When I returned to campus, everything seemed different. Surreal. There was a disconnect between me and the world around me. Like being in a dream yet you're wide awake. But maybe the only thing different was me. After all, it's not every day you find out you're the descendant of an infamous serial killer and you have psychic powers.

I'd gone home for the weekend to do some laundry, and visit with the parental units. I mean, come on, I'm not some horrible kid who only goes back home when she needs clean clothes. I do visit with my parents. Obviously, they forgot I was coming though, because they'd left on an impromptu weekend getaway. I wasn't complaining. It meant I got the whole house to myself. Living in a dorm is noisy and crowded. No privacy at all. Especially since I got stuck with the friendliest, chattiest, girly-girl roommate ever to exist. So a couple of days at home all alone? Not a problem. Until I decided to go through my grandmother's stuff in the attic.

I was looking for some old Halloween decorations we had. I figured I could take them back to the dorm with me, spruce up the place a little. Possibly scare my roommate with a few creepy plastic spiders. That thought alone make it worth digging around in a dusty attic.
That's how I found my grandmother's journal. Well, collection of journals, really. They went all the way back to my great-great-great-grandmother's diary. Reading them was life-altering, in more ways than one. Our family had secrets. Two, to be precise.
The first was hard to believe, and I wasn't sure I did. Supposedly, each generation bore a female medium - someone who could see and commune with the dead. And on their 18th birthday, her powers manifest.

I was an only child. An actual miracle child, to be honest. My mother wasn't supposed to be able to have children. But out of nowhere, she got pregnant with me. So here I am. An only child, and the sixth generation of Addleson women. Which meant I was a medium. Or soon to be one. My 18th birthday was coming up on October 27th. Next Friday. 

But that wasn't the only shock I had reading through the journals. There was a good reason my family kept this one a secret. My great-great-great-grandmother, Rose Marie, was a murderess. And not just any killer, mind you. She was infamous. She was Jack the Ripper.

It was all there, her confessions, written on yellowed pages in clean cursive handwriting. How she chose her victims, what she did and why. Wouldn't you know it was over a man? My great-great-great-grandfather. By Rose Marie's accounts, he was a gambler and a drunk. And he if wasn't spending his money on booze, then it was being wasted on whores. She grew tired of it all. Started following him, watching him, and writing it all down.

Her early entries and descriptions were void of emotion. More like I was reading from a medical or scientific journal instead of the diary of an almost 20-year-old woman. I expected anger, bitterness from being betrayed. But none of those emotions were visible in her words. Just a distant cold report of what happened. 

The killings started by accident really. One of old grandpa's "women of the night" caught Rose Marie watching. Told her she had to pay for the "show" but Rose Marie refused. They fought, and before she knew what she was doing, my grandmother pulled out a knife and stabbed the prostitute twice in her neck. Before the woman could recover, Rose Marie ran home. She found out later through a newspaper article that the woman had lived, but she'd given old grandpa's description as her attacker instead of the truth.

It was at this point that things started unraveling for Rose Marie. The rush of stabbing that whore, the power over life and death, the blood on her hands, it all excited her. She wanted to feel it again. So she continued following her cheating husband, and attacking the prostitutes after he left. Taking her rage out on them rather than him. Killing them, ripping out their insides, taking pieces of them... Soon she felt it was her duty, her job to rid the world of this filth. She wrote letters to the newspapers and the police. Gave herself a name even. But there was a side effect she hadn't expected. Their ghosts.

The souls of those she'd killed haunted her. She could see them, hear them. All the time, day and night. But it wasn't enough to stop her. Only drive her mad.

Her diary entries became less coherent, and even her handwriting changed. Less neat, more scribbled and hurried. Like the ramblings of the insane.

Eventually, my great-great-great-grandfather passed away. Most likely from a bad liver as much as he drank. But not before making Rose Marie a mother. She found passage to the United States and started a new life in a new country.

There were no more entries after her arrival in the US. I don't know if she carried on her dark hobby or not. But it didn't matter. What I read had been enough.

I returned to my reality at college horrified that I was related to such a monster. At first, I thought maybe the claims of being psychic were part of Rose Marie's mental illness. But later journals by her descendants discussed the abilities too.

All I could think as I trudged up the stairs carrying my laundry was I hoped being a medium was the only thing Rose Marie passed down through the generations. Not that I wanted to see or talk to dead people. But it was by far better than seeing them after you made them dead in the first place. Yeah, not my idea of fun.

Plus, the whole thing made me forget to grab the stupid Halloween decorations. A lunatic for an ancestor, psychic powers, no decorations, and the elevator wasn't working. Again. I huffed and shook my head as I walked down the hall to my room. It just wasn't my day.

"What is so hard about keeping the elevator working? I had to take the stairs again. Ugh," I said as I slammed the door of my dorm room shut then dumped my stuff on my bed. I was in a mood. A foul cranky mood.

"Um. Wow. What crawled up your butt?" Kara, my roommate, was laying stomach down on her bed, reading a romance novel. Typical. She's sweet and all, but the girl had a serious obsession with the color bubblegum pink. Our room literally glowed from having so much pink in it.

"Get this," I said and plopped down on my bed across from her. "Supposedly, I am able to talk to the dead. Or see them, or something like that."

Kara's eyes rounded. "No way."

"I know, right? Crazy."

"Who told you that? You're parents?"

I shook my head. "No. I found some old diaries from my grandmother and her mother. All of them said the same thing. Psychic abilities run in our family. Insane, right?"

