A/N: Oh my gosh! Thank you so much for the nice reviews, guys! You make me feel like my story is worth writing for you all! I am inspired to continue, and it is a pleasure to keep you entertained. I'll try to be as consistent as possible with my updates and update a chapter every week. If I can't, I'll update every week and a half or two weeks. Stay tuned. :)

Friday the 15th was my 18th birthday. Woohoo!

Chapter 2: Lying Lips

The enemy gripped my shoulder as we moved, and we glided like phantoms in the night. We were silent as death. The tension rolled thick in the atmosphere, and it suffocated me. My heart pounded wildly. It was as if I was being guided by the executioner, by him, toward the guillotine. Or perhaps I was being sweetly tempted by Satan, himself, to leap off a cliff or wade into frothing waters.

"So," he began, eyeing me suspiciously. My heart was seized with fear. "What do you have to say for yourself?" His grip never loosened.

I attempted to sound nonchalant, but goosebumps prickled along my skin. "Wh-what do you mean?"

Spencer's smile was forced. He tried to seem concerned, but I knew his true colors. "What happened while you were, ah, gone?"

"I-I'll tell you when we get back to school. I'm still in shock." I sniffed, wiping my cheeks dry. I needed to stall for as long as I could in order to think. I needed to plan on how I was going to respond, for it wouldn't be safe to mention me meeting with my father. What if Spencer really was part of the Prilumi? This stranger was someone I doubted I could trust. I needed to observe his behavior with caution.

We stared at each other, his gaze impassive. What was he thinking? The unknown drove me crazy. Did he suspect me? Most likely, yes.

I could feel his eyes bore right through my soul.

I never broke our gaze. In my false memories, inserted into my mind by the Prilumi, Spencer was my boyfriend. We've dated for a long period of time. But in reality I've only met him for not even an entire day after being unconscious for months. Thanks to Dad, I could now discern between fact and fiction. Truthfully, I wasn't positive what happened between the time span of my capture and the time I woke up in a deceptively ordinary world. All I recalled was a gas mask placed over my mouth and nose, which sent me into a deep, dreamless sleep.

How did I know months passed? In my haste to get ready for school my eyes flitted over to the calendar on the wall on my way out of the bedroom. August 26th circled in red ink glared at me. I had been seized in April, although I could not remember the day of my capture.

The safest way to protect my father and myself was to feign innocence. The only obstacle was making my lies credible. I had no choice but to play along in the Prilumi's sick game unless I desired to face the consequences. I didn't want to know what they were.

"You're stalling."

My blood turned to ice. How did he know?

"I'm not stalling," I tried to convince him, chin trembling. My voice cracked. "Fine. I understand that you care for me and want to know everything that happened right away, so I'll do my best to calm down and give you the details."

"Give me the details." His stony expression was frightening.

My fear quickly spoiled over into irritation, and my nostrils flared. I wanted to hit him and shout, "You monster! All you care about is interrogating me! You don't truly care about me!" Instead, I inhaled deeply and then exhaled.

Where to begin?

"The ghosts that barged in had a purpose in being there," the quarterback vaguely said to help me start. He lapsed into silence again and waited for me to speak.

I shook my head in what I prayed was disbelief. "I don't know. I have no idea why ghosts just suddenly appeared out of nowhere. I have always thought they were a part of fantasy, but I guess after this morning seeing is believing."

The corners of his mouth twitched into a frown. My answer must have disappointed him. Then he blinked as if something occurred to him, and he smiled kindly at me, slowly. "If I'm not mistaken, the ghosts mentioned Danny Phantom and hauled you out of there... For all I know you could have met with him before I found you and are faking stupidity. Tell me,"—we stopped walking, and he turned to me and leaned closer—"where is he?"

I froze.

Ugh! Boy was he trying to drive me into a corner!

I leaned away and giggled nervously. "What are you saying, Spencer? And who's Danny Phantom?" I made sure to crease my brows to look confused.

"Don't lie to me."

I wanted him to tell me the truth.

I pushed him away in frustration. "Ugh, Spencer! I'm not lying! Why are you being so weird?"

"Why are you so mad?" he countered softly.

I wildly racked my mind for a response. "Because—because I'm confused," I settled for, pretending to surrender.

"Confused?"

"Yeah. I don't know why ghosts came and kidnapped me." I needed to be careful in my word choice; one wrong word could reveal that I was awakened from my slumber and utterly blow my guise. "They were taking me somewhere, but I managed to escape. I hid in this alleyway, and then you came along."

"Really? You looked like you were grieving," my so-called boyfriend pressed. He didn't believe me.

