So.

It's been two and a half months since Sunshine and her mother returned back home from the Oregon coast trip.

It's been two and a half months since Anna warned her of bad things to come.

It's been two and a half months with no ghost activity, save for the unicorn moving every now and then.

And it's been two and a half months since Creepy Lady has come back around.

Oh. Also, Sunshine has bangs now.

She's thinking back on the black and white picture of the father and daughter. The one where they have the bags over their heads, and 'They are watching you' is written on the back? Yeah, that one.

The one that burned.

It's clearly her ghosts, as everyone knows. And it's very, very disturbing. She's terrified. Granted, she hasn't had nightmares in at least three months, but now, just thinking about the spirits — it stirs her up. She's not sure how to feel, exactly.

Sunshine just wants to figure out who those people in the picture are, what they want, why they're haunting her, and why they won't leave.

It's another mystery to solve, and one Sunshine isn't sure where to start with.
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She's fairly certain — pretty much darn sure — that the ghosts are back. She's been hearing voices around the house, and when she's downstairs, little scuttles along the wall will jolt her away from her homework.

Sunshine doesn't want to tell her mom; not yet. She knows Kat will freak out and, well, she doesn't want to go down that road again. Of course, she'll have to tell her mom. But she just, she doesn't want to be scared and afraid anymore. It sucks. It really does.

Why can't her life just be normal?
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She's leaving Barnes & Noble, feet clanking against the sidewalk and brows furrowed with concern. "So I just left the bookstore," she begins, looking at the flashing red light, "and I have this weird feeling. Like I'm being followed. I don't know."

Sunshine makes her way to the car and slips in to the driver's seat, heart flickering in her chest. "It's a weird feeling. It's different than normal. Like — like someone's watching me. It's not like the ghosts, though. I don't know. It's weird."

She breathes through her teeth and scans the parking lot, ignoring her trembling hands. She doesn't see anyone, and there's no evidence to show that someone is even following her.

Whatever. She's leaving.
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"Alright," she begins, sitting across the wall in the living room. "So I found a local guy who specializes in occult history and paranormal stuff..? So — I can't remember his name, hold on.." Sunshine presses her lips together and sighs. "I think I have it written down somewhere. So, let me go find it, it's upstairs."

She pads toward the doorway but freezes in the kitchen, forehead creasing. "It's really cold in here." Sunshine looks around before shrugging. "Weird.."

As she walks up the steps, a gasp wrenches out of her throat when the door at the foot of the stairs slams shut. Sunshine looks at the camera, a knowing look spread all over her face, and shuffles back down to open the door.

Sunshine waves the camera around the bottom floor, shaking her head. "Hello?"

No answer, of course, she's an idiot.

"I don't think anyone's here," she murmurs, finding her way back up the stairs. She begins to walk to her room before the door slams again.

Sunshine turns around, not startled this time; in fact, she looks more annoyed than anything.

"They're back."
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"I feel like somebody's... watching me." Sunshine holds her glasses between her fingers, narrowing her eyes and looking around. She's downstairs, sitting on the couch, and — and she just feels something. Something wrong.

"There's like a —" She turns her head from side to side. "I have a feeling. I don't know." Sunshine grips the camera protectively, standing up slowly. "Hello?" She takes a moment to scan back over the living room. "Is anybody there?" She tries to make her voice firm and determined, but is pretty sure a word cracks there.

The buzzing in her head is really starting to aggravate Sunshine. "Do you have something you want to say to me?" she accuses.

Anna? Sunshine grunts. No. It can't be Anna. They left her back at the haunted hotel. Spirits can't follow people.

"Can you give me a sign?" It's the least these fucking spirits can do, after all she's been through.

In the kitchen, something splinters and breaks and it burns Sunshine's ears. She breathes in, head raising, hands curling around the camera. She nears the counter, poking her head inside. On the ground, strewn across the red mat, is a wooden spoon.

It freaks her out, but it's — it's not terrible. Not the worst that has happened.

It's only when Sunshine goes back to review the footage that she sees a dark, transparent shadow standing right in front of her.

That's what really makes her skin crawl.
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Since the ghosts are back, Sunshine wants to perform a smudging ceremony. Her mother doesn't have to know yet, especially if the sage drives the spirits away.

Maybe she can kill two birds with one stone.

Sunshine walks around the house, the herb in one hand and a paper of the words she must speak in the other. She's a little more enthusiastic today; if this works, then everything can go back to normal.

A clatter makes Sunshine jump and she turns. "Oh, what is that smell? Are you smoking pot?"

She clasps her teeth together, looking a little worried at the sound of her mother's voice. "I'll explain.."

