Dust Thou Art

Chapter Four

So...yeah. Chapter Four.

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-Makayla Rayne

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Chapter Four

"What the hell did he ask you? And where was I during this little exchange? Huh?" I demanded, glaring at Michael.

He gave a wry smile. "Now, now Ive. You're still in school. Seems like you're talking to yourself. You don't want to be called...Talks to Herself Freak, do you?"

I narrowed my eyes. I jabbed a finger at him. "This is not over. You're telling me after school. Or I'll--"

"Or you'll what? I'm already dead." With a sigh of a breeze, he vanished.

Damn that Michael. Damn him to Hell. No, I take that back. He was dead, it was bad luck to think that.

When I got home I threw my bag on the floor and stood in the middle of my room, arms crossed. "Michael!" I called, glad Mom was gone.

After a second he appeared in front of me. "What?"

"Don't you 'what' me mister! What on earth did Jamis ask you? How'd he know you were there? Answer me!"

"I would," he replied coolly, "if you'd shut up."

I just glared.

With a sigh of resignation, he ran a hand through his hair and began. "Okay well it was yesterday. After I left I went to spy on Jamis. Part of the plan, alright?" he said when I gave him a look. "But anyway, he felt me there. And no, not a coldness. He like, felt my energy or something like that. He wrote something down on a piece of paper." He paused.

I made a motion with my hands for him to go on.

"It said 'You're there, aren't you?' Of course I can't answer properly; he can't hear me. But then he wrote 'Touch me.' So I went up behind him and I..." He shrugged. "Touched him. Well actually I smacked him upside the head but you get the idea. What, I thought you'd be happy."

"About the smacking him part, yeah. Did you use enough energy for him to really feel it?"

He grinned crookedly. "Hell to the yeah."

My scowl relaxed into a smile. "Good job. But did he do anything after that?"

He nodded. "He wrote 'I knew it. Can Ivy see you?'"

"Wait. Why was he writing?"

Michael shrugged. "Maybe he didn't want to be called Talks to Himself Freak."

"Ha ha."

"No, seriously. After that he wrote 'Hit me twice if it's a yes.' Needless to say, I obliged."

"You..." I was at a loss for words. "You flipping told Jamis Brack I can see dead people? What the hell, Michael? What. The. Hell?" I took a moment to cool off. "Okay but then why did he say he couldn't be sure if I could do something? Come to think of it, he probably meant seeing ghosts."

Michael shrugged. "Maybe he thinks he can't rely on a dead person. My info would surely be a little..." He raised an eyebrow. "Outdated."

"Is that what they call the dead now?" I sighed, pulling the Pre Calc book from my bag along with my notebook and a pencil. "Outdated? Seems a little odd."

"Yeah. Well I guess 'Dead,' 'Pushing up daisies,' and 'Decripid' just didn't have the same ring to it."

"You know Michael for someone who died whenever-ago you're surprisingly modern what with the lingo and sarcasm."

"Sarcasm is centuries old. How do you think people entertained themselves without TVs, iPods, cell phones--phones in general--or school? And if making people mad or annoyed is wrong then I don't want to be right."

"Me either. Guess you're right. So why didn't Jamis say anything?"

"Maybe he didn't want you mad at me."

"Too late on your part."

"Or maybe he wants for you to tell him yourself."

"Right. Because I want to tell Jamis Brack, captain of Cryptic and Accusing that I see the 'outdated.'"

"Oh contrair my sarcastic friend. You want to tell Jamis so maybe you can have a friend that's not...outdated."

"Yeah but you'd get jealous."

He laughed. "Me? Jealous? Don't know what you were referring to."

"Only your appalling tendency to be conceited."

He made a mock-hurt face. "Ouch. Felt that. Right in my cold, dead unbeating heart."

"Mm. Get over it."

He rolled his eyes and tugged lightly on my hair. I tried to smack him but my hand met only a cold spot.

I narrowed my eyes. "You cheat!"

Michael smirked. "No I'm using the tools given."

"...Which is cheating."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Are we going to have this argument? Because we both know who's going to win, don't we?"

"Touche."

"Okay so what do I do about Jamis? Tell him?"

He thought. "Well...do you want to tell him?"

I shrugged. "Hey, you know, sure why not?"

"You don't sound so sure."

"I could ask someone more wise."

"Who on earth could be wiser than myself?"

"Again--conceited. And that would be Irene."

Irene, a little five-year-old girl was probably the wisest person in the world, alive or dead. We told her the situation.

"Well," she said in her soprano voice that never fit her words. "It seems to me this is a matter for yourself. You could easily gain a friend and become more open to your...skill. Or if you don't tell him it could drive you to paranoia and possibly drive the both of you to insanity."

"Fantastic. Seems to me like telling him is easier."

"Ah but he could very well actually believe you crazy."

"Make up your mind Irene."

She tilted her head and stared up at me blankly. "You need to make yours up too Ivy." She looked out the window suddenly. "I must go." And she was gone.

I sat on my bed staring at the floor for a long time, Michael sitting in the rocking chair in the corner of my room, waiting.

I took a deep breath. "Okay."

"Okay what?"

"Okay...I'm going to tell him. Tomorrow. I'm going to tell Jamis Brack that I see dead people."