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This story takes place in the same universe as my Were stories, the Academy, and Touching the Moon. The TG elements of this story are much lighter than in most of my other stories. Sier By Morpheus Mrs. Dieter stood by the chalk board in front of the classroom, silently glaring at each of the students with a dark malevolence. She looked to be in her late fifties or early sixties, with her dark gray hair tied back in a strict bun. None of the other students noticed Mrs. Dieter, which may have contributed to her hostility. Of course it may also have had something to do with the fact that she'd died nine years ago. The school legend is that she was in the middle of yelling at one of her students when she'd keeled over from a heart attack. There was a story about her ghost still haunting the school, though no one really believed it...at least no one but me. My name is Efram Savoi, though most of my classmates wouldn't really know my name. Most of them probably just thought of me as 'that emo boy', or even more likely, 'that creepy kid'. When the class ended, I hurried out, ignoring Mrs. Dieter's glare. She knew that I could see her and that I was intentionally ignoring her, which made her glare at me all the more. "Finally," I muttered, thankful that the day was over and I could finally go home. As I stepped out the front of the building, I was suddenly shoved from behind and dropped all the books and papers I'd been carrying. They hit the ground and scattered while my classmates continued walking over them as though they weren't even there. "Fuckers," I spat out bitterly, trying to pick up my books and papers, cursing even more as people continued stepping on them. "Hey, you got a problem, freak?" one boy demanded. I looked up to see Bobby Decker, one of the biggest pains of my life. He wasn't the popular jock that you might assume from his large athletic build or blonde hair. However he was an asshole who seemed to enjoy messing with me. "Yeah, you're standing on my math homework," I pointed out. "Oh, this?" he responded with a smirk, twisting his foot to grind the paper into the ground. I glared at Bobby and asked, "Now why'd you have to do that?" "Ooops, I guess I didn't see it," Bobby told me with a sneer. "Then maybe you should open your eyes," a girl exclaimed as she came over. Julie Fairen stood there with her hands on her hips, glaring up at Bobby without an ounce of fear in spite of the fact that he was quite a bit larger than her. Julie was definitely a redhead, not only in her actual hair color but also in her fiery attitude. "This isn't your business," Bobby told her in annoyance. "Maybe not," Julie told him defiantly. "But I'm here anyway." Bobby and Julie glared at each other for a moment before he said, "Damn, you're gonna make me late for meeting my friends. I don't have time for this." And with that, Bobby hurried off, leaving me alone. "Are you okay?" Julie asked me with a cheerful smile. I just grunted at that, trying not to look at her. Julie was a little on the small side, but she didn't seem to be afraid of anything and had taken it on herself to stand up to the school bullies. It pissed me off to have her thinking of me as some victim who needed her help. "I'm fine," I snapped, grabbing at my papers. "Let me help you," Julie said, helping pick up my books and papers. "You know, you need to stand up to him or he'll never leave you alone." "I didn't need your help," I told her, feeling guilty at the same time. Julie was actually one of the only people in school who was always nice to me, and the truth was, I even had a bit of a crush on her. Unfortunately I knew that she wasn't nice because she liked me. Instead she pitied me and that was something I didn't like. Once all my books and papers had been collected, Julie said, "I heard your birthday is tomorrow. Happy birthday." I winced at that, almost as though I'd been struck. Tomorrow was my sixteenth birthday and I didn't want to think about it. As far as I was concerned, my sixteenth birthday was a day to be feared, not to be celebrated. "Your sixteenth birthday is a special one," Julie said. "You have no idea," I muttered. Then I quickly told her, "I've got to go." I quickly excused myself and started to leave, only to see an owl sitting on the school bicycle rack, watching me. None of the other students who were rushing past seemed to notice the owl at all, though I wasn't at all surprised by that. I nodded to the owl who then nodded back before it flew off, still unseen by anyone else. I shook my head and then began walking home, taking the long way so that I didn't have to go past the cemetery. Walking past the cemetery could be somewhat unnerving for someone like me. Most people had no idea that the human race shared the planet with several other races that had branched off from them a very long time ago. It was believed that these races shared a similar origin, though this was only speculation and no one knew for sure. First there were the Were, people who could transform into animals at night and who'd inspired countless legends of shape-shifters and animal people all across the world. The Touched had access to magic and amazing powers, the kind that almost seemed godlike to mere mortals in the past. These sorcerers could perform feats that were still whispered of in the stories of mankind. And then, there were the Sier. The Sier have existed alongside mankind for longer than any remembered, well before recorded history. Our stories are told in tales of oracles and prophets, of necromancers and priests, of witch doctors, shaman, and many others. Once, the Sier were spread across the world and lived among nearly every culture. Now, our numbers were much more limited. The Sier have a special ability that separates us from the other races, an ability that is both gift and curse. The Sier can communicate with the spirit world that exists within our own. Spirits exist in countless forms and flavors, sharing our world though few besides the Sier are truly aware of them. They exist in different frequencies from the physical world, and often, even each other. Those of strong Sier blood can naturally sense the spirits that are closest to the physical world, though it takes an awakened Sier to do more than that. I was lost in my thoughts for the entire walk home, though I snapped out of them when I reached the small house where I lived. An owl swooped down in front of me and flew to the front door, landing beside my aunt Cassandra. Aunt Cassandra was tall, slender, and just on the plain side of pretty. Her light brown hair had a single lock of white strands in the front, though this wasn't due to age. Aunt Cassandra was only twenty-eight. "You were talking to that Fairen girl again," Aunt Cassandra said as a way of greeting, giving me a disapproving look. I looked to her owl familiar Whisperwing and said, "Snitch." "How many times have I told you to stay away from that girl?" Aunt Cassandra asked in exasperation. "I've told you time and time again...stay away from that family." "I wasn't talking to her," I protested. "She talked to me." Then I sighed. "Besides, I can't just run away screaming whenever she gets close. Everyone at school already thinks I'm weird enough as it is." "I know," Aunt Cassandra said, putting a sympathetic hand on my shoulder. "It isn't easy being the odd one out. Just try and hang in there." After this we went inside and I helped Aunt Cassandra make dinner. Neither of us said a thing about the elephant in the room, the fact that I turned sixteen tomorrow. Julie had been right about my sixteenth birthday being a special one, though not for the reasons she thought. For a Sier, their sixteenth birthday was their coming of age, the day their full Sier powers awoke. It was the day when everything changed. When we'd finished eating, Aunt