I vehemently disagreed, "I wasn't grieving. I was crying because I didn't know if I was going to die, or something. Who knows what those ghosts could have done to me?"

"But,"—Spencer bided his time—"I don't think they intended to kill you. Rather, they intended to take you somewhere. To someone."

I snorted and flipped my wrist. "Oh, please. I'm not anyone special. Why would a bunch of ghosts pay attention to me?" Now the tables were turned, and I was the one pressuring him to explain. Anything to distract him. And hopefully learn something.

He paused. "You weren't afraid in the classroom. How can you be afraid of them ending your life outside the classroom?"

"Don't try to change the subject. Besides, you didn't seem to be scared, either. Why's that?" I raised my eyebrows at him.

His pause was longer this time, and he averted his gaze. "I don't know," he murmured. "I guess I was just assuming things."

"That's probably the case," I affirmed, breathing an inner sigh of relief. It felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I had triumphed in our verbal battle. Yet, I needed to arm myself for the battles I was sure to face ahead. I stood straighter.

The enemy narrowed his eyes but remained silent.

"Spencer?"

His chocolate-brown eyes went back to me, watchful. "Yeah?"

I gave him the sweetest smile I could muster, which sickened me. "Thank you for worrying about me."

"You're welcome." His smile and eyes didn't match.

We strode now on the sidewalk. I was unfamiliar with this part of town, and Spencer delivered me no hints at how to return to school. He walked slightly behind me, and I sensed him staring at my back.

"Hey, Spencer?" I halted, and he stopped, as well, like a shadow. "Do you believe in ghosts? I'm just wondering."

I could see the gears turning in his head. How was he going to respond to a question that meant to trap him?

"Yes" was his short answer. Short was safe.

"How come?" I kept my tone light and friendly, at the same time curious.

His eyes looked at me sharply, although his smile remained pleasant. "Don't laugh at me, okay?"

"Yesterday I would have laughed at you, but after what happened today I empathize with you. I now believe ghosts exist, too," I reminded him.

"They're not really ghosts, though," he spoke under his breath.

"What?"

"Never mind. It's complicated. Anyway, I've always believed ghosts existed. Illinois is the most haunted state in the U.S., actually. Did you know that?"

I shook my head.

Spencer continued as he moved forward on the sidewalk, "I don't understand why that is, but somehow I attract ghosts. Do I have a sixth sense? I don't know. I'm just more sensitive to their presence than most people; I'm able to feel their energy. They hate me. They threaten to kill me and encourage me to commit suicide. I hate them, too."

My lips parted in surprise. If he was honest with me this time I didn't expect to hear his side of the story like that. Then again he could've been spewing a fountain of lies or twisting truth. "Do they...hurt you?"

"I don't let them."

I was not surprised at this part, but I feigned as if I was taken aback. "How?"

I flinched when he unexpectedly grabbed my shoulders, and my heart rate sped. He forced me against the brick wall of a building, dark eyes blazing bright and dangerous. "Do you promise not to tell my secret?"

"Promise." I gulped.

"I'll trust you on that, then. I've never told my secret to anyone." Spencer appeared to relax. "The truth is: my parents are secretly ghost hunters. Whenever there's a ghost in sight they creep into the scene and suck it into a thermos, which is a technological device that traps spirits inside if pointed in their direction. It's a side job. They keep it quiet to avoid competition with other ghost hunters while earning all the money."

"Huh?" Now I was genuinely baffled. "How do your parents earn money for catching ghosts when no one knows they did it?"

"They send word to the government with a special electronic device," he replied almost too smoothly, which raised my suspicions of him deceiving me.

"I still don't understand why this is such a big secret to keep."

His face was livid. "Alexei! You must not understand the ghost hunting world. It's become a well-paying job and a dangerous one at that. Not only is it humans against ghosts, but it is also humans against humans."

His answers were so vague and only raised questions—and my suspicion. Vague answers were usually lies in disguise.

I let it drop. Any more nosing and he would know for a fact that I was no longer oblivious to reality. My tampered memories were now corrected. I wasn't about to let my enemies taint my mind's purity again to control me.

"C-can we go back to school, now? After escaping from the ghosts and all our talking, I'm exhausted," I moaned, raising a hand dramatically to my forehead.

Spencer let out a deep breath. "We can't."

"Why not?"

"The school was shut down due to the ghost incident but will probably open back up in a few days. Ghost hunters have been called in to investigate, and they will let us know when the school is safe to enter again."

"Oh." I blinked. "Looks like there won't be school for a while, then."

