We ended up taking two cars, Zeke and Miles went with Asher. The twins came with me. I followed Asher to a house outside of town. The house looked like it had been a barn at one time, but had been renovated and had new additions. The party was in full swing when we arrived. I parked far enough back from the house that even if more people showed up, the Blazer wouldn’t be buried. Isaac was out the door as soon as I stopped. I shut off the truck, climbed out and met Ethan on the other side. We both watched as Isaac ran through the cars and into the house.

Ethan sighed sadly.

“That’s not a good sign,” Ethan announced.

We started walking toward the house.

“Why’s that? Isaac’s always excited.”

Ethan shook his head. “My brother is different when he drinks,” he explained. “We all end up keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”

“Like what?” I asked as Zeke, Asher and Miles spotted us and began making their way over. We stopped to wait.

“One time he got on the roof of the house and wanted to jump into the pool. That was over 10 feet from the house.”

I winced thinking about how much that would hurt, hitting cement like that.

“Asher had to tackle him. We got real lucky neither of them went off the roof,” he said.

“Wow.”

The others joined us. Asher raised an eyebrow at me.

“I’m just telling Beautiful about Isaac when he drinks,” Ethan explained.

Asher nodded.

“Did you tell her about the time he was punching a tree for almost an hour before we found him?” Asher asked Ethan.

“Seriously?” It was hard to imagine sweet, funny, energetic Isaac like that.

“Yeah, then there was that girlfriend he had,” Zeke answered shaking his head as we all headed for the house.

“Yeah, she treated him like shit, and he just took it.” Ethan stepped behind me as we slipped through the cars. “I mean bad, she called him names, put him down all the time. It was insane.”

“He’d probably still be dating her if her family hadn’t moved away,” Asher added.

“You remember him climbing without gear on our hike?” Ethan asked me, I nodded. “That sort of shit.”

“He also likes to pick fights with groups of guys at these things,” Miles added.

“Does he ever say why he does this stuff?” I was genuinely worried about him. I was half-tempted to go in that house, yank him out, and take him back to Miles’ house.

They all shook their heads.

“When he gets like that he doesn’t talk to us. Not until after he’s sober. And never about what happened,” Ethan admitted.

We were getting close to the house now; I could hear the music thumping.

“So what do you do when he starts a fight?” I asked just in case.

The guys shrugged.

“Get a grip on him and get him outside,” Miles said simply.

Well shit.

“Alright, guys, one of us in the room with Isaac at all times,” Zeke said as if this was routine. “Lexie and Miles are the sober drivers. If you see Brandon Zimmer, watch him carefully.”

I raised an eyebrow at that. Zeke didn’t notice.

“If he tries to drop something in a girl’s drink,” Zeke continued, “kick his ass out and don’t be gentle about it.” Zeke gaze zeroed in on me. “And you. Don’t accept a drink from anyone that isn’t one of us. Don’t put your drink down and drink from it. Get a new one. And if Brandon Zimmer comes to talk to you, kick him in the balls for me.”

I smiled sweetly at that, I had no problem with that.

“Try to stay in the same room as one of us,” Zeke added.

I frowned at him.

“Please,” he added quickly. “If you get into trouble you can’t handle just shout for Asher and your location. Guy’s got the hearing of a blind man.”

Asher smiled. “It’s true; if you give even a half shout in there, I’ll be able to hear you from the second floor,” Asher admitted nonchalantly.

“Even over the music?”

They all nodded.

Damn that was impressive. “Remind me never to use the bathroom with you in the next room.”

We were on the porch of the house when Asher waved his hand dismissively.

“Just turn on the faucet, that’s what my sister does,” Asher called over his shoulder.

We walked into the house. It was huge. The old barn’s main room went all the way to the roof. Railings showed it was open on the second floor. We made our way into the house and almost immediately got separated. A hand grabbed mine; I turned to see Miles tugging me through the dance floor. A hand went around my waist as someone started to grind on my hip. My elbow shot out, knocking the air from the guy’s lungs. He let go, gasping as I followed Miles. We came out of the dense crowd. Zeke took a beer bottle from Asher as he was searching the room. I imagine he was looking for Isaac. Miles pulled me to the drink table and grabbed a red plastic cup.

“Have you ever had orange juice with 7-up?” he asked, pouring the drink.

“Nope.”

Miles grinned as he handed me the cup. “Try it.” He went about making himself one.

I took a sip and liked it. It was sweet, light, and made my tongue tingle from the carbonation

“Okay, that’s good,” I told him.

Miles smiled, putting down the 7up.

“And no one will hassle you about not drinking.”

He lifted his cup up, I hit his with mine. We both drank. I liked Miles’ way of thinking.

Ethan came out of the crowd, a red cup in his hand.

“Isaac’s found the ping pong table,” he announced.

“Beer pong?” I asked.

He shook his head. “Shot pong.”

I groaned. That was awful.

The guys cursed.

I tapped Miles' shoulder and pointed to the table.

“Get me a can of soda please?” I asked.

Miles turned and did as I asked as the others were debating who was going to watch Isaac first. Miles handed me the can.

I nudged Ethan’s arm. “Show me where Isaac is, I’ll take the first watch and try to slow him down. Maybe I’ll be able to get him to do something else for a while.”

The guys all thought about that for a moment.

“That might just work,” Asher announced.

“Hell, if she can get Zeke to calm down she might be able to keep Isaac from doing something stupid,” Ethan agreed.

“We’ll rotate out every 30 minutes. Sound good?” Zeke asked, looking at everyone. Everyone agreed. We split up.

Ethan took my elbow and led me to the far side of the house. It looked like a recreation room. There was an air hockey table, darts, and video games in addition to the ping pong table. Ethan stopped before Isaac could see him; he pointed me in the right direction. I nodded when I saw Isaac's blue hair. Ethan melted back into the crowd near the door. I moved around the group that was watching other people play video games.

“Hey, you’re the girl from the big screen,” I heard someone say as I kept walking.

The voice followed. “Hey, I’m looking for a good time, honey.”

“Find it somewhere else,” I shot over my shoulder.

His friends laughed. It sounded like he took it well since he backed off. I just hoped anyone else who tries does, too.

I stepped into Isaac’s line of sight. The boys had taken the net down and had 6 cups in front of each of them. Isaac had just landed a ball into the other guy’s cup, making him drink, when I sidled up next to him, touching his arm with my hip. “Hey, Cookie Monster,” I greeted him smiling.

Isaac looked up and smiled.

“Red, there you are. Where is everyone?” he greeted me.

“They ditched me for some girls.” I sighed with fake disappointment. I held out the soda to him. “And I heard you might need a chaser.”

Isaac took the soda from me.

“Yeah, I did. Thanks, Red.” He gestured to one of the other chairs. “Have a seat, stay a while.”

I sat down and watched as the other guy missed on Isaac's end. They went back and forth for a while, both missing. The other guy made it into Isaac’s cup. I watched as he drank the shot. And refilled it with tequila and put it back in line. I started thinking about how I could get Isaac away from the pong table.

I had come up with an idea when a guy approached me.

“You’re the new girl, right?” he asked, already slurring his words.

“I’m Alexis,” I offered, trying to be polite.

“That is a cool name,” he said before tapping his chest. “I’m Anthony, everyone calls me Tony.”

I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Isaac had sunk another ball.

“It’s nice to meet you, Tony.” I turned back to watch the game.

“Hey, what was with the big screen at the game? Who would do that to you?” he asked, leaning closer.

I shrugged. “I pissed someone off, and they tried to get back at me,” I explained, watching Isaac drink another shot. Okay, two shots down that I’ve seen; I needed to get Isaac away from the table. I was about to get up when Tony put his hand on my knee.

“That’s a shame, you’re a pretty girl. They shouldn’t have put your photo up like that.”

