Morning kills. Not really, but it feels like it most of the time. But then there are the morning people, who wake up smiling and try to make the best of their mornings. Unfortunately, Ria Love (real name Cassandria Libesstein) is not one of these people. In fact, she absolutely loathes mornings. At least, until around ten.

The bell rings for break and Ria’s head rises from the desk. Her mind had been elsewhere during most of the class and now she could finally concentrate on her schoolwork. But, of course, it was still a Monday morning, so slow was in and sharp was out. It being a Monday morning might have contributed to her being lazy this morning. On the other hand, it may not have.

“And ten ‘o clock brings me my wonderful language class!” she chimed as she gathered her books and left the classroom, not at all paying any attention to the purple glob-like monster on the table that only she could see. When she was alone walking down the stairs, she quietly whispered, “Three years. It’s been three years since it awakened… Stupid virus.”

Later that day, during lunch, the Supernatural Investigation Organization (“Club,” in the school records) had gathered for their bi-daily meeting in the small clubroom that was found for the rather large “club.” Ria is the president of this club, and her vice president, Terry MacLeod, was absent today. Oh, she will give him hell when he comes back to school without a proper excuse.

“Tina? Prepare some Earl Gray tea today. Oh, and for sweets, I want some peanut butter and chocolate truffles. Hurry. The meeting with start in ten minutes,” Ria ordered.

“Yes, Ria. I’ll be at the cafeteria, convenient store, and back here with prepared Earl Gray tea within ten minutes!”

“Tina! Wait!”

“Yes?”

“You don’t have to go buy the sweets today; I made them during cook’s training. See Mrs. Lionel and tell her Libesstein sent you. Everything should be clear.”

“Alright. Bye!” And Tina, the organization’s “errand girl,” left in a run.

“When will the meeting start, Ria? I have a paper due tomorrow and I’ve only got an outline,” Tiffany pestered.

“It’ll be fine, it’ll be fine,” Ria reassured. Tiffany sighed.

“I don’t want such a satisfactory ‘fine.’ I want an A!”

“Don’t strive for an A, Tiffany. Settle for a B or a C once in a while. Not everyone can always get to their dreams or goals.”

“Why so pessimistic?” Mr. Tin asked and took a seat at the end of the desk Ria was sitting at. She gave a sigh and eyed the man who had spoken.

“Live a life with the black blood, Mr. Tin, and try not being in the least bit pessimistic.” Mr. Tin only chuckled and nodded his head.

“You’ve got a point, Ria. I can’t imagine what it must be like for you.” She eyed him again. “Alright, I can. But it must be more painful than what I assume.”

“Of course it’s not. Having the virus maybe unfortunate most of the time, but it’s not like I’m living in hell. I assume that lifestyle is saved for those with the virus strong in them.” Ria’s mind immediately flickered to Lance.

“Like Lance? He doesn’t seem to mind anything around him.”

“Of course not. Carriers of the virus can tone down the virus’ symptoms. In Lance’s case, he can tone it down to a bit less worse than what I see when I don’t control mine. Also in Lance’s case, he’s had the virus awakened since he was very young. To put it simply, he’s used to it all.”

“Oh, now you’re getting me interested in his background. Can you tell me more?” Ria laughed.

“If you want to know more, you’re going to have to ask him. But I will tell you something that I wish I could help with.”

“What is it?”

“Because of his stronger-than-average virus symptoms, not only has it been awakened since he was young, but he’s had to deal with it pretty much on his own. He shoulders most things he doesn’t want to deal with. This makes him difficult.” Mr. Tin seethed through his teeth and laid back in his seat.

“Too bad you caught yourself, Ria.”

“Shut up, Mr. Tin.”

“Agh, fine.”

“Here’s your tea, Ria,” Tina said and laid down the tea-filled delicate china. Ria waved her hand in Tina’s direction and Tina began to serve the tea to everyone as they slowly took their seats at the collective of desks in the center of the room. Then the sweets were handed out.

“Monday’s Supernatural Investigations Organization meeting has now begun. Everyone drink your tea and eat your sweets. MacLeod isn’t here today as of yet, so we will start without him.” Everyone clapped. “I would like to start off--” The door suddenly opened and in walked Terry MacLeod, soaked from head to toe.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” he said hurriedly and closed the door behind him. Everyone watched as he walked to the front of the small room, took of his jacket, and hung it on the coat hanger, water droplets falling from the bottommost points of the jacket.

