Call Spirits in Your Past **Book Two**

Chapter 6 (Thursday evening)

Verspri rolled over, coming face to face with Segundo, inches away. He stared into his clone's blue eyes, unblinking.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Segundo whispered. Verspri raised his head slightly, glancing over his classmates' prone bodies on the rocky floor. He lowered his head. Segundo was still staring at him.

"About what?" Verspri asked.

"The folder."

The folder. Verspri glanced at Segundo's hands--empty--then frantically scanned the cave floor. "Where is it?" he hissed.

"It's right here, ding dong," Segundo slid the brown file from under his torso. "What, did you think I'd lost it?" his eyes twinkled, but Verspri just glared.

"That's not funny," he rolled over.

Orange sparks blinded him and Cuatro appeared, lying there. Verspri groaned. "Go away."

"Technically," Cuatro pointed out, "we can only go one hundred and thirty feet away. Would you like us to?"

Segundo jumped to his feet. "I won't forget the folder!" he said happily.

Verspri just shut his eyes. "I don't care."

Segundo and Cuatro fell silent. Verspri imagined the exchange of glances, the shaking of heads, and--

They both sighed. "Verspri," Segundo sat again, feet kicking loose pebbles. "We're here for you," he paused. "Literally. We wouldn't exist if you didn't."

"Then maybe you can be here for me by getting back in your clone-space," he opened his eyes and reached a hand toward Cuatro, but his clone rolled backward.

Niko grunted, Cuatro muttered "oopsy daisy" and Niko screamed, leaping to his feet. "Snake!"

Segundo muttered "clone-space?" but Verspri ignored it since the rocky area exploded with screams and movement, everyone taking Niko's exclamation totally seriously.

"There's no snake!" Cuatro shouted.

"Snake?" Ana shouted back. "Where?!"

"I'll smash it!" Tamy yelled, barreling towards Niko, who spun around rapidly, shaking his shirt.

"What? Don't hurt the snake!" Kwayo shouted back, leaping in her way.

Tamy shoved Kwayo out of her path. He landed on his tailbone with an oomph, and Verspri grimaced.

Tamy sputtered to a halt, hands hesitantly raised toward Niko. He gradually stopped writhing, apparently finding nothing in his clothes.

"There's no snake," Cuatro repeated, much quieter. "I just bumped into him."

Niko's face turned bright red. "Oh. Sorry, it felt like one was wriggling up my back--"

Tamy patted him on the shoulder. "It's okay. I've had too many dreams of rattlesnakes attacking me to count," she turned to Cuatro. "But Verspri, maybe...be more careful?"

Verspri stepped from behind Cuatro. "Actually I'm Verspri," he touched Cuatro's arm, dispelling him in a burst of sparks. "That was Cuatro."

The half-cave descended into silence, dim rays of sunlight pouring in through the gaping entrance. Tamy opened her mouth, then shut it again, and Niko kept patting down his shirt. Someone coughed.

Mrs. Aterak broke the silence. "It's nearly nightfall, everyone. We may as well pack up and head out."

Heads nodded obediently and Tamy and Niko shuffled off to help pack...stuff. Verspri sighed, blinking, but the stark walls of his bedroom flashed across his vision. He squeezed his eyes shut, but the images didn't go away. He pried his eyes open and slumped to the ground, Isaac's distant voice shouting a song and Razón calling at him to shut up.