Sam's P.O.V
I sighed in frustration while flipping through Dad's journal as I wondered where was he. Dean called him back in Kansas and he never showed up. I thought maybe something terrible happened that prevented him from reaching us or he received Dean's message and didn't bother to come, because he was hunting something more important than his own kids.
I tossed Dad's journal down on the bed and pulled out my cellphone, so I could call the FBI to file a missing person's report on him. At least then we would know if Dad was okay or not. The whole not knowing was driving me nuts, so I started to dial the number and right as my thumb hovered above the call button I remembered the conversation Dean, Ella and I had about this. They were both opposed to the idea of calling the FBI to aid in our search for Dad, because they said he'd get pissed if we did. I had enough of wondering around aimlessly without a solid lead and I didn't care if he got mad, so I hit the call button and put my ear to the receiver as it rang.
Suddenly I heard the sound of the bathroom door open. I glanced over and saw Ella walk out of the bathroom with her eyes focused down at the ground. Despite the smile she had on her face I could tell something was wrong. I canceled the call and watched as she stopped abruptly in the middle of the room. Her smile faded as a worried expression overtook her face. It looked like she was in deep thought about something and I wondered if it was due to the nightmare she had told me about earlier. I really wanted to find out what was bothering her, so I could help her through it. I've had my fair share of nightmares and I needed to let her know that I understood what she was going through; that I was here for her, so I asked,"You okay?"
Ella's P.O.V
As I walked out of the bathroom thoughts about Dad filled my head. Even though he told me he was okay in the text messages he sent I couldn't help, but feel a little uneasy. Don't get me wrong, I know he can handle himself, because he taught my brothers and I everything we know about hunting. It's just that I couldn't shake this feeling that something bad was gonna happen. I stopped in my tracks and stared down at the floor while hoping he'd give Dean & Sam a sign, so they wouldn't worry... and so I wouldn't worry too or feel guilty about keeping Dad's whereabouts a secret.
Suddenly I was brought out of my thoughts by Sammy asking"You okay?"
I glanced over to the bed by the front door and saw a very concerned Sammy looking back at me. He was sitting on the corner of the bed and kept staring at me attentively as he awaited my response.
"Yeah, I'm fine Sammy..."I replied with a smile to help reassure him, because I didn't want him to worry about me or do anything that would expose the secret I was hiding about Dad.
"Are you sure?"He questioned as he continued to stare at me with a concerned expression on his face.
"Yeah, so don't worry big brother, I'm good, okay."I replied cheerfully with a toothy grin, so I could help ease his mind.
He furrowed his brows and nodded his head while replying,"Okay..."
When he looked down at his cellphone I felt relief wash over me, because that was close. At least he believed me, but I knew I was gonna have to step up my game, because that wouldn't work on Dean. It's a whole lot harder to keep things from him, especially when he glares. I have a tendency to crumble under Dean's glaring, but I was gonna have to hold it together this time, because Dad was counting on me to keep my lips sealed.
I walked over to the old wooden table by the front door and slowly started to place my pajamas into my duffel bag like a zombie. Half way through the process I heard the familiar sound of the Impala's engine approaching in the distance, so I perked up and moved faster to put away my clothes. What can I say, I was hungry and the idea of food sounded really good.
"Yay! Dee's here, which means, Yay! Food's here!"I practically screamed with a smile as I continued to quickly shove my pajamas into my duffel bag. When I zipped it up I winced in pain.
"Owww....friggin' stitches..."I grumbled under my breath hoping Sammy wouldn't hear.
"Okay, calm down, you don't wanna pull your stitches Ella."Sam advised while staring at me with concern.
"I can't help it, I'm so hungry Sammy, and if I don't get food now my tummy's gonna die."I stated with a pout.
"You're so dramatic."Sam chuckled while shaking his head.
"Am not, I'm this close to becoming hangry, and trust me when I say you won't like me when I'm hangry."I warned with a serious expression on my face as I walked towards the bed by the bathroom.
"Hangry? Seriously, what are you gonna do Ella, throw a tantrum just like you used to when you were little?"He asked with a slight grin as he looked down at his cellphone. I took this as my chance to pick up a pillow from the bed and hid it discreetly behind my back without him seeing.