Cassandra finally brought up the subject. "Tomorrow is going to be very challenging for you," she told me gently. "This won't be easy but you'll have to remember what you've been taught." I nodded at that, then quietly asked, "But what if I end up like my mom?" "You won't," she assured me with a worried look. "Your mom didn't know what was coming and you do." I nodded again, knowing very well that the path of the Sier could be very dangerous. There were very few true Sier left in the world, yet there were also many with Sier blood. People with Sier blood could sometimes see spirits, which was often not a good thing. If they didn't know what they were seeing, they could think themselves delusional. Many of those with Sier blood had been diagnosed with mental illnesses. It could be even worse for true Sier. My mom was one of the many tragedies that came from having Sier blood. Her father, my grandfather, had cheated on his wife with a normal and my mom was the consequence. My mom grew up with no idea that she was a Sier, though she saw things as a child that she couldn't explain. When she turned sixteen and her true Sier nature awoke, things became much MUCH worse. She ended up committed to an institution. While my mom was institutionalized, she became pregnant with me. I have no idea who my father is, though he could have been a doctor, orderly, or even another patient. All I knew was that shortly after my birth, my mom couldn't take it anymore and committed suicide. I was raised by my mom's family, though I made them very uncomfortable. Not only was I a constant reminder of my mother's tragic life, but I could see some spirits too and they feared I was following in her footsteps. When my Sier grandfather was on his deathbed, he confessed his affair and revealed my mother's existence. Aunt Cassandra had been shocked to discover that she had an older half-sister that she never knew about and horrified that she had been left without guidance. She immediately tried to find my mom, only to discover that she was too late. My mom was already dead and I had been left behind, a six year old boy with strong Sier blood and relatives who couldn't understand. My mom's family didn't hesitate to give me over to a complete stranger, as long as they could rationalize it because she was related. They were just happy that they'd found someone who would take me off their hands. Aunt Cassandra raised me after that and I was grateful to her for doing so. She was the only real family I had and the only person in the world who'd ever given a damn about me. "Maybe I won't awaken," I said abruptly, giving Aunt Cassandra a hopeful look. "I mean, I'm not full Sier..." Aunt Cassandra gave me a sympathetic look. "Your Sier blood is too strong for that. You will awaken as a true Sier. There is no escaping that." I nodded, having heard that before. "I'm kind of scared," I admitted. "What if I can't handle it?" "You can," she assured me. "Now, why don't you see if you can get a little sleep before you start." I nodded at that and then went back to my room. I knew I should get some sleep but it was too early and I wasn't tired. Instead, I sat on the edge of my bed, strumming my guitar and thinking about what tomorrow would bring. -------------------- I let out a yawn as I got dressed, throwing on an old t-shirt that had seen better days and staggering out of my room. It was twenty minutes until midnight, the time when my birthday would arrive. I had to be awake and ready when that happened. When I left my room, Aunt Cassandra gave me a reassuring smile. "Are you ready?" "As ready as I'll ever be," I responded with a sigh. Then I grumbled, "Why can't I just stay asleep?" Of course I already knew the answer and was just complaining for the sake of complaining. I thought of it as my responsibility as a teenager. "Because your defenses are down while you sleep," Aunt Cassandra said, giving me the same explanation she had numerous times before. "When you awaken, you need to be ready to deal with it." I went to the kitchen and poured myself a cup of coffee, taking a long drink of it and then pouring the rest of the pot into a thermos. I would need the coffee if I was going to avoid falling asleep. We stepped out the back door and I watched as Whisperwing swooped down and landed on Aunt Cassandra's shoulder. In spite of looking exactly like a real owl, Whisperwing was actually a spirit. An animal spirit. There were countless types of spirits but those who were closest to the physical world often had a symbiotic or parasitic relationship with our plane. Some of the spirits would bond to physical locations and some would bond to living beings. They would take strength and identity from that which they were bonded to and sometimes even provide benefits. Animal spirits were ones that had bonded to animals, assuming the animals form and nature as its own. These spirits would develop an affinity for a specific species and would often bond to animal after animal of that species, reinforcing their own animal identity. Ghosts were not really that much different from animal spirits in nature, only in the form and identity they wore. Ghosts were not the souls of dead humans as most people believe but were spirits who existed separately. These spirits would bond to a human, often drawn by strong emotions, and then feed off their emotions, memories, and identity. When the host died, these spirits would sometimes continue in the form and manner of that host, sometimes even seeming to believe they were that person. "What kind of familiar do you think I'll get?" I abruptly asked Aunt Cassandra. She gave me a gentle smile and put a hand on my shoulder. "You'll find that out soon enough. Good luck." I nodded at that, picked up my lantern and thermos, then walked away from the house Aunt Cassandra. There was a large woods located behind our house with a nice sized clearing just a short distance in. I went to the clearing and then sat down on the ground to wait. It was chilly out here so I wished I'd brought my coat, though I was a little too stubborn to go back for it now. Instead, I sat beside my lantern, staring off into the darkness beyond and trying not to think of the things that might be out there beyond my sight. Some cultures had coming of age traditions where the young men would be sent off by themselves to prove their manhood, find their totem animal, or just to meditate. The Sier have such a tradition, though ours is due for the practical reason that this is a very dangerous time for us and anyone close to us. I didn't have a watch with me but I didn't need one to tell me when midnight came. In an instant, I felt something inside me change. I felt my Sier nature fully awaken. The world opened up around me in a way I'd never imagined. Instead of just seeing spirits, I could sense them as well. When I closed my eyes, I could feel the spirits nearby, even some that were a distance from the physical plane. And after a short time, I realized that I could feel some of them coming towards me. "It's started," I whispered, trying to control my nerves. When a Sier awakens, we not only became more aware of the spirit world, our presence also becomes a beacon which draws spirits to us like moths to a candle. Most spirits normally cared little for humans one way or another, though not all. Some spirits are malevolent and very dangerous. And at the moment, they were coming towards me. This was the point when things became extremely dangerous, not only for the newly awakened Sier, but also for anyone who was near them at the time. This was also the point when my mom went from being a girl who could see things that no one else could to snapping completely. The spirits continued pressing closer and closer, filling my mind with their presence. They were spirits of every type, coming from different planes of existence, and all of them were drawn by