It might not be the best idea to invite him without talking to the others — especially Landon — but I can’t stand to see him alone. Whatever he did before he died, he’s helping us now and that counts for something, counts for a lot.
Kaz shoots his gaze to our table, then looks quickly back to me and huffs a laugh. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m okay here. Better not to disrupt the status quo.”
I purse my lips. Though I decide not to push him, I definitely don’t plan to ultimately let this go. If I’ve read him right, guilt is what’s keeping him on the outside, stopping him from making connections with anyone else at Locklear. Other Ghost Guides sit together at a table across the room, and I wonder if Kaz has exiled himself or if his colleagues have contributed to the problem.
It’s possible he really does like being alone, but I kind of doubt it, at least not all the time. All of us are made for connection.
As I head back to our table, I make it one of my afterlife’s missions to help Kaz find his own peace, even if that means encroaching on his bubble just a little. Everyone deserves to have their people, and not much is unforgivable. After all, I can’t let it be, not when I still don’t know what kind of person I was when I was alive.
I may need a lot of grace when my memories decide to come back.
That afternoon, Mr. Qureshi calls me into his office. If I still had a heart beat it would definitely be racing forward with every step down the hallway. Anticipation has my hand shaking a little when I knock on his door and he calls me inside. Kaz sits in one of the chairs across from his desk, and as I flop down next to him, the headmaster smiles.
Since I overhead his conversation with Ms. Alvarez, I’ve been itching to ask him a million questions. However, this would probably get in the way of my current goal — getting permission to go with Kaz to Blacksburg — so I put a cork on my curiosity.
“Kazuya tells me you’d like to go with him to try and find Mr. Warren’s burial plot.” He steeples his fingers. “Under normal circumstances, I would say ‘no’ outright, but in this case I’m willing to consider it. Your actions in Blacksburg as well as your ability to protect yourself from that Twisted Ghost on campus have proven your skills. All of this combined with your current training program, both private and assigned, assures me not only that you will likely be safe on this mission, but also a possible asset.”
I sit on my hands to keep from fist bumping the air. “Thank you, Mr. Qureshi.”
“That being said.” Mr. Qureshi rests his elbows on the desk. “I do have some stipulations.”
I glance at Kaz, then nod. “Shoot.”
“You will treat this as a school assignment. If Kazuya tells you to do something, you will follow instructions immediately. Within reason, of course.”
With a smirk, I nudge Kaz in the shoulder. “Hear that? No hazing.”
Kaz snaps his fingers. “Darn.”
I giggle as Mr. Qureshi continues. “I also ask that you keep your involvement in all of this as private as possible. There are other students who desire to become Ghost Guides, but because they don’t share your particular powers, we are unable to send them on missions of this nature so soon.”
“No unnecessary drama. Got it.”
I think of Haya and how she wants to follow in Kaz’s footsteps too. Can she even do that without magic? Non-supes can perform certain spells, but they’re always limited. I hope for Haya’s sake that supes without magic can learn them just as well as anyone else. Really though, I can’t imagine Locklear allowing them to become Ghost Guides if it would only put them in danger.
“And finally, promise you will be careful,” Mr. Qureshi says, his dark brows wrinkling a little. “You are very talented, but even the most skilled Ghost Guides can get hurt when dealing with the Xers.”
I almost give him my signature mock salute, but think better of it. “No reckless behavior. Sounds like a reasonable set of stipulations I can absolutely agree to.”
And the more I prove myself, maybe the more likely Mr. Qureshi will be to agree to let me go see the Twisted Ghosts contained somewhere in Locklear. Rafe’s grave is far more pressing than they are at the moment, but a bunch of birds with a single stone and all of that. If I can protect him before anything happens to his body we won’t have a new mess to deal with.
I shut off thoughts of Rafe getting twisted. Burning eyes and a clogging throat will not make this mission any easier. Instead, I grill Kaz as we walk to the front of the school. “What’s been the hold up finding Rafe’s body in the first place? Isn’t that kind of thing public record?”
