"Hey!" Mel greeted Milani as soon as she entered the door. "You were gone all day, I thought something happened."
"I found a field and stayed there practicing." She retightened her ponytail and took off her shoes. "You guys gonna believe that board and not trust Harry?"
"It could be our mother." Mel told her with a smile on her face, coming towards her. "We could be connecting with her."
"Yeah, but it's not." Milani walked past Mel, heading up the stairs. "I'm gonna shower. Let me know when you guys finally come back to reality."
"Mila, that wasn't nice."
"Yeah, besides Mel could be right." Mel came up the stairs and stood beside Macy and Maggie, all three of them looking at Milani. Macy reached for her sister and she jerked back.
"You guys played with that thing. I can't touch you." She went towards the bathroom, closing the door and locking it before leaning against it and letting out a breath. "I'll get my clothes later."
She was showering when she heard something slide under the door, turning the water off after rinsing and wrapping towels around her head and body.
"Uhm, knock knock?" She pulled the curtain back and the pointer to the board flew at her, a scream leaving her lips before she abruptly blacked out.
"Mila?" Macy knocked on the door and jiggled the knob, using her telekinesis to unlock the door. She saw nothing and walked further inside, tripping over something. "What the-GUYS!"
Maggie and Macy ran into the bathroom and yelped when they saw Milani laying on the ground, her mouth opened in a scream and her eyes white. Mel bent down and picked up the pointer.
"How did this get in here?"
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"Morning." Milani bounded downstairs in sweatpants and a large shirt, her hair in a bun. She sat at the table and looked at what they were doing, her leg brushing Macy's. "Truth serum. You guys are actually going to believe that thing in the board."
"Not entirely." Macy quickly said, pausing her actions. "We're just seeing who we can trust."
"Yeah, let's not trust the word of someone who can tell a backstory from a touch. Or the person who got attack by the dumb thing."
"Lani, it's not like that."
"No, it's exactly like that." Milani stood up and walked out of the house, deciding to have breakfast at a café.
"Guys, maybe we should trust Lani." Maggie said after looking away from the door. "Everything she's seen has been correct. And the piece did appear in the bathroom."
"Maybe mom is trying to convince her and she's refusing to believe it." Mel said, looking out of the window.
Milani was enjoying her coffee and waffles, looking up when three seats around her were pulled out.
"What's up?" She continued to eat, pausing to gulp down the scalding coffee while looking at the Kappa girls in front of her. She got the attention of a waitress. "Another cup, please."
"You're Maggie's sister, right?" Milani nodded and ate the last bite of her waffle, leaning back in her seat. "Is there something wrong with her?"
"Family stuff." Milani chugged the new cup of coffee down and stacked the dishes up neatly, standing up and grabbing her phone. "There's a lot of things happening right now, so she might be a little overwhelmed at the moment."
After she finished, she walked out of the café, leaving a tip for the waitress. She leisurely strolled back to her new home, bumping into someone.
"Shit." She mumbled, closing her eyes and stumbling back a few steps.
"Hey, it's you." She opened her eyes and saw the two frat bartenders in front of her.
"Yeah. If you don't mind, I'm just gonna." She walked around them and continued straight, the two guys looking at her.
"She's the difficult one."
"Maggie, hey." Maggie whipped around and sighed when she saw Milani walking towards her. "Wow, bad sex."
"Yeah." They started walking again before Maggie turned to her. "How'd you know?"
"Your appearance is similar to this friend I had after she had bad sex and came to me to talk about it." Milani explained to her, looping arms with her. "Hey, you remember those bartender guys from that frat party?"
"Yeah, why?"
"No reason. What caused the bad sex?"
"These stupid powers." Milani laughed and opened the door for her, walking up to the attic behind her. "I can never have sex again!"
"What are you doing?" Milani stayed a couple feet away from Mel, looking at the board warily. "What happened to seeing who you can trust?"
"It's her. It's mom." Mel said, looking at the both of them. "I'm asking questions only she would know, about my first word, Maggie's weird attraction to the green teletubby in preschool. It's her spirit in there."
