Starlight & Shadows: A Limited Edition Academy Collection by Laura Greenwood, Arizona Tape, Juliana Haygert, Kat Parrish, Ashley McLeo, L.C. Mawson, Leigh Kelsey, Bre Lockhart, Zelda Knight

by Laura Greenwood

  "And here was me thinking you were trying to get me to fall in love with you."

  "Oh, I am." He sets down a steaming cup of peppermint tea in front of me. "But it'd be a waste of time if I didn't make you fall for the real me."

  "Mmhmm. A likely story."

  "Don't you believe me?" He sets his own cup on my nightstand before turning back to me. He leans in and kisses the top of my head.

  I close my eyes, enjoying the small moment for exactly what it is. I'm not sure what's causing it, but it feels like we've been together forever. I can't explain it, but when I'm around him, I feel more at ease than I ever thought possible, even when he's in my space. We've been friends since we arrived here, but this is almost like it's meant to be and that something connects us.

  Maybe it's just because we're opposites. Seers and Porters are meant to work together, maybe it's that bond that is cementing more between the two of us.

  "I'm choosing to," I respond after a moment. And I mean it, I do want him to try and charm me with his true personality and not one he thinks I'll like. That's how strong relationships are formed in the first place.

  "Good." He pulls away and makes his way over to my bed, flopping down on it and grabbing his tablet from where he left it when he went to make drinks. "Any luck?" he asks.

  I turn back to my laptop, but only end up disappointed with the dialog box still showing on the screen.

  "It's still searching."

  "You'd think with all the magic and tech in the world, these things would be quicker."

  I snort. "It's a government database."

  "Then they should know better. Aren't they supposed to lead by example?" He taps on his own screen, probably to bring up one of the smaller programs we have access to. They don't have as many data entries, but they'll be quicker to search, and with my laptop currently busy, there's nothing more we can do.

  "Maybe they're trying to but the data doesn't want to behave. You know how it is, computers have a mind of their own," I point out.

  "That's true." He grunts and pushes his tablet away. "And they seem to hate me."

  "What happened?"

  "Out of battery," he admits sheepishly.

  I smother a laugh. "Did you charge it?"

  "You know the answer to that."

  I shake my head in bemusement. How can someone so focused on besting himself in education be so oblivious to something as simple as charging his electronics? I suppose everyone has flaws, I'm not exempt from them either.

  "There's a charger plugged in by the bed." Thank goodness most things take the same fitting these days, it makes it a lot easier to fix situations like this.

  "Cheers." He scrambles over and pulls it out.

  I pick up my tea and blow across the top of it before taking a sip. Tobias has made it just the way I like it, though I suspect that's pure coincidence, I haven't told him much about how I like to have it other than with a dash of honey.

  "Why do these things always take so long to reboot?" he complains.

  "Because you let them run dry in the first place," I counter. "If you didn't..."

  I'm cut off by a loud ping from my computer. I turn around and set down my mug, instantly missing the warmth it offers.

  "What's that?" Tobias asks, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of my bed.

  "Not sure," I say, only half paying attention to him as I click on the new box which has popped up at the middle of the screen. "I think we've got it," I whisper, excitement and relief building inside me. If we're lucky, we'll be able to find out everything we need to in the click of one button, though I'm not sure how likely that will really be.

  Tobias gets to his feet and comes over to stand behind me. He rests his chin on top of my head, and I close my eyes as I lean back into him. It's so easy to be around him. I almost can't believe how long we've been friends without moving into more, I feel like we've missed out on so much time together. On the other hand, I also know that isn't how it works.

  I chase away the thoughts of our relationship and focus instead on the information now appearing on my screen. Neither of us say anything as we scan the words.

  "We've got it," Tobias whispers. "Where's your notebook?"

  "Wherever you put it, you didn't give it back to me. You could just take notes on your phone, though."

  "Paper doesn't run out of battery," he counters.

