It was an ordinary night in Clockwork's realm of the ghost zone. The night, however, was about to get a lot more interesting. He was simply observing time when he heard an odd wail, not like any sound a ghost made. Confused and startled, he went to see what it was. He opened a door to find a baby girl floating in the air, wrapped in a blanket and screaming. Feeling sorry for the young thing, he took her inside. He noticed that she did not have the same cold feel that most ghosts had. In fact, she felt positively alive! Not sure what to do, he put the child in a small basket that was just the right size for her. He noticed a note hanging off of one end of the blanket.
Whoever finds this child, please take care of her. She is a living human girl, which may be a surprise to those of you in the ghost zone. She has the potential to have an amazing gift, and we were forced into a decision that we did not like. We had a choice between being the worst possible parents for a gifted child, or giving her to someone else who could take better care of her. We called her Mali, but you may call her whatever you wish. If she ever asks, please show her this letter and tell her that we love her, and did this for her best interests.
Love,
Her parents
Clockwork stared at the young girl, who had fallen asleep, content to be in a place where she felt safe. He smiled at her, knowing he couldn't turn her away. After all, a human girl with powers that possibly not even most ghosts know about could have a lot of trouble fitting in even here. It will be fine, I'm sure. He took the girl in his arms, and she woke up, staring at him with large golden eyes. Speaking of eyes, those are definitely not normal. This just proves even more that she can't leave. He asked one of the observants to get some milk for her, but they just sat there.
"Are you sure this is a good idea? You could be tampering with time!" They proclaimed.
"Or, by placing her in anyone else's care, I could be. I didn't decide to have her come here, so it must be ok to keep her. Poor thing, I wonder how she's to live a normal life like this?"
14 years later:
"Hey, Uncle Clockwork! How was work? Actually, don't tell me, I can already see it by the look in your face. What happened?" Kamali walked over to give her "uncle" a hug. The ghost seemed highly troubled by something, but also quite proud of himself. She brushed a little of her golden-red hair out of her face and looked at him.
"I saved the future by making sure the halfa didn't cheat on a test. The Observants want to wring my neck though. They say, 'let people have a choice' and such. I did, I just showed him what would happen if he cheated. I'm glad to say, it looks like his family will still be around ten years from now, as will his friends. Odd kid, but he really does have what it takes to be a hero." Mali looked at him again. She knew the halfa was a big problem to both worlds, but he was trying to do what was right.
"The only problem, Mali dear, is that now I have to watch over him almost all the time. I could really use an apprentice." Mali smiled at him. She had an idea.
"Why don't I be your apprentice, Uncle Clockwork? I learn fast, and nobody can track if I help people. After all, going into people's dreams doesn't leave much trace at all." He had to smile at his "niece." Since he had found her that evening, she had been quite a troublemaker. Whenever she was bored, she'd go dream hopping. People wondered who she was, but ghosts had gotten used to it. Even though they didn't have to sleep, they often did when bored. She had enough free time on her hands that she spent almost all of it going into other ghost's dreams. Of course, she'd change her name and appearance so nobody could tell it was her until the end of the dream, where she'd yell "You've been visited by the dream hopper! You should feel so lucky!" Then she'd cartwheel out of the dream before it ended.
"I guess, since I really am in need of help. And it's about time you actually did something useful." He had switched to his younger mode, which Mali often found acted like a total loon. From what she'd heard, they were often also called "brothers." He looked at her before returning to his mid-age form. "Shall we get started on your training?" She leaped out of the chair and followed him into another room.
The next chapter happens a few months later.