"Bite me," Shelly said shoving past him.

"What's with her," Matt asked Shannon. "She on the rag or something?"

"We had a fight," Shannon said entering the house. "She wanted to spend a night alone, but I told her about you and Jeff having an open house."

"She usually enjoys coming to our parties," Matt said as they walked into the living room.

"She's been moody the last couple of days," Shannon said with a sigh. "I don't know what's up. I was hoping this party might cheer her up."

"What's with you," Daria asked Shelly as she sat down between her and Kim.

"Nothing," Shelly replied. "Where are Shane and Ashley?"

"Getting refreshments," Kim replied with a smile. "They went into the kitchen about a half hour ago."

"I wouldn't talk if I were you," Shelly teased Kim and motioned toward Jeff with a laugh.

The phone rang and Jeff grabbed it before Matt could get to it. "Jeffrey," Gilbert Hardy's gruff voice called into the phone. "Son, I won't be home tonight."

"What's up dad," Jeff said sitting down on the arm of the couch and motioning for everyone to be quiet.

"There's a winter storm advisory in effect for most of North Carolina. According to the news here all flights in and out of the state are grounded. I'm stuck here at Aunt Bertha's until the storm blows over. Has it begun to snow there yet?"

Jeff stood and walked over to the window. "Holy crap," he said looking at the softball sized snowflakes falling. "Yeah. It is snowing here dad."

"There are extra blankets and pillows in the linen closet upstairs and tell your friends that they can sleep in my bed on the condition that they make it in the morning and there's no hanky panky going on during the night."

"I'll let them know," Jeff said chuckling. His father always could tell when they had snuck company over.

"I'll see you in a day or so," Gilbert said. "I love you son. Tell Matt I love him too."

"We love you too dad," Jeff said and hung up the phone. "That was dad," he said to Matt.

"Yeah," Matt replied. "What'd he say?"

"He loves us and all flights in and out of North Carolina are grounded. There's a winter storm advisory in effect."

"Sweet," Shane said as he and Ashley joined the group in the living room. "Open house all night long!"

"Yeah," Jeff said smiling. "Dad said that someone can sleep in his bed tonight, but no screwing around and you have to make it in the morning."

"We'll take it," Shannon said smiling and winking at Shelly, who looked away from him in disgust.

"All righty then," Matt said. "What should we do first? Movies or...."

"Snowball fight," everyone said in unison as they grabbed their jackets and gloves. Matt followed them out only to follow them right back in.

"Shit," Jeff yelled. "It's fucking freezing out there!"

"It usually is when snow's involved doofus," Shelly said.

"Did you feel that wind? It nearly blew me off the porch," Daria said shivering.

"We got problems," Shane said, remote in hand. "The cable's out."

"All right," Matt said taking off his jacket. "Jeff, let's raid the game closet." Jeff nodded and followed Matt upstairs. The others took off their jackets and sat down, waiting for the brothers to come back.

"Let's see," Jeff said turning on the light in the closet. "We have checkers, Life, Monopoly, Scruples, Taboo....um...Oh my God! Chutes and Ladders!"

"Jeff," Matt said shaking his head. "We're not 3 anymore. Put it back." He joined Jeff in the closet and scanned the boxes. "Trivial Pursuit, Cranium, bingo, Scattergories, Pictionary...." His hand came to rest on a box he'd never seen before. "Hey," he said tapping Jeff on the shoulder and pulling out the box. "Did you buy this?"

Jeff turned look at what his brother was showing him and shook his head. "No," he replied. "Dad must have found it at a junk sale or something." He fingered the raised lettering on the box.

"Spirit Board," Matt read. The box was black with white swirls, stars and moons on it. "Contact the Other Side."

"Sounds like fun," Jeff said smiling. "Grab a couple of other games and we'll head back downstairs." Matt nodded and grabbed three more games before shutting off the light and heading back down the stairs.

"Listen to that wind," Jeff said as he and Matt carried the games down.

"All right kiddies," Jeff said as he entered the living room. "Let the gaming begin."

"What'd ya find, babe," Kim asked.

"I present to you," he said holding up the box for them to see. "Spirit Board. Prepare to contact the other side, ladies and gentlemen."

"Cool," Shane, Daria, Ashley, Shannon and Kim all said.

"I don't know," Shelly said.

"Oh come on," Jeff said smiling as he placed the box down on the coffee table. "Are you scared?"

"No," Shelly replied. "I just have a bad feeling about this."

"What's the worst that could happen," Matt asked taking a seat next to Daria on the floor near the coffee table. "We actually contact the dead?"

"All right," Shelly said joining Shannon and the others who were all sitting around the coffee table. "But I don't like the idea of this."

Jeff sat the box down and opened it to reveal a board that was made to look like an open roll of parchment. The alphabet, numbers and yes and no were written in fancy lettering, like old fashioned quill written letters. A slip of paper fell from the back of the board and he picked it up. "Ah," he said eying the hand written sheet of paper. "It's the directions." Just as he was about to read them to the group a huge gust of wind blew by the house and the lights went out.

"Shit," Matt grumbled. "The storm must have knocked out the electricity."

Some shuffling was heard and then a flashlight illuminated the room. "I think we have candles in the kitchen," Jeff said. "Matt, you go grab the candle holders from the dining room and from dad's room." Matt nodded and soon there were candles of all sizes around to light the room.

"As Jeff was about to say," Shane said having picked up the directions for the game. "It says to remove the board from the box, done. Remove the oracle." He reached in and pulled out a silver star shape with a plastic window in it. "Dude. This is like hand carved. It's not plastic like most games." He passed the oracle around. "It is reccommended that no more than two people touch the oracle at a time when contacting the spirits and one person should be keeping track of letters being spelled out." He looked around at the others and smiled. "Who's going first?"

"I will," Jeff said smiling wickedly. "Come on Shell. Let's do it together."

