Layla dashed out of the forest not looking back even once. She slipped into the house just as the sun slipped it's way behind the trees.

"Layla you okay!?" Stella asked. "You don't look to hot."

"I'm fine. I'm okay. I just saw..." Layla stammered.

"A ghost." Darcy filled in. "Yeah, Simon usually tries to find a playmate around this hour."

"Who is he? This Simone?" Layla asked.

"I have a more important question; are Musa Bloom okay?" Stella asked.

"Do you want to see them?" Darcy asked. "Stormy's been playing guard dog."

"Yeah, that would be great." They both answered.

"It was so weird." Bloom remarked. "One minute I was just me and the next. I. I really don't remember what happened when I wasn't...me."

"That's how it usually works." Stormy remarked.

"You were possessed by a ghost named Jyne." Flora informed her.

"Yeah, Stormy told me about it." Bloom replied. "She looked pretty creepy, but she didn't hurt me or anything."

"I didn't think she would. Jyne's been sort of looking out for us. Whether Icy likes it or not." Darcy gave a half smile.

"Lucky you." Musa mumbled, still half dazed. " I don't think some of these scars are ever going away."

"Ibinu...Icy seems to think he's the worst of them." Stormy informed them. "I'm pretty sure even she's afraid of him."

"She is." Darcy confirmed. "He goes after her the most."

"Has he ever made a vessel of her?" Musa asked.

"He did his best." Icy stepped into the room.

"You guys want to tell me who Ibinu is?" Bloom asked.

"You don't want to know." Icy answered. "And in his...its case the less you know, the safer you are."

"That doesn't sound right." Tecna gave her input. "Knowledge is everything."

"And ignorance is bliss." Icy added. "Don't involve yourself with Ibinu."

************************************************************
A less than pleased Icy lead Tecna and Layla back into town. "This little field trip..."

"Better not take too long. We know." Layla filled in.

"Great than speed up, I've seen slugs that move faster than you two." Icy murmured.

"Of course you have." Tecna retorted. "Honestly, if it's such a pain to come with us. Don't. I'm sure we can manage on our own."

"See ya." Icy waved and headed for the ice cream shop across the street.

"Later." Layla waved back.

"Who are they talking to?" Tecna heard a little girl ask.

"Keep walking dear. Salem has a strange lot." The girl's mother declared and pulled her child along.

Tecna pushed open the door to the census building.

"We're looking for files on the Blackthorn family." She requested.

"How long will you be looking at them? If you wish to check them out just leave your name and number on the clipboard." The archive master motioned.

"Thank you mister..."

"Ford." He bowed slightly.

"Thank you mister Ford." Tecna smiled. "That would probably be optimal" She added as she stared at a pretty pissed off looking Icy, standing across the street (the ice cream cone in her hand being the only thing keeping her from frosting the whole town over).

"Very well. I shall retrieve them for you." Mr. Ford nodded.

"Good news Icy, we checked the files out. We can just head right home." Layla remarked upon exiting the building.

"Of course you did. I didn't even have time to finish my ice cream." Icy frowned.

"Always something to complain about." Tecna shrugged. "Come on. We're this much closer to finding out who these spirits are."

"Ignorance is bliss." Icy repeated herself.

************************************************************
With only a lamp to light the room, Tecna began looking over the files. She cast the files on Francis and Vernilla, for the time being she didn't need them. No, her focus was on the children. And she had a pretty good idea that one of them went by the name Jyne.

"Found it." She whispered to herself, pulling the article on the Blackthorn children from the file folder.

Tecna reached into her bag and tugged out the notebook.

Jyne Blackthorn

The eldest child of Francis and Vernilla.
Date of Birth: September 7th 1674
Age of Death: 18
Date of Death: December 18th 1692
Manner of Death: House fire--execution

Simone Blackthorn

The youngest child of Francis and Vernilla.
Date of Birth: April 20th 1682
Age of Death: 10
Date of Death: December 18th 1692
Manner of Death: House fire--execution

"Knew it." Tecna laughed to herself. If this was the case getting them to leave would be easy. They certainly didn't seem like bad people...spirits. All she needed to do was find out more on Ibinu. But that would come after she turned the page and learned the names of the other Blackthorn children. Smiling victoriously to herself Tecna flipped the page.

She blinked thrice and let the sheet fall to the floor.

"Hey Tecna, 'sup?" Musa greeted.

"She's doing much better. In case you couldn't tell." Darcy pointed out.

"Yeah." Tecna nodded. "That's good." She took a seat.

"What's up Tec? You seem...bothered." Musa observed.

"Nothing. It's nothing. I'm just hungry." Tecna dismissed.

Tecna didn't realize just how crappy that lie was until the food was placed before her and she found that her appetite was rather void at the moment. But in order to keep suspicion to a minimum she manged to scarf at least some of it down.

"Where's Icy at?" Tecna asked.

"Don't know. She hasn't come down yet. Hasn't talked to us since she got back." Darcy answered and the silence fell heavy once again.

" Well, I'm going upstairs." Stormy cut into the silence and dismissed herself. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm not as nocturnal as Darcy."

"I'm not even." Darcy pouted. "I simply have trouble sleeping."

"So do I. That's why I go to bed early...ya know, so I can at least try." Stormy taunted.

"Yeah whatever." Darcy got up to follow.

When the two disappeared to the upper floor Bloom spoke. "What's really wrong?"

Tecna bit her lip and looked down at the file folder. "I. I found something...Just look." She gave the files a shove across the table.

Bloom flipped it open to the marked page. "But that can't be."

"Find out anything useful?" Icy asked leaning against the wall--perfectly blocking the entrance to the hallway.

Tecna held up the file.

Icy smirked. "Don't You Know Nos Iam Mortui."

"Pardon?" Tecna's voice dropped to a shaky whisper.

Icy watched the file slide from Tecna's hand to the floor. "Don't you know we're already dead."