“Pssst. Jamie. Jamie.”

I stir in the warmth of the blankets, only half awake. “Mmm - what?”

“Jamie, ugh, wake up already!”

My eyes blink open to find someone sitting cross-legged on the bed in front of me.

I sit up, startled into full consciousness. “Oh - Kasey!”

“Finally!” She tosses her hands in the air, but I can see right away that she’s in a good mood, smiling brightly. “God, it’s so annoying that I can’t just poke you.”

I rub my eyes, then twist automatically to check on Aiden. He’s still deeply asleep, one arm curled beneath the pillow, the blankets pulled up to his chin.

“What’s up?” I whisper, turning back to Kasey.

“We need to talk,” she says. "Right now."

A flutter of alarm rises in my chest. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing's wrong, dummy. It’s just been ages since we’ve had a minute to talk. We’re accumulating too big of a pile of stuff to tell each other about, and I’m gonna need us to address that, like, immediately.”

I’m definitely awake now, and I break into a grin to match hers.

“Yeah, I have stuff to tell you.”

“Me first,” Kasey says, right away. “Will kissed me last night!”

“What?” I gasp, pressing my fingers over my mouth.

“Yep!” Kasey laughs, the glow around her growing brighter. “That happened!”

I beam at her, then glance at Aiden, making sure that he’s still asleep.

“Aiden and I had sex!” I whisper to Kasey, all in a rush.

She slaps at my arm, starts furiously mouthing things at me. I start doing it too, at her. We both nearly dissolve into laughter, and I quickly put my hand back over my mouth. Aiden can’t hear Kasey without the glasses, but he can hear me, and I don’t want to wake him up when he’s sleeping so peacefully.

“Let’s talk on the porch?” I suggest, keeping my volume minimal.

Kasey bounds to her feet. “Yeah, come on, let’s go!”

“Okay - gimme a minute to find some clothes, I’ll meet you.”

“You have five seconds,” she warns me.

“Or what?” I laugh, but she’s already disappeared.

I stumble into my clothes, then press a kiss onto Aiden’s forehead. He doesn't move, but he makes a soft little sound. I pause, halfway through drawing back. I just look at him for a second, love swelling in my heart.

“You know,” I tell Kasey, closing the sliding glass door behind me a moment later, “You didn’t have to disappear and then reappear on the porch. You do realize that you can still just walk places, right? How many square feet is Aiden’s apartment, grand total?”

“Jealousy is unbecoming,” Kasey says primly, examining her fingernails.

I try to scowl at her, but we both start to laugh, ruining it.

“So Will kissed you? I’m kind of shocked, he’s so nervous when people just look at him.”

“Mhm. We made out for a minute. He got sort of overwhelmed, so that was all that happened, but - yeah.” A devious spark flares in Kasey’s eyes. “He told me that he only ever kissed Ariana once, and now he’s gone two hundred years without touching anyone at all, but - he did just fine.”

I let out a happy, extremely undignified noise that instantly makes Kasey burst out laughing again.

“I know, I fucking know,” she giggles, curling in towards me. “Also, Will lowkey implied that he loves me?”

“What?” I put a hand to my forehead, staring down at her. “Oh, my fucking god, what?”

“Yeah! I said it was sad that he didn’t get to really be with the person he loved, and he said - well, he said a lot of things I’m still trying to wrap my head around.” A blush rises in Kasey’s cheeks, something I really don’t see that often. “I don’t know,” she says, through another laugh. “He’s just really - thoughtful and sweet and sexy, I just…”

She fades off, nibbling her lip, then rolls her eyes when she sees the giant smile on my face.

“Wow. Look at you, Kasey.”

“I know,” she groans, running a hand through her hair. "I can't help it. Will just does something to me. Really wishing I still had my own apartment, right now. I'd bring him back there in a heartbeat."

“Wait,” I say slowly, suddenly wondering, “Can you and Will, um…?”

“I have no idea," Kasey says, though I can clearly see that she's given it some thought. "I mean, it’s totally okay if we can’t. Doesn’t make a huge difference to me. Milo is ace, you know that, and we were - we were really happy together.”

Kasey’s expression falls slightly, as it always does when she's missing him. Much in the same way that Will won’t ever stop loving Ariana, I don’t think that Kasey will ever stop loving Milo.

Now that I think about it... when Kasey is around Will, she reminds me a lot of how she was when Milo was in the picture. Before college ended, and their work took them away from each other.

Kasey shakes her head, coming back to the present, bringing me with her.

“Anyways - I intend to find out what Will and I can do. When he’s okay with it, obviously.” She grins at me again. “For now, I’m down to just make out with him, like, a lot.”

“Well, you know who else made out?” I ask, unable to keep it to myself anymore.

“Who?”

“Noah and Melanie!”

"What?" Kasey’s mouth drops open, an almost comical level of shock on her face. “Shut up.”

“I’m telling you, they did.”

“No, they didn’t.”