"No, I grew out of tantrums, I do somethin' different now..."I replied with a mischievous smirk as I tightened my hold on the pillow in my left hand.
"Like what?"He asked as he started to look over towards me with his eyebrow raised.
"Like this."I giggled while throwing the pillow at his head. I couldn't help, but laugh because I managed to get him right in between the eyes. The look on Sammy's face along with his disheveled hair was priceless.
"Ha! That got you right in the head, you should've seen your face."I said while laughing uncontrollably.
"Not funny."He stated with his classic bitch face.
"I was only joking Sammy, lighten up dude..."I said with a slight smile in an attempt at making peace.
"Whatever."He grumbled while rolling his eyes.
"Okay, I'm sorry, how bout a truce?"I said while showing him my puppy dog eyes as I walked over to his side and sat down next to him.
"Fine, but no more throwing pillows at my head, okay?"Sammy said while staring down at me with his brow furrowed.
"Okay, I pinky promise."I responded with a slight grin while holding up my pinky towards him.
He looked down at my pinky and smiled as he wrapped his pinky around mine while saying,"All right, truce."
"Yay, and peace spread across the land, bringing joy and happiness to everyone and they all lived happily ever after, the end..."I cheerfully said with a smile, which caused Sammy to laugh while shaking his head.
Then he returned his attention back to looking down at his cellphone. I went back over to the wooden table by the front door and yawned as I grabbed the handle of my duffel bag. Right when I picked it up I hissed in pain, because I felt a slight, sharp pull on my stitches. I instantly dropped my bag back down on the table and whimpered. I guess Sammy noticed, because the next thing I knew he was right next to my side while asking, "You okay?" I looked over at him and saw concern etched on his face.
"I'll get back to you on that...."I groaned while carefully putting my arm back down by my side as I assessed the damage. I just got stitched up last night and was regretting my painful attempt at picking up my duffel bag. I know it was stupid, but I guess I was so tired that I absentmindedly used my injured right arm to pick up my bag.
"Did you tear your stitches?"Sam asked with concern as he gestured to my injured arm.
"No, it was just a slight freaking painful pull, but I didn't feel any tearing which is a good sign, so please don't tell Dee, he'll freak if he knew I almost blew a stitch."I anxiously said while hoping he wouldn't tell Dean. I didn't want a repeat of the helmet incident. I knew if Dean found out about how I almost tore a stitch he'd go into overprotective mode and do something crazy just to keep me safe. Like wrap me in bubble wrap and lock me up in the Impala. I better keep that to myself, I don't wanna give him any ideas.
"Don't worry Ella, I won't tell Dean..."Sam reassured with a smile.
"Yay!"I happily exclaimed while giving him a hug with my uninjured arm.
"If..."He said completely interrupting my happy moment.
"If? Awe...man....."I whined with a pout while pulling out of our hug.
"I knew that was way too easy, so what's the catch? if I do what? Crow like a rooster? Hop on one leg while saying Sam is an awesome genius...Come on, what's the if?"I asked with my eyebrow raised as I stared at him.
"If you promise that until your arm is fully healed you'll let me know if you need help carrying anything, all right."He answered with a concerned expression on his face.
"All right, I promise... Thanks for the offer Sammy."I said as a smile went across my lips.
"Sure."He nodded with a smile.
"Well, looks like I'm gonna have to take you up on your offer, can you pleaseeeee help move my bags over there?"I pleaded while pointing to the bed by the bathroom. I just wanted my bags out of the way so when Dean came in with the food there'd be enough room for it on the table.
"Don't worry, I've got this."Sam replied with a smile as he picked up my duffel bag and backpack from the table. Right when Sammy place my bags down on the bed by the bathroom Dean came in holding multiple white plastic take out food bags. He shut the front door and placed the bags down on the table while saying,"All right, get it while it's hot."
Sam and I went over to him as he started to open up the bags full of delicious smelling food.
"Whatcha get? Whatcha get?!"I excitedly asked while hoping up and down next to Dean with a big grin on my face.