She giggled, rolled to her side and propped her head up on her elbow. "Omigod, my roomie is a psychic. What else did it say? Can you read my cards or tell me my future?"

"Har har. You're so funny. So like apparently on my 18th birthday, my 'abilities' manifest. Isn't that the craziest thing you've ever heard? It's like they read it from movie or TV show script or something. So weird." I got up and started hanging my clean clothes in the small closet beside my bed.

"Isn't your birthday this Friday? The 27th?"

I turned and smiled. "Yes. Finally, 18!"

Kara sat up and stretched. "We should make plans then. Celebrate!"

"I don't know. I need to get this essay written for Mrs. Barker's class. You know how I hate writing essays. It takes me forever. But it's mandatory and it affects my overall grade, so I can't slack off." With that I cleared off the rest of my bed and grabbed my laptop. 

"I know the feeling. I've got three tests and two papers due this week. How am I supposed to have a social life with all this work?" 

Just then a piece of paper slipped under our door and fluttered to the ground.

"Oh. My. God. It's here!" Kara leaped from her single cot in the corner and bounded across the room. But instead of picking the paper up, she just stood over it, staring at it like it would jump into her hands or something.

My lovely roommate could be a bit dramatic. I rolled my eyes and went back to the essay. My grades were more important than some purple note. Though the blank screen on my laptop would disagree. Obviously, words were not my forte. Not to mention, I couldn't help thinking about Rose Marie. It was just so creepy. That was one piece of family history I would not share with my roomie. Or anyone else for that matter.

"Jackie! Aren't you coming over here to help me?"

I raised an eyebrow and over my shoulder. "Really? Help you? You need help picking up a piece of paper off the floor?"

She pursed her full pink-stained lips and flipped her curly brown locks over her shoulder. Pure diva that one. Kara was like the sister I never had. And like sisters, she got on my nerves at times. This was one of them. I was already cranky from my crazy family drama. And her vivaciousness was plucking at my sour mood.

"No. I do not need help picking it up off the floor, Miss Stick-Up-Your-Butt. I just thought you might be interested in reading it with me. Obviously, I was wrong." Kara crossed her arms over her chest and stuck out a hip. I figured the pouty face wasn't far behind.

"Fine." I got up and sulked over to the stand in front of her. I'd been the victim of her guilt trips one too many times already. No way was I going to willingly subject myself to another one. Those things could last for days.

She giggled and did a little bouncy dance. "Yay! Okay, are you ready?"

I blinked at her. No need to answer, she wouldn't care what I said anyway. So I stood there, awaiting instruction. Instead, she just shook her head at me and retrieved the note from the floor. 

The royal purple envelope was the size of a large index card. On the front, written in fancy calligraphy, was our room number. No names, just a number, reminding me yet again why I hated being a freshman in college. We were nobodies. At least until somebody decided we weren't, and then we became somebody just like them. 

Kara did a little jig and waved the envelope around. "Omigod, omigod! I don't know if I can open it! You do it." Then she shoved it in my hands. 

Great. If it wasn't what she was looking for, she'd blame it on me. Somehow, me opening it would jinx the whole thing. I sighed, opened it anyway, and read it aloud:

"Occupants of room 831B, you are hereby cordially invited to the Haunted House Sleepover for Pledges to be held at the old Whitehurst House on Baker Avenue, Friday, October 27th. Pledges are expected to arrive ON TIME no later than 8 pm. This event is by invitation only and no other guests are allowed to attend. One small overnight bag is allowed. Be sure to fill it with whatever you may need to help you get through the night."

Kara's ear-piercing squeal startled me and the invitation slipped from my fingers. But it never hit the floor. She snatched it right out of the air, then held it to her chest as if it was the most important thing in the world. For her, it probably was. For me, it closer to the plague. I was not into the whole sorority thing.

I stood there, hands on my hips, left eye twitching. "Kara. Why am I being invited to a pledge event?" 

My roommate looked like she was in a bounce house. Up and down, in circles, all over the room. And the whole time she rambled on and on about finally "making it." But uttered not one word to answer my question.

"KARA!" I yelled.

She stopped and glared at me with wide eyes like I'd lost my mind. It was quite possible I had. Being labeled a "pledge" to a sorority house was my worst nightmare. Even worse than my great-whatever-grandmother being Jack the Ripper.

"You don't have to scream at me."

I was pretty sure my other eye started twitching at this point, but I just ignored it. "Why am I being invited to a pledge event? I never signed up to be a pledge."

"Because I did it for you, duh!" She looped her arm through mine and lead me to her bed to sit on the pink and cream comforter. "I mean, you're my bestest roomie. Of course we'd pledge together. Oh, maybe we'll even room together at the house! Wouldn't that be awesome?" She flung herself back onto her ruffled pink pillowcase and I swear she purred like a cat.
Meanwhile, I sat there trying with all my might to not puke on her fuzzy pink rug. 

I was not sorority material. Yes, my grades were awesome. Yes, I aspired to be an amazing surgeon one day. But to do that I needed to spend all my time studying, not being a community volunteer, social butterfly and partying. Not to mention, I didn't fit the image of sorority girl. I wasn't popular or gorgeous like Kara. I was average and nerdy. No way I could do this sorority thing. Nope. I didn't care if Kara pouted and guilt-tripped me for the rest of my days at this college. I was not going to this sleepover thing. Not a chance in hell.