“Why the hell are you so late, MacLeod? And why are you soaked?” Ria demanded.

“I’m sorry. I’m late because I was getting our next investigation; it was in Scotland. I’ve filled out all the forms and written the Opening Report,” he explained as he took out the agenda from his bag. Terry looked over the schedule for the day and sighed. Ria made a cough, signaling for him to start. Terry sighed again and nodded his head. “I’ll start the meeting.”

“Good. Begin.” Ria sipped her tea and ate her sweets, knowing exactly what was on Terry’s schedule by heart.

“Today’s meeting will start off with a few words from our president, Ria Love.” Terry sat at an end of the front desk, across from Mr. Tin, and continued to skim over the schedule, making small changes in pencil here and there. Ria smiled, set the teacup down, and stood.

“I would like to congratulate the members of the organization on last week’s case. It took us a month long, our grades sure dropped, but we managed to finish it with at least a happy ending. Mr. Tin is currently still working on getting certain assignments we missed an omit, and General Love is very proud of your achievement. Good work, everyone.” And then she sat down, picked up the teacup, and began to sip her Earl Gray calmly.

“Yes, yes. Good work on last week’s case,” Terry said and stood up to continue the meeting. “To continue, I need to collect all your perspectives on our last case in order to complete the report for General Love. Your perspectives are due next meeting, but the deadline is this Friday. President, Lance, and I will be traveling to Oxford University to meet with General Love in person for the long weekend.”

“Jackson, I encourage you to come with us this time. Try to get some money by this Friday,” Ria suddenly said. Jackson and the mass of the club gave their president an odd look for a moment, but when she didn’t elaborate, they released their gazes back to Terry.

“Our next case, based in Scotland, will start next Wednesday. I’ve planned ahead two weeks after the investigation begins so please be prepared for at least a two week long absence from your daily activities.” He went to the front of his agenda and took out a stapled few sheets of paper. “This is the Opening Report for this case.” He flipped through the sheets, skimming over them, and decided to not read the whole report. “I’ll give you the case in brief. Sightings of a demon girl in eastern Scotland have been reported. It was first suggested on our organization’s forum in the middle of our last investigation and I decided to check it out the weekend we all came just from. I interviewed a few residents of the area and a couple that have claimed to have seen her. Referencing from the diary left behind by President’s great grandfather, everything seems to check through. It is indeed a demon. I didn’t do much while I was there except take interviews and set around a few smoke bombs to defuse away the demon’s optional food source. The rain yesterday evening and this morning was unusually heavy and thick. My guess is that it was caused by the demon. The smoke bombs I had set off are probably gone by now, so when we get there next Wednesday be prepared to enter a ghost jungle.” Terry sat down and was given tea from Tina. He sipped it carefully. “President now has an announcement to end today’s organization meeting.“ Ria rose and smiled proudly.

“We will be receiving a new member next Tuesday. She’s a senior and will be a transfer student just because of this club. I won’t tell you her name, nor will I tell you what she looks like. She will be introduced to all of you the day she arrives. Be sure to treat her nicely, okay?” Everyone had something to say about the new girl, both negative and positive.

“Prez, why is she transferring only because of this group?” Samuel asked.

“I asked her to. No, I lied. I didn’t ask her, General Love did. She’s an acquaintance of mine, though, and I wanted her to work with us, so I got General Love to ask her.”

“Is that all?” Tiffany asked hopefully. Ria chuckled and nodded her head. Tiffany immediately rose and walked out of the room. “See you guys Wednesday!” she said as she left, being sure to close the door behind her. Terry dismissed the club and sat down in his seat, along with Ria, as the members except the college correspondents, Delilah and Aster, left the room.

“Good afternoon, Delilah, Aster,” Ria greeted as she took the Opening Report from the desk and began to look it over.

“Hey, Ria. I have a question,” Aster asked.

Without looking away from the report, Ria said, “Go.”

“We’re getting a new member. However, we only have eight desks. It was a pinch to fit a big enough front desk for you, Terry, and Mr. Tin. How are we going to have another member desk?” Ria looked up at Aster with only her eyes.

“Simple. We have only one college correspondent. You and Delilah switch after one week so that it’s fair. Good enough answer for you, former classmate?” Aster half smirked.

