([<M.>]) A Twin Disaster - Drakonnas / Shades of Grey

[Drakonnas]

Rated M for violence, language, and situations.


Elizabeth Riley sat on her bed, pulling on her pine green shin guards, bouncing to an upbeat song blaring from her i-pod. The sixteen year old girl had long blonde hair that hung to about six inches past her shoulders, bright amber eyes, and a normal body. She wasn't tall, wasn't short, wasn't overweight, and wasn't skinny. She was a normal girl, for the most part.

Humming along to the music, she grabbed her soccer ball from her desk, and rolling it around a little. Her room was unusually tidy, and well kept. "ETHAN!" She called out, trying to grab her twin brother's attention. He was probably absorbed in his art again. Had he forgotten that she had an important game today? She shook her head, and called out again. "IT'S ABOUT TIME TO GO! HAVE YOU GRABBED YOURSELF A LUNCH?" She called out to him, not sure if he could hear.

Her father was at work, again. And would miss her game, again. Beth was the star center for her high school's soccer team. She loved the sport, it was her favorite passtime. Whenever she wasn't doing homework, she was out playing soccer, or doing something to improve her game. Beth grinned as she thought about the game today, various strategies buzzing in and out of her head like little moths. One of them would have to drive. It wasn't far, and Beth didn't mind either way. She grabbed her bag, water bottle, and ball, and exited her room, and knocked a few times on her brother's door.

Ethan, her twin, was very interested in art, and often spent long periods of time working on one project or another. Their mother had died when they were young, and their father had been almost always away at work. So, Ethan and Beth had grown up supporting each other with everything. They were the best of friends, they were extremely close. Sometimes Elizabeth wondered how she would get along without him. They were always together. She was rather popular, and defended Ethan from bullies and the like, while Ethan helped her with various other things. "ETHAN!" She said once more, knocking on the door. "YOU READY?"

[Ashen]

With Mozart's Eine Klenie Nachtmusik humming softly in the background, Ethan Riley let his paintbrush glide across his canvas. He was almost done his painting and he wasn't about to let anything stop him. He dabbed his paintbrush in some water and then grabbed a new color. A mix between blue and green, only an artist like Ethan would know it was called riptide. He used it to touch up the water in his painting and stroked along with the music. After a moment, he took a step back to admire his work.
He had drawn a waterfall, but anyone could see that, within the waterfall, there was the silhouette of a woman. She looked like Ethan and his twin sister Beth. Aggravated-Ethan had not meant to put her there-he grabbed a paintbrush, dipped it in black paint, and crossed out the woman's face. Ethan didn't like thinking about his mother. As far as he knew, she was dead and gone and no one would ever see her again.

As Ethan was taking down his canvas and determining what to do with it-he could paint over it, but he would still know her face was there-he heard Beth call for him. She was yelling something about leaving. Was it time for her game already?
Ethan knew he should have been the star of the soccer team and Beth should have been the wimpy artist. He made sure it didn't look like he minded, but he did. Inside, Ethan felt that the male should be the one chasing after a ball rather than coloring pretty things and listening to Mozart. He felt that, as the man of the house, he should have more muscles or better priorities than winning a little doodling contest. Sure, he had a father, but since he was never home Ethan always had and always would consider himself the man in charge.

There was another call for him to come followed by knocking on his door. Ethan went to his iPod and turned off his symphony. He turned the painting he was working on so that Beth wouldn't see it. It was supposed to be a masterpiece. Just because some accidental features made it look like her doesn't make it any less beautiful, he thought, but he knew that wasn't true. All it took was one line to ruin a painting, and that was it.
He turned to the door and opened it. There was his twin, although she didn't look like him very much. Maybe they did share some of the same features, but their hair was different colors and their eyes were different shades. Beth was strong from playing soccer so much while Ethan's muscles all came from holding a pencil.
"Yes, Elizabeth," Ethan said, stressing his sister's full name so she would no longer ask. "I am ready. Are you? Do you have water?" He turned to face his room once more, as if he was forgetting something. He retreated into his room, leaving the door ajar. Ethan walked to his oak wood desk and grabbed one of about sixty of his sketch pads. He took three pencils, all of different sizes and textures, and threw them into a dark backpack. If he had to watch his sister play he might as well busy himself.
Truthfully though, Ethan loved watching Beth play her game. She seemed so peaceful on the field, as if nothing could stop her. He supposed that's how he looked when he was drawing.

"Who'll drive?" Ethan asked as he walked out of his room and closed the door behind him. "Of course I'll drive," he answered for himself. "We need to preserve your legs. They need to win this game. No pressure though." He turned up to face her and gave her a smile. "It's just that, if you lose, you might not make it to the finals and that would be an upset." Ethan was only joking. Beth could make it to the finals with one leg gone. He was willing to bet she could score multiple goals in her sleep. "Come on before we're late. We don't want to miss your biggest game yet." Ethan smirked to himself because Beth wouldn't be able to see him. She wasn't facing him. He said that about every one of her games. After all, it was true.
This game had the potential to be one of her biggest.

[Drakonnas]

Beth was about to knock on the door again, when Ethan opened it. She grinned at his response, stressing her full name. He usually did that when annoyed. But sometimes it was healthy for them to annoy each other. It was sort of a game they played, teasing each other. It was never enough to get the other angry, but it always provided a bit of a laugh for both of them. "Good. Yeah, I got my water. It's in my bag." Beth rolled the soccer ball around on the floor with precision control, it was sort of a habit of hers. She'd fiddle with the ball when anxious about the upcoming game. "Let's go. It's at Everest this time. You know, the one that's about five minutes from here? I grabbed the sunscreen, you can use some if you feel like." Beth said, turning away towards the stairs. She grabbed the soccer ball, and started down, without waiting for Ethan. He'd follow shortly, but she wanted to give him a minute or so to grab anything else he needed.

About halfway down the stairs, she thought of a reply to his joke about driving being too taxing for her. She started to speak, but stopped herself, realizing that her comment might hurt him. It was probably over their bounds, so she changed topics. "What was the name of that symphony you were playing? I recognized it was Mozart, but not the piece... It was rather enjoyable." Beth enjoyed music, she had no talent for playing it, but she was a fan of listening to it. Her favorite genre was pop, preferably instrumental, but she enjoyed classical as well. The only music she didn't enjoy was rap. "I'll be waiting in the car. I have a surprise for ya as well, so get it in gear!" Beth called out happily.

Her dark green uniform flashed in the sunlight as she rounded the corner, and headed into the garage, and out onto the driveway where their extra car had rested. It was an old car, but it was in very decent condition. She opened the door to the passenger side, and hopped in, tossing her bag in the back, and trying to spin the ball on one finger.




-----




Nathan Willows sat on the roof of the house, his dark clothing made him look like a mix between goth and professional. He appeared to be about twelve years old, but had the wisdom and intelligence of someone far older. After all, he had been doing this for centuries. He smiled down as he saw Beth run out, and hop into the car, full of life and energy. Nathan smiled as he watched her, it was good to see someone so full of happiness. The people he dealt with... were not happy. So coming to this world was a nice change of pace. But Beth wasn't the one he was after. No, it was her brother. A pity too, the pair were were wonderful siblings.

Nathan Willows wasn't visible to the common human. He was only visible to his clients, the ones who needed an escort. Out of life, into the next place. Nathan wasn't a murderer, this was simply his job. He guided the dead to the afterlife. It was a stressful job at times, as many people were reluctant to move on. But someone had to do it. He was assigned a new client after he successfully helped a soul onward. He hadn't the slightest clue about how the higher ups knew who was going to die, and who needed help. He followed orders. And he was ordered to watch over this boy until his demise. Personally, Nathan hoped that his instructions were wrong, it was very possible that his client would survive. He was just there as a safety net of sorts, in case they didn't.

[Ashen]

Ethan watched his sister move about. She looked so excited he had to smile.
"I don't need sunblock," Ethan called, even if Beth was already gone. "I won't burn." He said this as he traced a few freckles along his arms. He usually did burn, but he didn't mind. Aside from the pain, the shade of red he turned was a pretty one that, no matter how much white he added to the drop of red, he could never duplicate.

He started down the stairs moments after his twin only to realize she stopped halfway. She asked him what the symphony's name was. He wondered if she cared of if she was just being polite.
Of course she cared.
"Eine Klenie Nachtmusik," Ethan replied, pronouncing the German name as fluently as he would an English one. "It means 'little serenade' but somewhere along the translation it started to mean 'a little night music'." After Ethan replied he paused. He wondered when and how he had taught himself the right pronunciation for all of his concertos. How many Wikipedia articles had he read to learn this pointless junk?
His thoughts were interrupted when Beth said she had a surprise for him. He rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. "I hate surprises," he called in an exasperated tone, but he wore a smile.

Ethan didn't run after his sister. He only walked behind her, just far enough to see her jump into the old car they owned and toss her bag into the back. He made his way to the driver's side and rested his head against the window. He was still thinking of his painting.
How many times did something unnecessary crawl into the cruves of a face, or the bend of a river, or the spirals of a tree? And why was it usually that one face?
Ethan shook his head to free his thoughts and started the car. He glanced over at Beth. "So what is this surprise my dear sister speaks of?" Ethan asked in as formal a way he could. He didn't smile this time as he pulled the car onto the street. "Oh, and before that, do you think Jeana will be at your game?"
Jeana Rainer was Ethan and Beth's best friend since who knows when. She was always there when they needed her and especially when they didn't. She was the mix between the twins: she knew all the rules for soccer, and although she could beat a few rookies, she'd never beat Beth. She knew the difference between Van Gogh and Monet but she couldn't draw any more than stick figures.
As Ethan came to a red light he glanced over at Beth. He saw her uniform, a color she called pine but he called something else. Sure, it did look like the leaves of a pine tree in winter, but in summer a pine turned a few shades lighter. Her uniform resembled pine in winter, although that was too long a name for it. Nivalis Pine was what Ethan called it. Yes, it was still long, but it was shorter than pine in winter. He forgot when he had came up with the name, but he still remembered nivalis meant winter in Latin. Nivalis Pine was a color he liked to use when painting or drawing, although it was difficult to find a Crayola color to match.
He turned his attention back to the road just in time for the light to turn green. They would arrive at their destination in about four minutes or so. Four minutes before his sister went onto that field. He usually worried a bit about Beth. There were so many things that could go wrong-break a leg, fracture your skull, even fall and have a concussion. With that list, how could Ethan not worry?
He had faith in her. Beth would be careful.
After all, if something happened to her, he would be all alone.

[Drakonnas]

Beth saw Ethan coming, and pulled out a pack of oreos. "Here, want a few? Dad got them for us to share." Beth said absentmindedly, thinking about her upcoming game. "Uh... I think she said she'd be there. You know Jeana, she's always wherever things are happening." Beth smiled as they came to the stoplight. "Although, she said she might not be able to make it if her Bio project was taking too much time. We'll see, I suspect." She said, shrugging.

As they pulled into the gravel road that led to the soccer field, Beth re-tied her shoelaces, and made sure everything was in order. Everything was, as usual. As the car rolled to a stop, Beth hopped out, grabbed her bag, and ball, and shut the door. "Love ya, Ethan!" She said with a wink, and jogged off towards the fields. "Hey Sam!" She called out to their goalie, who was also getting out of her car. "Ready for today's game?"

[Ashen]

Ethan shook his head as Beth offered him some chocolate cookies. He still took one and ate it. He nodded when Beth talked about Jeana's bio project. He didn't remember her telling him this, but then, Jeana was closer to Beth anyway.

When they made it to the field Beth hopped out of the car in a hurry and ran by in a flash of color. Ethan smirked when Beth announced that she loved him. "Love you too," he whispered although she wouldn't hear. She ran over to another player who Ethan recognized as the goalie. He got out of the car and, after grabbing his bag, took a seat in the stands. He scanned the rows of people who were early and tried to spot their blonde friend. Jeana was nowhere in sight. Ethan leaned back and grabbed his sketch pad and started to draw.

"Whatcha' doing?"
Ethan looked up at the sound of a familiar voice. A pair of blue eyes were staring back at him. Jeana smiled and took a seat next to him. "You're always drawing, Ethan. You need to get out more."
Ethan rolled his eyes. "No kidding," he sighed and ran his finger over his drawing to smooth the edges.
"Did the game start yet?" Jeana asked. She shielded her eyes from the sun and tried to find Beth. "I guess not. Hey, that looks a lot like Beth."
When Ethan looked up again Jeana was staring at his drawing. "It is Beth," he said blatantly.
"No," Jeana said and grabbed Ethan's pencil. She drew two bows in her hair, childlike bows that could never look realistic. "Now it's Beth," she said.
Ethan stared down at his drawing, now ruined. "Yeah," he said sadly. "I think the game is starting," he said and he shoved his sketch pad back in his bag.

[Drakonnas]

Beth listened to their coach's pep talk. She was really good about not picking favorites, as well as inspiring the whole team with good energy. "All right! Let's do it! Go Crossfire!" She shouted in sync with her team, and they ran out and took their positions. Beth would start with the ball. The whistle sounded, and the game began. Beth started expertly down the field. She passed solidly to Erin when challenged; even though Beth was the best player on the team, she didn't hesitate to share the ball. In fact, she preferred others getting a chance to score. She felt it helped the team more that way. But still, if she had a chance, she'd take it. Within two minutes, they had scored.

The mix of green and white players running about was a bit confusing, their opponents were very skilled as well. They worked well as a team, as did Beth's team. Soon, the score was 2-1, in Beth's team's favor. Then, one of the other team performed a slide tackle, and knocked Beth over. "Ow..." Beth said, clutching her shin. The shin guard had taken most of the hit, but it still hurt. There would probably be a bruise there. The referee threw a yellow card, and Beth limped to the sidelines. "I'll be okay, Coach. I just need to sit out for a few minutes." She saw Ethan and Jeana, and waved, then turned back to the game.

[Ashen]

Ethan and Jeana watched the game and every few minutes or seconds Jeana would go on about a completely pointless topic that Ethan couldn't have cared less about. After a while, with Beth's team in the lead and the other team not far behind, one of the other team's players slid into Beth's shin. In less than one second Ethan was standing, trying to get a better view. He tried to see from where he was standing if Beth was hurt severely or if it was just a minor injury. She walked to the bleacher and waved to him so it must not have been that bad. With a satisfied sigh, Ethan say back down.
"Is she okay?" Jeana asked. Whatever she had been talking about before Beth was injured was now forgotten.
"She'll be fine," Ethan said. "After all, she is my sister."

Jeana watched the rest of the game while Ethan started to draw again. Jeana didn't notice until he didn't answer her question. "Huh?" she said.
"What?" Ethan looked up.
"I said why do you think- Are you drawing again? Can't you support your sister and watch her game? It can't be that boring, Ethan."
"Actually," Ethan said, "I am watching her game. I can multi-task."
Jeana rolled her eyes. "What are you drawing now?" she sighed. She peered over at his drawing. It was of a girl playing soccer. "Who is that?" Jeana asked. It wasn't Beth, who Jeana assumed Ethan would draw, but it looked a lot like his twin. "Is that...?"
"No," Ethan replied immediately. "No it is not." He closed his book and sighed. "Who's winning?"
"We are," Jeana said quietly. She looked at the sketch pad, closed on Ethan's lap. Ethan wouldn't catch her eye and focused on the game.

[Drakonnas]

Beth watched as the other team scored a goal, and tied. It was close, but Sam couldn't do anything to stop it. It was very well placed. With a whistle, she ran back in, and another teammate came out. "Good job out there..." She said with a smile. The game began again, and she managed to steal a pass, and ran with it down the field. She had a shot available, but Sarah was open, so she passed it. Sarah headed it.... and it was blocked by their goalie. "Nice try, Sarah! You'll get it next time!"

Halftime came, and the score was still tied 2-2. The game was growing fiercer, but it was still fair. No more fouls had been called, although there had been a few close calls. Once, Beth realized she was almost off sides, and corrected herself. She had the ball again, with two defenders closing in on her. She kicked the ball up, over their heads, and readied herself to head the ball, attempting a goal. Time was running out, with the score still tied. But one of the other girls bumped into her, and she fell off course, the ball flying out of bounds instead of in the goal. Beth fell to her feet, frustrated. The ref didn't call a foul though. She sighed as their opponents got the ball. It got about halfway down the field before time was called. Penalty shootouts would happen now. Beth was confident in her abilities in this regard, and hoped that Sam would do okay.

[Ashen]

The sun was growing brighter and Ethan wished he had taken some sunblock. He looked away in aggravation as another girl ran into his sister. The referee did nothing about it. They needed a better ref.
There was the sound of a ringtone and Ethan glanced over at Jeana. She stated at her phone and sighed as she saw the number. She said hello and had a quick conversation with the person on the other line. When she ended the call she got up and grabbed her purse. "I have to go now," Jeana said to Ethan. "I know that Beth will win. Tell her that, will you? I'll see you!" Jeana waved to Beth but she didn't know if Beth would see. She made her way out of the field and started to jog away.
Ethan smiled. Finally.
It wasn't that he didn't like Jeana. He did, as a friend. She just tried to hard, sometimes. Or maybe he just didn't try enough.

The game was almost over and the score still hadn't changed. There was still time, and in that small period of time Beth's team would score.
They had to.

[Drakonnas]

The shootout was organized, five members from each team would take a shot. Whoever's team scored the most points would win. If it was tied after that, they would go until one team scored more. Beth was up first. It was just her and the goalie. No defenders, no rush for time. She had this in the bag. Smiling, she ran up to the ball, just as she had done so many times before, and kicked it. The ball sailed up, over the goalie's hands, and into the net. She scored. "Yesss!" She said softly, and walked back to her team, and high-fived them. Sarah proceeded to score as well, but Micah and Sam missed. Tori almost made it, but the goalie made a good guess, and stopped the shot.

The other team was up. Their first shooter scored, it was a beautifully placed shot, in the top right corner of the net. The tension mounted as the next kicker took her shot. Sam blocked the shot, knocking it away. Three more to go. She blocked the next shot as well. The fourth shot got by her. The pressure was on. If she let this goal in, they would lose. If she blocked it, they'd go to a sixth round. As the ball flew towards the goal, Sam blocked it easily. Grinning, Beth took her place at the line. She ran up, kicked the ball, and scored. The pressure was on the other team now. As the ball sailed towards the goal, Sam reached out, and blocked the shot! They had won! Their team ran out on the field, everyone celebrating. After a few minutes, Beth looked around at the stands. They were free to go, they'd have a meeting on the game on Monday, but today was Saturday, they had the rest of the weekend off. Beth wanted to do something with Ethan, but she didn't know what. She headed towards the stands where she was sure she'd find Ethan.

[Ashen]

Ethan watched all the shots being taken. The goalies were doing great jobs in defending their goals. Ethan knew he probably wouldn't have been able to block any of those shots.
As Beth scored the winning goal, Ethan was on his feet with a huge smile. He grabbed his bag and jogged down to the field to congratulate his sister.
She had won them the game.
Again.

When Ethan made it to his twin he pulled her into a hug. "Congratulations, Beth," he said and latter her on the back. He pushed away and held her shoulders. "You did great out there. Jeans had to go but she was cheering for you." He looked over her shoulder in search of her bag. "Where's your water bottle?" he asked. "I'm thirsty and I didn't bring mine." He smirked and turned to start towards the car. "I'm kidding. Drink something though. You're sweating out all your liquids. How should we celebrate your victory?"

[Drakonnas]

"Thanks, Ethan. But it wasn't my doing alone. I'm part of a team... I may have contributed to our win, but it wasn't because of me alone." She told him with a smile on. She didn't notice that their coach was behind them until she spoke.

"That's the attitude I like to see, Beth. Good job out there. I'll see you on Monday."

"See ya, Coach!" Beth and Ethan turned towards the parking lot, Beth pulled out her water bottle, took a drink, and handed it to Ethan. "Here, it's still cold if you want some." Beth stepped into the car, tossed her stuff in the back, and relaxed. It was the weekend. They were free for a few days. She didn't have any homework to work on, she had had several tests the past week. "I'm looking foreword to doing something with you, Ethan. Maybe you can show me your new watercolor set? I dunno. Is there anything you wanted to do?"

[Ashen]

Ethan rolled his eyes at his twin but smiled all the same. "It doesn't matter if you're on a team," he said, "you were still the best." He made his way to the car and started it. "Maybe we should go to McDonald's for a celebration meal," he suggested. He stilled a bit when Beth suggested showing him new colors. He thought of the drawing he did and figured he could show Beth.
"So I've been thinking about Mom a lot," Ethan admitted. He reached in the back for his bag that he had tossed aside. "She keeps coming up in my art. Earlier she was in the waterfall I drew and when I was trying to draw you playing soccer her face came up." He pulled his sketch pad out and flipped to the picture of a soccer player. "She's been dead for so long," he said slowly. "Maybe it's a sign. Maybe one of us will join her soon."
As he said it, he was only joking. He was trying to just scare Beth; never did it even cross his mind that either of them could die.

Ethan pushed his bag to Beth so she could look at his drawing. He started driving and after a few minutes he pulled into a McDonald's Drive-Thru. "What do you want?" Ethan asked. "We could get the twenty piece Chicken McNuggets. They're still having that sale, right?"

[Drakonnas]

"Well, thank you, Ethan." Beth said with a smile. "You always know what to say." As they pulled into the McDonalds, Beth looked at the board, thinking. "Yeah, I think so. How about we share the chicken? I'll get an iced tea as well." She pulled out her purse, and pulled out a ten dollar bill. "This should be enough to cover it."

Ethan had mentioned their mother. She flinched a little bit, thinking about it was painful. Even now, she still hurt when she thought about it. It wasn't easy to lose you mom. "Shut up, Ethan. Don't even joke about dying. It's not gonna happen. So why even joke about it?" She was a little bit cross, but softened up a little. "I'm sorry, bro. I didn't mean to sound so sharp. I... it just hurts to think about. That's all. I think about her all the time as well, you're not alone...."

"You're art is amazing, Ethan. It's so pretty. You have a real gift, never give it up. Promise me that." Beth said with an admiring glance at the art. It truly was beautiful. Ethan was the best artist she knew. "So, did you have anything you wanted to do this weekend?"

[Ashen]

Ethan smiled at Beth's compliment. He stopped at the Drive-Thru window and ordered the nuggets, an iced tea, and a Sprite. When it came time to pay, Ethan looked at the bill Beth was offering. He shook his head and reached into his pocket for his wallet. He payed with his own money and accepted their food. He passed the bag to Beth so she could have her food before himself.

Ethan froze a bit when Beth went on about their mother's death. He hadn't meant any offense by his comment but he could understand where she was coming from. Even so, he bit his lip and remained silent. It just wasn't worth saying anything more. He would only make things worse.

They drove into the McDonald's parking lot and Ethan suggested eating there. The sun was setting and the sky was streaked with beautiful hues. He turned back to his pictures and shrugged. "I don't really think you choose to give up gifts. Sometimes I find myself unable to draw simple things like apples." Ethan flexed the fingers on his left hand. He was ambidexterous, but he always drew with his left hand. Even if the pencil did smudge more easily when his left hand was rubbing against it he had always been a lefty. It was just easier for him. "But sure. I'll promise."
He closed his book and put it back in his bag so he wouldn't get anything dirty. Then he reached for a nugget and sipped his soda. "They have an art show tomorrow at City Hall," Ethan said. "It's a bit of a drive but if you want to go we can." He watched the streaks of red fade into pink and orange. When he got home, he would draw a sunset.
"But only if you want to," Ethan added. He sighed and reached for another piece of chicken.

[Drakonnas]

Beth smiled. They did this sort of thing all the time. "Sounds good to me, Ethan." Politely, she waited for them to stop. When they did, she opened the lid, and set it in between them. "I'm not that hungry, have as much as you want." Beth said, admiring the sunset. "Have you seen a sunset like this one before? It's really pretty... Peaceful too. And yeah, I'd love to go to the art convention. Will they have any paintings by Terry Redlin? I really like his work, he usually does winter scenes, they're so pretty."

Beth wanted to impress Ethan with her knowledge of her favorite art, she hadn't told him this little fact before. "I'm tired after today. I'll sleep well tonight, I think." Beth was trying to forget about their little discussion about their mother, it was one of the only things they couldn't talk about. Still, it appeared as if the strained conversation had been put behind them. The chicken was tasty, and it made Beth a little sleepy. Yawning, she smiled. "Thanks for taking me, Ethan. It means a lot to me that you are willing to come to watch me."

[Ashen]

Ethan admired the sunset with his sister. He smiled when she said she would like to go to the art convention. Ethan was taken by surprise when Beth asked if they'd display anything by Redlin.
"How do you know Redlin?" Ethan asked, a bit of surprise tinting his question. It's not that the American artist wasn't famous, he just wasn't as well-known as a lot of other artists. Not even Ethan knew much about him. Terry Redlin won eight consecutive awards, but that was all Ethan knew. Could Beth have learned of Redlin from one of Ethan's rambles?
That was impossible.
Ethan was impressed.

Ethan nodded when Beth said she'd sleep well that night. He wasn't sure if he could say the same. He would probably keep awake thinking of his paintings.
How can a face accidentally creep between the lines of a waterfall?
He'll stay up wondering why he kept thinking of his mother. Was it the anniversary of her death?
He was brought out of his thoughts by Beth. "You're welcome," he said. "I'll always be willing to come and watch you. Remember that, okay?"

[Drakonnas]

"How do I know Redlin? Well, I had a notebook with one of his drawings on the front. I liked it so much, I investigated a little bit. And I found out more about him. I really like his art, he has a knack for capturing peaceful moments, usually in the wintertime." Beth said quietly, enjoying the moment. She finished eating, and sat back in the seat, content.

"I'll remember that. I promise." Beth said. The car started up with a soft hum, and they drove home. It was a few minutes later that they drove up the gravelly driveway to their house. It was a little larger than the average house, but with the two of them, it sometimes felt a little empty. Still, it was a cozy home, and Beth loved it, especially her room. They pulled up into the driveway, and Elizabeth stepped out, and grabbed her stuff. Ethan was already ahead of her, and she hurried up a little to catch up with him.

"See you tomorrow, bro." Beth said cheerfully to him, and they parted, going to their rooms on the opposite side of the hall. Beth entered her room, tossed her stuff down, and collapsed on her bed. She'd have to shower in the morning. She was feeling to lazy to do it at the moment. So, she changed into her pajamas, and turned on some music while she tried to go to sleep. It was a few moments before she did, but they were peaceful moments. Beth fell asleep, her music gently washing over her.

[Ashen]

Ethan was surprised that Beth would research a picture on a notebook. Then again, he was probably guilty of that too. Ethan would love for Redlin's work to be at City Hall. He would love to spend that bond with his sister. Staring at his artwork, they'd both feel at ease.

They arrived home in just a few minutes. Ethan grabbed his bag and gathered the trash in his hands. He headed into the house and after throwing away all of the trash he headed to his room.
"See you tomorrow," Ethan replied to his sister and jogged up the rest of the stairs. He closed his door after he was in his room and fell onto his bed. He slipped out of his clothes and put on sweatpants to sleep in. They were charcoal grey with splashes of paint he had added unintentionally. Ethan laid in bed for a few minutes. He knew it would be a restless night. He wasn't falling asleep.

The clock read half past one in the morning. Ethan was still wide awake. He walked downstairs to grab some milk from the fridge. He drank right from the carton knowing if his father or sister had been watching he would have been scolded. He wondered if his father was home, or if he was working on one of his big cases.
After he finished the milk he threw the carton away and walked back upstairs. He began drawing on his canvas and once the guidelines were done he added paint.
Ethan wished he could be sleeping as soundly as Beth must have been.

[Drakonnas]

In reality, Beth wasn't sleeping soundly. For whatever reason, she was having a dream about her mother dying. She had only been in first grade, and hadn't known how to handle it. She had been considered an oddball for a few years, until she had managed to pull herself together again.

She woke up in a cold sweat at about three fifteen in the morning. She looked at the clock, and groaned. She didn't remember her dream, but hated waking up so early. She heard music emanating from the hallway, it must have been Ethan's. Had he fallen asleep with his music on? Her I-pod had shut off, it wasn't hers. Deciding she didn't want to explain why she had woken up in case Ethan was up, she propped her head on the pillow, and relaxed. Soon, she was asleep again.

Morning came, and Beth woke feeling somewhat tired, but also somewhat revitalized. Thinking she just needed a little time to wake fully, she grabbed her cloths, and headed off to the shower. She took a longer than normal shower to help herself wake up fully, got dressed, combed her hair, and went downstairs. She didn't see Ethan down getting breakfast, but he could have already had it, or he could still be sleeping. Maybe he was painting? She wasn't sure, but she didn't want to look in fear of waking him.

[Ashen]

When Ethan awoke his neck and arms were cramped. He had fallen asleep on the floor to some symphony by Beethovan. He hadn't slept more than three hours and he was still tired.
Ethan pulled himself up and rubbed his eyes. He looked at his canvas and saw his unfinished painting from that morning. The palette had flipped onto his lap leaving a stain of red mixed with green and brown. Another stain to add to the collection.

Ethan made his way downstairs and found his sister getting breakfast. "Morning," he said dully. He stretched his shoulders and let out a yawn. "Sleep well?"
But she hadn't.
Ethan could see she hadn't had such a great sleep. Something had kept her awake. She still looked tired. He wondered if he looked as exhausted as he felt. "So what do you want to do this morning, Beth?" he asked as he went into the fridge to get a glass of milk. He then remembered he had drank it all. Instead, he grabbed water. He took a sip and turned to Beth. She was already showered.
Ethan looked down at himself. His new stains were pretty dry and his bare chest had streaks of silver on it. He needed a shower too. He still had time.

[Drakonnas]

Beth yawned. "Hey Ethan." She said, afterwords. "Didn't sleep well last night?" She asked, noticing his distinctly ruffled hair, and his exhausted expression. "Me neither. Woke up in the middle of the night for some reason. Oh well." Beth turned back to her bowl of cereal, and tossed her hair slightly, enjoying the light and airy feel of it after it had been washed.

"Well, I was thinking of doing a bit of practicing this morning. Then, I dunno. The art convention is today. Two 'Oclock, if I remember right. Which means, we'd need to leave at about one fifteen. Sound good to you? I think we should get lunch beforehand, so we don't have to worry about it later." Beth said with a shrug. "But hey, whatever works, works." Beth finished her cereal, and put away her dishes. "I'll be outside if you need me."

[Ashen]

For some reason.
Ethan held on to those words. He had a feeling Beth knew what that feeling was. He only shrugged and let it go.
Beth ran outside to go practice-not that she needed it-so Ethan walked upstairs and into the bathroom. He took a hot shower and got dressed in a button-down shirt and slacks. He was going to City Hall. He might as well look nice.

Ethan walked into his room and sat down on his bed. He played with the buttons of his cuffs. If he were to become a real artist he'd have to wear things like this everytime he went to an exhibit.
That wasn't exactly something he was looking forward to.
He walked to his desk and looked over the six doodle pads he had covering his desk haphazardly. He grabbed one and stashed it into his bag from yesterday. Art exhibits were excellent sources for inspiration, and Ethan knew he could stay there until the guards kicked him out. He grabbed colored pencils and pastels and walked outside.

It was a warm day. Ethan tugged at his sleeves. He was already sweating.
"Beth!" Ethan called. They still had time before they had to leave. Maybe Ethan could watch his twin kick around a ball. "Beth where are you?"

[Drakonnas]

Beth looked around, hearing Ethan calling for her. "I'm out back!" She called back, kicking the ball into the goal they had built out back. She was trying to put as much spin on the ball as possible, so that its trajectory would curve, making it harder for the goalie to stop. "Is it time to go already?" Beth asked, picking the ball up, and walking over to the spot where she had kicked it, and set it down again. As she saw Ethan come out, she put one foot on top of the ball, and waved to him. "I'm right here."

Beth turned, and kicked the ball into the goal again. It sailed to the top, righthand corner of the goal, and rolled out a few feet as the net pushed it back. It was warmer today that it had been yesterday. Beth wasn't a huge fan of the heat, but didn't mind it as much as some did. She preferred cooler temperatures, but didn't complain either way.

There were a few clouds in the sky, and all seemed perfect. Beth never could have guessed that anything could go wrong with the world. It was so cheerful outside, birds were chirping, a slight breeze lifted everyone's spirits, all seemed right with the world. But soon... something was going to happen, something that would shatter her world for good.

[Ashen]

Ethan looked towards the back of the house where his sister's voice had come from. He smiled when he saw Beth's golden hair. He walked over to her just in time to see the ball fly into the goal. "No, we have time," he called. She picked up her ball only to set it on the ground again. "How much practice do you need, girl?" Ethan teased. "Any more and you'll make your next opponent cry."

Ethan leaned against the wall of the house and gazed at the sky. "Have any idea where Dad is at?" he asked. "He hasn't been home for a while, huh?"
That didn't really surprise Ethan a whole lot. When had his father ever been home? That would probably explain why Ethan and Beth were so close. They had only each other.
"I feel bad for anyone he goes against," Ethan said with a smirk. "A major workaholic, he's gotta be a damn good lawyer."

[Drakonnas]

Beth smiled. "All right. I'm trying to perfect putting a good spin on the ball when I shoot. It'll make it harder to stop, seeing as it will curve in flight. I still can't get the knack of it just yet. So, I practice." Beth said as if nothing could be more obvious. It was to her. If she couldn't perfect something, she practiced until she did. It was one of the reasons she was so good. "And yeah, that's kinda the point." She laughed at his last comment. "Get them flustered, you have a psychological advantage. Their morale gets lower, and it snowballs." Beth laughed as she spoke, having experienced the same thing before.

"He's probably at the office. I think he might have spent the night working there. And yeah, he's never home. Heck, we keep the house running. We clean it, and make the repairs that are needed. It's almost as if we own the place." Beth said, a little sadly. "I wish he was in our life more..." She took the frustration out on the ball, and it sailed into the net. "Since when has he ever lost a case? I hear he has some pretty powerful enemies, thanks to his skill as a lawyer..."

