Javier's shop hasn't opened yet by the time we arrive. I can see him through the window, pouring a cup of hot coffee for the lovely Miss Sonia who watches the steam rise as her own spirits seem to fall — not the most delightful thing to witness, I must say. Her disheartened expression is enough to make a puppy cry.
I take the liberty of opening the door first. With the signaling of the overhead bell, both Javier and Sonia turn to us in unison, though without his trusty ghost-vision goggles, to the Frenchman it would appear as though Eret opened the door with telekinesis.
"Ah, good morning, Eret—or, gentlemen?" He clears his throat and checks Eret's reaction for confirmation. "Yes, good, the three of you. Let me just get myself together here..."
"Good morning, boys," Sonia greets with a smile and adjusts her beret. Such an air of sweetness about her. She makes an effort to take in each of our faces, lingering a bit longer on Eret but he doesn't seem to notice. "How are you all today?"
"Dead," I say. Eret elbows me in the stomach.
"We're just fine, Miss Sonia, thank you..."
"From what I understand, you three witnessed everything first-hand, correct?" Javier steps once more into the conversation, now geared up with his goggles and earpiece as he carefully holds the walkie-talkie close to me. "Miss Sonia informed me she was too busy making sure all of the kids made it out the emergency exit at the back of the school, while the beast was at the front, yes?" He pauses as Eret gives a slow nod of confirmation. "Oh, dear...yes, I'm so sorry I couldn't be there. But unfortunately as you know, I am no longer...allowed...on the premises."
"I beg your pardon?" I stifle a chuckle at the sudden, awkward shift in the man's tone. "Not allowed?"
"We don't...have to talk about it."
"It's probably not what you're thinking, Will," Eret whispers, but it only helps stir the pot of curiosity.
"Oh, dude, you are telling me about this later."
"Will..."
"Moving on, gentlemen..." Javier forces a loud cough to 'subtly' steal back our attention. It's only now, as I watch him gesture towards it, that I notice Javier has set up the same table and chairs for us as last time. I take him up on the offer immediately and take a seat for myself. Eret and Noir soon join me, and within seconds the walkie-talkie is placed between the three of us. "Excellent," Javier continues, "I'm sure you're all exhausted, but I must know...the beast, what did it look like?"
Noir and I turn to each other with near precise timing. Our eyes fall on Eret together, too. And sure enough, we find the boy staring fixedly into space as the scene replays inside his head. The beast and what it looked like — something tells me if he finds it in himself to give an answer, it would be very different than mine. Or Noir's, for that matter.
"...Mr. Young, is everything alright?"
"It was...like a wolf."
He speaks after all. Such a low and somber voice. He hasn't recovered yet, though I knew it from the start.
"A wolf?" Javier repeats. In the blink of an eye he's back behind the front counter again scribbling away furiously at a notepad. "Just...a regular wolf?"
YOU ARE READING
Phantom Recall
Mystery / ThrillerWill Phoenix wakes up in the middle of an unfamiliar neighborhood only to discover he's become a ghost. And while he may be able to walk through walls now, Will quickly discovers there's a lot he has to learn about the lives of spirits before he can...