"Easy El, you don't wanna bust a seam, cause if you bust just one of your stitches..."Dean started to say, but was interrupted by me, because this wasn't the first time I heard him say that.
"I'll be sidelined from hunting... I know, I know, don't worry Dee, I'll be very careful."I said in an attempt at reassuring him, because there was just no way I wanted to be left out of a hunt. I wanted to be right there on the front lines with my brothers. They're always watching out for me and I wanna watch out for them too.
"Good, you better."Dean warned while giving me a pointed look.
"Can I has food now Dee, pleaseeeee?"I pleaded sounded like I was five, but I didn't care there was a monstrous growling beast known as my stomach that needed to ganked by eating delicious food.
"Here's yours."Dean said while handing me a Styrofoam container out of the plastic bag on the table.
"Yay! Thanks."I happily cheered while sitting down at the table across from Dean.
"No prob El."He replied with a smile.
Then I opened up my container and a big smile went across my face, because it was filled with a delicious stack of chocolate chip pancakes, hash browns, and a side of bacon.
"Chocolate chip pancakes, hash browns, and bacon, my favorite!"I exclaimed with a giant grin on my face. Then I picked up an extra crispy piece of bacon and practically shoved it into my mouth.
"You're awesome Dee, thanks."I said with a mouth full of bacon.
"Sure Squirt."Dean replied with a smirk as he sat down across the table from me.
Then Sammy sat next to me as Dean handed him a Styrofoam container. I love the fact that no matter what motel we stop at there always seems to be a 24 hour diner nearby in the area that serves breakfast around the clock. That really comes in handy with our crazy hunter sleep schedule.
We worked on the poltergeist case back at Jenny's house until the sun came up and when we arrived at this motel we all passed out. What can I say we were all so freaking tired and in desperate need of catching up on some much needed rest. There are two vital phases to recovering after completing a case the first is rest and the second is eating a lot of delicious food.
I was curious about what my brothers were eating, so I glanced over at Sammy and saw that he was having a veggie omelette, with a side of hash browns, wheat toast, cup of fruit and a coffee. I couldn't help but smile as I watched him eat, because he's always been such a health nut ever since we were little. Then I looked over at Dean and saw that he was happily eating a small stack of buttermilk pancakes, a slice of thick grilled ham, a lot of bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, toast and a coffee. It looked like the lumberjack special. Which just so happens to be on his list of favorite meals to order from diners, because of the variety of meats that are included.
Suddenly my stomach grumbled and I returned my focus back to devouring the delicious food in front of me. The pancakes were filled with little chocolate chips that melted the moment I put a piece into my mouth. The hash browns and bacon were crispy and cooked to perfection, just the way I like it. I washed it all down with a rich and creamy hot chocolate. When I was done I wiped my mouth with a napkin only to have another napkin thrown at me by Dean from across the table as he said,"You missed a spot."
"What? Where?"I asked with my eyebrow raised as I stared at him.
"Your face."He chuckled with a big smirk on his face.
"Whatever."I mumbled while rolling my eyes. Then I stuck out my tongue at him. Which earned a laugh from Dean & Sam.
After we were all done eating we started to search for Dad. Dean was seated at the table by the window as he skimmed through Dad's journal for anything useful that could help us in our search. Sammy was sitting on the corner of the bed near the front door as he called many of Dad's old hunter friends to see if anyone knew his whereabouts. I was seated far away from my brothers on the bed near the bathroom with my back against the headboard.
I couldn't help, but anxiously bite my nails, because this was killing me I really wanted to tell Dean and Sam that Dad was okay, that he had contacted me, but I knew I couldn't. I just couldn't go against Dad's direct order and risk something going wrong, like someone getting hurt, so I had to pretend like I didn't know anything as I typed away on my computer searching for anything related to Dad. I glanced down at my laptop and stared at the picture of Dad I had resting in front of the screen. It was the picture of him, with Dean, Sammy and I when we were little. All of us had big smiles on our faces as we posed in front of the Impala.
"Loose lips sink ships."I whispered to myself as I stared at the picture, because when Dean, Sammy and I were little Dad practically ingrained that saying into our heads. It was his way of teaching us to keep our lips sealed about hunter stuff and it looks like it applied perfectly to the situation I was dealing with now.
