CHAPTER TEN:
BIRDIE & KAIYA.

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"NO WONDER YOU and Dean get along so well."  

Birdie slowly looked up from the burger she was currently eating at a Biggerson's located in Columbia, Missouri. Her cheeks partially puffed out as she stopped chewing, brown eyes falling on Kaiya who was sat across from her, giving the younger woman a rather judgmental look as she held a fork she'd been using to eat her salad with. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Birdie asked around her bite of food.

Kaiya softly chuckled, shaking her head. "To put it nicely——you remind me of Dean when you eat."

Birdie blinked, looking from her burger and then back to Kaiya as she pondered over Kaiya's words; well, maybe sometimes she ate like Dean, but it wasn't that often. Then she twisted her lips, swallowing her food as she set the burger back on her plate and folding her arms over her chest. "I think that's worse than being called Sam and Dean's whore by a demon."

"You're shitting me, Birdie," Kaiya laughed in disbelief, raising her brows as she gaped at her friend. "That——I'd think being called a whore would be worse."

"Well, I've seen how Dean eats," Birdie huffed, picking up a fry from her plate while sharply narrowing her eyes. "I think a vampire is more graceful."

"Can't argue there," Kaiya murmured in agreement, a small smile still evident on her lips as she took a small bite of her salad. "You know, I still don't see how it took you two so long to become friends. You guys practically grew up around each other. How could you have fought so much?"

Birdie let out a quiet sigh, wiping some ketchup from the corner of her mouth with a napkin. "It. . .I don't know, Kai. We could just never see eye to eye, I guess. And I think part of it was because he liked to mess with me just to piss me off for fun. . .so I'd do it back. It was kinda like that with me and Sam for a long time too——not the pissing each other off for fun——but. . .it just took longer with Dean."

"What changed?"

"Just us, I guess," Birdie answered, taking a sip of her lemonade with a nonchalant shrug, picking a few french fries to stuff into her mouth. "Well, I mean, Dean still acted like a dick at times, but after Sam and I became "friends", we all just started to get along more. Next thing I knew, we were having contests to see who could drink the most without slurring our words or seeing who could hide from Bobby the longest——or if we feeling brave enough, we'd hide from our parents when they came to pick us."

"Well, I'd hide too if I saw John Winchester or Serena Fowler coming towards me," Kaiya said, eyes quickly flicking towards Birdie after the words left her mouth. "No offense, of course."

Birdie scoffed, biting into some of her crinkle fries as an amused smile graced her lips. "I'm more offended you said no offense. It was never a good sign when John came my way, but thankfully, that only happened a few times. And my mom. . .yeah, uh, anyways, about this case you mighta found——"

"Yeah, yeah, it's. . ." Kaiya started, reaching beside her where her laptop had been placed under her purse. She didn't blame Birdie for changing the subject. Sometimes it was simply better not to talk about Serena. Though, she had a feeling that Birdie was leaving something left unsaid, but she wasn't going to pry just yet. She set her laptop on the table and opened it up, quickly reopening the tab she'd been reading yesterday before spinning it around for Birdie to see for herself. "Two guys were beaten to death at the Derry Pine Hotel just down the road. The first one was two days ago and the second one was just last night."

Birdie skimmed through the article with her brows furrowed in concentration, looking over the top of the computer at Kaiya when she finished it. Neither of the victims seemed to have anything in common——their appearances, ages, ethnicities, and interests were nothing alike nor did they appear to even know each other. In Birdie's opinion, it seemed like a rather long shot to say something supernatural was responsible for the deaths. "So? Maybe it's just some crazy killer on the loose or somethin'."

"But there were no signs of a break-in in either of the rooms and-and there weren't any fingerprints left. The——"

"So, they cleaned up after themselves. It's what criminals do——the smart ones, at least."

Kaiya heavily sighed at Birdie's dismissive response, tilting her head as she stared across the table at the curly-haired woman. "Do you not actually think there's something there, or are you just saying that so I'll head back home and then you can check it out by yourself?"

Birdie pursed her lips together and leaned her elbows on the table. "What's with the sudden interest in hunting, huh? You've never been much of a fan of it before."

"The demon," Kaiya softly replied, glancing down at her salad as she thought about the demon who'd broken into her house and attacked both her and Birdie. Birdie's face slightly faltered, noticing the shift of emotion on Kaiya's features. Flora had dealt with a demon before, but that was years ago and she hadn't been directly involved. But, with the latest attack, Birdie figured it would take longer for Kaiya to fully process what happened and begin to recover from it. She never thought it'd make her wanna actually get involved with something supernatural, though. "I held my own, and it helped that you showed up when you did, and thankfully the lady demon came when——"

"No, no, no," Birdie hastily interjected, firmly shaking her head as she held up a finger with a firm tone, "Not thankfully. That was——I still don't think it was a coincidence that some demon went after you to get to me and then Ruby just happened to show up."

"You can't really believe she'd go through all that trouble just——"

"How else would that demon have known to go after you?" Birdie wondered, brows knitted together. "Only, like, three or four other people know about our friendship."

"You mean you don't tell your other friends about me?" Kaiya coyly teased.

Birdie huffed, giving Kaiya a pointed look. "I don't have other friends."

"But don't you talk to other hunters?" Kaiya wondered, raising a curious brow.

"Yeah, when I have to, but they're not. . .they're not my friends. Only the boys and Bobby are."

"But they're more like you're family. They don't count," Kaiya said with a dismissive wave of her hand, seeing a small smile appear on Birdie's lips. "You have to have other friends besides them, Bird. Like-like that British lady who ended up helping you——"

"You mean the bitch that shot me and then warned me Sam and Dean were in danger because of her?" Birdie retorted, anger sparking on her face as she thought of Bela Talbot. "That British lady?"

Kaiya pursed her lips, slowly pulling her laptop back over to her and closing it. "Wasn't she technically aiming for Sam and then you——"

"Who's side are you on again?" Kaiya demanded to know. "Is it because she's British like you?"

"I'm on your side, you big fuckin' baby," Kaiya answered with a huff, giving Birdie a look for asking such a question. "And that has nothing to do with it and you know it. Now, either you can help me with this possible case, or I'll just go and do it by myself. Either you get to teach me more about hunting and maybe even show off your knife skills, or you get to prove me wrong. It's a win-win!"

Birdie cocked a brow, tilting her head. "Uh, unless you are right and whatever killed those men decides targets you next when it finds out you're snooping around in its business."

Kaiya hummed in thought, nonchalantly shrugging after a few seconds. "I'm more of a hands-on learner, anyways."

"Since when?"

"Since today," Kaiya cheekily replied, starting to stand up. "Now let's go."

"But I haven't even finished eating yet," Birdie deeply frowned, motioning to her half-eaten sandwich and fries.

"Take it go then," Kaiya told her. "We're wastin' time."

Birdie let out an annoyed puff, shaking her head as Kaiya headed to the front of the restaurant, going to pay for their meal at the counter where a perky hostess greeted her. "She better fuckin' hope there's somethin' there after draggin' me all the way to fucking Missouri. . ."

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"Birdie, this looks nothing like me." Birdie scoffed, taking the FBI badge she'd given Kaiya to borrow while they got ready to check out the most recent crime scene. Kaiya held up one of Birdie's many fake I.D.'s, showing the name REESE EARHART near a headshot of Birdie who was brightly smiling in the picture. "And did you seriously name yourself after——"

"It'll be fine," Birdie dismissively said, shrugging her shoulders as she tugged on a comfortable, navy blazer. "All you gotta do is flip it open for like three seconds and then close it."

"What if they ask to see it for themselves?" Kaiya curiously wondered, raising her brows. Birdie paused as she reached for her phone on the bed, eyes slowly flicking back over to Kaiya while her lips partially parted. "Do you really ever think these things through?"

"This is why I just do these things by myself," Birdie breathlessly responded, holding her hands out at her sides in exasperation.

"But you work with Sam and Dean, like, all the time," Kaiya retorted, furrowing her brows together.

Birdie picked up her phone, tucking it into her pocket as she looked towards Kaiya, eyes slightly narrowed. "That's——but that's different."

"Why? Because they actually know what they're doing?" Kaiya snipped out, placing her hands on her hips while her gaze remained locked on Birdie.

Birdie's shoulders dropped, a frown tugging on her lips. "Kaiya, that's not what I was gonna——"

"No, but you were thinking it," Flora sharply said. "You didn't need to say it for me to realize that. It's quite obvious by the way you Kaiya shutting me out or trying to get me to drop this whole thing."

Birdie let out a long sigh, tossing her head back. She ran a hand along her face, helplessly looking towards Kaiya. "That's not what I was thinking, okay? I just. . .this could get real nasty, real fast if there's actually something here. And if there is somethin' here, we don't have any idea what it might be, and. . .you could get hurt, Kai."

"I'll be just fine," Kaiya said. "No time to die, remember?"

Birdie pursed her lips into a fine line, narrowing her eyes. "Don't use my own phrase against me."

"Well how come you get to say it but I can't?"

"Because. . ." Birdie stopped for a moment, trying to think of a witty response, but she couldn't come up with one. "Because I said so."

Kaiya snickered, giving the woman a look. "Wow, that was a very parent-like response."

"Hey, you wanna work on this case with me or not?"

