November 1 2007

Who: Mathias and Rey
Where: Babylon
When: Late afternoon

Who: Doc and Eva
Where: Eva's house
When: early evening

Who: Claire and Gabe
When: After school
Where: Gabe's house

Claire had managed to get a bunch of balloons taped to Gabe's locker before the school day started, although sadly she hadn't been able to find an embarrassing hat to make him wear either. While she had struggled to find the perfect gift for him, she was pretty sure she had done okay in the long run. She had finished his CD, and his gift was currently, well, not there yet. But she had the print out of her online order in his birthday card. She had only bought the thing after calling his mom the night before when she'd gotten home from Joshua's. Hopefully he would like it, and not find it cheesy or something. During history they had agreed to meet outside by her car once school was over, and after she got her things, she headed outside, zipping up her jacket and searching through her book bag for her car keys as he waited for him.

Gabe was glad to get out of school, where talk of the ghosts was beginning to drive him nuts. He'd under-estimated just how much he could hear and even the whispers of his classmates seemed to register as he walked through the halls. While he'd always been fine with crowded hallways, now he wanted to tell people to mind their own business and shut up. Unfortunately, he couldn't say anything since they'd barely been talking in the first place. On the up side, it was his birthday and an undercurrent of happiness seemed constant. The balloons on his locker had been a good way to start the day and he'd known they had to be from Claire. Seeing her in the parking lot, he jogged ahead to catch up to her just as she made it to her car. "Hey," he grinned. "Thanks for the balloons."

Who: Kyle and Kavin
When: Night
Where: Phonelines

Kavin realized that he hadn't talked to Kyle in what felt like forever. He knew how everyone else was handling the ghosts, at least those close to him. Gabe and Charlotte, well he wasn't talking to them at the moment, Nate he knew was okay, Jeri was sleeping in the guest bed, so he knew she was alright, and Isaac and Peyton were good too. So next on the list was Kyle, so he slipped out of the guest room and grabbed his cell, hoping it wasn't too late to call and dialing his friends number. He listened to the ringing and was half tempted to hang up, but he'd at least leave a message first.

Half expecting it to be Alexis, Kyle turned over in his bed, away from his phone to ignore it. He was watching some shitty horror movie on tv and... it was a hell of a lot better than whatever she might have to say to him. Still... after the third ring, Kyle sighed and rolled back over to snatch his phone from his table. When he saw it was Kavin, he quickly answered it and rubbed a hand over his eyes after lifting the phone to his ear. "Hey man... everything okay?" It was late, so he assumed something was going on. But if he heard the word 'ghost' he might fucking break something.

Who: Alexis and Kyle
Where: Phoneland
When: Evening

Alexis peered around the corner, then screamed before jumping back. He was still there, looking in her window, watching. Or waiting. She didn't care which. "Go away!" she yelled, then shut the curtains before backing across the room. Could ghosts walk through walls? What if he came inside? Even with the ghost out of view, she could still seem him in her mind, a bullet hole in the center of his forehead. Alexis picked up her phone, sending off a text with shaky hands. hey, are you busy? i'm home alone, kinda freaking out, and would like some company - alexis

Kyle was currently in his room, playing Gods of War on his Playstation when his phone buzzed. He paused his game and reached for it, noting immediately it was from Alexis. Frowning at her message, he replied quickly. at home. parents being all weird about me staying in. why are u freaking out? everything okay? It seemed like the weird paranoia was spreading to the entire town. He didn't quite understand it.

Who: Charlotte
When: All afternoon, some of the evening
Where: Auburn Hills, Michigan

At the very least, Charlotte had gotten used to people looking at her like she was crazy.

Who: Skye and Kyle
When: After school
Where: Skating rink

Who: Jessalyn and Madock
When: Nighttime
Where: Textyland/Phoneville

After Jessalyn was home and had eaten dinner with her family, she did the dishes with her mom and then played Candyland with her younger sister. It had been hard to concentrate, given she wanted to run up to her room and play on her cell phone, but she managed to get through the night without acting strangely and prompting her mom or dad to ask questions. She didn't want to start gushing about a boy to her parents after all. Once she got up to her room, though, she pulled her cell phone out of her bag and checked the messages, of which she had none. Setting the phone down beside her sewing machine, Jessalyn forced herself into distraction by working on the new skirt she had been making herself. That lasted about thirty minutes before she'd decided she'd had enough craftyness, and she grabbed her cell phone before crawling into bed and staring at it. Madock had said to call him, but then again he had mentioned texting too. She wasn't sure if one meant one thing, and the other another...? Did calling mean she liked him and texting mean she only liked him as a friend? And why hadn't she asked Ransom this along with everything else?

