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My mouth went dry. “Yeah. That’s weird.”

“That’s what I thought. I wonder why I can’t remember? It’s been bugging me.”

“Have you asked Lee what he said?”

“No.” Cassian grimaced. “Lee doesn’t like to talk about Noah. The most he’s said has been with you, or when you’re around. He opens up when you’re there. He used to be so closed off before. It’s kinda remarkable. It’s been almost a week, but it feels like we’ve been together for months. It feels right, the three of us.”

I lifted his hand and laced our fingers again, squeezing. “It feels right to me too.”

Cassian squeezed my hand back.

We drove the rest of the way to school like that.

28

Shelton, Sabine, Beatrice, Benji, and Noah, along with two more ghosts I didn’t know, were waiting for us, standing in a huddle by the corner where Cassian usually parked. Shelton was clapping and waving. Sabine stood to the side, her eyes skirting over the ghosts but mostly toward Benji and Noah. Benji was in the front, waving and smiling. He wasn’t flickering in and out as much as normal. Noah stood behind him, a smirk on his face toward Sabine. Beatrice was on Shelton’s other side, tapping her heel and pointedly looking down at her wrist. The other two ghosts were wavering between being alarmed and being confused. There were some dumbfounded expressions on their faces too.

“Happy birthday!” Shelton threw confetti in the air as soon as we parked and I got out of Cassian’s truck.

“It’s tomorrow.”

“Ah—what?” he squeaked.

The other two ghosts I didn’t know grumbled but quickly left the group.

“I told you it was tomorrow, but you never listen to me.” Sabine flounced away, her long blonde hair coming into perfect view today for some reason.

Shelton rolled his eyes, waving his hand at her. “Ignore her. She’s just—” He stopped suddenly, panicked for a moment before his shoulders lifted up in a long breath of needless air and lowered, his face now serene. He gave me a new smile, speaking calmly, “Your birthday is tomorrow. Okay. I can work with that.” He began to move away but paused for a split second. “Uh. You might want to keep an eye on Sabine today.”

Beatrice cut in, “Just tell her! I’ve had it with the two of you.”

I asked as Cassian rounded his truck, “The two of us?”

Beatrice snipped out, “Him and Sabine. He wants to tell you what’s going on, but Sabine keeps throwing temper tantrums and he folds and then doesn’t tell you.” She snarled at Shelton, “I’ll pull up my Big Girl Britches and I’ll tell her.”

Shelton’s mouth was pressed tight, and he went rigid, but gritted out, “Fine.” He stepped back, folding his arms over his chest. But he looked relieved.

“You can see the mayhem going on.” Beatrice gestured toward the school, and I got my first real glimpse of The Witching Line. It was…wow. Metal arches were lined up, one after another, with orange lights wound through them. Bales of hay, pumpkins, and other Halloween-ish decorations were on the bottom. They led from the front of the school yard, going to the front of the school. They lined the entire hallway and went out the back door to the parking lot. It kept going.

“It goes to the end of the football field.” Cassian had been observing me. “It’ll be nuts once school is out.”

It was already nuts. He just couldn’t see it. Hundreds of ghosts and spirits were on the path. Spirits were souls that had crossed over. They looked different than the ghosts. More intact. I could see them as if they were glowing people.

“Oh my.”

The spirits wore crowns. Some carried tiaras. Tuxedos. Suits. Formal dresses. Long flowing robes.

Beatrice’s voice grew a little kinder. “They’re the reason for this tradition.” She gestured to Cassian, an odd expression on her face. “The Livings use it as an excuse for a party. A fun little costume to him, but not to us.” She looked at the ghosts on the path. Some little kids were skipping around. If they hopped off the trail, they disappeared, until they darted back onto the path. They were having fun, but the adults were talking. They walked with confidence. An ethereal and royal air surrounded them.

Sabine stood at the side of The Witching Line, smoothing down—I could see her dress now. She was dressed like them.

“They’re our ancestors. Those are not just ghosts. They’re the spirits that have crossed over. They return to their homes and walk the path as long as they can. They catch up with whoever they’ve missed. I’ve not crossed over so I don’t know what it’s like on that side, but I’d imagine it’s vast.” A hollow and blank expression came over Beatrice as she was staring at Sabine. “Her family is coming.”

“Now?”

“Sometime. She’ll wait all day for them, and when they appear, she’ll walk with them. It’s our Homecoming. You can see their dresses and tuxedos because it’s for this day only. It’s a holiday for us so there’s extra power in the air. The energy is tenfold. We feel it too. It’s built over the years from when the Livings started The Witching Line, but it’s on our ley line. The power from the line mixes with the Livings.”

It was magical.