Suddenly I was overcome with a strong urge to draw, so I turned off my laptop, placed my family photo into the back of my journal and started to draw something new while listening to Sammy as he talked on his cellphone, "No, Dad was in California last we heard from him, we just thought...he comes to you for munitions, maybe you've seen him in the last few weeks.... Just call us if you hear anything....Thanks."
I glanced over at Sammy and saw a look of disappointment spread across his face as he ended the call.
"Caleb hasn't heard from him?"Dean asked while flipping though Dad's journal from his seat at the old wooden table by the window. He even had Sammy's laptop open in front of him on the table to help in his search for Dad.
Sam sighed in frustration then replied,"Nope, and neither has Jefferson or Pastor Jim, what about the journal? Anything leads in there?"
"No, same as last time I looked, nothing I can make out, I love the guy, but I swear he writes like friggin' Yoda."Dean said with a chuckle.
I couldn't help, but laugh while saying, "Could you guys imagine Dad dressed as Yoda?"
Dean laughed while Sammy sighed in frustration.
"You know maybe we should call the Feds, file a missing person's."Sam said with a serious look on his face.
"No way, Dad would hate that."I instantly responded while shaking my head.
"Yeah she's right, and we've talked about this Sammy, Dad'd be pissed if we put the Feds on his tail."Dean explained.
"I don't care anymore."Sam objected sounding like he was fed up.
"After all that happened back in Kansas, I mean he should've been there and you said it yourself Dean, you tried to call him and, nothing."Sam stated while glancing over at Dean.
"I know!"Dean exclaimed in frustration.
This just didn't seem fair, dad wasn't here to defend himself, to explain his side. The way Sam made it sound like Dad was neglecting us, like he didn't care, but if only he knew the truth. That he got Dean's call and came, he was there back in Kansas.
The words, "Dad's okay" were right on the tip of my tongue. I pulled out my family photo from the back of my journal and stared at Dad in the picture. I bit my tongue to prevent the words from coming out and prayed that Dad would just give Dean & Sam a freaking sign already, something, anything to stop their worrying and my guilt...
I was brought out of my thoughts by Sam saying,"You know, he could be dead for all we know."
"No!"I objected while shaking my head.
"Don't say that! He's not dead! He's....he's..."Dean started to say, but was interrupted by Sam.
"He's what? He's hiding? He's busy?"Sam questioned while staring at Dean awaiting his response.
"He's probably gotta really good reason for goin' all stealth mode on us..."I replied before Dean could, because I had enough of watching my brothers argue back and forth, so I decided to step in. I mean, technically I didn't break Dad's order, I found a loop hole, I like loop holes.
"Like what?"Sam questioned as he stared at me with his eyebrow raised.
"Like...I don't know, maybe he doesn't want us to find him cause he's hunting somethin' so dangerous that he's just tryin' to keep us safe by keeping us away....."I explained while trying to be very careful with my words. Dean nodded and seemed to buy my theory, but Sam didn't look convinced at all.
"No, I don't buy it."Sam said while shaking his head.
"Okay, suit yourself, but it's my theory and I'm sticking to it."I responded as I went back to putting a few finishing touches to my drawing. When I was done it looked like a police badge from Rockford, Illinois with the letters W.K on it. Next to it was a bullet with the letters L.K on it. I stared at the drawing while wondering what the letters meant. I thought maybe they're someones initials? I wondered if Dean and Sam could help me decipher the meaning behind my latest drawing, so I got up from the bed and walked over towards my brothers while saying,"Just finished drawing something new, check it out."
Since Sammy was standing closer to me I handed him my journal and watched as he attentively studied my drawing. Then Dean walked over to Sam and practically snatched it right out of his hands.
"Hey, I was lookin' at that."Sam stated sounding completely annoyed while glaring at Dean.
"Well, now your not."Dean retorted with a smirk.
"Give it back, Dean."Sam demanded while attempting to grab the journal out of Dean's hands.
"No way, Sammy."Dean said while maneuvering away from Sam so he couldn't grab my journal.
"Dean!"Sam objected while trying to get the journal again.