"In your dreams Hardy," Shelly replied and they all laughed. It was an ongoing game that they all played. "I don't even want to think about touching that thing," she said. "It gives me the willies."

"Come on," Jeff said. "What are you afraid of?"

"I don't know," she replied. "It just doesn't feel right."

"I'll do it with you," Kim said trying to avoid Jeff teasing Shelly even more. "Come on Jeffy. Let's see if this thing really works." Jeff smiled at his girlfriend and placed his fingers on the oracle, as did Kim.

"Wait," Shane said. "Who's going to take notes?"

"I'll do it," Daria said grabbing a pen and notepad that sat next to the phone on the end table.

"Are there any spirits present," Jeff asked. Everyone's eyes were glued to the board, but the oracle did not move.

"I don't think anyone's home," Shane said. Everyone laughed at his little joke.

"Come on guys," Jeff said. "Focus." He cleared his throat and said in his most theatrical voice, "Oh wise spirits of beyond, please speak to us!" Everyone began to chuckle.

"Now you're just outright mocking them," Shelly said. "You can't expect them to speak to you when you have an attitude like that."

"You think you can do better," Jeff asked. "Be my guest."

"Fine," Shelly sighed. "Come on Shan." Jeff and Kim handed the board and oracle over to Shelly and Shannon and they took their places on either side of it. Shelly took a deep breath to steady her nerves and said, "If there are any spirits present please let us know now."

Once again everyone's eyes were glued to the board and as they stared at the silver oracle it began to move.

"H-E-L-L-O," everyone said in unison.

"We've made contact," Ashley said smiling.

"What do you want to ask the spirit," Shelly said to her friends.

Everyone began to chatter at once about what to ask it, but finally Daria said, "Ask the spirit it's name."

Before Shelly could utter the question the oracle began to move once again. She looked up at Shannon who returned her wide eyed gaze. "You're not moving it," he asked. She shook her head in response. Meanwhile Daria was busily jotting down the letters that the oracle was pointing out.

"It spelled out Morgana Hawthorne," she said once the oracle had stopped moving.

"How did you die," Kim asked.

Once again the oracle began to move. Daria hurriedly jotted down the letters. "Murdered," Daria said once the oracle had stopped.

"Ooh," Matt said. "This is so cool! How were you murdered?" The oracle did not move.

"Maybe she doesn't want to talk about it," Shelly said. "Or maybe she doesn't like the way you asked the question."

At that very moment the oracle began to move again. Daria jotted down the letters and stared at them in disbelief. "What is it," Matt asked seeing her face.

"It says you should know," she replied.

"How could we know," Ashley asked.

"Hang on a second," Shannon said. "Morgana Hawthorne. The name is familiar."

"Of course it is," Shelly said. "Morgana, may we contact you later?" The oracle moved to yes and then good bye. Shelly got up and began to walk out of the room and into Gilbert Hardy's office.

"Where are you going," Jeff called as they all followed her.

"Morgana Hawthorne," Shelly said. "She's in one of these books." She ran her hand over the spines of some history books. "Here it is," she said and began to thumb through the pages until she came to the passage she was looking for. "Morgana Hawthorne was a wealthy single woman, who came to North Carolina in the early 1800s."

"Holy shit we contacted the spirit of an actual historical figure," Shannon asked.

"A historical figure who was murdered for being a witch," Shelly said. "She was familiar to Shan because I was reading a book about her one day when he came over." They all stared at her wide eyed.

"She was single, beautiful and intelligent," she continued to explain. "She was a threat to many of the married women because she turned heads wherever she went and of course a well to do woman on her own was not well accepted in those days. Rumors began to spread about how she had obtained her fortune. Some said she had bewitched a powerful man in Europe and when he died by her hand he left her everything. Others claimed she stole it from various sources in Europe." She closed the book and put it back on the shelf.

"The truth of the matter was that her father had left her most of the money when he died and her fiancee, who died in war, left her the rest. She had decided to come to America in search of a new life away from the pain of all of her losses."

"How do you know all of this," Ashley asked.

"The last time we had an open house I couldn't sleep so I came down here to read. I picked up a book and found the passage about Morgana. After that I went to the library to check out some books and searched the net for more information on her. I guess you could say that she's a hobby of mine."

"So, how was she murdered," Kim asked.

"She was hated by almost all of the women in her community. They were all convinced that their husbands had been bewitched by her and that they were all sleeping with her. The truth of the matter was that she fell in love with one of her servants and was having a torrid love affair with him. One night they were found in a field, naked. The servant was hung because the townspeople believed he had been possessed, for no sane man would sleep with a witch."

"Morganna was filled with grief and went into mourning for her beloved. She soon learned that she was pregnant and the townspeople were not kind to her. After all, she was a witch having a baby out of wedlock. It was decided that once the baby was born, Morgana would be hung and the baby would be raised in a good Christian home."

"But why wouldn't they just hang her before the baby was born," Matt asked. "If it was such a sin then why not kill the baby as well?"

"Because they considered the baby an innocent life. They didn't want to punish it for the sins of the parents," Shelly said. "So the day came that Morgana gave birth and she was dragged out of her home and hung in front of everyone. Her death was slow and painful."

"I thought you said that she was hung," Daria said. "How could a hanging be slow and painful?"

"She hung there writhing in pain as the noose slowly tightened and she suffocated to death. Her neck should have snapped and put her out of her misery, but it didn't," Shelly replied. "Some books say that before she died she vowed to come back and kill all who were responsible for her death. She wanted the people of the town to suffer the way she had."

"So what happened to the baby," Ashley asked.

"No one knows," Shelly replied shrugging. "There's nothing else on the baby in any book. It doesn't even say if it was a boy or a girl."

"Shan, dude, you're girlfriend is really creepy," Jeff said and walked out of his father's office. He began to put away the board and oracle.

"What are you doing," Shelly asked stopping him.

"Putting this away," he replied. "I think it's time to play some normal games now."

