello again.” He or she whispered in her head
“Hello. Why am I here again?” Lauren asked dreamily.
“Because I am a generous soul. The man came today to ask for a favor from the fairies, he bought his offerings but he failed to realize he had put his daughter in danger. She’s gifted, she’s why he knows to come here. She’s also hit the magician and witches' radar, he needs protection.”
“Ah, and why do you care? There’s always a price.”
“I’ll protect her, for a price, obviously, just a little blood offering. From him if that isn’t clear. I need you to go and tell him my offer before his daughter is spirited away. Awaken now.”
Lauren woke up suddenly, she was annoyed and irate at being ordered around. But she got up and found a card that Sara had offered her the night before. Nervously she rang the number.
“Hello?” Sara answered.
“It’s Lauren, are you far away? “ Lauren asked, wondering how her rational world had changed in such a short span of time.
“Not far at all, maybe a mile.”
“Eglas, came to me, he wants to offer his services to a new camper here.”
“We’ll turn back around immediately.”
A few hours later Rian stood at the office smiling.
“It’s been taken care of, I didn’t realize what you being here meant. You’re the new Keeper.” Rian looked on at her with admiration.
“I don’t think so.” Lauren said firmly.
“You are, whether you know it or not, that’s why you’re here. Eglas might’ve told you that was why he was coming to you but he told us.” Lauren didn’t like the culty feeling she was getting off of Rian right now.
“Well, I don’t know what that means, I’m a caretaker, a well paid caretaker. Not a Keeper for things I don’t believe in. “
“I don't know much about the Keepers, but I have a very strong feeling that you should find the person who sent you here and ask some questions. I don’t know as much as the other girls about the magic in the forest but I do know that the fairies have an affinity for ceremony.”
After a few days of thinking, Lauren finally made a call to Eric. Eric was due up today.
Eric came to the regular front door instead of the office door.
“You’re the Keeper.” Lauren said without saying hello.
“Yes. Jim was a Keeper as well, but he… Well he isn’t anymore. You are up for the position obviously. I’m assuming you brokered a deal for someone out there if you figured it out. Which is accepting the position.”
“I don’t know about any of this. Eglas came and told me a girl was in trouble. I offered protection through another group that I know offers blood sacrifices. I feel like I’m too old to be any sort of Keeper. “
“Well it’s in your blood. That’s part of the reason you were chosen. The night you came to me I had a day of signs, then I heard about Jim. I was thinking of sending another established Keeper to this area and then I saw you. One big sign. I watched you for a few days and then I made the decision to send you up here. You have done very well so far. “
“Is there like a meeting for this? An instructional booklet? “
“I’m guessing Jim left a book of notes behind. He was good about notes in his day and when he realized he was coming to an end he told me he would leave things behind for whoever came next. I’d just look for books and binders.”
“But I don’t understand it.”
“Well you’ll have to learn fast”
“Rian said there was likely a ceremony.”
“There is an introduction. You’ll spill your blood by a great tree that connects all of the mountain. You’ll be recognized and the creatures will know to come to you.”
“What kind of fairy tale is this?”
“The kind that you’re a part of. “
“If it’s in my blood shouldn’t I know something?”
“I guess not.”
Lauren stood in front of the tree on the next full moon, freezing and nervous. The Helgas joined her for emotional support. Lauren held a sharp knife and sliced her hand to let the blood flow over the ground. Energy started from the ground and worked its way up her feet and through her body. With her feet firmly planted it felt as if she came up out of her body and rose above the trees, like looking through a microscope if she concentrated on a certain area she could see everything going on. At first she thought she saw people, but it was much too late for that. They were creatures. They roamed and played. I could see everything.
Welcome to Camp Thellgar

As we all know, Miranda Cosgrove and Jerry Trainor went on to play Carly and Spencer in iCarly. But I just realized, if I'm not mistaken, Megan and Crazy Steve never interacted with each other in any episode of Drake and Josh. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Carnivallium

• Bad Feeling (Oompa Loompa) by Jagwar Twin
• BOUNCE by BOYFRIEND
• Breaking your heart by Apache 207
• Carousel by Melanie Martinez
• Chained To The Rhythm by Katy Perry ft. Skip Marley
• CIRCUS by Stray Kids
• Daylight by Harry Styles
• Enjoy The Ride by Krewella
• Fantasy by Mariah Carey
• Give It To You by Jordan Knight
• Jackpot by Block B
• La La Love by WJSN
• Lady Marmalade by Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya, P!nk
• Lock Me In by Circus Mircus
• MADE IN ITALY by Rosa Chemical, Bdope
• Mesmerize by Ja Rule ft. Ashanti
• My Way by Usher
• Smile by Katy Perry
• Trampoline by SHAED
• Who Knew by P!nk
• XO by Beyoncé
• Zimzalabim by Red Velvet

Cyberfunk

• Alive by Krewella
• All This Love by Robin Schulz ft. Harlœ
• Around The World by Daft Punk
• Be Who You Are (Real Magic) by Jon Batiste, J.I.D, NewJeans, Camilo
• Bist Du Okay by Mark Forster, VIZE
• Bling Bling by ALTÉGO
• Blow by Ke$ha
• Boom Boom Pow by Black Eyed Peas
• Bulletproof by La Roux
• Can't We Pretend by P!nk ft. Cash Cash
• Check It Out by will.i.am, Nicki Minaj
• Come Dance With Me by DJ Roc
• Commander by Kelly Rowland ft. David Guetta
• Cooler Than Me by Mike Posner
• Cry For You by September
• Different Shapes by Frequent Flyer
• DNA by Craig David & Galantis
• Everybody by Nicki Minaj ft. Lil Uzi Vert
• Fast Forward by JEON SOMI
• Five More Hours by Deorro x Chris Brown
• FUTURO by Mark Matt
• Get Up by Imagination Movers
• Grand by Kane Brown
• Green Waves (Зелёные Волны) by Zivert
• GUARANTEE (SUMMER MIX) by Black Eyed Peas ft. J. Rey Soul
• Higher Power by Coldplay
• I Cry by Flo Rida
• I Don't Wanna Wait by David Guetta & OneRepublic
• I Don't Want It To Stop by Harlin James
• I Remember by deadmau5 & Kaskade
• Imma Be by Black Eyed Peas
• In The City by Charli XCX & Sam Smith
• Killer by Why So Sad, Kush Kush, Louis III
• LA DI DA by EVERGLOW
• Lights Off by We Are Domi
• Line by Triana Park
• Listen To Your Heart (Furious F. EZ Radio Edit) by DHT ft. Edmee
• Love Again by Alok ft. Alida
• Love At First Sight by Kylie Minogue
• Love Is Gone (Fred Riester & Joachim Garraud Radio Edit Remix) by David Guetta & Chris Willis
• LoveStoned / I Think She Knows by Justin Timberlake
• Lyrics (Лирика) by Filatov & Karas ft. Masha
• Make You The One by XO-IQ
• Midnight City by M83
• Miracle by Cascada
• Music Sounds Better With You by Stardust
• My Life by Nicki Minaj
• Neon Lights by Demi Lovato
• One (Your Name) by Swedish House Mafia ft. Pharrell Williams
• One More Time by Daft Punk
• Play by Jennifer Lopez
• Play It Cool by Steve Aoki & MONSTA X
• Pomegranate by deadmau5 ft. The Neptunes
• Ride It by Regard
• Right Now by Nick Jonas vs. Robin Schulz
• Rock That Body by Black Eyed Peas
• Run Away by Sunstroke Project & Olia Tra
• Scandalous by Gryffin & Tinashe
• Seeya by deadmau5 ft. Colleen D’Agostino
• Shelter by Porter Robinson & Madeon
• Shooting Stars by Bag Raiders
• Slow Down by Selena Gomez
• Speed by Page Kennedy
• Stadium Rave by Mark Governor
• Sweet Nothing by Calvin Harris ft. Florence Welch
• This Girl by Kungs vs. Cookin' On 3 Burners
• This Is What You Came For by Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna
• Time Lapse by TheFatRat
• Turn Me On by David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj
• Turn Me On by Riton x Oliver Heldens ft. Vula
• U Got That by Halogen
• Unity by TheFatRat
• What If by Tokio Hotel
• Who's That Chick by David Guetta ft. Rihanna
• Worth The Risk by Sam Rivera
• Zig Zag by Clarx

