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“Why are you asking me?” Samantha rubbed her arms vigorously. Holding Cassidy had felt like holding a block of ice. She was still shivering.
Gingerly touching his bleeding cheek, Jeff said in an awed voice, “She was tangible, Samantha! That never happens. She even scratched me!”
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Samantha sat on her heels and tried to stop her teeth from chattering as she spoke. “It’s not my fault!”
“I mean sometimes entities manage to knock something over, maybe scratch you a little, but I felt her nails. I felt her body!” Jeff stared at the scratches on his body in amazement. “When you touched her, she became solid. ”
Shaking her head vigorously, Samantha didn’t want to acknowledge that what he was saying was true. “No, no. No, that isn’t it. ”
“Yes, it is. When you stepped into the area that she haunts, that gave her enough energy to call out to you. When you touched her, she gained substance. You did that! Holy shit, Samantha, you did that!”
Trying not to cry, Samantha whispered, “What does that mean?”
“You’re a phasmagnus!” Jeff stared at her in awe. “One of the most rare supernatural abilities around. You can call the specters of the dead, make them real, have them do your bidding. ”
Wiping away a tear, Samantha continued to shiver. She felt a bit sick to her stomach and overwhelmed by what he was saying. But wasn’t it true? When she had let go of Cassidy and ordered her to leave Jeff alone, Cassidy had stopped her attack, lost form, and vanished.
Realizing her distress, Jeff moved to enfold her in his arms. “It’s okay, Samantha. It’s okay. Now that we know what you are, we can deal with this better. I promise. ”
Samantha leaned against him, staring at the spot where Cassidy had disappeared. The thump of feet against the concrete drew her attention. Joggers were once more running along the footbridge. The spell was over.
“Everything okay?” a runner asked as he ran toward them. His tan skin was covered in sweat and he was rippling with lean muscle.
Dimly, Samantha wondered if he was a ghost, too.
“Yeah. We had a little tumble. All good now,” Jeff answered quickly.
The jogger nodded and kept going.
“Samantha,” Jeff whispered. “We need to get up and go now. Okay?”
“I’m a phasmagnus,” Samantha answered, the word sounding odd coming from her lips.
“I know, honey. ” He helped her to her feet and gathered his stuff, shoving it into his bag.
Standing in the center of the footbridge, Samantha stared at the towering buildings of downtown Austin looming over the glittering lake. Colorful kayaks and canoes were gliding over the water. Runners and walkers dotted the winding pathway as far as her eyes could see and cars glinted in the sunlight as they passed over the Lamar Boulevard Bridge in the distance. It all looked so normal.
“I’m not normal anymore,” Samantha said at last when Jeff took her hand. “I don’t belong to that world anymore. ”
Jeff surveyed the scene she was gazing at and sighed. “Neither one of us does. Not now. ”
Looking at him, Samantha said, “I’m afraid. ” Her lips felt numb and her throat was tight.
“I know. So am I,” Jeff confessed. “But I am here for you. And this power can help us, Samantha. It can. ”
Nodding, she let him guide her back the way they had come. Her fingers clutched his tightly and she was still shivering. “Jeff?”
“Yeah, Sam?”
“Take me home. ”
“Okay,” he said, nodding.
“And when we get there, I want you to go to bed with me,” she said, boldly meeting his eyes.
He lifted an eyebrow slowly. “You sure?”