"Sam!"Dean mocked while keeping the journal just out of Sammy's reach.
"Guys!"I exclaimed, because I was tired of them arguing like five year old kids.
"What?!"They both yelled in unison while looking over at me.
"Hey! Don't yell at me, someone has to play referee and break up your stupid argument. Seriously, you two sound like little kids fighting over a toy."I said while shaking my head.
"Sorry Ella."Sam said while showing me his puppy dog eyes.
"Yeah, Sorry El."Dean chimed in.
"Can't you two just play nice?"I asked while looking at Sam and Dean hoping they would just knock it off.
"I will, if he'll stop being a bitch."Dean replied with a smirk while pointing at Sam.
"Hey, I will, if he'll stop being a jerk."Sam responded while glaring at Dean.
"Oh, Come on, can't we all just get along? Aren't you two suppose to be good examples for me, right big brothers, no more arguing pleaseeee...."I pleaded with a pout while showing them my puppy dog eyes. I thought when all else fails my puppy dog eyes and pout never let me down. Come on puppy dog eyes don't fail me now...I internally said over and over in my head hoping they'd stop arguing.
"Fine."They both grumbled in unison. Then they went back to staring at my drawing. Internally I did a happy dance, because my plan worked to help them reconcile.
"What do the letters mean?"Sam asked while glancing over at me.
"I've got no clue, that's why I wanted to show you guys so you both could help me figure that out."I answered while looking at Dean and Sam.
Suddenly my phone buzzed in my front jean pocket and I quickly pulled it out. I flipped it open and saw that there was a text message with a star,"*" from an unknown number, which meant it was Dad. I did my best to hold in my excitement as I took a couple of steps backwards away from my brothers so they wouldn't see. I quickly replied with a star,"*" to let him know it was me. When my phone buzzed I glanced over at my brothers and saw that they were both still preoccupied with looking at my new drawing. I took this as my chance to look at the new message from Dad which said, "Delete these."
I smirked, because I knew that meant he wanted me to Delete the text messages again. I replied with a, "Yes, sir."
Then my phone buzzed and the next message that came in said,"Sign. Help convince them.*"
I was a little confused about what this message meant and stared down at my phone as I tried to figure it out. All of a sudden my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Dean's cellphone ringing. I glanced over and saw Dean quickly look around the room while asking,"Where the hell is my cellphone?"
"Sounds like it's comin' from over there Dee."I replied while pointing to his jacket that was resting on the bed near the front door.
"Thanks."He responded as he took his cellphone out of his leather jacket.
"You're welcome."I happily said with a smile.
Then I saw Dean's face light up with a big grin as he stared down at his cell phone.
"Huh, I don't believe it..."Dean mumbled under his breath.
"What?"Sam and I asked in unison while staring at Dean.
"It's, uh...it's a text message, it's coordinates. You guys thinking what I'm thinking?"Dean said with grin while looking over at us.
"Yup, it's gotta be Dad..."I smiled with nod, because the last message Dad sent me, "Sign. Help convince them. *" made perfect sense now. Basically, it meant that he wanted me to help convince Dean and Sam that the sign (aka the text message with the coordinates) was really from him. I was just glad that he finally sent them something to let them know he was okay.
"Wait hold up, You guys think Dad was texting us?"Sam asked in disbelief with his eyebrow raised.
"Yeah, he's given us coordinates before."Dean replied while sitting back down at the table near the door.
"The man can barely work a toaster."Sam stated while shaking his head.
"Hey, give Dad some credit Sammy, he can kinda work a toaster..."I said in attempt at defending Dad.
"Seriously, Ella don't you remember all the times he burnt toast?"Sam said while staring at me.
"So he burnt it one, two, three...uh... "I started to say while counting on my fingers, until Sammy interrupted.
"More than a dozen times... "Sam pointed out. I still don't understand how Dad manage to burn toast that many times. I know he's not great when it comes to cooking or anything in the kitchen that is not hunter related, but that doesn't mean Sammy should hold it against him. Why couldn't he just be happy that Dad sent a sign?