"No way," Shelly said. "You were the one that was so gung ho about playing with this. We've made contact with a spirit that I want to talk to and we're going to try to contact her again."

"Are you sure that's a good idea," Matt asked.

"Yeah," Ashley and Shane agreed.

"If what you told us is true," Kim said. "Well, what if she wants revenge and tries to kill us?"

"How can she kill us," Shannon said. "She's a spirit."

"Shannon's right," Shelly said. "She doesn't have corporeal form. She can't kill if she doesn't have a body. Come on. You're not afraid of a ghost are you," she said smiling wickedly.

Shelly sat down at the coffee table and set the Spirit Board up again. "Who's going to do this with me," she asked.

"I will," said Jeff. "If this shit is for real, I want to see for myself."

"All right," Shelly said. "No mocking anything that comes through." He nodded and knelt down opposite her.

They placed their fingers on the oracle and it began to move immediately. Jeff looked at Shelly, who returned his wide eyed stare. "What the fuck is going on," he asked.

"I don't know," Shelly said as the oracle came to a stop.

"It spelled out welcome back," Daria said.

"Morgana," Shelly asked. "Is that you?" The oracle moved to yes. "Have you been waiting for us?" Again the oracle moved to yes.

Before anyone could ask a question the oracle began to move quickly across the letters. Daria quickly jotted the letters down and stared at her pad with shock.

"What is it," Jeff asked seeing her face.

"It says, thank you for telling my tale, but you were mistaken about one important detail. My child lived and died here. There is a record of her."

"It was a girl," Shelly said smiling. "But I searched all the records for her and found nothing." Again the oracle began to move furiously.

"You didn't look properly," Daria said when the oracle stopped. "You were looking for baby Hawthorne, but they never allowed her to keep my surname."

"How terrible," Shelly said.

"What is her name," Jeff asked.

"Tara Elizabeth Yates," Daria read once the oracle had gone to it's resting spot. Everyone stared at Shelly in shock.

"Yates," Jeff said. "Fuck! You're moving the fucking thing!"

"No, I'm not," Shelly said.

"Why the fuck would Morgana Hawthorne's daughter be buried under Yates? That's your family name," Jeff said and pushed away from the oracle and the coffee table.

"I don't know," Shelly said and looked around at all of her friends. "You don't believe me."

"It's just too coincidental," Kim said.

"Fine. You and Ashley do it and see what happens," Shelly said. "I'm not moving it. I swear."

"Fine," Ashley said with a sigh. "We'll humor you." She and Kim took their places and Ashley said, "What is the name of the spirit we're talking to?"

"Morgana Hawthorne," Daria said when she had finished taking notes.

"How did you die," Kim asked.

"Murder," Daria said once the oracle had stopped moving.

Before anyone could ask another question the oracle began to move again. It moved quickly from letter to letter and Daria could barely keep up with it. When it was done the oracle came to rest in the center of the board again. Everyone looked at Daria expectantly.

She took a deep breath and read the message. "This really is pointless to ask the same questions all over again. Tara Elizabeth Yates is buried in the Yates family plot. If you don't believe me go see for yourselves."

"There's a fucking blizzard out there and she wants us to go to some cemetary," Jeff fumed.

"I'm game," Matt said.

"Me too," Shelly agreed.

"Well, if you're going then so am I," Shannon said.

"Me too," Kim, Ashley and Shane said.

Everyone looked at Jeff and Daria. "All right," Daria said with a sigh.

Matt smiled and kissed her forehead. "You can wear one of my jackets over yours," he whispered in her ear. She smiled and kissed his cheek. "That just leaves you baby brother," Matt said.

"Fine," he replied pouting. "But I still think this is a load of shit. You're all in on it."

They all bundled up and made their way to the cars. Matt, Daria, Shannon and Shelly piled into Matt's car. Jeff, Kim, Ashley and Shane piled into Jeff's car. Soon they were on their way to the cemetary to see if what the spirit board had said was true.

"Where the hell is this family plot of yours," Jeff grumbled.

"I don't know," Shelly replied as they walked along the headstones. "I've only been here once before and that was when I was six and my grandma had died. I was a little too distraught to memorize the freaking geography."

"Hang on," Shannon said. "I think I see it." They all followed him to a section of the cemetary that was marked by a giant marble cross. Though the snow made it hard to see they could still make out the engraved name of Yates.

"This is it," Shane said. "Now where would the grave be?"

"Toward the back," Shelly said. "The older graves are in the back." They followed her until she stopped by a row marked with deaths in the 1800s. "My God," she said and stopped. "She was right. Tara Elizabeth Yates"

"I don't believe this," Jeff said. "You had to have known this ahead of time."

"How do you explain the oracle moving when no one had asked anything," Daria said.

"Maybe she's a witch," Jeff said with a smirk.

"That isn't funny," Kim said and went to stand next to Shelly.

"She died young," Shelly said. "She was only twenty-five."

Ashley wandered among the headstones and stopped in front of Shelly's grandmother's grave. "Hey," she called. "Tara died the year your grandmother was born."

Shelly nodded. "My great grandmother died in childbirth. I remember mom telling me how hard it was for grandma growing up with no parents."

"What about your grandfather," Kim asked.

Shelly turned to face her friends. "He died in a freak accident with a bull," she said. My great grandmother was six weeks along when he died. They never married."

"Like mother like daughter," Jeff muttered. Shelly ignored his comment and walked back to the cars. "This doesn't prove anything you know," he called after her.

The gang made it back to the house and all groaned a collective sigh of relief to be back in the safety and warmth of the house. Shelly had been quiet the whole drive back to the house, despite Shannon's various attempts to engage her in conversation. She slipped off her coat and went up to the bedroom they'd be sharing that night. Shannon followed her silently.

"I need to be alone for a while, Shan," she said sitting on the bed and pulling her knees up to her chest.

"You've been so quiet since we left the cemetary," he said. "I'm worried about you."

