II. The Bond Between Members

Ivory awakened and checked her cell phone, seeing it was 3:00 am. She set down her phone and thought about Viper's disturbing murder. Ivory wasn't sure she should feel guilty or hold shame, but one thing Ivory knew was that Viper wasn't the person she believed Viper to be. The young woman would twist and turn under the covers, but Ivory couldn't fall asleep.

Ivory then smelled something burning. Ivory slowly sat up, noting the smell was coming from her room. Ivory looked around, dashed over to her nightstand, and turned on the light. Ivory saw no one; she was the only one in her bedroom. Ivory knew that Viper was around.

"Viper, I don't want you here," Ivory whispered, hoping no one could hear her. Ever since she overheard Blue and Harley talking about Ivory and her mediumship, Ivory didn't feel like someone was spying on her.

Suddenly, the smell vanished. Ivory felt no presence, and she smelled nothing. Ivory decided that keeping her lamp on wouldn't be terrifying; she drifted off to sleep with her illuminating light shining through her small room.

Ivory heard footsteps. She opened her eyes and saw that her phone said it was 3:33 am. Ivory sat up and stared in shock and fear. Viper stood in front of her, but Viper was unrecognizable. Viper's body was burned, unlike Roxie, who looked normal when visiting Ivory. Viper's eyes were stuck together, and all Viper did was squeal and grunt.

Ivory choked, not knowing what to do.

Then, Ivory smelled smoke. Ivory turned to see that someone had opened her door. Ivory stiffened when she saw her boss.

"Are you burning something?" Blue narrowed his eyes at her.

She shook her head with widened eyes.

Blue looked around her room.

"Ivory, what's wrong?"

"I ... I thought someone else was burning a candle," Ivory replied.

Blue closed her bedroom door and furrowed his brows at Ivory. "Ivory, your nose is bleeding."

Ivory looked into the mirror leaning next to the wall, and saw her nose was bleeding. Ivory then felt odd pressure in her gut.

"Why are you making that face?"

"My gut feels strange," Ivory coughed.

Blue grabbed a tissue from Ivory's dresser, sat on her bed, and held her nose in place. He wrapped the tissue around her nose and commanded that she lean forward. Ivory sat in bed as Blue stopped her nosebleed.

"Blue," Ivory began, "Do you believe in life after death?"

"Why would that matter right now?"

"Oh, well, you've killed many people. Don't you ever wonder if their spirits visit you?"

Blue thought for a moment, "I see; that's what that smell was. Who did you see?"

"It was just a random question. This situation seems paranormal."

"Rover told me about what happened in the living room."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Blue."

"He said you were speaking to Roxie," Blue raised an eyebrow.

"I was tired."

"I don't buy that, Ivory. Did Roxie happen to pay you another visit?"

Ivory shook her head.

Blue's eyes widened. "Oh, it was Viper? That would explain the smell of cooked flesh."

"When Roxie showed herself to me, she looked like her usual self; Viper was all burnt and gross looking," Ivory sighed. "I don't know why Viper would try speaking to me."

"Sometimes spirits don't always realize they're dead. Ghosts that haunt a place either stay because they're stuck in the physical world or have no recollection of dying. It's like their death was a bad dream."

"In Viper's case, you believe she assumes she is being tortured?"

"I don't harbor much intellect on the spiritual realm, but Viper wasn't fully there before she died, if you catch my drift."

"I hope you didn't perform a lobotomy."

"I'm not a doctor."

"Did Oak perform one?"

"No. The body dissociates to cope with the abuse. The victim then develops trauma, where the individual experiences detachment from reality. The disconnect is the body's way of protecting itself from the trauma the person has endured."

Ivory nodded, understanding and comprehending Blue's explanation. Blue then checked Ivory's tissue, seeing that her nose had stopped bleeding. Blue threw out the tissue and ordered for Ivory to stand. Ivory stood, and Blue picked her up and held her.

"I feel nervous being in here," Ivory said.

"Viper can't hurt you," Blue replied as he touched her nose, checking if it was fine. "Don't give people or entities the power to scare you. When you fear something, it has control over you."

"How do I not fear Viper?"

"Don't think about her," Blue shrugged.

"That's easy for you to say," Ivory sighed, "You're a ruthless sociopath."

"I'm more of a psychopath than a sociopath," Blue raised an eyebrow.

Ivory smiled awkwardly, "Sorry, I don't know the difference."

"Psychopaths are born with a chemical imbalance that prevents them from developing empathy, loving others in a normal way, and keeping a stable job. Psychopaths have high IQs, are charming, and appear normal in everyday interactions and situations. Not all of us are serial killers, but I'm an exception. We don't particularly feel emotions and may torture animals."

"I, I think I'll go to bed."

Blue shifted and held Ivory tighter.

"Sociopaths grow up in terrible environments and become ruthless people. Their crimes are disorganized, meaning their actions aren't well thought out. Sociopaths have violent and anger streaks, while psychopaths keep their composure. Some sociopaths torture animals and people; sociopaths generally have lower IQs, which is why they are easier to track than someone like me. Both are manipulative and charming but have different brain wiring and home lives. I wouldn't feel any emotion if I faced abuse."

"Oh, I can see the difference. Harley seems to be a sociopath," Ivory began to think.

"It's generally categorized as Antisocial Personality Disorder, and these people disregard other peoples' feelings like a psychopath. Harley's pretty sociopathic," Blue shrugged.

"So Harley is one?"

"I'm not a psychiatrist, so I cannot diagnose her. If you want an opinion, Harley fits that criteria. Lily and Harley are a dichotomy; Lily is the opposite of her sister. There are people with rough backgrounds that don't develop sociopathy. The brain and its trauma are interesting as no one's brain is the same."

Ivory did indeed find the human brain fascinating.

Blue looked at her, "Do you want to come and sleep in my room? Perhaps that will make you feel better."

Ivory nodded, realizing that Blue's peculiar and scary facial expressions were from his lack of empathy and connection to those around him. When Ivory thought about it, most members seemed disconnected from each other. It was odd.

Blue turned off the bedroom light and carried Ivory to his room. As Blue entered his room, Ivory was already asleep. The gang leader gently touched Ivory's back and smirked as he thought about the torment Viper's ghost would always lament. To Blue, that meant he did his job.