The Ghost in the Net
by syaffolee
Note: The following post is where I completely geek out about Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling series. The latest book in the series, Heart of Obsidian, is coming out next week. So if you have no interest in the gritty details of world building in paranormal romances or spoilers for the aforementioned series since you haven’t read any of the books yet, it might be a good idea to look away.
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One of the things about the Psy-Changeling series which I think propels it heads and shoulders above many other series in the paranormal romance genre is its success at integrating character with the world building. Sure, you can read it primarily as a romance, but the speculative elements (which are integral to the characters and not face paint) push things into really interesting directions beyond the simple boy-and-girl-fall-in-love story.
The character of the Ghost, to me, is probably one of the most intriguing characters in the series. Up to and including the spoiler chapters posted for Heart of Obsidian, we still don’t know who the Ghost is even though there are clues sprinkled throughout the series. I think most of the clues point in one direction (as Dear Author speculates for one particular character). But not all. And it’s this little bit of uncertainty that’s driving me nuts (in a good way). With most books, I find the answer to mysteries obvious or completely out of left field. Singh’s books keep me guessing even though I know there’s a completely logical explanation.
So, let’s dive into the clues and interesting coincidences:
(Edited to add: a character guide to the series for the confused.)
The Ghost and Kaleb Krychek
The Ghost is a rebel, a saboteur who is a thorn in the Council’s side. He is first introduced in Caressed by Ice. However, we’re introduced to the term “ghost” way back in the first book (Slave to Sensation, 193). Sascha has developed a telepathic shadowing skill called “ghosting” which she uses to cruise the PsyNet as a “ghost”, undetected, to gather information. Later we discover that Kaleb Krychek can also travel this way through the PsyNet. And in fact, he learned this trick by observing Sascha (Blaze of Memory, 160).
When Shoshanna presents the Council with an infected data file, Nikita suggests that it was corrupted by the Ghost (Caressed by Ice, 32). This is the very first mention of the Ghost as an individual in the series. To Nikita, Kaleb immediately replies that the person responsible could be someone else. If Kaleb is the Ghost, is he trying to deflect attention off himself? Kaleb also has a strong motive to destroy the file. The file contained information hacked from the Liu group. Kaleb has a relationship with the Liu group which he does not want to jeopardize. And he considers that particular issue as a “first strike” after reading about Protocol I (Caressed by Ice, 19). The data file was infected by a virus. Nikita, a Tp-Psy, is a known viral transmitter. Everyone knows that Kaleb is a Tk cardinal, but he is also revealed to be a Tp cardinal (Tangle of Need, 335), making it likely that Kaleb is responsible for the destruction of data.
As noted above, Kaleb has an interest in Protocol I. The Ghost is responsible for the destruction of a Protocol I lab. The Ghost is part of the Council’s superstructure with access to classified data, but he is careful not to use data above a certain access level, probably to prevent revealing his identity (Caressed by Ice, 42). Kaleb is part of the Council. Both Kaleb and the Ghost aren’t afraid to kill. The Ghost is skilled in both psychic and physical warfare (Caressed by Ice, 286). So is Kaleb. Both the Ghost (Mine to Possess, 240) and Kaleb are well versed in finding information on the PsyNet.
The Ghost assassinates Marshall Hyde, but he is careful to be in a public location with a minor official to guarantee an alibi (Mine to Possess, 252). As a highly visible member of the Council, even a random doorman recognizes him (Bonds of Justice, 287), it would make sense for Kaleb to be seen at the public location. An Arrow would not need such a public alibi.
While certain things involving innocents and children give the Ghost pause, he is actually focused on something far bigger (Mine to Possess, 182). The Ghost’s plans are meticulous (Kiss of Snow, 364). Kaleb also has meticulous plans (Mine to Possess, 293). The Ghost has been carrying out a particular plan for over 20 years (Ghost chat). Kaleb has also been working on his plans for two decades (Hostage to Pleasure, 48). Later in the series, the Ghost notes that he understands change and that plans could change (Kiss of Snow, 364). Kaleb is also somewhat flexible in his plans as he hasn’t discarded all of his options in pursuit of his goal (Tangle of Need, 144).