[Ashen]

Ethan listened to Beth's explanation with an arched eyebrow. When she finished speaking he rolled his eyes. "Right," he said slowly. "But you know, it's not nice to make people cry. Even if it does lower their morale and make it easier for you to win, it lowers their self-esteem." Ethan shrugged and turned his eyes to the sky. "But have it your way," he teased. "Take advantage of everyone. What'll happens when you have no friends?" Ethan made his way over to his sister. "Oh right," he said. "I'll be here for you."

Ethan took a step away from Beth and watched her expression turn as she talked about their father. She finally kicked the ball as hard as she good and it landed in the net. "Calm down," Ethan whispered. "We don't need him. We have each other." Ethan imagined what his father's job was like. Lawyers were one of the groups of people that just shouldn't have kids. They aren't home enough to care about them.
He didn't wish his father was around.
He wished his mother was.

"Hey," Ethan called as he started back into the house. "Maybe you should start to get ready." He walked into the kitchen and grabbed himself a water bottle. He noted that there wasn't a lot in the fridge. "Beth?" Ethan called. "Remind me to go to the grocery store later, kay?"

[Drakonnas]

"Chill out, bro. It's not as if I know any of these other girls. Besides, I've got all the friends I need. My team, Jeanna, and you. What more could I ask for? Besides, I was teasing. Partially." She said with a shrug of her shoulders. As Ethan said that she should get ready, Beth grabbed her ball, and jogged inside, and closed the door after her. "All right, we can go after the art convention. Dad left us some money again." She said, pointing to the table. "I'll be right down."

Beth ran upstairs, and spiced herself up a little bit, her two ponytails starting at her trademark little bows. She always wore them. It was one of the only things she had gotten from her mother. Beth checked over herself in the mirror, wanting to make sure she looked okay before going back downstairs. Everything passed inspection, so she closed the door behind her, and met Ethan back in the kitchen. "I'm gonna get a sandwich before we go. It might be a good idea for you to do the same." Beth suggested, trying to help.

[Ashen]

Ethan let out a light sigh at Beth's response. She had all the friends she needed. What did Ethan have? He had Beth, sure, and even Jeana but he was always the odd one out. Beth and Jeana were both girls; of course they had more to talk about that he did.
He had always tried to convince himself that he didn't need a whole lot of friends. After high school, he'd probably never see them again anyway.

Beth came back downstairs and suggested making a sandwich. Ethan was about to agree before the phone rang. He looked at his sister before going to answer it. Ethan grabbed the phone from its cradle on the wall and spoke into it. When he found out who it was he mouthed the name to Beth.
Jeana.
Jeana's words came out rushed and Ethan had to take a moment to understand her. "You want to treat us to a movie," Ethan repeated.
"Yeah, are you two free? I was thinking like seven, is that okay? We could even go out to eat before that."
Ethan covered the receiver with his hand. He knew going to a movie would cut his time at the art convention but he figured about four hours would do for today. "Beth, Jeana wants to know if we could go to a movie later? It's at seven and she proposed dinner beforehand."
He held the phone between his shoulder and walked over to Beth. He took a slice of bread and started eating it with nothing on it. He turned his brown eyes to Beth and awaited her answer.

[Drakonnas]

Beth slapped her peanut butter and jelly sandwich together quickly, and took a bite just as the phone rang. Beth walked over to it, but Ethan answered. She saw him mouth who the caller was, and her eyes lit up. It was Jeana. As Ethan relayed her message, Elizabeth smiled. "Sure, that sounds like fun! We'll still have time for the art convention, right?" She asked. There should be time, it started at about two, and this was about seven. There should be enough time. "What movie is it that she had in mind?"

Beth took another bite of her sandwich, today was turning out to be a really good day. Going to an art convention with Ethan, then dinner and a movie with Jeana. Beth was really excited. Pouring herself a glass of milk, Beth nodded. "Sounds like fun. Why don't we plan on going?" She asked with a smile.

[Ashen]

Ethan nodded at Beth's response and grabbed the phone again. "Sounds great," Ethan said to Jeana. "What movie?"
He rolled his eyes at the girl's answer and hung up the phone without saying goodbye. He turned to Beth again. "It's a surprise," he sighed. "I really hope she doesn't pick one of those chick flicks. If I have to endure another one of those..."
He walked back to the counter and grabbed one piece of bread. He spread jelly over it and rolled it. "All set?" he asked and put everything away. He slung his bag over his shoulder. "Do you have your cell phone?" he asked. "I'm just letting you know I'm not bringing mine." Ethan took a bite of his sandwich and headed out the door.

Ethan climbed into the driver's side of their car and finished his sandwich. He swallowed the last piece and wished he had brought something to drink.
He looked at the sky and wondered what the rest of his day would be like. The art convention at City Hall would probably be a blast. Then there would be dinner which would probably be fun, and a movie that Ethan knew nothing about. Overall, Ethan couldn't complain about the agenda.
After all, anything could happen that could turn his day on a dime.

[Drakonnas]

Beth grinned, as Ethan got ready. This was going to be a really fun day! She was almost bouncing up and down, but restrained herself. "I got some water if we need it. Also, why aren't you taking your cell phone? Did you let it die again?" She asked curiously. "But yeah, I got mine." Beth replied, not really thinking about the consequences of not bringing the cell phone. After all, they had done it many times before.

Beth climbed into the shotgun seat of the car, and relaxed as they drove off. "So Ethan... You remember Dave Elias? He had the nerve to ask me out in math class yesterday." She said, rolling her eyes. "Isn't he with Allie right now? Or was she last week's girl? No... that was Katie, wasn't it? Ugh. You get the point." She shook her head. "The nerve of some people."

[Ashen]

Ethan didn't reply to Beth when she asked why he wasn't bringing his cell phone.
Because no one would call, he thought but he didn't say anything. He waited for Beth to get in the car and started towards City Hall.

Ethan listened to Beth talk about some jock at school. He laughed when she told him he had asked her out. "Like he would ever deserve you," Ethan said. "Honestly, last I heard he was going out with Ashley. You probably know more than me though." Ethan shrugged a little. "I love how people say they've had so many girlfriends or boyfriends. Love isn't something you just stumble upon over and over again. I hate these little twelve-year-olds that say love is so hard on them. To them, a boyfriend is someone who walks you home. Big deal."
Ethan made an abrupt stop as a kid came darting onto the street. He let out the breath he had been holding. "Note to self," Ethan said. "Do not have kids. Don't even fall in love." He wore a light smile as he continued to drive again.

[Drakonnas]

Beth laughed. "Yeah... I'm not really interested in having a boyfriend at the moment. They like me 'cause I'm good at soccer, and some say I'm good looking. But I want people to like me for who I am." She shrugged. Being popular was annoying at times. "And yeah, I agree with you. The idea of a relationship changes as you age. I don't think I'm ready yet."

As Ethan stopped suddenly, Beth jerked foreword, her seatbelt holding her pretty much in place. "Aww, Ethan... the world's not as wonderful when there's no love. You can't help having crushes, can you? It's the classic tale of 'oh, it'll never happen to me...' but it does. I know you've had crushes before, as have I. It's natural. But don't deprive yourself of the wonderful and memorable parts of life." She said brightly.

[Ashen]

I don't think I'm ready yet.
Ethan looked at his sister, at her gorgeous blonde hair and her shining amber eyes. Even when she was ready, she would have no problems finding someone. She was bright, athletic, and beautiful.
Ethan looked at himself in the mirror. He shared at least one of those things with her, but girls didn't really like smarts anyway. He nodded slowly and continued driving.

Ethan listened to Beth go on about love and he let out a loud sigh. "God, Beth, you're such a-"
He stopped himself. Girl? Of course she was. Obviously.
He looked away. "Right," he mumbled. Still, the thought lingered in the back of his mind.
It will never happen to me.
Not at this rate.

When they got to City Hall Ethan nearly jumped out of the car. From the entrance he could see a sculpture of a woman singing to a bird. Even if the woman was made out of stone Ethan could see how happy she was. It was in those grey eyes.
"Come on, Beth," Ethan said as he started running for the doors. He was excited to see all the different kinds of paintings and sculptures inside. He shoved open the double doors, nearly knocking over a woman and her newborn son. "Sorry!" Ethan called and stopped as he saw the full sculpture.
The bird had radiant blue feathers, even if they were grey. The woman's hair was gold, although it took the color of the material used to build her. Ethan closed his eyes and pictured the sculpture in his mind with color. He slowly colored in the sculpture. The grass beneath her feet was a beautiful green, her skin was a pale peach, but when Ethan got to her face he had to open his eyes so he wouldn't be staring into the eyes of his mother.

[Drakonnas]

Beth laughed as Ethan replied to her little love speech. "Yeah, I know. It's a little stereotypical, but who cares? It's true." She laughed again, and quieted, not wanting to make Ethan more uncomfortable.

As they reached the City Hall, Beth stepped out of the car, and locked the door, realizing that Ethan had forgotten to do so. By the time she looked up, Ethan was gone. She smiled to herself, and entered, noticing the bright eyes of the woman. She appreciated the hard work that was put into the art. She had tried to create something from time to time, and it never turned out how she wanted it to. It was rather frustrating.

As she walked, she couldn't see Ethan. He was nowhere in sight. She grinned, he was probably off somewhere, thinking that she was following him. Not sure what she should do, she walked around slowly, hoping she'd see Ethan somewhere along the route. She saw a modern art painting of a black background, with seemingly random yellow splatters all over it, with one small, thin red line slicing the picture in two, diagonally. Beth didn't understand why this was so valued. But then again, modern art usually didn't mean anything to most viewers, but to the artist, and or the people who know the inspiration for the piece.

[Ashen]

Ethan was staring at a painting of a river when he realized Beth wasn't beside him. He realized this when she didn't answer his question. "Beth?" he called, then louder, "Elizabeth!"
He paused, wondering if he should go looking for her. She would be in the Terry Redlin section. Ethan grabbed two maps but neither had Redlin on it. It didn't matter. Beth knew they were leaving for supper. She would go to the car the same time he would.
Ethan continued to walk around City Hall.

He was listening to someone go on about Monet when he saw something sparkling. Intrigued, Ethan moved away from the crowd of people. He walked into what looked like a jail cell with near to no lighting and cold, stone walls. He had seen something shining. Maybe there was a light he could turn on? Maybe the greatest art of all was here, hidden in the dark.
Ethan was just about to go ask someone what was in this room when he felt something hard smack against his skull. Before he could note what was going on Ethan was unconscious.

[Drakonnas]

Elizabeth had walked around the entire art convention twice, with no sign of Ethan. She was confused now. Where could he have gone off to? After walking around a third time, looking for Ethan, she approached one of the people who worked there. "Excuse me, ma'am, but have you seen a boy, about my age...." She proceeded to describe Ethan, and explained that she hadn't seen him recently. "If you do, would you let him know his sister is waiting for him at the car?"

"No, hon. I haven't seen him. But if I do, I'll give him the message. I'll even say something over the intercom if you like." She said kindly. Pressing a button, she spoke, and her voice rang out. "Ethan Riley, if you're in here, your sister is waiting at the car."

"Thank you, ma'am. I appreciate it." Beth said, and headed out towards the car, a little frustrated with him. Had he wandered around, and gotten lost again?

[Ashen]

Ethan awoke with a migrane.
He didn't know where he was or what had happened before he blacked out but he did know one thing.
If he didn't get to some kind of painkiller soon he would kill himself.
He struggled into a sitting position. It was so bright wherever he was but he couldn't see a thing. It was like he was wearing eye patches that only covered the center of his eyes. Bright white light seeped in from the corners.
"Beth?" Ethan called, but his speech was slurred and he couldn't pronounce her name correctly. The T and H wouldn't come out right so Ethan tried other names. "Liz? Blondie? Riley?"
Just speaking was wearing him out. He couldn't hear anything above the pounding in his head. "Where am I?" Ethan moaned.

Ethan awoke again although he didn't recall falling asleep. His headache had subsided but he still couldn't see well. His eyes were hurting.
He felt around him for a bag before remembering he didn't even bring his cell phone. Ethan muttered a swear and forced himself to his feet.
He was in a room.
Ethan gathered that from the metal walls around him. They surrounded him on three sides. On the forth side Ethan reached out and felt a handle of sorts. He tugged at it but it wouldn't budge.
I need to get to Beth, Ethan said to himself. And Jeana. What will they think if I don't show up?
At the thought of Jeana, Ethan tried to figure out what time it was, but even if he had a watch he couldn't see. He let out a low growl that he couldn't have done if he tried. When he ended he heard a man's voice yell something. What was he saying?
Stop...ling.....fu.....dog.
Ethan tried to piece together the fragments of the sentence he got, but he couldn't.
"I want my sister," Ethan cried. He tucked his knees under his chin and rocked back and forth. This is a nightmare, Ethan said to himself, and he kept saying it until he believed it.

[Drakonnas]

Beth waited for half an hour, and Ethan didn't show. She was getting concerned now. Nothing like this had happened before. Unless he was pulling a prank, and this was a really dumb one at that, something was wrong. She pulled out her phone, and dialed Jeana's number. "Jeana...? It's Beth. Ethan an I went to an art convention at the town center, and Ethan and I got separated. He ran ahead, and I can't find him now. I dunno whats going on. Either he's playing a prank of some sort, he got lost in the art, or something happened to him. I'm probably just being paranoid... what would you do? I've tried...." She went on to tell her friend what she had done, all for naught.

Beth was worried. Not only was Ethan not showing up, she was stranded at the art center, no way home. Her purse was in the trunk of the car, she had no money. She could attempt to break into the trunk, but that might not be the best thing to do. "I don't know what to do... besides Ethan getting lost, I'm stranded here, Jeana..."

[Ashen]

Jeana was brushing her hair when her phone rang. She placed her brush on her vanity and looked at the name on her phone. Beth was calling her.
She pushed her hair away from her ear and answered the phone. "Hello?" she said but she barely finished the word when Beth was going on about Ethan.
Jeana listened to Beth intently. Jeana herself was usually the one to rant. But Beth's brother was missing.
Ethan was gone.
"He didn't come around here, Beth, but I'll go drive around, okay?" She started out of her bedroom before realizing she wasn't wearing any pants. She let out a light sigh and rummaged through her drawer. "Maybe he went to the bathroom, Beth," Jeana suggested, although she doubted it. Ethan, while surrounded by art, would hold it in as long as he could. He wouldn't want to miss any painting, even if they'd be awaiting him when he came back. "He wouldn't play a prank like this. Maybe he already went home and forgot you were with him?"
Jeana stared at herself in the mirror. Her pink tank top didn't go with her purple shorts. There were specks of green along her shorts, and her sandals were yellow. She looked like a walking rainbow but right now she didn't care.
"Beth, I'm going up there now."
She hung up and raced down the stairs. She snatched her keys and paused at the door, wondering if she should tell her father where she was going. He would only argue with her.
"Daddy, I'm going to City Hall!" Jeana called and ran out of the door before her father could follow her.

Crows.
That's what Ethan heard. Their cries screeched in his mind. Was he even in Washington anymore?
"Hello?" Ethan called. "Where are you taking me?"
He heard someone tell him to be quiet, but he wouldn't. He started screaming as loud as he could, just to annoy whoever it was who wanted him to be quiet. His screaming was only making his headache worse, but he didn't care.
"Shut the fuck up!"
Ethan looked up as light poured into the room but as quickly as the light had come it had gone and Ethan was unconscious from yet another blow.

Jeana ate every light on the way to City Hall and ignored all of the stop signs. When she made it she ran out of the car without locking it. "Beth!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. She found her next to their old car and ran over to her. "Oh, Elizabeth, I thought you would have found him by now. Why don't you call him? Screw that, he never answers his phone."
Jeana looked behind her at her father's convertible. He was going to kill her when she got home. Especially since she nearly left it unlocked. She took out her keys and locked the car. Her phone started to ring and, hoping-praying-it was Ethan, she took it out and looked at the number. It was her father.
"I'll go check the building again. Maybe you missed him. You check the block. You have your cell phone, right? Of course you do. You called me." Jeana shook her head and started running towards City Hall. "We'll find him, Beth!" Jeana called. We have to.

[Drakonnas]

Beth was sitting on the trunk of her car, head in her hands. She had gone in to check with the office, and no one had seen him recently. As Jeana drove up, Beth looked up, and saw her friend running towards her. Beth nodded once, agreeing to Jeana's plan. She got up without a word, walked over to her friend, and gave her a long hug. After a minute, she whispered, "Thank you..."

Beth let go, and started walking around the block. Where could Ethan possibly have gone? There wasn't anywere he could have gone, was there? She looked around, and saw a restaurant, and entered it, hoping that she might find someone who had seen Ethan. No one there had. She swore, which was very unusual for her, and exited the building, and finished her loop around the block. She called Jeana again. "He's nowhere in sight. Not in any of the restaurants.... Did you find him?"

She was about to call her father, but something stopped her. A sudden flare of anger lit up within her. Anger at her father. He had his own problems to deal with. But she was being unreasonable, her fear clouding her judgment. They had to find Ethan. She couldn't survive without him, practically the only constant in her life. He was more important to her than anything she could imagine.

[Ashen]

Jeana jogged through the art gallery, knocking down a few people in the process. She was gone before anyone had a chance to yell at her. She was on a mission and there was no one that would stop her.
Her phone rang again and, aggravated, she grabbed it and yelled a hello into the receiver. Her father scolded her on everything he could: leaving to City Hall alone, taking the convertible, yelling at him. She only rolled her eyes. She nearly dropped the phone when she saw Ethan's brown hair.
"Ethan Riley, you are in so much tro-" she stopped when she realized it wasn't Ethan she was talking to. Jeana blushed and stepped away.
"Jeana Alexa Rainer," her father said. "Get home now."
"Ethan is missing, Daddy," Jeana said. "I'm not going home until I find him." She hung up and stopped in front of the men's bathroom. She stepped closer to it. "Ethan?" she murmured. "Ethan!"
Her phone rang again.
Jeana looked down, ready to reject her father's call, when she saw it was Beth. She answered and shook her head slowly. "He's not here, Beth," she said sadly. "Maybe we should call the cops."

Jeana walked to the parking lot, exhausted from all the running she'd done. She sat down on the hood of her car and surveyed the parking lot. "Oh Ethan," she sighed. "This isn't like you."

[Drakonnas]

Beth groaned. "Maybe you're right... She admitted fearfully. "It's just... calling the cops would make this seem more real, and I don't want it to be..." She said, nearly hysterical. "Nothing can happen to him! It's not... I can't.... It's... I...." She broke down then, but took a few deep breaths to try and calm herself. "You've gotta be okay, Ethan. You've gotta be... I dunno what I'd do without you... Be safe, please..."

She stood for a few more minutes, and hesitantly pulled out her cell phone, and started dialing her father's phone number. It rang three times before he picked up, Beth wasn't sure he would. "Dad, it's me..."

"Elizabeth, what have I told you? Don't call me when I'm at work! You know this!" Her father scolded, in a commanding tone of voice.

"Dadl! It's..." Beth tried to say, but was interrupted.

"I don't care, Beth. This can wait. Good bye." And he hung up the phone. Beth was shaking, and exploded. "DAMN YOU!" She shouted, as if he could hear. "You don't care that your son is missing? Fine!" She shrieked, her voice reaching dangerous levels. "I'll deal with this on my own, like I deal with every effing thing!" She screamed, attracting a good amount of attention. It took her several minutes to reach the point where she was aware of what was going on around her. She flipped open her phone, and dialed 911.

[Ashen]

Jeana knew exactly what her best friend was talking about. Calling the cops would only make things more intense, more worrying. But then, by the time they got to Ethan, he could be gone.
No, she told herself. Ethan is just lost.
She jumped off the hood of the car and pulled Beth into a hug. "He's fine," Jeana whispered, but she didn't believe that at all.

She stepped away from Beth and watched her call her father. She waited patiently until she heard Beth swear. Then, Jeana looked up and almost cried. Beth couldn't deal with this.
Ethan you'd better get home now, Jeana thought, as if sending a telepathic message to the boy were possible. She turned away when Beth dialed nine-one-one, but quickly turned to watch her.
If Ethan was kidnapped, Beth could be too. Jeana wouldn't let her out of her sight.
She couldn't.

"Come."
Ethan opened his eyes as light flooded into the room. It was so bright it was blinding him. Someone was standing before him, a male that was older than him. When Ethan didn't move, the man kicked him.
"Stop," Ethan moaned. He forced himself to stand, using the wall for support. "Where am I?" Ethan murmured. He looked around and learned for the first time he was in the back of a truck. "Who are you?" Ethan said to the man before him.
"Come," the man said again and he disappeared in the outside world.
Ethan hesitated before following him. He didn't know where his bag was and he needed to find a phone. He needed to call Beth.
"Where are we?" Ethan said again, this time louder.
"Ask me one more time and I swear I'll shoot you," the man growled. Ethan's eyes scanned his body for a gun. They rested on the strap on his back. The light was so bright that he couldn't be sure, but Ethan could have sworn he saw the mouth of a shotgun.
He was led to a small building that looked like it was the home to no more than rats and ghosts. Ethan was thrown on the ground and hit his head against the hard wall. If he ever got out of here, he would suffer severe brain damage.
"Draw me a picture."
Ethan, rubbing his head, looked up in confusion. "What?"
The man threw some pencils at him and handed him a piece of paper. "Draw a picture of Beth."
"Beth?" At the sound of his sister's name, Ethan lit up. "Where is she? Did you take her too?" He got up and started shouting her name.
"God dammit," the man muttered. "Shut up." He showed Ethan the gun he held. It was a shotgun. Ethan, terrified, silenced himself and grabbed at the pencil. He started sketching the edges of a face. The man waited until Ethan was done before snatching the paper and staring at it. "This isn't Beth," he said through gritted teeth. "Let's try this again. Draw your goddamned sister or I will blow your brains out."
Ethan grabbed another piece of paper. How did he know about Beth?
He drew his sister, smiling brightly. He made sure to add the shines of her hair, the bend of her chin. How long until he forgot what Beth looked like?
Ethan handed the picture to the man. "Better," he said. He took the picture as he walked out of the room.
Ethan was alone with only paper and pencils. He got up but he was feeling too weak to walk. Ethan grabbed his pencil and touched it to the paper but he couldn't draw. Not in a time like this.
He curled himself on the cold floor and fell asleep.

[Drakonnas]

Beth groaned as she hung up. "The police are on their way..." She said softly. "The said they'd contact the asshole that is my father." She almost in tears. "Oh Jeana... what am I gonna do?" She said softly, hugging her best friend in hopes of being comforted. They waited for about three minutes, until they heard sirens. Three police cars pulled to a stop next to them. Several officers got out, and jogged towards the art convention, while two officers approached the two girls.

"Miss Elizabeth Riley, correct?" The first police officer asked gently.

Beth looked up, and nodded, her eyes full of worry. "Yes, sir..."

"Let me see if this story is straight. Ethan ran ahead, definitely went into the convention, and hasn't been seen since?" The police officer asked, taking notes carefully.

"Yes sir."

"All right. James, make a list of Dr. Riley's past victories in court. We have to look at potential for revenge kidnapping here. I also want you to look into potential offenders in the area. We have officers searching the premises. Beth, you said that he didn't have his cell phone? What was he wearing?"

Beth continued to answer questions, with the occasional help from Jenna. Another officer looked a little flustered, as she walked over to them. "Al, we have a situation with the father. He won't take any time off his work to help. Put him on the suspect list."

Beth swore again. Her father was more interested in work than the potential loss of his son.

[Ashen]

Jeana swallowed the lump in her throat. She didn't know what to do. How was she supposed to instruct Beth?
She bit her tongue when the cops appeared. She watched them talk to Beth until she heard another car pull up in the parking lot. A man stepped out of her Prius and stormed towards her. "What the hell, Jeana?" he roared. He looked at all the cops and finally at Beth. "What is going on?"
Jeana didn't answer. She just held her head in her hands. "Daddy," she mumbled. "Ethan." She started to cry. "We can't find Ethan."

Gregory McCain held onto the picture in his hand tightly. He slowly drove up to the house he had been stalking for the past year. He had followed the Riley's since he was released from prison. Now, he was prepared to initiate his plan.
Greg dug into his back pocket for a bobby pin. He picked the lock to the front door and jogged up the stairs to Beth's room. He placed Ethan's picture on Beth's bed and was out of the house just as quickly as he had entered.

Ethan awoke when he felt a sharp pain in his side. He looked up and saw the samean as before. "What do you want from me?" he asked. "What do I have that you want so much?"
"Freedom," the man spat. The kicked Ethan again. "Get up."
Ethan obeyed. The light wasn't so blinding now and Ethan could make out this strange man's features. His hair was black and his eyes were just as dark. He had a suntan everywhere except over his left wrist. Maybe there was a watch or brace there.
"What do you mean, freedom?" Ethan asked. "Who are you?"
"Curiosity killed the cat," the man replied. "And if you don't shut up..."
Ethan's stomach growled and suddenly he wished he had had more for lunch than the sandwich with only one slice of bread. "I'm hungry," Ethan said quietly, praying this man would show him some sympathy.
"I know," the man replied. "And you're going to stay hungry until the day you die."
Ethan looked away. He couldn't understand why he was targeted.

[Drakonnas]

Beth watched as the Prius drove up, and Jeana's father stepped out. She was emotionally drained, she didn't know what to do. She spoke to the officer, Al. "Ethan has our car keys... I can't get the car home... what should I do...?"

Al turned, his deep voice soothing and rich. "Don't worry about that, Elizabeth. We'll call a locksmith, and he can create a key. Meanwhile, we'll take you home. If you want to climb in back, I can drive you home."

Beth turned to Jeana. "Jeana... please come with me..." Tears were in her eyes now. "I don't know what I'll do... Being home alone with Ethan missing, and my father not home..." She emphasized the word father with an angry sarcasm that showed how furious she was with the man. "Please... I need you, Jeana... Please let her come with me..." She practically begged Jeana's father.

She would be home alone. With Ethan missing, she didn't know what she'd do. Her paranoia would slowly eat away at her, leaving nothing but a hollow shell. She had to have someone to be with. And she certainly didn't want anything to do with her good for nothing father, who cared more about work than his own children. Who knows? She might be in danger as well.

[Ashen]

Jeana held Beth's hands in her own. Both of them had tears in their eyes. They would both go through this together.
She turned to her father. "I'll drive Beth home in the Prius," she said. "Take the convertible home. I'll go pack a bag."
Her father was enraged. "Who do you think you are?" he spat. "You will not make your own rules, young woman. I am your caretaker. I am in charge of you until you move out of my house and what I say goes."
Jeana shook her head. She was yelling now. "Beth's best friend in the entire world is missing. Do you honestly think she wants to be alone?" She sighed. "I'm staying over Beth's house."
She turned back to Beth. "I'll drive you to my house first. Is that okay? Or would you prefer if I took you home and then got my stuff?"
Jeana's father, aggravated, walked to his convertible. "Jeana," he called. "Keys?"
Jeana reached into her pocket and threw her keys at her father. She caught the keys to the Prius. "Ready Beth?" she asked. "You know whatever happens, everything'll be all right."

Ethan was completely alone in this building.
It reminded him of an office. It certainly wasn't residential. There wasn't enough room for that. Whoever had locked him in this building had left, locking every window and door so Ethan wouldn't get out. He knew better than to, what with all the electric wires surrounding the place.
Now he was on his feet and walking around.
In the first room, the one with the front door, there were cold blue floors and dull stone walls. There was a desk in a corner of the room with a broken lamp and a single pen that looked like it was older than the building itself. Walking into the room on the left, Ethan found what could have been a dining area. Tables lined the room in rows of three. There was a single window, too high for anyone to reach. In the right side of the room was a hallway that led to the back door.
Taking the right door in the main room led Ethan to the room the
man had thrown him in. There was nothing in it but the pencils and papers the man supper him with and an eye-level window.
This building had been vacant for a long time.
Ethan was sitting at the desk in the main room when a rat ran up to him. The rodent wasn't scared of him at all, which surprised Ethan. He was terrified.
Although it wasn't the rat he was scared of.
He moved the chair to the desk out so that it was touching the wall and noticed a phone tucked into the corner of the room. Ecstatic, Ethan grabbed it and dialed Beth's number. Nothing happened.
The phone was plugged into the only outlet in the building but it wouldn't work. Maybe if Ethan had time, he could tinker with the wires and get it to work.
Hell, he had all the time in the world.

[Drakonnas]

Beth felt drained, exhausted. The emotional stress of the day had tired her beyond what she thought possible. It took a good amount of energy to even get in the car. "Why don't we go to your place first, Jeana. It probably is easiest for you, Jeana... You know how much your being with me means at a time like this..." Another thing was nagging at her also. While Ethan may have been her brother, and yes, they were extremely close, Jeana was Beth's best friend. Her brother couldn't be her best friend, could it?

The drive home was long and quiet. Beth didn't speak, her thoughts on her brother. "Oh Ethan... You better get out of this... It was turning into twilight, the sun was slowly sinking in the sky. The longer she didn't hear from Ethan, the worse she felt.

As they arrived at Jeana's place, Beth spoke softly. "Would you like some help gathering your things?" She thought about asking her to pack supplies for a few days, but they didn't really live too far apart. Besides, by saying that, she would express the fear that Ethan wouldn't be found.

[Ashen]

Jeana nodded at Beth and drove her to her house. By the time they were there her Father's car was already parked in the garage. Jeana turned to Beth and shook her head. "I'll be a second," Jeana promised and she disappeared in the house.
She grabbed her biggest bag and stashed one pair of pajamas, three shirts, four pairs of pants, and enough lingerie for a week. She figured if she needed clothes she could borrow some from Beth. She also threw some books and movies in because she knew Beth would need to distract her mind. She ran down the stairs and grabbed the jumbo bag of chips. She had enough.
Jeana ran back outside, her sandals cutting into her feet from all the digging.
"Come on, Beth," she said and drove them home.

They made it to Beth's house and Jeana helped Beth out of the car. She grabbed her bag and waited for Beth to open the door. Then she realized the door was ajar.
"He's home!" Jeana said excitedly. "Come on, Beth."
She ran into the hhouse and up to Ethan's room. She knocked and allowed a second to pass before opening the door. He wasn't there. "Ethan!" she called.
She walked into Beth's room. She stopped when she saw a picture of Beth on her bed. "Beth?" Jeana called. "Was this here when you left?"

Ethan held the cut line together. He dialed Beth's number again but it wouldn't work. He sighed and started to draw on the paper in the captive room. That's what he was calling it now. It was the room he had been first taken to.
He drew until he couldn't see what he was drawing and even after that he proceeded. He drew everything: his sister, Jeana, his father, their house, a bird, a tree, a car. He drew until his hand was numb, and even after that he switched his hand and continued to draw.
If he was going to die here, he was going to leave something of himself.

[Drakonnas]

As they reached her house, Beth looked up as Jeana helped her out of the car. "Ethan's home!" She said, and ran inside the house after Jeana. "Ethan! Ethan! You had us so worried..." She said, a feeling of relief washing over her. She ran around the downstairs, but Ethan didn't answer. The feeling of dread returned slowly as she realized that Ethan wasn't here.

As she heard Jeana call out for her, she hurried back to her room. She stared at the picture, confused. "No, it wasn't. But it's definitely Ethan's drawing. I'd guess that he placed it here for me before we left for the art convention... he's done that before..." She said. Still, something bothered her. She picked it up, and stared at it. It was definitely Ethan's drawing. That she knew.

She didn't think about turning the paper over, though. There could have been something on the other side, but she didn't think about it. She collapsed on the bed, feeling if possible, worse than she had before. The false and shattered hope had left her surprisingly weak. "Oh Jeana..." She cried, obviously distraught.

[Ashen]

Jeana shook her head vigorously. "Let me see," she said and took the picture. "This point..." she said. She traced the curves of Beth's face with her finger. "Even after he dulls it with his finger, Ethan's lines look straighter than this. Shouldn't he have used a different pencil?"
She looked over the paper twice. It was lined. Wouldn't he have used printer paper?
"Maybe he'll come home tonight," Jeana suggested. "Why don't you get some sleep, Beth? It won't do no good staying up worrying. If he comes home I'll be awake, okay?"
Jeana undressed Beth's bed. She flattened the sheets and looked at Beth. "Just try to get some rest. This will all be over by morning." Jeana climbed into the bed, intending to stay with Beth until she heard her light snores.

He had found a clock under one of the dining tables.
If Ethan's clock was accurate, it was just past midnight. He wondered what Beth was doing. He wondered if she was okay.
Ethan's headache had returned. He had started bleeding from his ear earlier but now the blood was dried. His muscles ached. He felt that he was going to go crazy.
The man had not returned, and Ethan started wondering if he ever would. Ethan walked to the desk in the main room and gathered his drawings. There were thirteen in all, including one drawing of a monster with that man's face. He crumbled it and threw it to a side of the room.
Ethan had way too much energy for the state he was in so he went back to his phone. He tied wires together but nothing happened. If he could only have one phone call...
He started to hum, filling the silence that was all too loud. When he saw his clock's hands reach the three and twelve, he gave up. He threw the phone and curled himself into a ball.
"Elizabeth," Ethan murmured. "Oh Beth."

[Drakonnas]

As Jeana noted these small flaws in his drawing, Beth grew even more confused. What was going on? At Jeana's request, Beth nodded, and climbed in bed. She was sure that she wouldn't be able to sleep, and protested some. "How can I sleep like this?" She asked, but these words contradicted how she felt. She was exhausted. Her eyes itched, and she lay down. "You better get back, Ethan... You just better. Because if you don't.... How can I go on by myself?" She asked softly. Realizing that Jeana could hear her, she smiled weakly. "I have you, Jeana... Thank you..." She said softly, and was instantly asleep, despite her constant insistence that she wouldn't be able to sleep.

