What Happened to Invisible

Email: Dkelly@37.com

"Hailey Maradole," The Official said abruptly, "is the next victim of the killer."

"What did you say?" Darien inquired "No blinding lasers, no posionous skin? Huh, I'm just getting an average killer. "Darien looked over at Hobbes.

"No, I can't believe it either." he said blandly. "So what do we gotta do?" he asked.

"Nothing much. Find the girl ,capture the killer, put him behind bars. "This time, Eberts answering. He handed Darien and Hobbes their breifing folder.

"Ok, where do we find her and be able to capture the killer and all that junk?"

"Very easy, Mr. Fawkes, go to her address. "Eberts said while handing him a slip of paper. Darien looked at it while he and Hobbes walked out of the office.

"Something is wrong here the official is giving us a day off for hard work or whatever. "Hobbes said sarcastically as Darien put the address into his pocket.

"I know what you mean. "Darien replied having reason to think that The Official didn't always have unofficial experiments running off. They got into his long used beat up van which Hobbes had grown accustomed to driving. They drove to the address on the card:

219 Arnotten Drive

Hailey Maradole

The girl had apparently had been home alone because there was a scratched note on the door:

I went to go meet my friend at the park.I'll be back soon.

"Ah crap." Darien said, suspecting who her 'friend' might be and he jumped back into the car.

"Hobbes, do you know where the closest park is?" He asked as his partner tried to start the engine.

"Hey, I dunno this town, why do you ask me?" he said. Darien was about to say something when Hobbes burst out.

"Come on you piece of crap!" He was clearly having trouble with the car. He turned the key once more. It gave a final attempt to start up, and then it when dead. Hobbes sat back with a frustrated sigh.

"Fawkes, this thing ain't moving, can you walk it?" Darien looked at him and got out of the car.

"You got the easy job, my friend, I gotta push this junk to a repair shop!" Hobbes yelled out. Darien put his hand up and pointed in the direction he was going. Indicating that he was going and he didn't need to hear Hobbes' complaining.

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Darien had found a near by stationary shop and got a map. The park had only been a mile away. "I'm not surprized it didn't start." Darien thought to himself. He headed to park which he knew by know was called Swepter Field. He turned the last corner and there was the park, across the street. He walked across the pedestrian pathway and behind a tree.

"It's Jessica all over again." he muttered to himself and he Quicksilvered.

It didn't take long for him to find Hailey, she was out in the softball diamond that was connected to the park. Indeed, Hailey had actually gone with her friend. The gold letters on the purple shirt she wore read 'It's all about me, Hailey'. Darien had not seen the killer stalking anywhere, and the closet place to the diamond, 50 feet away, was the snack bar. This part he had already done a brief investigation on to be sure. He decided to take a step onto the field to get a better view if a killer decided to come out. Carefully, he stepped out on the sand, making sure he didn't kick any into the wind. He had picked a good day all right. The wind was blowing away his footprints slowly as he made them.

Hailey was a good softball player both in hitting and catching. He watched them for a minute, careful not to waste his time, he de-Quicksilvered the section of his wrist with the tatoo on it. Three sections of the snake gone. He'd have to leave soon. Suddenly, Hailey hit a high pop up and it hit the ground and rolled 12 inches away from his feet. She ran to come get it, she did, and looked up.

She stared in unheard horror and let out an ear piercing scream seconds later. Darien immeadiatly looked down. He was still Quicksilvered and no sand had made his appearance clear. Was she screaming at him? The girl ran away and her friend caught up with her at the lunch tables at the snack bar.

"What's the matter Hailey?! Why are you screaming?!" her friend demanded. The only four words she would say were faltered in her shaking from adrenaline running.

"I saw a ghost."

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Darien now realized why he had been sent on this mission. The Official had known that the girl, somehow, would be able to see him. He de-Quicksilvered and took off for a phonebook where he would visit all the repair shops he found to get to Hobbes.

When all was said and done, Hobbes hadn't gotten far when he called a toe truck. It picked up him and told the driver to go to the nearest field 'and step on it, my friend's gonna go mad sitting there'. It took them back to the office where Hobbes had to pay the guy because The Official wouldn't lend him a single penny. The guy drove back to the shop with the car.

Darien was thinking about weather he should tell the Official that he knew of his little set up or wait and watch him boil up in anticipation. He smirked to himself. If he had to choose he would rather watch him crash in slow mo.

"So, did you find anything?" The Official asked. Darien swore he almost saw him smirk.

"No, not really. I followed her out to a park she had gone to." Darien looked toward Hobbes "And what did you do?"

"Uh, the car broke down and I called a toe truck to fix it,sir." Hobbes said hidden to himself. But the Official was uninterested.

"Tomorrow", he said, "you go find her again." Darien gave a slight nod to the side in mock obiedience.

"And this time, make yourself known." He called after them as they walked out of the office again.

