Spooky Business (The Spectral Files #3) - S.E. Harmon Page 0,53

her tongue. “Do you know anyone who might be a five?”

“Did you check the cousins? Maybe Sage is… Oh, wait.” I recalculated and shook my head. “Danny is a five.”

“Oh, good.” She beamed as she held out the charm. “Give this to him, then. Everyone should have something with their soul number on it.”

“He’s not much of a jewelry person….” She looked like she was gearing up for an argument, so I tucked it in my pocket. “I’ll give it to him.”

She must’ve picked up on something in my tone because she set the mail on the table and stood. “Rain, would you mind helping me water my plants?”

Figures. I wanted to talk about something serious, and my twin wanted to chat about lawn care. “Sure, why not?” My tone was decidedly sarcastic as she approached. “It’s not like I had anything important to talk about.”

She twisted my ear as she passed, and I let out a little yelp. I growled, rubbing my ear, but followed her obediently with no more sass. She led the way to the back of the house, where a hatch led up to the roof.

I helped her pull down the ladder and then followed her up and onto the roof. The grass was plush and soft, even under my shoes. Rows of plants lined the edge in ceramic pots she’d made herself. There was a beautiful yellow bird bathing itself in the birdbath, adding to the picturesque atmosphere.

“She comes by nearly every day. Rick thinks she’s too loud, but I think the noise is rather cheery,” Sky said, with a smile, settling herself on the ground. “I call her Meryl Cheep. It’s like medicine for your spirits, don’t you think?”

As if in agreement, the bird chirruped loudly, and I winced. “I guess I’m in the control group. So, where’s the hose?”

“We don’t use a hose. We use rainwater we collect in a barrel. That was just an excuse so we could be alone, Sherlock.” She patted the ground next to her invitingly. “Now what happened?”

With a regretful look at my tailored slacks, I lowered myself to the grass, sitting next to her. I copied her position, folding my legs and resting my elbows on my knees. “What would you say about a ghost taking over my body?”

“Seriously?” Her lower lip stuck out in a pout that was, quite frankly, ridiculous. “Dude, you get all the fun.”

“Not exactly what I’d call it. Dude.”

She still looked a little too jazzed at the prospect of a ghost wearing me like a skin. “So what was it like?”

I struggled to come up with words to accurately depict the experience, but nothing seemed quite right. “It’s hard to describe. It was almost like he seeped into me somehow. Strangest experience of my life.” Reliving it, even in my mind, made actual goose bumps pop up on my forearms. I rubbed them briskly. “It was like I wasn’t in control anymore of my mind or body.”

“Hmm.” She chewed on her lower lip as she thought. “My first inclination is that it was some type of metempsychosis.”

“What?”

“Metempsychosis,” she repeated loudly.

“Yes, because putting more emphasis on the word makes it have meaning,” I said dryly. “What is it?”

“A transmigration of souls. It’s a common belief in many cultures that the soul can pass from one body to another.”

“Like reincarnation.”

“In a sense. The cycle of rebirth is eternal unless the soul is released—moksha.” At my blank look, she repeated the strange word. “Moksha.”

“God bless you.”

She let out a long-suffering sigh. “Anyway, while the idea of metempsychosis is tempting, I’m leaning more toward a psychic intrusion. Unless the medium develops a strong boundary between themselves and the outside world, you act like a psychic sponge.” She paused. “What did he show you?”

“He was arguing with someone he knew well. Some kid he’d shown special interest in from his job as a social worker.”

“And this kid. What was he so upset about?” She looked at me expectantly, and when I hesitated, her face fell. “Oh no.”

“I’m not sure any of it is true. I think the kid was just trying to get back at Joey in the only way he could think of.”

“Have you talked to Dakota about this?”

“He’s got me wearing this amulet.” I lifted the stone. It seemed to glow briefly, but it was probably a trick of the light. “I wish I could take the damned thing off for a little while—”

“You absolutely will not. Isn’t that right?” When I didn’t answer quickly