"This is Ralph, he's part of the new security team. Show him some respect."
"I'm sorry. Nice to meet you, Ralph." Ophelia forced a smile.
Ralph tipped his head.
She waved her arm in the air. "See, nothing. I'm not sure what you detected, but everything's quiet here."
Dictator Dick looked around and then headed straight for the bathroom. When his hand clasped the knob, Ophelia collapsed. He went rushing to her side.
"Miss Wetherton, are you all right?"
He scooped her up and lay her on the bed.
"Ralph, go get Ms. Dunworthy."
"No. There's no need. I saw her this morning. She told me to rest. I have used too much energy with everything that happened last night."
"Yes, well that makes sense. Are you sure you don't want us to get her?"
"Thank you, but I'll be fine after I rest." She slipped under the blanket.
Dictator Dick glanced at the bathroom and then back at Ophelia.
"Okay then. Ralph let's get out of here and let the girl rest. Miss Wetherton, if you see or hear anything suspicious, please call us."
"I will, Mr. Cander."
After the door shut, Ophelia threw the covers off and vaulted to the bathroom door. She knocked lightly.
"Alex. It's okay to come out."
Ophelia stepped back as Alex and Margaret emerged from the bathroom. Her energy didn't have enough time to recharge, and she worried if her waves would bother them.
"I am sorry for my appearance. My spirit is drained, and I have not been able to rest."
Margaret couldn't take her eyes from the hovering spirit.
"Please do not be frightened," Ophelia pleaded.
"I'm not. We're not. I've just never...I mean, Alex sees ghosts all the time. This is a first for me." Margaret half smiled.
Ophelia giggled.
"What's so funny?" Margaret knitted her brow.
"You said ghost. Only a breather would call me a ghost."
"A breather?"
"The living." Ophelia looked down.
"Well—that would be us," Margaret said sarcastically.
Alex intervened.
"Ophelia, why are you drained? Did something happen to you?"
Ophelia extended her hand to the bed, they took the cue and sat down. Keeping a comfortable distance, she sat on Amry's bed. Ophelia wasn't afraid of them, but she sensed Margaret might not feel the same.
"We had a horrible night with a bad soul. He kidnapped one of our friends, and in the end, he was thrown into, The Nowhere."
"Is your friend okay?" Alex asked.
"She is. You didn't ask me what The Nowhere, was." Ophelia knitted her brows.
"You're sitting here with two breathers’ in your world of the dead. The fact that Alex didn't ask about some nowhere place is what strikes you as odd?" Margaret narrowed her eyes.
"Are you angry with me?" Ophelia blinked.
Margaret's eyes widened. "No. I'm not angry. Just confused."
"Ophelia, please excuse Margaret's abruptness. She wasn't supposed to be here."
Alex glanced over at Margaret.
"What the hell were you thinking, babe?"
"I didn't want to lose you. We didn’t know if you were gonna be able to make it back."
"And your solution was to join me?"
"Yeah, I know. Wasn't really thinking about the consequences."
Margaret stood up and walked to Ophelia.
"I'm sorry for being bitchy. This is a little different than Alex's other cases."
"Cases?" Ophelia's body rippled.
"That's going to take some getting used to," Margaret proclaimed.
"Sorry."
"Don't be. It's different, but kind of cool." Margaret smiled.
Alex interjected, "Ophelia, I see the dead. Which is why we were able to connect. I try to help them when they need it. Most of the time it's just finishing something so they can cross over. Although lately, they've been getting a lot harder."
"I'll say. His last case, there were five murders, two evil spirits...well, one evil and one good spirit turned evil for a little while, a demon, and a crazy old bitch. It was intense." Margaret shook her head.
"Oh wow." Ophelia floated to the door.
Opening it a crack, she peered down the hallway, it was vacant. She gently closed the door.
"I need to tell my friends you are here. I think it would be best if the two of you stay in my room. I'll go and get them. Then we can tell you everything."
"About Haven?" Alex inquired.
