A Choir Of The Coldest Hearts

It's Gonna Glow In The Dark

I leave the trap open, refreshing my blood every night, but no one shows up there. When I visit, the only living thing is a squirrel who stares at me through beady eyes before scampering away. There is no sign of Mike, or the boy, or even any other ghost.

"You've been obsessed with the boy," Alex sighs. The three of us are sitting in a circle on the lawn, enjoying the sunshine. It's one of the last warm days before the chill of fall sets in and we're determined to make the best of it. We're probably supposed to be doing homework, but I can't help but spill my research to the two of them. All the while, I'm scanning the crowds, hoping to catch sight of the boy, but I don't.

"Seriously?" I ask. "I'm just curious."

"See?" Jack crows. "Obsessed."

"I don't know," I say. "He's just...strange. I shouldn't have pressed him. He's magical in some kind of way otherwise he wouldn't have survived jumping out the window."

"Any theories?" Alex asks.

I shrug, sliding the notebook over to him. "A few."

Jack glances over, letting out a low whistle. "That's not a few, my friend," he says. "You could write a novel with the information."

"Are you going to help me or not?" I sigh.

"He was cute," Jack admits, ignoring my question. "Not my type though. Neither is Alex though, but somehow, I'm still attracted to this weirdo."

"Hey!" Alex elbows him. "I'm totally your type. You're literally dating me."

Jack just grins, kissing his boyfriend on the cheek.

"If y'all are gonna get romantic," I say. "I'm leaving. I have to study for the test that Way is giving."

"Don't deny it," Jack says as my cheeks go pink.

"Deny what?" I ask, pretending to not have heard.

"The boy from the woods. He's totally your type."

"No," I mutter, my face heating up. "I'm not that into guys."

Jack just laughs. "Why else are you so obsessed with him?"

"I'm not obsessed," I protest. "It's just weird, don't you think?"

"Entertain us," Alex says, leaning forward. "For the millionth time you've said this."

"I think he's a ghost," I say, ignoring both of them. "It would make sense, right? He doesn't have a heartbeat. But he's still awake and basically alive."

Jack sighs. "Maybe? Ghosts exist, yes we know that. But I've never seen one look that alive. Usually, they're a bit more...gone, I guess." I shudder at his words. Over my time at the school, I have had some pretty unfortunate run-ins with ghosts in the woods or the occasional one that crept into the school. But those ones were nowhere as alive as the boy look. Ghosts, in my experience, were obviously dead, wounds slashed across their chest, skin mottled black and blue. The most haunting part about them was their eyes. They had no iris, just dark holes where their eyes once were. Not like the boy from the woods, with his strangely colored blue-green eyes.

"Not to mention, you don't know him. So why was he drawn to your blood?" Jack wonders aloud. "You said it yourself. Ghosts are drawn to the blood of those they are close to."

I shrug. "It's just a theory. I don't know what else he could be."

"Hi!" Alex yells at someone across the hall, beckoning her over. I exchange a confused glance with Jack.

"Alex knows literally everyone, I swear," I sigh.

"And everyone knows Alex," Jack responds, shaking his head. "How is he so popular?"

Surprisingly, I do recognize the girl who comes over. Out of all the time I spend outside my dorm, which is like none, I have actually met her.

"This is Jenna," Alex introduces. "She's in my spell-casting class."

"Hi." I give Jenna a wave as she comes over. "We met earlier."

"Oh, when I ran into you in the hallway," Jenna laughs. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Vic's new boyfriend," Jack cuts in before I can say anything.

I throw my crumpled up piece of paper at Jack. "He's not my boyfriend. I barely even know him."

"So, who is this mysterious person?" Jenna asks.

"He doesn't go to the school," Jack covers for me quickly.

"You know about what happened to me, right?" I ask. For some reason, I find myself wanting to include her in our secret. She seems like someone we could trust, besides, she just moved here. Jenna nods quickly, a look of sympathy coming over her face, so I move on quickly. "Well, I—"

"This dumbass decided to try necromancy," Jack sighs. "And somehow we managed to trap some strange boy who Vic has the hots for."

"Shut up," I shove Jack over. "We brought him back to the dorms because we had no clue what to do. He wasn't breathing and he didn't have a heartbeat. But he woke up and escaped out my window."

"Sounds like a ghost," Jenna remarks. "Though he doesn't look like one, I'm guessing. Unless Vic's into some weird shit."

"No, he looks like a normal teenager," I say. "Like he could go to our school."

"Humor me," Jenna leans forward, amusement glinting in her eyes. "Describe him."

I glance at Jack and Alex who are also smirking before I sigh. "He's, I don't know. He has really strange eyes, like a color that's not quite blue or green or gray. And dark hair that really frames his face and he—shut up. I'm leaving now." I glare at the three of them as I pick up my bag. "You three are really annoying, you know that."

"Your hypothesis is true," Jenna tells Jack. "Pretty certain he's in love."

I groan, burying my face in my hands. "Is it wrong that I'm just curious? I just want to know more about him."

"You just keep telling yourself that," Alex nudges me. "I just can't wait until you see we're right."