"You should be more worried about yourself," she muttered.

"What do you mean," he asked sitting down next to her.

"Guess it runs in the family," she said as tears filled her eyes.

"Honey," he said pulling her into his arms. "What are you rambling about?"

"Poor Tara," she said. "Growing up and never knowing who her mother and father truly were."

"I know," he said rubbing her back as he held her.

Shelly ground the tears out of her eyes and sniffled. "Let's go back downstairs before they wonder what we're up to," she said forcing a smile. He took her hand and they walked down the stairs in time to see Jeff chuck the spirit board and oracle into the fire that he had started in the fireplace. "What are you doing," she yelled.

"What I should have done the first time we used the damned thing," he replied. "You think that just because you happened to find that grave that it proves that you're related to Morgana Hawthorne? You're insane."

"And you're an asshole," she said.

"Stop it! The both of you are acting like children," Matt yelled. "Jeff, what is wrong with you? You were the one that was all gung ho about playing with the spirit board in the first place and now you're using it as fire wood. What gives bro?"

"I was perfectly happy to fiddle around with it, but she took it too far," Jeff said pointing to Shelly.

"All right quit it," Shannon said, noticing that Shelly was shaking with fury. "No more pointing fingers and placing blame. Why don't we all have some dinner and then get to bed?"

"I'm not hungry," Shelly said softly. "I'm going to bed." She gave one last glare at Jeff and went back up the stairs.

"Just let her go, Shan," Daria said seeing that he was about to follow Shelly. "She needs to be alone right now."

"You're right," he said with a sigh. "There's no way I'm going to face her anger twice in one night."

Shelly entered the bedroom she would be sharing with Shannon that night and sat down on the edge of the bed. She had too much on her mind when she and Shannon had arrived and the events of the last few hours were just too much to digest at the moment. She laid back on the bed and closed her eyes, within moments she was asleep. She was awakened several moments later by the phone ringing. Rolling over and slinging an arm over her eyes she groaned loudly as the phone continued to ring. When it did not stop she sat up and glared at the offending object.

"What am I the fucking secretary here?! Doesn't anyone hear the phone ringing?" No answer came from downstairs. With a loud sigh she picked up the reciever. "Hello?"

She could hear the faint sound of a voice, like it was far away. "Shelly," she just about made out before it got louder. "Help me!"

"Who is this," Shelly asked, alarmed by the unfamiliar voice calling for help. "Who is this?"

"Help me!"

"You have to tell me who you are so I can help," Shelly replied.

"Is Shelly talking to someone," Daria asked hearing her friend's voice from upstairs.

"Maybe she called her mom or something," Shannon said.

"Don't think so," Jeff replied. "Phones were knocked out by the storm about the same time that the electricity was. I'm telling ya she's snapped dude."

"Shut up," Shannon said and ran upstairs to see who Shelly was talking to.

"Who is this," Shelly said louder. The voice on the phone had not been cooperating and she was getting frustrated. "Who is this?!"

"Morgana," the voice said faintly. "Morgana Hawthorne. I need your help...."

"Who are you talking to," Shannon asked seeing his girlfriend with the phone reciever in her hand.

"Didn't you hear the phone ring," she asked placing the reciever back in it's cradle.

"Babe," he said sitting down next to her. "The phone can't ring. The lines have been knocked out by the storm."

"That can't be..." She gazed at the phone puzzled. "But...it woke me up. I heard it ringing. I don't understand." She ran a hand through her hair and stared at him, her eyes wide and frightened. "I heard it ringing."

"All right," Shannon said pulling her into his arms. "Why don't you come downstairs and have something to eat with us. You've had a pretty crazy evening."

She nodded and forced a smile, debating whether to tell him who had been on the phone. She decided against it and allowed Shannon to pull her to her feet and lead her down the stairs. She wondered if she just might be losing her mind.

Shelly followed Shannon down into the living room and sat down the couch next to Ashely and Shane. "Cereal," Shane asked smiling as he held out a bowl to her. She shook her head no and sighed.

"What's the matter," Ashley asked.

"Nothing," Shelly lied.

"Who were you talking to," Jeff asked with a smirk. "Your dead great-grandmother?"

"Shut up, Jeff," Shelly said. "Just shut up."

"What is your problem," Shannon asked as he glared at Jeff.

"I'm not the one with the problem," Jeff said. "Your girlfriend is the one who was talking to herself upstairs. Isn't that a sign of insanity?"

"I'm warning you man," Shannon said through clenched teeth.

"It's not worth it, Shan," Shelly said standing up. "He's not worth it." She pushed past Jeff and made her way into the kitchen. She stopped at the sink, feeling the bile rising in her throat. She ran the cold water and splashed it on her face. It was then that she heard the voice.

"Do not listen to him little one."

She turned around and was greeted by the sight of a woman in a white flowing gown. Her long brown hair blew in a breeze and she seemed to glow in the darkened kitchen. "Who...who are you," Shelly stammered.

The woman smiled kindly. "You know who I am," she replied. "You must tell Shannon. He deserves to know why you've been ill."

"This is not happening," Shelly said turning away from the woman. "You're not real. I am losing my mind like Jeff said I was."

"Shell," Kim called as she entered the kitchen. She found her friend muttering to herself by the sink. "Shell are you all right?"

"I think I'm losing my mind," she whimpered.

"What happened," Kim asked going to her friend's side and guiding her to a kitchen chair.

"When I was upstairs I heard the phone ring and when I picked up there was a voice on the other end," Shelly said through a choked sob. "Just before you came in....I saw her."

"Saw who," Kim replied, fearing for her friend's mental health.

"Morgana Hawthorne," Shelly replied. "She was so much more beautiful than the books had described. She was almost...angelic."

"All right," Kim said. "Why don't we get you upstairs into bed. You haven't been feeling well lately. Maybe Shannon should have stayed home with you."