"My god, you actually believe this shit?" Milani said, crossing her arms. "Ask her about what happened when I was eight."
"First crush? You had a crush on someone?" Milani shook her head and scoffed, going downstairs and out the door.
"Harry."
"Yes?" The british man orbed in front of her, taking a seat on the staircase next to her.
"Macy told you what happened ten years ago, a few weeks before my ninth birthday." He nodded. "Dad told mom. The board didn't know."
"What are you talking about?"
"Mila." Macy stood in front of them, her eyes flickering between the two of them. "What are you doing?"
"Having a conversation with someone I trust." Harry stood up to allow Macy to pass by, Milani staring straight ahead. "Isn't it weird, Harry?"
"This must be bothering you if you are addressing me by my name."
"That it is. You can continue with what you were doing." She felt him pat her shoulder and orb away, the girl jumping up when she heard screaming and a crash from the attic, teleporting up there. "What the hell?"
"Macy broke the board!"
"I-I panicked!"
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"I can't believe you broke the board." Mel said as the sisters stood around the table, Milani having a joyful look on her face while staring at the pieces of the board.
"I'm sorry, I was...trying to save Maggie from that thing."
"And she wouldn't have had to if you guys would just listen to me."
"Oh shut it Mila! You're not always right!"
"Yeah, well when all of this blows up in your face," Milani got closer to them, glaring at them, "don't come crying to me with that 'you were right' shit."
"Fine!" Macy shouted when Milani walked upstairs and continued on to the attic. She sat in the middle of the floor and focused, trying to remember what she did in the forest before getting frustrated.
"Dammit Macy!" She burried her face into her hands, her head snapping up and staring at the window. She teleported outside and underneath the attic window, where her mother fell to her death. "She must've seen someone before dying."
Her finger brushed the ground and her eyes turned white, seeing her mom fall out and pink sparks before something knocked into her.
"Oomph! What the he-awe, it's a doggie!" Standing on her chest was a Siberian Husky, looking down at her. "Aw, what are you doing out here?"
The dog barked and her hand reached out to touch its head, her eyes going white. It licked her face and she smiled slightly, gently pushing it off of her.
"Let's go find your owner, yeah?" The dog barked and followed after her, occasionally licking her hand or stopping to sniff the flowers.
"Rodion!? Rod-Rodion!" One of the bartenders from the frat looked their way, the dog running over to him. "We meet again."
"I'm starting to think you're purposely seeking me out." Milani said while crossing her arms, looking at the dog. "So that was your name, Rodion."
"Picked it myself. I'm Haiden Caine."
"Milani Vaughn." She chose to ignore the hand he held out, her eyes finally looking up to take in his features. "Well, have a nice day."
"Thanks, you too." Milani walked back across the street and to her house, Haiden watching her. "Did you really have to go all out with the dog thing, Hunter?"
"Had to make it look real. She's the difficult one, remember. She probably saw something." The dog transformed into another man.
"You shouldn't have let her touch you."
Milani entered the house as quietly as she could, trying not to catch anyone's attention so she didn't have to deal with them. She failed when an overly happy Maggie came running down the stairs.
"Lani! We can get mom back!"
"I don't wanna hear this Maggie." She walked towards the kitchen, Maggie following her. "Stopping pressing on about it."
"But it's mom!" Maggie turned her around and put her hands on her shoulders. "Our mom! We can find out why she left Macy, why whenever she came to visit you had to be the messenger for her!"
"That thing in the board is not my mother and I'll be dammed if I help you release it." Milani knocked Maggie's hands off of her shoulders. "You didn't even touch the board."
"Well yeah, it moves on it's own." Milani threw her hands up and turned back to the coffee machine. "Fine, I'll just tell Mel then."
"Yeah, you do that."
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Milani could hear Maggie and Mel chanting above her, screaming when the bathroom mirror broke.
"Shit." The door slammed closed and she tried to open it, giving up and teleporting to the living room just as everything went quiet. "No no no no no!"
She ran upstairs, bursting into the attic and laying eyes on the person standing with her sisters.
"MiNi."
"You don't get to call me that." She growled out, being able to see the spirits true form. "Where the hell did you come from?"
