Disclaimer: I don't own The Paranorman. I don't own the picture (cover). Or the song.

(qwertuno and SilentReadersMatter)

(Picture is OC is named Amelie Kennedy. She belongs to me.)

(Hope you enjoy.)

Amelie is different than others.

All her life she's hidden a power beyond the understanding of the humans. She's a creature far ahead of their time with what she can do.

"What do you want?"

She usually stayed to herself or interacted with beings elsewhere listening to her problems. It's a good thing they do or her problems might be considered a tad weird.

"I want you to kill a guy."

The ghost floated casually. You could accuse him of a meditation form. Up and up and up and down. It somehow made her sick of thinking going up in those constant motions.

"...Heck no." Amelie snorted, arms crossing. "I've had ghosts ask me crazy favours. This one..it takes the cake."

The ghost glared. She didn't know his name so sticking to natural status stayed a good cause until it trusted Amelie enough to honour that name.

"Why not?!"

She figured it wouldn't ever happen.

Amelie was in the streets. No one was around so she played it safe on talking to the ghosts passing the time until she would be home. Oh, she hoped it to be soon, like really, really soon.

She internally cursed whoever had been blessed to deal with the angels-

-Good ghosts whilst she spent a time dealing with hell spirits and all sorts of demonic looking creatures coming just to talk to the one called The seeker.

"You heard the seeker?"

"He helps with us."

"Unlike the female."

Amelie's hands clenched. Unclenching and repeating the gestures multiple times to calm herself. She hadn't acted out her temper in a long time and she didn't intend to be in trouble now.

Her phone was already grounded for three days. A tale that really needed to be food in details. Amelie held no desire to tell that particular tail.

"Seeker. Seeker. Seeker."

Ghosts weren't kind to the one who had the ability to see and communicate verbally. Making fun of Amelie being a loser, possessing her body for the hell of it, even giving nightmares of families killed.

The bags under her eyes proved days of sleepless. An eye twitched and Amelie mouth said words a blank mind drew just so she could have some damn peace in her miserable life.

"Shut. Up."

Screech.

Amelie's body shivered. Oh yeah, she forgot introducing the kind of ghosts she faced on a daily basis, huh? Well, she'd do it at this moment.

Ghosts, green coloured energy. Usually meaning neutrality or non-threatening. Some even playing the Macarena and dancing in the street. She was not kidding on that.

"Hi!"

"Hey!"

"Hello."

Then there were...demons. The word rolled off the tongue disgustingly tasting acid slicing off the tip lol not the very ground she stood on. Not a good sign.

"Demon." Amelie greeted casually, an emotionless tone put on. "What do you want? Seeking good?"

It chuckled, softly echoing everywhere. Including Amelie's head. Ringing inside and blocking out any thought she wanted to make. Even insults she thought on the dot.

"You know what I want. You denied my friend a chance to get his revenge so I'm here till you pay up. Your ours. Only communication and all that crap."

Amelie long since tuned him out. Demons has a habit of monologuing longer than planned. She mentally recalled the lyrics of a song replaying each verse in order. If only just to make the demon more mad than needed.

Stupid, she knew. Angering a demon is a death wish.

Amelie's not the average humans. She's a ghost seer and sees things the human mind can't even comprehend or would break the strangest of men.

"Is the freak talking to ghosts again?"

Amelie heard the whispers of the citizens passing each second she walked fine the streets. Voices trailing delicately as the not be exposed.

Amelie still hears it despite their best afford.

"Morons." She hissed lightly. "I'm not deaf. I still hear. I'm the freak of the town. No matter what people think, I'm just a took."

The demon listened to the mini rant. Amelie stopped and profusely apologised for wasting its time. One of the most important rules: say sorry to the dead.

The sinister entity nodded accepting it. Amelie breathed an easy sigh of relief. The limits where she could mess with a demon is something even she knows her limits are.

One wrong move and she's dead.

Not yet.

She'd taken to communicating mentally. Letting the ghosts in enough to tether the bond so talking could a possibility without the usual bullying. Heaven knows she hated that.

Please.

No response.

The demon's colour is red. Signifying his loyalty to the devil. A creature Amelie's never met and doesn't ever intend to. Unlike the green, this one won't hesitate in ending her life if it felt in danger.

Child.

She's treading dangerous ice. Amelie isn't the seeker, she's known by another name ghosts and others alike seem to enjoy calling her often.

The Vessel.

Ghosts possess, communicate, the works.

Demon.

What is it you desire?

The voice contained so much promise. All she has to do is say the phrase and it'll do what it knows she wants it to do. Demons are nothing in the books.

Amelie stared at the citizens coldly. She kept the secret of seeing the dead for so many years and she isn't letting some mere humans expose a lifelong burden God placed her child shoulders.

She wondered if God existed. She'd have to wait until dying to be in heaven. Or in hell. She didn't know which she preferred really.

Kill flesh bags.

It caressed Amelie's cheek. Cold breath making the back of her neck hairs stand, a saying she knows and a saying applying now. She finally knew why it's invented. The dead can't breath. The chills is a wind blowing next to her body.

It looked so pleased with Amelie.

As you wish.

Then it's suddenly gone. Whisking itself away, shrieks ringing throughout the neighbourhood. The currently passerby's don't even turn around.

Amelie frankly doesn't blame them. The demon looked at the little girl having her back to the monster is hopes he'd leave her alone.

