Audrey Claire - Libby Grace 01 - How to be a Ghost by Audrey Claire

robbed you of visibility.”
    “You’re probably right about that. I never expected anyone would…” Emotion choked me, and fear. What if someone had done the same to me but dumped my body somewhere?
    “Concentration,” Ian barked. “You are easily distracted like a child.”
    I compressed my lips and focused on him.
    “You must learn to keep your concentration even faced with danger. If you forget for an instant, you risk exposing your existence.”
    “Is that what you have to do?” I asked, curious, “focus on hiding what you are unless someone finds out and…” I gasped when I realized I’d been about to say someone might stick a stake in his heart, but I did not want to make him angry at me again. Not to mention getting staked must be a scary prospect to a vampire.
    “What are you doing, Liberty?”
    I smacked my forehead. Once again, I forgot about my situation and was thinking of his. He had encouraged me to visualize being visible as he explained some of the ghostly rules, and I had flickered into view but lost it the moment I began to think about him being staked.
    “Sorry,” I squeaked.
    “Do it again,” he instructed. “You are low on energy and will not be able to keep this up long. Under no circumstances must you ever allow yourself to deplete your stores to zero.”
    “Why?”
    “Concentrate,” he ordered rather than answer. I was learning Ian never volunteered information unless necessary.
    I shut my eyes and visualized myself as solid. Like someone had stuck a pump in my ankle, I felt energy drain from my head to my feet. I opened my eyes and gaped at my solid form. I stayed that way for all of a minute, and then I sort of deflated, drooping to the floor, forehead resting on my hands as I bent over. My hands were still visible, but the carpet threads were defined through them.
    “That’s enough.”
    I looked up. “I can’t stop. One minute isn’t enough. I’m running out of time! I’ve got to talk to Monica, and I need to explain to Jake.”
    He stood and strolled to the door. I floated after him, too mentally weary to walk like a normal person.
    “Explain what, Liberty?” Ian stopped in the living room and faced me. “Will you say, go ahead and hold my funeral because I’m dead?”
    “You are a cold man, Ian McClain.”
    “So I have been told.”
    I pursed my lips. He was right. I had no idea what to tell Monica and Jake, but I had to say something. Monica might have already called Clark and told him I’m missing. I wanted to head her off before she contacted Mason. I was not ready to concede defeat. That man would not get my little boy.
    “How can I get a bunch of energy that will last me all day?” I bit my lip. “I don’t want to drain anyone.”
    He looked at me as if he knew what I insinuated, that he had done his share of draining people.
    “A superstore such as Walmart or Target,” he suggested. “A mall would be better.”
    “Where there are a lot of people.”
    “This poses more of a risk,” he explained. “You have not learned to see those who aren’t human.”
    A chill raced down my spine. “Okay, so I could go during the day. That way, most likely there won’t be vampires. Right?”
    “As long as you are invisible, you should be fine. However, there are sensitive humans who will feel you.”
    “What about children? Aren’t young children able to see ghosts?”
    “They are. However, you can suppress yourself enough that they will not. Even if there are still some who will see you, it is likely they will be too young to express what they see.”
    A short while later, I left Ian’s house feeling positive and hopeful. I could do this. Without the vampire threatening me with a spell to banish me to a pit, there was no reason why I couldn’t concentrate enough to show myself to Monica. Well, not exactly solid because that took more energy than I imagined, but I could show myself enough so Monica could hear me, and that was the most important thing.