Judd suspects that the Ghost wants control of the Net (Play of Passion, 96). Kaleb wants to control the Net (Hostage to Pleasure, 95; Kiss of Snow, 293; Tangle of Need, 144). In fact, he doesn’t like things out of his control in general (Branded by Fire, 41).
The Ghost will do anything to protect the Psy (Branded by Fire, 119). Kaleb finally reveals his dual cardinal powers to Aden and Vasic when he single-handedly saves a section of the Net from total collapse (Tangle of Need, 335).
Faith discovers that an old, hidden crack in the PsyNet is the Ghost (Branded by Fire, 244). Each crack in the PsyNet represents an individual who has flaws in their conditioning. Kaleb also has a large flaw in his conditioning (Heart of Obsidian, chapter 1).
The Ghost grew up in “a cage so tight, so restrictive that he’d almost forgotten how to breathe” (Branded by Fire, 261). Santano Enrique was a sociopath who groomed Kaleb to be his audience (Bonds of Justice, 312). Enrique also trapped Sascha, making her an unwilling audience as he recounted his murders. Enrique applies his trap with pressure and crushing walls (Slave to Sensation, 311).
The Ghost gives Judd information that Arrows taken off Jax are funneled to a facility in the Dinarides (Blaze of Memory, 293). In an earlier scene, Kaleb realizes that he doesn’t have the location where Ming sends Arrows to die, but he knows he can get the information before the day is out (Blaze of Memory, 230).
There is someone that the Ghost cares about. This is implied by the Ghost’s reaction to the fact that Xavier hopes that Nina is alive (Blaze of Memory, 292). When Judd questions the Ghost, he discovers that there is one person the Ghost doesn’t want to die (Play of Passion, 195 and Kiss of Snow, 140). This person is the reason the Ghost doesn’t just destroy the Council and everything else because the person acts as the conscience he doesn’t have (Kiss of Snow, 179). Kaleb has been searching for someone for over six years (Bonds of Justice, 287) and even kills for this person (Bonds of Justice, 311). Kaleb owns a platinum star charm and he wonders “what its owner would make of his thoughts of assassination” (Tangle of Need, 329). This implies that Kaleb thinks of this person as his conscience.
On Twitter, the Ghost states: “you do not want to marry me. I would snap your neck if you touched me wrong.” Sophia notes that Kaleb has many admirers, but that he is “quite capable of snapping his admirers’ necks without the least pause should the occasion call for it” (Bonds of Justice, 66). Judd has an inkling of what the Ghost’s “other matters” are and that if he is right about his guess, the Ghost would become even more dangerous (Play of Passion, 96). It is around this time that the Arrows are considering Kaleb for their leadership.
Judd and Hawke know the Ghost’s identity (Kiss of Snow, 291 and Ghost chat). Judd remarks: “If I am ever taken…my mind is set with triggers that’ll erase your name from my memory banks at a single mental command. Images are more difficult to remove” (Kiss of Snow, 364). As Judd gave Hawke a name and not an occupation, it is highly likely the Ghost is high profile. Like Kaleb. If it was an Arrow, names and images wouldn’t mean as much.
The Ghost comes across a hidden archive of data which he names Obsidian (Kiss of Snow, 180). The book, Heart of Obsidian, is about Kaleb. The Ghost says, “There are places in the Net that belong only to me” (Kiss of Snow, 368). Kaleb can communicate with both the NetMind and the DarkMind that can take him to places other people don’t know about.
The Ghost remarks: “Some things need to be broken to become stronger” (Tangle of Need, 415). For Kaleb: “The fracture had sealed to adamantine hardness, the weak spot morphing into the strongest part of his Silence” (Heart of Obsidian, chapter 1).
The Ghost and Vasic
Just as the Ghost and Kaleb are Tk-Psy with blood on their hands, so is Vasic, an Arrow who claims at his first appearance in the series that he is not a team player (Hostage to Pleasure, 12).
When the Ghost first appears in person in the series, he asks Judd about human and changeling funeral practices (Caressed by Ice, 66). Vasic seeks darkness (Tangle of Need, 39) and is tired of life and just wants peace (Tangle of Need, 249).
The outcome of several of the Ghost’s actions–destruction of Protocol I (Caressed by Ice, 293), finding out who massacred the deer changelings (Caressed by Ice, 302)–result in protecting or avenging innocents, particularly children. We know that Vasic has a soft spot for children (Tangle of Need, 339).
