Set Alight

Chapter 10

He didn't see me. His gaze didn't even linger. It passed over me as if... as if I weren't there. I glance at my body, but it's as visible as ever. But... transparent.

I hold my hand close to my face for inspection, and I can see right through it, right at Ashton. Unbelievable- I'm invisible to all but me.

Silently and ever so carefully, I ease myself into the sky and over to the two boys, who have begun walking, brushing off the crack of the branch. I stop directly in front of their path, but continue as if nothing is amiss.

Can invisibles see each other? He obviously can't see me when he's human. I fly a bit higher to avoid their heads. They begin talking about some sort of training session with Jack's dad, and I float closely behind them, reveling in my newfound power.

Ignoring sharply the fact that they all despise my dad and think I was raised wrong.

They walk onto the sidewalk and towards Lindsey's house, and I follow behind. I need the perfect moment to reveal myself...

Jack knocks on Lindsey's door, and in less than ten seconds goes by before the door is flung open. Lindsey smiles warmly at them both and hops down her front porch steps, the door slamming behind her.

"So, off to Emma's, then?"

Spotting my window, I shoot behind them and blow down Lindsey's neck. "Why bother," I whisper sinisterly, "When I'm already here?" I trail off with a ghostly chuckle. Everyone had jumped at the sound of my words and looked around frantically.

"So. I see you've learned to become invisible," Jack muses, fading out. He's transparent, like me, and I giggle as he spots me behind Lindsey. "I see you spruced yourself up a bit."

"Oo, oo! Let me see! Let me see!" Lindsey whirls, trying to find the two of us. I settle for floating about six inches off the ground, shimmer into view (with little difficulty; I let go of a rope I hadn't realized I was holding and I turned visible).

I give her and Ashton a little twirl.

"It's so awesome!" cries Lindsey, rushing over to take hold of my skirt. "You look just like a ghost!"

"So you've decided to stay a ghost?" asks Jack casually.

"Yup." I beam. "Being a ghost is awesome, and I'm awesome; ergo, I stay a ghost."

"What's your ghostly name?" This is from Ashton, who replaces Lindsey's hands on my dress. I float back a bit and snatch my dress away.

"You aren't awesome enough." I stick my tongue out at him and he does the same.

"Emma Burning!" exclaims Lindsey, breaking Ashton and I's staring contest.

"What?" I ask, turning in the air so I'm laying on my stomach (in thin air!!).

"Your name could be Emma Burning... Like Enna Burning from that book, Enna Burning!"

"That's unoriginal," I remark. "How about we stick with Emma Wildfire?"

"That doesn't sound quite right..." mutters Jack.

"Yeah, I know, but I like it the most and so it's my name until I find something better. Not-" I point at Lindsey scoldingly. "Up for discussion. Anyway..." I begin floating lazily down the sidewalk. "What's your ghost name, Jack?"

"JT Phantom. Yes, I know, unoriginal, but it's the family name. Speaking of ghosts... You might want to change back. People are uncomfortable with halfas that aren't Phantoms."

"Why?" I ask, a little resentful, as I land and focus on my human side until I was standing there in my normal jeans and T-shirt.

"My dad saved the world. And the other guy was evil. Those are the two only halfas until me and my- s- aunt." I have a feeling that he was going to say something else, but before I can ask him about it, Lindsey has started speaking.

"You have an aunt?"

He smiles, relieved. What is he hiding? "Yup! She says she's my dad's cousin, but she's really his clone..." We've reached my house, and I unlock the door and we start filing inside as Jack continues his story. "Her name is Danielle, or Dani with an I. She was created by the evil halfa I was talking about earlier. He took some of Dad's DNA and- Emma?"

I'd switched to my ghost form again. "What?"

"You're really grasping this whole ghost thing," he comments.

"It's... comfortable."

"It doesn't tire you out or anything?"

I shake my head. "But then again, I've only been flying. It feels as though I'm just standing and walking normally."

"Huh. I agree." Rings envelope him much like they do for me, and he's back to his ghost form, cape flowing in an unseen wind.

"I feel so regular," whispers Ashton to Lindsey.

"Huh. I agree," she mocks.

"We should do something strange so they won't be the only abnormal beings in the room," Ashton suggests, still in a loud whisper.

Jack and I glance at each other, confused.

They start conspiratorily whispering, lowering their sounds so we can't hear them. Jack and I shrug, floating steadily in the air, waiting for them to stop being weird.

Ashton and Lindsey start running around the room in circles around us, chanting gibberish. Jack and I again look at each other and I roll my eyes. Ashton runs off into the kitchen and brings back two candlesticks.

"I'm 90% sure those are not mine," I comment, confused, as he waves them.

"He brought them in his backpack, probably," Jack answers, watching with a bemused expression as Ashton hands a candlestick to Lindsey and they run around some more before kneeling in front of us.

"Goo Bac Gakson!!" cries Lindsey, proffering the candles.

"What," I deadpan.

They look at each other and nod. "Fire," they say worshipfully and bow.

I shake my head, suppressing a grin as I zoom into the kitchen, grab matches, and return as fast as I can. They haven't noticed I was gone yet, and I strike the match and put it to the string of the candles.

"Noooooo," whines Ashton, standing and making it impossible to light the wick. "You're supposed to shoot it... With your fire powers."

"Yeah, that's not happening." I blow out the match. "I can control my ghost side about as well as I can control my hair." To emphasize my point, I push a strand out of my face only to have it fall back.

"Oh, oh," Jack says. "I have a solution!"

"What?" all three of us ask in unison.

"My Dad offered to train you... all week. Until the day your dad gets back."

"That's..." I narrow my eyes. "Suspiciously nice of him."

He shrugs. "My Dad is a nice person. What do you say? Do you want to be a ghost?"

"Yes," I decide, answering slowly even as my mind races. "I want to be a ghost."