Page 2 of Ghost

“This house has come a longway since I was here last. Congrats on the renovations and thecottages. It’s really something.” Truthfully, it was damn nearpicturesque.

“Thanks. We’ve worked hardand had help,” Brick said. The look of pride on his face was welldeserved.

A young woman walked in as if lookingfor something. This had to be the infamous Julia he’d heard so muchabout. The heart of the lake house and all itsresidents.

“Ray, I’d like you to meetJulia,” Elias said.

Julia turned and smiledwide.

“Hello, ma’am. I’ve heardlots of wonderful things about you,” Ray told her.

“Same here. I’m glad youfound the time to visit us after helping out with findingKyle.”

“These guys would’ve foundhim without me, but I’m glad I could help in some smallway.”

Julia opened her mouth to speak, butsomething to her left side caught her attention.

“Found you,” she holleredat the wall roughly ten feet away.

Ray was about to ask what she waslooking at when a nude, slender man appeared out of thin air.Standing there as plain as day and as real as the table besidehim.

“What the fuck is that?”Ray shouted before taking a few steps forward to place himself infront of Julia.

The naked man’s eyes widened, and hescreamed, but before another word was spoken, his eyes closed, andhe slumped to the floor.

Julia pushed past Ray, and she andFletcher ran to the man.

“Oh shit. Darren. Darren,talk to me,” Julia said as she lifted his head off the hardwoodfloor. The man groaned and opened his crystal-clear blue eyes thatstared at Ray in abject fear. A chilled gust whooshed through Ray’sbody as he was overcome with a most unexpected and unwelcomefeeling: the absolute need to ensure he never saw that expressionon Darren’s face again.

Shit.

He turned to Elias for answers. “Youforget to tell me something?”

“Yeah, we need to talk,”Elias said, rubbing the back of his neck.

***

Ghost (Darren)

“You’re a freak. What thefuck is wrong with you? Crawl back under your rock, asshole. No onewants you around.”

Words he’d heard repeatedly over histwenty-eight years assaulted him as he paced the newly installedhardwood in his room. Darren had been staying at the lake housesince the team returned from New Orleans and spent much of his timepracticing to gain more control over the ability given to him bythe scientists working for the Noah Group. “Given” might not be thecorrect wording—forced on him seemed more appropriate. Genetictesting of unsuspecting people was the sort of thing the groupthrived on.

Hated memories flooded him of a pastspent in hiding. Hiding away from the other kids in foster care,and from his foster parents, who were perpetually angry. Hidingaway from all the pseudo-concerned adults who’d tried to fix himover the years. Now, twenty-eight years later, here he was, hidingaway again from the confused and angry looks of a stranger whoreminded him of a lumberjack with piercing dark eyes and a thickbeard.

Darren grew increasingly disgustedwith himself by the second for several reasons, but his apparentcowardice was high on that list today. Just when he thought he wasgetting a handle on his issues, they came screaming back with avengeance. Not only was the stranger freaked out and likely angry,but Darren had been naked on top of it all. Of course, he couldn’tcamouflage himself while still wearing clothing, but the handsomestranger didn’t know that, and Darren never practiced when the kidswere home.

Hell, he probably thought Darren wassome sick freak on top of it all. Running around naked, getting hiskicks from spying on people while invisible. Shit. No matter how helooked at the situation, it was hella bad from all angles. Maybehe’d stay in his room until the man left. Luckily, his room had abathroom attached to it, and Julia could leave food outside hisdoor. It could work.

He couldn’t even imaginethe terrifying results if the lumberjack or the others only knewabout hisotherability. The one he hadn’t shared with anybody. The one he’dkept buried since the day he’d used it, and things went to hell.Darren would likely be kicked out of the house, hell, probably thetown of Marshall altogether. Nobody wanted the sort of gift hecould provide, even if they wished for its power. That otherability would stay locked away forever for his own and everyone’ssafety.

Someone knocked on his door. Heguessed his time hiding was up.

He stopped pacing and didn’t move,hoping whoever it was went away, but the knocking persisted, andDarren knew he was sunk.

“Darren, can I come in?”Julia’s voice echoed from the other side of the door.

He couldn’t hide forever; she’dprobably pick the lock. She was resourceful. “Okay. Holdon.”

---