Dancity

• "A"-You're Adorable (The Alphabet Song) by Gordon MacRae & Jo Stafford
• (There's Gotta Be) More To Life by Stacie Orrico
• 100 Times by Jax Jones
• 3615 Bonheur by Soprano
• Abracadabra by Wes Nelson ft. Craig David
• All 4 U by Jax Jones
• All For You by Janet Jackson
• All Star by Smash Mouth
• Alright by David Choi
• Ballin' by Mustard ft. Roddy Ricch
• Bellyache by Billie Eilish
• Better Place by *NSYNC
• Breaking Me by Topic, A7S
• Can't Stay Away by Darin
• Celeb by PSY
• Chariot by Gavin DeGraw
• Children's Story by Slick Rick
• Club Can't Handle Me by Flo Rida ft. David Guetta
• Crank That (Soulja Boy) by Soulja Boy
• Dance The Night by Dua Lipa
• Day 'N' Nite by Kid Cudi
• Days Go By by Dirty Vegas
• DEBT by Shalco, Tianda
• Desculpa Por Eu Não Te Amar by Thiago Pantaleão
• Disko by LPS
• Don't Tell 'Em by Jeremih ft. YG
• Downtown by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Eric Nally, Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee & Grandmaster Caz
• Electric Energy by Ariana DeRose, Boy George, Nile Rodgers
• End Of Beginning by Djo
• Everybody by Justice Crew
• Exceptional by Babyface
• Face Off by Tech N9ne ft. Joey Cool, King Iso & Dwayne Johnson
• Fake It by Tauren Wells ft. Aaron Cole
• Far Away by Nickelback
• Find Your Love by Drake
• Fireworks by Purple Disco Machine ft. Moss Kena & The Knocks
• GASLIGHT by INJI
• get him back! by Olivia Rodrigo
• Get This Party Started by P!nk
• Gigolo by Nick Cannon ft. R. Kelly
• Going Big by Via The Great
• Happiness by Alexis Jordan
• Happy Song by Kaash Paige
• Hard 2 Forget by Steps
• Here by Alessia Cara
• Hero by Chad Kroeger ft. Josey Scott
• HUMBLE. by Kendrick Lamar
• I Don't Believe You Want To Get Up And Dance (Oops, Up Side Your Head) by The Gap Band
• I Live My Life by Pearls Of Ibiza
• I Wrote A Song by Mae Muller
• If Everyone Cared by Nickelback
• I'm Every Woman by Whitney Houston
• In The Morning by Jaded
• International Love by Pitbull ft. Chris Brown
• Intuition by Jewel
• Intuition by Selena Gomez & The Scene ft. Eric Bellinger
• It Is What It Is by Jenna Raine
• Jump by Flo Rida ft. Nelly Furtado
• JUST DANCE! by Travis Japan
• Just Got Paid by Sigala, Ella Eyre, Meghan Trainor ft. French Montana
• Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down
• L.O.L. by Sinai Rose
• Leave (Get Out) by JoJo
• Let's Have A Ceili by The Wiggles
• Lie To Me by Mikolas Josef
• Life by Des'ree
• Life by Zivert
• Lighter by Nathan Dawe x KSI
• Like A G6 by Far East Movement ft. The Cataracs & DEV
• Like I Love You by Nico Santos, Topic
• Live My Life by Far East Movement ft. Justin Bieber
• Living For The City by Stevie Wonder
• Looking Like This by Lyre Le Temps
• Love Yourself by Billy Porter
• Madrid City by Ana Mena
• Maria by Justin Bieber
• Marry The Night by Lady Gaga
• Me And You by Maejor
• MIC Drop (Steve Aoki Remix) by BTS
• Middle by DJ Snake ft. Bipolar Sunshine
• Mmm Yeah by Austin Mahone ft. Pitbull
• Mona Lisa by Dominic Fike
• Mother by Meghan Trainor
• Move It by Jaded
• My Happy Ending by Avril Lavigne
• Need It by Migos ft. YoungBoy Never Broke Again
• Never Give Up by Sia
• Never Let Me Let You Go by Shawn Hook
• Night Of My Life by DJ Pauly D ft. Dash
• Not My Fault by Reneé Rapp, Megan Thee Stallion
• Not Quite (Не Точно) by ALEKSEEV
• Nothin' On You by B.o.B ft. Bruno Mars
• Oh NaNa by K.A.R.D
• OMG by Usher ft. will.i.am
• On & On by Cartoon ft. Daniel Levi
• Optimistic by Sounds Of Blackness
• Party Like A Rockstar by Shop Boyz
• Perfect by Justin Timberlake, Eric Andre, Daveed Diggs, Kid Cudi & Troye Sivan
• Pink Friday Girls by Nicki Minaj
• Pop by *NSYNC
• Power Ups by RDGLDGRN
• Probably (たぶん) by YOASOBI
• Pub Feed by The Chats
• Ride Wit Me by Nelly ft. City Spud
• Ridin' by Chamillionaire ft. Krayzie Bone
• Rolex by Ayo & Teo
• Save Somebody by Deitrick Haddon ft. Damita Haddon
• Say Hey (I Love You) by Michael Franti & Spearhead
• Set Me Free by Eden Alene
• Shake The Ground by Serge
• Shorty (You Keep Playin" With My Mind) by Imajin ft. Keith Murray
• Show Me by Kid Ink ft. Chris Brown
• Silver Bells That Ring At Night by The Wiggles
• Somebody by Natalie La Rose ft. Jeremih
• Something New by Zendaya ft. Chris Brown
• Sorry For Party Rocking by LMFAO
• Standing Next To You by Jung Kook
• Starlight by The Supermen Lovers ft. Mani Hoffman
• SUCKER 4 GREEN by LIL TAY
• Sunflower by Post Malone, Swae Lee
• Tangled Up In Me by Skye Sweetnam
• That's How You Write A Song by Alexander Rybak
• The Boys by Nicki Minaj, Cassie
• The Breaks by Kurtis Blow
• The DLOW Shuffle by iAmDLOW
• The Judge by Drax Project
• The One That Got Away by Katy Perry
• Thousand Hours by Flight
• Time Of Our Lives by Pitbull, Ne-Yo
• Tonight Again by Guy Sebastian
• Torn by Ava Max
• Trendsetter by Connor Price & Haviah Mighty
• Trumpets Blow by Kierra Sheard
• Turn Down For What by DJ Snake, Lil Jon
• Undress Rehearsal by Timeflies
• Victory Dance by DeStorm Power ft. T-Coles
• Violent Thing by Ben Dolic
• We Run The Night by Havana Brown ft. Pitbull
• Well Hello by Kali J.
• What's The Move by Jafunk, Nic Hanson & NanaBcool ft. Triple H Horns
• Whip It by Nicki Minaj
• Wop by J. Dash
• Yeah 3x by Chris Brown
• yes, and? by Ariana Grande
• You Know You Like It by DJ Snake, AlunaGeorge

