“It was just like Erin,” she says in a whisper, finally breaking through those repetitions.
I tense up and look at her.
Haya sniffs and adjusts her glasses. “She was so close to passing on. A month away. All of her unfinished business was completed and she was almost done with her last class. We were talking about how she was going to visit her family one last time and then…” She sobs and hugs my waist until my ribs ache. “It happened in our dorm right before we went to bed. I had to change rooms after that, otherwise I’d never be able to sleep again.”
“I’m so sorry, Haya,” I say, slightly relieved to know that didn’t happen in our current dorm.
“I should have told you, but it was so disturbing. Though we’d been told about Twisted Ghosts, that was the first time I observed it myself. And talking about it just...”
“Makes it real,” Rafe says, finishing her sentence.
Haya nods. I stroke her hair and try to meet Rafe’s eyes. Apart from rubbing my back, he still hasn’t moved. Terror tenses his face and saps color out of his skin. What we just saw was horrible, way worse than anything I could have come up with. That kind of end scares me too, but I’m still too numb to feel it.
The doors open and Mr. Qureshi leads the other teachers and Kaz inside. They’re all disheveled and, though I can’t be positive, missing some of their number. Everyone in the room turns to face them and Landon stops pacing, arms crossed over his chest, the tendons on his neck standing out.
Mr. Qureshi walks to the center of the room, his face somber and a little haggard. “As most of you know, Abby Jacobs and Mark Ross have both become the victims of a twisting.” His voice cracks a little. “We have dealt with the matter as well as we know how. The rest of you are currently safe.”
My stomach bobs. Dealt with? What exactly does that mean? They didn’t...get rid of them somehow, did they?
Nausea sweeps over me as I glance at Landon, who’s glaring hard at the headmaster and clenching his fists so tight that yellow jumps across his knuckles. He looks like he’s about to blow.
“Know that we take this matter very seriously and that our top priority is to keep all of you safe and help you pass on without incident,” Mr. Qureshi continues. “Classes will be canceled Monday. You are all free to go back to your dorms whenever you’re ready, but our counselors are available for anyone who wants to talk.”
Landon scoffs. “Right, talking’s going to do us a fat lot of good while we wait around here to get Xed.”
Mr. Qureshi lifts a hand. “I understand you’re upset, but we really are doing everything we can-”
“Not everything.” A growl rumbles under Landon’s words and fire sparks in his eyes. “We could go after the Xers ourselves. Take them out before they take us out.”
The students around me murmur, and Haya tenses in my arms. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Dimple Piercing chewing on a thumbnail, her brows wrinkled with worry. She catches my glance, but looks away quickly and I turn my attention back to Landon. Is he serious? Not only is it a terrible idea that might just create more Xers out of pure revenge or plain fear, but it’s all kinds of wrong.
There has to be a better way.
Kaz steps forward. “You know why we won’t do that Landon. The best thing we can do is lay low, help every student find their bodies, and pass on peacefully.”
“Why can’t one of us just appear to them?” I ask. “Show them there’s no reason to X us in the first place?”
Landon rolls his eyes so hard I’m sure he can see the back of the room. “You think we haven’t tried that before? Every time a ghost tries to reveal themselves to an Xer, they attack with fire and iron. There’s also the fun little fact that if they have the right training, they can use their spells to attach us to an object and X us that way. They don’t listen because they don’t want to listen, and they never will. People like that can’t change.”
My skin tingles with terror. Well that just made things way scarier.
“We’re not killing them,” Kaz says. “Besides, the more of us that are seen by Xers, the easier it is for them to find our bodies in the first place. There’s a reason we’ve never gone public to the supe world. It’s too dangerous.”
Landon sneers at the Ghost Guide. “I can’t believe you’re still on their side, even after you realized they were wrong.”
My chest tightens as Kaz’s eyes drop to the ground for a moment, then jump back up to Landon. “I’m not on their side, but I don’t think the solution is to do to them what they’re doing to us.”
