Chapter 9: Sinai's Point of View

I slipped away as soon as everything was set in motion. The cure would not be ready for several hours, which gave me just enough time to settle something that had been bothering me for a while. It was time to pay a visit to an old friend who had died in the middle of the epidemic all those years ago. The memory of that day was still fresh and painful, even though he had been at peace with his passing before he had died.

I entered the familiar hut in what had become my usual method: through the closed door.

Drage, studious as ever, was at his desk, a rather sick potted plant next to him. I concentrated on it, and as sure as anything else that was happening, it bloomed.

Glancing at the plant, Drage greeted, "I saw you at the execution, Sinai, and when I got back, my flower had wilted. How can you be so happy all of a sudden?"

I shook my head. "You didn't see me."

Drage turned and did a double-take. "Sinai… you're… ah… well…"

"Dead?" I supplied.

He nodded. "Yeah. That and transparent." He thought for a moment, and then cried, "I'm sorry I put that bug in your sandwich in fifth grade! I didn't know you'd take it so seriously!"

"That was you?" I asked, but he continued as if he hadn't heard me for a good five minutes.

Finally, after confessing every mean thing he had done to me (or to plants in general), he wailed, "Please don't haunt me!"

I sighed. "Drage, you've heard way too many ghost stories. I'm not here to haunt or kill you or whatever. I need you to create a body for my spirit to attach itself to. Don't ask why- I'll tell you later."

"So why should I make this vessel for you if you're going to be so secretive?" he asked. I glared at him and completely blackened and shriveled all of his plants, causing him to wave his arms and cry, "I kid! I kid!"

"Drage, I am counting the many long and painful ways that plants can kill you and several options are viable right this minute," I threatened.

Being himself, Drage in all seriousness pointed out, "But then you won't get a body."

I groaned. "I am so going to entomb you in vines." I clapped a hand to my mouth. I had done what I had threatened after Drage had died!

"Is something the matter?" Drage quizzed. "Perhaps you just realized something that didn't make sense until now? Care to explain?"

"Drage, get back to work," I ordered, my voice shaking. He shrugged. "Remember how long I've known you. You have very specific reactions depending on what you're thinking." He turned back to his work. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out that your crying at the execution connects you to him. Funny how the angry mob didn't lynch you on the spot. Mind telling me how you died, by the way?"

I sighed impatiently, kicking myself when I realized that I was imitating that boy. "Please hurry, Drage. I'm not running out of time, but someone else is."

A/N: Sinai is a very relaxed person most of the time, but expresses her emotions as she feels she needs to. She's quite easily amused when people freak out, especially when she proves that she's a ghost.

Drage is about the same age as Sinai- he'd have to be, to put the bug in Sinai's lunch in fifth grade. They've known each other since their elementary days. (Switching to Will…) They've probably had to deal with a lot of "You like him" crap as well. (I've had these issues, can you tell?) And they've known each other for too long for any of those rumors to be true. We, on the other hand, love Drage. He is just too cool, and very fun to write for.