Grace's POV

As I stared out the window by the front door, I watched the little girl (who was there, but not there) float by for the fourth time today. I'd seen her for several days now.

Maybe she was lost?

Halloween was last week, and she had walked through the Mahani camp many times since then.

But why was I the only one that could see her? Had I completely lost my mind?

I wanted to ask my Gamma, Jemma, but I hadn't spoken to her yet. Since she checked my sanity daily, telling her I saw ghosts didn't seem like a smart thing to do.

I thought of asking Leah, as she knew a lot about everything, even though she was only two years older than me.

A soft voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Grace? Did you want to go outside today?" Mommy asked me gently from a few steps away.

It had been several months since I moved in with my new family. They treated me like I was made of glass most of the time, and I'd made sure I did nothing wrong, so I didn't get scolded or sold to someone else. They promised I would never be sold again, but I couldn't help but worry.

I would love a hug from her, but I don't know how to ask. She gave hugs freely to Leah and Doc, my new sisters, but she always stopped herself before she hugged me. She wanted to, I could tell, but didn't want to push me into something I didn't want to do.

I wondered...

After I stared at her for a minute while I gathered my courage, I reached out with grabby hands. I'd seen other kids do this, and it usually got them what they wanted.

My mom's eyes widened, and she approached slowly before moving her arms towards me. I took the opportunity and slipped my arms around her neck and she picked me up.

This hug made me remember my birth mom and the great hugs she gave me every day, no matter what.

I missed her.

"Outside," I whispered in her ear, as I held on to her for dear life.

"Okay, we can go outside."

Her voice cracked, and I peeked to see if she was okay. Her smile was huge, but I saw a tear and got scared. My own tears threatened to flow.

I don't want her sad!!!

"Oh, no, Grace. I'm happy. Don't cry," she said softly as she held me with one hand and wiped my eyes with the other.

If she was happy, why was she crying? I don't think grown-ups were meant to be understood.

We stopped at the door, where she put a jacket on me and wrapped one around herself. I was hot all the time, so I was pretty sure I wouldn't need it, but I liked the attention. Her attention was always good.

Once we got outside, I maybe held on a little tighter. People looked at me, and it wasn't good when they stared at me.

I looked for the girl and saw her pacing in front of the trees by the cemetery. She looked so sad.

"How's my little girl doing today?" My new daddy's voice scared me, and my head swung around.

When he approached, I made grabby hands at him, too. He immediately took me into his arms, and I hugged him. He gave great hugs!

I looked back at the girl, who was now sitting under the trees. She looked like she was crying.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, little one?" his voice was a whisper, like mine.

"Can we help her?" I asked as I turned back to the girl. I had forgotten she was probably a ghost, and he couldn't see her.

"Who needs help?" Mommy asked as she looked around.

I suddenly felt a wave of heavy wind swirl around me. When I looked back at my daddy, his eyes glowed a golden color. I saw him look where the girl was, and his eyes went wide.

He could see her!

When his eyes returned to their natural brown color, the wind and the heavy feeling on my skin went away.

"I can only see her using my Blood Alpha powers. I wonder how she got there. Wait, you can see her, Grace?"

I nodded, hoping I wouldn't be in trouble. Just for good measure, I gave my new daddy another hug. I bet those hugs fixed everything.

We slowly walked over to the girl, and she looked up at us as we got close.

"Hello, I'm Sam. Can you tell me your name?" he said. The heavy feeling was back, so I knew my daddy was using the powers only he had as the leader of the Mahani tribe.

I looked at the girl and took in everything about her. She had long, straight dark hair, like Leah's, but her eyes were crystal blue, like Doc's. She was a little bigger than me, maybe seven or eight years old. Her clothing was a long-sleeved black hoodie, and her pants and sneakers were also the same midnight color. Her face was pale, though, like she never went outside.

"I'm Harriet," she said as she wiped away her tears. "We can play here on All Hallows Eve, but we must return by midnight. I ended up getting lost and didn't make it back before the gate closed."

"Don't cry, Harriet. I think I can help," my daddy said softly as he turned to the side and handed me to my mommy.

I felt another wave of power as he turned to the walkway into the cemetery. Whatever he was trying to do didn't work, because nothing happened.

"I may need some help with this one," he muttered as he scratched his head.

I wiggled a bit and motioned to my mommy to let me down, and she did. I went over and sat next to Harriet, but I made sure not to touch her. Since I don't like being touched, I don't touch others unless they agree first.

Harriett turned to me with a surprised expression, as if she couldn't believe that I could see her.

"I saw you walking around," I whispered. I wanted her to know I was not bad. "I asked my daddy to help you. You looked sad."

"I got lost chasing a bunny," she told me.

"Was it the brown one with the white stripe across his forehead? I named that one Binky," I confided to her.

"Yes, it was. He was so cute," she smiled for the first time, and I giggled.

Harriett and I talked for a few minutes before several Alpha rings started to open. I got scared and ran back to Mommy, who picked me up again when I gave grabby hands. I now know that if I wanted hugs or to be held, that's all I had to do. I wished I had figured that out months ago.

Harriett stood up and looked around at all the powerful Blood Alphas. Leah told me there were seven tribes, each with its own leader. It looked like every one of them was here now.

I was glad my daddy tried to help her, but all these people here were scary. I held Mommy tighter.

Each man had glowing eyes, and I was having trouble breathing because my body felt heavy.

"I'm taking Grace inside. We can watch from the window," Mommy said as we walked away. I waved bye to my new friend, hoping they could get her home. I know what it was like to miss your home.

As I watched from the window, the seven Blood Alphas pressed each palm to another so they were all touching, except for the two at the end. Within a few seconds, I saw a blinding light flash and then something that looked like an Alpha ring but was square opened.

Harriett ran to it, and I saw a couple on the other side hugging her. She waved to me and my dad before walking away, and I couldn't see her anymore.

Suddenly, the light square was gone, and the cemetery and trees returned to normal.

She was gone. My new parents made sure she got home.

I looked at my mommy and smiled. I liked this place.

I hope they let me stay here forever.

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3rd Place: Sparkles Holiday Contest / Halloween