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When she flipped up the latches and pulled her shaking fingers across the strings, they made a wistful sort of whisper

He's a ghost Michael's a ghost

He wasn't a ghost How could he be a ghost, if he sat here - right here! - at the table and ate dinner?

Tacos! What kind of ghost ate tacos? What kind of?

Her hand went right through hih him

But he was real She'd touched him She'd -

Her hand went right through him

"Don't panic," she said numbly, out loud "Justdon't panic There's soht

She'd stumble over to Professor Wu's physics class and ask She could just io over They'd toss a net over her and pump her full of Prozac or whatever

He'd said, Oh, God, don't tell theone? Was he dead?

She was about carried away by panic again, and then so silly, really

The alar on the table next to the sofa The one that had gone off just a few o

The one that had warned Michael that sunrise was co

This happensevery day He hadn't acted like it was odd, just painful

Shane and Eve had both said that Michael slept days They were both night owls; they were sound asleep right now, and wouldn't be up for hours yet Michael could havedisappeareddaily like this with nobody paying attention

Until she caot nosy

Don't tell them Why not? What was so secret?

She was crazy That was the only rational explanation But if she was crazy, she wasn't rational

Claire curled up on the sofa, shivering, and felt cold air brush over her again Ice-cold She sat up

"Michael?" she blurted, and sat very still The chill went away, then brushed over her again "I - I think I can feel you Are you still here?" Another second or tithout the icy draft, and then it drifted across her skin "So - you can see us?" Yes, she figured, since the war the day? Oh - um, stay where you are if it's no, okay?" The chill stayed steady "Wow

That's - harsh" A yes, and weirdly, she felt a little cheered Okay, she was having a conversation with a breeze, but at least she didn't feel alone "You don't want ot colder "Is there anything - anything I can do?" Also a no "Michael - will you co to talk"

The chill withdrew completely Yes

She collapsed back on the sofa, feeling giddy and strange and exhausted There was a ratty old blanket piled near the guitar case; she carefully ined an invisible Michael following her anxiously the whole way), then wrapped herself in the blanket and let herself drift off into sleep, with the ticking of the grandfather clock and uitar as a soundtrack