The Ghost Files V4 Part 1

Chapter Three ~Dan~

** THIS WILL BE THE LAST CHAPTER UPLOADED BEFORE THE BOOK IS PUBLISHED ON 12/20/16!! I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY IT! **

A sigh of relief escapes when she leaves my room. Pretending to sleep is harder than it sounds. I know she just wants to help me, but right now, I can't deal with her.

The guilt is eating me alive. My girlfriend is lying dead in the morgue and the only thing going through my head is thank God it's not Mattie. How messed up is that? When I saw Meg go down, I didn't even look at her. Panic hit me and the only person I looked for was my squirt. My one and only thought was to make sure Mattie was safe. Meg was my girlfriend. I should have thought of her first.

But I didn't.

Mattie Louise Hathaway. The girl turned my world upside down in more ways than one. I want to hate her, to be able to walk away and not look back. I want my old life back, my family intact. I just want everything to go back to the way it was. I wish I could walk away from her, but I can't. God knows, I've tried, but something keeps drawing me back to her. Some force of nature won't let me say goodbye.

I sigh and roll over, feeling a little numb. I'm not the same person I was a year ago. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. Sometimes I think it is because I grew up a lot. I've made some hard choices over the last few months as well. As hard as my life is, I can't say I'd change it. Even though my mom ended up in jail, I found my biological family. I can't regret that. My dad taught my brother and I that family is everything, so I can't regret the Malone's, even if it means my mother being arrested for kidnapping and murder.

I agreed to help Mattie find her father and in doing so I uncovered the truth about my own mother. Ann Richards had kidnapped my birth mother and killed her after I was born. She staged an accident with the help of her sister, who we found out kidnapped Mattie from her parents. Ann raised me and loved me. I don't doubt that. She's my mom. If the Malone's can't deal with that, so be it. I'm not turning my back on her.

That's just one instance of Mattie causing my life to get turned upside down. She doesn't mean to. All she wanted was to find her family. It's not her fault my mother did what she did. Secrets have a way of coming out and if not Mattie, then eventually the truth would have come out another way.

Mattie blames herself for everything bad that's happened to me, but she shouldn't. None of it was her fault. Not really. I don't blame her. I wish she would see herself like I do. She's this beautiful, loving person who is loyal to a fault. She's also the strongest person I've ever met. Growing up in foster care, surviving being kidnapped and tortured, and then surviving a psychopath who was obsessed with her—she's tough as nails. I don't know if I could have come out the other side stronger for it.

I went from a guy who only believed in what he could see, what he could tangibly touch, to a guy who can't deny the existence of the supernatural. I've seen ghosts, demons, and even an angel. I also discovered how selfish I am.

It's my fault Meg is dead. When I was dying, the reaper warned me coming back meant innocent people would die. It was my time to go and staying would disrupt the balance of life and death. Leaving meant abandoning Mattie, never seeing her smile again or hearing that horrible laugh of hers. I couldn't do it. She meant more to me than anyone or anything. Still does. If I had died, though, Meg would be alive. Her death is on me. It was my choice to be selfish.

What really bothers me is if the choice had been about Meg and not Mattie, I may have gone on. If I'd never met my Squirt, I would have done the right thing and died. I wouldn't have stayed for Meg.

The pain of losing Meg is there. It cuts deep, makes my entire body ache, but relief that Mattie is safe outweighs even my grief.

So what does that say about me?