“Thank you for the intel,” she said at last. “Now watch and learn, baby.” She flipped her hair over one shoulder and walked after Kasper. He looked hunched over and embarrassed, and was busy pretending they didn’t exist.
Rima called out, slightly out of breath, “I think you might be the coolest person I’ve ever met!”
When they reached Room 4E, the back of Kasper’s neck was still pink. “Dr Pang?” he called.
A soft voice replied, “Come in, Mr Jedynak.”
Inside, a Chinese woman in her mid-twenties was sitting on the broken remains of a bed. She was wearing a dressing gown and slippers, and there was a glow around her. It was as if all the dim light in the room was pulled towards her.
“This is her, then,” Qi said, holding out a hand to Harriet. “The source of all the –” she breathed in deeply “– fresh energy.”
When Harriet took Qi’s hand, Harriet could have sworn that her own skin seemed to dim a little. She blinked down at it. Had she imagined the sensation of pins and needles that spread through her fingers?
She quickly pulled away, clearing her throat. “It’s great to meet you. Kasper said you might be able to help us work out what my power is?”
Qi leant forwards, inspecting Harriet carefully. “It’s very early for a power to manifest, if you’ve only been dead for a few hours. But I’ll try my best.”
She touched one hand to Harriet’s forehead. Holding still, Harriet ignored the definite itch spreading across her scalp. She felt drained suddenly. Was Qi taking her energy, somehow?
“Interesting,” Qi said, and licked the tips of her fingers with a thoughtful expression. “Rima, can you get me a rat?”
Rima started. “Hang on a sec!” She ran from the room.
There was a minute of silence, in which Kasper arranged himself in an artistic slouch against the windowsill and Qi stared unblinkingly at Harriet.
She shifted awkwardly under her gaze. She tried to focus on the reason she was here – to find a way to get home. Any amount of discomfort was worth that.
Then there was a noise at the door. Harriet turned, expecting it to be Rima, but instead an enormous tawny owl flew into the room, carefully holding a rat between its teeth. It dropped the rat at Harriet’s feet and put a claw on the rodent, looking up at Qi expectantly.
At first, Harriet thought the rat was stunned but unharmed. Then she realized it was a ghost.
“Harriet, be ready to absorb the energy,” Qi instructed, and then gestured at the owl to continue.
“Right, but what does that mean?” Harriet asked, as the rat’s spirit shuddered, seeming to collapse in on itself. A brightness – or something – peeled away from it into the air.
“Quickly!” Qi said. “Before it dissipates! Take its energy.”
Repulsed, Harriet jolted away from the rat. But as the cloud of energy drifted towards her, she found herself reacting on instinct. She pulled the energy towards herself. To her surprise, the rat blurred at the edges, shuddered in and out of focus once or twice, and then disappeared completely.
Harriet swayed as a rush of giddy strength spread through her, like she’d done four shots of vodka in a row. It was a delicious rush that made her feel invincible.
“How do you feel?” Qi asked, cradling Harriet’s head between her hands and gazing into her eyes. Harriet resisted the urge to push her away. She could see the veins pulsing in her eyeballs.
“Powerful.” Harriet let out a stunned, delighted laugh. This was so much more fun than anything she’d done when she was alive. “I feel incredible!”
“But she’s not doing anything,” Kasper said, from somewhere distant and unimportant.
“Interesting,” Qi said again. “I think we need another.”
“Yes!” Harriet gasped. “Please, another!” Nothing mattered but getting more energy, as soon as possible, so that she could feel like this for ever.
The owl leapt upwards, its feathers disturbing the air as it flew out of the room, dust twisting into clouds. Harriet leant into the wind. She felt abruptly convinced that she could fly too if she had more energy.
When the owl reappeared with another rat, Harriet couldn’t wait a second. She fell on the ghost, sucking down its energy until it was nothing but a wisp of dust. The feeling buzzed down her veins, and she let out an indecent, lengthy moan. Collapsing onto all fours, she rested her head on the ground and relished the rush of pure joy.
“I need more,” she told Qi. “Make the owl get more.”
Qi frowned at her, then looked at the bird. She shook her head. “No more.”
“No! I have to! Please!” She had to experience that feeling again.
“It’s no good,” Qi said. “There’s nothing there.”
Harriet ground her teeth together. She wanted to scream at Qi, to force her to do it anyway. Who was she, to show Harriet this thrilling high and then tear it from her grasp? She wrestled with her anger, trying to push it down.
The owl leapt into the air. It twisted on the spot, breaking up into a cloud of dust.
Adrenaline gushed through Harriet. She braced herself, ready to suck up the bird’s energy too. Before she could pounce, Qi tugged her back with a sharp yank at her wrist.
“Oh no, you don’t, missy,” she growled. There was a line of glowing light wrapped around Harriet’s arm like rope. Qi was holding the end of it, pulling Harriet away from the owl.
Harriet shuddered, trying to escape the rope, but it grew thicker and thicker until she was unable to move at all.
“Stop this!” Qi shouted, as Harriet fought her grip. “You’re stronger than this! Calm down!”
Harriet snarled at her, eyes fixed on the owl. But the lightning rope was too powerful for her. Eventually, she ran out of strength and fell still, gasping for breath.
“Look at me, Harriet.” Qi moved closer and held Harriet’s eye for a long moment, searching for something in her face. She must have found it, because she released Harriet,