"Why are you talking to mom like that?" Mel asked her. Milani walked closer, watching the spirit back up.
"What happened ten years ago?"
"You developed a crush on someone." It looked so sure of the answer. Until Milani shook her head.
"Wrong. My mother would know that answer!"
"How, she wasn't around you ten years ago!"
"Yes, she was." Milani stared at Mel, her eyes burning with tears. "My dad called her. Told her about what happened. We talked about it."
"Well since you know everything, did you know that our White Lighter killed our mother for her powers?"
"Let me guess," Milani chuckled humorlessly, "that thing told you that."
"MiNi-"
"Shut. Up!" She flung something at the spirit, Mel stopping time and Maggie knocking it down. "I want my mom too! But that doesn't mean I'm gonna swallow my pride and believe this shit!"
She dropped to her knees and tried to wipe her tears.
"You think we can't tell the difference between our mother and a demon?" Maggie asked her, Milani looking up at her.
"No, I think you guys just want to believe it's her." Harry and Macy orbed into the room, Milani standing up.
"How did you-"
"The spirit board, what did you girls do?" He turned around and saw the spirit. "No."
Mel hit him on the head with the Book of Shadows, watching him fall to the ground. Milani pulled his body towards her and held him up, her sisters looking at her as if she betrayed them.
"NiNi, what are you doing?"
"You guys are being blindsided." She walked into the living room, laying Harry down in the book nook. "Sorry, british man."
"Are you seriously siding with moms killer?"
"You don't know that." Mel scoffed.
"She said it!"
"Harry doesn't have pink sparks."
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"You really expect me to help you?" Milani was leaning against the wall next to the mirror, an unreadable expression on her face. "No."
"Just do this for us! We can have mom back!" Macy said. "We can get answers!"
"That's not our mother. Mom was never afraid to let me touch her, no matter my mood." She told them, crossing her arms. "I'm not helping you."
"We could get stuck in here!" Mel yelled at her.
"You shouldn't have believed it." She shrugged, looking each of them in the eye. "I'm not helping you."
"Can you at least.....stand here? Please?" Maggie asked her, Mel and Macy already inside of the mirror. Milani nodded and Maggie smiled at her, walking into the mirror.
"What the hell?" Milani glanced over to the office door when she heard crashing in the living room, looking back at the mirror.
"Milani! Close the door!" Just as the spirit was about to jump in the room, she slammed the door closed. She heard pounding on the mirror and saw her sisters standing there, trying to get her attention.
"We need your help!" Mel yelled through the mirror, looking behind her. "The thing holding the Prism of Souls is floating! We need your hand!"
"I'll do it. Only because I want to hear you guys admit that I was right." She finished her sentence while walking into the mirror, standing in front of them. "Well? What are we waiting for, come on."
She walked over to the prism holding the Prism of Souls, placing her hand on the bottom. She looked over at her sisters and motioned to the prism, the three of them rushing over and putting their hands on their respective sides. The prism opened and Macy grabbed it.
Milani stood back when they looked at the prism, jumping when a mirror shattered behind her. She stood by and watched them panic, grabbing Maggie's hand.
"The only way out is together. It was right above your heads." She grabbed Mel's hand and Maggie grabbed Macy's, the three of them being lead to a glowing mirror by her. "Thank you weird phase I went through."
"Maybe I should switch to physics because I'm pretty sure we just exited a parallel dimension of the multiverse." Macy said as they were walking upstairs, Milani waiting for them at the top.
"Geek out later, we don't have much time." Milani opened the door and stepped aside with wide eyes, watching Harry and the spirit wrestle at the top of the stairs, her eyes following the spirits body as it fell to the ground.
"Help me!" The spirit said as Harry choked it and pulled out a knife, staring at Macy. "Macy, help me!"
"Macy, no!" Macy used her telekinesis to turn the knife on Harry, Milani using her own to fight against it. "That's not mom!"
"Listen to your sister, girls."
"They're not girls they're women that I'm very proud of." The spirit said, walking closer to Milani. It stopped moving when she got control for a moment and tried to stab it, Macy stopping her.