“Good enough for me, failure student.”

“Shut up about that, you peacock!” Aster shoved his hands up defensively and Delilah crossed her arms, looking disappointed.

“Okay, okay. I’ll zip it. As long as you do me a favor?”

“Go.”

“Fuck Fred again and I’ll shut up.” Mr. Tin, Terry, and Delilah all stiffened.

“Shut the fuck up about that!” Ria snapped. “It was the virus on the line. The virus is the one thing we have against the supernatural. You poking fun at me making it continue makes it sound bad. And anyway, it wasn’t my choice, it was my uncles.” Aster sighed.

“Sure, sure. You enjoyed it, though, right?”

“Hey, Aster, go fuck a duck.”

“You can be such a douche bag, Aster,” Terry said, glaring up at the college student.

“Shut up, little prez,” Aster snapped. Mr. Tin rose.

“There was a mutual understanding between Cassandria and Fredrick. They both knew the responsibilities they had by being carriers of the black blood virus. General Love knew, all too well what could happen if Fredrick had gotten sick and died.”

“Of course. Because at the time Fredrick was a sickly man. It was Ria’s child that helped him out,” Terry helped elaborate.

Ria sat in her chair, listening to Mr. Tin and Terry help defend and explain herself and the reasons for her actions. Aster was about to say something but Delilah finally intervened.

“I think that’s enough for one day, wouldn’t you say, President?” Ria looked up through her lashes at Aster and Delilah and then down at the papers on her desk.

“I have no reasonable choice except to agree with you, Delilah.”

“Shut up, Ria.”

“No, you shut up, Aster. I can’t believe you today. Let’s go pick up Jamie now and leave these high school students to their schooling,” Delilah said and started dragging Aster away. He couldn’t fight against Delilah, he just couldn’t. “See you Wednesday, guys! Bye, Ria!” And then she closed the door. The two college freshmen were in a hallway full of high school students.

“So, to pick up Jamie?” Aster asked, in a completely different mood now that he left the room and was with only Delilah.

“Yep.” The two began to head for the front exit.

“Thank god. I want to get out of this school. I’ve had enough of it. Don’t know why you agreed to us helping the bitch out with her stupid, childish ‘Supernatural Investigation Organization.’”

“Ha! You think it’s stupid and childish? I think it’s quite mature for Ria to be the president of such a thing. Last I remembered of her was that she was a rude bitch who didn’t give a crap for anything. Then suddenly on the first day of school she calls us up and asks us to be college correspondents to her organization against the supernatural. And she can handle the task of being a leader, finally. I think that’s an amazing transformation over just two months.”

“That’s what you think. I believe she’s just putting up a façade, and is still that same bitch deep down.”

“Well, actually, she probably is still a bitch deep down. We’ve seen evidence of this today, but she’s matured well from when we last saw her. I don’t believe she has a façade.” Aster became passive.

“Sure, sure. Believe whatever the hell you want, and I will too. Let’s keep it like that.” Delilah sighed, defeated with the act of not caring anymore. The two college students climbed into Aster’s car and then drove to Jamie Ashton’s school, Lynnette Ladybug School for Young Ladies. Obviously an all girls school.

When Aster and Delilah reached Jamie’s school they got out of the car and went in the school to wait in front of Jamie’s classroom. The two college students sat on the only bench next to the classroom. They were the first of the “adults” to pick up the children.

The bell rang and the little girls were released from their classes. Out of one in particular came Jamie Ashton, the child medium for the Supernatural Investigation Organization.

“Delilah! Aster! Good afternoon. How are you two today?” the twelve year old girl asked, trying to be as mature as she could. Aster held back a chuckle.

“It was good. There was a meeting at the high school’s lunch time today,” Delilah explained. Jamie frowned.

“At lunch? I had hoped it would be after school so I could attend.”

“You didn’t miss that much, honestly. Ria and Terry talked about our last case, and then Terry did some briefing on our next case. It’ll start next Wednesday and will be in eastern Scotland.”

“Oh. How long?”

“At least two weeks, Terry had planned. It may take longer, perhaps. Personally, I think so.”

“Why do you say that, Delilah?”

“We’re dealing with a demon.” Silence came over Jamie and she frowned as she climbed into the back seat of Aster’s car. “Don’t worry at all, Jamie. We might actually need you.”

