Pine Springs Health Spa, Illinois.
May 3rd, 2007

“Alright, Insight, I this poor, sweet, little kitten is scared, and you're the only one who can make him feel better. I want you to make him a little happy without becoming enthralled to you,” Dr. Chance said, putting a mewing little puff of grey and black light on the table.

She couldn't resist, and reached out to pet the little animal. “He's so soft,” she cooed. “Can I keep him?”

Chance moved her hand away. “If you can control his emotions, without overpowering him, yes. But you'll have to look after him yourself.”

“Ok, just a little happy, I can do this,” Caroline told herself, shuddering briefly at the memory of the MCO agent declaring his undying devotion to her and than freaking out. Fortunately it only lasted a about an hour and he'd been back to normal by the time she'd left.

She let a trickle of the water that was her power leave her heart, moving down her right arm pooling at the tip of her middle finger. The kitten needed to calm down, he was surrounded by giant strangers and far from his mother and litter. Getting him to relax a little would be good. The power pooling around her fingers turned a light blue, as she thought of being hugged by her father, warm beds and a good meal.

Gently, ever so gently, she stroked the kitten. It was almost like finger painting, turning the glowing aura that was full of fear turn a pretty, calming blue. The mewing turned to a noisy purr, the shivering stopped and the kittens nose chased her finger trying to lick it. With the fear gone, she cut the energy flow, letting the power return to it's resting place inside of her. The kitten still followed her finger, she giggled making it chase her finger around the table, until she took pity on the animal and scooped him up in her arms. He snuggled against her chest, purring so loudly it felt like a little motor.

“You're my little kitty now aren't you?” she said, lifting him up so she could rub her cheek against his short, silky fur. “Does he have a name?”

“No, I just had a friend pick him up from someone giving away free kittens this morning.”

“What colour is he?”

Chance's emotion turned to embarrassment. “A really ugly yellow and black. Sorry.”

“Well his aura is beautiful. But a name, a name, he's yellow and black with sharp little claws.” She tried to think of a good name for him, but could really only think of Hobbes, and she wasn't going to call him that. As she watched him, his aura shifted, growing, becoming a tiger like black and yellow, enraged and growling, yet it's eyes of pure gold looked at her with a promise of protection.

“I need the internet!” she said, rushing from the table back to her room, clutching the kitten in her hands.

Starting up her computer, she placed the kitten on her lap, where it made itself a little nest in her dress, and her fingers flew over the keys. Flipping it to a search engine, she hastily typed, tiger protector, myth.

Dots rose up on the little display, and with practiced ease, Caroline read the first page listed, it was something about Chinese tiger myth. It didn't feel right, the next one said the same thing in different words. She went past twenty pages, before she read something that felt right. The Dawon, a Hindu sacred tiger that was a mount and a protector of the goddess Durga. Caroline couldn't explain why, but the name felt right.

“You're my little Dawon,” she whispered to the sleeping kitten. “You're going to grow big and strong aren't you and be my fierce little tiger protector. Don't worry I'll keep you safe until you're big enough.”

Surprisingly she had a whole hour to relax with her new pet before Doctor Chance sent someone to grab her for self defense training.

**

Pine Springs Health Spa, Illinois
May 20th, 2007

Looking at the numerous crystals before her, Caroline was amazed at the sheer variety. Before all the weird stuff had happened, she'd only had a couple of earrings, necklaces and bracelets, most of them cheap stuff teenagers could afford with a small allowance. Now she had several thousand dollars worth, and she was going to wear a large portion of it for her daily practice. Dr. Chance had told her to put on the most protective and healing crystals she had to test her defences to the limit. So rather than simply relying on earrings, her usual necklace, a bracelet or two, and her two anklets which were purely for healing, she was going all out.

Caroline picked up the cool silver forehead band and looked at the pitch black stone that would rest atop her third eye. The aura while being very dark and looking like it was full of negative energy, was comforting, like it was storing the bad feelings inside of it safely and keeping it from contaminating other things. She'd read about the stone, irradiated quartz, early in her studies but this was the first time she was going to use it. Placing it over her head, the weight of it felt odd, to say nothing of having the stone sticking out on the middle of her forehead, but the stone would help strengthen her psychic defenses, so she was ready to look a little out of fashion. The band itself was tight against her skin, with clips attaching it to her hair so it wouldn't fall off if she fell and would be hard to grip in a fight.

The small, smoky sapphire studs were better. Dr. Chance said that she'd chosen the colours so they'd come close to matching the quartz, but to her sight they were a heavenly blue and just being near them filled her with confidence. They were suppose to offer divine protection, and after putting them on, she believed it. She felt stronger, able to do more and ready to face all challenges.

Her necklace was still around her neck. The emerald in the center, surrounded by other stones. Pyrite shaped into flowers and butterflies, a brilliant gold colour, offered a shield against attacks of all kinds. Four tourmaline crystals, glowing white, were embedded around the emerald, each one focused on reducing negative energy, she could see the sadness she'd been feeling for the last week being absorbed into the crystals, changing into gentler, more positive emotions and being dispersed into the air. Bronzite completed the necklace, providing clear thoughts.

Two anklets of turquoise, their aura an almost overwhelming shade of aqua, went on under her pants. The stones added to her shields. Matching bracelets of phantom stone beads were next, within a minute of attuning herself to them, she could feel the energy within her more strongly, not just within her heart but flowing throughout her entire body.

Rings came last, so many rings. Adventurine, to promote inner peace. Chrysoprase, to deflect unwanted energy. Diamond, for strength, resilience and adding resonance with the other stones. Hematite, the worry stone, for grounding and keeping her spirits up. Quartz, for shielding and healing. Topaz to revitalize and stimulate her body and soul. Finally an obsidian ring to help sharpen her vision. All of the stones were small and set firmly into the bands, so she could punch and fight without worrying too much about damaging the stones.

