Chapter 9

"So, how do we do this?" Marie asks. She sits on the couch, by herself. Everyone else - except Nayoko, who sits on one of the cubes - stands around the couch staring down at her.

"We aren't really sure," Mike admits.

"Last time it just sort of happened to me," Amy chimes in.

"So we just wait here?"

They shrug.

Marie sighs. "Great plan! I'm sure that'll work!" She rolls her eyes.

"You try coming up with something when nothing else works!" Amy shouts.

"Maybe my plan would actually be a plan. With steps and all," Marie shoots back.

"Girls!" Mike steps in. "Bickering like kids won't help us at all."

"Sorry," they mumble. Amy hangs her head while Marie just sighs.

"I know that this isn't much of a plan," Mike says, turning to Marie. "But right now it's the best we've got."

Maire folds her hands together on her lap. "I know. And I'm sorry but just not knowing exactly how this all will happen is scary."

"I know." His gaze softens. "And we all appreciate you doing this for us."

Marie smiles softly as mostly everyone hums and nods in agreement.

"I may have an idea of how we can do this," Roan pipes up.

Mike spins towards him. Marie looks up at her partner. "How?" they both ask.

Roan runs a hand through his hair, stopping at his neck. "Well, I've noticed a pattern in Kal's behaviour."

They stare at him as he pauses.

"What is it?" Marie asks.

"Go on!" Nayoko encourages.

Roan takes a deep breath. "Anytime Kal appears is when Marie is singing or me and her are bickering. But it tends to be when she's in the practice room. Alone, or with me."

"You can't be suggesting that," Mike says.

Roans hand drops to before him. He doesn't meet Mike's gaze as he says, "I am."

Nayoko and Marie share a confused look.

"What are you suggesting?" Nayoko asks.

Roan stays quiet.

Mike glares Roan down as he answers the question. "He's suggesting that he and Marie stay here. Alone and try to talk to Kal themselves."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Nayoko says slowly, like she doesn't get what's so bad with that idea. "We'll all just be in the next room waiting then, right?"

There's a tense moment of silence before Roan shakes his head. "You all wouldn't be in the building."

"And I would miss my chance at talking with my son." Mike grits out.

Roan looks up at him, almost desperately. "We don't even know if this'll work."

"He's still my son."

"And my brother!" He takes a deep breath. "Look, I know this isn't ideal, but I think the less people in this building, the better. We both know Kal was always shy and scared. We can't overwhelm him."

"He wouldn't be overwhelmed by his father." Mike scoffs.

Roan almost looks heartbroken as his gaze softens and his voice gets quieter. "Sometimes you were the person who overwhelmed him."

The room falls into silence. Mike's eyes widen as his shoulders slump like the fight is seeping out of him.

Marie glances at the others in the room. They all look bewildered and scared.

"Fine." Mike sighs. "We'll give you two hours. If nothing happens in that time then we'll look for another way. And if something does happen." He looks at Roan. "Tell us right away."

Roan nods. "We will."

Mike's gaze lingers on Roan for a moment before he turns to address the crew. "Let's leave. We'll head down to that cafe and wait out there."

"Really?" Nayoko asks, excitement hides under her words.

Mike nods.

If her leg wasn't broken Nayoko probably would have jumped up and down in excitement. Instead she grabs her crutches at lightning speed and stands up. "Let's go then!"

"We're really letting them do this?" Amy asks. She looks between Mike and Roan.

"This is our only plan," Roan tells her.

Amy scoffs. "I'm sure we can come up with a different plan."

"This was your idea," Marie tells her. She knows that the only reason Amy is showing hesitance now is because Marie is involved in the plan.

Amy's hand flies up to her chest. "My idea? I don't recall-"

"Well, I was the one who brought it up," Nayoko says.

Mike sighs. "It doesn't matter who's idea it was. Just that right now it's what's going to happen. So let's all leave to give them space and so that none of you get hurt any further. Understood?"

Amy nods.

"Understood," Nayoko whispers.

Finn stands up and nods.

Marie clasps her hands together in her lap. Is she really going to let a ghost possess her? Is she really okay with doing this?

Mike, Nayoko, Amy and Finn trickle out of the room. Roan and Marie don't say anything even as they hear the faint sound of the door closing and the lock locking. Even as silence descends on them they say nothing.

Marie finally sighs, and wraps her arms around herself. "So, what do we do now?"

Roan shrugs and plops down onto the sofa beside her. "I guess we practice? Maybe start fighting?"

Marie nods, but she doesn't move to do anything.

Neither does Roan.

"Is this really going to work?" Marie asks.

Roan sighs and places his head in his hands. "I have no idea."

Marie rubs her arms as goosebumps appear on them. "What are some of your favorite memories of your brother?"

Roan chuckles. His hands fall from his face to hang loosely over his legs. "One of my favorites is from one of his birthdays. I don't remember how old he was but I remember that I saved up a bunch of money to buy him his first guitar. Keep in mind it was a toy, but I thought it was a great gift.

"When he unwrapped it he was the happiest I'd ever seen him. The guitar didn't leave his hands. Two days later it went into the bathtub with him."

Marie smiles. "That's so cute."

Roan grins and nods. "Yeah. It was. What about you?"

"Me?"

"Do you have any siblings?"

Marie shakes her head. "Nope. It's just me and my dad."

"That must be nice." Roan leans back on the couch.

"At times it was. But other times it felt like his expectations were drowning me."

"What expectations?"

Marie leans back. "He wanted me to stay in town and settle down with a family. But I didn't want that. He always said it would be safer for me. So when I told him I was moving out here to pursue my singing career, it didn't go well. Eventually we made a deal." Marie goes quiet. She sits up and looks around the room as something crawls along her skin.

"What kind of deal?" Roan asks.

"Just something about me having a few years to really make it or I'd have to marry someone he wants me to marry," she says, a little distracted as she continues to look around the room. "Do you not feel that?"

"Feel what?" Roan asks, now sitting up.

Marie shivers as the temperature in the room drops. "It feels like someone's watching us."

"Is it Kal?" Roan asks a little too hopefully.

"I don't know-"

Something crashes into her.

She flies back onto the couch, but the impact never reaches her. She hears the faint cry of her name leaving Roan's mouth but that too stops short. Around her she feels nothing. Not the coldness of the room or the fabric of the couch her body should be laying on.

There's just darkness.

"Hello?" she calls. The words leave her mouth but no sound comes out of her.

She jumps as something touches her hand. She looks down to see a kid with Roan's green eyes and Mike's crooked nose. In the kids hand is a ragged teddy bear.

"Are you Kal?" she asks. But just like last time no sounds leave with the words.

"Hi." He grins up at her.

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