Chapter 1: An Interesting Introduction

"Don't even think about it." Brian warned when he noticed out of the corner of his eye his little brother reaching into the cookie jar.

"Ah come on! Just one M&M cookie, I haven't had one in forever."

Without taking his eyes from his magazine, Brian said, "You just had one an hour ago, you eat too many of those and they will go straight to your hips." His voice lacked any kind of emotion making him sound almost inhuman, maybe robotic.

I silently watched from across the kitchen table as Brian blindly reached for the glass of milk in front of him, took a sip, and then set it back down on the moisture ring left from the condensation of the cold glass. A smile crept across my face at his perfection on even the little things.

Carter pouted at Brian's back and stubbornly folded his arms over his chest. Clearly a five year old knew what was best for him. He opened his mouth to whine again but Brian beat him to it.

"You can have one when and only when you eat all of your dinner tonight."

"But dinner is so far away, like six."

"And?"

"And I want one now." Carter stamped his foot against the dark tile flooring which echoed off the bare walls of the kitchen.

"This is where I say suck it up and go do your homework but I have pasted that stage." Brian dropped his magazine on the table and pushed his chair away from the table so hard the contents in his glass shifted and overflowed and I jumped in my seat. He stood quickly and started for his brother but Carter saw the move coming and was already running the opposite direction out of the kitchen and out of sight into the living room.

I sat shocked as Brian chased after him; no way was the local high school's star football player going to let his kid brother get the better of him in speed. From the other room I could hear Brian yell, "Get back here you little brat!"

"Mom, brother is going to kill me again. He's going to gag me and tie my hands and feet together and stuff me in a body bag before throwing me into the ocean and become fish food!"

Somewhere in the house, their mother shouted at them. "Brian, don't kill your brother because you ain't getting another one. And Carter, stop watching those cop shows, they will rot your brain and fill it with nonsense."

"Too late," Brian shouted back.

Carter screamed, reaching an octave not possible for most people. Silence followed.

I laughed but no one was around to hear me. Not that they could even if they were. You see there is something special about me. Not special as in I am better than you in some way or another. It's just that I can do something I assume and in some ways hope you can't.

Brian stepped back into the kitchen, his brow wrinkled in frustration. I waved to him but he didn't respond the gesture. "Hey, Brian, I know you can hear me, you're just not trying hard enough to listen. Brian!"

Brian picked up his magazine and went back to reading the latest gossip with the sports world.

"Come on Brian, listen to my voice. Answer me!"

Brian didn't even stop to blink as he took another sip of his warming glass of milk let alone hear me scream at him.

"Dang, I always have to find the oblivious ones. Why can't I get a psychic or someone with a little more skill than this jock?"

Brian eyes broke from the paper and darted around the room. Apparently the insult had caught his attention.

"That's right. You are nothing but a useless leatherhead, a dumb-bell," My voice was rising but Brian was still unresponsive, "a sissy football player with all your pads and half time shows and timeouts nonstop throughout the entire three hour long game. I don't know how anyone stands such a stupid game!"

"Who the hell said that?"

Bingo!

"I did you big ape! Over here stupid!" I rose from my chair, the legs squealing loudly as they slide across the tile. I walked around the table and stood next to Brian.

Brian frantically looked around the room.

If you are thinking Brian is playing dumb or blind and somehow reading a magazine, you would be mistaken but I applaud your imagination. He is in fact a normal high school student, plays on the football team, is part of the Mathematicians club, and coaches his own little league with his younger brother on the team. But there is one thing he is that he doesn't know about, yet.

"Almost there pansy, I am right here!" I was now jumping up and down, waving my arms in his face and shouting right in his ear. "You're a weak-minded jock that sucks at football!"

"Who's there?" Brian shot up out of his chair knocking it over backwards. He stood so fast that his head banged right into my face and my nose let out a crunching sound.

I reeled back holding my poor nose that was already gushing blood. Brian pressed against the shot we had made contact on what was no doubt going to be an impressive bump.