"Wow you kept track, but that doesn't mean you should hold it against Dad for the rest of his life, just give em' a break Sammy, and be happy that he at least sent us a message, even though it's small, it's still good news."I explained hoping he would just take the coordinates as good news, but no Sammy wouldn't be Sammy if he didn't question everything.
"How's this message good news?"Sam questioned.
"Cause it means he's okay, or alive at least."Dean instantly replied.
I thought awesome, now I could keep my lips sealed without feeling guilty that I was the only one who knew Dad was okay back at Missouri's.
"Well, was there a number on the caller ID?"Sam asked which reminded me about the text messages Dad had sent me. I quickly opened my phone and deleted them all. Then I slipped my phone back into my pocket.
"Nah, it said unknown..."Dean answered while shaking his head.
Dean took the coordinates Dad had sent in the text and typed them into Sammy's laptop to see where they led. I think more than anything we were all hoping it led to Dad.
"Well, where do the coordinates point?"Sam asked while looking over at Dean.
"That's the interesting part, Rockford, Illinois." Dean answered with a slight grin.
"How's that interesting?"Sam questioned while staring at Dean like he had two heads.
"Rockford, Illinois is in El's drawing and I checked the local Rockford paper, take a look at this."Dean answered while turning the laptop towards Sammy.
"I wanna see, I wanna see..."I said excitedly with a grin as I walked over to my brothers to check out what Dean had found. I stood next to Sammy and stared at the laptop as Dean said, "This cop Walter Kelly, he comes home from his shift, shoots his wife, then puts the gun in his mouth, blows his brains out.."
"That's insane, but it explains the badge and bullet in my drawing. Freaky right?"I said while staring at the news article about Walter Kelly on the laptop.
"Yeah, and earlier that night, Kelly and his partner responded to a call at the Roosevelt Asylum."Dean went on to say while looking at Sammy and I.
"Okay? I"m not following..."Sam said with his eyebrow raised.
"Yeah, you kinda lost me too Dee..."I chimed in while staring at Dean as I wondered what he was gonna say next.
"What does this have to do with us?"Sam asked sounding frustrated.
"Dad earmarked the same asylum in the journal, let's see..."Dean replied as he flipped through Dad's journal. Then he stopped on a page with an old news clipping and said,"Here, seven unconfirmed sightings, two deaths until last week at least, I think this is where he wants us to go..."
"A job?"Sam questioned while anxiously pacing back and forth.
"Yeah."Dean responded with a nod.
"Seriously, this is a job, Dad wants us to work a job?"Sam questioned again while staring at Dean with his brow furrowed.
"Well, maybe we'll meet up with him? Maybe he's there?"Dean said as he looked over at Sammy and I.
"That'd be awesome."I happily said as a big smile went across my lips.
"Yeah, but maybe he's not?"Sam added as he glanced over at me.
"That'd be un-awesome."I said as my smile faded away.
"I mean, he could be sending us there, by ourselves to hunt this thing."Sam said with his brow furrowed.
"Who cares! If he wants us there, it's good enough for me!"Dean stated sounding annoyed.
"Yeah, it's good enough for me too."I chimed in with a shrug.
"That doesn't strike you two as weird? The texting? The coordinates?"Sam asked while staring at Dean and I.
"Nope, not really."I replied while shaking my head.
"But..."Sam started to say but was interrupted by a very grumpy Dean.
"Sam! Dad's telling' us to go somewhere, we're goin'."Dean sternly said while glaring at Sammy.
Sam sighed in frustration while looking back at Dean. I glanced over at Sammy's laptop on the wooden table and stared at the news article about Walter Kelly. That's when I noticed his initials were W.K just like in my drawing on the police badge. I thought it's gotta be Walter, because that's just way too much of coincidence to not be him.
"Hey, am I the only one that noticed that Walter Kelly's initials are W.K just like on the police badge in my drawing. I bet you guys that the L.K on the bullet were the initials of his wife."I said while holding up my journal towards Dean and Sam so they could see.
"That enough proof for you Sammy. Let's pack up and ship out."Dean said sternly as he picked up his leather jacket and put it on. Then he grabbed a couple of bags and walked out the front door to load up the Impala.