I turned my head and looked him in the eye.

“Move your hand, or I will break it,” I said in a dead calm voice.

He lifted his hand away and backed up. “Can’t blame a guy for trying,” he said before disappearing into the crowd.

I turned to see Isaac down another shot. Shit. I got up and went over to him.

“Cookie Monster?” I asked in a sweet voice. He looked up at me, smiling. He wasn’t drunk yet.

“Yeah, Red?”

I used my best pout on him. “Will you come dance with me?” I asked, almost pleading. His eyebrows rose in surprise. “You’re one of the few guys around here I trust not to get handsy.”

His eyebrows dropped as he understood; no one wanted a repeat of the bar.

“You got it, Red,” he told me. He looked down the table at the other guy. “Sorry man, but a lady calls.”

Isaac took my hand and led me through the house, back into the front room. I spotted Zeke leaning against the wall, talking to a girl with purple hair. When he spotted us, I winked at him as Isaac pulled me onto the dance floor. We danced. I moved to the music next to Isaac, ignoring everyone else in the room. When a guy crowded close, I’d throw an elbow just before Isaac pulled me closer, his arm going around my waist as he glared over my shoulder. The music changed to a loud thumping rhythm. We put our arms in the air, jumping along with everyone else.

When the music changed to a slow song, he pulled me in close with one arm around my waist. I leaned in and proceeded to tell him the worst jokes I had ever heard. He shot some back. Soon we were going back and forth. We kept getting weird looks on the dance floor. I don’t know how long we danced, I’m sure it was over my 30 minutes. But it kept Isaac away from the shot pong table.

Eventually, I needed a break; I waved a hand at my face and pointed off the dance floor. He nodded and took my hand, leading me off the dance floor and towards the drink station. Shit. He handed me a bottle of water before pouring himself a rum and coke.

I had tried. I checked the seal on the bottle making sure it hadn’t been opened then opened it myself. I took a long drink. I was sweating a lot. I reached back and pulled the mass of hair off my neck. I wish I hadn’t worn a long sleeve shirt. I wished I knew where to put my jacket without it getting stolen. Isaac leaned into me so I could hear him over the music.

“I’m going to go check out some games,” he told me.

My eyes darted around the room. I spotted Ethan sitting on a couch and talking with a group of people. I nodded to Isaac.

“I’ll see you later, thanks for the dance, Red.” He disappeared back toward the game room.

I made my way over to Ethan and tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up at me, smiling, his cheeks a little pink, though his eyes were clear as glass.

I leaned down and whispered into his ear, “Your turn.”

His head jerked back from me. I stood up, not wanting him to get that good of a look at the girls. He got to his feet, checked his watch, and looked at me, puzzled.

He leaned in, talking into my ear. “You’ve had him all this time?”

I pressed my cheek against his so we could talk. “Yeah, he had three shots when I found him. We’ve been dancing since then, but he just made himself a drink.”

Ethan suddenly seemed to tackle me. His body slammed into mine, his arms wrapping around me, squeezing tight. We stumbled, but he managed to keep us upright.

“Beautiful, you are amazing. It’s been an hour and a half! Normally we’d be pulling him out of a fight by now.”

“Don’t thank me yet, he just went to check out the games.” I said, hugging him back. The twins really were affectionate, I was getting used to it. Hell, I was really starting to like it.

Ethan nodded against my head.

“I’m going to buy you some jewelry, woman!” Ethan declared before surprising me by kissing my forehead before heading in the direction Isaac had taken.

I took a drink and looked around; it was really hot in here. I headed for the front door; I wanted some air. The outside air was cold, and the sweat on my skin chilled me instantly, but I didn’t want to go back in yet. I leaned out over the railing of the porch looking at a cat that seemed to be sleeping through the party.

“Lexie!”

I knew that bark. I looked up to see Zeke across the lawn, standing with a group of guys around a black muscle car. Zeke waved me over before taking a drink from his beer.

I went down the stairs, passing a couple making out, and crossed the lawn. I stepped up to the group of guys. Zeke wrapped his arm around my shoulders, bringing my side against his. I took a peek up at him, he seemed completely sober.

“Guys, this is Lexie.” Zeke gestured at me with the hand that held his beer bottle.

I waved to the guys. They all seemed big and scary. A lot like Zeke, actually.

“If you see someone messing with her, you kick their ass.”

I elbowed him in the side and glared up at him.

He grunted then looked down at me. Then back to the group. “Okay, fine, if you see someone messing with her, watch for a minute to see if she kicks his ass. If she’s trying and can’t, then you kick their ass.”

Everyone burst out laughing.

Zeke looked down at me, his brow drawn together. “Where have you been all night?”

“I had Isaac,” I explained gesturing toward the house. “I kept him dancing as long as I could, but it’s freaking hot in there.” I wrapped my hair in my hands and lifted the mass off my neck.

“Wait. You had Isaac this whole time?” Zeke asked, eyes wide.

“Yep, he was mostly sober when I last saw him.” I waved a hand at my neck.

“Isn’t that your friend that always gets in fights at these parties?” the guy with a shaved head asked.

Zeke nodded.

The guy looked surprised. “I thought he just wasn’t here tonight.”

“I was keeping him busy.” I switched my hair to my other hand. “Seriously, does anyone have a rubber band or something?”

One of the guys dug into their pockets.

“My girl always forgets her hair ties.” He pulled out a tie and reached across the group to hand it to me. “I’m always carrying extras for her.” He shrugged. The other guys laughed at him. His cheeks turned pink.

“You, sir, are the world's best boyfriend,” I exclaimed, putting my hair into a ponytail. I looked at the other guys. “That man.” I pointed to the guy with the pink face. “Knows how to keep a woman happy,” I declared, finishing with my hair. “And probably in more ways than one.”

They all burst out laughing.

I tilted my chin toward the car engine. “What are you guys doing?”

“I’m just ogling my dream car,” Zeke admitted.

“A ‘67 Chevy Impala?” I asked, feeling everyone's eyes on me.

Zeke raised an eyebrow at me.

“If you’re not dating her, can I?” one of the guys asked.

Everyone burst out laughing, including me. Zeke didn’t find it funny, he glared at the guy.

“Don’t even think about it, Ian.” Zeke shot at his friend. “I know you too well, man.”

The guy, Ian, chuckled, admitting that Zeke was right.

I rolled my eyes at them.

Zeke gave me a squeeze to get my attention. “I didn’t know you liked cars,” Zeke said.

I shrugged. “I don’t know a lot, but I know I like the sound of the old muscle cars.” I leaned into him as I stage whispered. “I only knew the car because it's the same one on that show Supernatural.”

Zeke burst out laughing, the other guys groaned.

“You gave us hope, Lexie,” one of them accused me.

“Sorry.” I smiled at them, but they didn’t seem to care.

“So, you managed to keep Isaac sober?” Zeke asked.

I nodded.

“I really appreciate that, Lexie; we haven’t been able to enjoy a party for a couple years now.”

I snorted at him, it really wasn’t that hard.

“Ethan said he’s buying me jewelry,” I informed him.

Zeke smirked. “I’ll buy you shoes,” he offered.

I looked at him as if he was insane.

“How about you find out why my Blazer shakes when I go over 70?” I countered.

Zeke gave me a big smile, with teeth and everything. I’d never seen his teeth before.

“Deal.”

“Wait, you rather have your car fixed then shoes?” The guy, Ian, asked, not quite believing it.

I nodded.

He looked at Zeke as if he was in pain. “What the fuck man? Where have you been hiding her all my life?”

“As far from you as possible,” Zeke shot back, completely serious.

Everyone laughed. I just rolled my eyes again.

Zeke’s friends started asking questions about the Blazer; when did it shake, what kind of shaking it did. I described it as best I could. They debated the problem, then started talking about other cars. I was starting to get cold, so I poked Zeke in the side to get his attention. He bent down bringing his ear to me.