Eternyx

• After Hours by The Weeknd
• Bad by David Guetta & Showtek ft. Vassy
• Beautiful Monster by Ne-Yo
• Black And White by Rudy Mancuso & Poo Bear
• Black Magic by Little Mix
• BLACK MIRROR by ONEUS
• Boyfriend by Dove Cameron
• Cruel by Jax Jones
• Dance, Dance by Fall Out Boy
• Dani California by Red Hot Chilli Peppers
• Demons by Imagine Dragons
• Dolls by Bella Poarch
• Emotions by Grant Knoche
• Empty by Jaiden & Boyinaland
• Fighter by Christina Aguilera
• Fill The Void by Alli Fitz
• Fragile by Tech N9ne ft. ¡MAYDAY!, Kendall Morgan & Kendrick Lamar
• Galvanize by The Chemical Brothers
• Ghost by Ava Max
• Ghost by Ella Henderson
• Going Under by Evanescence
• Graveyard by Halsey
• Heathens by twenty one pilots
• Hide Away by SYNAPSON ft. Holly
• I Don't Want It All by Kim Petras
• I Wanna Be Your Ghost (異世界混合大舞踏会) by Gen Hoshino ft. Ghosts
• In The Dark by DEV
• Iris by Goo Goo Dolls
• Joke's On You by Charlotte Lawrence
• Just Wanna Rock by Lil Uzi Vert
• Let It Rock by Kevin Rudolf ft. Lil Wayne
• MANIAC by Stray Kids
• me & ur ghost by blackbear
• Mirror by Lil Wayne ft. Bruno Mars
• Monster by Lady Gaga
• My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up) by Fall Out Boy
• nihilist blues by Bring Me To Horizon ft. Grimes
• No Angels by Justin Timberlake
• Nobody by Skindred
• Paint The Town Red by Doja Cat
• Patience by KSI ft. YUNGBLUD & Polo G
• Psycho by Dixie D'Amelio ft. Rubi Rose
• Push The Feeling On (The Dub Of Doom) by Nightcrawlers
• Quake by Dirty Audio & Slippy
• Rampampam by Minelli
• Rodeo by Lil Nas X, Nas
• Sadie by Lady Heroine
• She Wolf by Shakira
• Sick And Tried by Mad Modishi ft. Dayon
• Somebody’s Watching Me by Rockwell
• Spooky Scary Skeletons by The Living Tombstone
• Streets by Doja Cat
• The Boom Boom Song by Imagination Movers
• The Hills by The Weeknd
• The Perfect Girl by Mareux
• The Wolf by SIAMÉS
• This Kind Of Love by The Future X
• Thunder by Imagine Dragons
• Unholy by Sam Smith, Kim Petras
• VAMPIROS by ROSALÍA, Rauw Alejandro
• Villain by Bella Poarch
• W.I.T.C.H. by Devon Cole
• What I Want by The Living Tombstone
• Wicked Games by The Weeknd
• You Own Me by The Chainsmokers
• ZITTI E BUONI by Måneskin

Floworld

• Centuries by Fall Out Boy
• Circles by Post Malone
• Conqueror by Mali Music
• Crown by Camila Cabello & Grey
• Fuego by Eleni Foureira
• Heart Of A Warrior by Dizzee Rascal ft. Teddy Sky
• INDUSTRY BABY by Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow
• J CHRIST by Lil Nas X
• King by Years & Years
• Kings & Queens by Ava Max
• Legends by Sleeping With Sirens
• Pink Venom by BLACKPINK
• prince of egypt by mofe.
• Roses by Muharram
• Royals by Lorde
• Royalty by Egzod & Maestro Chives ft. Neoni
• Rumors by Lizzo ft. Cardi B
• Samsara by Tungevaag & Raaban ft. Emila
• Trap Queen by Fetty Wap
• Two Princes by Spin Doctors
• Unicorn by Noa Kirel

Melosia Realms

• Baby, I'm Jealous by Bebe Rexha ft. Doja Cat
• Beautiful by Bazzi ft. Camila Cabello
• BIBA by Marshmello x Pritam ft. Shirley Setia
• Big Energy by Latto
• Bom Diggy by Zack Knight x Jasmin Walia
• Breathe by Jax Jones ft. Ina Wroldsen
• breathin by Ariana Grande
• Cinderella by The Cheetah Girls
• Déjà Vu by Beyoncé ft. JAY-Z
• Emotional Prism by Mikazuki BIGWAVE
• Genie In A Bottle by Christina Aguilera
• Good Days by SZA
• Leiser by LEA
• Let Go by Ark Patrol ft. Veronika Redd
• Magic by Kat Graham
• Mandala by KSHMR & Marnik ft. Mitika
• my future by Billie Eilish
• Naturally by Selena Gomez & The Scene
• No Promises by Cheat Codes ft. Demi Lovato
• Not Ok by Kygo, Chelsea Cutler
• Outside by Rhea Raj
• Queen Of Rain by Roxette
• Roses by The Chainsmokers ft. ROZES
• Sign by FLOW
• Sweetest Pie by Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa
• Wild Thoughts by DJ Khaled ft. Rihanna, Bryson Tiller
• Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift
• You Broke My Heart Again by Jax Jones, Teqkoi, Aiko

