Faulty Eyes | Sam Winchester

chapter five | wicked witchcraft

A lot happened as Juniper adjusted to everything during that first week at Bobby Singer's house.

The following day, Bobby asked her questions about her abilities, and gave him the same answers when the Winchesters asked her. Bobby was just as puzzled as the boys were, but he assured her that he'd look into it with the help from the brothers. That night, just like Juniper had predicted, her name and face was on the news, labeled as a missing person for the last forty-eight hours. The next thing that came on the screen was the faces of Dean and Sam, who were listed as people that might have been involved in her disappearance, along with Eric's murder, which did not come as a surprise with the way Detective Sheridan was asking questions about them the night she was at the station. Bobby fussed the boys out for not being more careful with covering their tracks, but really, Juniper knew they were not to blame, as none of them could take the neighbor's security camera into account.

The next couple days after that, she felt like she was back in a classroom, a feeling she had missed, with all of the books Bobby let her borrow so she could learn more about not only demons but other supernatural creatures that were all over the world. With each new monster and the lore behind them, Juniper didn't realize the extent of what was out there, and while she was a bit scared of that realization, she still wanted to know more and hoped she didn't actually encounter them. The more she kept reading, the more she wondered if she was on her way to becoming a hunter like the Winchesters and Bobby. Maybe it would take a while for it to sink in, but as she continued flipping through the pages to learn more about a new monster, she couldn't help but get homesick again.

She missed Baltimore. She missed her old life. She missed it all.

During those two days, it was a nice distraction from not being able to be back in an actual classroom working on her master's, along with what happened in Baltimore and knowing that Eric's funeral happened and she wasn't there to see him be laid to rest. She figured even if she was back in Baltimore during the service, she doubted Glen and Vanessa would allow her to attend, or maybe the detectives from the police station wouldn't advise going, anyway. Either way, she hated to miss it, wanting to see his face one last time before the coffin would be locked and buried six feet under.

Still, it was during the quiet hours of the night that, even taking what was left of her medication, Juniper found herself crying into her pillow, being the only time she could be alone and the only way that would eventually tire her out. She was sure the others had noticed her swollen eyes the next morning, but none of them questioned her about it, and she was okay with that.

By the end of the week, Dean insisted Juniper learn more about supernatural hunting beyond the books, so one afternoon, he placed three pistols with loaded magazines on the table, deciding now was a good time for target practice.

"You really want her to learn this right now?" Sam asked, sounding a little skeptical about it. "I mean, she's still going through Bobby's books."

"She's gonna have to know how to do it eventually," Dean pointed out. "Besides, she can catch up on reading later, can't she?"

"Well, yeah, but--"

"It's fine," Juniper cut him off with reassurance. "Dean's right. I need to know how to use one."

Dean furrowed his eyebrows. "Have you ever fired a gun?"

Sheepishly, she shook her head. "No." No one in her family ever had a reason to use one, so she had no knowledge of them at all.

Dean then raised his eyebrows in surprise, grinning a little as he grabbed the three pistols from the kitchen table. "Well, you're in for an interesting lesson."

"Which I will be doing," Sam said, taking two of the guns away from Dean.

"What? Why you?"

"Because you're the last person that should be teaching her how to use a gun."