“Don’t joke, Delilah. I’m a spirit and ghost medium. I’m not meant for demons. And plus, I don’t think Ria would allow me to tag along this time on account of us knowing it’s a demon from the beginning.” Aster stayed silent and started the car.

“You’re right about some things. I think Ria is mature enough to go to someone for help when she needs it. She might hesitate to call you, though.”

“Yeah, probably. After all, I’m not needed if cat boy and Ria are there.” Delilah was puzzled for a moment.

“Cat boy? You mean Lance?”

“Yeah.” The two college freshmen burst out laughing.

“He’s not really a cat boy, Jamie! His virus symptoms are stronger than average, so he can change into a supernatural being.” It was hard for Delilah to explain between laughs and giggles.

“Okay! My mistake! The folly was my own.”

“It was a mistake easy to make. You’ve only met Lance once and it was when he was in that form. You only know about him as much as you hear us talk about him.” Jamie pouted, crossed her arms, and looked out the window. Delilah turned around in her seat. “Here, how about I try to get you and Lance to meet again? Maybe even get a whole day together?” Jamie’s face brightened.

“Yeah! I’d like that.” Aster coughed and Delilah grimaced.

“Although, you know, Ria will probably be with you two,” Delilah continued. Jamie shrugged and continued smiling.

“That’s not a problem. I like Ria when she’s nice, and she’s nice around Lance.” Delilah sighed.

“So you’ve noticed, too?”

“Honestly, Delilah, who hasn’t?” Aster interjected.

“I figured Jamie was a little slow socially.”

“She’s obviously not. Look at the people she spends most of her time with. Who are they?” Reluctantly, Delilah answered.

“Adults and older kids.”

“Exactly. She has no choice but to be up to speed with the rest of us unless she wants to be ridiculed. She knows this and has molded herself to us.” Jamie actually nodded along with what Aster was saying.

“He’s right. After General Love talked to me, I was drawn to the idea of working for an organization that investigates the supernatural, so I impulsively agreed to help. I hadn’t thought about what I was putting myself into.” Delilah faced forward again, a slight smile on her face.

“Smart kid.” Aster and Jamie both smiled brightly at their achievement.

“Do you want to go get ice cream, Jamie?”

“Yeah!”

“Aster, we’re supposed to be saving money for the trip next week,” Delilah chided.

“Who cares? We both know the school can cover whatever we can’t pay.”

“It’s not the school that pays, Aster! It’s the money we receive from our work at the organization.”

“What do you two mean?” Jamie felt left out. Delilah sighed.

“We get paid with every finished job we do. But because we’re just a club according to the high school’s records, we can’t necessarily get paid for stuff we do. Instead, we ask they make a donation. This way, we can pay for all the things we need like the travel fares, hotel accommodations, and other miscellaneous things,” Aster explained.

“Did you think we do all this stuff for free, Jamie?” The girl nodded. “Well, anyway, I guess we can go for ice cream. Not like it’s going to make us completely broke. We’ll have to hurry, though, because I start work in a few hours.” Jamie perked up.

“Where do you work?”

“I work at a local store near the high school. I’ve had it for a little while but my shifts always kept changing. I think the one I’m on now is quite permanent.”

“If it is permanent it’ll let me relax a bit. I won’t have to worry about you going on night shifts ever again.” Jamie clicked her tongue, sounding disappointed. Delilah stared at Aster awkwardly, and soon Aster found his error. “I didn’t mean that, Jamie! I meant that I care for Delilah a lot and I don’t like it when she has to change her whole sleeping schedule for her work. It does bad stuff to her internal clock.” The girls laughed.

“I love you, Aster. Very much,” Delilah laughed and pecked Aster on the cheek. His face became a bit hot, but it wasn’t really noticeable.

“You two are always so cute,” Jamie suddenly said, trying to heat up the moment.

“Shut up, kid!” Aster shouted, making the girls laugh more. For the rest of the drive to the ice cream parlor near Big Ben, Aster was silent, not even testing the waters once.

Ria leaned against the red 2005 Cadillac Sedan in the teacher’s parking lot, her book bag held loosely in her hands and an unhappy expression on her face. Mr. Tin came from the nearest school doors and walked towards Ria.

“Hey, Ria. Ready to go home?” She nodded silently. Mr. Tin frowned. “What’s the matter?”