my awakened power. For the first time, I could truly understand how this could drive an unsuspecting person insane. More of the spirits kept coming, swirling around me in a dizzying array and overwhelming my senses. I fought against the onslaught, trying to maintain hold of my sanity and sense of self. Aunt Cassandra had warned me of this and had even trained me to survive this trial. The trial of the Sier. My physical senses faded away and all I was aware of was the spiritual realm. I was no longer siting in the clearing or feeling cold. Instead, I was in a void, being surrounded by a swirling mass of spirits. There was only one way to end this, to keep the spirits from overwhelming me and driving me to insanity. I would have to form a bond with one of them. I would have to make a familiar. Taking a familiar was a necessity for the Sier if we wanted to maintain our sanity and control our power. A familiar...be it spirit animal, a spirit guide, or something else, gained strength and power from the bond while giving us focus and control of our power. If done right, it would be a symbiotic relationship that would last for the rest of my life. If done wrong... Bonding with the wrong spirit could be a fate worse than death. Instead of a symbiotic relationship, I could have a voice in my head that commanded me to kill people and commit atrocities. I could end up being possessed, controlled by a spirit that used me as a meat suit to cause havoc. And the spirits of this sort would sometimes try forcing a bond on their own. Then I suddenly sensed a particularly large and powerful spirit coming straight towards me, one that radiated a dark malevolence. I could feel it reaching its dark tentacles to me as it approached. I could feel its hunger. Though this spirit was still a long distance away, one of its tendrils was able to reach me. I felt it probing, pushing to try forming a bond. I grimaced and fought against it with everything I could. "NO," I cried out, knowing that I couldn't bond with this thing. I'd rather die. At the same time, I knew that the closer it came, the harder it would be to fight off. This thing was strong...very strong. "Go away..." Other spirits still swarmed around me and I could even see Mrs. Dieter among them. Most of them seemed content just to be there, observing the presence that had drawn them, though several were following the example of the dark spirit and trying to force a bond. I was able to push off the smaller spirits but the dark one was getting closer...getting stronger. I fought against it with everything I could, feeling its malicious hunger. It was getting harder and harder... I couldn't hold off much longer before it consumed me. "No," I gasped, pushing even harder but failing. Suddenly there was a new presence, a blazing silvery light between me and the darkness. A glowing woman appeared in front of me, wielding a sword in her hand. Without a word she slashed down through the black tentacle that had grabbed me, freeing me from the dark gasp. "I can help you," the woman said in a strange voice, looking straight at me. "We can help each other. You are the one I choose..." Then she held out her hand. I stared at the glowing woman, realizing that she wanted to bond with me. Bonding with a spirit was a serious commitment, one that would last for the rest of your life. Yet for some reason, I felt that this was the right choice. Without further hesitation, I took her hand in mine. The moment I touched the spirit, a burst of power surged into me, almost as though I was struck by lightning. It was her...her presence and power flowed into me, making me scream under the overwhelming sensations before I finally passed out. When I came to, I found myself lying in the middle of the clearing with the sun overhead. I had no idea how long I'd been out of it, but it had obviously been more than a few hours. "Damn," I moaned as I sat up. My body ached and I felt pretty tired, but I still felt a sense of relief. It was over. I'd passed my trial and was now a true Sier. Then I suddenly remembered the woman who'd saved me...the spirit. My familiar. I could feel my bond to her...could feel her presence all around me. Yet when I looked around, I could see no sign of her. "Come out come out wherever you are," I called out, eager to see my new familiar. However there was no response and no appearance. With a sigh of disappointment and a loud yawn, I picked up my thermos and staggered back to the house. I didn't bother looking for Aunt Cassandra and went straight to my room where I collapsed onto my bed. -------------------- I sat on the edge of my bed, taking several deep breaths as I remembered my trial earlier. I remembered all the spirits that had been drawn to me, especially that powerful dark one that had wanted to consume me whole. But most of all, I remembered the beautiful glowing woman who had appeared in front of me. "You saved me," I said, knowing that she had kept that dark spirit from claiming me. "Without you, it would have made me into its bitch." I could feel the spirit here...connected to me in ways that I still didn't fully understand. However I didn't see any signs of her presence. I didn't hear any whisper from her. "Thank you," I said. At that, I felt something...something comforting. It almost felt as though I was getting a hug from within my body. "Do you have a name?" I asked. Again, there was no answer. After a minute, I decided that it was time to go talk to Aunt Cassandra. I was bound to a spirit so was no longer a beacon for every spirit around, but I had yet to actually see my new familiar manifest. Maybe Aunt Cassandra could help me draw her out. I went to the bathroom and took a piss, but when I went to wash my hands, I suddenly caught sight of something shocking in the mirror. I froze, staring at my reflection, or at least the reflection that stared back at me since it wasn't me. "What the hell?" I exclaimed in surprise. Staring back at me from the mirror wasn't my face, but that of a girl. She was beautiful with long hair that was silvery white. Her eyes were a strange frosty blue that were certainly not natural for a human. "It's you," I exclaimed, recognizing the glowing woman who'd appeared before me. Or at least, this looked like a teenage version of her. I stared at the reflection for a moment and then down at myself, terrified for a brief second that I might have turned into a girl. To my relief, I was still my normal male self. I still had my shoulder length dark hair and most importantly, the boys downstairs. "Weird," I said, staring at the girl in the mirror again. When I opened my mouth, she opened hers. When I tilted my head, so did she. I waved in front of the mirror and she waved back, behaving exactly as though she really was my own reflection, with the exception of the fact that she looked nothing like me. I stood back a little so I could get a better look at the girl. She had a great figure, better than any of the girls at school. Somehow she seemed athletic and sexy at the same time, with fairly nice sized breasts. I was no expert but guessed that they were probably about a D cup, bigger than most of the girls at school. "This is you, isn't it?" I asked. To my surprise, the girl in the mirror smiled faintly and nodded before going back to mimicking my movements. "Okay, this is kind of creepy..." I tried talking to my familiar more but she didn't respond any further. The girl in the mirror just continued to mimic my movements as though she really was my own reflection. I left the bathroom and found Aunt Cassandra in the kitchen, making dinner. She paused to stare at me with a look of surprise and curiosity. "Efram," she greeted me with a smile. "I'm glad to see you're up and about. I remember how exhausting my trial was..." "Yeah," I responded with a shrug, trying to act as though it was no big deal. Aunt Cassandra continued