Ghost Betweens (12 page)

"Did you see that?" he asked.

"I did. She was a ghost, but she didn't feel like the others we've seen."

They stood up and tried to find her, but she'd vanished. Josh reached out to feel her presence, but nothing came to him. He guessed Whisper did the same, with similar results.

"Do you remember the ghosts you used to see when you were a kid?" she asked after a minute.

"Sort of, but not really, if that makes any sense."

"Perfect sense. I'm the same way. But I do remember the peaceful feeling most of them gave me when they were around. That's exactly what I felt when she walked by."

Josh hadn't noticed, but he was just glad he hadn't felt anything bad, so he nodded. "I guess that's another thing to tell Mr. Baxter after school. Hopefully ghosts aren't inundating the school."

*****

As they walked to Mr. Baxter's class after school, Whisper told Josh she tried to explain to Mr. Baxter about the ghost during fifth period, but he had given her a look that screamed, "Not here." She didn't know what kind of trouble he'd get into talking about this during school hours, or even how anyone would know, but she certainly felt at that moment like he'd get into some. Josh had no answers, either.

Mr. Baxter sat at his desk, waiting for them. Before they were even halfway across the room, he said, "Remember our deal. We don't talk about any of this during school hours unless it's life or death."

"Sorry," Whisper said. "It had just happened, so I thought you should know."

"Not a problem. You caught on quick enough. So now tell me. What happened?"

"We were eating lunch behind the science building when a ghost walked right past us," Whisper said.

"She totally ignored us," Josh added.

"Could you tell anything about her? Did you try reading her?"

They both shook their heads. "It happened so fast," Whisper said.

"By the time we even realized what was going on, she was gone. She didn't feel evil or anything."

"She gave me a peaceful feeling," Whisper said.

Mr. Baxter nodded as they talked. "Remember what I said earlier? For the rest of your lives, now that this part of you has been opened, you'll see spirits. Most of the time it'll happen just like that. Most spirits don't really know they're dead, and they're just working through their daily existence. When you have similar encounters, don't worry about it. You might have time to do a reading, and sometimes you'll hear how you can help send the spirit on, but most often it'll happen just like today. I guess all I can say is get used to it."

"So it wasn't sent by the demon," Josh said. "But what about the one last night? The one that attacked me?"

"I don't think so. I'm not sold on the fact that she could send one out after you or the driveway of the farm wouldn't be the save haven you say it is. I have a feeling this was just a bad spirit who fed on anger. How was your mom after it left?"

"Fine," he said. "She was apologetic and didn't even make a big deal out of the bruises on my neck, though I could tell she wanted to."

Mr. Baxter nodded. "Good move on the turtleneck, by the way. Handprint bruises would not be a good thing to walk around with."

"Yeah." He scoffed. "But Whisper and I had to put up with people laughing at us all day because they thought she gave me hickeys or something."

"That wasn't fun," she said.

Mr. Baxter tried to hide a smile and said something under his breath. Josh wasn't positive, but it sounded like, "You got to love high school." Then he said, louder, "What did you do for PE today?"

"I told Coach Martin I wasn't feeling well, and he didn't make me dress."

"Good, good. Tell you what. I'll talk to Coach Martin and tell him I need you in my 6th period class the rest of the week. That'll keep you from having to show off your bruises. Okay?"

"Yeah, that'll work. Thanks, Mr. Baxter."

"Anyway," Mr. Baxter continued, "your mom likely was in a bad mood before she got home, and this spirit latched onto it. You did an excellent job in keeping your head and not fighting back. If you'd have lost your temper and sparred with your mom with that ghost there, you'd have had a long, drawn out fight that could have lasted for days. The spirit would have sat back, continued feeding the bad moods, and reveled in it all."

"She was in a bad mood last week, too, and I swore I felt a presence. Could it have been the same ghost?"

"Certainly. There are nasty spirits that wallow in chaos. This one might have been visiting for years intermittently, but decided to come back yesterday for a big feast since you're now putting out so much power now."

"Are those types of spirits common?" Whisper asked.

"Luckily not. People get into enough heated arguments on their own."