It takes me a long time to tell Kasey about everything she missed with Raj, Mel, and Noah. When I get to the end, she has both hands clasped over her mouth, but I can see her smiling beneath them.

“Holy shit,” she says. “Wow, that’s - you know what? I wish I was there for this.”

She suddenly looks pissed off, but I know better than to think she’s mad at me. This is Kasey’s righteous anger face, which is different from her general anger face.

“I would have told them,” she says heatedly, “That the reason they were so confused and upset about it is because the people in power have a very specific, narrow, rigid idea of love, an image that they try to force everyone to fit-”

“Kasey-”

“-and that one image is pushed onto us by every single major media system in existence, from the time that we’re babies-”

“Kasey.” I wave a hand in front of her face, and she stops. “You don’t have to convince me. Or Noah, or Mel, or Raj. They’re happy now, all together. I can tell.”

Kasey puts her hands on her hips, takes a breath.

“Okay, cool. Good.” She breaks into a smile again. “Jesus, I’m so happy for them. That’s fucking amazing. Especially Noah, I mean - I’m kind of shocked that he made it through that conversation.”

“I know. He’s really come a long way.”

“Yeah. Damn.” Kasey nods, impressed. “Good for him.”

My phone buzzes in my jacket pocket, and I fumble it free.

“Hello, James,” Angie says, when I pick up.

“Hello, Angelina.” I put the call on speaker, so that Kasey can hear. “Why the formality?”

“Destinee and I are gonna go out into the woods this afternoon with some magic mushrooms, have ourselves a day of it. This is your formal invitation to join us for the journey.”

“Ah, drugs,” Kasey says, leaning back against the railing. “One thing I do miss about life.”

“I can’t,” I tell Angie. “I’ve got a shift at the shop tonight.”

“Aw, bummer.” I can practically see her pouting. “I love Psilocybin Jamie.”

“Me, too,” Kasey laughs. “Mushrooms Jamie gets hyper.”

I stick my tongue out at her, then turn back to my phone. “I'm sorry, Ang. Another time.”

“Well, then - maybe we’ll postpone,” Angie sighs. “I’ve still gotta find someone to buy the caps off of, anyways. My plug says he’s sold out. I guess there’s a music festival happening in Greenrock?”

“You should ask Noah,” I tell her. “Bet he’d know where to get them. You want his number?”

“Hard pass,” Angie says firmly. “He’ll send me to Ralph, and I don’t buy from Ralph. Not since he ruined my party. Matter of principle.”

“Noah won’t send you to Ralph, believe me. He doesn’t roll with Ralph anymore.”

“Are you sure about that?” Angie asks, skeptical. “Because I literally just saw them together.”

I freeze, staring down at my phone, then look up at Kasey. She straightens up, her eyebrows furrowing, her smile falling away.

“What do you mean, you just saw them together?” I find myself holding my phone very tightly. “Noah and Ralph? When?”

“Half an hour ago, not even? I saw them on my morning jog, which I just got back from.”

Her words hit me like a dose of ice water.

“Angie, what exactly did you see?”

“They were in the parking lot of Mugshot, standing by Ralph’s car, talking. Then they got in, and drove off.”

Kasey and I look sharply at each other.

“Noah got in the car on his own?” I stammer, my heart suddenly pounding. “Ralph didn’t make him, or…?”

“I mean...” The confusion in Angie’s voice is obvious. “Noah didn’t exactly look happy about it, but yeah, he got in on his own. Why, what-?”

“Ang, I’ve gotta go, I’m sorry - I’ll call you later!”

I hang up, then immediately call Noah. It goes right to voicemail.

For a moment, Kasey and I stare at each other in stunned silence.

“Get Will,” I manage, and Kasey vanishes without a word. I turn and rush back inside.

“Aiden.” I shake his arm, hard. “Aiden, wake up.”

He stirs, gets one look at my expression, and sits up sharply.

“What happened?” He takes my face in his hands, his eyes searching mine. “Are you okay? What’s going on?”

