This chapter mentions s*cide. Reader discretion is advised.
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Dean and I reached the motel, and once we got inside, newspapers were scattered across the room. Sam sat on the floor cutting up certain parts of the paper and the ones he has found that contained the information we needed were pinned to the wall.
"Find anything, love?" I asked.
"Nothing major yet," Sam said, "The most I found was that these teenagers all went to the same high school."
"Well, that's not a whole lot considering how small this town is," Dean said.
I put the newspapers from the convenient store next to Sam while I took some of the clippings to put on the wall.
Looking over what Sam has lined up so far, I tried to see if there was anything that was missed.
"So far, what I'm getting at is these victims were close in age range. They were juniors and seniors, 17 and 18 years old...so pretty much the classes that ruled the school."
"Anything else?" Dean said.
"Not really," I said, "They just mainly say that these students were hard workers, well liked in their class, how this came out of nowhere...typical obituary things."
"What about the hobbies or after school interests?" Sam asked.
"Some aren't in the same category. One of them was a computer tech guy, another was a cross country runner, and another was the theater kid..."
"Get in the basket case and the princess...you got the Breakfast club," Dean joked.
I shook my head and did my best to keep working, but I felt my eyes closing as my body told me it was time to go to sleep. I tried to shake my head to keep myself awake and surpress my upcoming yawn, but it was no use.
"Tired?" Dean said.
No point in fighting this, so I nodded. "Lucid Dreaming takes a lot out of you, especially when you use your abilities," I said, "Why I'm usually asleep in the car, to make up for all that lost energy."
"Get some sleep," Sam said, "Dean and I will try to wrap this up."
"But...I want you to sleep next to me," I said to Sam, giving him a pouty look.
Dean let out a little fake gag. I picked up one of the nearby newspapers, crumpled it up and threw it at Dean.
"Shut it, Winchester."
"So corny, though..." he mumbled.
"I'll be with you in a bit," Sam said as I rested my chin against his shoulder.
"You better," I said, "I expect you next to me when I wake up."
I turned to Dean, who was just rolling his eyes at Sam and I. "You better get some sleep, too, Winchester. Don't think I haven't been noticing you not getting enough sleep."
"Since when did you start thinking you were the boss?" Dean said, "I'm the eldest in the room."
I just scoffed and tucked myself into bed. "You may be the eldest, but someone has to remind you to take care of yourself once in a while. As usual, a woman is stuck with that job."
Dean said something else, but I didn't hear it as I quickly fell asleep.
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The Next Day
9:38 am
The night went by quickly and without any dreams. I looked around the room until I saw the alarm clock next to my bed. The numbers weren't distorted, meaning that I was not back in lucid dream land.
I then noticed an arm wrapped around me and I turned to look the other way to see Sam passed out, laying on his stomach. Dean, meanwhile, was passed out on the chair near the table, snoring really loudly.
Sam stirred next to me, slowly opening up his eyes.
"Hey," I said with a little smile.
"Hey," he said in his husky morning voice.
"When did you and Dean pass out?" I asked.
"Not too long after you did," he said, "Though...where is Dean? I don't see him in his bed."
I gave a mischievous smirk and nodded over to where Dean was. Sam looked back at me, looking confused at my grin.
"Payback's a bitch. Watch what happens when you try to wake me up with a phone book."
"You're still on that?" he said.
"Yes, because I was waiting for the perfect time to get my revenge," I said.
Sam just rolled his eyes but unwrapped himself from me. I tip toed over to where Dean was. I stopped in my tracks when I saw him stir a bit, but he immediately went back to snoring.
I went to one side of the chair as I didn't want to push him forward and give him a concussion. I may have wanted revenge, but I wanted it to result in very little injuries.
Dean's a big guy, but I managed to tip the chair over as gravity did the rest of the work. He fell onto the floor and I heard a startled gasp coming from him. He quickly turned around on his back, ready to fight at whatever knocked him over, but once he saw that it was just me, Dean just groaned in annoyance while I laughed.
"Rise and shine, Dean!" I shouted.
"The hell..." he groaned again.
"That's what you get for slamming a phone book next to my ear!"
"What...you're still on that?" Dean said.
"I sure am! I was waiting for the right time to get payback..."
