"Hello! Are you awake?" Leo calls.

I forgot I gave him a key. I groan and turn onto my back. "In here," I call to him.

"Sleeping beauty! I take it you slept well." He opens the shades, and I resist the urge to hiss as the sunlight pours into the room, half-blinding me.

"You would be right in your assumption." I throw the blankets over my head.

"No, none of that." He pulls the blanket off my head. "Let's get some breakfast."

"I don't want to. Let me enjoy my peace!" I realize something, I haven't picked up Leo's thoughts.

"Leo, I can't hear you!" I say in excitement.

"Al, are you okay? Can you hear me now?" he yells, grabbing my face.

"No, I mean I can't hear what you're thinking." I roll my eyes.

"Diva! Don't fucking scare me like that!" He clutches his chest dramatically.

Such a drama queen.

Leo is beautiful. He has short bleach-blond hair and aqua blue eyes. Tall, fit, perfect, also one hundred percent gay. I realize that I've totally become his hag, and I'm more than fine with that.

"Why do you guess that is though?" I ask.

"Probably because you slept after six weeks of no sleep. It takes mental concentration to block. Do you recognize the amount of noise I have to block from the other side daily? That gets hard as fuck to do when I'm too tired," he explains.

"So you're saying it's possible to better control whatever the fuck this is?"

"Yes! What the hell do you think I've been telling you for the past year?" He sighs.

"I know, it's just been so hard lately." I pout.

"Well, that's because your brother brought some strong shit in here. You sure he isn't dabbling in something dangerous?" Leo asks.

"I have no clue. He won't talk about it. When I tried, he told me he wasn't insane like me and walked away. Whatever was in here broke our photo yesterday." I nod over to the picture sitting on my dresser.

"What? You're telling me the spirit made something move?" he asks in disbelief. The expression on Leo's face is not comforting.

"Move? No, it flung the damn thing almost across the room." I shiver at the memory.

"Al, that's not good. That doesn't sound like a regular spirit. That sounds like a demon or at least, not your run-of-the-mill ghost."

I roll my eyes once again. "There are no such things as demons, Leo."

"Bitch! Are you serious right now?" He stands up and looks at me in disbelief.

"Yeah, okay, I can believe in negative and positive energy, but demons? That's farfetched."

"Girl! You read minds! You saw a picture frame fly across the room, a shadow spirit haunted you for the past six weeks, and you're still on your skeptical shit?" Leo huffs.

"I can't help that I don't buy into all the mumbo-jumbo," I reply.

"All the shit you've experienced throughout your childhood—I just can't with you right now." He walks out of the room.

I jump out of bed and follow him. "Leo, don't get mad at me!"

"How can I not be mad at you, Al? You call everything I believe in bullshit, but not only that, you refuse to believe what you've seen with your own eyes. What you live daily!"

Suddenly, my walls crumble, and I can sense Leo's frustration assault my mind. "I can't understand this bitch!" he thinks.

"Fuck!"

"What?" Leo asks when he realizes I'm holding my head in my hands.

"I can read you again!"

"Come here." He pulls me towards the couch and helps me sit down. "Just relax, okay?"

"This is so fucking frustrating!" I yell.

"Hey, I'm sorry." He hugs me tightly. "It was probably the over-rush of emotions. You just piss me off sometimes."

"I know..."

I can't help being skeptical. It's easier than admitting there's some weird, fucked up shit in the world, I don't fully understand.

I stand up. "Look, I'm not up for going out, but I'll make us breakfast. How's that sound?"

Leo rolls his eyes. "Okay, fine..."

I go into the kitchen and cook up some Denver omelets with hash browns and toast. We sit at the dinette and eat.

Leo wipes his mouth on a napkin and says, "There's someone I want you to meet. And before you say no, I think she can help you, because I feel she's telepathic."

"Who is she?" I ask.

"I met her at the shop. Her name is Ann, she's a little eccentric, but I expect she might help give you some answers." Leo takes a sip of his orange juice.

My phone's gonna ring. Shit! I forgot to call Trish!

Sure enough, my phone rings and it's Trish.

"Al! What the hell? Why haven't you called? I've been worried!" she yells the minute I answer.

"Damn, Trish! Chill! I was in pain. I fell asleep," I tell her half the truth.

"You're up now!"

"I'm sorry. Leo woke me this morning. He's here having breakfast with me," I say.

"Oh! So you're having breakfast with Leo? I understand... Well, don't let me interrupt your time with your new BFF!" she angrily screeches into the phone.

I don't fucking need this.

"Trish are you honestly jealous of Leo?" I ask in disbelief.

"She should be. I'm fucking fabulous," Leo says.