Sun Horizon

• 1, 2, 3 by Sofia Reyes ft. Jason Derulo & De La Ghetto
• BAILA by Eva Simons
• Beach House by Carly Rae Jepsen
• Body by Loud Luxury ft. brando
• Bubbly by Colbie Caillat
• Caramello by Rocco Hunt ft. Elettra Lamborghini, Lola Indigo
• Chop Life by Gdzilla
• Coco by Jala Brat & Buba Corelli
• Crab Rave by Noisestorm
• Cruel Summer (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift
• Damn (You've Got Me Saying) by Galantis, David Guetta & MNEK
• Danza Kuduro by Don Omar ft. Lucenzo
• Deep In The Bottom (Of Africa) by Monique Bingham, Black Coffee
• deja vu by Olivia Rodrigo
• Diggy Dee by Charly Black, Sak Noel
• Don't Waste My Time by Usher ft. Ella Mai
• Everything About U by IM5
• Feels Like Summer by Childish Gambino
• Hey Ma by Pitbull & J Balvin ft. Camila Cabello
• Hot by INNA
• Hot In Herre by Nelly
• Kute & Neat by Sasique
• Link Up by Ne-Yo
• Living Without You by Sigala, David Guetta, Sam Ryder
• Maan Meri Jaan (Afterlife) by King x Nick Jonas
• Made For Now by Janet Jackson x Daddy Yankee
• MAMIII by Becky G, KAROL G
• Music (Keeps Me Movin') by The Fresh Beat Band
• Mwaki by Zerb ft. Sofiya Nzau
• No Candle No Light by ZAYN ft. Nicki Minaj
• Obsessed by Calvin Harris ft. Charlie Puth & Shenseea
• Ocean Man by Ween
• Outside Vibes by Flight
• Pirate by EVERGLOW
• Pocketful Of Sunshine by Natasha Bedingfield
• RITMO by Black Eyed Peas, J Balvin
• Rush by Troye Sivan
• Savannah by Diviners ft. Philly K
• Sexy Chick by David Guetta ft. Akon
• Soak Up The Sun by Sheryl Crow
• South Beach Stars by Gigi Rowe
• Summer Feelings by Lennon Stella ft. Charlie Puth
• Summer Girls by LFO
• Summertime Magic by Childish Gambino
• Summertime Sadness (Cedric Gervais Remix) by Lana Del Rey
• Take You There by Sean Kingston
• This Summer's Gonna Hurt... by Maroon 5
• Toca Toca by Fly Project
• Together Again by Janet Jackson
• Tourner Dans Le Vide by Brian Michael Hinds
• Turn Up The Sunshine by Diana Ross ft. Tame Impala
• Up All Night by Beck
• Water by Tyla
• Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles

WackyGroove

• 4EVA by KAYTRAMINÉ ft. Pharrell Williams
• Axel F by Crazy Frog
• AY AY AY by QPark
• Banana by The Aggrolites
• Bangs At The Waist (Чупки В Кръста) by Fiki
• Beautiful Mistakes by Maroon 5 ft. Megan Thee Stallion
• Beekeeper (Пчеловод) by RASA
• Betty Boop by Charlie Puth
• Bumble Bee by Bambee
• Chicken Noodle Soup by Webstar, Young B ft. The Voice Of Harlem
• Coincidance by Handsome Dancer
• Crazy Loop (Mm-Ma-Ma) by Dan Bălan
• Cupid by FIFTY FIFTY
• Dessert by Dawin ft. Silentó
• Doctor's Looney Remedy by Parachute Express
• Dogs by IShowSpeed & Kai Cenat
• Doodah by Cartoons
• El Pollito Pio by PULCINO PIO
• Fly Like A Butterfly by Badanamu
• Freaks by Timmy Trumpet & Savage
• Funny Song by Crazy Frog
• FVN! by LVL1
• Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless) by Crystal Waters
• I'm A Banana! (Я Банан!) by PERFAM
• In Style (На Стиле) by Vremya i Steklo
• Made You Look by Meghan Trainor
• Miss You by Oliver Tree & Robin Schulz
• Pancake by Jaded ft. Ashnikko
• Panda by Desiigner
• Play by Jax Jones, Years & Years
• PPAP (Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen) by Pikotaro
• Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop) by Scatman John
• Shake by L.L.A.M.A, Ne-Yo, Carmen DeLeon
• Shut Up Chicken (Just Dance Version) by El Capon
• Soap by Melanie Martinez
• Sour Candy by Lady Gaga, BLACKPINK
• Tootsie Pop by BFFB
• Wonderland by Caravan Palace

Wasterra

• 21st Century Girl by WILLOW
• A Year Without Rain by Selena Gomez & The Scene
• Africa by Toto
• Afterlife by iamnotshane
• Austin by Dasha
• Beautiful Things by Benson Boone
• Big Enough by Kirin J Callinan ft. Alex Cameron, Molly Lewis, Jimmy Barnes
• California Love by 2Pac ft. Dr. Dre
• Down Under by Men At Work
• Feels Right (I Love It) by Flo Rida, Brian Kelley
• Hero by Enrique Iglesias
• I Got You by Bebe Rexha
• Lovers On The Sun by David Guetta ft. Sam Martin
• Pony by Ginuwine
• Sandstorm by Darude
• So Long by Diplo ft. Cam
• TEXAS HOLD 'EM by Beyoncé
• That That by PSY ft. SUGA Of BTS
• The First Cut Is The Deepest by Sheryl Crow
• Try by P!nk
• Vertigo by U2
• Wasted On You by Morgan Wallen
• World On Fire by Nate Smith

Winterhaven

• 7-11 by Eskimo Disco
• All I Have by Jennifer Lopez ft. LL Cool J
• Answer by ATEEZ
• Carol Of The Bells by The Living Tombstone
• Christmas Music by Charles Jenkins
• Cold by Maroon 5 ft. Future
• DJ Play A Christmas Song by Cher
• Doing A Dance by The Wiggles
• Frost (Инея) by #2Mashi
• Frozen by Madonna
• HOLIDAY by Lil Nas X
• ICE AGE by MCND
• Ice Box by Omarion
• Icebreaker by Agnete
• Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms
• Mistletoe by Justin Bieber
• Perfect by Ed Sheeran
• Really Love by KSI ft. Craig David & Digital Farm Animals
• Rockin' On Top Of The World by Steven Tyler
• SHUM by Go_A
• White Night by PSY x Heize

