Monday, August 27, 1984

If it were possible for a human being to curl up in her armored shell like an armadillo, Reese would have passed for such a creature. Her wails were muffled cries into the soft flesh of her thighs as she hugged herself tightly.

“Sis, what’s the matter?”

Reese popped from her balled posture in surprise. She had no idea Luke was with her and felt silly for letting him witness her in such a vulnerable state. She swiped at her wet cheeks and eyes with the back of her hands.

“Nothing,” she mumbled.

“Look, that might have worked when I was alive, but not now.” Although his form had developed from the dancing spectral waves to something more akin to a human shape, he was still learning how to maneuver in his new outfit. So he just stood there or more like hovered there in front of his crying twin.

Reese stood from her place on the floor and fidgeted with her school bag. Her third day back at school and already she had homework. Eighth grade was going to suck.

“Really. Nothing I want to talk about.”

“Why not? It’s not like I have anything else to do.” Luke twisted his body as if he was going to attempt sitting on the edge of her bed.

Reese unzipped her bag and pulled a thick math book out. “Do you ever get tired?” She asked Luke.

He seemed to think about her question for a minute or so. “Honestly, I don’t know. The whole absence of time thing is … different. You know what I mean?”

She shook her head. “No, not really.”

“Are you still sad about me being dead?” Luke asked as he lowered himself to the bed. Reese watched with fascination as he squatted, sank into the mattress some and then appeared to hop into a fully erect position again.

She softly chuckled and tossed the math book into the spot where he had just sat. “I’d rather you were alive, but it helps a lot that we can talk and I can see you.”

“But you can’t tell anybody about me.”

“I know,” she said, cutting his words short. “We’ve already talked about it. Besides everyone would just think I was a nutcase anyway.”

“So, what’s bugging you then?”

Reese let out a low sigh and swiveled onto her bed. A rogue tear sprang from her eye and she absent mindedly ran a finger across it. “It’s Heather.”

She couldn’t be all together certain, but she could have sworn she saw Luke’s posture stiffen. When he didn’t say anything, she added, “she’s moved away and she won’t call me back or tell me why she moved.”

Still, he said nothing in response. Reese was starting to feel uncomfortable in his silence. Did he just not care or did he think she was overreacting?

She looked away from her brother at her nails. The black paint was chipping so the small nubs of her fingertips were exposed. Maybe she would paint her nails before starting homework. She picked at them and waited for Luke to say something, anything. Then a thought smacked her so hard she nearly catapulted from the bed.

“Hey! You could find her, right? I mean you are astral-like and all, right? Maybe go spy on her for me. Tell me what’s going on.”

“No!” He said it so sharply that Reese snapped her head in amazement.

“Why not?”

His demeanor softened a tad and he said, “That wouldn’t be right.”

“Why not?” Reese repeated. “It’s not like you have to spy on her while she’s in the shower or anything. Maybe you could even whisper to her that she needs to call me.” For the first time in a long time, Reese felt a shred of giddiness. She felt brilliant. She felt something solid taking shape. Her weepiness was waning.

“Why don’t you just call her mom and talk to her?” Luke said matter of fact.

“Well aren’t you Mr. Smarty Pants? I already did that,” Reese said. Luke was stealing some of her excitement. What was the matter with him?

“And?” He said, sounding a smidge aggravated.

“What’s your problem, Luke?”

“I don’t have a problem. I just don’t think you should be asking me to spy on people.”

“Why not? Geez, if I were a ghost, I’d be doing it all the time. I mean you could be out there looking for your killer, you know?” Reese was infused with another shot of adrenaline. “Actually, why aren’t you doing that? Don’t you want your killer to pay for what he did? You could tell me who it is and then I could come up with some way …”

“Reese! I’m not going on some manhunt just because you can’t deal with all of this!”

“What the hell is your problem, Luke?” Reese yelled, completely forgetting her mother was in another room down the hall. Hopefully she was passed out and didn’t hear her raised voice.

Luke’s ghostly shape started to expand as if someone was blowing up a balloon. Reese watched as a light pulsated from him like a halo. He floated to her long dresser and swung an arm. She watched in astonishment as he made contact with the lamp. It was almost as if he was flesh and blood. His energy was solid enough to make physical contact with an object. Her observation was cut short by the crash, smash, boom of the lamp smacking the wall and exploding into pieces.

If she hadn’t seen him do that with her own eyes, she would have run from the room. Anyone else would have seen a levitating lamp being thrown by invisible hands.

“Leave it alone, would you? Stop talking about my killer and stop looking for Heather!” Luke’s voice was gritty. Then he was gone.