"Fine, fine," Kaiya reluctantly grumbled, standing up and holding her hands out at her sides. "Lead the way, monster expert."

Birdie grumbled a few curse words under her breath and headed for the door, quickly exiting the room with a snickering Kaiya right behind her.

They swiftly made their way through the tan-colored halls, finding there weren't very many people at the hotel. Though, considering there'd been two brutal murders within the last two days, neither of the women were exactly expecting people to be booking as many rooms as possible or staying there any longer than necessary.

It wasn't hard to find the most recent crime scene a few floors above the room Kaiya and Birdie were staying in, making their way towards the yellow police tape that blocked off the pristinely white door.

Birdie skeptically glanced around the hallway as they stood in front of the door, making sure there wasn't anyone to see them enter the room. "You do have a key, right?" Kaiya questioned, causing Birdie to turn her head in her direction. "You know, flashed your badge at the front desk for a few seconds and requested a key to see the scene?"

"I, uh, well——"

"'Cause I did." Birdie's eyes noticeably widened in surprise, seeing Kaiya smugly pull out a key card and slip it into the hotel door. It beeped, the light above the handle turning green as it unlocked seconds later. Kaiya's lips curled into a smirk upon seeing Birdie's reaction, dipping under the yellow tape and entering the room.

Birdie blinked away her surprise, shaking her head before following after Kaiya. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with Kai?"

Kaiya scoffed, giving Birdie an incredulous look. "What? Are-are you crazy?" she asked. "I'm-I'm-we're working a case. . .I need to adapt and change if I'm actually gonna learn anything and manage to stop whatever it is from killing someone again. I need to think more like a-a, uh, a . . ."

"Like a criminal?" Birdie suggested, a playful tone evident in her voice as she carefully stepped around the crime scene.

"To put it simply, yeah," Kaiya answered with a nonchalant nod, flashing Birdie a quick smile before she cautiously crouched down to check out the blood splatters on the far wall, eyes narrowed and lips pursed together in concentration. Birdie's eyes raked over the small hotel room as she lingered near the entryway, noticing it was rather clean aside from the bloodstains near the couches in the living room area. The door off to the side that led to the small bathroom was wide open and allowed Birdie to see inside, her lips twisting as her eyes skimmed over it before taking a few steps forward. The kitchen didn't seem disturbed, dishes piled in the sink while some fruit sat in the far corner near a toaster that looked like it wasn't going to last much longer. She continued forward, eyes flickering towards where Kaiya was to see where the body had been found by one of the maids.

The body had already been whisked away hours ago by the coroner after she examined the body and confirmed the cause of death was by being brutally beaten to death——the fatal blow being one straight to the back of the head. Dried blood stained a part of the gray carpet, some of the red liquid splattered onto the nearby couch and window drapes that would both undoubtedly need to be replaced if the hotel were to decide to still use the room for guests or an employee. The coffee table a few feet behind Kaiya was flipped over with two of the legs splintered and broken off; one piece was sticking out of the couch while the other one was still missing. Some magazines that had been on top of the table were torn and crinkled on the floor as if they'd been trampled over numerous times by the victim or the person who had murdered him.

Birdie lightly hummed in thought, faintly nodding her head as she crept further into the room. "Luca Torres was his name, right?" she asked, tilting her head as she looked at some of the unopened mail on the dining table to the right of her; she skimmed over them, finding most of them were bills or junk mail——nothing that could've said what type of person Luca Torres was. There were some clothes carefully folded over one of the chairs, most likely the clothes Luca was going to wear the next day. The bed was on the far side of the wall, the plush pillows crooked and sheets tossed back as if the victim hadn't bothered to make his bed. A few dirty dishes were stacked together on the bedside table near some balled-up candy wrappers and the TV remote, some residue still stuck on the plates and making it difficult to tell what might've been eaten off of them.

"Yeah, he, uh, worked as a maintenance guy. He's lived here for almost a year. . .comes from a nice family, no criminal record of any kind. . ."

"So who hated him enough to beat him to death?" Birdie wondered aloud, eyes briefly skimming over some photos that were carefully hung on the walls to make the place feel more like a home rather than a hotel room; she hadn't seen many hotels that allowed the employees to live there, or the ones who worked in maintenance. She recognized the victim in each of them as she'd seen his picture in the article from earlier, seeing him smiling brightly in each of the photos. He looked slightly older than Birdie, some wrinkles lining his forehead while hints of gray were starting to show in his sideburns and stubble.

"The article said he was loved by his friends and family, but I mean, you never really know for sure," Kaiya said, sighing as she stood back up. Birdie faintly nodded her head, reaching into her pocket to pull out her EMF meter. "Is that the ghost thingamajig?"

"Yeah, the EMF meter," Birdie answered with a nod, quietly laughing to herself. She held it out in front of her as she turned it on, brows raising as it immediately started to go off and glow red at the very top. "Son of a bitch. . ."

"Is this where I get to say I told you so?" Kaiya playfully questioned, smugly smiling towards Birdie with her hands firmly placed on her hips. Birdie simply rolled her eyes, making her way further, the EMF meter continuing to make noise——especially near the scene where the victim was actually killed. "So, what do we do now?"

"We——"

"Care to explain why you're snooping around an active crime scene?"

Kaiya and Birdie sharply turned towards the door at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, finding a man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties standing in the doorway with his arms folded over his chest. He wore a hotel uniform over his lanky frame, a name tag with the name Timothy crookedly pinned to his black jacket. He had shaggy blond hair that stopped just above his rounded shoulders, dark brown eyes that seemed to bore straight into Birdie and make her feel rather uncomfortable the longer his eyes stayed pinned to her.

Birdie opened her mouth to respond, but Kaiya beat her to it.

"I'm Special Agent Earhart," Kaiya firmly introduced, keeping her distance from the man as she opened up the fake badge and then closed it a few moments later to make sure he only got a glimpse of the picture. Then she nudged her head towards Birdie, seeing the woman had grabbed her badge. "This is my partner——"

"Agent Curie," Birdie said, flashing her badge to the man. "Agent Earhart and I already spoke to some of the staff about us working with the local police on the recent murder cases here."

"I'm-I'm so sorry, I. . .I had no idea," the man quickly apologized, his hardened expression faltering as his eyes flickered between the women; thankfully, he seemed to buy their lie. "I, uh, I guess I'm just a little. . .protective."

"Protective?" Birdie slowly repeated, one of her brows slightly raised in his direction. "Over. . .a crime scene?"

"What? No, no, of course not. That'd be super weird," the man quickly answered, eyes nearly tripling in size at Birdie's response.

"What's your name, sir?" Kaiya requested.

"Timothy Gardener," he quickly answered, glancing between the women. "I, uh, is there anything you ladies need help with?"

"Actually, yeah, I think there is something you can help us with," Birdie replied, giving him a fake smile as she folded her hands in front of her waist. "Why do you feel "protective"?"

"I, uh, well, that was just. . .okay," Timothy heavily sighed in defeat, ducking under the tape so that he was closer to the women and wouldn't be overheard by any guests or his fellow co-workers. "I just feel so bad for poor Holland. She's-she's a close friend of mine, and I just don't want her to get mixed up in all of this more than she already has. . ."

"Was she close with either of the victims?" Kaiya asked.

Timothy nodded, a small frown evident on his lips. "Yeah, the-the first one. . .was her dad." Birdie and Kaiya shared a brief look with each other before returning their attention to Timothy. "He helped her get a job here since he's, uh——was, I mean-the manager, but. . ."

"But what?" Birdie pressed.

"I don't wanna speak ill of the dead but. . .he was. . .kind of a dick," Timothy said, breathing out a nervous laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck. "He was really nice to the guests, but with most of the employees——he was worse to Holland, though."

"How so?"

"Well, he kinda. . .shouted a lot——of course when guests couldn't hear him because that'd be bad for business——and called just about everyone names no matter if they were trying their best or not, but he took it to a whole new level when it came to Holland. He was. . .pretty relentless."

"And the recent victim?" Kaiya asked. "Luca Torres? How did he know Holland?"

Timothy stammered, fidgeting with his fingers. Birdie let out a heavy sigh and tilted her head. "Look, you can either tell us here, or we can just take you down to the station and ask you there. It's your choice," she firmly stated.

Timothy's eyes widened in pure terror as Birdie's words sunk in, frantically shaking his head. "They-they were dating, all right?" he quickly said, not wanting to get taken to the police station with his shift not being over yet. "I mean, I don't actually know if they were official or anything, but there was definitely something goin' on between them."

"Where might we be able to find Holland?"

"Uh, here," Timothy answered, briefly smiling. "She works as a maid here. She-she's probably almost to this floor by now."

"Well, thank you for all your help, Mr. Gardener," Birdie said with a cheerful tone, offering him a fake smile as she reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out a card; she quickly glanced at it to make sure it had the same fake name printed on it as she did on her badge that she'd shown him a few minutes ago before handing it to him. "If you think of anything else that might be helpful, here's my card."

Timothy took it with a smile. "Yeah, uh, 'course."

Birdie then glanced over at Kaiya, silently nudging her head towards the door. Kaiya nodded in acknowledgment and gave Timothy a tiny smile as well. "Thank you, Mr. Gardener," she said, following Birdie out of the room.

