Ah, the story approaches its dramatic conclusion! I'll have one more chapter, an epilogue, after this one is up, and then I'll be finished. Now, on with the story

Chapter 7: Angela

Anyone who dealt with the paranormal knew that an EMF detector didn't just go off for no reason, especially in a building where there was no electricity to cause disturbances. Right now, the meter was spiking at nearly 70 milligauss. The only way that could happen was if…

"Amber, we got a problem." He said. Amber looked up from the crying and shivering children at him. One look at the EMF Detector in his hand was all the answer she needed.

"Kids, get behind me." She said to the girls. The girls obeyed, crowding behind Amber as she stood up. Stitch rushed over and took Amber's place, comforting the girls and keeping them calm as best he could. Julian, in the meantime, had pulled out a small, cylindrical device with a lens attached to the top of the device; a laser thermometer, used to check for cold spots. He turned his EMF detector, searching for the spot where the disturbance was greatest. He found, over by the corridor that led to the underground tunnel. The detector was spiking near the very edge of the meter. He aimed his thermometer at the area and clicked the trigger, firing the invisible infrared laser. The temperature that came back read sixty-two degrees and dropping. The temperature of the room was the almost seventy degrees.

"I'm getting a cold spot." Julian announced. "Something's going to be showing its face over there." He said pointing to the tunnel corridor.

"They're coming back?" Yuki shouted in terror. Stitch immediately shushed her. They all stared at the corridor, waiting for whatever it was to show itself. After what seemed like an eternity, a swirling white mist began to seep into the room from the corridor. The girls were once again violently shaking in terror. Stitch leapt in front of them and began to snarl at the mist. Amber immediately turned to him.

"Shh!" She shushed. Stitch stopped growling, but kept a defensive posture, trying his best to shield the girls from whatever was creeping into the room. Julian and Amber also moved over toward them in an attempt to shield them.

As the group watched, the mist began to slowly swirl upward and form a vaguely human shape. The paranormal researchers watched in fascination as the mist began to coalesce into a human form, finally taking the shape of a little girl in a snow-white dress, whose eyes were simply empty sockets. When the girls dared to look from behind Amber, they were confronted by this ghoulish apparition, and immediately retreated back behind her with squeaks of fear. The spirit seemed to notice this, and began to walk away from them. It was then that Lilo chanced a second look, and noticed something that she hadn't seen before. Emanating from the spirit's empty eye sockets were tiny silver streaks. It didn't take a genius to figure out what they were. Tears.

She was crying.

Almost instantly, Lilo's fear began to ebb away as she watched the silent specter drift over toward a nearby corridor. Why was the ghost crying? Lilo summoned up all her courage and decided to ask. She came out from behind Amber and began to approach the departing spirit.

"Lilo, wait." Julian whispered, trying to get her back to safety. However, Lilo would not hear a word of it. She caught up with the spirit just as it was about to vanish behind a wall.

"Wait!" Lilo called to the spirit. The spirit halted, and then turned its eyeless visage back toward her, silver tears still streaming from her empty sockets. Lilo cautiously approached until she was less than two feet from her, and extended her hand towards the spirit. The spirit stared at Lilo's hand for a few seconds, and then slowly began to extend hers as well. Eventually, her hand connected with Lilo's, her hand passing through the spirits and stopping about midway up her forearm. Lilo felt a tingling sensation on her hand and arm, as though she were touching pure energy. At that moment, Lilo felt that, in a way, she had just connected with this spectral little girl. They held their position for a few more seconds, before they both drew their hands away from each other.

"Who…who are you?" The spirit asked. Her voice was raspy and hoarse, as though she had something caught in her throat.

"I'm Lilo." Lilo replied. "What's your name?" The spirit hung her head slightly.

"I…I can't remember." She replied. "I can't remember anything." Lilo detected the slightest hint of sadness in the spirits voice. Lilo felt a twinge of sadness when she heard the response.

