Luna's Ghost

30

"Okay," Grandma Marie whispered as she and Beth glanced upstairs where Dad was still sleeping. "Just act like everything is normal. Pretend what happened this morning didn't happen."

"Oh, trust me," I said wryly, "I won't be telling anyone."

"Good." She frowned and touched my left elbow. I glanced down and saw that I had a big, ugly bruise on my elbow.

"It's fine," I said, but Grandma Marie turned to Beth, who nodded.

Beth warily approached me, as though I were going to attack her or something, and gently touched my elbow. In a matter of seconds, the bruise cleared from my skin and the pain was gone. It felt brand new. I stared at Beth in awe as she stepped back, glancing at me shyly through her eyelashes.

"Are you a witch?" I asked her.

She nodded tentatively.

"The polite term is sorceress," Grandma Marie corrected me. "Witch can be a very offensive term. Some sorceresses wouldn't care, though some would, so use sorceress instead."

"Can all sorceresses see spirits?"

"Not all. It's a very rare trait, and it's usually only hereditary. Only one in one thousand sorcerers or sorceresses can see and communicate with spirits. Which makes you extra special." She smiled warmly at me.

I smiled back, though it held no warmth. So not only was I wi--I mean, sorceress, I was also rare and unique. This day just keeps getting better and better, and I can't tell if I'm being sarcastic or I genuinely mean it. As much as this stuff is getting overwhelming, it's still fascinating.

Despite all the confusion that was spinning around in my head, I was starting to feel curious and even anticipating everything I was going to learn.

Grandma Marie patted my shoulder. "Beth and I have to go know."

"Wait! I still have so many questions!"

"I will answer them all when you get home from school today."

"School? How can I go to school after everything that's happened?"
Grandma Marie stared at me incredulously. "Uh, you've missed four days already, not to mention you missed last Friday. You can't miss school anymore, and we have to keep up the illusion that everything's still normal. Now go get ready."

Grandma Marie and Beth walked out the front door, closing it quietly behind them.

I just stood there for several seconds, staring at the door, trying to make sense of what just happened this morning.

"Well," Johnny said. "The fun's just getting started."
I turned to him and Helen, my eyes narrowed. "You two have some explaining to do. You knew my grandma?"

"We did," Helen admitted. "Many, many years ago."

"She's the reason why you didn't want to tell me who you two were talking about when you said you communicated with someone before? You wanted me to find out on my own?"
Johnny nodded. "That's all a part of you developing your powers. We can't just give you the answers."

"But you are finally going to tell me everything that happened? You're finally going to tell me everything?"

"Yes. . ." Johnny's eyes trailed up the stairs. "But I can hear your dad waking up. We'll tell you everything after school."