SUNNYVALE

(67) AMERICA'S NEWEST GHOST TOWN

Jesus, Christen thinks to herself, highly annoyed, even when they're dead all they can think of is this old and meaningless rivalry between East and West sides of Sunnyvale? Man, GET A LIFE - ouch, too soon?

But Crystal wasn't thinking inside of her head, but rather outside:

"Happy to see that becoming a ghost doesn't mean stop being a bitch" 

Christen gives her a bow in the elbow, but Crystal doesn't react.

Just as Alex and Alanna were going to jump at Crystal's throat, and that Christen had gotten her body in between them, a loud wingbeat can be heard - even several, if you'd listen closely enough. The ghosts immediately understand what is going on: Mapi and Ingrid appear girls, getting their bodies and wings in between the handful of ghosts, staring at them as if they were going to empale them with their very eyes. Danielle, on the other hand, only arrives a bit later, but she remains in the air, behind the ghosts.

Christen's heart does summersaults when her eyes meet with Mapi's, before the blonde with tattoos smiles at her. 

"The other day's lesson wasn't enough for you, was it?" Ingrid sassily asks, directly aiming at Alex, who has a shiver of fear inside her throat.

Obviously, the ghosts could only be touched by angels, and they would feel the pain the latter would cause her - which meant Alex felt her throat being torn by Ingrid when she saved Julie the other day.

Setting her jaw, Alanna jumps in:

"You are lucky we're just ghosts... for now" and, in a much somber voice - almost like if she was in a cult worshiping some god - she adds: "Our master will return soon."

"Yeah, maybe, but you won't touch a lock of our friends' hair" a voice strongly says behind them.

This causes everybody to look around, before realising other ghosts were there.

Lead by Becky, who seemed to have come back to her normal self again, the victims from the Westside were standing there, confident, with guns and rifle under their arms, quite amused by the situation. Christen immediately recognises Lindsey, Lynn, Megan and also Quinn, but she sees someone that would make her even more emotional: Allie Long, their childhood friend. Outnumbered and scared to death right now, the Eastside ghosts just take a few steps back, before realising Dani was right behind them. 

Smirking, Christen and Crystal drop a tear, nostalgic and emotional. 

"You are lucky, this time" Alex concedes, before she claps her fingers together and all the ghosts from the Eastside disappear at the same time. 

Christen then runs toward her former friends, unable to quite grasp them. But she knows the feeling is there, as she smiles through the tears.

Lindsey is the first of the ghosts to speak up:

"It is good seeing you somewhere other than in Hell"

"Yeah" Christen chuckles, emotional, "but how come you're here and in possession of your minds?"

Megan smirks. 

"Well, let's say someone brought us back on Earth during her return..." Becky explains, smirking. She then sees the confusion on both Christen and Crystal, and adds: "We're still ghosts, but at least we're stuck someplace we can call home."

The ghosts start taking steps aside, until a living being advances through the crowd, her eyes set only on one person.

Crystal loses it.

"Shelina!"

She runs toward the blonde, before literally jumping inside her arms, making both of them blush in the process, as neither is used to public display of feelings and emotions. As soon as she smells Shelina's odour, Crystal closes her eyes and runs her fingers through her long ponytail, before getting on her toes and staring right into her eyes.

As the grey-eyed smiles at her, she captures her lips within hers, kissing her with passion. 

Around them, their friends would just walk a little further, as Christen was catching up with her ghost friends - she learned everything about Kelley's plan, and now she had to warn the others: Kelley was going to come back on Earth and try and do only God knows what, so they might as well be ready.

But as for now, they collectively decided to leave Crystal and Shelina the space to find each other again, and the two girls were still kissing and hugging when they left. 

***

Turns out the ghosts couldn't leave the Black Forest for too long, as they would vanish and find themselves back inside of it, just like a curse. 

Tobin, while everybody was catching everyone else about their powers, would just stand on The Circle's balcony, nonchalantly smoking a cigarette, staring at the sunrise as they spent the whole night talking about whatever plan they could come up to try and counter Kelley's plans - but without any success so far. 

Setting her jaw, Tobin feels a presence - and especially a familiar perfume - and rolls her eyes.

"What do you want, Mewis?" she coldly asks, fed up with the start of her day already. She then decides to warn the blonde: "Look, I've had a shitty week, and I'm working in three hours, so-"

"We don't have to talk, tho" Kristie interrupts her, smirking. She then leans against the fence, staring at the empty street and the few lights in the apartments, before adding: "Nobody's ever checking on you, make sure you're not losing your mind, so... here I am."

"Well, I'll be damned!" Tobin dramatically lets out, amused, "an Eastsider caring about a nobody from the Westside: who would've thought?"

Kristie smirks, amused.

"You're not used to people caring, right?"

"Nope."

"Me either" the blonde then admits, smirking. As she caught Tobin's eye, she continues: "Sam was definitely our parents' favourite, and even like that he never paid us a visit, even if every other victim's ghosts showed up eventually. I've always been the bitchy one, the one causing trouble, and people would then categorise me as the mean bitch who only understands sass and insults, but I'm not like that... only."

Tobin laughs quietly.

"Turns out I quite agree with that" the brunette declares, before adding: "you've been great those past few months with Sam: I mean, you've lost your dad too, almost lost your sister, and somehow you managed to stay impassive, as if you did not care at all."

"Oh, but I care" Kristie says, nodding her head slowly, "it's just - if I break down in tears, I'll never stop crying."

Tobin nods, quite surprised by Kristie's thoughtful words.

"Well" she hesitantly says, regretting it already, "if you shut the fuck up, then you can stay here with me."

"Deal, pet peeve" Kristie jokes, as they both smirk.

They then spend two full hours in silence, keeping each other's company, before Kristie finally falls asleep on one of the outdoor coaches set up on the balcony. Tobin would then put a cover on her shivering body, cracking a smile: her morning just got ten times better.