Dean got up and looked over at Sam, who just shrugged as if saying "What do you want me to do about it."
"Anyways....have you boys found anything new yet?"
The atmosphere in the air immediately changed after I asked that question, and it isn't from my powers. Dean's mood shifted from annoyance from my little prank to sadness on what he was about to tell me, and while I couldn't tell what Sam was feeling, from the look in his eyes, a hint of sadness was present.
"As a matter of fact, we did," Dean said, "We started going a bit more backwards in the time line to see if there was any strange death that occurrd before Freddy Krueger wannabe started their little fun. Well...what we found...it just...gets dark."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
Sam put his hand on my shoulder, almost like he was comforting me before I was about to get the worse news possible. Dean handed me the newspaper clipping.
It was an obituary...for a 14 year old boy.
The Brown family is currently mourning the loss of their beloved son, Nathan.
Nathan was found in his home last week, barely conscious from a self inflected gunshot wound in his head. He was rushed to the nearest hospital before being pronounced dead. A public viewing service will be held this Sunday.
My heart sank reading this. This poor child...I knew what he did, and based on Dean and Sam's reaction when they had to share the news with me, they knew as well.
I didn't know this kid, but I've met so many spirits who have ended their life too soon that it was really hard...
Tears ran down my face as Sam scotted closer, wrapping his arms around my waist as he pulled me into his chest, resting his chin on my head as my back was pressed to him. Dean sat down next to me as he gave my shoulder a little comforting squeeze.
I wiped away my tears before looking up at both of them. "I'm sorry....I've just met way too many spirits who believed this was the easy way out, to stop the pain...and every time I would meet with them...they would want to come back because they regret what they did."
I put the newspaper clipping down and just sat there, trying to clear my head. Sam continued to hold me close to him while Dean stroked my shoulder.
"You don't think...it's the kid is it?" I asked.
"No," Sam said, "Remember you told us that Morpheus said that someone is holding a demon on a leash...well...we found out that Nathan had an older sister."
"What else?"
"That's all we know so far," Dean said, "We were going to go question them today."
"I'll come with."
"You sure about that?" Sam asked with concern.
"Yes...it'll be safer for...you two," I choked out, "Let me just...go to the bathroom for a bit and wash up."
Both men nodded as I left the room. I closed the door and turned on the sink, washing my face to get off whatever mess was there from my tears. When I looked in the mirror, though, I could see the red in my eyes.
I really wasn't fooling anyone today.
A part of me felt a little embarrassed by the way I reacted, but with all that I've seen throughout the years trying to control my abilities, I sometimes would see the final moments, mainly when a spirit was trapped.
I was scared that I was going to be seeing those last few moments of that poor little boy. Yes, I could always turn my abilities off, but when it came to situations like this, it felt wrong.
I heard a little knock on the bathroom door. "Rose?"
It was Sam.
"Come in," I said, my voice cracking a bit.
He opened the door and immediately he gave me that concerned look. I stood up from the bathtub where I sat after looking at myself in the mirror and immediately ran into his arms. Sam immediately held me close and stroked my head in a comforting matter while resting his chin on my head.
I felt tears swelling through my eyes a bit, but I tried really hard to hold them in.
"I'm sorry...I feel so embarrassed..."
"You don't need to feel embarrassed," Sam said, "From what you told me...the things you've seen...I'd probably have the same reaction."
I nodded as I buried my head in his chest. I felt myself relax as his hand moved from stroking my head to my back. We didn't say anything verbally but his actions were certainly speaking louder. He was letting me know that I was safe and that it was okay to be vulnerable.
I finally let myself go and began to cry a bit more. Sam continued to hold me tight, which probably means his shirt was wet by now but he didn't seem to care.
I didn't even know what I was crying about right now. It could've been the findings that Dean and Sam found or that I was overcome with emotion because someone was finally allowing me to be vulnerable without judgement. I haven't had this feeling for about three years.
"I don't know why I'm crying," I said, "But...thank you...for letting me..."
"You know I'm always here for you," Sam said.
"I know. I just haven't had this since...well since my parents died."
I pulled myself away a bit from Sam but not a whole lot. I looked at him and he gave me a sympathetic smile, using his thumbs to wipe away any leftover tears I may have on my face. He gave me a little kiss on the forehead while one hand reached to mine, holding it tightly.
