orange balloons and streamers and all things Halloweeny, like skeletons, pumpkins, and ghosts. We pile a plate with fresh-cut fruit and some veggie sticks, enough to keep me going. "I can't get over how ginormous this place is."
"I know," Stephanie says, snagging a tuna tartare canapé from the nearby tray. "It's been in Mom's family for forever. Dad hated living here, said he always felt unwelcome. Like he was squatting on someone else's property." Her gaze drifts to the distance for a moment, then she snaps back to our convo. "So our relatives used to have all of these exotic balls and events here. I try to keep up the family tradition with my Halloween party. I've been having it since seventh grade. My mom even had her debutante coming-out party here, when she was a teenager. I've fortunately avoided that so far."
I sort of feel like my psychic awakening is my coming-out.
I sit down at my designated spot and hope I won't be like a big loser all night, over here in the corner with no one wanting a reading. Stephanie's so superpsyched to have a real psychic; however, I'm a little wigged out and nervous about doing tarot readings on my own for the first time—without Loreen nearby, that is.
I'm with you, Kendall, Emily reassures me.
Good ol' Em.
Knowing I can reach out to her for backup warms me; my confidence buds.
Soon the room is jumping. It's like the entire student body of RHS has turned out for this party. And no, I'm not a loser sitting in the corner. I have a ton of people lined up for quick tarot readings. Celia and Clay have arrived—decked out as Sherlock Holmes and Watson—and are hanging out with Jason. Celia waves over at me and gives me a thumbs-up. Becca and Dragon are here as well, but they're dressed in their own Goth attire and leather. Gotta give it to them, not giving a shit what people think.
After about an hour and a half of readings, I seriously need a break. Almost on cue, Jason's there and swoops me into his Batman arms. He pulls me out to the middle of the room to the dance floor and we sway to a Kaskade remix.
"I've missed you," he whispers.
"I missed you too."
I love disappearing into Jason's strong embrace. It makes me feel almost ... normal. When I'm with him, he's the only thing I'm concentrating on. There are seldom voices or other people's thoughts swirling around, and I'm not seeing—
"Hey, wait a second." I stiffen in Jason's arms and stop moving.
Why would a kid in Georgia dress up like a Union soldier? You know, the whole dirty-Yankees thing and all. Unless ... is that a genuine Union soldier over in the corner? The outfit is quite realistic, and I don't think the guy is a fellow student; he's got a weathered face, a scraggly close-clipped beard, and he looks older than the rest of us.
"What's wrong, Kendall?" Jason asks with concern in his blue eyes.
"Do you see a kid dressed like a Civil War soldier standing over by the salmon mousse?"
"The salmon what?" he asks.
"Over there. At the table on the end. Some dude dressed as a Union soldier. Don't you see him?"
Jason cranes his neck. "I only see Carmickle over there porking out on the mini-quiches. Which are awesome, by the way."
I swallow the lump in my throat, knowing in my heart of hearts that if Jason can't see the guy, it means only one thing. He's a ghost. And I think I've seen him before.
Over at the refreshment table, which is laden with a veritable smorgasbord, Celia is piling her plate high with goodies.
She crams a dip-covered carrot stick into her mouth and chomps down on it. "The Crawfords really know how to put out a spread."
I touch her arm and get her attention away from the plate of food. "We have company."
"What do you mean?"
"By the back table. A soldier in blue. He's watching me, and I can hear his laughter in my head."
I've definitely heard that laugh before. We've done so many investigations recently that they're all starting to run together, but there's something distinct about this guy ... and the laughter. I have to get to the bottom of this.
Celia hands me her plate, reaches into the pocket of her coat, and withdraws an EMF meter. "I've been getting some extremely high readings here tonight."
I shake my head at my friend. " Who brings an EMF