"It's an imposter demon, it wants to use the prism to suck your powers, that's what it does."
"You think the elders would give us a dangerous white lighter we couldn't trust?" Milani called out, one of her eyes turning bright orange when the spirit walked closer to her. "Stay back!"
"Enough of your theatrics, Harry! You've even got MiNi believing your lies!"
"If anyone is believing lies then he must be believing mine."
"Macy, give me the prism." Milani held her hand out and her eyes sparked, the prism shooting into her waiting hand. "You can trust me, MiNi. I'm your mother."
"You're lying!" Milani shouted, gaining a little more control over the knife. The house started shaking and the lights started flickering, her eyes glowing brighter. "I want my mom too, but I won't buy this bullshit!"
"Milani, calm down a little." Harry told her, the house suddenly going still and the lights going out before coming back on. Milani was breathing heavily and trying to calm herself and regain control of her emotions.
"What have I always wanted?"
"What?" Everyone besides Macy said, looking at her.
"Right. What has she always asked for?" Macy joined in, stepping up beside her sister. Mel and Maggie joined them, letting Milani have full control of the knife. "Mom would know this. She promised her she'll get it when she was old enough."
"A.....boyfriend?" The knife stabbed through the spirit, tears leaking out of Milani's eyes.
"Husky." Her sisters screamed when she was blasted through the door and outside, the spirit going after her.
"You ruined everything!" Milani pulled the piece of wood out of her stomach, screaming when the spirit kicked her into a tree, trying to stand up. She heard leaves rustling behind her before someone placed a hand on her stomach, the wound closing up.
"There you go, sweetheart." Haiden placed a kiss on her forehead to get rid of the rest of her pain before he slipped back into the shadows, watching her sit up and block a hit from the spirit before time was frozen.
"I am so sorry we're late!" Mel shouted towards her, Milani nodding at her before her eyes glowed and a mirror was placed in front of the spirit. It let out a scream before it exploded. "How did you know?"
"That thing destroyed all of the mirrors when you guys let it out. It made sense." They started walking back to the house, Milani standing there.
"Mila..."
"It's okay, Mace." Milani smiled at her. "I wanted it to be her too. I'll be in in a little."
Macy nodded and walked off. Haiden stepped out of the shadows towards Milani. She slowly turned around and looked up at him.
"Can you bend down a little? It's kinda hard to intimidate someone taller than you." He laughed and bent down so he was eye to eye with her. He stared her in her eyes and stayed still when her hand touched the side of his face, her eyes going white.
"What do you see?"
"Nothing." Her eyes narrowed and Haiden winced before he wrestled away from her grip. "You're hiding something."
"You're gonna see some stuff you don't wanna sweetheart." He told her, leaning against the tree across from her. "Don't wanna scare you away already."
"Are you stalking me?"
"I just feel very protective over you."
"It's sad that I know where that reference is from." Haiden smiled a little and looked at her. "How did you do that?"
"I would never lie to you, or hurt you. So just hear me out when I say this."
"You're a demon." "I'm a demon."
"Wait." Milani laughed and walked away, leaving Haiden stunned. "How did you know!"
"I'm part empath, sweetheart, I can read minds." Haiden watched her walk to her broken door before he disappeared. Milani raised her hand and the broken door was whole again, open and waiting for her to walk through it. "Hey fam."
"Thank god you're okay." Harry said, being the first one to hug her. "I'm glad you got away without a scratch."
"Actually..." She lifted her shirt and there was a fading scar where the wood from the door once embedded. "When that thing blasted me through the door, some of it went right through."
"We're just glad you're okay." Her sisters hugged her, Macy running her hand through her curly hair.
"I'm glad that thing didn't hurt you guys."
"Be mad at us!" Mel said while they pulled away and stood in front of her, guilty expressions on their faces. "Because of us you almost died!"
"Yeah, we should've believed you." Maggie added, looking at her. "You saw what the demon actually was and we didn't believe you."
"I'm sorry." Macy clung to her sister as she cried, Milani awkwardly patting her back. "You could've died, if we'd-are you crying?"
