Alfie was about to distract Koda when he looked up too, wanting to know what the medium was staring at. The redness drained from Koda's face. He had seen the flowers only half an hour before, and they were fresh and vibrant in life and colour.

"The roses," he whispered, not moving because Alfie was sitting on top of him.

"Don't worry. I'm sure there's an explanation."

"Like what?" Koda, for the first time, looked scared. "Is this my fault?"

"The flowers? No, how could it be?"

Koda then sat up, but his arm stayed behind Alfie, so the medium sat on his lap instead of falling back. "They were dying at home; now they're dying here."

"That doesn't mean it was your fault." Alfie searched his eyes. "Should I phone Connor?"

They both turned to the wilted roses. The life had been sucked out of them at an unnatural rate, and Alfie wasn't going to admit it to Koda, but the darkness surrounded it like blood poisoning clear water.

"You should read the rest of my journal first."

A voice in the corner of the room surprised Alfie, so much that he jumped hard enough to make his brain jolt in his head. "Enya!" he breathed, hating that she could creep up on him. Koda eyed the corner of the room, but he saw nothing, as usual. "You know more than us. I think it's time you say something."

Enya stepped into the light of Alfie's room. The setting sun glowed against her washed out skin. "Read the journal."

Alfie shook his head and climbed off of Koda. They had just kissed, and he couldn't even freak out about how wonderful it felt to have Koda's mouth crushed against his own.

"You know what," Alfie said, feeling a little more frustrated than what he would like. He picked up the journal and threw it, watching it land with a heavy thud by Enya's feet. "You're really starting to annoy me. Just tell me what you found out. I don't want to read some crappy riddle stuff in your even worse handwriting. Koda thinks this is his fault. You know the answer to all of this so just tell us!"

Koda hadn't seen Alfie angry. He took a mental note never to get on his bad side.

"This journal documents the last month of my life before someone murdered me. You don't get to speak to me like it doesn't matter. Show some respect-"

"Respect?" Alfie shook his head. "I'm only helping you because I care about Koda. You were a horrible mother and probably a horrible wife. You don't deserve any of my attention." Alfie bit his tongue. Did he go too far?

Koda had shuffled to the end of the bed with crossed arms. His mouth smoothed into a thin line. Alfie glanced at him, almost wincing when he frowned.

"Mum," Koda sighed, agreeing with everything Alfie said, "just tell us the truth. Who murdered you, and what did you know that got you killed?" He suddenly looked exhausted.

Enya's started to pick at the ends of her long scraggly hair. Her brown eyes were getting darker by the second. "You're both in danger. They'll come for you, just like they came for me if you know too much. Call your other medium. I'm tired of being a voice in the dark."

Enya disappeared, and Alfie stopped clenching his fists. She drained his energy quicker than most ghosts. Her emotion was mostly pain, sadness, depression. Those ate Alfie's energy the quickest, and in greater quantities.

"She's gone," he said to Koda, rubbing his eyes. "I'm tired of this. Usually, I know what's happening because I can feel entity's and their bad energy. But this..." He stopped when two big hands rested on his shoulders. Alfie turned and was faced with Koda's chest. He craned his neck to meet his eyes. "I don't think I'm experienced enough."

"You don't have to help me. You've done enough already."

"I don't want to stop. You deserve to know the truth, just as much as Enya deserves to let go. She wasn't a very nice woman, but nobody deserves to be stuck in a world of regret, hovering close to this world because you can't let go of what's left behind. Her soul needs to move on, and I want to help with that."

Koda never had anyone who would go out of their way to make things right, even if it wasn't their problem to deal with. It was evident that Alfie cared for him, and Koda wasn't used to it. "Don't push yourself too hard. I want to help with this too, so don't take all the weight because you're the medium. I might not have your gift, but I know I can help."

Alfie wanted to fling his arms around Koda, drag his head down to his level and kiss him senseless. But this was an endearing moment. Turning it into a make-out session would be too much. "Okay. We'll work together, and we'll find the answers."

"Teamwork is a very helpful quality." Alfie and Koda both got a fright when a deep voice came from the doorway. Connor was leaning against the door frame, twiddling his cane in his hands. Alfie hadn't even heard the door open or felt his presence.