staring at me with an odd expression before finally saying, "Your familiar..." "I think she's kind of shy or something," I said, helping myself to a chocolate chip cookie from a plate on the counter. It was recently baked too, probably just a couple hours ago at most. "I can see her when I look in the mirror, but she won't show herself normal" "I...I'm not sure she can," Aunt Cassandra answered carefully. "I can see her...inside your body. She's occupying the same space you are and seems to be fused to you in a way I've never seen..." "Is that good or bad?" I asked, feeling a little concerned. "To be honest," Aunt Cassandra admitted, "I have no idea." I nodded at that, helping myself to another cookie and then telling her about what had happened last night. She scowled when I told her about that dark spirit that had tried grabbing me but seemed fascinated with how my familiar had appeared to me. "That is different," Aunt Cassandra told me when I was done. "Most of the time, you start to feel drawn to one of the spirits that shows up, one that's compatible with you." "Once she showed up, I did feel drawn to her," I admitted. "I just knew she was the one..." Then I paused, realizing how that might sound. "I mean, I just knew she was the one I needed as my partner. As soon as she offered, it just felt...right." Aunt Cassandra nodded at that and smiled faintly. Just then Whisperwing flew across the room and landed on her shoulder. It was the bird spirit's favorite perch, and always struck me as funny. When I was younger, it had made me think of Aunt Cassandra being like a pirate with a parrot on her shoulder. "I just wonder what gift you have," Aunt Cassandra mused, immediately catching my interest. "I was kind of wondering that too," I responded with a nervous grin. When a Sier bonded with a spirit, the spirit became stronger and often gained the ability to interact with the physical world. At the same time, the Sier gained powers as well. Our senses usually became more focused and refined, and we usually gained special gifts as well. Some Sier could see the future. Some could read a person's mind or look into their soul. And some could manipulate probability itself. The gifts that a Sier possessed varied greatly and seemed to depend on the type of spirit they bonded with. Aunt Cassandra could actually see through Whisperwing's eyes, which let her spy on people at a distance without them having any idea. After all, Whisperwing was invisible to anyone but a Sier unless he wanted to be seen. Unfortunately she usually used that to keep an eye on me when I was out of the house. And though Aunt Cassandra rarely used it, she had another gift as well, an affinity for animal spirits that let her sense them far more easily and even communicate with them to a degree. She'd been known to occasionally bribe them to do things for her, such as having a flock of birds shit all over someone's freshly washed car. "Have you noticed anything yet?" Aunt Cassandra asked me curiously. "Only the mirror thing," I said with a sigh. "You know, it's pretty creepy having someone else looking back from the mirror." "I'd imagine," Aunt Cassandra responded with a laugh. "You might not have any choice but to get used to it though." I sat there and talked with Aunt Cassandra for a little longer before getting up and going back to my room. As I passed a mirror in the hallway, I caught sight of my reflection and nearly jumped again. "This is so weird," I muttered, stopping to wave my hand in front of the mirror. The girl on the other side seemed to wave back as she followed my movements exactly. When I got back to my room, I sat down on my bed and thought that I should get to know my new familiar better. She didn't seem to be very communicative so I decided to start. "Um...hi," I said, wondering if I should get a mirror to make this easier. "My name is Efram... I'm not sure how much you know about me yet..." I felt a little silly talking to myself, trying to tell my familiar about who I was. I was hoping that she'd respond and start communicating with me too, but there was nothing. I finally gave up trying to talk to her and just picked up my guitar and began to play. I had never played with anyone else and never really expected to do so. However this was how I liked to relax and calm my mind. While I played, I was startled to realize that I could feel something from my familiar, a sense of appreciation and interest. I smiled at that and continued to play, excited that I was getting through to her. "So you like that," I asked when I paused. I felt a sense of agreement from within and grinned. "Good. This just might work out after all..." And with that, I went back to playing. -------------------- I let out a loud yawn as I walked into school. I hadn't slept very well last night due to a lot of strange dreams. I couldn't quite remember what any of them were, only that they were trippy. It was the day after my birthday, and after calling in sick yesterday, I was back. I wasn't exactly thrilled about it, but school wasn't going to go away just because I now had a familiar. I was on my way to my first class when I heard someone call out my name. I paused, immediately knowing who it was since only one person in the school seemed to even know my name. "Efram," Julie repeated as she came towards me down the hall. "Julie," I responded with mixed feelings. She was really cute so I liked talking to her, but I always had a feeling that I was being set up or about to get in trouble. I quickly looked around, relieved that I didn't see Whisperwing. I knew that Aunt Cassandra didn't want me talking to Julie, but it was hard to walk away from her when she was the only one at school who would actually take the time to talk to me. "Well, late happy birthday," Julie told me cheerfully. I just grunted at that. "Thanks." "I noticed you weren't here yesterday," Julie teased me. "Taking the day off for your birthday?" "Something like that," I admitted, though I certainly wasn't about to tell her why. Somehow I didn't think she'd understand that I spent half the day zoned out of my mind while talking to spirits. "I wish my parents would have let me take my birthday off," Julie told me with a grin. I gave her a nervous smile before hesitantly asking, "When was your birthday?" "Two months ago," Julie answered cheerfully. "My dad bought me a car for my sixteenth birthday..." Then she shrugged and admitted, "It's kind of a piece of crap, but at least it's a car." "Cool," I agreed, wondering what it would have been like to get a car for my birthday. Instead I got a spirit familiar and a girl in my mirror. I chuckled faintly as I remembered trying to brush my teeth and comb my hair this morning before coming to school. It was weird doing that when I had the girl looking back from the mirror instead of myself. Still, I managed well enough. Suddenly Julie saw one of her friends and called out, "Hey Melanie..." She waved to her friend, then told me, "See ya later..." And with that she rushed over to talk with the other girl. Once Julie was gone, I continued to my first class, passing Mrs. Dieter in the hall. Mrs. Dieter gave me her usual glare before she walked through a closed door and vanished. "I wonder if she's mad that I didn't pick her," I mused with a chuckle. I shuddered at the idea of bonding her with her as my familiar. That wouldn't have been a pleasant partnership. Just as I reached my first class, someone shoved me from behind and I fell face first onto the floor. I didn't see who did it, but I heard the exclamation of, "Watch where you're going, emo boy..." "Bobby," I muttered in annoyance, immediately recognizing the asshole's voice. I felt a stirring echo of annoyance from my familiar as well, which was comforting in a way. At least the two of us were on the same page when it came to Bobby. When I got back up, Bobby had already