“I’m getting cold, so I’m going back inside. Do you know where any of the others are?” I asked, tucking my hands in my pockets.

“Last I saw, Miles was on the second floor in a sitting area with a bunch of his gaming friends.”

I nodded that I heard him. I said bye to Zeke’s friends and headed back into the house.

The party was still in full swing. I managed to get past the dance floor without anyone trying to grope me. Yay! I found the stairs and slipped past a flirting couple. I found Miles in the second story sitting room with a group of people. I stepped into the room and paused; they all seemed to be in the middle of a card game. Miles looked up and saw me standing in the doorway.

“Come on in, Lexie.” He gave me a big smile.

I walked in and took the only empty chair.

“Everyone, this is Lexie.”

I waved at everyone and watched Miles as the group continued playing.

“I’m kicking down the door,” he announced, picking up a card that read “door”. He tossed down a card with a funny looking monster on it. He pointed out several of his cards to the others. “I have enough, I defeat the monster. Earning another point, this brings me to ten. I win.”

The others groaned and began picking up their cards.

“What are you guys playing?” I asked, watching as they began setting up another game.

“It’s called Munchkin,” Miles explained. “Basically, you’re in a dungeon full of doors and monsters. You collect armor and weapons as you go.” He held out a character card for me. His character happened to be a girl. “You can either knock down a door and take on a monster. Or loot the room you’re in and get an item.” He held up a monster card and pointed at the number in the corner. “This is the number of attack points you need to kill the monster. You get those from items you’ve gotten. Or you can team up with other people.”

“Or they can sabotage you,” offered the only other girl in the group.” You're trying to get 10 victory points. The first person to 10, wins.”

“Okay, that sounds fun. Can I play?”

Everyone nodded. They finished setting up the game. Then it was all out war. I kept picking at Miles, throwing curses and poisons at him. I wasn’t even trying to win, I just went after Miles.

“Lexie, you’re killing me here.” Miles groaned as I stripped him of his armor for the third time.

Whenever I got a good card, I made a little giggle. Miles started to hate that sound. It went on for an hour. Till finally, I formed an alliance with the only other girl and took down a monster. She won. Miles threw his cards down and glared at me, but the effect was ruined by his smile.

“That is just cruel, Lexie.”

I snickered at him.

Everyone began to clean up for another game.

“Where have you been anyway?” Miles asked.

“I managed to keep Isaac mostly sober for a while, and I handed him off to Ethan. Went outside to cool off and ran into Zeke.” I shrugged. “Zeke told me you were up here, so here I am.” I put my cards back in the right pile and looked up. Miles was looking at me strangely.

“You managed to keep Isaac sober?”

I nodded.

“Mostly, for about 90 minutes, yeah.”

He blinked at me. “You’re a miracle worker; you have no idea how much that means to us,” he told me plainly.

I rolled my eyes.

“Ethan said he’s buying me jewelry, Zeke is fixing my truck. I think I’m getting the idea.”

Miles smiled at me.

“I’ll be your IT guy any time,” he told me simply.

I smiled big at him. “Sounds good to me,” I told him honestly, I had a new computer I really didn’t want to fuck up.

I got to my feet wanting to move. “Do you know where any of the others are?”

Miles shook his head apologetically.

I pulled out my phone and texted Asher.

Alexis: Where are you?

Asher: Isaac duty in the kitchen. I’m bored out of my mind.

Alexis: Want some company?

Asher: Of course.

I smiled to myself and said goodbye to everyone still at the coffee table. I headed downstairs.

I was making my way across the crowded room when an arm snagged me around the waist.

“Hold on sugar, where you runnin' off too?”

Some guy I’d never met stepped around me, pulling me close. I leaned back away from his tequila breath.

“Let go of me,” I told him clearly, in case he was drunk.

“Don’t be like that. My name is Brandon, what’s yours?”

I looked around and saw Ethan heading my way through the crowd, his face dark. I looked back to the guy touching me.

“Brandon Zimmer?” I asked wanting to be sure.

The guy smiled at him, showing all his teeth.

“That’s right, you want a drink?”

I smiled sweetly up at him, my hands going to his shoulders. I slammed my knee right up into his balls. He sucked in air and dropped like a stone. People spread out, most of them laughing at the guy on the floor.

Ethan reached me, laughing so hard he doubled over. He pulled out his cell phone and took a photo of the now fetal Brandon Zimmer. The guy was starting to cry.

Ethan’s eyes watered as he did something with his phone.

“Oh, Zeke is going to love this.”

It wasn’t a minute later that I felt the floor shaking as Zeke came running inside. Several of his friends following.

The crowd parted for them like water, and suddenly he was standing next to me, his hand on the back of my neck. I felt his eyes running over me, but I just watched, smiling, as Brandon was moaning on the floor.

“What he do?” Zeke asked.

Ethan was wiping tears away as he tried to get control of himself.

I smiled sweetly up at Zeke. “He grabbed my waist, wouldn’t let go, and offered me a drink,” I explained simply. “You said Brandon Zimmer, right?”

Zeke smiled down at me, big with teeth again.

“I said Brandon Zimmer,” he confirmed before squatting down near the guy's head. He slapped the guy on the cheek getting, his attention.

“Hey Brandon, didn't we tell you to stop coming to these parties?” Zeke growled at him. He began patting the guy down and pulled out a small bottle of pills. Zeke looked like he was going to kill someone. He straightened again before gently nudging me over to make room. “Get him out of here guys, I’ll go flush these.”

The guys I had met earlier with Zeke reached down, lifted the still whimpering guy up, and headed out the door. A couple guys stayed behind.

“Let’s do a quick look around, make sure there aren’t any unconscious girls,” Zeke said. The guys agreed and headed out in different directions.

Zeke looked back down to me. “You good?”

“I’m good; I was headed over to see Asher,” I explained looking over at Ethan whose face was dark red from laughing; he was finally getting control of himself. Zeke gave my neck a squeeze before heading off down a hallway towards what I assumed was the bathroom.

“I’m sending that photo to Asher; he’s going to love this,” Ethan told me, his voice cracking.

I shook my head as he disappeared back into the crowd. Moving through the crowd was much easier now; no one tried to grope or stop me. I found Asher leaning against the counter, his cell phone in his hand.

I hopped up on the counter next to him and nudged his arm. His face was a little flushed, his smile a little too big. Asher was buzzed at the very least. I found Isaac at the kitchen table playing quarters. His face was bright red, his eyes glossy. I could tell he was wasted from here. That was before he yelled and threw his arms in the air as if he’d just won the lotto. Yeah, he had to have been buzzed on the dance floor. That settled, I decided to forget about it.

“Ally girl, did you do this?” Asher asked, holding up the photo of Brandon Zimmer curled in the fetal position.

“He grabbed me and wouldn’t let go,” I explained. “And it was Brandon Zimmer.”

Asher hopped up on the counter beside me and bumped his shoulder against mine.

“Ally girl, you always surprise me.” He smiled down at me. He was handsome with that smile.

“Are you drunk, Asher?”

He smiled as he did something with his phone. “Not really, just a buzz and I’m tired,” he explained, kicking his foot against the bottom cabinet. “We never usually stay this long; we usually have to take Isaac out by now.”

“Maybe this time he won’t start a fight?” I offered hopefully.

Asher shook his head. “He will. It’s getting close.” He gestured toward Isaac who was resting his temple against his hand with his elbow on the table. “When he gets quiet is usually the first sign.”

“Why come to the parties at all?” I asked. If it was really that bad, then they needed to keep Isaac away from these situations.

“He’d come on his own even if we weren’t here,” Asher explained to me. “He needs to slow down, though, or he’s going to be too sick tomorrow for training.”