"I want my mommy!" Macy started panicking, she didn't know what to do. This happened once last year and she had to hold her until it was over. "I wanted it to be her! I wanted what I saw to be wrong! But god, damn it all to hell it was right!"
"Aw, Lani." Maggie joined the hug, Mel and Harry joining after her. "She didn't have time to grieve because she was trying to save us, and we were all in here talking about it while she was out there."
"My heart dropped when it got the answer wrong." She said quietly, trying to wipe her tears. "And even though it wasn't her, it hurt to stab it."
"It's okay NiNi." Mel said, trying to help soothe her.
"I think she needs an actual room."
"We do have that one guest room."
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Milani was laying on her new bed after her thirty minute run and her two a.m. shower.
"You're really starting to creep me out." She called into the darkness, Haiden walking into the moonlight streaming through her window. She sat up and turned on her lamp, tying her hair into a messy bun. "What is it now?"
"How did you get into my mind?" He asked immediately, standing in front of the foot of her bed.
"Keep it down. Wouldn't want anyone thinking I snuck you into the house." Haiden stood there and waited for her answer. "I'm a little more relentless when it comes down to things I want."
"You broke into my mind. I'm pretty sure I can sue you for that." Milani laughed lightly at the joke, making light flood the room. "What are you doing?"
"Trapping a demon. I've noticed from the times you randomly pop up here, you're always leaving from the shadows. So, if I get rid of the shadows, you have to find another way to leave."
"I just had to go for the smart one."
"Offended, but uncaring." A recliner appeared next to her. "I won't keep you here for long, but you should sit."
"Is this your little weird way of getting to know me?"
"You catch on quick."
It was almost sunrise when she allowed darkness to fill the room again, Haiden leaving with the promise of seeing her again. She sighed and got out of her bed, going into the kitchen.
"Good morning british man." Harry laughed a little and waved at her, Milani sitting at the table and watching him cook. "And what are we having today? Some lovely british food?"
"You can call it that."
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"Guys!" Milani found her sisters in Macy's room, startling them when she tripped over the threshold and landed on the floor. She jumped back up and held her phone out to them. "What the hell is a date and why do I have thirty minutes to get ready?!"
"Oh my god." Maggie said when she read the message Haiden somehow sent Milani, passing it to Macy. "You have a date."
"In thirty minutes." Macy said before passing the phone to Mel.
"With an actual person."
"What do I do?!"
"We've got this."
True to his word, Haiden knocked on the door thirty minutes later, Macy opening it while Mel and Maggie were upstairs trying to wrestle Milani into a dress and heels.
"You must be Haiden. Come in!" Macy said, allowing him to enter the house. "Unfortunately Mila is-"
"She bit me!" Maggie screamed from upstairs, Mel yelling after her.
"She stepped on my foot!"
"I'm ready." Milani walked downstairs in dark blue ripped overalls, a grey 'I was taught to think before I act, so if I smack the shit out of you, rest assured-I've thought about it, and I am confident in my decision' shirt and grey timberlands.
"Woah, they match." Maggie paused mid step when she saw that Haiden was wearing the exact same shirt, dark blue ripped jeans, and the exact same shoes. "Yeah, this is going to be one power couple."
"Shall we?" Milani smiled and took his arm, mocking his fake posh accent.
"We shall."
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"Okay, this was actually awesome."
"Really?" Haiden swung their hands lightly, looking up at the starry sky. "Most girls wouldn't want to go to an arcade for their first date."
"If I remember correctly- and I do -I was the one who dragged you there Mr. I-Didn't-Plan-This-Far."
"You said you wouldn't bring that up again."
"If you beat me at air hockey. Which you didn't." Haiden shrugged and lead her to a chinese place, placing their stuff at a table. "It's my turn to pay."
"I was the one who asked you out, so it's all on me."
"You paid for the arcade, I pay for the food." Milani walked to the counter with him, already holding a twenty in her hand without Haidens knowledge.
"Hello, what can I get for you?"
"I'll take house fried rice to go."
"Make that two, medium." Milani said before sliding the twenty towards the cashier, taking her change.
