"You got them to use the picture I liked," remarked Caleb, casually leaning against the chipped monochrome lockers of Sirencester High. His boyish grin twinkled from a flyer regarding his memorial on the notice board. Lunch break had just begun and Amy was stowing away her French textbook back into the dark void where it belonged.

"Who knew dead people could be so vain?" Amy wondered. Her earbuds - which had no charge but a permanent station in her ears - now served a new purpose: they warded off the living who haunted her.

Caleb pouted. "That shirt really brings out my eyes." Sending his gaze toward a trio nervously observing them, he sighed. "They seem so lost without you."

"Well, they should've thought of that before implying that I need to see a shrink. And ugh, Gemma even had the guts to suggest Abernathy." Amy slammed her locker shut.

Robin, Kristine, and Gemma stood near the mini shrine to Caleb Dawson formally known as his locker. Flowers, polaroids, candles, 'I'll-miss-you' notes, and keepsakes overflowed from the space, taking up almost half the corridor. Amy wasn't sure what her peers missed the most - Caleb or his magic pills that let their boohoos out.

Besides asking Gemma why Henry hadn't shown up for school three days in a row, Amy had minimum contact with her friends. When Kristine tried to tell Amy that she had finally managed to wear Robin down and they were going out on Friday, Amy was preoccupied with Caleb pretending to shoot himself behind her. There was no pressure, no ticking time bomb anymore and the hours passed them by like a pleasure barge drifting on a lazy river.

Amy had thrown herself into paranormal research, fully channeling the little mad scientist inside her. From peer-reviewed articles to seedy Reddit posts, she left no stone unturned the minute she came back from school. Caleb read bulky books as well, Leigh turning the pages for him when Amy asked her to.

Leigh was the only one Amy trusted. Her genius often surpassed both teens' expectations and they soon began taking her insights seriously.

On some days Caleb would pretend to be a normal student; attending classes with Amy, laughing, and making fun of Mr. Hanes by imitating his drawl or trying to trip Ms. Lifebuoy as she scuttled down the aisles. If they didn't have classes together, he would wait for her in the hall, making kissy faces through the little window in the door. On other occasions, Caleb would be home with his mom, talking to her constantly, willing her to get back on her feet and take care of her only daughter; or despondently stalk the town in the light winter rain.

Amy had become closer to Emma after her brother's funeral. Confiding in her that they had a clandestine relationship just before Caleb disappeared, Amy had slowly but surely won the grieving girl's trust. The three of them had lunch together every day and hearing Emma discuss all the problems of a normal teenager never failed to make Caleb feel better.

Any boy who troubled Emma would soon find himself stumbling and falling in the most embarrassing way possible.

The doors of the Student Office opened and Henry Wigmore stepped out. Adjusting the straps of his backpack, he caught Amy's gaze. His right eye was blackened and he had cuts and bruises all over his face.

Gemma took his hand and they walked toward the cafeteria. Amy glanced at Caleb who nodded. The moment they had been waiting for had arrived.

Time to get some answers, Amy thought.

Sitting at their usual spot by the window, the two couples looked innocuous in their surroundings. Amy grabbed a lunch tray and went up to them.

Gemma looked up. "Amy. Hi..."

It was the longest Amy and Gemma had gone without talking and Amy realized that open conversation wasn't a ball to be picked up and thrown on a whim. Not when unspoken words bogged them down.

"Hey, guys." Amy pushed the corners of her mouth to form a smile. "Is it okay if I sit with y'all?"

"No," Henry said.

"What?"

"No! Get away from us right now!" Henry was not looking at Amy. A tick in his jaw pulsed as he gripped his can of coke.

"Dude, you're being a dick..." Kristine began.

Henry pushed his food away and stood up; his chair toppled to the floor. The commotion in the cafeteria died down.

"What's your problem?" Amy flared up. Pushing her hand against Henry's chest, she refused to step out of his way.

Henry winced and shoved her. "Don't you ever come near me."

"Henry!"

But he hurtled out before anyone could react.

Kristine teetered onto her chair. "Show's over, people," she said, clapping her hands. "Git!"

"He knows something for sure," said Caleb, cracking his knuckles.

"Kris, get down!" Gemma pulled the Latina by her sparkly, fake nails. "Amy, I'm sorry but I don't think you should bother Henry right now," she cried. "He's not been himself. You saw his face... something is off at his house."

Robin gave Amy a hard look. "I hope Henry gets the help he needs."

"Yeah... I understand." Amy eyed Gemma, a knot of guilt coiling in her stomach. "Why won't he talk to me?"