As she left her room, Caroline imagined she looked a little like a mobile jewelry store. But considering she'd been told to protect herself against anything, she was willing to jingle a little when she walked. And if she ever ran out of money, she could hawk some of the jewelry for a small fortune.

Walking to the meditation room where Dr. Chance was waiting for her, she made a point to greet the people she passed by name. She wouldn't say any of them were friends, the youngest employee was in her late twenties, and she didn't have much in common with any of them, along with feeling self conscious around most adults, but she was doing her best to get to know them as friendly acquaintances.

Stepping into the room, she 'saw' Dr. Chance, but there were two other auras that were even more powerful then her mentors. "Hello," she said a little nervously at the new comers.

"Caroline, these are two of my friends, Mr. Marvelous, and Madame Ozolinsh, they're going to help with your training today," her mentor said, indicating who was who.

"Thank you for helping me. It's a pleasure to meet you both," Caroline said, feeling very nervous and falling back on her best behaviour. She'd never really followed superheroes that closely but even she knew that Mr. Marvelous was a member of the Detroit Supers Union, and a very powerful psychic. A few months ago her only hope of meeting someone like him would be if she happened to be near a major crime or in a parade, having him actually helping train her was unimaginable. The fact that they were going to try to break her defensive shield, without scrambling her mind in the process made it even more surreal.

"We're happy to help out. Dr. Chance has told us quite a lot about you, so it's actually our pleasure to help the newest generation," Madame Ozolinsh said in a soft, lilting voice. As she spoke her aura roared with power, the eclipsed the others.

Caroline felt something pushing against her. It wasn't forceful but very persistent, and it felt different then anything she'd felt before. The auras of the protective crystals, dimmed and flickered, she pushed energy into the stones and the basic psychic shield she'd learned to create over a month ago. The pressure didn't lessen so much as seem to become less effective.

Mr. Marvelous stepped towards her holding out his hand. "So you're going to Whateley? That is a wonderful choice, I went there from '91 to '95."

She shook his hand. "I wasn't really sure about it, but after being attacked, I decided it was the best choice."

As their hands touched, the superhero's aura brightened, purple energy flowed up her arm. Her shield began to buckle and the glowing light from her crystals were subsumed by the combined power. She let loose her own energy, pushing it into the irradiated quartz. The purple energy stopped dead, pushed away and dispersed into the air as if it had never been.

"I see you're using crystals, quite extensively. But why don't you have any kyanite?" he asked.

"I-I do use it. But it's-it's more for meditation, so I keep a larger crystal in my ro- room for that," she answered as best she could. Trying to keep them out of her head was getting harder, and trying to talk while reinforcing her mental protection was making her sweat.

"Can you describe how the mugger attacked you and your friend?" Madame Ozolinsh asked. Caroline watched a needle of fear go straight for her heart.

Changing the flow of energy to the tourmaline crystals on her breast, they absorbed the negative emotions, turning them into a slight case of nervousness at best which disappeared in seconds. But as she did that, the psychic energy from Mr. Marvelous managed to reach up to her shoulder. Her entire arm felt like lead, hanging limply at her side.

"We- were walking to Starbucks... after shopping. We stopped so, that, so that I could check her hair. The- then I saw his aura." The pressure was getting worse.

"How exactly does your danger sense work?" the superhero asked.

Her teeth were clenched, trying to keep them away. "Telepathically," she managed to say.

"When the mugger attacked, did you feel or see anything else?" Dr. Carson asked.

She jerked her head to look at her mentor, a wave of exhaustion washed over her. The floor would be so comfortable, she could just lie down on the soft rug and sleep take a little nap. She practically fell onto the soft chair behind her, yawning so much her jaw clicked.

"Stop that," she mumbled, struggling to put her shield back in place.

"Stop what, dear? Did you get enough sleep last night?" Madame Ozolinsh asked.

Fear of being powerless again filled her mind. The energy she'd been pushing into her mental shields stopped and her body went limp, her muscles too weak to hold her up. The pool of water at her heart appeared before her, the tranquil waters promised strength and safety. Desperate to escape the assault Caroline jumped into it.

She stared down at the two psychics. Mr. Marvelous was wearing a tuxedo and a white theatrical mask that covered over half of his face, his mouth was open in shock. Madame Ozolinsh was in a much more practical dress, and she was looking at Caroline in surprise. Light surrounded their bodies, the colour mimicking their expressions.

"What happened?" Dr. Chance yelled, on her feet and leaning over her body.

Caroline realized for the first time that her friend was rather plain, with dull brown hair, and skin that was a bit too red. Then it hit her, she could see. 'What's going on?!' she asked.

No one answered her.

"Caroline," Mr. Marvelous said, looking at her, not her body but her. "You've left your body. Stay calm, you can get back in easily enough."

Get back into her body, why would she want to do that, she thought. She moved around the room, looking at all the colours, memorizing faces, remembering what she looked like. The jewelry was a little overpowering but it looked beautiful. Going over to the window she looked outside, tears fell from her eyes as she saw the sun and trees. The aura's still covered everything, but they added to the beauty before her.

She could finally see what Dawon looked like!

Caroline rushed to the door, much faster than she normally could. It seemed like only two steps had her at the door, it was so unexpected she couldn't stop. She yelled as her face connected with the wood. She felt herself stretching, it hurt but not too badly, and then she was in the hallway.

