School Spirits - By Rachel Hawkins Page 0,30

all kinds of wrong information about ghosts. If Mary Evans was stuck in this place, all the justice in the world wouldn’t make her leave. She’d keep hanging around until someone put her to rest.

Romy shut down the computer. “So I’m thinking séance?”

My head shot up. “Wait, what?”

“We can contact Mary Evans through a séance,” Anderson said. He nodded to the corner of the room, where a Ouija board, still in its box, sat on one of the desks. “See if we can talk to her, figure out if she’s here. Maybe this weekend?”

Crap. I didn’t know who invented Ouija boards, but whoever that guy was, he was a jerk. This place already had one dangerous spirit floating around; it didn’t need something else called forth from a Ouija board.

“Are you guys sure that’s the best idea? I mean, Ouija boards don’t work, right?”

Anderson looked like I’d just insulted his grand-mother. “Of course they work. I mean, we’ve never tried one before, but on TV—”

“On TV, EMP readers work,” Dex threw in. “And in reality, yours just has a lot of blinky lights.”

“I’ve only had it for a few weeks, so we don’t really know what the blinky lights do yet,” Anderson replied, and Dex raised his hands in surrender.

“Boys.” Romy sighed with a weariness that told me this wasn’t the first time she’d stopped their squabbling. “Anderson’s EMP reader is awesome and a very valuable tool for this club. And so is that Ouija board. So. As soon as I can find a free night when I don’t have to babysit my brothers, we are going to get our séance on.”

Dex snorted. “So will be doing the séance next summer, then?” To me, he added, “Romy is forever babysitting her little monsters.”

He said it so easily, but most Prodigium I knew hate the term “monster.” They find it offensive, and would never use it in casual conversation. Once again, I wondered just what the heck Dex was.

Sighing, he sat up and thumped his feet to the ground. “I for one cannot wait to hear the thrilling story behind why Mary Evans decided to upgrade from opening locker doors to attempted murder.”

Romy ignored him and held up her hand for a high five. “So, Izzy Brannick, are you ready for your first experience with the paranormal?”

I slapped her palm, not sure whether I should laugh or cry. “As I’ll ever be.”

CHAPTER 13

“I don’t think Everton really loves her.”

“Of course he does,” I told Torin around a mouthful of SpaghettiOs. “I mean, he gave up his dream of sailing across the world so that he could take her to prom. That has to mean something.”

It was Friday night, and Torin and I were sitting in my room—well, I was. He was chilling in the mirror as usual, waiting for Mom to get home. When I’d come in from school, there’d been a note saying she’d be back later and I should fend for myself as far as dinner went. Hence the SpaghettiOs.

“No, I’ve known rogues like this Everton. He merely wants Leslie because he cannot have her. Once she succumbs to his charms, he’ll tire of her.”

I pointed my spoon at the screen, where Everton and Leslie were currently locked in a pretty passionate embrace. “Think she’s already succumbed.”

“Bah,” Torin said with a wave of his hand. “Mark my words, he’ll discard her before this disk is completed.”

I just shrugged, more interested in watching Everton and Leslie kiss than listening to Torin. I wondered if I’d ever have the chance to kiss someone. Didn’t seem likely with all the monster hunting and family angst, but still. Kissing looked…nice.

“We could try that, next time I visit your dreams,” Torin suddenly said, and my SpaghettiOs sloshed over the side of the bowl.

“What?”

Torin nodded toward the television. “Kissing. You’ve never done it, I’m quite good at it…seems like we should at least make an attempt.”

Glaring at him, I scrubbed at the spot on my T-shirt. “I don’t want to kiss you.”

Raising his eyebrows, Torin leaned forward. “Do you not? Why?”

I sat my bowl on the desk, no longer interested in eating. “First of all, you’re an evil warlock trapped in a mirror, and secondly, it would be…weird.”

He shrugged. “Not unless you wanted it to be.”

I had no idea what that even meant, so I just turned back to the TV. “I’ve known you my whole life,” I told him, keeping my eyes on Everton and Leslie. “You basically used to babysit me when Mom