[Ashen]

Jeana smiled when she heard the soft snores of her friend. She laid next to her and tried to keep herself awake. Eventually, she, too, fell asleep.

Jeana awoke from a terrible nightmare. In it, Ethan's body was found but he was dead. She woke up sweating and she slowly climbed out of Beth's bed as not to wake her. She had fallen asleep in her sandals and now she had deep creases in her skin.
Jeana walked to Ethan's room but he still wasn't there. She checked downstairs but he was still gone.
Jeana took off her sandals and her shorts. It was chilly now, whatever time it was. She put some pants on and walked into Ethan's room for some sort of clue.
She scanned every one of his drawings, and there seemed to be thousands. She checked all of his notes, and his stories, and his poems. Jeana couldn't find anything. She just hoped the police were having better luck.

"If you could have one thing before you died, what would it be?"
"I want to call my sister."
"Anything in the world, and you'd choose that?"
"Yes."

Ethan rubbed his eyes. He played his scene over again in his head. He knew the man wouldn't ask for a dying wish, but he fantasized that he did. He was completely in solitude, and he would have killed to see his sister again.
"Your father doesn't care much for you, huh?"
Ethan looked up. "What do you want?" he mumbled.
"I thought taking his only son would destroy him. But he doesn't care about you. He hasn't even noticed."
Ethan looked away.
"How about his only daughter?"
At this, Ethan was in the man's face. "Don't touch her," he growled. "Don't lay a finger on her."
"Maybe if I starve you they'll look at it as parental neglect," the man thought aloud.
"Who are you?" Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"A good friend of your father's," he answered. "Greg."
Ethan examined Greg. "Friend," he sighed. "I doubt that."

Greg had left him alone again, which gave him more time to explore this dumb building. Ethan did find a hidden door to an attic where an old trunk lay. He wasn't strong enough to open it and he was weak from the lack of food. He hadn't eaten in fourteen hours. He told himself that was nothing, but his starving stomach told him otherwise.

[Drakonnas]

Beth woke up in tears. She didn't understand why, but she was crying. And then it hit her. She remembered exactly what had happened the day before. She bolted out of bed, tears still on her face. She had to see if Ethan was home yet. The clock read 4:15 AM. It was really early, and Beth was surprised she hadn't woken sooner. She had a pretty large headache, which didn't go away. Where was Jeana? She wasn't in her room. Maybe downstairs? Beth felt her way along the dark hallway, and climbed down the stairs. If Jeana was up, she wasn't downstairs, all the lights were off. So where could she be? Beth looked around, there was a light on in Ethan's room. Ahah. Here she was. Opening the door slowly, Beth found Jeana, looking through Ethan's drawings. "Have you found anything?" She asked softly, not wanting to surprise her friend."Have you slept at all?"

[Ashen]

Jeana startled when she heard Beth's voice. She looked up and let out a yawn. She saw the tears on Beth's cheeks and ran to hug her.
"I wanted to be there when you woke up," she said sadly. "I'm sorry, I was looking for a type of clue or something." Jeana looked at the ground. "But I haven't found anything."
She looked back at Beth's eyes. "I'm so sorry, Beth," she murmured. "I don't know how this could have happened."

"Where are all of your drawings?"
Ethan stared at Greg plainly. This man was a weirdo. "In the entrance room, on the desk."
Greg nodded. "I'll mail them out to your sister," he said. "I'll torture her."
"Don't you dare!" Ethan said. He ran to grab them but he wasn't fast enough. Greg had them all. "Why would you do this?"
"Revenge." The word rolled off of his tongue. It was like ice.
"Against us? What did we do to you?"
"Your father locked me in prison for seventeen years," Greg said. "And if he doesn't care enough about his missing kid, maybe his other will drive him nuts. Beth can drive him crazy, can't she?"
"We didn't do anything to you!" Ethan yelled. "This's is Dad's fault! I hate that man!"
Greg smirked. "A lot of people do." He took Ethan's papers and left.
Ethan stared at the door after Greg had left. If Beth saw those pictures she would think he was sending them. She would go out and look for him. What if Beth got taken too?
That's what Greh wanted. Once word got out, his Father's reputation would be ruined.
What lawyer cant even keep track of his teenage kids?

Greg slipped Ethan's drawings through the mail slot of the Riley house. It was four-something and surely no one was up but he couldn't risk making too much noise. When he finished, he silently drive away.

[Drakonnas]

Beth hugged her friend tightly. "Jeana... I want Ethan back..." She sobbed softly. Yes, it was childish. But it was what she wanted. And she knew that Jeana knew this. But she couldn't really control herself that well right now, especially in light of what had happened, and the fact that she hadn't gotten much sleep. Where could Ethan have gotten off to? Had he been kidnapped? Why would anyone want to take him, apart from the fact that he was a kid, like she was? "We have to find him, Jeana... someone's gotta find him..." She was cut off by the lights of a car. Instead of continuing on like it should have, the lights stopped in front of their house. "Could that be Ethan?" She asked hopefully. The car soon drove away, and Beth was more confused than ever. No lights, no footsteps. It wasn't Ethan. "Damn... It's not Ethan... Think we should try to get back to sleep again?" She asked with a sigh. Her light shirt wasn't quite enough to keep her warm, and she shivered just a little. "I'm gonna try to rest again... Come on, Jeana... I don't want you too exhausted either..."

[Ashen]

Jeana hugged Beth back. It was killing her, seeing Beth like this and not being able to do anything. She told herself she would do anything in her power to calm Beth down, but the only way that would happen would be if she could get Ethan to return.
"That sounds like a good idea," Jeana said and walked Beth to her bed. She knew she wouldn't be able to fall asleep herself, so she just sat in the bed. She pulled her bag close and sifted through it. She finally found her iPhone and put her iPod on. Beth could fall asleep to Ke$ha, or P!NK, or whoever else came on. As long as nothing sappy came on, Beth would be fine.
No, she thought. Beth would not be fine. But it was almost close.

There was a bunch of things in the old trunk.
Ethan opened it by slipping a pencil into the crack and tugging with all of his might. He broke his pencil but the trunk had opened. There were various heirlooms inside, including a pearl necklace, a sapphire brooch, and a single letter written in the 40's. There was a school copybook inside used for science class, a broken ruler, shards of glass from the mirror inside, and a flashlight that, to his surprise, still worked.
Ethan played with the flashlight. He tried to remember the Morse code for SOS. Three long, three short, three long? Or was it the opposite?
Ethan tried both, but wherever he was, he was isolated from civilization.
He sighed and grabbed one of his pencils that wasn't broken. He had never been so hungry in his life. With his stomach taking over his mind, he drew all sorts of foods. That only seemed to make him hungrier.
Ethan shoved his papers away. He read over the letter in the trunk. It was from someone in Germany suffering the effects of World War II. It wasn't an amazing letter; it was some love letter with some of the words too worn to read.
Ethan decided to write Beth a letter. She would probably never see it, but that didn't matter. Like she would usually say, it's the thought that counts.

[Drakonnas]

Beth woke the next morning, and the first thing she thought of was Ethan. Jeana wasn't in bed, and Beth wondered where she was. It was Sunday, they had school tomorrow. She didn't know how she'd be able to go, but she had to. There were important things going on at school, things she couldn't afford to miss. But... it would be very obvious that something was wrong, and she wasn't looking foreword to all the questions that would undoubtedly be asked. And that brought her thoughts to the other thing. Soccer. How could she play soccer when her brother was missing? Possibly dead? Her team would have to understand that she might not be her best, if she was going to play at all. Deep inside Beth knew that her team would help support her until Ethan returned home.

"Dammit Ethan... you better return safe." She whispered quietly, as she got up. She decided that she would shower, change, then go see what Jeana was up to. She disrobed, showered, and got dressed again rather quickly. She wore a simple white shirt, and a red skirt. "Jeana?" She called, trying to locate her best friend.

[Ashen]

Jeana didn't look up from what she was doing when Beth called her name. "In the kitchen!" she replied. She waited for Beth to join her in the kitchen. "I decided I should make us breakfast," she said. She didn't know if Beth was up to eating but she hadn't eaten since yesterday, probably around lunchtime. She was probably starving.
That made Jeana think of Ethan. How hungry was he? Did he get to eat supper last night?
"How many pancakes would you like?" she asked. She had made six although she knew together they probably wouldn't finish two.

Six a.m. and still no sign of an exit.
Ethan had tried jimmying the lock to the door with his pencils but that didn't work. He had tried punching the windows but that had only made his knuckles bleed. He smelled of blood, sweat, and urine, but he couldn't do anything about it.
He kept thinking of Beth, who was probably still sound asleep looking like an angel. Ethan didn't need a mirror to know he looked like a homeless man. His hair was unkept, his shirt was torn, his pants had two holes from God knows what. He had various scratches along his body.
He wanted to go home.

[Drakonnas]

Beth took the long route to the kitchen, which happened to go by the front door. Seeing something on the floor, Beth picked up a few sheets of paper. REalizing what they were, she shouted, "Jeana! Get over here! Now!" She ran into the kitchen, despite her asking Jeana to come to her. "Look... I found some of Ethan's drawings on the floor by the front door. They're not his usual work, they're more messy... but it's definitely his... He's still out there, Jeana! We have to go find him! But... why would he drop off the art, and not come home? It's not like him... We have to do something!"

[Ashen]

Jeana heard Beth's excited voice and turned away from the stove. Her eyes widened when she showed her the papers. Jeana knew they were Ethan's before Beth confirmed it.
She picked up one of the drawings and felt the paper, as if there was a secret message in between the lines. "Maybe someone dropped them off for him," Jeana suggested. "Maybe someone found them and returned them home. But why would they do that, knowing Ethan is missing? Why wouldn't they leave a note telling where he was at?"
Jeana smiled. Yes, Ethan was out there somewhere, maybe held captive or being forced to do things he didn't want to do.
But he was alive.

Jeana served Beth three pancakes piled onto one plate. Ethan's pictures were on the table, staring back at her. She was trying to figure this mystery out, but she was no detective.
"Did Ethan ever tell you maybe he wanted to run away?"
Even as she said the words they sounded bad. Ethan wouldn't run away. He would leave a note or something. He would have the common sense to tell them what he was going to do.
"It's possible that he just got on a tour bus maybe, and got lost, and now he's in Oregon or something, trying to find a phone to call us." Jeana looked away. Everyone had a cell phone nowadays. He could just ask. "Or maybe-I don't know! Okay? I just don't know where he's at!" Jeana collapsed into the chair behind her. She started sobbing and with each sob her body shook. She put her head down and let her tears fall onto the table.

"It's not my fault you raped a girl. It's not my fault my father locked you up for it. You deserved it."
"No one deserves to go to jail."
"You do. You're a little douche bag. Keeping me in here won't change the past seventeen years."
"It was eighteen, but I'm the only one counting. That's my point. I will never get those years back. If I had to suffer, so does your family."
"That won't justify things. That's only a lose-lose situation."
"And that's better than me losing alone."

Every time Greg came to visit Ethan had another argument. He didn't even know why the man stopped by. So far, he knew this much about Greg: His name was Gregory Mc-Something. Eighteen years ago he had raped a girl and his father was the one to lock him away for it. He spent seventeen years in prison; his good behavior let him out early. For the past year he had watched Ethan's family, learning everything about them. He knew Ethan loved art and Beth loved soccer. He knew the password to the family computer and the names of all their friends. He did better research than the FBI.
Ethan knew Greg didn't care about him or his sister. He cared about getting back at his father, and that was all.
Ethan could argue with him all he wanted. It wouldn't make a difference. A bullet from that Model 1887 he carried around all the time could easily be traced and then Greg would never leave jail. His DNA would be on a knife if that's how he chose to kill Ethan. Starvation was the best form of torture and his DNA would not be on Ethan at all.
Ethan knew he was going to die. He would try to fight that, but he knew he wouldn't succeed. He wished he had just one wish.
He wouldn't wish to get out of here. His life would forever be changed. He wouldn't wish that Greg would get locked away. Criminals did escape jail.
He just wanted to have one more conversation with Beth before he died.
The average human could last seven days without food, but Ethan had no fat on his bones. He would probably last five, and one had already passed.
He had four days to figure out how to talk to his sister.

[Drakonnas]

Beth's heard melted as she saw Jeana sobbing. The whole situation was extremely hard on both of them. "Oh Jeana... we'll find him... I know we will." She said, not sure what else to do. "No, he never said anything about running away... I'm sure we'll be hearing from him anytime now... I'm sure of it." She said, trying to put on a brave smile. After all, Beth knew that thinking positively was much less stressful. "Come on, we need to distract ourselves somehow..." She took a few bites of the pancakes, but they tasted dull and bland. It was the stress and worry again.

Beth's phone rang, and she answered it hopefully. It was the police. "Elizabeth? This is Police Chief Albert Dunham. I'm calling to let you know that we haven't found anything just yet. But don't worry, we'll keep looking. I promise. We'll find him. Do you need anything?" He asked, his voice full of concern.

"Thank you for letting us know, Mr. Dunham... I appreciate it... But something strange is going on... I've been finding Ethan's drawings... I found one on my bed last night, and about three this morning, they were dropped off through the mail slot in the door... It's his art, but it's not like him... it's been drawn on crude paper, and I... I dunno what's going on..."

Albert Dunham replied sharply, moreso than he meant to. "Don't touch them if you can avoid it. I'm sending some forensics experts over there as soon as possible to take a look, to check for fingerprints. This could be a clue we need." He said, lowering his voice a little bit.

"We did touch them... I'm sorry, I didn't think about that..."

"It's okay, but try not to touch them any more if you can avoid it."

"Okay... Thanks for everything, Mr. Dunham." Beth said softly.

Beth hung up, and turned to Jeana. "Some forensics experts are coming over to check fingerprints on the pictures..." She said quietly.

--------------

Nathan Willows appeared in the old abandoned building where Ethan was being held captive. It looked as if things were inevitable, it looked as if the higher-ups were right this time, that Ethan was nearing the premature end of his life. It really was terrible that his life had to end this way. He wasn't sure if Ethan could see him. Sometimes his charges could see him, sometimes they couldn't. If he could, it might make the transition much easier. Instead of waking up as a spirit, and not knowing what was going on, he would know what to expect, and would therefore be easier to help move on.

[Ashen]

Jeana raised her head when the phone rang. She watched Beth talk to who she assumed was an officer, praying he had good news for them. Beth was talking about the drawings. When she mentioned touching them, Jeana looked away.
She had rubbed her fingerprint all over that paper. It would be a miracle if forensics could find any fingerprint other than hers of Beth's.
Beth hung up the phone and Jeana wiped at the tears that were drying. "We touched them," she said. "I touched them. How could I be so stupid?"
She put her head down all too fast, hitting her forehead against the table. She didn't care.
"Idiot," she murmured to herself. "You are such an idiot."

"What is that?"
"It's gasoline. And this here is a match. Do you want to cross me again? They won't search through the ashes to find you, Riley."
"You wouldn't burn this place down."
"I would. I will. I don't need you to believe me."
"No, you wouldn't. You don't have everything yet. It's one thing to take his son, but that's not what you want. You want both his kids. You won't kill me until Beth is here."
"Smart kid, ain't ya'? Okay, I won't kill you. But I won't stop you from starving. I'd say you have about five days left. Five days... Not much time, is it? Let's see if anyone loves you enough to come looking for you."

Ethan held his head in his hands. That clock kept on ticking his life away.
He hated Greg.
If he could, he would have killed him. He didn't care that he'd spend the rest of his life in jail. Maybe if he had a good lawyer he would only get a couple years.
A good lawyer.
That's all his father was. A lawyer. He wasn't even a father anymore. Even if Ethan did find a way to kill Greg, he didn't want his father to represent him. If he didn't care enough now he wouldn't care when Ethan was behind bars.
Jail was better than what he was enduring now.
In a prison you got fed and you got to take a shower. You had company, even if they were all outlaws. If you were good, you got a TV.
Since he figured jail was much better than the buidling he was in, Ethan thought of ways to kill Greg. He could shoot him with his own gun, but he'd never manage to take it from him. Greg was maybe two hundred pounds, double Ethan's weight. He could maul him to death, but he wasn't strong enough.
The mirror.
Ethan uncovered the hidden door that led to the attic. He walked up to the trunk and opened it. He pulled out one of the shards of glass from the mirror. It was pretty big. Ethan would place it at five inches. Sure it could slice Greg's neck.
But then, Greg was his only way out of here. If he killed him, he would surely die in here.
With him alive, Ethan had a chance.

[Drakonnas]

Beth sat down, feeling idiotic as well. "I should have known better..." She said, shaking her head. "I should have thought about it..." She groaned, and sat silently for a few minutes. He phone rang again, and she looked at the number. It was her coach. Deciding not to answer her phone, she let it take the message. She wasn't in the mood to talk soccer. She'd listen later.

After about ten minutes had passed, the doorbell rang, and Beth got up to answer the door. Three people stood in front of her, all in official looking uniforms. Two women, and a man, all aged about thirty to forty. "Come in..." Beth said softly. She led the three to the pictures sitting on the counter. One of them spoke. "Beth, is it? Can you take me to your brother's room please? We need to take some samples from his room if you don't mind." Elizabeth nodded slowly, and led two of them upstairs to Ethan's room.

[Ashen]

Jeana got up when Beth let the police in. She watched the three come in and sat back down at the table. She wouldn't be any help to the authorities. Ethan was one of her best friends, but everything she knew Beth knew better.
She tried thinking of anything to say that might help them but she couldn't think of anything.
Why had he gone in the first place?
Maybe Ethan just really didn't want to go out to eat with them. That was ridiculous; Ethan would have just said something. Maybe something at the convention inspired him, but to the point he ran away?
Jeana shook her head slowly. This was just awful.
In a few days, she told herself, this nightmare would be forgotten. They'd laugh about it a year from now. Remember that one time Ethan pulled that prank? Jeana would say, and the three of them would laugh together. Remember when you all thought I was dead, but really I was in the bathroom? Ethan would joke.
Anything was better than believing the obvious truth.
Ethan wasn't gone by his own choice, and he probably wouldn't be back either.

Ethan hadn't seen Greg since he left with his matches and gasoline.
In the mean time he was sharpening his shard of glass just in case. He didn't have to kill the man. He just had to make him say what he wanted.
Ethan tried sharpening the glass against the wall but that only cracked it. Scared it would break more, Ethan put it back in the trunk and left it there. He turned his attention to the telephone and again started toying with it. It had to work.
"Ethan!"
He didn't look up. If Greg wanted him so badly he'd go get him.
Greg did. He opened the door and saw Ethan tinkering with the old telephone. "Don't touch that," he called. "When is your sister's soccer game?"
"Screw you," Ethan said.
"It's tomorrow at three?"
Ethan remained silent.
"If you don't tell me I'll go to your house and kill her."
"You wouldn't do that."
"No," Greg admitted. "But you know what I would do?" After a minute, Ethan looked up. "I'll do to her what I did to Hailey Bryant."
Ethan didn't move a muscle. Finally, realization struck. "Your victim," he guessed.
Greg nodded. "After that, I'll kill her. I'll dump her in the Sandy River. No one even knows where that is."
Ethan looked away. "It's in Kentucky," he murmured. "You wouldn't go all the way to Kentucky to dump Beth."
"Hailey Elise Bryant, a fifteen-year-old, was found at the bottom of the Delaware River, nearly three thousand miles away from her home in Seattle," Greg said, as if he had memorized that line. "Kentucky isn't nearly as far."
"It's at ten," Ethan said. "She got excused from school for it."
Greg knew it was a lie, but he didn't press anymore. There was no winning with this kid. It would have been easier to kidnap the girl.

[Drakonnas]

Sunday passed with no news of Ethan. The police called usually about twice a day to check in on things. Beth heard nothing from her father either. He wasn't home at all for the past week. It wasn't unusual either, sadly. It was normal for him to be gone for weeks, return for a day or less, and be gone again. Monday morning came, and Beth got ready for school. She was looking rather ill, having not eaten much, and having worried so much the past few days.

"I'm ready for school whenever you are, Jeana..." She said softly. They had debated going to school or not, but Beth had convinced Jeana that she needed to go to school, if for nothing else, to get out of the house, and attempt to get away from everything. She walked out to the car quietly, she was definitely not herself. She was sure that others were going to notice, and ask, but she had a reply ready. It probably would make her friends more curious and worried about her. Beth was also sure that rumors would spread like wildfire. With Jeana so different, and her brother not in school, some people were bound to make guesses... She was in for a rough day.

[Ashen]

Jeana pulled on a pink T shirt and green sweatpants, even if it was seventy degrees outside. She didn't think Beth should be going to school today, but she did agree they both needed to leave the house.
For all either of them knew, Ethan could be at school.
Jeana kept telling herself things like this-Ethan is just waiting at the grocery store, go see; Ethan is doodling at the park; Ethan is only at the doctor's; Ethan is here; Ethan is there. If she told herself Ethan was somewhere, it would mean he was still alive and well.
If he was at school, she would find the energy to go.
Jeana walked to her car too and watched Beth. She was far too upset. Jeana knew she wouldn't learn a thing at school.
"He's not dead," Jeana said firmly. "And as long as that'd true, we can still find him."
She got in the driver's side-if Beth drove she wouldn't be able to concentrate and would kill them both-and drove them to school. She helped Beth to their homeroom class, completely aware of the other students' stares.

Ethan stared at the cup of water, confused. "Why are you doing this for me?" he murmured quietly.
"Because," Greg said. "I need more time. You'll die of dehydration quicker than starvation. I don't want you to die of dehydration. Not yet."
"Oh," was all Ethan could say. He placed his hands around the cup of water. It couldn't have been more than that, a measured cup. "You're using me," Ethan said quietly, but he didn't mind. As long as he was being used, he wouldn't be killed. He examined the cup, wondering if poison would show in the clear liquid. Deciding it would be okay whatever it was, he drank it in five seconds flat.
Oh, the glorious taste of something so tasteless.
Ethan closed his eyes and savored the beautiful taste of water. He had already forgotten what water tasted like. What else had he forgotten?
Greg grabbed the empty cup and put it in the bag he carried. "I don't even think they're trying," Greg mumbled.
"Of course they are," Ethan replied, but he wasn't sure. Beth had to be looking for him. She had to be.
"They would have at least come close." Greg sighed. His plan wasn't working. He could go up to Ethan's father and shoot him, but that wouldn't be as torturing as his reputation going down the drain.
"Let me call her," Ethan begged. "I'll tell her, and then she'll come, and you'll have us both. Then you can kill us, together."
Greg seemed to consider this. "No," he finally said. "Not yet. You aren't dying yet."

[Drakonnas]

Beth wasn't really paying attention to what was going on in school. She was aware enough to notice all the stares and comments. Her soccer teammates were the most concerned, and helped divert too much attention she was getting. Jeana stood by her side, it was lucky they had most of their classes together. They only had two classes apart, and those were at the end of the day. Her teachers noticed, and allowed her some room.

English class passed without too much incident. Beth was getting more in tuned with things now, and she was able to participate in class, even if she didn't get anything out of it. Her cell phone rang, but she had it on silent. She excused herself to answer it, she'd explain to Mr. Fyde what was going on. She excited the room, and answered her phone. "Hello?"

"Elizabeth. It's Al. We have some news for you. It's both good news, and bad news. Please listen to me. We know what happened to your brother now. We found fingerprints on the drawings. They were of a certain Greg McCain. He was put in jail for the rape and murder of a fifteen year old girl." He stopped for a minute to let her grasp this. Beth sank to the ground, weak. So Ethan had been kidnapped by a murderer. She curled up on the ground, tears forming in her eyes. Would she ever see him again? "Beth? You still there?"

"Yes...." she managed to say slowly.

"The other news... Your father was the lawyer to put him behind bars. We think this is a revenge crime. You're in danger as well. I think that Gregory wants you as well. He's trying to bait you. Do not. I repeat, do not go looking for Ethan. Leave that to the professionals."

Beth did not re-enter the classroom. She knew that Jeana would be concerned about her, and waited for her to come out.

[Ashen]

Jeana was trying hard to pay attention at school, but she was failing.
She didn't understand Pythagorean therom, something she had learned years ago and had never forgot. She couldn't remember who Henry Hudson was and what body of water was named after him. With Ethan being missing and Beth in pieces, Jeana herself was falling apart.
She was in English class reviewing the difference between then and than-or something like that, Jeana wasn't focused anyway-when Beth asked to be excused. After a moment, Jeana asked the teacher to be excused and followed Beth.
"Beth?" she said gently. She had taken a phone call, a phone call that could have told her her brother's body was found. "Is everything okay?" She sat down next to her and forced Beth to look at her. "Elizabeth, please speak to me. Please don't tell me something I don't want to hear."

"She won't come. She's smart enough to stay away."
"It'll drive her crazy, you missing. She'll come."
"She won't come unless I ask her. Let me talk to my sister."
"That isn't going to happen, Riley. Stop asking."
"Stop calling me Riley. My name is Ethan. Riley only relates me to that man."
"I'll call you whatever I want."
"Whatever. I hope you know Beth is a lot smarter than you think. She would never come into a buidling like this."
"You've never seen the outside. For all you know this building looks like a candy cane factory. I will let you talk to your sister."
"What?"
"Later."
"Of course. When?"
"Later."
"For how long?"
"Later."

Since Greg told him he could call his sister, Ethan kept rehearsing what he would say. Of course he would never tell Beth to look for him. He would gladly die if he knew Beth was safe. He would tell her to relocate because this lunatic knows where they live.
Beth, he'd start, but what if he lost his voice? What if he forgot what Beth's voice sounded like.
Beth, I'm going to be okay. That was a nice way to start, wasn't it? With a lie?
Beth, I'm being held captive and you need to get the hell out of Washington. That would only scare her.
Ethan sighed. He had a lot of thinking to do now.

[Drakonnas]

Beth found herself looking at Jeana. "Ethan.... Ethan was kidnapped... Revenge crime against my father.... I'm a target as well..." She said slowly, as if she didn't believe it. "Ethan... kidnapped... I'm a target..." She shook her head rapidly as to regain control of herself. "Oh Jeana... What am I going to do? He's in the hands of a rapist and murderer... My father put him in jail, and he wants revenge. He's the one who dropped off the drawings, hoping I'd try to find him..." She said, looking Jeana in the eye. Class was over as the bell rang. Beth stood up, not wanting to be found on the floor. She was already in enough limelight. She didn't need any more attention.

[Ashen]

Jeana felt her hands start to shake.
Ethan was kidnapped by a rapist and killer. Beth was a target too.
Jeana could barely stand losing Ethan, but she couldn't lose Beth too. She pulled Beth into a hug and whispered something into her ear. Neither of them knew what she was saying, but something had to be said.
"Let's go home," she said quietly. She pulled Beth along so they wouldn't have to wait around for the other kids that would cloud the hall.

It was three in the afternoon.
It had been forty-nine hours since Ethan had last eaten. It had been even longer since he had a real meal.
There was no sign of Greg but even if he was around he wouldn't give him any food. This was how he was going to die. He needed to call Beth before that moment.
Ethan hadn't slept a solid hour since his stay here. He hadn't counted the times he had passed out early on, but then again, those probably didn't last long either. Most of his time was spent drawing or trying to get the phone to work. He wouldn't give up until the day he died, and that was growing very soon.

[Drakonnas]

Beth walked alongside Jeana as they walked into the front office. They couldn't just leave, they had to get checked out first. Luckily for them, the kind receptionist was there today. There were two receptionists at the school, one of them was really nice , friendly, and understanding, and the other was a total jerk. Well, not really, but she was extremely strict, stickleresque, and no-nonsense. She might not have let the two leave, saying they needed prior notice to be able to leave. But the lady here today took one look at Beth, and got up to help. She knew something was really wrong, but didn't inquire as to what it was. "Go home, and get some rest, Beth. You look awful,..." She said worriedly, as she opened the front door for them.

Beth said nothing on the way home. She was afraid, very afraid. Not only for herself, but for Ethan as well. There was no telling what could happen to Ethan. For all she knew, they could be in the middle of Greece by now. She closed her eyes and berated herself for thinking like that. They would find Ethan. They had to.

[Ashen]

Jeana sent up a silent prayer when she saw that the nice receptionist was in office today. She let them home without any trouble.
Once they got to Beth's house Jeana walked up to Beth's room and into her bag. A movie would distract them. "Beth, let's watch a movie!" She slowly picked one out of the couple she brought and took it downstairs. "We can't live like this. We need to distract ourselves. Here." She shoved the movie towards her. It was something about a girl going to Rome for vacation and falling in love with a jerk. It was a chick flick, like the ones Ethan hated so much. "Come on, let's put it on in the living room."

It worked.
Ethan's hours of toying with the telephone had finally paid off. It worked.
Ethan spoke into the receiver and he heard a muffled sound from the other end. He was so excited he forgot to answer. He just held the phone in his hands, in awe.
It worked.
Ethan hung up and dialed Beth's number but after the fourth digit it went dead. He tried again, but then it died after the third digit. He dialed 911 again, and it connected. This time, he made out the woman's voice.
"Nine-one-one, what's your emergency?"
"Hello?" Ethan called. "Can you hear me? I'm Ethan Riley and I'm being held captive in-"
"Ethan?" the woman repeated. "I can't hear you honey. Speak up."
"My name is Ethan Riley," Ethan said loud and clear. "I was kidnapped from Seattle and-" Ethan turned as he heard the door open. He quikcly hung up the phone, praying Greg had not seen or heard him on the phone.
"What is that?" Greg asked. He walked over to Ethan and peered over the desk at where the telephone lay on the floor. "Give up on that already. That hasn't worked since 1800."
"The telephone was invented in 1876," Ethan mumbled but he shoved the phone away. "What do you want?"
"I have something for you." Greg went into his bag. He pulled out papers and pencils. "Draw for me."
Ethan stared at the papers blankly. "Why not just leave me here, starving and bored?"
Greg turned away. "There are killers that kill because they have to. Then there are killers that kill because it's a game." He paused for a moment. "I run my game. I don't want my game to be easy. I like a challenge." He turned back to Ethan. "The cops are on level one or something, because I would think they'd at least start looking for you by now. I'll start leaving them clues, just to make it harder for me and easier for them. But God, they're taking forever."
Ethan turned back to the phone. "You're sick," he murmured. "You have some brain disorder. What normal person thinks killing people is a game?"
Greg shrugged. "Draw me something," he said, and with that he left.
"I'll draw you something, all right," Ethan said, and he started to sketch.

[Drakonnas]

Beth and Jeana watched two of their movies, it did help. It did distract them. Halfway through the third movie, Beth's phone rang again. As she expected it was the chief of police. "Beth. We've found your brother. He's still alive. We know where he's being held captive. It's an old abandoned building in the poor part of Seattle. As we speak, a SWAT team is heading out to rescue Ethan." Beth's face lit up with joy as she heard this news. "Your brother managed to call 911, and we tracked the call. As soon as the receptionist heard the name Ethan, we knew it was him, and tracked the call. This whole thing will be over soon enough, Beth."

Beth grinned, and turned to Jeana. "They found him! They're sending a SWAT team over there to rescue him... It's gonna be okay after all!" She hopped up and down a few times, relief spreading through her. Things were really going to be okay after all.

[Ashen]

Jeana had fallen asleep sometime between the end of the second movie and the beginning of the third. She was awoken when she heard Beth's phone ring.
She looked at Beth as she listened to the other end. Her face instantly lit up, and that's when Jeana knew.
Everything was going to be A-OK.

Jeana started hopping with Beth and then pulled her into a hug. "Oh thank God," she murmured. "The SWAT team... To think, I know someone who was rescued by the SWAT. Ethan is coming home. Ethan is coming home. He's safe." Jeana went on and on, back to her usual talkative self.
Everything would fall back into place now.
Everything was going to be all right.

Everything was working in his favor.
Greg sat at one of the tables in the dining area of the building. Ethan was in the room, two tables away. Judging by Greg's smile, Ethan did not want to be close to him.
"You helped me a little, Riley," Greg said. "They're coming for us. They have to be, now. You made a phone call, didn't you?"
Ethan looked away. Had he heard more than Ethan originally thought?
"You're wondering how I know," Greg assumed. "The cops think they're so smart because they speak that odd language with numbers. Well guess what? I speak it too." Greg pulled a radio out of his bag and switched it to some station. They heard voices coming through, warning officers. "There is a possibilty we have a 302," one said. "He's probably armed. Enter with caution," said another. A third was calling out directions.
"A three-oh-two," Greg mused. "They called me crazy. I am not crazy."
Ethan almost laughed.
"We're leaving," Greg said.
"What? I thought this was what you wanted?"
"Yeah. But now I have to lead them somewhere else. Have you ever been to Canada?"
"Why would-"
"Better brush up on your Canadian accent, eh? I don't need you to willingly come. I'll just take you like I took you last time." Greg was obviously very happy. He had a wide grin and his dark eyes were shining. "They know it's me," he said quietly. "I can't stay in the country anyway. Don't worry, I'll come back. I'm not done yet."

