"I don't know," the spirit answered. "But I can take you back there if you'd like."
"No," Kylie blurted out. The thought of being trapped in the grave again was too much. She took a deep breath and remembered to talk mentally. Can you tell Hannah I need to see her?
"Who's Hannah?"
One of the girls with you. The one with red hair. Kylie could feel Miranda and Della staring and she purposefully turned her back so she wouldn't be disturbed.
"So her name is Hannah? How do you know her name? She's not wearing a name tag." The spirit glanced down at the name tag attached to her uniform. "Do you know my name? They call me Cara M., but I don't remember being her. My life is like a vague picture book I once looked at and I can recall flashes of the images on the pages, but they never turn slow enough for me to recognize anything."
That's not uncommon after death, Kylie assured her, remembering Holiday saying that the more dramatic the death, the less the spirit remembered. The thought of what these girls possibly went through sent real pain skipping through Kylie's limbs. Her heart clutched with the need to help them. To do whatever they needed to help them move on.
"Will I ever remember?" Cara M asked.
The spirit's question came with such sadness that the emotion swelled in Kylie's heart. I'm not an expert, but from what I've seen, things usually come to you. Spirits generally hang around for a reason and once that's taken care of, they remember things, and then pass over.
Cara appeared to consider Kylie's words and nodded. "I think the reason is so we can get our own graves. I've never liked roommates. And it's really cramped in that grave."
Unfortunately, Kylie could remember just how cramped it was. She shivered, feeling her shoulders pressing against the dead girls' bodies on each side. Pushing the thought aside, Kylie concentrated on the conversation and not the horror of what had happened.
I'm trying to get you guys out. But something told Kylie that while Cara M.'s only need might be to escape the makeshift grave, Hannah wanted something much more. But hopefully while solving Hannah's problem Kylie would help out all three of them.
Cara M. stood there as if deep in thought. "Is it nice where I'll cross over to?"
Kylie debated what to say, then went with the truth. I've never seen it, but I think so.
The spirit looked around, then slowly floated up a good six or seven feet. She hung in the air, causing a big swirl of fog to appear around her, reminding Kylie of a scary movie. After a few seconds, she glanced down at Kylie with eyes that seemed lost, hurt. "It's nice here, too." She floated back down to the ground.
"I think I recognize this place. Are we close to that place with the dinosaur bones?"
Hope stirred in Kylie's tight chest. So you know about this place? Did you live near here?
"I ... think so. I see an image of swimming in a lake. There was a lot of laughter there. It must have been fun."
Yes, there's a lake. Can you see anything more? Where you worked? What town?
The spirit frowned. "I can't." Darker shadows started appearing beneath her eyes. Shadows that made her look sadder and somehow deader. "Please get us out of there." She started to fade.
Wait. Can you tell Hannah I need to see her?
"I can, but I don't know if she'll come. She's upset."
At what? Was Hannah's memory returning, too? The cold began to ebb away.
The ghost completely vanished and the Texas heat replaced the chill, leaving Kylie with even more questions than before.
"Is the ghost gone?" Miranda asked.
"Yes," Kylie sighed.
"Are we going in?" Miranda asked.
"Where?" Kylie asked, confused.
"The woods. Duh."
"Oh, no," Kylie said.
"Thank Gawd!" Della muttered, and all three of them started walking to the cabin. Kylie looked back one more time and wondered if she'd ever find all the answers she needed. In a way, her life was as much of a mystery as a ghost.
* * *
They had one hour before they had to be back at the dining hall for the welcoming reception. While still walking, Della and Miranda jabbered about getting ready for the reception. No doubt Della wanted to spruce up to impress both Chris and Steve. Miranda wanted to wow Perry.
Kylie tried to get into the spruce-up mood with them, but her enthusiasm came up short. Lucas wouldn't even be there, so who would she be trying to impress? A vision of Derek popped into her head and she pushed it back and felt guilty for even thinking it.
Trying not to think about Derek reminded Kylie that she'd told him she'd e-mail him the description of the diner uniform. As Kylie moved to the computer, her mind raced with the details she'd collected about what Cara M. had been wearing.
Kylie opened her web account and saw a whole buttload of e-mails: a few from her mom, a couple from her dad, one from Sara, and some spam, and then a few from accounts she didn't recognize.
Ignoring her incoming mail, she clicked on the button to send a new e-mail, typed in Derek's name, and then started typing the description of the waitress uniform. She recalled all the things she'd learned about Cara M. and found herself wishing she had someone to talk to about them. Then again, she did have someone-the person she was e-mailing. Derek.
Miranda and Della's laughter spilled out of Della's bedroom. Why did hearing them laugh make her feel lonely?
The answer bubbled to the top of her mind. Because they were giddy with the idea of romance, of getting all dolled up to impress guys. Right now, the idea of romance left Kylie feeling befuddled. It felt like Lucas was pulling away and somehow Derek was sneaking closer. And nothing felt right.
But she still felt lonely.
Remembering the e-mail from her mom, Kylie picked up the phone and dialed her number. The phone rang four times before her mom answered.
"Hi, Mom," Kylie said.
"Hey, sweetie," her mom answered, and the sound of her voice had Kylie feeling homesick. "Is everything okay?" her mom asked.
"It's fine. Why do you always assume when I call you that something is wrong?"
"I don't always assume that. Only sometimes. And this is one of those times. I must be psychic. So stop pretending and tell me what's up."
Heck. Maybe her mom was a supernatural.
"Nothing," Kylie said. "I just got an e-mail from you and thought I'd call you. You are always saying I don't call enough."
"True." Her mom paused. "What's the matter, sweetie?"
Giving in because lying sure as hell didn't seem to work, Kylie answered, "Just a bad day."