Valentino

"You got to be kidding me," Nix groaned.

"Well, hello to you, too, Nixon," Aunt Liz said.

"How are you here? You're dead," I said.

"Yes, and I'm still dead. Dust to dust and all that jazz." Aunt Liz did jazz hands as we looked at her.

"But you're not even buried here. How the hell are you here?" Nix asked with his hands held out in front of him.

She put her hands on her waist. "Do you think I'm tethered to my grave? No."

"I'm so confused," Emilio said.

"This is our aunt Liz, who died years ago. She enjoys haunting our asses," Nix said with pursed lips and his arms folded across his chest.

"Only you, sweet cheeks," Liz said with a smirk.

Nix rolled his eyes.

"The afterlife is quite boring when you think about it." She walked to a headstone, sat on it, and crossed her legs. "So, I came with a message."

"What message?" I asked.

Aunt Liz rested her palms on the headstone and leaned forward. "Did you forget what I showed you when I visited you?"

"No."

"Do you remember when I offered to show you what happened behind those closed doors? What did you say to me?"

"I said I didn't want to see what happened?"

Aunt Liz clapped and pressed her finger to her nose. "Ding, ding, ding."

"What does that have to do with what's happening right now?" Nix asked.

"Everything. Nash didn't want to see the vial acts that happened to the family. Who do you think committed these heinous acts and destroyed those people's innocence?"

We looked at Aunt Liz but didn't say anything.

"I gave Nash a glimpse of what this thing could do. That's only the tip of the iceberg for it."

A chill ran down my back, not liking this revelation.

"How about a sneak preview?" She clapped her hands as light exploded around us.

The four of us stood in a hallway with closed doors. We exchanged glances before walking down the hallway. Emilio opened a door before slamming it shut and stepping back. Mags was next. She opened a door before yanking it closed and covering her mouth. Nix opened another one before jerking it close and closing his eyes to erase the visual.

I approached a door and stood before it as the others watched me. My heart thundered in my chest as shivers ran down my body before twisting the handle and opening the door. My breath caught in my throat as my shock gripped me. I turned, ran from the room, and slammed the door shut before dropping to my knees with my head down. I squeezed my eyes shut as the image gripped me harshly.

"Nash," Nix said, touching my back.

"I saw it," I whispered, shaking my head.

"Saw what?"

I lifted my gaze to Nix as my eyes pooled with tears. "What that monster did to our dads."

Nix looked at me with furrowed brows.

I lowered my head as the tears fell and swiped my nose with the back of my hand.

Nix looked past me, stood, and walked toward Aunt Liz. "Why did you show us those things? Do you some sick pleasure from it?"

Aunt Liz folded her arms across her chest as her expression hardened. "You needed the full picture of what that demon can do. Do you think it's playing games? No, it's not."

Mags kneeled beside me and held me as I tried to catch my breath.

"Then tell us how to defeat it!" Nix snapped.

"I can't," Aunt Liz said.

"Why the hell not?"

"It will change the course of events if I do."

"That's such bullshit!"

Aunt Liz stepped closer to Nix with her arms folded across her chest. "You're lucky I gave you insight since he doesn't allow anyone to interfere with his design. He set you on this course when he gave you a second chance at life. You, of all people, should understand without great sacrifice, there are no great rewards."

"God is faithfully yours."

Mags help me to my feet.

"He has faith in you. Have faith in him."

Before we could say anything, we found ourselves in the cemetery. I rubbed my face, trying to ease the tension. Emilio packed up his equipment and put it away. We headed to the house, letting everything sink in.

*******
Misty

Nash and Nixon said nothing on our way back to the houses. Emilio glanced at me with furrowed brows as I processed everything that happened. We returned to the guys' house as Nathan, Noah, and Nolan saw us enter. They shuffled toward us.

"What's wrong?" Nathan asked.

Nixon rubbed the back of his neck. "Everything."

"What do you mean?" Noah asked, knitting his brows.

"I can't hear this again. I'm going to my room," Nash said, heading upstairs.

"Maggie, what the hell happened?" Nolan asked me.