gone, much to my relief. I never knew when he would want to stick around to keep hassling me after he was done with his little prank. At the moment, dealing with that jerk was the last thing I wanted to do. I couldn't help but remembering what Julie had told me about needing to stand up for myself against Bobby and the other people like him. Julie meant well, but she just didn't understand. I used to do that, stand up for myself and fight back. Unfortunately that just made messing with me an even more interesting game to the bullies. I could give them black eyes and bloody noses, but more of them would come at me with even more physical force. And of course Aunt Cassandra lectured me afterwards about drawing too much attention. I ended up learning to just keep my head down and try to avoid notice instead. It wasn't as satisfying as giving a bloody nose in response, but it did earn me less trouble. "Damn," I muttered, wishing I could just cut loose on Bobby just once. Unfortunately, that would only escalate things, which was what I'd been trying to avoid. I sighed and went into the classroom, taking my usual seat and pretending to pay attention when the teacher began his lecture. Instead my attention wandered and I found myself looking out the window. I wasn't sure why, but I could feel my familiar tensing up inside of me and becoming more alert. "What's wrong?" I whispered. Then I realized that I could feel it...something dangerous in the distance. I wasn't quite sure if this was due to my own Sier senses or if this was what my familiar was sensing. What I did know was that I felt a cold chill run up my spine along with a certainty that whatever this was, it was bad news. I spent the rest of the class wondering what this thing was that I'd felt in the distance, as well as why my familiar was so interested in it. The truth was, I knew almost nothing about my familiar. From what I'd seen, she appeared to be some sort of ghost spirit, but something about that didn't seem quite right. I did know that she liked music, especially when I was the one playing it. She seemed to enjoy it when I played some MP3s, but she got into it a lot more when I played around on my guitar. Class was nearly over when a crumpled up ball of paper hit me in the back of my head. I didn't know which of my classmates had thrown it, but there were three of them giggling. I scowled and tried to ignore them as another ball of paper hit me. I was getting annoyed and I could feel my familiar getting annoyed as well. Suddenly I felt a strange twisting sensation, and a moment later, it was almost as though I was looking around in every direction at once. I could see the teacher standing at the front of the class while simultaneously seeing the drop boards on the ceiling and the students behind me. It was a bit dizzying to suddenly be seeing things from this perspective. I put my head on my desk as I tried making sense of it all. "I think emo boy is getting sick," one of the boys behind me said, right before the boy next to him threw a ball of paper at me. My familiar projected a faint tendril of her essence, blocking the ball of paper before it could hit me. The boys behind me threw several more small objects, but each of them was deflected before they could reach me. From their perspective, it was just as though their aim had gone bad and they kept missing. It was all I could do not to laugh. When the class was excused, my senses snapped back to normal, leaving me dizzy and off balance for a moment. I couldn't resist grinning though, feeling more than pleased to discover that my familiar really was capable of more than just showing up in my mirror. Even if this was all she could do, I wasn't about to complain. As far as I was concerned, the ability to protect me from harassment was a pretty cool power in itself. After I left the class, I went to the bathroom to relieve myself, then I washed my hands and splashed some cold water on my face. I looked up into the large mirror and saw the girl in there staring back. Even though I was expecting her there, I still jumped just a little each time. I was pretty sure that I'd never get used to seeing someone looking back from the mirror. I might have tried talking to my familiar right there, thanking her for helping me in class, but there was someone in one of the stalls and I didn't want to appear to be talking to myself. My reputation was bad enough as it was so I didn't need that bit of weirdness tacked on as well. I was just about to step out of the bathroom when the other boy came out of the stall and stared at the mirror with a look of surprise. "There's a girl in here," he blurted out, turning to look at me directly. I gasped in surprise and stepped out the door before he could actually see me. "Oh shit," I muttered, feeling shocked at the revelation that the other boy had been able to the girl that had taken my place in the mirror. I'd thought that it was a Sier thing, that since she was a spirit, only Sier would be able to see her. However that obviously wasn't the case. "Damn." I already knew that bonding with a Sier would give spirits more power, including the power to interact with the physical world more easily. Whisperwing could make himself visible to normals and even become solid when he wanted. It seemed that my familiar could be seen the same way, though I didn't think she was doing it intentionally. The other boy came out of the bathroom a few seconds later and saw me standing there. "Did you see a girl come out here?" He looked around and added, "White hair and really hot looking..." "No," I responded with a shake of my head, trying to look innocent. "I think I'd notice a chick with white hair." The other boy snorted and then walked down the hall while I let out a sigh. I shook my head, realizing that this could be a serious problem. If anyone could see my reflection like that, then I would have to avoid mirrors when anyone else was around. If anyone else actually saw that my reflection was that of a hot girl, then there would be a lot of questions that I couldn't answer. "Damn," I muttered, starting to my next class and wondering if there were any bathrooms in the school that didn't have mirrors in them. If not, it was going to be a very long day. -------------------- I was dreaming. I knew this without a doubt as I clearly remembered going to bed and the next thing I knew, I was standing in this very strange place. I seemed to be in the middle of some sort of desert with a cream colored ground that looked like stone but felt a little spongy. I couldn't see any sky above, only an odd haze. There were also glowing pillars of light scattered about. As strange as my surroundings were, even stranger was my body. I felt different, and when I looked down at myself I was surprised to see two mounds pushing out from my chest. I cupped them with my hands and they felt real. "Weird dream," I muttered, realizing that this must be because of the image I saw when I looked in the mirror. I held up my hands and stared at them, noticing that they looked like girl hands with oval nails that looked perfectly manicured. If they'd belonged to one of the girls at school, they probably would have had nail polish on them. My hair fell into my face, and when I reached for it, I found that it was longer than normal as well as a silvery white color. Just like the girl in my mirror. "I see a girl in my mirror, so now I dream I'm a girl," I commented. Even my voice sounded like that of a girl. Then I paused and wondered, "But what if this isn't a dream?" With that thought I looked around again, realizing that this might be much more than an ordinary dream. After all, I was a Sier and that meant that simple things like dreams could be much more than they appeared. "You're here, aren't you?" I asked my familiar, feeling her presence within me. To my surprise, I found myself answering