To Caleb
We're coming home - D

To Isaac
Just 2 let u know Thia & I will be back, next couple of days. -D

To Joshua
Lullaby and I are coming back. Dean

To Rose
Will be back in the country soon. Dean

Who: Dylan and Leija
Where: Via texts
When: Just before dinner time

soree i fergot abowt onr date. can we reskebule?

Who: Dylan
Where: Alden house
When: Evening

Frank was leaving. He wanted to take oldest son with him, he wanted to abandon his youngest one. At least he was leaving Dylan with somebody he’d had already met, or that was what Nate said anyway. He was right in a way, there was always that small mercy of not being left with a total stranger but that first meeting had been just a disembodied voice down a phone line. In the grand scheme of things, Dylan didn't count it at all. He didn't want Doc to be his new parent. He didn't care if the man had kids of his own or that his real dad promised to call every day (Dylan knew better than to trust that white lie anyway) and he didn’t want a new home either; he wanted his family. His family, the one he already had, not to be taken into another man's house and told the people inside were his new one.

Who: Dorian and OPEN
Where: Nevermore
When: Afternoon

For the first time since Nevermore opened, the shop seemed constantly occupied by at least one customer all day. The books on ghosts and spirits were selling like crazy, which almost made him laugh-- he'd always felt like they were the least informative of any of the books in the store. As they were mass produced, he could always get more, unlike some of his rare finds on other subjects. The customers weren't interested in other subjects, though; just ghosts. Some didn't necessarily want books, but they'd been sent there on a search for answers. Unfortunately, Dorian didn't always have the answers they wanted, but he continued to try, since knowing something was always better than nothing.

Who: Alexis and Thom
Where: The streets of Marquette
When: After school

For the first time in her life, everyone around Alexis was talking about the supernatural. Some couldn't believe their eyes, some were freaking out, but pretty much everyone had seen the same thing. She'd always thought that, if everyone knew what she knew, she wouldn't feel so alone. That wasn't the case, at least not right now. Just because they believed in ghosts didn't mean they believed in everything else. Furthermore, their belief didn't cover acceptance and talking to people who were still in denial made her even more frustrated. And panicked. When it came down to it, this wasn't what she was used to. Ghosts weren't supposed to be visible to everyone.

While she knew about the supernatural, she wasn't used to running into it on the streets. That included ghosts. Or spirits. She didn't really understand the difference. What she knew was that she'd rather not cross their paths. Alexis started walking home from school with paranoia practically coming off of her in waves as she watched for ghosts. She didn't know what they could do, but she didn't want to find out.

Who: Jessalyn and Ransom
When: After school
Where: Joey's Cafe

After school, Jessalyn practically bounded home, eager to drop her things off and talk to Ransom. She visited with her mom for a few minutes, ate an apple and dumped her things in her room before leaving again. She was distracted a bit by the ghost thing... there were a lot of cars parked at the churches she passed. A lot of people visiting loved ones in the cemetery she walked through. It was a strange situation, and yet... it wasn't the biggest thing on her mind! She walked swiftly through the cold to the little coffee shop Ransom worked at now. She knew he'd had to work after school, and she was definitely in the mood for some hot cocoa, so she was more than happy to make the trip rather than just calling him. With her jacket zipped up to her chin, her hair a bit unruly and her cheeks and nose pink from the cold, Jessalyn walked into the shop, that thankfully wasn't too busy, and headed straight for the counter to see her friend. She was beaming, smiling from ear to ear - although that wasn't unusual - and trying not to bounce too much on her toes. It was still kind of funny to see him working anywhere, let alone a cozy place like this. But it suited him. "Hello, sir! I would like one large hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles."

Who: Gabe and Skye
Where: MSHS hallways
When: Before school starts

Sometimes Skye's aunt was a little oblivious to things like schedules and nonsense like that, especially when she was off doing damage control because of ghosts. Skye wasn't processing that last bit very well, it was just maybe the last straw on her capability too wrap her head around things in general, but it did mean that she was dropped off at school way to early for even her own personal tastes. Somehow school always felt empty and echoing when there was no one in the hallways.

So Skye was kind of wandering around, feeling kind of lost and lonely and unsure of what to do in an empty school, which did have people and some of them you could see through.

Who: Breezy and Madock
When: Sometime after school
Where: The Barrow home

So there had been practice and despite the thought that it would get canceled due to the 'unexplained phenomenon' that was going on in town, Madock had gone. At least for the first fifteen minutes. Til only five guys out of the whole team showed up. He was honestly surprised that the coach himself had even showed. He'd written down the names of the few kids that came to the practice and then sent them on their way. Wasn't much a team could do when the majority of the team was MIA.

So he'd walked home. In the cold. That was just lovely, but at least it didn't take that long to get into the warmth of the house. Pulling off his jacket, he hung it up by the door and glanced around the room. It was quiet. For like five seconds before the chattering started. It was like everyone had paused long enough to see who'd arrived before turning their attention back on what they were doing. Madock shook his head and made his way towards his room and tossed his bag down in the corner. Sprawling out across the mattress and toeing off his shoes, he rested his head on his arm and eyed the ladybug on his hand that he'd yet to wash off. He wasn't even sure why. He should probably get around to that soon. He could practically hear Breezy teasing him about it now.