“I’m failing biology.”

“Ooh, bad Cassandria. I thought you do your homework.” He climbed into the car and unlocked the passenger side so Ria could get in.

“Not really…”

“Then what do you do up in your room?”

“Stuff…” He started the car and then things clicked for Mr. Tin.

“You’re the one who’s been sneaking into my library! You leave all my history books open there. You see, this is a bad thing. I knew a student shouldn’t live with a teacher.”

“Oh, Mr. Tin, everything’s been cleared already. You’re my only legal guardian.”

“Not really. It’s all been setup perfectly thanks to your uncle.”

“General Love didn’t really do anything.”

“Like disregarding all rights he has to you is something small. Please, Cassandria, think more. Can’t you imagine the thoughts he was thinking those first few months after your parents died?” The car ride suddenly became darker.

“Yes, I can imagine. But that was something he had to do or else things wouldn’t work out the way they should have.”

“Like you having a baby at age fifteen?”

“It was for the life of the virus! You even defended me during today’s meeting. You know exactly what happened and how everyone was feeling at the time.” Mr. Tin breathed calmly and then the silence ensued. “Honestly, Mr. Tin, is this all relating back to me failing biology and me sneaking into your library?” Silence. Ria sighed. “Jerk.” Mr. Tin chuckled.

“Terry, like this?” Trinity asked and showed Terry what she was doing.

“Yes, like that. And remember, stir in only one direction. You’re going counter-clockwise right now, so you’ll have to keep going like that.”

“Ooh, okay.” A few hours later, the two of them had baked a chocolate cake, chocolate chip muffins, and vanilla cupcakes. “Do you think Ria and Lance will like these?”

“For sure! Ria loves vanilla and chocolate and lance likes muffins. Although he prefers blueberry… I’m sure if the two of them are enjoying this together he’ll eat whatever she eats. I’m very sure of this,” Terry said matter-of-factly.

“How about Jackson? He doesn’t usually like sweets…” Terry’s smile stopped and he began to think.

“You’re right. But he does have a weakness! The chocolate that most people don’t like. Can you guess?”

“Um, dark?”

“Exactly!” he shouted and began to look through the cupboards for dark chocolate.

“How long have you been with these people for, Terry?”

“You shouldn’t call them ‘these people.’ Just a friendly reminder, if you said that in front of them, they’d think a lot less of you. And to answer your question, I’ve been with most of them since early elementary. The ones I’m not too sure of are Ria, Tina, and Samuel.”

“Why is that?”

“A-ha!” Terry came out of the pantry. “I met them during high school. It was Samuel, Tina, then Ria last year.”

“Oh…”

“You’re very new, Trinity.” He smiled. “And you’re cute, so I’m sure you’ll make a lot more friends outside of the organization. Perhaps when we go to Portree?” Trinity stopped fiddling with the wooden spoon and stared at Terry for a moment.

“Portree? Is that where we’re going for our next investigation?”

“Yes.”

“When will you be telling the others?”

“I was planning on doing it next meeting, so Wednesday.”

“Terry?”

“Yes?”

“What are you planning to do with that dark chocolate?” There was a short, awkward pause.

“I’m not sure. I was actually thinking of just giving it to Jackson, but that’s not really thoughtful, is it?”

“Why not melt it down and make a box of chocolates! It may not be as original, but it’s certainly more custom than the chocolate shaped as a bar.” Terry looked at the chocolate in his hands and then set it on the counter.

“Good idea, Trinity. Very thoughtful,” he praised and then pecked her on the cheek, to which her cheeks went red and she tried to hide her face. “Don’t hide it, I think it’s cute.” And then he smiled.

Heavy books fell onto a cherry wood table. The books were then flipped furiously open to certain pages and then notes were taken from the books to lined pieces of paper in a notebook. They were written in a notoriously popular purple ink.

“Tiffany, why do you follow the trends and use the purple ink?” Fiona asked, flipping through a gun magazine. Tiffany scoffed.

“I use it because I like it. I’ve been using purple ink since before the trend and I hate how now it’s suddenly in… Now leave me alone, I’m doing research on Scotland and demons.”

“Why so up about it? Have we not dealt with demons before?”

“We have, gun gal. Our first case,” Jackson said irritably and slumped in a seat across from Tiffany. Fiona glared up at Jackson and flew the gun magazine on the table. “Handguns Magazine? Doing some shopping soon?”

