Ha! Another victory.
I crawl carefully under my sheets, grateful for spells that make life, or after-life, easier on ghosts, and settle against the pillows, hoping none of those life flashes come back to haunt me in the night.
Chapter Four
If this first night is any indication of how the dead sleep, then death has cured me of my insomnia. Ah! Another revelation. Memories of lying in bed into the early hours of the morning tumble through my mind as consciousness returns the next morning. Healers tried for years to help me sleep, but nothing helped. When over the counter drugs failed too, I resigned myself to crossword puzzles.
And there another piece fell into place. I loved crossword puzzles and sudoku.
Stretching, I blink my eyes open. Faded winter sun shines between the half-closed curtains over the windows. It also streams through my hand when I reach out to touch one of the rays. My fingers glitter like fog, but warm slightly as if I still have physical skin and muscle to absorb the heat.
I sit up and kick my legs through the beams of light. “Wild.”
Haya’s bed is empty, and I wonder if maybe she already went down to breakfast. Sliding onto my feet, I attempt the clothes changing trick again, managing to flip my wardrobe successfully once more. Pleased with the dark wash jeans and red sweater get up, I fist bump the air. Maybe I’ll ace the afterlife.
Ghost prodigy, Billie.
As I giggle at this goofy thought, Haya slides through the bathroom door. “Good morning! Are you ready for your first meal at Locklear?”
“Think I can handle something as simple as eating. In theory,” I say, following her into the hallway where a handful of other iridescent girls are making their way toward the stairs. “Unless all this has been misleading and mealtime turns into a hideous dystopia where we have to fight for sustenance.”
Haya laughs as we sweep out of the dorms and toward the main building. “Don’t worry, the only time you should have to fight is in combat. Unless you’re into rap battles. Though we don’t have too many of those here either.”
“That’s a relief.” I blow a raspberry. “Somehow I doubt I’d be any good at that.”
We slide through the door of the dining hall and for the second time in twenty-four hours, I bump into another oddly solid, ghostly body. Rafe Warren floats about an inch away before he stops himself, then turns and aims that adorable grin at me. I really should get my mind right and stop ogling him.
“Hey, you didn’t float through the ceiling of your dorms and into the atmosphere.” He lifts both hands and I meet him with a high five.
The dorky gesture is insanely cute. “Definitely considering that a win.”
“She even changed her clothes on the first try,” Haya says. “She is a quick study.”
Rafe’s eyes bug. “No way. You can change clothes? How?”
Haya covers her mouth with both hands. “Oh no, what kind of horrible roommate did they stick you with? He is clearly failing his duties.”
“Oh, he’s fine,” Rafe says, face way more twitchy than one who is actually “fine” with their situation.
I scrunch my face. “So, he’s a nightmare.”
Rafe points at me. “For the record, I did not say that. Also, in his defense, he was already asleep when I got there, and left before I woke up.”
Haya grimaces. “Sorry. I’m happy to assist. I can even explain my theories on the science behind it. For now, though, just think fashiony thoughts.”
Rafe laughs. “I’ll try that when I don’t have an audience. With my luck, I’ll attempt it and end up naked in the middle of the cafeteria.”
Oh yes, that would be such a shame. I literally bite my tongue to keep from saying this insanely inappropriate comment out loud. “Yeah, that would be embarrassing.”
“Majorly,” Rafe says. “Now let’s drown our sorrows in bacon.”
I snap my fingers and point at him. “I like the way you think.”
A funny little rumble moves through my spirit, the memory of feeling hungry. As the three of us make our sweep of the food counters, I wonder what other physical things we can do as ghosts besides eat. Like kissing or…sex. My face burns. I force my brain back to bacon and the process of weaving between all sorts of ghosts. Some students walk with their trays hovering ahead of them, while others don’t even bother touching the floor. Most everyone appears to be either human or supe, but I also catch sight of what I’m pretty sure are vampires and fae as well. Guess the former aren’t so undead after all.
Haya leads us to her table in the middle of the dining hall. I’m nervous I’m going to fall straight through the bench, but since it doesn’t take much effort to sit, I assume maybe they’re spelled like the furniture in our bedrooms. Guess they decided to have mercy on our souls in here as well.
Haya is telling Rafe how she got lost on her way to the door to the afterlife, when Landon approaches the table. His face immediately twists into a grimace when he sees me. So naturally I give him my biggest smile. I’m not trying to be a jerk, but grumpy people make something in me rebel. It’s not altruistic. It’s more of a “heap burning coals on their heads” kind of a thing.
Angry people want a reaction and don’t like it when you don’t give them what they want.
Landon doesn’t say a word. He just drops his tray on the table with a loud clatter, then sinks into the chair next to Rafe, a scowl darkening his features. The contrast between these two is kind of jarring. Where Rafe is lanky and full of easy smiles, Landon is broad shouldered and stormy. And though both are very attractive, Rafe’s personality intensifies his hotness, while Landon’s detracts from it.
My imagination shifts
