~*~Chapter Seven : Push You Out~*~

Marty awoke the next day feeling miserable. She headed toward the bathroom to take a shower. She had just stripped off her clothes and was approaching the shower stall when she walked in front of the full-length mirror. The image she saw made her stop in her tracks. "Ohhh my God!" she gasped. It was not her own reflection staring back at her, but that of Todd with his throat slashed. Blood oozed out of the huge gash upon his neck.

"Todd, no!" Marty sobbed. She backed away as a scream tore from her throat.

"Get out of the house, Marty," she heard a voice whisper.

Recognizing the voice as Todd's, Marty was shaken. She wrapped up in her robe and rushed into the hallway. "What's the matter, dear?" asked Samantha when she saw her daughter run out of the bathroom.

"It's nothing, Mom. I just saw a... a spider."

"A spider? A spider has you this upset?" Samantha asked as she placed a hand on Marty's shoulder. "Honey, what is it? You're trembling."

"It- it's nothing. I just... need some time alone."

Marty turned on her heel and headed back into her bedroom. "You can't do this, Todd. You can't scare me away," she called out into the empty room.

"You have to go," he spoke as a thin image of him appeared in front of the window seat.

"Why?"

"Because it's not safe for you here. We don't belong together... like you said."

"I was wrong about that, Todd. Our connection is too strong. I- I love you... and I don't want to leave you."

"You love me?" he said in disbelief. Tears glowed in his eyes.

She watched in amazement as he took on solid form. Suddenly he reached for her and tugged her into his arms. The bond between them was so strong that she could feel the sensation of his touch. A sob escaped him as he cradled her head against his chest.

"It's going to be alright, Todd," she told him as she blinked back her tears.

"Marty, what's going on?" a voice called out beyond the door. "Who are you talking to?"

"That's my dad," Marty whispered.

Marty pulled out of Todd's embrace just as the door opened. Dr. Marshall Saybrooke stepped into the room. "I heard voices. Was someone in your room?" he asked as he looked around expectantly.

"No one was here," Marty denied.

"It sounded like that teenage boy, Todd Manning... the troubled boy. You aren't seeing him, are you, Marty?" her father asked.

"No, Dad," she lied.

"Good," said Marty's father. "Because that boy is dangerous."