"Dey t'ink I'm a ghost y'know. Most've t'other students. S'my own fault really, considerin' tha' I only come out a' night, dressed in black and walkin' through walls.

Most've 'em ignore me. Tha's fine. Some've 'em stare. Tha's fine to. One've 'em crossed 'erself when I wen' past t'other night. I laughed. No' much else I could've done, besides yellin' 'boo.' But I dun figure givin' t'other students 'eart attacks is a good way t'fit in.

No' tha' I'm tryin' t'fit in. T'ieves dun make frien's mon ami. I've said tha' often enough. Mus' be true.

Dey t'ink I'm a ghost. Mebbe Dey're right. I'm t'only servivin' LeBeau, besides t'uncle I've seen once since I been 'ere. An' t'only reason I survived t'fire s'cause I can walk t'hrough walls.

So mebbe I AM a ghost, I jus' dun know it. Maybe I died t'ree years ago, back when I was so sick an' e'ryone thought I was goin' t'kick t'bucket. Who's t'say I didn''?

But no. Ghosts dun eat. Ghosts dun sleep. And Ghosts dun 'ave nightmares.

Tha's why I only come out at night you know. B'cause t'nightmares aren' so bad durin' t'day. My Granmere always said tha's b'cause sunlight kills 'em. Makes 'em powerless. I t'ink she was right. So I'm nocturnal now. If I sleep durin' t' day, I dun wake up in a panic smellin' smoke, or hearin' t' dull thump of t' downstairs curtains goin' up in flames.

Or t' screamin'. I can still hear tha' if I close my eyes. S'been what? T'ree months? Four? I wonder if t'cinder pile's been picked clean yet, if t' Bayou's come back t'claim it's own. Wouldn' surprise me. Tha' doesn' usually take to long.

And who knows, mebbe one've dese days I'll be able t' sleep a'night again, without t'smoke, and t'flames and t'screamin'.

And myself.

Standin' dere.

Watchin'

An' laughin'."