"She looked like you Querida?"
I nodded.
"Almost just like me. Only she has black hair and her eyes were bigger and a different color."
Jesse curled his arm around my shoulder.
"She may get you in trouble, Susannah. Things could get dangerous."
I thought about it for a minute. He was right, she seemed to be very used to beating up and then stabbing the ghosties. But she had also said she'd be seeing me, so I'm guessing I really didn't have a choice in the matter anyway. Just then mom yelled up the stairs for dinner. I disentangled myself from Jesse's arms and grudgingly headed downstairs. It was a good dinner of steak and mashed poatatoes. I was almost able to finish the whole plate too, except that Brad decided to grace me with a vision of the chewed up steak and mashed potatoes in his mouth. Heavenly, I swear. Not.
I figured out the next day why Wraith had said she would be seeing me. I was in homeroom, desperately trying not to meet Paul's stare, when the door opened and I heard the teacher's voice,
"Oh goody. You must be Miss Costel. Take a seat."
I looked up and saw Wraith. She was in V.P. again, but it wasn't the same suit, it had different designs. Her hair was pulled up into a sloppy ponytail and her hands were again gloved, but the fingers were cut off of this pair. I saw Kelly and Debbie glaring evilly at her from across the room. I looked at Paul, he was watching her too. Much like when Paul had come, I was right next to the only empty chair. She sat down and turned to me.
"Hello Susannah. Nice to see you again."
I smiled at her and then she glanced over to Adam and CeeCee. CeeCee, being CeeCee, held out her hand and said in her business voice,
"Hi, I'm CeeCee, this is Adam, what's your name."
She took the hand with an approving nod and shook it quickly.
"I'm Wraith. Nice to meet you."
CeeCee smiled at her and put her hand back down.
"So, Wraith, how do you know Suze? Are you her cousin or something? You guys look a lot alike."
Wraith glanced at me quickly,
"I met her yesterday. Bumped into her, you could say."
Adam looked at me kind of suspiciously, but then turned back to the teacher to at least pretend he was paying attention. By the time lunch had rolled around, I was dreading what Paul was going to do. CeeCee and Adam had decided that Wraith was acceptable as a friend, so I knew that she would be sitting with us, but I didn't know if Paul would find that as a good reason to sit with us as well. Apparently, it wasn't, because he stayed at the other end of the courtyard.
"So, is Wraith your real name, or just a nickname?"
Wraith looked at Adam skeptically,
"It's a nickname. Not many people know my real name.'
Adam put down his food and licked a bit of ketchup off his finger.
"Oh really? What is it then? Scouts honor says I won't tell."
She smiled a little.
"Point one, I highly doubt you were ever a scout, and Point two, it would only confuse you anyway."
Adam gave a huff of indignation.
"What? Do I not look smart enough to be a scout? And why would it confuse me? Is it like twenty letters long or what?"
She laughed at the look on Adam's face and it looked like she was about to answer when Debbie and Kelly strolled up to the table.
"Suze, who's the freak?"
Wraith began glaring at them.
"If by freak, you mean me, then I am your worst nightmare. Now, shoo before I bite you."
I heard Adam snort as Kelly sneered at her.
"What's that supposed to mean freak?"
Wraith smiled and then abruptly stood up.
"It means that I am about to mar your perfect skin."
She grabbed Kelly's arm, twisted it behind her back, and then bit her shoulder. All motion around us stopped as Debbie, (yes Debbie, not Kelly.) screamed. Wraith released Kelly and then wiped her mouth. Kelly quickly spun around and then glared at her.
'You bit me!!!!"
Wraith laughed and then sat back down.
"You really are an idiot aren't you?"
I heard a collective gasp around the courtyard.
"I distinctly remember me saying, 'Shoo or I will bite you.' I gave you a warning."
I saw Adam and CeeCee collapsed on each other in silent laughter. Kelly grabbed the spot on her shoulder where Wraith had bit her and then huffily walked away. Adam stopped laughing and looked at Wraith with tears in his eyes.
"You, my good lady, are my hero."
CeeCee was still having convulsions with her head on the table. I looked around and saw everyone staring at her in awe. She looked away from Adam's adoring gaze quickly and gave the same left handed salute she had used the day before. A couple minutes later, a very amused looking Paul Slater joined us at our table. He took a chair, turned it around, and then straddled it.
"Um, Wraith...Did you just bite Kelly?"
She rolled her eyes over to Paul and began biting her nail.
"If Kelly is the blonde one, then yes, I just bit Kelly."
