Jess woke to the sound of her sister arguing on the phone.

'I know what the Sheriff said, but we need to go to Picayune. I have a friend there who can help find a more permanent solution than drawing biro on my sister's arm for the rest of her life.'

'And what happens if he goes looking for you?' She heard the Deputy ask.

'Tabitha has it covered. Don't worry about it.'

'Easier said than done,' he sighed.

'We're not running from Texas. We'll be back as soon as we can. You know we don't have any choice in this.'

'I don't understand why your friend can't come here,' he argued.

'It's not possible,' dismissed Ash, not bothering to explain. 'Just trust me, Elijah. I'll make sure we're back before the end of the week.'

Jess listened to the silence on the other end of the phone before the Deputy spoke.

'Just stay safe, Ash. I hope you find answers for Jess where you're going.'

'I have faith.'

Jess continued to listen to their conversation, but after a few moments, they said their goodbyes and the conversation drew to a close.

'He seems worried,' she said finally, shifting in her car seat to watch the tarmac as they drove.

'I think that's just his natural being. Breaking the law doesn't come easy to him.'

'Breaking the law doesn't come easy to most normal people.'

'Good thing we're not normal.' Ash grinned. 'Speaking of normal people. How did Laura take it that you wouldn't be in class?'

'I don't know. She wouldn't answer my call.'

The smile dropped from Ash's face. 'I'm sorry Jesse.'

But Jess just shrugged. 'S'not your fault.'

'What about your lecturers?' Ash asked, looking to change the subject.

'I told them I was sick, and they said that I could rewatch the lesson recordings to catch up.'

'I guess that's something.' Ash forced herself to sound cheery.

'Who are we going to see anyway?' Jess looked out the window, refusing to show her sister how much Laura's rejection hurt her.

'An old friend. Do you remember Babet?'

'Not really.'

'We used to work together.'

'And you think she can help?'

'Those symbols you're wearing are what she taught me. Her family is creole and they have a lot of legends around gifts like ours. And have you seen one ghost since we left Texas?'

'No.'

'I think she's the best option we have.'

Silence descended as they passed ramshackle farm after ramshackle farm. The fields were bare after harvest. Just a few stalks of rotting corn remained in places where the machinery couldn't reach them. They looked sad and brown as they swayed in the October breeze.

In the distance, Jess could see the beginnings of the town, as well as the long, winding freight train passing through. A sign on the side of the road welcomed them to Picayune. Population 10,878.

The town was like many that they'd passed through. One long strip of shops and restaurants lined them on both sides. The locals peered at the cherry red car with curiosity and Jess ducked her head, sliding the arms down on her t-shirt so that inky symbols were hidden.

She could see them whispering amongst themselves and felt her skin crawl. It reminded her of her childhood. Somehow, wherever they went, her family couldn't help but cause a stir. Her Nana with her no-nonsense attitude and sharp wit. Her mother, whose beauty could enthral anyone, though Jess could scarcely remember it. And then there was her sister, a person who knew almost everything about everyone, but who Jess realised she knew very little about.

Her sister acted like an open book. Portrayed the carefree spirit, Jess had always assumed she was. But that was only one side of her sister.

She had always thought of her sister as a little wishy-washy. In the past, she would have used the term flaky. But she couldn't forget the way her sister had stood in front of her, chanting a language that Jess hadn't understood. She had looked fierce. Almost ethereal. A priestess from a religion long forgotten.

In that moment Ash hadn't been her rather eccentric daft older sister, but a woman bound by a family gift that she hadn't asked for.

'We're here.'

Jess snapped out of her thoughts to see them pull up to an old style farm house complete with wrap-around porch. It would have been almost idyllic, except the house looked like it hadn't been touched in three decades.

White paint flaked off the wooden porch. The shutters barely clung to their hinges, and the roof looked as though one gust of wind could bring it crumbling down.

She didn't have time to notice anything else as the door swung open, emitting three laughing children.

'Auntie Ashi,' they screamed, running into Ash's legs with complete abandonment.

Ash gripped the car hood as her feet were assaulted. For the first time in days, a genuinely happy smile stretched across her face as she picked up Babet's youngest child and popped him on her hip.

'And what kind of trouble makers do we have here?'

'Look. Look. I lost my tooth.' The oldest girl pulled down her lip to reveal a sizable gap in her teeth.

'That's nothing. Look at the cut on my leg. I fell off the tractor,' the second eldest announced, looking extremely smug with himself.

The two siblings began squabbling with each other until a gruff man stepped out on the porch. They fell silent under his unwavering stare.

'Is that any way to treat guests?' he admonished them.

The children looked down at their feet, shaking their heads.

'Why don't you go find your Mom and tell her that Ash is here?' He patted their heads as they passed and they smiled up at him, knowing they'd been easily forgiven.

