Chapter 27
November 1st
Today was the annual Day of the Dead. It sounded ominous and I, admittedly, had been harboring a suspicion that today could be just as difficult as last night. Samhain. I awoke to a cabin empty of spirits, filled only with the love and support of my friends. I had made it through Samhain without a scratch and with my sanity intact. It was a good day, even if there was the potential for facing down another horde of angry spirits. Nothing was going to shatter my moment of happiness. Hear that Grays? Bring it.
“Hey, sleepyhead,” Cal whispered.
“Hey,” I said.
Cal had stayed with me all night, holding me close and making me feel safe. I appreciated that more than he could ever know.
“The creature stirs,” Simon quipped. The long night hadn’t bothered him a bit. I wondered if he and Emma had played games all night while I slept.
“Leave her alone,” Emma said. “How are you feeling?” She was looking at me intently, doing a full medical analysis I suppose.
“Still sane,” I said, grinning. “Well, as sane as I ever am.”
Emma reached over and we bumped knuckles. “Good, because we need to stop by your house,” she said. She obviously saw my reluctance to go anywhere. “If we don’t, your parents will freak.”
“She’s right,” Cal said. “You need to go home and make an appearance, but we’ll be right there with you. Simon and I can stay in the car.”
“Plus, today’s Sunday so your folks won’t mind if we steal you away again after your shower,” Emma said. “Just make an appearance and then tell them you need to help us clean up the haunted house.”
“Ah, that’s a good one,” Simon said.
“So they’ll think I’m helping out cleaning up the haunted house at school, but I’ll actually be scrubbing chalk wards off the walls of the cabin?” I asked. They all nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
I was glad I didn’t have to spend the day alone. I still didn’t know what to expect. Nothing in my wildest dreams prepared me for what I saw as we drove through town.
“Stop the car,” I said.
I could barely wait for Emma to bring the car to a stop before I jumped out onto the sidewalk. Simon, Emma, and Cal followed me looking worried.
“Yuki, what is it?” Cal asked. He reached for my hand and squeezed. “What do you see?”
What I saw was amazing. I remembered reading about the Day of the Dead and how many people celebrate the day by honoring those they had lost. Flowers are left on graves and an extra place setting was often set at the table for the person in their lives who was no longer there.
As I stood on the sidewalk, I could see a glowing golden shape sit down at the table, at the place left for him or her, with its loving family. Tears started streaming down my face as I saw family after family surrounded by the golden shapes of those they had lost.
“The spirits are with their families,” I said. “It’s beautiful.” There were no Grays anywhere to be seen. “I think today is for the good spirits. The Grays had their night of mischief and now the others are having a chance to say goodbye.”
As I watched, the golden shapes shimmered and drifted out onto the streets. Somehow I knew that they were getting ready to depart, leaving their loved ones for another year. Then, all as one, they lifted into the air.
My heart swelled in my chest as I looked on in wonder. Standing here, watching the aurora borealis of spirits shimmering on the horizon, I was happy to be surrounded by my friends and by Cal’s arms. I knew that today couldn’t last. Tomorrow Cal would have to leave for Wolf Camp with his parents and Simon, where they would spend the days around the full moon in seclusion, but he would come back to me. He would always come back to me. This I knew with all my heart. We were more than soul mates. Cal and I were best friends and we had already stood together against murderers and hungry spirits. Our love would last forever, no matter what would come to stand in our way.
Turning back to smile at my friends, Simon flashed me a roguish grin and a wink and Emma gave me a thumbs up. No matter how bad things may get, or what the universe chose to throw at me in the future, I couldn’t be in better company.
###