Earth

• (You Are A) Model Human by Jogurt ft. Commander Meouch Of TWRP
• 911 by From The Series "Danger Rangers"
• Another Mistake by YonKaGor
• Bing Bang by From The Series "LazyTown"
• CANDLELIGHTS by Vivziepop
• Caramelldansen by Caramella Girls
• Cuban Pete by Jim Carrey
• Dance Mode by From The Series "Bluey"
• Electricity by 3 Dog Band
• Enemy by Imagine Dragons x J.I.D
• Equestria Girls Forever by My Little Pony ft. Angelic
• Find The Magic by From The Series "My Little Pony: Equestria Girls: Better Together
• Girls Girls Girls by Dolly Style
• Habibi by Dolly Style
• Häschenparty by Schnuffel Bunny ft. Michael Wendler
• I'm On A Yacht by From The Series "My Little Pony: Equestria Girls: Better Together
• I2I by Disney's "A Goofy Movie"
• It's All Up To Me by From The Series "Danger Rangers"
• Jekyll And Hyde by From The Series "Arthur"
• Leave It All To Me by Miranda Cosgrove ft. Drake Bell
• Love Louder by The Meeps
• Love Love Alien (スキスキ星人) by Strawberry Prince
• Make It Shine by Victorious Cast ft. Victoria Justice
• Men In Black by Will Smith
• Monster High Fright Song by Monster High
• My Shiny Teeth & Me by From The Series "The Fairly OddParents"
• No Big Deal by From The Series "Amphibia"
• Nobody Like U by 4*TOWN
• Pingu Dans by Chris Van Tongelen
• Protect Your Ears by From The Series "Danger Rangers"
• Roar by From The Series "The Lionhearts"
• Sidechain Fever by LJ LephemStar
• Sing A Song by The Wubb Girlz ft. Beyoncé
• Skat Strut by MC Skat Kat And The Stray Mob ft. Paula Abdul
• Snuggle Song by Schnuffel Bunny
• So Alone by Anna Blue
• Teenage Crush Chocolate (青春チョコレート) by Strawberry Prince
• The Best Day Ever by From The Series "SpongeBob SquarePants"
• U Know What's Up by 4*TOWN
• VILLAIN by K/DA ft. Madison Beer & Kim Petras
• We Are Believix by Winx Club ft. Elizabeth Gillies
• Wish Now by Star Darlings
• Your Heart by Damien Dawn

Space

• Alien by Sabrina Carpenter & Jonas Blue
• Astronaut In The Ocean by Masked Wolf
• Bend The Knee by Bruno Martini, IZA, Timbaland
• Catchy Song by Dillon Francis ft. T-Pain & That Girl Lay Lay
• Dangerous by David Guetta ft. Sam Marin
• Get Into It (Yuh) by Doja Cat
• Interstellar Simon by Color Theory
• Lucky Stars by Take That
• Meet Me Halfway by Black Eyed Peas
• My Universe by Coldplay x BTS
• Rock It (To The Moon) by RuPaul
• Saturn by SZA
• Shed A Light by Robin Schulz & David Guetta & Cheat Codes
• SPACE MAN by Sam Ryder
• Starboy by The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk
• The 7th Element by VITAS
• The Zeezap Song by The Wiggles
• What It Feels Like by Navos x Galantis ft. YOU
• Woodpeckers In Space by VideoKids

Everywhere

• Back In Time by Pitbull
• Dance And Chant by Yolanda Be Cool
• Let's Go by Calvin Harris ft. Ne-Yo
• World, Hold On (Children Of The Sky) by Bob Sinclar ft. Steve Edwards