I glanced over at Sammy and let's just say he did not look happy. He sighed in frustration as he shook his head. It was the same look he used to have on his face whenever he would argue with Dad.
"You okay?"I asked as I walked over to Sammy's side.
"I'm fine."He grumbled sounding annoyed as he picked up his duffel bag from the bed by the bathroom.
"Really, cause you don't look fine."I responded while staring over at him.
"It's just this job, the coordinates, what if Dad's not there?"He asked with his eyebrow raised.
"What if?... We could go around playing the what if game for hours and not get anywhere, but how will we know for sure if we don't go there to check it out for ourselves... Even if Dad's not there these coordinates could be the one step we need to get closer to where he is, it's a lead and just like Dean I wanna follow it."I explained while hoping he would understand.
"Follow, like good little soldiers... Dad asks us to jump and we say how high, fall in line and never question anything."He responded in an annoyed tone.
"I get it you're frustrated and angry especially after everything that happened...back in Stanford...with Je.."I started to say but was cut off by Sam.
"Ella don't..."He warned with a pained expression on his face.
"Okay, I'm sorry... and I know you wanna find Dad ASAP, but you've gotta understand that Dean and I want the same thing, we're on the same side..."I said while hoping to get through to him.
He shook his head while responding,"I never said we're not on the same side, what gave you that idea?"
"Well, all the arguing between you and Dean, and FYI it's not helping."I answered while looking up at him.
"It's just that...Dean really gets on my nerves sometimes."He grumbled in frustration.
"Yeah, it's kinda hard not to notice that with all the fighting you two do, constantly... I know he can be annoying sometimes, but he means well, you do know that right Sammy?"I said with my eyebrow raised as I awaited his answer.
"Yeah, I guess..."He replied with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Oh come on you know I'm right, and if we don't start helpin' Dee now I'm pretty sure he's gonna get really annoyed with us, so you comin' or what?"I said while walking over to the pile of bags by the front door.
Right when I was gonna pick up one of the bags Sammy quickly came over to my side and intervened while saying,"Yeah, but I think you should leave the heavy lifting to me, okay."
"Okay, thanks Sammy."I said with a smile. I'm glad he managed to jump in before I almost absentmindedly picked up a bag again. I didn't want a tear my stitches, like I almost did earlier. I really need to get some more sleep, because I'm not thinking straight. I planned on taking a nap in the car, hopefully nightmare free.
"You're welcome Ella."Sam responded with a grin as he carried a couple of bags out the front door.
Then Dean came back into the room and stood right in front of me. He handed me a couple of dollar bills a fist full of quarters while saying,"Here you go, El."
"What's this for?"I asked while staring at him with an eyebrow raised as I held up the money in my hand.
"Vending machines, you might as well get yourself some snacks for the road and it'll keep you out of trouble while Sammy and I load up the car."Dean said while staring at me.
"I like your way of thinking, thanks Dee."I smiled while putting the money into my front jacket pocket
"Sure Squirt."Dean said with a grin. Then he picked up a couple of bags and went out the door to load up the car.
"Be careful with your arm all right?"Sam said with a look of concern on his face as he re-entered the room to pick up some more bags.
"All right Sammy, don't worry I'll be very careful."I replied with nod. Then I went out the front door and walked over to the vending machines which were conveniently located right outside of our motel room.
"Stay where I can see you."Dean said as he stood next to me by the vending machines.
"I'm less than five feet away from you and Sammy, seriously where do you think I'm gonna go, into the woods."I replied with chuckle while pointing to the creepy look trees next to the motel. I thought Dean was being ridiculous, I was standing literally less than five feet away from where the Impala was parked and our motel room was right behind me. I was in plain sight, he was acting like I was standing in the middle of some creepy dark ally. If he really thought I was in danger he would've put me in the Impala. I just wanted to get a couple snacks to restock my secret stash.
"El, just don't wander off."Dean ordered sounding like Dad as he stared me down.
"Sir, yes sir."I chuckled while turning towards Dean and saluting.
"I'm not joking."Dean warned while glaring at me.
"Okay, okay, just stop glaring, I'll stay right where you can see me."I said while holding up my arms in surrender.