"I'm not sick," Shelly said sniffling. Kim looked at her waiting for her to continue, but she didn't. "Nevermind. Tell Shan to come to bed when he's ready." Before Kim could ask her what she meant she was making her way up the stairs to the second floor.

"What's with you," Jeff asked, seeing the confused expression on his girlfriend's face when she returned from the kitchen.

"I'm seriously starting to worry about Shell," she said taking a seat on the arm of the easy chair Jeff sat in.

"What happened," Shannon asked feeling his stomach tighten.

"She said she saw Morgana Hawthorne," Kim said. "She saw her in the kitchen."

"Oh for Christ's sake! Shannon, you brough that wack job here," Jeff grumbled. "Now she's probably going to chop us all up into little pieces and....

"That's enough Jeff," Matt said glaring at his little brother. "You know that she's been sick for the past week or so. Maybe she should have stayed home and rested. The storm and the power and phones being down is just too much for her."

"She said she wasn't sick," Kim replied. "But I don't know what that means."

Shelly had decided to take a hot bath to clear her mind and help her relax. Seeing and speaking to Morgana Hawthorne had shaken her up and her nerves felt like a jumble of live wire. She slipped into the hot water and at once felt her knotted muscles unwinding. She let out a soft sigh at the sensation and wet a washcloth before placing it over her eyes.

The sound of the bathroom door closing startled her and she sat up, the washcloth falling from her eyes. Shannon stood before her, a look of concern on his face. "You scared me," she said relaxing.

"What's going on with you," he asked her.

"I don't know," she replied honestly.

"You've been so moody lately," he said kneeling down next to the tub and taking the washcloth from her. He soaped it up and began to wash the back of her neck and shoulders. "You've been so tense lately. I don't understand what's going on with you. We hardly talk anymore and when we do we usually argue." He rinsed the washcloth out and washed away the soap he had just applied. "What's going on, Shell? Talk to me."

She turned to face him, staring up into his eyes, and took his hands in hers. It was in that moment that she knew what Morgana had said to her in the kitchen was true. He did deserve to know what was going on with her. "Hand me that towel and let's go into the bedroom to talk."

Shannon followed Shelly out of the bathroom and sat down on the foot of the bed. He waited silently for her to speak.

"What I'm going to tell you isn't easy for me, especially with all of this going on now," she began. She took a seat next to him and took a deep breath. "This past Monday I realized that I was late." He looked at her completely confused. "I've never been late before, my body runs like clockwork every month." Realization dawned on Shannon, but he did not speak. "Tuesday I went to the clinic, if mom found out she'd flip out. The doctor there told me what I'd been dreading."

"But how," Shannon finally said. "We're always so careful."

"Not always," Shelly replied. "Remember Matt and Jeff's Halloween party? We got pretty wasted." Shannon hung his head, remembering that night through hazy, drunken eyes.

"Are you going to keep it," he asked softly knowing that it was her decision to make.

"I don't know yet," she replied. "If I keep it...I have to tell mom and I'm not sure I can tell her this right now. She'll be so disappointed in me."

"As usual," Shannon muttered. She glared at him. "It's no secret that your mom hates me."

"She doesn't hate you," Shelly said getting up and pulling on her clothes. "She just expects..."

"Too much of you," he finished for her. "She's always put too much pressure on you. She always wants you to be so perfect, to uphold the name of Yates."

"Maybe that's because she knows about our ancestors, what they've done in the past," Shelly replied. "Maybe she knows from experience, what it's like to be a single, teenage mom."

"You told me that your father died when you were two," he said.

"He did," she replied. "I just didn't tell you two what." He looked at her, completely confused as to what she was trying to tell him. "My father and mother were high school sweethearts, like you and I. Mom got pregnant and within two months my father was killed in a hit and run accident. The driver was drunk."

"Not drunk." They both heard the voice this time and spun around to see the woman Shelly had seen in the kitchen.

"Shell," Shannon said reaching out and taking her hand. "What am I looking at here?"

"I think...it's Morgana Hawthorne's ghost," she replied.

Shannon stood up and began to pace the room, glancing over his shoulder at the shimmering apparition of Morgana. "This is not happening," he murmured over and over again.

"Do not be afraid," she said to him in a soothing voice. "Do not let the attitude of your friend downstairs affect you. He does not know everything about the Other Side." She gazed down lovingly at Shelly and smiled. "I know that you will keep the little angel that grows inside of you. She will be the light of your life, as my little angel was the light of mine."

"But you died before you could raise her," Shelly replied.

"Death can not break the bond of mother and child," she replied with a smile, but it soon faded. "You are my descendant, you know it in your heart and as a descendant you are bound to the curse."

"What curse," Shelly asked, but Morgana had disappeared. She exchanged looks with Shannon, who was wondering about the curse as well.

"What the hell was she just talking about," Shannon asked, still stunned by the ghostly visit.

"I don't know," Shelly replied. "I don't understand it."

"She's your relative," Shannon said. "Holy shit! I mean I always knew that your family went way back, but I never expected this!"

"It's not like I wanted this to happen," she said and stood, leaving the room.

"Where are you going," Shannon called,

"Hey! Keep it down! We're trying to sleep in here," Jeff called, his voice groggy.

"Shell," Shannon called, softening his voice. He followed her down to Gilbert Hardy's office, where she lit a couple of candles and sat down at the desk. Morgana had now appeared to someone other than herself and she now knew that she was not losing her mind. She had seen a ghost.

"Shell," Shannon said entering the office. Before he could say more there was a scream from upstairs. They glanced at each other and got halfway up the stairs when Kim stumbled down. Her face was pale and her eyes wide as saucers. "What happened," Shannon asked Jeff, who was just as pale and wide eyed as his girlfriend.

"S-sh-she was in our room," Kim replied.

"Who," Shannon asked, but Shelly already knew who.

"Morgana," Shelly said and sat down on the steps. "She's showing herself to the others now. She wants to prove that I'm sane."

