chemistry quiz yesterday, but, like, I’d forgotten how long I’d left the Living for.
“It’s amazing that you can apparite already—it takes some new ghosts weeks to learn what you can do already. You have a real talent.” Cue: big, encouraging smile. “But why don’t you practice some more with me and Lorna, first? Even Tess can be helpful, if you get her in the right mood.” As if. “Then, in time, when everything you’re feeling about your death is less raw, then I’m sure you’ll be able to control your powers better. Or maybe you’ll be out of here so quickly that you never have to master them.”
Nancy looked at me kindly. “That’s just what I think anyway.”
She had a point.
It was just that I didn’t want to hear it. Not in the least.
“But—but—but—,” I said, “you’ve taught me the most important lesson I need to know.”
Nancy looked at me blankly.
“How to unapparite.” Was that even a word? “How to stop myself appearing to the Living as an apparition.” That sounded better. Well, a bit. I went on. “If I start to app … to become an apparition , all I have to do is blow. That’s what you said, right? Then all of my energy goes out and I’m back to being an invisible dead girl. No one is freaked out. All good.”
“Yes …”
“So, really, you have nothing to worry about.” I beamed. Smile and she will believe you. “So I’ll head out, do some preliminary investigations …” Phew, she was nodding. “And if I, you know, feel the glow, I’ll just blow my energy out and think myself right back here. I promise. No drama.”
Nancy blinked. Was this good? Bad? A sign I’d talked her into a coma? Was she just thinking about what she was missing on TV?
“Okay,” she said finally.
“Okay?” Really?
“Okay,” she said. “You’re right. You know the basics. I’ve taught you well. You seem to be one of the fastest learners who’s ever come through these doors. As long as you promise me, PROMISE ,”—oh, Harsh Nancy look—“that if you start to apparite you will either think yourself back here or become invisible again, then okay. Go.”
Result!
“So, where are you off to first?” Nancy asked.
“Back to my high school. If we’re ever going to solve my murder, I need to figure out why someone wanted me dead. Maybe if I watch the kids there for a while, I’ll get some clues as to who that could be. I dunno, maybe I annoyed someone without realizing it? Though I have no idea who. I guess it’s as good a place to start as any.”
“I think that’s an excellent plan,” Nancy said. “We need to be getting out in the field.”
The field. This girl really had watched too many cop shows. Maybe she was addicted to them as well as daytime soap operas?
“Lorna and I will stay here, see if there are any similar cases in old files, do more research, check for leads. When you’re back we’ll talk about what you discovered, and plan the investigation from there.”
“And Tess? Edison?” Much as they were, like, not even qualifying for the bottom two places on my favorite-four-dead-people-I-know list, I was still super-curious as to how they fitted into Nancy’s operation.
“They … Well, Tess helps out when she can. And Mr. Edison Hayes … he does his own thing,” she said diplomatically.
Hmmm … It seemed that I needed to do some investigation into what went on with the ghosts inside the Attesa.
“Okay, well, I’ll be off then,” I said, trying to sound confident. Now there was nothing standing in my way, I kind of wished there was. Did I really want to go out there—out among the Living—alone? What if I saw something I didn’t like? And let’s face it, what with me having been murdered yesterday, that was pretty darn probable.
“Great. See you soon,” Nancy said, turning back to her soaps, all nonchalant.
Damn her. Was she playing me? Was this like the time when I was seven and Mom said, “Yes, honey, of course you can
“It’s amazing that you can apparite already—it takes some new ghosts weeks to learn what you can do already. You have a real talent.” Cue: big, encouraging smile. “But why don’t you practice some more with me and Lorna, first? Even Tess can be helpful, if you get her in the right mood.” As if. “Then, in time, when everything you’re feeling about your death is less raw, then I’m sure you’ll be able to control your powers better. Or maybe you’ll be out of here so quickly that you never have to master them.”
Nancy looked at me kindly. “That’s just what I think anyway.”
She had a point.
It was just that I didn’t want to hear it. Not in the least.
“But—but—but—,” I said, “you’ve taught me the most important lesson I need to know.”
Nancy looked at me blankly.
“How to unapparite.” Was that even a word? “How to stop myself appearing to the Living as an apparition.” That sounded better. Well, a bit. I went on. “If I start to app … to become an apparition , all I have to do is blow. That’s what you said, right? Then all of my energy goes out and I’m back to being an invisible dead girl. No one is freaked out. All good.”
“Yes …”
“So, really, you have nothing to worry about.” I beamed. Smile and she will believe you. “So I’ll head out, do some preliminary investigations …” Phew, she was nodding. “And if I, you know, feel the glow, I’ll just blow my energy out and think myself right back here. I promise. No drama.”
Nancy blinked. Was this good? Bad? A sign I’d talked her into a coma? Was she just thinking about what she was missing on TV?
“Okay,” she said finally.
“Okay?” Really?
“Okay,” she said. “You’re right. You know the basics. I’ve taught you well. You seem to be one of the fastest learners who’s ever come through these doors. As long as you promise me, PROMISE ,”—oh, Harsh Nancy look—“that if you start to apparite you will either think yourself back here or become invisible again, then okay. Go.”
Result!
“So, where are you off to first?” Nancy asked.
“Back to my high school. If we’re ever going to solve my murder, I need to figure out why someone wanted me dead. Maybe if I watch the kids there for a while, I’ll get some clues as to who that could be. I dunno, maybe I annoyed someone without realizing it? Though I have no idea who. I guess it’s as good a place to start as any.”
“I think that’s an excellent plan,” Nancy said. “We need to be getting out in the field.”
The field. This girl really had watched too many cop shows. Maybe she was addicted to them as well as daytime soap operas?
“Lorna and I will stay here, see if there are any similar cases in old files, do more research, check for leads. When you’re back we’ll talk about what you discovered, and plan the investigation from there.”
“And Tess? Edison?” Much as they were, like, not even qualifying for the bottom two places on my favorite-four-dead-people-I-know list, I was still super-curious as to how they fitted into Nancy’s operation.
“They … Well, Tess helps out when she can. And Mr. Edison Hayes … he does his own thing,” she said diplomatically.
Hmmm … It seemed that I needed to do some investigation into what went on with the ghosts inside the Attesa.
“Okay, well, I’ll be off then,” I said, trying to sound confident. Now there was nothing standing in my way, I kind of wished there was. Did I really want to go out there—out among the Living—alone? What if I saw something I didn’t like? And let’s face it, what with me having been murdered yesterday, that was pretty darn probable.
“Great. See you soon,” Nancy said, turning back to her soaps, all nonchalant.
Damn her. Was she playing me? Was this like the time when I was seven and Mom said, “Yes, honey, of course you can
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