Chapter 2

Ina and I nodded at each other, both of us letting out a breath, and stepped on the gas to get to Hilary's house fast.

We'd barely reached the edge of the village when we saw scraps of white funeral paper scattered across the ground, and the broken wail of a horn drifting into our ears.

Under the big tree at the entrance, a few old men and women sat gossiping about it.

"That Perry child really was short-lived. A thing like this taking her life, a healthy girl just gone like that."

"I know it. She died with such grievance, so much resentment left in her. I reckon the kids in this village will be scared out of their wits for months."

"It's fine, didn't her family hire a medium to send her off? I heard they brought the body back from the funeral home yesterday."

"But they still haven't found the driver who did it! In a world this advanced, if you can't find him in three days, you usually never will."

...

They went back and forth in scraps of talk, and it sank Ina's heart and mine right down to the bottom.

We stumbled into Hilary's house and saw white cloth hung everywhere.

An ice-packed coffin sat in the main room, her parents keeping vigil beside it, both of them crying.

The moment they saw us, Hilary's mother rushed over with red eyes and demanded to know why I'd scolded Hilary.

She grabbed my hand and shoved me toward the coffin. I lost my footing, and suddenly I was face to face with Hilary through the glass!

"Ah——"

I couldn't help the scream that tore out of me, scared out of my skin.

The girl in that coffin really was Hilary!

That cheerful, lively student of mine, her face gray now, cheek marked with an injury, lying inside. Terrified, I hurried to apologize.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I really didn't mean to scold Vivi. I only said a few words because yesterday I got a call from her, and she sent me a video of herself swimming in the backwoods pond."

"Nonsense!"

Hilary's mother went ashen with fright.

"My Vivi was in a car crash three days ago. She's dead, so how could she call you or send you a video?"

Ina nodded desperately and tried to explain too.

"Yes! Yes! I got a call from Hilary last night as well. She was laughing, telling me all about going swimming during the day."

"That's exactly why we came today, to find out what's going on! It's the honest truth, both of us got the calls."

The second Ina and I said it, every eye in the room changed.

They stared at us, cold as ice, and pushed us into a room, calling in that medium to take a look and tell us what this was.

First we checked the call log and dialed the number back, but no one ever picked up.

Then I went to replay the video, but the screen filled with static, not a single image left.

Turned all the way up, all I could hear was a "glug, glug" sound underwater, completely different from the first time I'd watched it.

The medium listened carefully, counted on his fingers, and nodded like he understood.

"The child doesn't want to leave. She died with too much grievance, the driver still hasn't been found, so her resentment runs deep. But her awareness isn't strong yet, she still senses that she's already dead."

"So she took water as a medium to carry her through, wanting to share the fun she'd had with the people she loved most, and she called the two of you teachers! Looks like this child was very fond of you both."

"Go and look now. Isn't there a river or pond near the crash site? There must have been heavy rain that washed the child's blood from the accident into that pond."

Hearing the medium say those few words, Ina and I were scared nearly out of our souls.

We wanted to leave right then, but Hilary's parents stopped us.

"Ms. Rodriguez, Ms. Henson, you can't go yet. You have to stay here for the night!"

"Why?"

"The medium says the child can't bear to part with you. She wants you to see her off at the funeral, so she can leave with peace of mind."