Ghost: Books of the Dead - Fantasy Best Seller and Supernatural Teen Book: (Ghost, Occult, Supernatural, Occult and Supernatural) (12 page)

Denise looked reluctant to do her share of the work and just sat in front of Emily staring out the window. Emily passed her the notebook where she had taken down the notes and asked Denise to go through them.

“We need to complete this fast,” Emily then quickly added.

Both the girls redoubled their efforts. No one uttered a thing before a pair of footstep broke the silence. Emily didn’t turn back or look to see who it was. She was too immersed in her work, but Denise was keen to any distraction. She turned around to trace who was approaching from the library entrance.

“You?” a familiar voice said.

Emily still didn’t bother to look up, assuming that Denise might be talking on the phone. Yet, the voice was absolutely familiar. It was Jamie, who was now standing close to Emily. She patted her on the back to get the blonde-haired girl’s attention. This time, she turned around and was a little taken aback upon finally seeing Jamie. She had almost given up on Jamie arriving or bringing any news to her, but there she was standing with a quaint smile on her pink lips. Emily noticed her friend’s foxy eyes glowing like they held an answer, and there was an odd impatience in her touch.

Denise didn’t know about Emily’s secret meeting with Jamie, so she looked at them both suspiciously. Denise seemed bothered by the unlikely bond between them. It seemed to come out of nowhere and both girls were complete opposites. Emily was intellectual and standoffish, while Natalie was light-hearted and social. Denise was obviously not very fond of Jamie, and didn’t seem particularly happy about her presence at that moment.

She said condescendingly, “You two are friends?” And a second later added, “...now?”

Emily didn’t want to divulge anything nor did she feel compelled to. She had a hard time trusting Jamie already and telling Denise every detail was a mammoth task. She knew Denise wasn’t always truthful with her as well. It was none of her business, but Denise was clever and intelligent. She turned on Emily.

“Are you just trying to get information from her about Grace or your missing books?”  Denise asked.

Emily said, “Denise, it’s unrelated so you don’t have to bother.”

“It’s not unrelated Emily, and you know that.” She looked back and forth between the two girls. “Otherwise, what business do you have with someone who is known to be the gossip queen of the university?”

“Denise, you’re supposed to be helping me with the assignment and what I need Jamie for is none of your business,” Emily said, her voice rising a bit.

“You came to me and Keisha and involved us,” Denise reminded her, “and Grace is our friend, too. So don’t say it’s not my business.” Denise was getting louder as well, and she had anger laced in her voice.

Natalie just stood there and seemed to enjoy the little spat between the girls. She chewed her gum and bounced on her toes. They were also starting to draw attention from the other students in the library.

“You are being unreasonable, Denise. Yes, I talked to you and Keisha the other day, but that doesn’t mean I have to tell you what business I have with Jamie now.”

“Of course, go ahead, but this won’t end well,’ she warned.

“What is wrong with you today? Minutes ago you were fine, but now you’re threatening me.” Emily was not used to such behavior and especially from Denise. It was true that she was taking interest in different things lately, but that didn’t explain the harsh way she spoke to her. “Denise!” Emily pleaded, but she didn’t answer her.

Emily looked back at Jamie who was a mere spectator. She was content to let the entire situation play out in front of her eyes. She didn’t even care that it was taking place in the library. She just patiently waited for the argument to end, as if she had more important things to tell.

Emily didn’t want to create a scene, but it was already too late. She motioned with her head for Jamie to go and wait for her at the other end of the library. There were less people there and perhaps they could find some more privacy. “Wait for me near the archive,” she told her softly, but Denise didn’t miss that.

“Now you can’t even say things in front of me. You have changed, Emily,” Denise said in an unfriendly tone.

Emily wanted to tell her that something had changed, but it was the other way around. It was Denise who was acting differently and was not herself lately. However, Emily held her tongue. Arguing with her at that moment would be futile. Emily knew that they would never come to a mutual understanding, especially not at that moment. Besides, they had to finish the assignment together and a fight would only complicate their task. So she suppressed her true thoughts and instead said, “Denise, let’s at least not fight in here while we are working on this assignment and …..”

