I wrap my jacket around myself and walk over to the bench, sitting down. It's a particularly windy day today. I shiver and blow into my hands to keep them warm.

"Cold?"

I look up to see Jay. I nod, rubbing my hands and trying to stop my teeth from chattering at the same time. "Why don't we go to my house?" Jay suggests.

"Okay." I get up, "Let's go. I've been itching to see the twins, anyway."

"Honestly?" Jay frowns at me.

I giggle conspiratorially and shake my head, "Pulling your leg. But I did want to see them."

"Why? I was thinking they'd have put you off by now. It has been twenty four hours, hasn't it?" Jay looks thoughtful.

I roll my eyes and say, "Yes, it has but they're not as bad as you think, Jay."

Jay sputters, "What?! Did you actually say --- Whose side are you on?"

I roll my eyes again, "I'm on the side of freeing myself from Trevor!"

"Right." Jay clears his throat, "Back to the subject of putting Trevor to peace. You said you've talked to him?"

"Yeah, I talked to him quite a few times. He was a friend and I started trusting him along the way. I became dependant on our visits because he understood me in a way no one else did. Do you get me?"

"I think I do." Jay nods and then looks at me, "Can I ask you something?"

I shrug.

"How did your parents' death affect you, as a daughter?" Jay asks.

"I'm different. I'm someone else entirely. I don't... I can't sleep in peace, I dream the most horrible dreams about death. Their death, to be honest. I'm not a normal person, I never have been a normal person. I find myself now, so insecure. I guess I'm just yearning for mom to hold me or dad to squeeze my hand like he did all the time." I say, forcing the tears back. We used to be the perfectly happy family, everyone in the neighbourhood loved Mom and Dad. We would constantly have guests round for no reason at all and Mom was famous for her cooking. They were both adored and I've been told countless times that the neighbourhood grieved as if they'd lost their parents as well. Mom and Dad meant so much to so many people.

"Hey, do you know what?" Dad suddenly bursts, as we accelerate round a tight corner. "What?" I immediately respond, my eyes lighting up as they always do when Dad has a suggestion to make. Mom just rolls her eyes and sighs, "No more races with SUVs on the highway, John."

"Okay." Dad sighs, slumping his shoulders. I chuckle. Dad clears his throat, "Actually, I was thinking we should eat out. You know, save you the trouble of cooking us a late tea."

"Oh, right." Mom looks surprised that Dad has said something faintly sensible for once, "Yeah, we should. Do you know what I'm thinking?" Mom's face lights up as she turns to Dad expectantly. "Valentine's Day?"

"Exactly. That take out was amazing." Mom giggles and Dad gives her a wink. Hhhmmm. Seems as if the take out wasn't the only thing that was amazing. But let's just pretend I didn't see that. I look out of the window as Dad turns left. There's the sharp sound of air whistling and then I'm being pelted around the car, my body being twisted into strange positions. It's as if I'm flipping over... no, the car is flipping over. We forgot to put our safety belts on, that's why we're being thrown around like a rag doll in a cardboard box. I cry out in pain as a shard of glass lodges itself in my lower leg. I hear mom's screams and Dad's horrendous cries of agony as we roll to a stop... upside down. I feel a hot, sticky, liquidy substance running down my cheek.

Everything is blurry. I crawl out of the car and reach down for the shard of glass, hot tears of pain rolling down my cheeks as I pull it out of my leg. It's pitch black. I can't see a thing. I look around, trying to make out Mom and Dad's shapes in the blackness. Then I see them as my eyes adjsut. Blood splattered and pummelled to bloody pulps, they both start dragging themselves closer to each other, a hand outstretched to meet the other.

One last attempt at unity.

I try to get up and go over to them, try to tell them it'll all be okay. Tears are streaming down their faces; I've never seen them filled with so much grief. Then they stop moving altogether. They lay there, their faces slack, glassy eyes wide open, hands motionless, outstretched to each others'. Dead. "NO!" I screech, "Mom! Dad!" I struggle against everything, I try to stay awake. Fatigue weighs me down and I slump to the ground, unconscious...