Isaac was just playing now, not really talking. I hopped down, went and grabbed another unopened water bottle, and came back into the kitchen. I walked around the table into Isaac's line of sight.

He gave me a lopsided grin.

“Hey, Red, how are ya doin?” he asked, his words slurring.

I smiled and handed him the bottle of water.

I leaned in and whispered sweetly, “Cookie Monster, can you drink some water for me?”

He leaned back and eyed me suspiciously.

“You don’t have to stop drinking; I just want you to drink this too,” I kept my voice sweet.

He pursed his lips together and opened the bottle.

“Thank you, sweetie.” I pushed some of his hair back from his face before I walked around the table. I hopped back on the counter next to Asher.

“How do you do that?” Asher asked.

“Do what?” I asked keeping my eyes on Isaac.

“How do you get him to listen to you?” He was genuinely curious.

“Boobs,” I told him plainly. I took my eyes off Isaac and looked at Asher. “And big eyes, soft voice, and a good pout if he resists.”

Asher chuckled. “So basically, being a girl?”

I nodded, smiling. “Yep.”

We were quiet for a while as we watched Isaac. Asher nudged my shoulder again. I looked up to see he’d moved closer.

“I’m sorry about what my sister did to you,” he whispered, his eyes running over my face.

I shrugged. “It’s not your fault,”

“You're not angry?” He looked at me, surprised.

I smiled. “I didn't look too bad, right?” I asked, only half joking.

He snorted.

“No Ally, you didn't look bad at all,” he reassured me as he shook his head.

I smirked up at him.

“Now, if I did look bad then I'd be pissed.”

He burst out laughing. “It was still messed up.”

I looked up at him and dove in. “What is her deal?”

Asher sighed looking back at Isaac.

“I don’t really know.” He tilted his head thinking. “I can tell you what I think.”

“Spill, any insight would help,” I admitted. I wanted to understand why his sister came at me, and then maybe I could get her to stop.

“Well, our dad didn’t pay her much attention. He was always just about me and my shit.” Asher shrugged. “I never understood that, but that’s the way he’s always been.” Asher licked his lips and looked down at my knee next to his. “Our mom always split her attention between us. Then Mom got sick, she died, and Dad is gone all the time.”

“So, you think she’s angry?” I asked, needing more information.

Asher shrugged, looking me in the eye. “I know she’s angry. Hell, I am too, but she’s taking everything out on other people and that I don’t get.” He sighed. “She’s my twin, and I don’t even recognize her anymore.”

“Wait, you’re twins?” I asked, surprised. How many twins were in this town?

Asher smiled down at me. “Fraternal, yeah.”

He went back to watching Isaac. I leaned my head against his shoulder.

“I’m sorry about your mom,” I said.

He sighed wearily. “Sorry about your dad.”

“What was she like?” I was genuinely curious. I barely had any good memories left of my mother. At least any I could remember right now.

He was quiet for a while; I shifted my head so I could look at his face. He swallowed hard and clenched his jaw before answering me.

“Ask me again when I haven’t been drinking, Ally girl.” He looked down at me smiling sadly. “I’ll tell you then.”

I nodded and wrapped my arms around his and gave a squeeze.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” His ocean blue eyes were full of shadows that my question had brought on. I needed to fix that.

I smiled up at him wickedly.

“Do you want to mess with Isaac when he passes out tonight?” I asked hopefully. “I’m thinking something involving a stun gun and an alarm clock for the morning, and a hand in warm water tonight. At the very least.”

Asher burst out laughing, the shadows leaving his eyes.

“You and that damn smile of yours, it’s going to get me into trouble,” he mumbled under his breath.

“Maybe, but it’ll be fun trouble,” I offered, still smiling. He chuckled again, Asher had a nice laugh.

He looked over at Isaac and frowned. “I need to go to the bathroom; can you watch him for a minute?”

“Yep.”

Asher hopped down off the counter and smirked at me.

“By the way, I sent that photo to Dylan.”

My mouth dropped. “The big screen one?”

His eyes went wide.

“No. The Brandon Zimmer one,” he said, reassuring me.

“You didn’t.”

Asher snickered. “With the tag ‘what happens when someone touches Lexie without permission.’” He smiled big as I groaned.

“We’re not even dating, Ash!” I pointed out as he headed out of the kitchen.

I took a drink from my water and put the lid back on it. I watched the game and bounced the heel of my boot against the cabinet. My phone vibrated. I winced before answering.

“Hello.”

“What happened?” Dylan’s husky voice was hard in my ear. He didn’t sound too happy.

“I don’t know what you're talking about,” I said. I tried for innocence, but it came out more smart ass.

“The photo Asher sent me, this guy grabbed you?”

I sighed. Mental note: Write on Ash’s face after he passes out tonight.

“Oh, he put his arm around my waist and wouldn’t let go. So, I kneed him in the balls,” I said casually. It really wasn’t that big of a deal.

“Good.” His voice was back to his usual husky. “Who was he anyway?”

“Brandon Zimmer.”

Dylan burst out laughing.

I smiled as I waited till he was done. It was about a full minute.

“Yeah, Zeke filled me in on his party habits.”

“Oh, Lexie, that is awesome,” he said, his voice still a little breathless from laughing.

“So I’ve been told.” I smiled to myself. I took a look at Isaac and noticed he had started talking to a girl. Maybe we’d get a reprieve. “How was the game?”

“It sucked, we lost. A couple of our guys decided to wing it during some important plays.” He grumbled.

“I’m sorry.”

“Eh, it’s over. How’d Asher do?”

“He did pretty well, from what I saw. Only a couple sacks in the whole game, any fumbles weren’t due to a bad throw. No interceptions.” I debated telling him about the billboard stunt for a second and decided against it. He didn’t need to know about it. “We did win, though.”

“That win puts them in the playoffs this year.” He grunted. I raised an eyebrow. “I might get to see a game with you after all.”

“Why are you grunting?” I asked suspiciously. Please tell me you were lifting something.

“I was stretching, honey,” he said, his voice growing warm. “I had a couple bad hits tonight. So I’m not moving so great right now.”

“Take some aspirin and suck it up.”

He burst out laughing.

“Ya know most girls would be all ‘aw poor baby.’ But not you, Lexie.” It sounded like he was smiling.

“Yeah, well, I’m not like most girls.”

Isaac took a shot. I decided to keep my eyes on him.

“No, no you aren’t.” His voice sounded like it wasn’t a bad thing.

I smiled. But I wanted to know. I didn’t like not knowing where I stood.

“Is that good or bad?” I bit my lip waiting.

“Oh, it’s good.”

I smiled and tried not to get too excited about it. Isaac drank another shot.

“You never did tell me about your yards per carry.”

He chuckled in my ear. “Seven.”

Wow, that was a damn good number.

“And you guys lost? Does the rest of the team suck?” I asked, still watching Isaac.

He laughed. “No, everyone just had a bad night.” He took a deep breath. “It just means football will be over soon, and I’ll have more time to see you.”

I smiled. Isaac was quiet again. Where the hell was Asher?

“We haven’t even gone on a date yet,” I pointed out as butterflies fluttered in my stomach.

I was watching as the guy to the left of Isaac saw me, leaned over, and said something to Isaac. Isaac went still. Oh, come on.

“What did you say?” Isaac asked clearly, his face growing dark.

Oh, shit.

“You don’t fucking say that shit about her,” he growled at the other guy.

“I have liked everything I’ve heard so far,” Dylan said in my ear.

Shit.

“Hang on, I need to go stop a fight before it happens-”

Isaac bolted out of his chair, leaped over the table, and slammed down on the guy. The table knocked over. The chair broke under their combined weight.

“Shit!” I dropped my phone on the counter and jumped to the floor as Isaac sat on the guy, his fist coming down fast over and over, as he pummeled the guy.

