(I own only plot.)

A/N: Hello, my wonderful magpies and welcome to a new chapter of Possessed! I hope this lives up to your expectations.

~Mikayla POV~

"Mikki, what's wrong?" I hear a voice ask me softly.

I turn. It's Amber and she looks so concerned. I smile at her, though I know that there's someone trying to communicate with me again. "Nothing. Sorry, I zone out a lot."

She accepts this and I focus back on my worksheet. I hear a man say "Bring me the Cup, Mikayla."

But what is the cup?

*After school*

I go to my room, pondering what The Cup is when I see Amber sat on the previously empty bed with a darker blonde girl who has blue-grey eyes. "Hello."

The stranger and Amber smile at me. Way to go, Mikki, getting held back to talk takes forever. Amber says "Neens, this is Mikayla, the newbie."

The girl, Neens, smiles brightly and exclaims "Hi, Mikayla! Amber's just been telling me all about you!"

American. Okay, then. "Hi. You're Nina, my other roommate?"

"Yeah. I've heard a lot of good stuff about you."

"Oh, likewise," I smile and shake her hand politely. She smiles at me and I can see that there's something really genuine about her. She might be helpful if ever I require assistance.

I sit on my bed and cross my legs, ready to meditate on this vibe. Amber asks "What are you doing, Mikki?"

I look over at her as I reach out to press play on my meditation tape. "Meditation. It helps me relax," I tell her.

She smiles and asks "How do you do it?"

"Well, I find my most comforting pose and I close my eyes and listen to the sounds of nature as I breathe and bring myself to one with the universe. It takes time and effort, but it's nice and calming," I tell her as I light the incense by my bed, the one that smells of the sea and the one on the other side that smells of the forest. My duvet cover is a lovely blue, that reminds me of the evening sky on a clear night. I cross my legs and place the backs of my hands on my knees and take in a deep breath, hearing the bird sounds and the rustling of tree leaves. Suddenly, my mind transports me back to the woods, where I'm on my meditation and yoga mat at home.

I'm relaxed and happy again by the time I hear the warm voice of Trudy calling "Supper time, kids!" That reminds me! I want to talk to her. She didn't seem too happy when I left this morning and Victor was outright nasty to her. I go to the kitchen before anything else and I tap Trudy on the shoulder. She's radiating negative vibes and though she wears a cheerful smile and a bubbly attitude, I'm not convinced. She jumps a little and smiles when she sees me. "What is it, lovie?" she asks, her bright tone seriously contradicting the sadness in her eyes.

"Would it be okay to have a private word, please?" I ask, as quietly and as seriously as I can manage.

She nods, her expression changing to worry. "Let me get these lot fed, then we can go talk, okay?" I nod quietly and shrink into the shadows while she gives everyone else their supper. She eventually leads me into the laundry room and asks "What's the matter, love?"

I softly ask "What went on between you and Victor this morning?"

The terror in her eyes is obvious and her cheeks flush. "Nothing to worry about, sweetie, it's all resolved."

I shake my head and whisper "It isn't. You're not okay. He was out of bounds, hitting you. I'm sure it's illegal to hit your staff."

She sighs and says "You needn't worry, love. It's nothing to do with you."

"I know it's none of my business, but that doesn't stop me caring, Trudy. Please talk to me."

Her cheeks just get more and more flushed and she eventually just looks me in the eyes and says "Mikayla, I know you're a very caring, loving girl, but just this once, dear, leave it be. I don't mean to upset you, especially after all the kindesses you've done for me, but it's nothing you should be concerned with. Now, go join the others for supper."

She leads me out and doesn't talk to me. I feel that I've upset her in some way. I eat the meal in silence, but I don't have it in me to fully appreciate it. Trudy brings out dessert as we finish our meal, but she doesn't linger around us. In fact, she seems to avoid us. It worries me a lot, but I don't want to press the issue. I wait for everyone else to disappear before I go into the kitchen again. I quietly assume the task of washing dishes and wait until Trudy sees me to say "Don't mind me, I'm just washing dishes."

She looks apologetic and says "I'm sorry, Mikayla, for being so rude earlier."

I shake my head and tell her "It's not for you to apologise. It was my intrusion on your privacy and it's perfectly fine for you to say that I was going too far. I'm sorry I pushed the subject like that."

I stay quiet until she speaks again. "You're a good girl, Mikayla. You have good intentions and a kind heart. Children like you are angels sent from Heaven. Why all teenagers aren't like you, I don't know."

I softly say "If all teenagers were like me, it would be a nightmare. Be grateful that you have the others. Normality is the good thing."

She gives me the strangest look, then asks "Why would it be a bad thing for children to have such good manners and devotion to their work and fellow people?"

"Because imagine a world where the only things available to you are cans of Sprite, KitKats and cleaning supplies. How boring would that be?"

She nods slightly and says "I suppose so."

"That's why a rarity is so much fun. It's not easy to find and you like it. If all children respected others and did everything, you'd be bored."

Trudy gives me a look of something close to awe, then asks quietly "Where did you get this wisdom? It's like you've been here before."

"Maybe I have. Maybe you have. You don't show everything you know, yet you know far more than the average woman of your age."

She looks pleased at that and asks "How could you know that? For all I've told you, I could only know how to look after a home and children. How could you know different?"

"Your eyes. There's a saying that the eyes are windows to the soul. And your eyes show a knowledge beyond your years, a soul that knows so much about the world, a kindness there that many people don't have. You're a good woman, but you're told constantly that you're not enough. Whether verbally or through other people's actions, you're always brought down. People don't treat you kindly. You're unhappy here and I can see that. You need to acknowledge yourself, too. Not just everyone else."