“Leave it there,” Denise interrupted. “You won’t hear a thing from me. I’ll do my part, the only part that is required of me.’’ That was the last thing Denise said.

“I’ll come and work with you once I am done speaking with Jamie, so wait for me, okay?” Emily said, in a much softer tone of voice.

Emily waited for Denise to answer, but as expected, Denise didn’t say a thing. Instead, she kept her head low and went on writing something vehemently on her notepad. Emily shook her head and regretted what just happened.

She walked over to where Jamie was supposed to be waiting for her, and on the way she met the same girl with odd green eyes. She was sitting in the exact same position that she was sitting earlier, staring blankly into space. Emily walked past her, giving just a fleeting glance. 

“Hey,” Jamie called out, “... over here.”

“Sorry about Denise,” Emily said to apologize, but Jamie stopped her midway.

“Save it, you don’t have to apologize to me because of her; I know why she’s not so fond of me.”

Emily wanted to ask why, but decided against it at the last moment. After Denise’s cold behavior, she thought it best not to provoke the situation any further. Denise had a bad temper and the last thing Emily wanted to do was fan the flames. 

“I thought you weren't coming,” Emily told Natalie, “and I must admit that I’m relieved.”

“Of course, I had to come. I have news to give you and also I wanted to see the letter that you received yesterday. Did you bring it?” Jamie inquired.

“Yes, I did. I’ll show it to you.”

She started taking out the folded piece of paper from her pocket and then handed it over to Jamie. The young girl looked at it with precise detailing, and Emily saw the concentration in her eyes.

“So what do you think?” Emily asked after a few minutes had passed.

“I talked with a few people,” she began, “but I didn’t hear of anyone who had received anonymous packages or letters before, not even the one who saw the ghost,” Jamie stated.

“Today, a few hours ago, when I was stuck with my assignment, I saw an old librarian. She was dressed quite differently and looked shabby, but she helped me out with an assignment book. I thought she was today’s replacement for Mr. Mitchell. When I told Denise about it, she said that she was the spirit of the old librarian. What is going on? Please tell me!” Emily begged.

“You saw her? I told you about her spirit lurking in the nooks and corners of the library, but you actually saw her. This is real!” Jamie exclaimed, sounding enthusiastic.

”You believe it?” balked Emily. “Jamie, you are supposed to help me so please don’t say it is real. Denise must be teasing me.” Emily sounded frail.

“I’m sorry, Emily, but it’s true. Denise didn’t lie. I told you about it the other day, don’t you remember? And if I’m not mistaken, the student who saw her only did for a brief moment, not like you.” Jamie sounded convincing.

“This cannot be real,” Emily kept telling herself. She didn’t believe Jamie the first time, and didn’t believe what her own eyes either. She certainly didn’t believe what Denise told her, and she didn’t want to believe what she was hearing Jamie say this very moment.
Am I just in denial about all this
, she asked herself? “Who else saw her? Other than the person you told me about, was there someone else? Tell me Jamie.”

“It was Mia—she saw her,” Natalie explained. “I heard this from a friend. At that time nobody quite believed her, although the rumor of the old student always existed. Some people say that Mia was different back then, but she started taking interest in witchcraft and spells after she saw what she claims was a ghost in the library,” Jamie said, letting out what she knew in a single breath.

“Mia,” Emily uttered the name and realized that Denise, being Mia’s friend must’ve known about the incident. “So that’s why she was so sure about the ghost,” she muttered.

“You said something?” Jamie asked.

“Does anyone else know about this apart from the friend who told you?” Emily asked, desperate to seek more answers.

“Emily, there are many people who know that someone saw the ghost, but no one’s that sure who it is,” Jamie answered.

“Did you know about this?”

“A little, but I never paid much attention to it. Ghost rumors are so common today, they don't interest me.”

“So anyone can pretend and play a joke; that is possible, right? Maybe they’re the ones who sent me the letter.” Emily looked up at Jamie expectantly.

“I’m not ruling that out, but why would anyone want to scare you? You are hardly that popular,” Natalie explained with a flip of her hair. She winced and looked like she regretted saying the last part.

