Steve carefully drives home, worriedly glancing at Frankie every chance he gets.

She's still shaking with tears.

"I'm so sorry," Steve apologizes, "I should've been there. Who the hell did this to you?"

"N-No one," Frankie insists, too afraid of what might happen if she ratted Billy out. Steve turns his head to the girl with an incredulous look. "Are you fucking kidding me, Frankie?"

"P-Please, Steve– I don't wanna talk about it..." she begs. Steve immediately gives an apologetic look, not meaning for his voice to come out so loud.

"Steve?" She questions softly as they approach her house.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Steve smiles lightly and reaches over to give the girl's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I love you, too."

He parks his car and gets out with the girl. There is no way he is going to let her stay alone tonight. Frankie seems tense the entire time. She even walks up the stairs with slow steps, dragging out their entrance.

"Steve, I need to tell you something," she finally says as they enter the house.

Steve turns to her curiously.

"What's up?"

"Well— it's gonna sound crazy," she explains. As she takes a seat on the couch, he follows.

"I've seen crazy," Steve hims as he sits down across from her. Frankie smiles gently and clasps her hands together. She carefully thinks her next words through.

"I can see ghosts," she states.

A silence lingers over them.

"Is this a joke?" Steve chuckles, rolling his eyes. Clearly, he didn't believe her.

"No, really—"

"Frankie, c'mon. Ghosts? If you wanted to impress me, you already have—"

"I'm not trying to impress you!" She shouts, becoming defensive. "I can see ghosts! See, I knew you wouldn't believe me—"

Steve raises his eyebrows.

"Okay," he hums, "then prove it."

She takes a deep breath. Then, she hesitantly pulls off her watch.

Steve's eyes widen, and his brain suddenly flashes back to 011. This couldn't be a coincidence could it? Did Will tell Frankie, and now she's pretending to be from the lab, so she'll feel included?

Steve moves over and takes the girl's wrists, staring in disbelief.

Frankie gives him a questioning look.

She thought she was going to have to explain where she got it from, but it seems as though he already knows.

"Are you....are you from the lab?" Steve quietly whispers.

Frankie nods.

"Prove it," he says once again, refusing to believe it all. He has so many questions. Too many things don't add up.

"How?" She questions.

"Answer some of my questions," he states. She nods her head in agreement, and prepares herself for whatever he has to ask.

"Did you know a girl called 011?"

"Yes," Frankie responds, her eyes widening now. How does Steve know her? Is she okay?

"Say one thing you know about her," Steve insists.

"She could move things...with her mind."

Steve and Frankie stare at each other with shock before he continues.

"How did you learn to speak properly? How did you get here? Do you really have parents?"

Frankie swallows a lump in her throat.

"The ghosts taught me. I escaped the lab. No, I don't have parents."

"Are there others?"-S

"Yes. Only one other that I know." -F

"Do you know what happened to Will?" -S

"Yeah. He got lost in the woods right?"-F

"No...the real thing that happened to him..." -S

Frankie gives Steve a confused look, shaking her head 'no'. Steve begins to explain everything, despite his obligation not to tell another living soul. Frankie listens intently, beginning to connect the dots.

She cries when Steve tells her 011 is gone.

He continues to say how everyone who originally worked at the lab is dead or gone, and they both figure that's the reason no one came after her.

"Alex told me she felt Brenner go through the gate," Frankie comments.

It's Steve's turn to be confused.

Frankie takes a deep breath before explaining her story. The gate. Halloween. The ghosts. Alex.

"Wait— so, all of them are currently living? Like they're human again for a few days?" Steve asks, trying to wrap his head around all the new information. Frankie nods her head, giggling a little at his surprise.

"Yeah, but they can go between being alive and being a ghost right now."

"That's so badass! I don't get why they'd wanna be alive anyway. I mean, being a ghost must be totally rad," Steve exclaims. Frankie shakes her head and laughs a little.

"They say it's numb. They hate it," Frankie states.

Steve frowns a little, feeling uneasy.

"Not everyone's afterlife is like that—" Frankie reassures, "only those who feel unfulfilled."

Steve nods.

"Could you show me them?" Steve asks suddenly, "like can I see them too?"

"Yeah!" Frankie grins, "you just have to stay in an isolated room and listen to me play my piano solo."

"Oh, right," Steve mumbles, remembering her explaining the solo earlier.

"So can I see?"

|

(Frankie's watch, and Steve finds out.)