TRICK 1: LITTLE ALPHA GHOST APPEARS

26 FEBRUARY FRIDAY LATE AFTERNOON

Okay, I confess, I haven't been keeping up with my diary for a while - like a whole weekend! In my defense, I was sleeping. Yes, for a whole weekend. It all started when I got home. Ki accompanied me back to the empty house.

"Where's everyone?" I had asked the moment we stepped up onto the porch.

"Your alpha father is still at the border with Alpha Gunter and Captain Stephan, goddess. Your luna mother is at the moment with Willow and Laura visiting the refuge center at the Morning Light Packhouse Hall. Savy and Sabre are at their schools. I will be driving over to fetch them home presently and everyone is to be expected back by dinner time." Ki reported with a gentle smile.

I paused, trying to decipher Ki's smile. It was hard. With Ki, I often felt like I would not notice that anything was wrong, until everything was alright again. It was like only at the moment when he finally relaxes that I'd suddenly realize that he had been somewhat tense all along. Ki's smile right now... did that mean everything was okay, or not actually okay?

But I immediately recognized that this kind of complicated thing was beyond me and promptly gave up trying to figure it out.

Anyway, I took a bath - it was heaven complete with bubble bath clouds, and then for some reason, I felt really, really sleepy, almost sluggish really. I got out of the bath, dried off, changed into the soft comfort of my PJs, a light turquoise colored button up silken shirt and pants set with white rabbits and clouds printed all over it. I climbed into the lemon scented sheets and ahhhh... it was perfect. I think I could stay here forever.

And that was pretty much the last thought I remembered. It was like just a few breaths of comfortable darkness when suddenly Ben's voice boomed over me, "Sam, wake up!"

Huh? I jumped up, half in terror that we were back in the Warlock Lands - in that dreadful tropical jungle, when I noticed Ben looked clean shaven. He was also dressed in his usual dark hoodie and jeans get up. Whew. I felt a wide smile spread across my face as I bounced off to the other side of the bed, "For a moment there, I thought we were still in the Warlock Lands!"

I beamed, waiting for Ben to smirk and say something smart and insulting at me, but all he said was, "Sam? Wake up, Sam!"

And then he turned very quiet, his bright emerald green eyes darkened and his mouth pressed downwards. He didn't look up at all.

This was when I realized something really alarming: I was still lying on the bed.

I mean, no, I was standing on the other side of the bed, but my body was still lying on the bed.

Omo! WTH just happened? I checked myself, I was all here, I wasn't even translucent or anything, but Ben wasn't even seeing or hearing me. He had put his palm in front of the face of the person lying in my bed. I climbed up on the bed for a closer look, my heart beating hard in trepidation of what I would find.

OMG! WTH! OMG! WTH!

It was really weird to see myself lying in my own bed. Oh wait! I knew that this was! I've heard my friends talked about stuff like this, there's a name for it - an 'out of body experience'. OMG, I was having an out of body experience? Okay, don't panic, Sam. Stay calm! I touched my body on the shoulder and my hand went right through.

How do I go back into my body?

The door clicked open so quietly I almost didn't hear it in my internal panic.

"She's still breathing... but..." Ben said without looking up.

"Don't worry beta." It was Ki, glowing with his gentle smile. He came over to where Ben was standing and touched my forehead - I mean the one on the body lying in my bed. Both my betas had not noticed me sitting in the middle of the bed watching them worry and glow over my body.

"She's just sleeping, beta." Ki concluded finally.

"Don't f***ing s*** me, dog! She's not waking up!" Ben insisted.

Ki shrugged it off, "She's fine, beta. Her vitals are steady and all her systems are operating as per normal... perhaps the goddess is just too tired."

Ben frowned, a crease appearing on his forehead. I've never noticed before, how when Ben frowned, a single crease would run like a small lighting bolt across his brow just above the right side of his nose bridge.

"I'd suggest we send her excuse to Alpha Kingsley and let her sleep till dinner time." Ki suggested calmly, "I can come check on her again before dinner."

"Check on her every 30 minutes." Ben decided, "Tell Harv to attend the meeting on his own. I'm going to deal with the dumb dogs and pizza."

And then Ben stalked out, but not before muttering, "This isn't like her."

Ki followed Ben to the door, "It has been a long drawn and onerous journey, Beta."

I waited till Ki shut the door behind Ben's departure and then I got off the bed, "Ki?"

I walked all the way up to my other beta, but Ki seemed just as oblivious as Ben to the me that wasn't in my body. I had wanted to ask him if he knew how to go back into my body again.

Instead, I ended up following Ki as he pushed the gold birdcage rack into the walk in wardrobe and then watching Ki pick out my next outfit and arrange it along with its options and accessories. When he was satisfied with the selection, he pushed the rack back out to its usual place in my room.