  "You have a point. Here." I grab a pad of sticky notes and hold it out to him, followed by a mechanical pencil.

  He scribbles down the name and address. "Do you think this will be enough?"

  I shrug. "It has to be. It's all we've got." Though I have to admit, it isn't much to go on. All we know is where the man used to live, and what his sister is called. In hindsight, we could have asked him that ourselves. Or maybe Tobias did, he just didn't tell me because not all ghosts retain all the information they need about their daily lives before death, especially after this long obsessing over their unfinished business.

  "We should get going..." He starts to pull away.

  I reach out and stop him. "It's late. We can go in the morning."

  "It isn't that late," he protests.

  "It's nearly midnight."

  "Oh. Oops. Maybe I should leave you to sleep."

  "Or you could stay a bit longer," I suggest. "We could watch a movie?"

  My heart hammers in my chest as I wait for his answer. Even if I know he wants to spend time with me, it's still odd waiting for him to confirm.

  "That sounds good. If you're sure you're comfortable with me staying..."

  "I suggested it."

  "But maybe you did that because you think you have to."

  I rise to my feet and close the distance between us. I place a hand on his chest, noting how quickly his own heart is beating. It seems I'm not the only one who's nervous about all of this.

  "I appreciate you being sweet, but I'm asking you to stay because I want you to, not because I feel like I owe you anything."

  He nods. "But just so we're clear, I don't expect anything either. Just to spend time with you."

  A small smile spreads over my face. "We'll see how it goes."

  He relaxes under my touch, and I'm glad. I don't want him to be stressed out because of me. That defeats the point of the two of us being together in the first place.

  But just like when we're out reaping, we're a good team when it comes to being together too. And that's something I plan to take advantage of in all the best ways.

  Chapter Five

  The street we end up on couldn't be any more different from the moors where we found Rupert, but this is where the map told us to come, so it must be right.

  "I wonder how Rupert ended up on the moors," Tobias muses, clearly thinking along the same lines as me.

  "Maybe he died there? Or that's where he's buried?" I've heard of both being possible cases for where a ghost chooses to linger.

  "It'd be a lonely place to die."

  "I think it's a lonely place most of the time," I counter. The moors are beautiful and ever-changing, but I don't think I'd ever want to spend much time alone there.

  "True. Hopefully, we'll be able to make it so Rupert doesn't spend much more time there. Now, which house is it?"

  "That's number sixty-four there." I point to one of the squished together identical houses. Most of their numbers are so small that it's impossible to make them out, but sixty-four doesn't look like they conform with bright mosaic numbers decorating the space next to their front door.

  "Then it should be right around...ah, here." He stops in front of number seventy-one.

  The facade is nothing special, especially when sandwiched between two similar-looking houses. There aren't any lights on, but that doesn't mean there isn't anyone home.

  "We should stop standing here. If anyone sees us, they might think we're loitering and intending to do something bad," I point out.

  "So what do we do, walk up to the front door and knock?"

  I gi
ve him my best are-you-joking face, but he simply shrugs.

  "I know the theory, but I've never actually done this before," he points out.

  "Hmmm." I stride forward. If he isn't going to take the lead, then I will.

  I raise my fist and rap several times on the white plastic of the door. I try to prepare myself for whatever I'm going to find on the other side, but I'm not sure I'm ready. Unlike Tobias, I have done this before, but it doesn't get any easier. We're here to talk to someone about their dead brother, that's never going to be the easiest of conversations.

  After what feels like an age, the door swings open.

  My jaw drops as Tobias steps past me to take control of the situation. He has to. The woman in front of me is as ghostly as the spectre we found on the moors.

  This is going to be more complicated than I first thought.

  "She says we can come inside, the other reapers are already waiting for us," Tobias translates.

  "What?" I whisper hastily. How has someone else gotten here first?

  Oh, right. They'll have been attracted by the ghost, not knowing that she's connected to one we've already got an arrangement with. Hopefully, they'll at least let us talk to the woman before they port her.