My phone rang at that moment, a welcome reprieve from the horrible thoughts of pledging. Mom - my savior. "Hey Mom-"

"Omigod, is that your mom? You so have to tell her!"

"SHHHH!" I scolded and moved from Kara's bed to the safety of my own side of the room. Ah, neutral colors at last.

"Jack, honey, who was that? What did she want you to tell me?" Only my mom called me Jack. Her special nickname for me - which I now found super creepy. But she said it was quicker than saying Jacqueline Rose all the time. Whatever. I just hoped Kara hadn't heard her. I really didn't want to be known as Jack. One of those in our family was by far enough.

"Oh that was just Kara, my roommate. Nothing to tell, she was just being loud-"

Kara jumped up and over to my side faster than I thought a human could move. "Don't be so modest," she said, and then grabbed the phone out of my hand. "Mrs. Addleson? This is Kara, Jackie's roommate. We got the best news today - we were accepted as pledges!"

I snatched the phone back and gave Kara the evilest look I could muster. 

"Hi Mom, sorry about that -"

"You pledged, Jack? That's wonderful news! I'm so happy for you. Oh, wait until your father hears about this..."

And for the next twenty minutes of my life, I listened to my mother talk about how much her sorority sisters meant to her. All because my roommate - soon to be former roommate because I was going to kill her - had a big mouth. Now, I no longer had a choice. My mother would be heartbroken if I refused to pledge. I had to go to the Haunted House Sleepover. God, my birthday was going to suck.

*****

That Friday, Kara and I rode together to the old Whitehurst House. We pulled up in her pink convertible VW Beetle exactly 15 minutes ahead of time. She insisted we not be too early, so we wouldn't seem too eager. But we couldn't be too late either, then they'd think we didn't really want to be there. Which was actually true in my case.

"So you never answered my question earlier." She smirked at me as we grabbed our bags from the back seat. 

Leave it to me to have the roommate who never forgot a single thing. I decided playing dumb was best. "Oh, what question was that?"

"Do you feel any different now? I mean, it is your 18th birthday."

"Uhmmmm..." I paused. I didn't want to lie to her, but I didn't want to answer her either. I went with vague. "I don't know. I mean, I don't 'feel' older."

Kara rolled her eyes. "No silly. I mean with the whole psychic thing. Like are there any spirits roaming around us? Can you see them? Do they talk to you?"

I swallowed. To be honest, I think I was still in shock. Or denial. From the moment I opened my eyes that morning, my life had been a walk down freaky lane. Our dorm? Haunted. The campus? Haunted. Even the car ride over here had me ready to check in to the mental hospital. When we stopped at the red light by the cemetery, I saw things I never wanted to see again in my life. So I'd squeezed my eyes shut and pretended it was just my imagination. Yep, I was in total denial. And so far it was working out great for me.

But did I really want Kara to know all about my issues? No. Something told me I couldn't trust her with this. Hell, I wasn't sure I could trust myself with it.

"What? No. That's crazy talk. I told you, it was just some lame, weird, family insanity thing. Nothing's changed."

She studied me with narrowed eyes, then let it drop. Which wasn't like her at all. Once Kara got ahold of something that intrigued her, she dissected it until there was nothing left to see. I guess over-analytical and curious were good qualities in a psych major. But they were annoying as a roommate.

As we joined the others in the empty lot next to our destination, Kara leaned over and whispered to me. "Let me know if anything changes. And oh, I told you that you should've worn pjs."

I glanced around at the other pledges. There were eight of us including me, all wearing cute little pajama outfits. Even Kara had on a little bedtime getup. Pink, of course. I shrugged in response. Maybe I'd seen too many movies, but every sorority house event I'd ever heard of always got pranked by a bunch of frat boys. I planned on being prepared for it. I was in jeans.

"Okay, ladies. My name is Emma and I'm one of the five hostesses of tonight's Haunted House Sleepover." This came from a tall redhead with pale skin and blue eyes. Her demeanor clearly showed she was the leader of the group. "I see you've all packed your one bag. I hope you've got everything you need for a spooky sleepover in a haunted house. Now I'll let Annie takeover from here and explain some of the rules to you."

Annie was the closest thing to a human replica of a Barbie doll if I'd ever seen one. Hourglass figure, golden tanned skin, long legs, perfect smile with bright white straight teeth, long blonde hair without a strand out of place, and big blue eyes. She even had a voice that fit her looks, smoky but not raspy, soft but not meek. The epitome of a Sorority Girl who would no doubt one day be Miss America or Miss Universe or something. "Hi pledges! Welcome to our Haunted House Sleepover! This is private property but we have permission to be here for just one night. I hope you've all charged your phones and tablets because there's no electricity in the house-"

A collective moan interrupted Annie's well-prepared speech but she handled it without stumbling. "I know, I know. Bummer. But what fun would a haunted house be if there were lights? Now, there is running water, but I'd advise against taking a shower or anything like that because it was turned on especially for us. Ew, I know, right? But we'll at least be able flush and all that. That said, once we enter the house, no one is allowed to leave until 9 am. Anyone who does so will no longer be considered as a pledge. Being a Sorority Sister is all about relationships and being like family. What better way to do that than spend the night together in a haunted house, right? Okay. Are you ready? Let's have some fun!"

The other pledges jumped and cheered as if they were being led at a pep rally. I tried to fake smile my way through it. I was so out of my element. Why was I here again? Oh, yes. My evil pink-loving roommate. Maybe I could spend the night thinking of ways to pay her back for all this.

