The Mystery at Trida Academy | Fantasmical 2023

Specters' Secrets

"We have to go." Cole said, pulling her down the street. "Keep your eyes down."

Alaina didn't question it. She dropped her gaze to the cobblestones immediately, following along behind Cole.

"We need to see a...friend of mine." he said.

"Alright." Alaina nodded at the ground.

As they hurried along, she found her thoughts racing. So, ghosts were real. Who knew? She still wasn't sure why she'd just seen them in the courtyard. But they'd looked so terrible that Alaina didn't want to be anywhere near here. They didn't stop until they'd gone six blocks.

"He seemed really angry." Alaina said when they slowed down.

"The spirit?" Cole asked.

Alaina nodded.

"They don't like to be seen." Cole told her.

"So you knew about them? You knew ghosts were real and you didn't tell me?" She could barely believe it.

"I didn't think it'd come up."

"You...what?"

"I didn't think we'd be seeing specters roaming the city." he said. "But now that you've seen them, they won't be happy. If you see any more, ignore them. And wait for your questions until we get inside."

Five minutes later, they were at a small hut, Cole banging on the door.

Slowly, it slid open. When whoever was on the other side recognized Cole, they opened it wide. Cole led Alaina inside.

"Well, I never thought I'd see you back here!" someone said, grinning. He was a lanky man, leaning casually on the door.

"Trip wasn't as bad as I'd expected." Cole told him. "But I do have a question."

"Ask away."

"My friend here," he said, turning to Alaina, "has recently seen a spirit or two."

"Have you?" Cole's friend asked with interest. "They've been coming through much more often these days."

"They have?" Alaina asked.

"Oh, yes." he said solemnly. "Please tell me you didn't talk to them."

"Well..." Alaina started. She distinctly remembered asking who that little girl was. And the warning from the soldier.

"You've done it now. They'll be looking for you."

"Why?" What did she do? Why would they be after her just for talking to them?

"They like to operate in secrecy."

"When did they start coming into town?" Cole asked.

"About a fortnight ago." his friend said, thinking.

"It's getting worse." Cole mumbled.

"Wait." Alaina said suddenly. She turned to his friend. "You can see them too, can't you?"

The man nodded, darting his eyes around. Finally, he held out his hand. "Nice to meet you. Condolences on your revelation."

"But how? Ghosts aren't real." Alaina insisted, even though she was starting to suspect that wasn't true.

"Of course they are. Ghosts, spirits, demons..." He looked over at Cole and grinned. Cole sneered, but his friend continued. "All of those things that go bump in the night are exceedingly real."

"But why now? I've never seen ghosts before." Alaina asked, ignoring all the other nightmares this man was now insisting were real. Would she start seeing those too?

"Have you done anything unusual lately?"

Alaina's eyes widened. She'd just gotten a tattoo – one to mark her ability to finally wield magic.

"So you have." Cole's friend nodded sympathetically.

"Is it really so bad?" Maybe he was just being dramatic.

"The things that hide in the shadows, like to stay in the shadows." Cole's friend said gravely. "Who knows what they'll do to keep their secrets."

"So how do I stop seeing them? Especially if it makes them so angry."

"Find the source." he shrugged.

"The source?"

He didn't say anything; he just turned to Cole.

"We have to go to the source of the problem." he told her. "Trida Academy."

Alaina nodded. Somehow, she knew it.

"Just...try to ignore them. If they don't realize you can see them, they might not be so angry."

The two made their way through the city, Alaina doing her best not to notice the ghosts walking down the street. The young ones, the smiling ones, those weren't bad, and they were easy to ignore. But the angry ones with the callous eyes made her hesitate. And when she did, they turned slowly to face her. It took all her strength to look past them, to pretend they weren't even there. She looked back over at Cole, so she wouldn't have to face them any more.

"Everything alright?" he asked with forced cheeriness. Then he whispered, "Just ignore them."

Alaina took a deep breath and nodded. Then she grabbed him by the hand. "Let's go."

She was relieved to see the ghosts had turned back to glaring at other passersby. But the closer they got to the castle, the more horrific the specters. And at the bottom of the hill were two semi-transparent guards that towered over her. She tried to ignore them, to walk right past them. But as she got closer, she noticed something was wrong. Their eyes were too big, too dark. And they were showing far too many pointed teeth. Once she realized they were skeletons, she screamed.

"Alaina!" Cole said, pushing her behind him. But since he couldn't actually see them, he wasn't going to be all that helpful. "Use your magic!"

Alaina nodded. She knew she could conjure a wind. But what she hadn't expected was how resilient these skeletons were. The wind was whipping all around them, tugging at her cloak and blowing her hair into her face. She figured in another or minute or two, it would be a hurricane.

Finally, the skeletons began to break apart at the joints. She'd hoped she could shred them completely, but it didn't happen. Still, she wanted them away from her as fast as possible. She pushed her hand down through the air. The street rolled, like an earthquake was coming through. Then, it opened up underneath the skeletons and swallowed them.

"Did you get them?" Cole asked. His hair was windswept and his eyes were wild.

"I did." Alaina nodded.

"I saw the ground just...break apart." he said. Then, he shook himself. He hurried over to the space where the skeletons had been. He leaned down in the dirt, making some kind of strange markings in it. Then he turned back to her, wiping his hand on his trousers.

"Well, I guess now we know what they'll do to keep their little secret." Alaina grinned wryly.