  We follow the ghost through a thin hallway and into a living room stuffed with dowdy furniture and porcelain cats. I'm not sure why, but I didn't have her pegged as a cat woman up until this point. Despite her ghostly state, it's clear she's well presented and barely over forty. Maybe she inherited them from someone. I'd keep Mum's collection of impractical teapots if the worst happened. They'd remind me of her every time I saw them.

  "Juliet, Tobias," Rosie greets us.

  "Hi." I wave awkwardly. What are we supposed to do now? The two girls aren't going to want to give up the reap, not when every point counts when it comes to the Captain competition. But I can't let them take the woman without at least talking to her first.

  "What are you doing here?" Eleanor asks, her voice remaining polite despite the circumstances.

  "Tobias, would you mind talking to Felicity while I talk to Rosie and Eleanor?" My voice shakes as I ask, but I know I have to. We can't let them port Rupert's sister without seeing if they'll work with us. If this even is Rupert's sister. But it seems like a strange coincidence if it isn't.

  He nods, and turns to the ghost, communicating with her in a way I wish I understood.

  I focus my attention on my fellow reapers. Eleanor simply seems curious, but Rosie isn't impressed. With her arms crossed and a stern expression on her face, I can tell I have my work cut out for me convincing her this is a good idea.

  "What are you doing at our reap?" she demands.

  "We didn't know," I promise. "We found a ghost out on the moors and we're trying to help him so he'll agree to be ported."

  Rosie raises her eyebrow. "The moors? That was risky."

  "I know. But we're at a disadvantage." I don't need to explain why, they're well aware we have less experience than they do. "And we found one. But he refuses to be ported until he can assure himself that his sister is fine. I guess that's not looking too likely." I glance towards Felicity, who seems happily chatting with Tobias. Though I can only go on the animated way she's moving about.

  "So, now what? You want us to give up our port so you can have yours?" Rosie asks.

  "No," I blurt out quickly, as if I actually have an answer instead of just making things up as I go along. "I want us to work together."

  The two older girls exchange a glance.

  "Go on," Rosie says. It's clear to me who is in charge of this team.

  "I know it's going to delay things and potentially risk the competition, but isn't it more important for us to do our duty? Right now, we have a ghost who wants to find out what happened to his sister, and maybe in the process, we can find out what happened to her to keep her here."

  "How do we know you aren't just trying to sabotage us?" Eleanor asks, though I can tell from her tone that she's reasonably sure agreeing with me is the right thing to do.

  "What have we got to gain from doing that? The four of us are all in the running for different Groves, we have nothing to gain from you not becoming Grove Captains."

  Rosie nods. "Fair point."

  They exchange another series of looks, holding their gazes so steady that they must be communicating in some way. I know they're friends, but I never imagined they were this close.

  "Okay, we'll work with you," Rosie says.

  "You will?" I can't keep the surprise out of my voice, even though I want to.

  "Yes. You're Right, our duty should come first, even if it's not what we want for ourselves," Eleanor adds.

  "Thank you."

  "But we get to port Felicity," Rosie adds.

  "Of course. I think we should be able to do them at the same time if we call one another?" I suggest.

  Rosie nods. "That's acceptable to us."

  I breathe a sigh of relief. "Great. We should head up to the moors then."

  "If we want to have ported by the end of the day, then you do," Eleanor agrees.

  I catch Tobias' attention and bring him up to speed. He says something to Felicity, and she responds in kind, bobbing up and down more actively than before.

  Eleanor chuckles, revealing she's the Seer on her team. "Sorry, it's just nice to see a ghost so excited. She wants to talk to her brother too."

  Good, we can work with that.

  We wave goodbye and head out of the door. Tobias slips his hand into mine and gives it a squeeze. "That was well done."

  "Even if it loses us the competition?" I ask.

  He shrugs. "If it does, then it does. I'm not willing to lose my integrity over this. We may not be fully qualified yet, but we've still made an oath to protect the reaper way."

