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Chapter 1
Four Years Prior
THE FIRST TIME I SAW A GHOST, I ALMOST PEED MYSELF.
It’s not that I’m particularly jumpy. I just had no inkling that today would be the day I finally lost it. But maybe these things sneak up on you.
Still, a girl would appreciate some kind of ominous warning before the laws of the universe decide to take a turn for the supernatural. I wasn’t even graced with a dark and stormy night.
It’s late afternoon, and besides the fact that my resume is about to become tailored to becoming a ghostbuster, I’ve been having a decent day. Jazz band practice has just let out, and I’m walking home, still happy in my cocoon of perfect sanity.
It’s one of those first warmer days of spring. It's the kind you bundle up for in the fall but will outright reject anything with sleeves after the winter snow is gone. Because yeah, Vitamin D deficiency will drive you to do some crazy stuff.
I’ve gotten into the habit of cutting through the soccer fields behind the school when walking home. It adds another ten minutes to my commute but saves me from walking through an extra two blocks of suburbia.
The fields are empty since they’re still soaked from the spring melt. I like empty. Empty is far better than dealing with people, especially when everyone in this town has or is currently in the process of peaking in high school.
This aversion to my community is what motivates me to gladly brave the flooded fields, rather than risk getting pulled into an awkward social situation. The icy water seeps into my shoes, but I trudge on. My toes may never forgive me.
I almost walk into her.
Or through her. Honestly, I don’t know which is more likely.
The sun is just starting to set, and the growing shadows make it harder to judge puddle depth. I’ve just stepped over a particularly deep-looking puddle and am focused on not falling into it. It isn’t a graceful effort.
At this point, my walk has become a heroic effort at keeping my calves dry. I have one leg comically extended behind me and bringing it over to the other side of the puddle. That’s when I look up and see a person inches from my face.
Having a solid person this close to me would have been freaky enough. But I’m already aware that I’m not a lucky person. The girl in front of me has an eery light blue glow to her, and I can see trees beyond her – through her.
Ghost.
I scream and try to step back. Only I’m not fully balanced from getting over the last puddle, so I fall back, my butt landing hard in the icy water. I scramble back, looking more like a crab than I think I ever have.
I’m about to get up and start running when I get hit with a rare wave of logic. The ghost isn’t moving. She’s just standing there.
I eye her suspiciously.
Use your head, Vivian.
I try to look around for the familiar glow of a projector without taking my eyes off the girl. I have bullies. Even though they’ve backed off in the last year, terrifying me with a stupid prank is right up their alley.
There’s nothing around me that could be casting a projection. My stomach drops. If this was a prank by my bullies, there is no way they would pass up the chance to laugh at me when I fell into the water.
The hair on my arms raises despite the chilled water that clings to them. I try to look behind me for a solid exit route. It’s easier said than done, considering I still don’t want to let the ghost out of my sight.
Not that this situation isn’t already freaky enough, but if I stop looking at the ghost, I’m terrified she’ll come at me, crawling like something out of a horror movie.
No, thank you.
“Who – WHAT are you?” I demand. Demand is a strong word. Croak might be a better approximation for my tone.
If I pee myself, no one will ever know. My ass is already soaked through.
The ghost waves her hands up and down slowly like she’s trying to tell me to calm down.
Quite frankly, I’m not in the mood to take a chill pill from the undead today. Even without a solid exit route mapped out, I’m ready to take off. Only, I have a second problem. My legs are frozen, both figuratively and metaphorically.
Fear paralysis. What a shitty response to danger.