Who: Jessalyn and Madock
When: Around lunch time
Where: MSHS Hallways

Ghosts. Right. They were everywhere. Of course that was the most likely reason for why the school seemed so empty today. Everyone was out attending church, preparing for the world to end and Christ to come back. Or something like that. Madock wasn't at church. And he probably could have stayed home if he really wanted to, but somehow listening to the rest of his family chatter about the freakiness that was ghost infested Marquette seemed a lot worse than going to a bunch of half empty classes.

He was always distracted at school, but when there were ghosts floating about all over, it was hard for him not to be even more distracted. Enough so he didn't even see the girl in the hallway sitting on the floor with her legs out stretched. At least not until he turned his head forward again and stopped glancing out the window. By then it was too late. It all happened in slow motion. He tripped on her leg and went flying forward, hands hitting the floor with a painful sounding slap, but better his hands than his face. And that's when the apologizing started, as soon as he saw the little blonde girl. He was fine but his big feet probably hurt her when they hit her leg.

there are ghosts. I don't recognize any of them. I wonder if my grandparents will show up. and it's not just in Marquette either. it's all over, according to the news. I wonder what it means.

Who: Jeri and Kavin
When: After school
Where: School, the car, Kavin's place

Kavin didn't bother going back to school until it was about to let out. He wasn't going to make Jeri walk home in the cold, that was for sure, so he parked his car in the nearly empty parking lot and waited for her to come out. Once he spotted her, he opened his door and climbed out, lighting himself a cigarette and stuffing his lighter back in his pocket. "Hey you." he smiled as she approached the car.

Beware the Conduit

Today's news

Who: Dean and Thia
Where: his parent's house, England
When: Morning

Dean had hardly slept all night. He never slept well here, but even taking that into account, he'd hardly slept all night. Not that Thia had really been sleeping any better - she'd been tossing and turning all night and he'd finally woken her just after dawn to tell her that he was going, that he'd be back.

He'd walked for a long while, trying to get his head straight about things. About everything that had happened last night - so much had happened last night. About Andy, about his entire life to this point, about people, about everything. And about the fact that he'd sat with his back against an oak tree just down from the railway bridge and watched a ghost under the bridge. Not that the ghost was doing anything, she was just.... there, dressed in clothing that looked half a century old, a school bag over her shoulder - she couldn't have been much older than him when she'd died.

Who: Kavin and Wednesday
When: Lunchtime
Where: Back hallway doors/Outside the Orphanage

So. Ghosts! They weren't gone, which was surprising to Wednesday, since it wasn't Halloween anymore. Her mom was one of the silly people who had crowded into church that morning to pray and look for guidance from some guy who liked to preach about God and sin. As if he would have all the answers about wandering lost souls. This is what happens when you don't accept Jesus Christ as your savior, sinners! You're damned soul will be stuck in limbo, destined to be Earth bound and wander alone for centuries. Wednesday didn't know if her dad had joined her, or if he had gone into work, more than willing to pretend like nothing strange was happening around town - or the world apparently. All Wednesday knew was when she got home from school, her mom would probably thrust a rosary into her hand and ask her if she'd repented yet.

Who: Charlotte
When: All through-out the wee hours
Where: her house, the cemetery, her car

Charlotte hadn't slept. She'd tried, but her head had been too messy, and after she heard her mom go to bed, she got on the computer. She stayed there all night, clicking around for information about ghosts, and what was happening. There wasn't a lot to be found for the latter until early in the morning, but there was enough to know it wasn't going away.

Charlotte worked like a robot, not thinking, just driven by the need to know. It only occurred to her that it was morning when her mom peeked in to let her know she was leaving for church again. After she heard her mom's car pull out of the driveway, Charlotte finally removed herself from the computer. She pulled clothes out of her closet and quickly got dressed, and headed out. A few weeks ago her mom had gotten a new car and given Charlotte her old one, and now she was glad. She'd need it today.

Who: Text to Kaysen and Ransom
When: Eaaarly morning

I'm taking a road trip. I'll be back early tomorrow morning. If my mom calls either of you freaking out, can you tell her there's a note on the fridge? -Charlie

To Caleb. Sent late afternoon

Dear Caleb. I'm sorry I left without saying goodbye but I knew you'd try to stop me. I'm going to be okay now and I want to thank you for everything you did for me. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you when you told me not to come here, you were right. I'm also sorry for how much trouble I gave you. please don't come looking for me, by the time you get this I'm on a plane. I doubt we'll meet again but life is obviously stranger than I previously thought. Take care of yourself. <3 Rose