Neither are familiar, but then again, not much else is either. Except for that last name. Martin. Like my first name, it feels right, familiar, but why does this dude know it?
I wrinkle my brow at them. “Who are you?”
“I’m Kazuya,” the older boy says. “But you can call me Kaz. I’m your Ghost Guide to help you figure out the afterlife. And this is Rafe. Also new to the realm of the dead. I just picked him up from Blakemore Academy.”
Blakemore is another term I recognize. Information about the school solidifies in my head. Generally known as Supernatural Reform School, every young supe is terrified of never powering up or losing their power and getting sent there. Though it’s meant to help, I know I’ve never heard of it fixing any broken supes. Why do I remember this piddling factoid, but nothing specific about my life? It’s obnoxious and infuriating.
No point in dwelling on that at the moment though, so I frown at Rafe as Kaz grips his shoulder.
This doesn’t jar Rafe out of his trance. He’s still staring over my shoulder at the forest. I glance again in that direction, a prickle along my neck, but there’s no sign of whatever the heck that entity was. Its screams echo in my head, and I shiver. I swallow a sob I can’t explain, then turn back to the guys.
“Well that’s a relief. I thought that freaky thing was my guide and I was so not on board.” I jerk my thumb at the tree line.
Kaz frowns. “I don’t blame you.”
“What was it?” Rafe asks.
I point at him. “I’m glad I’m not the only one with this question, because I have an overabundance of them.”
“I’m sure you do,” Kaz says. “Death’s a jarring thing and running into one of the Twisted doesn’t help. I can explain more when we get inside Locklear Academy.”
“Yay more words I don’t understand.” I grin. “I figured dying would be a pretty good excused absence for school. Now you’re telling me I have to go to an academy? What does that even mean? Is that like a boarding school? Will I have to wear one of those little plaid skirts?”
I throw a glance down at my jeans and hiking boots. These strike me as much more comfortable than one of those stiff short things that show off way more of my legs than I want anyone to see. Maybe as a ghost I won’t be able to change clothes at all. Which I guess would be kind of like having a uniform anyway.
A dimple dents Rafe’s right cheek as he laughs. The warm, full sound fills the air and chases away some of the fear in my chest. He finally looks at me, face lit with that brilliant smile. It’s a little distracting in a very, very good way.
“She’s got a good point. Didn’t think I’d have to take any more tests after I died.”
Kaz rolls his eyes. “Ah cool, so you two would rather wander around aimlessly out here? Outside the school’s protective wards, you’re easier fodder for X-ers.”
There’s another word I recognize. The definition doesn’t come to me, though. It’s kind of like trying to remember a super visceral dream. It leaves you with a particular feeling — in this case fear and worry tangled with anger — but none of the details. Apparently, Rafe knows even less than I do, because he lifts his brows at Kaz.
“The who-da-what now?”
“X-ers,” Kaz says. “A group of extremist supes who believe all ghosts are unnatural and should be forcibly sent to the beyond. Locklear Academy exists to protect those of us still stuck on this side and help us move on without getting twisted. Unfinished business, final steps, that kind of thing.”
I wince. “How do they forcibly send a ghost to the beyond?”
Kaz grimaces. “Like I said, I can explain more when we get to Locklear. Xers are also pretty good at tracking ghosts outside of academy grounds. So, unless we want to end up twisted too, we need to get going. We’ll be safe once we’re inside the wards.”
Shivering slightly, I scan the field, looking for attackers hiding in bushes or trees. As if running into that Twisted Ghost thing didn’t freak me out enough, now I have to worry about a bunch of supes trying to decide my fate for me. Lovely. Guess there won’t be any resting in peace for a while.
Kaz looks around the field as well, then frowns. “Now I know this is a hard question, but do you know where your body is?”
I tug the sides of my jacket further over my chest and try to think. My thoughts ram into the barrier between me and my memories. Gritting my teeth, I close my eyes, straining until my temples and the back of my neck pulse with pain.
Finally, I sigh and squint at the two boys. “No, I seem to have misplaced it.”
“I do that all the time,” Rafe says, shifting between his feet. “It’s a real problem.”
A laugh lifts some of the weight off my shoulders. Whatever I believed about ghosts before I became one, I’m pretty sure I didn’t expect there to be so much humor. Maybe some harps and wings or something. The dark look on Kaz’s face, however, makes my already floaty stomach bob like a balloon.
I twist one of the buttons on my jacket. “Don’t make me panic or anything, Kaz…”
His brow buckles. “Sorry. It’s really not that unusual, we don’t know exactly where Rafe’s body is either. We’ll find it. Don’t worry. But for now, we need to get to Locklear.”
Chapter Two
Traveling as a ghost is a combination of awesome and horrible wrapped in an insanity burrito.
It sure does work fast, though I’m not sure yet if it’s just because we don’t have very far