Okay, I’ll admit the guy probably deserved the first couple punches, but then Isaac was scaring the shit out of me. Girls were screaming, people were yelling. I didn’t know where the guys were so I did the first thing I could think of. I strode over to Isaac, grabbed his ear and twisted hard. He stopped hitting the guy as he bent towards me.

“Ow, ow, ow. Fuck, Red!”

I kept a tight hold on his ear.

“Get up.” I told him calmly, my voice hard, though inside I was kind of shaking. Watching Isaac pummel that guy into the floor really hit home that he was a trained fighter.

Isaac got to his feet, leaning his head down so as not to yank on his ear more.

“We are going outside for you to cool off.”

I began pulling Isaac towards the back door. I saw Asher pushing through the crowd, his eyes wide.

“Asher! Grab my phone, check the other guy, and then get your ass out here! And bring Zeke!” I ordered as I opened the door.

I made Isaac follow me outside. He shut the door behind us. I pulled him off the porch and halfway across the large backyard before letting him go.

“What the fuck, Lexie?!” he yelled at me, his hand going to his now red ear.

“That’s what I was going to ask you!” I said, my voice hard. I crossed my arms over my chest watching as he kept pacing. “What the fuck, Isaac?!”

“That guy was talking shit about you!” he shouted, gesturing towards the house.

I nodded. “And that’s why I let you get a few swings in!” I shouted back.

He blinked hard at me.

So, I kept on speaking in a normal voice. “But this wasn’t about me; this was about you looking for a fight.”

Isaac waved his hand dismissively at me as he started pacing. That wasn’t going to fly with me.

I stepped forward, holding onto my temper. I needed to get him to talk. “What’s going on Isaac?”

I heard the screen door open and close.

Isaac turned around and glared at me.

“If I don’t want to tell you something, respect that. I’ll tell you when I’m ready.” He shot my own words back at me.

Shit. That just bit me in the ass.

He didn’t want to talk. I remembered what Ethan said about finding another outlet.

Asher stepped up next to me, holding my phone to his ear. Zeke stepped up on my other side. I didn’t look away from Isaac and his pacing.

“Which one of you is up for sparring?” I asked the guys next to me. Isaac didn’t hear us, he kept pacing back and forth his hands running through his hair, his fingers digging into his scalp.

“I’m sober,” Zeke volunteered.

I nodded and pointed at Isaac.

“You want a fight? You’re sparring with Zeke,” I shouted at Isaac to get his attention.

He stopped pacing and looked at me, trying to figure out if I was serious.

Zeke smirked and stepped forward, stretching his arms and loosening his muscles.

“You’re looking for a fight, Isaac; this is the only one you're getting tonight,” I told him simply, my voice hard.

Isaac started eyeing Zeke who now stood across from us on our left, Isaac on the right.

“Let’s see who can drop the other guy to the grass the most,” I said.

Isaac scoffed at me in disbelief.

“He’s almost twice my size!” he complained.

I smirked. “Then you’ll just have to work harder now, won’t you?” I shot back sarcastically. I heard Asher smother a laugh next to me. “No full-strength hits,” I declared, looking at both of them. “Go.”

I backed up a couple more steps, and Asher did the same.

Zeke and Isaac went at it. Holy shit. Isaac went in hard and fast trying to distract Zeke enough to drop him. Zeke wasn’t having it. He moved much faster than I thought he could. He was a big guy, and big guys usually couldn’t move that fast.

“She’s fine, not a scratch, not a bruise. She split it up fast and got Isaac out of there.” Asher was talking on my phone. I wasn’t really paying attention; I was still stunned by the way the guys were trying to take each other down.

“Remind me not to piss off Zeke,” I mumbled to Asher.

Asher snickered.

“You piss off Zeke on a daily basis,” he reminded me. “And we all love watching it.” He held out the phone to me, smiling. “Your future boyfriend is still on the phone.”

I snorted and took the phone. “He’s met me once and talked to me a few times. He might not like me after tomorrow.” I reminded him and myself.

Asher gave me a shit-eating grin.

“I don’t know, when I picked up the phone he said, ‘where’s my girl?’”

My stomach fluttered again, and I fought off a smile.

“I told him you were stopping a fight and had your hands full; he got pissed at me for not taking care of it. I told him you got there first and had it taken care of by the time I got there.”

I playfully narrowed my eyes at him. “Watch the sparring and stop talking about my love life,” I said, smiling. Asher burst out laughing as I put the phone to my ear before stepping away. “I’m back.”

“What just happened?” Dylan’s husky voice was calm, but it was a forced calm.

“Isaac started beating the crap out of someone, I jumped in, yanked him away and out the door. Zeke and Isaac are now sparring in the backyard to give Isaac a better outlet for his anger or whatever this is.”

There was silence for a few heartbeats.

“How did you yank Isaac out?”

I snickered.

“I yanked and twisted his ear until he came with me,” I told him in my sweet voice.

He was quiet for a while.

My heart sank. “Still think me not being like other girls is a good thing?” I asked, pretty sure he was going to bail on tomorrow.

“Lexie, I love that you can kick a guy in the balls, yank a guy out of a fight by the ear, and still sound cute on the phone.”

I smiled a big smile as my heart melted. Okay, I might be in trouble here.

“Really? What’s wrong with you?” I said half joking, not knowing what else to say. “You should be running in the other direction.”

He laughed. “I like a challenge.” His voice had gone soft, making me bite my lip.

“Zeke one,” Asher announced.

I turned around and watched Isaac pick himself back up.

“I should probably keep an eye on the guys sparring. Isaac’s drunk, and we don’t want any accidents.” I said, concerned at the gleam in Isaac’s eye.

“You probably should, you might need to do some more ear pulling,” Dylan admitted. “I’ll see you tomorrow at seven?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Then I remembered something. “You might want to expect the guys, too. They’re going to try and give you a hard time.”

He chuckled. “Bring it.”

I laughed, feeling myself blushing.

“Night.”

“Night.”

I hung up. When I was sure my blush was gone, I turned back around. I was just in time to watch Isaac drop Zeke. Holy shit. Zeke went down hard.

“Isaac one, Zeke one,” Asher announced turning to me as I came back. “How’s the future, boyfriend?”

“A little crazy considering he’s still interested,” I admitted, smirking. Asher chuckled. My phone vibrated. I checked it.

Ethan: What happened? Where is everyone?

Alexis: Outback, we’re wearing Isaac out, get out here.

It wasn’t long before the screen door opened behind us. I turned and watched Ethan and Miles heading across the lawn. Ethan was frowning as we watched Isaac get dropped again.

“Zeke two, Isaac one,” Asher announced.

“Whose idea was this?” Miles asked, stepping up on the other side of Ethan.

“Mine.” I looked down the line to see Miles smiling.

“Good idea, Lexie.”

“You know what the funny part is?” I asked, smiling mischievously. Isaac got dropped again hard. Ouch.

“Zeke three, Isaac one,” Asher called.

“What’s the funny part, Beautiful?”

“Isaac still has to go to training in the morning,” I said.

The guys burst out laughing as we watched Zeke drop. This time it took him a second to get his air back.

“Zeke three, Isaac two.” This time Miles called it.

“How long are they going?” Ethan asked.

“Till Isaac is done working out his shit tonight?” I offered, not really sure if that was a good idea or not.

Miles nodded. “That sounds good to me.”

Zeke dropped Isaac again; he landed on his back hard. Everyone said ouch. Zeke was starting to breathe heavy.

“Zeke four, Isaac two,” Ethan called.

“Anyone want to tag in?” I asked, worried that Zeke might hurt his hand more.

“We’re trying to wear him out?” Miles asked.

“Yep.”

The guys next to me chuckled. Miles took off his jacket, handed it to me and headed toward the guys. Zeke and Isaac stepped back from each other.

