A joyous spark lit in Anita’s eyes. I’d just admitted it. Told her that I hadn’t helped the ghost move on. I was such an idiot.
“Mrs. Peet made a sewage line explode. Need I remind you? We can’t have the spirit world doing things that are so destructive. Someone could’ve been hurt. Anyone could’ve been hurt. Our job is to protect people. You know that, and you willingly allowed a spirit to stay.”
“No one was hurt. All she wanted was to see her daughter go to prom. That’s why she screwed with the line to begin with. Someone”—I eyed Anita carefully—“had already tried to transition her. She wasn’t ready.”
Anita sniffed. She knew darn well who had tried and failed to make Mrs. Peet go to the other side—Anita had.
I could see a ball of happiness bubbling inside the new director of the Ghost Team. I’d admitted I hadn’t done my job. I’d willingly allowed a spirit to stay. Anita had me right where she wanted me.
Her voice lifted in what I assumed was happiness. “So you admit it?”
See? What’d I tell you?
I rubbed my eyes. “Yes, I allowed Mrs. Peet to stay. As long as no one bothered her, she promised not to make any more trouble. Once her daughter—who’s deaf, by the way—attends prom, Mrs. Peet promised to cross. If it’s a problem, I’ll go back, make sure Mrs. Peet does as she said she would. But I’ve been dealing with spirits a long time, longer than you,” I said, “and I’m pretty sure she’s going to stick to her word.”
“Prettysure?” A slow smile curled on Anita’s face.
I leaned forward and drilled a hole in her forehead with my laser-beam eyes. “One hundred percent.”
Anita sighed, sank back onto her chair. “See, that’s a problem for me, Blissful.” She sounded sad, but Anita was faking it. She hated me. Always had. From our earliest training days Anita had it out for me. I was better than she was at transitioning ghosts, better at fighting, a faster runner and my dad had loved me. Loved me.
Which was why Anita was so proud of stealing my job. Granted, I’d never actuallyhadthe job. But it was mine to inherit. I should’ve been the director. But Anita had won. Now she was all set to punish me for an infraction that wasn’t even really an infraction.
Okay, I’d gone against my job description, but I did believe Mrs. Peet. For goodness’ sake, she’d died before her daughter could attend prom. A daughter that had fought adversity and challenges her entire life. All the spirit wanted was to see the look of happiness on her daughter’s face. Was that too much to ask?
I didn’t think so.
I flexed my fingers. Fingers that were used to slipping into our Ghost Team suits. Suits that moved electromagnetic energy away from our bodies so that spirits couldn’t use the magnetic fields to attack us. My biceps were tight from years of training. A Ghost Team member had to be physically fit. I ran four miles every day before breakfast, did two hundred squats with a barbell on my shoulders. I could do fifty pull-ups without breaking a sweat.
And now Polly Princess was telling me my days were numbered. She hadn’t said it yet, but it was coming.
“Blissful, Blissful, Blissful,” Anita cooed, “as much as I don’t want to do this, I don’t have a choice. You know the rules. You transition the spirit if you can or you’re off the team. You could have. You’ve willingly allowed a mischievous ghost to remain.”
“She wasn’t a threat,” I said. “Anita, how many times did my dad allow a spirit to remain if they weren’t deemed harmful?”
She lifted a hand to silence me. I almost laughed at the absurdity of the gesture.
“Your father and I have different leadership styles, I’m sorry to say. Whereas he might’ve let this little slip go”—her gaze dragged from my head, where I knew she was inwardly cringing at my violet-colored hair, to my nails that were in desperate need of a manicure—“I can’t be as kind. I’m sure you understand. I just started in this position. I can’t have everyone thinking they can walk all over me.”
“Especially not me, huh?”
“Especially not you,” she blurted, then covered her face, realizing she’d screwed up. “Listen, Blissful. Since I know you’re still dealing with Vince—your dad’s death, I’m going to make you an offer.”
“I’d love to hear it,” I said, seething.
Anita tapped on her computer and then swung the screen around to show me. “Recognize this place?”
The picture was of a serene town. Banners and streamers hung from the covered shops on Main Street. In the background a white church steeple spiraled to the heavens while folks poured from shop to shop. It was an ideal scene.
I groaned. “Of course I recognize it. It’s Haunted Hollow, Alabama. How could I forget it? It’s the second most haunted town in the entire country.”
“Second to Savannah, Georgia.”
“It’s also a hotbed of spirit activity. We’ve gone in before and weren’t able to do anything. The ghosts there are too hard to transition. It’s like they’re unionized or something.”
A slow smirk of satisfaction coiled on Anita’s face.
My stomach dropped. I didn’t like that look.