'I can't believe how much they've grown.' Ash watched them as they walked away, keeping their younger brother carefully tucked in her arms.

'That's what happens when you don't come by for almost a year.'

'It's been 7 months,' she corrected him.

'Kids grow quickly,' he said. 'But it's good to see you.' He enclosed her in a hug strong enough to crush bones.

'You too,' Ash said, hugging him back with her free arm.

Jess hung back and looked between her sister and the man until he met her eyes.

'And this must be Jess,' he announced, stepping forward and taking her hand. She was glad he hadn't tried to hug her. Physical contact with strangers was not her thing.

'It is.' Ash beamed. 'And this is Jeremy. Babet's husband.'

'Nice to meet you,' Jess responded politely.

Their shaking hands caused the sleeves on her t-shirt to ride up, and he whistled when he saw the symbols. Jess let go of his hand like she'd been electrocuted, pushing the sleeve back in place.

'You weren't kidding when you called,' he said with wide eyes. 'That's some seriously strong bindings.'

'I didn't know what else to do,' defended Ash.

'Babet's already been working on some ideas, but I think she may be underestimating the situation.'

'That's why we came. I wasn't sure she'd believe me.'

Jeremy scoffed. 'When has Babet ever not believed you?'

'True. But she could have thought I was exaggerating.'

'That's true enough,' he said as his two eldest skidded into his side, their earlier argument forgotten.

'Mom said they should come out back,' the eldest said.

'Dad, can I have a snack?'

'If Tristan gets a snack, then I want a snack.'

'Okay.' He held up his hands. 'Everyone gets a snack,' he said, averting world war three with his simple statement. He took the little boy off Ash and watched as he squirmed to be put down.

'Tell Bab that dinner will be ready at 5:30. I know she'll lose track of time otherwise.' He rolled his eyes, lifted their meagre backpacks from the backseat, and ushered his kids inside.

'Babet's workshop is this way.' Ash led her around the house, passing discarded toys and bikes.

The old wooden barn must have been used as storage at one time, but the sign above the door now read "The Jewellery hut" in big gold letters. They stepped inside and the sound of hammering stopped.

'Ash?' A tall, regal woman pulled off her goggles and swept her braids off her shoulders.

'Hey Babet. The workshop is looking good.' Ash stepped forward and hugged the woman fiercely.

'And you look dead on your feet,' Babet argued.

'It was a long night,' Ash admitted, pulling back and subconsciously rubbing her eyes.

'So let me take a look at her.' Babet turned to Jess and eyed her quizzically. 'And these are the bindings you spoke about.' She pulled up Jess' sleeves and took one step back.

'They seem to be working,' Ash said, and Jess nodded along.

'I should hope so. These aren't exactly parlour tricks.'

'Jeremy said you had some ideas?'

'A few. But I'm going to need to incorporate a few more things into the mix, given these markings.' She raised her eyebrows at Ash, but Ash was too busy looking around the workshop. 'Sit and take a nap before you fall down.'

'I'm fine,' Ash said, but she settled on the threadbare sofa someone had pushed against the wall.

'Hmmm,' Babet muttered under her breath. 'Jess, I'll need your help with the design.'

'I don't know much about these,' Jess panicked, holding out her arms.

'I know, but I need to understand what it is that I'm protecting you from.'

'Ghosts. Start with ghosts,' Ash shouted, her eyes fluttering shut as she made herself comfy on the sofa.

Babet just rung her hands. 'She'll be asleep in less than 60 seconds anyway,' she said to Jess.

'Heard that,' said Ash.

'Go to sleep,' Babet countered. 'Grab that stool, Jess, and pull it up here by the light.'

Jess did as she was told, allowing Babet to take her arm and pass it under the desk light and magnifier.

'Your sister did a good job of these.'

'She said you taught her.' Jess peered at Babet, as the woman turned her arm this way and that.

'I taught her some things, though this design is a modification. And a bloody good one.' Babet took her phone and snapped a few pictures. 'My mom will want to see these. She always said Ash had a natural talent.'

'My sister said you used to work together?'

'In the circus. I've known your sister since she was eighteen. She would be one of the few crew hands we had who didn't live onsite.'

'Duchess Huber's Cirque Anomaly,' Jess said, remembering.

'You used to come with her in that beat up truck she salvaged.'

'She'd make me sit behind her at the ticket booth. Until I put my foot down and convinced her I was old enough to be left alone in the RV.'

'She was particularly protective of you.' Babet glanced behind her to see Ash softly snoring on the sofa. 'That hasn't changed.'

'I think she stayed up all night watching me, even after the Deputy left,' admitted Jess.

'That sounds like her. I'm pretty sure she'd walk through a burning building for you. It's an older sister thing.'

'You sound like you know from personal experience.'

'In a way,' she said, not elaborating.

'How did you find out about my family's gift? Or did Ash tell you?' Jess asked after the silence had stretched on too long.

