Your father has been receiving death threats for a while now. We didn’t want to disclose it to you but it was all for your safety.

Those words kept echoing in my mind over and over like a broken record. I let out a deep sigh and buried my face in my hands.

Okay.

So, I had botched my exam for nothing.

A groan escaped my lips. "Ghost," I looked up at the girl who apparently sat on one of the blades of a slowly rotating fan. She was too pre-occupied with her merry-go-round to pay attention to my woes. "Can you rewind time to a few minutes before my exams?"

"You have warped priorities, lassie. And my name is Selene," she spoke languidly, eyes closed and a contented smile spread across her lips. I shot her a deadpan look. Talk about warped priorities.

My shoulders slumped in disappointment. Currently, I sat cross-legged on the floor, in the middle of my brand new room. We had landed in the capital only a few hours ago. Ahh, the same bed, the same windows, the same door…

That had broken into a thousand splinters.

Shudders ran down my spine at the thought. Was my family being threatened by the same people who had murdered them? Jeriff and Nicholson?

"Likely," Selene said, "First them and then the police. It’s a well-organised crime if you ask me."

Her words made my stomach lurch. I shut my eyes and shook my head vigorously. I had to keep a clear mind. We still had a full year, I could come up with something by then.

Deciding to shove the unease to the back of my mind, I stood up and proceeded to unpack my belongings. Unlike my hometown, this neighbourhood was quaint which only added to my gloom. I felt more dejected than ever. What was going on? Why weren’t my parents telling me the full truth? Mother had even asked me to keep quiet about the threats. Lisa looked so confused that I felt sorry for her. "Selene, can’t you read their minds?"

"I’m bound to you, I can only read yours."

I frowned. What did that mean?

"The dead does not interact with the living. When they do, it’s only if there is something that binds the two, an unspoken link, as in a common interest. That bond allows me to access your thoughts."

"What interest?"

A frown creased her brow. Her fixation with the merry-go-round disappeared in a flash. She shrugged but there was a faraway look in her eyes that suggested anything but ignorance. "But one thing is clear, Sandra." She looked at me worriedly. "Your family moved across town to escape whoever has been threatening them. It’s apparent that the police there and here are both unwilling to cooperate. You need allies. And you will not yell at me when I say this: I suggest you befriend this Nate."

"BEFRIEND WHOM?!"

She sighed, pressing the bridge of her nose in disappointment. It took me a while to realise that I had been loud enough to garner mother’s attention. "I’m fine!" I yelled anxiously, hoping she hadn’t heard anything.

When no one answered, my attention shifted to Selene. "Befriend! Are you serious?" I mentally hissed. 

She raised her palms. "Hear me out. From what I have gathered, Jeriff and Nicholson dabble in unlawful magic. The Council is the only governing body that supervises all the magical aspects of our realm. If you want them arrested, the Council is your only hope, not the local police." She hopped down from the fan and hovered towards the window sill. "But there are risks in approaching the authorities alone. You never know who is watching. Nathan Gilbert comes from a line of powerful mages who have supervened the Council for generations. Befriend him, observe him and find out how he died. If you save his life, you can earn their favour without coming under the spotlight."

A profound silence befell.

I kept staring at her in awe. She was right. She was completely right. But thanks to my confounded pride, no matter how sensible she sounded, my mind was fixated on one and one thing alone. "You were talking about self-esteem a few days ago."

"What does it have to do with your life?"

"It has everything to do with my life!" I dropped my belongings with a huff, surprised that she couldn’t understand. She expected me to befriend him after what had happened? Pretend to forget that we had both dumped our drinks on each other? Face the humiliation of yielding to him? She was clearly insane!

"Ugh, good grief!" She rolled her eyes. "There is a difference between not having esteem and pretending to not have one. If you had none, I wouldn’t have even considered you qualified to pretend."

"I don’t want to pretend!"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, dear. Want to save your life? Act."

"And you think that will work."

"Wonderfully."

I scoffed. I couldn’t believe she was such a hypocrite.  And I didn’t want to believe she made perfect sense either.

"At least, you understand," she murmured wearily. Without another word, she turned around and hovered out of the window.

"Where are you off to?"

"A ghost needs some quality time, lassie."

I frowned quizzically and watched her disappear into the night, wondering what she meant by that. Seconds later, a scream erupted in the neighbourhood, "OH FATHER IN HEAVEN—"

I placed my hands on my ears. Alright, I think I understand now.