“As a matter of fact, I will be going shopping soon. Not for guns, though. School supplies.” Jackson frowned and crossed his arms.

“When are you going? You going with Sam?”

“It’s Samuel. He doesn’t like it when people call him Sam. And no, I’ll be going with the bookworm here as soon as she’s finished with her little ‘research.’” Jackson sat up and lifted the book Tiffany was working with enough to see the cover.

“She’s doing research on Scotland? Let me guess, it’s for our next mission?” Fiona nodded. “Tiff, really, I think Terry will do more research than you and Tina put together could ever gather. He’s an efficient man.”

“Yes, yes, I know.”

“And you know he’ll probably brief us about Scotland before we get there.” Tiffany glared up at Jackson through her lashes before sighing and closing all the books on the table.

“Our first case was back at the beginning of the school year, from around late August to the middle of September. We were going up against a demon, but when we accepted the case, we thought it was only a little poltergeist. After a few days of trouble, Jamie Ashton declared it was not a ghost, but a demon. Most of our hearts sank and at the time, many of us didn’t know if we’d be let out alive, let alone finish the case. But our president, Ria, brought out the best in us and we managed to bid the demon a happy farewell. Thanks to Ria’s black blood virus’ supernatural symptoms, we were able to drive away the demon and all it’s lasting effects that would’ve driven that family mad.

“Compared to Ria, what Terry does is nothing, and he knows it. It’s the only drive that he has to be the best he can be. All organization leaders have something special about them that makes us need them, but Terry is just a normal man. Him and I are about the same in smarts, but he is the one with a lot more on the line if he messes up, so he does a better job than what I could ever do. This is Terry.” Tiffany went back into her books and Jackson clapped his hands. “I’m trying to be his replacement.”

“Very good, Tiff. You’re such a nerd. Come on, Fiona. I’ll go shopping with you instead of the bookworm.” Fiona had on a passive smile and she stood.

“Fine by me. If Tiffany here wants to be the new vice president, then so be it. Let’s let her at least try.” And then Fiona and Jackson left the school library.

For a while, there was silence except for the sounds of Tiffany’s pen making marks on paper. She sighed, then, and relaxed into a slouch. “To beat Terry, and to relish in Ria’s praise. This is what I wish, indeed.”

It’s three hours past midnight. The moonlight was bright for only a last quarter and the only noise came from televisions left on, writers with articles due the next day, and the occasional person that woke up from a frightening dream, wondering where the fear came from. Our SIO president is one of those people.

The duvet cover was first to be roughly pulled off, followed by a thin quilt, and then out Ria came from her warm and comfy bed into the chilly house at night. She wiped the beads of cold sweat form her face with her clammy hands and rushed to her washroom, where she immediately flicked on the light and went for the toilet, where she proceeded to vomit the last meal she had had. Violent shivers were sent through her body and she coughed a few times. Too exhausted to go back to her bed, she wrapped herself up in the nearest towel and laid her back against the shower glass, still coughing.

Ria’s eyes went in and out of focus and her head bobbed with tiredness. A soft knock came from what she thought was her bedroom door. She did not bother with speaking or any movement. She continued to lay against the shower glass, dazed. A few minutes pass and a sliding sound came from her room. At once, Ria knew who it was and crawled to the washroom door to close it before the person got there. But her being sick made her slow and she did not make it in time. The man had entered the washroom and laid eyes on Ria’s pathetic body.

“Ria,” he whispered and bent down to look at her more closely. But she frowned and turned her head away, her back arching with the pain from the contortions her stomach was still making despite there being nothing left to throw up. He raised his hand and rubbed her back, trying to help her some way. “Ria.”

“What?” she spat, still not facing him.

“Look at me.” The man’s voice was calm and gentle, no where close to the orders Ria often shouts out.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Why not, but why do so?”

“I want to see your face.”

“No.” Ria roughly stood and wandered back to her bed, careful to not look at Lance.

“Ria, I’m sorry I’m late. There were things that held me back,” Lance apologized. Ria coughed again and sat in her bed.

