Lewis touched his nose lightly, then let his hand drop. Gramps wiped his hands off on his towel, grease falling away onto the cloth, making it have stripes.

"I don't know..." he said, somewhere between trying to appease and outright terror.

"Don't be a baby," Tiff said. "You can be gorgeous again, let Mac work ya over."

Mac smiled, spreading his hands.

"Okay," Archer said with the barest tremble in his voice.

"Shouldn't we get an Organic?" John asked, the last voice of reason.

"Nah, remember when I got nailed and Mac did my nose?" Bry reminded.

Which time?

"Not really, Bry," Jade said, her memory vague on which altercation that had been.

He shrugged. "It works okay, look at my schnoz."

We did. It was slightly crooked and had a bump in the middle.

"Looks like hell, Bry," Jonesy said helpfully.

Archer looked between Bry and Gramps. "I guess we can try, but I'd rather not have a nose like his."

Bry huffed and Gramps said, "Adds character." Lewis flinched. "Just pulling your leg. His nose has been broke... " he looked at Bry.

Bry held up three fingers.

Wow.

"See? Hard to keep fixing something that's found a pathway. Keeps getting re-broke and sliding into the same funkiness."

My friends looked at him, trying to translate Gramps' odd way of talking.

"Bry's had his nose broke enough times that whenever it happens again, it keeps going crooked the same way and it's become permanent," I said.

Gramps looked at me like I was slow. "That's what I just said here."

The J's smiled.

He turned to Jade. "Little Missy, pop into my kitchen and get a few cubes of ice out of the icebox and one of my thin cotton towels I use for drying the dishes. Put the ice in there and wrap it good."

Gramps turned, giving his steady attention to Lewis. "This is gonna hurt like a bitch."

Lewis nodded, stoic. Gramps placed both of his hands in a steepled V on either side of his nose, hiding it completely and jerked both hands to one side while pressing deeply against the bridge.

Archer howled, fresh blood flowing out of his nostrils. The pain stood raw in his eyes, tears flooding them while we watched.

He didn't let them fall.

His nose was straight as an arrow. Gramps held the only clean spot of the car rag under the flow and told him to tip his head back. Jade ran out to where Gramps was and he held out a hand for the ice cube bundle.

"You don't have a dishwasher, Mac?" Mia asked while he wrapped Lewis' fingers around the soft cloth. "Light pressure, that cold will help."

He watched Lewis do it and clapped him on the back. "You okay?"

Archer nodded, breathing out of his mouth.

Gramps turned to Mia. "No, don't like them pulse things. Something goes wrong and a repair man comes out, whips his magic wand around, fixes it for the original cost of the appliance and I'm out the dough. Screw that noise."

"Oh," Mia said, getting way more explanation than she'd hoped for.

He turned his razor attention to me. "We look at the car later. Right now I want to know who rearranged this boy's face."

"Caleb got his nuts cracked too," Jonesy said.

Wow.

Gramps laughed. It was not funny but... yeah.

Jade looked at me with sympathy and I gave Jonesy a look that clearly said, your ass is mine, sucker.

Gramps waited. Then he asked while he wiped the grease and blood off his hands, "You have my supper, Caleb?"

Oh yeah! I ran back to Bry's car and got the fridge dish. It was originally Gramps' when he'd been married to Gram before she passed away. It was an ugly thing, white with avocado flowers and a glass lid. When Mom married Dad, she got the dishes.

I handed the dish over to Gramps, the steam from the hot food misting the lid opaque. He smiled. I guess if it weren't for my mom he wouldn't have home-cooked meals very often.

"Let's head inside and talk this through."

The J's looked at each other uneasily as we followed Gramps inside.

I told him the whole thing. Including the creeper that was stalking the AP girls, ending with the fight today with Carson the Ass-Hat.

Gramps sat for several moments, his chin in his palm. Finally he looked at Sophie. "Have you... seen this chump?"

She shook her head, her fluffy hair lifting and swinging with the movement, her lower lip trembling.

"How many girls has this putz attacked?" Gramps asked the group.

"One girl, Mac. That's the thing. He is stalking, threatening but with this new drugs pending mandatory implementation, we're doomed. Also, the AP teacher interrupted him. Who knows what would have happened." He threw up his hands.

Sophie looked at John sharply. "No John. We're doomed." She palmed her chest. A hot tear escaped the well of her eyes. The boys watched her cry, not knowing what to do. Mia and Jade went over there and put a hand on each shoulder. Tiff sighed and walked over there. "Listen, just kick his ass. Take him by surprise."

Bry put his head in his hands. I think it was difficult to be a Tiff sibling sometimes. Gramps smiled.

"She's constantly busting my balls, Mac."

"Yeah, I get that. Kinda hard to watch out for that little tornado?"

Bry nodded.

Tiff turned, giving Gramps a Look. "I can take care of myself! I don't need A Male!" She huffed, her hands dropping from the airquotes she made around the phrase.

Geez. Bry just shook his head. "It's our fault. There's just too many guys in the house, she's never realized she's a girl."

She rolled her eyes again. "I know I'm a girl, doofus. I just don't go all weak when A Male comes in and saves me."

Sophie looked at her. "I'm scared. And I'm not afraid to admit it. Amanda has seen him, but he wears a mask. We can't identify him!" she wailed, frustrated.

Gramps looked perplexed, Sophie swiped her eyes angrily and glared at Tiff. Tiff responded like usual, chewing her gum till her jaw ached.

Wonderful.

"So... we really don't know who this guy is? Jade thinks she felt... " he looked at her in question.

"Death Intent," she answered the unspoken question.

"Yeah," Gramps shrugged, the new paranormal terminology pretty alien-sounding to him.

"You think it's the same person?" Gramps asked.