I smiled back at him. "Come on. We gotta go."
"You sure you'll be okay?"
I nodded. "Like I said earlier, it's best if I go anyways. I need to make sure there's no dark entities that may follow us back here."
______________________
Sam rode in the backseat of the Impala with me, still holding my hand. No music was playing at the moment as I asked Dean to not play anything for a bit.
Normally, Dean would beg to play one of his albums, but when he saw my face when Sam and I exited our motel room, he knew that I wasn't in the right headspace.
He tried to convince me that music may help distract me, but I told him that I often just need silence in order to clear everything up in my head. Music will often leave me more irritated and just make things worse.
Dean said nothing while he drove, but I caught him a few times glancing at me through the rear view mirror to make sure I was doing okay. Even though Dean kept in his emotions a lot, I could tell he was worried for me, too. It was the same concerned feeling he gets whenever Sam went off on his own or if I tagged along.
We soon reached the house where the Browns lived. Dean parked right across the street in case I told them we needed to leave.
I switched on my abilities and closed my eyes, trying to detect whatever was lurking in there. However, once I turned everything on, it wasn't an entity I picked up immediately.
I quickly opened my eyes, gasping for air. Before both men could ask me what's wrong, I shouted, "Drive! Now!"
Dean immediately drove away from the house, looking at me with so much confusion.
"What is it?" Sam asked, "What did you find?!"
I looked at him, still in a state of shock as to what I found.
"Sam...the house is full of mediums and people with abilities like me...and my God was it the most powerful energy I have ever felt."
________________________
"Kid, if you keep pacing around like that, you'll eventually dig a hole in the floor."
I glared at Dean, going from walking in circles to stomping on the motel floor as I maintained eye contact with Dean.
"Didn't you EVER learn to NEVER tell someone to calm down when they are under so much stress or just...not make smartass comments?" I snapped.
Dean just raised his hands in defeat and laid back down on his bed while Sam sat at the edge of ours, trying to find the right words to help me.
"Kid, he's going to call back," Dean said.
"Not soon enough. Dean...you don't understand. That powerful energy I felt when we went to the Brown house...it's so rare to find. Yes, there are mediums out there whose abilities are stronger than others, but...that much power is not normal."
"So why don't we ask Bobby? He's got all the books and nerdy research you and Sam like to do."
"As knowledgeable as Bobby is, he won't have anything regarding what we're dealing with. This is something only Taron or someone within our community will know..."
I continued to pace and chew on my fingernails. It wasn't just the nervousness that Taron won't get back to us in time with new information that I was feeling. There was also a hint of guilt...
Because that powerful energy I felt...is something only other powerful mediums can sense, and well...I'm also one of them.
While Dean and Sam know the extent of my abilities, they don't know how powerful I actually am, and I wanted to keep it that way, but after what happened, they're going to press on until I tell them.
"What else is going on?" Sam asked.
I looked up at him and stopped in my tracks. He had that look...he knew something was up.
Damn him for being able to pick up on that so easily.
"What do you mean?" I asked, faking as much innocence as I could, hoping that he'll buy it.
Unfortunately, this is the same guy that studied Pre-Law at one of the top colleges in America, so he will know that I'm lying.
"Rose, love...there's something you're not telling us..." Sam said, "You never really react that way unless it's a dangerous spirit. Why are you acting all nervous about this? Don't say it's about Taron not contacting us back because I know that's not just the issue."
I sighed in defeat. There really was no getting around this. I looked over at Dean, who looked confused but his emotions were telling me he was getting suspicious. I sat down next to Sam, taking in a few deep breaths before speaking.
"Yes...there is something else to this...and I didn't say anything beforehand because I wanted to keep this part of me hidden. I figured that...I don't use it as often so what would be the point of speaking about this."
"You don't use what?" Dean said, getting up from his bed into a sitting position, leaning forward.
I looked at Sam, who was studying me with concern but also like he was trying to figure out what else I was hiding.
"So...the people in that house...I detected a very powerful medium in there. You both already know that, but...a lot of us have abilities that are more powerful than others, and well...the powerful ones can only know the levels of a medium's abilities...which is something I can do."