I gasp and my eyes fly open. Jay is leaning over me, concern tainting his face. Jay sighs and then helps me to sit up, "Are you okay?" I look around, suddenly conscious of the small crowd encircling us. Jay looks up at them accusingly and they all disperse pretty quickly. I just had a replay, I realise. When Linda visited and asked me whether I'd had any replays, this is what she meant. I don't just dream about my parent's death, I faint and go through the whole experience all over again as well. "Are you okay?" Jay asks me again, just in case I hadn't heard him the first time around.

"Yes." I reply curtly and stand up with what little dignity I have left, "I'm fine, thank you for asking."

"What happened to you?" Jay asks, his face streaked with tame terror.

"It's nothing." I say firmly, "It's been happening since The Accident. You don't need to worry about it. I'll be fine."

"You passed out right in front of me!" Jay states, "How can I not worry? How can you dismiss it so easily?"

I sigh heavily, waving a hand at him, "Jay, it happens all the time. Trust me. Do not worry." Jay looks as if he's going to argue, but then sighs back at me, nods and rakes his fingers through his hair. "Should we go?" I ask. Jay nods again, looking dishevelled.

We walk silently for a while and then Jay says, "Are you sure you're okay, Nikki? I mean, you were out for a pretty long time." I just give him a withering look. Jay gets the message, "Okay, okay. So any more encounters with Trevor?"

I nod, "Yeah. He was in my room, Jay. He broke my parents' photograph frame and then ripped the actual photo in two. He knew how much that photograph meant to me; it was the only one I had."

"I'm sorry. That must have been really hard for you." Jay looks over at me pitifully. I shrug, sighing.

"I don't think I'll be getting any visits from him as long as I'm with my aunt or uncle. It's not like my aunt and uncle will let me stay at home alone after what happened last time, Jay. There's no chance of it." I shake my head with certainty.

Jay bites his lip anxiously and then he says, "But what if I'm there? You're not technically alone but there's no one there that proves a possible threat to Trevor, so he won't be afraid to come out from whatever dark hole he's currently hiding in."

I look at him, realising the true meaning of his words, "No. I can't drag you into this. You don't know what it's like. I don't want you to get involved, because there won't be any way out for you. I have to do this myself. I can't put anybody in dangeer. You can't drag yourself into this."

"No." Jay protests, shaking his head, "You told me, so I'm going to drag myself into this anyway. I can't sit by and watch you be haunted by your cousin! I can't stand by, Nikki. I'm going to do this, whether you like it or not!" I can see by his expression that there's no use pursuing the matter any longer; I'll just be wasting my time and his time. He's got his heart set on this one and he's not budging from his decision any time soon. I sigh, defeated, "Whatever. Just, please, don't get hurt... for your family." I quickly tack on the end. Jay nods and then we push through the door into the kitchen. The twins are sitting at the table again and they seem to be doing their homework. They look up as we enter and their faces light up simultaneously. They both run over and smother me in hugs, "Nikki! Nikki, you came!"

"Leah, Kat, I told you guys I was going to come back. You can't get rid of me that easily, girls!" I tell them, leading them over to the dining table, "So what are you two doing? Homework?"

"Yeah." Katherine deflates, "Mom told us to do our homework or else no pocket money. It's so unfair; homework is stupid. What's the point? We learn at school and they expect us to learn at home too!" I giggle and ruffle her hair. I've known the twins for all of a day and a half, but I've already grown fond of them.

"Homework will help you in school. Do it with concentration and focus. I know it's boring but the secret is the quicker you do it, the sooner you get to play." I whisper. Katherine lights up and immediately begins scribbling on her paper. Leah follows to do the same.

"Tell Mom we're in my room, Weasels." Jay says as I stand up. We venture into a hallway cluttered with photographs, bikes, jackets, discarded shoes and a cat that is sleeping stretched in front of the staircase. "Move, you fat old thing." Jay nudges the cat with his foot. The cat opens a sleepy eye, mews in protest and shuffles off to a dark corner. Jay leads the way up the stairs and through the first door we come to.