aloud, though I hadn't intended to do so. My mouth opened without my willing it and I sang, "I am you and you are me and we are both together." It was in the tune of I am the Walrus, a song I'd been playing for my familiar a short time before I went to bed. I felt excited that my familiar was trying to communicate with me again. I took a deep breath and asked, "Do you have a name?" I hoped that this time she would answer me. "I have had many names," my familiar answered from my own mouth. "It is for you to choose which name we shall bear in this life." I nodded at that, then asked, "Is it all right if I think about it?" There was no answer so I let out a sigh. I considered for a moment and then cautiously suggested, "How about Isabelle?" "If that is the name you choose," my familiar answered, sounding almost amused. "It is," I agreed. I wasn't even sure where I'd gotten the name from, only that I thought it sounded pretty. "I name you Isabelle." "We are Isabelle," she agreed from my own mouth. Since my familiar...since Isabelle seemed willing to talk, I asked, "Can you tell me more about yourself?" She didn't answer. "You know, it's hard getting to know you when you won't talk to me." Again, there was no response. Since my Isabelle didn't seem to want to talk much more, I decided to explore. I walked to the nearest pillar of light and hesitated a moment before cautiously touching it. I suddenly found myself in what looked like a high school gymnasium with a bunch of kids my own age. I looked around in surprise and confusion, wondering how I got here. After a moment, I realized that something about this place didn't feel...real. The walls all seemed flat and short on detail, more like they were from some kind of movie than the real thing. Then as I watched, a basketball hoop vanished from the wall while a flag appeared on another wall. None of the students seemed to notice this at all. That drew my attention to these kids and I realized that most of them didn't look real either. Most of them looked like manikins without any real facial features. However there was one exception. There was a teenage girl with brown hair, holding a basketball in her hand. Suddenly a girl who appeared to be on her own team snatched the ball right out of her hands. "Give me that, creepy," the other girl said. A second later, all of the kids started calling out, "Creepy. Creepy. Creepy..." The girl that they were calling 'creepy' just stood there with a look of horror on her face, and then she began to cry. "I am not creepy," she called out, almost pleading while the others continued to taunt her. I was horrified at the sight of these kids all tormenting this poor girl, especially since I knew exactly how it felt. I was used to being considered the weird kid at school, the one that the other kids ignored or taunted in this fashion. "Leave her alone," I yelled angrily. The other students froze and then started to fade away until the only ones still present were me and the brown haired girl. She brushed her hair out of her face, revealing a single white lock of hair in the front. I stared at the girl in surprise, suddenly recognizing her. "Aunt Cassandra?" "How do you know my name?" she asked in surprise. Everything around me suddenly vanished and I found myself standing in that strange desert again. I jumped and looked around, realizing that the pillar of light that I'd touched was now gone. "What the hell was that?" I demanded. "A dream," Isabelle answered. "A dream," I responded, feeling a bit stunned. "I was in Aunt Cassandra's dream?" I felt a sense of affirmation at that. "Then all those lights are dreams..." Again, I felt a sense of agreement. I looked around again, seeing the pillars of light in the distance. As I watched, several of them blinked out but more of them came into being. It was a strange sight and almost awe inspiring as I now realized exactly what it was I was seeing. "Is this you?" I asked Isabelle. "Or is this my gift?" She didn't answer but I was assuming that this was all the result of my gift. "And why do I look like you?" I looked down at myself and the breasts pushing out of my chest, cautiously poking one. There was no sense of being offended from Isabelle or even of being embarrassed. "This is the dream plane," Isabelle answered me, much to my surprise. "Your body was left behind." "So this is sort of like astral projection?" I asked, remembering Aunt Cassandra telling me that astral projection was a fairly common gift among Sier. There was a sense of agreement from Isabelle. Suddenly my entire body froze and I turned without willing it. It took me a moment to realize that Isabelle was the one moving us. "What the hell?" I demanded. Then I felt it, the thing that had obviously drawn Isabelle's attention. It was the same dark and malevolent force that I'd felt in the distance while I was at school. I could feel it again, still at a distance but much closer. "Oh shit," I blurted out in realization. "That's the same spirit you saved me from during my trial..." "Our enemy," Isabelle agreed, right before I woke up. -------------------- I sat across the breakfast table from Aunt Cassandra, feeling uncomfortable as I told her about what had happened last night in my dream. I was especially embarrassed to admit that while I was in the dream plane, I'd been a girl. "So that was you in my dream," Aunt Cassandra said when I was done, looking just as self-conscious as I felt. She gave me a wry smile and admitted, "It was a nightmare about high school. As you might guess, it wasn't a good time for me." I nodded at that, understanding completely. I hadn't really thought about it before, but it looked like Aunt Cassandra's high school experience had been a lot like mine was. "I didn't know it was your dream," I admitted with a grimace. "Hell, I hadn't even realized it was a dream at first..." "You're a dream walker," Aunt Cassandra said with a wry smile. "At least now we know what your gift is." "Yeah," I agreed with a faint smirk. The idea of actually being able to spy on other people's dreams was kind of cool, if a bit creepy. Was spying on someone's dreams the same as spying on them in the shower? I didn't think so, but I wasn't quite sure either. "What I'm concerned about is this dark spirit you keep sensing," Aunt Cassandra told me. "Me too," I admitted, trying not to show just how nervous I really was. That thing had nearly taken me during my trial, and though it couldn't do that anymore now that I was bonded to Isabelle, it was still coming towards me. "It keeps getting closer..." Aunt Cassandra gave me a worried look and said, "I think I'm going to call my mother about this. She might have some ideas about how to discourage this spirit." I just grunted at that, hoping that this wouldn't result in a visit from her mom. Aunt Cassandra's mom was pretty knowledgeable about various spirits and Sier gifts, so if anyone could figure out how to chase this spirit away it would be her. However the two of us didn't get along very well and I avoided her as much as possible. "At least it's Saturday," I said, trying to change the subject. "I don't have to go into that shit hole they call a school." "Language," Aunt Cassandra warned me, more because she felt it was her responsibility to do so than because she was actually offended. "Lucky you. I still have to go in to work today." "At least you get paid for it," I pointed out. "Oh yes," Aunt Cassandra responded with a roll of her eyes. "The glamorous life of a grocery cashier." "I still think you should get a job at a zoo or something," I told her. "I mean, with your gift of talking to animal spirits, you'd be a natural." "Maybe," Aunt Cassandra said with a chuckle. "It would certainly be more satisfying, but it's not like we live near a zoo." When we were done with breakfast, Aunt Cassandra started getting ready for work while I went to take a shower. I