Walking slowly, which was still a jog for most people, Caroline reached her room and simply walked through the wall. Dawon was asleep, curled up in a little ball on her pillow. Dr. Chance was right, he was ugly, with the mottled black and orange fur which was all jumbled together forming a muddy looking coat. Sitting on the bed, the mattress didn't move, but she could feel something under her. It didn't feel like a bed, it was like sitting on a thin, bouncy ball.

Reaching out, her hand stroked Dawon's fur. She couldn't feel him, her fingers tingled and stopped against the kittens aura. Now that she was watching, she could see her outline, but not her body. It was full of joyous colours. As she petted the kitten, his own aura changed from relaxed to happy. His little golden eyes opened and he purred like a motor boat. Stretching his neck he tried to lick her, confusion erupted in him when he couldn't touch her.

The two psychics came into her room. "Caroline, you can't spend too much time away from your body. You're inexperienced and your body isn't shielded," Madame Ozolinsh said.

"There are evil spirits and astral entities out there. If you're gone too long without the right protection they could steal your body," Mr. Marvelous told her.

Caroline didn't want to hear any of this, she was having too much fun actually seeing again. She jumped out the window, floating the ten feet to the ground. Staggering, she felt heavier, and instead of just feeling stretched, that had actually hurt.

She walked unsteadily towards a flowerbed, wanting to get a closer look at the vibrant colours, to feel their auras, to see again.

Her body felt cold. Her real body. Caroline felt a hand touching her, someone whispering in her ear. She tried to keep going forwards, but it was getting harder. Something grabbed her, and she jerked painfully backwards into darkness.

Someone was holding her, a blanket wrapped around her body. "Caroline, you had me so worried," Dr. Chance whispered, sniffing like she had been crying.

Caroline opened her eyes, seeing nothing except faint auras. She closed her eyes and wailed.

**

Pine Springs Health Spa, Illinois
May 20th, 2007

Caroline hadn't opened her eyes in the three hours since returning to her body. She knew she would have to look around eventually, the auras made her only legally blind rather than totally blind. They made her life easier, but the pain of seeing perfectly for a few minutes only to have it taken away was too raw to deal with.

“Caroline, are you ready to talk now?” Dr. Chance asked.

She didn't bother turning to look at her mentor, keeping her face to the window letting the sun warm her skin. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“How did you leave your body?” Madame Ozolinsh asked.

“You kept pushing and I wanted to get away. I saw my pool of energy in front of me and I knew it would help me. So I stepped through it and... and then I could see and do anything I wanted. Why couldn't I stay there?” she asked.

“You came back because you ran out of energy. You were astral projecting, it's a very advanced skill, and most people who do it, do it accidentally or when they're near death. To do it while you were holding myself and Mr. Marvelous back is a remarkable accomplishment. When you aren't under attack, and are healthy again, you should be able to do it for hours, even days if you push yourself,” the psychic explained.

“And why could I see?”

Mr. Marvelous took that one. “Because you were seeing with your soul not your eyes. There are four ways to see in the astral plan. The most common is astral sight, which is superficially like regular sight, although that is really just how the human brain interprets what the soul is seeing. The second one which is more confusing is commonly called astral mind sensing. You feel everything around you but you don't know what it actually is, just where it is and with practice how it feels emotionally, physically and potentially even mentally. That's how I sense things when I project my soul,” he said proudly.

“Then you have clairvoyance, which covers seeing auras, remote viewing, and other extrasensory things. Finally the most useless one is body sight, which is a mistake. when you open your astral eyes, you actually open your physical eyes and see whatever is straight ahead of your physical body. From personal experience, it's not only useless but very confusing.”

She opened her eyes and looked at the the group, feeling a little bit of hope. “So I can do it again? I can see?”

“Yes,” Dr. Chance said. “With practice you can, and we'll help you.”

Madame Ozolinsh, was more cautious. “You have to be careful. There are spirits and demons in the astral plane looking to steal your energy, to lead you astray, to get you to agree to lend them support in return for things you desire. You shine like a beacon them and if you're not careful you could be changed, injured, killed or even lose your soul. The astral plane can be even more dangerous then the physical plane, because until you learn what to watch out for, you are little more than a babe walking in a dark alley and predators are watching you.”

“Than teach me what I need to know,” the teenager said, her voice as hard as steel with determination.

**

“Now Caroline,” Mr. Marvelous said, “normally, when using crystals to astral project, you would use ones that help you center yourself and link your physical self to the spiritual. However you don't need that. Instead you need protection. Most souls in the astral plane are small, barely noticeable flickers of movement, attracting at worst the bottom feeders who can do little more then try to trick you out of some energy. You however will attract the larger predators who will seek to take your soul forcefully, or at the very least enter your body to give them access to the physical plane. Once you learn how to set up stronger mental shields you will be able to astral project almost anywhere without having to worry about that. However until you do you must take precautions.”

Madame Ozolinsh, placed eight crystals on the floor. “You will need chrysoprase to deflect and negate the negative energy, and diamonds to strengthen them. Place them by your own hand in a circle around you, chrysoprase then diamond. As you place them down attune them to your soul, with a touch of protective energy.”

She put the crystals down as instructed, letting just a hint of her energy fill the crystals, turning the already vibrant auras into protective fires. That done, she smoothed her dress and laid back on the soft mat with her head on a small pillow. “Now I just do what I did before?”

Caroline heard Mr. Marvelous settling himself into a chair. Within seconds his breathing became deep and slow, as if he were asleep.

Madame Ozolinsh, took a second to make sure his body was ok. “Yes, dear. Picture your pool and step through it. Take your time there is n-”

Without waiting Caroline summoned up the pool and practically jumped through it.