“Um, what’s so funny?” I looked down the line to see them all grinning.

“If you think Isaac is fast, wait till you see Miles. Guy’s like a fucking eel,” Ethan told me. “You just can’t get your hands on him.”

Zeke headed towards us. Isaac was frowning at Miles before getting into position. Zeke came back to stand by Asher. I looked over at him, his face was red, and he was sweating, but he seemed fine.

“Zeke, you are fast,” I said, watching as Isaac and Miles circle each other. He chuckled.

“For my size, yeah,” Zeke admitted. “Wait till you see this.”

I watched as they continued circling. Isaac had his hands up like a boxer; Miles just had his hands ready at his waist. Isaac moved to strike Miles. Miles just simply wasn’t there anymore, he’d dodged Isaac’s fist and quickly used Isaac’s own momentum to throw him to the ground.

“Shit,” I said, causing the boys to laugh. “Miles one, Isaac zero.”

Then they really went at it. No matter where Isaac went to grab Miles, he simply slipped through and moved on to a better position. Sometimes dropping Isaac, and sometimes just making him run after him.

I smiled. He was wearing him down fast. “See, that right there is what I need to learn.”

“Come to training and you will,” Zeke said simply. “We’ll work you up a program for defense and jiu-jitsu.”

“Throw some krav maga and kick-boxing in there then she’ll be good to go,” Ethan added as we watched Miles drop Isaac again.

“Miles two, Isaac zero,” I called out before answering the guys. “Sounds good to me, I’m sure Rory won’t mind.” Isaac was starting to breathe harder, his arms coming down.

“Here comes the take-down,” Asher warned; I didn’t look, but it sounded like he was smiling. Isaac went at Miles. Miles grabbed Isaac, twisted, and slipped his leg around the inside of Isaac's. Miles threw Isaac over his hip, using his leg to flip Isaac completely off the ground. Isaac landed hard on his back, Miles lying across his chest pinning him to the grass.

“Holy shit.” I was pretty sure my mouth had dropped open. The guys snickered. I just watched as Miles got up and headed back towards us. Isaac didn’t move; he just kept taking deep breaths. He was done.

“Give me a minute. I’ll see if he’s ready to talk.” I headed towards the others. When I passed Miles, I smiled at him and handed him his jacket. His face was red, and he was sweating, but he seemed fine. He grinned at me as he headed back to the guys. When I reached Isaac, I sat down next to his side and looked at his face. He was just starting to get his breath back, his eyes were closed, his arms out to his sides. “Hey, sweetie.”

“I hate it when Miles makes that move, it makes the world spin.” He groaned sitting up next to me, his knees spread. I fought off a laugh because it looked pretty cool from my point of view.

“Ready to talk?” I asked, watching his face.

His eyes were hard as they met mine.

“No, Red,” he said flatly.

I nodded. That was okay, he didn’t have too.

“Isaac, you're a trained fighter. Do you understand what that means for the rest of your life outside of the ring?”

He raised an eyebrow and looked at me. I finally had his attention.

“If you get into a fight, you could kill someone. And because of that, judges and juries will hold you to a higher standard. If you accidentally kill someone in a fight, you will be prosecuted for it. And you will be found guilty.” Then I repeated to him what my kick-boxing instructor had told me in LA; you get a lot of training. you get a target on your back if you fuck up.

“Cookie Monster, if you're going to keep coming to these parties then you need some rules.” He just looked at me. “Asher knew you were getting close to a fight before he went to the bathroom. You got quiet, stopped talking to people.”

Isaac looked down at the grass between his legs again and nodded.

“If one of us sees you doing that, we’re going to suggest that you take a walk. Will you do that for me?” I asked him.

Isaac was looking down at the grass in front of him, and he nodded.“And if I don’t want too?” he asked, his dark eyes meeting mine.

“Then it won’t be a suggestion.” I gestured around the yard. “I’ll grab that ear and we’ll be right back here. You’ll be sparring with the guys again until you get whatever it is out of your system.”

When he didn’t look at me, I continued. “We’re not going to let you destroy your life, so we’ll manage whatever this is until you are ready to talk about it. Sound good?”

Isaac was quiet for a few minutes, that was fine. I wasn’t going anywhere. Finally, he looked at me again.

“You’re right,” he admitted, resigned. “I could really hurt someone or kill them.”

“So, if one of us says take a walk?”

“I’ll take a walk,” he agreed.

“Thank you, Cookie Monster.”

He got to his feet and reached down to me. I took his hands, and he pulled me up to my feet. After I was standing, he pulled me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed back.

“You’re a pain in the ass, Red,” he whispered into my hair.

I snickered. “Especially when I’m right.”

He huffed before pulling away.

We headed back to the others. I was tired and done for the night. I wanted my bed at Miles’ house and sleep.

“We have a new rule in place,” I said getting their attention.

“If I do that quiet thing at another party, tell me to take a walk,” Isaac said to the guys, his voice tired.

“And if you don’t?” Zeke asked, frowning at him.

Isaac snorted. “Get Red. She’ll get me outside,” he admitted. “There might be more sparring involved then.”

Ethan snorted. “Good, because you are rusty as fuck,” Ethan said emphatically. “Mom’s never going to let you back into the ring like that.”

Isaac snorted in response.

“Everyone ready to leave?” Zeke asked, looking down the line.

Everyone nodded. We headed inside. It was quieter, the party was winding down. When we reached the big room, I paused.

“I’m going to use the bathroom real quick. I’ll meet you guys outside,” I said. They all nodded and headed for the door.

I went down the hall next to the kitchen and found the bathroom. When I was done, I opened the door and froze. Jason was standing there, his hands on the door frame, blocking off the hallway.

“I’ve been looking for you,” Jason said. He blinked hard. His voice changed. “Now we’re going to have fun.” It wasn’t Jason's voice anymore. It was Bitch Ghost.

My heart slammed in my chest. He or she tackled me. I hit the floor hard, my head hitting the tile. My back in agony. Adrenaline slammed through me, and suddenly I didn’t hurt anymore, I wasn’t tired. I was pissed. When Jason's body sat up, with his legs straddling my waist. I made a fist with both hands and brought it down towards Jason’s groin. Bitch Ghost grabbed my arms before I connected. She forced my arms back over my head. I head butted Jason’s face, his nose burst, blood poured. It probably hurt like hell, but it didn’t stop Bitch Ghost. She dropped all of Jason's weight onto me, pinning me by the elbows. I struggled against the weight; it was getting harder to breathe. She let go of my right arm and pulled back the sleeve of my left. I brought a fist down on Jason’s face, again and again. It did nothing but split Jason’s lip and give him a black eye. She reached for my beads. My chest burned as terror ran through me. I screamed.

“Asher! Downstairs bathroom!”

Bitch Ghost ripped my bracelets apart. Beads flew everywhere, I vaguely heard them bouncing off the tile. Suddenly my head was in a vice, my pulse in my ears as I felt Bitch Ghost pressing against my mind. It wasn’t as bad as last time, but that’s like saying this stab wound was less likely to kill me than the others.

Jason’s hands wrapped around my face as she brought his body in closer. I bucked, trying to throw his weight off of me as my barriers held against her. Suddenly, Jason’s weight was pulled off me. I looked up to see Asher and Zeke slamming Jason against the opposite door.

“That’s not Jason!” I croaked, getting to my feet.

I darted into the hallway where they were struggling to hold him. Jason’s body bucked, bringing his body off the door. They slammed him back, this time through the door. Ethan, Isaac, and Miles were running down the hall towards us. I followed Asher and Zeke into the room where they grappled with Bitch Ghost; her energy making Jason’s body stronger than he should be.

“Get him on his back on the floor!” I shouted.