“I - I think that Noah is in trouble.”

~~~~

Kasey and Will are already on the porch when Aiden and I come rushing out a minute later.

“How can we help?” Will asks.

“What do we do?” I ask, at the same time.

As one, the group turns to Kasey.

“Aiden, you know Ralph the best,” she says. “Where would he take Noah?”

“I can think of a few places.” Aiden sweeps his chestnut hair back, pulls his snapback on. “We should go check them.”

I’m bouncing slightly on my toes, can’t hold still. “Do we really have time for that?”

“Breathe, Jamie,” Aiden murmurs. “If Noah was in physical danger, I would hear it, and I don’t.”

I force myself to take a breath. “Wouldn’t Ralph take Noah to his house?”

"Does he not know that is the first place you would seek him out?” Will asks.

That’s a fair point, but something tells me that Ralph would take Noah to his house. He’d want to keep him trapped, and that’s where he always kept him trapped before.

“We’ll check the house, and the rest of Ralph’s spots, too,” Kasey says. “We need to split up. Aiden, you know where those other places are, so Jamie, you go to the house. Can you borrow Kent’s car, Aiden?”

“I’ve got his spare key, but-” Aiden looks at me, his blue eyes filled with distress, and takes my hand. “I don’t like you going there alone, Jamie."

“I can handle it, babe. I’ll be okay. I promised you, remember?”

Aiden blows out a heavy breath.

“Fine, but take Will or Kasey with you. That way someone can let me know if you’re in trouble, if for any reason you can’t call me.”

“I’ll go with him,” Will offers.

“Okay.” Aiden gives me one more worried look, then drops my hand. “Kasey, that means you’re with me.”

“Should we call Mel and Raj?” I ask, and Aiden shakes his head.

“Trust me, I know Mellie. She’ll go looking for Ralph and face him down, which Noah definitely doesn’t want. We should try to find him on our own, first.”

“Well, that’s that on that. Sounds like we have a plan.” Kasey rouses herself from strategy mode, and blinks when she finds us all looking at her. “What, are you guys waiting for my permission to go?”

We all realize that this is what we’re doing, and glance at each other, embarrassed.

Aiden crosses his arms defensively. “You’re the manager!”

“Okay," Kasey says, "Well - go.”

We turn and race down the stairs, through Kent’s house, and out onto the sidewalk.

Team Ghost Office splits into two teams, fans out, and rushes into action.

~~~~

I haven’t been back to Ralph’s house since that disastrous day when we asked for his help finding the cemetery. Even pulling onto Canyon Road sends a chill down my back.

Will is looking around at the interior of my car with obvious interest. I think this might be his first time in a moving car. He did tell us through the ouija board that he couldn’t be driven anywhere, as an incorporeal ghost.

He keeps staring out through the windows, like he’s amazed to see the landscape going by so quickly.

“Thanks for helping, Will.” I cast a grateful look at him. “You don’t even know Noah, but you came anyways, and - I really appreciate it.”

Will was leaning forward to watch the tree boughs rush past overhead, but now he sits back, looks at me with sympathy in his eyes.

“Kasey has given me the outlines. I understand that Noah is a dear friend.”

“Yes, he is.” I grip the wheel so tightly that my knuckles turn white. “Started out with us just playing video games together, but-” I cut myself off, remembering who I’m talking to. “Oh, I’m sorry, Will. Video games are-”

“I know of video games,” Will says brightly.

I glance quickly at him, surprised. “Oh, do you?”

“Yes. I’m quite up to date, actually. I’ve seen people play them. I recall some of their titles.” He closes his eyes, trying to remember, then smiles victoriously when he lands on one. “Impossible Mission.”

“Wh-? Impossible Mission?” I twist to look at Will, arching an eyebrow. “Jesus, I’m pretty sure that game was for the Commodore 64.”

“A commodore?” Will frowns, confused. “As in - a navy man of high rank? I’ve known a few of those, too.”

“No, not that.” I bite back a laugh. “It’s a console, but it - I think you’re maybe not as up to date as you think you are on video games, Will. Thirty years behind, at least, if the last thing you remember is the Commodore.”

“Have the games changed a great deal, since then?” he asks.

“Um - yeah," I laugh. “I’d say they have.”

Will smiles at me, his leaf-green eyes warm and curious. “Well, perhaps you can show me what I’ve missed.”

I haven’t spent any one-on-one time with Will before now, but I’m starting to see what Kasey means. He’s sweet. I return his smile, grateful for his company, for a brief distraction while I’m a pile of nerves.

“You should come, the next time we all hang out and play,” I tell him.

Will nods, then tosses his blonde hair out of his eyes. “Sounds lit, fam.”

I let out another startled laugh. I will never get used to hearing him say that.

“Sweet, dude, you’re on. As soon as - as soon as we get Noah back.”

Will sees the sudden change in my expression, and his smile drops away, too.

“Noah's a tough bloke,” he says. “A proper brawler, from what Kasey tells me. Man like that can hold his own.”

“Yeah, but Ralph’s no cupcake, either.” I run an anxious hand over my mouth. “We’re nearly there, so. You’ll see. If they’re at the house, that is.”

Will hesitates, then hops his feet up under himself. An easy, graceful movement. I almost miss it, it happens so fast.

I watch with alarm as he gathers himself into a crouch. “What are you doing, Will?”

“Scouting,” he says, and springs off of the seat, leaping directly up through the roof of my car.

I gasp, expecting Will to go flying off of the car and into the road, but - I guess that the wind blows right through him, so it can’t push him off. Even if he did fall, he wouldn’t be hurt. He can probably see way farther up ahead than I can, from up there. It’s a good idea, something Kasey would come up with.

After a minute or two, Will drops right back through the roof of the car and into his seat.

“They’re at the house,” he says.

I flatten my foot on the gas pedal.