washed quickly, but when I was done, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror and froze. It was strange to be so hesitant about looking in the mirror, and even stranger in that I felt so curious. Every time I looked in the mirror, Isabelle was wearing the same clothes I was, albeit in her size and fit. This was the first time that I'd looked in the mirror while naked, which meant that this time Isabelle was naked as well. Staring at her while she was naked and couldn't do anything about it felt like a huge intrusion of privacy, but I was also burning with curiosity to get a better look at her. "Isabelle," I asked cautiously. "Would you mind if I looked into the mirror?" There was no response from Isabelle, not that I'd really expected one. Isabelle was a spirit and they had completely different ways of looking at things than humans did. I slowly looked into the mirror and stared at her naked form. As I was already well aware, Isabelle was gorgeous. And now that I could see her completely, I decided that she was even hotter than I'd thought. She had pale skin with a flawless complexion, a slender waist, firm muscle tone, and of course, perfect breasts that were full, round, and generous. "You look amazing," I told her. Isabelle still didn't respond to the fact that I was staring at her naked form in the mirror, however, my own body was. I was getting turned on and hard at the sight, and when I turned away from the mirror in embarrassment, it was then that I finally felt something from Isabelle. Amusement. Then I felt something else, something completely unexpected. My nipples suddenly felt hard, like tiny erections while my groin felt warm and wet inside. I gasped in surprise, grabbing my nipples and then my junk, exclaiming, "What the...?" A moment later, it dawned on me what I was feeling. Isabelle was letting me feel the female equivalent of what I was already feeling. I was feeling turned on from a female perspective. It was a bit odd since I didn't even have the right parts, but it also felt rather pleasant. After a minute, the sensation faded away to both my distress and relief. "So, it seems like you have a sense of humor," I told Isabelle with a chuckle. "At least I know you won't be boring." After this, I got dressed again and then went to my bedroom to play some guitar for Isabelle. I was thankful that I happened to have bonded with a familiar that liked music. Then again, maybe she bonded with me because she liked music and knew that I liked to play. With spirits, you couldn't always tell what motivated them or why. Aunt Cassandra left for work a short time later and I didn't wait for long after that before I left the house myself. I didn't have any friends to go hang out with, but I didn't want to hang around the house either. Because of that, I grabbed my guitar and went down one of the paths into the woods behind our house. In spite of having the woods in back of our home, I wasn't a big nature person, not like Aunt Cassandra was. She loved going back into the trees to find peace and quiet, as well as to sometimes commune with the animal spirits. I usually just preferred to use the paths that cut through the trees and brush. They made great shortcuts. While I walked through one of the paths with my guitar in hand, I went past a large and very old tree. I paused to stare at the tree for a moment and the old tire swing that hung from one of the thick branches. A faint smile formed on my lips as I remembered Aunt Cassandra pushing me on that very swing when I was younger. Then I paused as I realized that I could sense something from the tree...a spirit. Aunt Cassandra had always told me there was a spirit tied to the tree, but until now, I'd never been able to sense it. I watched in silence as a tiny woman came out from behind the tree and stared at me. She couldn't have been much more than four feet tall, and she had green skin and hair. She watched me for just a moment before running up the tree like a squirrel and vanishing into the branches. "A dryad," I whispered in awe. According to Aunt Cassandra, dryads were tree spirits, a kind that used to be fairly common a long time ago but which had become very rare in modern times. The fact that we actually had one back behind our house like this suddenly made me appreciate these woods a little more. I continued my walk down the path, spotting a spirit rabbit that quickly hopped away. Then I felt a cold chill down my spine, followed by Isabelle tensing up. There was something close...something...dark. I was pretty sure that it wasn't the big darkness I'd felt in the distance. This wasn't nearly that big or powerful, but it did have a nasty feel to it. After half a minute, I spotted the spirit. It was small, looking something like a hairless monkey with shiny black skin that made it seem as though it had been bathed in oil. Its fingers were clawed and when it glared at me, its red eyes burned with hostility. Isabelle surged inside of me, burning with a hostility of her own. "What the hell is that?" I muttered, slowly backing away from the small spirit. I didn't know what kind of spirit that was, but I had a feeling that I didn't want to mess with it. However Isabelle seemed to have other ideas and I could feel her urging me to attack that thing. After a moment, the greasy monkey spirit turned and ran into the bushes where it vanished from my sight. I could feel strong frustration from Isabelle, followed by a sense of disappointment that actually seemed to be directed at me. "And what do you expect me to do about that thing?" I demanded of Isabelle, feeling frustrated as well, but at her. "It's a spirit. It's not like I could hurt it even if I wanted to." Isabelle still seemed annoyed, but she didn't communicate anything beyond that. Unfortunately communicating with Isabelle wasn't very easy to do. Sure, I could talk to her and she'd occasionally give me these feelings...but the only time she spoke to me was when I'd been in the dream plane last night. A few minutes later, I arrived at the end of the path and the end of the woods. Instead of trees and brush, there was an old wooden fence with piles of rusty cars visible over the top. I quickly slipped through an opening in the fence and into the old junkyard on the other side. Aunt Cassandra always liked going into the woods when she wanted a peaceful place to be alone with her thoughts, but this was where I came. I was surrounded by countless old cars and other scrap, things that were broken and unwanted. I suppose it said something about me that this was where I felt most comfortable. "Broken and unwanted," I muttered, patting my hand on the hood of a rusty old car that was missing its engine and back axel. "Just like me." I knew I was being a little melodramatic as I said this since I had no doubt that Aunt Cassandra cared about me. She'd gone through a great deal of trouble to help me, including facing her own mom's disapproval over her choosing to do so. But still I couldn't help but thinking of my own mom who'd completely abandoned me. Of her parents, who'd happily shoved me off on someone they didn't even know just so long as they could get rid of me. And of course, my classmates at school. I've never fit in there or much of anywhere. I felt a sense of comfort coming from within, almost as though Isabelle was hugging me from inside. "Thank you," I told her gently, finding a comfortable spot and then I began to play. I was playing my guitar more for me than for my familiar, but I could tell that she still appreciated it. After playing for about fifteen minutes, I suddenly realized that someone was watching me. I stopped playing and looked up to see a girl standing a short distance away, watching me. "Julie," I said, immediately recognizing my red headed classmate. "Efram," she responded self-consciously. "I was on the other side of the junkyard when