Zeke and Asher glanced at me, then at each other. They got a better grip on Jason’s body; Asher on one side, Zeke on the other. They both kicked the back of Jason’s knees. They dropped like a rock. Zeke and Asher’s body weight dragged Jason down, landing on top of Zeke and Asher. Bitch Ghost was trying to break free of their grip.

Heart racing, I jumped on top of Jason, pinning his chest with my body weight. The others ran in and were struggling to pin his arms.

“Someone get his mouth open!” I yelled.

Ethan's hands went to Jason’s face and pried his mouth open. I reached down, jerked the vial from my necklace. I popped it open with my thumb then poured the salted holy water down Jason’s throat. Bitch Ghost gave out a scream that was cut off when Jason’s body went limp. The salted holy water had forced Bitch Ghost out of Jason’s body.

Trying to catch my breath, I looked down at Zeke and Asher over Jason’s shoulders. They were out of breath, too.

Zeke met my eyes.

“Can we do plan b now?” he asked seriously.

I nodded and tried to get off Jason’s chest. Hands steadied me as I wobbled; I looked up to see Miles holding me. Ethan and Isaac pulled Jason’s body off of the others. Zeke and Asher groaned as they got to their feet.

My mind ran through Bitch Ghosts memories, looking for her grave site. St Michael's. Fourth row in, north corner lot. I shook my head pushing them away again.

When everyone got their breath back, they all looked at me.

“We’re ending this now,” I announced, my voice hard.

Everyone nodded.

“We’ll need shovels, salt, gas and a lighter,” I said.

I turned around, strode out the door and through the house, the boys right on my heels. We were walking across the now empty lawn before anyone spoke again.

“Miles, Isaac, go get the salt from the house and pick up a lighter,” Zeke said, taking charge. “We’ll get some shovels and the fuel.”

“Wait, where is the grave?” Miles asked.

Everyone cursed.

“I know where it is,” I told them, opening the door to the blazer. They looked at me quizzically. I wave a hand. “It’s part of Bitch Ghost’s memory download.”

They accepted that. Everyone agreed to meet at the graveyard.

“Be careful, she has enough juice to jump another person,” I warned them before we split up.

Asher, Zeke, and Ethan climbed into my blazer. My heart still racing, I took off like a bat out of hell.

“Easy there. Beautiful. We need to get there in one piece,” Ethan said, his hand on my shoulder.

“Where are we going to find shovels at this time of night?” Asher asked, his voice tense.

“We don’t have to,” I said. “There's a groundskeeper shed at the cemetery. That’s where they’ll keep the shovels.” I pulled onto the highway. “They’ll probably have a gas can with the lawnmower.” I wanted to push the pedal down, but the gauge said I was already doing ten over the speed limit. Was the gauge even right? Are we really doing sixty-five? I don’t think that’s right, it feels too slow. Tension hung in the air as I drove to the cemetery.

“How are you going to feel about this, Lexie? You don’t know where she’s going,” Asher said from the back seat.

I didn’t want to think about that, I couldn’t. Bitch Ghost was pushing things too far. It was time to push back.

“I think she forfeited that consideration tonight,” I said under my breath as I finally pulled into the cemetery.

I pulled to a stop near the groundskeeper shed. I didn’t even bother shutting off the Blazer. I was out and running to the door in a blink. The door to the shed was locked. I immediately slammed my shoulder into it. It didn’t budge. I was stepping back to do it again when hands caught me.

“Let’s have someone with a lot more mass do the breaking, huh sweetie?” Asher said, pulling me away from the door, his hands giving me a squeeze.

Zeke stepped towards the door.

Why the hell didn’t I think of that? I really needed to calm down; I focused on taking deep calming breaths as Zeke broke through the door with his shoulder. I darted into the shed behind Zeke. They grabbed the shovels while I looked for the lawn mower and the gas can. I found the can, but it was empty. I cursed.

“What’s wrong?” Ethan asked, stepping up to me.

“No gas.”

“We can siphon the gas from the truck, we just need a tube.” he said.

I looked around the shed, my eyes finding a garden hose.

“There’s a box cutter in the toolbox in the back, we can cut the garden hose,” I told him, already running out the door and to the back of the blazer.

The back gate was already open, so I jumped in and crawled to where I kept my dad’s toolbox. I opened it and found the box cutter. I ran back past Zeke and Asher who were loading the shovels into the truck. Ethan took the box cutter from me.

“Let me do it, you're shaking so much that you’ll just cut yourself,” Ethan said as he measured out the length he wanted. “We still need to dig, Beautiful. It’s still going to be awhile, calm down, or you’ll wear yourself out before we’re even done,” he told me, cutting the hose.

I nodded. He was right. I focused on taking deep, calming breaths as we all got into the truck again. I kept breathing like that as I drove to the ghost’s grave site.

Zeke looked at me confused.

“What’s wrong? Why are you breathing like that?” he snapped.

“She’s having a big adrenaline rush, I told her to calm down,” Ethan said.

Zeke just went back to looking out the window. I stopped the truck. We got out, the boys grabbing the shovels as I lead them to the grave. It was exactly where Bitch Ghost’s memories told me. It had a modest headstone. Asher used the flashlight on his keys to look at the name on the headstone.

“That’s her,” I confirmed, looking away from the name. I couldn’t think of her as having a name right now.

“Move, Ally,” Asher said.

I got off the grave as Asher and Zeke started digging. Ethan pulled me away from the grave and back to the blazer. He opened the gas cap and started explaining what he was doing. He put the hose into the gas tank, the gas can on the ground. Then he sucked on the end of the hose. It only took a few seconds, then he was spitting out a little gas and put the end of the hose into the gas can.

“Oh, that’s disgusting,” Ethan told me, making a face. “You owe me cookies for this.”

I gave him a small smile, my stomach in knots. My hands were starting to shake again. I didn’t have my beads, and she was still out there. She’s going to realize what we’re doing.

When Ethan thought we had enough fuel, he took the hose out of the tank and put the cap back on. Now that we had the gas, we both grabbed shovels and started digging. We had to get down eight feet, burn a body, and then put all that dirt back before morning.

I lost myself in the rhythm of digging; I didn’t want to think about what I was doing. I hated what I was doing. The dead should be allowed to rest, but this bitch wasn’t giving me a choice.

I wasn’t aware that the others arrived until Isaac was taking my shovel from me. I blinked up at him confused.

His eyes ran over me, his face worried.

“Go sit down, Red, I’ll take over.”

I bit the corner of my lip and looked at the others. Asher and Zeke were in the grave too, no one else would fit. They worked fast; we were already down three feet. I nodded and let go of my shovel. Isaac gave me a boost so I could climb out of the grave.

When I had nothing to do, my mind ran around in circles. Miles and Ethan stayed close by, keeping an eye out for anyone coming. This was wrong, wasn’t it? I didn’t know where I was sending this girl. But she wasn’t giving me much of a choice. Well, she was--be possessed the rest of my life or burn her body. Not much of a choice.

Without something to do, my hands started shaking again. I knew I had to do this to keep people safe from her, but it didn’t stop my stomach from knotting tightly.

I knew exactly when the ghost became aware of what we were doing. We had three feet left, and it was as if a bell was hit. Only you couldn’t hear it. I felt the vibration along my skin, I instantly knew she had another body and was heading here.

“She’s coming,” I told the guys. Miles came over to me.

“How do you know?” he asked, his voice gentle.

“I can feel her, and she’s getting close,” I said, my voice shaking. I started going over the plan I’ve been making since I was jumped. How I was going to keep her out? I went over it, again and again.

Miles took my hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

“We’re here, Lexie; you’re not alone in this,” Miles told me calmly.

It helped me calm down a bit more, knowing they were there. If she jumped me again, the guys knew what to do. I wasn’t at risk of dying in an emergency room.

“Lexie, you're freezing.”