In the morning I feel like I’ve slept a month.
It isn’t cold. I’m not dizzy. And Jimmy hasn’t thrown up again. I know I’m not supposed to stop taking my pills all at once, but I don’t feel like I need them anymore. I want to be a good Mom. And a good Mom can’t live in that kind of fog.
I smile at my son, who rubs his eyes groggily from a stool at the kitchen island while I hunt for something to make for breakfast. I barely notice the empty refrigerator shelves when there’s a knock at the door. I leave Jimmy in the kitchen and run to the front entrance where I see a repairman through the side window. I grasp the top deadbolt and attempt to twist, but I must be so weak from being ill—how long have I been ill?—because it won’t budge, and Jimmy calls my name from the kitchen. I shout over my shoulder that I will be right there, only to be interrupted by a voice I don’t recognize from the back of the house.
I look away from the door as Jimmy dashes up the stairs and a woman in a teal suit and heavy gold jewelry marches in high heels up the hall, talking on a cell phone.
“Hey, who are you?” I call out to her. “What are you doing here?”
“I have to call you back,” she says into the phone. “The repairman is here again.”
“Hey!” I holler at the woman who doesn’t so much as look at me as she passes and starts turning each lock on the door, ushering the repairman inside.
Realtor: “Thanks for coming today. We’re expecting heavy foot traffic and I’d like to be able to tell them the whole…issue…is taken care of. By the way…were you the one that found them?”
“Thank goodness you’re here,” I follow at the repairman’s heels as he follows the woman in teal with the gold jewelry down the hall. “It’s been so cold. Every day it gets worse—”
Crew Cut: “Excuse me.”
I’m startled by someone grabbing my arm, turning me away from the repairman and the woman who shouldn’t be in my house that is leading the way to the basement.
“What? Who are you?” I demand, ripping my arm away from a stout woman with a crew cut and serious face. Terror floods my body and I think she must be here to rob me. “What are you doing in my house?”
Crew Cut: “Are you Morgan?”
“There’s nothing here to steal, or can’t you see that?” I shriek, and it’s only then that I realize there’s nothing actually here. From where we stand in the hallway, I can see into the living room where there should be a sofa on the right and a TV mounted on the opposite wall. Both are gone. The room is empty.
“What the hell?” I breathe, spinning into the room that spins around me so fast I clutch the sides of my head to slow it down. When was the last time I took my anti-anxiety medication? The sleeping pills? I can’t remember. The last few days have been such a blur and I’ve slept so long I’m not actually sure what day it is, but I do know that this isn’t right. My TV should be here. My couch should be here—right here. Right where I’m standing in the spinning room. I try to remember the side effects of my medication. Drowsiness. Confusion. Nausea. Dizziness. Operating machinery without memory of doing so. Scary, ridiculous things that I decided were worth the risk when I agreed to take them. But outright hallucinations? I need to call my doctor, then I remember that I haven’t seen my phone since…
Crew Cut: “You okay?”
I scream as I turn and find Crew Cut beside me. Her sharp features have softened with what looks like understanding, but I don’t even understand. Should I know who she is? Should I know why she’s here?
Morgan: “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
Crew Cut: “I’m here for the open house.”
I’m staring at her, mouth gaping, not sure which one of us is the crazy one, when I hear voices down the hall. Two women are admiring the staircase, running their fingers over the spindles and commenting on the sturdiness of the railing.
Morgan: “Hey! What are you doing? Get out, this is my house.”
They continue past the staircase to the other side of the hall, tittering about restored crown moldings before disappearing into the formal dining room.
“Hey!” I chase after them. “Stop! Where do you think you’re going?”
Crew Cut: “Come sit with me for a minute.
Before I answer, Crew Cut takes my arm in her beefy grip and hauls me toward the kitchen. A woman in a pantsuit is coming out of it, taking a video on her phone and muttering things like lovely, and simply gorgeous.
Morgan: “Who is—”
Crew Cut: “Relax and come sit.”
Crew Cut’s heavy hands push me onto a stool at the island, and I grasp the marble, steadying my voice as much as my frayed nerves will allow.
Morgan: “I don’t know who any of you are, but you shouldn’t be here. I’m going to call the police.”
Crew Cut: “Oh yeah? Where’s your phone?”
I won’t meet her gaze when I say, “I’ll find it.”
Crew Cut: “Sure you will.”
Morgan: “It should be on the counter, beside the toaster—”
I stop when I realize the toaster isn’t where it should be next to the stove. Come to think of it, the counters are completely bare when there was supposed to be soap by the sink, a roll of paper towels in the holder, and a Keurig on the coffee bar.
I stand and Crew Cut pushes me back down.
Crew Cut: “Save it. The cops aren’t coming.”
Morgan: “Are you—are you holding me hostage?”
Crew Cut (laughs): “Am I holding you hostage?”
Morgan: “Why is this funny?”
Crew Cut: “Oh honey, I wish it were that simple…No, I’m not holding you hostage. I’m like you.”
Morgan: “What do you mean?”
Crew Cut: “I used to live here.”
Morgan: “What? When?”
More people—what look like two couples under forty—pass by in the hall.
Crew Cut: “Long enough to see many people come and go.”
Morgan: “What are you doing here now?”
Crew Cut (shrugs): “Same as you.”
Morgan: “No. No, I don’t know you. I didn’t invite you.”
She scoffs and I spring from the stool and run toward the people—the outright strangers in my home—and am stopped by a petite woman who appears in the kitchen doorway.
Lyla (cheerily): “Oh, hello.”
Morgan: “What are you doing here?”
Lyla: “Oh, me? My name’s Lyla, and I used to live here, too. I had to come and see how much has changed.”
Morgan: “But this is my home. What gives you the right. What gives any of you the right?”
Crew Cut is directly behind me, squeezing my shoulder. Her touch is friendlier this time, but still infuriating.
Crew Cut: “Better take that seat, sister. Wait for the traffic to die down.”
Morgan: “The only one who should even be here is the repairman. Where the hell did he go? He needs to fix the heat—"
Lyla: “Oh dear.”
Crew Cut: “Come. Sit.”
Morgan: “Get your hands off of me! I need my phone. I need the police.”
It’s hard to think, hard to breathe with one particularly strong woman at my back insisting I sit, and another at my front blocking the way. This can’t be happening. Maybe this isn’t happening. Maybe I am going crazy.
Morgan (cries): “Why are you in my house?”
I see a glimpse of the repairman heading down the back hall to the basement. With a mighty heave, I shove aside the petite woman—Lyla—and chase after the repairman. He’s the only part of this—whatever this is—that doesn’t feel completely insane or like some kind of terrible nightmare. I’m sure he’s the only one who can help me.
I don’t think about the basement, the fire. I need to get to him, to ask him what’s going on, as if he’ll know. Lyla catches up with me at the top of the basement stairs and twists my arm.
Lyla: “You don’t want to go down there. Morgan—”
I don’t ask how she knows my name or why her eyes are wide with terror. Answers are in the basement, with the man who is finally here to fix the heat. I pull away from Lyla and plunge into the darkness that swallows me whole the second I descend the steps.
Morgan (calls out): “Hello? Sir?”
My voice falls flat, as if smothered by the darkness around me. When I reach the bottom, actual smoke creeps up so suddenly and so fiercely, it clogs my throat as I feel around for the string for the lightbulb. I cough, calling out to the repairman again. There’s no way he can navigate this darkness; no way he can breathe when my own lungs ache for fresh air. Where is he? And where is the string for the light? My fingers finally brush against it, and it takes another few tries to get a grip on it. Then I pull…
There’s a woman standing beside me, her features taut in a horrifying mask of fear and desperation. I see the whites of her bulging eyes, lips curled back from her yellowed teeth in a snarl, cheeks smeared with soot. But it’s the sounds she’s making that steal whatever breath I have left. From between her clenched teeth, guttural moans escape, as if she’s sobbing or screaming around a clamped jaw.