Babet released her arms, allowing Jess to draw them back. She took a pencil from a pot and flipped open a new page on her sketch pad.

'Your sister had worked for my family's circus for years. Of course, we moved around every few months and your sister would follow for as long as she could before it became impossible. She wanted you to have as much stability as she could, so when she couldn't travel any more, she would drop out and start another job. It might be months before she joined again, but we always welcomed her back. Considering she was an outsider, it was shocking how accepted she became amongst us.'

Babet smiled, remembering something that Jess could only guess at. 'For a bunch of toughened circus folk, your sister wormed her way into our hearts. My Mom once said that the circus hadn't been born into her blood, but she was as unruly and free as the best of them.'

'That sounds like my sister.' But Jess frowned as she said it, and Babet watched her with understanding.

'It sounds like a part of your sister. But I'm guessing you're seeing a different side now that you know about her gift, and yours?'

'Her life is not as carefree and simple as I thought it was,' Jess said after a moment of hesitation.

'I'm not sure your sister's life was ever simple. People with simple lives don't join the circus. But she changed around the time of her 21st birthday. I didn't realise it was the beginning of her gift. I simply noticed that she wasn't the same when she met back up with the circus.'

'Changed how?' Jess tried to remember if she'd noticed a difference in her sister, but it was hard to remember. She'd been fifteen, a teenager struggling to find her place in yet another new school, never mind trying to find her place in the world. Like most teenagers, she'd been oblivious to much of what was happening around her if it didn't directly involve her.

'She was withdrawn. Spaced out. She baulked at doing the jobs she had always loved; selling tickets, welcoming people. Instead, she chose to clean up after the animals, or take care of the cars. It took me a while, too long, to realise that she was avoiding people.'

'We had a bout of summer flu and we were short staffed. Your sister had no choice but to do welcome duty. About half way through the night, the person she was working with said that she'd gone to get something and never came back. I was worried for her. I knew she needed the job, and I was afraid her erratic behaviour was the result of...something else.'

'I found her hiding out in the costume tent, completely catatonic. By the time I got her to my grandmother, she was crying as if she were in agony, but I couldn't find anything wrong with her. There was no alcohol on her breath. No dilated pupils. It was my grandmother who understood. She saw the way Ash put the entire room between her and us. And the way her hysterics would get worse when she touched us.'

'She was having visions?' Jess guessed.

'Being around so many people was putting a strain on her control, allowing the visions to take over in a way that was extremely dangerous for her. My grandmother had seen something similar before and drew symbols, similar to yours, on her arms and head. Once we all eventually calmed down, your sister explained what she was going through.'

'And you believed her?'

'My grandmother and mother, yes. I tested her a little. But when she could correctly predict my next steps no matter what I had decided to do. I had to admit that your sister was the real deal. She's still the most powerful psychic my grandmother has ever met.' Babet looked back at Ash. Her hand was thrown over her eyes and she was still softly snoring.

Jess followed her gaze and watched her sister, trying to see her through Babet's eyes.

'I didn't realise she was that powerful. I never realised how much she struggled,' she admitted.

'And she'd probably hate that I was telling you all this. She always wanted to save you from having this life.'

'She still should have told me,' argued Jess.

'I agree,' Babet said, surprising her. 'It was your family history. You had a right to know. But Ash is stubborn, and she did what she thought was best.'

'Even if it did mean she lied to me?'

'Jess, I know you and your sister don't have the easiest relationship, but you should know that Ash was so proud of you when you got a full ride to university. Despite what she's done, she cares so much for you, whatever you think of her, don't doubt that.'

Jess found it difficult to look at her and instead looked at her sister, who stirred in her sleep, perhaps sensing that someone was watching her.

'Ash, why don't you go inside and see Iz? She was really excited when I said you'd be stopping by. I'm sure she'd be happy to let you nap in her room. It's a lot more comfy than that lumpy thing.' Babet winced, thinking of the two springs that would have been cutting into Ash's back whilst she slept. She really did need to get a new sofa.

Ash rubbed her eyes and stumbled to her feet. She glanced at Jess, unsure what she should do.

'I've got the design for your sister done, but I want her to stay and help. It's about time she learned something about your family's gift,' Babet said, holding up the sketch she'd done. 'Anything you want to add?'

Ash's eyes flashed to Babet's in a way that Jess didn't understand, but she hesitantly took the pad and pencil that was offered. She made a scribbled change before handing it back and rushing towards the door.

'Design looks great. Oh, and Jeremy said dinner will be ready by 5:30pm,' Ash called over her shoulder.

But Babet didn't respond. She continued to stare at the pad Ash had handed back to her.

'You and your sister are certainly an interesting case,' she mused after Ash had left.

'What do you mean?'

Babet stared at her before turning back to her bench, and pulling the things together that she'd need.

'You're both much stronger than you realise.'