His room is painted a deep blue, with plain white curtains, posters of racers and athletes taped to the walls, a large bed in the middle (unmade) and a sea of rubbish strangling the carpet. We pick our way through the littered room over to the computer desk in the far corner. Jay switches it on and in minutes, we are accessing a website that Jay said he found last night. He takes a few minutes finding the relevant page and then we both read it-

Spiritual presences can be left behind on Earth after traumatic deaths, or in some cases, a job left undone. Most presences complete their tasks and move on to the Etherworld, where they can find eternal peace. But some presences turn to the Dark Side and wish to stay on Earth. These presences are commonly called 'ghosts' but the correct terminology for them is a 'Lost Soul'. They find joy in causing harm to innocent humans, but the most popular prey among them is a hormone-filled, teenage girl, varying from the ages 14-19.

The 'Lost Soul' can do things ranging from throwing furniture to literally harming the human. The 'Lost Soul' does not harm anybody while there are others in the location. It prefers it's prey to be solitary, so the human cannot recieve any outside help.

Dealing with 'Lost Souls' can be very dangerous as they have short tempers and can be very unpredictable. They can seem completely innocent one moment and volatile the next. If you are dealing with a 'Lost Soul', please proceed with caution.

How To Put A Lost Soul To Peace

First, you must find the thing that has troubled the soul. Next, you must negotiate with the 'Lost Soul' and ask it to go in peace. If the 'Lost Soul' does not wish for this, then you must proceed:

-Light unscented candles in a circle around you

-You must have a fire burning from holy water and sage

-You must have some soil from the natural earth

-To summon the 'Lost Soul', you must throw some soil in the fire and say thrice, 'Lost Soul, lacita vierto. Lost Soul, lacita vierto. Lost Soul, lacita vierto.' This is a lost language, so ancient, that we do not even know it's name.

-Once the 'Lost Soul' is present, you must repeat 'lacita vierto' six times with a male companion. This will weaken the 'Lost Soul'.

-Next you must chant 'lacita vierto como kamat' ten times.

-Finally, you must sprinkle holy water in the fire and repeat, 'Jierkito finalite' twice. This will ensure the 'Lost Soul' is sent back to where it came from.

The page ends there. I look at Jay, who whistles once, "This is intense stuff."

"It has to be done." I say, "He has to leave. Where are we going to find sage, holy water and natural soil from?"

"I know where I have to get it from." Jay waves it away, "The real question is, how are we going to get your aunt and uncle out of the house?" I purse my lips and tap my fingertips on the desk thoughtfully. Then a snippet of information flies into my conscious mind.

I grin, "I've got it! I know how to get them out of the house!"

"How?!" Jay demands, jumping up from the seat like he's on fire.

I explain, "Next week is their anniversary. They have to go out, they have to celebrate. I could tell them to go and then you could stay with me so I'm not alone and then we could get rid of Trevor once and for all."

Jay looks at me with wide eyes and then smirks, "You're amazing, you know that?"

I flick my hair behind my shoulder, "So I've been told." Jay and I laugh and it feels good. I haven't laughed properly since The Accident. Jay stops laughing suddenly and regards me, his head cocked to the side. I say, "What?"

"You should laugh more often, Nikki. It suits you." Jay tells me matter-of-factly.

I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, "I don't really have reasons to laugh any more, so I don't tend tend to laugh. Anyway, now we have to wait."

"We wait." Trevor nods, "Just until next week, stay on the down low, okay?"

Back at the house, I charge up the stairs to my room. Trevor is sitting on my bed. I close the door with a click. He looks up at me, "Where have you been?"

"Out." I reply, "What are you doing here?"

"This is my house." Trevor glares, "I can do whatever I want, go wherever I want at whatever time. What is it to you?"

"I was just asking." I hold my hands up in surrender, "Trevor, I want to tell you something. I know your story, Trevor. I know it. You're my cousin, my aunt's son."

"I am not your cousin! Do not talk about relations to me!" Trevor glares, "You know nothing! You know nothing!" He zooms over to me, his eyes shining with rage, "You think you're so clever, huh? You think you're so smart? I'll show you smart." He reaches up and slaps me across my face so hard, I fly across the room and collapse in a heap against the wall. Trevor disappears. Something hot and sticky runs down my cheek. I raise my fingertips to my forehead and look at them. They're tainted with blood.