"I know what I saw," Cameron insisted for the millionth time. He shoved
his socks into his suitcase and glared at his sister and cousin. "And I
know it's crazy and impossible, but I was not hallucinating, and it wasn't
a projection. That was real."
"Cam," Liz replied, hanging up a dress in her suit bag, "I don't think you're lying to me. As a matter of fact, I know you're not. I'm the one person that you can't lie to. But ghosts? There has to be a rational explanation."
"I could see through her," he said emphatically. "That wasn't a maid or something."
"I've been thinking about this," Janna said before Liz could retort. She pulled Liz's t-shirts out of the laundry basket and started folding them for her. "See, I think it's some kind of projection that's supposed to look like a ghost. Part of their security system that I couldn't get to."
"A security ghost?" Cameron asked doubtfully.
"It scared you right? I know just for a second, but it freaked you out." She gave him a charming smile when he glared at her. He didn't like to be reminded that he panicked for a second there. It made her little issue with the squirrel seem not quite as bad. "Think about this. Most professionals are not scared of security guards. But guard dogs spook even the top-quality people. So, they go a step further. A dog can be drugged or something. They have some awesome projection system that makes it look like there's a ghost there. I don't know how they did it, but I'm willing to bet that if it scared you, then most people would have dropped that necklace and run like hell."
Cameron sat down on the only chair that was not occupied by things that were to be packed. "It was so real though," he muttered. "I could have sworn I picked up feeling from her. Like she was mad, and then…I don't know, like she wasn't anymore."
Liz went over to her brother and gave him a hug. "You know that it's happened more than once that when we were tightly linked that we picked up on peripheral emotion from other people. People that should be out of range or not broadcasting. Maybe we were linked and when you saw that…that phenomenon, you had a big adrenaline rush and picked up on other people in the house."
He shrugged. "I guess that makes more sense than a ghost." He looked up at them. Their expressions didn't say they were humoring him or trying to make fun of him. "When we get back, I want to know for certain if that kind of projection security really exists though. Trust me, we do not want to get caught like that again."
"Agreed," Janna said. "I'd say I'd start on it, but I have other plans in mind for the next couple of weeks."
Liz laughed. "With the amount of clay coming in, I'm rather curious as to who the model is since there's obviously going to be enough to share." Janna threw a bra at her, giving her a look of playful disgust.
"When you get to New York," Janna said to Cam, "will you please get this girl laid? Spain is a little quick, I know, but New York should give you enough time."
They all laughed at that little joke. Liz just wasn't all that interested in the selection of available males. It wasn't that she was more interested in the selection of available women, but most of the guys they knew just weren't worth even dropping her drawers for. Cam knew about that one little experience when they were in the Alps, but she had asked him not to tell Janna. Hell, she wouldn't have told him except for the fact that it was something that she just couldn't hide from him. Janna enjoyed playing the field, but Liz just couldn't find anyone that could hold her interest past dinner. Cam looked at relationships like Europe was one huge buffet of women, and he wasn't going to stop until he hit the dessert cart at the end.
The twins had decided to leave a couple of days ahead of schedule. There was a big festival in Spain that they wanted to go to, but Janna wasn't interested. She was looking forward to doing some painting and sculpting. She loved her cousins to death, but they were such a distraction to creative energy. She wanted to get up to her elbows in paint and clay and not think about anything for the next couple of weeks but her art.
"So what was that message about?" Liz asked. Janna had gotten a page a little bit before. It was a special page that said a potential customer was calling.
"The usual. Some guy wants to set up a meeting." She made a face. With the amount of cash they had from that last deal, work was not going to be required for quite some time. "I told him that my clients were unavailable for a couple of months. He can call me back then."
"Good," Cameron said. "I don't even want to think about what's coming up in the future right now except for Christmas, and maybe taking up skydiving when we get back." The other two agreed about Christmas, but still thought he was nuts about the skydiving thing. There was no reason to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. Liz would have thought that when he mentioned it to their mother that she would have torn him a new one for even thinking about it, but she just said that once he was ready to get started to let her know and they could do some jumps together. Sometimes Mom's definition of fun was slightly colored by her soldier days.
Their flight was in the early afternoon, and they finished packing with plenty of time to spare. The most careful packing was the statue of Bast that they had filched. Janna wanted to give it to her mother, but wasn't sure how to do it. She was thinking that they would sneak into the penthouse in Seattle, and place it on her mom's dresser like her dad said he did with the other one. In the meantime, Janna had made a larger sculpture that was hollowed. The Bast fit into it easily, and she glued the two halves of the sculpture together. It was an odd abstract so the seam wouldn't be noticeable. Cam and Liz were going to carry it over to the US since they would know if someone was getting suspicious over it. There shouldn't be a problem though. They had every intention of declaring it at customs. There were plenty of young artists in France that sold their work on the streets. Nothing unusual at all about buying something from them.