“Sometimes it is,” Kaz says. “But shifter culture can be extremely private. Rafe’s family definitely is. So far I’ve scouted out the graveyards closest to their homes and no dice. It’s possible they had him cremated elsewhere. Which still leaves him in danger because the Xers’ spells work on ashes too.”
“Great.” I elongate the ‘a’ as Kaz grabs my hand.
“Ready?”
“Where are we going first?”
“Arrow Funeral Home. It’s the closest crematorium to his home. If his body was taken care of that way, they’ll have a record of it.”
We speed through the air, smeared out thin, blending into the colors of the world until we hit ground back in Blacksburg. Or more accurately, asphalt. Warm lights illuminate the burnt orange brick of the building in front of us. They create a small halo around the roof and cast shadows off the words Arrow Funeral Services on the sign near the entrance.
For the most part, it looks closed down for the night.
Without much of an explanation, Kaz heads toward the front door, pausing to place his hand on the off white wood. When his fingers slide through, he slips inside. Nerves snapping with anticipation, I glance around the empty parking lot, then follow Kaz. He’s paused on the tile floor in the entryway, scanning the walls with narrowed eyes.
“What’s the move, boss-man?”
“We’ll check the records to see if this is the funeral home his parents used. My guess is that the offices are this way.” He attempts to float through the door to our left, but knocks into it the same way a living person would. “Nuts.”
“Iron?”
“Yep.” Kaz points at the detailing. “Didn’t see it before.”
“Maybe we can go around it.” I dip a hand into the wall.
When it works, I give Kaz a thumbs up and he snorts. “Nice work.”
We both slide into a room that is very clearly an office. Unlike Mr. Qureshi’s desk, this one is completely empty aside from the massive computer and a set of fancy pens sticking out of an equally fancy pen holder. A pair of gray-ish tan filing cabinets sit next to it near a much smaller desk. This one is a bit more cluttered, covered with neat stacks of paper, and decorated with a dancing hula girl toy.
Kaz slips around the larger desk and settles on the massive leather chair. “Okay, keep a lookout for anything weird. I’m going in.”
“In?”
He wiggles his brows, then places a hand on the monitor. His figure ripples and streams forward into the computer. The image triggers a memory of watching an ancient movie called Tron with my siblings. Hailey used to have what she called Old Film Night. She and Cody and I would pile up on the ragged blue sofa in our living room with popcorn and off brand M&Ms and watch anything before the early aughties.
I lace my fingers behind my neck and pace in front of the door. It opens before I make it even a few steps. A woman with a shaved head, a nose piercing, and a bright red pencil skirt walks inside. Slapping a hand over my mouth, I cut off a gasp. The thought that she couldn’t possibly see me shatters when her eyes widen and she drops her keys.
Yup, she one hundred percent sees me.
The woman shuffles backward, pawing at the door handle, her mouth agape. “Y-you...you’re...a...a…”
I lift my hands. “I’m not here to hurt you.”
“Ghost,” she finishes, her voice thin and quaking.
“That’s
right.”
She reaches for her back pocket and pulls out a cell.
“Wait!” It takes all my powers of self-control not to lunge at her. “Please wait.”
Her lips work. The light on her screen goes dark again and she doesn’t hit the side button to wake it back up. Instead, she tries to open the door again, but her fingers slip.
I swallow. “I’m Billie.” It might be dangerous to give her this information, but it might also help calm her down. “What’s your name?”
“Karen. Karen Connors. I-I was supposed to be a witch, but I was suppressed until the Unleashing so I’ve never actually seen a ghost before, and I’m kind of freaking out right now.”
“Totally understandable.” I take a step back, hoping to show I mean no harm.
Karen hits the button on the side of her phone again, punches in the passcode, and hits one of the contacts. “Ghosts are dangerous.”
My skin prickles at the phrase and the faint sound of the cell ringing from the speaker sends panic pulsing through me.
