Call Spirits in Your Past **Book Two**

Chapter 46 (Friday)

Ana ran. Her lungs screamed, faint stars danced in the corners of her vision, her stomach clenching like she might puke. Why was Mrs. Aterak running so darn fast?

An explosion of dust and rock vibrated the intersection in front of them, followed by a bellowing roar. Lina--the bear avatar girl--floated into the street before them, and Ana stumbled to a halt, meters behind Mrs. Aterak. Dust flew up where Ana imagined the giant bear's paws might be.

Panting, Ana caught up to Mrs. Aterak and tugged on her sleeve. "Ride?" she wheezed out, pointing towards the floating girl.

Sorano nodded, sprinting toward the invisible creature. "Lina!"

Ana clasped her hands over her head, gasping for air. Sorano ducked, only to rise into the air. She yelped, and Ana would have laughed except that she needed her lungs for things like breathing.

A pressure formed around Ana's torso, lifting from the ground. She froze, staring at the receding ground, then landed behind Sorano, fuzzy fur beneath her. She looked down, vertigo making her head reel. She was sitting on something warm and furry. Yet nothing blocked her view of the ground roiling four meters beneath her. "I think I'm going to be sick," they rocked forward and she clamped her mouth shut.

"Where did Teremki land?" Mrs. Aterak called, bouncing with the bear's motion.

"Opposite us?" Ana said, staring at the back of Mrs. Aterak's head. "Just keep going--" she swallowed forcefully.

"Just keep going straight, Lina!" Mrs. Aterak called.

Another explosion rocked the night, and Ana twisted to stare back at it. According to Mrs. Aterak, Ghost was setting off all those explosions. But why? Wasn't Asha the one who wanted the barriers destroyed? Why had Ghost killed--Ana nearly choked on the word--her?

"Stop!" a voice yelled from in front of them. Ana swung around.

"Ximena?" Sorano called back. "What are you doing--"

"Lina, drop her," Ximena commanded.

Oh, no. Ana tried summoning her invisibility, but her head just spun. She gripped Lina's bear's fur between her fists--how to stop Ximena from using her powers?

Ana pulled an illusion of shadow over herself, hoping to blend in with the night sky.

"I'm not holding them," Lina said.

Ana grinned mirthlessly. So Ximena had no idea about Lina's bear avatar.

"Lina," Ximena warned, and the small girl squirmed uncomfortably.

"Let go!" Lina shrilled.

Silently, Ana scooted to the edge of the bear creature and slid to the ground, heart forgetting to pound the entire several-meter drop to the sand. She landed with a soft thud and rose from a crouch, searching for something to hit Ximena with.

Wait. What if...

She reached a hand out, gripping the creature's furry hind leg. Hadn't Kwayo called them a panda? A giant panda avatar? Well, she could work with that.

She shut her eyes. Lina screamed louder and Sorano tried desperately to calm her down, but Ximena kept telling her to drop them. Ana shook her head. Apparently this was what happened if Ximena told you to do something and you literally couldn't do it.

"Ready, bear creature avatar?" Ana whispered, slamming her illusion over the general space of Lina's avatar creature. Ximena gasped, and Ana opened her eyes. Black swirling lines whirled from her hands across the creature's leg. The color stretched up and faded into grays and whites, filling in a torso beneath Lina and Sorano. The bear roared, and the illusory mouth moved with it. Ana recoiled in surprise. She hadn't made it do that.