I followed the rest of the group as Annie and Emma lead us to the house. One glance at our accommodations for the night told me all I needed to know. I wasn't going to get an ounce of sleep.

The property had obviously been abandoned for some time. The lawn was overgrown with vines and weeds and clumps of yellow dead grass. The home itself was a huge, more like a mini-mansion, but the kind from one of those horror movies. It was set back from the street with an arching driveway that lead to the separate multiple-car garage to the right of the main house. The windows had been boarded up to help keep out trespassers. I shuddered at the thought of all the creepy crawlies we'd find inside.

As soon as I stepped on the cracked brick front steps, a cold chill spread from my insides all the way out to my fingers and toes. Every part of my body screamed not to go through the door. To run, far and fast. And I almost listened. But another of the Sorority sisters waved me in. Too late to turn around now. I took a deep breath and stepped across the threshold.

The first few hours passed by quickly as we all settled in. As a group we decided to stay in what might have been the parlor or sitting room, rather than take separate rooms. Fine by me, I didn't want to be left alone in that house. Ever.

The sisters had come in and set up candelabras and some pillar candles beforehand. To provide us with a little light, they said, and so no one would get hurt walking into a wall or anything. At least we could see our way to the bathroom. Not that I was going to spend much time in there either. 

A new mantra formed in my head. Just one night. Just one night. That's all I had to do. Survive one night and then I'd find a way to get out of this pledge thing. But if I saw a spider or a mouse, all bets were off.

"Let's play some games! What do y'all think?" Kara's bubbly voice came from right beside me. I cringed. I just knew she was going to say Truth or Dare, but what came out of her mouth next stopped my heart.

"It's almost Halloween and we're in a spooky old house. Let's have a seance!"

Everyone thought it was a great idea. Everyone except me. "What? No. Kara, no. Let's not."
"Oh come on, Jackie. It'll be fun!" She tugged on my arm to pull me to my feet. Then leaned closer to me. "Besides, then we can really see if you're a medium, right?"

Another pledge overheard us. "You're a medium?" 

That's all it took. Just one person, and the whispers started. The looks of doubt. And of course, a couple girls who thought it was "too cool."

"No, Kara's joking. I'm not. No. I'm not a medium." I turned to plead with Kara and found her pulling out my grandmother's journals from my bag. I had felt weird leaving them behind in the dorm room. So I'd brought them, just in case I had a chance to do some reading. But now I wished I'd never found them.

"Kara, what are you doing? Give that back!" I grabbed for them but she was fast. She danced over to the rest of the girls and held it up in front of everyone. 

"These are her relatives' diaries. They talk all about psychic abilities and how they're mediums. Jackie, here, is the next one in line for her powers. She's supposed to get them on her 18th birthday. That's tonight, y'all."

The rest of the girls were all over that like flies to a decaying body. Ready to eat away at what was left.

"No way."

"What else does it say?"

"Let me see that."

I just stood there, arms hanging at my sides, shoulders drooped. Kara was supposed to be my friend. That was personal information. How could she just slice me in from of strangers, like that?

Emma piped up. "I think a seance is a great idea. I was going to suggest it later on, but we can start now." Like the leader she was, she began directing everyone to sit in a circle and bring their candle with them. 

"And you," she said, then came over to me and guided me to an empty spot directly across from my brunette Brutus of a roommate. "Here you go, right here at the center of it all." 

I sat, or more like flopped down on the floor. Kara giggled with another girl while they flipped through my relative's journal. It was a good thing she didn't look at me. I might have decked her.
Annie walked around behind us drawing a circle on the floor with a piece of white chalk, and Emma followed behind her covering the line with salt. I don't know how but I knew they were doing it wrong. The protective circle should be in front of us, so that it kept the spirits in. Not behind enclosing us inside the circle with the spirits. But before I could speak up, they each stepped inside the circle and closed it behind them. I crossed my arms over my chest and shook my head. Oh, this was just going to be loads of fun.

"So who should we contact? Any ideas, ladies?" Annie asked as she sat down in her place beside the other sisters.

"Omigod." Kara again. Hadn't she done enough? I wondered if there was a way I could just duct tape her mouth shut for the duration of the night.

"Jack the Ripper," she said.

My heart dropped. Sweat broke out on my upper lip. I thought this night couldn't get any worse. I'd been wrong.

"Ohh, spooky," Emma replied. "I like how you think, Kara."

My back-stabbing roommate looked up from her reading material and had the audacity to smile at me. It took everything I had not to bust her bubblegum-pink lips. But it wouldn't do any good. They'd just kick me out and-

Wait... I wanted it all to be over. Wanted to get out of that house, the pledge thing. Wanted the whole night to be done and over with. All I had to do was punch the shit out of Kara and I could have my way.

I started to do just that, but the girls beside me grabbed my hands and Emma started speaking. "Spirits of the past, move among us. Hear us, and be guided by the light of this world. The killer known as Jack the Ripper, visit us now. Hear us and come to us, Jack the Ripper."

No one else seemed to notice the drop in temperature in the room. And I was positive I was the only one who saw the wispy ghosts floating on the outside of our circle. I swallowed the lump in my throat. This was so not good. Not good at all. No one in that room, especially not me, was experienced enough to deal with spirits. And we were totally surrounded. 

Emma repeated her chant again. This time, the windows rattled. A few of the girls squeaked. 