Kat looks at her daughter, at the sage, and growls something under her breath. Sunshine seats her mother on the couch and sets the camera up on the table, joining her mother.

"Yes, please, explain."

"Okay, so.."

"So, you're smokin' pot, huh?"

Sunshine rolls her eyes.

"Please tell me it's pot." Kat holds her hands together like she's praying.

Sunshine sighs. "The ghosts are back.."

"What do you mean the ghosts are back?"

"They're back."

"From where, did they take a vacation?" Her mother looks unamused. "Did they go on the road trip with us? What."

"I have no idea. They're back, though." She sort of shrugs, trying to play it off.

"How do you know?" Kat genuinely looks interested, and maybe even a little concerned. "What's goin' on?"

"I hear voices and stuff."

"And stuff?"

"I feel watched. But it's okay."

"You are watched." Kat gestures toward the camera. "You've got a stupid YouTube channel."

"Okay, well — that's different." Sunshine pulls cat hair off of her jeans.

Her mother sighs. "Alright, so, so were you trying to do — what was your plan? What were you doing?"

"I don't know." She looks at Kat. "Doing the saging thing that we did with the lady. You walked in on us that time too?"

"When do you — like, since when do you not tell me stuff? Why, were you thinking you could just take care of this on your own, without talking to me?" Kat raises her hands and seems upset.

Sunshine's eyes widen and she shrugs.

"Mom here," Kat continues, pointing to herself.

"Basically, yeah."

"Awesome. Alright, well, do we think that the saging is gonna work, or do we wanna — I don't know, I feel like we need, we need some help, we need to.." She shakes her head and thinks.

"I would call in a, paranormal person."

"What's a paranormal person?"

"The.." Sunshine plays with her braided hair.

"Like the TV show?"

"No." She makes a face.

"Could we get in that cute kid form Paranormal State?"

Sunshine smirks. "No, he's not that cute."

"I just don't think we know enough." Kat frowns.

"Yeah, maybe we should do more research."

"I don't know, I — I think maybe a medium could be a good idea."

Sunshine raises her brows. "Isn't that just a psychic?"

"No, it's more—" Her mother sighs, "like people, I think the difference is that they can kind of talk to ghosts, so, I mean, obviously — I think to some extent you can talk to ghosts, but they don't seem to be talking back in a way that is helping us to figure this out. They just are... bothering you, They're not really... helping us."

"Mhm..." She's thinking.

"So... I think maybe that might be a good option."

Sunshine looks up at Kat. "Let's do it."

Her mother snorts. "That was it, huh?"

"Yeah."
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Sunshine is doing some research on local paranormal experts to help her out, and manages to find the name of a woman — Bailey Poe — that she wants to call.

She dials the number, holds the phone up, and puts it on speaker for the camera. It rings for a moment and Sunshine hangs her head back, waiting.

"Hello?" She turns her head when a clear male's voice comes through, grating across the speakers.

"Hi! Is... Bailey Poe there?"

"Yeah, this is him."

Sunshine smiles widely, trying to cover a giggle. "Oh, you're a guy?"

"Yeah. Yup."

She nods slowly. "Okay, um, anyways, so I heard you're the one to contact about paranormal stuff?"

A pause. "Yeah I'm familiar with quite a bit, what do you need to know?"

"Well, I have this — I'm like, being haunted — but I had this photo mailed to me and it was put in my fireplace and stuff so it's burned now—" She says this all very casually, "but.. yeah."

"Okay, so... how can I help you?"

"I don't know, I thought we could meet and you could... look at the photo and stuff and.. talk a little about it." There's silence for a moment. Sunshine draws her head forward as if to motion him to talk with annoyance.

"This isn't a joke is it?"

"No, it's not a joke.." Sunshine squints her eyes and laughs.

"Okay. Yeah, you can come over."

She makes a face. "Like, to your house?"

"Yeah, yeah, you can come over pretty much any time, I'm, like — whatever."

She almost scoffs. "I'm not coming to your house!"

"Why not?"

"Cause that's weird, I'm a girl, you're apparently a dude..?" She shakes her head. Isn't this obvious?

"I thought you needed my help."

"How about we meet somewhere public."

A sigh. "Uhh, okay, that's fine, we can do that. How about the park, like, Thomson Park, do you know where that is?"

"Yeah, I know where that is." Sunshine begins to nod.

"Okay, yeah, we can meet there, that's fine — uh, hey, I have another call coming in, I'll give you a call back, okay?"

"Um, okay."

"Thanks."

"Yeah." Sunshine hangs up and looks confused, staring at the camera. "Creeper, much? Seriously. Weird."

IT'S LE MASTER I'M SO HAPPY