“So, you want us to hide here instead,” Landon says. “Just waiting to get twisted. Great plan chief. You used to be one of them, how do we know you’re not still working with them? Got turned into a ghost to try and hunt the rest of us down and serve us up to the rest of your Xer buddies?”
Hands clenched, Kaz takes a step forward.
“That’s enough.” Mr. Qureshi’s voice booms with a supernatural power that vibrates the floor. “The last thing we need to be doing is turning on each other. We are all emotional from what we just witnessed. For now, we stick to the original plan. When tempers have cooled and we’ve all gotten rest, we can discuss a new strategy. But for now, this conversation is over.”
With a snarl, Landon stomps out of the rec center and into the snow outside. I get why he’s angry, but Kaz is right, we can’t just go around killing a bunch of people. Murder sprees don’t tend to end well for anybody, and they definitely don’t convince people you’re harmless. Then again, we’ve got to do something other than hang around here, hoping to get everything done before our bodies are desecrated.
I rub my temples as all this new information pounds against them. Xers can attach ghosts to objects with spells. They can attack with special weapons meant to hurt us. Awesome. Landon wants to lead some kind of ghost rebellion. Sounds like a super plan.
And Kaz used to be an Xer. Yikes.
Can we trust him? Is Landon right? I shake my head hard, hating the suspicion now curling in my gut. Kaz was the first ghost I’d met in the afterlife. So far he’s been a little dodgy, but mainly helpful. Then again, wouldn’t a good spy do the exact same thing? Exhausted by all the possibilities, I lean back into Rafe’s chest, and pull Haya closer.
Rafe squeezes my shoulders and gives me a sad kind of grin. No matter what, I know for sure I can trust him, no matter what guilt he’s carrying around.
Chapter Fourteen
Locklear is quiet over the next few days. Fear presses against its spelled walls, causing students to jump at the slightest sound. Though Landon still sits with us at meals, he’s even more grumbly than usual, snapping at any attempts at conversation — even from Haya, the only person he typically puts up with. Rafe, however, is back to smiling and I can feel his intense desire to make things easier on everyone else.
Definitely an enneagram two, a personality type always ready to serve the people around him.
I snort at this thought as I slide into my seat across from him Wednesday morning, Yasmin on my other side. Quinn’s already halfway done with his food. Dark circles line his eyes. Of course, the poor dude had to see something absolutely traumatizing at his first party. Chances are it’ll be a while before we can convince him to let loose again.
Rafe’s dimples greet me, coaxing out my own smile easily. That boy is a helper if I ever pegged one, and I could definitely get used to having him around. A selfish thought considering how dangerous it is for all of us to stay on this side of things. After seeing those two students get Twisted, passing on fast should be at the forefront of my brain.
“Any word from your medium man?” Rafe asks, digging into his bacon.
“Not yet. I plan to harass Mr. Qureshi about it today though. Watching someone burst into flame quite literally lights a fire under your butt.”
Rafe laughs a little, though it’s a bit pinched. “Still having nightmares about that.” He shivers.
“Same. And poor Haya...she’s h
iding it pretty well, but she’s a mess. Can’t even imagine what it’s like to see three of your fellow students go out like that.” I trace the mouth of my coffee cup with a finger. “I wish there was something we could do. Even though he’s kind of a jerk, Landon’s not wrong about sitting around here waiting to get Twisted.”
“Finding our bodies seems to be the best answer to me,” Rafe says. “Though I guess moving them here isn’t without its difficulties.”
“Definitely a top priority,” Yasmin says with a nod. “Don’t think I’ll sleep well until I make sure mine’s okay. My kingdom for a mass spell we could put over everybody’s grave to protect them.” She thrust her fist in the air.
I giggle. Maybe I need to read more so I can finally understand all of her literary references.
Quinn snorts. “Nice thought. Getting mine was a massive pain.”