The Ghost doesn’t think that he has a soul (Kiss of Snow, 364). A little later, Vasic remarks that there is nothing left in him to save (Kiss of Snow, 408).
When the Ghost watches Sienna’s mating ceremony, he notes that Sienna’s hair has darkened and after observing Judd ponders that this was not a life he would ever have (Tangle of Need, 100). This implies that the Ghost had seen Sienna when she was younger. Vasic knows that he would never have a life like Judd’s (Tangle of Need, 398). Vasic had also seen Sienna when she was younger (Tangle of Need, 399).
It Could Go Both Ways
The Ghost has been “broken” as a child (Ghost chat). Vasic was broken (Tangle of Need, 339) through Arrow training which starts in childhood. In Kaleb’s records, there are odd gaps starting at seven years old when he was supposedly being trained by Santano Enrique–who turned out to be a serial killer (Caressed by Ice, 306-307).
The Ghost says that Ming will die when the time is right (Ghost chat). Aden says that Ming will die when he needs to die (Tangle of Need, 247). It is possible that he is also voicing Vasic’s opinion since they have a subconscious telepathic connection (Kiss of Snow, 33). On the other hand, both Vasic and Aden are tentatively under Kaleb’s leadership. Kaleb also has similar thoughts: “That left Ming and Tatiana. Both would have to die when it was time” (Tangle of Need, 329).
Vasic also notes toward the end of Tangle of Need that his reaction to Sienna, not precisely Sienna herself, was what helped him survive through the years. There is no mention of any other women in Vasic’s life. On the other hand, the Ghost is bonded to a woman, but that woman is the only one to whom he is loyal and will keep him from carrying out his plans (Ghost chat). Similarly, Kaleb has been obsessively trying to find a woman throughout the series and have been doing things for her.
The Ghost does not have a tattoo (Ghost chat), but is this just semantics? Kaleb has a mark on his arm that is branded on him (Mine to Possess, 293). It is never mentioned whether or not Vasic has a tattoo, but he does have a computronic gauntlet fused to his left arm (Tangle of Need, 41).
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So, if you’ve also read the Psy-Changeling series, who do you think the Ghost is? Kaleb? Vasic? Someone else? As Singh’s world building and characterization has been extremely consistent so far, I would tend toward the logical choice. But you never know. I’d love to hear from fellow fans who think I’ve missed a clue or two.
Don't Shake the Flask 
I love your analysis; I think it’s the most comprehensive I have yet seen on this topic.
For some reason, from very early on in the series, I’ve always believed that Kaleb was the Ghost. So whenever there was a Ghost-passage, I read it as if Kaleb was doing those things, and it always fit–thought processes, powers, timelines etc. As your analysis shows, Kaleb as the Ghost was always the most logical answer, and now it is the only viable one (since HoO is the Ghost’s book, and its hero is Kaleb).
Another thing–it’s not an argument from the books, necessarily, but I still think it’s admissible in support of Kaleb being the Ghost: if these two had been different people, both are powerful enough to disrupt the other’s well-laid plans, and therefore, most certainly–they would have already clashed. Like there cannot be two alphas in the same pack, if Kaleb and the Ghost had been different people, they would have battled it out already between themselves, to establish “dominance”. :) Kaleb, especially, wouldn’t have let a powerful wildcard such as the Ghost run amok, doing whatever he wanted, unchecked.
I absolutely agree with your logic. If Kaleb and the Ghost were two different people, they would have run into each other by now. Kaleb agreed with the Council in earlier books that they needed to hunt down the Ghost, but instead of actually helping to track down someone who has the power to wreck all his well laid plans, he’s spending all his time hunting down his quarry.
I just posted on Nalini’s blog the other day that I think the Ghost is Vasic. Nalini has done an excellent job in mudding the waters enough that it’s hard to nail down if it’s Kaleb or Vasic. I’m going to stick with my thought on it being Vasic. No matter who it is in the end, it’s going to be a great ride.
On a side note, I’m going to throw out there that the next book will be Aden and Alice. :)
Thanks for you meticolous work! I love the analysis as well, lots of details gathered in lots of books with which I agree. Most of the thoughts I already gathered in my own mentionings-of-Ghost-document and discussed them in other chats. In your analysis there is, however, something missing. You adequateld added up the facts that are consistent. Lots of them. However, what you missed to include in the analysis are the facts that don’t add up nicely, or at all for that matter. One could say that Kaleb cannot be Ghost because he has a totto where Ghost has none.
