Awakening

2: Burn

"Remind me next time: I owe you for those chapter notes."

"Yes, yes you do."

June could not help but smile, and Blake responded with a gentle elbow to her arm. After the events of this morning, the rest of his school day had luckily been uneventful. And, of course, he hadn't mentioned to any of his friends the incident involving the spirit.

Now it was just him and June, walking the same way they'd come from that morning. Their houses stood only a block up ahead, easy to identify even among the long stretch of homes down the street.

"So, I know Amelia can get a little carried away with plans, but you have to admit. Planning out activities for the summer sounds really exciting."

Blake nodded. "And just think. We'll be in 9th grade next year. Freshman."

"I know! And then four years later? Off to college!"

"You know, with your grades, you could easily grab a couple of scholarships."

June let out a small laugh as the both of them stopped in front of Blake's front yard. "Aww, thanks. I could see you snagging a small scholarship too."

"Yeah, I don't know." He shrugged his shoulders and rubbed the back of his head. "Academics isn't my thing."

She gave a response to his comment but he only half paid attention. Another strange chill ran up his spine, and he fought the urge to make an irritated face. This many in less than a day? his mind screamed. One last night and another the afternoon before...this is starting to happen more often than normal.

"So...you won't, right?"

Blake returned to reality, and realized he had no idea what June had told him. But given her slightly furrowed brows, he could only make an educated guess about the context of her inquiry.

"No, I won't. Promise."

Unfortunately June did not look entirely convinced, but Blake gave her a quick wave before he walked down the path leading to his house. "See you tomorrow, June."

He pulled out his keys from the side pocket of his backpack and stuck them in the door. As he unlocked it, he looked left and saw June at the next house over. He then watched her disappear into her home after a quick wave in his direction.

Blake's key jangled when he turned them and finally entered his home. He set his backpack on a kitchen chair nearest the door, and stretched his arms up. But he did not relax for long. The chill up his spine reminded him that he still had another order of business to attend to.

He slowly walked down the hall, looking left and right, and waiting, trying to get a sense of things. He waited a few moments longer, before his gaze made its way to the other side of the house, and the door to the backyard. Blake's eyes narrowed a little as he entered a small office, complete with a couple of chairs and small desks, a single computer sitting atop one of the desks. Directly in front of him stood a door with a light blue curtain that covered the window on the upper half of the entryway. It was locked, but Blake unlocked it and opened it halfway.

The backyard was a simple one, with grass and dirt patches, surrounded on three sides by a tall wooden fence that stood taller than him. Blake performed a quick scan of the yard, but did not initially notice anything unusual. Even so Blake could sense something here. Another spectre, but different from the one this morning. And he was certain an entity stood in the middle of the yard. It took a few moments for the spectre to take notice of his presence.

Blake narrowed his eyes and concentrated hard. An adult. Female. And an individual that felt lost, just like the little boy. Yet at the same time, this spirit emanated waves of calm.