Greg left, but Ethan didn't know if he was coming back. He had to be.
Ethan remembered the cops on the radio. He could leave a clue.
He grabbed a piece of paper and started a note.
Beth,
I need you to get out of here. He's waiting for you and he won't stop until he has us both. He wants to get back at Dad. He thinks taking us will affect that man. He told me he's taking me to Canada. I'm starving, and I don't know how much longer I'll last. Please hurry.
-Ethan
Ethan placed his note on the desk. If they didn't find him, at least they'd find the paper. He sketched a picture of Greg's face so they would know who to look out for.
Several minutes later, Greg came back. "The van is ready," he said. He saw Ethan's papers and walked over to them. "No," he said. "No you won't." He reached into a pocket and pulled out a lighter. The set both papers on fire.
"Stop!" Ethan called. He reached out to save the papers, but he burned his finger. "You can't do that. You can't." Ethan's body was shaking now. Beth needed to be warned.
"Come on," Greg said.
Ethan shook his head. Greg, aggravated, held his shotgun that was always slung over his shoulder. "Come on," he repeated.
"Make me," Ethan said. He was hoping Greg would leave him alone for just a few more moments. That's all he needed. A quick run to the car.
Greg balled his fists. "They're going to be here any moment," he said. He heard sirens and his expression dropped. He ran outside to check how much time he had.
Ethan ran back to the phone. He dialed Beth's number, but the seven was jammed and it wouldn't work. Instead, he dialed their home phone. The answering machine picked up before it even rang.
"You have reached the Riley household," he heard Beth's voice say. "We aren't here at the moment so please leave your name and number and we'll get back to you." There was that beep, and Ethan didn't know what to say. He had a few seconds.
"Beth, I've been rotting here and there isn't a moment I don't think of you. I wish I could reverse the clock. If I can't prevent this from happening, that would be fine. I just wish I could appreciate each minute with you a little more. I wish I could study the color of your eyes again, or make you breakfast, or help you study for a test. I wish that I was nicer to you. I'm calling you now to warn you. Gregory Mc-Something is going to try to come after you. Beth, remember, no matter what happens, I'll always love you. Don't you ever forget that. I hope you'll forgive me for whatever I did wrong and I hope you'll remember all I did right." Ethan blinked and a tear rolled down his cheek. "When you're a professional soccer player, I hope you look out at the crowd and see my face. I'll be there, Beth. Don't you worry about that. I'll walk you down the aisle when you get married-God knows Dad won't-I'll hold your firstborn and tell you how beautiful she is or how handsome he'll be. I'll be with you, forever and always. I love you, Elizabeth."
Ethan dropped the phone. He wondered if the recording machine had caught everything he had said.
"Riley, we're leaving," Greg called. He stepped in again. "Goddamn fire engines sounds so much like the cops. Come on."
Ethan looked back at the phone. He closed his eyes and went with Greg without another moment's hesitation.

[Drakonnas]

Beth collapsed back down on the couch. Thing were gonna be okay after all. The SWAT team was on their way. Ethan would be back with them shortly. "Shall we make Ethan a welcome home gift? Like a cake or something?" She asked excitedly. "How about a cake? Chocolate is his favorite... I have a really good recipe as well!" She said with a grin. The phone rang, and Beth answered. It was her coach. They talked for a few minutes, in which her coach inquired about how she was. Beth told her what was going on, because she trusted her coach.

Afterwords, Beth skipped to the kitchen, and pulled out her cookbook, as well as a few things she knew she needed, eggs, flour, sugar, and the like. She didn't hear the phone ring a second time in her merriment. Had she heard it and answered it, she would have been able to talk to Ethan. Oh, fate is a fickle fiend...

----

The SWAT team arrived at the building just as Ethan and Gregory were getting in the car. Eight SWAT members were out of the black van within seconds, all of them had powerful guns, ranging from machine guns to sniper rifles, to pistols. "FREEZE!" They shouted, all aiming at Greg. "DON'T MOVE, AND RELEASE THE BOY!"

[Ashen]

Jeana ran to the kitchen to help Beth make a cake. She was so excited. "He'll be so happy!" she said. Jeana helped Beth get everything ready. She licked the batter and tilted her head in thought. "I think it needs more sugar. Everything could use more sugar." She grabbed the sugar and sprinkled a bit more in. "Let's write his name in icing. Where do you keep the icing?"
Jeana sifted through cupboards to try and find the icing and dropped a pan in the process. The sound rang through the halls of the house. "Sorry," Jeana said and picked it up. There was a ringing in her ear, but Jeana blamed it on the pot. She didn't even consider the phone ringing.
Everything was perfect, and nothing could possibly ruin that.

Greg watched the SWAT members roll up. His dark eyes were shining with excitement. "This is it," he said to Ethan. "You ever been on a roller coaster?"
"Why-"
Before Ethan could even finish his question his body was jerked forward. He was in the front seat of the van and Greg had slammed on the acceleration. His head hit the window and Ethan let out a quiet moan.
"Do you think they'll fire at us?" Greg said excitedly. "Do you think they'll get through my bullet proof walls?"
"Bullet proof?" Ethan repeated quietly. How do you even get a bullet proof van?
"Look at them, Riley," Greg mused. "They have snipers. They have snipers! And look, that's a submachine gun right there. They want to kill me. They want to kill me!"
Ethan looked at Greg with a bewildered expression. This man was obviously sick. He really did believe this was just a game, and that his father was the boss. Ethan ducked his head between his knees. "Game over," he murmured, over and over. "Please be game over."

They had just reached the highway and were whizzing past different colored cars. Ethan couldn't see how fast they were going. They couldn't have been going that fast; they were in a van.
"Stop the car," Ethan begged.
Greg shook his head. "Never," he said. "This is it. This is level nine. This is the level nine. I made it this far."
Ethan watched Greg. In one swift movement, he grabbed the Model 1887 from around his chest.
"What are you doing?" Greg asked. The car swerved, scraping against a truck on the road. "Give that here."
Ethan shook his head. "No," he said firmly. "Stop the damn car."
But Greg wouldn't. He swiped at Ethan but he couldn't touch the gun. Just as Ethan cocked the gun, Greg let go of the wheel to get the gun off of Ethan. His weight pressed against Ethan and his arm blocked his windpipe. "Get...off," Ethan breathed. He reached for something-anything-to pull himself away. His fingers closed around the door handle and the door flew open. Greg, seeing an opening, snatched his gun and shoved Ethan. Ethan started coughing and tried to grab onto something but his fingers slipped. He fell out of the van and rolled onto the highway.
Greg closed the door and regained control of the wheel just before he hit a car. He tried to find Ethan in his mirror. The boy had blood all over him, but he was still alive.
That is, he was, until another car swerved out of his way all too late. Ethan's bones crunched underneath tires and Greg turned his attention to the road. "Damn," he murmured. "He wasn't supposed to die yet. I still need the other one."
Greg slammed on the acceleration harder. With everyone crowded around Ethan's dead body, he had time to make a clean getaway.

[Drakonnas]

Beth laughed as she put the cake in the oven. "Ow!" She exclaimed suddenly, as there was a flash of pain all over her body. Just as quickly as it had come, it was gone. "Weird..." She said softly, wondering what had just happened. She shrugged, and did a small pirouette, as she saw the light on the telephone flashing. Wondering how she had missed a call, Beth went over to it, and pressed the play button. As she heard the message, she whimpered, and sat down in the chair next to the phone. "Jeana... come here...." She said slowly, and played the message for her. The message Ethan left for her touched her, in more than one way. She found herself shaking slightly, not able to think about anything else. She would remember those words for the rest of her life. She would remember those words on her dying day. "Oh Ethan... I'll see you soon..." She said, unaware that at this moment, the SWAT team was still chasing her brother's murderer, unaware that the police were receiving numerous calls to report this incident on the highway, that the police were now on their way over to the house, to inform them about Ethan's untimely demise.

------

Nathan sat down, feeling a little sorry for Ethan. He had hoped that the higher ups would be wrong about him as he usually did. He had helped Ethan's soul to the in-between world. It was beautiful, calm, peaceful, and quiet. Other than that, it would appear as whatever Ethan would feel most comfortable in. For some, it was a tropical paradise. For others, it was a beach. For some, it was a rainforest. For some it was a quiet meadow. It was always a nature scene, however. Nathan wondered what it would be like for Ethan when his spirit woke. Nathan appeared about twelve years old, and was wearing a child's tux. It looked more professional. He wondered how Nathan would be. Would he be a difficult one, who took lots of coaxing to help onward? Or would he be relatively easy? Nathan had a hunch that he would be a difficult one, given the circumstances. He had been extremely close to his twin, and had a premature death. He would undoubtedly want to watch over Beth. Nathan could allow it for a little bit, but ultimately, Ethan would have to move on. It wasn't natural for a spirit to stay on Earth and the In-Between. They needed to move on.

[Ashen]

Jeana tilted her head when Beth called out in pain. She assumed she had just hit herself against something, and turned her attention back to the cake. "What if he makes it before it's ready?" she asked. "You'll have to distract him, okay?" Jeana smiled until Beth told her to come to the phone. She listened to Ethan's voice. She almost cried, but she knew he would be home soon.
"He is so cute, Beth," Jeana said with a laugh. "I wish I had a brother like that. Honestly, I would probably kill for one." Realizing what she had said, her smile faded. She would never kill anyone.
She would never do to someone what Gregory McCain had done to Beth.

There was so much pain, and then, just as quickly as it had come, it had gone.
Ethan couldn't see anything. He couldn't feel or hear either. Was this the end?
Was the game over?
Slowly the world came into focus. Where was he? There were so many flowers that he had never even seen before. One was such a vibrant pink Ethan didn't believe it was real. He reached out to touch it before remembering what had happened. He was thrown onto the highway and then hit by a car. He should be in such an intense amount of pain.
So why wasn't he?
Ethan closed his eyes. He started to shake his head. This wasn't happening.
"Elizabeth?" Ethan called. "Beth, please help me."
But she couldn't. They were in two different worlds now. Beth would never seen Ethan again alive.
He was dead.

Ethan opened his eyes again. No amount of whimpering or begging would save him from death. It was over and done. He had had a good life.
Now what?
Ethan saw a kid watching him. Was he dead too? He looked so formal. Maybe he was at Ethan's funeral? It couldn't possibly be scheduled already. How long did it take for a dead man to awake?
"Hey!" Ethan called out to him. "Can you see me? Am I a ghost? There's been a mistake. I need to get back to Beth. I just need to see her one last time. Somebody please help me."

[Drakonnas]

Nathan smiled softly at Ethan as he woke up. "Welcome, Ethan." He spread his arms out in a gesture of welcome. "Do not be afraid. Yes, I can see you. No, you are not a ghost. A spirit is the technical term, although some may call you a ghost." Nathan said, smiling. "A mistake? Yes, indeed. There has been a terribly mistake. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do to reverse the situation. Come with me, let me help you onwards..." Nate said gently. "I've been watching you for awhile now. I must admit, your bond with Beth is exceptionally strong. It must be hard..." He said, cocking his head slowly to the side. "But you need to understand that you cannot go back. You have died, Ethan. Elizabeth is living. It is highly unfortunate, but the living and the dead cannot live together. There are bigger and better things waiting for you. I understand how you feel, more than you could possibly know..." Nathan told him, reflecting back on his own death, hundreds of years ago. "However, I can let you see her once more. But you must promise me that you will attempt to move on afterwords. It's really not bad at all, it's quite wonderful, just as you'd expect."

-----

Beth flinched at the word "kill". It affected her more strongly than she had thought it would, for some reason. "Heh... It's okay. I...." She was cut off by a rapid series of knocks on the front door. She screamed in excitement. "IT'S ETHAN!" She shouted, and ran to the door, she was sure Jeana was right on her heels. She opened the door to see three grim-faced police officers, Al one of them. "Girls... may we come inside? It is our painful duty to tell you that Ethan Riley is dead."

[Ashen]

Jeana saw how her choice of words had affected Beth. She was about to apologize again when there was a knock at the door.
Her face was instantly lifted and her smile was wide. Ethan was home.
She ran to the door right after Beth and she saw all of the police officers. They didn't need to speak for Jeana to know what had happened.
It is our painful duty to tell you that Ethan Riley is dead.
Jeana gave a crooked smile. They weren't serious. This was a joke.
"Hi Ethan," Jeana called. "Stop playing with us. We've been waiting for you." But as she gazed upon the officers' faces once more, Jeana started to cry.

Ethan glared at this kid. He knew his name. He was going on about the mistake that was Ethan's death, and said there was nothing he could do about it.
He looked away when he told him he had died.
He knew that already, but this kid saying it only made it real. He was actually dead.
Ethan looked back up at the angel kid's words. "I can see her?" he said. "Will she see me? What will I say?" He was smiling now. He didn't care about the promise he was about to make. He'd say anything to be able to see his sister.
"Yeah, sure, just let me see Beth. Now."

[Drakonnas]

"No. You're lying." Beth said firmly. "Ethan can't be dead. It's not possible." She tried to shut the door in the officer's faces, but the held it open without too much trouble. "Go away, and take your evil joke with you!" She said, her voice rising slightly, and growing slightly hysterical at the same time. "Stop it Jeana!" She commanded, voice hard, and full of anger. "You can't say you believe them, do you? It's not true!" She said, turned on the spot, and quickly stalked off to her room, muttering about bad jokes.

--------

Nathan sighed. This one was going to be difficult. "Yes, Ethan. You can see her. I can take you back to the real world. Will she see you? I don't know. Sometimes they can, sometimes they can't. It all depends on their attitude, beliefs, hopes, and personality. I cannot say if she will be able to see you. I don't think she'll be able to at first, the usually can't. But given some time, they can sometimes see you. I think, however, that she will be too shocked to see you at the current time. But we can try if you like." Nathan walked over to Ethan, and took his hand. "Close your eyes." He said softly. With a curious sensation, they were now in the living room of Beth and Ethan's house.

[Ashen]

Jeana flinched when Beth started to yell. She watched her storm away with sad eyes.
After a minute, she turned back to the officers in blue. She cleared her throat, but nothing would clear this moment.
"How did it happen?" she asked slowly. She hoped it had happened gently; Ethan could have died in his sleep. But, for God's sake, he was being starved. How could he have died peacefully?

Ethan stared at the spirit boy. Beth might not be able to see him.
No, she had to be able to. They were twins. Didn't they have some supernatural connection by fault?
He was told to close his eyes and wondered if Beth would see him if he didn't. He pinched his eyes shut for good karma. He would have done a backflip if this angel had told him it would let him see his sister.
When he opened his eyes he was home. He was actually home. He walked around a little bit, not believing what he was seeing. He touched the flower vase in the living room and the walls. They felt just as they always felt.
"Beth!" Ethan called excitedly. He ran up the stairs and into her room. "Elizabeth!"
He stopped when he saw Beth's face. She was upset. He saw Jeana's bag in the corner of the room. Jeana was here too?
Ethan walked up to the bed and sat down next to Beth. "Hey," he said quietly. "Can you hear me, Beth?"

[Drakonnas]

Nathan smiled, and let go of Ethan. He stood in the background now, watching to see what would transpire. He floated up the steps, curious to see how Beth would respond.

Beth sniffed, and wiped her eyes. "Yeah, I can hear you, Ethan... I'm sorry, I'm just mad that the police are pulling a prank, saying that you've died." She said, not really realizing what she was saying. Slowly it dawned on her, and she looked up, shock in her eyes. "ETHAN!" She yelped, staring at him. "YOU'RE BACK! Oh lord... I KNEW you'd return!" She said, face radiating with joy. "I knew it was just a joke! Oh Ethan... you've no idea how scared I was.... And the message you left for me, I'll remember that forever, Ethan. JEANA! GET UP HERE! RIGHT NOW! IMMEDIATELY!" She yelled, trying to get Jeana's attention. Meanwhile, Beth got up to hug her brother.

------

"The SWAT team arrived at the building, just as he was attempting to flee with Ethan. They gave chase, but he somehow had a bulletproof van. Eventually, we were chasing him on a highway. Apparently, Ethan was putting up a fight, and fell out of the van. Being the highway, the oncoming cars couldn't stop." Al said, wincing a little bit.

[Ashen]

Ethan smiled brightly at Beth. He didn't take in what she was saying; he was too happy to see her again. When he did realize what she had said, his smile vanished. He looked back at Nathan with a confused expression. He had assumed he'd appear translucent to Beth. She was seeing him just as clearly as she saw anyone else.
Maybe this kid in a tux was the weird one. Maybe Ethan really was alive.
But then, how did they teleport up here in the first place?

Jeana flinched at the visual she was getting. Ethan didn't die peacefully. He was crushed under a car that weighed tons.
She heard Beth's voice and was confused at how excited it sounded. She turned back to the police and bowed a little. "Thank you," she said quietly and shut the door.

Jeana dragged her feet up the stairs and turned into Beth's room. She watched Beth for a while, not understanding why she was so happy.
She was wrapping her arms around herself, or maybe that's what she was aiming for, but she missed. Jeana would have laughed at her under different circumstances.
"What," Jeana said quietly. It didn't sound like a question. It sounded more like an accusation. What are you so happy for? Your brother is dead.
Ethan turned to Jeana. "Jeana!" he said. "It's great to see the two of you again. You'll never believe what I went through and then after- Jeana?"
Jeana wasn't looking at Ethan. Her eyes were still watching Beth.
Ethan took a slow step away from Beth and walked closer to Jeana. He waved her hand in front of her face, but she didn't seem to notice.
The truth confirmed, again. He was dead.
He turned to Beth. She didn't know this. She thought he was still living and breathing right in front of her.
Ethan turned away slowly. He didn't want to see his sister as she realized what was going on.

[Drakonnas]

"Jeana, calm down! Ethan's here! He's here!" She said, grinning. "Oh Jeana... I knew it was a joke! I knew it! He's here!" But Jeana was acting as if he wasn't. She was growing confused now. "Um... Jeana? Why aren't you celebrating with me? Ethan's alive... don't tell me that this isn't a joke, Jeana. He's standing right in front of you. Come on, stop kidding around." Beth didn't see the young angel enter the room. She didn't realize that Jeana wasn't joking around. She was too overjoyed by Ethan's "return."

[Ashen]

Jeana took a step away from Beth. There were tears in her eyes and Beth was only making it worse. "Stop it," she said. "He's dead, Beth. Why don't you realize that? He won't come back soon. He won't come back ever. Ethan is dead. You think I'm kidding? Hell, I wish I was. But I'm not. He is not here."
Jeana wiped at her eyes and ran out of the room. She ran into the living room and collapsed on the couch, sobbing.

Ethan swallowed the lump in his throat. "Beth, you don't understand," he said quietly. "She can't see me because I am dead. Only you can see me because we're twins. We had that special connection. Jeana doesn't share that with us."
What makes you an expert? Ethan thought to himself. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against Beth's. "But I'm okay now, honest. I'm not hungry anymore. I'm not in pain anymore. I'm going to be fine, Beth." Ethan was speaking the truth. He would be prefectly okay.
It was Beth he was worried about. How would she manage without him?
She couldn't. She wouldn't. Not on his watch.

[Drakonnas]

Beth's joy turned to horror as she comprehended what was going on. It added up. Jeana not being able to see Ethan. The police. Ethan's own words. The horrible reality crashed down on her as if she was standing under a waterfall. She was drowning under the terrible reality. She was being crushed by the grievous weight of the truth. She was deafened by the hideous actuality. Ethan really was dead. "No...." She whispered, her voice terrified. "No.... it's not possible... It can't be.... Oh Ethan...." A single tear slowly ran down her face, and landed with a soft splash on her bed. "No... how... how am I gonna survive now? How can I go on?" She shook her head, and tried to gain ahold of herself, but failed to do so. "Ethan... how... what...no..." She whimpered. Elizabeth Riley was deathly afraid. "You... you gave me confidence... You always believed I could do things when I doubted myself... How can I go on? I'm alone now... Dad isn't here for me... what's gonna happen, Ethan?" She was sobbing now. "I don't want to be taken away by the child protection agency... You know they were going to do that, but because you and I were together, they didn't.... Now that you're gone... they might take me away... away from Jeana... away from everything I know... Please don't let that happen...." She cried, not able to speak more. There was so much more that Beth was concerned about that she just couldn't get it out. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... Can you ever forgive me for not going with you? I could have prevented this whole thing...."

[Ashen]

Ethan turned around, even when he told himself he shouldn't. He needed to be there for Beth.
He watched everything sink in. He felt so bad for Beth, but he couldn't do anything.
"I won't leave you," Ethan said. "You'll never be alone, Beth. All those things I said over the phone, I meant them. I'm going to guide you for the rest of your life, don't you worry." He shook his head. "They can't take you, Beth," he said. "You'll be a legal adult soon. They can't take you." Ethan paused at his words. Beth would be eighteen soon enough. She'd be a legal adult. Soon enough she'll reach drinking age, and then she'll get married, and she'll be old enough to have her first child, her second.
Ethan would never age. He'll never be considered an adult. He'll never have his first drink.
He will stay a child forever.
At this realization Ethan had to look away. He wouldn't cry, not in front of Beth.
"Beth, please listen to me." He turned back and shook the hair out of his eyes. "You will continue to live. You will because I couldn't. You'll find the strength to go on. And you can bet your ass I'll be at every turn cheering you on. Don't you dare apologize to me. There was nothing that could have happened to keep me alive, but you are. Beth, you are alive. Don't be sorry about that. Embrace that. Nothing bad will happen now. It will be the same as before. I'll still be with you always. I just won't be visible to anyone else. Think of me as like an imaginary friend. I'll give you all the answers. I'll help you through."
By now there were tears in Ethan's eyes. He looked away so Beth wouldn't see them. Wasn't life after death supposed to be peaceful? Why did this hurt so much?
"I love you," Ethan tried. He wouldn't dare turn around. He hoped Beth wouldn't return the words. That would only make it hurt more.

[Drakonnas]

At this point, Nathan had to step in. "Ethan. We need to talk." He said sharply. With a wave of his hand, they left the house, and appeared back on the In-Between. He looked sad, as well as frustrated. "I've given you your chance to talk with Beth. But remember my warning. You. Cannot. Stay. It's not natural. No spirit has ever been able to stay before. It's too painful for them. Eventually, you'll get the urge to move on. It will happen, wether you like it or not, Ethan. I warn you now." He ran a hand through his hair thoughtfully. "I'll take you back to Beth now. But remember my warning, Ethan... You cannot stay." With another wave of his hand, they appeared back in Beth's house.

------

Beth blinked as Ethan disappeared. "Ethan!" She cried out, not ready for him to go. Beth was a mess. Overwhelmed with emotion, she collapsed on her bed. Her eyes were oddly blank, it was as if she had retreated inside herself. She didn't hear the doorbell downstairs. She didn't see that Ethan had returned. She wasn't responding to external stimuli. Eventually, she would recover, but it was too much. It hurt. It hurt like hell.

------

Josaphine Ross, Beth's soccer coach rang the doorbell. The young woman wore a worried expression, and held a small basket in her hands. "Beth? It's Coach Ross.... Are you home?" She asked, no one seemed to be answering the door, so she rang once more.

[Ashen]

Ethan gritted his teeth when Nathan took him away from his sister. He barely listened to Nathan. Beth was on his mind. He just couldn't get her face out of his mind. He'd have to draw it later.
Could he draw? Could he hold a pencil?
Before Ethan came back to Earth, he realized something. Nathan couldn't make him go to the Afterworld without his consent. He was warning him.
If Ethan had no say, the angel wouldn't be warning him.
Ethan smiled. He wouldn't go with that spirit. He'd stay with Beth. He'd stay as long as it took.
If it took until the day Beth died, so be it.

Ethan sat next to Beth on her bed and ran his hand through her hair. "I told you I wouldn't leave you," he said softly. "See? I'm back. I'm sorry I had to do that, Beth. There might be more of those little disappearances. You can trust I'll be back."
He looked up at Nathan with a look that spoke more than words.
Don't tell her. Let me have this moment.

Jeana rolled off the couch when she heard the doorbell ring again. "Go away," she murmured. She got up to open the door, not bothering to check who it was. If some rapist was at the door, Jeana didn't care. Maybe he would bring her to Ethan.
If Jeana was in a better mood, she probably would have realized a rapist wouldn't knock on the door anyway.
She took in the sight of Beth's coach. She held a basket, probably full of things for Beth. "Beth isn't in the mood right now," Jeana said sadly. "If you could come back in a few days..." She wiped a tear with the back of her hand. "Is that for her?" she asked, pointing to the basket.

[Drakonnas]

Josaphine Ross nodded. "I heard what had happened... And by the expression on your face, as well as your statements, I assume the worst has happened?" She said softly. "Please give her my condolences... If there's anything I can do for you... Please don't hesitate to ask... That basket contains some lotion, some relaxing bubble soap, as well as some music that should help. I'll inform her teachers that she won't be in school for awhile. Family Emergency. Here's my number. Call me if you need anything, and I'll do whatever is in my power to help. I'll keep in contact. Beth's told me that she lacks a reliable adult in her life. If you need one, I'm here." She nodded, and turned to walk back to her car. "Thank you, Jeana."

-----

Elizabeth didn't really respond do Ethan very much. She was too traumatized, trying to comprehend, understand, accept. She was trying to cope with this gigantic blow. She just lay there, eyes wide, a slightly depressed and haunted expression on her face. "Ethan...." She whimpered, a tear forming in her eye, and rolling slightly down her cheek. "Stay... with... me... I'll go insane if you leave me..." Beth said. She was honestly afraid that if Ethan left her for good, she'd go mad. On the one side, it showed how strong their bond was. On the minus side, they had a hard time being apart.

-----

Nathan's eyes narrowed, but he let in. Beth was clearly traumatized by this incident. If he could appease both of them for a little bit, why not let it go? "Because...." A little voice in his head said softly, "If you let them stay together, they'll get used to it. Then when Ethan moves onward, Beth is much more likely to commit suicide. She'll have learned that death cannot separate them." "Ah...." said another voice in his head. "If you refuse to let them stay together, she might not recover from this blow..." "Preposterous. Everyone recovers. It just takes time." "Yeah? What about Timothy and Bella? Timothy killed himself after Bella died." "Blast... what do I do?"

[Ashen]

Jeana watched Beth's coach with dull eyes.
I assume the worst has happened.
"No shit," Jeana murmured once she left. "His body, already thin from being starved, was crushed under the weight of a car, a car! I can only imagine how terrified he was. He was all alone and left to die. If that isn't the worst, I don't know what is." Jeans was crying harder now. She wasn't going to give Beth the basket yet.
Jeana wasn't even going to talk to her until she calmed down.

Ethan sat by his sister and didn't move a muscle. He wouldn't leave her. Not now, not ever. He didn't care what the angel boy said.
Ethan knew more about Beth than Nathan. He knew that if he left, Beth would fall apart. Even now, as he sat beside her, she was in pieces. Yes, he was dead, but he was here just as much as he had been before his death.
Ethan wondered if his dad knew. He wondered if he cared.
Ethan told himself he would go find his father when Beth fell asleep. He'd knock some sense into the man.
His only son was dead and he was still at work.
Ethan gritted his teeth. He told himself he'd never neglect his own kids but them his expression dropped. He would never have kids.

[Drakonnas]

Nathan sighed, and turned to leave the room. Of course he could force Ethan to leave her alone, but what good would that do? They were both happier together. Still, it wasn't right. It wasn't natural. It wasn't normal. Ethan would come around eventually. They always did.

------

Beth lay there for nearly an hour. She just existed. But after that, she started to gain her senses back again. It was almost as if she had woken from a trance. "Hunh?" She sighed as she sat up. "Oof... Ethan... Are.... are you okay? I... I'm so glad to see you again... but... seeing you like this....It's not how I wanted to see you again... " She spoke softly, looking down at the ground. "What's it like? Being dead? Does it hurt?" She asked, the childish questions slipping out before she could stop them. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to ask that...."

[Ashen]

Ethan waited patiently as Beth just lay there. He watched her carefully because he knew if he didn't take advantage now he'd miss her later. He would forget the uneven rises and fall of her chest or the way her fingers fluttered every once in a while. He'd study her now. He would not make the same mistake twice.

Beth finally awoke from her nap, although Ethan didn't really know if she was sleeping. Her smiled when she started speaking. "This isn't how I wanted to see you either," he said softly, but he was glad he got to see her at all. He turned away when she started asking questions. "It's like being alive," Ethan said. "Only...deader. It doesn't hurt. It hurt much more before I died."
It doesn't hurt.
Ethan was seeing his sister for the first time since his abduction and already he was lying to her. Hell yeah, it hurt. It more than anything. It just wasn't the physical pain Ethan was used to.
It hurt seeing Beth so broken. It hurt not being able to comfort her.
He let out a light sigh. "Don't apologize," he told her. "You have nothing to be sorry for." He walked to her window and gazed at the world outside. Ethan wondered if, in like the movies, he could fly. He wouldn't want to, not without Beth.
"We have to get you out of here, Beth," Ethan said. "There's a very sick man that wants to kill you. He.. He's a psycho. He.."
Killed me.
Ethan kept these words to himself. He didn't know what they would do to Beth.
"Dad needs to know," Ethan muttered. "He needs to reloacte for the sake of his children-"
Ethan paused. Child.
"I can probably talk to him," Ethan said. "I know you don't want to, but you can't stay here with Greg on the loose. If I could kill him though, I could live knowing you're safe..."
Ethan flinched. Live. No, he wouldn't live. Not ever again.
His choice of words was completely off.
Maybe he could protect Beth, just until Greg's death. But Ethan was dead. What could a ghost possibly do?

[Drakonnas]

Beth sniffed, trying to hold back her tears. "I don't care if some maniac is after me." Beth said, her voice becoming icy, and razor sharp. It was so sharp and icy that Beth didn't recognize that it was her talking. "I'd like nothing more than to destroy every part of that asshole I can!" She said, her voice full of anger and vengeance. "I'm gonna kill him... I'm gonna kill him for what he did to you, Ethan. I swear...." She said, her voice so full of malice now that she looked around, as if thinking someone else was there.

[Ashen]

Ethan sighed. Beth was being difficult. He didn't want her to cry over him. After all, he was still here.
"Don't kill him," Ethan said calmly. "You can't do that. You won't. I will. Somehow." He shrugged. Ethan didn't care if Greg died peacefully in his sleep. He didn't want revenge. Not as badly as he wanted safety for Beth.

Ethan walked towards the door and peered down the stairs. "Beth, I need you to promise me something," he said. "I need you to cheer up, for everyone's else sake. You can't keep walking around the house as if you're dead-"
Ethan paused again. The hell is wrong with you? he asked himself.
"I mean," he corrected, "You need to go back to being the normal you. You just aren't Beth anymore. You're no fun to anyone. Jeana is downstairs and she could really use a friend right now. Seeing as how I can't exactly fill that role anymore..." He turned back to Beth. She was crying for him and he was telling her to stop. What kind of brother was he?

[Drakonnas]

Beth fell apart again. "Ethan..." She sobbed, falling back on the bed, face buried in a pillow. "Why did this have to happen?" It took about ten minutes for Beth to pull herself back together. The fact that Ethan was trying to tell her to get back to her life, to recover, to move on. But how could she? When she remembered Jeana, she felt really guilty for leaving her friend down there. Feeling, if possible, worse, Beth turned do Ethan. "What if I don't want to move on?" She asked defensively.

------

Nathan smiled. Beth had unknowingly asked Ethan a tough question. After all, he could use Ethan's answer against him. He didn't want to move on. Ethan would probably say something about not wanting to see Beth down like this. Nathan could say the same thing, that Beth probably would want what was best for Ethan, which would be to move on. He might say something along the lines that it was natural to move on, that everyone can get over things like this, to move on. He could say the same thing to Ethan. That would probably make him think, at most, about moving on.

-----

"I'll give it a shot, Ethan... If only because it's what you want, and because Jeana needs me as well... I've been really selfish..." She whispered, looking in the mirror. "I... I'm not myself, you're right about that..."

[Ashen]

Ethan didn't react when Beth fell apart again. He waited for her to calm down.
What if I don't want to move on?
Ethan thought about her words. Staying this way wouldn't be healthy. She couldn't stay depressed. Depression led to sickness, sickness led to death. Beth couldn't die yet. She had to stay on Earth.
It wasn't her time.
Just like it wasn't mine
This thought lingered in the back of Ethan's mind. He wondered why he was taken instead of Beth. He wondered why, if Greg didn't care about either, he couldn't have taken her. He was suddenly filled with anger. He didn't deserve to die. He didn't deserve to be starved and punished for something he didn't do. Neither did Beth, but she was stronger. She could have survived, maybe.
It didn't matter.
Ethan wished he had never gone to that art convention. Even if he hadn't, though, Greg would have still followed them. One of them would have been taken at a later date.
Ethan wished it had been Beth.
At this thought, Ethan suddenly couldn't stand himself. How dare you? he thought. He turned to Beth, still awaiting an answer for the question she had asked. He wiped at his eyes.
"If you don't want to move on," he said gently, "I'll wait until you are. When you are, then we'll move on together. We'll put this behind us like so many other nightmares in our lives. No matter what you go through, Elizabeth, you'll survive. It doesn't matter if it takes a day or a decade. You'll come around. And when you do, you can hold my hand. Remember when we used to do that? Except, there was one difference. I was always the one holding your hand."

[Drakonnas]

"Thank you for being here for me, Ethan...." Beth said, very softly, so only he could hear. "I'm gonna try to go cheer Jeana up... I'll be back later..." Attempting to put on a brave smile, Beth opened the door, and headed downstairs. "Jeana...?" She called, hoping her friend wasn't too distraught. "Jeana.... I'm sorry I snapped at you, I didn't mean to...." She apologized, looking around for her friend. Where was she? Maybe she just went to the restroom, or to the kitchen to get something. And then she remembered the cake they had in the oven. "Oh crap!" She said, and dashed into the kitchen. Taking a look into the oven, she sighed in relief. The cake wasn't overdone, it looked pretty good. So, she put on some hot pads, and pulled the cake out of the oven, and turned off the stove. "Jeana?"

