Young Writers Society

* Note: This is a short story--in the sense it's only supposed to span about twenty pages all told. I didn't think people would want to read that much all at once so I'm splitting it into parts.

-

"Cass, you do it."

I stared at Harry in disbelief as Lily laid out the candles in a circle on the concrete play area. "You've got to be kidding," I told her. "What would make you think I'd be any good at this kind of thing at all?"

Harry grinned at me, her diamond-studded tooth flashing in the moonlight. "Come on, Cassie, everyone agrees you seem to have some kind of sixth sense. All your predictions come true, after all."

I shifted uncomfortably on the cold ground. My twin brother Calvin was always saying that too. "I'm just a lucky guesser, that's all. I can't perform a séance."

Brian slapped me on the back. "Don't hold out on us, Cass! We know you can do it."

Mike pushed his glasses up on his nose somberly--they glinted silver and opaque for just a moment. "A séance is entirely useless without the presence of someone who is more spiritually connected with the Otherworld," he intoned seriously. I rolled my eyes.

"The 'Otherworld,' as you put it, refers to faeries, not ghosts," I reprimanded him. "Guys, I don't want to be the one doing the séance! Make Jeremy do it--or Lily. I bet they'd do fine."

We were all sitting in the dark courtyard of our schoolhouse. My group of friends who I'd dubbed "The Death Dealers" had come to my window around midnight, egging me to join them for some kind of late-night thrill. We'd slipped into the schoolyard underneath the loose links of the western gate, and now everyone was bent on doing a séance. Lily, my recommendation for the séance, was quiet and intense with bright gray eyes and black hair, and she seemed just the type to be in the middle of a candle circle. Not me with my orange hair, periwinkle eyes, and white nightgown! I thought I was more likely to be the ghost.

Jeremy nudged me, one eye blinking from beneath his curtain of black bangs. "Just do it," he muttered softly.

Lily was lighting the candles now, her grave manner suggesting reverence. I rolled my eyes for what seemed the millionth time. "I don't know what to do," I insisted.

"Just call on the spirits that reside here at the school." Lily finally spoke, her eyes meeting mine. "Just say what you feel is right. Every medium is different, after all."

"I'm not a medium!" I protested again, but I stepped into the center of the circle as Lily backed away, skull earrings swinging. Calvin is going to make fun of me when he finds out about this.

Silence fell as everyone arranged themselves in a circle around me and the candles, joining hands. I stared up at the black sky for a moment, watching as the full moon dodged in and out of wispy gray clouds. It was a perfect night for ghosts--nearly Halloween, full moon, the trees bared and skeletal except for the occasional trembling leaf. I shivered in my thin nightgown and began to speak, feeling utterly ridiculous.

"O Spirits that slumber here, I call upon thee!" I spoke as I thought Mike would, trying to use fanciful old language. I paused, staring at Henry's expectant face with irritation, then continued. "All those hurt and forgotten, rise again!" Once again at a loss for words, I closed my eyes.

It was then I started having one of my feelings. Stop. Stop now, I kept on thinking. But then everyone would think I was a coward! I bit my lip and resumed in a low voice, wishing I was still in bed.

"By the Moon that sheds thee with its light and gives power unto the night, Awaken!" A sudden, unexpected desire to actually experience a ghost bloomed within me and my voice faded to a whisper. "Please...if there are any that linger here...come out now. You can come out now." I shuddered again and suddenly, with a sound like a deep sigh, all the candles around my feet went out.

My wonderful, brave friends all screamed and took off as a wind began to howl, shaking the branches of the old oak tree. My heart was pounding as I stood frozen, listening the the lamenting wind. Stop, I thought helplessly. Cassie, there's no reason to be afraid. Ghosts don't exist. I forced myself to kneel down and gather the candles. I hitched my nightgown up to my knees, making a pocket for the candles and piling them in there. I picked up the jacket that Harriet had left and put it on--I'd return it to her later. I walked slowly and purposefully towards the gate where I'd gotten in, shivering. I felt like someone was watching me, but I kept my eyes stubbornly trained on the gate, scared to look anywhere else.