"What," Shannon asked and shook his head. "How do you know this?"

"I don't," Shelly replied and looked up at him. "I can feel it. Just like I can feel that something terrible is going to happen before this night is over."

Jeff, who had finally regained his color, said, "But this doesn't make any sense. How is she here when she was killed hundreds of years ago?"

"She came to visit a relative," Shelly said and stood. "There has to be something else we missed in one of the books." She went back into the office while Shannon helped Jeff get Kim back to bed. He then went to check on Shane, Ashley, Matt and Daria.

Once in the library Shelly perused the shelves of books, looking for anything she could find on Morgana Hawthorne or a Yates family curse. When she found nothing she plopped down in to the chair behind the desk and rested her head on the desk. She had her head down for no more than a minute when she felt a book drop onto the desk in front of her. Raising her head she saw it was book that appeared to be hand bound. The laces holding it together were frayed and as she opened the cover she could see that the writing was fading. Gazing around the office, she wondered where it had fallen from.

With a shrug she opened it up to first page and read silently. "Oh my God," she murmured. "This is Morgana's journal."

"Where'd you find that," Shannon asked entering the room the others following him. She quirked a brow at them all and Shannon replied, "They couldn't sleep after Jeff and Kim's close encounter." Kim shuddered involuntarily and Jeff's arms wrapped around her.

"I don't know," she replied. "It just...fell in front of me."

"And you say it's Morgana's journal," he asked.

"How do you know it's her journal," Jeff asked, though the skepticism was now gone from his voice.

"Because she wrote her name on the first page," she replied holding up the page so that they could all see by the candlelight.

"Why would her journal be here at our house," Matt asked.

"I don't know," Shelly replied as she scanned the pages. She stopped on a passage. "Listen to this."

I can not believe that it has been nearly three months since my beloved Edmund was killed. Even as I sit here, alone, writing this I can feel his seed growing inside my womb. I remember that day all too vividly. He had been out in the fields working and I brought him some water, the sun was so hot and I could see that he was parched. We had never done anything more than kiss up to that point in time. I handed him the water bottle and he gulped it down quickly. His brown eyes glinted in the sunlight and he pulled me to him and pressed his lips to mine. Before I knew it we were lying down in the field tearing off each other's clothing. Before I could come to my senses he was inside of me and the passion overtook us completely. We did not hear the angry mob of villagers until they were right on top of us. My beloved Edmund was hung and I was sent to the jail while they pondered my sentence. While in jail I was taken ill and a doctor was soon sent for. It was then that they discovered I was with child.

As I sit here in my loneliness I can feel the angel inside of me growing with every passing day. The villagers have decided to let me live long enough to give birth. I suppose I should be grateful, but I know I will never see my child. I know I will never see what a beautiful creation Edmund and I have made out of love. What's worse, she will never know who her mother and father truly are. I know this because the villagers who choose to raise her will never tell her the truth. The knowledge that our child will be raised as a bastard breaks my heart with every passing day.

"That poor woman," Ashley said, tears in her eyes.

"But that still doesn't answer what the curse business is all about," Shannon said leaning back in his chair. There was a loud scraping noise and a huge portrait flew off the wall and nearly hit Shannon in the head. He fell out of his seat avoiding being struck on the head.

"Shan," Shelly said leaping to her feet, only to feel intense pain in her abdomen, as if someone or something was holding her tightly around the middle. Fearing for her unborn child she stopped struggling and the hold loosened though she could not move as the other checked on him.

"What the hell just happened," Matt said as he helped Shannon to his feet.

Shannon, had been quite startled by the portrait nearly smashing his head in, but what startled him more was the sight of Shelly standing by the desk, unable to move, a hand over her abdomen. Without a word to his friends he rushed to her side. "Are you all right," he asked softly. "Is the baby all right?" She nodded and leaned into him as his arms went around her. He could feel her body quivering. "What happened?"

"I don't know," she replied. "I had gotten up to go to you and something held me back. It was strong and I just...I felt like it would crush the baby if I struggled. I didn't want that to happen, not to our baby."

"What's this," Jeff asked. Shelly hadn't bothered to keep her voice down, she was too frightened by the presence that held her back. "What baby?"

Shannon questioned her with his eyes and she sighed and nodded. "They'll find out eventually."

"What's going on," Daria asked.

"I'm pregnant," she replied softly. "That's why I haven't been feeling well. I've had morning sickness."

"What's your mom got to say about this," Matt asked, knowing that Andrea Yates hated Shannon.

"She doesn't know yet," Shelly replied. "But I don't care. I'm keeping our baby and she'll just have to live with it."

"Or you could live here with us when she kicks you out," Jeff said smiling. "You know dad loves you to death." She smiled appreciatively. "I still have no idea what happened with this portrait. The wall's intact and the hook's still there. It's like something or someone threw it at Shan."

"That's very likely," Shelly said softly. "We definitely are not alone."

"Let's see what else Morgana wrote in her journal," Ashley said. "Maybe there's something about the curse in it."

Shannon took the journal, Shelly was still too shaken up to read from it, and thumbed through it until he came to a passage that was written in scrawling script, as if Morgana had been terribly shaken when she wrote it. "Listen to this," he said after scanning the page.

I'm so frightened right now. I have been awakened from a peaceful slumber by a voice I never thought I would ever hear again. My father's voice penetrated my layers of sleep. I feel as if I'm losing my mind. My father has been dead for nearly seven years now. He can't speak to me, but I swear I heard his deep voice utter the word 'whore' as I slept. I awoke feeling as if I were a little girl again back in England. My father, the God fearing man that he was, was always afraid I'd grow up and do just what I have done, become an unwed mother. He forever hounded me whenever I would try on my mother's beautiful clothes. It became much worse when mother died and he had to raise me. He always called me a little whore. Guess your prediction came true father.

"That's all she wrote on that night," Shannon said frowning.