"Don't let go. Keep holding hands," Annie reminded us. 

Just then, a loud bang came from the back of the house. No one said a word. Annie and Emma looked at each other and then at their other sisters. Unspoken words passed between them as they each shook their head denying knowledge. I would have bet anything they had set up the rattling windows and probably a few other spooky things. But the last noise, wasn't one of their pranks. 

I might have blamed it on frat boys if I didn't see four spirits in the room. And then the candle flames flickered and grew as if doused with accelerant. I sucked in a sharp breath. Even the other ghosts started to fade and leave. Something told me that wasn't a good sign. 

"Okay, maybe this wasn't such a great idea," one of the other sisters said. She dropped the hands she was holding and grabbed her cell phone from the floor beside her. "What the hell?"

"What's wrong?" Annie asked. 

"My cell battery just died. Like I watched it go from 95% to 0% just now."

Another girl checked hers and said her battery, which was full upon entering the house, was now dead.

"Omigod. It's working," Kara said. "I saw on this paranormal hunter show once. Spirits drain energy from stuff so they can be seen."

Then she invoked my murderous dead relative again. The candles flamed high again. My breath came out in wisps of smoke it was so cold in the room now. A shiver ran up my spine. 

I closed my eyes and prayed this would all stop. But when I opened them, I knew we were are all in trouble. Rose Marie, my great-great-great-grandmother, floated in the middle of the circle before us all. Jack the Ripper had arrived.

This time I wasn't the only one who saw the spirit. All eyes were glued to Rose Marie. Two girls screamed. One fainted. Emma's mouth fell open, but she recovered quickly.

"This... this is like a prank right? You two set this up?" 

All I could do was shake my head. Definitely not a prank. But I wished more than anything it had been.

"That's it I'm getting out of here," said one of the other pledges.

Emma piped up. "You can't leave. The doors are locked from the outside. We can't get out until morning." 

I glared at the redhead. I wasn't the only one either. 

"What? Are you kidding me?" Annie asked.

"It was a silly prank. I didn't know this was going to happen."

Annie grabbed her shoulders. "Call them and tell them to get us out of here. Now!"
Emma shook her head. "My phone is dead."

"Doesn't matter, I'm not staying in the room with THAT." A few others agreed.

"No!" I yelled. "Don't break the circle or you'll let her out." 

"What?".

"Right now, the spirit is trapped in the circle. If you break it, she'll be free."

That scared them quiet. The girl sat back down and huddled with the others. Of course, they'd all freak when they figured out we were also trapped inside the circle - WITH the spirit. But I wasn't about to tell them that part.

Rose Marie's dead eyes took in each of us one at a time. Until she came to me. In a flash, she was before me, all up in my face. I leaned back. My heart pounded in my chest so hard it hurt. I squeezed my eyes shut. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. 

I peeked open one eye but she was still there. Dangit. I'd hoped denial would work again.

Rose Marie's voice, dry and gravelly, broke the silence. "Did you summon me, child?"

"No. I did." Kara stood tall and proud. Confident even.

I tilted my head and looked at her with narrowed eyes. She'd planned the whole thing. I just knew it. Probably since the day I told her about the journals. Somehow, she must have read them before now, knew about my connection to this monster before us. Then used the haunted house event to her advantage. But why? What would she get out of invoking Jack the Ripper?
Rose Marie ignored her though. She continued to focus on me. "You. You are of my blood. I can feel it, running through your veins."

I didn't respond. Refused to even look at the ghost in front of me. Partly because I thought I was going to puke, but also because I just knew somehow that looking at her would give her more attention, more energy. More strength. She didn't need any of those. Not from me. Nope.

"Are you Jack the Ripper?" Out of the corner of my eye I saw Kara step forward. I decided she was nuts. All this time I'd spent wondering if insanity ran in my family, but somehow I'd missed that my dorm mate was the craziest person alive. 

"Are you Jack the Ripper? If not, then leave. Leave us now."

Rose Marie's anger rippled through me. She didn't like being told what to do. One second she was staring at me, then next she was inches from Kara. 

"Who dares speak to me this way?"

"My name is Kara. If you are indeed Jack the Ripper, I want to know why you stopped killing. Where you went, what happened to you? Were there more than five victims? Who else did you kill?"

Rose Marie studied the pink-clad brunette. Very much like a cat observing the mouse before he ate it. Kara was dangerously close to becoming ghost food. "I never left. My spirit was trapped by witches. But you know this already." 

That threw me for a loop. Rose Marie's spirit had been trapped, and Kara knew about it? What? I shook my head. Whatever, it wasn't important. We needed to end the seance. Like yesterday. I guess I needed to do it. I was a medium after all. Though, I didn't really know how to end it or send the spirits back to where ever they came from. But I had to try. 

"Rose Marie, it's time to leave. Be gone from us."

The spirit swung her head around to look at me with those dead eyes. She was pissed. The candles swooshed with huge flames. The boards on the windows shook. Rose Marie cackled like a maniac. It was the most spine-tingling thing I'd ever heard. If evil had it's own sound, that would be it. And then all hell broke loose.

Two of the pledges made a mad dash out of the room. Which then ignited the rest of the group's flight or fight response. They chose flight. All except me and Kara. We were stupid enough to stay. In their hurry to leave, the salt got scattered and parts of the chalk line were erased. The protective circle was broken.

I looked back to my however-many-greats-grandmother. The edge of her ghoulish mouth twitched upward. Then she flew like a bolt of lightning at my roommate.