[Ashen]

Ethan smiled at Beth. He tried to forget about what he had thought but he couldn't.
He watched her head downstairs to find Jeana and slowly followed her. He stopped at the top of the stairs and looked to his bedroom. The door was slightly ajar. Ethan wondered if it was just like he had left it. He opened the door and stepped in. Jeana was looking right at him, so focused Ethan wondered if she really could see him. She turned away and looked down at the papers in her lap. "I don't understand," she murmured.
"What don't you understand?" Ethan asked. He sat down beside her and looked into her lap. One of his drawings was there. The drawing was of a young woman feeding her newborn. In the woman's eyes you can clearly see her hurt. Ethan remembered when he had drawn that picture. Beth told him about her friend's friend's sister's friend's brother-or something like that-who was diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease. Children born with this disease rarely survive ten years.
Ethan had locked himself in his room, determined to capture the perfect gleam in a mother's eye, the perfect look of innocence in her son. He had finally done it, and Jeana was holding the finished product.
"So much talent," Jeana said. "And it's all gone to waste." A silver tear rolled onto the picture. If Ethan had been alive-if all of this hadn't happened-Ethan would have scolded her for ruining the picture. Instead he just watched Jeana.
The girl pressed a single finger to the woman's cheek, as if she were trying to wipe away the tears that were sure to fall. "He would have been so famous," she said quietly. "He was better than Monet."
Ethan smiled. "No I wasn't," he said. He got up and walked over to his desk. He opened it and put one of his pictures on the table. This picture was one that had somehow escaped the trashcan. The edges of the tree were blurred. The bird looked off. The picture was a failure.
Jeana raised her eyebrow and got off the floor. She walked to the desk and looked at the picture. "Even this is better than what I could have done."
Ethan smiled sadly. He looked up at the smell of cake. "Is that chocolate?" he asked Jeana, but she didn't hear him. "Oh," he said, "I can't eat it anyway."
He placed a hand on Jeana's shoulder and them brought her into a hug. He didn't know if she felt it, but it was worth a shot.

[Drakonnas]

"Jeana must be in Ethan's room." Beth thought, as she climbed the stairs, still trying her hardest to be at least approachable, if not cheerful. It was really taxing, but she had to do this. "Jeana?" She asked, stepping around Ethan. "Hey, are you okay? I'm sorry I shouted back there... please forgive me... I'm gonna try to be a better friend from now on..." She said. It was a bit sappy, but it was the truth. She felt that she hadn't been a good friend to Jeana for the past hour or so, and felt she needed to change that.

"The cake is out of the oven if you'd like a slice. We can even watch another movie if you want. It'd get our mind off things...." She tried to ignore Ethan for now, she didn't want Jeana to think she was crazy, or that something was wrong with her. Jeana couldn't see Ethan, and it would simply offend and / or hurt her more. It had the potential to tear their friendship up as well. Jeana might take it as an insult, or something. Beth didn't know. But still, she had to keep their friendship together at such a time.

[Ashen]

Jeana didn't look up when Beth called her name. She didn't look up when she started to speak. She knew that Beth was completely torn-her twin had died, for god's sake-but what did that leave for Jeana? She had lost a friend. Now, as Beth crumbled, she was losing another as well.
Jeana didn't want cake. She would never eat chocolate cake again in her lifetime. Anytime she saw it she would think of him.
"He drew you a lot," Jeana said softly, still not reaching Beth's eyes. "He drew so perfectly. It was almost like an angel took over his hand. I mean, look at this." Jeana pulled on a piece of paper. It was a history test from years back. Ethan had gotten one hundred percent. "His handwriting was terrible. So how could he draw like that?"
Ethan smirked. "It's not that bad," he mumbled.
Jeana shook her head. "I'm going to sleep," she announced, and walked to Beth's fathet's room. He wouldn't be home anytime soon anyway.
Still, it felt odd sleeping in a man's bed, Beth's father at that.
Jeana sat on the bed and got her cell phone. She dialed her home and waited for her father to pick up. When he did, she just breathed. Whatever she had been planning on saying now left her mind.
"Jeana? Jeana, what do you want? I'm a little busy right now."
"He's dead," Jeana said. "He was killed. Starved. Crushed. Murdered. He's gone." She held the phone with shaking fingers.
"When will you be home?" her father asked, his voice gentle now.
"About the same time Ethan will arrive home," she said and hung up.

Ethan watched Jeana from the doorway of his Father's room. He hated this. He hated seeing all of this more than the pain he felt moments before his death. He wished it all away, but it would never fade.
Ethan went back to Beth. "I'll have some cake," he said. "I won't eat it, but I'll sit with you while you do."

[Drakonnas]

Beth smiled sadly. "Yes, I was one of the few topics of constant inspiration for Ethan's art. It was really an honor that he enjoyed drawing me. It was one of the only things he loved to to. Art was his life, it was his future, his talent, and his joy. I'm gonna make a scrapbook of all his art I can find.... I'm sure Ethan would want that." Se turned her head slightly, to look at Ethan. She asked the question with her expression, since Jeana wasn't looking at her. She quickly looked back at Jeana, so she wouldn't see that little glance.

"Well... if you want to talk or anything, I'm here for you." Beth couldn't keep up the cheerful attitude any longer, so she walked downstairs, her face betraying depression. Even though she could still talk to Ethan, the shock of what had happened was draining on her more that she thought.

[Ashen]

Ethan walked downstairs with Beth after checking on Jeana. She was fast asleep, or at least that's what it looked like. He saw Beth's uncomfortable expression. "I think a scrapbook would be really nice of you, Beth," he said. It would give her something to do. Its completion would give her something to look forward to.
"These first few days are going to be awful, I know," he said softly. "But some time from now we're going to laugh about this."
Except you'll be alive and well and I'll still be dead.
He shook these thoughts away and turned into the kitchen. He looked at the cake with hungry eyes. His last meal, oh so long ago, had been a slice of bread and jam. He hadn't had cake in such a long time.
He would never have it again.
Ethan blinked hard to removed these thoughts. "Hey Beth," he said happily, "you know the plus sides of me being invisible to the rest of the world? You'll never fail a test again. I could give you all the answers. You'll always know what people are saying about you. You could know what someone is doing without even being in the same room. I could be anywhere but no one would know. That's pretty awesome, isn't it?" He was trying desperately to cheer her up. He didn't even know when Beth would be back at school to even take a test.

[Drakonnas]

Beth tried to smile. "I know you're trying to cheer me up, and I thank you for that. But... It's not working... I guess it would be cool to have all that knowledge.... but wouldn't that defeat the point of school? I'm there to learn the knowledge for myself... if I relied on you for that, I wouldn't learn... And ultimately, that would be harmful to me." She said with a sigh. "However, it might be cool to know what people think.... although that might be a little awkward... Besides, I generally know what people think of me." She sat down, and picked at her slice of cake, not really eating anything.

"It's just gonna take time, Ethan... I'm so close to breaking down again, I'm surprised I haven't yet." She rested her head on the table, a tear dripping from her eye. "Why am I more upset about this than you are? I should be thankful that I still live... but I find myself mourning for you, which is natural. But... when I can still talk to you? Why do I still mourn?"

[Ashen]

Ethan did everything in his power to keep the tears in. Sure that defeated the purpose of school, he knew that. He wasn't being one hundred percent serious. Beth needed her knowledge so that she could make something of herself.
He rubbed his face vigorously and wiped at the tears in his eyes. He didn't know what to say.

Ethan watched Beth's slice of cake. Why was she more upset? Ethan had to wonder about that question.
Maybe it was because Beth knew she lost her brother. After all, his body had been found with no pulse. He was officially dead.
But Beth was alive. Beth was still here for Ethan to talk to, to listen to, to turn to. He didn't lose his sister. He just lost complete communication with everyone else in this world. He lost the ability to do what he loved most. He lost his ability to do everything in this world.
Except comfort his sister.
And that would be his job for the rest of her life. That would be his call from here on out.
It wasn't an easy job-it was a near impossible job, at times.
But Ethan didn't have to grieve over the death of Beth.
That's why he wasn't as upset. Beth was still with him. She would be, forever.

"It's okay, Beth," Ethan said softly. "I understand if all you do from now to next year is cry. You're mourning because now, I'm..." Ethan didn't know. "Maybe I should just leave for a little bit," he suggested. "I could leave, just for a few minutes or so. I'll give you a chance to calm down."
Ethan didn't say the words trapped in the back of his mind.
I need to leave because I cannot watch you like this.

[Drakonnas]

Nathan stepped in. "All right, Ethan. Let's go." He took Ethan's hand again, and with the curious sensation, they were back in the in-between. Nathan understood the predicament that Ethan was going through. But he had to move on. "Ethan..." Nathan said gently. "Come. You need to move on, just as your sister needs to move on. It's natural, and it will happen eventually. It's unhealthy to stay, Ethan. I really wish it was okay, truly I do. But it's not. Staying will prolong your sister's suffering, Ethan. I know you don't want that... But she needs to learn that when you suffer from trauma, you have to move on. This includes death. She has to get over it, just as you have to move on, Ethan. I know what you're going through, truly I do. But... you're going to have to accept the inevitable. I cannot let you see your sister again today. Tomorrow is another day. And you can see her. But I have to wean you two apart. It's my job." Nathan looked away. There was clearly pain in his eyes. He seemed to be recalling something that hurt.

------

Beth sniffed a little bit, and looked up, but Ethan wasn't there. "Ethan...?" She asked quietly, looking around. It seemed he had disappeared again. "Oh Ethan...." Beth felt an anger boiling inside her again. Why was she feeling so angry? She didn't understand. She was slowly growing furious at Ethan, at herself, at Jeana. Heck, she was even mad at the piece of cake in front of her. But just as quickly as it had come, exhaustion took its place. "why must I ride this emotional roller coaster?" She groaned, and stumbled over to the easy chair, fell into it, and closed her eyes. On top of everything else, she was sore, physically. "Just my luck..." She said with a sigh. "Why now? What did I do to deserve this?"

[Ashen]

Ethan snatched his hand away from Nathan as soon as they were in that godawful forest. "I can't go with you," he growled. "You saw Beth. I will not leave her like that. I don't give a fuck about what's good or not. Don't you try to tell me you know what I'm going through. Screw you. You have no idea what it's like to die a horrible, painful death and then respawn and feel even more pain than before because you have to watch those around you suffer. You don't know, okay? So why don't you go back to wherever it is you belong and leave me alone?"
Ethan couldn't remember the last time he had yelled. He didn't let his anger show, and now he was screaming at this dead boy. When he really looked at his eyes he saw the kid was faraway. "You can't keep me from my sister," he said in a low tone. "Let me see her. She is suffering. What kind of person are you? To keep a brother away from his sister?"
Ethan's voice cracked at the end of his last word. He cleared his throat and he knew he couldn't start talking again without crying.
He needed to get back to Beth. He couldn't leave her all alone.
He wouldn't.

Jeana's eye were wide open as she stared at the bare walls. She wasn't seeing walls but a canvas, like the ones Ethan drew on. Her phone had rung four times in the past hour but she wasn't going to answer to her father.
She heard Beth talking to herself.
What was she supposed to do if Beth started hallucinating? What would she do if the stress was too much and Beth actually started to believe Ethan was present? Then what would she do?
Jeana needed answers, but she had no one to turn to. Aggravated, she screamed into a pillow and threw it across the room. It knocked over a frame, shattering it.
Jeana walked over to the shattered picture frame. She picked up a tiny shard of glass. She started to smile. This frame belonged to Ethan's father.
Maybe he wouldn't notice, but at least she broke something of his. Just knowing that made her feel a little better.

[Drakonnas]

Nathan looked up as Ethan shouted. "Stop it!" He whimpered, clutching his head. For the first time, Nathan showed a sign that he wasn't as pulled together as he had tried to show. Even after all these years, Nathan still had a hard time when it came to his own death. Quickly regaining his composure, Nathan glared at Ethan. He seemed to grow in size, and if looks could kill, Ethan would have been vaporized under his glare.

"I don't know what it's like, do I? I, who have been helping victims like yourself deal with this for centuries? Do you think I don't know what you're going through? You'd be surprised... I was accused of witchcraft by my older brother, after my parents did something to annoy him. I was taken captive, and tortured for information, and then burned at the stake. Do you have any inkling of how painful that is? Your skin being burned slowly... blood actually boiling... organs being cooked from the inside... choking on the smoke... Not only that... but my own brother was the one to have me killed in the first place. After I died, I was "re-spawned" to use your word, and had to watch the aftermath of that... My parents were destroyed. My brother had only meant to scare me, not get me killed. I had to watch my family fall apart. Do not presume to tell me that I do not know what you're going through, child." Nathan said harshly. After cooling off a little, Nathan stood once more. "I will let you see your sister in an hour." He said, and with a snap of his fingers, he vanished.

------

Beth woke with a start. Had she really fallen asleep at the table? She stood up, and looked around. "Ethan?" She called quietly, not sure where he was. Had it all been a dream? Had she dreamed that Ethan's ghost had been able to talk to her? The cake was sitting, mostly in crumbs, before her. No, it hadn't been a dream. But... was it her imagination? Was she so stressed that she was hallucinating? "Jeana.... where are you?" She called out for her friend, wanting desperately to relive some stress somehow. She was feeling dizzy, and had to hold on to the handrail when going up the stairs to prevent herself from falling. She needed sleep. She needed rest. She needed a chance to recharge.

[Ashen]

Ethan closed his eyes when the angel started yelling. Weren't they supposed to be uniform? Weren't they supposed to be calm at all times?
He couldn't imagine what it was like to be burned, but then again, his organs had started eating themselves. He wondered what would have happened if he had not been in that auto accident. How much more weight would he have lost?
Ethan snapped his eyes shut even harder. At least Nathan had parents that loved him. What did Ethan have? A father who is the reason why he is dead in the first place.
He gritted his teeth and started shaking. He didn't want to do this anymore. If he could leave, he would. But then he remembered Beth, and he couldn't leave her. No matter how much it hurt him, he would stay for her.

Jeana heard Beth calling her name. Was she back to normal?
She grabbed another shard of glass and walked towards Beth. She saw her slowly making her way up the stairs, clutching onto the rail.
"I broke your father's frame," Jeana said. Her voice held no emotion. She wasn't sorry. She didn't care.
She showed Beth the two shards of glass and realized she had been pressing them so hard into her hands they left cuts. Blood stained the glass. "You look like crap," Jeana said, not caring about her cuts. They'd heal, in time. "There's chocolate on your lip. Does your head hurt?" Jeana started for the stairs. "Do you want ice?"
If you were seeing things, did you need ice or a heating pad? Jeana couldn't remember. Maybe she just needed to sleep on it.
Too much sleep was bad for you though.
Jeana rubbed her eyes. "Do you need anything from me, Beth?" she asked, trying her hardest to fake a sincere voice.

[Drakonnas]

Beth shrugged. "He'll probably care about that more than he cares about me. You'd better be careful, Jeana, he might ignore it completely." She said, trying to joke around. It was a feeble attempt, but an attempt all the same. "I feel like crap as well." She replied to Jeana's inquisition. "I dunno, Jeana... I think time might be the best thing for it...."

Beth looked around, and had a sudden urge to hug Jeana, which she did. "Oh Jeana... I'm sorry I've treated you so poorly these past few hours... I've been an awful friend... Please forgive me..." She said, trying not to cry. "You're all I have left now... I can't lose you because of my grieving...."

[Ashen]

Jeana didn't even smile at Beth's joke. She clenched her fists, forgetting the shining shards in them. They only cut deeper and deeper until Jeana was sure they would poke through to the other side of her hand. "Time heals all wounds," Jeana said, quoting something she had read before. He didn't believe it now, when she was falling apart. She wouldn't believe it until it really did heal her broken heart.

Jeana hugged Beth too. She shook her head and wiped her hand across her cheeks. "There is nothing to forigve," she murmured. "It's fine. It's really fine. Don't..." She had to stop because a sob took over her body. She started shaking, but for Beth's sake she made herself stop. "I...I used to wonder what would happen if...Ethan and I ever got married. Did you ever think of it too?" Jeana pulled away from Beth and sniffled. "It would have been perfect. Ethan as a husband and you as a sister. What more could I have asked for? I never really did think too far into the romantic part. I figured that would come if and when it came." She bit her lip. "We would have such beautiful kids," she said dreamily. Tears rolled down her cheek. "They'd have my blue eyes and his brown hair. His cheekbones and my lips. They would even have your build." She swallowed hard. "I never did tell him. I figured he'd get creeped out or something. But now that he's gone..." She wiped at her tears again but this time she accidently scratched her cheek with the glass. She winced as the bright red line formed. She threw the glass across the room. "Is this punishment?" she murmured quietly. "Is there something I should have done?"

[Drakonnas]

"Jeana!" Beth said worriedly as she let go, "your hand! Come, let me fix you up...." She took a gentle hold on Jeana, but didn't force her to go anywhere. It was he choice, after all. "I don't want that to get infected... Knowing my father, it could be infected with "I-don't-care-itis..." She rolled her eyes and responded to Jeana's confession.

"Somehow I always thought you two would end up together..." She said with a sweet, yet somewhat sad smile. "We would have been the happiest of friends...." Don't pretend you weren't scared of that, Elizabeth Riley... You know very well that you were afraid that if they got together, you'd become a third wheel, a loner. They'd still have time for you, oh yes. But only some. You admitted you'd be jealous... Beth tried to shake these thoughts out of her mind. At least she wouldn't have to deal with that now. Bah! Get a grip on yourself, Beth! You gotta stay away from that! Focus on Jeana... yeah, that'll help.

Beth thought about telling Ethan this when he returned from wherever he was. After all, he was dead now, and surely Jeana wouldn't get mad at him. But another voice inside her head told her to stay her hand, that this information might possibly hurt Ethan more that it would make him feel important and special. "Jeana..." Beth wanted nothing more than to rest her head on Jeana's shoulders and cry. But she was out of tears for the time being, and she had to stay strong to help her friend. "I'm sure Ethan would have loved to hear that... Come on, let's get you cleaned up...."

[Ashen]

Jeana froze when Beth made a joke. That's what she asumed it was, anyway, but Jeana wouldn't laugh.
I-don't-care-itis.
Wouldn't that be nice? Not having to care about anything? Jeana wouldn't be broken right now; in fact, she wouldn't even care about Ethan's death. She wouldn't care that her friend was so depressed. She wouldn't care that her own father only wanted her home when she knew she just couldn't.
That would be wonderful. Jeana suddenly realized that would be awful, though. What would people think if she didn't show at least a little saddness when her friend died?
Oh wait, Jeana said to herself. I wouldn't care.

She had an endless amount of tears, it seemed. They fell when Beth said she had thought of them together. "No," Jeana murmured. "We would have been the happiest family. Every birthday party, every night out." She shook her head and stared at the blood on her hand. "We could still be sisters," Jeana said absent-mindedly. "I'll just get my dad to give me a half-brother and then you'll marry him. Nevermind the fact that he'd be seventeen years younger than you, and that's assuming my dad would have him at the end of this year. Well technically he wouldn't have him, his baby mama would. You get what I'm saying though, right? Course not."
Jeana turned away. She played with the lines of blood in her hand. She drew a face, but it could never compare to Ethan's drawings. "My daddy isn't having anymore kids," she sighed. "I'm already a handful."

After a moment Jeana forced herself to the bathroom. She ran cold water over her hands until they went numb. She then poured half a bottle of alcohol over them. "I'll buy you a new one," Jeana said to Beth, although she wasn't sure she was behind her. "I promise." She watched her blood trinkle down the sink. "What do you think Ethan would have called it?" Jeana asked. "You know he has weird names for colors. How 'bout Red of Despair?" She watched her tears fall down the drain too. "Or the Red Tears," she added. "I'm crying blood."

[Drakonnas]

Beth was confused. What was Jeana talking about? She wasn't making any sense. Or maybe it was just her that wasn't well. She was growing rather pale, and felt rather dizzy. In the bathroom, she wasn't really aware of what Jeana was saying, it was as if she was in a dream, everything seemed floaty and far away. "What's happening to me?" She thought, as she leaned against the wall for support, eventually sliding down, and sitting on the floor, head in her hands.

Not sure what was going on, Beth felt sick. She couldn't get her words out properly, nor could she think straight. She closed her eyes. Was this simply exhaustion taking over? Or was something else happening? Had she been thinking clearly, she might have thought that she was being drugged. But how could she be? She was alone with Jeana. Right?

(it's either her exhaustion, or Greg. The choice is up to you!)

[Ashen]

Jeana turned her head when she saw Beth slide to the ground. Concerned, Jeana pressed the back of her hand to Beth's forehead. "Go to sleep," she said and helped her to her bedroom. This was having a heavy toll on both of them, mental and physical. Jeana needed some rest too. She looked at her hands. They were still bleeding a little so she wrapped them in paper towels. She wasn't bleeding enough to seep through the paper so she figured she was fine.
She went to Beth's room and dug through her bag. She pulled out a T shirt and slipped it over her head. She then went downstairs to have a nap on the couch.

Ethan stared at the vibrant green of the leaf. He had never seen a plant like this, nor a color so bright. It was a mixture between green and blue, although there was much more green. Ethan wanted to replicate it. He wanted his paints.
He continued walking through this rainforest, although it couldn't have been that. Rainforests were humid and hot; Ethan felt fine.
It's because you're dead, he thought.
Where was the spirit kid? It had surely been an hour by now. Ethan had no clock to check, but he had been wandering around for forever already. Where was he?
"Hey dead kid," Ethan called flatly. He realized he held the same title. "Angel. I want to see my sister. Let me see her."

[Drakonnas]

Nathan appeared by Ethan's side. He looked a little bit stressed, but righted himself quickly. "Ethan, I'll let you see her. But she needs some time. However, I suppose it's all right for a little while longer. But when Beth recovers, you need to move on as well. Do you understand?" Nathan said seriously. "I don't want anything unfortunate to happen to you. I'm not the only one trying to save souls, you know... Lucifer's out there somewhere, trying to collect souls... Don't let him get you, Ethan."

He waited for a few minutes to let that message sink in, before he warped them back to Beth's house.

---

Beth woke with a start, feeling better. How long had she been sleeping? The clock read four fifteen. A few hours then. Beth sat up, trying to will herself to be cheerful. Her headache had mostly disappeared. Her phone buzzed, letting her know she had a message or two. She reached over to the desk where it sat, and read the message.

Beth, you okay? We're worried about ya, you didn't come to practice today. You're missed." Three people from her team had sent similar messages, and despite her sadness, Beth perked up slightly.

[Ashen]

Ethan let out an impatient sigh when he found Nathan. He paused and thought about his message.
Lucifer is trying to collect souls.
The devil wants him.
Ethan swallowed this statement dry. No, he wouldn't give into any temptation or any of that other bullshit theologians spoke of. He was trying to do a good thing and help his sister.
How could he go to Hell for that?

He made his way to Beth's room and stopped at her door. If Jeana was asleep downstairs, Beth would probably be sleeping too. He pushed the door open and saw her looking at her phone. Ethan silently made his way over and read over her shoulder. "Well that's cute," he said before realizing he could have scared Beth. He stepped back and smiled. "I'm back, like I promised." He shook his head. "Well you're looking better." She looked terrible, but it was better than what she had looked like earlier. Her ribbons were falling out, her hair was all flyaway.
Ethan made his way to Beth's bed and sat down. "Sorry I had to leave," he said. "What did I miss?"

[Drakonnas]

Beth looked up, and tried to hide her emotions. "Ethan, I wondered where you were." She said with a smile that probably looked a little bit forced. "You didn't miss much, the usual. Jeana's trying to cope, as am I." She stopped there, remembering her thoughts about telling Ethan how Jeana felt. But... in his ghostlyness, he could easily find out. Bah! Should I tell him? Should I not? I guess if he finds out, he finds out. I'm not going to spill Jeana's secrets. They're hers to spill if she wants to."

[Ashen]

Ethan hesitated about Beth's words. She wondered where he was.
Where was he, exactly? Some place between the living and the dead. The In-between, but did it have a formal name? Ethan didn't want to tell Beth about it anyway. It would only make him seem...
Dead?
Ethan swallowed his thoughts. "I'm sorry," he murmured, common condolences. It was habbit; when someone died you said sorry. It took him a moment to remember the dead person was himself.
He cleared his throat. "Beth," he said slowly. "You're thinking hard about something." He looked her in the eye. "I really am sorry for leaving you. If it were up to me, I would have never left."
If it was up to me, I would have never died.

[Drakonnas]

"I know, Ethan... and that makes the parting all the more sweet, and all the more sorrowful... As Shakespeare said, parting is such sweet sorrow... but... we haven't really parted have we?" Beth's voice was becoming stronger now, as if realizing for the first time what she was about to say. "But... we haven't parted yet... I don't care if you're some figment of my imagination. You're here with me, and that's gonna stay for good, right?" She asked, a slow smile spreading across her face. Some might have said that her smile had just a touch of insanity as well.

[Ashen]

Ethan smiled at Beth. They hadn't parted, officially. They were still together, after all. She was right.
"Of course," Ethan answered. "Forever." He didn't care if Nathan was watching him. He was going to stay with Beth for the rest of eternity. He didn't care about what was good for him.
"Let's do something we always used to do," Ethan said. He thought that maybe if they did what was the normal they would feel normal again. "Are you up to a soccer game? Maybe Jeana will want to play. Let me go see if she's awake."
He started downstairs and started looking for Jeana.

Jeana was humming to the tune of a song by The Band Perry. She was folding a blanket but it was obvious her hands were hurting.
She thought she heard someone coming down the stairs but no one was there so she shrugged and sat down on the couch. She turned on the TV and started watching an old sitcom.
Ethan walked in front of her. How could he be transparent to Jeana but normal to Beth? He sighed and walked back upstairs.

"Jeana is awake," he said. "I'll be cheering for both of you on the sides. That is, if she wants to play."

[Drakonnas]

Beth nodded, a little distractedly. "All right. I'll see if she wants to. She might think it's good for me to do something..." She stood up, grabbed her soccer ball, and walked downstairs. "Jeana, do you want to play a little soccer with me? It might help just a little..." She asked, wondering if she was up to it. "Here, let me help you with that..." She said, still softly. Beth had changed, she was much quieter now, much more withdrawn. She didn't know if she'd return to her former cheerfulness or not, it'd have to be given time.

[Ashen]

Ethan smiled at Beth. Here was one small step. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
He walked down the stairs and watched Jeana. He recognized the song she was singing and immediately Ethan felt sick. It was If I Die Young.

Jeana looked up at Beth. "Soccer?" she said. "At a time like this?" She paused. "Of course," she answered. Jeana knew it would be best for both of them if they got to normal routines.
She turned off the TV and started outside. "Go easy on me!" she called. "You know you could cream me in this without even trying.
From a distance, Ethan smiled. It was true.

[Drakonnas]

Beth walked outside, and tried to smile. It didn't really work out too well, so she tried to just focus on her soccer. To her dismay, she couldn't get started. She just couldn't concentrate on the ball, as hard as she tried. She missed her shots wildly, and even Jeana was able to get the ball passed her and score, multiple times. Groaning in frustration, Beth tried again, but her kick was so wild that it sailed over the fence, into the neighbors jungle of a yard. Their grass was several feet tall, and it was overgrown with plants. It would be next to impossible to find the ball. "Dammit..." Beth said furiously. "What's gotten over me? I can't even play soccer!"

[Ashen]

Jeana noticed Beth was terribly off.
Beth couldn't score a single goal. For once, Jeana actually won.
Jeana watch the ball go over the fence. It'd be lost forever now. No one would be able to find the ball in that mess. She turned back to Beth. "How about I buy you a new one?" she suggested. "It'll just take time, Beth. You'll be playing like your old self in no time!" Although, Jeana wasn't convniced. She turned back to the fence and climbed over it. "Hey!" she called to Beth. "If I'm not out call the cops. God knows what poisons are in here."
A stray tear trickled down Jeana's cheek. No, she couldn't joke about death. Not now, and not ever.

Ethan climbed over the fence in search of his sister's ball. He felt bad for Beth, not being able to do what she loved. As he thought about himself, he bit his lip.
With an eye trained of Jeana, Ethan shoved through the overgrowth and pushed past the rubbish. This place was disgusting. It was a forest, only it wasn't calm and it wasn't clean.
Ethan saw the ball before Jeana did. It was buried in a patch of grass. He kicked it out and looked for Jeana, who had been present only moments before. She was gone. "Jeana?" Ethan called. "Jean, it's right here, where did you go?"
He stopped as he realized Jeana couldn't hear him, would never hear him. "Right," he muttered to himself and picked up the ball. He threw it back over to their side and climbed over himself. "Jeana's not out?" he asked Beth. He tossed his head over his shoulder. "She'll be able to hear you. She doesn't even know I'm a-"
Ethan stopped and let a tear fall. Alive. Of course she doesn't.
Because he's not.
He turned away so Beth wouldn't see him cry.

[Drakonnas]

Beth turned and watched silently as Jeana climbed the fence. "Not funny, Jeana." Walking to the fence, she pulled up the loose board, and slipped between the fence, looking for the ball. She heard Ethan shout to them that he found it. Beth pushed her way towards his voice, the weeds, grass, and ivy blocking her. Once her foot caught on some ivy, and she fell face first into the grass, which softened her fall. Picking herself back up, Beth fought her way back to Ethan, as he tossed it back over the fence, towards their yard. "Jeana, we found it." She said, forgetting that to Jeana, it would be 'I'. Ethan didn't exist to Jeana, therefore the use of 'we' might seem odd.

Pushing her way back into their yard, Beth looked around. Ethan was upset, and she was as well. For what seemed like the first time in her life, Beth didn't want to be around Ethan. She didn't know what to say to him to help him. She didn't know what to do. "Jeana, you coming?" She called again. Beth started to feel itchy. "Great.... poison ivy..." She groaned.

[Ashen]

Jeana heard Beth's call and pushed through the vegetation to Beth's yard. She brushed her clothes and watched the ball. "Technically," she said, "you found it and not us. God, you could lose someone in there." She rubbed her eyes. "Maybe we should do something else."
Jeana walked up to Beth and wiped the grass away from her clothes. "Why don't you go take a bubble bath?" she suggested. "Why not ease your mind?"
She helped Beth into the house and looked over her shoulder to make sure she had everything.
Ethan stared right into Jeana's eyes. He gave a sad smile and followed them inside.

[Drakonnas]

"That actually sounds like a good idea..." Beth said, itching her arms a little. Beth picked up the soccer ball, and set it down in the garage. She thanked Jeana for being there for her, it truly did mean a lot. She went upstairs, undressed, and sank into the tub, hoping that it would ease her mind. She added a little bit of lavender, which helped things a great deal as well.

----

A shadowy figure watched Beth, Jeana, and Ethan go inside. He wore a large trench-coat (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qtHcebaoovo/TdEaHTMpzoI/AAAAAAAAAWY/B-zAWU-BRPM/s1600/humphrey-bogart-trench-coat.jpg) and a hat which was lowered to hide his eyes. A small smile grew on his shadowed face. A cigarette was held between two fingers, and he puffed on it before following them inside. "Ethan... It's wonderful to see you at last... Come with me, we need to talk. Don't worry, they can't see me..."

[Ashen]

Jeana shook her head when Beth thanked her. "Don't worry about it," she said. She headed into the kitchen and took out a bunch of ingredients. She wasn't hungry, but she was going to cook something. She started adding things into a bowl and whisking them together. She tasted her batter and evaluated the taste.
So it was decided. She was going to make brownies.
Jeana looked for some chocolate and wondered how she thought of brownies when her mixture tasted nothing like them. She didn't care. She planned on having them ready for Beth when she finished her bath.

Ethan was watching Jeana throw a bunch of things into a bowl. He didn't know what he was doing, but he still watched. He turned immediately when he heard a voice.
"Who're you?" Ethan called. This man that stood before him looked like a thug, the kind Ethan was taught to avoid. He watched the cigarette's smoke spiral in the air between them. "What are you doing in my house polluting my air?" he asked. He searched the man's face, but he couldn't remember ever seeing him. A friend of that Nathan's, maybe?
The angel's words swam through his mind.
Lucifer's out there somewhere, trying to collect souls.
When Ethan pictured the devil, he pictured a small fat man with a pitchfork and horns.
Ethan shook his head. This man wasn't Satan.
He watched him for a while, awaiting an answer. Ethan was warry, but he wasn't scared. After all, what's the worse that could happen? It wasn't like he could have killed him.
Someone had already done that.

[Drakonnas]

Beth tried to relax, tried to focus on the moment. But she couldn't, not with the incident in her head. She just couldn't not think about it. How much had Ethan suffered before he had died? How had they taken him? She still had the message on her phone.... But she didn't feel like listening to it right now. Some part of her wanted to forget, and move on, so she wouldn't have to deal with this agony anymore. But was this just her anger? Depression? Maybe she could escape the dark depths she was in by moving on. But how could she do that?


"Da name's Giovanni Bonventre." He had a slightly Italian accent, and a very cunning smile. "As for what am I doing? I came to greet you, not befoul your house. Besides... we don't exist to the humans that live here... this cigarette won't befoul your air. Do not worry." He said, his sly grin ever present. "I have a vested interest in souls, preventing them from going to waste. You could say I save the souls who stick around, I help them move on." He slowly turned his back on Ethan, puffing once more on his cigar.

[Ashen]

Ethan was still sizing the man up when he finished speaking. An Italian man that wanted to save the lingering souls. Ethan didn't know if wanted to buy that.
"I don't want help," he said. "I'm fine just how I am, thank you." He watched the cigarette in Giovanni's hand. Maybe it wasn't polluting the air for the humans, But Ethan didn't like it.
"Aren't there millions of other dead people out there?" Ethan murmured. "Why do you all keep choosing me? I'm content. Go save someone else."
He turned sharply when he heard metal clatter against the floor. Jeana muttered something before picking up her pan. Ethan walked over to her and stared into the batter. He wanted to taste it.
"Thank you, Mr. Bonventre, but I really don't need your help at this moment and time. Catch you later, huh?"
He turned and started up the stairs, away from the shady man.

After Jeana loaded the giant white brownie into the oven she took a seat at the kitchen table. She was completely unaware of the scene that had just taken place in this very room.
She put her head down and closed her eyes. She couldn't let the brownie burn. It was white and would definitely show.
Jeana didn't know why she had decided to make a white brownie. She wondered how it would taste and if it would be better than its brown counterpart.
She forced herself to get up and walked upstairs. "Everything all right?" she called to Beth. "I'm making something for us. I don't really know what to call it yet."

