I decided to go to the library on the way home. It was on the way, and I needed a new book to read anyway. Kat would never notice I was gone; she was so wrapped up in her book I wondered if she would notice if I never went back.

As I walked through the library doors, I was met with a wall of warm air. A fire crackles in the fireplace, and the place smelt of books and old paper; one of the best scents in the world. There were hundreds of books piled on shelves and tables. There were electric check-out machines by the entrance, and there were a few set-off corners for reading in private. The room was all but empty, but it was so quite it might as well have been abandoned.

I walked through the room as quietly as I could, looking up and down shelves of books on a hunt for an interesting one. There were a few that caught my eye, but after looking through the first few pages, I just put them back on the shelves and kept looking.

Soon I had wondered deep into the library and I ran into a girl carrying tons of books. The books went flying and the girl fell back with a small yelp that seemed to echo through the silent building. The books fell with tons of loud thuds, and all of a sudden, I was surrounded by the noise of people making shushing noises. Judging by how many SHH! sounds there were, I guessed there were about ten other people in the library.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered to the girl as I gathered up her books. She didn't say anything. She just gathered the books by her back into a pile in her arms. Her hair was wavy and rusty red, and there was only one person I knew with hair like that. "Sorry, Red," I said.

She looked up at me through her hair and her hand continued to gather her books. She didn't say anything, but gave me a look which meant, It's okay. That's the price of being invisible.

I wanted to protest that she wasn't invisible, that people cared about her, but then I would just get shushed all over again.

When we had gathered the last of her books, I handed my pile of them to her and she gave me a thank-you look before disappearing down the next isle.

I wondered the isles some more before finding a book called Pegasus and the Flame of Olympus By: Kate O'Hearn that looked interesting. I like Greek and Roman mythology. Any kind of mythology really. Egyptian, Native American, Norse, you name it.

Anyway, I decided to check it out, and as I was at the self check-out when I met Nate. Nate was probably the nicest guy in school. He was funny, quiet, and didn't show off, unlike most of the boys. We didn't talk much, but he was a good friend. His eyes were deep brown, and his hair was hair was the same color. When I saw him he waved to me with a small smile and I waved back.

I made my way over to the check-out machine and scanned the book and my card. I had just finished when Nate appeared at my side. "Hey," he said quietly.

"Hi."

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Getting a book," I answered as I picked it up. He gently took it from my hand and examined it. "The Flame of Olympus," he said, reading the title. "Sounds cool. What's it about?"

"I haven't read it yet," I said as he handed me back my book.

"Well, it looks cool. Tell me when you finish it so I can read it," he said smiling.

I smiled myself. "I'll do that. See you later, Nate."

"See you."

~~~~~~~~~~

When I got home, it was quiet. All the lights were off, and there was no sign of Kat. She wasn't in her room, and she wasn't downstairs or in the bathroom. The only sign of her was the red book she had been reading when I left. It was face down on the floor where she had been reading, but there was no other sign of her.

I started to wonder where she was, and like my mind always does at the strangest times, I remembered that when I left, Kat was only wearing socks. If she was gone, her shoes would be, too. Sure enough, when I looked in her closet, her favorite tennis shoes were out of sight.

I didn't worry. She probably just went out for a bit of fresh air or to the market to pick up our own week's supply of food.

I went to the kitchen to find something to eat. I hadn't eaten since breakfast, and it was now 2:34 in the afternoon. My hand had just touched the handle to the fridge door when I saw a yellow sticky not stuck to the door. The stainless steel door was completely clear except for the note.

I tore it off the yellow paper. It was from Kat. It was a little hard to read because the handwriting was shaky. The thought that Kat was in trouble sent a chill down my back, but I pushed through and read the note. It said: Rhea,

They found a body in the lake. I got a call from Kaylen to hurry up and get down there when I remembered you telling me you were going to jump in. If you get this note and it's not you, come down to the lake RIGHT NOW! If you don't get this note, and you did jump in, I'm going to kill you.

Your best friend who is praying the body isn't yours,

Kat

They found a body in the lake? A cold shudder ran down my back as I remembered the pale hand I had seen shooting out of the water. I needed to get back to the lake ASAP.

~~~~~~~~~~

When I arrived at the lake, the whole town seemed to be crowded around a single spot at the water's edge. Fearing the worst, I ran as fast as I could to the large group and tried to push my way to the front. I didn't make much progress, and soon I found myself stuck in the middle surrounded by people with no way forward or back where I had come. I couldn't see a thing, either. I'm not very tall, so seeing over people wasn't going to happen, and I was not crawling under some random people's legs, thank you very much. Even I have my limits.

I kept pushing and elbowing people out of my way, calling Kat's name as I went, but everyone was so loud as they all whispered to themselves and their friends that I doubt she heard me.

Finally, to the protest of a small boy with black hair, I broke free of the prison of people to see Kat in front of me.

"Kat!" I called.

She turned around. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her face was smeared with tear streaks. When she saw me, a look of relief came across her face and she nearly knocked me down with a bear hug that suffocated me.

"I thought you were dead!" She sobbed in relief.

"Unless you loosen your grip, I will be," I choked out.

"Sorry." She let go of me and I coughed a few times before I could breath properly again.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Kat turned back and pointed to what everyone was looking at, but there were so many people milling about and getting in the way I couldn't see anything.

"They pulled out a body from the lake," Kat said. "I don't know all the details, but someone who had seen her told me it was you."

"Me?" I asked. "Who told you that?"

"Cal."

I rolled my eyes. "That idiot wouldn't know the difference between a punch and a slap if I did both to his face."

"You know," Kat said, "I'm going to laugh when you two end up dating."

I looked at her in horror. Me? Dating Cal? The thought almost made me puke. I would definitely not date Cal. In fact, just the thought of dating anybody sent chills down my back.

Wanting to change the subject, I said, "Why don't we try to get through?"

"I've tried, but the wall of people is too thick."

Then I had a wonderful idea. I put my hands to my face and cupped them around my lips. "Make way! Ghost coming through!" All chatter stopped and all eyes turned to me. Testing my plan, I stepped right up to a group of boys blocking my path, and sure enough, they split like the Red Sea, looking back and forth from me to the body that lay ahead.

With Kat right behind me, I walked forward and the people in front of me cleared the way for me. When we finally reached the water's edge, I stopped short. Lying with her feet still in the water, was a girl about fourteen years old. Her skin was so pale it was literally white. Her blonde hair was sprawled out all around her head. Her eyes were closed, and her clothes were soaking wet. Her feet were bare, and she was shivering from the cold wind and the water.

There were a few kids kneeling by her side all dressed in the white uniform of the hospital with a red cross on the breast pocket. The doctors and nurses of the town of Omega were mostly made up of the older kids. They weren't needed that often since there were never really any life-and-death situations.

Anyway, the healers, as we called them, loaded the girl up onto a stretcher and started to carry her away to the hospital.

Then all of a sudden, the girl gasped, coughing and rasping, and shot up in the stretcher. Her eyes were wide open, revealing their electric green color. But when she looked at me, a shudder ran through both our bodies, and the last thing I remember before I blacked out was a rasping voice calling for help.

Author's Note: What do you think happened? Who do you think this girl is? Please read, comment and vote! And some constructive criticism would be much appreciated. This is my first sifi-like book. Please report to me any spelling or grammar errors that you catch.