Kara looked like a strong gust of wind hit her straight on. Her brown locks blew away from her face and she stumbled backward into the wall. Her facial muscles slackened and she slid down to the floor, eyes closed. 

"Kara?" I asked. I may not have been happy with her, after all this whole thing was her fault, but that didn't mean I wanted her hurt. I took a tentative step in her direction.

Her eyes flew open and looked right at me. But it wasn't Kara I was seeing in those blue orbs. It was Rose Marie. 

I may have screamed, I don't really remember. But I know I ran. Right out of that room and down the hall into another room. I slammed the door behind me and backed to the far wall. 

I had no idea where the rest of the girls went. I figured they must be hiding. Which is what I wanted to do. No, that was a lie. I wanted to leave. Run far, far away and never ever come back. There had to be a way out of the house. I mentally cursed Emma for locking us all in as I pulled at the boards covering the window. No luck. I wasn't strong enough. Maybe if two or three of us-

A scream ripped through the silence. Followed by another that was cut short. I flattened myself back against the wall again. I couldn't stop shaking. There wasn't a doubt in my mind what was going on. Jack the Ripper was on the prowl. 

My chest was so tight I couldn't breathe. I forced my mind to calm down, inhaling for a count of three, and exhaling for the same. This was all Kara's fault. What the hell had she been thinking? It didn't matter now. I had to do something. I mean, I was psychic, right? A medium. We were dealing with a spirit so I should be able to control it. But how? The only information I had was in those damn journals. 

Which were in the sitting room. 

Back where I last saw Kara the Possessed.

Just perfect. I had no choice. I had to go get those journals. Maybe I'd run into some of the other girls, and then we could do it together. Safer in a group, right?

I took some gulps of air then straightened my shoulders. I could do this. I headed out into the hall back the way I came. But slower this time. And quieter. 

A tiny bit of light from the street lamp made it through some of the boards. But it was still too dark to really see much. I used the wall to guide me and found the sitting room with ease. Apparently, I hadn't gone too far in my hasty departure. A few candles were still burning so I had a tiny bit of light. I picked one up and began searching the room.

"There you are." 

I froze. The voice came from directly behind me. I turned slowly to face my possessed roommate. Even in the candlelight I could see the blood stains on her pink pajamas. Her face was covered in blood splatter. But her smirk was the most unsettling. That and the huge knife she held in her hand. I wondered where she got it or if she'd brought it with her. 

"Kara, listen to me, you can fight this." I had no idea if she could or not, but that's what they always said in the movies. And since I felt like I was in some B-rated horror flick, it seemed like the right thing to say at the time.

"Kara's no longer here, dear. But you can call me grandma Jack if you'd like."

That was super-duper creepy. Not just what she said, but hearing that gravelly voice come from my roommate's pink lips made my mouth go dry. I swallowed the lump in my throat and took a step back.

"I just... I don't understand. Why did you do this? How?"

Rose Marie laughed. "I didn't do it. You're friend here did. I just took advantage of an opportunity."

I took another small step back. If I could keep her talking maybe I could distract her, then run. I shook my head. "What... what opportunity. You said you were trapped. I don't understand."

"Oh, child. It's all there in the diaries. Didn't you read them?" She harrumphed at me. Great. I'd disappointed my great-great-great-grandmother. I wasn't sure if that was good or bad.
She continued. "I was trapped by witches when I moved to the new country. They bound me forever to my diary. The only way out was to be invoked by a blood relative in direct contact with the journals."

Now I really was confused. "But I didn't invoke you. I wasn't even holding your diary. So how are you here?"

A wide smile crossed Kara's face. It sent chills from my head to my toes. "Didn't she tell you? Kara is your long-lost cousin. Your mother's sister gave her away at birth because she feared the curse of our family. She's a smart one, this Kara. She tracked down her birth parents, found out the truth but didn't believe it. Then found you. She inserted herself into your life, thinking she could find out what really happened."

I felt like I'd been sucker punched in the gut. Kara was... family? My aunt had a daughter? So many secrets. "W-what? How do you know any of this? You're like ancient. Been dead for over a hundred years."

"I know everything Kara knows. Have access to all her memories and knowledge now. See, she didn't know about me until you found my diary. So I have you to thank for all this. Poor thing thought I'd be the perfect source for her studies about serial killers. She wanted to talk to me. Get the inside scoop, so to speak. And here I am, Jack the Ripper, in the flesh once again." Rose Marie curtsied in Kara's body. 

No, no. This couldn't be happening; I had to be dreaming. I pinched myself in the arm. Nothing changed. I was still in this stupid house with Kara standing in front of me with a knife. God help me, it was all real.

So I didn't the only thing I could think of. I threw the candle at her and darted around her. I just needed to escape, find a way out.

Then pain exploded behind my eyes and everything went black.

****

The pounding in my head was the first thing I felt. Next was that my arms and legs were stiff and cramped. I blinked open my eyes. Total darkness. All at once, my memories came back to me. There's nothing like fear to bring you fully alert. I tried stretching out my legs but there wasn't enough room. And my feet were stuck together. So were my hands. Kara the Evil had tied me up and shoved me in a closet.

Worst. Birthday. Ever.

I woke up seeing ghosts, my roommate got possessed by Jack the Ripper - who is also my relative, I got knocked out, and was now tied up in a closet. Freaking great. I wondered how long I'd been unconscious. Had any of the others had escaped? And just what did old grandma have in mind for me after she was done with the rest of them?

