“It’s okay,” Katie said. “I didn’t know how hard it would be to stay hidden around her.”
“Is that why you didn’t show yourself to her?”
Katie nodded. “She can barely handle it now that I’m dead. If she knew I was back, it would give her hope, which would be cruel. She has to heal.”
“It’s okay,” I said, more for me than for her. I couldn’t do anything to comfort her. I couldn’t rub her back or give her a hug. All I could do was sit next to her and let her cry.
“Besides, I don’t think Mom would understand, and if she understood, I think the shock of seeing me again might kill her.”
“And you didn’t worry about that with me?”
Katie looked over at me. “You’re tougher than she is. Mom has been through so much that it’s broken her. If she knew I was still here, I don’t know if she could ever get over her grief.”
“That’s a horrible choice you had to make.”
“Life is hard. The afterlife is harder, though.” Katie sighed deeply. “I think you should get my diary and claim your prize.”
“We don’t have to do this now.”
Katie shook her head. “It’s okay. We might as well get it out of the way.”
I stood up and lifted the mattress. I pulled out the notebook stuffed underneath and sat back down next to Katie.
“What page do you want me to read?”
“It doesn’t matter. Honestly, just read the whole thing if you want.”
I shook my head. “A deal’s a deal.”
“Then just open to any page and start reading, I guess. The further along the sadder it gets though, just warning you.”
I cracked the book open. “I’ll read a page at the beginning then. We’ve already had enough sadness for one day.”
I flipped through a few pages and then finally stopped on a page with the headline “First Chemo.” Around the margins of the paper Katie had drawn little hearts and balloons in pink markers and then started the entry with “Dear Diary.”
“That’s a good one,” Katie said. “You’ll enjoy it. It’s sad, but not too sad.”
Dear Diary,
Tomorrow I have my first chemo appointment. I won’t lie and say that I’m sad about it, because in some ways I’m looking forward to it. The cancer isn’t going away on its own. The only way to stop it is to fight back.
Anna offered to come with me, even though it will be painfully boring. She is a true friend.
None of my other friends offered to come with me. I’m trying not to feel too bad about it, but it hurts to know none of them will sit by my side.
I looked up at Katie, who was watching me. “I knew it mattered to you that they didn’t come.”
“I never said it didn’t hurt, just that I didn’t hold it against them.”
I nodded. “Fair enough.”
“Why did you come with me?” Katie asked me as I finished the entry. “I didn’t always make time for you back then.”
“It didn’t matter. You were my friend. We weren’t always close friends, at least not then, but you needed me. You hid it well, but I could always see the fear behind your eyes.”
She placed her hand above mine, and I felt the chill from her soul on the top of my hand. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
I held up the book toward her. “I should put this back.”
“No,” Katie said. “Keep it. I thought it would be hard to have you read it, but it was actually nice to show you what I was thinking back then.”
I tucked the book under my arm. “I’ll treasure it.”
My eyes moved up to meet the haunting glow from Katie’s eyes. I could see through them and past her, to the window behind her body, but I still felt a connection with her body, and a resonance with her soul, that I had never felt before, even when she was alive.
“Are you okay up there?” Joanne yelled up at me from downstairs.
“Be right down!” I called back down to her.
As I stood up, the phone in my pocket buzzed. It was a text from Samantha. “Get to your computer NOW.”
Chapter 24
I said a quick goodbye to Joanne and rushed across the street. I didn’t want to leave her alone in her sad state, but I also wanted to save the world, and in doing so, save Joanne, my mother, and everybody else.
I slid into my chair and logged into my account before finding my chat thread with Samantha on Facebook.
What is it? I asked.
I found an answer. She sent me a link for www.witchynet.com.
What am I looking 4?
Look @ the summoner forum.
I clicked on the link and it took me to a website devoted to witchcraft. Katie and I had found it when we were searching around for answers, but it didn’t seem as reputable as any others, so we didn’t bother searching around.
OK. I’m there. Now what?
Search for goblins.
I typed goblins into the search field and the first thread was a recipe for summoning goblins. The top of the thread read:
Everything you know about summoning goblins is wrong. If you want to know the right way to summon a goblin, Paypal me $20 and I will tell you what I know.
I texted Samantha. This is a scam.
How do u know? she messaged back.
It has 2B
Y?
BC it’s on the internet.
Well, I hope not, bc I paid her and we’re meeting her in 30. Meet me @ Primrose Diner in 15.
No car
Fine. I’ll pick you up.
This sounds stupid, but OK
U have any better ideas? C U in 10.
She was right. I didn’t, but that didn’t mean I had to like her idea. Still, if it got me a better recipe for finding goblins and allowed me to close the portal to the Dark Place, then I was all for it.
Katie and I waited outside for Samantha to show up. It was a