"Does nobody know how to knock?" groaned the medium.

"You have a lock on your door." Connor stood up straight with an arched brow. "Maybe you should use it next time."

Alfie pulled away from Koda and flopped onto the bed. "How did you know that we wanted you?" he asked as Connor slowly entered the room, tapping the carpet with his stick. "There's a chair to your right, oh and Enya's journal is just by your feet."

Connor bent to pick up the journal and found the chair. He folded his cane and stroked the leather on the book, just like Alfie. "Mister Dorinto had noticed the flowers. He came to me as soon as you ushered him away." His cloudy blue eyes were staring near the journal, and Koda wondered how much vision he had left.

"Why do I feel like everyone knows what's going on but us?" Alfie laid on his back and stared aimlessly at the ceiling. "Connor, I hate to say it, but I think you know more than us too."

"What makes you say that?" Connor asked.

"You always know everything when it comes to ghosts. I always go to you when I don't have the answer."

Connor opened the journal and traced his fingers along the pages, feeling the indented marks from the pen. He could smell roses like there was a fresh bunch in the room. "Mister Dorinto noticed the flowers wilting. How long had you both been in the room before Dorinto arrived?"

"About ten minutes," Koda said, having to take a seat because worrying was making him feel a little sick.

"Hmm, impressive." Connor didn't look worried, but he rarely showed emotion. Alfie could never tell what he was thinking. "That's fast."

"But what does it mean?" Alfie asked. "What's doing that to them?"

"Is it me?" Koda asked, and Connor stared in his direction.

"What makes you think that?" he asked, leaning forward on the chair.

"It can't be a coincidence that the flowers are dying when I'm around. Am I bad or something?"

Alfie wanted to curl up into a ball, or even better, curl up around his crush and never let him go. He wanted to tell Koda that he was the purest person Alfie had ever known. "It's not you, Koda. You're not bad, not even a little bit."

The worry in Koda's eyes dwindled when his mouth twitched towards a smile.

"Anyway." Connor stood up, feeling around for a shelf, or a surface to place Enya's journal down. "I visited to give you both peace of mind. The flowers are dead; there's nothing to be done now. There's not much you can do unless you know who sent those flowers to Koda's house. So relax, and get on with your lives. Grieve some more Koda, help your clients Alfie and focus on your art. Stressing about something that is currently out of your control is not healthy."

Alfie propped himself up onto his elbows, watching Connor while he spoke. "So, you expect us to ignore this? You know something. I know you do."

"You're very wise Alfie, and you know that if I don't tell you certain things, it's for a reason. Do you trust me?" Connor asked, reaching the doorway.

"Of course I do, but-"

"Goodnight, both of you. Get some sleep. You have college tomorrow." Connor shut the door behind him, and Alfie could hear him moving down the hall.

Koda let out a long and heavy sigh before lying back on the bed next to Alfie. "Why do I feel like things are only going to get weirder?"

Alfie shook his head with a snort. "If you stick with me, it definitely will."

Koda turned his head, and the same time Alfie did. "Is this really out of our control?"

"I guess so." Alfie turned on his side, resting a folded arm under his head. "I really do trust Connor, and if he says that there's nothing we can do right now, then I have to believe him."

Koda moved his hand until his fingertips touched Alfie's. "Okay then," he whispered, trying to calm his hurting heart. He felt troubled, and that wouldn't go away just because someone said it was fine. He didn't know Connor, not like Alfie did. "But I don't like this, any of it. I'm not afraid often, but the flowers..." Koda couldn't bring himself to look at them. "It feels strange."

"I know. I'm worried too." Alfie's hand buzzed from Koda's touch, as did his lips when he thought about their kiss. "We'll figure it out, safely." Enya got herself killed for knowing the information that they were trying to figure out, so Alfie wasn't sure if it was possible to be safe. It was apparent that the less they knew, the less danger they would be in, but not knowing was infuriating.

"I just want closure," Koda said quietly, glad that he wasn't alone in such a situation.

"You'll get it. So will your mother." Alfie smile with reassurance. He dared to move his hand and clutched Koda's palm, squeezing the warmth into his own.