Free A Hidden Element by Donna Galanti

to kiss his cheek.
    "Yeah, yeah, yeah." He hugged her quick. She looked so sad. He opened the door and looked back. His dad still sat there, looking out the window. "Bye, Dad."
    His dad looked up at him and nodded but didn't say another word. Charlie escaped the dreary scene and ran down the path, pretending to head to school by the road. When he looked back, his mom had resumed her vigil at the front window. She rocked and rocked. He waved once, but she must not have seen him. She didn't wave back.
    He rounded the first bend and dashed into the woods. He hooked up with the trail and headed for the meadow. He needed answers.
    A lone hawk soared overhead, piercing the sky with its cry. Chipmunks and squirrels bounced off tree branches as he passed. They nattered madly as if his presence disturbed their sanctuary. Then they ran off, leaving him with the mere sound of his feet crunching on leaves. His breath hung in the air, great frosty clouds leading the way. He reached the meadow. Ghost Man waited for him.
    Charlie looked at Ghost Man across the field. I could be a father to you, he heard in his head.
    Ghost Man walked toward him. "You know it to be true, in your heart, Son. Your darkest of hearts, Charlie-boy. A dark heart. Like mine. I can show you what you truly can be. Your real father never can. He is only a human. I can show you all the things you can have. Power. Acceptance. Belonging. Respect. And love."
    "Love?" Charlie met him halfway across the meadow.
    "Girls." Ghost Man smiled at him. "You are into girls, aren't you?"
    "Yes." Charlie looked up at the cold, blue sky and shoved his hands back in his pockets.
    "You can have all the girls you want."
    Charlie stood before Ghost Man and looked down at his feet.
    "And you won't be a freak anymore."
    Charlie slammed a fist into his hand. "Good."
    "And you can use your powers all the time. You won't have to hide them anymore."
    "You can show me…in person? You're real then? You exist…somewhere?"
    "Yes. I'm not far. And I'm coming for you, my Charlie-boy. I've been waiting all these years for you to be ready. Are you ready?"
    Charlie moved closer. He reached out his hand to touch Ghost Man's apparition. His fingers moved through the ghost before him. "We are the same?"
    "Yes. You belong with me."
    "And my mom."
    "Yes, she will be with us, too."
    Charlie frowned and stared at him. "She never talked about you."
    "She never knew I existed."
    Charlie chewed on his lip. "What about my dad?"
    "He will be welcome, of course." Ghost Man smiled at him.
    "I don't want to be a freak anymore. My mom will want to know about you."
    "Let's keep it our secret for now. We'll surprise her together."
    "And my dad."
    "Of course. I can help you see into your future."
    "You mean I can see myself as a grown up?"
    "Yes. See the man you will become. See a life of comfort and riches and all you desire."
    All I desire. It made Charlie dizzy to think about having all he wanted. Money. Girls. Popularity.
    "But my mom said everyone died though. Who's everyone?"
    "Our planet is dying and our people there will too someday. I came here with others so our people could survive. You can be part of it. I lead the community, and you can help me lead. People will look up to you."
    "To me ?"
    "Yes. Isn't it what you want? To belong?"
    "I never belonged here. But I can't be an…alien."
    "Yes."
    "A freak."
    "Not to me. Not to our people."
    "Why didn't you tell me this years ago? Tell my mom…and my dad?"
    "I had to be sure you were ready. I wanted your mom to be ready, too. In her own way. Are you ready then?"
    Charlie looked around the silent woods and up into the sky, a place he had never thought beyond before. He looked at his fingers and back at Ghost Man. Was this all really happening?
    "I need you, Charlie-boy."
    He had come back for a reason. This had to be it. "I'm ready."
    "Now, let me tell you everything."
    "First, tell me your name."
    "Adrian Madroc."
    "Adrian." Charlie said his name slow, new on