Not Your Average Ghost Story

Chapter 4

 Owen

"Sean!" I yell, exasperated, but he ignores me, continuing to throw the ball over my head to Annie, who catches it and returns it, smirking. Finally, I give up trying to get them focus, and lay down on the carpet in defeat. They eventually stop, but instead of returning to the matter at hand, they start looking through the books on our teacher's shelves, making fun of the titles. Twins.

"Guysssss," I groan from the ground. They ignore me. "We need to come up with a better plan. We've only found one person with magic, and they're innocent."

Annie flips her long dark hair over her dark shoulder and sighs. "We can't do anything until Joseph gets back. He's in charge."

"But he's gone until Wednesday. We could be getting stuff done! I have an idea."

"Owen, stop whining. We're dealing with a possible murder. We can't just go do stuff," Sean leans against the bookshelf and crosses his arms. His short, curly hair is the same color as his skin, a deep brown. Him and Annie both are too attractive, in my opinion. It's not fair. They're also much smarter than me, and worst of all, older. They treat me like a little kid, even though I'm only a year and a half younger than them.

"I'm not whining. I'm complaining. There's a difference." Annie laughs. "I'm serious, guys. What would it hurt if I just went and talked to the kid at the flower shop again? Maybe they can help us find more people."

"You shouldn't have talked to them in the first place, kid." Annie bends down and ruffles my hair, a habit that I absolutely despise. It makes me feel like a child. "You're lucky they were innocent. But I guess, since they are, it wouldn't hurt anything. Just be careful."

I sit up straight, a smile covering my face. Yes! "I will, don't worry!"

Thyme

Cory leaves a little before ten, saying something about school tomorrow and having work to do. She assures me she'll be back when she's finished homework, and will try to convince her parents to let her spend the night on a school night. I do my best not to worry. I offered to try and help fix the shattered window, although I'm not confident that I have enough magic to do that. My mother could, I'm sure, but that would require us telling her about the ghost, and I'm kind of reluctant to do that. I don't want to admit it, but I want to be able to prove myself without her help. She's so much more powerful than I am, sometimes I feel like I have to compensate. Cory waved me off, saying she'd just tell her parents she was gone when it happened, and had found it shattered when she got home. Her parents could replace it.

I let her go with minimum protest, trying to take her assurances that the ghost won't hurt her to heart. We don't have school today, but most people still have work, so it's a slow day at the flower shop. I took over for Ant, who would usually be working today, so he could have an extra day off. It's better than not doing anything, though I mostly just sit at the counter, sketching plants and humming to myself, somewhat bored. I'm also appreciating the peace and quiet. I like having Cory over, but I'm sort of glad she left. As long as she's safe. It's nice to be alone sometimes. A couple customers come in, looking around, buying a flower pot or a bouquet, but for the most part I'm on my own.

I have about an hour of silence before the bells over the door jingle, and goosebumps run down my arms. I glance up, a little startled, and groan internally when I see the face of the customer. It's the kid from the other day, the one who called me a girl. The one with the cold eyes. I have an intense fight or flight response, and I'm nearly overcome with the urge to just leave. But I force myself to stay in my seat and try not to look scared. "C-can I help you?"