A/N: Sorry this took so long! Enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Five

The Other Halfa

I stared up at the blank white arched ceiling, wondering where the food was kept in this place. To my left, my dad snored loudly, and my mom slept through it. I closed my eyes, but sleep eluded me. I opened them again and sighed.

I looked out the window into the blustery weather. The wind howled around the mansion. Treetops just skimmed the bottom of the window, making me miss my own treetops back in Specterton. I bet these weren't crawling with ghosts though… not that I would be surprised, though, this place was creepy…

I tossed the covers off of myself. I was not going to sleep anytime soon, so maybe this place might be worth exploring- I wonder what a bathroom would look like in a place this extravagant. So, without really any thought at all, I approached the door at the end of our room.

Something flashed by the window. I spun on my heal, my mind immediately jumping to a ghost of some sort. I narrowed my eyes, peering out the window. It must have just been my imagination playing tricks on me. My hunger was making me delusional or something.

The door barely made a sound on the way out of the room. Although neither of my parents are particularly light sleepers, I still didn't want to give them any reason to wake up.

The hallways were lit with flaming torches that had to be at least half my size (and probably about as big as Kaylie, and I bet they weighed more). I felt like I had stepped back in time about five hundred years and was now on some sort of secret mission in a medieval manor. Only I hoped that in this time period everything had fire alarms and running water.

Another flash passed near the end of the hallway. Was it just me, or did it seem like it went right through the wall? I had to be right- one's delusional hunger can only cause so many hallucinations. This place had to be haunted by some sort of ghost.

I only just then remembered that I, too, was technically a ghost- albeit totally inexperienced and having no idea of my powers, but still a ghost. I closed my eyes and concentrated, changing into my ghost form. I was way too curious just to let something like this go.

I too, passed through the wall where I had seen the supposed ghost. It was a sort of library, with large bookcases stretching to the ceiling. I don't think even Eric could have enjoyed this library though- everything leered down on you, and the entire place was a cold stone gray. But however creepy it was, I saw no ghosts. I wasn't sure if I was relieved or disappointed, or a little of both.

"Ellie Fenton, how nice to see you," a voice said behind me. Slowly I turned, knowing but not knowing what I would find behind me. This was completely out of a horror mystery now, and I was the main character. I was just praying that this chapter didn't end with me getting killed off.

There he stood, Darius Masters. But he looked oddly different. His formerly observant gaze now had that power-hungry gleam in it, and he was watching me as if he were the lion and I were the gazelle. I certainly knew how the lion and gazelle story turned out by watching Animal Planet, and it wasn't good.

I didn't say anything, merely stared like a gazelle. I definitely felt like running, but even though I was in ghost form, I didn't feel any urge to run or fly away. I couldn't- my legs were trapped on the floor, and I couldn't move them. Run, stupid, run away! I told myself, but I didn't.

Then, the last thing I expected happened. As Darius Masters took a step toward me, two glowing rings formed around him and then went up over his head and around his feet. All of a sudden, he was no longer Darius Masters- he was someone else, someone else far more sinister. He had blood-red eyes, and a very strange pale-looking face.

"Surprised? Really? I would think you, little ghost girl, of all people, would know about me, Darius Plasmius…"

I said nothing. My feet did nothing.

"Really? No? Don't you know that your father and mine were arch enemies? Don't you know the story? Speak up!" he yelled at me. My legs finally were moving- and backing me up right into a corner.

"I bet you don't have any idea about your powers, bet you have no idea what you can do! Your father didn't know what he could do either. He could have been the most powerful ghost ever, worked alongside my father… but no. He chose to be good! And I bet you're no better! Well, I am better… I have been training much longer than you. You have no idea what kind of trouble you're in, Phantom girl…"

"Get away from me!" I screamed, holding a hand up to cover my face.

For some reason, Darius yelled out as I held up my hand. I lowered my arm to see what had happened. He had backed off a little, and was shaking his head as if to shake off a shock.

"So that's how it's going to be? Well, I can do much more than your little energy blast…" I looked at my hands. I actually had more powers? Well, if I did, now was the time to use them…

"Tell me, little girl, can you do this yet?" And as I watched in horror, I was surrounded by five more Dariuses, all staring at me with the same predator gaze. They were all laughing, laughing because he (or they) could do anything they wanted, and I was completely defenseless…

The Dariuses were closing in. I could see no way out. Oh, how stupid I was, to leave my room in the middle of the night in a strange house… Now it was going to cost me dearly.

"Go away…" I whimpered, not really sure what else I could do. "Go away… Go away…" my voice was going louder and stronger… "Go away… GO AWAY!"

My voice had risen to a scream, but it was echoing oddly throughout the room, almost like a moan… The sound waves were visible. All six Dariuses were tossed backwards into a bookshelf, and returned to one as books tumbled from the shelf. He changed back to a normal human, as did I. I was now terrified. What had I done? He wasn't dead… no way was he dead…

I took a step towards Darius. He gave a slight twitch, and moaned a little. He was alive! Was that a good or bad thing?

The door to the library flew open.

"Ellie! What's going on?"

It was my dad, his face pale with fright. He must have noticed I was gone, and heard the crash… I didn't know what to say.

He came over and took in the scene of Darius lying under a pile of encyclopedias. He knelt down next to him and looked at me. "Ellie. Tell me what happened." It was a stern command.

"I-I don't know," I said meekly, unable to think of anything else.

"Yes you do. Lilleth, tell me. I know that you know what happened." It looked to me like he had already put things together, and just wanted me to say it.

"I really don't know," I said, looking at my feet. "I was going to the bathroom and heard a crash. I-I found him like this."

His eyes said he didn't believe me, I knew that they did. He didn't respond and merely checked Darius's pulse.

"I'm going to go get Star, and the doctor. You- stay here. I'll send your mother in to get you." And with that, he left.

I sighed. Why had I lied? I knew that my dad knew the truth about me. A ghost must be able to know when another person is a ghost. But I hadn't even known that I was one myself for fourteen years… Maybe that was different. I could have told everything right there, let it all out, but I didn't… The lie just overtook any other thought… Was I really this stupid?

Darius moaned again and blinked. "You," he said, looking at me. "You… better stay away from me. For your own good." With that, he blinked again, and his eyes stayed shut.

"Ellie!" It was my mom's voice. My dad had sent her down.

"Mom!" I yelled, and ran over and threw my arms around her. I had never been so happy to see someone in my life. I felt like a little kid again, seeking out her mom for protection from the world around her.

"Thank goodness you're safe… I need you to go back to the room," she instructed. "I've got everything. Just go back and go to sleep."

Like I would ever sleep again after this. But I stepped away from her and headed back to the room. I headed towards the doors, and looked back as I reached the door frame. She was staring at me with the same all-knowing look as my dad. Did she know too? I looked at my feet and headed back to the room.

I sat on my bed and put my head in my hands. What had I done? Who was I?

A/N: I hoped you liked that! It took me awhile to think up Darius's dialouge (I can't write for evil people!). Well, I must be doing something right, because Welcome to Specterton now has over 8000 hits! YAAAAY! Thank you guys so much for reading. This chapter was really intense, but the next chapter will have a great new character, trust me. It's the one my friend thought up. And I thought of a whole bunch of new... erm... exotic ghosts over the weekend. Trust me, they're hilarious!

Have a great day!

-Rachel