Wraith stood up and turned her back on me. At first I thought that I had insulted her by asking, but then I saw her lift up her shirt a little. I gasped as I saw thin lines of scar tissue spelling out the word FREAK in the middle of her back. She quickly pulled her shirt back down and resumed her place on the window seat. She began chewing on her nail and looked at me.
"I'm so sorry, Wraith..."
She held up her hand to cut me off.
"About what? There's nothing you could have done about it."
I was about to answer when there was a familiar shimmer on the other side of the room.
"Hello Susannah...oh...I see that this is a bad time."
Wraith chuckled and began to arrange the pillows behind her so she could prop herself up. "Naw, stick around Fabio. We could have fun times yet."
Jesse gave her the most awkward stare I have ever seen on his gorgeous face and then turned back to me.
"Um, Susannah...who is this?"
I shifted uncomfortably but I found that I didn't need to answer.
"I'm Wraith. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
She held out her hand and Jesse warily took it. Wraith pumped it vigorously and then joined me on the bed. Jesse was still eyeing her as he sat down on the window seat that was probably still warm from Wraith's butt.
"I am Hector De Silva, but you can call me Jesse...I believe that Susannah has told me about you. You taught her a new word..."
Wraith raised her eyebrow at me.
"I would think that Suze doesn't meet too many people who call themselves Wraith, so I assume responsibility for teaching her a new word. I believe you speak of 'Akashic'. She found out what it means earlier today."
Jesse nodded and then leaned forward.
"This subject intrigues me, would you mind explaining it to me?"
Wraith spent the next hour explaining all over again what she had told Father Dom earlier in his office. When she was done, Jesse looked like a small child who had just been given a toy. "Now, Susannah also told me that you were having a fight with a ghost a few days ago, what was this about?"
"No offense Jesse, but A. That wasn't just a mere ghost, and B. I would like to keep that information on a need-to-know basis only, okay?"
Jesse nodded and was about to speak again when I heard Andy downstairs.

"Suze! Come eat!"
Wraith made the salute to Jesse and then we both walked out of my room and down to the kitchen to have another one of Andy's amazing dinners. We had this really good Mediterranean pasta salad.
"So, um Wraith...Brad told us that you're a new student...when did you move here?"
Wraith finished chewing her mouthful of food.
"I moved here from New York three weeks ago. I just started because we were getting the house set up and school trolling. I really like the mission, the principal rocks,"
She snuck a glance at me before continuing.
"I'm really lucky that Suze, Adam and CeeCee think I rock too or I'd be all alone."
She grinned at me and took another bite of food. Andy nodded approvingly and then he too continued to eat. When the meal was over, Wraith helped clean up and then ran upstairs with me.
"I need to get my jacket and then I'm going home, okay Suze?"
I nodded and she began searching for said leather jacket. When she found it, she pulled leather gloves out of the pockets, slipped them on, hugged me and ran downstairs. Wow, I feel very loved when my guest literally runs from the house. I followed her quickly and caught up as she was unlocking her helmet.
"We'll talk tomorrow. See you."
She slipped on her helmet and I heard her shrieking maniacally as she burned rubber down the residential street.

When I entered homeroom the next day, Wraith was actively conversing with CeeCee. When I walked over, I was immediately met with an unanswerable question.
"Suze, did you know that Wraith has the best name ever and she refuses to use it?"
Wraith was smiling bemusedly as I asked myself the same question.
"It confuses people even more than my nickname does, and if it really bothers you Cee, you Adam and Suze can call me Ly."
CeeCee grinned eratically as said Adam walked in.
"Adam, you have to call Wraith Ly now."
Due to the confused look on Adam's face as he sat down, I elaborated.
"Her real name is Melyranth and she wants us to call her Ly now, but only us, so slap anyone else you hear calling her that."
Adam grinned idiotically and gave the same left handed salute that had now become synonymous with Wraith...Ly...whatever. I looked at said confusing person and she was grinning and looking at Adam with an almost loving look on her face. Uh oh, she better not be hot on Adam, CeeCee might try and kill her. Obviously, CeeCee had seen the look, because her voice rang out in the silence of early morning homeroom class.
"So Ly, how's your love life?"
Ly's face immediately lost all traces of humor. She turned to look out the window, and heaved a sigh.
"I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't ask about that, okay CeeCee."
She had an odd look on her face and it was amazing how she could be so quiet, yet we heard her so clearly. Her voice was breathy and sad. CeeCee looked almost ashamed of herself. By then, people had started filing in for class, so she just left it alone. That was the most extraordinary thing to happen...at least until three classes later in Algebra. Ly was in this class with me as well, and it was going smoothly until about ten minutes in when there was a knock at the door. A pimply guy of about twenty walked in with a single red rose.
"I've got a delivery here for a Miss...Ly Costem."
I saw Ly snap out of a trance in the back of the room.
"It's Costel."
The guy blushed furiously, and I really couldn't blame him. She had been in a bad mood all day and her voice could freeze you up. Plus, she just so happens to be a knockout, a fact that was not even remotely hidden in a black and purple lace up shirt with a pair of cute baggy black pants and elbow length black fishnet gloves. She stood up to grab the rose and the guy dug in his pocket and pulled out a plain white card. It had one word written on the front, in red looping cursive.
Ly...
With a shaking hand, she set the rose on her desk and then opened the card. Her eyes flicked across the page and she began trembling horribly. She turned paper white and dropped the card. She then started breathing hard and walked swiftly out of the room. I jumped out of my seat and ran to the fallen piece of paper. I opened it and saw the same red cursive writing out one simple sentence.

Someone who is like you suffers for you...Do you hear the screaming?

I crunched it up in my hand and threw it into the trash as I ran after Ly. Judging by the confused hall moniter to the right of me, I judged she had gone towards the courtyard. I broke into a jog and got out to see her heading towards the Mission Cemetery.
"Wraith!"
Oops...forgot the whole Wraith/Ly thing. Oh well, doesn't matter now. I began running to catch up with her, and almost fell over her when I found her collapsed in the middle of the path right around a turn. She was hugging her knees and rocking back and forth. Every now and then she would let out a dry sob and squeak. I huddled down next to her and attempted to look her in the eye.
"Wraith! What is it! What's wrong?"
She looked at me and then all of her composure came back. She glanced around quickly and then stood up, dragging me with her as she headed deeper into the cemetery. When we were completely shrouded by trees at the grave of one 'Hector De Silva', (Yeah, I know, ironic.) She turned to face me.
"It's Damon. He's resorted to kidnapping...Oh God, this is all my fault..." She began pacing around the grave as I went through my memory to see if I knew who Damon was. Turns out, I don't.
"Um, Wraith...who's Damon?"
She stopped pacing and slumped down to her knees. She ran her hand through her hair and a spasm of pain flicked across her face. I was about to ask why, but she started talking first.