The Medium Kid

Chapter 51

As soon as the ghost said his eerie words, he vanished, leaving Alfie stunned in the middle of an empty corridor. The principal of their college had been searching for him? Alfie guessed it was for a reason other than the fact that he was a student. It was either related to his mediumship or related to Koda. Alfie had a spoiled feeling at the bottom of his stomach. Something was not right.

Even with his doubts, Alfie finished his journey to the principal's office. He had to sit in the waiting room and it felt bigger without Koda slumped in the corner of the room and Chris glaring at the floor. After what felt like an hour, the medium was called into the office. Only ten minutes had passed, though Alfie had never been a very patient person.

When he entered the office and shut the door behind him, it was like stepping into another world. The noise of distant chatter and footsteps silenced, and Alfie relaxed almost immediately. The principal, a tall man with grey curls, dark skin, and a sharp posture, was turned towards a trophy cabinet, facing away from Alfie.

"Take a seat Mister Willow," the principal said in a voice that Alfie would hate to hear if he was angry.

"Is this about Chris?" Alfie asked, not daring to mention the ghost who had been yelling his name for weeks.

"I'm sure you've heard that he has been permanently excluded?"

"Yes." Alfie tried not to sound too pleased.

The principal turned around and the tranquil atmosphere started thickening. The way Mister Birch looked at Alfie with emotionless eyes didn't sit well on the medium's bones.

"I didn't bring you here to talk about Chris."

There was a click behind Alfie and the blood rushed straight to his toes as he turned. A woman stood by the door with her hand on a silver key. Alfie didn't see her when he entered, but he cared more about the fact that she had just locked him in the office. "What's going on?" Alfie asked, not as boldly as what he would have liked.

The principal sat on his chair, soundlessly. "I have been looking for you for a few months now, Alfie."

Just like what the ghost said. Alfie wondered who that ghost was. "Why?" he asked. His throat felt dry.

"Because you're different." Mister Birch leaned forwards, daring Alfie to deny it. "We need your abilities."

Alfie opened his mouth to say that there were thousands of mediums all across the country, but the principal continued and Alfie's words were suddenly left hanging on the edge of his tongue.

"Working for the Grim Reaper must be a... different job. Tell me, what is it like to take the souls of the dead?"

Alfie chewed his words quickly. The principal thought he could do what Koda could do. He stood up and pointed at the door. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about, but I'm going because I'm missing class." Alfie stepped towards the door and the woman stepped in front of it. "Move," he demanded.

The woman's eyes stayed on Mister Birch, waiting for his instructions.

"Alfie, I think you know exactly what I'm talking about," the principal said, rubbing his hands together. "And unfortunately, you can't be in the eye of the public anymore."

The trophy cabinet behind the desk jolted and pushed against the carpet. Alfie watched intensely as it moved just like a door, revealing a man on the other side and a passage going so far back, darkness engulfed the end of it.

My dream. Alfie took a step back. Someone was warning him about this.

"If you come without a fuss, you'll be treated better," Ronnie Birch said with a gentle nod, staring at Alfie with hopeful eyes.