"Sonova-" Brian cursed.

"What are you pissed about? I think you broke my nose you jerk." I glared at him.

"Whoa, where did you come from?" Startled, Brian took a step back toward the sliding glass door, his only escape from my wrath at the moment.

"I have been here for hours trying to get your attention."

"No you haven't, I would have seen you. You just appeared out of nowhere."

"That's what people tend to do in my situation."

"What do you mean your situation? And how did you get in here?"

"Talk to me like that and you can forget about everything."

"I don't have anything to forget about other than there is a strange girl in my kitchen that wasn't here a second ago."

"I am not a girl."

"How old are you?" He asked.

"Eighteen."

He stared at me for a second, before saying, "You look twelve."

That was it. I had had enough of this joker. I dropped my hands at my sides and they clenched into fists as I took a step toward him.

He used his free hand to hold up defensively. "Whoa, whoa, I was kidding. Jeez, can't people take a joke these days."

"Not me, you don't laugh often when you are in my situation."

"I don't care about a situation someone is in if I don't know who that someone is."

"Fine, my name is-"

"Brian, I almost forgot. Someone named Tanner called not too long ago asking you if "that" was still on. What exactly is "that" supposed to be?" Brian's mom walked into the kitchen, her long

flower covered skirt flowing like waves behind her. She walked around the counter and was headed straight for me. I smiled, thinking this the perfect opportunity to fill Brian in on a few important details about me, and himself.

Unaware of my existence, his mom strode right up to me and kept going. I passed through her like smoke.

Brian's mouth dropped open.

"What is the matter with you? Is there something on my jacket? Is it a bug? Ohmigod get it off. Get it off now!" She started to dance around in a circle, flapping her arms like a chicken trying desperately to join its distant cousins in the sky.

I choked and tried not to laugh and somehow managed. Brian didn't think it was nearly as funny, course he was still distracted by the whole I-can-walk-through-people thing and nobody-can-see-me-but-him gag. But it wasn't a gag someone could pull off easily. In fact it was downright impossible.

After his mom almost smacked him from all her flapping, Brian finally noticed his mother. "Mom there is nothing on you, I was just thinking about something else."

His mom stopped trying to take off and looked at him concerned. "Honey, you were just standing her staring at that wall over there." She turned around and faced me. I waved. Again I was denied a return greeting. She looked back at her son. "Anyway, can you run to the grocery store for me? I forgot some things for dinner tonight and your dad is expecting meatloaf with his favorite potatoes."

Completely ignoring me now, he answered, "Sure, did you make a list or something?"

"Yeah, it's by your keys. Can you go now? You know how he gets when he doesn't get food on time after work."

"Okay, did you leave money there too?"

She starred at him, confused. "Why would I do that?"

"I don't know, maybe because I'm a teenager and always ask and need money to do anything?"

"True, but good try. You have your own job now. Therefore you have your own money."

"Yeah but I'm buying your groceries."

"For your father."

"Your husband"

"For crissake, just spend your own money you cheap kid."

"Hey, I'm not a kid." Brian said and pointed a finger at me threateningly.

I stuck my tongue out at him. "You look twelve."

"Honey?" His mom asked anxiously. "Who are you talking to?" A look of worry covered her tan face that blended nicely with her jet black hair and brown eyes.

Brian rubbed his eyes. When he spoke again, his voice was strained and on the edge of going menacing. "No one, just thinking out loud, okay I'm leaving before I change my mind."

"Thank you sweetie." With that his mom spun on her stiletto heels, passed through me again and headed out the kitchen.

I watched her go, a smile still present on my face but it soon faded when I looked back at Brian. He was not looking very happy about all this. Maybe I had exposed that part of my situation to him too soon.

He reached for me. I put up my fists and said, "You wanna fight?"

He placed a hand on mine. It felt warm against my cold skin. "How come I can touch you but my mom can't?"

"That's a long story."

"You can tell me on the way to the grocery store." He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the kitchen.

Well, this isn't so bad of a start. I thought with a grin.