"How did you?" Milani turned around and waved a hand in the air.
"Magic~" She laughed and picked up her phone, seeing a message from Macy before deciding that she'd open it later.
"How long does it usually take for the food to get ready?"
"Fifteen to twenty minutes and counting." She mumbled, going on Snapchat taking a picture- and starting to record a video -of Haiden playing with a straw. "Are you bored?"
"No you're on your-stop recording me!" He reached out to snatch her phone away and she leaned back, saving the video before posting the picture on her story.
"You think the food's ready now?"
"It's only been five minutes Haiden." Milani told him, sliding her phone over to him discreetly, recording him. "Say cheese."
"It's mine now!" Haiden snatched her phone off the table and deleted the video, twisting his body away from her when she came over to get her phone, accidentally starting to record a new video.
"Give me my phone or I'll give away your food."
"Give me a kiss and I'll consider it."
"Peek-a-boo." Milani appeared in front of him without catching the attention of others, scaring him before she took her phone from him.
"No fair."
"Our foods ready." She stood up and grabbed the food, Haiden getting their things before meeting her outside. "Where to next?"
"The park." They walked in silence, Milani still recording videos of the two of them and saving them on her phone.
"Which picture should I post?"
"None of them."
"Done."
"Okay, how many pictures do you have of me?" They had sat down at a picnic table and Haiden was standing behind her, looking at her scroll through all of the pictures and videos she took from tonight. "That's a lot."
"And counting." He smiled when she moved her head to show that she was recording him, kissing the side of her head. She stopped recording and saved it, turning her phone off before tilting her head back to look at him. "I feel like there's something you aren't telling me."
"I'm a full demon." Milani nodded, confirming that she already knew that. "A special kind of demon that needs something to feel whole again."
"And that is?" Instead of answering her, he kissed her. Milani's eyes widened before she found herself responding, closing her eyes and grabbing one of his hands.
"You."
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After Haiden walked her to the front door- giving her a light kiss on her forehead -Milani opened the door and walked into the house in a daze, being startled when the light turned on and the four older ones were sitting on the couch.
"Oh my god. She likes him!" Maggie squealed and jumped up from the couch, hugging her. "How was it? I saw your post. Did he kiss you?"
"It was amazing. And yes, he did." Milani sighed as she remembered the night. "Now I can see why people enjoy relationships."
"Okay, now I want to formally meet him." Mel said, standing next to Macy.
"Me too." Macy joined.
"Me three." Maggie said.
"Me as well."
"No, you guys might scare him off." They all groaned and whined, Milani laughing. "I'm just joking around. Next week? For dinner?"
"We have to wait that long?" Maggie whined, Milani smiling and patting her shoulder and walking to her room. She opened the door and almost screamed when she saw Haiden laying on her bed, looking as though he were sleeping.
"Um, Haiden?" She slipped off her shoes and quietly walked over to the bed, yelping when he pulled her to lay next to him. "You heard that?"
"So, dinner next week?"
"I think so." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her towards him, Milani starting to feel tired. "What are you doing? Are you sleeping over?"
"Yeah. I'll leave tomorrow."
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"So." Milani jumped when she saw her sisters and Harry- who was wearing an apron -were standing around her bed, rubbing her eyes. "Not only did you sleep."
"But you slept beside the boy we're supposed to meet." Mel continued Macy's sentence.
"That you snuck in. Which, you didn't have to." Maggie said, Harry turning his head to look at her.
"Of course she did! Okay, we are boarding up your windows."
"And you're getting a curfew." Mel and Macy said, crossing their arms.
"Seriously? At least now you guys don't have to wait till bext week to meet him." Haiden stirred and pulled her closer to him, still asleep. "Maggie are you recording this?!"
"What? I want to remember this moment." Maggie told her, turning the camera on the three others glaring faces. "Can you call this overprotective or what?"
They finally left the room and Milani removed herself from Haidens grip, pulling out clothes so she can shower.
"I know you're up. I'm going to shower." Haiden smiled at her and stretched, Milani walking out of the room and checking Macy's text to her.
"Well, that isn't good."