“So what happened to them?” I asked. I kind of understood the whole left over memory thing, but it was still weird.
“The residual energy was broken down and disbursed.”
“I still say there’s gotta be a way to harness residuals for clean energy,” Betty said with a frown.
“That’s kind of gross, Betty,” said Louise.
“And fracking isn’t?” she shot back.
“Hey, um…” For some reason, that had nothing to do with three really attractive women bickering in the living room, I was feeling extremely awkward about bringing up our problems. “Uh, that sage stuff. Does it clear all negative energy?”
“It can,” Donna said. “Why?”
“Well, there might be something really bad at our school.”
“How bad?” Desmond asked.
“Like, remember when we went to register and it felt like everything was off? Well, that was a million times worse today.”
“Yeah,” Nai added. “I actually almost threw up when we got there.”
“We brought back a lot of lost, but we barely made a dent. Maybe if you did a cleansing of the whole school, it could help.”
“It’s possible,” Betty shrugged. “But not exactly practical. Even if we could get into the school without raising suspicions, Chapman High is huge. It would take a whole day.”
“Before we get ahead of ourselves and start planning on breaking and entering, let’s try to eliminate some other factors,” Seth cut in, giving the witch a wary look. “You and Nai are brand new Guardians. It’s likely that you were overwhelmed because you aren’t used to the surges and fluctuations of emotional states yet. There are a few tricks you can use to turn down and fine-tune your receptors. Maybe we should work on that.”
“Or we can try an experiment with a control group,” Desmond suggested. Everyone, including Seth looked at him for an explanation. “The Five Penny has a pretty bad aura, but not everyone who walks through the door is lost,” he explained. “Seth, you and Bogie can both spot lost souls, so if we bring the kids in and they’re just as overwhelmed, then we’ll know it’s their receptors. If not, we’ll look into this a little more seriously.”
“You’re going to bring us to a bar?” I asked. I was kind of shocked, but kind of excited. Not that I wanted to do anything illegal, but I’d never been in a bar before.
“The law states that minors can accompany their legal guardians.”
“Do we get to drink?” Nai asked.
“I’m sure Bogie will be happy to add an umbrella to your soft drink if you ask nicely,” Seth said with a smirk.
They were right about the aura at the Five Penny. It was really kind of depressing and seemed like a lot of the people there were just down on their luck or really stressed out. But it was nothing like school. I looked over at Nai, whose smug look said she felt what I did.
“Well?” asked Desmond.
“Not the same,” Nai said. “No one here is lost and I don’t feel like I’m going to be sick.”
“That guy over there is pretty imbalanced though,” I added, pointing to a guy who was sitting by himself in a corner.
“His dame just broke it off with him,” Bogie explained. “Kinda his fault though. I ain’t too worried. He’s a regular.”
“I know him too,” Seth added, clearly unconcerned.
“Well, then this is disconcerting,” said Desmond. “Have you seen any Discordant today?”
“Uh-uh,” I said. “That’s the weird part. Nai had a theory that something big might be here.”
“It’s not a bad theory,” Desmond said. “We have a suspicion that there might be a wraith in the area. Though why it would be hanging around the high school is anyone’s guess.”
“A wraith? I didn’t see that one,” said Nai, pulling out her phone. I did the same. The entry on the wraith said it possessed people and made them say things that weren’t true to spread chaos.
“I don’t know,” I said. “This doesn’t sound exactly like what we felt. And the lost people didn’t seem possessed.”
“Actually, they wouldn’t,” Nai said, looking up at Desmond with wide eyes. “The wraith would only have to pop in long enough to plant the idea.”
“Yeah, but no one was lying or anything,” I reasoned.
“Weren’t they though? That girl that came up to us was totally lying about wanting to be on the welcome committee.”
“Okay… yeah… but what about…” I stopped. Nai was right. Not everyone was outright lying, but a lot of them were worried over pointless things like failing and it was only the first day of school. “Um… so how do we stop this thing?”
“Keep your eyes open,” Desmond said. “Try to see if you can piece together any similarities or someone that all of the kids might have had contact with.”
“Uh, Desmond,” Nai said with a sarcastic look. “It’s school. We all come into contact with the teachers and staff. It could be any of them.”
“You’re right. Or, it could be another student. Look for those who aren’t affected,” Desmond replied. “Oh and call me when the Discordant show up.”
“When?” I asked, “Not if?”
“If there are that many lost souls in that high of a concentration, it’s a matter of when, not if.”
* * *
The next day at school was just as bad. Even though Seth taught us a few ways to block out the regular emotional energies, we were still bombarded by lost souls. The only good news was that since Nai knew we were looking for the wraith, she was more interested in talking to the lost. Unfortunately, she was still doing things her way, which was earning her an even bigger reputation as a jerk than she had at our last school.
On Friday, there was a college fair for the seniors. Instead of going to classes, we were sent to the gym, where different schools had sent recruiters and there were people talking about scholarships. One by one, we were all called into the guidance office to talk about our future plans. You would think that with the prospects of going to college and getting out of Blackbird, everyone would be happy, but no. Like the last two days, everyone was lost.