[Drakonnas]

Giovanni smiled his wry smile. Ethan was smart, just like he'd foreseen. But he had ways around that... He listened with a smile that clearly said this talk was pointless. "As a matter of fact, Ethan my boy, there are other souls out there in need of help. I'll be keeping an eye on you though... If you ever need someone to turn to, I'll be here... It just so happens..." He said, his voice dropping a little bit lower now. "...that I am aware of aware of a way you can stay with your sister forever... You'll never have to leave if you don't want to... That other kid, Noah I think it was? Nathan maybe? He will force you to move on, to leave your sister. I can help you if you don't want that. Just something to think about." And with a whoosh, Giovanni disappeared in a plume of smoke.

Beth heard Jeanna call out to her. "I... No, Jeanna. It's not okay. But it's nothing unusual..." She said, shaking her head. "I think I need to get out of the house for a little bit... there's a soccer practice today at three, I think it might do me good to get out for a bit.... and I'm sure it'll be delicious."

(I'm so sorry, I didn't see you posted!)

[Ashen]

Ethan paused as he took in Giovanni's words. He knew better than to believe someone like him, but his words sounded so comforting, so sincere. Ethan wanted to believe him. He wanted nothing more than to stay with his sister for the rest of eternity.
But how?
Those two words lingered in the back of Ethan's mind. He didn't know how Giovanni would keep him here to stay. Ethan told himself that man was only bluffing.
But if he wasn't, he was the one way out of that angel kid's nagging. He was the one way out of being away from his sister.
And with that knowledge, how could Ethan refuse?

Jeana sat on the floor in the hallway. "You aren't going to play, are you?" she asked. "I think it would be nice to go see the game though. I'll go get ready for it. We still have some time to kill."
Kill.
Jeana leaned her head back and hit it against the wall. She wondered when she'd be able to accept these words again, if ever.
She got up and caressed the spot where she hit her head. "Do you smell that?" she said. "That smells delicious. I can't wait to try it."
Even if Beth couldn't see, Jeana wore a smile. Maybe if she was smiling, Beth would lighten up, too. Jeana prayed that it would work, because she hated seeing her best friend like this. Beth wasn't Beth, and Jeana feared she'd never be Beth again.

[Drakonnas]

"It's not a game, Jeana. It's a practice..." She said, as she walked to get her things ready. Beth never walked when getting ready for soccer. She always ran, as if super excited. But not today. It almost seemed like a chore to her. Finally when they were ready, Beth got in the driver's seat, waiting for Jeana. She turned the radio off, it bugged her. This also was very much like her. She always listened to pumping music before soccer. But today it just seemed an annoyance. When Jeana sat down, they drove off to practice.

As she turned the car off, Beth looked around. It was a beautiful day outside. But it felt like it was overcast and cold. At least she saw the reality, and not what it felt like. She stood there for a moment, looking slightly confused. The wind was blowing slightly, waving her hair behind her. She started forewords, to a shout of "Elizabeth!" She saw Riley, one of the offense, running towards her. Soon, the entire team was running towards her. Elizabeth didn't smile, she looked a little bit odd. "Hey girls..." She said, trying to smile but failing.

"Hey... what's wrong, Lizzie?" "You okay, Beth?" Beth looked up uncomfortably. These were the girls who had been for team, the ones who she had spent so much time with. But Beth felt as if a rift had developed between them.

Before she had to explain, the coach called them away. "Beth, it's good to see you. But practice is beginning. Take a few laps to get warmed up, everyone." She called. More quietly, she spoke. "Beth, can I have a word?"

As practice went on, Beth was no better than she was when playing with Jeana. She was getting so frustrated and upset that she was near tears. For whatever reason, she was off her game. As she attempted to kick the ball again, she missed, and kicked Sam in the shins. "I'm so sorry..." She said, the tears were beginning to flow for real now. She had played terribly. She hadn't once successfully passed the ball accurately, nor had she managed to score. She had been their best scorer. But now... she was nothing but a liability. She sat down on the bench and just cried. She couldn't do anything right. She was going to be kicked off the team at this rate.

Her teammates were looking over, very worried. They had no idea what was going on. Her coach came over after practice and sat down next to her. "Hey... Are you okay? Your teammates are really worried about you... It'd help them to know what happened. Can I tell them? Don't worry about today. I'm sure you'll get better in time."

Beth nodded. "Yeah.... you can tell them..."

[Ashen]

Jeana started to frown again. It didn't matter if it was a practice, a game, or a full-blown championship play. Beth certainly wasn't up to playing. They both knew that.
Jeana noticed Beth wasn't excited like she always was before a game. But then, how could she be? No one could in this state. She didn't even want to listen to music, which Jeana didn't really mind. The silence soon started to bother her. She started drumming her nails against the dashboard but then she thought of Ethan and the sound of his bones shattering. She instantly stopped and sighed heavily.

Ethan hated all of it.
He hated the art gallery, he hated himself for allowing that man to take him, he hated that Greg for murdering him.
If Ethan was the only part of the equation-if Beth didn't exist-he wouldn't have cared. People live and people die.
But he could not stand the sight of Beth dragging herself through the halls of her own house.
They hadn't waited for him to get in the car so Ethan ended up walking to the field. He got there just in time to see Beth kicking a girl. He held his head.
He'd spend the rest of his life as a slave. As long as he was allowed back to the world of the living-as long as he could see Beth smile again-Ethan didn't care what he had to do.

Ethan took a seat on the bleachers beside Jeana. She was sweating because she was in direct sunlight but her water bottle was untouched. Ethan placed his hand on hers but after a few minutes Jeana moved her hand to scratch at her arm.
"I wish you could see me, too," Ethan murmured. He knew she wouldn't hear him but he prayed that, by some miracle, she would. He turned to Beth. "I bet she could still beat me," he said with a smile but his expression soon faded.
He sighed and hopped off of the bleachers. He walked over to Beth and heard what was going on. Her coach was asking permission to tell the team what had happened.
Ethan gritted his teeth. "No," he mumbled. "I'm just... I'm just absent for a while. I'll be back." He thought back to what Giovanni had said.
He'd go find that man once Beth fell asleep. He'd make a deal with the devil, if he had to.
He never wanted to see Beth so upset again.

Jeana watched the coach turn to the rest of the team. She was going to tell them what had happened, probably. Jeana let a tear fall. She wiped at her eyes. When she looked up at the sound of footprints, she was fully expecting to see Ethan. Instead she saw her father and she looked away, embarassed she would think Ethan would be here.
"Jeana," her father said. "You girls look a mess. Mr. Riley isn't home, is he? You shouldn't be staying in a house alone."
Jeana muttered something. She then turned to her father. "How did you know I would be here?" she asked, but her phone had a GPS on it. "What are you scared of? You think a robber will come kill us? Ethan would have been lucky to be killed like that. A quick blow to the head or a shot to the heart."
"Jeana," her father murmured, but she wasn't listening. He forced her to look at him. "I can get you therapy."
Jeana looked away again. "Don't you need to be home?" she said. "Go feed the dog."
Jeana's father looked away. They didn't have a dog; they hadn't had one for years. "You don't know what this is doing to you," he said. "Someone needs to call that girl's father. His daughter is dying and he doesn't care."
Jeana hopped off of the bleachers and ran to Beth. "You did great out there," she said, completely ignoring the man trying to help. "You did better than at home. Cheer up."

[Drakonnas]

Beth looked up at Jeana's father, her eyes both pleading, in anguish, and cold and uncaring at the same time. "I... I have no father." She said finally. It was the first time she had uttered those words. And she meant every one of them. "And since when have you ever called me 'that girl'? Maybe it'd be easier if I died as well." She stood up, and ran back to her car, forgetting that she had brought her soccer gear. Jumping into the car she turned it on, and drove away, no real idea where she was going. She swore a few times, before finding herself in an empty lot. How had she gotten here? Where was this place? And then she saw the elementary school nearby. She was only five or so minutes away from her house. Resting her head against the steering wheel, she cried until she fell asleep.

Nathan returned for Ethan, to see the scene unfolding. Sighing, he knew that Ethan would be particularly difficult after watching this. It was time to help him move on. Things had deteriorated since allowing Ethan to remain behind. Beth would surely have started on the path to recovery by now. She would have at least accepted the fact that he was gone. But now... things were messed up. "Ethan..." He said, a note of finality in his voice. "I really must apologize, but we need to go." With a small poof, they both vanished, reappearing in the quiet world of the in-between. "Come, Ethan. Your staying has harmed your sister more than I thought it could. You need to move on. She needs to move on. You both need to recover." He had no idea that Ethan had already met with one of the ones from below. "Come on. It'll be easier this way, I promise. You can still watch over her from heaven, Ethan."

[Ashen]

After forcing her father to leave them alone, Jeana crawled into a ball on the bleachers and cried. She didn't care that she was making noise; she didn't care that she was making a fool of herself in front of the whole soccer team.
She wished the world would swallow her whole.
Jeana pretended she was someone else. She pretended she was a princess, like the ones her father would read about before bed when Jeana had had a nightmare. Nothing bad could ever happen to them. It was impossible.
Then, Jeana realized, that's exactly what she had thought about herself, too.

Ethan looked up at the sound of a sigh. He glared at Nathan and turned away. He'd go back to that forest now for a little while and after arguing with the kid he'd come back. This was getting to be a routine.
Sure enough, they were in the rain forest.
"I harmed my sister?" Ethan repeated. "I harmed her?" He stared at Nathan for a long moment. "No, screw you, I would never do that." His hands were balled into fists. "We are recovering. She actually got out of the house. See, we're doing fine. Maybe it will take a bit longer cause, my god, we shared the womb, but we'll get to recovery. And when we do, you can leave the both of us alone."
Ethan turned away and let out the breath he was holding. "It won't be easier if I'm not with her," he growled and started walking away.

Ethan came across a giant tree that had a low lying branch. The limb looked stable enough to support his weight so Ethan climbed the tree and reclined on the branch. It wasn't like the other trees here, with thin branches and high leaves.
Ethan wondered if Nathan was still following him. He didn't care. The kid could rant about heaven all he wanted.
No one that leaves their sister alone and hopeless would ever go to heaven.
Ethan thought of Jeana. Beth would have her, but then, Jeana was distraught as well. He thought of the soccer team, but then recalled that day's events.
Ethan let his mind wander to Giovanni's words. Did Nathan know about him? Probably not. Just that excited Ethan. The angel wouldn't stop him from going with Giovanni. The angel didn't know.
Ethan watched the forest. He wondered if Giovanni knew where he was and if he could come here.
He swung his feet over the branch and let them dangle. He smiled as he thought of the dark man. He was thinking about him so much, now. He just had to make a deal. Whatever he wanted, Ethan would fetch.
And then he wouldn't have to worry about Nathan again.

[Drakonnas]

Nathan glared at Ethan, shaking his head. He let out a long sigh. "You're to angry to see it, Ethan. Look at your sister. Look at her!" A transparent globe appeared in his hands. An image of Elizabeth appeared inside, she was clearly distraught, sobbing in the driver's seat of the car, in the middle of an empty lot. "You may not be able to see it. But she's confused, Ethan. She knows you've died, and that you should not be here. Inside, she's glad you are, but this is detrimental to her mental health, Ethan! She expects the wrong things! I've seen people go insane before because they could interact with the dead while others can't. It's not healthy, Ethan. You want your sister to be healthy. You want her to recover. And you can help her by moving on. You can still watch over her, but you must not interact with her. I'm sorry to be this way, Ethan. But you need to understand what is truly best for you and your sister. The longer you stay around, the more likely it is that some demon from the underworld will find you. And they will try to take your soul, Ethan. Do not listen to their trickery! They will even attempt to get at Elizabeth through you. You don't want to damn her to an eternity in hell, would you? You must be careful. You have to realize that this isn't what's best for you, or her." Nathan finished his rant, and turned around. "I'm going to open the portal in one hour. And you are going to move on, if you like it or not. You have one hour to say good bye, Ethan. Trust me, you'll thank me later." With a crack, Ethan was back in the real world.

[Ashen]

Ethan tried to ignore what Nathan was saying, but he was talking about how a demon could get to Beth through him. He told himself he'd never be stupid enough to let that happen.
Do not listen to their trickery!
Nathan was a child. He didn't know what he was talking about. He did what he was told to do.
Ethan was more experienced. He knew that sometimes, people had to do what they didn't want to do. He knew that, in the blink of an eye, you could become a completely different person for someone you love.
And he knew, under tough circumstances, people had to shake hands with the devil.

As Ethan arrived back in the world of the living his immediate thought wasn't to find Beth, alone and in tears in a parking lot. He needed to find Giovanni. He needed to find out more.
Ethan thought back to the first place he had seen him. He walked home in time to find Jeana sitting on the front porch, crying.
It's not healthy, Ethan.
He shook Nathan's thoughts out of his head. He walked into his house and turned into the kitchen. "Giovanni?" he called. He saw a slightly charred cake on the table. He let out a sigh. "Giovanni, can you hear me? Mr. Bonventre, I'm here to talk to you."
They will try to take your soul, Ethan. Do not listen to their trickery.
Do not listen to their trickery.
Ethan pinched his eyes shut. Shut up, he told the voice in his head. I know what's best.
He cleared his throat. "If you're not here I guess I'll just have to go to Heaven like they all want me to," he said, trying to coax the man out of the shadows where Ethan was sure he must be waiting.

[Drakonnas]

Giovanni stepped out of the shadows, as if he had been waiting for Ethan. "Ah, Ethan. You called?" He asked, smiling politely. "I assume this means you've had a chance to think about my offer...? It's your choice, after all. They can't make you move on... if you work with me. Now you have heard stories of how we roll, have you not? Let me assure you, those accounts are false. We do not... trick... people into working with us... Think of it as a business relationship. We help you out, you help us out. Now... You saw how happy Beth was when she saw you... it's only natural for a brother to want to help his sister... especially with everything you two went through. It was cruel that you had such a quick ending to your relationship... But I can help you there... I can give you a second shot. I can let you stay for as long as you want. You are free to come and go as you please. You may be with your sister and comfort her forever, if you so wish. You want to see her smile again. You want to see her recover. You want to see your sister. You are the key, Ethan. You have the power to make it all happen." Giovanni smiled again, and looked around, waiting for Ethan's reply.

Beth woke up, somewhat calmed. Jeana was probably worried about where she was, she hadn't returned home after practice. Twilight was upon them, and Beth knew she needed to head home. Turning the key to the car, she began the short drive home. When she pulled into the driveway, she got out of the car, and opened the door to the house. "Hey Jeana. I'm back..." She hoped Jeana wouldn't inquire as to her whereabouts, but she probably would. So, she had to think of a good excuse.

[Ashen]

Ethan listened intently to what the man was saying. It sounded so perfect, almost too perfect.
He shook his head. This man was speaking the truth, obviously. Maybe, if he wasn't so desperate, he would have noted that good people didn't hide in the shadows and smoke cigars. They didn't hide from the angels.
They weren't accused of trickery.
"What do I have to do?" Ethan whispered. His eyes seemed to grow in size, excitement washing over him like a wave. "How can I do what you say? What deal must I make?"

Jeana heard Beth's voice and slowly looked up. Her mouth twisted up two degrees, the closest to a smile she could manage.
"Nice to see you home," she said quietly. Jeana picked herself up and headed inside. She didn't want to know where Beth had been. The important thing was that she was safe now.
Unlike Ethan.
Jeana rubbed at her eyes to remove the thought. "I need to get to bed. I think you should get some rest, too."
With that, Jeana headed up the stairs and prepared for bed.

[Drakonnas]

Giovanni smiled kindly at Ethan. "Good... good... All you have to do is repeat after me. Ruhum senindir. It's as simple as that. Ruhum senindir" Giovanni waited patiently for the seal to be complete. He had already done the other necessary preparations. When he said the words, he would be free from the angel's curse.

Beth looked slightly surprised at the reception she had received. "Are you okay, Jeana? I... I've been a rotten friend... I'm sorry..." She looked close to tears, but tried to shake herself. She just didn't feel like herself anymore. "Maybe... you're right." She changed what she was going to say mid-sentence. Maybe we need some time apart...

[Ashen]

Ethan turned away from Giovanni. Ruhum senidir. What did that mean? What would happen? Surely nothing would be permanent. This wasn't some Harry Potter novel. There were no such things as spells.
There were no such thing as the living dead, either.
Ethan looked at his hand. He wasn't supposed to exist, but he did. He was supposed to be in Heaven. He looked at Giovanni. He couldn't do this. He couldn't leave everything behind and follow such a shady character.
He thought of Nathan. If Giovanni really was so bad Nathan would be here, telling him to say no.
He thought of Beth. She was the person at fault for everything. If she didn't exist, Ethan would be completely happy in Heaven right now. He wouldn't give this life on earth another thought. He'd be gone sooner than the blink of an eye.
Ethan closed his eyes. He was blaming Beth. He was blaming his sister.
Feeling awful, he turned away from Giovanni.

Jeana didn't turn to face Beth. "You aren't a rotten friend," she said slowly. "You're doing what anyone would do."
She sighed and collapsed onto the bundle of blankets in Beth's room. She rubbed at her eyes and tried to get to sleep, but she couldn't.

"Ruhum senindir," Ethan muttered to himself. He then repeated it, louder this time. "Now give me what you promised," he said. "Give me what I want."

[Drakonnas]

"Good..." Ethan said with a smile. "You just said your soul is mine. Directly translating, 'my soul is yours.'" He chuckled, and held out his hand. "Very well. Good day to you. You can stay as long as Beth lives. But when she dies, you come with me. Or, if you want to leave earlier, just let me know. As long as Beth lives, you can travel to our domain and back as often as you like. As promised." Without another word, Giovanni vanished from view.

Beth nodded slowly, and collapsed on her bed. "Oof.... I feel awful." Beth said to herself. She was pale, had no appetite, and had a splitting headache. "Maybe if I get some sleep I'll feel better.."

[Ashen]

Ethan was paralyzed for what seemed like eons. Then, he started to shake.
He had just sold his soul to the devil.
He started choking on the lump in his throat. He couldn't believe he could be so stupid.
But then, Ethan had gotten what he wanted. He could stay with Beth forever, now. At least until she died.
He could not stop shaking. What did it all mean? If Beth were to die in the night, what would happen to him? What would Giovanni do with him?

Faking a strong facade, Ethan walked into Beth's room and laid his eyes on the two girls. He let a smile cross his lips for just a moment. He wouldn't tell Beth what had just happened. How could he?
"Good night, Beth," he said quietly. "Sleep tight, sis."

[Drakonnas]

Beth woke up the next morning feeling even worse. "Great..." She muttered to herself. "I had to get sick. On top of everything else that's happening to me. I had to get sick." She stood and walked to the bathroom, careful to avoid the pile of blankets on the floor in case Jeana was still sleeping. She looked at herself in the mirror. She looked pale and sickly. No wonder she hadn't been able to play well yesterday. Good riddance. "You need to take better care of yourself, girl..." She chastised herself, for not being better about it.

[Ashen]

Jeana stirred when she heard Beth's muffled voice. She removed the blanket from her ears and got up. Beth had gone to the bathroom, mumbling something about being sick.
"Beth?" Jeana called groggily. "Is everything okay?"
She wasn't feeling too great, either, but she wasn't about to complain. Jeana got up and gathered all of the blankets in her hands. "I'm making breakfast," Jeana called as she kicked a pillow out of the way. She wasn't up to eating, and she was willing to bet Beth wasn't either, but Jeana knew they did have to eat. She took her blankets with her as she walked down the stairs.

Ethan watched the girls get ready to tackle the day. He had spent the entire night thinking about everything he had done. Honestly, he was surprised the angel boy hadn't shown up yet. Surely he would come to scold him sooner or later.
Ethan was already doing that, himself.
He had been mumbling swears all night. Some were for Giovanni, some were for Greg; some were even for himself.
He hated the situation at hand.

Ethan made his way to the hallway and made sure Jeana was downstairs before turning to the closed bathroom door. "Hey Beth," he said. "I have some great news. I'll never have to leave again."
Not until the day you die, anyway.

[Drakonnas]

"oof... I'm sick." Beth said, laying back down on her bed. She had a burning temperature, and a splitting headache. Beth looked up as Ethan entered the room. "Really Ethan?" She asked, a the faintest of smiles on her face. "I thought you'd move on... But I'm glad you're here... I dunno how I'd go on without you." Beth sat up, looked into Ethan's face. Was it just her imagination, or was he looking a little bit tired and upset?

Nathan swore several times as Giovanni taunted him. "Goddammit!" He said, spinning on his heel, and stalking a few feet away from his rival. "I knew I should have been less lenient..." How could he have let this happen? He had failed, something he hadn't done in quite some time. He swore again, and turned to face his smug-faced rival.

"Ooh, using His name in vein now are we? What behavior for an angel..." Giovanni laughed. "Finally, I beat you again. The emotionally attached are always the most vulnerable... offer them what they want, what's bad for them, and they'll follow you all day... mehehehe...."

[Ashen]

I thought you'd move on.
Ethan wore a fake smile for his sister's sake. "And leave you behind? You know I would never do that, Beth. I'm ashamed you'd think that." He looked away and muttered, "I'm only joking." He wasn't up for jokes, but a good laugh was just what Beth needed. Ethan wondered how he would give her one.
He turned back to Beth. "I think Jeana's making something good to eat," he said. He started for the door but stopped at the doorframe. Ethan took in a breath and turned back to Beth.
"Promise me something, Beth," he said slowly. "Promise me you'll take care of yourself. You need to be happy. You wouldn't believe what I've done to be here with you. I just want you to smile." He turned back around and headed down the stairs.

Jeana sat at the kitchen table with her head in her hands and her legs on the chair. "Beth," she called. "Tell me you didn't leave food out. I just saw the biggest mouse to ever walk the earth."
She looked under the table and scanned the rest of the kitchen. The mouse had gone now, but Jeana was still wary. "We're also out of yummy things to eat. Let's go to IHOP." She then mumbled to herself, "There are no rodents there. Hopefully."

[Drakonnas]

Beth turned on her side, all visible happiness gone from her visage. She just looked sick. Sick and defeated. "Yeah... You'd never leave me." She said, trying to get comfortable. She was very achy, and her fever seemed to be just getting worse. She hadn't really eaten much of anything in awhile, and wasn't very hungry. "Though... Tell me, what happens when you die?" She asked, a little worried, and curious. "Is there a God? An afterlife? Are you a figment of my imagination? Am I going mad..?" She asked, trying to laugh.

As Ethan spoke to her about making sure to take care of herself, she nodded, knowing that it was important. But right now, how could so do that? As he said he just wanted to see her smile, Beth remembered what he had said on the answering machine, and gave him a true, happy smile, only for a few seconds, before she turned over in bed, threw as many blankets over herself as she could, feeling cold, and tried to sleep. It wasn't a good idea to feed fire to the flame by putting more blankets on when she had such a high fever, but she felt cold. Elizabeth couldn't hear Jeana from up in her room.

[Ashen]

Her questions were the innocent questions anyone would ask the dead, but that didn't make them any easier to answer. Ethan gave a sort of shrug. "I haven't seen a god yet," he answered. "There is an afterlife, I guess. A heaven, a hell, a sort of purgatory." He thought of the in-between. Was that considered a purgatory?
"You are not going mad," he answered soothingly. "Don't worry about that, Beth. I'm real. You aren't hallucinating."
He smiled with her, knowing that she was just joking. Even so, he knew she was just half-joking.

He watched her give what seemed to be a true smile and Ethan had to smile in turn. He loved his sister's smile.
She turned away from him, into bed, and burried herself in blankets. She wanted to rest again, and Ethan wouldn't disturb her.
"Goodnight, Beth," he whispered. "See you later."

Ethan walked out of Beth's room and down the stairs. He saw Jeana looking scared, muttering something about a mouse. "Hey Jeans," he said, though he didn't know why he was talking to her. He just hoped that maybe she'd be able to hear and see him; that maybe he could convince Beth she wasn't crazy.

Jeana turned towards the stairs, wondering why Beth wasn't answering her. She got worried, automatically thinking the worst. She made her way to Beth's room to find her asleep. She silently walked out of the room and back downstairs, to the kitchen. "Oh Beth," she sighed. "Please get better soon."

[Drakonnas]

Beth woke up a few hours later, her fever had gone down a little bit, and she actually felt like getting up. Sliding all the blankets off of her, she stumbled a little bit, feeling lightheaded. But that feeling went away in a minute, and she was able to make her way downstairs. She didn't see anyone downstairs, and wondered where Jeana was. Perhaps she went to take a phone call, or went to the restroom, or something. She didn't know.

Not being hungry, Beth looked through the fridge, knowing that she needed to get something to eat, she couldn't just not eat, that would be more detrimental to her, and she didn't need any sort of other obstacle, she needed to recover. And not eating wasn't a way to recover. Elizabeth sighed, and jumped a little bit as the front door opened, and her father walked in. Beth clearly didn't look good, but her father didn't even look at her as he walked by, and sat down at the table, a sandwich in hand. He ate, silently, without so much as a glance at his daughter. Surely he knew what had happened?

Beth felt her anger boiling up inside her again. "Ahem..." She coughed, no answer. "Excuse me?" No reply. Beth exploded, unable to contain herself anymore. "Don't you fucking care about me?" She asked, fighting back the tears. "Don't you care that your son was murdered? That your daughter feels like she is dying? Don't you care enough to even look at me?" Beth could feel the tears starting to flow again. "I'm ill, daddy! Ethan is dead! And you don't care enough to even look at me when you get home? No word of comfort? No "it'll be okay, honey"? Do you even care about me?" Her voice was wavering with the effort of not crying.

[Ashen]

Jeana washed her hands after using the bathroom. She looked into the mirror and found her makeup leaked all over her face, so she washed her face. She had no real reason to reapply makeup; she'd only cry and make it run. So Jeana stared at herself without her makeup and shrugged. She was going to see anyone important today. And even if she did, she didn't care.
She made her way back down the stairs to see Beth with her father. The silence didn't last long. Pretty soon Beth was yelling-screaming-at the man. All of this-Ethan's death, Beth's depression, Greg's threat on the family-was all his fault. If he hadn't locked Greg away, he wouldn't have needed revenge. Ethan wouldn't have been kidnapped, starved, killed.
Jeana couldn't blame Beth in the least.
After all, she would have done the same thing to her father.

She jumped the rest of the stairs and walked to Beth. She put a hand on her shoulder. "Beth," she warned. "Calm down." She looked to her father and gave him a look of death. "Mr. Riley," she said, her tone now bitter. "I have no words for you."
She looked back to her best friend. "Hey Beth," she said, her tone brighter. "You hungry? We don't need to stay here right now. Let's go out to eat somewhere."

Ethan ran his fingers over his old artwork, wishing he could be able to replicate it. The drawings he made postmortem didn't seem to stay. They evaporated, or didn't show, as if the pencil didn't know it was being held.
It wasn't. Ethan was dead, after all.

He heard yelling downstairs and immediately left his room, concerned for Beth. He found her with Jeana, facing their father.
Ethan paused. This man had the audacity to step into Beth's home-because it certainly wasn't his-and not say a word? Not even an I'm sorry.
"Look you little bastard," Ethan said through gritted teeth, walking right up to his father. Ethan was almost the same height as his father now. He stared into his cold eyes. "You have no right to be here. Or anywhere. Why don't you join me, Daddy? Join me, dead. Dead in the ground. Except, no one would give you the two cents you'd want. If you lingered, no one would even look your way." He had no idea if his father could see him, but he didn't care. Ethan was enraged at his father. If not for him, Beth wouldn't be so broken.
"Fuck you," he barked, turning away. "Go to hell."
Ethan's expression dropped at a realization. That's where I'm going, he thought. Once Beth dies.

[Drakonnas]

Mr. Riley paused, and took a shaky breath. When he turned to look at Beth, his eyes were trying to hold back tears. "Get... away... from me." He said, his voice taught and strained. "Get away... You're a reminder of what I've lost... GET OUT!" He yelled, standing up, looking quite mad. "You look so much like your mother... You drive me insane every time I see you... you remind me so much of her... YOU are the reason I'm not home more, Elizabeth... YOU are the reason I stay away... to stay away from you... Because it hurts too much..." He said, sinking into the chair, hands over his head, trying not to cry. "Get out of this damned house... Leave, and never come back, demon..."

Beth stared at her father, not able to comprehend what she had just heard. She turned to look at Jeana, wanting to make sure she had heard correctly. She slowly sank to the floor, incapable of words. He had just blamed her for everything. So it was her fault now, was it? Her fault that Ethan had been kidnapped? Her fault that they were neglected so much by their father? It was her fault, because she looked like her mother? Almost any child would be happy to have inherited such an important feature, and here he was, tearing her down because of it? Kicking her out on the street because of it?

Beth couldn't handle this last blow. This, on top of Ethan's death, her bad cold, and everything else that was going on was the straw that broke the camel's back. She lay there, in a heap, unable to speak, unable to get up, unable to do anything.

In the corner of the room, she thought she saw an italian man in a trench coat laughing.

[Ashen]

Jeana watched the scene unfold. Her hatred for Beth's father intensified, as if that was possible.
How could you kick out your broken-hearted daughter?
She felt like crying, for Beth, but she wouldn't give that to her father. He wouldn't have that satisfaction.
"Come on, Bethy," she said, crouching next to her. "Let's go to my place. We can go watch a movie. Let's get out of here."
She stood again and turned to Mr. Riley, her face free of emotion save for the tears in her eyes. "You're a terrible man," she growled, quiet enough so that Beth wouldn't hear. "I hope you burn in hell."

Ethan couldn't believe what was happening. He bit his lip, trying to think of something to make his siter feel better. But nothing could; the fault had been placed on her.
"He's lying, Beth," Ethan soothed, sitting next to his twin. "You aren't the reason for any of that. He's a liar, Beth, and he'll get what's coming to him, don't worry."
He gave her a smile, but she wasn't looking at him to see. "I think you ought to go with Jeana. There's no need to stay in this house. It'll make things worse. Come on, love, let's go." He nudged her arm, trying to get her to get up.
Ethan would not look at his father. His hatred for him was stronger than anything he had ever felt. It was stronger than the pain he had felt just moments before he died. It was stronger than the pain he felt watching his sister fall apart.
And he would never, ever forgive him.

Noticing that Beth wasn't getting up, Jeana tugged on her arm. "Come on," she said softly. "It's time to go. You want to get out of here, don't you?" She shook her head. "We both do," she said. There are too many reminders here, she thought, glaring right at the only man in the room.
The only man she could see.

Ethan turned his head at the sound of a laugh. He grimaced. "What do you want?" he spat, not wanting Beth to see that he was talking to anyone. "Leave us alone. We're caught in something."

[Drakonnas]

Beth didn't respond to Jeana, she was in a mental struggle with herself. Was what he said true? Was it really her fault that all this had happened? Was she to blame, simply for existing? Would it solve anything if she ceased to exist? Beth didn't know, and at this point, wasn't sure that she cared or not. She wasn't at the point of trying to end her life, that was a coward's way out. That was running away from her problems, not trying to solve them at all. She wouldn't sink that low, Ethan wouldn't forgive her, Jeana wouldn't forgive her, she wouldn't even forgive herself. No, suicide was not an option.

Her father stood up, glaring at Beth, and walked upstairs. "I just want to move on. And while you're still around, I can't. Get out." He told her firmly, before walking upstairs. Beth continued sobbing on the floor for about fifteen minutes, despite Jeana and Ethan's attempts to help her. She hated herself for not being able to receive the help she needed, but she just couldn't at the moment. As she calmed down a little bit, she sat up, curled her knees to her chest, arms wrapped around her knees, and rested her head on them. She was no longer crying, but her eyes were full of pain. "What did I do to deserve this?" She asked quietly.

Another short amount of time passed, in which Beth tried to calm herself down, and not panic. "What am I gonna do?" She asked Jeana once she had calmed down enough to be reasonable again. "I can't just leave..."

[Ashen]

Jeana and Ethan both just watched Beth, unable to comfort her now. When Beth spoke, both of them answered in perfect unision.
"You don't deserve this."
Jeana placed her hand on Beth's shoulder. "Really, Beth, just get out of here for a little bit. This isn't doing you any good. You won't leave forever. Just for a little bit." She watched her to see what she would do. "He's just angry right now. He's saying whatever. You're okay. It'll be okay. Just come with me." Jeana really couldn't stand being in the house, after what had unfolded. She knew Beth was the same, that she didn't want to stay here. But Beth didn't want to leave. This was her home, after all.
"Want me to go get some pajamas for you? You could wear mine," she said, already assuming Beth would be spending the night at her place.

Ethan gave his sister a hug. He didn't know what else to do. He could have killed to know what was going through her mind, and how he could help.
And he would have killed the man in the living man in the house.
But Ethan couldn't do that; he wouldn't. He was better than that. And right now, he needed to concentrate on helping Beth.
"Let's go, Beth," he said softy. "Don't think about him. Think about soccer. Or think about me. Just not him."

[Drakonnas]

Beth nodded, standing up. "I'm sorry you have to deal with this..." She said with a small, guilty smile. "I'll get better, I promise... It may take awhile though..." She took several deep breaths, and just held Ethan for a little while, resting her head on his shoulders. He was as physical to her as Jeana was, and probably looked strange just standing there, hugging a seemingly empty area.

"Thank you, Ethan." She said, letting go of him, and wiping a tear away. She turned to Jeana. "Yeah, I think it'd be good to get away for a little while..." She said. "Dad will be gone next thing tomorrow morning, and maybe things will calm down a little bit then..." Her phone rang, it was Sarah, from her soccer team. Beth let it ring, not picking up. "Come on, I'll help you pack." She told Jeana, and they both went upstairs to pack a bag for her. It took everything she had not to fall apart again, she was fighting with all of her strength to not collapse again. She was stronger than this. She had to be...