"He won't say... but I'll see you later, okay?" said Gemma. Obviously wanting to get out of the uncomfortable situation, the petite girl held back tears.

Amy stopped Gemma, weakening at the sight of her best friend's pain. "Wait up, Gem. We have History right now."

Gemma cast a questioning look at Robin. He shrugged.

"Yes." Gemma frowned. "Let's go together."

Caleb wanted to go after Henry but all the plans and contingencies Amy had discussed with him, prevented him from doing so. Instead, he raged in the classroom, a brooding cloud of maledictions and threats.

Settling in her seat as Mrs. Aplin tried and failed to bring her students to heel, Amy quickly thought of a strategy. She scribbled a note for Gemma and tapped Jason Darko's shoulder. "Gemma," she breathed.

He passed it along.

Gemma opened it and turned, her bovine eyes large and unblinking.

"Please," Amy mouthed.

Sighing, Gemma passed her phone via the same chain the note had journeyed. Amy unlocked it, scrolled past a collage of puppy pictures, and quickly shot Henry a text.

Meet me at the gym after school. I'm worried.

Amy waited for Henry to respond. Her palms pooled with sweat as she hid the phone under her desk. After a few minutes, the phone buzzed lightly.

Ok.

Amy cleared the chat and sent the phone back to its owner with a 'thank you' wedged under the holographic shimmer Totoro case.

Caleb shook his head. "It'll be a miracle if he takes the bait."

Amy closed her eyes and tried to focus on Mrs. Aplin's lecture on the Civil War. It was the second last class of the day. Just a couple of hours to go. Hoping that Caleb remembered their plan of confronting Henry to the letter, Amy doodled to calm herself as a nervous fissure ran laps in her circulatory system.

Calculus passed in a blur as well. Cecile and Natasha had called a temporary ceasefire, much to Mr. Clark's delight. The nib of Amy's pencil snapped just as the bell rang, heralding the end of the school day.

As Amy traveled to the gym, chafing against the grain of students moving out of the building, theory after theory played in her mind like a zoetrope. She could feel her heart in her throat.

Henry was standing alone in the center of the room, practicing free throws. The thunk, thunk, thunk of the basketball mirrored the beat of Amy's pulse. A misaimed shot bounced off the backboard and soared into her waiting hands.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" asked Amy. Her unsteady voice echoed in the empty space.

Henry's eyes hardened as he swiftly closed the gap between them. Severe words escaped his lips in a tone that was more panic than fury, "You shouldn't be here. Where's Caleb? You need to send him as far away -"

Amy sucked in a sharp breath. "How do you know about Caleb?"

Something Robin had tried to tell her at the search and rescue seminar sprung across her mind and everything fell into place. You really don't see it...

"We don't have time, Amy, I'm begging you. Tell him to run. He isn't safe here."

"What are you say-"

Henry groaned and grabbed Amy's wrist; the basketball fell from her grip. He yelled, "There's no time! He's in danger -"

The doors of the gym swung open with a loud crash. A large man with shaggy blond hair and sharp, hooded eyes stood by the threshold, holding a flailing Caleb by the scruff of his neck like a ragdoll.

V.

With a roar, V threw Caleb clean across the room as if he weighed nothing and the boy landed soundlessly next to Amy's feet. Terror clouded Caleb's eyes as he gasped for breath, clutching his throat.

"I knew you'd be a colossal disappointment, Wigmore," said V, his voice seeped in venom. "Your grandmother's gifts are wasted on a pathetic little weasel like you."

Amy reached down and tried to pull Caleb to his feet by his shoulders. Her hands burned and deviated as she grasped fistfuls of nothingness. "How c-can he touch you -"

Caleb looked around wildly, frisking himself down as if to ascertain his own existence. No sound emerged from his open mouth.

V addressed Amy as he entered, his body arched like a hunter's. The stopper of the left door kept it ajar beside the hulking man. "I hope you don't mind. I found lover boy lurking just outside."

Amy thought questions eddying in her mind would burst forth like grapeshot. Her tongue couldn't possibly keep up. "How can you - who - w-what are you? What are you?"

A smile that didn't reach his eyes graced V's mouth. "I thought we were past introductions, girl. I'm a businessman and my name is V. Shaking like a leaf in a storm behind you is what I hoped would be my protégé but instead, turned out to be less valuable than manure."

Henry cowered behind Amy, refusing to look at the man who had claimed to be his uncle. Undoubtedly, this was the danger Henry was referring to. With Caleb still in shock, Amy knew she had to be the one to come up with a plan.

Keep him talking, she thought. That's how we get through this.