I’m about to ask why when Rafe waves a little as Haya walks up, her tray almost dipping in the middle under the weight of the amount of food she’s piled on it. She slides in next to me, not smiling back at Rafe, but returning his wave with her fingers. Her eyes droop at the corners and her mouth is pressed into a thin line.
“You’re right, that would be amazing. Sometimes we just have to rob graves if we can’t make contact with family members. They never know, but it’s still a calculated risk. Things would be so much easier with some kind of protection spell.” She shivers as Landon drops his tray onto the table next to Rafe and plops down, that ever-present glower on his face.
“What about your body, Landon?” I ask. It’s probably dumb to poke the proverbial bear, but I can’t help myself.
“Buried on school grounds like Haya’s,” he says, not looking at me. “Found it when I went out to take care of my first bit of unfinished business.”
Interesting. So he’s not just worried about saving his own neck. Unless of course he thinks he might be connected to an object. “Have any Xers ever found Locklear?” I ask.
“Once.” Haya’s hands shake and she sets down her fork. “But we should let Kaz tell you about that. It’s his story after all.”
I lift my brows. “Y’all said he was an Xer before he died. Do you know why he changed his mind?”
Landon snorts. “If he changed his mind.”
“Landon!” Haya snaps, eyes narrow behind her glasses. “Stop that. You know good and well he’s on our side. If he wasn’t, why wouldn’t he have just led all the Xers to Locklear, huh? It makes no logical or tactical sense.” She taps her temple. “Think about it.”
I hook a thumb in Haya’s direction. “She’s got an excellent point, buddy.”
“Maybe he has different plans,” Landon says. “Bigger plans than just to eliminate all the ghosts here. Like, they’re always saying they’ve ‘dealt’ with the Twisted students. But what does that even mean? The only thing you can do with a Twisted Ghost is scare them away. So where are they sending them?”
Yasmin picks at her napkin. “That’s kind of a scary, yet valid point.”
I flick the zipper on my jacket, annoyed that Landon is definitely right. It’s the same question that’s been running through my mind. And if they are sending them away, is it with the hope of one day figuring out how to untwist them?
Glancing around, I lean forward and keep my voice low. “Maybe we can find out.”
For the first time since he sat down, Landon looks at me. Granted, he’s wearing a bit of a smirk, but eye contact is still progress, so I’ll take it. “You suggesting we snoop around, Martin?”
I grin, tilting my head a little. “Maybe. Just some harmless poking to see if we can figure out where all the Twisted students are disappearing to. Y’all interested?”
Haya winces. “I don’t know. What if…” She ducks her head, then looks back up, jaw set. “You know what? Upon further analysis, I’m in.”
I look to Rafe. “What about it, Warren? You still onboard with, what did you call it before? Team Twist...something?”
“Untwist the Mystery,” Rafe says with a laugh. “And sure. Why not? Consider me your rogue.” He reaches into his pocket to pull out a leather bag. Untying the straps around it, he lets it roll out to reveal a bunch of shiny tools. “For any doors locked and lined with iron.”
“Nice.” I clap. “Yasmin? Quinn? What about you two?”
They both exchange a glance, then nod almost in perfect unison. “You have my sword,” Yasmin says with another mini fist-pump. “Better to rage than go quietly anyway.”
I grin. “Okay then. Let’s start by putting together a list of the students who’ve gotten Twisted and go from there. We can totally figure this out if we work together.”
That afternoon, already armed with a slightly terrifying list of students who’ve gotten twisted, Rafe and I head for Mr. Qureshi’s office. Though I’d already planned on going to see him, he’d sent both of us a note while we were in the rec center that he wanted to see us together.
My insides tumble a little with nerves. Had Mr. Qureshi somehow overheard our conversation about snooping around? Did we suck that much at keeping a secret? If he did, Operation Untwist the Mystery might be dead before it even started. Or maybe Mr. Qureshi will answer our questions and we won’t have to dig too deep at all.
Before we knock on his door, Rafe squeezes my hand. “You ready?”
