I'm in love with a..ghost? [forty four]

Lunchtime at St. Augustine's was like watching one of those animal documentaries on Animal Planet. Only the strongest survived. I noticed this as I sat pushing around my bubbling tuna-noodle casserole on my plate. As usual Sr. Kitchen had cooked up something atrocious for us. Have they ever heard of pizza? Or fries for that matter? Not in this school. Today I sat alone, deep in thought. But I guess watching underclassman be pushed out of the lunch line by seniors isn't really what one would consider to be a brain frier. 1

I looked down at my oozing gray mess of food, and pushed it away. I'd settle for Carol's mean cuisine over this stuff anytime. I stared into that bubbling mess and tuned out of the “real world” and once again I entered my oh so exclusive “ghost world.” The world where only ghosts and I exist. The world where I am constantly helping those lost and frightened souls prepare for their final destination. Yea right.2

My thoughts were really on James. So far I hadn't had a minute to think about where his body cold be. It's possible he accidentally got buried in some other grave..but I really doubted it. I had a gut wrenching feeling I knew where he was. He was in that hospital, the one from my dreams. And it was up to me to find him. How I was going to pull that one off, I don't really know. If this were any other ghost, I'd just say tough cookies, punch them, and have them packed and shipped out of my room by dinnertime. But this wasn't any ordinary ghost. This was -James-. And I ,whether I wanted to admit it or not, was Elizabeth, his long lost love; destined to roam the earth alone and unloved for all eternity. Ok, so maybe I was being a little over dramatic, but under the circumstances, it sounded totally appropriate to me. 3

I was just about to choke down my first bite of some really funky smelling tuna noodle when Alex plopped her tray down across from mine. “Have you seen the paper this morning?” she asked casually.4

“No,” I said sounding distant, even to my own ears. I pushed some more of that oozing mess around before I gave up on it. I ripped open a bag of Doritos and she continued.5

“Well apparently someone broke into the cemetery last night and played grave robber.” 6

I who had unfortunately been downing a can of pepsi, spit and sprayed it everywhere. “What?” I practically yelled, ignoring the jeers and laughs that followed my spray-a-thon.7

“Ew. And yea, it's on the front page of the local section. Some person broke into the cemetery and dug up some grave. Kinda gross if you ask me. The guy had been dead like 87 years or whatever. Isn't that so creepy?”8

I leaned back in my chair, deep in thought. It must've been that guard that Evan assaulted who told the cops. No one else was there. At least, I don't think anyone was.9

“The creepiest part, was that the body was missing. The police think whoever it was stole the body. Why would anyone steal a body that's been dead for so long?” Alex asked.10

“Funny,” I said wryly, “I'd like to know the same thing." On that note, I jumped out of my seat and grabbed my backpack.11

“Where you going?” Alex asked confusedly, as she sat sipping a YooHoo. 12

“Library,” I answered truthfully for once. I then tore out of the room only to be stopped by my religion teacher.13

“Where exactly are you going Ms. Harning?” he asked sounding very irritated. “School policy is no one is allowed out of the cafeteria once they come in. Return to your seat.”14

I shot daggers up at him and his stupid bald head. And then I lost it. “Yea well ya know what? School policy doesn't apply to me right now mmk? So get your stupid Tweety and Sylvester tie, preach but don't follow what you say,needs a toupee'd face, and leave me the hell alone.” 15

I knew I'd land in detention for this one. And quite frankly, I didn't give a damn. I needed to get to the library and check out that paper. If they found any evidence I left behind, I'd have more to worry about then being stuck in detention on a Friday afternoon. So with that last insult I tore down the hallway, that newspaper being the only solitary thing I cared about. My heavy homework filled backpack bounced across my back as I jogged down the long corridor, and by the time I made it to the library, I had worked up a sweat. I paused a moment for breath and walked in, the cooled air from the air conditioner hitting me full force in the face. No one was around save for some guy at a computer, and another guy reading a paper at a wooden table.16

The smell of books was undeniably calming for me. The library was probably the only place in that school I liked. The way the sun filtered through the old, tan blinds, casting weird slanted rays on the ground amused me. The fact the air was always about 10 degrees cooler here than in the rest of the boiling school also made me feel better. And the silence was amazing. Once I caught my breath, I dropped my bag next to a chair, and pulled the newspaper out from the stack. I flipped open to the Local section, and there it was in bold letters: "A GHOST IN THE CEMETERY?" I skimmed the article quickly, and reread it 2 more times until I had memorized most of it.17

"Late this morning a grave in Mt Olivette cemetery was found disturbed. Experts exhumed the grave, only to find that it had already been dug up somewhere in the late morning hours the previous night. A lone guardsmen on duty commented, “I heard ruckus coming from outside my post, when I got to the site there was nothing going on. A force yet to be identified pantsed me though.”18