She looks stunned. "You've just summed everything up. How do you do that?" she asks, incredulous now.

"With ease, Trudy, and with years of practice," I tell her, returning to the dishes, scared of revealing too much.

She softly asks "Do you see things? Like spirits and through time?"

I look at her. Of course I have, I have since I was little. I ask "Why do you ask?"

She shakes her head and sighs "I just wondered..."

"You want to know about your future, right?"

I must have guessed correctly, because she blushes. "It's nothing..."

"It's obviously something. You're blushing and you want to ask, but you're too polite. Go on. I'm not one to judge."

When she eventually looks at me, it's hesitant and embarrassed. Her voice is so soft and shy as she asks "Could you possibly tell me if it gets better here? Will Victor ever be nice?"

I smile at her and whisper "Bear with me for a minute."

She nods politely and I close my eyes. This saps my energy, but to use it for someone else, it's energy well sapped.

*Mind's eye*

I see Victor... He's holding something little... It glitters... "He proposed."

Trudy's standing beside him, glowing happily. "Yes... He did. He told me that I deserve something good and that he's the one who will provide that," she tells him, beaming.

Victor nods quietly and then says "Congratulations, Trudy. He's right. You deserve the many years of happiness that are going to come to you."

"Victor... Will you do one thing for me?" she asks, her voice timid.

"Whatever," he mutters, looking anywhere but at her.

She kneels beside him and asks "Will you give me away?"

Victor turns to look at her, seeing a hopeful, glowing face. He sighs lightly, then nods grudgingly. "Alright. Curse your puppy eyes..."

She squeals and hugs him. "Thank you, Victor!"

*Present moment*

Trudy looks at me, her eyes wide. I nod. "I can tell you now that something incredible happens for you and Victor will accept the job you ask of him."

Her eyes widen so that they nearly pop out of her head. "Really? That's wonderful news!" she exclaims, though her voice is still quite quiet. She's a naturally quiet person, then. "If you don't mind my asking, and it isn't too much to ask of you, what is the something?"

"I wouldn't want to spoil such a good surprise for you. But I'll tell you that it's incredible and it'll bring you years of happiness."

She looks delighted and hugs me gently. "Thank you, Mikayla. You have no idea how much that means to me. How can I repay you?"

"I don't want any repayment. All I want is to make sure you're okay. Let me know if anything bad happens to you, okay?"

"Alright. Thank you again, darling."

After my shower and change, I'm very glad to lie down. Amber softly asks "Mikki? Are you still awake?"

"Just about. What's the matter?"

"Why weren't you up here with the rest of us?" Amber asks. "We all wanted to get to know you."

"I was washing the dishes and talking with Trudy. Sorry for making you wait."

"It's okay. She's really nice."

"Mm hmm," I hum, very tired. I'd had very little sleep again and using my foresight was a massive drain. I fall asleep before Amber can talk to me again.

*Dream*

I walk down the stairs in Anubis house. I can hear Victor shouting, but it's unintelligible. I want to go closer, but as I approach, I'm lifted off my feet and shaken by a man. The voice snarls "Find me the Cup, child!"

"What cup?" I scream.

"The Cup of Life!" he shouts at me.

"But what is it?" I scream. He shakes me and I scream again. "Stop it! Stop! No! Stop this!"

*Reality*

"Stop!" I scream, sitting bolt upright in my bed. Standing in front of me are Amber, Nina, Joy, Mara, Patricia, Willow, Jerome, Alfie, Mick, Fabian, Eddie and Victor. Sat on my bed, obviously shocked is Trudy. I gasp at the sight of them all surrounding me and softly whisper "Oh, God, I'm so sorry! I woke you all..."

Jerome exclaims "No kidding! Screaming at the top of your lungs like that!"

I blush and shamefully murmur "I am so very sorry. I should have warned you all about that..."

Amber says "No, that's not right. You shouldn't have to warn us. Everyone has nightmares."

Nina nods. "We do. And we can all wake up screaming. It's okay."

I shake my head sadly. "It's not like that. These are every night. I have one or two good nights a year. I'm very sorry for waking you all."

Victor says "Now that you children know, go back to bed. And you, Trudy."

She shakes her head. "No. You go on. I'm going to make sure Mikayla's okay."

He shrugs her off and walks out. I look to Trudy and say "You need to rest."

"I don't care. You're my priority. What scared you?"

I don't want to worry her, so I say "It was nothing. I don't remember it."

She nods, though she doesn't look to believe me. She kisses my forehead and whispers "If you need me, come and wake me up, alright?"

Though I won't, I nod and murmur "Alright."

I have no intention of waking her. Why waste her energy when she needs it? Amber asks "Did you really forget it?"

"No, but I'm not willing to keep everyone up longer. Besides, I'm shattered. I only want to sleep."

Nina whispers "You can talk to any of us, you know. We don't gossip."

"Thanks, Nina. That means a lot," I tell her, yawning. I fall asleep without any fuss. And I stay that way, though I have many dreams of different things. That's when I see the large, golden cup with the shimmering golden letters below it. Find it!

And that's the end of this chapter of Possessed! Let me know if you enjoyed!

Song quote of the day: Why do you have to go and make things so complicated/ I see the way you're/ Acting like you're somebody else/ Gets me frustrated. ~Complicated, Avril Lavigne

Have a nice day, my magpies. ~C