Ghost Silk (Ghost Perfume, Book 2) | ✔

3 - Promise me - Part 2

The ghosts

The ghosts flew through the night clouds over the world of the living, and all the glittering lights below were curiously greyed out to them, a cacophony they were no more a part of than a butterfly is a part of the dark deep world under the sea.

"I don't see how you're going to find two ghosts who could be anywhere in the entire world," Ellie said, for about the fourth or fifth time.

"Stop asking questions," Jackal snarled.

"Not a question, just an observation," Jane said. "She's right. This is going to take months, minimum."

"Just shut up."

"I'm already bored," Jane complained a moment later.

"Look," Jackal exploded, "you keep dragging your heels, you're slowing me down too, I have to stay near you because she never fucking rescinded the order, did she, so could you please hurry up?"

Jane slowed to a lazy float. "Why should I be nice to you if you're not nice to me?"

"This is either going to take a day or two," Jackal said, enunciating slowly, "if my hunch is right about where they are. Or yes, it's going to take months. Let's just hope my hunch is right."

He tried to fly forward, and Jane cooperated, till they were all three moving fast again.

"What's your hunch for where they'll be?" Ellie asked.

"An educated guess," Jackal said vaguely.

"Thanks for the dictionary lesson!"

"I bet I know," Jane said.

"Where?" Ellie asked her.

"What would lots of people do if they were invisible?" Jane waggled her eyebrows.

"What?"

"Ellie, guess. What would you do?"

"I am invisible."

"Ellie!"

Ellie pursed her lips. "I'm thinking. Okay, if I suddenly found myself invisible, you mean, and I had no obligations the way that you and I do -"

"Neither of you have obligations," Jackal said. "You both volunteered for this, you fucking morons."

Ellie ignored him. "I guess I'd -"

"So the truth's out. You're about as foul as a nine-year-old kid, aren't you," Jane taunted.

"I guess I'd -"

"Little nobody, I'm older than your grandfather."

"Hey, Ellie, I think he meant that as a brag!"

"Hey," Ellie shouted, "You ask me a question and then you won't shut up!"

"Sorry, sorry."

They flew in silence.

Jane groaned. "Oh you're not going to play this game, are you? Ellie?" She sweetened her tone. "Come on. You know you want to tell me."

"I guess I'd go to Disneyland and skip all the lines," Ellie said.

"Okay, let's go to Disneyland sometime," Jane said with unfaked affection. "Though I don't know what's the point of getting on a roller coaster if there's no thrill it might kill you. Anyway I meant that Jackal's friends are probably in a strip club or something like that. Is that where we're going, Jackal babe, are we gonna visit your family's favorite old sleazy haunts?"