I want to glide across the room and slap that cell out of her hands, but that definitely won’t help in the long run. Against every instinct, I remain rooted in place. “Not all of us. Death just separates us from our bodies. The only reason we’re still stuck here is unfinished business, which I promise won’t hurt anybody.”
A voice answers on the other line.
After a few breaths, Karen hits the red button to end the call and manages to ask in a whisper, “What do you want?”
Hands still up, I glance at the computer. “We’re trying to find someone’s remains. We think this funeral home might have taken care of his body.”
“Why?” Though Karen isn’t trying to leave anymore, she’s now propping herself against the door frame and clutching the cell to her chest.
“To protect him.” My chest clenches.
“From what?”
I chew my lower lip. “That’s a little complicated.”
“Explain then.”
Cracking my knuckles with a thumb, I nod a little. “Okay, okay there are people who would destroy his remains if they could because they believe this frees ghosts who are trapped on this plane. All this does is make us more dangerous. I have to make sure that doesn’t happen to my friend.”
“I’ve heard other witches debate this before. On and on, never ending. But maybe…” Karen lifts her chin, “maybe I can help. What’s the last name?” With wobbly legs, she teeters over to one of the filing cabinets, and unlocks it.
“Warren.” I glance at the computer, wondering if and when Kaz is going to pop back out into the room and scare this poor woman a second time.
“Warren…” she mumbles, thumbing through the files. “Rafe?”
My heart, or whatever still exists inside of me, leaps. “That’s him.”
Karen pulls out a manilla folder and sets it on the smaller desk, thumbing through the pages. Her hazel eyes sharpen up, brightened, it seems, either by being able to help, or by having a manageable task in the middle of a freaky situation.
She mumbles a little and then lifts a finger. “Ah, I remember the Warrens now. Fox shifter family. His father, Todd Warren, had him cremated and took him home not too long ago.”
Part of me wants to groan. If he’d taken it home, that means we might’ve been mere feet from it and left before we found out. The muscles along the back of my neck cramp with worry. Then again, what if his dad had like, scattered his ashes somewhere? This could actually be an okay thing. No way the Xers could find them and work their fancy little spells.
I lean forward to look at the records Karen is pointing to, just to confirm what she’s told me. It’s entirely possible that she’s a lying Xer trying to throw us off the scent while her crew hunts down his remains. Especially based on her initial reactions. After our encounter in the woods I’m more than a little suspicious. But sure enough, the notes in that folder match up with her story.
“Thank you so much for your help,” I say. “He didn’t happen to tell you what he planned to do with them?”
She smiles, but it’s sad, her brows wrinkled. “Not exactly. Only that he was going to keep them in a safe place. Said he wanted to honor him.” Her face twists into a grimace. “His wife didn’t even want to pay for an urn.”
I grit my teeth, but breathe slow and concentrate on not breaking any glass the way Rafe did when we visited his house. “Shocker.”
“Yeah, she was a treat.” Karen rolls her eyes. “It didn’t matter though. Mr. Warren brought his own. One he made himself, I think.”
My spirits lift a little at that thought. At least one of Rafe’s parents cared about him. “Thank you again. That was much easier than our complicated plan.”
At that moment, Kaz pops out of the computer, shaking his head and eliciting a sharp cry from our new helpful friend. Karen crashes back into the file cabinet. This poor woman’s going to need a long vacation to recover from this.
Kaz’s eyes widen when he realizes she can see him. Before he can freak out too, I hold up a hand. “Already talked her down. She told me what happened to Rafe’s body.”
As I explain the situation, Kaz nods slowly. “In that case, we need to get back to Locklear and tell him. He’ll need to try and speak to his father.”
“Why can’t we just go get it now?” I curl my toes in my boots. Though Karen now appears to believe me, there’s still a distinct possibility that this is just a stalling tactic. If they beat us to Rafe’s parent’s house...
“Because this could be something Rafe has to take care of himself,” Kaz says. “Remember what I said about interfering?”
“Psh, stupid rules. I guess we must follow them.” I fake an annoyed eye roll, though I definitely understand.