"Good, that's what I like to hear."Dean said as walked back into the motel room to pick up some more of our bags. I rolled my eyes then stared at the vending machine as I tried to decide what to get.
I slipped a couple of quarters into the machine and punched in the code for a Kit-Kat bar. I smiled as I watched the machine come to life and drop the bar of chocolatey goodness down for me to take. Then I popped a couple more quarters into the machine and hit the buttons for a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos. Seriously those things are addicting. I put some more money into the machine and got a bag of Chili Lime Jerky for Dean. I stared at the snacks in the vending machine and wondered what Sammy would choose. The best way to figure that out was to choose the food I hate. I glanced down at the last row of snacks in the machine and saw a Granola bar made of Oats & Honey.
"Well, that's somethin' I definitely wouldn't eat unless it was covered in chocolate, which means it's somethin' Sammy would definitely eat."I happily said with a grin as I put some money into the machine and got the granola bar for Sammy.
In the end I managed to get a Kit-Kat bar, a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos, Chili Lime Jerky, a Oats&Honey Granola bar, some gummy bears, and a pack of cute mini Chocolate Frosted Donuts. Then I stepped to my right and stood in front of the soda machine. I put some money in and bought an orange soda for later. Right when I was about to walk towards the Impala the lights from the vending machines flickered until they went out. It's as if someone pulled their plugs out of the wall. I didn't think much of it, because the machines looked really old. For all I know, this was probably a common thing that happened a lot. At least I managed to get the snacks before the machines stopped working. I glanced back over to the car and noticed that both my brothers weren't around. I figured they must've gone back in the motel room to pick up the rest of our bags. I turned towards the food vending machine and kicked it slightly wondering if maybe that would help switch it back on, but it didn't.
"Oh well, at least I tried."I mumbled as I turned around so I could walk over to the Impala.
Right when I took a step away from the vending machines a loud knock came from behind me. I instantly stopped in my tracks and turned around, but I didn't see anything there. Then I heard the knock again, except this time it sounded like it was coming from within the machine with the snacks. My curiosity was getting the best of me, so I took a step towards it and wondered if it would happen again.
Suddenly the vending machines made a loud noise that caused me to jump back as the lights flickered on. Then I stared at my reflection on the glass window of the vending machine and noticed someone standing behind me. I opened my eyes wide in shock, because right there in my reflection standing behind me was the creepy grudge girl from my nightmare.
All of a sudden I felt someone touch my shoulder and I thought it was her, so I jumped forward in a panic to get away. I frantically looked back and felt so relieved when I saw that it was just Sammy. There was no signs of the creepy grudge girl anywhere and I thought maybe it's all in my head, at least that's what I hoped.
"Ella?"Sam said with a concerned expression on his face.
"Oh, Sammy it's just you..."I said in relief as my heart beat a million miles a minute.
'Who were you expecting?"He asked with his eyebrow raised as he stared down at me.
"No one, no one at all."I anxiously replied while shaking my head.
"You okay? You're really jumpy."He said sounding worried while keeping his eyes locked on me.
"Uh...yeah, you just surprised me and uh... I need more sleep, I'm so sleepy..."I replied while doing my best to smile so he wouldn't worry about me.
"Okay? We're all packed up you ready to go?..."He asked while staring at me.
"Yeah, let's just get the heck out here."I nervously answered while making sure to stay close to Sammy as we walked back to to the Impala.
When we reached the car I saw Dean leaning against the Impala waiting for us. He smiled at me and helped to open up the back car door for me.
"Thanks Dee."I said with a smile as I quickly hopped in.
"No prob Squirt."Dean responded with a smile as he shut my door. Then him and Sammy piled into the car. I leaned on the front seat in between my brothers and tossed a bag of Chili Lime Jerky to Dean while saying, "For you." Then I tossed Sammy the Oat & Honey Granola bar while saying,"And for you."
"Thanks."They both happily said with grins on their faces.
I sat back in my seat and placed the rest of the snacks I got from the vending machine into my backpack. After we all bucked up Dean started the engine and turned on the radio. We listened to, "Bad Moon Rising" by, Creedence Clearwater Revival" as we drove off to Rockford, Illinois.