Then he went to my desk and sorted through all the small things, included setting my phone onto its charging dock. My phone lit up in appreciation and proceeded to "Back up to FAOK".

What was a FAOK? I bet whatever it was, it was Ben's idea.

After that, Ki checked on Lucky's enclosure and refilled the food. I guess Lucky really became another chore for my beta. I crouched right next to where Ki had knelt and watched. There was no sign of Lucky. I had to look all around the enclosure to find him.

This was how I realized that Lucky was buried in the paper bedding next to my bed. And also that I could go through objects, like my bed.

I could even put my hand through the enclosure and poke Lucky's soft furry rump.

I wondered what else I could pass through.

I looked at Ki who had just replaced the enclosure top and straightened up, then I took a deep breath and ran directly through him.

I don't know why I did that. It was just on impulse, and I admit, I was half expecting it not to work. Needless to say, I was quite shocked when I easily passed right through him!

There was this very mild static - almost like tearing off a piece of velcro when I pulled out. My hair flared, but the feeling passed the moment I was out of Ki again. That felt weird.

Once on the other side, I spun around to face Ki. Ki had stopped, frozen on the spot. He put his hand to his heart for a moment. Then he cautiously looked around.

Oh, did I spook him? Could he feel that? Opps.

I smiled at him, "It's okay Ki, it's just me..."

And then I realized he couldn't see or hear me.

He did snap out of it though, deciding to check the windows to make sure they were shut. Why? Did he think I was a draft? How insulting! Haha.

Then as if to reassure himself that nothing was out of the ordinary, he went back to my bedside and checked my sleeping body again. I watched him touch my forehead, lightly glowing.

His expression softened and his lips turned up a bit. Then he removed his hand, stopped glowing, and stepped away and checked his watch.

I guess that meant I was still "just sleeping."

Now that, Ki was done with his tasks and reassured of my well being, he left my room. I returned to my body's side, just to make sure I was still okay too. I wished I paid more attention to the stories my friends were swapping about out of body experiences. So what should I do now? Sit here and guard me? I sighed. I finally got home from the Warlock Lands, and I had to accidentally come out of my body.

I tried to lie over exactly where my body was, you know, to fit myself back in, but it didn't work. I sat up again, and then moved to the side because it felt weird to be sticking out of myself.

Left alone with my sleeping body, I wasn't sure what to do. Well, at least my body was alive. Better not to prod it anymore.

Wait, but if my body was sleeping in the bed, what did that make the me that was moving around? I looked at my hands to check if I was translucent, but I was quite solid looking.

Even so I could stick my hand through the pillow. I could also stick my hand through lillibutt, my pony, and touch Grandma Luna's sapphire ring in it.

I got out of bed and suddenly noticed from the corner of my eye that something was missing in my mirror. It took me a split second to realize - I HAD NO REFLECTION! OMG, did that make me a ghost?

Okay, don't panic, Sam. Ki said I was just sleeping. Real ghosts were dead, not sleeping. No wait, there's no such things as ghost. Yeah, so I couldn't possibly be a ghost. I'm so logical like that.

My phone on the dresser lit up. "Backup complete." I went over and touched the screen and to my surprise, it unlocked. I swiped off the notification.

Wait, I could use my phone? I picked up the comb on my dresser, not that I've ever used it. It was a large toothed wooden comb and was very pretty on my dresser, so I've always assumed it was for decorative purposes. Something to sit in then crystal jar by the mirror.

Anyway, I'm proud to report that I could pick up the comb, and comb my hair without any trouble... I pretended to, a la in Tangled the Movie, and then I put the comb flat on the dresser top. That was weird... I was a ghost who could comb my hair.

Oh! Oh! Oh! Shouldn't ghosts be able to float? I looked down at my feet on the carpet, and then I jumped just a little and just stayed there, half a foot off the ground. Okay, cool.

I tried to move about, and managed to walk just fine, but half a foot off the carpet. Hahaha, this was kind of funny.

So I was a ghost who could go through things, including people, although that was a weird feeling. I had no reflection, I couldn't be seen or heard, I could pick up small physical objects and use them if I wanted to... I sniffed the air just to confirm that I couldn't smell anything. And remembering how Ben and Ki were completely unaware of my presence, I could assume that they couldn't smell me either. This part wasn't much different from dream traveling, actually.

What was different was that I would walk on air. I stepped back down on the carpet because it just felt less weird.

I had never, in all my life, ever thought to myself, "Oh, I wish I could be a ghost one day." Nor had I ever imagined what I would do should I ever wake up one day away from my body...BUT I knew exactly what I wanted to do next.

I mean, it was pretty obvious with these new amazing powers - no question about it. I was going to go play as many pranks as possible!

And so without a second thought I had popped myself right out the door. Ready or not, here I come! Who should I prank first? Hahaha, so fun!