Ways to See a Ghost

itself around the mall like silk.
    “Then why is he giving them to me?” said the good-looking lad, making a grab for the bag.
    Gray whipped it out of reach. “I’m not,” he said.
    “Go back to your shopping,” said one of the girls. “Buy yourselves some dollies or whatever.”
    Gray ignored her, and pointed down the escalator, to the floor below where the crowd was still milling about. To Philip and Cally, caught in the middle of it.
    “Do you know who they are?” he asked.
    “Do I look like I care?” answered the girl.
    “Are they famous?” asked one of the boys.
    Gray nodded. “Famous ghost hunters. That’s what they’re doing here, looking for ghosts.”
    The boy rolled his eyes.
    “Yeah, right.”
    But the others were already peering past Gray and Isis.
    “You serious?” asked the girl with the scraped-back hair. “Like, really ghost hunters? Like on TV?”
    Gray nodded, then pointed at Isis. “And she’s one too.”
    Isis jumped, staring at Gray in panic.
    The good-looking boy laughed.
    “I see dead people,”
he said, mockingly.
    Overhead, many eyes were focused on Angel. The deep blue shifted into an eye-aching violet.
    “She really is psychic!” said Gray. Isis glared at him, but he took no notice. “One of the best there is.”
    “If she’s the best, why is everyone mobbing that bald man down there?” asked the scraped-back-hair girl. Gray ignored her, carrying on.
    “Do you know why she’s up here? It’s because there’s a ghost with you lot. Right now.” He turned to Isis. “Isn’t that right?”
    Isis couldn’t speak. He’d just told total strangers something she’d only ever spoken of once in her whole life!
    “Go on,”
he whispered, like they had a plan or something.
    Angel put her head out through the one of the boys, who shuddered.
    “How Gray know I here?” she squeaked, before disappearing again.
    Well she’d have to carry it on now, whatever Gray was planning.
    “Have any of you been feeling cold?” she asked, her voice squeaking a bit.
    The gang looked at each other, and one boy nodded.
    “Yeah. It’s like, really warm today, but there’s these patches of cold, even in the sunshine.”
    “Oh my God!” squealed one of the girls. “That is
exactly
what I’ve been feeling.”
    Next thing, they were all loudly agreeing with each other, describing their own shivers and goosebumps.
    “We’re being haunted!” shrieked one of the girls. She looked at Isis. “Oh my God, is it a zombie or something?”
    “Zombies aren’t ghosts. Don’t you know nothing?” said one of the boys.
    Angel popped out again. “I not stombie!” she cried. “I Angel!”
    Isis glanced up. Above them, claws let go of the column, wings folded back.
    “Angel,
” she whispered, focusing on her hand. She whipped her arm forwards and grabbed the little ghost, right from next to one of the teenagers.
    “Hey!” shouted the girl. “What you doing? Don’t you even try and touch me!”
    Isis pulled Angel towards her, trying to shield her fromthe creature gathering above. The air fizzed into a whining, crackling blue, like it was electrically charged.
    “Have you got Angel?” asked Gray.
    “Angels?” said the good-looking boy. “You said it was ghosts!”
    Isis put her arms around Angel. Everyone was turning into shadows, lost in the ink-washed gloom.
    Angel let out a high scream.
    “It’s here!” cried Isis, trying to run. But the air had turned to glue, she was wading through it. Teeth filled the dark, biting at her from strange angles. Clawlike hands took freezing hold of her shoulders, shaking her.
    “Isis!” wailed Angel.
    “It’s all right,” she whispered, “I’ve got you.” Trying to keep her mind focused, trying to keep her arms around Angel’s nothing-form.
    “What’s she
doing?”
laughed one of the teenagers.
    “She’s not a ghost hunter, she’s just mental!”
    More hands poured out of the creature, out of nowhere. They gripped Isis, trying to force her arms open. Angel screamed and was lifted off the floor, numberless hands pulling at her feet, gripping her ankles, tugging at her clothes and her hair.
    Isis willed every thought into her hands, focusing on holding Angel, gripping as tight as she could. But the little ghost was being pulled away from her – she could feel her hold slipping. Endless fingers pinched particles of light out of Angel, carrying them back to a thousand hungry mouths. Angel’s screams grew frantic.
    Somewhere,