"Yeah." He shoved his hands in his pockets and stepped back to let me move away from the wall. "Are you still feeling up to the amusement park after lunch?"

A trap question was flung right back at me out of the blue.

Really?

My heart sank. I desperately wished I could escape, as I was already being driven insane. Here I thought the guy was beginning to no longer suspect my ignorance, but now I realized he had a strong grasp on that notion. If I said yes, then it would clash with all my claims of being terrorized and exhausted by my kidnapping. And believe me, I loved amusement parks. In fact, an amusement park would distract me from my predicament for a while with its fun and entertainment. Yet, if I said no, I would lose that precious method of escape from reality. On the bright side, my acting would be more realistic.

I shook my head sadly. "I'm really sorry, but I think we should cancel. I've had enough excitement for one day."

The enemy looked thoughtful. "I understand."

My boyfriend showed the way back to the school parking lot, where two lone vehicles, my car and his Ram truck, painted a bloody crimson, waited. We said our goodbyes, got into our vehicles, and drove off. I was painfully aware that I would be greeting another fraud inside the house, one who called herself my mother, and I needed to sum up my courage to behave properly until I could have some time alone. I couldn't wait to get away from everybody. I needed to breathe.

When I entered the house, the female stranger enveloped her arms around me in a bear hug. "You're back early! What's up?"

"I'm okay, I guess," I informed in a small voice.

She looked at me in what was supposed to be concern. "Aww, sweetie, what happened?" If all the other spies had compared notes with this Denise lady on the day's events, she was hiding her knowledge pretty well.

"I got kidnapped by ghosts," I blurted.

Mom gave me a blank expression. "Excuse me?"

I launched into my story with wide, intense eyes: "Spencer and I were in math class when, all of a sudden, a bunch of ghosts appeared and started attacking us. This bizarre robot-type ghost with a skull-like face and fiery green hair shot a net at me and phased us through the wall. I was trapped in a glowing icy-blue net over the ghost's shoulder, and we flew and landed in an alleyway, and uh, and uh, I escaped. Spencer went looking for me, and he found me. I was bawling my eyes out."

Her polite smile was plastered on her face like a mask as if she wasn't sure what to think. "Uh huh. You have an amazing imagination."

I was speechless at her reaction. "But, Mom, I'm not making things up. Ghosts are real!"

Mom looked at me as if I was speaking another language. I didn't expect her to deny the existence of ghosts when Spencer openly admitted his belief. If they were both working for the Prilumi, why were their beliefs on opposite ends of the pole? Unless...

Unless Denise was lying to me. If she was part of the cult then she must've believed in the existence of ghosts but was hiding it for a reason.

"Spencer believes in ghosts. I'm serious. He'll tell you." I gestured toward an invisible Spencer with my hand.

"That's interesting." She did not look interested at all. "I think you stayed up too late last night and are suffering from sleep deprivation. Why don't you take a short nap before we eat lunch?"

"Fine!" I snapped. I was fed up with all this lying, both on my part and everyone else's part. "I'm going to go to the bathroom first."

I angrily marched upstairs to the bathroom connected with my bedroom. The light blue rug, shower curtain, and polka dot walls were meant to instill a calmness in whoever entered, but to me, at this very moment, blue represented depression.

In this bathroom where I was sure no one could spy on me, I dwelled on my captivity. A world that appeared free deceived me. There was no dank, dirty cell with iron bars. This world tried to persuade, "You're living an ordinary life. Enjoy G-d's creation until the very end of your physical existence. Afterwards is Life after Life!"

And the end of my life would be when they found my father. My life was in the hands of the Prilumi.

Deceit.

This world oozed with deceit.

I burst into tears. I couldn't hold it any longer. I had to admit I was terrified. It was appalling that I didn't fear ghostly enemies, yet I feared humans. But then again, they were humans. I didn't have an issue fighting against ghosts because they were already deceased. Humans, on the other hand, were alive. Harming another human was against my morals; I just couldn't bring myself to do such a thing.

And yet, I knew they wouldn't hesitate to harm me. I cried when Dad left me, and I was crying now.

Why?

I wished I had remained blind! Knowing the harsh truth sliced through my very being. I wanted to curl up in a hole and die.

"I don't want to leave this bathroom!" I wailed, pacing back and forth. "This is my safe haven where I can be free!"

But a tiny voice inside my heart told me not to run away. I was a warrior that faced a massive obstacle like David faced Goliath. And in the end, David was victorious. Why couldn't I hope for the same results David had? He killed the giant with a mere sling and a stone. Maybe I didn't need to use my ghost powers to defeat my foes; maybe all I needed was faith and careful planning. Besides, what if there were sensors installed in my house that detected ghost energy?

