Seeing Ghosts
Burner

Therest of the week was not fun. Aquadeus had made it known that my town was nowhis town and that he was here to stay. He moved into the biggest house in theuptown district and started attending my high school, just as he’d said. He waseverywhere on the news. All anybodyin town could talk about was him, even those who didn’t know who he was beforehe came here. According to a rumor I heard on the third day since he arrivedhere, the Mayor had even given Aquadeus a key to the city. But I just couldn’t getexcited about it. Cameron “Aquadeus” just rubbed me in a wrong way that I justcouldn’t understand. That cool demeanor that people were drawn to just chilledme and made me see nothing but arrogance. My feelings certainly didn’t improvewhen I heard him on the news one evening, when the over-eager reporter hadasked him what his connection was to the little town that was his new home.

“Ithink that my cousin’s brother’s wife’s uncle’s mother’s dog’s previous owner’sstepbrother’s foster child’s sister’s great aunt’s step-nephew’s best friend’ssecond husband’s, great niece…stopped here for gas once,” he replied, lookingplayfully thoughtful and smirking.

Schoolwas becoming unbearable. It was impossible to get down a hallway if he wasthere because people were clambering around him in an attempt to get him totalk to them. Plus, every time I made contact with him, he was give me thatpenetrating, violet stare and flash me a grin or a wink. These gestures, thoughfriendly, didn’t feel kind to me as they would have coming from someone else.It was like he was playing with me, like I was a toy for his amusement and itwas just irritating me!

“Ihope it won’t be long before people get used to the fact that he’s here andthis all dies down,” I told Ria, glumly at lunchtime three days after Cameron’sappearance in our town.

“Idoubt it,” said Ria. “This place is so boring we’re probably going to behearing about Aquadeus’s exploits for a long time. Nothing else is thatimportant.”

“Depressingthought,” I said, with a sigh.

“Oh,yes! Most depressing.”

Ilifted my head. So did Ria. We’d been so busy talking that we hadn’t noticedthat someone else was sitting next to us. It was the orange-haired girl whohadn’t rushed over to Cameron the other day in science. She was a slim, palegirl with large blue eyes and a tiny nose and little pink lips. If the look ofher stare-too-long-and-I’ll-blind-you orange hair wasn’t enough to give you theidea that this girl was a little unusual, her sense of fashion was another cluepointing that way. She was dressed in a hot pink jacket over a piercing, neonyellow T-shirt and lime green short-shorts. She also had a maroon colored hadpulled over her vibrant hair. As I looked at her, I did recognize her assomeone I’d seen around school, but had never talked to.

“Itis most sad,” she said, tearing open a ketchup packet as she spoke. “That allanybody has to talk about are pop singers and actors and things when there’s somuch out there in the world to discuss.” She took off her had and pulled awhite, plastic spoon from inside and poured the ketchup onto the spoon. “Whycan’t people talk about the difference between the environment and theecosystem or why they call it the “Milky Way” when it’s sparkly with stars andthere’s no way anyone would drink sparkly milk!”

Ifher words weren’t enough to confuse me into silence it was her taking herspoonful of ketchup slipping it into her mouth and pulling it back out,completely clean.

“Um…”I said, but Ria grabbed my arm to stop me.

“Don’ttalk to her!” she snapped under her breath. “You’ll encourage her.”

“What?”

“Ihave homeroom with that girl!” she whispered, angrily. “She’s an absoluteditz!”

“Ria!She’s right here!” I snarled, lookingpointedly at her, but she didn’t seem to notice us. She just kept on eating herketchup.

“Shewas on the dance team with Ashley Ryan and Katie Grant!” Ria said. “But she gotkicked out because she can’t follow direction.”

“Oh,I didn’t get kicked out,” the Girl With The Orange Hair said suddenly, makingus jump. “I left of my own accord. The coach wanted me to tame my dancing tofollow the style of the others but I refused to let myself be limited. So Iwalked out. I take my dancing seriously.”

“Oh…you’rea dancer?” I said, wanting to be friendly unlike Ria.

“Yeah,”she said, beaming. “I do so enjoy it. It’s my pride in life. You’re GinaWellington and Honoria Amos, right?” she asked suddenly.

Inodded while Ria looked incredulously at me.

“Isaw you in the talent show,” she said. “You’re very good. Well, I’ll see youlater.” And just like that, she walked away.

Riaand I stared after her, unable to really believe what we’d seen. “Um…isshe…always like that?”

