She paused and took a large breath. She could do this. There was no way that she could let her gran down.
Harriet focused on Rima’s smile, her constant laughter, her compassion. She let memories of her fill her mind and the transformation took hold. Harriet didn’t pause to give it a chance to flicker away. She strode up to Qi’s barricaded room. She could feel the electric buzz of the lightning barrier run over her as she approached.
“Who’s there?” Qi asked.
“It’s me, Qi!” Harriet said, imitating Rima’s sweet, chirpy tone.
“Rima, come in! I have some new research to discuss with you.” The lightning barrier dropped away.
Norma nodded encouragement from further down the hallway. She gestured for Harriet to go inside.
Qi was bent over a desk in the far corner of the room, inspecting something. “Hello, dear. Did you bring that sweet little fox of yours?”
Harriet cleared her throat, pitching her voice high again. “Actually, I didn’t. I came to get you because we’ve finally got Harriet under control, and we need you to lock her behind the barrier, in the basement.”
Qi wiped her hands on her trousers. She had been handling a thick misty liquid that was pooling into a puddle.
“Well done!” Qi said, impressed. “How did you catch her?”
Harriet rolled her eyes. “She got into a fight with some other ghosts and they took most of her powers.”
Qi hummed, clearly amused. “Well, let’s go, then.”
It was working! She really believed that Harriet was Rima.
“Do you not need to –” Harriet gestured vaguely at the puddle of goo, lacking the words to describe it –“finish up?”
“The ectoplasm can wait,” Qi said, as they left her bedroom. Harriet couldn’t see Norma anywhere in the corridor. She must have hidden out of sight.
A beat too late, Harriet replied, “Is that what it is? What are you doing with it?” She should keep her talking, to stop Qi from thinking too much about where she was taking her. Harriet barely wanted to think about it herself.
“I’m researching disintegration. That ectoplasm used to be a mouse. I’m trying to find out what happens to ghosts after they disappear. I managed to break apart the spirit with a careful application of electrical shocks, until it lost its form. The next step is trying to track where it goes when it disintegrates fully. I’ve not managed to get that far yet.”
Harriet remembered how her atoms had started separating when she’d tried to leave the building. It would be impossible to track where they all went. Qi had a long road ahead of her.
“Where do you think we go when we disintegrate, then? Do spirits just dissolve into the air?” Harriet could feel something tingling across her shoulders. Was her transformation fading?
Qi shrugged. “I’ve always been a fan of the reincarnation theory, myself. All our energy has to go somewhere, doesn’t it? There must be a finite supply of spirit that gets recycled, somehow.”
Harriet focused hard on Rima’s face, trying to keep it from sliding away from her. It was like flexing a muscle that had never been used. She was already trembling with the effort.
Drawing in a quick gasp of breath, she said, “But surely if that was possible, people would remember their past lives?”
“That’s true,” Qi conceded. “The very oldest ghosts would see the same souls appear repeatedly. Though maybe they wouldn’t notice if the souls were in different bodies. It’s a weak theory, which is why I’m researching it. I’d happily switch to a more convincing hypothesis if I found one.”
“How intriguing.” Harriet could feel sweat trickling down her brow. One more flight of stairs and they’d be at the basement. She was so close.
“How is Harriet, then?” Qi asked. “She’s a troubled one. I think there’s been a lot of disturbance in her life.”
“She’s fine, actually. Misunderstood, more than anything.” Harriet tried not to sound too offended. The muscles of her upper back tensed as she hid her intense concentration.
They turned the corner to the stairs outside the basement. Harriet was so busy concentrating on keeping Rima’s face that it was only when Qi said, “Hello, little one!” that Harriet noticed the fox sitting on the stairs.
Cody was stretched out, licking her paw. Harriet froze in her tracks.
“That’s your fox, isn’t it?” Qi crouched down to the spirit. Cody sniffed her hand politely, then stared at Harriet, perplexed.
“I’m not sure,” Harriet said weakly. Her feet were changing back. She was losing Rima, bit by bit. “We’d better hurry, before Harriet manages to escape.”
When she took a step past Cody, the fox growled, deep in her throat. She raised her hackles.
Surprised, Qi said, “Rima, I’ve never heard her make that noise before! Do you think she’s ill?”
Harriet laughed. “Oh, it’s just a game we play. Come on!” The transformation was creeping up her calves now. She was gaining height as her legs grew longer, pyjama bottoms rising up her calves. She straddled two steps to try and hide the height difference. As soon as the change reached her chest, she was done for. Harriet’s body was a completely different shape to Rima’s. There was no way that Qi wouldn’t notice.
She tried to move past Cody, but the fox snapped at her, fast and quick. Harriet jumped back, pressing herself against the wall.
“Oh!” Qi said. “That doesn’t seem like a very fun game!”
She was going to work it out any second. Harriet grabbed her elbow, guiding her past the snarling fox and down the last few steps to the basement door.
Harriet hesitated, unsure if she could actually do this. Then she caught sight of Norma, watching from the shadows. She mimed a pushing motion at Harriet, a fierce look on her face. Harriet’s hesitation disappeared.
Qi was still looking back over her shoulder at Cody. “Are you—?”
Harriet shoved her through the basement door. There was a flash of light as she passed through the barrier, and Qi made a small, frightened whimper. That was all it took for