  "Do you ever think about not doing this?" I ask.

  We arrive at the car, which he unlocks quickly as he shakes his head. "I mean, I did when I was younger. Who doesn't? But the first time I saw a reaping, I knew I wanted to make the most of my powers, even if it led to the most boring career choice ever."

  I snort. "Somehow, I don't think this job is ever going to be boring."

  "What about you?" he asks as he holds out his hands to take my scythe from me so he can put it in the backseat.

  "Mum tried to encourage me to find a different career for a bit. I think she always felt trapped in hers and didn't want the same for me. But I always kept coming back to this. Though I hoped to be a Seer. There aren't enough reapers who respect that part of our powers enough. And they say you should be the change you want to see."

  Tobias chuckles. "Somehow, that's exactly what I expected you to say."

  "Then I fear I'm becoming predictable. That just won't do."

  "Or the simpler explanation is that I'm getting to know you, and there's nothing to worry about."

  I can't hold back the smile as I slip into the passenger seat and buckle up. "Maybe."

  "You don't seem convinced."

  "We've been dating a few days," I point out.

  "And we've been friends longer than that. Besides, how long do you need to know that something is right?"

  I frown. I don't have an answer to that. Mostly because to me, this does feel right. Maybe that's the crux of it. When things feel right, it's normally because they are. I shouldn't worry about it too much when it makes me happy and doesn't cause me harm.

  "Let's go port a soul, then we'll work it out," I say instead of voicing my opinion. It isn't that I don't want to talk about it. More that I want some time to think about it first. Preferably some that isn't taken up by ghost hunting.

  Chapter Six

  Mist swirls around us the moment we open the car doors. I slam mine shut, scaring it away for an instant, but then it's back around me, keeping me company as we ready ourselves for what's to come. At least we know where we're going this time. We don't have to hunt for Rupert, he should remember us and be waiting.

  I hope. I've heard horror storie
s of ghosts drifting away in the time it takes the reaper to conclude their business for them, though I don't think that's going to be the case here. It's barely been twenty-four hours and we're back with a phone call to his sister planned.

  "Maybe we should have tried to bring Felicity with us," I muse as we hike down a small windy path.

  "Do any of us have the power for that?" Tobias asks.

  "I have no idea. I can't do it, so I guess it depends whether or not Rosie does."

  "I doubt it," he admits. "I've heard she's a good reaper, and an excellent student, but she's not the most powerful when it comes to these things."

  "Interesting." But it makes total sense.

  Becoming Grove Captain isn't all about raw power, otherwise the test for it wouldn't involve teamwork. The academy wants the leaders of the four Groves to embody all of the aspects they look for in their students. The most important one being their ability to work with others. I'm not sure what happened to make the academy so focused on it to begin with, but I don't mind. I think it fosters a positive work environment for everyone.

  "He's here," Tobias says unnecessarily as the shiver of a nearby ghost flows through me.

  I've heard that even some humans have the ability to sense them, even if they can't see ghosts. I've always assumed it's from reaper bloodlines that have mixed with humans over the years and diluted down. It's not overly common for supernaturals to have children with humans, probably because most of our genetics don't mix well and it just isn't possible. But sometimes, miracles happen. I don't believe many hybrids exist, though. Most either take on human characteristics, or don't live to maturity.

  The shivering intensifies as Rupert appears from the mists, bobbing up and down in front of us while he waits for Tobias to communicate with him. I try not to get impatient while that happens, but it's hard not to. Sometimes, being a Porter is no fun.

  "Can you make the call?" Tobias asks me after a few minutes.

  I fumble with the phone and enter the video call app. We don't have a huge amount of signal here, but it should be enough to at least get part of the call through. None of us know whether or not Rupert and Felicity will be able to see one another over video, but we thought it was at least worth a try. The worst that can happen is that they communicate through Eleanor and Tobias instead of directly to one another.