Mr. Marvelous was waiting for her, his tuxedo glittered with power and the white mask on his face moved like a second skin as he talked. “You shouldn't be so eager to jump into the unknown Insight. As we've told you this isn't exactly a safe place.”

She looked around the room, before crouching over her body to look at her face and body. The exercise had really helped, the pudginess was gone from her face, along with the tiny double chin that she'd always hated. Her figure had also filled out, her legs were more muscular and rounded, and her arms were smooth and well defined, like a dancer or gymnast rather then a body builder. Now if only there were some boys her age to date nearby. Finally she answered the superhero, “Live without seeing, and you try to be patient.”

“I sympathize with you, but you are a big juicy target over here. If you think muggers bad, try having an entity that will rip out your soul, eat it in a way that will keep it alive and digesting for an eternity. Then it can take your body and use it to, if you're lucky, cause havoc and death to everything around you, and if you're not lucky, it will try to open a gateway to the world where it can physically enter the world to bring about the apocalypse.” He looked at her without any hint of humour or exaggeration.

“That would suck,” she admitted.

“Yes. Yes it would.”

“So why have I read psychic books telling about how wonderful astral projecting is?” Caroline asked, still looking all around the room.

“Like I said, you are very powerful. With training you could be as strong as I am, and that draws creatures to you. Now let's explore a little, follow me.” Mr. Marvelous jumped through the wall as if it wasn't there.

With a last look at her body, Caroline followed, like the first time it seemed like she was being pulled and stretched by the wall. Floating to the ground, she saw people walking along the nearby paths enjoying the weather, they didn't notice her moving like a ghost. Her teacher however was looking at her oddly. “Why can I see you're body, but I can only see my aura,” she asked.

“I don't know. I was going to work on that later with you.”

Looking at her hand which was invisible, except for the glowing energy that outlined her perfectly. “Can we work on it now? I'd like to see myself again.”

He sat in the air, propping his chin in his hand. “Alright, let's try something simple. Push more energy into your body, at the worst it won't do anything.”

With a nod Caroline let the power flow from her center, infusing her body. She pictured her body fleshing out, becoming visible and firm. Looking at herself, nothing seemed to be happening. She tried for ten minutes, pushing almost everything she had into it, still nothing happened.

She found herself back in her body, tired and frustrated. Slapping her thigh she vowed to get better.

**

Pine Springs Health Spa, Illinois
May 25th, 2007

Caroline explored the spa, actually seeing the buildings, plants, objects and most importantly people she'd spent the last few months interacting with but never truly seeing. She missed the smells, which she'd gotten used to, from the pleasant smells of the kitchen, the incense which wafted from the rooms, the scent of the trees and forest, for some reason they didn't go to the astral plane. But to see again, made up for the loss. Her instructors had left the day before, they'd stayed several days longer than they had planned, and they had promised to return whenever time permitted.

But the few days had been enough. With her body protected by some simple jewelry her psychic shields were strong enough to give her the time to return to her body if any spirits attacked her. They'd also taught her the basics of warding an area. Now she saw the glowing threads that surrounded the spa. Dr. Chance and several of her associates and partners, had spent years building them, using positive energy, carefully placed crystals, iron will, and even magical wards in places, to create a place of healing energy that would be difficult to defile.

She still couldn't see her body, no matter how much energy she pumped into herself. So she had given up for the moment. Draining herself always felt bad, and left everything looking blurry.

Dawon was sitting on her chest purring contentedly, probably thinking she was asleep. It was a distant feeling, similar to how she felt after getting her tonsils taken out and she'd been high on pain killers. She wasn't really worried about leaving her body behind. She could jerk back into it with a thought, or when she got too tired. As long as the silver cord coming from her back wasn't damaged there was no danger of getting lost, and according to Mr. Marvelous, only the strongest powers could cut the cord.

Caroline started to run, watching the scenery zip past. They'd timed her at about 30mph, she couldn't keep it up for long, it took too much power and wore her out. But for sprinting it was awesome. She came to the saunas, without pausing she jumped to the top of the two story building as if she was jumping onto a chair. Reaching the edge of the roof, she leapt into the air, landing forty feet away at the very top of a tree.

She stood there, balancing on one foot, as comfortably as if she was was standing on a road. The trees aura connected with her own, holding her steady, offering her some of its strength. Sitting cross legged she watched the sun setting. Marveling at what she was capable of, and remembering what the sun looked like, how the reds and golds played off of each other and the clouds. She could look directly at the sun, without being blinded and abused it as much as possible.

There was still something she couldn't do. She was only on the lowest of the astral planes, just above the material plane, she should be able to access other realms, higher ones, where imagery and spirit reigned and the physical world disappeared entirely. But no matter how hard she meditated, pushed herself, or even the one time she'd held onto Mr. Marvelous as he went higher, she was forced to stay where she was.

Watching the last of the suns rays disappear below the horizon she was satisfied with that.

**

Even in the darkness, she had nearly perfect sight. The physical world was lit up by auras, creating shifting, beautiful light show that let her see all around her. At the outer edge of the spa, it was even more amazing, with the wards creating their own misting light, an aurora of white and gold brought to earth.

Tracing the lines and bathing in the mist, she felt energized, as if she could jump and touch the clouds. Watching the interplay of energy, she tried to see how they were made, it was a cats cradle of power, but by finding the correct strand and following it, it would all make sense.

Something moved just beyond the barrier. She leaned closer, careful not to put too much weight on the lines, but curious to see what the new thing was. Caroline could almost hear it snuffling and snorting like one of the black bears she had seen nosing around the spa for the last few days. A roundish black shape came to the edge of some bushes and stopped dead.

