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I looked around the room, but I didn’t see any other spirits. At the front of the room, Professor Poppy continued her guided meditation, but she didn’t look at Nadine or me. It was like we weren’t even there.
“Let’s see what we can do.” I took Nadine’s hand in mine. Her spirit felt solid, even though we couldn’t touch anything else. Professor Poppy had encouraged us to explore the school if we managed to astral travel. Our feet floated off the ground, and we didn’t have to move our legs as we hovered across the room. The sensations in my body shifted as we moved. It was a little disorienting, like I was drunk or high.
“Everything feels weird here,” I remarked.
“I feel it, too,” Nadine said. “It’s like a buzzing inside of me, a lot like my Curse Breaker powers. Every time we pass someone, it gets stronger. I think we’re feeling their energy.”
That made sense. Professor Poppy said things would feel different on the astral plane.
I led Nadine to the closed door and paused. “You ready?”
She looked eager to test it out. “I’m ready.”
I floated forward, but the solid wall felt like nothing but air. We entered the hallway, and it was like stepping into a brand-new world. The school we saw wasn’t quite our own. All the furniture and artwork on the walls were in the right spots, but there were things that weren’t there before. Translucent vines grew up the walls, like the plants themselves were made of spirit. Cats made of rainbow colors chased each other down the hall. Witch lights hovered everywhere, twinkling above us. I reached upward to touch one, and it buzzed away from me. I realized it wasn’t a witch light at all, but a spiritual being. They were like Fortune Fairies that existed only on the spiritual plane. It was like a whole world stacked on top of our own.
Nadine spun around, taking in all the magical colors. She stopped, and I followed her gaze to see a ghost hovering nearby. It was an old man, probably a professor who had died ages ago. “We should talk to him,” Nadine suggested. “He might’ve overheard something about the demon or the Wands.”
“Excuse me, sir?” I asked.
The man didn’t even look at us. I took Nadine’s hand, and we floated toward him.
“Sir? We’d like to talk to you,” Nadine said gently.
The man noticed us, but he got a terrified look on his face and spat, “You shouldn’t be here!” A cat at his feet hissed and went pouncing behind him, until they both disappeared through the wall.
Nadine frowned. “Ghosts don’t want to talk to us, I guess. We’re live spirits invading their space.”
“They’re probably more comfortable with Seers,” I agreed. “I’m sure it’s not often they see astral travelers.”
“Where did I put it?” someone mumbled. Nadine and I turned to see Professor Wykoff walking down the hall. She carried a big stack of papers and flipped through them. “Ah, there it is. Can’t lose my article. I spent all night on it.”
She kept walking and didn’t see us standing there. I didn’t move, because I wanted to see what would happen. Professor Wykoff walked straight through me, and she didn’t notice a thing. She didn’t feel solid, but I felt a strange energy when we touched. My form glowed brighter.
I flipped my hands around, watching the colors sparkle. “I think I just stole some of her energy.”
“That makes sense,” Nadine said. “If ghosts can harness energy, then so can our spirits.”
I eyed the light switch nearby thoughtfully. “Ghosts can also manipulate electricity and make lights flicker. Maybe…”
I put my hand to the wall, and it went straight through. I couldn’t feel the wires, but I felt a tingle of energy ripple up and down my form. The lights overhead dimmed, then flickered a few times.
Professor Wykoff squealed, nearly dropping all her papers. “I welcome only friendly spirits into my space. If you wish me harm, be gone!”
She took a deep breath, then continued on her way.
“We can scare people. That’s a perk,” I teased.
“Yes, but the real question is, how fast can we fly? Race you!” Nadine’s spirit went flying down the hall so fast she was practically a blur.
I set the intention to chase after her, and my spirit took off in flight. A thrill traveled through me as I flew down the hall after her.
“Not fair!” I called.
Nadine’s laughter rang down the hall with an ethereal echo. “Come catch me!”
No one even glanced our way as I chased Nadine through the hall, laughing loudly. We reached the Main Foyer, and she flew upward to the second level. I caught up to her and grabbed her around the middle. It was so good to hear her laugh. We couldn’t have fun like this out in the open anymore—not with the conflict going on in the coven right now. It was sad, really.
Nadine swatted at me playfully. “Fine, you win.”