I heard your guitar." She paused for a moment and said, "You're pretty good. I didn't know you played." "Thanks," I said, watching her suspiciously, then glancing around but not seeing any sign of Whisperwing. "Do you hang out in junkyards often?" Julie just grinned at that. "Sometimes. It's a good place to burn off some stress. You know, taking a sledge hammer to junk can really make you feel better afterwards." "I'd imagine," I agreed with a grin. "Just so you know I'm not stalking you or anything," Julie assured me. "I don't know," I joked, setting my guitar down. "Sometimes I wonder." Then I abruptly asked, "Why are you always nice to me? No one else at school will give me the time of day." "I like you," she answered, then paused and looking embarrassed, quickly adding, "Not like that. I mean, you're a nice guy and all but you're not my type." "I'm used to that," I muttered with a sigh. "I mean, you're different," Julie said, giving me an odd look. "There's something interesting about you." She shrugged at that. "And you always look kind of lonely." "Great," I responded with a roll of my eyes. "I'm a pity case." Of course I'd already known that. "Not really," Julie told me. "But I am curious about you...like why you keep trying to avoid me at school. Most guys hit on me, but every time you see me you start looking around as if you're afraid someone is watching you." "Maybe someone is," I pointed out, thinking of Whisperwing and how annoying it was to have him spying on me all the time. "You know those government spies and all." Julie laughed at that. Then she abruptly asked, "Are you gay?" "What?" I asked in surprise. "It's all right if you are," Julie quickly assured me. "I mean, if that's why you always try avoiding me..." "I'm NOT gay," I blurted out defensively. "You've never asked any of the other girls out," Julie said, trying to defend her question. "So I was just wondering." Then she shrugged. "Then again, a lot of the girls think you're some kind of pervert or something..." I groaned at that, slapping my forehead. "Great. No wonder I can't ever get a date." "Sorry," Julie apologized, looking a little guilty. "I don't believe it, but some of the girls have been spreading rumors..." I groaned again. "Just my luck." "I don't think you're a pervert or anything," Julie told me with a wry grin. "I'm not interested in dating or anything, but maybe we can be friends. Just friends." "I thought the just friends speech usually came during the breakup," I joked. Julie laughed at that. "What can I say? I like to save time." I laughed as well, then shook my head. "You know, I've been told to stay away from you." "What?" Julie asked in surprise. "Why?" I shrugged at that, not wanting to get into that particular topic at the moment. "Friends it is," I told her, holding out my hand so we could shake on it. "But my aunt can't find out or she'll kill me." "Deal," Julie agreed, giving me an odd look and obviously wondering what my aunt had against her. Then she grinned and gestured to my guitar. "Now what other tunes can you play?" I grinned at that, feeling a stirring of interest from Isabelle. Then I picked my guitar up again and began to play while Julie made a point of clapping. And though I was happy to have made an official friend, I couldn't help but worrying about what would happen when Aunt Cassandra found out. -------------------- I sat on the edge of my bed, playing my guitar and feeling oddly dazed. It wasn't until I noticed the two bulges on my chest that I realized I was dreaming. I jumped to my feet, only to have my guitar change into a banjo in my hands. Without a word I dropped it to the floor and looked around, realizing that everything in my room was foggy and fading. Suddenly, it all seemed to pop and I found myself standing in same dream plane where I'd been last night. "Damn," I muttered, looking around at the pillars of light which represented people's dreams. "Is this going to happen every night?" "You will learn to control it," Isabelle answered from my mouth. I nodded at that and looked down at myself, at my feminine curves. I carefully felt my breasts and then between my legs. I was definitely female at the moment, but that didn't really bother me. It probably would have freaked me out if it had happened in the real world, but this was a dream and I knew from last night that it would go away when I woke up. Because of that, it was easy to take this in stride as just another part of the weirdness around me. "Why do you only talk to me like this?" I asked Isabelle curiously. "Why not while I'm awake?" There was a long pause before Isabelle answered. "Communicating is easier like this. While awake, you do not yet listen..." "What does that mean?" I asked, but there was no answer. "You know, you really are frustrating sometimes..." "As are you," Isabelle responded, sounding vaguely amused. Since Isabelle wasn't very good at answering my questions even here, I didn't bother asking her any more just yet. Instead I looked around. There was a dream just a short distance away from me, and when I held my hand up in front of it, I somehow KNEW that it belonged to Aunt Cassandra. However I was careful not to touch it since I didn't want to go inside of her dream like the last time. I wandered around from dream to dream, trying to guess whose dream each belonged to. I was able to get a vague feel for several of them, but most left me with no idea. I suspected that I had to really know a person before I'd be able to identify their dreams from anyone else's. But while I was doing this, I realized that I could get a glimpse inside of the dreams as well, without actually having to go inside myself. One dream was some sort of flying dream, the next had a couple kids playing on the beach. I encountered one wet dream which I quickly backed away from, and there were a couple that were blurry and so confusing that I couldn't even make out what they were supposed to be. Isabelle didn't communicate to me while I did this, perhaps choosing to let me explore my new gifts on my own. Or maybe, she was just waiting to see what I'd do if no one interfered. "I wonder if I can find a specific person," I mused, faintly surprised to feel a sense of confirmation from Isabelle. Since Isabelle seemed to think I could do it, I decided to look for Julie, the only person besides Aunt Cassandra that I even liked. At first, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing and calling her name aloud didn't do any good. Then I tried thinking about her and found that I could feel a faint pulling. I followed that right to the pillar of light that represented Julie's dream. "I can feel it," I whispered, holding my hand up and sensing Julie from it. "Julie..." However there was something wrong...very wrong. If felt something dark and dirty in her dream as well. Isabelle tensed up and I felt her hostility. I stepped back, noticing that there was some slimy black tendrils on the ground around her dream, touching into the base of the pillar of light. I felt sick and disgusted by this while Isabelle felt angry inside of me. "What the hell is that?" I gasped in confusion. Then I saw it, something flickering in the edge of the dream. A moment later, a small black figure emerged from the pillar of light. It was the same greasy monkey spirit that I'd seen yesterday, that Isabelle had wanted to attack. It glared at me with its malevolent eyes and hissed before jumping back into the pillar of light and vanishing from my view. I could no longer really see it, but I could still sense it. "It followed us to Julie," Isabelle said from my lips. "Now it feeds on her...on her fear and life energy. It grows stronger and more dangerous." "Oh shit," I blurted out, suddenly feeling guilty since I was the one who'd led this spirit to Julie. "It's hurting her..." "And will eventually kill her unless stopped," Isabelle told