When Rhys and I arrived back home, he complained of a worsening headache. Suspecting the cause to be lingering effects from Zaamee's magic, I promised to call him later and we parted ways; Rhys to his house, and me to mine.

With the upcoming ghost hunt at the warehouse predominantly on my mind, I walked inside and headed straight up to my bedroom, opened the closet, and took out a tote where I kept the Ovilus and thermal and EMF detectors. I carried them over to the bed and then opened the nightstand drawer, where the batteries and recorders were. Prepared to spend the remainder of the night checking over the devices and making sure they were ready for the warehouse, I started to remove the backing of one of the recorders – and a thought occurred to me. The night Rhys and I had gone to the warehouse, the ghost seemed to come at us from all sides, and we had no way of knowing where it was until its assault on us began. Knowing that if it happened again, it could cripple our crusade to help the ghosts of the boy and his mother escape, I decided to go to The Paranormal Shop inside of Ghostley's Electronics Store, and look for something we could use to help protect ourselves against it.

I reached over to the phone and dialed Rhys' number. It rang only once and then Rhys answered. "Hello?"

"It's me."

"Can you somehow see into the house and watched for the exact moment I sat down, or is this your idea of 'later'? I haven't even turned on the TV yet."

"No – and don't. There's a problem. The ghost hunting equipment and flashlights won't be enough."

"Ashe ..."

"Rhys, listen. We'll need something more. If the warehouse ghost can hurt the other two spirits inside of it, then it can hurt Zaamee, who is a ghost, and possibly Zil – and they're our best chance of saving Sonny and Chelsea."

I could hear his sigh. "That means going to the weirdo store. This is what I get for agreeing to go with you." After a long pause, he said, "Fine. Meet me at my car."

We hung up. I went to my dresser and took out the zippered pencil case where I kept my money and counted it. It wouldn't be enough. "I'll have to go to the damn bank first," I muttered.

Hurriedly leaving my room, I glanced across at my aunt's closed bedroom door. Before she'd left on her business trip, she told me about the cash stashed in her dresser, and that I was welcome to use it.

I stepped inside the sparsely furnished room; a bed, a nightstand, and two dressers, one with a TV on it. I went to nearest dresser and opened the top drawer. Rummaging around, at first, I didn't see any money. But then I moved aside a white scarf, and found a bulky envelope there. I picked it up and opened it.

There was enough to buy what I'd need, and more! Stuffing the envelope into my front pants' pocket, I closed the drawer and immediately headed back downstairs and out the front door.

Rhys was already in his Nova, engine running. When I got in, he said, "Tell me again why I had to come?"

"You're the techie – and you promised to help with that."

Rolling his eyes, Rhys pulled away from the curb and drove us downtown. When we arrived at the store, he parked and we got out. He entered first, and looked up when the little bell chimed. "Is that to let them know it's a human coming in and not a ghost?"

While he lagged behind, I went directly to where the ghost hunting equipment was located.

Randy, the owner, was behind the counter. "Hi. Can I help you?"

"I need something for a ... ghost hunt."

He smiled. "I knew it. You're hooked. I guess you'll need something more than a recorder this time."

"Do you have something that'll let me know a ghost is near?"

Rhys came in slowly, looking around. Randy addressed him, "I'll be with you in a minute."

"I'm with her. So – all this stuff ... is for hunting ghosts?"

"Everything in this section of the store is. Ghost hunter?"

"No. I just like technology."

Randy reached down into the glass case where he stood. "Well, I'm always in the market to hire knowledgeable employees. Let me know if you're available and I'll put you to work."

Rhys gave a small smile and continued to look around.

Randy placed a small round device, about three inches in height, with an antenna and a light panel at its top, onto the counter. "This is a Rem Pod."

Doubtful it would be much help against the dangerous warehouse ghost, I said, "I think I'll need something bigger."

"Don't let its size fool you. This little gizmo is pretty useful – from what I've been told and what I've read about it. It can only be triggered if a presence is very close to it, or by physical contact, both human and ghostly."

"So, no other electronic devices will trip it, like an EMF detector?" Rhys asked.