“For a consultation with our headmaster? I think I can handle it.” I grin. “Unless you’ve already broken into something and have somehow incurred his wrath.”
Rafe laughs. “We’re safe on that front.”
“Then I’m ready.” Still maintaining eye contact, I knock on the door.
“Come in.”
By unspoken, mutual agreement, Rafe and I let go of each other’s hands and walk inside. Mr. Qureshi looks up with a smile. His wrinkled brow sort of ruins the sentiment though, so I’m not totally sure how I should feel. I watch him with a little shake of nervousness as I sink into one of the chairs alongside Rafe.
“Thank you both for coming to see me,” Mr. Qureshi says, steepling his fingers. “I know it might seem strange, but I always call both students in when I’m about to send them off to attempt their first unfinished business mission together.”
Rafe and I exchange a glance. Excitement swoops in my gut.
“That’s right,” Mr. Qureshi continues. “Your teachers have observed the two of you and believe you will be good partners.” He sits up a little higher in his chair. “How does that sound?”
I blink a few times, trying to get my brain to catch up. This is definitely not what I expected. “Uh, sure. I guess you mean Rafe’s unfinished business since we still don’t know anything about mine. Unless Theo’s checked in?”
Hope lifts in my chest but takes a dive when Mr. Qureshi frowns. “I’m sorry, Billie. That’s actually the other reason I called you in. For some reason, Theodore’s gone completely dark. We haven’t been able to make contact in a few days via any of the normal lines of communication.”
My mouth goes dry and I comb the hair out of my face with my fingers.
“Dark?” Rafe asks. “What does that mean?”
“It could be a number of things,” Mr. Qureshi says with a sigh. “The most likely reason is that he’s trying to avoid a run in with the Xers. They tend to be very well connected. Most have convinced the politicians in Washington that they’re the ones stopping hauntings and the like. But with the country in its current state, there’s no telling what he might have run into.”
I pop up a brow. “Okay, not remembering. What’s the country’s current state?”
Mr. Qureshi’s face sags, and he pinches the bridge of his nose, but it’s Rafe who speaks. “Over the last few years, someone’s been stealing supes’ powers.”
I lift a finger. “That I do remember. Got my powers snatched a few years ago but my family couldn’t afford to send me to Blakemore.”
Rafe nods. “Then someone figured out how to give them back. Unfortunately, they accidentally gave them back to crim
inals too.”
“Rafe is right,” Mr. Qureshi says. “The moment this happened they all escaped from prison, escalating tensions between humans and supes. Some politicians called for martial law, internment camps, things of that nature. The country was headed for all-out war until the students of Blakemore took care of things.”
I swallow, having a bit of a hard time breathing. “Yikes.”
Images from the news a few weeks ago swirl back into my head. Blakemore half destroyed because of that Keeler kid and his extremist buddies. I guess they’re a bit like the Xers, prejudice against things they don’t fully understand.
“Yeah, it wasn’t good.” Rafe’s voice is rough, and when I try to catch his eye, he refuses to look anywhere other than the edge of Mr. Qureshi’s desk.
“Though the main threat has been taken care of, our nations’ leaders still have much to deal with.”
Letting out a breath, I nod. “Well, okay, then I guess for now we’ll deal with Rafe’s unfinished business.” I squeeze his arm.
Though he still won’t look at me, he covers my hand with his own.
“Excellent,” Mr. Qureshi says. “Then it’s off to Blacksburg.”
Rafe finally looks up, the color in his skin fading. “I haven’t felt drawn there. Did someone find something out about…” he swallows. “Did someone find something out? Last I heard from the Enforcers was that the trail had gone cold.”
Mr. Qureshi shakes his head. “This is something we often do when a student’s unfinished business is difficult to divine. Because Blacksburg was where the end of your life began in a sense, we feel it’s the best place to start. It will also be a good place to seek out information about where you’ve been buried.”
Ghost Academy: Book One Page 9