Giovanni watched the goings on, a little bit surprised and wary of the fact that Elizabeth was able to see him. That scared him, it wasn't normal, it wasn't natural. What the hell was going on? That was a serious development, and not one he liked at all.... Perhaps it was better to drag Ethan off to Hell prematurely, so she wouldn't be able to interfere with his scheme... "I've got my eye on you, girl..." He whispered threateningly. "If I can get your soul too... That would be simply fantastic..." He made the mistake of saying that out loud, where Ethan might possibly be able to hear him.

[Ashen]

Jeana straightened when Beth started talking to Ethan again, but she held her tongue. The hallucinations would go away soon. They had to.
She nodded at her, getting up and going to the stairs just in time to hear Beth's phone go off. She didn't answer it, and Jeana assumed it was a friend from soccer or maybe a teacher offering help. "I think you should pack your purple pajamas," Jeana said absent-mindedly, trying to brighten conversation. "I mean, that hue is just the most gorgeous color ever."
Jeana's expression dropped as she realized that's the kind of thing Ethan would have said.

Ethan watched the girls go upstairs, deciding against following them. They'd be packing clothes and lingerie, and while having a female twin did make him used to that, packing women's underwear wasn't exactly his favorite thing to do. He stayed downstairs and heard a voice talking to himself.
Bonventre.
Ethan listened to his words with a grimace. "You won't touch Beth," he snarled. "Never. I'll never let you."

[Drakonnas]

Giovanni grinned a little bit. "I'm sorry, but you don't have a say in that." He said, seeming amused that Ethan thought he could stop him. "No, I'm sorry Ethan. But you're already mine. You'll never escape. And now I've got my sights on your sister. There is nothing you can do to stop me." He said, his gaze turning much more fierce. "And there's NOTHING that that other boy can do to help you either... So don't even think about it." He stepped closer to Ethan. "You do realize you sold your soul to the Devil? You're coming to hell, and so is your sister... You two are inexorably linked, what affects one will affect the other... Not only did you condemn yourself to hell, but you took her choice in the matter away as well." He grinned. "No, we don't play fair. But does it work? Absolutely"

As the two finished packing, Beth took a deep breath, and reached under her bed, and grabbed a scrapbook she had been working on. Each page had a picture of their family, and a picture of her and Ethan every year, from their school photos. It showed them each growing up, and changing as time passed. Eventually their mother disappeared from the pictures, and then their father. Now, Ethan was gone as well... Only Beth remained. Seeing that hurt.

She gently closed the book, and turned to Jeana. "Come on, let's go..." She said, voice a little melancholy.

[Ashen]

Ethan's expression dropped at Giovanni uttered his words. "No," he whispered. "You're lying. You're lying, you devil." He shook his head, willing his tears that sprang to his eyes away. "Beth is safe," he said sternly, more to himself than to anyone else. "Beth will always be safe. I'm watching her."
He ran off, leaving Giovanni alone, but his words followed Ethan, drumming at his ears.

Jeana looked at what Beth had pulled out of under her bed. She put down a shirt that she was putting in a drawer and cocked her head. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to the closed book. "Beth, you were keeping a photo album?"
She sat beside Beth, her expression dropped. Beth had been documenting the family all this time. And now she was the only part of the family.
"I'm your family," Jeana said, hugging the girl tight. "We ought to go," she said after a minute, grabbing both their bags and walking down the stairs.

[Drakonnas]

Giovanni smiled as Ethan insulted him. "Why, that's the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a long time." He laughed, a wicked smile on his face. "Oh how I do love causing mischief..." Nathan appeared right beside Giovanni, glaring at him. "You won't have your way, Bonventre." He said with a firm glare at the Italian mobster standing before him. The man in the trench coat laughed. "But I already have. Now..." His voice had become serious. "... Don't you dare interfere, or I'll call the big boss, got it?" Nathan nodded, and they both vanished.

Nathan appeared before Ethan now. "Ethan." He said slowly. "I trust you know what you've done. There are ways out of it, but I cannot help you. This must be your doing alone. But that said, there's someone I want you to talk to." He said, taking Ethan's hand, and warping him back to the In-Between, where an older version of Beth stood. Except it wasn't Beth, the features were a little bit different.

"My son..."


---


Beth nodded silently, and they both walked downstairs, and headed over to Jeana's place. It was literally just across the street, so it wasn't a big deal at all. Beth's eyes were wide and empty, void of emotion. She just existed, trying to cope with things... She had to get better. She just had to. Not only for herself, but for Ethan, and for Jeana. She was being a horrible friend at the moment, being rather selfish, but it wasn't without reason. She was so thankful that Jeana was nearby, she didn't know how she'd deal with anything if her friend and sister wasn't there with her.

[Ashen]

When Jeana stepped through her door she threw her bag to the ground and let out a sigh. It was good to be home.
"Daddy?" she called up the stairs. "Are you home?" There was no response, so Jeana turned to Beth and gave a half smile. "We seem to be alone tonight," she said. "Unless Dad comes home. I don't know where he went. Maybe he went grocery shopping. Oh, that'd be good, we can ask him to bring something. Let's tell him to get s'mores, Beth. That'd be fun."
She walked to her landline and scrolled through her contacts until she got to her father's name. She hit dial and picked up the phone, waiting for it to connect. "Hi Daddy," she said when she heard his voice. "Where are you?"
She went silent for a moment, looking at the phone's base. "Beth and I are staying at home for a little. I'll tell you when you get home. Can you pick us up some graham crackers and marshmallows? Thank you buh-bye." She hung up the phone and turned back to her best friend. "He's at the store right now, but he'll pick us up some stuff to make s'mores. We can have like an indoor camping trip, right?" She motioned for Beth to follow her upstairs. "We can leave our stuff in my room."
She was only trying to distract Beth. Jeana just hoped it would work.

Ethan sat on his bed staring out at the window on the side of his room. It was a beautiful sight of their block, one Ethan had drawn multiple times. He felt completely empty.
Beth and Jeana had left already. Ethan would follow them soon enough. He needed to be there for Beth. He just figured he'd give her a minute to get settled in. Besides, he wasn't feeling well. After what Giovanni had told him, he couldn't talk to Beth. Not without crying.
He wasn't going to cry in front of Beth. He wasn't going to make her feel worse.

After a few minutes, Ethan hadn't budged from his bed. He lifted his eyes to see Nathan in his room. Ethan cleared his throat.
He listened to the boy, wondering just what he was referring to. If there were ways out of this mess, why wasn't he telling him what it was right now?
At the mention of a third party, Ethan's eyebrows rose. Who could be waiting to talk to him?
As Nathan took him back to the forest, Ethan bit his lip. He didn't even think of interacting with the dead.
Especially not her.
"Mommy," he whispered, and he fell to his knees.

[Drakonnas]

Elizabeth looked a little bit excited as the idea of a camping session came up. "That might be fun." She said, actually smiling a little bit. "Hey, Jeana? Thank you for being here for me. It means so much. I would be in a much worse situation if you weren't here." She said, her smile fading a little bit. Elizabeth was the first one in Jeana's room, she set the bag down, working her hardest to be cheerful, trying her hardest to work on not being down and depressed. It was extremely difficult, and she knew she would't be able to keep it up long.

"So... what do you want to do?" Elizabeth asked Jeana as she walked in, setting her bag down. She looked around the familiar room, wondering what it was that they should do. "Do you want to play a game? Maybe something like Monopoly or Uno?" she said, looking at the various games that were on the shelf. She hoped that Jeana would know she was working to the best of her ability to be cheerful, and not depressed.

----

"Ethan.... Oh Ethan, I'm so sorry." Allie Riley said softly, kneeling down, and hugging her son. "I've missed you so much... I'm so sorry... I never wanted any of this." she said, looking at him, as if she couldn't look at him long enough. "You've grown so handsome, honey. You and your sister... If only I hadn't gone to the store that night... Things would have ended so differently... I'm proud of you, Ethan... "

[Ashen]

Jeana collapsed onto her bed and grabbed her pillow. There was nothing like your own pillow.
She rolled over to face Beth and shrugged her shoulders. "Monopoly sounds like fun," she answered. She jumped off of her bed and grabbed the old board game. "I haven't played this in such a long time," she sighed, sitting on the floor and opening the box. "Let's see if I remember how to play... Actually, Beth, do you want anything? Let me get you some water. And I'm gonna use the bathroom, go ahead and set up the game."
Jeana rose and walked out of her room. She went downstairs and grabbed two water bottles. She checked the window to make sure her father wasn't home yet and walked back upstairs.
Before turning into her room, Jeana walked into the bathroom and locked the door. She stared at herself in the mirror and sighed. Jeana closed her eyes and splashed water on her face. Then she got an idea.
She grabbed her lipsticks and eye shadows and smiled at herself. Then she applied her makeup, trying different hues than she was used to. When she was finished, she walked back to her room and beamed at Beth.
"Bethy," she said cheerily, tossing her a water bottle. "We should try this new makeup my dad got. It would make you look so pretty. You should try the purple one, it would so bring out your eyes."
She looked at the Monopoly board. "And then we can play Monopoly while looking glamorous." She gave a giggle, hoping Beth would laugh with her.

Ethan's eyes filled with tears. He leaned into her embrace, trying to remember how their last hug had felt. "I've missed you too, Mom," he said softly. "Please, Mom, don't blame yourself. It's okay. Look, we're together now."
Straightening, Ethan looked into his mother's eyes. "I don't know what to do, Mom. I don't know what I've gotten myself into."

[Drakonnas]

Beth set up the game whist Jeana went to use the restroom. Wondering what had taken her so long, Beth stood up, the game was all set up and ready, and she had been waiting for a little while when Jeana came back in, wearing unusual make-up. Beth nodded, realizing what had happened. "Sounds good." She told her. "However, do you want to put it on? I'm not good with makeup." Beth didn't giggle, but she at least smiled, that was a start, right?

Looking around, Beth realized that Ethan wasn't here. Where had he gone? She didn't know, but she wanted him there, with her. He was a source of comfort, and she was used to having him around, even when he was dead. "Let's get this started." She said, trying to sound happy. "I never saw the use in makeup, honestly. I mean, I'm pretty, right? I don't have to wear makeup to change myself to look better." She smiled, and allowed Jeana to help her put it on, "Besides, I play soccer all the time, so I sweat, it would simply run off."

---

Allie Riley dried off Ethan's tears, and looked her son in the face. "Ethan, you were trying to protect Beth, and you were taken advantage of... There are ways you can break these bonds, and come back with me... Only you can figure that out, Ethan... But think about how you died, why you died, why you made that deal... Maybe the answer lies there... Think about what you want to happen... You want Lizzie to recover... And he's targeting her. Maybe you should try to move on to heaven? We cannot help you actually break these bonds, you made them, you must remove them... I wish I could help you more..."

[Ashen]

Jeana nodded excitedly and led Beth to her bathroom. When was the last time someone had let her apply makeup to them? It was just her father and her; no other girls really stepped in the house, besides Beth.
She moved Beth in front of the mirror. Jeana looked through her supplies. "Purple, purple," she murmured, looking for the only color that wasn't there. "Well, we can start with lipstick, since I can't find that. Let's do cherry red."

Several minutes later, Jeana looked at her subject in the mirror. She was satisfied with her work. "You look gorgeous," she said. "Don't you agree?"
Looking good was great for Beth's self esteem, and that was Jeana's goal. Plus it gave them something to do. She looked at the two of them in the mirror. "We are two pretty ladies," she joked. "Look at us. We could be models. Now let the models get back to their game of Monopoly, huh?"

Ethan listened to his mother intently.
Only you can figure that out, Ethan.
"But Mom," he said. "I can't move on to heaven. I told Beth I'd be there for her, forever, and I do intend to do that. I can't just leave her. Her whole family is gone."
He turned away, trying hard to think. How you died, why you died, why you made that deal. Ethan didn't want a riddle. He just wanted a straightforward answer.
"Maybe we can help Dad," he suggested, an idea slowly forming. "If Beth had Dad, it wouldn't be so hard. He's just being a total asshole. But we could fix that, right? He doesn't see me. Can he see you? Can anyone see you?" Ethan paused. "Did you go to heaven?"

[Drakonnas]

As Beth let Jeana put on her makeup, Beth's mind wandered, wondering about this and that, not really sure why she couldn't concentrate on one thing. She let Jeana do whatever she wanted, it was a time where she could freely let her mind flow wherever it wanted to. She wondered what death was like, apparently it wasn't what she thought. Then a certain thought came to her. Why could she see Ethan, and not her mother? Why couldn't their father see their mother? If the ghosts of the dead could visit, why was death such a big deal? She could see Ethan as clearly as she could when she was alive. He even felt real if she touched him. So what was special about her? Was it the twin connection? But if so, wouldn't it be common knowledge?

"You did a nice job, Jeana. I admit, I wouldn't do this on my own, but it's kinda nice for a change." Beth said, trying to smile again. Was she convincing enough? Was her smile real enough? She couldn't tell if it was a true smile or not, she didn't know if she was acting, or actually smiling. Could Jeana tell? She didn't know. "Models playing monopoly." She said with a quiet laugh. "If Eth...." She shut up, her smile dropping. "Come on, let's just play."

--

Allie Riley shook her head sadly. "I cannot tell you, Ethan, it is different for every person. You promised to stay with Elizabeth... You always will, honey. She'll always remember you, you'll always live on in her heart and memory. She will remember you, Ethan. And you her. You will never truly be apart." She said softly. "Maybe we can help him. How? I don't know. He may be being a jerk, and there isn't an excuse to excuse that behavior, but look at things from his perspective. It may be hard, but that may be a start. Yes, I went to heaven, Ethan. I'm here to help you though."

[Ashen]

Beth seemed to be smiling again, but Jeana couldn't help but feel as if she were focring the smile for her. She decided to take it anyway, since Beth probably wouldn't be able to give a real smile for a while.
The girls went back to Jeana's room and sat down on the floor. "I want the purse," Jeana declared, picking up the silver piece and placing it on go.
She looked around the board, reading the properties to herself. "We should go to some of these places some day," she murmured. "They look fun enough."

Ethan tried listening to his mother, but he didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to live on through Beth's memory. That wouldn't give her solace when she was alone.
Would it?
Ethan straightened. Perhaps his leaving off to heaven wouldn't be such a bad idea. Beth would always have her memories, even if Ethan wasn't around.
But how could he just leave her?

He shook his head. "If neither of us can be seen by Dad, we kind of can't help him. Beth could, but why would she want to? He wouldn't listen to her, anyway."
Ethan tucked his knees under his chin. "This was supposed to be easy," he sighed. "Dying isn't supposed to raise some game. You're supposed to die and be done."

[Drakonnas]

Beth and Jeana played their game, Beth's mind was surprisingly able to focus on what she was doing. She didn't notice she was actually having fun until she laughed when she went to jail for the fourth straight time in a row, due to various ill-luck mechanics. She and Jeana actually had a good time with what they were doing. When the game ended, completely dominated by Jeana, she realized how much she had needed that. "Thank you, Jeana... that really helped... I guess getting out of the house was something I really needed to do..."

---

Allie spoke, listening to what Ethan had to say. "Do you think that he can force you to come with him just because you said a few words, honey? There's no proof that you're actually doomed to hell." Allie began to fade a little bit. "I'm sorry, Ethan, but I actually have to go, I've run out of time... I'm watching over you two, please remember that... I love you. Forever and always."

[Ashen]

Ethan straightened at his mother's words. Was this her way of telling him he wasn't hellbound?
He watched her fade away and as realization struck he shook his head. "No, Mom," he said. "You can't leave me."
But she was already gone, going to a place he should be headed to. "Love you, too."

Soon, Ethan was in Jeana's room, sitting on her windowsill. He was watching the two play Monopoly, and he saw something that made his smile return.
Beth was laughing.
She had been sent to jail for rolling a double. Ethan's smile faded slightly.
Maybe she didn't need him after all. She was enjoying herself.
Shouldn't that have made him happy?
He bit his lip. "Nice game, Beth," Ethan mocked. "Have you ever been that far behind?" She knew he was kidding, but he laughed to show it. "Jeana is so cheating," he whispered, though he could have screamed it and Jeana wouldn't have heard.
"Even if you are terrible at board games, I still love you, sis."


Jeana watched Beth's piece yet again land on the most expensive property in the game, a property Jeana happened to own and have a few houses on. "That would mean..." Jeana said, looking over the card for the property. "That would mean I win." She giggled. "Wow, Beth. You really couldn't stay away from that space, huh?"
As she pushed the board game away, she realized the two of them had actually enjoyed themselves. They were both laughing and smiling and just playing.
They'd be fine in no time.

One month later

"Beth come on get up let's goooo!"
Jeana ran into her bedroom, where Beth was still asleep. It was a Saturday morning, the first Saturday of their summer vacation. "We have so much to do today. Come on, Beth. Don't you wanna go to the beach?"
She took a glance in the mirror. Jeana had on her pink and white striped bikini and was ready to hit the waves. Her dad was taking her to the beach, and of course Beth was invited.
"Meet you downstairs, 'kay?"

Ethan drowsily opened his eyes as Jeana burst into her bedroom. His new resting spot was her windowsill. The view was gorgeous. Plus he was right beside Beth if she needed him.
He smiled at Jeana's enthusiasm and turned to his sister. "Don't forget your sunblock," he said. "Wouldn't want you to burn. Again. Remember when we went to the beach that one time, and you didn't listen to me?" Ethan laughed. "What were we? Like ten? And I still remember that?" He shook his head. "Come on. Let's go make some more memories."

"Excuse me, sir, do you know where the nearest gas station is? I'm afraid my truck's run out. I can run on battery, but I had no idea where the gas stations are."
"No idea. Sorry."
"Oh, alright. Thanks anyway, mate."
A dark man watched the trucker go, making sure he was out of sight before breaking into a run. It was time to leave British Columbia and get back down to Washington.
He wasn't done yet.

[Drakonnas]

Beth grimaced a little bit as she handed everything over to Jeana. "You win." she said, glaring at Ethan who had somehow reappeared. "Ethan, you're supposed to give me good luck. Not bad luck." She said, her frown turning back into a half smile. "Oh well... I guess you can't win them all, huh? Love you too, bro." She turned back to Jeana. "Well... after that thrashing, I don't feel like playing again, though we can do something else if you want..." They had spent two hours playing, and Beth was beginning to feel her depression coming on again.

-----

One month later...


One month had passed since that last day, and Beth was recovering from the trauma, she had begun playing soccer again, and was slowly returning to her normal self. It was all thanks to Ethan. It was all thanks to his being there for her, it was almost as if he had never gone. She told him this a lot.

Elizabeth wondered if Ethan ever grew tired of simply being there only for her. She often thought about what HE wanted, about what was going through his mind. She worried that he might be frustrated that he had died, and was the one who existed only in Beth's mind. She worried that he might miss doing the things he used to, and might hold that against her. But he was very gracious about it, at least to her. She didn't know if it bothered him or not.

The one thing that hadn't changed was that Beth still spoke to Ethan as if he was still there. She just had never really gotten the fact that she could see him, and others didn't. She knew, but that didn't change her actions.

As Jeana burst into Elizabeth's room, Beth woke with a start, realizing that Jeana was already in her bikini, and ready to head down to the beach. "Crap, I overslept." She said with a sigh. "Jeana, you know I don't have the figure to look good in a bikini, how come you are so beautiful?" She asked with a smile. "I'm too small, haha... Too small. I'm all muscles from soccer, haha." She half-joked, Beth was rather self-conscious of her figure.

But she got up, grabbed her swimsuit, headed off to the bathroom, and changed, replying to Ethan. "I know, Ethan. Thanks for your concern, but I know. You wanna come with?

[Ashen]

Jeana was nearly down the stairs when she called back to Beth, "You're beautiful too, you know!"
Her father raised an eyebrow at her. "Your friend overslept?"
"My friend has a name," Jeana replied, nodding. "We had a big night lasy night. We were playing this game online and we went to bed late. I'm just full of energy because I drank some coffee."
Her father sighed. "Go make sure Beth is ready. We need to leave soon. I don't want to be trapped in traffic for hours."
"I know, Daddy," Jeana moaned. "Beth is getting ready now. She'll be down in a minute."

Impatient as always, Jeana climbed up the stairs once more, taking two stairs at a time. She peeked her head in her room. "Beth," she called and found that she was talking to herself.
No, she was talking to Ethan.
Beth never did stop talking to Ethan. As much as Jeana wanted to cure her friend of her delusions, how could she? Beth took so much solace in her brother. She couldn't just rip them apart.
"My dad's waiting," she said softly. "I got some snacks for us in the car."
She went back down the stairs. "She'll be two minutes," she called to her father. Jeana grabbed a towel from the couch and ran out the door.

Ethan yawned as he nodded. "Of course I'm coming with," he replied. "What kind of question is that?"
He waited for Beth to get ready and thought of a beach trip with Beth, Jeana, and Mr. Rainer. Only Beth could see him. How would that ever work out?
He had made it the past month. What was one day?

Welcome to Washington.
He was already plotting more ideas. His game wasn't over. There was still that boss, that lawyer, and even before that, he had to take out all the obstacles. All the henchman. All the protectors.
He needed to take out Elizabeth.
The game was all he could think about. It was every conscious thought, every dream, every fiber of his being.
Gregory McCain was not a loser.

[Drakonnas]

Beth smiled a little bit as Jeana said she was beautiful as well. Taking one final look at herself in the mirror, she sort of could see what Jeana was talking about. She was sort of good looking, but Jeana was moreso. Still, she pulled on some normal clothes over her swimsuit, grabbed a towel, and the sunblock. "Let's go, Ethan." She said with a smile.

Beth hurried down the stairs, where Jeana and her father were waiting for her. "Sorry to keep you waiting..." She said, yawning slightly. JEana's dad didn't seem to hear her, he didn't respond to her comment, and so Beth hurried outside, and hopped in the car alongside with Jeana. She brought a vollyball, in case they wanted to play some of that, or even just kick it around for fun.

It would take about an hour for them to get to their ultimate location, and Beth had brought one of her books along to read in the car. Hopefully, she wouldn't get carsick. Occasionally she would, sometimes she wouldn't. It was unfortunate when she did, but it wasn't too often.

She also brought her ipod to listen to some music whilst on their way. The journey there was uneventful and long, she ended up actually falling asleep against the side of the car for about fifteen minutes, until she was woken by a rather large speed-bump. Beth looked around, feeling a little bit tired, but excited for what was to come as well.

Finally, they arrived at their final destination. Pulling into the parking lot, Beth was instantly awake and excited. "We're here, Jeana!" She said with a grin. "You ready, Ethan? We're gonna have a great time." She forgot that Jeana's dad was with them, how would he react to her speaking to someone who "wasn't there"? She didn't know, and didn't much care. She didn't care what anyone said or thought. Not her therapist, not Jeana. Ethan was there with her, and no one could say anything different about the matter.

Beth just wished there was some way to prove that Ethan really was there. And all of the sudden, she was hit with a sudden idea. She COULD prove that Ethan was there. He could give her knowledge that she otherwise couldn't know, right? So, she could easily set something up to prove his existence, that she wasn't going nuts. With that thought, she smiled a little bit. "Come on, lets go! Time's a wasting!"

[Ashen]

Jeana ran out to the car for the umpteenth time, Beth in tow. "I call shotgun," she hollered and jumped into the front seat. She turned towards Beth and motioned towards a tote bag in the back seat. "Snacks are in there," she said. "We have an hour until we arrive."
"Unless the traffic is like last time," her father chimed in. "That was awful."
Jeana turned to face the front and fastened her seat belt. "We'd better get moving then," she said. "Drive, Daddy. We need to get to the beach!"

Ethan sat next to Beth in the back seat of the Rainer's car. Her faced Beth and raised an eyebrow at her iPod. "Got some Vivaldi we could listen to?" he asked. Jeana turned the car radio on then, playing Katy Perry. Ethan rolled his eyes. "Or we could listen to this," he murmured.
After a few minutes, Beth was asleep. Ethan shook his head. "Overslept and then napping in the car?" he said. "Hope you aren't coming down with something." He turned to the window and watched the sun blazing in the sky. "You can't get sick on me, okay?"

As the car pulled into a parking lot, Jeana was nearly out the door before the vehicle came to a complete stop. "The water looks great," she said, gazing out at the Pacific. "Oh, Beth, look! They opened a new store right on the boardwalk. We have to walk the entire boardwalk. Think we can do it?"
So caught up in her excitement, Jeana didn't notice Beth talking to the dead. She pulled her bag from the trunk of the car and started walking, hurrying her father.
Her father wasn't listening to Beth. He didn't notice her talking to her dead brother. He took the heavier of the bags, a beach chair, and an umbrella and locked the car. "Well girls," he said. "Here we are."

Ethan followed right behind Beth, gazing at the beach. "Wanna know some perks about being dead?" he said to Beth with a bit of a smirk. "No sunblock for me. And no drowning, either. I'm free." He ran ahead of Beth. "Can't catch me, can you?"

Greg pulled up to his old house. It had been barricaded since the last time he had been here, over one month ago. He wouldn't dare step in it now.
Should he go to the Riley's?
With a new car, no one would recognize his ride. They couldn't recognize him behind tainted windows.
He would be careful, he promised himself, and he headed for that little house. The house he knew better than his own.

[Drakonnas]

As they got out of the car, Beth waited for Jeana, and then closed the door to the vehicle, looking out at the ocean. "Wait up!" She called to Ethan, running after him. She was still dressed in normal clothes, her bathing suit on underneath them. She could simply strip down to her suit, and jump in the water if she wanted to. But for now, it was a good time to simply play around with Ethan and Jeana.

"Ethan, think you could go snorkeling underwater? I wonder how deep you could go! Since you don't have to breathe, and all. Does the pressure of the water still get to ya?" She asked him, eagerly. "Can you catch me some sort of anglerfish? I'd love to see one in the wild!" She said excitedly.

Turning back to Jeana, she grinned. It was good for her to get out here and relax at the beach for a day, it was important that she got out of the house. Most of her depression had actually gone away, and she was pretty much back to normal. The only thing that wasn't quite back was her soccer skills, she was still really good, but she had fallen behind just a little bit. It would just take some practice, that was all..

"Wanna play some volleyball? Or shall we go for a swim first?" She asked, one hand pointing towards the water, the other hand pointing at an empty volleyball net. It really was a beautiful day outside, and she was happy. Actually happy now. They were together, and Ethan was still with her. In a small way, it was as if nothing had ever happened.

---

Nathan sighed, he had just gotten reprimanded for letting Ethan stay in the human world. The higher ups had given him another person to watch until it was their turn to exit this world. And unfortunately, it was someone he already knew. With a sigh, he went back to the human world, to await this next death. Who knew how long it would take to happen? All he knew was that it would happen, no matter if he tried to interfere at all. It was not his business or job to save lives, it was to escort them out of this world. He was no guardian angel. It really was quite a shame that he could do nothing to prevent this next death.

[Ashen]

On the beach, Jeana and her father set up an umbrella and Jeana put her towel just out in the sun, to sunbathe. Her father laid the cooler beside the umbrella and removed his shoes. The sand was blazing hot.
"What are you going to do, girls?" he asked, turning to them. "Go wherever. If you need me, I'll be here or in the water, okay?"
"Okay Daddy," Jeana said with a smile. She waved him off and turned back to Beth. "We should definitely go play volleyball first," she decided. "The nets probably won't be open for a long time, so let's get one while we can. Then we can go in the water." She sat on her towel and dug in her bag until she pulled out sunscreen. She applied it and then offered it to Beth. "Need some? We don't want to burn. Here, I'll meet you at the net. I think those guys are going for our net. I have to go claim it." She laughed lightly and ran off towards the net.

Ethan watched as they set up their umbrella, wishing he could help. He turned back to his sister with a sigh. "I have no idea," he answered. "I'll have to find out how deep I can go. Maybe I can hit the ocean floor."
Ethan's eyes grew distant as he thought of walking the ocean floor. There would be so many creatures that no one had ever seen. If he could bring a light down there, what would he be able to see? Would he be able to replicate it on paper?
"Sure I'll catch some fish for you," Ethan answered with a smile. "If I can. Fish are fast little things, you know."
He turned to the sky and stared right at the blazing sun. It didn't hurt, and it wouldn't blind him. His pain was gone since he had died.
His physical pain, that is. He still hurt every time Beth cried.
But even more than that, he hurt when he spoke to Jeana, and she didn't speak back. He hurt when, in school, he had seen his favorite teachers continuing class like normal, occasionally glancing at the seat that was now vacant. He would hurt when he was in the same room as his father, and knew the man didn't even address his children in his thoughts.
Ethan hurt now more than he had when he was alive. But he had to endure it all. He had promised Beth.

No one was home.
Greg didn't know where Beth had been for the past month, and that killed him. He needed to know.
It would tell him where she was now, and that's what he needed. He couldn't advance until this obstacle was down. If that meant hunting the obstacle down, he would hunt the obstacle down.
Thinking for a minute, he remembered all of Beth's friends. He knew them all by name-Jeana, Sam, Alex-and it would take forever to visit each of the girls' houses. The soccer team had a lot of people, all of which Beth had befriended. She could be anywhere.
But Jeana was her best friend, and that's where he would check.
So he drove to the Rainer's house, a new obstacle identified. Jeana could get in the way. She was a minor obstacle, but an obstacle nonetheless. Maybe he could bypass her, but if she proved a bigger threat, she'd go down, too.

[Drakonnas]

Beth ran off after Jeana, to go claim the volleyball court, the two girls got there before the group of boys did, and they taunted each other in a friendly fight, before the boys went off in pursuit of another court. "That guy in the blue? He was kinda cute." Beth said with a chuckle, before promptly forgetting him, and getting the volleyball out. "Come on, let's see if I'm as good at this game as I am soccer!" She said with a grin.

It turned out that she wasn't bad at all, however she obviously wasn't used to running around on the sand, it tripped her up a few times. But the game was pretty even, Beth was going a little bit easier, to make the game a little more fair, she was the more athletic one as well. She tried not to let it show that she was holding back slightly.

They had a good few games, that lasted about an hour or so, before they grew tired, and decided to go swimming. "Hey Jeana, let's go for a swim." Beth said, stripping off her shirt and pants, leaving her two - piece bathing suit on. She was a little self-conscious, but no one was watching them as they hurried off to the water.

Beth and Jeana played in the water, splashing each other, running amok, and whatnot, simply having a good time. She played along with Ethan, watching him watch her from underwater. She wondered what he thought about the view, if he cared at all, or didn't care for it. They didn't get to go to the beach often, and as a result, she almost never got to wear a swimsuit.

Another two hours passed or so, and the girls began to tire out. "Hey, I'm gonna go sunbathe for a few minutes to dry off." Beth said, whipping her hair around to try and shake the water out of her hair. She lay the towel down, and lay face down, letting the sun dry her off. It felt good, and she turned over after about ten minutes.

"Jeana? Do you ever wish that things were different?" She asked after a few minutes of thinking quietly. "Do you ever wonder what life would be like if you lived somewhere else? Had a different life?" She was thinking sadly about not really having any family left, her father had never really been a father, and now that Ethan was "dead", she was really the only one left. Granted, he was still with her, but it wasn't quite the same... She sometimes thought she was going crazy.

About fifteen minutes later, they were back in the car, heading home. Beth leaned her head against the wall, staring out the window, she was experiencing a little bit of a pain in her lower abdomen. Great, so she'd have to deal with that now as well. Absolutely wonderful.

As they pulled into their driveway, they noticed an odd car just sitting on the side of the road, apparently parked. They couldn't see inside, but Beth didn't take too much notice of it, one of their neighbors had guests all the time. If she could have seen through the windows, she would have seen a man watching her hungrily, eyes boring into her...
----

[Ashen]

Jeana watched the crowd of boys walk away, keeping an eye on the one Beth was referring to. "You think so?" she asked, watching him as he started for the water. "I think blondie over there is way cuter." She turned back to Beth and giggled. "Think he'd give me his number? I'll get Blue's, too." She was only teasing; Jeana didn't think either of them were up to dating so soon. Still, that didn't mean they couldn't look.

Beth was far better at volleyball than Jeana was, which was to be expected. After a few losses, Jeana followed Beth to the water. Jeana liked to splash, and got pretty far into the water before getting cold and getting out. She sat down on her towel. "Think I can get a nice tan?" she asked Beth, who was laying on her belly. "I sure hope so." She lay down and closed her eyes, letting the sun color her pale skin.

Ethan found that he could stay under water for as long as he wanted. Getting deep wasn't an easy task, however. He had to dive deep and kick hard to actually get anywhere, and Ethan was never the best at swimming. But he kept going, promising Beth he'd be back before they left.
Being under the water for longer than a minute was actually fun. The salt water didn't destroy his eyes; there was nothing to destroy. He kept swimming until he no longer heard the laughter of people frolicking in the water.
Ethan turned around to see how far he had gotten. He couldn't see the beach anymore. Part of him wanted to swim back, but then he saw a jellyfish.
The jellyfish was a curious color; not exactly translucent, like he was used to. He reached for it, wondering what it felt like now. It felt the same as when he was alive. Slightly disappointed-though what was he expecting?-Ethan turned away to see a shark.
It was oddly close to the shore, but it was swimming away from it. His fear gone, Ethan followed after the shark, getting deeper into the water and farther away from Beth.

Jeana opened her eyes drowsily as she heard Beth talking to her. "Different?" she repeated. She got up on her elbows and cocked her head. "Of course I wonder," she said softly. "Is everything okay, Beth?" She stared at her friend with a raised eyebrow. "I mean it would be nice. I think every girl wonders what it would be like to be a princess, given up at birth for protection. What if we were princess sisters? How cool would that be?" Jeana giggled a bit and got up. "Hey, you ready to go?"