Birdie glanced over her shoulder as she walked down the hallway with Kaiya, raising a brow when seeing Timothy was watching them walk away with an unreadable expression on his features. "Please tell me he creeped you the fuck out, too," Birdie said as she faced forward again.

"Oh, definitely," Kaiya agreed without hesitation, adjusting her glasses. "I'd say I thought he actually did it, but. . ."

"Well, I mean, he could be who we're lookin' for," Birdie replied with a faint shrug, coming to stand in front of the elevators. She reached forward, pressing the down arrow so she and Kaiya could return to their room to look up Holland before they went to question her about the death of her father and her supposed boyfriend, or whatever he was to her. "Sometimes spirits stay attached to certain objects, and if someone figures that out and has a firm grasp on how the paranormal world works, they can move it around from place to place to have the spirit do their bidding."

"Yeah, but still. . .I don't know, Bird. I think he's definitely hiding something, but he doesn't really seem like the type to use a ghost to do his dirty work for him," Kaiya said.

Birdie softly sighed to herself, looking up when the elevator dinged, signaling its arrival. "Only one way to find out."

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Birdie had fallen asleep while researching Holland Callan a few hours later. Timothy Gardener was certainly someone to suspect. Maybe he wasn't a killer, but there was something about him that didn't set right. Birdie and Kaiya also needed to follow up on Holland——the woman that Timothy felt the need to "protect" despite being nothing more than a simple co-worker to her. But, just a couple of hours into researching and snacking, Birdie's eyes had fluttered closed and her body relaxed as sleep overtook her.

Her laptop was about to fall off of her lap as she laid on her bed in a rather odd angle. Her pillow was partially covering her face while her blazer was twisted around her torso as she hadn't bothered to change out of her suit just yet. Birdie she didn't plan on sleeping just yet, but her body thought otherwise. Kaiya hadn't minded, knowing that Birdie needed all the sleep she could get. She herself was used to researching for her day job, so that was something she did quite well. It wasn't exactly something she was looking forward to when she started pestering Birdie to work the case, but it was a crucial part of hunting and wasn't something that should've been brushed off. And Kaiya was trying to learn how to hunt and didn't want to mess the case up, she took it seriously in order to show Birdie that she truly wanted to understand hunting.

Kaiya continued to do research throughout the long hours of the night as Birdie softly snored on the opposite bed with her laptop now safely placed on the bedside table thanks to Kaiya. Kaiya remained on her own bed with the blanket draped over her legs, hoping to find some answers that could at least piece together what was going on at the hotel, and if there really was something linking Holland Callan to both of the victims. However, much to her grief, Kaiya hadn't found much information on Holland Callan.

The woman barely had any record of what she'd done throughout her lifetime, just barely graduating from high school two years ago and only working as a waitress at a Biggerson's for a week after before quit on the spot. Almost two months later she started working at the hotel from her father's recommendation, only using the money l to pay for bills and groceries. Very rarely did she spend her paycheck on things that would've been deemed a want, seemingly like someone who liked to keep to herself and didn't crave attention. But, Kaiya realized why she might not have been one to go out so much.

Holland's older sister, Mina Callan, died just a few weeks ago, though, it didn't disclose how. From what the obituary had said, Kaiya discovered that Holland and Mina had been very close up until the older Callan's death. Losing a loved one was never easy——Kaiya didn't think she'd have much of a social life either if she'd lost a sibling who was like a best friend to her. But, aside from that, Holland seemed like an average girl simply trying to do her best in a cruel world.

By the time Kaiya decided to take a break for the night, she realized the sun was already beginning to peek out from behind the curtains. She wasn't sure how much longer Birdie would be asleep, but she decided not to disturb the woman as she started to get ready for the day.

She quickly changed out of the suit and into a floral, button-up blouse and a pair of black slacks she typically only wore to work. She touched up her makeup and redid her hair, deciding to let some of her hair roll past her shoulders while the rest was pulled up into a small bun. She cleaned off her glasses after noticing a few smudges on them, using her shirt to do so. Once she was done, she checked on Birdie again, a faint laugh escaping her lips when seeing Birdie was curled up with the pillow clutched in her arms and the other slightly over her face as if to block out the faint stream of light coming in from the window. She shook her head and walked over to her phone, seeing it was almost eight. Knowing Birdie would want breakfast once she awoke, Kaiya decided to go ahead and see if the hotel was serving any.

After grabbing her purse and leaving a tiny note on the table beside Birdie's bed in case she woke up before Kaiya returned, she headed down to the cafeteria. Thankfully, there weren't too many people grabbing some breakfast when she reached the cafeteria. There were two elderly couples sitting near the windows and a few men in suits sat at separate tables with their laptops opened in front of them. Kaiya didn't pay them any more attention and quickly headed towards the buffet and grabbed a styrofoam box to fill. She grabbed a few waffles and some slices of bacon along with a few small containers of maple syrup, putting some toast off to the side. Then she picked up some wrapped-up utensils, taking an orange juice to make sure Birdie drank something other than coffee.

She returned to their room with two containers in tow not long after, both of them tucked under her arm as she quietly entered in case Birdie was still sleeping, but there was something rather important that she needed to tell Birdie. As she walked inside, she saw Birdie was now awake and her hair still wet after having gotten out of the shower a few minutes ago. Rather than the suit she'd been in, she was now dressed in a white Empire Strikes Back themed tee and a pair of dark gray sweatpants that were rolled up past her ankles.

"Hey, why didn't you wake me up?" Birdie wondered when her eyes fell on Kaiya, pulling her hair up into a bun. Kaiya moved towards the bed, setting one of the containers and the orange juice in front of the woman after she set the other box on the table.

"I figured you needed the extra sleep," Kaiya said, letting out a small sigh as she sat on the opposite bed. Birdie curiously tilted her head towards her friend, starting to open the box. "You know, with the nightmares. . ."

"Is that just common knowledge now or——"

"We're your friends, Bird," Kaiya softly interrupted, giving Birdie a faint smile when the woman gave her a look as if saying she didn't want to talk about it at the moment. Birdie shifted on the bed, opening one of the maple syrup containers after picking up the plastic fork. "Of course we're gonna notice when something is going on with you. What kinds of friends would we be if we didn't?"

"I've had them for years," Birdie nonchalantly dismissed, faintly shaking her head. "I'm fine."

Kaiya heavily sighed, but she let it go for the time being. She decided to change the subject instead, giving Birdie a few more moments to eat some of her breakfast. "There's, uh. . .they found another body this morning." Birdie heavily sighed, swallowing her bite of food as she briefly closed her eyes. "Bernard Lanaster. He was twenty-five years old and worked here as a chef," Kaiya softly said. "His body was found in a storage room near the kitchens by one of the maintenance guys."

Birdie faintly shook her head, closing up the box and setting it to the side. "Well, what're we waiting for then?"

Birdie got up with a puff of her cheeks, tiredly rubbing her eyes as she headed over to her suitcase to change into something more formal. She grabbed a suit from her bag and slipped it on in the bathroom, quickly touching up her makeup from the night before. Kaiya patiently waited on her bed, skimming over what had already been posted online about Bernard's before they headed down, but there wasn't much except for there being another murder at the Derry Pine's Hotel.

Birdie exited the bathroom after five minutes, grabbing a piece of toast to eat on their way to the crime scene on the main floor. It didn't take them long to reach the lobby, swiftly moving past some nosy onlookers, guests who were demanding answers about what was going on, and others demanded refunds or checking out sooner than they originally planned out of pure fear that they would be the next victim.

"Where do you ladies think you're going?"

Kaiya and Birdie halted when a police officer standing by the yellow tape held his hand out to stop them from getting any closer, eyes narrowed on the women as they approached with determination in their steps. Simultaneously, the women reached into their jacket pockets, pulling out their badges to show the man.

He leaned forward slightly, glancing between the I.D.'s. "Is that even you?" he queried, looking from Kaiya's badge and then to the woman who didn't exactly resemble the picture.

"Someone didn't take picture day seriously," Birdie shortly replied, casting a look aside as a sign for Kaiya to go along with her lie.

Kaiya sourly twisted her lips, letting out a sigh as her gaze returned to the officer. "I was having a rough day, okay?"

"Why do the feds care about the death of some chef?" he suspiciously wondered, folding his arms over his buff chest, head slightly lifted.

"I don't know," Birdie answered. "But what I do know is that the longer you keep questioning us, the sooner the killer will go for someone else. Now, do you mind if we get back to doing our job?"

The officer raised his brows, silently nodding as he lifted the tape to allow Kaiya and Birdie to duck under. Kaiya gave him a small smile as she ducked after Birdie, the woman already heading for the crime scene. "Thanks."

He nodded and turned his head, rolling his eyes as he resumed his position. Kaiya huffed and jogged after Birdie, seeing the woman glance around the crime scene. The cafeteria was still clean, nothing seemingly out of place. But, as Kaiya ventured into the kitchen behind the double doors, she saw the immense amount of blood that had splattered onto the walls, floor, and even the counters. The body was out inside the coroner's van, ready to be whisked away to the morgue where an autopsy would most likely take place to confirm the cause of the death. There were some broken dishes on the floor like they'd been knocked into during the attack, but it wasn't nearly as messy as the last scene; it made Birdie wonder if Bernard wasn't as strong to put up a fight like Luca had.