I stumble away from her, toward the room I previously refused to enter. Heat pours from the claustrophobic space, the red walls seeming to pulse and bulge, as if reaching for me. My cheeks flush with more than heat. Fear is thick here. Terror coats my body like an oily, viscous second skin that doesn’t just weigh me down—it pulls me into the small room. The moment I cross the threshold, I’m fully engulfed in smoke, and through the haze I see flames along the walls, spreading toward the center of the room, toward me just inside the door. The heat sears my arms, my face, my legs beneath my pajama pants, and I see two small figures within the flames. Two iridescent balls with flailing limbs that reach for me—
A hand on my shoulder pulls me out. The air is instantly cooler and I can breathe without choking on smoke.
Lyla has me by the arm, yanking me step after stumbling step up the stairs, cursing at me all the way.
Lyla: “We don’t go in the basement. Damnit, we don’t go down there.”
Morgan (coughing): “What was that? What was that?”
At the top, I think I see the desperate, soot-covered woman step into the small circle of light at the foot of the stairs before Lyla slams the door and shakes my shoulders.
Lyla: “That’s Miranda’s place. We don’t disturb Miranda. Do you understand?”
Morgan: “No, no, I don’t understand. Who are you? Who is she?”
Lyla: “She used to live in your house. She lost her children in that room.”
The flailing limbs looked a lot like small arms, I realize.
Morgan: “How? When?”
Lyla: “We leave her alone. She’s gone through enough.”
Morgan: “But why is she in my house? Why are any of you in my house?”
There are so many people here now. I bump into them. They don’t notice me. They’re admiring the molding, the floors, the staircase. They’re eating cookies and reading off pieces of paper. I burst into the kitchen, scream at a couple opening my fridge—my empty fridge—and put my hands on the counter beside the stocky, crew cut woman and yell in her face.
Morgan: “What the fuck is happening here?”
She looks bored, but a hint of sympathy colors her face.
Lyla: “Just tell her.”
Crew Cut rolls her eyes and holds the paper she’s been reading up to me. It’s a picture of my house from the street with a list of specs beneath it.
Morgan: “What is this? Why do you have a picture of my house?”
Crew Cut: “They all do. Look around.”
She’s right. Every person poking through my home does so with one of these papers. They read, compare, write notes. I look again at the paper in Crew Cut’s hands.
It says FOR SALE at the top.
Morgan: “No. No, it can’t. I—I just bought this place. We still live here. We—”
Jimmy.
My heart leaps from my chest as I leap away from the women—the only ones who seem to notice me—and past two biddies admiring the staircase as I throw up myself up it. How could I have forgotten my boy? My precious Jimmy. He’s probably terrified in this house with all these strangers. I am a shit mom. What if something’s happened to him? What if one of these people has hurt him? I can’t let myself imagine it. When I find him—and I will—I will hold him and kiss him and love him until he knows it's going to be OK.
A young couple is skirting the edges of my bedroom, stopping to check out the view from the window.
Morgan (screeches): “Why are you in my room?”
I don’t wait for their answer before I pull aside the sheet to look inside the tent in the middle of the floor.
It’s empty.
I call out his name and rip through the blankets because sometimes he likes to hide underneath them, but he isn’t there. Where else would he be? Maybe someone has hurt him. Oh god…What if….
What if someone took him?
I push through the terror to the hall where I am almost run down by a small, naked girl scampering from the bathroom, leaving wet footprints on the floor.
I holler after her, chasing her into Jimmy’s room. His racecar bed isn’t pressed against the wall where we set it up. The boxes of toys in the corner are gone, and the latest Lego creation, the one that spelled out WELCOME, has also disappeared. There’s no sign of Jimmy or the sopping wet child I followed in here.
A naked child. Why, with all these other people, would there be a naked kid here? What if she’s not here and those pills really are making me hallucinate? It makes more sense than anything else—certainly more than naked kids in the hall or two fully-clothed men sitting in my bathtub, laughing and pretending to sip from imaginary glasses of wine.
If I’m hallucinating, why are there still footprints on the floor? I reach down and touch one and my fingers come away wet. I’m not imagining them or the child that made them, and that’s a problem. And I still haven’t found Jimmy.
I throw open doors until I’ve searched the entirety of the second floor and make my way up the next flight of stairs. There isn’t any furniture on the third floor—never had been. I’m spinning in the center of the empty office space when a new kind of terror strikes.
The roof. The pathways between buildings. The three-story fall to the ground.
“Jimmy!” I scream and rush up the spiral staircase and out the rooftop door. I brace myself for a gust of winter wind that never comes. It should be freezing. The last time I came up here, the cold was blistering. Now—
Now my mind trails past the weather as I turn in a circle, sweeping the roof for any sign of my son. There’s an elderly couple at the front edge, looking down. My god…have they found him?
“Jimmy,” I breathe. When I make my way to them, I’m too afraid to look down. They smile—at each other, not me—and turn to head back inside. They aren’t disturbed as they should be if my Jimmy had fallen. I look over the side and see only the sidewalk and the street lined with budding trees and the first blades of green grass.
Green grass, as if it’s spring.
No, it’s impossible. It’s—a dream. Of course. It must be. It was the only thing that explained the people and the weather and everything else. Women like the soot-covered Miranda weren’t real. Flaming bodies of small children certainly didn’t exist outside of nightmares. I think night terrors was one of the side effects of my sleeping pills, and that’s what this is, and when I’ve exhausted myself here, I’ll wake up in the tent beside Jimmy and I’ll flush every last pill down the toilet. It’s the only thing that makes sense. The only—
Roof Woman: “It isn’t a dream.”
My frantic gaze snags on a woman sitting on a folding chair, her back to me, huddling underneath a blanket.
Roof Woman: “It isn’t a dream. I wish it was.”
I back away from the edge of the roof and she slowly turns to me. She’s not old but not exactly young, with a tired look about her and a deep sadness in her eyes as she appraises me.
“Who are you?” I whisper, but I’m terrified of the answer because deep in my bones, in a place I won’t acknowledge, I already know what she’s going to say.
Roof Woman: “I used to live here…Just like you.”
Morgan: “I—I live here now. My son—have you seen him? I can’t find him.”
Roof Woman: “This is all a little much for the kids. This house is not a great place for children. You’ve heard about the basement?”
The flaming arms reaching for me in a burning room are forever seared into my brain. I realize for the first time that if the basement really was on fire right now, everyone would be leaving. I would be leaving. Why didn’t I try to run outside when Lyla brought me back upstairs? If that fire was real, this whole place would be up in flames by now. It’s just more confirmation that the woman in front of me is wrong and this is a very bad dream.
“I’ve heard about the basement,” I manage to say with a suddenly dry throat.
Roof Woman: “Good. But have you heard about what happened on the roof? The little boy who ran too fast and fell over the side before his mother could catch him?”
My own eyes press out of my skull. She can’t really mean—
Morgan (chokes out): “Jimmy—”
Roof Woman: “His name was Dale. My son was six when he got away from me. Six and so fast. So…fearless.”
Her eyes gloss with tears and she turns away, her gaze lowering to the edge of the roof beside her. There’s a small child’s shoe on the ground beneath her chair, as if it slipped off of Dale’s foot when he went over.
Morgan: “I didn’t…I didn’t know.”
Roof Woman: “How could you? You have your own son to be concerned with. Your own precious boy to keep safe.”
Morgan: “Please…do you know where he is?”
Roof Woman: “We have one job as mothers. When we fail, we never get over it.”
Morgan: “That’s why I need to find him. All these people... It’s not safe here.”