"The presence that held me back felt masculine," Shelly said. "It was strong, much stronger than a woman could ever be. Why would he hold me back?"

"Because you need to be taught a lesson, you whore," a raspy, deep voice replied. Everyone looked around the room, startled. "Young ladies should keep their legs closed. Nothing, but hardship and sorrow will follow you and thatbastard child of yours. I will make sure that you will be alone for rest of your miserable life, whore!"

"What the fuck is going on here," Shane asked as they all glanced around the room for the source of the voice.

"I think I know," Shelly said grabbing Morgana's journal. She thumbed through the passages until she got to the last page. The scrawling script of the passage that Shannon had read got progressively worse until it was almost illegible. "I think this might tell us something," she said to her friends after she had scanned the page. "It's the final entry."

"There's no need to read the final entry," said a voice. They all whipped around to see Morgana Hawthorne gliding towards them. "I can tell you what happened and about the curse, but only if you do not interrupt. I don't know how long he will be gone."

"Who..." Jeff began, but was cut off.

"Don't be stupid," Shelly said. "It's Morgana's father. Go on. Please."

Morgana floated to the desk and levitated next to Shelly. "You have to understand that I was forced to go through my pregnancy with no human contact. I was under house arrest and was not permitted to go into town or to even leave my home. The home I loved so much became a prison for me and as the months drew on my hurt and anger turned to bitterness. Toward the end my father's spirit came to me many times a day and night. He berated me and all could do was pray to make it stop. When it didn't I swore that no woman in my line would ever know the heartache and abuse that I did. Though made with good intentions that vow soon turned into a curse. The moment any of my female descendants begin to feel love for a man, whether he was a good man or not, he soon met a tragic and mysterious end."

She gazed down at Shelly. "Tara fell victim to the curse and died during childbirth. Her adoptive parents were kind enough to raise her daughter, your grandmother, who once again fell victim to the curse, as did your mother. My child, you too will feel the pain of the curse."

"No," Shelly said reaching for Shannon's hand. "It's not going to happen to me." She stared at Morgana defiantly.

"Stupid little whore," came the raspy voice. "Do you honestly think that this boy loves you?"

"I do," Shannon said defiantly to the disembodied voice. "I love Shelly and she loves me."

"Stupid child! You don't know the first thing about love," the voice growled. Soon an old man materialized. His sunken cheeks were pulled back in a sneer revealing his yellow teeth. "You will suffer for your sins, whore!"

"Father," Morgana yelled and glared at him. "Leave her alone!"

"Can't," he replied still sneering. "It's your fault that all of your descendants have been whores. This is what you have brought upon yourself and them." His sneer then changed to an evil grin. "There is one way to make amends."

"What is it," Shelly asked, a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

His smile widened and his eyes glinted evilly. "Give me the child," he said simply.

"What," Shannon said.

"Give me the child," he repeated. "This child must not be born. Let me take it to hell where it belongs and you will live."

"No," Shelly said placing a hand protectively over her stomach. "You can't have her!"

"Then it is out of my hands," he replied with a shrug. "You will suffer the pain of the curse." As he disappeared Shelly felt a sharp pain in her stomach, as if someone was piercing her womb.

"Shannon," she cried and fell into his arms.

"Father," Morgana yelled. "You leave her alone! You can't have that baby!"

"It's stopped," Shelly said weakly. "I think he's gone."

"He's never really gone," Morgana said sadly. "He's gone into hiding for the time being."

"Morgana," Shelly said weakly. "There has to be a way to lift the curse. There has to be." Shannon's arms tightened around her, knowing that she was desperate to find a way for him to live.

"I'm afraid there isn't," she said. "Get some rest. You and the baby need it."

"Will you come back," Shelly asked as Shannon led her out of the office.

"I'll always be around watching over you and your baby," Morgana said with a smile and disappeared.

"I think we should all at least try to get some sleep," Shane said.

They all agreed to camp out in the living room, none of them wanting to be alone. They talked until their eyelids finally grew heavy and sleep overtook them. The night would soon be over, but they all feared the curse would claim the life of their friend unless they could find a way to lift it.

Shelly lay in Shannon's arms listening to her friends sleeping. Tears filled her eyes as she gazed into the sleeping face of the man she had fallen in love with. She gently pulled herself out of his grip and went into the kitchen. She allowed the tears to slip silently down her cheeks as she stared out the window over the sink and watched the snow making the yard look like a frozen tundra.

"Couldn't sleep either," Jeff asked startling her. She quickly wiped away the tears and turned to face him.

"I just keep thinking that he's going to die and it's all my fault," she replied as fresh tears streaked down her cheeks. "I have to tell him that I can't go through with it," she said sniffling.

"Shan'll be crushed," Jeff said. "I see how he looks at you now. There's a sort of pride in his eyes, knowing that you're carrying his child.

"I know, but you heard what that horrible man said," she replied. "If this baby isn't born then Shan will live."

"That's an awfully big sacrifice to make," Shannon said startling the both of them. Jeff mumbled something and left the kitchen. "I woke up and you were gone. I got worried."

"Shan," she began, but he cut her off.

"Don't," he said. "Look, I don't believe a single word of this curse. Curses are only powerful if you put stock in them. I don't and you shouldn't either."

"Shan," she said. "You know it isn't realistic for us to raise a child. We're not even out of high school yet."

"I'll get a job and I'm sure my parents will help out as much as they can," he said pulling her into his arms. "We'll make it work." He kissed her forehead. "I promise you. We'll make this work." He held her a while and then looked down into her eyes. "That couch is giving me a crick in my neck. What do you say we go up to Gilbert's room and get some sleep? Hmmm?" She nodded and allowed him to lead the way up to the bedroom. They lay down in bed and within minutes fell into a deep slumber.