Wow. That guard really is an idiot. And he so did not check up on anything. He was watching Andy Griffith reruns and eating donut holes, I thought amusedly. I then continued on:19

“The body of a Mr. James Hensley who was buried in the grave is now missing. Officials do not have any leads at this time.They are asking, however, that anyone with information should come forward.”20

After I read the short article I checked out the picture. And there was James' grave, leering out at me from the black and white print of the paper. The grave had been unburied and caution tape surrounded the immediate area.21

A deep voice suddenly filled my ears,“creepy isn't it?” I looked up to find Shane, looking coolly handsome, his gray eyes shining brightly. 22

“Yea, creepy.” I tried to ignore the fact that cologne was wafting from the boy and that he looked good in polos. “How'd you know about this?” I asked curiously, knowing the story was sort of hard to find. It may have been on the front page of the Locals, but it was a small article on the corner of the page, and didn't stand out. 23

Shane raked a hand though his mess of dark spikes. “Just heard about it from some kid in trig. You never got back to me about that concert by the way,” he said, pulling a seat out and sitting next to me.24

He leaned on his arm and his gray eyes boor into my forest green ones. “I, uh, just been really busy. That's all," I stuttered embarrassedly. 25

Shane's stare intensified, and I felt as if I was almost in a trance. His black lashes rimmed his eyes perfectly; what was James talking about? There was no way this guy could be Charles. As I thought it I became suddenly very aware of how close his tanned face was to mine. Almost on impulse I glanced at his smooth lips and jerked them back up again.26

“So,” I said curtly, ripping my green eyed gaze from his magnificently silver ones, “what have you been up to lately?”27

Shane smiled a half smile, a thing he'll most likely become famous for, and shrugged, “oh ya know, this and that. Not digging up any graves though,” he winked. 28

Oh my God. He knows something. He KNOWS something. He has to. Why else would he wink. What is this guy doing to me? GRR.29

“Well, I gotta go, the bells going to ring-” he paused and pointed upwards in perfect timing with the bell ringing, “-now. See ya around..Ace.” He then flung his backpack from the North Face over his broad shoulders, jammed his fists inside his pockets, and strode out of that library, looking as if he was not only hiding something, but like he owned the place as well.30

****31

Three hours later I was sitting next to Jake on the way home from school. I didn't have to worry about talking, Jake never talks. Eats cornflakes? Yes. Grunts? Yes. Talks to Kristin? No. So that was a pretty basic ride home. By the time I padded my way into my room I was feeling less than sure of myself that he wasn't Charles by the minute.32

“Hey you,” came the happy greeting, that I only knew to well was coming from James. “Have a good day?”33

I dumped my navy backpack by the closet door and stared over at him. “Sure,” I lied. I felt like a rat, but what else could I do? If I told him what happened James would go postal, march over to Shane's (well materialize rather),and kick his probably tanned ass. And there was one thing I was sure of: I wasn't sure of anything. So I couldn't just let James go off and attack him. Ace is a fairly common term of affection. It could've meant anything. At least I hope I could.34

“That's great,” James beamed at me, his pearly teeth making mine feel less then perfect. “You wouldn't know anything about this now would you?” He held up in his glowing spectral hand a copy of the newspaper I read at school. 35

“City of Glendale Celebrating 200 Years of Independence?” I read the main article out loud. “Oh well that's great! It's good to know that the city broke away from Woodsburrow and that they started their own traditions and-”36

“You know what I'm talking about,” James said cutting me and my antics off, his once light voice turning hard as stone. “What do you know about this? I know you had something to do with this.”37

I stared at the article guiltily, and avoided his inky stare. “Okay.. Last night I may have snuck over to the cemetery, and I may have unburied you're grave-”38

“What could you have possibly have been thinking this time? Sneaking off to cemeteries? Unburying my body? Are you insane? Do you know how much trouble you could have gotten in? I don't want you putting yourself in danger just to help me. I'm DEAD, it's not worth it,” he almost whispered once he neared the end. For the second time that day I saw an extremely hot guy rake his fingers through his hair. Is this just a guy thing? James began pacing my room, his arms folded tightly over his strong chest, and his brows furrowed. It amazes me how even when he's upset, he can still look so good. 39

It wasn't until the pictures on my wall began to rattle ominously that I decided to answer him. And answer him I did. I told him everything. The dream, the grave, the missing body, and Shane. And when I was done, I think James looked paler than usual.40

“My body was missing? You mean- you didn't steal it?” he questioned me, as he sat down on the window seat he loves so much. I felt really bad. He seemed not to be taking this well at all.41

“Just totally gone, I didn't take it anywhere” I replied, absentmindedly zipping my ring along its chain. We both sat in silence for a long minute or two before James finally broke it.42

“Well, if my body is missing, then where could it be?”43

Haha, ya know, that's a damn good question.