”Cameron, would you be a dear and bring the food to the mistress?” My mother asked as she furiously wiped down the counters with an old rag. I nodded without a word and grabbed the stainless steel tray, cold to the touch despite the warm food that lay upon it. Carefully, I walked up the marble staircase and made sure not to disturb the food, the mistress hated that. As I walked I examined the same crimson picture frames I had seen more than a thousand times, pictures of the mistress and her family. Pictures of her husband's successes at work, and his son's awards he'd been given at soccer meets. 

     I let out a small sigh at the last picture, it was of the mistress clothed in all black -at the funeral of her husband and his son. From what I had been told, her husband was on the design team for Ghost, and he made the creation come to life. But after a few months, the machine went crazy. Everyone on the team died in a lab fire, and that was when word had gotten out that Ghost had escaped. There was panic everywhere, people were not leaving their homes -they rarely do now even- the military had gone out to search everywhere, including people's homes. And now after seven months of searching, they have given up. The lives of people now continue as if Ghost had never existed.

     "Cameron?" I quickly turned around and saw the master of the house, I bowed -careful not to spill the food on the tray- and turned to continue to the mistress's room. The master came up and walked by my side down the long hallway, "Why wont you talk to me?" He asked in a soft tone. Without looking at him I replied, "I must not engage in conversation with those of this household unless it is with the mistress herself. Excuse me." I cut in front of him and knocked on the mahogany door. 

     "Enter." The voice was hoarse and soft, it pained all to hear her speak. Except me, I don't think it would ever pain me to hear her voice as pitiful as it was. I sighed and opened the door, "Your lunch mistress." I stated as I set the tray on her bedside table. I caught a glimpse of her frail nature, her long brown hair has thinned so much, her face had lost most all the color, and the bags under her eyes had grown more. "Cameron, may I ask you something?" Her words reached me just before my hand could reach the door knob to exit the cold room. I put on a small smile before turning to face her. "Yes mistress?" 

     She picked up the porcilin cup from her tray and drank the tea slowly, "The day your father, my husband, died you were very stable about it. No tears, no anger, nothing. Can I ask why?" She put the tea into her hands to warm them as she waited for me to answer. I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes, "Mistress, I do not wish to talk about my emotions to my fathers death. May I leave? There are many things that need to be done." The mistress sighed and waved her hand, I bowed to her and walked out of the room quickly. 

     The boy was standing across the hallway as I turned around, I let out an annoyed sigh and headed back towards the kitchen. "Come on Cameron, you can't ignore me forever." He pleaded as I quickened my pace. "Watch me." With that statement I ran down the marble steps and into the kitchen, although the boy was allowed to go anywhere in the home as he wished, I felt a strange comfort that he would not follow me. "What did the mistress say to you this time?" Asked the head maid. I shook my head and grabbed a rag from the soapy water. "The same thing she asks everytime I see her." I could hear the 'Oh' come from the head maids mouth as I started to scrub the floor. 

     "Cameron, be a dear and run to the market for me, we need more food for the upcoming dinner party." She said as she pulled me up to my feet. "But that is not for another three weeks." I protested as she continued to dress me in a large coat and hat. "But the food is very large and will take time to prepare, Cameron just do as told and go." With that she handed me a flashlight and shoved me out the door.  I sighed before turning to head towatds the town, but when I turned I faced that boy yet again. "Why are you here?" I asked sternly as I my flashlight. He chuckled and came up to my side, "You should really be thanking me you know, it's not safe for a pretty defensless girl to be walking in the dark by herself, especially with that Ghost still running about." He put his arm around my shoulders casually as we walked. I grabbed his hand and threw his arm off of me, "Defensless? Fight me and then tell me that again. Now leave me alone!" I shouted.

     There was movement behind the boy, fast movement. I shined my flashlight in the direction we just came. "What are you doing Cameron?" He asked. I put a finger to my lips and continued to walk to the figure which I could now see -crouched in a corner. As I walked closer I could see a boy, he seemed to be fairly tall but that was hard to determine since he was crouching. "Who are you?" I asked him, he looked at me with scared eyes.  "I, I don't know." He stated as he shook from the cold, I walked over and draped my coat over him, thus getting a better look at him. His red hair was almost brown from all the dirt that was in it, his clothes were torn, and his eyes were glossy, as if he hadn't slept in weeks. Then I saw the flicker in his right eye, I dropped my flashlight and held in a scream.  "What, what is it?" The two boys asked together.

"Ghost..."