Janna took her cousins to the airport and saw them off before heading home. She was smiling the whole way back thinking about the new painting she had envisioned. As a matter of fact, it was going to be an abstract series entitled "Les Humains proviennent de la Terre, et les Ecureuils de l'Enfer". Most people wouldn't get the title, but she was willing to bet her mother and cousin would find it amusing. Well, Cameron and Liz were still touchy about the squirrel thing, but her mom would agree wholeheartedly.
Her good mood faded when her pager went off again. She groaned. This had better not keep happening. She wanted some time to herself. She groaned again when she got the message. It was that same guy again. He said that he understood that her clients weren't available, but he was willing to offer ten grand just to talk to her. It was very important, and if it had to wait a month to get done, then he was willing to be patient. Janna rolled her eyes. This guy was going to bug the hell out of her until she personally told him to take a hike.
She responded back that she had only one appointment available, and that was this evening. She had no intention of having him anywhere near where she lived when she met him. La Mandarine was a good two-hour drive away, but she could usually get a cute suite there. She checked, and there was one available for that night. Good enough. She told the prospect that she would meet with him there that evening, but he was to come alone. Janna knew self-defense well enough, but without the twins there, she was not going to feel comfortable if there was more than one person.
Janna looked at her paints and clay longingly before she left. She liked the classy suits that she wore as Jaqui, but what she wanted more was to be in her grubby comfortable jeans and soft cotton tank top and getting splattered with the materials of her trade. One night, she reminded herself. Ten grand wasn't that bad of a price for a meeting; hell, usually the first one was free anyways. Besides, she liked to go for a long drive before a creative spurt. It helped to clear her head and get her ready for talent to flow from her fingers. Something like that at any rate.
There wasn't much to do when she got to the hotel but wait anyways. Normally she was setting up the deal with the phone and making sure the sound bafflers were working and the like. It was very odd to be just waiting for the client to show up. It was even weirder to be doing it in silence. She was normally laughing and joking and talking with the twins while they waited. Janna had her sketchbook with her and played with that until the hour hands of the clock hit the exact top of the hour and there was a knock on the door. At least he was prompt. Janna pasted a smile to her face, and Jaqui answered the door.
Tall, well-built male entered the room. Olive skin. Blue-black hair, dark eyes. Italian? Maybe. Absolutely meltingly gorgeous? Oh, hell fuzzy yes. Problem. He was familiar somehow. She couldn't place him. Art class somewhere? Better not be. They knew Janna Cale in those classes. Maybe he wasn't Italian. He had sent his message to her in English, and she responded in whatever language the prospect first introduced.
"Good evening monsieur," Jaqui said with a friendly smile. "I am Jaqui."
His eyes never left hers as he took her hand and lightly brushed his lips against her knuckles. "I am the Conte Antonio di LiCossa," he replied in richly accented English. "Have we met before?"
"Cam," Liz replied, hanging up a dress in her suit bag, "I don't think you're lying to me. As a matter of fact, I know you're not. I'm the one person that you can't lie to. But ghosts? There has to be a rational explanation."
"I could see through her," he said emphatically. "That wasn't a maid or something."
"I've been thinking about this," Janna said before Liz could retort. She pulled Liz's t-shirts out of the laundry basket and started folding them for her. "See, I think it's some kind of projection that's supposed to look like a ghost. Part of their security system that I couldn't get to."
"A security ghost?" Cameron asked doubtfully.
"It scared you right? I know just for a second, but it freaked you out." She gave him a charming smile when he glared at her. He didn't like to be reminded that he panicked for a second there. It made her little issue with the squirrel seem not quite as bad. "Think about this. Most professionals are not scared of security guards. But guard dogs spook even the top-quality people. So, they go a step further. A dog can be drugged or something. They have some awesome projection system that makes it look like there's a ghost there. I don't know how they did it, but I'm willing to bet that if it scared you, then most people would have dropped that necklace and run like hell."
Cameron sat down on the only chair that was not occupied by things that were to be packed. "It was so real though," he muttered. "I could have sworn I picked up feeling from her. Like she was mad, and then…I don't know, like she wasn't anymore."
Liz went over to her brother and gave him a hug. "You know that it's happened more than once that when we were tightly linked that we picked up on peripheral emotion from other people. People that should be out of range or not broadcasting. Maybe we were linked and when you saw that…that phenomenon, you had a big adrenaline rush and picked up on other people in the house."
He shrugged. "I guess that makes more sense than a ghost." He looked up at them. Their expressions didn't say they were humoring him or trying to make fun of him. "When we get back, I want to know for certain if that kind of projection security really exists though. Trust me, we do not want to get caught like that again."
"Agreed," Janna said. "I'd say I'd start on it, but I have other plans in mind for the next couple of weeks."
Liz laughed. "With the amount of clay coming in, I'm rather curious as to who the model is since there's obviously going to be enough to share." Janna threw a bra at her, giving her a look of playful disgust.
"When you get to New York," Janna said to Cam, "will you please get this girl laid? Spain is a little quick, I know, but New York should give you enough time."