Emily didn’t seem to mind because she had bigger problems to deal with. Winning a popularity contest was not one of them. Emily knew she had Natalie on a roll and was successfully able to win her trust. Now, it was time to milk the gossip queen for everything she’s worth. Before she could ask anything else, Natalie grabbed her arm.

“Did you tell anyone about this letter?” Jamie questioned further.

“I went to talk to Keisha yesterday about this, because she knew about the anonymous delivery of the previous packages. Mia and Denise were present when I went. It seemed like they were hiding something from me. I don’t know what it was, but I’m sure they were reading something when I entered their room. They had such guilty looks on their faces and immediately closed the book when they saw me,” Emily said with an air of exasperation.

“Are you sure that you’re not thinking too much into this?” Jamie asked, trying to reason with Emily.

“No, something is not right, Jamie. I know it. Why did you ask me to meet you here today? What did you find out?”

“Not much, but it turns out that your Mr. Mitchell was indeed a student here at the university. Not many people know about it, but I have my source. I believe that for some reason it’s been covered up, like nobody is supposed to know about it.”

“But why is that? What is there to hide about it?”

‘‘You didn’t expect me to find everything in one day, did you? Looking into the past of one professor is not easy, and we have to be very careful about it, too. Do you know what might happen if this gets out? Plus, your friend already knows that we’re meeting. We’re kind of on thin ice,” Natalie said. “One more thing, Mr. Mitchell knows something, too. Don’t believe everything you see with him. That’s all I’m saying. Anyway, I have to go and you need to complete your assignment, so I’ll talk to you later.” Jamie started to leave, but Emily called her back.

“Wait, what about Mr. Mitchell,” Emily asked? “I’ve known him for so long, and I’m sure he has nothing to do with this. He has his own son to take care of and he’s too old to be a part of anything.”

Emily defended Mr. Mitchell again like she always used to do. Jamie was younger than Emily, but she didn’t have much respect for her seniority. She didn’t hesitate to point out a flaw in Emily’s logic as soon as she completed her sentence.

“You are so gullible, aren’t you? What do you know about Mr. Mitchell that makes you so sure about him? Is he that nice to you?”

“Yes, he is all the time,” Emily said, feeling a sense of responsibility towards the librarian.

“Do you know that some of the kids in the library have even heard him talking to himself? He thinks that nobody’s around, but people have seen him getting pretty weird,” she said, circling her head with her finger. “Did you know that he tried to run away from the university once like some little kid?” When Emily didn’t respond, Natalie added, “yeah. When the security guards caught up to him, he acted as if someone was after him? Since then, he walks around the campus all frightened and shy. When Mia saw the ghost, Mr. Mitchell was perfectly calm and acted like it was a common occurrence. She was scared out of her life and swore to never set foot in the library again. Your Mr. Mitchell’s not so clean.”

Emily was adamant and refused to believe what she heard. She calmly said, “Don’t speak about him like that and don’t judge me wither. I have known him for a long time. It's true that he acts strange at times, but you are making him sound like the guilty party. How can he be? He was the one who told me about the argument between Grace and Mr. Gallagher the other day.”

“Then believe what you want. I simply informed you of what I know, and since I agreed to help you, I’ll try to find out about the letter you just received.” Then Jamie walked out of Emily’s sight.

“I don’t believe that Mr. Mitchell is guilty, not him,” Emily kept telling herself. When she turned back to leave, she saw that same girl again with those emerald green eyes standing behind her silently. “Do you need any help?” Emily asked.

The girl didn’t answer, but kept on looking. Emily knew most of the regulars in the library. She used to hang out in the library often, but didn’t recall ever seeing her. Then again, there was that one day when she passed under the window.

“Are you new here? What’s your name?”

The girl stared back with no answer. Her lips gave away nothing and her eyes looked on blankly. Yet, she stood there blocking Emily’s way. There was something strange about her, but Emily was so distracted that she couldn’t figure out what it was.

“Can you move? I have to go, please,” Emily requested. “Who does she think she is?” Emily muttered under her breath when the girl still didn’t move.

It was getting late. She remembered leaving Denise with the assignment and it was her responsibility to complete the next part. Needing to leave, Emily reached toward the girl to move past her. Emily’s hand brushed her for a brief second and it sent chills down her spine. Her skin was as cold as ice.