The way I saw it, I had two choices. I could give up and let Rose Marie have her way. Or, I could try to get out of this place and get help. Turned out it wasn't that hard of a choice. 

I wasn't going to sit there and be serial killer bait. No way in hell. I was a miracle baby - born for a reason my mom said. I was going to help the others and get rid of grandma for good. Why else would I have these psychic abilities, right? Okay, maybe I could just go get help.

But first I had to get untied and out of the closet. Where did she find something to tie me up with? No way Kara would have brought rope with her. So where did it come from? It had to be some she found in the house. That meant it was probably old. Maybe even brittle. I pulled and tugged and wiggled against my restraints. The more I moved, the more the rope burned my skin. But I didn't care. I'd deal with raw and bleeding if it meant getting loose. So I kept at it. Finally, I pulled a hand free. It didn't take long for me to get the other one out and untie my ankles. I opened the closet door and crawled out into the sitting room.

The room swayed as I stood. Or rather I swayed. That bonk on the head still had me dizzy. I took a deep breath and walked along the wall to the door.

The next part of my plan was to find the others. Kara-Rose Marie-Jack, whoever she was couldn't fight us all off at once. A group of us could take her. I just needed to convince the rest of them of that.

I held on to the wall to help steady myself as I walked. It didn't seem as dark as it was before. I peeked through one of the boarded windows. Dawn had broken. Only a few more hours and someone would be here to unlock the door. I still couldn't believe Emma had done that. Stupid, stupid idea.

I came to an open door and peeked in. The smell hit me first and I held back a gag. At first all I could see was dark splotches on the floor and a lump in the corner. And then my brain fog lifted. Blood. So much blood. Pools of it, and a trail to the body in the corner. The girl's face was cut so much she was unrecognizable. But I knew from the long red hair it was Emma. Her throat was slashed, guts pulled out and spread around her. I couldn't hold it back anymore. I puked right there in the doorway and kept puking until I dry heaved.

This was all my fault. I was the one who found the diaries. I was the one who brought them here. I was the one who told Kara about it all. I stumbled backward into the hallway and leaned against the wall. I wasn't the one who killed that girl though. That wasn't my fault and I wasn't going to let some ghost with major issues make me feel like it was. Relative or not, I was going to stop her. Or at least find someone who could.

I took a deep breath and pushed on. More light was streaming through the boards over the windows chasing away the darkness. That gave me hope. Someone would be here soon.

Thud. Bang. Thud.

It came from the room up ahead. Part of me wanted to turn and run. But I knew I couldn't. Maybe the person wasn't dead yet. Maybe we could fight Kara off together. Restrain her even. Maybe then we could find a way to get the ghost out of her.

I ran into the room. But I was too late. Kara... no, Jack the Ripper was kneeled over one of the girls and stabbing her. Over and over and over again. So much rage emanated from my former roommate, it doubled me over. 

"Stop it!" I screamed.

Kara's head snapped to look in my direction. "Oh, good. You're just in time. Sun's up, we can leave soon." 

She wiped the knife off on her pajama pants and stood. I gasped. She was covered in blood. It was everywhere. And in the pit of my stomach, I knew she'd killed them all. I backed into the hallway.

"Oh, now, now. No need to fear me, Jackie. Those girls? They were whores, liars, cheaters, every one of 'em. Filth. They needed to die. I'm not going to kill you. I still need you." She walked over to me, draped her arm around my shoulders, and started guiding me down the hall. "Kara here isn't strong enough to keep me for long. But you, Jackie, you're strong. Really strong. Stronger than any of your past kin. You'll be the perfect host."

Omigod. She was going to possess me next. I was going to be her new body. My hand flew to my mouth all on its own as I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. Hell no. I would never, not in a million zillion years be a vehicle for this monster. 

We drew closer to the front door. I had to think fast. Someone would be there to let us out at any time. I couldn't let Kara leave this house. Not until I got the spirit out of her. So I fake tripped and fell to the ground.

"Get up. Let's go. It's time to get back to our dorm, roomie. We've got plans to make to transfer me over to you."

"But... but... " I looked over to all our stuff in the sitting area as we passed through the room. "We need to get the journals. Remember? And the rest of our stuff." 

Kara's brow furrowed for a moment. "Hm, yes, at least the journals. Can't let those get into the wrong hands now, can we?"

She shoved me in front of her toward the diaries scattered on the floor. As I squatted down to retrieve them, I saw a cell phone. I grabbed it too. Then I bent over it, hiding it in front of me, and prayed the battery wasn't dead as I turned it on. Within seconds the screen came to life. I needed to distract Kara so I could call for help. 

"Don't forget your bag over there. I'm sure there's stuff in it you might need." 

She shrugged and went to get it. I dialed Emergency.

As soon as they answered, I started in. "Help me. Old Whitehurst house, Baker Ave. She's killed everyone. Hel-"

"Now what'd you go and do that for?" Kara grabbed the phone and threw it against the wall. It shattered and fell to the floor. And with all my strength, I did the one thing I'd wanted to do since this whole crap started. I punched Kara right in the face. 

Then I turned and ran. 

Down the hall, left then right, then left again. The place was huge and so much like a maze, which was in my favor. I needed distance between me and the possessed woman. 

I pushed through a set of swinging doors and found myself in the kitchen. In the movies, there's always some kind of weapon in the kitchen. I pulled out drawers, opened cabinets. Nothing. Not even a frying pan. So I kept going, running through the next set of doors through the dining room and into another wing of the mini-mansion. 