Roof Woman: “No, it’s not.”
She narrows her weary eyes and pulls the blanket tighter around her. For a moment, her sleeve slides up her arm and I see a long, deep scar on her left wrist.
Roof Woman: “Try the closet. For some reason they all like the closets.”
Something has shifted in my body while talking to her. Some of the hysteria has settled. And I’m certain I will find Jimmy in a closet, but…
But I don’t know if finding him will be enough. I wonder if I’ve kept him safe, or if I’ve missed something, some crucial detail that damned us to some terrible fate.
I’m turning down the spiral stairs when I notice two teenagers huddling underneath it, reading something off a piece of paper I assume is the listing of my home that all the other people have.
Teenage Boy: “Okay, okay, so we did the beams in the dining room where that guy hung himself, we got the master bedroom. We got…we got everything except the roof where that kid fell and…the basement.”
The boys are arguing about who should go down to the basement, when their mother—looking frazzled and annoyed—takes the paper from their hands and scolds them for what she calls despicable rubbish, before shoving them out the door. Shaking her head, she balls up the paper and tosses it behind her.
As soon as they leave, I descend the spiral stairs, collect the paper, and open it.
It’s a list with checkmarks down the left side. At the top, in big, bold letters, it says Death-Rowhouse. On the list, in seemingly no particular order, are rooms with a brief description of what has happened there.
Dining Room – January 1, 1930, at approximately four-fifteen in the afternoon, stockbroker James Hollis hung himself from the rafters.
Upstairs Bathroom – September 21, 1990, MaryAnn Wilson, four years old, drowned in the bathtub while her parents had a party downstairs.
Back entrance – May 5, 1983, Dawn Fields was strangled by an unknown attacker just outside the door in the area’s first homophobic hate crime.
Kitchen – February 23, 2019, Lyla Henderson—
Lyla. I stop reading and head for the stairs in the hall. It couldn’t be the same woman who yanked me out of the basement. Despicable rubbish the boys’ mother had said. That’s all this is. A terrible joke.
There are so many people coming in and out of rooms that I don’t notice the wet, naked child running down the second-floor hallway until she almost collides with me. I move out of her way and into a hushed conversation between the same old biddies I saw downstairs. One tips her head until her neck fat collects in a pile under her throat, claiming this house is so reasonably priced because of all the death, while the other tsks and asks her co-conspirator if she really believes all that garbage.
I don’t wait for the other to reply before I push through a family headed for Jimmy’s room and make it to the top of the last flight of stairs. Above the casual din of many conversations I hear shouting—voices I recognize but I’m not sure how. My socks slip on the wood floor at the bottom of the stairs and I trip into the living room where I find a couple screaming the most terrible obscenities at each other. None of the other people touring the room pay the raging couple any attention—not even when she pulls a gun out of her purse and flat out accuses the man of sleeping with someone named Cheryl—
Cheryl. I know that name. I’ve heard it before. But…where?
She has a gun and that should scare everyone. It should scare me. We should all be running for an exit in this house that should’ve burned down from the fire in the basement, but everyone is strolling around like this isn’t madness, like I really am dreaming, and none of it feels real right now so I turn away from the living room—even as I wince at the gunshot that sends no one in a panic—and hurry back to the kitchen where I find Lyla at the counter with Crew Cut.
They look up at me and I slap the paper down between them, smoothing it so they can see what I’ve been reading.
Crew Cut (sniggers): “Death-Rowhouse. Clever.”
Lyla (groans): “Ugh, not this again.”
Morgan: “What is this? What the fuck is happening here?”
Crew Cut: “Just another open house.”
She shrugs and for the first time I notice the purple bruises around her neck.
Morgan (mutters): “It’s the pills. It’s got to be the pills.”
Lyla: “The pills?”
Morgan: “I’ve taken too many. Or they’re too strong. Or…or…”
Crew Cut: “Or it’s the carbon monoxide.”
I stop muttering and look across the island at Crew Cut. At Dawn Fields and the strangulation marks above the collar of her flannel shirt. At Lyla whose blue lips are smiling softly at me, her eyes glistening above dark, haunted circles and gaunt cheeks.
Lyla: “Same thing happened to me. In this very room. Only, mine was intentional.”
I can’t speak. Lyla pushes the paper across the marble countertop to me and I look down.
Lyla in the kitchen. Miranda and her children in the basement. Dale on the roof and his mother Jane in the third-floor bedroom. And then I read…
Master Bedroom – February 28, 2024, Morgan and Jimmy Fraser were found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning when a furnace repairman called in a welfare check.
Morgan and Jimmy Fraser found dead. The coldness in the words seep through my body, through blood and bones and a heart that isn’t beating. For the first time since waking up I’m not dizzy or confused or feigning hallucinations. I can see Lyla and Dawn for the ghosts they are, the dullness that surrounds them compared to the vibrance of the people who move around us like we aren’t even there.
Because we aren’t.
Lyla’s blue lips crack with another try at a smile.
Lyla: “Welcome Morgan. You’re with us now.”
I slowly back away from the island, from Lyla and Dawn, from the sudden smell of natural gas in the kitchen and someone’s comment about the stove being electric now—for safety reasons. I turn down the hall, past a woman shaking her head, telling her husband that something is wrong in the living room. That it just feels off. And it should. There’s a man bleeding out on the floor from a gunshot wound to the chest and his wife is piled on top of him after swallowing her own bullet. As I round the stairs, I catch a glimpse of James Hollis dangling like a worm at the end of a hook from a rope tied to the beams to the left of where the dining room table should’ve been.
On the second-floor landing, a couple is speaking to the woman with the gold jewelry. The realtor. She’s assuring them—and everyone within earshot—that the furnace is being fixed and what happened a few months ago will surely NOT happen again.
A few months ago…when Morgan and Jimmy Fraser were found dead.
There is a boy in the doorway of Jimmy’s room. He’s wearing a winter coat and missing a shoe. When the wet, naked child—MaryAnn—bolts down the hallway again, he catches her and shakes his head. She glances up warily at me, slumps her shoulders, and heads back to the bathroom. The boy retreats into Jimmy’s room and I follow him. He stands a few feet from the closet, staring at the closed doors with his dark, vacant eyes. I pull the doors open and find Jimmy in his Star Wars pajamas on the floor. He looks up at me with dark circles under his eyes, his skin too pale, his lips too blue. My heart shatters because I’ve failed him in the most absolute way, at the only thing I was ever supposed to do: keep my son safe.
He stands as I fall to my knees, and he wraps his thin arms around my neck while I cry. I tried to be a good mom. I tried to protect him from the pain of his father’s loss, from my pain about it. I tried to give him a good life. And here we are…surrounded by—
Ghosts.
I look up and see the boy with the missing shoe—the boy from upstairs whose name is Dale. Behind us, near the bedroom door, Dawn and Lyla wait holding hopeful breaths, Lyla with a tentative smile. I don’t see couples taking notes and photographs of my home, the old biddies gossiping, the teenage boys obsessing over heinous deaths. Our deaths.
The living have gone, and I’ve got Jimmy, and suddenly it hits me. I’m free. We’re free. I don’t need pills anymore. I don’t need to grieve. I’m relieved. Relieved from trying so hard to hold it together and be all things to my son. Relieved from trying so hard to live.
I kiss his hair and promise him that it’s going to be okay, and this time I mean it. We can spend the rest of eternity in this big, beautiful house together, with the other mothers and children, and the women and men who met tragic ends, just like we did, here—in the place where we used to live.