This wasn’t the most ideal way to start the morning. Seating the popular kid next to her in the first class of the day was already proving to be a bad idea, but their teacher just had to pair them together for a project as well. Cite kept her face hidden behind her book, avoiding the envious glares of her female classmates.

  “Sorry about this,” Chase apologized with a nervous chuckle. “It’s my first day and I’m already causing trouble.”

  Cite felt guilty when he said that. “No, it’s okay,” she said, setting her book down. “People stare at me all the time. I should be used to it by now.”

  “Guess you don’t get many transfers out here.”

  “Is it that obvious?” Her sarcasm got a laugh out of him, drawing more attention. She quickly turned her eyes back to the pages in front of her but kept talking. “So, um… that scarf of yours… it’s pretty.” She couldn’t believe those words had just escaped her mouth. Really? That’s the best you could come up with for a compliment?

  “Oh this? Thanks.” Chase said, putting a hand on it. “I suppose it is a bit eye-catching, maybe that’s what everyone’s been staring at.” Cite watched as his expression became more melancholy, and she immediately regretted bringing it up. “It’s sort of a… memento.”

  She nodded slowly, sensing there was more to the story but choosing not to press him further just yet. A quiet tension lingered between the two of them before Cite broke the silence. "So, about the project," she began, picking up her pencil. "What’s the plan?"

  Chase looked at the assignment sheet pinned to the board, then back at her. "I guess we start by dividing the work? I’m good with research, if you want to handle the presentation."

  "Yeah… sounds good." Jotting down notes, Cite stole another glance at the boy. There was something guarded in his eyes, a secret he wasn’t ready to share, and it made her wonder. Was this partnership bound to a mere school project, or was it a key to unraveling even greater mysteries?

  Cite found an empty table in the cafeteria and sat down with a sigh. As she waited for Jenn and Risa to join, she stared blankly at her tray of food. It somehow looked even more unappetizing today than it usually did. She had been bracing herself for this since she awoke this morning, the moment where she would finally tell them about her strange encounter in the graveyard. And although she was sure they’d understand, she couldn’t help but worry.

  “There you are.” came Risa’s voice from across the table.

  Cite looked up to see her friends, who both took their seats on the other side. “You okay?” asked Jenn as she began to stab at the meatloaf on her tray. “You seem kinda out of it today.”

  “Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m fine.” Cite reassured them. She tried to sound as convincing as possible, but they weren’t buying it.

  Jenn narrowed her eyes and took a bite of food. “Nah, you can’t fool me that easy. Fess up, something happened to you yesterday after you left.” She prodded, gesturing at her with the fork.

  There was no getting out of it. “Okay, okay… you’re right.” Cite admitted. She looked around to make sure their conversation remained private, then back at them, lowering her voice to a whisper as she spoke. “I wasn’t sure how to tell you guys, but… last night… I saw a ghost.”

  Momentary silence fell between the three of them. The other two girls just stared at her, expecting her to say more. What they’d just heard probably sounded completely normal to them, as they knew it was her dream to capture proof of the paranormal. What they couldn’t wrap their heads around was why she was acting so apprehensive. This was all she ever talked about, she should’ve been excited. But in place of joy was only fear.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Risa was the first to speak again. “I’m sorry, did I miss something?”

  “Yeah, why are you acting so weird about it?” Jenn followed up with equal confusion. She knew her friend well, and something wasn’t adding up. Normally she’d be gushing about it, showing them what she’d caught on her camera. “Did you record it? I wanna see-”

  “I didn’t get it on tape.” Cite interrupted, hanging her head. “One of them broke my camera.”

  “One of them?” Risa leaned forward. “How many did you see?”

  Cite couldn’t help but smile a little upon seeing how interested they were. This was going better than she had anticipated; maybe they wouldn’t think the full story was crazy. “Well…” she started, taking a breath, and began to tell them everything. About the little girl, the magic shop underneath the cemetery, and even what Almah had said about the fate of both their worlds.

  Jenn and Risa were glued to every word, the sounds of the cafeteria seeming to fade into the background. Jenn, Cite noticed, had unconsciously polished off her entire plate of food while listening. “Okay, that’s… not quite what I expected.” the black-haired girl said, setting her fork down. She looked over at Risa, who was nervously toying with one earring as she struggled to find words.

  “So… what did you tell them?” she finally asked.

  “’No’, of course!” Cite answered. “I said they had the wrong girl and got the heck outta there.” She moved her tray out of the way and folded her arms on the table, resting her head on them. “I mean what was I supposed to say? ‘Sure, Miss Spirit Queen, I’ll fight for you. I’ll go on a perilous journey to find your magical artifacts and battle a big lizard demon, no questions asked.’”

  “Why not? Does sound like something you’d say, to be honest.” Jenn joked.

  Cite wasn’t amused. “Jenn, my interests may be ‘abnormal’ but I’m not gullible.” she shot back, lifting her head up. “This isn’t a game, it’s real life! A bunch of ghosts actually asked me to be their champion!”

  Once again, the bell knew exactly when to cut off the conversation. They all stood, gathering their empty trays and cups and not quite knowing exactly what to say. Cite made it sound like her mind was made up, but Jenn and Risa weren’t so easily convinced. They knew it was only a matter of time before something else happened. Something that would call their friend back to the graveyard. And this time, she’d have to accept her destiny.

  Chase sat alone in the vice principal’s office. He had received a note from Miss Choshek telling him to see her after lunch, but she was nowhere to be found. While he waited, he took some time to study the room. It was small, just enough space to fit a standard-sized oak desk, a couple of padded chairs, and a few decorations. It was styled in a pseudo-gothic fashion, complete with Victorian-era curtains framing the impressively large window on the back wall, which for now was the only source of light. In the far corner was what appeared to be an antique birdcage draped in a velvet cloth, obscuring its contents and leaving him to wonder if there actually was a bird inside.

  Choshek entered a few moments later, closing the door securely behind her. "I apologize for the wait, Mr. Denhamor," she said, her voice smooth and professional as she walked past him. "Forgive me for taking you out of your next class; I was merely curious as to how you were adjusting to life here at Appa High. I trust no one else has given you a hard time since the… incident this morning?"

  "No ma’am," he answered. "Thanks for getting me out of that, by the way." He found it difficult to look directly at her, not only because of her intimidating presence, but also because of her eyes, which were an unnatural shade of magenta that peered at him over the rim of her glasses.

  "I was simply doing my duty as vice principal of this school." She turned toward the window and gazed out over the garden below, hands clasped behind her back. "Tell me, what do you know of Cite Hafrey?" she asked, a question that seemed to come out of nowhere.

  "Cite... oh, you mean the girl in my first class? Not much. We were assigned to be project partners though, so I'm sure we'll be talking a lot more. Why?"

  "I must ask you to keep an eye on her," Choshek said sharply. "She could be a danger to you. To all of us."

  Chase crossed his arms, considering her words but confused nonetheless. "How exactly? She doesn't seem particularly suspicious to me."

  Miriam stepped away from the window and settled into the leather chair behind her desk. “Perhaps, but we mustn’t be too trusting.” Chase watched as she pulled a small object out of one of the drawers, a vial filled with some kind of red liquid. "Do you know what this is?" The boy shook his head and she set it down, carefully sliding it toward him. "This, Mr. Denhamor… is how we keep up appearances."