Caroline screamed as the thing threw itself at her. It wasn't a bear. It wasn't an animal of any kind. It was a twisting, morphing monster that made no sense. Its aura was worse, it wasn't just black, it was an oozing rip in the fabric of reality. Worst of all it clearly saw her and wanted her. It snarled, ripping at the lines of force, tentacles reached out, trying to grab her.

She couldn't let the thing get close to the patients, it would slaughter them. As the barrier began to snap, Caroline calmed herself, reaching into the pool of energy, drawing it forth. Her aura blazed with power. The monster roared, slamming its head through the barrier, its flesh burned and peeled, but it healed almost as quickly as it was hurt. Wishing that she had a weapon, Caroline jumped over the barrier to the top of a tree, pausing just long enough for whatever it was to notice her.

It gave a strange warbling shriek and charged. Caroline fled, barely staying ahead of the creature even though she was practically flying and it was land bound. She took a bit of power from each aura she touched, just enough to power her next leap without hurting the plant. With no idea how far the monster could run, her best plan was to get it as many miles away as possible.

She never saw the thing that leaped out of the tree and tackled her to the ground far below.

Caroline screeched in pain and terror. The aura of the monster burned, its claws that shouldn't have been able to hurt her felt like knives clawing into her aura. It was joined by the one chasing her. She tried to escape back to her body, but something held her in place. She could see her energy fading away into the air.

Her pool erupted, she felt all of her power surge through her. It wasn't healing her this time, it filled her with rage and more energy then she could dream of. The orange-red flames that filled her aura pushed the creatures back. A staff of pure psychic power formed in her hand. The monstrosities didn't hesitate, they jumped her, surrounding her with tentacles, claws and teeth.

The staff slammed into them, flesh shriveled and life force evaporated as the auras connected. Hers was more powerful, shredding the vile energy that surrounded and powered the creatures. They outnumbered her and fought with insane glee.

The shrieks and flares of power seemed to summon more of the creatures. Three more burst out of the underbrush falling on her, burying her under a thrashing mound of tentacles and burning energy. Still she couldn't return to her body.

Through the haze of almost unbearable pain, Caroline felt Dawon pawing at her face, meowing piteously as her body grew cold. That thread of consciousness was enough, she reached out, feeling the auras around her. Her own aura grabbed them draining them of energy like a sponge. She felt their souls die, feeding her.

The monsters howled as her power flared up, burning them, turning their flesh to ash. For a moment her soul was connected to everything around her.

Inhuman thoughts filled her mind, she was an insect that twitched and rolled along the ground, not knowing that it was already dead. The ancient tree, it's trunk hollowed out by rot, but the outer wood still able to support it, still growing seeds ready to replenish its species, only to feel its mighty body turn to powder. The litter of baby mice, suckling at their mothers teats, giving one last squeal of pain as the breath left their body. She caught a glimpse of the madness in the monsters minds. Driven by an unearthly urge to kill and maim, heading to a place far to the east, that had driven them even further into a frenzy, exhaustion, pain and hunger filled them, they had traveled far, but death and destruction awaited them.

Her mind and soul were stretched and torn, overwhelmed by the sensations. Her silvery cord went taut and began to fray.

A lone mind, terrified and overwhelmed, screamed, tried to pull itself away from the madness she'd unleashed. Grabbing the cord, she struggled to free herself. The cord was fraying, turning white as it became as thin as spider silk.

Razor sharp claws scratched her face. She felt a pull from her body, her unheard scream was joined by a distant shriek that shattered the silence of the night.

Her spirit rocketed through the air, slamming into her body.

**

Dr. Chance raced to Carolines' room. Dawon was wailing with fear from inside. She fumbled with the keys, and almost fell into the room when she finally got it opened. Hitting the lights she saw the wall was dented. Her student was lying on the floor, gasping for breath.

"Caroline, what happened," she said, cradling the nearly motionless body.

The girl didn't answer, her eyes were wide open, staring at something only she could see. Blood and drool dripped from her mouth.

Pine Springs Health Spa, Illinois
May 26th, 2007

Dr. Chance watched her student walk around the room lost in her own mind. Caroline had begun moving just a few minutes ago after spending all night and half the day completely comatose. She almost wished that the girl still was. In the five minutes of being active, she hadn't shown any sign of recognition or being able to communicate.

Caroline tapped the walls, moving erratically, ignoring anyone who spoke to her and shaking off any attempt to hold her. She seemed to be looking for something and was growing more frantic, making animalistic whines. Somehow the blind girl sidestepped anything that could trip her up, sometimes touching it briefly as if testing it for some unknown purpose. Then her hand slapped against a window.

She squealed in delight, nails scratched the glass, clutching at the plastic handle straining to open it. The lock creaked as she threw her weight into it. Chance ran over, unlocking it before the girl could hurt herself. The window slammed open, and Caroline gave a yelp of excitement. Dr. Chance wondered what she would do next.

Caroline jumped out the window head first.

Chance got a grip on her waist, her arm hitting the window sill painfully, but keeping her from falling the ten feet or so to the ground. "HELP!" she yelled, hoping a nurse or someone was close by. The girl shrieked as her escape was thwarted.

As the two fell back into the room, Caroline exploded with rage, clawing, punching, kicking and biting. Chance let go with a scream of pain when teeth bit deep into her wrist. The teenager seemed to fly across the room back to the window. Chance was right on her heels, still screaming for someone to help her. She felt the girl grab her arm, the next second her forearm cracked against the windowsill, there was a crack as the bone snapped.

Instinct took over, her good hand formed a fist, and cracked into Caroline's temple. The girl slumped to the ground unconscious.