“What the hell is wrong with you? You’re the freaking valedictorian. It’s not like you’re going to go to Blackbird U and live at home with mom and dad. You’ll get a free ride to Yale or Harvard, or something, and you know what you do there? Get yourself a hot rich boy who got in because of his money and can’t hang with the course load. You do his homework, he dates you. When it’s time to graduate and he wants to dump you for a hot trophy wife, get knocked up and settle out of court for an ass-load of cash. Bam! Problem solved.”
“Nai, what the crap is wrong with you?” I hissed as Deb, the smartest girl in our year stormed off. She had been freaking out about affording school after the guidance counselor told her what the good schools cost and had the misfortune of running into Nai before I could stop her. “That was horrible! I can’t believe you said that!”
“Jem, get your head out of your pious little ass and take a nice long look at Deb’s soul.”
I whipped my head around, trying to zoom in on Deb in the throng of students. Finally, I saw her, talking animatedly with the recruiter for a women-only school in upstate New York. Not only was her soul balanced, but there was a fierce determination to do everything in her power to not end up in a situation like the one Nai just laid out.
“Huh,” I said, smiling at my sis. “You did it. I’m impressed.”
“Oh stop being a suck up,” she snarled. “I’m the evil twin, remember?”
“How can I forget?” I rolled my eyes and scanned the room. Despite Deb’s new lease on life, the atmosphere in the gym was still oppressive. “Do you think this is normal?” I asked, indicating the bombardment of overtaxed souls that was hitting us. “I mean, even with a wraith this is…”
“Yeah, I know what you’re saying,” Nai said, chewing on her fingernail as she studied the crowd. “Everyone we saved yesterday is lost again today. This can’t all
just be worries about college. There’s got to be something else. No town is this fucked up on its own.”
“Well, I guess we better do our job then. It’s not like we have to choose where we’re going to college.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Nai scowled and spit out the nail she had chewed clean off. It was kind of gross, but I let it go.
“We might as well split up.”
“Good idea. We can do more damage that way,” Nai quipped. The movie quote actually brought a rare smile to her face.
Honestly, I was just as disappointed about our college prospects as she was. Before we died, I was looking forward to a full athletic scholarship to a division one school. If Blackbird U even had a football team, they weren’t a big enough deal for anyone to care. But I couldn’t get too down. I mean, really, my job was way more important than football. At least, that’s what I keep trying to tell myself. Dang, it was hard to give up my dreams. But I pushed all thoughts of homecoming games and touchdowns out of my mind. There was no way I was going to be able to help the lost souls find their way if I was lost in my own problems.
I wandered over to the army recruitment table, which wasn’t getting many visitors. Even though all the materials displayed were hyping up the G.I. bill, it was hard to ignore the fact that we were likely about to go to war again. The handful of students who were talking to the recruiter were all lost though. Three guys and one girl, all of whom were ignoring the whole combat business and focusing on the free college tuition aspect. The recruiter was super slick about it too.
I peeked at his soul, shocked to find that he totally believed everything he was saying. He was completely balanced and actually seemed to enjoy military life. Even weirder, two of the kids who had been super lost had balanced out, taking a bunch of brochures and a business card as they walked away. I guess in a way it made sense. But I still made a mental note to check on them later since happiness seemed to be a temporary situation here.
“Jem Hawthorne, please report to the Guidance office. Jem Hawthorne, to the guidance office, please.”
It took me a second to realize they were talking about me. Hawthorne wasn’t my last name; it was Desmond’s. Neither Nai nor I could remember our last name anymore. Seth said that they did that so we wouldn’t be tempted to try and find our family. I thought that was kind of crappy, but I understood why they did it. If I knew we had family members who were still alive, I would totally go find them, which would probably not end well since I’m dead.
Not dead. I had to remember that. Pete told us to think of it like the witness protection program. We were not to talk about anything that would make people realize who we were. Not like there was too much to worry about there. I’d never even heard of Blackbird until we came here. I doubt anyone who didn’t live in Blackbird had ever heard of it either.
When I got to the guidance office, my new senses went on high alert. The emotional turmoil that was coming out of the office was so thick that I could actually see what looked like tendrils of black smoke curling out from under the door. Seth told us that as Guardians, we had the ability to see a soul’s balance, but that he could see a way more detailed picture. If I were him, I wouldn’t want to see what was going on in that office because my own abilities told me it wasn’t good.
I considered running in the other direction, but as I contemplated my options, another student opened the door and came out. Like nearly everyone I had met today, she was lost, but she didn’t seem to notice anything was amiss in the guidance office, so I took my chances and went inside.
“Hawthorne?”
The woman behind the reception desk looked expectantly at me. She wasn’t the same one who had been there when we registered. She too didn’t seem to notice anything weird and surprisingly, she wasn’t lost. I knew I wasn’t supposed to, but I probed a little to see what made her so special, relaxing when I realized she was normal. Mrs. Dover was her name and she had worked at the school for thirty years. This was her last year and she was looking forward to spending her retirement with her husband and purebred poodles in Florida.
“I’m Jem Hawthorne,” I said, feeling a little guilty about peeking around in her personal life.
“Mr. Marsden will see you now.”