A few officers were interviewing employees and witnesses, most of them already having examined the crime scene before the body was whisked away which left only Kaiya and Birdie in the kitchen.

Kaiya came up beside Birdie when she found her standing near a bloody counter, giving the woman a look when she glanced towards her with an incredulous expression. "What?" Birdie asked in a hushed voice, pulling out her EMF meter.

"What was with the attitude?" Kaiya demanded to know.

Birdie heavily sighed, switching on the meter; like expected, it started going off. "Another person is dead, Kai," she firmly said, tucking away the meter. "I'm not gonna waste time trying to play nice especially to someone like that. If you can't handle that, maybe you should just go wait in our room while I work."

Kaiya's face instantly fell at Birdie's harsh words. "Maybe I will."

"Kai,ya no, wait——"

"No, Birdie. You've made it perfectly clear where you want me, so, that's exactly where I'll be."

Birdie deeply frowned as Kaiya stormed off, leaving her alone in the kitchen. She closed her eyes and ran a hand along her face, puffing out her cheeks. She wanted to follow and try to make up for her harsh words, but she didn't think Kaiya would want to listen t0 her right now. So, instead, she continued to examine the crime scene, hoping to find something that would at least show how the victims were being chosen or what was keeping the spirit at the hotel.

After a few minutes, Birdie headed outside with a glum expression still on her features, thankful to see that the coroner was still there. She requested to see the body, having to show her badge once again to prove she was meant to be there. The coroner opened up the bag, allowing her to see the battered body of Bernard. She sadly shook her head as she examined the wounds and then quietly thanked the coroner, giving her her card in case they found anything that seemed odd or suggested something else had been done to Bernard during the attack. The coroner had looked at Birdie oddly but she offered her a timid smile and walked off, talking with the police to see what they knew so far.

Kaiya dipped under the tape as she stormed off, nodding her head at the fellow officers as she headed back towards the elevators. She adjusted her glasses as she rounded a corner off to the side of the lobby, going to press the elevator button when she saw a maid exit one of the rooms at the far end of the hall. She tilted her head as she narrowed her eyes on the short figure, lips partially falling open in surprise when realizing it was Holland Callan.

"Miss Callan?" Kaiya politely called out, holding her hand up with a small smile etched on her lips as Holland partially turned her head at the sound of her name. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"

Rather than responding to Kaiya, Holland darted around the maid cart she'd been returning to and hurried down the opposite hall. Kaiya blinked in surprise at the younger woman's actions, hastily taking off after Holland. "Well this can't be a good sign," Kaiya muttered to herself.

She sprinted around the far corner Holland had passed by only moments ago, a faint gasp escaping her lips when seeing Holland was nowhere to be seen as if she'd disappeared into thin air. But, with her being a maid, there was no doubt that her key gave her access to every room inside the hotel. Checking them all wouldn't do Kaiya any good as Holland could've just snuck out of one as soon as Kaiya started searching through another one. But, as she glanced over the many, many doors lining the hallway, an idea suddenly occurred to her.

She hastily reached into her pocket, smiling in relief as she saw she still had a room key from the manager she'd gotten yesterday morning——which meant she had access to every room, too. Instead of checking them all for any sign of Holland, she decided to look in one room in specific——Holland's.

She turned on her heel and hurried back down the hall, checking with the front desk to find out where Holland's room was located, claiming she just wanted to ask her a few questions about her father.

She found the woman's room near the indoor pool area a few minutes later right where the front desk had said, glancing from side to side to make sure there wasn't anyone around before she unlocked the door. When the switch turned green, she smiled to herself and opened the door. "Miss Callahan?" Kaiya called out, wanting to make sure Holland wasn't in there before she decided to snoop around. "Holland? Are you in here?"

When she didn't hear anyone respond or the sound of something being moved as if someone was hiding and trying not to be found, she quietly entered the room. She silently shut the door behind her, cautiously making her way down the narrow hall, seeing that her room was more like a suite compared to the rest of the rooms the hotel offered based on how spacious the living room looked from the hallway.

Kaiya quietly opened one of the doors, brows knitting together as her eyes examined the room. It appeared to be a small bedroom, but there were dozens of boxes spread throughout the room, folded up clothes placed on the bed with some draped over the boxes. Superhero posters were tacked to the wall, a few slightly bent or torn like they'd been moved around a few times. Some of the drawers in the dresser were still pulled open, clothes of all kinds messily stuffed inside as if the person who put them away were in a rush. Kaiya shook her head and walked away from the room, making her way into the living room.

She glanced to the side as her eyes roamed the spacious interior, noticing some pictures hung up on the gray-colored wall. She tilted her head and walked closer, seeing a framed photograph of Holland standing beside a slightly taller woman whose appearance was almost identical to hers. Kaiya took a small step to the left, eyes falling on a picture of Holland with the same woman, the two standing between an older man who Kaiya recognized as victim number one——also known as Aaron Callan, Holland's not so friendly father. There was another door to the side in a small crook that separated part of the living room from the kitchen, most likely another bedroom. She stole a look down at the table that was pressed against the wall for extra storage, suddenly twisting her lips when seeing an envelope with Holland's name scribbled on it with a heart drawn at the end.

Kaiya curiously picked it up, pulling out a folded-up piece of paper from inside; maybe opening someone else's mail was illegal, but did it really count if it didn't have a stamp on it and was already opened?

Kaiya unfolded the paper, raising her brows in surprise when seeing a love note; a love note that was signed sincerely, Timothy.

She shook her head in disbelief, setting it down. She turned her head, a box full of similar envelopes catching her attention. She let out a soft sigh, going to grab some of them to see if they were like the one she just read until a voice suddenly stopped her.

"What the hell are you doing in here?"

Kaiya's head snapped to the side, faintly wincing when she saw Holland standing behind her with a panicked expression on her features. Kaiya held her hands up as if to show she wasn't a threat. "I'm FBI——Agent Earhart," she said. She slowly moved one of her hands, cautiously reaching into her pocket to pull out her badge. She flipped it open, showing it to Holland. "I'm investigating the recent deaths here at the hotel with my partner. I just wanna ask you a few questions, Miss Callan."

Holland visibly relaxed after glancing over the badge, letting out a shaky breath. She gave Kaiya a forced smile, turning towards the kitchen. "I'm. . .I'm sorry I, uh, ran off on you. I just. . .there's just been so much going on here lately. I-I guess I just thought you might've been a reporter or something."

"It's quite alright, Miss Callan," Kaiya assured the woman, giving her a faint smile as she took a few steps towards the kitchen, moving to stand at the edge of the island counter while Holland poured herself a cup of sweet tea. "I would have done the same thing if I were in your place."

Holland let out a small sigh, faintly nodding her head at the agent's words. She looked at the sweet tea container, her eyes flicking back to Kaiya. "Do you want some?" she offered.

Kaiya faintly smiled, shaking her head. "No, thank you," she politely declined. "But, is it okay if I ask you just a few questions? About the recent deaths here?"

Holland took a small sip of her tea as she walked to the other side of the counter, standing opposite of Kaiya. "Uh, sure," she softly answered. "But I've already talked to the police."

"I know, and I'm sorry, but we're just following up with everyone," Kaiya said. Holland twisted her lips but nodded. Kaiya pulled out a notepad and a pen, returning her attention to Holland. "The first victim. . .your. . .father. . .what was he like?"

Holland twisted her lips as she glanced down at her tea. "He was. . .tough, ya know? He liked things a certain way and he made sure they stayed that way. But, he-he was a good father."

Kaiya raised a brow in surprise. "He was?"

Holland furrowed her brows together. "Why'd you say it like that?"

"I-I've talked to some of your co-workers," Kaiya replied. She carefully watched Holland, seeing the girl's eyes dart away again as if she already knew what Kaiya was implying. "I think that a few of them would say otherwise."

"A few of them?" Kaiya turned her head, spotting Birdie lingering behind her as her eyes flicked back and forth between her and Holland.

Holland scoffed, holding her hands out when seeing another person had invited themselves into her place. "Does anyone ever knock anymore?"

Birdie motioned towards the door, twisting her lips. "I did knock, but then I heard voices and wasn't sure . . ."

"Did you now?" Kaiya retorted, Birdie not missing the snip in the woman's tone. Birdie gave her a look before her eyes flickered to Holland as she walked closer. Kaiya pursed her lips together and faced Holland again, giving her a forced smile. "This is my partner, Special Agent Curie."

"Curie?" Holland repeated in surprise. "Like, as in Marie Curie?"

Birdie plastered a fake smile on her lips as she nodded, sinking into the stool beside Kaiya. "Yes, exactly like her. She's my great-great-great-grandmother."

Holland suspiciously narrowed her eyes towards Birdie. "You're-you're related to her?"

"Yes," Birdie easily lied, her smile unwavering while Holland carefully eyed her like she was attempting to figure out whether or not Birdie was telling the truth. "I mean I was adopted, though, but uh, still technically family, so. . ."

"Anyways," Kaiya slowly began, giving Birdie a side look as if to remind her there were more pressing matters at hand that they needed to talk about with Holland, "About your father——"

"My father wasn't perfect by any means," Holland heavily sighed, glancing between Kaiya and Birdie. "But. . .he still took care of me. I only have a place to live because of him."

