Call Spirits in Your Past **Book Two**

Chapter 47 (Monday)

Ripple woke groggily, staring at the blank wall. Her eyes slid down to her desk, then widened sharply at the clock. She leapt out of bed. How--already nine in the morning?

"Addie!" she shouted, ending in a fit of coughs. Right. Somebody had choked her less than forty eight hours ago.

She stuck her tongue out at the mirror, hair messily cut and dark purple marks standing out on her throat. Maybe she had a scarf? Digging through her wardrobe, she pushed aside shirts and jackets and came up with a lanky scarf, wrinkling her nose at its bright magenta color.

"What?"

Ripple jumped, turning toward the door. "Addie! You scared me."

Addie's eyebrows furrowed. "I did? You're the one that shouted my name."

Ripple stared quizzically at her roommate "I did?"

Addie nodded, taking in Ripple's wrinkled pajama shirt. "So...are you almost ready?"

"Does it look like it?" she swiveled toward her wardrobe and shoved the scarf back in. "I just barely woke up!"

"Um..." Addie paused. "Is it a bad thing if I woke you up an hour ago, and then you got a bagel for breakfast, and..." she trailed off.

Ripple hurled shirts onto the bed.

"And we sat in the common room and I actually saw you eating said bagel?"

Ripple spun and glared. "Probably. It's also a normal thing, so who cares? Just help me find a scarf, would you?"

"Why do you need a--never mind," Addie disappeared, and Ripple tore through her half-empty drawers. She could wear this blue t-shirt. And these jeans. At least until enrichment. Actually, what was Miss Trevalene having them do in enrichment gym today? She snorted. Hopefully nothing like a talent show on Ripple's inner world again.

She tossed the clothes to her rumpled quilts and carefully traced the bruises on her throat. She remembered distinctly the woman who'd grabbed her, the glint in her wild eyes, but everything went black after that. She didn't recall much time in the inner world either. Just that argument with Ribbon. About "responsibility."

"Found one!"

Ripple jumped again.

"It's black, but it's made out of wool. So it might be kind of itchy."

Ripple pointed to her bed, where the rest of her outfit was sitting. "Put it with those."

Addie didn't leave. "So...do you want me to wait for you?"

Ripple shoved the wardrobe drawer shut, rocking the entire thing. "I'm already late. Shouldn't you get to class?"

Addie shrugged. "I'm late half the time anyway."

"Well, get out of my room. So I can change."

"Okay. I'll be waiting in the hall."

Ripple frowned after her. Why was she being so nice all of a sudden?

***

Ripple and Addie trudged down the sidewalk, Ripple tugging at the itchy scarf so it would conceal the neck bruises without rubbing against them--and also hide the chopped ends of her hair, dreadfully uneven after Treble cut out the singed ends.

Addie touched Ripple's elbow, staring fretfully at the pale sky and over her shoulder at the sidewalk.

"What is wrong with you?" Ripple asked, yanking her arm away. Puffs of yellow fur fluttered from her sleeve and she blamed shape-shifting kid for visiting their dorm and sitting on her bed. "You keep acting like a mouse that's hiding from an owl."