Tonya Hurley_Ghostgirl_02 by Homecoming Page B

said, voicing what the rest of the class was already thinking.
    “Early Decision is a process by which a single student may bypass Dead Ed,” Ms. Pierce explained carefully.
    “Oh, is that all?” Tilly asked, her famously impatient personality burning brightly like the harsh UV rays that killed her. “You mean I’ve been waiting around here for nothing?”
    “It is not something we teach, Tilly,” Ms. Pierce answered firmly. “Because it is dangerous for the applicant as well as the rest of the class.”
    Scarlet tried to get things back on track.
    “You said Polly and Andy were both sorta right?” Scarlet asked.
    “It is about leaving for the Other Side before one is deemed ready,” Ms. Pierce went on, somewhat vaguely, “negotiating the biggest obstacle of all.”
    Nothing could be worse than where she was right now, and besides, was anyone every really ready, Scarlet thought.
    “Why is it so dangerous?” Scarlet asked naively. “Everyone here, well, almost everyone, is already dead.”
    “You do reveal yourself, Scarlet,” Ms. Pierce said. “There are things worse than death, but not truly being one of us, you cannot yet fully appreciate what I am trying to say.”
    “I’m listening,” Scarlet said.
    “You are taking up a seat meant for someone else,” Ms. Pierce explained, getting right to the point.
    “Okay,” Scarlet muttered, insulted by the demure teacher’s directness. It wasn’t the first time she’d been accused of taking up space, but this was different.
    “But leaving may be worse than staying,” Ms. Pierce went on.
    “Not for me,” Scarlet quipped, her choice seeming perfectly clear.
    “Don’t be too sure,” Ms. Pierce continued, a stern tone in her voice. “By coming here, you have placed us all in jeopardy. You’ve made your problem our problem.”
    Scarlet looked around the room and saw the anxiety on all the kids’ faces.
    “I was only trying to save my sister.”
    “That is admirable,” Ms. Pierce said sympathetically, her voice softening. “But there are often unintended consequences of even the most noble actions.”
    “I understand that now” was all the response Scarlet could muster.
    “I’m not sure you do,” the teacher advised. “If you are accepted early, there is no telling where you will wind up. Conversely, if your application is rejected …”
    “Yes?” Scarlet asked, hanging on her answer.
    “We only get one chance to cross over, Scarlet,” Ms. Pierce informed. “Each of us alone, or all of us together. Dead Ed exists because the odds of success are greater if the attempt is made as a group, a more prepared group. We take great pains to bring everyone along, make sure they’ve learned the right lessons from their lives and their deaths.”
    “You’re losing me,” Scarlet pleaded, her head spinning.
    “Simply put, if you fail, we all pay,” Ms. Pierce advised. “You may not be the One to help us, but you could very easily be the one to damn us. And yourself.”
    “I won’t fail,” Scarlet said. “I can’t.”
    “I can submit this for you, Scarlet,” Ms. Pierce said quietly, “but you must realize that there is no guarantee.”
    “I’m willing to take the risk,” Scarlet said, presenting the application tentatively, her hand shaking. “I need to try to make everything right again.”
    Scarlet turned to face the class. It was their souls she was gambling with too, after all, and she felt she owed them an acknowledgment, if not an explanation.
    “I hope you understand,” she said, polling their expressions for her answer. “I have to try.”
    “Are you sure you want to do this?” A.D.D. Andy asked, questioning an action for the first time.
    “Have faith.” Scarlet smiled at him, as all the kids behind her crossed their fingers.
    The teacher folded the application neatly in thirds and walked over to a brass plaque on the wall. There was a slit in the faceplate, not unlike the mail slot in an old farmhouse door. Ms.