"So that's why you let him treat you the way he did?" Birdie wondered.

Holland puffed out her cheeks, fiddling with her cup. "No, I. . .I didn't have a choice. At least working here. . .I have a place to live."

Kaiya let out a quiet exhale, a soft expression on her face as she gazed across the counter towards Holland. "What about the other two men? Luca Torres and Bernard Lanaster?"

"Luca was. . ."

"Your boyfriend?" Kaiya suggested.

Holland quickly shook her head, making a sour face. "No, no. He-he wasn't my boyfriend. We-we were just. . .I don't know what we were exactly. We got in a fight that night and I went to work and he went to his room to cool off. I left him alone the rest of the night and I was gonna go talk to him in the morning, but then. . ."

"What was the fight about?" Birdie questioned.

"It was nothing," Holland quickly dismissed, shaking her head before taking a sip of her tea. "I-I didn't kill him if that's——"

"No, no, that's not what we're saying," Kaiya interjected, breathing out a faint laugh. "But knowing what the fight was about might help us figure out what could've happened after you left."

Holland twisted her lips.

Birdie shared a side look with Kaiya, having a silent conversation with one another. Then Birdie faced Holland, a small sigh passing through her lips. "We can circle back to that when you're ready," she said. "What about the chef that was found today? Uh, B——"

"Bernard," Holland softly said, lifting her head. "He was a great chef and all, but he. . .he could be a-a, uh, a——"

"Asshole?" Birdie suggested.

Holland sadly smiled, slightly nodding in agreement. "Yeah. He didn't like anyone who worked outside of the kitchen. Everyone else was just. . .beneath him——thought since he used to work with Bobby Flay or something that entitled him. . .but it was only two times and he barely said two words to the guy. I mean, this is maybe a three-star hotel at most——it's not like we're popular or have a lot of famous names come through this place."

"Did he think maids were beneath him, too?" Kaiya asked.

Holland nodded. "Yeah, especially maids."

"Maybe you in particular?" Birdie suggested.

"Oh my god, you don't really think that I could have——"

"No, Miss Callan, we don't," Kaiya said, waving her hand to dismiss Holland's sudden rush of panic over the thought of her being a suspect. She didn't seem capable of killing anyone, nor did Birdie and Kaiya believe that a human was committing all of the murders. However, if they were able to put a connection between Holland and each of the victims, then the real police were most likely on their way to the same conclusion if they hadn't already made it. "But we do think they might be connected somehow. . .we're just not sure how. We're hoping you can help."

Holland adjusted her posture, shrugging. "I don't know how I can," she said. "I mean, my Dad and I. . .we weren't close. And me and Luca, I've known him for just a few months. He had a temper sometimes, but he was, you know, he was cute. Bernard. . .I avoided him at all costs so I really don't have much to say about him."

"Your fight with Luca," Birdie said, furrowing her brows in thought, "What was it about?"

"Seriously, that was nothing."

"It could really help us, Miss Callan."

Holland shook her head, huffing as she walked around the counter. Kaiya and Birdie turned in their chairs, their eyes following Holland as she made her way to the table near the wall that Kaiya had been examining when the younger woman caught her snooping through some of her belongings. She grabbed some envelopes out of the box, a frown on her lips as she handed them over to Kaiya. "They were about these," she said. "He thought I was seeing Timothy."

"Were you?" Birdie asked.

Holland scoffed, scrunching up her nose in disgust at the question. "God, no way. He's a creep."

"Clearly," Birdie muttered as she read through one of the notes that described Holland's hair just a little much for any woman to be comfortable with reading. She lifted her head, catching Holland's gaze. "When we checked out the first crime scene, he showed up. At first, he didn't say much, but then he mentioned you."

"What? M-me?"

"Yeah," Kaiya said, nodding in agreement. "He said he's been trying to keep your name out of the papers so hasn't been mentioning your connection with the other men in order to protect you, I suppose, but he told us that you and Luca were a "thing", but only after we mentioned taking him down to the station."

Holland rolled her eyes, lowering her hands to her sides as her frown became more prominent on her features. "He. . .ever since he started to work here, he took a-a liking to me. At first I thought it was kinda sweet——a puppy love kind of thing or somethin'——but then he just. . .now he won't stop. He's constantly finding me wherever I am, talking to me while I'm just trying to clean rooms so I can move on to the next thing. And then after my——" her voice suddenly dragged off, face falling before she could finish her sentence.

"After what?" Kaiya wondered.

"After. . .after my sister. She, uh, died a few months ago," Holland softly said, turning her head towards the pictures hung up on the wall where her gaze landed on a particular photo of her standing beside a woman——most likely her sister——on the day of her high school graduation. "A few weeks after her funeral, Timothy started to, uh, mention me getting a roommate since I-I lived here with Mina and now. . .now it's just me, but I just brushed it off and told him I was trying to focus on work for right now. I thought he'd let it go. Then about two weeks ago he started asking if I was looking for a roommate or if I had anyone in mind. . .I know he's just trying to get me to ask him, but he is the last person I'd ever want to live with."

"Your sister, uh. . .how-how did she——"

"A break-in, uh, here. . ." Holland nearly whispered, wrapping her arms around herself. "We, uh, we were coming back from seeing uh, Mamma Mia. I went ahead to make us a midnight snack while she stopped by the front desk to talk to our dad about something. When I came in. . .someone. . .someone attacked me from behind. They-they knocked me out, and by the time I woke up. . .this place was a mess and. . .Mina was-she was dead."

"Jeez. . .I-I'm so sorry, Miss Callan," Kaiya said, a prominent frown on her lips as Birdie nodded along.

Birdie then shifted in the stool, eyes soft as she gazed towards Holland. "If you don't mind me asking. . .where is she buried?"

"Uh, she-she was cremated," Holland answered, looking between Birdie and Kaiya. She turned her head, eyes falling on a golden urn that was placed on top of a bookshelf.

Birdie quietly sighed to herself. Well, there went that lead.

Kaiya stood up from the stool, pursing her lips. "Miss Callan, have you. . .have you heard anything strange or-or felt any cold spots recently?"

Holland curiously glanced between Kaiya and Birdie. "I'm sorry. . .what? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Never mind," Kaiya quickly said, flashing a smile on her lips.

Birdie shook her head and reached into her pocket, giving Holland a tiny smile as she handed her card to her. "If you think of anything that might be helpful, or if Timothy starts bothering you again, feel free to call, okay?"

"Do you think he could be the killer?" Holland asked with widened eyes.

"No, no," Birdie quickly answered, shaking her head. There was certainly something off with Timothy, but without any actual proof, they couldn't be too sure what he was guilty of. "But, if he's bothering you and clearly can't take no for an answer, we can bring him in."

"I thought you guys couldn't do that without him actually. . .doing something."

"Well, we, uh, we're not always ones to follow the rules," Birdie said, giving Holland a faint smile as Holland held her card. "We prefer to stop someone before they take their obsession to the next level."

"I. . .thanks, but as odd as Timothy is, I don't think he'd actually. . ."

"Just in case, though," Kaiya said, giving Holland a smile as well.

Holland nodded, letting out another sigh. "I should probably get back to work. I just came by for my break."

"Yeah, 'course," Birdie said.

"Thank you, Miss Callan. You've been a huge help."

With that, Kaiya and Birdie nodded as a farewell, giving Holland a wave as they let themselves out of her suite. They walked down the empty hallway, an uncomfortable silence following them as they headed towards the lobby.

"You hungry?" Birdie asked, looking aside at Kaiya.

"Not really," Kaiya answered. It was obvious she was still upset with Birdie, and Birdie didn't blame her. Kaiya was only trying to help and work with her, but Birdie had gotten so wrapped in trying to shield Kaiya away from the case as if it would keep her safe instead of realizing that she didn't have to actually work the case all by herself and give Kaiya a better understanding of hunting.

Birdie heavily sighed, gently grabbing Kaiya's elbow to make her stop.

Kaiya rolled her eyes and stopped in front of Birdie, tilting her head and giving her a glare with obvious annoyance etched on her features as Birdie dropped her arm down to her side.

"I'm sorry, Kai," Birdie apologized, a sincere frown on her lips as her eyes gazed into Kaiya's. "I didn't. . .I guess I just thought I was protecting you more by taking charge instead of actually working with you, but clearly, you already know what you're doing. . .I haven't been a very good friend or teacher, and I'm sorry."

"It's okay. That's just the Dean in you coming out," Kaiya said, playfully nudging Birdie's arm as the corners of her lips tweaked upwards. Birdie instantly grimaced at her choice of words. Kaiya rolled her eyes with a scoff, starting to walk once again as she giggled. "Good God Bird, get your head out of the gutter. That is not what I meant."

Birdie breathed out a quiet laugh and walked alongside Kaiya, pursing her lips together as some of the weight weighing down on her shoulders lifted. "How does fried chicken sound to you?"

"It sounds perfect," Kaiya answered, shooting Birdie a cheeky grin.

"Alright, I'll go get it, and while I do that, why don't you see what you can dig up on Timothy and Mina. I don't think Timothy's involved, but there's something very off about him."

Kaiya nodded, her smile lighting up her face. "Drive safe, Bird."

