For the first time in a long time, waking up early was a chore. Once I got into bed, for most of the night, I switched between restless sleep, and lying awake, thinking about the warehouse and then ... about what Zil said. I refused to make too much out of it. He hadn't come straight out and said he had feelings for me, only that I got to him. He got to me, too. Without him, my ghost hunting might be limited, and ghost hunting was what I was most focused on. Anything more than that could prove too involved, especially if a relationship was started. Feelings ... between a mortal and an immortal – stupid and dangerous was more like it, because the break-up could end up badly – for me.

Still, in the short amount of time I'd known him, without realizing it, a friendship had formed, and that was more important to me. Boyfriends came and went. But friends, like Rhys, had staying power, and with Zil being eternal, his staying power would be much longer.

And I was okay with that.

I got up and went to my closet and picked out the clothes I'd wear for that day. On my way to the bathroom, I heard the doorbell ring. Knowing it would most likely be Rhys, there to pick me so we could leave for school, I went downstairs.

I peeked through the peephole and unlocked the door. Rhys walked in as I headed back upstairs. "I'll be right down."

"Good, because I was serious about you not ditching today," he called after me. "If I'm going to school, so are you."

I entered my bathroom and gazed into the mirror at my reflection. I was tired – and I looked it. Wishing I could stay home, not just to catch up on my sleep, but because I'd be more focused on the warehouse than on my classes, I dressed and headed back downstairs.

Rhys was still at the door. "What's wrong with you?"

"I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

"Worried about tonight?"

"That – and ..." I paused.

"What?"

Wondering if I should tell him which of the warehouse entities he'd been involuntarily matched up with before we went later that night, I hesitated. Because he didn't know he hadn't been the one to choose to go to the warehouse, but that the choice had been made for him, compliments of Zaamee's mind trick, either choice could end badly.

Deciding to wait until I felt the time was right, I grabbed my backpack and house key. "Nothing. Let's go, we'll be late."

We went to his car and got in. As he started the engine, I asked, "Any last-minute doubts about tonight?"

"I wish it was already done and over with."

"It will be, but we have to get through it first."

With his brow creased, Rhys turned to me. 'That's the part I'm worried about – getting through it. What if we don't?"

"We will."

"Can you promise that?"

I couldn't, and we both knew it.

He pulled away from the curb and we rode to school in silence.

When we arrived, Rhys pulled into the parking lot and parked where he always did. He shut off the engine, but instead of getting out, he sat there, staring blindly out the front window. "This is going to be huge, isn't it?"

I didn't want to scare him, but I wouldn't lie to him, either. "Yeah. It is."

"Do you have everything ready for tonight?"

"I do. After you left, I checked over the equipment again. No malfunctions. It's ready."

Rhys sighed heavily. "I just hope we are."

We got out and as we started toward the school's double doors, I glanced over at him. I could see his mind was working ... he was worried about the warehouse. Even if the time wasn't right, I decided not to wait any longer. "Rhys, there's something I need to tell you. Tonight, when we go ..."

"Hey, Rhys! Hey, Ashe!"

Jenson had just gotten out of his car. Grinning broadly, he walked over to us. With a tinge of sarcasm, he said, "Are you ready for Mr. Nelson's test on Shakespeare? I know I can't wait."

His timing couldn't be worse. As Jenson rambled on about the upcoming Literature test, I lost myself in my thoughts. Before anything related to the supernatural had happened in my life, I might have been more zoned in with school and Literature tests, too. But at the moment, I was more concerned about whether Rhys would be able to cope with what I had to say, what I needed to say – and whether we could handle what we would be facing. Despite how close the worlds of mortal and immortal were, while still not meeting or interlocking, a war was about to be waged in the realm of the paranormal between good and evil – one the citizens of Mannix lived in total oblivion of, and would never know about. That knowledge was a threshold no living person was intended to cross until the moment of their death ... except me. I was different. I had an 'energy' that marked me – and the result needed my full attention, and Rhys', because I intended to keep my word and see it through in order to save two otherworldly beings.

At the double doors, Jenson broke away from us and blended into the crowd. Seizing the opportunity to tell Rhys what I'd started to say in the parking lot, I said, "I wanted to tell you ..."

The first bell rang, signaling to the students and faculty to go to their classrooms.

"It'll have to wait. Mr. Nelson will lock me out if I'm late."

"Sure. Later, then."

Since our Homeroom classes were next to each other, he walked with me to mine, hastily promising to meet with me at lunch before ducking into the doorway of his first class.

The morning passed unbearably slow, with each hour seeming to drag out longer than the one before it. Finally, the lunch bell rang. Scooping up my books and backpack, I exited my History class and headed down the corridor, hoping to catch up with Rhys before he went into the cafeteria and I'd be forced to tell him what I had to there.

I met him at the doorway of his classroom. "Hi."

"Hi. I'm hungry. Let's talk while we eat."

"Um, not here. You brought your lunch, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Let's go to your car."

"Why do I get the feeling I won't like this conversation?"

I linked my arm through his and started to lead him away. "Come on. No one can hear this."

We walked out into the parking lot. When we got to his car, he first unlocked my side, and then went to the driver's door and unlocked it. We got in and he turned to face me. "Is this about tonight?"

"Yeah. There's something I think you should know."

"I knew it. I'm not going to like this."

Easing into it, I started by telling him about testing out each device and how it responded to what I was doing. Then, I told him what Zil said to me.

Clearly upset, Rhys didn't respond at first. Finally, he said, "I don't like this. Why can't this be over already – I mean ... I don't see how this is our problem. To be more exact – my problem! You're the one who went looking for this, not me."

"Sonny and Chelsea need us to save them. It was bad for us, so what do you think it's like for them, being locked in with that thing?"

"I don't know, but what I do know is that we – I – would happily not know about this if you hadn't gone prowling around!"

I braced against what his answer might be. "Does this mean you're backing out of tonight?"

Exhaling sharply, he shook his head. "No. For some odd reason, I feel like I have to be there. Maybe it's because I don't want to leave you alone with a bunch of ghosts and a vampire."

The bell rang. Lunchtime was over. Rhys scowled. "I didn't even get to eat my lunch."

We got out of his car, and started back toward the entrance of the school, but when we were almost to the double doors, he slowed his pace. "I know you're worried that I'll back out. I won't – even though you just had to tell me I'm being matched up with two ghosts, Zaamee and Sonny!" Before I could reply, he continued. "But you're right. They can't stay in there, locked up with that thing forever, and that's what it would be. I tried to let it go, pretend I could ignore it. I can't." Sounding agitated, he added, "I blame you for that."

We walked inside. I stopped at the door of my first afternoon class as Rhys continued down the corridor. When he was out of sight, I entered the room and went to my seat.

In spite of Rhys' obvious reluctance, I was relieved Zaamee's magic had worked, and that he'd come with us to the warehouse. Still, I prayed the mind alteration wouldn't end up leading him to being badly hurt – or worse.