"Exactly. Let me show you." Randy took out some batteries from a nearby pack, opened the Rem Pod, and inserted them. He turned it on and it instantly began to sound. He took his hand away and it stopped. He started to move his hand back ... and the closer he got to it, and then touched it, the more intense the reaction of the signal and lights became – but the instant he removed his hand again, it quit. He then took a nearby EMF detector, turned it on, placed it next to the Rem Pod – and it remained silent. "I have something else you might find interesting, even though it's typically used for the more 'extreme' ghost hunt."

He went to a nearby table loaded with small boxes, chose one, and brought it over to where we were. From the carton, he removed a black, domed-shaped plastic device with what looked like a speaker on top of it, and placed it onto the counter. "This is a high-powered EMF pump. Some need electricity to work, while others, like this one, run off of batteries. Either way, its function is unlike other paranormal equipment – it sends out energy ... to the ghosts. In other words, it's like a gorge-fest for them and a domino effect for you. With more energy sent out, the more the ghost will consume to sustain its own, which results in better staying power – and with that, hopefully a better ghost hunt. But you don't want to use too many of these. If you do, you may not be able to rid yourself of them."

"Them?" Rhys asked.

"Ghosts," Randy answered.

I was sold. While the mean warehouse ghost didn't need more energy, I wasn't sure that Sonny and Chelsea wouldn't.

Going off of what Zaamee had said about the number four being lucky in the paranormal world, and knowing we'd need as much good luck and natural balance as the universe, and a few new pieces of ghost hunting equipment, could give us, I said, "I'll take four Rem Pods, an EMF pump, and some batteries."

Randy rang up the gear and put it into a shopping bag. I paid him and he handed me the bag over the counter. "Happy hunting. I hope you get what you're looking for."

Walking out to Rhys' car, I said, "Let's go back to my house so we can practice using these."

Rhys scowled slightly. "We know how. He showed us."

"Do you really want to wait until we get there and then realize we actually don't know how to use these? Consider the ghost inside that warehouse, and how ... cranky ... it is. I think being unprepared would be a very ... bad ... idea."

"Cranky? That's not how I'd describe it. I just hope your new 'toys' don't upset the ghost and make it want to play harder with us."

We got into his car and drove home. He pulled onto our street and parked facing the exit. We got out and walked to my aunt's house, and went straight up to my bedroom.

I handed him the bag. "Load these with batteries while I do a quick check of the other equipment. Then, we'll test them out."

When we'd both finished, Rhys picked up the EMF pump, turned it on, and placed it onto the floor. It began to make a loud, rhythmic, moderately-paced 'tick-tick' sound.

After a moment, he said, "I don't feel anything. Do you?"

"If what Randy said is true, we won't, but the ghosts should."

In turn, I switched on the other devices; Ovilus, to see if anything would appear on its screen, Rem Pods, EMF pump, EMF and thermal detectors, recorders – even my flashlight, and set them onto the floor, close to one other.

None of them activated.

Next, I picked up all of the devices and placed them onto the bed, except the Rem Pods. "Let's walk around and see what happens."

As we moved about the room, each time either of us neared one of the Rem Pods, it reacted. When we stepped away, it stopped.

Eventually Rhys said, "My headache's coming back. I'll see you later."

I followed him downstairs. At the front door, he turned to me. "Don't find a reason not to be at school tomorrow. I don't want to be there, alone, thinking about the warehouse all day. You got me into this mess. You owe me."

I promised I'd be there and he left.

I closed the door and then went back upstairs to my bedroom to resume practicing. For the rest of the afternoon I tested out, and familiarized myself with, the equipment, until I felt I knew what each instrument would do in any given situation. Being prepared, if anything went wrong, I'd know it was due to paranormal interference, not negligence.

Gradually, the natural light inside the house began to dim. Outside, heavy clouds had gathered. It wouldn't be long before night fell.

I shut off the equipment and put it into the tote, zippered it shut, and placed it into the closet. I then went downstairs and left for Cemetery Raven. I wanted to tell Zil about the new equipment and of Rhys' change of heart about going to the warehouse. I entered the graveyard and headed straight for Zil's tomb. When I reached it, I knocked on his door. "Zil, it's Ashe."