"Yeah, yeah," Birdie dismissively said with a teasing tone, waving her hand towards Kaiya as she started to head towards the exit. "I'll see you in a bit."

Birdie returned to the hotel almost half an hour later, carrying a bag of fried chicken while she texted Sam after he asked her how her and Kaiya's case was going so far. He and Dean were in Colorado following up on a supposed Skinwalker case, making sure to mention that they hadn't been bothered by Ruby. Birdie was relieved to hear it, easing her in a way she hadn't been expecting. Ruby was one of the last things they needed around when working an already dangerous case.

Birdie shook her head at the thought of Ruby as she rounded a corner, about to press send on her response to Sam when her phone started to ring. She halted in the hall just a few doors down from her and Kaiya's room, narrowing her eyes at the unfamiliar number.

She adjusted the plastic bag dangling on her arm and pressed the phone to her ear. "Uh, hello?" There was some shuffling on the other end of the line, making her frown when she didn't hear the person respond. "Who is this?"

"——st becomes too late, ya know?" Birdie tilted her head at the voice, knitting her brows at the familiarity of it. "I just wanna make sure you're safe, Holland. That's all."

Birdie's eyes widened, recognizing it as Timothy's voice.

"I'm okay for now, Timothy," Holland kindly responded. "But thank you."

Birdie hurried towards the door, adjusting the bag of food once more as she hastily rummaged through her pockets for the room key.

"It's kinda cold in here. . .maybe I could keep you warm?"

"No, I'm okay," Holland quickly denied the offer, but then there was the sound of static over the phone, the call suddenly ending.

"Shit, shit, shit," Birdie grunted under her breath as she shoved open the door.

Kaiya looked up at the abrupt sound, going to speak until she noticed the panicked expression etched on Birdie's face. "Hey, hey, what's wrong?"

"Timothy's with Holland," Birdie rushed out in response, setting the food on the table before darting to her bag.

"What? Where? In her suite?" Kaiya inquired, watching Birdie pull out a gun from her duffle bag near the end of her bed, expertly reloading it just like Serena has taught her.

"I don't know yet, but I'm gonna go find out," Birdie briskly answered, stuffing the gun in the back of her pants. Then she faced Kaiya, slinging her duffle bag over her shoulder after making sure she had some salt inside along with an iron rod. "I'm gonna check her room. Can you get my bag from the car?"

"But don't you already have everything for dealing with a spirit?"

"Yeah, but maybe there isn't just one supernatural thing going on here," Birdie quickly told Kaiya, already starting to head for the door again before Kaiya could protest. "There's something off with Timothy and he might be even more dangerous than we thought."

Kaiya stammered to respond as Birdie strategically moved around the room like she'd done hundreds of times before when working other cases, huffing in annoyance as Birdie hurried out of the room without a plan.

Birdie took off for the stairs instead of going for the elevators, thankful that they were only one floor above Holland's. She raced down the stairs with the items in her bag clattering around with each step she took, removing her gun as she neared Holland's room.

The door was shut when she reached it, a huff passing her lips as she twisted to the handle only to find it was locked. "Sorry, Holland," she murmured, taking a few steps back before taking a deep breath. Then she hurried forward, kicking her leg out. The door swung open from the brute force, Birdie rushing inside with her gun drawn as she hurried down the hall with her eyes searching for Holland.

"What the fuck?!" Timothy shouted in pure terror, but he wasn't shouting at Birdie or her breaking into the suite——he was shouting at the pale figure of Mina Callan who was stood in front of the couch, her dull green eyes pinned to Timothy.

Birdie's eyes widened at the sight of the spirit, taking in the woman's ghastly appearance. Her long hair was tangled and matted, dirt and blood still clinging to her skin, a red trail coming from her head where the final blow had been. She wore a tattered shirt and jeans, scratches marking her arms as she stood eerily still. But then Mina's head turned, her body flickering away when she spotted Birdie.

Holland frantically turned towards Birdie, partially relieved to see the woman but still full of fear and confusion after what she'd just witnessed. "What-what just happened? Why-how——I just saw my dead sister."

"That-that was, uh, that was her spirit," Birdie breathlessly answered, moving her bag from her shoulder and setting it on the counter. She sat her gun off to the side of it, grabbing a can of salt and opening it up. "Guess we know who's killin' the men around here."

"A spirit?" Timothy nearly scoffed. He picked himself up off the floor, eyes flicking between Holland and Birdie. "Ghosts aren't real. They. . .can you just explain what the fuck is going on here? Are-are you even really FBI?"

Birdie simply ignored him and moved over to Holland, noticing her shaky state; she wasn't surprised——seeing a dead family member as a spirit tended to have the kind of effect on a person. But, with Mina on the loose, she didn't have time to try to sugarcoat the monsters are real story. "Hey, hey, uh, it's alright," she said, gently patting Holland's shoulder as she lightly nudged the woman to the side. "You're safe."

"That. . .that was my sister. . ." Holland said.

"I know, I know. It's all very confusing, but I can explain more after, okay?" Birdie sighed and nodded, gently taking Holland's arm when the woman stopped moving. She guided her to the side, pushing a chair out of the way to make a decent-sized salt circle for the woman to stand inside.

"What the fuck are you doin'?" Timothy sharply demanded to know. "That's not——"

"What? Afraid of some salt?" Birdie snapped, eyes sharply narrowed on him.

"No, I——"

"Mina?"

Birdie quickly looked up at Holland when she heard her shaky voice, feeling the hairs on her arm stick up. She let out a shaky breath as a chill ran down her spine, seeing her breath linger in the air. She slowly stood up straight, cautiously turning around, her eyes falling on Mina.

Birdie carefully reached over to Holland, pulling her into the salt circle to keep her out of harm's way. "No matter what happens, stay in the circle." Holland frowned at Birdie's words, going to speak, but Birdie was already turning her attention to Mina. She moved her hand, trying to motion for Timothy to do the same, but he wasn't paying any attention to her. "Hi, Mina, is it? How's——"

"He needs to pay," Mina interrupted, her enraged filled eyes pinned to Timothy.

"Because he's stalkin' Holland?" Birdie suggested, subtly making her way over to her bag to grab the iron rod.

"What?" Timothy gaped, cautiously backing further away from Mina as her gaze remained locked solely on him. "I'm not——"

"Liar!" Mina hatefully shrieked, fists tightly clenched at her hips. Holland visibly flinched as Timothy was flung against the wall behind him with a wave of Mina's hand, his body roughly colliding with the end table beside the recliner. Birdie darted for her bag, but she was carelessly tossed to the side. Her body harshly smashed into the dining table, toppling over it. She grunted when she crashed on the floor, her gun clattering off to the side.

"Mina, what're you doing?" Holland breathlessly asked, tears brewing in her eyes as she stared at her sister with horror etched on her features. "You're. . ."

Mina's body flickered, instead appearing directly in front of Timothy without sparing her little sister another glance. Holland whipped around to continue looking at her, body shivering as she watched her sister tower over Timothy. He whimpered as his back bumped into the wall with a pained look on his face, trying to search for a quick escape, but Mina had him cornered; right where she wanted him.

"I'm. . .I'm sorry, alright?" Timothy panted out, a prominent frown on his lips. "I-I-it was an accident, I swear!"

Birdie heavily panted as she got back to her feet, furrowing her brows in confusion.

"Timothy, what're you talking about?" Holland demanded to know.

"He did it," Mina sneered, stepping closer to Timothy. Birdie let out a shaky breath as she took in the spirit's words, slowly starting to move towards her bag again. "And he'll pay with his life."

"What did he do?" Holland asked just above a whisper, tears trickling down her rosy cheeks. She stepped over the salt line, trying to get closer to her sister. Birdie shook her head and fastened her pace towards her bag, hoping Mina would keep her focus on Timothy long enough for her to get the rod before she tried to stop her again. "Mina, please, talk to me."

Birdie subtly reached into her bag and grabbed the rod, looking from Timothy and then to Mina. The sheer terror and panic on Timothy's features——there was only one reason confusion wasn't his prominent emotion.

Birdie shifted, tucking the rod behind her back as she glanced aside at Holland, creeping closer. Her frown deepened, stopping just a few inches away from where Holland was standing, barely remaining in the circle.

"He killed her," Birdie whispered, tightening her grip on the rod.

Their heads turned in her direction, a sniffle escaping Holland as Birdie's words suddenly sunk in. "He-he what?"

Mina growled and knocked Birdie back, the woman tumbling into the kitchen with a shout. The rod clattered away from her grasp, rolling under the table. Holland fearfully flinched, her lips falling open as Birdie rolled across the tiled floor behind her.

"It was an accident!" Timothy cried with desperation, shouting when Mina tilted her head and Timothy was slid up the wall by Mina, keeping him pinned there with his feet dangling a few inches off the ground while she waited for the perfect moment to strike.

"What was an accident?!"

"I-I was only leaving you a cute lil' note," Timothy hastily said, bottom lip wobbling as his eyes looked from one sister to the other, sucking in ragged breaths. Birdie moaned in pain, gritting her teeth together as she started to pick herself up off the floor. "I thought you were Mina, so, I-I knocked you out so you wouldn't catch me. It was dumb, I know, but I. . .but then Mina showed up. . .and it all happened so fast. She threatened to get me fired and told me to stay away from you. And I just-I gave her a shove and-and she fell and hit her head on the coffee table. . .I waited a few seconds, but she didn't get back up."

