Despite my brain and sensitive soul mildly traumatized by my weird dream feeling almost as real as all my past adventures, my body from top to bottom, especially my eyes pleading with me to shut them, were in sleep pain, the type of agony torturing you mentally and physically for a certain amount of time from awakening early. My body did not care that my mind dreamt of a frightening scene leaving plenty of questions. Why had I dreamt of a scared woman whom I had never met - since that her face, as well as the four-legged monster's, were blurred - being chased in the woods neighboring the mansion?

Maybe Mr. Hawk or one of our beastly friends can give me the clear answers to help me put that dream behind me. How and why did my brain concoct the dream?

After Lean Share flew into the room and did a big loop, we embraced in a warm - despite her being a real ghost - and tight hug. One of the greatest feelings is sprinting towards your good friend whom you have not seen in a long time and embracing him or her.

"Margie. It has been a while."

"Too long of a while." We ended our short hug. "Where have you been? Did you leave town? 'Cause I never saw you flying around here."

"I was hiding on the outskirts of Forlot. I am moving to another location to keep my enemies on their feet. I am keeping a low profile because of them. Though...if I am being specific now..." She floated towards my disturbed bed and flopped gracefully on the edge. She twisted her chocolate-colored handbag so it was resting against her tummy and on her tail moving like ocean waves. "...it is because of the Lubriem."

My legs were as weak as gentle water. If I did not rest, I would collapse to the wooden floorboards. Keeping the window open, I collapsed next to her and massaged my calves and ankles. "The name is familiar."

"Before we continue, Margie, why would you open your window for me? I would have floated through it. I am a ghost after all."

"Yeah. I just realized."

"After I mentioned it, yeah."

"No, I realized when you showed off your loop."

"I will let it slide this time. Not every day that you meet a ghost who happens to be your friend at the window."

"I just woke up. My brain is a bit fuzzy."

"Ah. Want me to return later so you can spend the next hour waking up?"

"No. You could not have arrived at a more perfect time. I will explain myself after you explain why the Lubriem is responsible for you laying low. She died long ago, did she not? Or did you see her ghost? Is she a ghost?"

"She is dead. Period. She will never return as a ghost."

"What makes the dead ghosts like you?"

"The dead wishing to be ghosts only because the option is available."

"Is that why you turned into a ghost? You wanted to be one?"

"One of many factors."

"What are or were those?"

"Little things not mattering for years. But what matters now is finding the key that will help me out of my tight, dreary situation and force my enemies to back off. This is a metaphoric key, not a real one."

"I was just about to ask what the key looks like."

"I can share with you how I plan to stop my enemies in their wake."

"Say, do those enemies include...Katrina and Ava?" My throat stung as if stung by a bee once I forced myself to say their names. I gave the back and sides of my neck a deep massage and awaited Lean's answer.

Her hand was rifling in her handbag. "Unfortunately. I have not floated into them in the last couple of months. I did have a chat with them separately hopefully for the last time for a while."

"Anything that they said that you perceived as a threat? Did they threaten you or anybody else?"

"Just a promise from Ava. And Katrina vowed payback. She wants me to pay because she suspects that I..."

"Killed the Lubriem?" I finished.

She revealed a small object between her fingers. "Okay, who have you been in touch with? Who spilled? I know for a fact that I never mentioned it to you."

"Have you ever mentioned it to anybody?"

"The few people who must know do not need to be told - because they were there as the Lubriem took her final breath. As I quote and unquote 'killed' her."

I was hooked. I had to know more. Maybe I could help. When I was free. I shifted my body towards my ghostly friend, my pain slowly wearing off. My muscles around my eyes, though, were throbbing because my eyes were wide thanks to my shock and interest and because they were still begging me to close them. I hovered my hand over my mouth and yawned.

"Is my story tiring you?"

"No. My body is being an absolute pain. It wants to rest a bit more while it waits for my brain to fully wake up."

"Is breakfast still served at nine?"

"Unless that a human or a monster is in serious danger - which has yet to happen."

"You have not rescued anyone since that McKinley and his fake Monster Protectors waged war on you?"

"Never at breakfast. I have rescued hundreds of lives."

"Since that you accepted the Monster Protector role, or McKinley tried killing you?"

I immediately answered, "Both."

"A hundred plus a hundred equals two-hundred. Basic. You are implying that you saved two-hundred beings. I doubt that."

I kicked my legs back and forth to loosen their muscles. My hands on either side of me were clutching my bed's edge. "While I do not keep track of how many, I—"

"Open up!" a woman shouted.