Was I? I didn’t really notice. I was watching the roads, trying to figure out where she was coming from. Still going over my plan again and again. It helped keep the fear from crashing down on me.

Miles put my hand between both of his trying to warm it. His hands stopped rubbing. “Lexie, where are your bracelets?”

Everyone looked at me. I’d never seen fear on one of their faces before. Now I saw it on all of them.

“She broke them back at the house,” I told them, my hands shaking again.

Curses went around as the guys went back to work, digging faster. Ethan walked over to us.

“What about your necklaces?” Ethan asked.

I swallowed hard. “I used the holy water on Jason, and the other is just general protection,” I explained, squeezing Miles’ hand.

“That means she can jump you, right?” Ethan asked, his jaw clenching.

I felt her enter the cemetery.

“Yeah.” I pulled my hands from Miles looking out at the road.

“Then what the hell is the plan if she gets here before we’re done?” Ethan asked me, his voice getting low.

“I try to keep her from jumping me while you guys salt and burn her bones,” I said.

Headlights glowed on the road, the driver going too fast on the gravel.

I looked at Ethan, his face was dark. “Why do you think I’ve been so jittery this whole time?” I looked back to the road as the car made its way towards us. I recognized that car.

Ethan shouted for the guys to dig faster.

The red Ford Focus came to a sliding stop. Tara got out of the car, a snarl on her face. Oh, hell no. That bitch was not fucking with my cousin. I suddenly felt solid again, my temper boiling. It felt good right now. If the bitch wanted a fight, she was going to get one.

Tara walked around her car her eyes fixed on me.

“Salt, then burning,” I reminded them before I stepped away. “You have about twenty minutes if she gets through me.”

I met Tara’s body halfway to the road. I heard Ethan shouting at the guys, Miles' voice joining in. I didn't hear what they said; my total concentration was in front of me.

“Get the fuck out of my cousin bitch,” I growled.

She smirked using Tara’s face.

“Gladly.” She reached out to grab me; I caught her hand with mine.

The world disappeared as we went to war. Adrenaline surged as Bitch Ghost slammed her energy against me. My barriers shook. Pain burst behind my eyes as she tried brute force. I didn’t attack her. I had been thinking about this in the back of my mind since she jumped me. I shored up my barriers; I used my memories like stone blocks reinforcing the weak parts, closing them off before she could use them. I kept breathing as I ignored the pain running through my head. I pushed every emotion I had out of my head, every thought except one. Don’t let her in.

She sent wave after wave of energy at me, knocking chunks of my barrier away. I kept reinforcing it. When she backed off for a heartbeat, I wrapped myself into a ball, with a hard barrier around me. She slammed through my barriers using everything she had. I felt them like a physical snap as they broke. She poured in. She tried to pour over my soul, drowning me. I sank down in the blackness in my little ball. She thrashed above me as I sank, she couldn’t find me. She felt me, but couldn’t find me. That’s when I reached for that place inside me where my anger lived; always there, always waiting. It had been growing ever since she went after Miles; it grew when she went after Zeke. And I let it out. Hot boiling waves boiled up through her blackness, lighting her up like a torch. She couldn’t flee, she could only try to cool my rage. But you can’t use rage to stop rage. She changed tactics. She threw her happy, blissful memories around her like a geode hiding in molten rock.

I thought of the boys, how they were hurrying to save my ass. I thought of how they had adopted me and made me feel cared for again. It was a powerful memory, hard as diamond. I used that memory like a chisel, and I went a-knockin. I tore down her walls, grabbed her around the metaphysical neck, and threw her out.

I opened my eyes, gasping, my head exploding in pain. Disoriented. The world spinning. Hot wetness on my face. I couldn’t focus. I saw Bitch Ghost’s complete shock on Tara’s face, my vision watery. Then she snarled and tackled me. My back hit a flat tombstone, stunning me with pain. It gave her the opening she needed. She wrapped her hands around my throat and started to squeeze. I heard shouting around me as I tried to pry her hands off me. I felt feet running through the ground. It was disorienting… like the grass in the cemetery was my skin and I could feel everyone and everything in it. It was only a flash, and then it was gone.

I blinked up at Tara’s face.

“You fucking bitch!” she screamed at me. “You don’t deserve to live!”

A loud whoosh filled my ears. Tara’s body froze above me, a look of pure horror on her face. Her mouth was open in a silent scream as the flames ripped through Bitch Ghost’s soul. I heard her screaming, and I was screaming inside with her. With my barriers down, I felt it all; the agony, as the fire tore into us.

We were going to die, going to be wiped away. There was nothing! Black despair poured through us, shaking our bodies. Our lungs burned as we continued to be torn apart. Tears fell down our face as we felt the end coming. We saw that stone ledge in the dark above the abyss of black. We saw it coming as we burned, singed, and ripped. We tried to crawl away from it, fingers digging into the dirt. Only here the dirt was sand, and it wanted to go with you. Our hearts clenched, our limbs shook, our very souls cried out shivering and shaking as we slipped closer along the stone. Our chest clutched, our heart was slowing, our soul fading. Our feet were off the edge, dangling over that dark pit. Our hands clinging to the ledge that was sand covered rock. No, she was off the edge; she was desperately clinging to the ledge. I was laying across from her, my eyes on hers. I saw the terror in her eyes. I saw the tears, I saw her. As she was in life, as she had been. Singing in choir like an angel, helping everyone around her. I saw her at that moment. Completely, utterly beautiful and unique. There was no other like Mary Summers.

No, no, no! My heart shattered as I realized what I had done. I reached for her and grabbed her hands hard. I couldn’t let her go into that nothingness. I couldn’t. She was a soul. She didn’t deserve that black void. This was WRONG! I tried to pull her back. I pulled and pulled, but she was being sucked down into the void. Tears falling, I could barely hold on to her anymore, the pull on her was too strong. Panicking, I met her cerulean blue eyes. They were terrified. I kept trying to pull her back to this world, to keep her here. But she was fading in front of me. Her face was fading, her body, her hands in mine. I tried to keep hold of her. I kept looking her in the eye as she faded into nothing. Because no one should die alone, no one should go this way. So I held her gaze, tears falling down my face as I watched her soul die in front of me on that sandy ledge.

Then she was gone.

Not even dust remained on the hot wind blowing across the stone. Lightning cracked above me in the silence. I looked up to see the green smoke moving through the clouds. They boiled. That wasn’t right. I don’t know how I knew, but I knew that wasn’t right. I looked around the ledge of the pit; trees were dead and burnt to a crisp. That wasn’t right either. I looked up again and understood what I was seeing. Souls that cross over go up through those clouds, but nothing was crossing over.

I looked around me at the burnt and dead Veil. I saw how the dead came, like a movie playing in my head. The Veil was thin; it was supposed to allow you to come here. It was the natural order. I don’t know how I knew this, I just did. But now the Veil was thick and fogged over. I found one last clear spot just before it was poured over by fog. The Veil was shut. Souls couldn’t get inside to cross over naturally. Someone had shut them out. It’s going to take someone to let them in.

At that moment, I have never felt more hatred than I did for the one who did this. This was the reason the area was wrong, this was the reason souls had more energy. I saw it all, understood it all in a heartbeat. Then I was jerked backward, hard.

I opened my eyes not understanding what I was seeing. Stars above, something hard underneath me, my heart being shredded. A heavy weight was across me, pushing me down. I took great, big, gulping breaths, trying to ease the burn in my lungs. My throat tight. I was still seeing her eyes as she disappeared, as if she had been nothing. Like she had never loved, never laughed, never even existed.

I vaguely registered the guys pulling Tara off me. Miles pulling my upper body from the ground, his arms wrapping around me. His mouth was moving, but I couldn’t hear him.

Mary Summers had been a person, a soul. And I had wiped her from existence as if she were nothing.