The Fire Ghost (Phantom Elements Book 2)

by Jennifer Campbell

  “Gotcha,” he grinned, with a crooked smile.

  “Okay, okay,” Domino conceded.

  He blew out the air he had been holding in his lungs and tried to calm his hammering heart. He stood up to run after Blaze, who was now jogging down the sidewalk, but stopped when he saw that Brooklynn wasn’t alone on her walk to school. She was talking at her usual speed to the new girl from the restaurant last night.

  “Hi,” Ashley put up her hand for a small, shy wave.

  “Hey,” Domino nodded and smiled, his breath still coming out in gasps.

  “Still scared of the Fire Ghost, Dom?”

  “The Fire Ghost?”

  Ashley tipped her head to the side, with a strange look on her face. Her auburn waves spilled over her left shoulder. She hadn’t heard the story. Apparently, Domino wasn’t the only one who saw the man in the fire.

  There were hundreds of people evacuated down the block when the museum caught fire. More than a few onlookers had seen a shadow man standing in the flames on the second floor, in the hall where most of the famous paintings were displayed. Soon, rumors swirled about the building’s ghostly inhabitant.

  During the reconstruction, entire pallets of supplies vanished into thin air. Paint cans were mysteriously tipped. Strange knocks and disembodied footsteps were heard by the construction workers. One morning, an entire crew walked off the job site. They quit after a hammer mysteriously flew through the air and wedged itself into a slab of drywall.

  Many people said there was a negative presence about the building. They said that the ghost was an angry entity that prowled the second floor hall. There were always open staff positions at the Phillips Museum, because no one wanted to stay in the building for long, particularly at night.

  Domino told Ashley about the strange events during the reconstruction. His uncle, Ernesto, was one of the workers who walked off the job site. He said he would never set foot back in that building as long as he lived. Uncle Ernesto wasn’t superstitious, but a hammer sailing by, inches from your head, would make anyone quit their job. His mom was actually glad because Uncle Ernesto made an excellent prep cook. He was still too spooked to go around the museum.

  Ashley looked up into the black windows of the museum’s second floor. She pulled her fleece jacket closer around her body and shivered. Domino knew the feeling.

  “Ash, come on,” Blaze rolled his hazel eyes almost to the back of his head. “You don’t really believe that. Dom, man, no one believes that.”

  “I know, right. It’s crazy,” Brooklynn shook her head, making her blonde ponytail swing from side to side. “But I’ve always wondered-”

  “Ahh!” Blaze exclaimed, as the tip of Brooklynn’s ponytail caught the side of his face. “Thanks for the moral support, Brooks, but you didn’t have to give me a high five in the face with your hair!”

  “Sorry,” Brooklynn shrugged.

  Ashley didn’t have time to tell Domino her thoughts on the story of the Fire Ghost. They were nearing the front steps of the Watson Academy of Arts and Sciences, the charter school that Ashley would be attending. She wasn’t sure she should tell him anything or that she even knew what to say. All she knew was the fact that she had to talk to Dom, because he was the only one who would believe her own strange story.

  Chapter 6

  The Man, The Myth, The Legend

  The foursome entered the building affectionately known as “The What”, but commonly known as the Watson Academy of Arts and Sciences. The school was a charter school, started by two of the most prominent families in Tulsa, the Watsons and the Phillips. They set out to design the perfect school, and on the surface, it was a utopia. It was a shining star in the educational landscape, but even stars burn out.

  In the last few years, the Phillips family had stacked the school board and made even the slightest behavior problem worthy of suspension or expulsion. The other middle schools were at least a thirty minute bus ride away, with no air conditioning, so all the students walked on eggshells.

  Domino was quiet and kept to himself, but Blaze had to go before the standards committee more than once. Luckily, he had only faced detention and fines. Tom Hathaway, Blaze’s dad, had been seen in the office on more than a few occasions.

  “The office is through the main hall,” Domino said, as he escorted Ashley through the frosted glass doors.

  She nodded and smiled, pulling the paperwork out of her suede backpack. She fumbled with a loose thread on her sweater. It was a light pink that stood out among the severe black and navy prep school clothing.

