Kaz bumps the staff against the side of his foot, paces a few more times, then faces us again. “Then my brother showed up. He wasn’t so willing to listen. Zen believed the Twisted ghosts were a trick. All hell broke loose. He shot at Mr. Qureshi and when I tried to stop him…” he trails and drops his head. “Zen had a spelled bomb. It went off and took both of us out.”
My fingers ache as I twist them together. “That’s so awful.”
“It was.” Kaz nods. “Thankfully, Mr. Qureshi wasn’t in the line of fire. He was there to help us in the afterlife though. It took time, but becoming a ghost yourself makes it a lot harder to argue their innate harmfulness, so Zen came around eventually. He works in the upper academy as a Ghost Guide too. We both tried to go back to our family to talk to them, but they weren’t willing to listen. Each of us came out of those encounters with our fair share of scars.”
“Man, I thought my relationship with my mom was complicated.” Rafe grins a little and Kaz lets out a legitimate chuckle.
“All family is hard, but I still have hope one day mine will understand.” Kaz twirls his staff again. “I tell you all of this not just to explain Landon’s accusations — without truth, there can be no trust — but also to help you understand my mentality toward ghosts in general and the Twisted specifically.”
I chew my lower lip. This entire explanation gives me insight into Kaz’s worldview, but it still doesn’t answer one of the biggest questions I have. “Okay, if truth breeds trust, then tell me this; where are you sending the students that get twisted?”
Kaz’s eyes darken. He spins his staff to rest on his shoulders and hooks both arms over either side. A muscle in his jaw ticks. “I’m not allowed to disclose their location with students for security reasons, but they are contained and safe. Or, as safe as they can be.”
This dodge doesn’t surprise me. Even with all the truth telling, there was no way getting that piece of information was going to be easy. I doubt very seriously we’re going to be able to convince him to tell us any more than this, but maybe with the right questions, I can figure out some other details.
“Is anything being done to help them?” I ask.
Kaz sighs. “Not at the moment. Though if you can communicate with them…” He shakes his head. “We’ll have to talk to Mr. Qureshi. I don’t know that he’d let you near them, but if there’s any possibility of helping them, he might be willing to consider it.”
Now we’re getting somewhere. The thought of speaking with him after overhearing his conversation with Ms. Alvarez scares me a little, but avoiding him is sheer stupidity. Maybe I can convince him to tell me what the Healers want to do with me.
I sit up a little, shoulders back. “Then let’s go talk to Mr. Qureshi.”
Chapter Twenty
When we reach Mr. Qureshi’s office, our headmaster is just locking up for the night. He smiles, but it’s a little pinched, possibly with worry. Hopefully, not about me. “Ah, Ms. Martin. I’m so glad to see you out of the Healing Ward. We were all so worried after you and Rafe came back. How are you feeling?”
“A little strung out to be honest,” I say, studying his facial expressions. “I want to talk to the Twisted you’ve been protecting.”
It’s crazy bold, but sometimes you need crazy boldness. Like Theo’s rapid fire questions, a little audacity might just shock Mr. Qureshi into giving into my wild request.
The headmaster blinks, his eyes sweeping from me, to Rafe, then Kaz. I honestly can’t tell if he’s scared or just surprised. “I’m afraid I’m going to need you all to start from the beginning.” He unlocks his door again and we slip inside.
Rafe and I sit in the seats across from his desk. Now that some of the adrenaline from the attack has worn off, the memory of our kiss in the woods sends heat through me. A small part of me wants to forget about the difficult discussion ahead and drag him out of the room for a little DTR. And some more making out.
But first I have to convince Mr. Qureshi to let me try to help the Twisted.
“Tell him about what happened in the woods, Billie,” Kaz says. He remains standing at the door, arms crossed over his chest, staff on his back as Mr. Qureshi settles into his desk chair.
I drag my lower lip through my teeth. “I had another encounter with one of the Twisted—”
Mr. Qureshi throws up a hand. “I’m sorry, you encountered one of the Twisted?” He looks at Kaz. “Was this a student? Were you able to...take care of it?”
“I’m not sure who it was,” Kaz says. “And it fled before I could direct it to the holding area. This is its second attack—”
I glare at him.
“Appearance at the school,” he amends. “I’m fairly certain this particular twisted ghost was also present when I found Billie in the fields near Locklear. I plan to look for it after we’re finished here.”
Dragging a hand through his hair, Mr. Qureshi sighs and looks back to me. “I apologize for the interruption. Please continue.”
“It asked for help.”
Our headmaster’s eyes pop. “Asked for help?”
“I think so.” I adjust a little in my seat, hating how uncertain this statement sounds. “I mean, yes. Yes it did. It was a little hard to hear