I was just about to crawl back out when I saw something move in the corner of my eye. I spun to see the oak tree bending in the wind. I let out my breath. "See, Cass?" I told myself aloud. "This is why you're an idiot."

And then it happened. A figure stepped out from behind the tree. I couldn't see any features; it was completely shadowed. I lost it. The candles cascaded from my skirt and I took off, tearing through the broken section of fence. My nightgown caught on a link and tore, and the band holding my braid together was snagged off, but I didn't slow down until I was back home and locked safely away in my room.

-

The next day at school was dreary. I was exhausted and a constant drizzling of rain was keeping everything damp and cold. All of my friends were jumpy and giggly and perfectly ridiculous, so I steered clear of them. Who I really wanted with me was my twin brother, Calvin, but he was busy with studying for another test.

I went outside for fresh air during lunch. The grounds were pretty much empty because of the rain and I wandered around enjoying their barrenness. When I came back round front to the play area, there was a girl sitting on the bench. She looked lonely. She was hunched over and soaking wet, a lunchbox next to her dejected form. I walked over to her. "Hey," I said, "are you okay? Can I sit with you?"

She looked up, straightening. She was wearing a cardigan and skirt that were both slightly outdated--no wonder she was out here alone. The people at this school could be cruel. Her face was pretty enough though and she smiled shyly at me and nodded. I sat down on the wet metal bench, wincing as my buttocks were immediately soaked through. "Do you like sitting out here in the rain?" I asked.

She wasn't looking me in the eye. "Not really," she shrugged, her voice barely audible.

"Then why are you out here?" I asked. I felt sorry for this girl; she seemed painfully shy.

"No one wants me around," she sighed.

"Well, that's just ridiculous!" I burst out, my temper getting the better of me. She jumped a little, startled, her eyes widening as I leaned towards her passionately. "I'm sure plenty of people will love to have you around. You're just shy, that's all--right? I bet we could be friends! I'm Cassie. What's you're name?"

"P-Paisley Webber," she stammered, leaning away from me. I grinned and stuck out my hand.

"Nice to meet you--"

"You're Cassie Baker?"

A new voice interrupted us and I turned to see a tall boy standing just inches away from me. I hadn't even noticed him! He had black hair that was a little too long, pale blue eyes, and was extremely straight-faced. I recognized him vaguely but I was pretty sure we'd had minimum contact. "Sorry, Paisley, wait just a moment," I said, staring him down. "Yeah I am. And you're interrupting me because...?"

His eyes turned to where Paisley was beside me. "Because you lost something last night." He dropped a plastic bag onto my lap; the candles. My face flushed.

"What? How did you--why're you giving these to me?"

His face remained absolutely stoic. I thought he looked kind of like a vampire; he was all dressed in black, his bone structure was fine, and his skin pale. "Because you're the one who dropped them. They weren't necessary for the séance, by the way. Neither was the fancy language. The spirits didn't listen until you said 'Please.' " I felt my cheeks redden and eyebrows draw together.

"You were there last night?" I accused. "You were the one sneaking about to scare all my friends! Did Mike set us up? Spill it!"

"I wasn't there because you were, I was just there." A small smirk crossed his thin lips. "Although the results were...highly interesting."

"Oh go away," I snapped. "I'm in the middle of a conversation with Paisley."

He raised his eyebrows; he seemed haughty, and it just irritated me more. "Paisley Webber?" he asked. I nodded. "This proves my point. Paisley Webber committed suicide ten years ago. Good job waking up the ghosts, Cassie. She hasn't been seen in years." He spun on his heel and stalked off. I couldn't believe he'd be so rude as to say something like that about the poor girl next to me! I turned to her to apologize about the episode--

But she was gone. The bench was empty and drenched, a puddle forming where she was supposed to be sitting.