Unfortunately, she doesn't live in a world where a genie would grant three wishes. Because she's wished many times it would've used up.

Child, they're dead. You know what that means.

Amelie knew what it meant. Didn't mean it'd make the pain any easier. Suddenly everything goes black and Amelie gasped as red energy turning crimson spread throughout her body and mind.

She took in deep breaths fighting weakly against whatever tried taking ahold of her deepest desires taking it to the extreme.

Relax, Vessel.

Amelie's mind drifted to sleep and something else stood up it's place. Gone were coloured blue eyes now resembling emerald green. So pretty yet so deadly in eyes of the lord.

The demon forced Amelie's body to stand. It may have been wrong since it's a male. But, oh well. It's a ghost. Can't force a gender because people slept.

"You broke me first."

***

Amelie isn't surprised as she awakened.

Eyes opening, memories of the precious hour to a default. She remembered school, boringness, classmates, family, no friends.

So yes, the usual.

"What happened?"

She's resting in her bed and sat up arms folded. A ghost is watching over the young girl sleeping in the arms of a demon. She's sitting in it's and repressing the urge to slap thin air.

All in all, it wouldn't a win-win for anyone.

Resting in the lap of a demon is quite comforting. This particular has sworn its devotion to Amelie and she let it visit on rare occasions. There's a price of course to keep it at bay.

She has to be its. Let it use mind and body. It promised to lay off the soul. She retained part of herself without losing the whole puzzle piece.

Without a soul, Amelie would've faded by now. She's done nothing good with her ability to communicate with the dead. She's used them and they've used her.

A done deal.

Amelie managed to satiate a demon. It's a black large shadow of a tall man. It's probably around six feet tall and a light in the darkness she's lived in.

"AMELIE!"

"Shit."

She cursed, form trembling. The demon hugged the child closer. The eleven year old whimpering of the punishment that would ensue-

Click.

A large man stood. An axe in hand and looking disappointed in his only child. Amelie doesn't bother wasting a break in the poor excuse of human.

BAM!

He procceeed to beat the living crap out the girl. She layed there looking into the eyes of a ghost where a shell of a former kind father used to be.

She gasped in breaths struggling taking them in even a second. She can't dare make noise. He punched over and over and over until she's no more than a lifeless dummy laying there.

"You are not mine." He growled lowly, hands on the doorknob. "Not my child. It's your fault your mother died. If you hadn't been born, I wouldn't live knowing my wife is in hell for committing a sin."

Douche bag.

"You understand? It's your fault."

"...Yes, Father."

The door clicked. He hadn't bothered answering the response this time. Amelie didn't know if that hurt more than the injuries inflicted by his own hands.

Amelie laid for who knows how many hours. Counting backwards, numbers blurring as she struggled remembering how to count. She prayed she didn't have a concussion.

The demon healed the wounds. Shadows grabbing Amelie's arms pulling the young thing up as if she were a delicate doll. The shadows forced the body to walk back to the bed.

Amelie groaned in pain, though understanding the darkness not using manifestation. A physical form required physical energy drawn. At the moment she's weak as a wounded prey.

Sleep.

The demon pleaded. Mute ghosts stared in concern, letting the allure of hell guiding half towards the abusing father sitting downstairs. It's the first time he's had to learn this lesson.

He still carried on regardless of punishments.

"Papa.."

Amelie whimpered desirably, wanting the love of a parent who won't return such a desire. The demon vanished into the shadows.

The spirits forced her mind into sleep. And she slept knowing a father hated a daughter because of a mother's death in the emergency room.

To this day, Amelie's convinced it's her fault.

***

"What's the emergency?"

Amelie stands there listening unnecessarily as the ghosts rambles on about some kind of possession at the other side of town.

Honestly, she doesn't consider an emergency.

"It happens all the time."

"You don't understand!" It cried panicking. "The seeker is in danger. The colossal has decided him to be its host."

Amelie froze up. She's heard of rumour about this seeker. There's two sides to the coin. He takes care of the food and she eliminated the bad.

He'd been blessed. She's been cursed.

Not the kind of person you want to meet. Amelie's heard is cold as the dead's touch. But the increasing panic in other ghosts makes an eye twitch.

How she hates these spirits.

"Fine." She groaned, massaging her temples. She question why an adult is never cursed. "Other side of town. Piss off now."

"His name's Norman."

"Thanks for the useless info."

The ghosts glare on defiance. Making it perfectly clear they hate they hate the hell outta Amelie. Good, she hated them to. They could have a double death for all she cared.

"Veil?"

It's the name of the shadow demon. Covering its tracks, ever present grin creeping Amelie out. She holds it gaze a minute.

It submitted, bending down to its little host's level sniffing the scent and nuzzling a certain spot. Amelie let it happen. It's part of the rules.

Respect a deal.

Vessel?

"Take me there."

Hop in.

His expression is ever emotionless. Honestly, Amelie isn't afraid anymore. He nodded in compliance. Bending even further down into a crouch position.

Amelie climbed into his back. The shadow grabbing and adjusting the girl's legs so they curved around his waist snugly. She held onto his shoulders tight.

"Get it over with."

She felt him nod. Both entity and human dissolved into little particles travelling a destination to where they had no clue in mind to be.

The darkness eventually released and Amelie was held tightly in the shadow's arms. She looked around the new area of a town, a single thought in her mind.

Time to find the seeker.