"Yes. Haven and the rest of it."
"Wait. There's more?"
Alex's words fell upon deaf ears. Ophelia had already slipped through the door.
"Margaret. I'm so pissed right now."
"I know you are. I'm sorry. But after that last case, I couldn't let you go alone. I worry about you, and you're just gonna have to accept that I'm here."
"Do I have a choice?"
Margaret looked around the room.
"I'm thinking, nope."
"I wonder what's brought me here besides, Haven? I guess we'll find out soon enough."
"Babe. Come here and check this out."
Margaret was standing by the window. She had pulled back the right side of the curtain and was peering out to the courtyard. There were several teens floating to their destinations and a few hovering in the center of campus. Two celestials were sitting on the edge of the roof, feet dangling.
"Is this awesome or what?" Margaret exclaimed.
Alex laughed, "And this is why we belong together. Anyone else would have been totally freaked."
"Uh, I was freaked when we first landed in this weird, day of the dead place. But after talking with Ophelia, I feel calmer."
"Yeah. She does have that effect, doesn't she? There's something very different about her."
Alex sat at the end of the bed, soaking in the atmosphere. A high school for the dead, and they were there. Wait until he told his Gram. He just might wind up here after he tells her, but the look on her face would be worth it. He chuckled to himself.
Alex sniffed ozone. The kinetic energy in the air had the same result as a thunderstorm storm back home. All the celestials created an enormous amount of electricity. He looked down at the raging goosebumps on his arms, tiny hairs stood at attention.
Running his fingers along the wall, the stone felt damp. A blanket of familiarity brought peace.
"It's strange how comfortable this place feels." Alex glanced up at Margaret.
"I know what you mean. Aside from the levitating spirits, this reminds me so much of our school. But we don't have dorms."
"I don't think these are actual dorms. Look outside, this is the same view from our art class."
"Oh yeah. You're right." Margaret nodded.
"And think, art is the only class with its own bathroom."
"Cool. We should be able to navigate around here fairly easy. If the campus is the same, we already know the lay of the land."
"Yup." Alex grinned.
Their conversation was interrupted when Ophelia and friends passed through the closed door.
Startled, Alex surged up from the bed.
"Do not be afraid." Ophelia pleaded.
"Oh, I'm not. Just taken off guard."
"We didn't want to draw attention and risk someone seeing you when we opened the door. The school is on alert trying to find Leon."
"Leon?" Alex raised a brow.
"I promised to tell you everything. If you take a seat, we'll explain. But first, I'd like to introduce you to my friends. Amry, Zachary, Bethany and Kyle, this is Alex and Margaret."
Kyle moved closer to Alex and locked eyes.
"The two of you are breathers, so how come you could see Ophelia when the gateway opened?'
"I could. Not Margaret. I see the dead. It's a family thing,” said Alex.
"Oh jeez. Even in all this shit that's going on, you guys have to fling the testosterone. The both of you back off." Amry pulled
Kyle back.
"Alex. Really?" Margaret barked.
The two boys retreated.
Everyone took a seat on the bed, the floor, and whatever was available. Ophelia started the story with her beginning and the loss of Haven to the Soul Gatherer, and finished up with Zachary fleeing from the group that wanted to make him their bitch. She filled in the spaces with Mr. Johnson, Rogers banishment to The Nowhere, and Leon's impending capture.
Alex listened intensely.
"I guess we need to tackle one problem at a time. Leon sounds like security's problem. We can all keep Bethany safe if we stay together. Zachary, pretty much the same thing. But Haven and the Soul Gatherer, I think that's our priority right now. I keep sensing we're running out of time."
"Me too," Ophelia blurted out, "I have never felt the urgency that I've experienced with the last few dreams. I'm convinced if we don't find her soon, her soul will be lost forever."
"I agree." Alex nodded.
"You left out a big piece of the story," Bethany murmured.
"What do you mean?" Alex inquired.
"Ophelia." Bethany pointed.
"Bethany! That is not important right now," Ophelia snapped.