  She waved to Brooklynn, who was headed to the tech building to put up some supplies. She threatened Dom and Blaze with their lives if they didn’t take care of Ashley.

  Blaze pulled Ashley aside.

  “Hey, when they let you pick your electives, pick art. Brooklynn’s in there, so you’ll know someone,” he said with a quick wink.

  “Thanks,” Ashley nodded and smiled again.

  She was feeling a little uneasy and was anxious to talk to Dom about his experience with the Fire Ghost. Domino shot Blaze a look, but Blaze was already skipping his way to class, handing out high fives along the way.

  The office was modern and beautifully decorated. The secretary at the front was happy to help. She told Ashley that Domino was one of the most polite young men she had ever met and encouraged her to go see some of his sculptures in the gallery.

  Ashley was a little taken aback that the school had an art gallery. Her school back in Boston was practically crumbling.

  “And what electives would you like?” the secretary asked.

  “Um, art?” Ashley asked. She hoped she would at least be able to have one class with Brooklynn.

  “Okay, and one more,” the secretary said, handing her a list of class choices.

  Ashley didn’t know what to say, so she turned to Dom.

  “I have mythology first hour,” he shrugged.

  Ashley smiled at the twinge of hope that broke through his voice.

  “Mythology it is,” Ashley nodded and passed the list back to the secretary. She gave Domino a discreet smile and typed Ashley’s schedule into the database.

  “Thanks, Mrs. Reams,” Domino nodded when Ashley had everything she needed. “Come on. We’re studying Vulcan today.”

  “Who is that?” Ashley asked.

  “The god of fire,” Domino answered. Ashley smiled and nodded for a third time that morning and followed Domino to class.

  Ashley paced behind Domino down the hallway to their first hour class. She knew she told her mom that she wouldn’t make any friends in Tulsa, but she was secretly relieved to have Domino by her side. Everyone seemed to like him. He responded to his peers’ greetings with a polite nod, seeming friendly but, aloof. Ashley, like all the other students, was both drawn in and pushed away by his mysterious aura. She searched for the right time to cut through his wall of silence.

  “Dom?” she asked.

  “Yep,” he turned and smiled a tight lipped smile.

  “About the Fire Ghost,” she began, nervously. “The hauntings started with the fire?”

  Ashley had been having her own strange experiences with fire. Domino nodded. They were nearing the classroom.

  “No one believes me,” he shrugged.

  He seemed to stiffen. Ashley wondered what was going on.

  As she turned, a tall, blonde boy approached. He was wearing a navy blazer over a stiff, plaid shirt. He might have been handsome, if it weren’t for the sneer crossing his lips. A shorter, round sort of boy followed him, carrying two backpacks.

  “What’s that, Domino? Talking about that stupid ghost story again?”

  The shorter boy laughed wheezing giggles. His face seemed oily and sallow. Ashley recoiled and slunk behind Domino’s shoulder.

 
“Baron,” Domino straightened up and addressed the tall boy.

  “That’s right,” an equally blonde and regal looking girl swayed up beside Baron. “The man, the myth, the legend.”

  The pair of doll-like teens smiled at each other, while the girl’s unfortunate looking friend trailed behind carrying a duffle bag, a book bag, and two backpacks. She didn’t notice that the girl with the long, shimmering, white hair had stopped, and she bumped into her.

  “Tessa!” the blonde girl whirled around. “I swear if you touch me again... This is cashmere!”

  “Sorry, Kylie,” Tessa backed up a few beats.

  “Like we were saying, you shouldn’t be talking about that nonsense in school,” Baron said with an air of snobbery. “People might think you’re strange.”

  “More than they already do,” the short, pudgy boy added.

  “I didn’t ask you to say anything, Greg,” Baron rolled his eyes.

  “No, of course not,” Greg said apologetically.

  Ashley surveyed Baron and Kylie. They seemed to have an invisible armor, forged in a metal that wasn’t available to anyone else.