I nodded.
"Almost just like me. Only she has black hair and her eyes were bigger and a different color."
Jesse curled his arm around my shoulder.
"She may get you in trouble, Susannah. Things could get dangerous."
I thought about it for a minute. He was right, she seemed to be very used to beating up and then stabbing the ghosties. But she had also said she'd be seeing me, so I'm guessing I really didn't have a choice in the matter anyway. Just then mom yelled up the stairs for dinner. I disentangled myself from Jesse's arms and grudgingly headed downstairs. It was a good dinner of steak and mashed poatatoes. I was almost able to finish the whole plate too, except that Brad decided to grace me with a vision of the chewed up steak and mashed potatoes in his mouth. Heavenly, I swear. Not.
I figured out the next day why Wraith had said she would be seeing me. I was in homeroom, desperately trying not to meet Paul's stare, when the door opened and I heard the teacher's voice,
"Oh goody. You must be Miss Costel. Take a seat."
I looked up and saw Wraith. She was in V.P. again, but it wasn't the same suit, it had different designs. Her hair was pulled up into a sloppy ponytail and her hands were again gloved, but the fingers were cut off of this pair. I saw Kelly and Debbie glaring evilly at her from across the room. I looked at Paul, he was watching her too. Much like when Paul had come, I was right next to the only empty chair. She sat down and turned to me.
"Hello Susannah. Nice to see you again."
I smiled at her and then she glanced over to Adam and CeeCee. CeeCee, being CeeCee, held out her hand and said in her business voice,
"Hi, I'm CeeCee, this is Adam, what's your name."
She took the hand with an approving nod and shook it quickly.
"I'm Wraith. Nice to meet you."
CeeCee smiled at her and put her hand back down.
"So, Wraith, how do you know Suze? Are you her cousin or something? You guys look a lot alike."
Wraith glanced at me quickly,
"I met her yesterday. Bumped into her, you could say."
Adam looked at me kind of suspiciously, but then turned back to the teacher to at least pretend he was paying attention. By the time lunch had rolled around, I was dreading what Paul was going to do. CeeCee and Adam had decided that Wraith was acceptable as a friend, so I knew that she would be sitting with us, but I didn't know if Paul would find that as a good reason to sit with us as well. Apparently, it wasn't, because he stayed at the other end of the courtyard.
"So, is Wraith your real name, or just a nickname?"
Wraith looked at Adam skeptically,
"It's a nickname. Not many people know my real name.'
Adam put down his food and licked a bit of ketchup off his finger.
"Oh really? What is it then? Scouts honor says I won't tell."
She smiled a little.
"Point one, I highly doubt you were ever a scout, and Point two, it would only confuse you anyway."
Adam gave a huff of indignation.
"What? Do I not look smart enough to be a scout? And why would it confuse me? Is it like twenty letters long or what?"
She laughed at the look on Adam's face and it looked like she was about to answer when Debbie and Kelly strolled up to the table.
"Suze, who's the freak?"
Wraith began glaring at them.
"If by freak, you mean me, then I am your worst nightmare. Now, shoo before I bite you."
I heard Adam snort as Kelly sneered at her.
"What's that supposed to mean freak?"
Wraith smiled and then abruptly stood up.
"It means that I am about to mar your perfect skin."
She grabbed Kelly's arm, twisted it behind her back, and then bit her shoulder. All motion around us stopped as Debbie, (yes Debbie, not Kelly.) screamed. Wraith released Kelly and then wiped her mouth. Kelly quickly spun around and then glared at her.
'You bit me!!!!"
Wraith laughed and then sat back down.
"You really are an idiot aren't you?"
I heard a collective gasp around the courtyard.
"I distinctly remember me saying, 'Shoo or I will bite you.' I gave you a warning."
I saw Adam and CeeCee collapsed on each other in silent laughter. Kelly grabbed the spot on her shoulder where Wraith had bit her and then huffily walked away. Adam stopped laughing and looked at Wraith with tears in his eyes.
"You, my good lady, are my hero."
CeeCee was still having convulsions with her head on the table. I looked around and saw everyone staring at her in awe. She looked away from Adam's adoring gaze quickly and gave the same left handed salute she had used the day before. A couple minutes later, a very amused looking Paul Slater joined us at our table. He took a chair, turned it around, and then straddled it.
"Um, Wraith...Did you just bite Kelly?"
She rolled her eyes over to Paul and began biting her nail.
"If Kelly is the blonde one, then yes, I just bit Kelly."