Amy swallowed and threw her head back. "What business? How can you touch Caleb?"

V pointed a long finger at the boy. "He's an errant soul. My job is to make sure he gets where he's supposed to."

With each calming breath, Amy began rationalizing every piece of data being presented to her. A fallacy emerged and she said, "Why now? You seemed to know about him almost a week ago."

V twisted his neck to both sides, warding off a crick. "I can tell you're a smart one. And you may possess certain abilities necessary for the job but like Henry's whoring mee-maw, you're unimportant."

Henry stiffened. The insult to his grandmother seemed to have caused his fear to recede.

Amy fixed her gaze on V and uttered, "Are you the Grim Reaper?"

Coarse, throaty laughter escaped the blond giant. "I wish! I could use a scythe to cut people down. Effective. Efficient." V slicked his hair back. "Your boyfriend is a very special case. Errant souls who are able to contact mortals haven't been seen for the past... millennium, give or take."

The insides of Amy's cheeks felt like sandpaper.

V said, "I thought it best to observe him; see if he did in fact perish in that tragic shootout, before making any hasty decisions. Of course, I had help..."

A gorgeous, tawny Maine Coon padded silently into the gym, purring and rubbing against V's legs. Its silver eyes found Amy and with a jolt, she realized where she'd seen those orbs before. The cat hissed before melting into the shadows between V's legs.

There was no place for the natural here.

"... Henry and I have confirmed that your 'spectre' is in desperate need of our aid," V concluded.

Caleb finally got to his feet. Barely restricting the angry timbre in his voice, he spoke, "I don't need your help."

V wanted to take Caleb away. The thought of losing him was enough to send Amy into fight-or-flight mode. "What are you going to do to him?" asked Amy.

"Standard procedure, nothing you need to concern yourself with. After a few days at our facility, he should be back in your arms, safe and sound."

"Where are you taking him?" Amy asked, already afraid of the answer. Every particle in her body screamed that V was not to be trusted.

"I'm afraid your mind will be unable to comprehend that," said V, adjusting his belt. A blade handle glinted as a beam of light fell on its topaz-encrusted scabbard. "Henry, grab your friend! We're leaving."

Amy stepped in front of Caleb. "If you have to take him, take me with you."

"It doesn't work like that, stupid girl, now step aside."

"No!" said Amy emphatically. "You can't take him! You can't -"

"Don't test my patience, girl -"

"NO!"

Amy rightened her stance and using the perfect technique she had mastered all those years ago in this very gym, punched V's gullet. What would've felled a normal guy, caused the blond giant's face to twitch.

V threw a backhanded slap so hard, Amy saw black spots mar her vision. As she was thrown to the side, a clarion pitch filled her ears. She tasted blood.

Caleb bellowed and attacked V, all of his brutal blows finding a target on the man's body. Using one hand, V twisted Caleb's arm behind his back and held him in a chokehold with the other. Caleb gritted his teeth, struggling hopelessly against the stronger man's grasp.

"You were right about one thing, I'll give that to you, girl," V panted. "Errant souls are like cancer to the living. Their presence causes living souls to metastasize, filling their minds with thoughts of doom and self-destruction." He spat in Caleb's ear, "You'd be better off without this disease."

Amy staggered to her feet. Gathering all her strength, she pounced on V, kicking, screaming, and fighting with every inch of her being. V grabbed her neck, strangling her. Caleb freed himself and kicked V's shins, causing the giant man to falter. That was enough for Amy to break free as well.

"Henry!" Amy croaked, clutching her neck. "Help us!"

Bruised from a dozen injuries, Henry didn't seem like he had anything left to fight for. But somehow, seeing his friends in danger, a part of him found the courage to move. He balled his fist and swung at V's face.

Three against one, the fight began tilting in their favor. We can win.

Then Amy saw V reach for his knife.

"Caleb," she grunted, throwing her entire weight on V's hand. "Run! Go!"

Caleb's cobalt eyes met hers.

You promised, Amy thought. She knew Caleb was thinking of the same conversation they had in her bedroom. You'll run if things went wrong. If we were up against something we could never understand. Amy dug her nails into V's arm and cried, "You promised!"

With a defiant cry, Caleb removed himself from the fray and reeled toward the exit. There was no time to look back.

Just as he reached the doors, Caleb crashed against a hooded figure blocking his escape. The young woman clenched her fist and he fell to his knees before her, frozen to the spot. She uncovered her face and regarded the scene.

"Hello, Virgil. Quite the mess you've made here."

✧

A/N: And you thought I'd give you more than a minute to breathe. We're officially in the final arc of Near Touch. I hope you are ready for it.