is serious, Taylor," Celia says softly. "Like, top secret."
Taylor leans in, eyes afire with curiosity. "Oh, goody! I love secrets."
I swallow down my trepidation and strike out. "See, Taylor, Celia and I are starting uh, uh, a club, so to speak, and we need a photographer for it."
Taylor's finely sculpted brow lifts up and she smiles amazingly white teeth at us. "Ooo, I'm the yearbook photographer. I also work on the school's website and have this amazing Facebook page you'll have to check out. Lots of emo-type pics of myself that I took in the mirror at home. And two of my football pictures from last year were used in the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"
Wow, she's as exuberant as Celia when you get her going. Will I be able to handle both of their strong energies?
"What kind of club is this?" Taylor asks. Her wide smile literally glistens, and the shade of pink on her lips makes her teeth appear even whiter. "I'm totally into adding another club to my curriculum vitae."
With a deep breath, I try again to see into Taylor's thoughts. She seems not to have any prejudices hidden under the surface, from what I can tell, other than she hates her grandmother's cooking, misses her dad, and thinks Courtney Langdon needs to eat a tray of brownies and not throw them up. I try not to giggle as I continue. I get the sense of a genuinely warm and friendly person. Taylor's a bit of a daredevil, even though she may not know it yet.
Celia taps me on the shoulder. "Tell her, Kendall."
Okay. Here goes.
"Celia and I've decided to start ghost hunting."
I watch as Taylor sits there for a moment, staring ahead as if she's been frozen in time. Then she blinks hard with her overly mascaraed, long black lashes. "Oh, wow. Fascinating. You've just got to tell me exactly what this would entail? Would there be papers or extra-credit work here at school involved?"
Celia and I look at each other. I say, "No, this is totally an after-school type of thing. You know, like at night and on the weekends."
"It'll all be very scientific," Celia explains. "We'll have equipment for sound and for measuring energies."
Celia and I give her more details about the ghost in my house, how people in my father's office think city hall is haunted, and how Radisson's storied history makes it the perfect place to hold investigations. Celia gives some detail about how Taylor would take pictures and videos and be an integral part of the team so that I can try to communicate with the spirits.
She zeros in on something I said. "What do you mean, 'try to communicate with the spirits'?"
Do I really want to lay all of my cards on the table? Do I want to be that girl who blurts out to everyone she meets that she's a psychic? Psycho, more like. Yet Taylor's eyes appear to be kind and understanding with an outline of pain that I can't put my finger on just yet.
I fight my apprehension and lower my voice. "I'm sort of going through this, umm, well, don't tell anyone, but it's like a psychic awakening."
Taylor's eyes widen. "Meaning?"
"Meaning I can see and talk to spirits."
I wait for Taylor to call the principal and have me thrown out of school. Fine. I guess I can finish up by being home-schooled. These days colleges accept all kinds of students.
But Taylor surprises both of us.
Her mouth flies open and she claps her hands in front of her. "Oh. My. God! That is phenomenal! You're really psychic?" She stops herself with a hand to her mouth and quiets down. "Tell me what I'm thinking
right
now. No, don't! Let me try to block my thoughts from you." She shuts her eyes and smiles real hard, bursting into a giggle. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun. Just think of all the places we can explore and investigate right here in Radisson. We'll have to have a schedule and organize everything. Wow, I'm sure there aren't many other applicants to Duke University who'll have ghost hunting as an extracurricular activity." Then Taylor raises her fist and cheers, "
Scientia vincere
Taylor leans in, eyes afire with curiosity. "Oh, goody! I love secrets."
I swallow down my trepidation and strike out. "See, Taylor, Celia and I are starting uh, uh, a club, so to speak, and we need a photographer for it."
Taylor's finely sculpted brow lifts up and she smiles amazingly white teeth at us. "Ooo, I'm the yearbook photographer. I also work on the school's website and have this amazing Facebook page you'll have to check out. Lots of emo-type pics of myself that I took in the mirror at home. And two of my football pictures from last year were used in the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"
Wow, she's as exuberant as Celia when you get her going. Will I be able to handle both of their strong energies?
"What kind of club is this?" Taylor asks. Her wide smile literally glistens, and the shade of pink on her lips makes her teeth appear even whiter. "I'm totally into adding another club to my curriculum vitae."
With a deep breath, I try again to see into Taylor's thoughts. She seems not to have any prejudices hidden under the surface, from what I can tell, other than she hates her grandmother's cooking, misses her dad, and thinks Courtney Langdon needs to eat a tray of brownies and not throw them up. I try not to giggle as I continue. I get the sense of a genuinely warm and friendly person. Taylor's a bit of a daredevil, even though she may not know it yet.
Celia taps me on the shoulder. "Tell her, Kendall."
Okay. Here goes.
"Celia and I've decided to start ghost hunting."
I watch as Taylor sits there for a moment, staring ahead as if she's been frozen in time. Then she blinks hard with her overly mascaraed, long black lashes. "Oh, wow. Fascinating. You've just got to tell me exactly what this would entail? Would there be papers or extra-credit work here at school involved?"
Celia and I look at each other. I say, "No, this is totally an after-school type of thing. You know, like at night and on the weekends."
"It'll all be very scientific," Celia explains. "We'll have equipment for sound and for measuring energies."
Celia and I give her more details about the ghost in my house, how people in my father's office think city hall is haunted, and how Radisson's storied history makes it the perfect place to hold investigations. Celia gives some detail about how Taylor would take pictures and videos and be an integral part of the team so that I can try to communicate with the spirits.
She zeros in on something I said. "What do you mean, 'try to communicate with the spirits'?"
Do I really want to lay all of my cards on the table? Do I want to be that girl who blurts out to everyone she meets that she's a psychic? Psycho, more like. Yet Taylor's eyes appear to be kind and understanding with an outline of pain that I can't put my finger on just yet.
I fight my apprehension and lower my voice. "I'm sort of going through this, umm, well, don't tell anyone, but it's like a psychic awakening."
Taylor's eyes widen. "Meaning?"
"Meaning I can see and talk to spirits."
I wait for Taylor to call the principal and have me thrown out of school. Fine. I guess I can finish up by being home-schooled. These days colleges accept all kinds of students.
But Taylor surprises both of us.
Her mouth flies open and she claps her hands in front of her. "Oh. My. God! That is phenomenal! You're really psychic?" She stops herself with a hand to her mouth and quiets down. "Tell me what I'm thinking
right
now. No, don't! Let me try to block my thoughts from you." She shuts her eyes and smiles real hard, bursting into a giggle. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun. Just think of all the places we can explore and investigate right here in Radisson. We'll have to have a schedule and organize everything. Wow, I'm sure there aren't many other applicants to Duke University who'll have ghost hunting as an extracurricular activity." Then Taylor raises her fist and cheers, "
Scientia vincere
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