Both men shifted a bit uncomfortably, not knowing how to respond with this new information.
"You mean...there's more to your powers than you told us?" Dean asked.
I looked downward and nodded. "I didn't say anything because...I don't use them. I figured it wasn't a big deal and that...since so many mediums died when the first wave of demons came along, that I wouldn't have to face other powerful mediums."
I looked up at Dean, who looked disappointed, and I could tell he was upset that I didn't tell him the whole story. I didn't even have time the heart to look at Sam as I knew he was giving me the same look.
"I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner. I just..."
"You didn't want to make a big fuss of it," Dean said, "We heard that. I'm just...I don't understand why you didn't think you could trust us."
"It's not that," I said, "These abilities I have...it can get REALLY intense and dark. It's not...I just don't want them because I know that someone or something will use me for these abilities."
"And you were afraid Sammy and I would have used you?"
"No! I was afraid you would ask and when I would firmly tell you 'no' that you would get upset. Sam...I know he wouldn't pressure me into doing something that I didn't want to do and neither will you. However...I know if it comes down to worse case scenario...you get desperate, Dean."
Dean just scoffed and rolled his eyes while Sam took my hand, stroking the outside with his thumb. "Can't believe you would think that of me..." Dean said.
"Be real here," I said, "You both are damn good hunters, but you're also the biggest, most impulsive pains in the asses that I have ever met. When it comes to getting the job done...you both try to take the easy way out."
"We're not that bad..." Sam mumbled.
I turned to him and scoffed. "Um, hello? We got a Taurus..." I pointed at Dean, "And an Aquarius sitting in this room..."
"Here we go again with the astrology bullshit..." Dean said.
"THE POINT IS," I said, "That while I know you both wouldn't force me to use my powers, I knew that it was going to bring up some...drama, if that makes sense? I just didn't feel like putting up with it."
Dean still had the look of disappointment but I could tell he was starting to understand where I was coming from. I looked over at Sam, who just gave me a little sympathetic smile. I rested my head against his shoudler, my hand still in his.
"Sorry I didn't tell you or Dean sooner..."
"It's okay," he said, "I understand why..."
I gave him a little smile, thankful that he wasn't mad at me. Dean suddenly cleared his throat, snapping me away from my daze.
"Okay before the two of you decide to make out or whatever...one question remains...what exactly can you do, Rose?"
I turned towards Dean, my hand still intertwined with Sam's. "Well...it's not just calming people down I can do. I can also make someone feel stressed, angry, upset....and not just one person. I can make an entire room of people feel a certain way. Any emotion out there, I manifest it."
"That doesn't sound too bad," Dean said.
Oh, how innocent he was. "I can make an entire room go into full on panic mode. You realize what someone with my abilities can start if I make people feel something against their will?"
"Yeah, you clear out the entire bar when you just want to drink alone."
Smartass.
"Dean...do you want to see how powerful this is? I...I'm skeptical on this but I think once you get an idea of why I'm hesitant...you'll understand."
"What about Sammy?"
"Whatever the yellow eyed demon gave him when he was a baby...it's blocking my ability to read his energy."
I looked back at Sam. "Would you be okay if I attempted to use it on you as well? I don't think it'll work...but just in case."
"Sure, as long as you can turn it off later," he said.
I nodded at let go of Sam's hand, moving over a bit so I can get the space needed to manifest the energy needed.
"Just say the word and I'll stop," I said, "While I can turn it off very quickly, you'll definitely feel overwhelmed afterwards, like you just woke up from a nightmare."
Both men nodded. I closed my eyes for a bit to focus on what I wanted to manifest, and the only thing I could come up with to help them understand how powerful this is...I had to make them feel panicked.
I opened my eyes and started to manifest the panic. I looked over at Dean, who's facial expression changed from confusion to terror. His breathing became more rapid and I could see some sweat dripping down from his forehead.
Sam, unsurprisingly, was unaffected. He began to mirror a bit of the panic Dean was feeling, but that was due to Dean being in distress and Sam not being able to stop it.
Dean jumped off the bed and began to pace rapidly around the room before eventually hiding in a corner, sobbing.
"Make it stop....PLEASE STOP!" he choked out.