He bent down and retrieved something from under his desk. "While you two have built in protection, it doesn't extend to non-Ghost Betweens. And since you're both now spirit magnets, I want you to have these. They'll help keep spirits out of your house and from bothering your families."

He handed them each a thick strand of what looked to be common thread. When Josh got it into his hands, a shock ran through him. "Whoa, what is it?"

Whisper had a strange look on her face as she examined hers. She must've felt the same thing.

"It might not look like much, but it repels ghosts and other supernatural beings."

"How will one little piece of string protect the whole house?"

"Tonight, when everyone else has gone to bed, I want you to sneak over to your front door with this talisman." He handed them both a 3x5 card with some writing on it. "Don't read that yet. Wait until tonight. Any reading will dilute the power."

Josh had already glanced at his real quick, but none of the words made sense, so he doubted he did any harm. As he stuffed it in his wallet, he asked, "Are those words even English?"

"No. But when you begin the ceremony, your mouths will form the words with no problem, even if your brains can't comprehend what's being said."

"Wait, ceremony?" Whisper asked. "Do we have to burn incense or candles or anything?"

Mr. Baxter shook his head. "The ceremony consists of you laying down your talisman at the foot of the door, and then reading your card aloud. Once you finish, it'll disappear, and your entire house, as well as most of your yard, will be protected."

"Do we need to wait until midnight?"

"No, you can do it right when you get home if the house is empty. I was just suggesting you sneak down when everyone's gone to bed so you won't be interrupted. If you start the ceremony but stall before you're done, you can do it later, but the power will be diluted."

They both nodded. Sounded easy enough to Josh, and he could do it whenever he wanted since his mom wouldn't be getting home until after eight tonight.

"Now, let's get into the main focus of today," Mr. Baxter said. "Getting you two up to speed on your shared powers. Do you remember what they are?"

"We can stun ghosts," Josh said.

"And we can make them run away," Whisper said.

"And if we concentrate harder, we can eradicate them," Josh finished.

Mr. Baxter nodded. "Good. Let's get to your training."

"Are there ghosts here?" Whisper asked. "I don't feel any."

"No, but I'll be able to tell how you're doing by the amount of power you throw off. If I can sense it, the ghosts will be affected."

"We were afraid you were just going to toss us into the farm and say do it," Whisper said.

"Not this time. This will take some practice. Possibly days worth." A glint shone in his eyes. "But you two might get it right away. You did stun those ghosts without any practice."

"What were they?" Josh asked. "The farmer said he was the second in command."

"He's a step between a ghost and a demon. She created him. Or, more appropriately, gave him power. He keeps a firm grip on the spirits in the fields past the barn for her."

"Seriously, Mr. Baxter, how do you know all this?" Josh asked.

"We don't have time today, Mr. Hart."

"So let's make time."

"Please, Mr. Baxter," Whisper said. "We trust you, but this would all be so much easier if we didn't have to go on a leap of faith."

Mr. Baxter looked like he was going to argue, but instead gave a big sigh. "Fine. You're right. I do owe you an explanation. Especially since I'm not able to help. Physically, at least.

"I'm a demonologist. I'm the one who trapped that demon on the farm."

"A demonologist?" Josh asked. "What does that mean? You study demons?"

"Essentially, yes," Mr. Baxter said. "And at times I need to take a more hands-on approach, like when I learned this demon existed."

"Wait, does that mean you're not really a teacher?" Whisper asked.

"I assure you, Ms. Douglas, I'm a dedicated teacher, as well. In fact, a high school is the perfect place for me to spend most of my days."

"Let me guess," Josh said. "Because it's full of demons."

The three shared a laugh.

"No, Mr. Hart. I think the demons know better than to get that close to so many surly, hormonal teenagers. They're smarter than us teachers, that's for sure."

"Oh, ha-ha, Mr. Baxter," Whisper said, rolling her eyes. "Two of the surly, hormonal teenagers are right here."

