Given the nature of the “Test” as Jeb put it Nate was rightfully angry. He found it was starting to become the only feeling he had as of late. Nate called their excursion for the day to a close. Jeb had no problem with this. His truck was filled with blood. Even the cheapest of people Nate knew, that being his grandfather, wouldn’t let something like that set into the flooring.

  Nate was left with half the day. A rare occasion for him. That time was being cut into by Jeb leaving him to walk back home. He used the hour of exercise back to soothe his mind. The time spent unfurling the anger laying it in the sun to dry, hopefully to evaporate entirely.

  Before his mother had passed, she’d always told him that his temper would get him into trouble. She wasn’t wrong. When he and his friends first started hanging out they weren’t even a gang. Just people who felt the world was against them.

  Their first fight, Nate could still remember it clearly. Feeling his punches land on the kids from North GAP Highschool. A rival school to the one that Kent, Mandy, and few of their other friends attended. Nate himself was to join them a year after at South Page High.

  Nate being big meant that even in middle school he was taller than high schoolers. The fights caused by this simple fact seemed never ending. Not all were bad. He’d met Kent when he got mad that Nate was taller than him. Nate had thought it an easy win but Kent was relentless. Even after pummeling him into the ground he still stood back up.

  In the end they both apologized and agreed to have it out again later. As they say the rest is history. Nate’s reminiscing ended as he came to the front of the house. He didn’t often see it during the full light of day. It was starting to look shabby, a far cry from the attention his parents used to pay it.

  Feeling like he couldn’t properly take care of anything he moved inside. Forgoing sleep or relaxation he set to cleaning the house. He couldn’t regularly afford the time to take care of anything. Now it was different. The stack of cash rested hidden in his room.

  Cleaning even though it was work felt fresh. Losing himself in a task was how Nate could take the long days and this was no different. As he finally felt hunger, having not eaten all day, he heard the sound of small shoes coming inside.

  “Nat? What are you doing here? It's so early.”

  Nate had expected Teddy to be excited but instead he was nervous. The reason was obvious as a cute girl stood next to him flashing a dimpled smile. An odd feeling passed over as he looked at her. It was not unlike when entering into the Spirit gunk.

  “Who’s your friend Teddy?”

  He kept his voice neutral. They weren’t supposed to have people over to sell the illusion that the old man lived here. He wanted to be the picture of serenity. If the girl had a ghost latched to her then he didn’t want to agitate the spirit. If she was just a normal girl. Well, he doubted that was the case but it was best to be cautious.

  “This is. Well, you know. I was going to. But then. So. Yeah. And she didn’t let me say no.”

  Teddy stuttered and stumbled with his words. Being a bad liar was endearing so long as you didn’t pull any stunts like this.

  “Hello, I am Renee Baker. My Dear has told me all about his brother.”

  Her words were warm but they held an edge to them. Nate didn’t like the way she called Teddy Dear. His mind stopped turning its gears as it narrowed down on her last name Baker.

  “Are you related to Mandy?”

  His question shocked Renee. Her mischievous smile seemed to lose some of its splendor for a moment as she re-assessed Nate. It wasn’t a name she was expecting to hear.

  “I am. We’re cousins on her dad’s side of course.”

  They had the same last name so it made sense. At the same time Nate had an odd feeling that Mandy said her dad was an only child. That same odd edge was in her words. He hadn’t been intending to go to work tonight, but Mandy would be there. He needed an answer.

  “Then welcome in.”

  Nate wasn’t going to push the issue with a child. What harm could a little girl do anyway? He prepared a small snack for everyone before returning to his work.

  The kitchen was relatively clean since they used it often enough that it got cleaned in passing. Only a few minutes was all it took for him to have had the room sparkling. Before the two kids arrived he’d long since moved through both their rooms and was elbow deep in the living room.

  Their home was large and his parents often cleaned it themselves. Each family member had a room in the house. Nate, Teddy, and their sister Janara had their bedrooms. Their mother Natalie, had laid claim to their parental suit. Blain their father had done the office up in just the fashion he liked.

  Nate didn’t dare to disturb those places. Even more than real ghosts those rooms were haunted. The memories that lay dormant there were too much for him to handle. Especially Janara’s room, her bed was so undisturbed you’d think she was still sleeping there.

  Nate stopped and peaked into her room he would check everyday. There on the bed on the other side of the room was Janara. Her sleeping figure, translucent. He felt the Paladins card in his pocket, the embossed numbers and the possibilities.

  The brothers weren’t sure when she’d appeared there. Maybe after she died. Their ability to see only came on when their father died. Each day making them clearer. By chance Teddy had gone looking for something in her room when the two had seen her.

  They could speak to ghosts, that was a fact. So trying to speak to her seemed a given. Nothing worked. Not trying to shake her or yelling, nothing. Still it was their sister the two tried to make sure not disturb her if they could help it.

  If there was any reason to find out more about spirits it was her. Even just their own ability to see them would be enough of a reason. Adding in the fact that Janara had clearly not moved on. Nate felt the weight of everything once more press down on him relentlessly. For the rest of his cleaning he was agonized by the flood of thoughts.

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  In the kitchen the kids were playing. That's what Nate believed to be going on. It was normal to think such a thing. Teddy sat across from Renee who was wearing that mischievous cat-like smile.

  “Hey, Renee. What did you do to my brother?”

  Renee’s smile froze as her eyes widened in surprise. Nate had fallen so easily to her spell and quickly at that. She didn’t think that Teddy would have noticed. It was lucky that she’d gotten it to work. With how messed up his brother was looking inside she wouldn’t be surprised if it hadn’t.

