Fable (on hiatsu)

47. Message to be delivered

We trotted down the halls, keeping an eye out for any Spirits. Rather, Kyuu and I kept an eye out. Jo and Toby just strode forward with purpose, though where they got their confidence while being totally incapable of seeing the Other World is totally unknown to me. My roving eyes eventually caught a glimpse of a tiny Spirit.

"Ah!" I said, running after it, round the corner.

The Spirit, who looked more like a large speck of dust with eyes, let out a startled "Meep!" before floating as quickly as it could away from me. Toby and Jo just gave me this weird "What?" look, seeping with dissapointment. Well, they couldn't see what I was chasing after all.

"Wait!" I gasped. "I have something to ask you!" My outstretched hand finally snagged the creature. It let out a hiss as I cupped it in my palms. "Can you tell me where The Weaver of Rumors is?"

"I don't wanna!" I yelped at me, tiny voice barely higher than a whisper.

"Please, she really needs to share the info we have to all the Spirits of the building." I pleaded.

"Hmph!" It thought for a second, before telling me. "Fine. She sits on the locker in the third-year class on the second floor in the left wing."

"Thanks!" I dropped the tiny creature and ran off towards the stairs.

"What did it say, Craft?" Toby asked me breathlessly.

"The one I'm lookin' for is in Kyuu's classroom!"

"WHAT?!" Was my sister's shocked reaction.

"Yup, you've probably noticed her at the back of your class before?"

"... Are you talking about that girl that's always on her phone somewhere in the class?"

"Yeah. You noticed she wasn't human? Good for you! They're usually hard to distinguish."

"Well, people don't ever notice her, like ever, and she has this really odd, I don't know, aura?"

"Mmh. That's her alright." I said.

"What does that Spirit have to do with anything, though?" Jo asked.

"She's the weaver of Rumors; she's the spirit that spreads all the rumors around school. She's also the best bet if you want to share something important really quick through the Spirits."

We ran up the next stretch of stairs in a hurry.

"This is it..." Kyuu said apprehensively.

I flung the door to her classroom open and jumped in. My gaze settled immediately on the girl sitting on the desk furthest from the door. She was typing something on her phone, the newest model, and she was chewing on  strand of hair. It would be hard for me to put her into a settled look. She was the very definition of Ms. Anybody.

"Hello, we need to talk to you for a second," I told her.

No reaction.

So I walked up to her and repeated my request. Still no reaction.

So I did the sensible thing. I reached over to her and... I grabbed her phone.

"Ah!" She gasped, surprise widening her eyes. "What in the world? Dude!"

"Well, you weren't listening to me! I have a request."

"How in the world can you even see me? You're human... aren't you?" She began to look suspicious, sensing the oddness of my body. Or rather, the lack of something more than the body.

"Yes, I am! Now, please?"

"Okay, okay," she sighed, "What do you want?"

"We need you to send an emergency message to all the Spirits in school. An exorcist just arrived and the school board employed him to eradicate all the Spirits here!"

"WHAT?" She yelled. "Why didn't you say so earlier?!" She snatched her phone back and began to write rapidly. Then she hit send and started chewing her nails. "Everybody should be getting it soon and spreading it to other."

"Thank goodness," I sighed with relief and took a seat on a desk.

Toby and Jo were looking blankly at the spot where I'd been talking to the girl. Kyuu looked rather stressed that I'd spoken to a Spirit so easily.

"You're an odd one." The spirit of rumors told me, nice and frankly.

"Yup, that's me; the epitome of human oddness," I laughed. Jo and Toby started when I spoke.

"But you talk to us... And you don't seem to be scared in the least! You're friends can't even see me! Don't you think you will be ostracised?"

"I don't care if I am," answered seriously. "I'm not scared of you all now, but I was as a child, you know. However, as the years went by, I became friends with more and more Spirits and really, you guys are great." I finished with a smile.

"Is that so-"

She was cut off by the class door being opened violently.

It actually slammed against it's frame.

Bang!

In strode the man who started all these worries. Tall. Dark hair. Blue eyes. Square glasses.

Sayanel Waters. Exorcist hired by our school.