"You gonna eat your 'Russian delicacies' or stare them down?", Siobhan asked, noticing her friend's Anya's blank stare at her egg salad sandwich and apple.

Snapping out of her trance, Anya looked up, "Oh," and jammed the sandwich in her face, taking a monster bite, "Sorry, a little tired," she excused, "I'm so used to sleeping in for the summers that waking up so early for school is a killer."

"Get a job like me, and you'll have to be early to rise," Siobhan snorted. The snarky girl worked as a barista at the cafe three blocks from their school, which was a benefit for Anya, because she could get discounted goodies if she snuck the other cigarettes on the job. Anya didn't smoke anymore, having quit following Emily's departure, but she did occasionally buy Siobhan her weekly pack if the other was tight on money. Seemed fair enough so long as she got a couple coffees on the house now and then.

"I'm still looking for a job that doesn't involve having to stand over a grease fryer," Anya sighed, taking another bite of her sandwich, "And the craft store hasn't gotten back to me about my interview," she mumbled, "Neither has the museum."

"What about the library?", Siobhan shrugged, "You like books."

"They're just looking for volunteers nowadays, they don't pay anything," she huffed, "If this is what adulthood is going to be like, and then some, I swear I'm going to go native and live with wolves."

"You mean my brothers?", Siobhan snorted, referring to her large family.

"Ha," snickered Anya, putting her sandwich down, feeling her mind drift back to first period.

First period with Emily Leary.

Emily Reilly Leary, as Anya opted to call her.

All during second and third period, Anya had come up with multiple theories, some concluding that this was purely coincidence, others that this was indeed the case of a ghost with a stalker problem. And Anya's brain was focusing back on the latter way too much.

She was just waiting for the girl to turn her head and lock eyes with her. She was certain that the other was watching her when she wasn't looking at her in the classroom. She wasn't even sure where Emily was right now to begin with. She looked behind her shoulder, and saw nothing but other random students chatting at their respective tables. Anya looked around the cafeteria, searching for the dandelion-haired girl, and saw no trace of her. Maybe she just had the other lunch period, like Dima did. Or maybe she was just really good at spying. Anya was frankly too tired and too hungry to remain on edge all day, so she went back to her lunch.

Speaking of Dima, Anya had to admit, puberty did him good. The short, fobby dweeb with the Harry Potter glasses grew handsomely tall, and his nerd-specs were traded in for a more stylish pair of lenses. His accent was still there, but because his voice deepened, it was definitely a catcher with the ladies. Anya wasn't into him though, never really was, and as of the last two years, remained good friends who won the district science bowl as partners junior year.

"Hey Siobhan, do you have a chick named Emily Leary in any of your classes?", Anya decided to ask, maybe a tiny bit curious, though she kicked herself in the gut for obsessing over a mousy transfer student from who knows where.

"Leary? Yeah, I think she's in my second period tech theater class. Why?", she asked as she jammed another chip in her mouth.

"Oh, I have her in my first period class, she's a transfer student," she shrugged.

"Ah. I don't even know anyone in my classes until day 2 considering I bail as soon as roll gets called before syllabus," Siobhan admitted shamelessly.

"Still trying to be Captain Stealth?", Anya rolled her eyes, holding back a good natured smile.

"Oh I surpassed that, I'm just trying to see how soon they'll notice I'm gone and call on a manhunt. I want to get on the news, mugshot and everything," she laughed, "Put it on my résumé."

"To be an evil mastermind?"

"The evilest?", she smirked, finishing her lunch. "Cover for me while I smoke in the bathroom?"

"You could just go outside and hide under those bushes like usual," Anya shrugged.

"Oh, you didn't hear? Those bushes are long gone. Burned down."

"Burned? How?"

"Well long story short, took a smoke break under them this summer on my way back home from work, and well..."

"You burned the bushes down? Siobhan how are you not dead right now?"

"Stealth~", she crooned with faux flirting, getting up, "Bathroom by the math center? Smoke detectors are crap in there."

"Sure," Anya sighed, crumpling her brown bag, tossing it in the garbage, following after Siobhan, out of the cafeteria.

Siobhan stood away from the stalls, whispering, "Crap, someone's in there, we all have to wait."

Before Anya could reply, the only occupied stall opened, and Anya's eyes almost locked with Emily Leary's. Almost.

Emily seemed to notice both girls, not particularly reactive, and gave a soft 'hi' out of customary kindness at a new school, and went to wash her hands, not paying any particular attention to them.

She didn't even flinch. She didn't seem the least bit freaked to see me.

Just as soon as she exited the stall, the lanky transfer student left the bathroom, back to whatever class she was attending.

Maybe it was a sign that Emily Leary was just plain-jane Emily Leary, no Reilly surname to add.

Maybe it was a sign that this ghost was even more cunning than Anya thought.

Once Siobhan finished her smoke, they exited the bathroom, and departed for their separate classes, planning to meet up after school.

As the bell rang, and students exited their classrooms, Anya passed a math room to get to journalism, and almost ran right into Emily as the other exited.

Instead of apologizing for almost bumping into her, Anya asked with a curious but casual tone, "Have we met before?"

The other finally locked eyes with her for the first time, her face identical to the fierce ghost Anya had once befriended.

"I don't think so, sorry," she spoke plainly.

As she walked off without a second glance, Anya was convinced that Emily Reilly Leary was a liar.