It's not like she could refuse the assignment.

Every quarter, when the new list of investigation sites was posted, Anna drooled over all the incredible projects handed to Sigrid, Jean-Frances, and Dandruff Dan. They'd been at the Institute for years. Her boss, Chief Investigator Gentle Geoff, figured they were more capable of ghost tracking the major hauntings. Did youthful ambition count for nothing in parapsychological academia?

Apparently not.

Searching through the crappy assignments doled out to untenured staffers, she finally found what she was looking for: Anna Fairclaw-her family name was always misspelled on these lists-right next to a project at the very summit of randomness.

"Shadow People? What the hell are Shadow People?" she asked Sulky Sully.

"Why don't you read the descriptor?" he scoffed. As far as she could tell, he'd never stopped resenting her. Before Anna arrived at the Institute, Sully had his own desk, not to mention his own office. Now they shared.

"The Shadow People, or Tarriaksuit as they are known..."

"Read in your head," Sully interrupted.

Anna batted her lashes then bobbed her head like a sardonic I Dream of Jeanie. "Yes, master."

The Shadow People, or Tarriaksuit as they are known to the Inuit, are elemental beings described in the mythological systems of the Canadian North. Shadow People are commonly believed to inhabit a world parallel to ours, existing beyond the realm of human sense perception. Disembodied speaking or laughing are often attributed to these beings, as are sounds of footsteps in the distance.

Historically, only the most intuitive residents of the North have felt the presence of the allegedly shy Shadow People. Traditional stories tell of Inuit who have crossed into the other world. No one has ever returned. No solid research yet exists in the annals of parapsychological investigation to confirm or deny this type of report.

"This actually doesn't sound so bad," Anna said, more to herself than to Sully. She didn't think he'd bother listening. "Did you read my Shadow People assignment, Sully? My research could be ground-breaking."

"If your investigation yields any results," he muttered. "And that's a big if."