Adnana mentioned that the 12th book HoO is about Ghost, as the blurb suggests, but the first two chapters are about Kaleb. It strongly suggests that Ghost is Kaleb. But that doesn’t have to be that way. The book could be about them both, one main story, one less (like Walter and Lauran in KoS). They could be two persons, one the hero, one the villain… I really don’t know. For me, there were always too many pointers that Kaleb is Ghost, it would just add up a little bit too nicely in my opinion. I think it’s more tricky that that. However, Nalini could be planning on us clueless readers to make everything more complicated, trying to find answers where there are none yet. Whatever, it’s seven more days till the release of the book. I decided a few days ago not to get riled up on the discussion of ghosts identity again, it’s not worth it. Guys, be patiently and wait, in the end we can or cannot pride ourselfs in being right, but that does not matter, since Nalini knows best, and has known best form the beginning. :)
I think we’d have to agree to disagree about the tattoo issue. To me, it’s not clear because in the books, Kaleb’s arm is only described as marked or branded, not tattooed. It could be tattooed, but for me there’s a difference between “tattoo”, “mark”, and “brand”.
But that’s the fun thing about speculating. With fiction, it’s pretty much up to reader interpretation if the author doesn’t explicitly write it on the page. My philosophy is that the story is whatever *you* make of it. I’m just throwing my viewpoint out there for people to enjoy, whether they actually agree with it or not. Anyways, we’ll just have to wait and see what Ms. Singh throws at us next week!
I agree. A tattoo is (in general) something voluntary, and I think that “brand” on Kaleb’s arm was inflicted with another purpose. Like during a torture session. Idk. But I’m 99.99% sure that the fact that the Ghost doesn’t carry a “tattoo” is just semantics. A red herring even–but not proof to disqualify Kaleb as the Ghost.
Where does it actually SAY that the Ghost has no mark(of any type) on his arm? The Ghost never discusses what he looks like? How are you all so sure that he is unmarked?
The other day “The Ghost” Hacked Nalini’s twitter account and had a question and answer session.. He said he didn’t have a Tattoo
I think the confusion stems from different interpretations. Some people think that not having a tattoo means having no markings whatsoever. (I think there’s a distinction between the two.)
And you’re correct. We know the Ghost’s personality and powers. But there is no physical description of him, so far at any rate.
Edited to add: the transcript of the Ghost’s chat on Twitter where he says he doesn’t have a tattoo.
Syaffolee this is an excellent discussion post!! You did good!!
I see, I haven’t read the twitter thing yet, because I don’t want to be too spoiled when I pick up the book.
And I agree about the tattoo thingy. When Kaleb said he had a brand, I always thought that meant he’d had a hot metal pocker shoved into his arm.
(1) The changelings have marks which are not tattoos… (Tally had just enough Psy heritage to require feedback. Kaleb may have just enough changeling heritage to be able to form a mating bond. Or he may have more. If so, it does put a slightly different spin on his insistence that the woman he’s seeking belongs to him. Also, it would explain why he’s so concerned about people obtaining his DNA.)
(2) The Ghost helps in situations with children, but he doesn’t *care* about them enough to be Vasic. The Ghost measures advantages and disadvantages before intervening in situations involving children (he concludes they are essentially unfair adversaries). Vasic doesn’t monitor any Arrow children because he can’t trust himself not to intervene.
(3) Vasic and Aden are allied. Judd knows that if Aden’s around, Vasic must also be there. Aden and Vasic together occasionally participate in Anthony’s intrigues. If Vasic were the Ghost, Aden would also be involved. Aden didn’t know that Judd was alive and comes to see him immediately after learning he is.
(4) If Sienna were the Ghost’s conscience, then the Ghost would not consider betraying Judd to use *Sienna* in his plans.
(5) The Ghost encountered Judd in the Net, presumably prior to Judd’s defection. He was interested in Judd for Judd’s loyalty to family. If he knew about that, he had to have seen Judd’s family, and therefore easily could have observed Sienna at that time. Thus, the Ghost having seen Sienna when she was younger doesn’t point toward Vasic or any other Arrow.