"Not helping, Leo!" I scold him before I turn my attention back to Trish who's acting like a jealous lover.

"Trish, why don't you come and hang out?"

"You keep pushing me away, Al. Are you mad at me?" She sniffles.

"Don't cry, Trish! For Christ's sake..."

Her emotions hit me in waves, and I feel like I'm on the verge of tears myself.

"You realize I'm fucked up, Trish. Leo is helping me try to figure shit out." I already know it won't be a comfort to her, but it's the truth.

"Why can't I help?" She continues to sob.

A tear slips from my eye and I curse to myself. "It's complicated, but you do help. You help me feel sane and normal."

"We don't even hang out anymore," she says.

"Fine. You want to hang out? Let's have a movie night here at my place. Okay? I'll tell you all about my latest encounter with Avery..." I tease her with her favorite thing in the world, juicy gossip.

Her mood does a one-eighty, and she asks excitedly, "You saw Avery?"

"Yes, but I won't tell you more unless you agree to movie night tonight."

"Okay, I'll be there, and I'll bring the pizza and wine!"

"Great! I'll see you tonight. Bye!"

I hang up before she can start in again. My two favorite blondes should be best friends, but they're both possessive of me and both are catty bitches. So, I've yet to create a total truce between the two.

"Ugh! What a pain she is!" Leo comments.

"Hey! That's my best friend you're talking about. Watch it!"

"Correction. Your female best friend." He looks at me with wide blue eyes. Get what I mean about possessive?

"Whatever..."

"That's what I thought." He gives me the side-eye and daintily sips his juice.

I reflect on Avery. How the hell am I going to get out of dinner with him? I can fake my own death. That might work...

As if Leo could read my mind, he asks, "So, Avery, huh?"

"What about him?" I feign ignorance.

"Oh, don't play dumb. You told Trish you had gossip. So, spill it!"

"I just said that to cheer her up." I shrug my shoulders.

"Oh, no, bitch! You were serious. Tell me. Now!" he demands.

I sigh. "Okay, fine. Maybe you can help me figure out how to blow him off. He's getting more persistent."

"Blow him off? Why the hell would you want to do that?" he asks.

"You know damn well, why! I have fucking photos flying off my shelves and you want me to invite some innocent into all this mess?"

"Who says you need to get that close to him?"

"What do you mean?" I peer at him suspiciously.

"Diva! That boy is walking sex. If you won't fuck him, I sure as hell will." He purses his lips and looks at me sideways.

"He doesn't seem like he only wants sex though, that's what worries me."

"Al, he's a man. If all you offer is sex, then he'll take what he can get. You're smoking hot, and that's coming from me, someone who has no interest whatsoever in your pink box."

"Jesus, Leo..." I stifle a laugh.

"What? It's true..."

I don't get what he's talking about. I'm average height, brown eyes, and dark brown hair. I have full lips and high cheekbones; my eyes are large and almond-shaped. I'm a Latina, so I keep a rather nice tan all year long. Other than that, I'm so average it isn't even funny.

I guess there's something to my figure. Although, I can stand to lose about ten pounds. I've got some impressive curves, and I'll admit, my butt is cute. Other than that, I don't understand what the fuss over me is about. Leo isn't the only one to notice something I don't. I guess Avery feels I'm sexy too. I don't know... I have a hard time seeing myself as anything but an awkward freak. It's all anyone sees once they find out what I can do.

"He wants me to have dinner at his place," I finally say.

"Do it!"

"Leo!"

"Girl, there is nothing to figure out. The guy likes you. He's been after you for nine months. Cut him some slack and have dinner with him!"

I sigh. "I guess you're right."

"Guess? Girl, I'm right." He finishes the last of his juice.

"Oh, I forget. You're always right." I smirk.

"See! Now you're getting it!" Leo smirks back while adding a wink.

He's such a pain in my ass, but I have to admit, I love him.

"I have to fly, gorgeous. The shop awaits! Thanks for breakfast. I'm glad the cleansing worked. If any more weird shit happens, call me immediately. I'll do more research at work today. I don't like the whole, shit flying off shelves thing, you have going on in here."

"You think I do?" I reply.

"Well, be good. And have fun tonight with your second-rate best friend, Trish." He pretends her name makes him sick to his stomach.

I laugh. "I will."

I walk him to the door. We air kiss on both cheeks, and off he goes.

I head back into the kitchen and clean up the mess from breakfast.

No! Please, no. Turn around and go away!

There's a knock on my front door. I already know it's Avery. If I don't answer, perhaps he'll go away.

"Alice?" he calls. "I know you're there. Leonard told me you were home when I saw him leaving a while ago."

Fucking, Leo! I'm going to kill him!