Ceci Masters was preparing for school. She had exams soon, and if she hoped to get into an excellent educational institution to study business, she needed to keep an A average. Which, when you double as a kid superhero, is challenging.
She'd been fortunate she hadn't fallen asleep in class since this entire dilemma with the multiverse started! Still, things had settled down for now, yet she knew they could easily pick back up again.
So, getting any amount of cram time in was essential. She just had to use the bathroom before she flew to school. Therefore, she was shocked to find the school spirit, Irma Edmond, sitting on the toilet, evidently waiting for her!
Ceci panicked. Before slamming and locking the door shut. "IRMA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Ceci demanded hysterically.
The 80s specter only scrubbed her large glasses before replying. If you're worried about your parents or their ghost detectors, don't.
I came through the plumbing system from my bathroom at the school to your house. Consequently, I didn't set any off," the purple-haired, geeky girl replied, still cleaning the filth off her glasses.
Ceci cringed at the thought of having to travel by sewer pipes. Yet she quickly composed herself. Irma Edmond already had a tragic enough life that led to her death and haunting the girl's bathroom at Waverly High.
She'd been ridiculed around the clock as a student in the eighties. Then, her tormentor pulled a fatal prank by spiking Irma's apple juice with pineapple juice, which led her to have a lethal allergic reaction.
Since then, she haunted the bathroom she spent so much time crying in when alive. Ceci was one of the few people Irma could call a friend or talk to. After being satisfied that her glasses were sanitary enough, the young teen explained why she'd come over.
"I recently heard through the Ghost Zone grapevine that my younger sister's daughter Lyndsay will be starting today at school. I was hoping you could watch over her for me."
Ceci looked bewildered for a second. "Could you back up some and clarify this?" she asked kindly. Irma was an exceptionally sensitive individual after spending her life being mocked.
Irma smiled apologetically to Ceci. "Sorry, I should start at the beginning. My little sister Fay was born the same year I perished. I've kept tabs on my family primarily through ghostly means. They moved away shortly after my death.
Now my family is back at their old home. I do check on them from time to time. Yes, I also travel by plumbing since it doesn't scare most people and attracts less attention," Ceci again looked slightly disgusted.
Irma wasn't offended this time because it would sound gross to anyone else. She flipped her ponytail over her shoulder and continued.
"Anyway, back to my point. My sister has become a well-known literary agent, and her husband, Chen, a distinguished Air Force officer, is currently on duty. I remember being bullied for being different, and my niece, Lyndsay, is different.
Since she's half-Chinese and on the spectrum and with racial tension so high and so much stigma centered around mental illness? I was hoping you could keep an eye on her for me. Please do me this favor?" the young teen apparition begged.
Ceci immediately replied, "Sure, I can do that. I can ask Mrs. Ricardez if she allow me to be your niece's mentor at the school. I've done that before, so it shouldn't be hard to do it again."
Irma's luminous green eyes shined even brighter. "Thanks! Well, let me know how she's doing as soon as possible! I've got to get back to my bathroom, and YOU have to get to school! See you later!" as Irma flushed herself back down the toilet.
This left Ceci only a few minutes to use the bathroom and get to school to avoid detention. It turns out she didn't even have to ask Mrs. Ricardez. She was already planning on telling her when she got to school to be the new girl's mentor.
When Ceci was introduced to Lyndsay, she understood better why Irma had requested her to watch over her. Lyndsay looked remarkably like Hay Lin from W.I.T.C.H., except for having heterochromia eyes.
She also seemed to prefer gray and maroon colors because that's all she wore. She also quickly noticed that Lyndsay made no eye contact with her or anyone as she gave her the school tour.
They reached the same locker that had been Irma's. "So, here's your locker. Do you require help with the combination?" Ceci asked, only for Lyndsay to seemingly ignore her. It took a few minutes for Lyndsay to reply.
"Oh, sorry, Cecilia! I wondered how better the school would be if the theme colors didn't clash so much! Also, the lockers aren't properly arranged either! They're not all the same size and a bit disorganized!"
Ceci understood that individuals on the autistic spectrum tended to like things well-organized or arranged in a certain way that made them comfortable. She had also already noticed that Irma's niece repeated stuff under her breath.
Thanks to her enhanced hearing, she heard her repeat things like "Kiss kill, kiss kill." or "Kill my memory, thank you." Ceci didn't know why she utilized such terms. Yet she knew it was called echolalia.
Again, she had done an extra credit paper once on diverse mental and learning disorders, so she was exceptionally knowledgeable about some of the behavior traits the fourteen-year-old was exhibiting.
Still, she kept an eye on Lyndsay and did her best to help her feel comfortable. Despite being in different grades, she felt immensely grateful that Lyndsay was doing well. She kept an eye on her for two weeks, and other than needing some minor help adjusting and teaching her to recognize a few social cues, things were working out.
When Ceci reported this to Irma, she seemed ecstatic to hear that her niece would be alright. She thanked Ceci for her help. Ceci replied that she continued to watch Lyndsay for Irma and ensure either humans or ghosts didn't ridicule her!