"Please," I wept, shakily raising my hands in the air. "Please be strong through this tribulation! I'm strong! I'm brave! I can face my foes standing tall! I will not fall!"

Gazing into the mirror at my helpless, bloodshot violet eyes, tear-stained cheeks, and my nose, which was red and swelled twice its size whenever I cried, I squared my jaw in determination.

I would not fall. I was a warrior!

That night my dreams were plagued with nightmares. Green ectoplasm pooled all around me and dripped off the metal table, on which I was strapped. My white hair was stained with the stuff, my neon green eyes wide with agony.

When I awoke at midnight, I tossed and turned restlessly until I convinced myself I couldn't go back to sleep. My mind was haunted by the nightmare. Groaning, I slipped out of bed to get a glass of water from the kitchen downstairs to calm me. I lethargically came halfway down the spiral staircase when I realized the living room light was on, and hushed voices were present.

It was hard to breathe.

I heard my mother's voice say my name.

Cautiously, I craned my neck and peered around the corner of the wall. I shouldn't have been surprised by the sight I beheld; nevertheless, fresh feelings of betrayal pulsed through my veins. Sitting on the couch and chairs were Shelby, Meg, and a few other so-called friends from school. They were listening attentively to Spencer and my mother speak.

"Of course," my boyfriend replied to a question Denise had asked. "After we found the bait's location with the spectral radar, I interrogated her but received no blatant sign that her mind was free from our control. There is one thing that concerns me, however."

Mom's eyebrow raised. "Which is...?"

"While we were in math and the demons appeared, the bait showed no signs of fear. I don't understand why. We programmed her mind not to believe in ghosts to keep her as far from the truth as possible. The more she lives a life different from her previous life, the less hazard in our plan going wrong. Although I'm not positive, I have a hunch that there may have been a glitch in our programming."

"You've got to be kidding me," Mom hissed.

"I hope I'm wrong. A glitch could mean some of Alexei's suppressed memories were not completely suppressed during the session. When she saw the demons she might not have remembered them, but there is a possibility she might have remembered how she felt around them. Our system is not perfect, you know?"

"True."

Spencer continued, "We may need to ask the Cobra Head for permission to do another session just to be safe. I'm sure he'll approve, and the programming machine will be ready in a week or so for the bait."

Mom nodded thoughtfully, her dark brown curls bobbing. "That's a fine idea, actually. Alexei is not responsible enough to keep up with any appointments that arise in her life, herself. I could tell her that she has a dermatologist's appointment that day for a check up. You know she has acne all down her chest and back."

My boyfriend nodded his head in approval. "If all goes well with the Cobra Head's decision, then that will be our course of action."

My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe what I was hearing! It was enough to set my eyes brimming once more with tears as the cruel truth sunk in that I was alone.

Alone in my troubles. No one was here to help me. No one in the world probably was in the same dilemma I was in. I imagined myself decked in shining medieval armor, a double-edged sword in hand, standing at the peak of a hill while a swarm of enemies raced up the hill all around me. Battle cries echoed in my mind.

Oh, G-d! Help me!

I wanted to flee but remained rooted in my spot with a death grip on the wooden banister.

"Any news on Danny Phantom?" Mom expectantly looked around at the room full of people.

"No sign." An African-American girl called Jacqueline frowned. "We're still searching for him. However, we did spot a strange spectral aura that appeared, disappeared, and appeared again on the radar while following the bait and a demon this morning. It could have been our target, but there's no proof."

"Interesting. We'll discuss this more extensively later."

Meg inquired, "What's the plan for tomorrow since the school shut down?"

Spencer and Mom shared a glance before the woman shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I guess we'll have to improvise. One thing's for certain: we must never let the bait out of our sight."

"I have an idea," Shelby offered. "Let's all pretend that Friday is my eighteenth birthday. We'll keep her preoccupied this week with planning for a surprise party and buying presents."

"Then that's settled," Spencer agreed. "I hope you all have a good night. We have a busy day tomorrow. Good work, everyone."

Everyone rose to leave, chattering quietly, and Mom turned to walk up the stairs. I panicked and stepped backwards, almost tripping. The stairs creaked.

I cringed. The sound was deafening.

The chatters immediately hushed. I knew everyone's heads had whipped toward the staircase.

A/N: As I finished this chapter, my heart was genuinely pounding. When I write, I feel like I'm not the one in control; it's as if I'm watching a movie and recording what I see. I'm so scared for the heroine, Alexei! Wish her luck, guys! She's going to need lots of it in order to survive in the next chapter.

Reviews returned!