I wasn't supposed to leave the house. Crazy daughters that tried to kill themselves and talked to people that weren't there were not allowed to have social lives. Luckily, I was skilled at climbing out my bedroom window, besides, no one really ever checked on me anyway.

The night before I had gotten a text from Julia that said, "Road Trip?" Right away I knew she had talked to Luke. I was relieved not only to not have to tell my story all over again but also that Julia seemed to be on board. I called her immediately and we chatted all night long about nothing of significance, just what I needed.

Luke had found the adoption agency online and rather than make pointless phone calls we decided it was best to arrive in person and beg and plead our case. We left early in the morning; with me climbing out my window to meet Luke and Julia down the block. The front passenger side door of Luke's car flew open and Julia scrambled out, flying at me with a loud "Sqeee" sound.

"Oh my God Jules . . . what happened to your hair," I asked, as I braced myself for a monster hug.

Instead of its normal shocking purple her hair had been dyed jet black and was cut in a cute smooth bob. Her pouty lips were painted bright red too, giving her an old movie star look. She looked stunning.

Julia threw her arms around me and squeezed. "I needed a change."

"She met a boy," Luke's voice yelled from the car.

"Whatever dorkface, as you were," she yelled back.

"I'm going to need details," I said, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the car.

Julia and I piled into the back seat. Luke looked over his shoulder at us and rolled his eyes. "Anything I can do to make your ride more enjoyable girls?"

Although he was asking rhetorically to be sarcastic, I yelled out "Music" at the same time Julia yelled out "Snacks". This sent us into a fit of laughter that Luke pretended to be annoyed with as he pulled away from the curb. I could feel a twisting in my stomach, as we started out on our destination for answers. But first, we were headed for Quick Trip.

"Are you seriously going to eat Cheetos at nine in the morning," I asked Julia as she tossed a large orange bag into her little basket.

"It's always a good time for Cheetos," she answered.

It was hard to get used to the new Julia. Not only was her appearance different but she was also a little more, grown up. She moved a little slower, more gracefully. She seemed almost sexy, now there was something I was going to have to get used to.

"So, we're alone now. When are you going to tell me about this mystery guy?"

"What? There's no mystery guy, Luke is full of it." Julia tried to turn down the next isle before I saw that small smile that totally gave her away but she failed. I grabbed her arm and spun her back towards me.

"Julia! Spill!"

Julia's face lit up. She put the shopping basket down on the ground so she could have free use of her hands while talking. I've never met anyone that talked with their hands as much as she did. Her words speed up as went, making her sound more like the old Julia I was used to.

"Alright! His name is Clive, can you believe that name? We met like a week after you went to the hospital. He's so cute Viv! He likes photography too and old movies and junk, but I won't bore you with . . ."

I was trying to concentrate on what Julia was saying. I wanted to hear all about. . . Clive. . . or Cliff . . . or whatever she was talking about, but the room was getting cold and dark, super fast. It was way too fast for me to try to warn her. . .

This was getting old. I had to find a way to stop Katrina from taking over my body. Better yet, I needed to find a way to get rid of Katrina permanently.

One minute I was happy and safe picking out snacks and listening to my best friend rave about a cute boy. The next minute I was standing on top of the cashier's counter, nearly naked, surrounded by a mixture of shocked faces and a few hungry looking old men waving around one dollar bills. I froze. I couldn't even cover up, or run away, that's how frozen I was. Julia was also frozen, standing just below me, with her hands over her mouth and eyes wide with shock.

Just then, Luke stormed in the door and pushed his way through the small crowed that had gathered. "She's not well," he said to the room in general, as he reached up and pulled me off the counter. He carried me out the door like a groom would carry a bride over the threshold. My brain raced to put together the broken fragments of the scene I just witnessed while Julia hastily gathered up my clothes and ran after us.

He placed me in the backseat and I immediately curled up in a tight ball and started to sob. Julia got in next to me and smoothed my hair back with her fingers. "It's alright. It's all over now." Then after a long silence she said, "That was Katrina, wasn't it?"

I uncurled a little and looked at her. I looked into her eyes and tried to assess if she meant Katrina the ghost or Katrina my split personality. I decided it didn't matter. "Yes. She's pissed at me. And just when I was starting to feel sorry for her a little."

I really had been feeling a little sorry for her too, that ungrateful bitch. If I had once had what I considered to be a pretty fabulous life and now I was dead and forced to spend a life time watching a broken pathetic teenage girl live out her drool daily routine I might feel like offing someone too.

"Feel sorry for her? Why? I think it's your turn to spill!"

"In a nutshell, Katrina is sick of being stuck as a ghost watching the world go by and she wants it all to just stop."

"Just stop? As in killing you? So far, not feeling sorry for her one bit Viv."

"Yea well, I said I was starting to feel sorry for her, and don't worry, I'm over it. Wait, why is Luke still outside?"

Luke was standing just outside the car window, with his back turned toward us, head down and hands shoved in his pockets like a little kid.

Julia chuckled. "Probably because you're still not dressed."

"Oh shit," I muttered, pulling my shirt over my head. I was finally getting hit with the full on brunt of embarrassment over being seen in my bra and panties by so many strangers, let alone by my quasi-boyfriend. Lord only knew what I was doing up on that counter, I stopped Julia from going any further after she let out the words "wicked moves."

Julia opened the door, almost knocking Luke over. "It's safe now, you big baby."

Once we were on the road again, I retold the story Miranda and Rusty had told me about the necklace, the ferryman, and about Katrina's misguided motives for trying to kill me over and over again. Julia hung on every word, while Luke just stared straight ahead out the window. I would have given anything to read his thoughts right then.

I took the necklace out of my pocket and held it up to the light. Julia gasped, "You brought it with you? I would have tossed it in the ocean! Katrina is trying to kill you over that thing!"

Evil necklace or not, Julia plucked it from my hands to examine it closer.

"First of all," I reasoned, "the nearest ocean is like hundreds of miles away. Second, what if I need it for something? Molly thinks it's important, she's the one that helped me find it."

I had to hold back the tears that immediately sprung up when I mentioned Molly's name. The last time I saw her it had become very obvious to me that Molly was in some kind of trouble. Every time I saw her she looked more and more disheveled, like she was rapidly deteriorating. Miranda and Rusty and Katrina had been ghosts a lot longer than Molly and they all looked exactly the same every time I saw them. Something wasn't right.

Julia sighed, sending her black bangs fluttering against her forehead. "I'm confused. Is Molly real, or not real?"

"She's real." The answer was simple, authoritative and clear. It didn't come from me though. It was Luke who had said it, eyes still never leaving the road.