“The window,” she muttered and at once Lance went to the window and slid it close and made sure the shades where together. No one could see outside anymore. Finally, Ria raised her head and showed her frown to Lance. “What was outside the window…”

“Shh, shh…” Lance cooed and sat next to Ria’s sick body. “I won’t let it make you sick anymore.” He wrapped his arm around Ria’s shoulders and pulled her to him protectively. Slowly, Ria smiled.

“I’m tired.” Ria’s voice was weak, now, and her stomach still felt queasy. Swiftly, Lance set Ria in her bed and laid the covers over her.

“Sleep is the best cure for tiredness,” he said matter-of-factly. She looked straight into Lance’s eyes and he smiled slyly. “Of course, President.” He laid down next to Ria on top of the covers and wrapped his arms around her. She smiled and her hand raised to pet the black cat ears on Lance’s head. He sighed and she giggled. But then suddenly her frown came back.

“Lance, why do those certain monsters always come to me?” It was Lance’s turn to frown, now.

“I don’t know. Maybe it has something to do with your parents death? Didn’t you say the monsters have been visiting you ever since your parents died?” Ria nodded. “Then maybe it has something to do with them? Do you want to talk to General Love about it this weekend?”

“I don’t know. My parents and General Love weren’t particularly close. They did work on different aspects of the supernatural, didn’t they?”

“Yes, they did. Your parents’ reports on the supernatural are all very accurate and precise. I love reading them, too. It makes me feel like I know them because I know you.” Ria shifted to cuddle her arms to her stomach.

“I wish you could have met them.” Lance chuckled very lightly.

“I wish I could have, too. If they were still alive, the latest years of your life wouldn’t be so hectic.”

“I’m alright… with it.” Ria yawned and rubbed her eyes, which were now burning.

“Why haven’t you drifted off to sleep, yet?”

“Because I love the feeling of being in your arms too much.” Lance raised an eyebrow.

“Do I have to leave?” Ria grabbed desperately onto Lance’s shirt.

“Please don’t go. I’ll go to sleep.” Lance’s grip on Ria tightened and he kissed the top of her head.

“I wouldn’t leave this house. I’ll always be here, watching you in some way. To make sure none of those ruthless monsters you’re allergic to come back.”

“Thank you, Lance.”

“You’re welcome, Cassandria.” Slowly, Ria’s eyes began to droop and she became weary of her surroundings. Finally, she left to sleep. “Ria, as long as the virus is strong in me, I will always drive away the bad monsters. And as long as I may live, I’ll always watch over you in some way.”

“Wednesday’s Supernatural Investigation Organization meeting will now begin,” Terry said and started handing out sheets of paper. “Please look over this permission form and get your parent or guardian to sign it. This will let you travel with us. If you choose not to work on this case for any reason, please hand back the sheet and resign from the organization.” No one paid attention to Terry as they read over the form he had handed out. Ria smiled and brought her hands together.

“To make this case all the safer, our resident supernaturalist, Lance, our teacher sponsor, Mr. Tin, and child medium, Jamie Ashton, will be joining us. Also helping us will be our new member, who’s arriving next week,” Ria said and then sipped her tea.

“Really? I can come?” Jamie asked enthusiastically. She briefly looked at the college members and then back at Ria, who nodded.

“Yes, Ashton. You’ll be coming with us to help channel the demon’s optional food sources, ghosts.”

“Oh, Vice-President, they don’t like to be called ‘ghosts.’ They prefer ‘spirits’ or ‘the deceased.’” Terry bowed.

“Of course. Always respect for the supernatural.” There was a short awkward pause. Ria looked at Terry, expecting him to continue, and then Terry looked at the people in the room.

“Well?” she said rudely.

“Right. I’ll now go over where we are headed next Wednesday.” Terry walked to the back of the room, where the bulletin and white boards were, bringing with him a rolled up map. He pinned it up hurriedly and went back to the front of the room. With a laser pointer, he rested the red dot on a small port town named Portree, in eastern Scotland. “We’ll be traveling to Portree, Scotland, on the Isle of Skye. It’s a modern fishing town. We’ll be staying at the Royal Hotel on Bank street. It’ll be ninety-nine pounds per room, per night. This comes with bed and breakfast. You pay for the first two weeks that I’ve planned, and then after that the city pays for our services if it takes any longer than that. The organization will help pay for whatever you can’t, but please don’t abuse this service or else you will be exiled.” Terry brought out a stack of papers and started handing them out to everyone. “Here is a list of fees with a total at the bottom. Pay whatever you can and then we’ll take care of the rest. Like last time, give your payment of money to either President, Mr. Tin, or I.”