Even if I’m antsy to get Rafe’s remains to a safe place, the last thing I want is to risk messing up his unfinished business somehow. If it’s better for him to deal with it, I’m game to do exactly what Kaz says. We thank Karen, warn her to keep quiet about ghosts showing up, then blink out of the funeral home before anyone else walks in on us.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Apprehension tumbles in my stomach when we arrive back at Locklear. I’m excited to tell Rafe about how his dad cared for his body after he died, but I’m dreading the other conversation I know we need to have. Again, in the grand scheme of things, breaking up with him is miniscule, but it still crushes my silent heart.
Resistant or not, I go with Kaz to try and hunt Rafe down. “Good job back there.”
I lift my brows. “Hey thanks. I wasn’t exactly sure what to do when she saw me. Especially since she could’ve been an Xer.” Worry tosses inside of me. “You don’t think she was just playing a part, do you? Pretending to be a friend? What if she was lying? I mean, I saw the notes in that folder, but she could’ve made those up.”
“I doubt it,” Kaz says. “I found almost the exact same information in the digital files. It could be an elaborate ruse, but it’s not very likely. Either way, as soon as we tell Rafe what we’ve found out, we can head straight back to Blacksburg and talk to his father.”
We find Rafe in the rec center kicking a soccer ball around. He bumps it into the air, allowing it to roll across his shoulders, before catching it again on the top of one of his feet. Every muscle ripples under the thin material of his gray shirt and the selfish part of my brain tells the rational side to shut up.
Rafe grins when he sees us, but doesn’t stop playing around with the ball, impressing me a ridiculous amount with his mad skills and multitasking. “Hey, where’ve you two been?”
I glance at Kaz, who gives me a nod, then look back at Rafe. “We went to a funeral home in Blacksburg.”
That soccer ball hits the ground and rolls away as Rafe freezes. “What did you find out?” His voice cracks a little.
Rubbing my hands on my pants, I work up a smile, but Kaz speaks before I can. “Maybe we should talk about this somewhere a little more private.”
Eyes
wide, Rafe nods, and the three of us slip outside and head toward a secluded bench a little beyond the tree line. Rafe sinks down onto it, gripping the edge and looking up at us through his shaggy hair. His lips press together in a thin line. I’ll definitely be editing the details I found out from Karen about his parents.
When Kaz gives me another nod, I crack my knuckles with a thumb and choose my words as wisely as I can. “Your dad had your remains cremated and took them home in a special urn he made. A woman who works at the funeral home said he wanted to honor you in his own way.”
Tears immediately fill Rafe’s eyes and he rubs the back of his neck. He opens, then closes his mouth again. It takes a few more tries for him to find his voice. When he finally does, he stares off into the woods as he speaks.
“My dad…” He sniffs and drops his head.
I sink next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.
Rafe takes a heavy breath. “I think I know where he might have taken it.” He looks from me to Kaz. “I need to talk to him.”
“You do,” Kaz says. “Though maybe not tonight.”
Rafe runs the back of a hand over his face. “Definitely tonight. It’s not that late and he’s a night owl. And I can almost guarantee he’ll be alone.”
“I can go with him,” I say, giving Rafe’s shoulder a squeeze. “With my mad skills I can protect him in case we get into trouble.”
Arms crossed, Kaz paces a few feet away from the bench, then turns back to us. “Let’s clear it with Mr. Qureshi first.”
“That’s fair,” Rafe says. “Thanks.”
He laces his fingers through mine and I ignore the pinch of guilt as we follow Kaz to the front of Locklear. No matter what, Rafe needs me right now. There is absolutely no valid reason to throw any extra stress his way. Even Landon couldn’t possibly fault me for doing this.
When we reach the front, the main doors bang open seconds before we reach Mr. Qureshi’s office. Theo stumbles in, his shirt torn, blood dripping from various cuts all over his body. Kaz, Rafe, and I all scramble for him at the same time. The boys catch him under the arms and help him limp to the bench in the lobby.
Ghost Academy: Book One Page 16