He didn't answer, but seconds later the door opened. I stepped inside and he closed it again.

Two candles, held by metal braces bolted into the granite wall, were lit; one close to where we stood and the other, further in. Their tiny flames shed just enough light to allow me to see. I walked over to the marble slab, but to avoid another injury that would cause me to bleed, I carefully navigated its sharp edge before I sat. "Your trick worked. Rhys will be there."

"You sound surprised."

"I have to admit – I am."

"Though I am not an admirer of Rhys, his presence is necessary."

"I also bought equipment we could use at the warehouse. It's supposed to be very useful, from what I'm told. I just hope it can help us get Sonny and Chelsea out without being hurt."

Zil looked at me oddly. "Did you say what you wanted to use it for – or where?"

"And risk someone else going in and getting their asses kicked? That thing's a monster." Then, realizing what he'd actually meant, I quickly added, "I told you – I'm basically a loner. Except for Rhys, no one knows about Cemetery Raven, Cortland Bridge – or you."

Visibly relaxed, he nodded slightly. "Good. It must stay that way."

"I know. I remember." Unwilling to dive into another discussion of how we were both sacrificing a lot for our friendship, I switched the conversation back to the reason I was there. "So, what's the plan for the warehouse tomorrow night?"

By the sudden change in his expression, I knew I wouldn't like the answer. "Each of us will need to take on one entity."

"Oh-kay."

"Zaamee and I have decided Rhys will be with the boy and she will be with the mother. Together, they can help them. I will take on the most violent one. It cannot kill me because I am already dead."

I shuddered at the only other choice left. "And I get the one who's protective over Sonny, the unpredictable one."

Slowly, he nodded.

Not liking it didn't mean I had a choice in accepting it. I didn't – I was the ghost hunter. I'd been the one to push it on them, and if it meant Rhys would be protected and the entities helped, I'd willingly face it. But there was one more, very serious, consideration – a scary one. With Zil's immortal strength, if he became possessed ...

"Why can't we just exorcise the bad one?" I asked.

"We will, but first the others must be removed from his reach. If we do not take precautions, the evil one may use them as a shield and they would be cast out instead, sending them into parts unknown. The child could even become separated from his mother."

Suddenly, the idea of it ... I'd been separated from my parents, and it was horrible. If the same thing happened to Sonny, I wouldn't be able to live with the knowledge that he'd suffer the same, and possibly worse, because I'd been the one to do it to them. "I guess I should go."

"I will walk you home."

We exited his tomb and walked among the many headstones shielded by the tall weeds of the graveyard as we passed through on our way to the gate. Crossing the street, neither of us said much, but my mind was on the warehouse, anxiously playing over everything that might happen once we were there. I prayed the night would end the way it was supposed to – with Sonny and Chelsea being released and the bad one being done away with.

We stopped on the sidewalk in front of my house. I bid Zil a good night, but when I started to go inside, he gently took my arm and pulled me back to him. "I have to know. I could probe, but I want to hear you say it ... why did you ask me to change you into what I am? I pray it is not something you truly wish for."

"I didn't mean it. I just ..." I trailed off, not really knowing how to answer him.

He scrutinized me closely. "I sense doubt."

"It was a stupid dare. I was just caught up in the moment. I guess I thought if I was made into a vampire, or some other Underground being, I couldn't get hurt."

"You still could. But that would be only one worry. You have no idea what it is like."

"I won't ask again. Besides, Rhys would end our friendship in a heartbeat, and my aunt would obviously know that I'd somehow changed ... and then, things would really get complicated."

His look of relief was hard to ignore, but my feelings were conflicted. I didn't know if I should be glad Zil hadn't jumped at the chance to make me into a vampire, because I was okay with being mortal and didn't really want to be changed, or insulted because he might think I was unworthy.

He bent slightly and touched his forehead to mine. "You get to me, Ashe. I will do what I must to keep you safe."

"Rhys, too?"

Sourly, he replied, "Yes. Rhys, too."

I slowly moved away from him and walked up the porch steps, went inside, and closed the door between us. I went to the living room window and looked outside. Zil was already headed back down my street.

I whispered, "You're beginning to get to me, too."