"Was that why you were pleading with me and Victoria for help? Because you need help getting your memories back?" Lilo asked. The spirit nodded.

"Yes." She replied. "I've been trying to get people to help me ever since I died, but…everyone's afraid of me." The spirit began to choke with tears. Lilo felt her heart break at this point. The specter that had seemed so scary and menacing before was nothing more than a lost soul, looking for someone to help them. Lilo felt a tear come to her eye, and the others in the room also felt great sadness at what the spirit had told them.

"You have to remember something?" Lilo said. The spirit shook her head.

"I can't even remember my own name. The only thing I do remember is when I died." She replied. This gave Lilo a brainstorm.

"Why don't we start there? Tell me about when you died." Lilo said.

"Well, I remember it was mid-afternoon. I closed my eyes to go to sleep. I was sleeping a lot, because I was so sick." The spirit began. "I slept for a couple of hours, I'm not sure how long exactly. And then I remember waking up, and for some reason, I didn't feel sick anymore. I got up out of bed and began walking around, trying to figure out what was going on, and when I turned around, I saw my own body." Lilo shuddered. She couldn't imagine how horrible it must have felt when the spirit realized she was dead.

"What happened next?" Yuki chimed in from beside them. The spirit turned and looked at Yuki briefly before continuing.

"A lady came into the room. A nurse, I think. She came over to my bed and said 'Wake up, Angela, it's time to take your cough medicine…"

"Wait, say that again?" Lilo said.

"Cough medicine. They gave us this foul-tasting cough syrup to help with the…" She began, but was once again interrupted by Lilo.

"No, no, no, before that. You mentioned a name." Lilo said.

"Yes, Angela." The ghost said. She was about to continue with her story when a though struck her. "You don't think that…"

"That nurse was talking about you. Your name is Angela." Lilo said excitably.

"She was talking about me! I remember!" The spirit, now known to be Angela, said with joy.

"This whole time you knew your name, but you just forgot that you did." Lilo said. "Is there anything else that you remember?" Angela pursed her lips in thought, trying to call up any memories. Sadly, she couldn't.

"No, I can't." She said, once again lowering her head in sadness. Lilo walked over and put her hand on (or rather, in close proximity to) her shoulder, in an attempt to comfort her.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll remember more, in time." Lilo said soothingly. Angela just smiled. She was quite certain Lilo was right. At this time, Julian took a look at his watch. It was almost two in the morning.

"Uh, I hate to interrupt, but I think your parents are going to want to know you're okay." He said. Lilo and the others nodded in agreement.

"I have to go now. My ohana is worried." Lilo said. Angela looked at her in confusion.

"What's 'ohana'?" Angela asked. Lilo was about to answer, when Stitch waddled over.

"Ohana means family." Stitch said.

"And family means nobody gets left behind." Lilo finished. "Or forgotten."

"But, I don't have a family." Angela replied sadly. "They're all gone."

"We saw other ghosts while we were here." Yuki said. "Maybe they can be your ohana." Angela just smiled.

"Thank you, thank all of you." Angela said. "You have not idea what this means to me." Lilo and the others smiled.

"Were glad we could help." Lilo said. "Goodbye for now, and don't worry, we won't forget you."

"And I won't forget you, and everything you've done for me." Angela replied. "Goodbye, Lilo." With those words, Angela disappeared in a wisp of mist, leaving the others to stare at the spot where she had been.

"Well, this had been a most interesting investigation." Julian said. "I don't recall anything like this every happening, unless you count the Smithfield case." Amber nodded.

"Come on, let's get you kid's home." She said. The girls and Stitch all nodded in agreement and followed the adults out the door, leaving the darkened halls of Waverly Hills Sanatorium behind them.

Aint I just the most optimistic person in the world? Even my horror stories have happy endings! This isn't the last chapter, though, as I will be writing an epilogue. Until that comes out, enjoy this latest chapter!