“Very well done, MacLeod. You’ve done your research,” Ria praised and then stood. “Meeting dismissed. You can all go home now,” she said and then sat down again. Everyone stood and began to leave.

“I’ll clean up the teacups today,” Tina said and began to go around the small room with a tray, collecting the delicate china and small platters for the sweets.

“You made the green tea right, today, Tina,” Ria said as Tina took away the teacups on the front desk.

“Thank you, President,” Tina said and blushed. Then Ria remembered.

“Terry.”

“Yes?”

“Go catch up with Jackson. See if he’s coming with us this weekend to Oxford. If not, tell him he has to,” Ria continued. Terry sighed before setting down his things and leaving the room.

“That was a bit harsh, Cassandria,” Mr. Tin said as he put away a few papers into his black leather bag. Ria shrugged.

“The thought of being harsh is irrelevant to Jackson accompanying Lance, Terry, and I to Oxford.”

“Do you really not see the connection or are you just saying that to sound fancy?” Mr. Tin asked. Ria shrugged and stood, putting on her coat.

“A bit of both. Tina, stay here until MacLeod comes back. Phone me when you get home to tell me Jackson’s situation. Mr. Tin and I are leaving now.”

“Alright, Ria.” Tina always effortlessly did whatever Ria told Tina to do.

“See you tomorrow, Tina.” And then Ria left with Mr. Tin towards the teacher’s parking lot.

“Hold this,” Mr. Tin suddenly said and held out his leather bag. Sighing, Ria took it, and Mr. Tin quickly put on his jacket before taking back his bag. “So what’s up?”

“I can’t believe you asked me that, Mr. Tin.” Ria’s voice was exasperated. Mr. Tin laughed.

“No, I didn’t really mean those words. But I do want to know what’s going on.”

“Like?”

“Monday night. What happened? The night maid told me she heard you again. Did Lance not come?” Mr. Tin asked, worried. Ria shook her head.

“No, he did come. Lance was late, so I went to sleep without him that night. It just so happened that the monster showed up again.”

“You really have to find a way to get a monster repellant besides Lance.”

“I don’t keep Lance around just to keep those monsters away.”

“That boy is nice, but I’m not sure if I completely put my faith in him.”

“I do, so you should, as well.”

“Don’t you wonder why Lance’s black blood is so strong? Doesn’t it make you think who his parents are?” Ria crossed her arms and glared out the passenger window.

“It does make me think exactly that, but I can’t openly ask him. I can’t be rude.” Mr. Tin laughed.

“You’re rude to most people.”

“Lance is different. We’re the same.”

“That’s only what you think. He’s the one who has to deal with a lot more than you could ever handle.” Ria was silent for a moment, thinking about what to say very deeply.

“I think… Lance is very special to me--”

“Even more special than what Azrael is to you? Because you seem to pay more attention to him than you do your own son.”

“He’s living with his father and his great uncle, Gen. Love. Is there something wrong with that?”

“A child should grow up with a mother around.”

“I can never give that to that child. There is too much around for that.” Mr. Tin was about to say something but Ria continued. “I know I sound like I’m deliberately neglecting my own child, but in truth it’s not simply that. I have to prioritize my life right now because it’s in chaos. Thanks to the virus, my life has been very hectic. Too hectic to pay enough attention to my son. That is why Fredrick is there. His father should be a stronger pillar than what I could ever be.”

“No, no, no. You’re thinking of this very wrongly. You’ve a very strong girl, Cassandria. A lot stronger than you may think you are. How many fifteen-year-old girls would listen to their uncles and have sex to their father’s best friend? How many? You knew the reason behind it and it was meaningful to you.” There was a short pause where Ria stared at Mr. Tin, horrified. “Not the sex, I meant the reason why you were having sex and the meaning behind having a child.”

“I’m unworthy of bearing a real child until I’m twenty--”

“Which is only in a year or so. You’re eighteen, now, and turn nineteen in a few months…” Ria moaned.

“Don’t think of Lance and I being together. The elements aren’t right for that.” Mr. Tin rolled his eyes.

“It’s all in your head, Cassandria. You and Lance are a lot more cozy together than you think you two are.”

“Shut up.”