“Yes!”Ria said. “I told you she was ditzy!”

“What’sher name?” I asked. “She didn’t say.”

“Nobodyknows!” said Ria, throwing up her hands. “Every time someone asks her, she sayssomething different. Even the teachers all call her different things. Y’knowhow on the first day of school that the teachers ask you that if there’ssomething else you’d rather be called than your name on the list? Well, shegoes to see them before the rest of the class come in and asks that they changeher name to something else. In homeroom, the teacher calls her “Slinky” and inscience the teacher calls her “Maspeth” and in gym class the coach calls her“January”. Nobody knows her real name.”

Istared after the unusual girl. Somehow I found her funny rather than annoyinglike Ria did. It’s not like she was hurting anyone, was she?

“Well,forgetting about Whatever-Her-Name-Is,” said Ria. “Why didn’t you go toAquadeus’s house the other day when he asked us to?”

“Youcould have gone yourself,” I told her.

“Noway!” said Ria, looking like the very idea of going to a celebrity’s houseunaccompanied was alarming. “I need someone with me to make sure that I don’tact like an idiot in front of him like I did at Venn’s!”

“I’msorry, Ria, but I can’t make myself like that guy,” I told her, moodily. “Theway he looks at people…it’s like…like…like he’s not looking at them likepeople. It’s like we’re all objects…toys for his amusement.”

“You’llfeel that way if you ever become as famous as him,” Ria insisted. “You can’tblame him for that. Besides, I don’t think he knows anything other than wealthand fame. He grew up with it.”

“Huh?”I said, confused. “But I thought he only became popular a couple of years ago.”

“Gina,you’re killing me!” said Ria, looking completely exasperated. “Haven’t you evenGoogled him or anything?”

“No,”I admitted.

“Hisparents were both really rich and famous too,” Ria explained. “His dad is,like, the CEO of some humongous company in LA and his mother was a reallyfamous opera singer.”

“Operasinger?”

“Yeah,she won a rack of awards and stuff,” said Ria, unhelpfully. “But don’t mentionher to him.”

“Whynot?”

“Becauseshe died when he was a little kid,” Ria said seriously.

Idropped my plastic fork onto my tray, no longer interested in my lunch. “She died?”

“Yeah,”said Ria. “So don’t bring it up, whatever you do.”

Thebell rang, signaling the end of lunch. I had science class next and that wasone of the classes that I had to endure along with Cameron. As I approached theclassroom, I saw that girl that I’d mistaken for a ghost, Corrine Mathis,leaving the room, looking tired. I watched her go, keeping my eye on her theentire time. She did not, however, walk through any walls today. I became evenmore embarrassingly convinced that I’d imagined her the other day. There was noway I could have seen what I thought I saw.

Mr.Fisher had set up the classroom for our lab experiment today. He’d set up longtables with Bunsen burners and phials and goggles set up for everyone in theclass.

“Everyone,divide up,” Mr. Fisher told the class. “Only two people per group. “

Iturned to Ria and was about to suggest the two of us pairing up, when a handtapped me on the shoulder. I turned and felt my insides plummet. It wasCameron.

“HelloGina,” he said with his usual smug grin. “Did you want to be my partner?”

“Um…”I was seconds from saying no, when he moved in a little closer.

“Personally,I’d like a partner who won’t be goggling at me the whole time and wouldactually get things done,” he said, calmly. “I’m sorry to say that almostnobody else in this classroom would do that except you. What do you say?”

Iwas so taken aback by this that I heard myself say, “Okay,” before I’d evenrealized what I was committing myself to.

“Attagirl!” said Cameron, grabbing my arm and pulling me over to a free work space.There was an immediate groan of disappointment amongst the other girls in theclassroom. As we were getting out the equipment for the project, I shot anapologetic look over at Ria. She was looking very sour indeed both at missingher chance to work with Cameron and also the fact that she’d been stuck withthe Girl with the Orange Hair for a partner.

“I’mgoing to start handing out the match books,” Mr. Fisher announced. “Everybodyturn on the gas for your burners and get your beakers ready.”

Iturned the little dial on the side of the Bunsen burner we were using, glaringover at Cameron, who was grinning cheekily at a few of the football playersacross the room who were glaring at him jealously. I was starting to think thereason Cameron wanted me was that I was sure to do the work in the project withor without his help, and we’d both get the credit for it. Well, not if I couldhelp it.