"If I'm gonna help, I need to know everything. Ophelia?"
"Lia, tell him," Amry chimed.
Ophelia rose up and sliced through the air and out the window. A few seconds later she came back. Her chest heaved as she took in a long breath and then blew.
Alex reached out to the faint trail of wind on his fingertips.
"How? What?" His eyes widened.
Amry stood up and leaned into her friend.
"Lia can feel things and do things that mimic the living. No one else has ever had this capability. At least no one that Headmaster Abernathy has ever met. That's why we're in this dorm room. It has a shower. Lia loves her morning hot showers." Amry winked.
"Mr. Johnson is not only helping me find Haven, Amry asked him to find answers about me." Ophelia dropped her chin. "Do I frighten you?"
Alex and Margaret looked at each other and grinned.
"Nope," They answered in unison.
"Alex, maybe you should tell them a little about our past together. Especially your last case," Margaret suggested.
"First thing you should know, Margaret is probably the strongest breather you'll ever meet. She's been on some pretty tough cases with me, and she hasn't cracked yet." He grinned.
After the condensed history about the Russo/LaBoccetta bloodline and his immediate family, Alex explained to his captive audience about their last case—the Geranium deaths.
The ghostly teens were wide-eyed, hanging on every word as Alex described the five murders. He especially noticed Zachary when the mention of dark magick was brought up. The boy buried his face into crossed arms, tightening his body into a closed clam shell.
"That is why they want me. To raise the beasts, wreak havoc on the living, and help them open the Underworld in-between. They think they can own the realms," Zachary sighed.
"We won't let them, I promise. But first, Haven," Alex soothed.
"How were you able to get here?" Bethany asked.
"When the portal opened, I jumped through. I just didn't know I had a passenger." Alex glanced at Margaret.
"Yeah, whatever. Let's stop beating that dead horse."
"See, I told you she's fierce." He grinned.
"Amry. When are you meeting Mr. Johnson again?" Alex asked.
"Hopefully, he'll have news for me tomorrow."
"I'd like to be there when you see him."
"I'm not so sure that's a good idea. We're trying to keep you two away from everyone. If Headmaster finds out, he'll more than likely send you back," Amry stated.
"We'll be okay. It would help if I could speak with him."
Amry reluctantly agreed.
"Ophelia, when did the dreams intensify?" Alex squinted.
"A few weeks ago."
"That's when I first started seeing, Haven. I think we're both connected to her. I'm just not sure how yet."
"After you had your beginning, were you always been tied to the living?'
Ophelia nodded. "Since the moment I arrived at the Academy."
"Can you tell me about that day when you and Haven, what did you call it—started your beginning?"
Ophelia sighed. After one hundred plus years, it still gave her heartache to hear the details be recounted in her own words.
"I'm sorry if this is painful, but it helps. I promise."
Once again, Ophelia recounted the fateful day she lost her little sister and her life. The day her parent’s lost both of their daughters. Hearing the words pass between her lips reminded her of how much she missed her family. The horror her parents felt when they arrived home must have been immeasurable. With each sentence, her breath became shallower. The wild pounding from a heart long gone pumped louder and louder, drumming its way to her inner ear. Ophelia's head spun as the room darkened and she billowed to the floor.
"Lia!" Amry rushed to her side.
"I think I know what to do," Alex instructed, "All of you lay a hand on Ophelia's body. Share your energy with her."
"What?" Kyle's eyes widened.
"I know what you are doing, Alex. My uncle told me about this when I was a youngster.” Zachary placed his hand on Ophelia's shoulder.
The rest of the gang followed his instructions and gently gripped Ophelia. In a few seconds, she was awake. Sitting up, she held her head.
"What happened?"
"You passed out," Alex said.
"Is that even possible?" Kyle frowned.
Alex grinned. "She didn't lose consciousness like a breather. Her energy was interrupted by grief. When you lay your hands on her, you jolted it back to a normal flow."