As they started packing everything in the car Ethan ran up to Beth. "Hey sis!" he called, holding out something to her. "You will never believe what happened." In his hands was a piece of coral in a dull brown color. "There's so much of this stuff down there. Imagine that. So close to the beach."
They got in the car, and Ethan started telling the story of how he had followed a shark to the deeper parts of the ocean, where he had seen the most beautiful fish. He explained how he thought the coral was just any rock, but as he rubbed against it, it felt different. "I'm sorry I couldn't get you a pretty color," he sighed. "Rust was all I could see."
Jeana's dad, stuck at the very first traffic light he had come across, looked to the girls. "Have fun?" he asked.
"Thanks for taking us," Jeana said.
"I think I got a nice burn," he said sadly, shrugging.
Jeana giggled and poked her dad in his shoulder. "Does it hurt yet?"
"Jeana don't you dare," he said, but he wore a smile.

As they arrived home, Jeana wasn't her energetic self. She was too tired to be, and was ready for a nap. "Beth you sleeping here again tonight?" she asked.
Ethan looked out the window, noticing a car with tinted windows. He became uncomfortable immediately; no one's windows were so dark in his neighborhood. As the car drove away, Ethan figured it wasn't anything to worry about, but he didn't completely disregard it. He was his sister's guardian after all, and he'd have to alert her of any threat.

[Drakonnas]

As the girls got out of the car and headed inside, Beth held the piece of coral gently in her hand, the simple fact that Ethan had managed to give it to her meant more to her than she possibly could have guessed it would. It was really important to her, and she would take good care of it. It was cradled in her hands the rusty color a beautiful shade. Or, so she thought. It wasn't the coral she remembered, but a slightly redder / rustier color.

She nodded to Jeana, she didn't want to stay home alone. It just felt wrong to her. It was lonely, and had too many memories that she wanted to get away from. Just being there could bring about a relapse, she would probably wander into Ethan's room, and that would be rather detrimental, she would be overcome with emotions, and completely shut down. It had happened before, and as much as Beth missed his artwork and stuff, she didn't want to deal with that.

Beth grabbed her normal clothes, and headed to the bathroom, shed off her bathing suit, and observed herself a little bit, she was a little startled to see that she was thinning out a little bit, her ribs were just visible, and that worried her a little. She pulled on her pajamas, washed her face, and got ready for bed.

As she left the bathroom, Beth entered Jeana's room. "Hey Jeana? I think I need to be eating a little more, I think I look a little bit thin... I'm just not that hungry, and I don't want to have any sort of problems or anything like that... Do I look thin to you? Maybe a little too much?" She asked, obviously worried. "I don't need any more issues here, I've got enough to get over as it is. Could you help me just make sure I get enough to eat?" She asked, a little concerned.

She turned to Ethan, smiling, remembering the stories he had told her back in the car. It sounded like he had had a fun time, doing things that no other human could actually do. That made her wonder what else he could do, or take advantage of that she couldn't. He had a whole world of options open to him, and that made her feel a sense of excitement. They could spend all their lives together, doing things that no one else could. That sense of thrill made her feel happy, and excited.

It was an odd sense of feeling, but she was feeling rather odd in terms of mood, she found dealing with hormonal changes like this to be annoying, not necessarily painful though. Sometimes it was, sometimes it wasn't. Maybe her emotions right now were simply riding on the waves of hormones. Even so, she needed to get a grip.

"I'm sorry, I might be over-worrying a little." She said with a chuckle. "Thanks for being here, Jeana... You're all I have left." She looked at Ethan, giving him a significant look that clearly meant she cared for him too, but for Jeana's sake, she was speaking as if he wasn't there.

[Ashen]

Jeana didn't mind Beth staying over, she actually quite enjoyed it. Beth kept the loneliness away, and Jeana appreciated that.
She saw Beth off to the bathroom upstairs and retreated to her room. Jeana got her own pajamas and changed in her room. When she finished, Beth came in and stopped her.
She listened to her speak, looking at her stomach. Beth had gotten thinner since her brother had died. It was normal, Jeana figured, but she looked unhealthy now. At the mention it became more obvious, and Jeana nodded. "No problem, Beth," she said. "I think I need to eat more, too. We can try some new cooking. Except don't let it get like that one time we tried making mousse." Jeana giggled at the memory of their failure. Her eye caught on something in Beth's hand. "What's that?" she asked, motioning towards the coral. "I didn't know you brought a souvenir, Beth."

Ethan stayed clear of Jeana's room and the bathroom for a few minutes, allowing the girls to change into their pajamas. He watched Jeana's father instead, who seemed to be relieved that he was home. The man worried too much, and had reason to. He was a single father now raising two girls.
Ethan wondered what kind of father he would have been, and then sighed at the realization. He'd never get that chance, so there was no use in wondering.
But his mind did wander, and he couldn't help it. If Beth had died instead of him...
No, Ethan, he said to himself. You won't think like that.

Ethan went up to Jeana's room in time to find the girls talking about cooking. He smirked and turned towards Beth. She looked tired.
"Maybe you should hit the hay a little early today, Beth," he suggested. "And Jeana too, look at her. You two had so much today you've exhausted yourselves. Careful next time. We wouldn't want you to have too much fun." Ethan smiled to showed he was only kidding. His mind was still straying, thinking of Beth's death. What would he do without Beth?
But he had no reason to worry, because she wasn't going to die. Not any time soon.

Patience was the key to winning anything.
Greg was growing restless, but he needed to wait. He couldn't go after the boss yet, or the mini-bosses. There was too much planning to do. He wasn't yet prepared, and preparation was a requirement. He couldn't beat anything without a strategy.
He closed his trunk, knowing everything he needed was stored safely in his vehicle. He just needed to wait for the perfect opportunity.

[Drakonnas]

As Jeana noticed what she was talking about, Beth nodded. "Yeah, see? I don't want to be unhealthy. I need some help." She said with a small laugh. They talked a little bit about cooking and whatnot, when Ethan came in. Jeana was talking about trying some new things, and Beth thought that might be a good idea. "Yeah, that mousse smelled more like moose if you ask me." She laughed at her own play on words, when Jeana noticed the coral she held in her hands.

"Yeah, it's a really cool piece of coral that I happened to obtain." She said, her smile fading somewhat. "It may seem worthless to some people, but one man's trash is another's treasure." She said, looking at the coral, introspectively. She listened to Ethan as he told them they should probably hit the sack. She thought that was a good idea, and suggested it to Jeana. "I think we should probably get to bed soon..." She said, her sentence interrupted by a yawn.

The irony of the situation was fairly amusing, and Beth couldn't help chuckling a little bit. In the back of her mind, Beth was wondering what it would have been like if she had been the one to have gotten kidnapped and killed, instead of Ethan... she would be the one where Ethan was now, watching over her brother. But would Ethan and Jeana's friendship have survived the trauma of her death?

Beth shook herself a little bit, and berated herself for thinking along those lines... She needed to get ahold of herself, and get to bed. She really needed the sleep. Everything was in preparation, so she turned out the lights when Jeana was in bed. "Good night, Jens." She said with another yawn, and fell asleep.

[Ashen]

Jeana nodded at her best friend. "We all need help sometimes," she said cheerily. At Beth's play on words, Jeana laughed out loud. "It was supposed to be white, wasn't it?-and it turned out pure black. That was awful." After some more laughing she quieted, and concentrated on the rock in Beth's hands.
"Coral?" she repeated. "Isn't coral supposed to be pretty colors? Why would you pick that one?"
She shrugged her shoulders, not waiting for an answer. Jeana jumped into her bed and yawned. "I'm beat," she muttered. "See you tomorrow."

After the girls were in bed, Ethan wandered downstairs and checked out the window. That car was gone-hopefully for good. He felt some relief and went to check on Jeana's father.
Ethan had become a watch not only for Beth, but for the Rainer's as well. He felt it was his duty, considering he lived in their house and they were taking care of his sister. Jeana and her father had become his family even more than they were when he was alive. It just killed him that he couldn't communicate with them.

At about two in the morning Ethan was sitting in his normal perch in Jeana's room on her window sill. Usually he could manage a few hours of sleep a night, but he could see he wasn't going to get any, tonight. He had a bad feeling in his gut, and he couldn't shake it.
He went downstairs and decided to go for a walk. Ethan slipped through the closed door and started down the block, trying to clear his head. He was thinking of his death, that horrible day. He felt so close to victory, so close to blowing Greg to shreds with his own shotgun, when he was pushed. Ethan could still see the headlights of the cars whizzing by. He could still hear the squeal of the tires as they tried, too late, to stop. He could still hear the sound of two hundred and six bones cracking all at once.
Ethan shook his head, hard.
He wondered where Greg was, and hoped that bastard got Karma's impact.

Being back in the States was no easy task.
He needed to stay hidden from any municipalities. That was simple, considering all the time he had spent becoming invisible in that orange jumpsuit behind those dreaded bars. He had practically been a ghost in jail, keeping to himself and spinning tales to keep himself occupied.
Tales that, in the end, would come true.
He would make sure of it.
They'd all pay for what he went through.
Gregory McCain would win this game if it was the last thing in life he did.

[Drakonnas]

Beth woke up before Jeana, she was feeling oddly excited and bubbly today, much moreso than she had in quite some time, it was almost as if Ethan had never died, and as if she had never spiraled into depression. She just felt good, and there really wasn't any explanation for why that was. Or maybe there was. Today was the day of their end of year soccer party, to celebrate taking the State Championships once more, and to celebrate the days that they had spent together.

It was still dark out, and Beth was already awake and pumped, but she tried to be quiet for Jeana's sake. Beth got up, snuck out of the room, and went to take care of personal hygiene issues. After showering, she combed her hair, it looked quite pretty, if she did say so herself. She just looked perky and happy today, the old light was shining through, and the old Beth was back. "Morning, Ethan!" She said, grinning. "Wanna race me around the block? You don't stand a ghost of a chance!" She said with a quiet laugh, not realizing that her particular choice of words might have an impact on her brother.

"Come running with me." She jerked her head in the direction of the door, she left a note on the door for Jeana so she wouldn't worry. "So..." She said, opening the door, and starting jogging. "Today is the end of year party for the soccer team." She said with a grin. "And guess what? I've heard that there's gonna be a special surprise there... Coach hinted to me that there would be someone who wanted to meet me afterwords, I think it's gonna be some sort of scout, Ethan. Some sort of scout, or recruiter... This could be really big, and really important!" she said, obviously excited.

[Ashen]

After Ethan returned home he slid through the walls and went to the kitchen. It was still dark out, and neither of the girls nor Mr. Rainer would be awake quite yet. He had a few hours to himself, to do as he pleased.
That's what he thought, until he heard footsteps on the stairs.
Beth came down with a new light about her. She was beaming, and looked more beautiful than she had since his death. Ethan raised an eyebrow, but he wasn't going to complain.
"A race?" he repeated. "And I don't stand a ghost of a chance, huh?" He let out a light laugh and picked his feet off the ground. As he levitated, a smirk was on his lips. "I am a ghost," he reminded. "You don't have a chance."
He took off, laughing. He stopped outside the house and waited for Beth to go through the door.

Once Beth started jogging, Ethan fell into step beside her, keeping up nicely. He watched her, trying to guess where this new burst of energy came from. As his sister started speaking, he slowly understood.
How could he forget? Today was the soccer celebration.
"A recruiter?" Ethan repeated, happy for his twin. "Beth, that's awesome! And I bet they'll be willing to pay a lot of money, too." He jogged in front of her and waited for her to stop. With his hands on her shoulders, he gave her a light shake. "This is the best thing, like, ever. What if you got a scholarship, Beth? And after that. A professional soccer player? Well, as professional as women can get..."
Ethan shrugged and started jogging again. "Don't screw this up," he said, only joking.

[Drakonnas]

As they ran, Ethan teased her a little bit about not messing things up. She glared at him a little bit. "Excuse me? As professional as women can get? Care to explain that little comment, buddy?" She asked him, not ceasing her run at all. She was picking up the pace a little bit, getting warmed up. "There are professional women's soccer leagues, you know." Her mood lifted again, and she took a little side trail, that went into a forest like trail that ran for about a mile in each direction. So it would be a total of about three miles in total. That wasn't too long, or too short for her, it was a normal distance. Fairly easy.

They continued on, Beth rambling about this and that, it was clear that her mood could not be lowered by simple words, her dreams might be about to come true, she had always wanted to play big time soccer, and her dream might be about to come true. As they ran, Beth spoke to Ethan, about this and that, just about things in general. It was a time where they could speak openly, honestly, and just talk about things that mattered to them.

"Thanks, Ethan." She said, as they finished their morning run. "You're... I never expected any of this, and... I admit, you've made things so much easier for me." She said quietly. "You helped pull me through the hardest time of my life, and you have made things so much easier for me. But what about you? Isn't it a little painful to follow me around, missing what you used to do? What's death like?"

They spoke for a little while, and then entered the house once more. Beth sat down to get some breakfast, and then went to shower. She showered for a while longer than normal, thinking about things. As she stepped out of the shower, and dried herself off, Beth's thoughts were on the party later that day.

[Ashen]

Ethan physically backed away from his sister. "Hey now," he said playfully. "I was only jesting, of course."
He gave Beth a soft nudge and continued alongside her. "Professional soccer leagues? They aren't very professional. They don't have you..." His voice trailed, sliding in a compliment from a brotherly insult. He laughed again and pressed on harder. Beth was so fast, it was almost hard to keep up.
Almost.

As they jogged on, the twins spoke of small things. It was almost like Ethan hadn't died.
Sometimes, he wondered if he had.
After all, Beth was still his best friend. He still lived in the same world. He still had an artistic eye, and a love for classical music, and was still the same teenager he had been.
But then Ethan would remember that no one could see him. He was more invisible now than before his death. He would remember the pain he had endured, and the pain he was still enduring every time he looked at Beth.
He loved his sister, and he always would. But he couldn't help the fact that it hurt to look at her. That she was holding him back from enjoying a heaven that anyone would look forward to. She was the reason he had made a bargain with Bonventre.
Ethan wouldn't have lingered if not for her.
And so he hurt, every time he looked into her shining eyes.
He didn't like to admit it, not even to himself, but he could not deny what beat at his dead heart.

Ethan was pulled from his thoughts as Beth thanked him. "No prob, Beth," he said with a sort of shrug. "I'm glad I can help you. That's what I'm here for."
But what about you?
Ethan cringed at the question. He could never admit to Beth what his mind had pointed out to him. He would never.
He just shook his head, not giving a direct answer. "If I were alive I wouldn't be able to do this," he said, and shot in front of her, faster than any human could be. He stopped a distance away and looked back at his sister. He was faking a smile-for which of them, he didn't know.

When they got back home, Ethan took a seat on one of the couches. Beth went upstairs to take a shower after getting herself breakfast. He stretched out on the couch, still thinking of Beth's question.
What's death like?
"Death is like being reborn," Ethan said softly, so Beth wouldn't hear him. "You're born again with all the people you love that have gone before you. But I haven't really experienced that, have I?" He sat up, looking after the stairs. "I'm not really dead, then. I'm in a purgatory, with you as the gatekeeper."
Ethan shook his head. He wasn't going to blame Beth. He loved her, and that's all that mattered.

Jeana rolled out of bed and landed on her feet shakily. She yawned and looked at the other side of the bed. Beth was gone.
She heard her in the shower and walked to the bathroom door. "Beth?" she called. "Your celebration's today, right?" She walked to her dresser. "What time is it?"

[Drakonnas]

As Jeana spoke to Beth, Beth started a bit in surprise. "Oh, Hey Jeana, I hope I didn't wake you." She said, pulling on her black pants, followed by a dressy, yet simple red top. "Yeah, today's the party. It's at noon, at the new Pizza place in town. You know, the one everyone says is so delicious, but we've never been to? It's about ten minutes from here, or something along those lines." She said, opening the door, after combing her hair, she looked beautiful for the first time in awhile, she thought.

"You're invited too, you know." She said with a smile. "You're practically my sister now, so you're invited. Perks of being a friend, eh?" She laughed, and pulled on some dressy slippers. It wasn't too formal, but it certainly looked nice. "So, what's going on with you today? Any plans besides the norm?" She asked, Jeana, wondering what her best friend had to say about the matter.

"We should probably leave here around 11:45 or so, just so we can get there on time." Beth said with a grin. She had no idea that her brother's murderer was still on the lose, still looking for some sort of revenge... She had no idea that she was next on his list.

Hurrying downstairs, Beth got a little something to eat, she was feeling more hungry than she was before, and prepared a good solid breakfast. "There's pancakes down here if you want some! With chocolate chips too!" She called up to Jeana. "There's bananas, and blueberries too! Come get some breakfast!"

As they ate breakfast, Beth's thoughts were totally focused on soccer, and how things would work in the near future. What if she was offered a full ride scholarship? What would she study in school? She intended to play soccer, but what after that? Beth really hadn't give it much thought, soccer was her only strong suit, she wasn't great at anything else. She excelled in school, but outside of that? Soccer was her life.

[Ashen]

Jeana nodded sleepily and yet out a yawn. "You didn't wake me," she said. "I've been wanting to go to that place for a while now. That's really cool."
She laughed with Beth. You're practically my sister now. Her words made Jeana blush. Of course she would say the same about Beth. But they were sisters now, weren't they?
"You look really nice," she said, motioning towards her outfit. "Like, really nice." She giggled a bit and shuffled to her bathroom. "I'm going to take a quick shower. Besides that, and enjoying some pizza with my sister, no, I don't have any other plans."

After Jeana's shower, she dressed in a comfortable outfit and fixed her makeup. She admired herself in the mirror and decided, with her hair down and her eyes outlined, she looked really good.
She walked downstairs and inhaled the smell of pancakes. "Is Dad up?" she asked. "He might want some." Jeana got herself some chocolate chip pancakes and sat down at the table. A note was there from her father, reading that he had stepped out for the morning. She pushed the note aside and enjoyed her breakfast.
"You look excited," she pointed, smiling at Beth. "But then, I would be, too. Good luck today, Beth."

After breakfast, they watched a little bit of TV before they had to go. Jeana drove, and she turned to Beth in the passenger side of the car. Jeana knew this day would be a life changer for Beth.
She just never imagined the magnitude of the change that was to come.

[Drakonnas]

As the two of them stepped out of the car, Beth hurried into the pizza place, where her coach and her daughter were waiting for them. They weren't the first ones there, but close to it. "Hey guys!" She said as she happily approached the two. "How're you? I'm feeling perky and finally back to my old self!" She certainly looked it, and Beth knew it. She sat down, her hair bouncing slightly, and she pulled back a chair for Jeana to come sit town.

As more and more people started to arrive, a large chat started between them, they were all laughing, and having a good time. They ordered their pizza, there was plenty to go around. As they continued their conversations, obviously including Jeana, Beth realized that she was back to normal. Nothing could stop her now.

After about an hour and a half, their coach pulled everyone back together. "Thank you all for a wonderful year." She said, starting the speech everyone knew was coming. Beth sat back, listening, and reflecting on what had happened, and what would happen from now on. She remembered all that had happened in the past year, and remembered everything about their team, their tough wins, tough losses, curbstomps, and the like.

As their coach ended her speech, they all had a big group hug, and people started to leave. "Beth, can I have a word?" Her coach asked quietly, a hand on her shoulder. "There's someone I'd like you to meet. This is Mr. Jailways, from Penn State University, known for their amazing sports program. He'd like to speak with you."

Beth's eyes widened. "How do you do, Mr. Jailways?" She asked, starting to breathe a little faster than she had hoped.

"I'm doing very well. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Riley. I've heard tales of your exploits, and I've come to ask you to think about coming to Penn State. We really want you to play for us, and we're willing to grant you a full ride scholarship, if you can come play for our school." He said with a graceful smile.

Beth's eyes widened in shock, and she had no idea what to say. "I... Is this some kind of joke?" She asked looking back at her coach. Seeing the shake of the head, Beth turned back to Mr. Jailways. "I... I'd love to." She said, hands shaking a little bit. "I've wanted to go there for awhile now, at least, as an option, but... Yeah, I'd love to!"

"Good. I'm glad to hear that. I'll be in contact with you in a few days. Have a wonderful day, Ms. Riley, and I hope to see you in our uniform." He winked, and they continued to chat for a bit.

"Hey, Jeana, I'm gonna go use the restroom. You coming with?" Beth asked Jeana, no idea how big of a change was coming her way. "Can you believe it?!? A full ride scholarship? If only mother could see..." She said excitedly, happiness bursting forth from inside her.

[Ashen]

Ethan watched Beth, Jeana, and the soccer team laughing over their pizza. They were all having a good time, and that was obvious. Ethan tried to maintain a smile, but the girls' happiness was not contagious.
Ethan wanted to enjoy himself. He wanted to have some pizza, and make small conversation with some of the girls.
But he couldn't.
He stood at a table alone, looking at the girls but not concentrating on anything. It was his job to protect Beth, and it didn't matter what he had to miss out on. It was all so she wouldn't live without her brother.
He was doing it all so Beth wouldn't be alone.
But as he concentrated on Beth, she didn't look alone at all. She looked happy.
Maybe she had moved on.
But Ethan couldn't move on. He wasn't able to.
Though he certainly did want to.

Jeana was just finishing her second slice of pizza when Beth was called away. She swallowed the last of the crust and followed Beth with her eyes. She was talking to her coach and a man who looked quite formal. Jeana tried to guess who he was, but she couldn't. Instead, she tried listening, knowing Beth wouldn't mind.
Penn State. Full scholarship. Play for our school.
Jeana's eyes widened. Had Beth gotten a full ride to a school on the other side of the country?
As Beth came back to her, gesturing for the restrooms, Jeana nodded and walked with her. "A full ride?" she repeated. "Oh my god, Beth, this is awesome. Aw, I'm going to miss you." Jeana's expression turned as she realized she'd hardly ever see her friend, being so far. She tried to smile for her, and it wasn't too hard. Jeana was happy for Beth.

Ethan heard the entire conversation between Beth and the guy from the college. He congratulated Beth on the scholarship, and said that he knew she was going to get one years ago. He smiled for her, and stepped away as she excused herself for the restrooms.
Ethan wandered around the pizza parlor. He had never had the chance to come here while he was alive. It was still brand new.
Ethan wasn't paying attention to the ladies' room-why would he be? But if he had, he would have seen a killer wander into the bathroom, a killer who was not yet done.

It would all fall into place now. He was oh so close. Victory was waiting.
Greg stalked the two girls from behind, the hammer in his hands swinging back and forth. The plan was simple. The preppy girl would be taken out first, and then his target.
It was so beautifully simple.
Jeana was staring in the mirror, checking her hair. "Hey Beth," she said. "Maybe I can get Daddy to move to Pennsylvania. Wouldn't that be fun?" She giggled a little with the idea. Her giggling ceased at once as a hammer struck her.
Her skull cracked at the impact, and the girl immediately fell to the ground. She was unconscious. By the killer's calculations, the impact should have-and did-kill her.
He turned to the next girl. "Elizabeth," he said slowly. "It's been too long." He wore an evil grin as he swung his hammer. "I don't mean to kill you, Elizabeth. I didn't mean to kill your brother, either. See, you two got in the way. I thought perhaps your father would care. But I was wrong. And now my game is almost done, see? I'll kill him, don't you worry. But I cannot allow you to get in my way."
Greg's big hands curled over Beth's mouth. "Shh," he cooed. "We're almost there."

[Drakonnas]

Beth didn't notice anyone following her, or Jeana. They were too excited, happily discussing the facts that had just occurred. They entered the bathroom, and they started talking about moving... And then it happened. Beth saw Jeana crumple, and didn't really understand why. The man standing behind them didn't register to her. It didn't register in her mind that someone would simply walk up to them, and hit Jeana in the head with a hammer. It didn't register to her that she was in danger. She simply saw Jeana crumple, blood specks flying across the room. What was going on? It didn't make sense to her.

She turned and looked at Greg in disbelief, not understanding. She was in shock, seeing Jeana on the floor, and the man moving towards her. She tried to scream, she opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She was paralyzed with fear now. She didn't know how to respond, her body wasn't listening to her...

Beth listened to Greg speak, realizing that he was her brother's killer, and that now he had killed Jeana, and was probably going to kill her. THis couldn't happen. Not now. She had too much to do. She had just been offered a full ride scholarship to Penn State University. They were in the middle of a Pizza Party. She couldn't die here. Not now. Not today. What would Ethan say? How could she prevent this? Her mind was racing, her heart beating so fast that she could hardly breathe.

She was crying out for help, silent tears fell down her face as she struggled against Greg's powerful arms. Despite her superior strength, Greg was just too strong, and apparently immune to pain. She bit his hand as hard as she could, but that wasn't enough to make him release her... She tried to fight back, but he was too strong. What was to become of her? What about Jeana? She prayed that someone would come in and see them, but they had locked the door... It would be way to late by the time anyone noticed they were gone... There was nothing she could do.

Beth felt absolutely helpless. Powerless. This wasn't supposed to happen. But it was.

[Ashen]

Greg's blood was coursing through his veins with a new energy. This was going exactly as he had planned. He couldn't have said the same for the brother.
No, this was real.
The girl was completely defenseless, just like the younger one he had killed seventeen years ago.
It was beautiful.
"Don't worry, dear," he said in a soft tone. "It won't hurt long. And it'll all be over before you know it. You won't come back. I'll make sure of that." He brought his hammer to his head, resting it against her soft hair. In his excitement, he needed to tell someone. He needed to tell someone his beautiful plan.
Who better, than the one he would finish? The dead couldn't spill secrets.

"I've been plotting for years, Elizabeth. Every since I got out of prison, I was watching you. You, your brother, your father, your friends. So many people lose because they don't pay attention to the pawns."
He stepped away from her, a sparkle in his eye. In his excitement he didn't realize he should speed things up. He didn't even consider being found out.
"I was never concerned with you. I wanted to defeat the boss. That's your father, you see. Some people rush a game, and they go straight to the boss. You can't do that. You have to take care of his henchmen first. If you don't, they'll come and bite you in the ass later." He looked right at her, his eyes locking on hers. "That's why I finished your brother, and your friend. That's why I'll finish you. And then I'll get to face the boss-finally."
He had a childlike fascination as his eyes faded. He turned to the hammer in his hands. "One blow will kill you. It won't even hurt, ask you friend over here. Then I'll take you and make sure you don't resurrect yourself. Those are the worst enemies, the resurrecters. They piss me off. But they can't live again without a heart, can they?" He let out a light laugh. "Once I'm done with you, I'll dump you in the river. I don't need you anymore. So, Elizabeth. Thank you for being an audience. And thank you for being so simple."

Jeana couldn't move, couldn't think, but she could hear.
She heard it all. She heard this creep go on about Beth and Ethan's deaths as if it was a game. She heard the excitement in his voice as he spoke of a boss. She heard his hammer strike another target, and heard Beth fall to the floor.
She also heard him mumbling to himself about how great he was doing so far. She heard the sound of a limp body being thrown over a big shoulder, and a murmur next to her that rang in her ears, "What a pity; she was a good girl."
She heard him leave, as silent as he was, and she heard his car drive off.
She heard a throbbing in her head, beating at her, waiting until she died.
She heard angels calling to her, welcoming her.
Did she hear Ethan?
Jeana could hear a lot of things. But what she didn't want to hear was the echo of his voice, the thud of Beth's body, the cruel and disgusting percussion of his vile laugh.

[Drakonnas]

Beth struggled fruitlessly, there was no way she could get out. She fought, biting his hand, kicking at his legs, elbowing him in the stomach. She tried to stomp on his feet, but nothing even phased him. Did he even feel pain? But he spoke to her, telling her of his plan, about how the whole thing was a game, and how he meant to kill Ethan, and her. It sickened her, completely destroyed her. She knew she was going to die, and that there was nothing she could do about it. She saw Jeana's body laying on the ground. Total despair. Her best friend and brother had died because of her. And now she was going to die. there was no reason for her to live anymore. Ethan was dead. Now Jeana was dead. There was no reason to live now. Her mother had died. Her father hated her. Her brother had been killed. And now Jeana... murdered before her eyes. And now she was going to die as well. A single tear fell slowly down her face as the hammer smashed against her skull, killing her instantly. Beth was dead before she hit the floor.

---

Samantha tapped her fingers impatiently. Where were Beth and Jeana? They had been gone for fifteen minutes now. How long were they going to take? They had just gone to the restroom... "Coach, I'm gonna go check on them. It's been fifteen minutes, and we can't take the photos without Beth. She's the center of the team. I'll be right back."

Walking towards the restrooms, Samantha knocked on the door to the ladies' restroom. No answer. "Beth? Jeana? You there?" No answer. Sam frowned, and waited another five minutes. No reply. "I'm coming in, Beth." She tried the door, it was locked. So, she pulled one of the bobby pins out of her hair, and picked the lock. As she opened the door, she saw blood everywhere, and Jeana laying face down. Beth was nowhere in sight.

A bloodcurdling scream erupted from her mouth, and Samantha collapsed to the floor, unable to contain herself. The entire restaurant froze, and slowly turned to the sobbing girl. Coach Ross stood up, and slowly walked over to Samantha, not sure what to expect. She was a strong girl, what could have made her have a breakdown like that? As she saw the blood, and Jeana's body, she gasped, and pulled out her phone to dial 911.

Within minutes, the ambulance and police had arrived. The pizza place had been shut down, and all of the people had been rounded up by the police as possible suspects/witnesses. Jeana was rushed to the hospital, things didn't look good for her. The police visited her a little later, when she had woken up, and remarkably, Jeana was able to tell them everything she had heard, everything about Greg, where to find him, what his plans were, and everything like that.

The police successfully arrested Greg, as he was pulling the heart out of the dead girls' body, his hand was inside the girl's chest as the police cars drove up, and instantly, guns were pointed at him, and orders were made. Greg was arrested, there was no lack of evidence here this day.


-----

Elizabeth Riley opened her eyes, she was laying face up in a field of flowers, an open blue sky, and a few white clouds were overhead. She didn't hurt anymore. There was no gaping hole in her chest where Gregory had literally torn her heart out. There was no hole in her skull where the hammer had smashed it. There was no blood. She wore a beautiful, simple white gown, seemingly made for her, it fit her perfectly.

Beth slowly stood up, not sure what was going on. She didn't hurt, but she was confused. Memories were jumbled, and she tried to make sense of what was going on. And then... And then she saw a figure that looked like Ethan. It was misty, and hard to make out, but she was sure it was him. "...Ethan?" She asked, uncertainly. But as she concentrated more, it became more clear. It was Ethan. What was he doing here?

"Ethan... Am I...?" She asked, a few more tears falling from her eyes. She didn't know why she was crying. "Ethan... He... He killed Jeana... He killed me..." She said, running up to her brother, and embracing him. "I'm so sorry..."

[Ashen]

The pain was unbearable. Why couldn't she die already? How long before she bled out?
She heard more footsteps, him coming back to take her from her misery.
But it wasn't. It was Samantha. It was help.

Ethan was concerned about Beth and Jeana. They had been in the bathroom for a while, longer than usual. He debated going to check on them.
But another girl already had, and she started screaming.
Ethan ran to the bathroom then, walking through walls to get there faster. When he reached the bathroom, Ethan stopped dead in his tracks. Jeana was dead, and Beth was missing.
How had he let this happen?
How did this happen?
No.

Jeana sat up in her hospital bed, trying not to think about the pain in her head. The doctors said her memory would probably be severed for the rest of her life.
But she had remembered everything. Every little sound. She remembered it all, when the police asked her.
And she knew she would never forget.
She would never forget the year her two best friends were murdered.

"Jean?"
Her father. She remembered who he was, even if she didn't remember what he looked like. It was hard for her to speak, with the pounding in her head so loud. She looked to him.
"Jeana, baby," he said, pushing her hair out of the way. "They caught him. They've arrested him. He won't hurt you anymore, Jeana."
But he already had. He had thrown her life apart. He had ruined her.
"I think it was best if we left this place for a little while, Jeana. Why don't we go on a field trip, once you get better?"
If, Jeana thought. If I get better.
"Just the two of us. We pack all of our bags, and we leave. We don't have to stay here."
He knew how much it would hurt his daughter, staying where all the memories were. And besides, if Greg ever got out of jail, he would never touch his daughter again.
"What do you say, Jean?"
Jeana looked at the man in front of her, the man's whose face she swore she'd never seen before. "Pennsylvania," she said, her voice small. "Let's move to Pennsylvania."

Here he was, once again. Behind bars wearing orange.
He had failed. How had he failed?
But that was his last life. He had no more continues, no more 1-ups. Because, Greg didn't know much. But he knew that he'd never get anything less than the death penalty.
That's how his game would end. It would end in a death. But it wasn't the death of the final boss.
It was the death of the protagonist, the one who was supposed to win.

---

Ethan was in the In-Between once more. He remembered his first time here and smiled at the mystery. It seemed so long ago.
The girl in the middle of his forest was still resting. He wondered when she'd awake. If she'd see the same thing he did here.
Slowly Beth's golden head raised, and she looked around, confused. When she called his name, Ethan smiled at the melody.
"Yes," he answered her. "We're dead, Beth. But we're together." He shook his head, bringing his fingers to his lips to shush her. "Jeana is alive. And I think she'll be alright. She's going to get a new start on life in a different state. She'll probably forget some of the negative, but she'll be okay."
Ethan placed his hands around his sister, embracing her. "We can move on now," he said. "Together."
Though the deal he made with Bonventre rang in his mind. Would that stop him from going to heaven?
Nothing could stop him from going to heaven. He had his sister now. And they were unstoppable.

Ethan turned Beth to face a bright light. "See that?" he asked. "Mom came out of that. She's waiting for us in there. It's heaven, Beth. We're going to go to heaven."
With a smile, Ethan took his twin's hand. Nothing could keep them apart. Not even death.
And with that truth, Ethan nodded to himself, and with his sister, he stepped through to his happy ending.
Their happy ending.

---

THE END

[Kris]

*Moves to Hall of Fame*