Finally a nurse and a security guard came in. They looked in shock at Caroline who was lying bonelessly on the ground a bruise already forming on her head, and Chance who was cradling her arm, while blood trickled down her face and arms from dozens of scratches and bites. "Get Dr. Eastwood, my arm is broken. And get Caroline somewhere without a window, have two guards watching her at all times."

**

Pine Springs Health Spa, Illinois
May 28th, 2007

Two guards watched the blind girl, who was playing with her kitten. They weren't sure why they had to watch her anymore, she hadn't tried to escape for over a day, and seemed content to stay in the hastily made room playing with her things.

It was creepy how she didn't talk or even seem to recognize them. They were so used to seeing her doing something around the grounds, looking so intense it was almost embarrassing to think they weren't nearly as determined as a fourteen year old. Now it was like watching a two year old totally focused on her toys.

Dr. Chance knocked on the door. Needlessly one guard stood up and gently took hold of Carolines' arms. She stopped moving, ignored him, simply grabbing hold of Dawon to stroke his back. Seeing that everything was under control, his partner opened the door, letting Dr. Chance come in. Her arm was in a cast, and her skin was still pretty badly cut and bruised, despite her attempts at healing herself. The door closed, and she knelt down beside the girl who wasn't being held anymore. "Caroline? Can you hear me?"

She ignored her, still playing with the kitten.

Chance slowly reached out with her uninjured hand and stroked Dawons' head. Caroline looked up, her white eyes went wide. She made a noise, grabbing the doctors broken arm. The two guards moved in, only to be waved back.

Dawon scampered away, the crystals began to glow. The small hand stroked the air just above the doctors flesh. The guards could actually see colour shifting under her hand. Dr. Chance gasped and flexed her fingers easily. The teen wasn't finished, her hands moved upwards, roaming across Chance's body, cuts and bruises healed before their eyes.

It was over in a matter of minutes, the battered doctors skin was flawless, and Caroline was grinning happily. The smile dropped from her face seconds later, and she crawled along the floor looking for her kitten.

Dr. Chance tried to talk to her for the next hour, but was met with silence.

Pine Springs Health Spa, Illinois
June 1st, 2007

"Come on Caroline," Dr. Chance said, holding Carolines' hand under her arm as they headed outside. Two guards walked on either side of them in case the girl panicked or tried to run off again.

Caroline refused to move for five minutes, shaking like a leaf and staring at everything with wide eyes. She snapped her baton into a staff, holding it to her chest with her free hand. Then she started walking, guiding Dr. Chance slowly and cautiously towards the western side of the spa. It took over half an hour to make what should have been a ten minute journey.

They stopped at the edge of the fence and psychic barrier, both of which had been ripped and shredded on the night that Caroline had her incident.

The girl knelt down, rubbing her hand over the grass. “Death.”

"What?" Dr. Chance asked softly.

"Death. Death attacked me. I killed them. I became death." Tears fell from her eyes.

"What attacked you?"

"Bad things, very bad things. Madness made flesh. They weren't after me. They are going somewhere, bringing death with them. They were hungry. They saw me. Wanted my power.” She shook so much she couldn't stay up. Grabbing a hold of Chance, it felt like a vice to the older woman. "I was dying. I took everything I could! I took all the energy around me! I felt them die. I took everything until there was nothing left. I died with them!”

Chance picked up the terrified girl, rushing back to the safety of the clinic, while ordering one of the guards to get some sedatives. Once Caroline was asleep she had to make some phone calls.

**

Pine Springs Health Spa, Illinois.
June 2nd, 2007

Caroline could still hear the gasps of dying animals in her mind, the cracking of branches that seconds ago had been healthy and strong. She twitched as imaginary leaves prematurely fallen, brushed against her skin. Above it all was the insane howling of the monsters. They'd forced her to do it, they'd been ready to kill her and from feeling their thoughts, they would have killed everyone in their path. It wasn't simple hunger, it was a game for them. Whatever they had been before had been consumed by anger and disgust.

There were more of them. She had seen that to.

Lying down, she left her body.

Jumping out the window, Caroline summoned her staff. She began her exercises with a determination that she'd never felt before. They could come back, they could attack her again, and then she would kill them. But she would never steal the life from another living thing.

She was so lost in her thoughts, Caroline never noticed the stream of patients and guests heading for their cars.

**

Dr. Chance sat down in her chair utterly exhausted, as her bank account cried for mercy.

Every guest was finally on the way out the door, due to an unforeseen emergency involving a potential leak with the natural gas tanks. It was all BS, but she couldn't tell them the real reason, even if she was believed it would just raise too many questions, and cause a panic.

Since Caroline had told her what happened, she'd spent all night contacting people all over the continent. Usually she was one of the better connected psychics, while many kept their powers on the down low, which meant not having a huge list of people to talk to, or went the opposite way and made themselves into celebrities which most other psychics avoided like the plague, she'd gone straight down the middle, having a very full email list of acquaintances, friends and people she'd worked with in the past. But with her training of Caroline, she'd dropped off the face of the earth for a few months. And now it was biting her in the ass.

Too many of the psychics in her Rolodex and email had vanished. A few sent out vague messages about bad feelings, and other things, but over a dozen had just vanished. Housewives, stock brokers, lawyers, fortune tellers, even a late night radio host, gone. Checking the local news, most just said that the person was missing, but a few spoke of ransacked houses blood stains and strange howls.

The missing started in the Southwest and moved towards the Northeast. In the last month they'd started in the northern US as well. They weren't pointed at her spa, but with what happened to Caroline, they were coming closer. If whatever these things were, were attracted to psychic energy and power, she was the biggest power for two hundred miles. Worse, everyone of the missing psychics had been away from a city, either living in a rural home, or on the edges of a town or suburb, or had been out in the wilderness. The closest town to her spa was a half hour away.