"What?" Holland sobbed, Timothy's confession squeezing her heart until she felt it start to break even more than it already had. "You were the one who. . .?"

All that time she'd believed a mere stranger had murdered her big sister, but to find out it was the same man who kept trying to weasel his way into her life. . .

Birdie looked to the side as she sat up on her elbows, gritting her teeth together as she crawled for the rod.

"It was an accident! I didn't mean for it to happen! She-she wouldn't listen to me, though!" Timothy shouted, his fear spiking as Mina began to reach out towards him with her eyes glaring straight into his blackened soul. "When I realized what happened I. . .I made it look like a break-in gone wrong! I had no choice!"

"You had a choice!" Holland shouted, bottom lip wobbling as the truth rattled her to her very core. "You chose wrong!"

"Holland," Birdie softly said, recapturing the woman's attention. "Is there anything here your sister was maybe attached to? Something you could consider her remains?"

"I-I don't. . ."

Kaiya rushed into the room, both her and Birdie getting knocked back as Mina snarled towards them. She wasn't going to let them stop her; she finally had her chance for revenge and she wasn't going to let go to waste. Then she turned her head towards Holland, giving her sister a faint smile that did very to ease her nerves. "I'm doing this for you," she softly said. "I did it all for you."

"You mean. . .you. . .killed dad? And-and Luca?" Holland whispered. "Bernard?"

Mina nodded in response, a wicked smile beginning to appear on her lips as she returned her attention to Timothy, seeing the sheer despair swirling in his eyes as his lips were twisted into a frown, his hands trembling at his sides with his body unable to move under Mina's hold. "Now it's his turn."

"You're-you're gonna kill him?" Holland asked.

"For you, Holland."

Birdie huffed as she sat up, turning her head towards Kaiya, seeing the woman frown as she sat up on her elbows, glasses now missing and nowhere in sight. "Nice of you to finally join us," Birdie panted, raising her brows towards Kaiya. "Decide to make a pit stop on the way here or somethin'?"

"Oh, shut up, you ass," Kaiya grumbled.

Birdie reached under the table, hastily picking up the rod. She stood to her feet, rushing up behind Mina and swinging it just as the spirit's head snapped in her direction. Mina swished away as the iron swung through her body, disappearing into thin air. Timothy dropped to his knees as soon as she was gone, gasping as he pressed his back against the wall, eyes frantically searching for the spirit. But, he found Birdie instead as she towered over him. She reached her hand out, helping him up to his feet as she reassured him that he was alright.

Kaiya moved Holland back into the circle as Birdie took a few steps away from Timothy, faintly shaking her head. "Stay inside the circle, okay? You'll be safe there."

"But——"

"I knew there was something off about you," Birdie said, glaring at Timothy.

"Where'd she go?" Timothy asked, disregarding Birdie's jab. "Will-will she be back?"

"Oh, definitely," Birdie bluntly answered with a firm nod, glancing around the room for any sign of Mina. Timothy's eyes widened in horror, gaping at the supposed agent. Kaiya pursed her lips together as she gave Birdie a silent look for being so blunt, but Birdie missed it. "And she'll be more pissed and gunnin' to kill you, so. . ."

Timothy's attention shifted towards Holland, catching her tearful gaze. "Holland, I-I'm so——"

"Fuck you, Timothy," Holland snapped, tightly gripping her necklace. "You're a monster."

"No, but I didn't mean to——"

"Would you stop with the excuse and shut up already?" Birdie demanded, anger flashing in her eyes as her gaze returned to Timothy; she almost couldn't bare to stand so close to him, but still had a job to do. "I oughta let her get you."

Kaiya's eyes snapped to Birdie in disbelief. "Surely you don't——"

"I do," Birdie said, angrily shaking her head as she tore her eyes away from Timothy, brows still furrowed. "But, she could hurt more people even after him."

"What're you gonna do to her?" Holland quietly asked, eyes swirling with sorrow as she glanced between Birdie and Kaiya. She didn't exactly understand what was going on, but it was still her sister they were talking about.

"We're gonna put her to rest," Flora answered, offering Holland a sad smile. Holland had already lost her sister once, and now she was going to have to lose her again.

"But how?" Timothy demanded to know.

Birdie shook her head, holding a hand out at her side. "I don't know."

"Holland, what's something your sister was really attached to when she was alive?" Kaiya asked. "Something you could say is a part of her?"

Holland frowned, tightening her grip on the necklace as if it was the only thing keeping her tethered to the reality of the situation. "How could that help?"

"We're gonna need to burn it," Birdie explained, twisting her lips. "It's the only way to stop her and keep other people safe from her."

"I, uh," Holland stammered as she glanced around the suite, a faint gasp escaping her lips when she saw Mina return just beside the salt circle. Birdie and Kaiya visibly tensed up, quickly glancing at each other. "Mina. . ."

Kaiya raised her shotgun that was filled with rocksalt, but it was flung from her hand just before she was shoved to the side, hissing as her head smashed against the wall. Birdie raised her arm to swing the iron rod, but she pushed backwards just like Kaiya. She toppled over the coffee table, the rod falling out of her hand once again. Timothy whimpered from where he stood as his eyes followed Birdie, trembling as Mina flickered, suddenly appearing right in front of him.

Birdie and Kaiya tried to get up, but they were suddenly pinned to the ground by Mina, unable to move. Birdie gritted her teeth as she struggled against the invisible force, glancing around for anything to help deter Mina, but there was nothing.

"P-please. . .Mina," Timothy weakly whispered, looking at Mina with pure terror; he seemed to regret killing her, but there was no coming back from that——he was a murderer and had hidden it rather than owning up to what he'd done; nothing would be able to change that.

Holland nervously gulped from within the circle, helplessly watching her big sister fling Timothy into the far wall and pin him there once more. Some pictures fell from the wall, shattering across the floor and making Holland sniffle.

Timothy grunted at the intensifying pain, gasping when he started to feel like his insides were twisting and turning themselves. "Mina, I'm sorry!"

Mina continued with her anger only increasing, tossing Timothy to the side and causing his body to smash through the coffee table. Birdie's eyes slightly widened, wincing when Mina swung one of the broken table legs across his face. Kaiya craned her neck, helplessly searching for something that could buy them some time, but there was nothing within reach.

"Mina. . ." Holland whispered, stepping out of the circle. Mina ignored Holland, a snarl etched on her lips as she towered over Timothy. Holland moved closer, ignoring Birdie and Kaiya as they told her to stay back. Holland walked over, reaching out for her sister. "Mina, please!"

"I have to do this!" Mina shouted, shoving Holland onto her back. She shrieked as she staggered backwards, grunting as she bumped into the couch. She crashed to the floor, whimpering when her head hit the floor and intense pain shot through her shoulder. She hissed and lifted her head, gaping towards Mina in surprise.

Birdie clenched her teeth, a puzzled look when Mina's body seemed to flicker for a moment as Holland fell to the ground. Her eyes darted towards the woman, noticing her necklace had fallen from her neck after Mina shoved her. Kaiya noticed as well, narrowing her eyes in thought.

"That necklace," Birdie said, catching Holland's gaze, "What's in it?"

"I, uh——"

"Who the hell cares?" Timothy grunted, feeling blood beginning to trickle down the side of his head. "Help me, please!"

"You'll never hurt anyone again," Mina said, bending down close to Timothy. Holland let out a shaky breath, snatching up her necklace as she backed away from Mina in fear.

Birdie's gaze flickered to Holland. "It has some of her ashes in it, doesn't it?"

Holland didn't answer, but her expression said it all.

Kaiya deeply frowned. "Holland, she——"

Holland shook her head as more tears blossomed in her sorrowful eyes; she knew what they were going to say and she didn't want to hear it——that was still her sister.

She headed towards the kitchen, whimpering when Timothy let out an agonizing moan when Mina grabbed one of the table legs and hit him in the face with it just like before. Birdie tilted her head, panting as she tried moving, but it still wasn't working. Kaiya frowned, a gasp escaping past her lips when Mina raised the leg, more than ready to plunge it into Timothy's chest.

But suddenly Mina loudly gasped, standing up as her eyes darted towards the kitchen, the leg clattering from her hand. Birdie tilted her head, lips parting in surprise when she saw Holland standing next to the stove in the kitchen, dangling her necklace over a flame.

"I'm sorry, Mina," Holland cried, lip turned down as Mina's eyes bored straight into her. "I'm so sorry."

Mina shook her head as her lower half ignited in flames, screaming as they worked their way up and consumed her completely. Her spirit then vanished from sight, descending to her final resting place.

Birdie gasped as she was able to finally move again, sitting up on her elbows with a shaky breath escaping past her lips. She tiredly turned her head, seeing Kaiya starting to stand.

"Oh, thank god," Timothy breathed out, nervously laughing as he stood up. He coughed a few moments later, attempting to smile through the searing pain that was shooting through his body from being tossed around like a ragdoll. "I really thought I was a goner."

Kaiya made a face, looking towards him with an incredulous look.

Birdie clenched her jaw as she stood up, walking over to Timothy.