Emilio walked to the couch, set his bag on the floor, and fell back onto the couch.

"We had a visit at the cemetery. Your aunt Liz visited us and showed unspeakable things. Nash saw the worst out of us," I said.

"What did Nash see?" Nathan asked.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "He saw what that thing did to your dads."

"What?" Noah asked with furrowed brows.

I nodded and pulled my bottom lip in with my teeth. "Liz wanted to give us insight into what this thing can do." I pursed my lips before heading upstairs to check on Nash.

I knocked on his door before entering. Nash sat on the side of the bed with his head in his hands. I walked over and kneeled before him.

He lifted his head and looked at me with red-rimmed eyes. "I hate this thing. I fucking hate it, Mags. It went after innocent children. How could it do that?"

"Because it doesn't care. Nash, I saw what it did to our children."

"What?" He stared at me with his brows pulled inward.

I nodded. "Everything was brief but enough to break my heart." I slipped my hand into his and rubbed it. "We have a second chance to correct a wrong and destroy this thing once and for all. Our family deserves peace."

Nash nodded in agreement before pulling me to my feet and into his lap. I wrapped my arms around him while he rested his head on my chest. Tonight was an emotional upheaval for us, but we needed it to understand what everyone had warned us about this thing.

Tomorrow was another day.

*******
Preston

My cousins and Emilio sat in the living room with me while we digested everything. Aiden and Diego walked into the house and found us sitting quietly.

"What's wrong with everyone?" Diego asked.

"You might want to sit," Nathan said.

Aiden and Diego sat on the loveseat before I told them about our escapades this evening.

"What the...?" Diego asked.

"That's insane," Aiden said.

"No shit," Noah said.

"Why would she show you that?" Aiden asked.

"Aunt Liz wanted to give us insight into what this thing can do. I would rather not have insight," I said.

"How is Nash doing?" Diego asked.

"We won't know until he comes downstairs. He hasn't blown up anything, so that's a plus."

"Should we call our dads?" Nolan asked.

"And say what? Guess what? Aunt Liz's ghost visited us and showed us unspeakable things about the family. Uncle Rafe would be here in an hour and a half."

"Yeah, could we not call my dad? I don't need to explain this to him," Noah said.

"Well, we need to call someone. We'll piss off the family if we keep them in the dark," Nathan said.

I chewed on my bottom lip before making an executive decision about who to contact. I didn't call the person but sent them a text. I got an immediate response, knowing it was the best decision.

Now, we wait.

*******
Valentino

I sat in my room and clung to Mags as my life depended on it. I needed to hear her heartbeat to calm me. I don't even know how long we were sitting on my bed when the doorknob to my bedroom turned. We looked at the bedroom door as it opened, with my dad standing in the doorway.

Mags climbed off my lap and moved aside as my dad approached me and crouched before me.

"Tino," my dad said.

That's all it took as I broke. My dad nodded and pulled me to him. I gripped him and cried as he rubbed my back. Dad was right. He would come if I called him, except I didn't call him and heard arguing from downstairs. I pulled back and wiped my eyes before heading downstairs to find my uncles arguing with my cousins in the living room.

"Why are you here?" Nixon asked his dad. "I texted Uncle Val."

"Luckily, unlike you, my brother doesn't lie," Uncle Pat said.

"How could you call me?" Uncle Rafe asked Noah.

"And tell you what?" Noah asked.

"How about Dad? I need help. That's a start."

"At least you didn't call me from the clink," Uncle Romeo told Nathan.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "You have no faith in me."

"You said it, not me." Uncle Romeo shrugged.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Uncle Marty asked Nolan.

"Not at this time," Nolan said.

While my uncles and cousins argued, Aiden, Diego, and Emilio watched.

My dad put his thumb and middle finger between his lips and blew, getting everyone's attention. "We can argue about this tomorrow. It's late."

"Where are we sleeping?" Uncle Pat asked.

"The boys can camp out on the living room floor while we take their beds for the night."

My cousins groaned at the sleeping arrangements. We'll need to invest in air mattresses for the next surprise visit from our dads.