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were horses, Emma, you’d still be the bitch who killed my best friend.” He turned to Natalie. “So, are you going to sit with me, or with QBK?”
    â€œQBK?” Natalie said. “What’s that?”
    â€œQuarterback Killer. Catchy, don’t you think?”
    I swallowed. “It’s okay; you can sit with him. It doesn’t matter,” I mumbled. “Your life is going to be hell if you stick with me.”
    â€œAt least you’ve got a life,” Harry said as he pushed past us, shoving me into the door.
    â€œOw,” I said, rubbing my arm.
    â€œSuck it up, Em,” Natalie said, with false cheer. “The fun is only beginning.”
    â€œThanks.” We took our seats. “Martha told me you’d be a true friend. I doubt she realized how much I’d need you.”
    The teacher closed the door and crossed to the front of the room, firing questions at us in Latin.
    â€œEgo requiro suus.” 1 Natalie whispered.
    â€œMihi quoque.” 2
    After Latin, I shuffled off to my next class, staring at the ground, trying to avoid the accusatory glances and the “accidental” bumps.
    Trig was the hardest; I dreaded seeing Coby’s empty desk beside mine. But when I entered the classroom, I discovered him in his old seat.
    Really? I plopped down next to him. Trig’s the last place I’ll go when I’m dead.
    I didn’t come for the math.
    For what, then? My charming personality?
    He didn’t look amused. You talk to Harry yet?
    Yeah, he’s got a new nickname for me. QBK.
    Coby thought for a second, then snorted in his ghostly way. He’s a mean drunk. Always was. He called me Cheese for six months.
    Why Cheese?
    Because I hated it. He quieted for a minute, watching Mr. Sakolsky write a problem on the board. Emma, he needs you.
    He can’t stand me , I said, scrawling random numbers in my notebook.
    I didn’t say he liked you.
    How am I supposed to help someone who hates me?
    You raised me from the dead. I think talking with a drunk is within your — Coby startled suddenly. Who are you ?
    Edmund, the man in the brown suit, had flickered into existence beside us. He nodded his head in greeting.
    Coby, meet Edmund , I said. He used to teach in this room. He’s the one who helped me figure out I was a ghostkeeper.
    You’re the one Neos killed , Edmund said, eying Coby curiously. He’d only killed ghostkeepers before you. They don’t come back, you know.
    Coby glanced at me, his brow knit. So if you die …?
    Yeah , I said, keeping my hand firmly on the desk when Sakolsky asked for volunteers to solve a problem on the board. If Neos kills me, you won’t see me again.
    We’re going to find him first , Coby said. We’ll do the killing.
    Such ferocity! Edmund said, with a slight smile. But you know, Coby, one must take care when speaking about … him. Especially with threats. He’s turning the Beyond into his own personal property. And if one doesn’t know one’s way …
    Hmm. It hadn’t occurred to me that Coby could use some kind of mentor. Someone to show him around the place. Teach him how to be a ghost.
    Maybe you can show him , I said. I didn’t know when I summoned him that —
    Emma summoned you? Edmund interrupted with surprise. That explains why you shine so brightly. I thought I sensed someone new here this morning, a powerful spirit. I’d been quite alarmed, but it must’ve been you. Yes, yes, you must allow me to show you the possibilities of the Beyond.
    Coby gave me a look like, is this guy for real? And Edmund was sort of a nutball—he had, after all, been a high school teacher—but he knew a lot and he hadn’t given me any reason not to trust him.
    So I said, I’ll see you later.
    Promise you’ll speak to Harry.
    I will , I said. But I didn’t say when.
    I watched them disappear into the ether, and Mr. Sakolsky scolded me