  “We should get to class,” Domino nodded his signature nod and gallantly moved around Baron, allowing Ashley just enough narrow space to follow.

  “Yeah, everyone had better follow our rules. I mean, the rules. Tell her so she knows,” Kylie giggled.

  She linked her arm through Baron’s and strutted down the hallway. Greg and Tessa followed them, mirroring their movements and carrying their bags.

  “What did she mean by that?” Ashley asked.

  “That’s Kylie Phillips, the mayor’s daughter, and Baron Watson,” Dom explained, quietly. He let Baron’s last name and the implications of the two legacies sink in. Ashley understood. She could see that Dom was in no position to argue with the king and queen of Watson Academy.

  “And Chavez,” Baron called over his shoulder, with a parting shot, “in this country, we speak English! Got it?”

  Ashley’s eyes widened in shock. She turned to look at the deep shade of red creeping up Dom’s neck. Who would say something like that, she wondered.

  Dom’s jaw clenched and the muscles under the brown skin of his temples moved rhythmically as he chewed on the side of his tongue. Ashley could see that he was trying to keep from responding to Baron’s dig.

  “What a jerk,” Ashley whispered.

  She whispered in Dom’s ear, but that’s not what she said. Dom’s cheek pulled into a smile, revealing a small dimple. She was thankful her neighbor back in Boston, Mrs. Ramirez, had taught her all the best curse words in Spanish.

  Chapter 7

  Valley of Ashes

  The first few weeks of school passed by uneventfully. Ashley enjoyed her classes. They were challenging, but her teachers were always helpful with any questions she had. Still, the entire faculty looked the other way any time Baron or Kylie made a rude remark or cut someone down, which they did, almost for sport.

  She tried out for the soccer team, with Brooklynn, and made midfielder. Since the downtown area was as walkable as her old neighborhood, she was able to travel on foot with Brooklynn and her friend Ruby. Ruby played left wing and had lived in Japan, on her dad’s army base, until last year. She was always talking about her collection of Japanese Kit Kat bars.

  “Like the candy?” Ashley asked.

  “Well, yes,” Ruby answered. “But they have them in all different flavors. My newest flavor is matcha green tea. It’s very rare.”

  “A green tea candy bar?” Ashley asked.

  “Well, you don’t eat it. They’re collectable,” Ruby explained.

  Her blonde hair was tipped with pink. Kylie tried to get her sent before the committee of standards for it, but her mother said they couldn’t prove it didn’t grow in naturally like that, so they had to let her keep it.

  Art was one of her favorite classes. Ashley could feel herself relaxing, letting her energy flow through the paintbrush and onto the canvas. She started sketching plans for her next big project, a dragon with fiery wings, flying across a darkening sky. Ashley was excited, but she thought it was strange that Blaze had said that Brooklynn was in fourth period art class. Ashley hadn’t seen her, but she didn’t want to ask too many questions. She was still searching for the perfect time to talk to Dom about the Fire Ghost.

  Most days, Dom’s friends, Keegan and Isaac, joined them on the walk to school. When the boys and girls U14 practices let out, they were able to walk back home together. Brooklynn, Keegan, and Ruby all lived in the new condominiums, and Isaac’s family owned the deli at the other end of the historic storefronts. He always had a tub of pasta salad or a bag of cold cuts and cheeses to share. A few days ago, the group had walked down the sidewalk to school, plastic forks in hand, all sharing a tub of carrot and apple slaw for breakfast.

  Isaac Aalish was also fond of robotics and building any kind of gadget. He and Brooklynn were the captains of the school’s Tech Team. Isaac had won the state competition last year with his thermal imaging meat scanner. He built it for his mom so she could scan any meat to tell if it was cooked all the way through. She said it was a big help to the deli and probably the best invention since sliced bread.

  Keegan Cole’s grandmother owned the coffee shop, Mr. Beantown, and he would often show up with lattes and chai teas for everyone. When Ashley asked why Grandma Cole named it Mr. Beantown, Keegan, who played goalkeeper, ran one of his massive hands through his shoulder length curls and laughed. He said that when his dad and aunt were little, they had fought over the name of the new coffee shop. One wanted to call it Mr. Bean and the other wanted to call it Coffee Town, so to stop the fussing, Grandma Cole named the new coffee shop Mr. Beantown. Ashley giggled every time she passed the storefront with the dancing coffee bean on the sign.

