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avidly watching their interactions. It was beginning to unnerve Jess.
    “Jess, why don’t you start by telling us of your experience with ghosts? Enlighten Gage a little,” Dr. Brandt finally said.
    All eyes were on her, and her heart raced. She rested her fork against her plate, wondering where she should begin and why Dr. Brandt had selected her to go first.
    It’s now or never, Jess. Tell them and be done with it. They won’t think you’re crazy. They were all here for the same reason—because they had some sort of paranormal experience or ability.
    “I see ghosts. Well, I used to, anyway. The first ghost was my grandmother.” She fumbled with her fork. “A little after Grams, I started seeing more ghosts. In restaurants, hotels during family vacation, coffee shops. Almost everywhere. About two years ago, Grams stopped coming around. She said it wasn’t a good idea anymore and that if she went away, maybe the others would stop showing up, too. But they didn’t stop. Not until later. Like I said, they were everywhere. Then, my dad died at the beginning of the year. I thought he’d show up, too, but he didn’t.”
    And that’s when you had the breakdown. Tell them, Jess. Tell them you had the breakdown not because you saw ghosts, but because you stopped seeing ghosts.

 
     
     
     
     

CHAPTER SEVEN
     
    Jess felt her face heat. She’d wanted to hear everyone else’s story. But she hadn’t really thought about what it meant to share her own experiences and innermost thoughts. She hadn’t realized it would make her feel so vulnerable.
    It’s best to leave off the part about Gram’s warning, Jess. And it’s best not to tell everyone that after years of seeing ghosts, you feel cheated because they all just stopped showing themselves, and now, you’re obsessed with them. No one else is particularly happy about what they’ve experienced. Just you. For you, this study is one of the best things that’s happened in years.
    Everyone was patiently waiting on her.
    What the hell. Just tell them. Tell them everything. Almost.
    She stared down at her plate. “A few months after my dad died, the ghosts just stopped showing up.”
    “So, you can’t see ghosts anymore?” Gage asked. “Then why are you here?”
    Jess sucked in a deep breath. “Because I’m obsessed with them, okay?”
    Because my psychiatrist knew a guy who knew a guy, and they paid me a hefty amount, that’s why. I’m here because of my shrink. And the money. Let’s not forget about that. What a way to pay for tuition.
    “And I miss my dad,” she added, trying to put the rambling thoughts in her head into some sort of perspective—some context she was willing to share. “He died of cancer. So, if this place is a conduit, I might get a chance to see him. Talk to him. And I hope the others will come back, too. That’s why I’m here. A grief counselor helped me talk my mom and stepdad into it.”
    It surprised her how easily the white lie slipped from her lips. She waited for Dr. Brandt to correct her, to tell them all that a psychiatrist who dealt with people claiming to see or talk to the dead had suggested she come here, but he didn’t.
    More surprisingly, Gage didn’t say another word. In fact, he nodded as though her explanation made sense.
    “I’ll go next,” Bryan offered, setting down his drink. “My father disappeared. Just vanished.”
    “Your dad left you?” Allison asked softly. Jess suspected Allison was thinking of her own father—well, both of her parents, actually. Sadly, they’d both pretty much abandoned her.
    “I wish,” Bryan scoffed. “No, he…um, disappeared . He and mom were fighting again. They always fought when he was drunk. He hit her like he sometimes did. I knew something was up when he came home that night. He looked worse than normal. Angrier, more drunk, and he had this look in his eyes I can’t explain. Murderous, I suppose. Insane .” Bryan’s jaw tightened as he stared at the