be honest with you, I didn't want anyone to come with me.

Not because I'n not familiar with a group of people, I just don't want anyone to get hurt because of some quest that doesn't involve them.

"Kasumi, you barely know any street in the state. You definitely need some help." Frank said to me.

... Of course I needed a tour guide to actually guide me to my quest.

And luckily the two people that I get to go with were Martha and Lucas Potsman (I never stopped to joke them about it). The Senate were actually rather casual about me teaming up with them. Maybe it was because of Alexander's sudden intrusion that they hastily made a decision.

"We may have a hunch on where this mysterious camp is." Martha said to me. We were on our way outside the tunnel with bags full of food, money, and extra clothes.

"And you guessed how?" I raised a brow at her.

"North. The prophecy states that we go north."

"So we have to go to every state that we go!?"

"Not every state." Lucas stepped in. He grabbed a map from his bag and unfolded it. "We're in San Francisco... so we're here." He pointed the label. "There are only two states to move up. Oregon and Washington." His finger moved up with the states. "We just have to find out which one though."

I hummed. "Well... if we're searching for a Japanese camp that had been-assuming-reclusive for who-knows how long, my guess is we should go someplace that has some relation to Japan."

"You're point being?" Martha asked.

"I've read about it during my free time." I pointed at Portland in Oregon. "Portland has a sister city in Japan called Sapporo, which is very well-known for its winter festivals. And..." I pointed at Washington. "At some point before, cherry blossoms were planted at some park there. And that's pretty much all I got."

"So Oregon it is, then." Lucas stated and returned the map back. "We'll just catch a train ride there. It might be long, though."

"Well the sooner we get there, the better." Martha said briskly. She proceeded to go ahead first, Lucas trailing behind her, then me last. To other people, it seemed like Martha was the big sister, leading her two younger siblings. The temperature was warm but I had to wear a jacket with the hoodie up in order not let anyone see who I am. The twins seemed to blend in well.

Sudden pricks ran down my neck as I picked up my pace. I hastily stuffed my fists into the jacket's pockets, following the Potsmans. I did everything I could to distract me from the pinpricks; tapping my fingers onto my thumb, covering my face more with the hood, even hummed a little song. But nothing worked. I tapped my bracelets through the fabric and they disassembled into war fans.

I decided to keep quiet and wait. I can't draw a crowd. Not yet anyway.

Martha and Lucas stopped near a bus stop. I stood next to Lucas, keeping my eyes peeled for anything that might happen. And then I saw it.

Something was flashing across the street in a dark alley. It was faint, but I could see an outline of a body. Wild, unkempt, hair and a white kimono. Little balls of green flames floated lazily around the body. Then all I could see was yellow.

I realized the bus was already here so I caught up to Lucas. "Did you see that?"

Lucas stared at me. "See what?"

"That flash... It was like a ghost or something."

We went inside the bus and caught up to Martha sitting near the window. "As far as I know, only children of Pluto-err-Hades are the ones who can summon ghosts."

"Lucas. Names." Martha said sternly. Lucas hung his head down and sat on the other side next to an elderly man. I sat down next to Martha and rubbed the tessens inside my pocket.

"What did you see?"

I looked at Martha then I looked down. "A ghost, it seemed like. And I felt like that wasn't the only one."

Martha hummed. "I've heard stories from my abuelita that spirits who didn't receive proper burial rites, they'll be stuck in the material plane and enact revenge on who did them wrong."

"So..." I prolonged. "Vengeful spirits?"

Martha nodded as she looked outside. "You can turn those fans back now. Our weapons can't hit ghosts."

My eyes widened. How did she know?

"Before you ask, me and Lucas are children of Mars. I can sense magic weapons when they appear. Give or take the Mist doesn't mess it up."

I mulled over Martha's words as I turned my tessens back to bracelets. Now that I thought about it, it was kind of stupid to fight ghosts with material objects.

"Your parent is Mars, right?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Me and Lucas are Spanish-American. Well, mostly American anyway. Abuelita was the one who took care of us when our mom got arrested for violation of property and drunk driving."

"And... your father?"

"Wasn't there, like always. Godly parents were never there for their children since they have so many."

I stared down at my shoes. They were caked with monster dust and dirt.

"Back on the topic of the ghost I saw. Wouldn't there be more of them?"

From the corner of my eye, I saw Martha clench her fist. "Yes. Car accidents, street brawls, rape..." She loosened her fist but her hard stare still lingered. "A lot of people died by accident or on purpose. And almost all of them have broken ties to the material world. It would make sense for their spirits to linger as a vengeful one."

Chills ran down my back when I saw more ghosts floating on the lane next to us. "Can we stop talking about ghosts? I might turn into a dragon and accidentally flood the bus."

"You were the one who asked."

I huffed at her and tucked my head in my jacket more. "Wake me up when we get there."

And after seeing her hard stare, I fell into a deep slumber.