She pointed to a doorway in the back of the office and I cringed. All of the weird energy I was feeling was coming from that office. I hesitated. Whatever was in there, I wasn’t sure I wanted to face it alone. Mrs. Dover made a little impatient noise and I forced my legs forward.
“Ah, Mr. Hawthorne. Brand new and yet, I’ve heard so much about you already.”
“You have?”
Mr. Marsden, the guidance counselor, was a normal looking guy, with glasses and a short beard. He wore a button down shirt, but he had loosened his tie. If anything, he was the exact opposite of what you would expect someone sinister to look like, but there was no denying that something was way off.
“Of course. You and your oh so pleasant sister seem to be under the impression that you are better at my job than I am,” he sneered.
“Huh?”
“Don’t think that I don’t know what you are up to, young man,” he said, glaring at me. “You’ll not get far in life by sticking your nose into other people’s business.”
“I wasn’t… that is… I mean, I might have talked to a few kids who seemed down, but that’s not wrong, is it?”
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little scared. Mr. Marsden wasn’t lost, but his soul was definitely not balanced. But he wasn’t a Discordant either. He was just… evil.
“That’s the problem with kids today,” he said, giving me a pitying stare. “You think because you have the internet, you know everything. What do I know? I only went through years of college to learn how to counsel ungrateful teenagers. Clearly, you know how to fix the problems of your peers better than I, don’t you?”
“What? No! Mr. Marsden, I…” Now I was just confused. “What exactly are you accusing me of?”
“Hubris, son. It’s the bane of your generation,” he said, picking up a file off of his desk. “Now, are you ready to stop worrying about the lives of your classmates and take some responsibility for your own?”
“Um… sure?”
“Good, because it looks like you have a lot to be concerned about here. With a course load like this, you’ll be lucky if any college takes you.”
“Huh? I’m in AP classes,” I said, not sure where he was going with this.
“Mm-hm, you sure are, but you’ll need to bring your grades up if you want to succeed.”
“I’m an honors student!” It hit me. Mr. Marsden was the wraith. Or the host. But if he was trying to make me lost, he was doing a really bad job of it because nothing he said applied to me at all.
“Honestly, I’m not surprised,” he went on as if he hadn’t heard me. “It’s typical to expect low academic achievement from orphaned youth. I’m sorry, Jem, but you’re going to have to do better than this if you want a career that doesn’t involve asking people if they want fries with that.”
“Um… okay, sure. I’ll do better.”
“That’s the spirit. Now go on, think about your life, and mind your own business. If I hear about you or your sister bothering the other students again, I’ll have you both in detention.”
“Um, okay, thanks,” I said and left as fast as my legs would take me. As I left, I heard Mrs. Dover call Nai’s name over the loud speaker. But when I left the office, Nai was already in the hall, staring at the door that I had just come out of with a frown.
“Something is really messed up in there,” she muttered.
“Yeah, you’re not kidding,” I said. “Come on, we have to talk to Desmond.”
“Wait, are you telling me you want me to skip my appointment with guidance and cut school?” she asked with a look of shock.
“Uh, yeah. Trust me. It’s for the best if you don’t go in there.”
“My, my, brother dear,” she said with a wicked grin. “T
here’s hope for you yet.”
Chapter 5
Demons, Diners, & Detention
Whatever was in that office must have really spooked Jem because he didn’t cut class ever, which, I guess made sense, since he’s the opposite of me. He didn’t say anything else and as soon as we slipped out the side door, he took off running.
“Hey!” I yelled. “Wait up!”
“Run faster!” he yelled back. Easy for him to say, he was the jock. Exercise wasn’t really my thing and there wasn’t much I hated more than being sweaty. Still, I picked up my pace because I didn’t want to miss whatever was going on. I reached the house just as Desmond was coming down the stairs.
“Why are you yelling? And why aren’t you at school?” he asked, clearly pissed at being woken up by Jem’s unintelligible shouting.
“I found the wraith!” Jem panted.
“You what?” I shouted. I knew there was something off in the office, but I hadn’t sensed a Discordant.
“I doubt that, but tell me what you found,” said Desmond, who was suddenly way more awake, but still looked pissed as he rubbed his temples. “And please, use your inside voices.”
“It’s Mr. Marsden, the guidance counselor. He’s got this… I don’t know... this really weird aura. He’s the reason all the kids are lost.” Jem shuddered. “When I went in for my college advisory meeting, he told me that he knew what we were doing and that we need to stop trying to do his job.”
“Well, he’s the guidance counselor,” I reasoned. “If he found out we were talking to troubled kids, he probably thinks we’re a liability or something.”
“Yeah, I thought about that, but you weren’t there. He’s really imbalanced, but here’s the weird part. He kept trying to tell me things that made no sense. Like that my grades weren’t good enough for college even though I’m an honor student. I don’t think he even noticed that it wasn’t working.”
“It sounds more like he had been possessed by the wraith,” Desmond said. “The reason wraiths are so hard to find is that the host isn’t unbalanced. They aren’t lost and they certainly don’t carry an unusual aura.”
Splitsville (Rise of the Discordant Book 2) Page 7