(6) Judd is both a high-level telepath and telekinetic. So is Kaleb. Judd describes the Ghost as someone he could have been in another life. This may be literally true. Aden is a stronger telepath than Vasic (this is noted in the “fracture repair” scene), and, if this is literally a matchup of power types and strengths, Vasic and Judd are very different, while Judd and Kaleb are similar.
(7) In the scene where Judd explains why he doesn’t look at the Ghost, the Ghost’s eyes are described as lacking humanity (not sure who’s seeing them, but there it is). Vasic’s eyes are described at least once as haunted (I think in the Riaz/Adria book, probably by Adria). Haunted eyes do not lack humanity.
(8) Faith describes the Ghost as male and incredibly powerful. Faith is the most powerful F-Psy in the net and she’s a cardinal. Vasic may be the one true teleporter in the Net, but it seems unlikely that she would describe him as incredibly powerful. Kaleb, however, is a dual cardinal. I think it is Aden’s viewpoint when Kaleb’s power is described as “so vast it blinded” (or some such). Kaleb is much more likely to be someone even Faith would perceive as powerful.
Thanks for pointing out #6. I swore I read it somewhere but for some reason, I couldn’t pinpoint where it was written so I thought I was imagining things.
Yes! I so agree with everything you just said except (1)
My guess had always been that it was “her” who had the changeling blood. Think about it, she’s been used as a lab rat since she and Kaleb were little think of Enrique, the psychopath who presumably was their “legal gardian”, and his sick facination with chageling woman and of experimenting with them too see if they were capable of have psychic powers. That right there speakes of racial boudries and of trying to find out just how far apart they actually were genetically. Someone with mixed blood would be an ideal starting place to begin looking for those kind of things, no?
Earlier on in the series, Nikita also dicovers that immedeately prior to when Kaleb’s silence nearly unravils, a swan changeling went missing. …
Oh, I’m totally willing to believe she has changeling heritage. Kaleb’s very concerned about her DNA as well.
Enrique’s experiments were certainly for his own sociopathic entertainment, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t *also* experiments.
If Kaleb and his heroine have changeling heritage, I’m curious if it’s pre-Silence (when the races used to mix, explaining Lucas’ Psy ancestry), some sort of covert breeding experiment, or some sort of “graft” or genetic modification (Ashaya was able to find and alter the flaw in Dorian’s DNA so he could shift, for example, so this wouldn’t be completely uncharted territory). In this last scenario, she isn’t the swan; she’s Psy with modifications to/splices into her DNA that came from the original swan changeling.
If it *is* some sort of “graft” or genetic modification, this might explain how Enrique thought he could help unlock Sascha’s potential. (Sascha thought Enrique knew about her imperfect Silence and that this is why he was pursuing her, but the end of Slave to Sensation showed that he had no clue.)
I can’t wait to find out!
Loved the Analysis, I have re-read the series from the beginning. To me, from the start I thought it was out of Kaleb & Vasic.
I think that it is neither of them because In Caressed by Ice, the Ghost asks Judd why he never looks him in the face. Judd replies that faces are harder to scrub from the mind, meaning that Judd knows who the Ghost is, but has never been face-to-face with him.
It has to be an arrow.
In Bonds of Justice, we learn that Kaleb has been searching for his quarry for 6 years and 4 months. He carries a star charm. Father Perez scolds Judd in Caressed by Ice for not calling him by his given name, even though they “have been working together for close to six years.”
In Visions of Heat, Faith notes her cousin Sahara’s disappearance was suspect; maybe she wasn’t dead, but had been taken for rehabilitation and was being monitored for the council’s own good.
It’s important to mention that Sahara Nightstar disappeared around the same time Judd, Father Perez, and the Ghost formed their partnership.
Why does it have to be an arrow? So many people are convinced that this is the case, but for me, I have never been able to believe it could ever be an arrow.
If you’re talking about the fact that it has to be someone who was as highly trained as any arrow, then I agree. But it could never be an arrow because of this simple fact. “All arrows have each other”
Right from the moment they are brought into the squad as kids, untill the moment they die, they know, they KNOW that thier comrads would lay down their lives for them and visa versa.