He gave her a relieved smile, wincing when he touched the gash on his forehead. "I can't——"

A groan left his lips as Birdie suddenly punched him in the jaw, watching him fall to the ground with a heavy breath. Kaiya raised her brows as Timothy crumbled, blinking down at his unconscious body and then towards Birdie.

Birdie glanced over as she shook her hand out at her side to try and shake the stinging sensation that radiated through her knuckles, catching Kaiya's eye as she did so. "What? He had it comin'," she huffed, heading towards Holland.

The woman stood near the counter with sunken shoulders and a prominent frown, her necklace now non-existent as the melted pieces remained on the stove. Birdie cautiously moved closer, twisting her lips as she stepped over some broken picture frames and furniture pieces.

Holland picked up her head at the sound of Birdie's footsteps, quickly wiping at her eyes as she quietly sniffled, her dull eyes falling on Birdie. "That was. . .she did it all. . .for me."

"She was your sister," Birdie softly said, offering Holland a sad smile with her head slightly tilted to one side. "Sometimes family still protects you even when you think they're gone."

"I just can't believe. . .that he. . ."

"You don't need to worry about him anymore," Kaiya softly told Holland, coming to stand beside Birdie. "The police will take care of him this time. You'll get justice for what he did Mina."

"Good," Holland murmured, firmly nodding her head. A quiet sigh left her lips after a few moments, glancing between the two women, her brows furrowed together. "You guys aren't really FBI, are you?"

Birdie breathed out a chuckle, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she faintly smiled. "No, we're not."

"Then what are you guys?"

"We hunt the things that go bump in the night," Kaiya cheerfully answered, sharing a warm grin with Birdie.

Holland lightly chuckled at the response, believing it was a joke, but then she saw the seriousness on Birdie and Kaiya's faces. "Wait, you're serious?" she asked, face falling in surprise. Birdie and Kaiya nodded in sync. "Like, vampires and-and witches? They're real?"

"Yeah," Birdie confessed, seeing no reason in trying to hide it after what Holland had just witnessed in the span of an hour. "And so are demons, werewolves, shapeshifters, sirens, wraiths, ghouls, wendigos——"

Birdie suddenly hissed with a wince, head sharply turning to the side when Kaiya whacked her arm. She gave Birdie a pointed glare, subtly nudging her head towards Holland. Her gaze returned to the younger woman, innocently smiling when she spotted the mortified expression on Holland's face.

Holland nervously gulped, slowly blinking as she absorbed the truth. "Aren't there, like, any good creatures out there or something? Like. . .like maybe angels or something?"

"No, angels aren't real," Birdie quickly denied.

Kaiya rolled her eyes, giving Holland a tiny smile. "That hasn't been proven."

"Yeah? Well, of all the monsters that are proven to be real, where's the proof of there actually being angels?" Birdie questioned, twisting her body to face Kaiya.

"Just because you have never seen one doesn't mean they don't exist," Kaiya retorted.

"Yeah, yeah," Birdie said, dismissively shaking her head. "I'll believe in them when I actually see one."

Kaiya let out a sigh, turning her gaze returning to Holland. "Do you want one of us to call the police or——"

"No, I can do it," Holland quietly denied the offer, eyes flickering back to Timothy's unconscious figure. "It's the least I could do for Mina."

Birdie and Kaiya faintly nodded their heads. "All right," Kaiya said, glancing around the suite one more time before she stepped towards the hallway. "Uh, do you mind. . .not mentioning us to them when they get here?"

"Uh, sure," Holland said, nodding her head. "But they might start asking questions or go looking around. . ."

"Don't worry, we know how to dodge the police," Birdie assured Holland, giving the woman a small smirk. Holland gave Birdie an odd look, but Birdie just picked up her things, heading towards the hall with a heavy sigh escaping past her lips as she glanced over her shoulder at Holland. "Take care, Holland."

Kaiya tiredly shook her head and gave Holland one last smile, stepping to follow Birdie as the woman headed out of the suite. "See you around." She headed towards the hallway, noticing Holland walking towards the phone hung on the far wall. v slipped out of the suite, quickly hurrying towards the staircase when she heard some panicked voices coming from the lobby area——most likely guests who'd overheard the commotion inside of Holland's room.

Kaiya slipped past the door leading to the stairs, a small smile creeping onto her lips when seeing Birdie was there waiting for her. "Aw, you waited for me?"

"I had to," Birdie said with a nonchalant shrug. "I forgot my room key."

Kaiya scoffed and playfully nudged Birdie up the stairs, the two of them giggling together while they made their way towards their room. "What would you do without me?"

It was a few hours later, Timothy having been arrested by the local authorities for the murder and cover-up of Mina Callan——along with a few other charges that had come to light during his arrest. Kaiya and Birdie had hastily packed up all of their belongings, Birdie carrying out everything to Kaiya's jeep while the woman checked them out of their room; both of them being careful to avoid the police in case they'd been informed that two "FBI agents" had been around the last couple of days investigating the deaths at the hotel. Once Kaiya was done, she easily slipped past the police and crowd of reporters lingering outside, smiling as she walked towards her jeep where Birdie was patiently waiting, leaning against the front of the jeep with her arms casually folded over her chest.

"Took you long enough," Birdie teased, a cheeky grin tugged on her lips.

Kaiya playfully rolled her eyes, giving Birdie a look. "Like you could've done it any faster."

Birdie's smile widened. "Ready to head back?"

"And return to my boring life of working nine to five and then going straight to bed?" Kaiya heavily sighed, leaning against the driver's side door with a pout jutted out.

Birdie twisted her body and faced Kaiya, casually resting against the jeep as she gave her friend a small smile. "Better than fighting monsters and getting a chunk carved out of you."

"Yeah? Says the girl who doesn't have to worry about bills, loans, meetings, taxes——who's eating your yogurt you're hiding in the break room!" Flora quipped, twisting her lips as Birdie simply raised her eyebrows. "Okay, that one's only happened a few times, but the other ones still stand."

Birdie heavily sighed, glancing towards the ground. "No, I just gotta worry about the police catching up to me with multiple counts of identity theft, grave desecration, tax evasion, credit card fraud, driving with an expired license, forgery, arson, burglary, impersonating local authorities, shoplifting, auto theft, vandalism, aiding and abetting two wanted fugitives——"

"Aiding and abetting?" Kaiya hastily interjected with a wave of her hand, eyes wide as she gaped towards Birdie. "Wha-who?"

Birdie huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "That's the crime that interests you the most?"

"What two criminals?"

"You don't——I thought you already knew," Birdie said, brows furrowing together.

Kaiya threw her hands out at her sides, eyes slightly widened. "Knew what?"

Birdie shifted, puffing out her cheeks. "Sam and Dean, of course. They had a few run-ins with the FBI over the years. . .and they may or may not now be on their list of most wanted criminals. And, if I were to be caught with them——"

"Those two are always in some kind of trouble, aren't they?"

"No shit," Birdie laughed.

Kaiya chuckled along with her, adjusting her glasses. "We should probably head out. I'm sure those two criminals are already at my place waiting for you so you three can go stir up even more trouble."

"Oh please," Birdie snickered, rounding the front of the jeep to reach the passenger's side. She swung open the door, casting a look in Kaiya's direction as she climbed inside next to the woman. "They're in Colorado following a Skinwalker. It'll probably be a few days before I see them again."

"You never know," Kaiya hummed. "Maybe they're turning into the angels on your shoulders."

Birdie let out a loud laugh, shaking her head. "More like the devils."

Kaiya giggled, starting up the jeep. She then let out a sigh, turning her head to Birdie again. "Do you really not believe in angels?"

"Why should I?" Birdie questioned, shrugging at the thought. "With everything that happens. . . if they really did exist, wouldn't they do something to help?"

Kaiya faintly nodded at Birdie's words. "You would think."

"Do you really believe in them?"

Kaiya leaned back in her seat, making sure there wasn't anyone around before she started to back out of the parking spot. "I like to believe that they're out there somewhere, helping in ways we just can't see yet," she softly answered, briefly looking aside at Birdie again. "I guess it just makes me feel better or something. . .but with everything that's out there, it's hard not to think there might still be things we don't even know about."

Birdie hummed at Kaiya's reponse, relaxing in her seat. The conversation ended there, a comfortable silence filling the space as Kaiya reached forward to turn on the radio. Birdie chuckled to herself when hearing Don't Stop Believin' by Journey come through the speakers. She shook her head and turned her gaze towards the window, resting her head against the headrest as her eyes watched the city begin to blur past as Kaiya descended onto the highway that'd take them straight back to her place.

Birdie twisted her lips in thought, starting to wonder about the possibility of angels being real.

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

Here's chapter ten y'all!! I'm so close to being done with prewriting the rest of act one (which means there's maybe 8ish more chapters left???) and then it'll be on to season four 🤩 I've got so much planned already (much of it thanks to latte-to-go for coming up with some/helping me flesh them out/listening to my rambles as i never shut about sam and birdie 😅)

BUT AYE, Y'ALL GOT TO SEE MORE OF BIRDIE AND KAIYA  🥺 I seriously love them so much and I can't wait for y'all to see what else I've got in store for them hehehehe 👀

Anyways, please don't forget to leave your feedback in the comments and I hope y'all enjoyed!