And skidded to a stop. This part of the place was in total disrepair. Holes in walls, wires hanging from the ceiling where light fixtures should be. Plastic drop cloths draped over doorways. I vaguely remembered Emma saying something about renovations that were never finished and how we weren't allowed in this part of the house. Of course, she never planned on a serial killer chasing us either.
I moved slower since I wasn't sure of my surroundings here. And there was so much trash and debris on the ground. I didn't want to trip or kick anything. The least amount of noise I made the better. I stepped around the corner and faced a dead end.

"Oh Jackie. Come on now. We're friends. Let's just talk about this. Come on out and I promise not to hurt you." 

My heart flew into my throat. Her voice sounded close. More so than I expected her to be. How had she caught up so fast? I went back the way I came and ran to the last cross section of hallways. I took the right one this time. 

"Jackie, really. Come on now. Let's just go have a coffee and work this out. Okay?"

She sounded even closer. I looked over my shoulder as I picked up my pace, expecting to see her right behind me. But she wasn't. I looked back in front of me and ran right into a plastic drop cloth. 

The stupid thing was heavy and long. I swatted and tore at it, but it seemed there was no end to it. Then hands grabbed me around my waist.

"Gotcha."

I screamed and struggled in her grasp. The drop cloth fell and tangled up under my feet. We fell to the floor. I punched her in the face again. But it didn't seem to faze her one bit. Rose Marie wasn't feeling anything. It wasn't her body. She grabbed my hair so I headbutted her. It hurt like hell but at least it dazed her for a second. 

I wiggled and squirmed while I kicked and punched and pinched and elbowed. Anything to get away from her. Basically I acted like a child having a temper tantrum. Flailed my arms and legs every which way and was finally able to get her off me of me.

I rolled away and attempted to get to my feet. She grabbed my leg. So I kicked her in the face with my other foot. Blood seeped from her nose but she never let go of my leg. 

I clawed at the wood floor trying to get further away. My finger nails bent and broke. But I didn't stop. I had to get away. Somehow she found her footing and stood up with my leg in her hand. I tossed and turned, kicked at her hands with my free foot. Nothing worked. She started twisting my ankle, I screamed. Then kicked her in the knee. It bent backwards and she fell to the floor.

I scrambled away, like a crab, until I hit the wall. But her broken knee didn't stop her. She hobbled over to me. A piece of splintered wood was on the floor to my right. An old chair leg it looked like. It would do. As she reached down and grabbed my arm, my fingers curled around the wood and I stabbed her in the side of the neck. Her eyes widened. She grabbed at the stake. Gurgling noises came from her mouth, and blood dripped from her lips. She lumbered backwards, hit the wall, and slid down it. Her hands fell to the floor as her head hung forward.

It was over. Finally. My chest heaved. Relief I was alive, guilt over taking a life, over killing Kara, and grief from the rest of those killed that night, covered me like a wool blanket. It alI poured out of me in full on body-shaking sobs. I let myself cry. I deserved it.

A few minutes later, I heard the sirens in the distance. I pulled myself up to my feet. Every inch of me hurt but I made my way to the front of the house.

By the time the police arrived, I was sitting on the front steps. Whoever had the key to the front door had come and gone. Who knew if they had seen the carnage inside. Tears streaming down my bloodied face. One eye had almost swollen shut. My lip was busted and bleeding. My shirt was torn. I still had rope burns on my wrists. 

The house behind me was filled with 11 bodies. Jack the Ripper had killed them all. But I couldn't tell the police that. They'd lock me up in a mental institution.

Instead, I told them exactly what happened. We were pledges, here to join a sorority. We had a seance. Kara pretended to be possessed. I thought it was a joke at first. Until she started killing people. I told them exactly who she was. Made it sound like she kept me alive because we were family. Close enough to the truth to pass. Evidence would back up the rest. 

The officer led me to an ambulance. The paramedic asked me questions, cleaned me up, helped me onto the gurney. Shock settled in. I still couldn't wrap my mind around what had happened. Didn't know if I wanted to. I really wanted it all to be a nightmare and prayed I'd wake up any minute now.

I stared at nothing in particular outside the open ambulance doors. Police were everywhere. The coroner's van drove up. I watched it all in a disconnected numbness. Until an officer walked by. He looked over at me with the same dead eyes Kara had after she'd been possessed. And then he winked at me and kept on going. Rose Marie.

I knew it in my bones it was her. I clenched my jaw and made a decision right then and there. It had all happened. Every horrific moment of it. And I had to find a way to deal with it, to live with it. I needed to figure out my abilities and fast. Learn everything about being a medium, what I could and couldn't do. Because my job wasn't over.

I may have ended Kara's life, but Rose Marie's spirit was free. She would take host after host, and eventually come for me. She'd resume her dark hobby too. There was no doubt in my mind about that. She'd gotten the taste of blood again after 128 years.
Jack the Ripper was back.

And I was the only one whocould stop her.     

---

Jennifer is the author of The Haedyn Chronicles, and other dark urban fantasy and paranormal thrillers. Born and raised in North Carolina, she now lives on Florida's gulf coast with her husband, two cats, and a Royal Bahamian Potcake dog - who is half her size and thinks the world revolves around treats. When she's not writing, you can find her playing in the flower garden, giggling with her granddaughter, and enjoying time with her family and friends.

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