It was too dangerous to remain. She just had to make sure they had somewhere safe to go to.

There was a knock on the door. “Come in.”

Dr. Eastwood came in. “All the patients are gone, the nurses are cleaning everything up and putting it into storage now. They should be done by the end of the day and then they're taking their extended leave.”

“Thanks, Earl.”

He turned to go, but stopped himself. “What is going on? This is your spa, but shutting it down until the summer time and possibly longer, is insane.”

She smiled at him in agreement. “True. But something is going on that I don't understand. Staying here could very well be much, much worse. You're all getting paid for the time off, so the only one who's crying is me. And I'd rather cry about lost money than lives.”

His aged face seemed to become even older. “You think someone would attack the spa?”

“Not someone, something. And from the glimpses I've gotten in my dreams now that I'm focusing on it, are terrifying.”

He wasn't psychic himself, but he had worked with her enough to respect her abilities. “What did you see?”

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And it's coming soon. Make sure the staff gets out by tonight, and then go home to your family, Earl,” she told him softly.

“And what about you?”

“I'm holding out for a hero,” she joked. “Everything should be set up by tomorrow. Caroline and I, along with some specially trained body guards will be leaving around dawn. All we need is a few more hours to prepare things.”

**

The creature sniffed the ground. It's brothers had passed through here days ago, but recently enough that their scent was still strong. Another feeling came to it, power. Drool fell from its mouth. It was hungry after the long run. Its pack could eat well, and continue onwards sated.

It roared a hunting cry.

Others joined in the call.

**

“Caroline? Are you awake?” Dr. Chance asked opening the girls door slightly.

“Yeah, I just finished training,” she replied.

Chance tried not to wince when she saw her student. The teen looked terrible, exhausted and drained of anything that could be considered soft. “I want you to meet some people, they're going to guard us tonight and tomorrow, until we get to Detroit.”

“Why are we going to Detroit?” Caroline asked.

“The things that attacked you, I think more are coming. So I contacted Mr. Marvelous, we'll be staying with him until you can go to Whateley. Anyways, this is Mr. Travis,” she said, motioning for the stocky, well armed body guard to step inside. “He works with a security company that deals with mutants and other concerns.”

Caroline looked the man over. “The monsters are insane. They won't be stopped by guns, and they won't run. I felt their minds, they love pain, causing it and receiving it.”

“Ms. Grant, can you tell us anything else about them?” Mr. Travis asked.

“They were half spirit, attacking your soul and mind while killing the body. They healed almost as quickly as I could injure them. I'd rip apart their aura, opening cuts that would kill a person and in seconds they'd be healed. I had to burn them with my aura. They wouldn't stop,” she said, starting to cry.

The man walked over to Caroline, and patted her shoulder. “Thank you, that's very helpful. You won't have to face them again, we have some weapons that can handle them. Phosphorescent rounds, it will burn them from the inside. Just get some rest, we'll make sure you get to Detroit safely.”

From the look Caroline gave him, Dr. Chance realized the girl didn't believe him.

**

Pine Springs Health Spa, Illinois.
3am, June 15th, 2007

“Caroline! UP NOW!” Dr. Chance yelled at the sleeping girl.

“What?” the sleepy girl asked, struggling to wake up.

She heard people grabbing her packed suitcases and bag, putting Dawon into a carrier. A pair of track pants were put into her hand. Over the noise of people talking into radios, she could hear a strange howling, it was distant but coming closer. The blood drained from her face.

“Something is coming. We need to get you out of here now! Put on your pants.” Dr. Chance ordered, her aura was not the usual calm and collected thing of beauty it usually was, but was flaring and rippling with terror.

Throwing off her blanket, Caroline hurried to obeyed, while her body guards rushed around her. Exactly five minute later she was running arm in arm with her mentor towards the parking lot. All six body guards were running with them, weapons drawn, their auras shouting to the world that they were primed and ready to kill. They didn't quite throw her into an SUV that was already started.

The vehicle peeled out, presumably there were one or two other vehicles with them, since only two of the body guards were with her and Dr. Chance. Clutching her baton, on her lap, and making sure Dawon was safe at her feet, she turned to her friend.

Biting her lip, Caroline began to cry, the nightmare fight filled her mind, she fought to push it down. If they didn't get away in time she needed to be ready. Chance slid over quickly putting on her seatbelt again, letting Caroline cry on her shoulder. .

The world lurched, the SUV leaned to the right, on the verge of tipping over, brakes shrieked and the guards aura's filled with fear, while Dr. Chance screamed. With a teeth rattling thud the SUV righted itself, letting the driver hit the gas. His partner was on a phone, yelling that they were under attack, with one car destroyed, and that they needed the police.

“What's happening?”

“Something took out the front SUV,” Chance said. “Project your soul and be ready to fight.”

Taking a moment to calm herself, the pool appeared before her, its mirror smooth surface beckoned, promising power. She stepped through. The feeling of unbound power engulfed her. She could see the flames of the SUV disappearing in the distance, and the aura of 'something' that was ripping it to shreds.

She allowed her aura to flare up, casting a ghostly white light, undefined, yet waiting, her power rippling behind her shields. Crouching between the seats, she looked protectively at her helpless body before turning to the windows for more dangers.

Too fast to react, three nightmares jumped from the trees barreling into the SUV. Claws and monstrous fists ripped away the tires and engine. Somehow the driver didn't flip the vehicle as he struggled to bring it to a stop. They spun and sparks lit up the dark sky, but they stayed upright. The seatbelt dug into her body, leaving bruises that were distantly felt.