"I'm teasing, Ms. Douglas, I'm teasing. No, the reason it's great for me to be here is because I'm in the center of a huge news and rumor depot. If something strange happens around town and I don't hear about it from a fellow teacher, chances are a student will clue me in with all the details I could ever need. That's how I found out the demon was again rising, after all. By listening to you and Mr. Riley, Mr. Hart." He paused. "Of course I knew something was up since the second Ghost Between was starting school here the next day. But then again, it proves my point. If I was a university professor, as many of my colleagues are, I wouldn't have had as easy of access to you both."

"So fine," Josh said. "It's good that you're a teacher. But how did you trap her before? And why can't you go back now? Especially since you won."

"It's a story that'd take hours to be told properly. Just know that I found a binding spell which would unravel if I were to return. And before you ask, no, it won't work again. She'll be ready for it."

"Why would you cast something like that?" Whisper asked. "Didn't you know that you might need to go back one day? Or that she might figure out a way to escape?"

"That's the thing about magic, especially powerful spells. There is a give and take involved. Another one might not have been powerful enough. Or if it was, its price might have been too high. No, this was the only spell for that situation. At least the only one I could find.

"Anyway, that's enough for now. You two need to start your training."

"What do we do?" Whisper asked.

"Face each other and clasp hands."

They did so. Josh's stomach fluttered a bit, but not enough to break his concentration. Whisper gave him a shy smile.

"Think about getting the ghosts to run. Quickly. Keep thinking it, machine gun style. Think it as fast as you can."

Josh closed his eyes and let that thought run through his head. He felt some sort of power pass between them, like a warm sensation that danced from his elbow, down to his hands, and then move to her. It came back a second or two later and continued. He peeked to see if there was anything visible on their arms, but there wasn't.

"Good," Mr. Baxter said. "But that's not enough power to drive the ghosts off for long. When they're all around you, your adrenaline will amplify it, but we can't take the chance. Did you feel energy passing between you both?"

Josh said, "Yeah. It was like a warm buzz going from elbow to elbow." Whisper nodded at that explanation.

"All right. Concentrate on that. Concentrate on sending the ghosts away and on the buzz. The more you focus on that power moving through you, the stronger your pulse will be. Go for it."

They closed their eyes again, and the power came back. Josh thought about sending ghosts away while trying to feel the warm energy. It grew hotter, bigger, and moved all the way to his shoulder. It took an extra second or two to get back to him when it transferred to Whisper, so he figured it must be moving to her shoulder, too.

"Okay, that's fine," Mr. Baxter said. "Really impressive, actually. You two will do great. Once you get the hang of it, it'll be instantaneous. Now that you have the ghosts on the run, there's time to banish them. The phrase that most Ghost Betweens favor is, "I remove you from our realm." Start with that, and as you become more comfortable with your powers, you can change it up. Later on you might be able to say something as simple as "leave." But try it my way first."

They squeezed hands a bit tighter, and Josh ran that phrase through his head. The ball of energy, still warm, stayed at his elbow. After a few seconds, it grew a few inches, and then exploded off of him.

"That was weird," Whisper said. "Hot but ticklish."

"Again, good, but not quite enough. Did the energy grow before it left you?"

Josh nodded. "A little bit."

"A little bit is okay, but you two can do better. This time, just like with the last one, concentrate on that energy. Make it grow. It should encompass your entire arm, from fingers to shoulder. Try again."

They did, and this time the energy grew up Josh's entire arm before blowing off. He felt a shock wave leave them, though they were undisturbed in the center. His eyes flew open, and he checked around the room, expecting everything to be blown asunder. Nothing looked disturbed.

"Excellent," Mr. Baxter said. "That would have nabbed any ghost around."

"That seemed easy," Whisper said, a tinge of disbelief in her voice. "Why does it take some Ghost Betweens days?"

"Never mind that. Just know that you did great. You're not perfect yet, but that'll come soon. As long as you don't get cocky."

"Should we go practice at the farm?" Josh asked.

Mr. Baxter glanced up at the clock. "Yeah. I'm due in a meeting, so practice a few more times here, and then head over there. Remember, think about what you're doing, and concentrate on that energy. Stunning or chasing away the ghosts will be instant once you get the hang of it, but you'll need to build up the energy for a banishing each time. Don't get flustered, and you'll be fine. Email me how it goes when you get home."