Hadn't thought of that.

Jade nodded.

"But you can't be sure. The attacker that's stalking the girls may not be the same one that owned that piece of clothing that had the DI embedded on it?" His eyes shifted from hers to each teen that sat in his family room.

John kicked back against the couch, long legs flung out in front of him, palming his chin. Jade and Mia flanked Sophie, perched on the armrests of an overstuffed chair, one of Mom's retarded afghans flung on the back.

John nodded, understanding, but it was Alex that piped in, "I guess it's certainly plausible that there is someone else that has intent to murder. This guy hasn't tried to kill a girl, has he?"

Sophie shook her head. "No, he was trying to... you know, with Amanda and she got away."

"Explain," Gramps said.

"When an Astral Projection person goes into their realm... "

"Realm?" Gramps asked.

Sophie nodded. "It's where we go in between." He gave the circle with his finger, go on. "Before we reach our acquisition point, there is a space we call 'realm.' In realm an AP floats. It's only a little bit of time. But we're weak while we're there. We are not here in our physical bodies," she put her hands on her chest, right below her neck, " and we are not at our acquisition point either. This is when he tried to attack Amanda."

"This jackass must be AP too?" he asked.

"Yes, most definitely. And not a low level either." She looked at him significantly. "He'd have to be level five to do what he's doing."

"Why?" Jonesy asked, his attention intent on Sophie. No jokes for once. I think Jonesy felt utterly different when Sophie was threatened. He might not admit it but it was obvious to us guys.

He loved her. We all knew it, but he'd have to figure it out on his own.

"To be able to manipulate and have that much control in realm..." she shuddered.

"Okay, what's the brass tacks of this? What does this mean for you AP girls?"

"It means that they're not skilled enough or a high enough level to defend themselves. They're ripe for the taking," John said.

Jonesy frowned. "Shut up, Terran."

I looked on with interest.

So did Sophie.

Gramps held up a palm. "Stay together kids. Don't let anything separate ya. Give me a chance to think about this."

We waited and Jonesy could take it no more. "Come on, Mac... you gotta have something." Gramps looked a little surprised, noting Jonesy being serious for once.

He nodded slowly. "I am thinking we need someone just as skilled. A guard of sorts." He looked at Sophie. "Can you take someone with you? Like piggy back?"

What? Her look said.

"Can someone come with ya? Ya know, like one of us guys?" I asked.

She thought about it. "I don't know. It's a great idea but in realm it would be the skill of the AP, steering it like a boat or something. A low level AP is going to get the... partner in trouble."

"What happens to you when you're in realm?" Jade asked and the room held its breath.

"What happens in realm happens to the physical body."

Bry said, "So this rapist guy could... do that, then it would be like it happened in real life too?"

"That's what you guys weren't getting. It is real life. My life." Sophie said, fresh tears threatening.

"Now don't get yourself worked up yet," Gramps consoled. "You're not out of options yet. Not while we have a bunch of young bucks here to help." He looked at all us boys. "You guys will do what needs doin', right?"

"Hell yes," Jonesy said with real feeling, looking Sophie in the eyes.

"Absolutely," John said and Alex nodded assent.

"I'm in," Bry said.

"I'm not into people ganging up on the defenseless," Lewis agreed and Gramps nodded agreement. "I figured."

John held up a finger to stall Gramps and he looked at him. "Mr. Terran, you have the floor."

John blushed a little then recovered. "Yeah, thanks. There is a further complication, Mac."

Mac raised his eyebrows, knowing a bomb was about to explode.

"You've heard about the depressant drug the government wants to mandate for the paranormals?"

Gramps nodded. "Yeah. They don't want some Pyrokenetic torching the family home down because some kid had a doozie of a nightmare. It's like potty training. When you're an adult, you won't manifest in your sleep. But in those beginning years... " He shrugged.

John nodded and Alex opened his mouth to elaborate. Sophie's eyes were large and frightened.

Gramps stood, knocking the small stool over where his feet had been perched. Whipping his head in Sophie's direction he asked, "Can you get out of this 'realm' if you are made to take this medication?

All eyes turned to Sophie.

"No," she whispered. "I can't"

"Well that changes things, doesn't it?"

She nodded miserably.

The guys all looked at each other. We were guys, we solved problems.

Maybe this was a puzzle we couldn't find a solution for.

I looked around at my dudes, even the newest dude, Archer. I saw identical expressions mirrored there.

Fear.

Not fear for us. Fear for the girls. Fear for what threatened them.

If it threatened them, it threatened us.

CHAPTER 8

We talked in circles for another hour but didn't make any headway. It was pretty dark outside and even though there was no school tomorrow and I'd be right back over at Gramps anyway cuz it was Halloween, it'd been a long day and I was ready to crash.

I'd be sixteen. No driving though. Had to wait until the lame-ass DMV opened on Monday. And their hours of operation were about twenty minutes. I'd have to fly my ass in there like it was on fire and do the driving test in between their four hour lunch.

Gramps was thunking Onyx on his butt and he was wagging his tail off. I thought Onyx had great taste. Gramps was his favorite person ( besides me, of course). I wouldn't get the cold shoulder tonight because Onyx had been able to go visit his second favorite person.

The Dog leaned against the old Alpha who smelled and felt so much like his Boy. The Dog loved this place that had the great mass of water to play in. He wished very much to roll about in the wonderful-smelling muck which still remained where the water had been, but that made the Alpha female very upset. Her words had the Bad Sound and he did not want those words directed at him. The Dog would run the edge where the water had been and push his nose forward to smell the delicious mud left behind from when the heat was here. It grew cold and his coat was now comfortable. He did not need to keep his mouth open to cool himself. He was slightly sad when his Boy called him away from the old Alpha.