Ignoring the pain Caroline dove through the door, wincing as her astral body was stretched painfully. Her aura became a brilliant orange red of confidence and physical strength. Her staff formed in her hand, blazing with more power than ever. Without any hesitation she charged the mockeries given flesh, focusing on their vile, oozing auras rather than their even more sickening physical forms.

The two body guards got out, each one carrying a shotgun, and began firing at the creatures, unable to see what Caroline was doing, not that it mattered, they were fighting on different realities. The third SUV came up, brakes squealing, only to smash into one of the creatures which resembled a monstrous bear that appeared out of nowhere. The creature roared in pain, pulling itself off of the shattered hood, leaving pieces of flesh clinging to the jagged metal. Bullets tore through the windshield into its face.

That was all Caroline could see before the battle was joined.

Her staff was a whirlwind of fire, driving into the oversized jaw of a catlike creature, tearing at its aura. A tentacle gripped her foot, the eldritch energy surrounding its diseased flesh burned, tainting her soul. Caroline dodged a swipe from its claws, while giving her staff a razor sharp blade that sliced through the tentacle, destroying the aura and making the physical limb shrivel up. The staff kept going, creating a long line of dead flesh on the creatures neck. It shrieked, creating more tentacles trying to grab her as she danced backwards.

The third wolflike creature, which had been advancing on the SUV and the annoying gunshots, turned away as its brother gurgled in pain. With a gibbering howl it pounced on its prey. Caroline who was struggling to keep the tentacles away, spun to face the new threat. Even before she came to a stop she knew it was a mistake. Tentacles wrapped themselves around her body, and the wolfmans claws tore through her aura, shredding the energy that held her together.

More howls came from the woods. How many of the awful creatures were there, she wondered. The two creatures tore at her, as she struggled to free herself. The body guards turned to face the trees letting loose with everything they had. Something that moved like water and faster than the wind, tore through them leaving only bloody fragments.

More shots rang out from the car. Caroline saw the aura of Dr. Chance, shooting through the window, protecting her body. With a scream of rage, her aura shifted, spinning in the creatures grasp her staff speared the monsters chest

The thing collapsed, its body whole and unharmed, but the aura was destroyed.

A tentacle wrapped around her neck, and another pierced her body, ripping into her soul. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't free herself from its grip.

Metal shrieked as three more creatures tore into the SUV, ripping it apart.

A desperate jab with her staff knocked the creature off balance and she almost flew to the car. Dr. Chance was unconscious, lying on top of her body. A catlike monster loomed over them both, raising a slimy, ichor covered claw for the kill.

Without thinking she lashed out with her aura throwing every bit of psychic energy she had into it, a single overwhelming need filled the brain of the insane creature, 'PROTECT ME!'

With a screech the creature turned on its fellow attackers, using tooth, claw and tentacles to rip the things apart. Caroline couldn't keep herself together any longer, and reentered her body. She turned her head away from the horrible sight. Even without being able to see the blood and gore, the tearing apart of auras, and the screams of pain and rage drove into the center of her being, each one felt like a physical blow.

Cradling Dr. Chance, she checked to make sure she was alive, crying and pleading to whatever would listen that help would come and save them. She had nothing left in her to give. Her body ached, her mind felt shredded, unable to come up with a clear thought, and her powers were gone.

The battle raged outside, she couldn't tell what was happening, the auras shifted and moved too quickly. A thought managed to make itself heard, 'get the gun'. Placing the injured doctor down, she got on her hands and knees looking for the pistol. Her hand didn't find it, instead she found herself holding a bloody, limp form, that had only the barest hint of life in its aura.

“Dawon,” she whispered. The shock of seeing her pet so badly hurt, shook her out of her numbness. Growling in rage, auras rose around her, the desperation imprinted onto the pistol less then a minute ago, shone like a beacon. Reaching into Dr. Chance's pocket, she pulled out a fresh clip and loaded the gun.

Stepping outside, her baton in one hand, and the pistol in the other, she almost slipped on the ichor, slime and blood that coated the road. The cat thing she'd brainwashed, was facing off against the last two monsters, they were all injured, and too busy killing each other to worry about her.

Caroline waited patiently for a few seconds and a snakelike monstrosity landed close to her. Running over, she put the pistol against its head and shot five times. The thing didn't get back up, she could feel heat rising from its body, and what smelled like burning garbage. Turning to the last two monsters, the cat was on its back, being torn open by an enraged giant rat. Five more shots to the malformed head, and the cat was able to rip the head from the body.

With a moan, the cat thing turned to Caroline, crawling towards her. Its' aura was still the disgusting black ooze, but it was flecked with love and protective feelings. She stepped back, not trusting the thing. “H'lp oo,” it moaned.

On hands and knees it crawled towards the SUV, where Dr. Chance waited helplessly.

“NO!” Caroline screamed, hitting the thing with her staff. “Leave her alone!”

Even with her desperate assault, the monster didn't stop. It reached the destroyed SUV and reached inside. Her attack redoubled in effort when it pulled Dawon from the wreckage. It wrote something on the kitten in its own blood.

With a rattling gasp it breathed into the kittens mouth and collapsed.

The kittens aura began to glow, fear and pain dominated, but there was traces of something she couldn't tell holding it all together. It gave a little mew, staggering towards her. Sobbing, Caroline dropped her staff to scoop up her pet. Falling to the ground, she let the shock and fear overcome her, crying in grief at the death that surrounded her.

When the police finally arrived, they found her still crying, holding Dawon, as she was held by a dazed but living Dr. Chance.