  “I just made him think about other things than us hanging out.”

  “I don’t like that. You said you’d tell Nate what you know.”

  “Dear, please. I will tell him if that's what you want. But wouldn’t it be so much better if you told him yourself. You could even say you figured it all out on your own.”

  Renee dripped sweet poisonous words into Teddy. He might be smart for his age but that was only when it came to matters of study. Renee found she didn’t even need to use magic to manipulate a child like him. She cast a gaze at his older brother.

  He was working hard, moving with a grace that most his size would have a hard time replicating. She admired how much work he was putting in to take care of Teddy. It was just a shame that he wouldn’t live long enough to see him grow up.

  “You will not place a magic spell on my brother.”

  Teddy’s demanding words were a bit of a shock. Her pushover was no longer following commands. No, she thought to herself people aren't objects meant to be used. Her own feelings bubbled up inside as she responded.

  “I won’t do it again. I promise.”

  “Then I believe you.”

  The problem of the spell out of the way. Renee began to teach a “basic” spell to him. She intended him to be useful, even if all her plans weren’t to come to fruition. The circles they’d been making in the ground were now being deployed here. After a few hours Nate left and the two were still working on the first magic.

  The magic as it was explained to Teddy was a shield or barrier. Renee told him that he wouldn’t be able to cast it, at least for now. She was determined that an assistant like him would come in handy soon. Leaving him to practice she left into the darling sky.

  The little girl went happily skipping down the road. Her pigtails swished as she went. An old song from the 1980’s came out as she hummed gleefully. Teddy was just what she’d been looking for; letting go now wasn’t an option.

  Now alone at the house Teddy looked at the scattered designs. He swallowed hard as even if she thought she was clever Teddy wasn’t that dumb. All the things she’d explained, the placement of sigils and ancient writing. Pulling up a search engine he started a deep dive into what it all meant.

  He knew she had her hooks in him but he wasn’t going to be led around so easily.

  ***

  Outside the puke green lined front doors of the Flick-and-Go paced a short, dirty looking man. Bleached blonde hair so thick with dust it turned back to its natural brown. He was chewing on his dirt laden nails, having to stop every so often to spit the soil out. Having been pacing outside he’d worn a path into the leaves. Dave had eventually come out to ask him to please stop disturbing the other customers.

  Mandy was now making it a habit to arrive before Nate. She moved to stand next to Kent. Before she could make her way to him he bee lined right at her. For a moment she thought he was coming for a fight. She’d been good in her day, but that was back then and this was now.

  To appeal to Nate she’d given up on trying to beat up people. Back then he needed someone to protect and to reign in his rage. It was odd to her as surely Kent was going to take her head off in one blow, she was thinking about Nate.

  “Where is he?”

  The sudden question and unexpected outcome threw her off balance. Kent reached out and grabbed her arm as she was about to fall. His dirty hands left palm prints on her clothes.

  “What? Who?”

  “The only person that matters at this place. Nate. He wasn’t at the worksite today. There’s no way he wouldn’t be at work.”

  “You’re lying. He wouldn’t miss work for anything.”

  The two were well aware of his work ethic. Always exactly on time, no wasted time in a day for him. This was the man afterall who would schedule which gang got to fight them. That gang wouldn’t even know till they showed up. A job was a promise to Nate and he doesn’t break a promise.

  “Did you try his house?”

  Panic creeped into Mandy’s voice. Her mind raising on where to start their search.

  “No, I came straight from work. Nate kind of told me never to come to his house. I might have slept with a neighbor of his. It would bring unwanted attention.”

  She gave him a scornful look. Did this guy ever not think with his dick? Mandy was not barred from his house, and without another word to Kent, started toward her car. If she was quick it wouldn’t even be a 10 minute round trip.

  “Don’t leave without me.”

  Kent was by her side and the fact didn’t displease her. Even if Kent was loathsome to the extreme he was loyal. It was more than she could say about the others who had abandoned them.

  “Where are we going?”

  A voice asked from the side. The two were too focused and nearly blew completely past on the way to the car.

  “We have to go check on Nate.”

  “Where?”

  “His House.”

  “But I’m not home.”

  Nate's words took a moment to register as the two looked over at him. A surprising youthful energy about him that was normally beat down by the long work of the day. Both sighed deeply, he was safe. Mandy stepped hard onto Kent’s foot, causing him to start furiously hopping.

  Rushing forward she inspected Nate from head to toe. Taking particular note that he’d grown a bit since the last time she looked this closely. His previously green dyed hair was still slowly fading, even two years later it wasn’t out of his scalp. He stopped her when she started to pull up his shirt trying to inspect his body.

  “Stop that. Does consent mean nothing to you?”

  He asked the question like it really did mean something to her. Which the both of them knew, if it did she wouldn’t still be harassing him. He gave an awkward look noticing his mistake.

  “At least get a guy a drink first.”

  Kent, hearing Nate crack a joke, stopped hopping around and now came over with Mandy. The two inspected his face long and hard for a moment.

  “Grab his arms. I’ll check him for mind control devices.”

  Kent said with all seriousness. Mandy nodded solemnly and the two tackled him. Mandy grappled his hands which she wouldn’t be able to hold. Kent went straight for the shirt worry on their faces.

  Nate for his part was incredulous. What were these two even thinking? He snatched Mandy’s wrists into one hand and used the other to grab Kent's face.

  “Can the two of you please explain to me what's going on?”