The Ghost Of Love by Marlene Johnsen Page B

holding onto him through the fifteen minute walk and on top of that, it wasn't even dark  yet. They had about twenty minutes before the sun went down and she decided Darren could be her personal bodyguard for the night. Plus, there was something about Darren that she really liked. She wasn't sure if it was just because he was a calm man or maybe because this was the first person she saw who dressed so similar to her. He was incredibly handsome too and to Alicia, he looked like a model. She didn't comprehend why other girls didn't take notice to him in the streets. Alicia's peripheral vision could notice everything around her and she wondering with such a good looking guy on her arm, if any of the other girls were jealous. Oddly enough, a few woman went by and all of them did not even look up at him. They just went on their jolly way.
    Once they got in through the gates, Alicia went to buy some tickets with the money her parents had given her. They would give her about $60 each week and most of the time she would save up since she had nowhere to go. Today she had $180 in her pockets. She was saving all of this money for a special gift for her mother since her birthday was coming up. The beautiful baguette ring she had seen in the catalog had sparkled brilliantly and even had her mother's birthstone integrated. She wanted this ring so badly for her mother but still had to save more. Because of this, she only spent $10 on each of them and skipped eating. Darren didn't look malnourished anyways. His shoulders were thick and it looked like he was a man who worked out and held his protein.
    As they walked through the crowd, Alicia was leading. A few people had pushed rudely past her and even bumped into Darren. Yet Darren did not even move. It was as if he had some invisible force protecting him, Alicia thought. Her mind always ran wild and she laughed at her thoughts. Darren leaned forward to put his hand over her should so they wouldn't lose each other in the crowd. As they approached the fun house, Alicia swirled around - extremely excited even though the line was long.
    "Darren!! Have you ever been to the fun house? I love going here, it's sooo cool!"
    Darren paused once she finished her sentence, uncertain of what to say back to her. He never heard anyone use such a term.
    "What do you mean by cool?" he said, looking at Alicia in a puzzled manner.
    "Ahhh! Never mind! I guess you aren't from around here!" she huffed, pushing him along into the funhouse. Reaching up to one of the ticket guys, she passed them four tickets for each of them. Wow... the amusement fair has really changed. Tickets last year were two per ride and now they nearly doubled.

Chapter 5 - Blank Mirrors of the Fun House
    Alicia stepped into the funhouse and was immediately surrounded by different mirrors. Some mirrors would show that she was too tall while others displayed her as a chubby girl. She giggled, looking at the mirrors around her. Darren didn't seem very enthusiastic about the whole thing. He wondered what was so funny about this particular place. As Alicia move forward, she turned to Darren to see what he was doing. Something caught her attention as she gazed at him. There was something very strange. The mirrors never caught his reflection. Alicia thought this was some kind of hoax but then again, it hit her - they were in a funhouse. The mirrors were probably rigged and with so many of them around, it was difficult to keep up with which mirror did what. Alicia ignored the fact... moving along through the funhouse. Darren grasped Alicia's hand and at one point, he pinned her against a wall. Tickling her, he looked into Alicia's eyes and couldn't help smiling.
    "You know.. your such a funny girl. I really like you."
    Alicia was shocked at his words. Was he trying to hit on her? Did he have a little crush on her or something? She giggled at his words and crawled out from under him, summoning him to follow closely.
    "Yeah yeah - everyone tells me