"How do you know this shit?" Kyle said bitterly.
"Were you not listening when Alex told us the story about his family?" Amry huffed.
Kyle rolled his eyes. "Doesn't mean he knows everything."
"Believe me Kyle, I don't," Alex retorted.
"How you feeling, Lia? Is your head okay?" Amry curled her lip.
"I am much better."
"I'm so sorry I made you go through that," Alex apologized.
"It's all right. I know you are only trying to help."
His spidey sense was telling him it was more than want, he needed to help. He had a newfound urgency regarding Ophelia. Why was this gnawing at him? Alex closed his eyes.
His mind burned through the past and the history of his grandmother and grandfather told him about their family’s experiences. A spirit being tethered to the living was strange, but Ophelia wasn't the first. He had forgotten about the tale of the halfway boy. The story in one of his Gram's journals. It took place in the Summer of 1822. A small village outside of Naples. The child was about seven, and like Ophelia, his little sister was playing in front of their home. A group of men on horses were traveling on a dirt road a few yards away from their property line. The sister ventured out after she saw them galloping towards the house. Enamored with the beautiful creatures, she ran straight for them. The men didn't see her until it was too late.
Grief stricken, the boy lost control. Blaming the horse for his sister’s death, he began punching one of the steeds. Protecting itself, it reared up and crushed the boy. Only one child was supposed to be taken that day. Disrupting the natural order, the boy's soul became bound to the living world. Still feeling, yearning, and performing daily rituals in the afterlife. Two hundred years passed; his celestial being passing on the light every time it would offer peace. In the end, the little boy went mad and leaped through an open portal to a random in-between.
Ophelia has been refusing the gateway to cross over for a hundred years. Eventually her fate would mimic the boys. He needed to find Haven soon and bring her peace. He now had two souls to save.
He decided to wait to tell Ophelia the truth about her oddities until he had more information that would confirm his beliefs.
&nb
sp; "I'd like to see the campus," said Alex.
"Nooooo!" The gang replied.
"I get it. You're worried about us, and the Headmaster finding out. But I need to do this. I can't just sit and wait for something to happen. I want to go where Bethany was taken yesterday."
"There's nothing there. Just showers and a room at the end of the hall. We have the book here." Ophelia held up the prize.
"Book?"
"The one I told you about. Roger used it to open The Nowhere."
Alex reached out and Ophelia released the book into his hands. Flipping through the pages, he gasped.
"What is wrong?" Ophelia's eyes widened.
"I've seen a book very similar to this."
Alex passed the book to Margaret.
"This looks like the one Greta had," Margaret replied.
"That's what I thought. Flip to the middle of the book. Look at the picture drawn next to the spell."
Margaret's jaw dropped. It was the same incantation as the one that controlled Catherine, the unwilling murderess.
"Alex, what is going on?" Ophelia questioned.
"Remember the story about our last case? The book that Greta used to summon the spirit and control her? This is the spell she used." Alex pointed to the drawing. "I don't know how, but this book seems to be a duplicate of the one Greta had. Please, take us to the place where the portal to The Nowhere opened."
Ophelia looked to her friends.
"Maybe if we teleported instead of walking them through campus?"
"We can't. Breathers can't travel that way." Amry frowned.
"If we stay solid, and together, we should do little to draw attention. We can walk, everyone knows Ophelia likes to stroll the campus most of the time. If we are with her, I do not think anyone will question it," Zachary surmised.
"What about their breath? The others will know," Ophelia replied.
"You are right. That could be a gapeseed. Over what span of time can you inhale?" Zachary asked.
"What?" Margaret quipped.
"How long can you go without taking in air?"
"I know what you mean. I just don't understand...oh, I get it." Margaret glanced at Alex.
"You want us to walk across campus and not breath?" Alex shook his head.
"Not the entire journey. We will stop, you breath, we go on. If we keep close to the hallways, we should be okay. Most of the kids are fliers." Zachary pointed to the window.
Alex McKenna & the Academy of Souls Page 11