"Like hell I will." Darien murmmured.

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This time Darien had managed to catch up with Hailey at her house before she went to the park. Even with his Quicksilver on she could see him so she had to be careful. He watched from a safe distance across the street. Hailey peered out of the door reluctantly and stepped out. Once again she looked around, decided it was safe and walked towards the park with bat and glove over her shoulder.

This time Hailey's friend would not be there because he had written Hailey a special note himself. Then, he had placed on the front door where she would have to be able to see it. Or, at least her mom would've.

Darien was prepared this time. He hid behind the backstop as Hailey stood and waited until her friend would 'come'.

"Hello, Hailey." she whirled around. Her 'ghost' was there and speaking. But she did not run.

"Wha...,who are you?" she demanded not even sure of her own courage. Darien didn't answer, he just stared at her questioningly. She decided another approach.

"Are you a spirit? she asked raising her eyebrows. She seemed interested now.

"Yeah, you could say that." hey, she had created his own cover story .If he had to tell a single other person about his 'secret' The Official would be on the point of no return.

"Well then, spirit, I'm going to get something to eat." she turned to go to the snack bar. She seemed to have forgotten her awaited friend. She ordered a hot dog and waited.

"Do you want someth..." then she thought about what she was saying "Duh, you're dead!" she bounced her hand off her head in mock ignorance. Huh, another thing that worked out well. Wouldn't it be strange if something just floated like that? And then eaten? Yeah this would work alright.

Hailey was eating and talking at the same time.

"So what's it like, being dead? "she asked. Then she looked around, no one was looking at her spirit. They were just looking at her

"Why are they looking at me so strangely? Can't they see you?" she asked puzzeled.

"You are the only one that can, I suggest we head around to the desserted table to the right of the snack bar instead." he said at a low whisper. They got up and moved. Darien moved on to a different question instead. He really didn't know what it was like to be dead.

"Why do you think you're the only one that can see me?"

"When I was born they said I had a veil over my face. Don't ask me I dunno about it." Hailer replied. Darien had heard this before, but he had never thought that it was true. Another assumption proved wrong. Darien looked around ,he had to leave before he was even close to QSM.

"Hailey, I 've got to go back to the la...I mean heaven, ok?" Darien said. She nodded as if he was sensative to this topic. Maybe a dead person would be.

He returned to the keeper which was when she gave her favorite sentence. "You're late."

After all was said and done, he decided to tell her a little bit about Hailey. And how she knew about him.

"Look, Keep, I lied to The Official."

"Well that's not a surprize." she talked expressionlessly as she worked. "What did you lie about." she said in addition because she knew how 'lying' with Darien could be serious.

"Hailey thinks I'm a ghost." Darien said. The keeper turned around. There wasn't a speck of surprize in her face.

"Ah, so you finally figured it out. No killer, just an investigation to see if a veiled being would be able to see you."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Darien asked yet there still wasn't a shocked tone to his voice.

"You didn't tell me about Hobbes and his 'death'." she said sarcastically. "Oh, come on, it was just a fake case and..."

"Did Hobbes know?" he asked.

"Do you think that the van would decide to break down at that particular moment when you found out about the park ,but decide to work the next day?" she inquired.

"Gee ,I overlooked that. And the note..."

"Was timed and coincidentally, it worked decievingly." The Keeper smirked slightly. By then Darien had heard enough, he left the lab. Bad thing to do, though, to tell the keeper. She would tell the official strait away after he would went to go visit Hailey again. .

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He wouldn't permit this to go on any longer. He was going to stop visiting Hailey so that they wouldn't get any more info. Hey, he was 'the ghost'. Hobbes had probably been near by when he had go back to visit Hailey at the park a second time so he could be there again. He would be careful what he said.

Darein Quicksilvered behind the same tree he had before and went to go find Hailey. This time she was at the swings, with her friend. No problem all he had to do was...

He walked over to the swings and stood in front of the swing box from this angle he could write in the dirt and she would only see it. Hailey recognized Darien right away. Of course he was the only one there that was glowing pale. She had remembered what he said about no one else being able to see her so she just watched and nodded slightly. He picked up a stick scarcely off the ground and wrote his message:

Hailey, I have to go and you probably wont see me anymore.

He didn't have to say anything. If Hobbes was close all he could do was watch. His little toy would just pick up scratching dirt noises. He looked at what he wrote. Hailey nodded again. Heck, what did she care that he wasn't going to be there. He was a 'ghost' and one in which she probably didn't want to see.

Darien left for home. Really there wasn't much else for him to do. He was going to get a lecture from Hobbes the next day, but he really didn't care. As he came up to his door there was a sign scratched on the door.

Goodbye, friend.

He began to wonder how she had gotten here so fast. She had still been at the swings when he had left.

Maybe, being veiled gives you more ability then just being able to see the invisible.