I quickly snapped out of it and Dean immediately began to start shaking and breaking into more of a sweat. I ran over to try to help him up but he shook his head, assuring me that he could get up.
"At least let me calm you down a bit," I said.
I manifested a little bit of calmness and I felt Dean's feeling of overwhelmed emotions go down a bit. I didn't manifest it entirely as I knew his body would be unable to handle another sensation that was out of its control.
I sat back down next to Sam, who just looked at me in shock.
"And now you see why I don't want to use those abilities..."
He just nodded and turned to Dean who carefully sat back down in his bed.
"You understand now?"
"Yep...point well made," Dean said.
"That manifesting I did...it should've made you AND Sam panic. It was enough to make an entire room erupt if we had more people." I looked towards Sam. "Did you...really not feel anything?"
He shook his head. "I was panicked but not like you made Dean panic, and it was because...well the distress you made him go through...it scared me a bit."
"It scared me a lot when my parents and I realized how powerful it was," I said, "I taught myself how to hold back."
I looked back at Dean, who seemed to have calmed down a bit. However, he had that thousand yard stare, almost as if he couldn't believe what just happened to him.
"Dean...you did want me to show you..."
"I know, I know," he said, "Just...the fact that you could do such a thing..." He looked at me, his eyes full of sympathy. "I just...can't imagine what it was like when it wasn't in control."
"Scary, as I said. So...yeah. Now you realize why I don't want to use them. In cases where I truly have to use it, I'll do it, but I'm not going to like it."
"Can you manipulate spirits or demons?" Sam asked.
I shook my head. "No. Only the living."
"So wait...you can know how powerful people are," Dean said, "Yet...you haven't run into anyone that equals to your abilities until now..."
"Correct."
"What about Taron?"
"Taron's abilities, while powerful, don't match to my abilities nor the Brown family members' abilities. If he were to be on the same level as me, his insight abilities would have to be much stronger. He can only see a person's memory with the touch of a hand and looking into their eyes. In order for me to have the reaction I had with the Brown family, his insight abilities would not only be powerful enough that he could see people's memories without touching them or looking into their eyes, but he could also share his memories with others without touching them. Yes, Taron's energy was powerful when we first met, but it's the same powerful energy I get when first meeting any other medium."
"What determines who is more powerful?" Sam asked.
"We don't know. As we know, we were created to help lost souls who needed help crossing to heaven or hell. Death realized that the souls of those who passed interacted well with the living rather the reapers. As time went on, though, more powers began to pop up without any explanation. So far, it's like a game of chance: we don't know what abilities we will get along with helping lost souls cross over."
"So genetics aren't involved?" Dean asked.
"As far as we know, they aren't. If that were the case, my mother, father or both would have the powerful energy, but they don't. Mother's ability to create illusions could only be used on one person at a time, and my father's ability to see how objects were passed along only could be used when he was touching the object, and even then, it could only be one item at a time."
Dean just shook his head and rubbed it with his hands. "God, this whole thing is giving me a headache."
I chuckled. "Trust me, I wish it was more simple but unfortunately, it isn't."
I looked over to Sam, who was just looking at me with a sheepish smile. I gave a little smile back and rested my head on his shoulder. "Kind of glad that my manifesting didn't reach you. I don't think I could handle watching you in any kind of pain like Dean was in."
"Well...at least we have an idea on how powerful my abilities that the demon gave me are," he said.
"Yeah...and that's what worries me. The demon creating a group of people who are more powerful than myself and a few others? That's...concerning."
"What, you think the demon was thinking about people like you when it snuck whatever it was to Sammy?" Dean asked.
"It could be possible, which does explain why Taron told me not to train Sam in the first place."
Dean looked like he was ready to walk out the door and kill the yellow eyed demon himself, but how would he be able to do that? We didn't know where it was and Dean had no chance confronting it by himself. He would just end up in the same position as his mother. All he could do right now was sit there, his jaw clenched as he tried hard to not scream in frustration.
Suddenly, my cell phone rang and I jumped up off the bed to get it. Looking at the caller ID, I saw it was Taron. I looked over to Sam and Dean, giving a little nod to let them know who it was.
I hit the answer button.
"Taron? Sorry for blowing up your phone, but...we got a situation here."