  Friday arrived, bringing with it, The Waco Wranglers to face F.C. Tulsa. The Wranglers took up the practice field, so the soccer team had the day off. Ashley wanted to talk to Dom, but Restaurant Week was in full swing and En Fuego was packed every night. Tonight would be no different.

  She walked by the restaurant on the way home from Mr. Beantown, carrying an extra iced coffee for Dom. She found him hauling giant bags of limes from the truck to the kitchen. A thick bead of sweat trickled down his temple and Ashley was glad she had gotten the coffee over ice.

  “Thanks,” he nodded and smiled, after he had set down the bag of limes.

  “You’re welcome,” Ashley responded politely.

  Dom was always so polite, she made it a point to brush up on her manners. Her parents had remarked that her behavior was a welcomed change from the sullen teenager they had to suffer through on the car ride halfway across the country. Her mom even let her run the shop sometimes while she was mixing oil blends in the back.

  “Hey, Dom. Can I talk to you about something?”

  Ashley chose her words carefully. The Fire Ghost was a sore subject. Baron and Kylie teased anyone who mentioned it, without mercy. Dom wanted none of Baron’s attention, and even though Kylie had been welcoming on the surface, Ashley had stayed far away from her. She didn’t want to end up like Tessa, carrying Kylie’s bags and apologizing for taking up space.

  “Sure,” he nodded, accidentally sending a splash of coffee up his nose. “Aww, you didn’t see that.”

  “I did see that,” Ashley giggled.

  “You were saying?” Dom asked, obviously changing the subject.

  “I was saying, I wanted to talk to you about the Fire Ghost.”

  “No, Ashley. No way,” Dom placed his cup on the curb, and made a move to get up and get back to work.

  “Please. Dom,” Ashley pleaded. “I don’t think you’re making it up. I won’t tell anyone what we talked about. I just think my place is haunted, too.”

  Domino stopped in his tracks. He
slung the bag of limes off his shoulder and slumped back down on the curb next to Ashley.

  “You don’t think I’m making it up?” he asked.

  “No, I don’t. A few weeks ago, there was this painting. I have it in my room. It’s of my Aunt Eva. She died a long time ago. She keeps moving and disappearing from the painting. At first, I thought I was imagining it, but I’m not. I swear.”

  Dom nodded. A few seconds passed and his eyebrows furrowed, creating wrinkles along his forehead.

  “Say something.”

  “Okay, um,” he began. “That’s crazy, but I believe you. Wait. Your Aunt Eva? Like Eva Glass?”

  “Yes. We’re related,” Ashley admitted.

  “Wow, um, okay, okay. Can I see the painting?”

  “Yes. When do you get off work?”

  “I’ll be done about midnight,” he shrugged.

  “My parents will never let me go out, or have boys over that late. Text me when you’re off and we’ll figure it out,” Ashley said.

  “Will do,” he said. “Thanks for the coffee.”

  Dom smiled and hauled the limes inside the kitchen door. He grabbed a jar out of the kitchen and handed it to Ashley.

  “Dom! Salsa!” Ashley exclaimed. She was actually delighted by the gift.

  “Don’t tell Blaze. He’ll be jealous,” Dom warned.

  “My lips are sealed,” Ashley promised.

  Dom gave her one last dimpled smile before he disappeared inside.

  Ashley set off for her intended destination, her Aunt Patricia’s book store, Valley of Ashes.

  A small bell twinkled on the door when she walked in. She noticed that the bell was made of a tiny tortoise shell. A sweet scent floated toward her from the back of the shop. From the front, Valley of Ashes looked like a normal bookstore. Displays of vintage first editions filled the entry and rows of shelves with books on every topic, from travel to gardening to foreign language, lined the walls. Walking through the shop, you might think you were in a normal rare book shop, but Valley of Ashes was more.