I was with my mom the first time I saw a ghost.

When I told her she completely freaked out and couldn’t rush me off to therapy quick enough. Twelve years had passed without another incident and then, out of nowhere everything changed.

The journey began with a car trip through a narrow thoroughfare that travelled straight up the mountains.

The cliff-side road never once changing or altering en route.

I shuffle my feet as I try to shift into a more comfortable sitting position. The car was a package deal that my mom could never seem to upgrade no matter how many times she passed by the used dealership. It went everywhere with her before I came along. Hence the sun fatigued dash board and saggy, decaying carpet.

The engine discharged with a burst of fury. Ugh. I manage to hold on for dear life as my mom flies up the hill and past looming trees.

I could barely focus on a single deep thought without losing track of my attention because of the stupid pot holes on the ground.

Each bump felt like another punch to my gut and managed to steal the breath right out of me.

Eager to disappear, I clutch onto my belongings to keep them from dropping onto the floor where they could disapear forever.

I hold back from looking in the mirror as we drove because I didn’t want to spoil what spirit I had.

These days it took a lot of energy to direct my reflection of the past few days from slanting and then end up having severe depression.

As it was I didn’t have the strength to pull myself out of a thought crippling bender, let alone call to mind a figment of imagination from which I could induce rainbow colored visions of pleasant daydreams to squash my dreary reality.

Ugh. Another bump in the road. This time my head got the worst of it.

I shift the hood of my jacket further over my forehead and slump back into my seat.

Mom always took care of herself as opposed to my careless way of doing things. With a Cardinal scarf tied over her chin the impeccable bun stayed put.

She approaches a stop sign and glances at me with a look of utter disappointment. It was a facial expression I was fond of.

"You being away is for the best. Honestly, I don’t understand why you’re pouting. I have to deal with the backlash of your current outburst, not you. No, you get a fresh start. Who knows, perhaps this time you might even make friends to socialise with for a change.” She emphasizes that last part with one of her trademark fake smiles.

I did my best not to roll my eyes in response as I focus on something else.

I take a glimpse past the steering wheel and am not surprised to see the number displayed on the indicator panel stayed even. Mom was always an overly cautious driver.

"Besides,” she said, her voice strained. “We need some time apart, Aislin.” She looked as though she wanted to say more, but held back.

As I stared at her, it wasn’t hard to imagine what she was probably thinking. The whole ‘I was a contributing factor to her picturesque lifestyle’ was not said for me.

In fact, it was no secret that my personal situation was not a flourishing one.

I roll my eyes and look out the window.

Honestly, would it damage her reputation to let go of the facade once? No critic was around to witness anything and therefore disapprove of her authentic self.

"Your father and I have done everything in our power to help you,” she says.

"He’s not my dad,” I mumble.

The truth was, when I first met my step-father, Jett, I thought he was a nice guy.

It wasn’t until after he moved in with us and gained our trust that his attitude changed. Being a practicing Catholic, Jett felt a distinct calling to become a minister.

Thankfully Jett was at work so it was just mom seeing me off, and I took pleasure in knowing that the drive was just as inconvenient for her as it was for me.

"I trusted you!" I yelled at Luka.

Every instinct that I had screamed to get the heck out of there before someone noticed me, but it's like I ate a bowl of spill-a-bean for breakfast, the words involuntarily spewing up on their own accord.

All this time I fantasized about seeing him again. I don't know what I thought would happen. Some kind of reaction would have been nice. The man in front me is a dangerous stranger.

The Luka I knew wouldn't have done all of this just to torture me. After the coronation he came out on the other end as the evil twin wearing clothes that are both misplaced and disheveled.

His signature ponytail was cut short. Instead of long raven ink locks that I grew accustomed to, lies a mop of untamed hair that curls just past his ears.

To my unpleasant surprise I notice a film in Luka's eyes that could easily distort his perception of the world. I don't know if he completed the change but if the intricate veins laced around his eyelids mean anything than i'm in serious trouble. The kind that even I couldn't get out of.

I stare, in disbelief, at Luka. "You never had any intention of letting me go. This was all a ploy just to keep me in here, wasn't it?!"

I take a step back to put some much needed distance between us just in case things go wrong.

"Shut up!" Luka growls, a dangerous threat forming in his eyes.

I should have known the great Thatcher would be on high alert ever the dutiful soldier.

"This is not a time to act like a child. At some point you need to grow up." his words were harsh and cruel and left a foul taste of bad blood in my mouth.

nothing could make the sting of his treatment in me okay.

I blame myself for what he has become. If I could go back and undo everything just to see his smile one more time I would. I was never equipped to live in this world.

I'm a nobody- just another pathetic weak human who couldn't blend in no matter what I did to belong with him.

Luka warned me of the dangers but I was too stubborn to listen. He knew what would happen if we ever got caught but went along with it anyway and got punished for it.

Unfortunately life has a funny way of stumbling you over at the very worst possible time. Th realization dawned on me that no matter where I go he will find me and drag me back here to finish what he started. I'm all alone in this with no one to help me.

I watch in dreadful anticipation as my predator advances towards me. His smile used to make me feel funny but now I felt a different kind of sick when Luka became amused. A lopsided smile. A birth mark where dimples should be. "This is the part where you run. The chase would make things so much more riveting for me." His course laughter echoes throughout the hallway.

He scared me. I've seen Luka at his best and I know how skilled he is. He grew up in these halls as a young boy and because of that has the advantage. If I try to escape he would catch me without straining energy.

Luka grins mischievously. "It didn't have to be this way, you know. All you had to do was play your part." he sneers.

There's a kind of paralyzing effect that helplessness brings about that fully takes over the mind and body until you can no longer trust yourself.

I close my eyes and try not to think about what happens next.

Aislin Striker is a sixteen year old girl, who, above all things, wants to be normal. but normal is one thing she is not.

For one thing Aislin can see ghosts. yes just like on tv. but what television doesn't show is how much claiming to be a medium messes with your social life.

Her crazed behavior earns her a trip to Starkhouse, a reformed high school for disturbed teens. Starkhouse chose Aislin.

not normal

At first Aislin is determined to keep her head down. But then a Starkhouse resident ends up missing after admitting a poltergeist is haunting the institution, and some of the other residents seem to be manifesting strange paranormal behavior.

could that be just a coincidence? Or is Starkhouse not what is seems...? Aislin realizes that if she doesn't uncover the truth, she could be destined for a lifetime in a psychiatric hospital. Or could her fate be even worse...? More importantly can she trust her fellow students, and does she dare tell her dark secret?

Yep. As far away from normal as it gets