Mr.Fisher handed us a cheap little match book and walked on. I immediately handedthe matches to Cameron, who returned his attention to me at once. “You lightit,” I insisted.

Camerongrinned. “Not afraid of fire, are you?”

“No,”I snapped. “But you still get to light it! I’m not going to just stand here anddo all the work while you show off!”

Cameron’sgrin faded to a look of slight surprise but then went right back. “Right youare, Gina,” he said. He took the matches from me, tore one out of the book, andthen made to strike it.

Inthat instant, I felt yet another chill down my back and, almost without meaningto, I glanced down at the burner on our table…

“Wait!”I cried, suddenly.

“What?”said Cameron. “Don’t tell me that you’re worried that I’m going to burn…”

“No!Look!” I said, pointing to our burner. The hose that connected our burner tothe tank of gas was sliced open, pouring gas into the room.

“Mr.Fisher!” I called suddenly. “Come look at our burner!”

Mr.Fisher came over to us, looking annoyed, but when he saw the hose hisexpression looked alarmed. “Nobody light your burners just yet!” he shouted atonce. People who were in the midst of striking their matches stopped dead,looking confused.

Mr.Fisher examined the hose. “This has been cut,” he said in a low voice. Helooked up and glared at Cameron and I. “Dideither of you do this?”

“No,”I said, seriously.

“Wejust found it like this,” Cameron said, backing me up.

“Hm,”said Mr. Fisher. “Well, turn the gas off at once. Everyone, we’re going to haveto exit the classroom for a little bit to let the air clear out. If I replace outhow this happened…” he grumbled.

Thewhole class was made to wait outside the classroom while Mr. Fisher went off totell the principal what had happened. Everybody was chattering in the hallway,looking both confused and some quite happy at getting out of class early.

“Thatcould have been really bad!” said Samantha Scully. “What if the fire and thegas had caused an explosion or something?”

“Thatwouldn’t have happened,” said Tyler Write, a football player.

“Itwas at Aquadeus’s station!” cried another girl I didn’t know. “Something awfulcould have happened to him! To his face!”

Cameronwas saying nothing while the girls bickered over him, but leaned against thewall, his arms folded and his eyes closed thoughtfully.

“Thatgas leak could have been really bad,” I told Ria, after we’d found each other.

“Iwonder how it got cut open like that,” said Ria. “Do you think it happened inthe class before lunch? They would have spotted it sooner if it had happenedthen.”

“You’dthink someone would have told the teacher,” I said. “If they accidentallyslashed open a hose and was letting gas in all over the room.”

“Notif they didn’t want to get into trouble,” Ria countered.

“What’sworse? Accidentally cutting it or burning an entire class to the ground?” Icountered.

“Oh,definitely the latter,” said the Girl with the Orange Hair, making us jump.“Burning is one of the most grotesque was to die, y’know. That’s why I’magainst cremation. I say never do something to a dead person you would never doto a living person!”

Riaand I both stared at her for a moment. “We werehaving a private conversation,” Ria began, rudely.

“Yes,”said the Girl. “About the same thing that everyone else was talking aboutanyway.”

“Shehas a point,” I said quietly while Ria looked affronted.

“Well,that and the fact that everyone’s gushing over that rock singer person,” saidthe Girl, looking suddenly thoughtful. “I don’t see how a fire in our classroomcould have affected him, though.”

“Huh?”I said, confused. “He was standing right there!”

“What?”

“Cameronwas working at our table,” I said. “You didn’t even notice?”

TheGirl with the Orange Hair stared at me for a moment, expressionless, then…

“REALLY!?”she gasped. “Oh goodness! To think that there was a rock star in the room and Ididn’t even notice! What was he there for?”

Rialooked like she couldn’t believe her eyes. “You’re kidding, right? Cameron Aquadeus goes to this school now!It’s only what everyone’s beentalking about for the past week.”

“Really!?”the Girl gasped again. “My goodness! I didn’t even notice!”

Rialooked more offended at the idea of a person not notice Cameron’s presence inour town than at the idea of a gas leak in our school. I laughed quietly at thepriceless look on her face but then something caught my eye.

Corrinewas standing across the hall, looking at my class standing around ouroff-limits classroom. There was a strange look in her eyes, a kind of colddisappointment, before she turned and walked away.

Itwas then that I remembered Corrine leaving the science room as we went in andhow she had been in there while everyone else was at lunch…