The following week, I’d attended a small funeral service for Mrs. Wilkes with my dad and Aunt Elena and the Wilkeses’ immediate family. Even Jason and Hannah had been given permission to leave school early for the service.
I’d just walked in our front door from visiting Mom’s grave where I’d finished reading The Graveyard Book. I tossed my backpack on the floor by the hall tree, suddenly glad I wasn’t like Bod. He’d lost both his parents when he was too young to remember them. At least I had Dad. And I knew my mother. I’d always remember her. I’d always love her.
Raised voices stopped me. I checked my watch: four o’clock. Dad wasn’t due home until six.
The voices definitely belonged to a man and a woman. I hoped I didn’t have a new ghost problem to deal with—not yet, anyway. Frank was supposed to officially start my apprenticeship on Monday. Then there’d be no more regular school for me; I’d be off to an apprenticeship to learn how to be a professional psychic. I wouldn’t miss Billy or David or being badgered to rejoin the team. But I was still a little sad. Oh, well. At least the OPI wasn’t going to force me to attend a psychic boarding school out of state. They’d agreed that under my “special circumstance” of becoming psychic after age ten, and having a master Class A Psychic like Frank Martinez around to teach me, that I could stay in New Orleans and learn from the best. And I’d still get to see Hannah and Jason in the afternoons.
A deep-chested chuckle followed by a high-pitched tittering laugh pulled me from my thoughts. It was Mrs. Wilson’s laugh. Don’t tell me she could actually have ghost friends over to visit.
I frowned and went up to my room.
Mrs. Wilson sat sprawled comfortably on my bed, and there, in the corner chair, perched Janitor Thomas.
“Mr. Thomas.” I’d been so upset he’d sacrificed himself to save me from Mr. Wilkes, but in all the recent excitement I’d nearly forgotten to ask Frank about helping him.
“Hello, there, Alex.” Mr. Thomas smiled, the bullet holes still oozing blood onto his crisp white shirt.
They didn’t look so scary anymore, and neither did Mr. Thomas. I ran up and hugged him—or tried to. My arms slid right through him, leaving a slimy chill. I had yet to learn to touch a ghost. So, I shrugged and we all laughed.
“Where did you go?” I asked him and pulled out the journal Frank had given me with the command to write down everything I learned about the other side.
Mr. Thomas scratched his head. “I don’t entirely know. It was dark and cold. Somewhere in between, I think.”
“In between?” I asked.
Mr. Thomas and Mrs. Wilson shared a knowing look, which sort of irked me, but I didn’t say anything. I wanted to understand. So, I wrote it down in my new notebook: in between?
“In between here and there.” Mr. Thomas rose to his feet and began to disappear.
“Where are you going?” Alarm lilted my voice.
“Back to school, child.” His brilliant white teeth nearly glowed against his dark skin. “Back to school.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “I—er, I mean can I help you cross over?”
“Maybe someday, Alex. But for now, it’s back to school. I love it too much to leave.” And with that Mr. Thomas faded away.
I turned to Mrs. Wilson, who was now politely seated on the edge of my bed. As much as I didn’t want to let her go, being like a surrogate mom and all, I knew she had business on the other side. “And what about you?” I asked with a gulp. “I can help you, Mrs. Wilson?”
“I know you can, Alex. You’re a good boy. Such a good boy.” She patted my arm, leaving the usual icy feeling on my skin. “And if you’d have found me a year ago, I’d have said yes in a snap.” She clicked her translucent fingers together, making a clicking sound.
My chest tightened and I clenched my teeth. Nope. I wouldn’t cry. It was my job. My duty to help spirits cross over, and I would help Mrs. Wilson.
Mrs. Wilson reached out toward me, but stopped just shy of touching me. “But not now, Alex. I’m not ready anymore.”
“What do you mean?” I sat next to her with a mixture of relief and confusion.
“Well, for years and years I waited for my son to come home. Never mind that he moved away years ago.”
I tried to say something to comfort her, but she cut me off. “It’s okay. I’m sure he grew up and had a family, which is as it should be.”
The sadness in her voice made my heart ache. If only I could give her son back to her. But that was impossible. I could maybe find out where he’d gone, but I couldn’t give him back to her. Not any more than she could give my mom back to me.
She patted my leg and I shivered. “I’ll see him again one day, Alex. One day, when I’m ready, you can help me cross into the light. And when he arrives, I’ll be waiting for him.”
“But why not now?” I asked, hoping she would really stay.
“I’ve got you now.” She smiled. “And with all the fuss about your being psychic and all, and your daddy still getting used to the idea, I figure you’re going to need me.”
An uncertain tinge of happiness spread through my chest. I had Frank and Aunt Elena and Hannah and Jason, but having a ghost on my team would certainly be a benefit. A big smile crept onto my face; I could have hugged Mrs. Wilson if my arms didn’t slip through her. Maybe someday I’d be able to touch her like she seemed to be able to touch me. Then the doorbell rang.
“You’d better get that.”
I nodded and got to my feet. “Thanks, Mrs. Wilson.”
She cocked her head to one side. “For what?”
“For staying.”
Hannah and Jason were at the door, both with school backpacks slung over their shoulders.
“X, you’re so lucky you don’t have to go back to school.” Jason pushed past me into the house and headed straight for the kitchen.
Hannah laughed and we followed Jason to the fridge. “The whole school knows what you did with the Wilkeses now. Nobody can believe you’re actually psychic,” she said in that smug way only Hannah can.
Jason pulled open the refrigerator door. He took out a cold piece of pizza and shoved it in his mouth. “Well, get on wit’ it,” he mumbled through his mouthful.
Hannah rolled her eyes. “You’re totally disgusting when you do that.”
Jason chewed a couple times then opened his mouth wide.
“G-ross.” Hannah set down her backpack and unzipped it.
Jason kept chewing loudly.
I laughed.
“We brought something for you.” Hannah handed me a black box tied with a brilliant blue ribbon. “It’s from both of us to help with the start of your new adventure.”
She gestured to the box and Jason stopped chewing, waiting for me to open it.
“Er, thanks,” I said. “I didn’t expect anything.” My friends were the best.
“Oh, just open it.” Hannah stomped her foot.
I tugged off the blue ribbon and opened the box. There inside, lying on a black velvet bed, was a beautiful new Nazar Boncuğu.
It wasn’t Mom’s—it was slightly smaller, and the coloring wasn’t quite as bright blue. But it was brilliant just the same because it came from two of the people I loved most. My cousin and my best friend.
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Read on for a sneak peek of Ghost Hunters: Pirates’ Curse (Book 2 in the Ghost Hunters series), and you can order it now!