They all laughed at that little joke. Liz just wasn't all that interested in the selection of available males. It wasn't that she was more interested in the selection of available women, but most of the guys they knew just weren't worth even dropping her drawers for. Cam knew about that one little experience when they were in the Alps, but she had asked him not to tell Janna. Hell, she wouldn't have told him except for the fact that it was something that she just couldn't hide from him. Janna enjoyed playing the field, but Liz just couldn't find anyone that could hold her interest past dinner. Cam looked at relationships like Europe was one huge buffet of women, and he wasn't going to stop until he hit the dessert cart at the end.
The twins had decided to leave a couple of days ahead of schedule. There was a big festival in Spain that they wanted to go to, but Janna wasn't interested. She was looking forward to doing some painting and sculpting. She loved her cousins to death, but they were such a distraction to creative energy. She wanted to get up to her elbows in paint and clay and not think about anything for the next couple of weeks but her art.
"So what was that message about?" Liz asked. Janna had gotten a page a little bit before. It was a special page that said a potential customer was calling.
"The usual. Some guy wants to set up a meeting." She made a face. With the amount of cash they had from that last deal, work was not going to be required for quite some time. "I told him that my clients were unavailable for a couple of months. He can call me back then."
"Good," Cameron said. "I don't even want to think about what's coming up in the future right now except for Christmas, and maybe taking up skydiving when we get back." The other two agreed about Christmas, but still thought he was nuts about the skydiving thing. There was no reason to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. Liz would have thought that when he mentioned it to their mother that she would have torn him a new one for even thinking about it, but she just said that once he was ready to get started to let her know and they could do some jumps together. Sometimes Mom's definition of fun was slightly colored by her soldier days.
Their flight was in the early afternoon, and they finished packing with plenty of time to spare. The most careful packing was the statue of Bast that they had filched. Janna wanted to give it to her mother, but wasn't sure how to do it. She was thinking that they would sneak into the penthouse in Seattle, and place it on her mom's dresser like her dad said he did with the other one. In the meantime, Janna had made a larger sculpture that was hollowed. The Bast fit into it easily, and she glued the two halves of the sculpture together. It was an odd abstract so the seam wouldn't be noticeable. Cam and Liz were going to carry it over to the US since they would know if someone was getting suspicious over it. There shouldn't be a problem though. They had every intention of declaring it at customs. There were plenty of young artists in France that sold their work on the streets. Nothing unusual at all about buying something from them.
Janna took her cousins to the airport and saw them off before heading home. She was smiling the whole way back thinking about the new painting she had envisioned. As a matter of fact, it was going to be an abstract series entitled "Les Humains proviennent de la Terre, et les Ecureuils de l'Enfer". Most people wouldn't get the title, but she was willing to bet her mother and cousin would find it amusing. Well, Cameron and Liz were still touchy about the squirrel thing, but her mom would agree wholeheartedly.
Her good mood faded when her pager went off again. She groaned. This had better not keep happening. She wanted some time to herself. She groaned again when she got the message. It was that same guy again. He said that he understood that her clients weren't available, but he was willing to offer ten grand just to talk to her. It was very important, and if it had to wait a month to get done, then he was willing to be patient. Janna rolled her eyes. This guy was going to bug the hell out of her until she personally told him to take a hike.
She responded back that she had only one appointment available, and that was this evening. She had no intention of having him anywhere near where she lived when she met him. La Mandarine was a good two-hour drive away, but she could usually get a cute suite there. She checked, and there was one available for that night. Good enough. She told the prospect that she would meet with him there that evening, but he was to come alone. Janna knew self-defense well enough, but without the twins there, she was not going to feel comfortable if there was more than one person.
Janna looked at her paints and clay longingly before she left. She liked the classy suits that she wore as Jaqui, but what she wanted more was to be in her grubby comfortable jeans and soft cotton tank top and getting splattered with the materials of her trade. One night, she reminded herself. Ten grand wasn't that bad of a price for a meeting; hell, usually the first one was free anyways. Besides, she liked to go for a long drive before a creative spurt. It helped to clear her head and get her ready for talent to flow from her fingers. Something like that at any rate.
There wasn't much to do when she got to the hotel but wait anyways. Normally she was setting up the deal with the phone and making sure the sound bafflers were working and the like. It was very odd to be just waiting for the client to show up. It was even weirder to be doing it in silence. She was normally laughing and joking and talking with the twins while they waited. Janna had her sketchbook with her and played with that until the hour hands of the clock hit the exact top of the hour and there was a knock on the door. At least he was prompt. Janna pasted a smile to her face, and Jaqui answered the door.
Tall, well-built male entered the room. Olive skin. Blue-black hair, dark eyes. Italian? Maybe. Absolutely meltingly gorgeous? Oh, hell fuzzy yes. Problem. He was familiar somehow. She couldn't place him. Art class somewhere? Better not be. They knew Janna Cale in those classes. Maybe he wasn't Italian. He had sent his message to her in English, and she responded in whatever language the prospect first introduced.
"Good evening monsieur," Jaqui said with a friendly smile. "I am Jaqui."
His eyes never left hers as he took her hand and lightly brushed his lips against her knuckles. "I am the Conte Antonio di LiCossa," he replied in richly accented English. "Have we met before?"