Shelly was awakened by the sound of someone in unbelievable pain. Opening her eyes she saw Shannon being held down on the bed beside her. He was screaming in pain, but she could not see who was causing it. She desperately tried to sit up, to reach out to him, but an unseen force held her down. Shannon let out another piercing cry and a bloody gouge appeared on his abdomen.

"Shannon," she cried and struggled against her unseen captors. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she continued to struggle. "Leave him alone," she cried. "Take me instead! Just leave him!"

"What did you say," the raspy voice asked.

"I said take me instead," Shelly repeated as the man before before appeared before her.

"Shell no," Shannon called, his voice leaden with pain. "Don't do this."

"I have to," she replied as their restraints were released. "I can't watch you die. I can't do it." He reached out to her and pulled her into his arms.

"You're not taking her," he said defiantly.

"I don't want her, boy," the man spat. "I want the child she carries."

"Why," Shelly asked weakly, a sick feeling swelling inside of her.

"So that I can be reborn," he smiled, though it looked more like a sneer. "I need to rid this family of all sin."

"And by giving birth to you I'd be ridding the family of sin," Shelly asked.

"It'll be a start," he replied.

"No," said Morgana materializing. "He's misleading you. He wants to become part of you so that he can kill you from the inside."

"Shut up, whore," he hissed and in the blink of an eye he lunged at Shelly's abdomen, slowly disappearing inside.

Shelly let out a blood curdling scream as the pain spread throughout her body. She could feel the fetus inside her slowly becoming poisoned by the ghost. Soon she no longer felt the heartbeat of her unborn child and more and more pain surged through her system causing her to convulse on the bed.

"Shell," Shannon called as he tried to steady her.

"You can't help her," Morgana said gravely. "He's killing her."

"But there must be something you can do," Shannon pleaded. By this time the others had heard all of the commotion and were standing in the doorway watching Shelly convulse. "Please do something!"

Morgana nodded and just as her father had, disappeared into Shelly's abdomen. Instantly she stopped convulsing and now lay completely still. "Is she," Daria asked, unable to finish the question.

"She's still breathing," Shannon said leaning in close to her. "It's shallow, but she's still breathing."

"Morgana, help me," Shelly called. She felt trapped inside her own body.

"Father," Morgana called. "Leave her alone! I'm the one you want to punish. Do your worst."

He turned from Shelly and hissed at his daughter. "You've been a thorn in my side since the day you were born," he growled. "I should have drowned you when I had the chance. Your mother was a whore! You were and whore! All of your descendants were whores!"

"Father," Morgana cried angrily.

"Don't call me that! I was never your father!"

Shannon and the others gasped. Shelly, though seemingly unconscious, had become a microphone for the battle that was waging inside of her.

"That's right," he sneered. "Your mother was a fornicating no good whore! She was dallying with the handyman and got herself pregnant. I should have known she would! The happiest day of my life was the day I murdered that evil woman! I thought I had rid you of all sin, but I was wrong."

Before anyone could say or do anything a huge gust of wind blew into the room and shadow people began to crawl from ceiling to floor. One reached inside of Shelly and extracted Morgana's father. "No! What is this," he cried.

"Sinner," the shadow person hissed and with another gust of air they were gone.

"What just happened," Shannon asked his friends, who were at a loss as to what they had all witnessed.

"The moment he admitted he murdered my mother," Morgana's voice said, though it was Shelly's lips that moved. "He lifted the curse. You're safe now."

"So....you can come out now," Shannon said, wanting to hear his girlfriend's voice again.

"Shelly has offered me a second chance at life," Morgana replied smiling. Shannon looked confused. "I'll see you in about six months....daddy." With that Shelly's eyes went blank and she was motionless a moment.

"Shell," Shannon said shaking her gently. "Babe? Come on. Wake up." She groaned and opened her eyes. Shannon wrapped his arms around her and kissed her softly. "I thought I'd lost you for a while there."

"He tried to kill me, but I was too strong for him," she replied with a weak smile. He placed a hand on her abdomen. "She's going to be just fine." He smiled and kissed her again.

"Hey the electricity is back on," Jeff said noticing that the alarm clock on the night stand was flashing.

"So," Shannon said to Shelly. "You're keeping the baby?" She nodded. "What do you say we go tell your mom about her then," Shannon suggested.

"I was just going to suggest the same thing. You think your mom will mind me sleeping in your room," she replied with a chuckle.

"Come on Jeff," Kim called as they rushed down the hospital hall. "I want to see what she looks like!" They rushed down the brightly colored maternity ward to the glass window of the nursery. They met up with Matt, Daria, Shane and Ashley who were all gazing at their friends' newborn baby girl.

"She's just precious," Daria said.

"She's got Shan's eyes," Ashley remarked with a smile.

"And Shell's nose and dimples," Matt said.

"Oh look," Kim said. "Looks like they named her." The nurse made her way to baby Moore's bassinet and slid a pink card into the top of it.

"Hello my name is Tara Elizabeth Morgana Moore," Jeff read. "Boy that's a mouthful."

"Where are they going to live," Matt asked as they watched the baby sleeping.

"With my parents," Shannon said startling them all. "At least until we can get a place of our own. Shell's mom is still not speaking to her, but Shell doesn't care. She's happy with just me and little Tara." He was beaming with pride as he gazed down on his daughter. "Our little Tara." He smiled at his friends. "If we go quickly I can sneak all of you into Shell's room." They nodded and followed him to the room.

"Hey," Shelly said to Jeff and Matt after they had all caught up on what was going on in their lives. "Did you ever asked your dad about the Spirit Board?"

"Yeah," Jeff replied. "When he got home that afternoon. The funny thing was...we couldn't find the box it was in and of course I burned the board and oracle. He had no idea what we were talking about."

"Maybe it was all meant to happen," Shelly replied smiling sleepily. "Maybe it was all just a way for Morgana to get a second chance at life."

"All right," the nurse said with her hands on her hips. "All of you out, not you daddy," she said smiling at Shannon. "I think it's time for mommy, daddy and baby to bond."