The reason Ming was so arrogant about using the squad was because it never occoured, even to him, that they would ever actually turn their backs on him.
Apart from the fact that we know there is one person whom he doesn’t want to die, the Ghost on the other hand, is compleately and atterly solitary. He doesn’t “get” the concept of comradry. That is just not possible in an Arrow.
On that note though, Kaleb was slated for training as an arrow until Enreique snapped him up to be his protege. This tell’s us that he is good enough to be an Arrow, but is not actually an Arrow, there for doesn’t have that comradery that the Arrows that for granted.
For ——– sakes, Judd left the squad, and yet everyone but Ming (who is a sychopath) believes that he is still one of them. – Whether he’s actually in the squad or not.
The Ghost couldn’t possibly be an Arrow.
I absolutely loved this well thought out and well written post. It is one of the best I have seen thus far.. Having said that I am so gonna shoot you down and feel really bad in doing so..
Why it can’t be Kaleb..
I want it to be Kaleb, I always thought it was Kaleb. I even argued that it couldn’t be Kaleb because he was the obvious choice. My choice remained Kaleb until “The Ghost” hacked Nalini’s twitter party.. the Ghost does not have a tattoo.. Kaleb does..Unless Nalini slipped up (and she is pretty good about NOT slipping up) that completely crosses off Kaleb. Of course it could be argued that he doesn’t have a real tattoo but something else (say a birthmark that people THINK is a tattoo) but barring that, if the Ghost does not have a tattoo it can’t be Kaleb…
Why it can’t be Vasic..
Once again going back to the twitter party.. According to @dearauthor, the host of the party.. Vasic was ruled out. I missed where “the Ghost” ruled him out and only had @Dearauthor’s post where she summed up comments made by “the Ghost” so maybe she was wrong.. but I am pretty confident that “the Ghost” made that deliberation and I just missed it as information was flying like crazy during this conversation.
That leaves me with Aiden… and yet I am seriously hoping it isn’t him for the following reasons
1. The Ghost is said to care for only one person and it is a female and yet Aiden obviously cares deeply for Vasic and has good memories of Walker.
2. Aiden never really went Silent, his silence is broken and the Ghost is deep into silence
3. When Judd and Aiden meet (cant remember the book sorry) Judd is surprised to see him. Now that could just mean surprised to see him where he was but I don’t think so
BUT if I cross of Aiden, having already crossed of Kaleb and Vasic.. I am totally lost as to who it is..
Darn that Nalini Singh for making us think, wonder and debate this topic!! *grins* what great advertisement for such an awesome series..
All that being said make sure you all get to my blogs Bodice Rippers, Femme Fatales and Fantasy AND Tea and Book and take the ongoing quizes.. Slave to Sensation and Angels Flight are the prizes!!
Two questions a day until June 3rd per blog. You have until June 11th to get your answers in!!
I doubt Ms. Singh has slipped up. I don’t think it’s written anywhere in the books that Kaleb has a tattoo (although I’m willing to be proven wrong if someone can come up with a citation for it). It is always written as a “mark” or a “brand”. While these terms are similar, they aren’t equivalent. And I wouldn’t be surprised if all these different terms have been used to confuse us.
I also doubt that Aden is the Ghost. Mostly for logistical reasons. There’s a scene in Tangle of Need (I think), where Judd is having a conversation with Aden. And right after Aden leaves, the Ghost arrives. It would be kind of silly for that to happen if Aden and the Ghost were the same individual.
That is perfect.. While I considered the brand would be a tattoo you are right.. although, because heart is about Kaleb I am less likely to believe it is him than I was before..
Great point about Aden coming and going.! That is not a mistake Nalini would have made..
Still wondering… great debate!
Shauni
A good post well wirtten, and with lots of good facts. I just have one correction for you, Kaleb can’t “Gost” along the net like Sascha could.
It is true that Kaleb is very good at dissapearing, and that he learned his best tricks by studying Sascha’s shields, he never could figure out how she managed to make herself dissapear even from the net mind.
Remember, when Sascha “ghosts” along the net, not even the net mind can tell where she is. Kalab managed to immatale her to the point where no one else can find him, but the net it self still knows where he is.
Having said that, Kaleb has alway’s been my nomber one candidate to the identity of the Ghost. I can’t wait to find out if I’m right!