Christopher Golden - A Winter of Ghosts

So why had Sora been killed, butRen still lived? Why was Hachiro still missing? What did the Woman in White doto them? And what did the ghosts have to do with anything? Studying the back ofMai's head, thinking of Wakana seeing the ghost of Daisuke, she fell asleep.

The bell woke her with a start. Shesat up, sucking in a ragged breath, her heart slamming in her chest. None ofher tension had eased. She still felt like she could not exhale. Kids weremoving all around her, rising from their desks, some of them muttering abouthow Mr. Yamato should not have resumed classes so quickly after Sora's death,and with Hachiro still missing. Kara agreed, though some of those she heardseemed to be complaining more because they wanted additional days off thanbecause they hadn't felt ready to focus on school again.

Another major adjustment in themove to Japanese education had been the tradition of o soji . Monju-no-Chieschool employed maintenance staff to do repairs and things, but the basiccleaning of the premises was conducted every day by the students themselves. Afterthe final class and before club meetings began, they swept the floors, took outthe garbage, cleaned the boards, washed windows in need of attention, andperformed many other tasks. While it had taken some getting used to, Kara nowprided herself on the results of o soji, pleased to leave the school as cleanas they had found it.

She caught up to Mr. Sato in thecorridor, a trash bag in each hand.

"Sato-sensei," shesaid, "could I speak with you for a moment?"

He gave a tiny bow of his head."Of course."

Kara asked him about moving Sora'schair and the teacher agreed that it should be removed, but expressed concernthat it not be done so quickly that some of Sora's friends might take offenseand think they were attempting to erase the boy's memory. Mr. Sato decided hewould move the desk himself while the school was closed over the weekend. Twomore days with it in the classroom would not be intolerable.

"Sensei, there is somethingelse."

Mr. Sato frowned, his eyebrowslike furry gray caterpillars above his eyes. His glasses seemed too small forhim, suddenly.

"What is it, Kara?"

"When you found Ren, hereally didn't remember anything ?"

The teacher stood up stiffly,what little expression he had shown vanishing. "I'm sorry, Kara. It is notproper for me to speak with you about this. I know you are concerned for — "

"Sensei, please. Did he say anything? Anything at all?"

Mr. Sato seemed to deflate alittle. He glanced around to be sure they were not overheard.

"He said 'thank you,' manytimes. Nothing more than that until long after we had come down from themountain," Mr. Sato said. Then he lowered his gaze, hesitating.

"What?" Kara prodded.

"Nothing," Mr. Satosaid. "He barely seemed to realize I was there at first."

"But he thanked you."

"It was almost as if hewere talking to someone else," the teacher said. "That is what I amtrying to explain to you, Kara. He was delirious. If Ren knows anything aboutwhere we might find Hachiro, he cannot yet remember it. We must hope that hismemory will return."

Kara dropped her gaze, lost inthought. If Ren hadn't been thanking Mr. Sato, who had he been thanking?

"Is there something else?" the teacher asked.

"No, sensei," shesaid. "Thank you."

And she hurried away, trash bagsin hand, wishing that she could confront Ren at that very moment. According toKara's father, Mr. Yamato had offered to let the boy's parents take him homefor the rest of the week, but Ren insisted that he would be all right andwanted to stay at school. He had not come to class today, but perhaps tomorrow,according to Sakura.

Kara needed to talk to him. Somehow,she had to make him remember.

As she hurried down thecorridor, she spotted Mai and Wakana coming out of the girls' bathroom withcleaning supplies. Mai carried herself with an air of superiority that madeWakana seem to fade into the background, though in many ways she was prettierthan her roommate. She had kinder eyes, her hair lighter and more suited to thewarmth of her features. Mai had once been quiet like Wakana, and had smiledmore, then. But now that she was Queen of the Soccer Bitches, her arrogancemade her striking, if not pretty.

The two girls were whispering toone another about something when Kara walked up.

"Can I talk to you two fora minute?"

Mai and Wakana looked up at her,both troubled, but then Mai turned chilly, almost sneering at her.

"Bonsai," she said."What do you want?"

Kara bristled. "Not thatattitude, that's for sure. I thought we were past this. You don't have to likeme, Mai, but we have shared interests. We had a truce. What is your problem?"

As she spoke, Mai grew more andmore rigid and obviously uncomfortable.

"I thank you, bonsai, forgiving me permission not to like you," Mai said, even more haughtily.

Kara threw up her hands. "Youknow what? Sora's dead and Hachiro's still missing. You might hate me, but Ithought you might actually care, but I guess I was — "

Mai narrowed her gaze, loweringher voice. "We do care, you stupid girl."

Wakana squirmed withawkwardness, glancing past Kara, who turned to see what she was looking at andsaw Emi and Kaori sweeping the corridor three doors down from them. The girlswere unmistakable, Emi with her square glasses and Kaori with her perfectathlete's build.

Kara felt like throwing up. Shespun on Mai and Wakana.

"Are you kidding me?" she said, her whispered voice practically a hiss. "You're seriouslyworried about those girls seeing you talking to me? We all suspect that theytook part in Sakura's sister's murder, or at least stood by and watched and didnothing, and it's their approval you care about? What is wrong with you?"

Mai exhaled, seeming to deflate.Wakana had the sense, at least, to look ashamed.

"Kara," Mai said, "justas I do not have to like you, you do not have to like me. Wakana and I havemanaged a certain status at this school and it has value to us, both now and aspart of the foundation for our futures. You are a gaijin. You cannot possiblyunderstand — "

"Please, don't," Karasaid, holding up a hand to stop her. "Trust me, we've got shallow bitchesback home in America, too."

"It isn't like that,"Wakana protested weakly.

Kara glanced back and saw thatEmi and Kaori had vanished from the corridor, probably to dump what they'dswept up or already headed off to their after school soccer club meeting. Maiand Wakana would see them there.

Sadly, Kara gave a small shakeof her head and looked at Wakana. "Keep telling yourself that. Look, Ijust wanted to ask you a question, test a theory, and then I'll stay far awayfrom both of you, okay?"

"Have you heard anythingabout Hachiro?" Mai asked.

Now that the other soccer girlsweren't there to see, Mai's mask had dropped, and she seemed genuinelyconcerned. But Kara could not forget that mask. At heart, Mai might be a goodperson, but the word 'shallow' fit her all too well, and by her behavior sheforfeited any right she had to sympathy.

"None," Kara said,putting ice in her words.

"Have you learned somethingabout the ghosts?" Wakana asked quickly.

Kara studied her. The girlseemed nervous and frightened.

"No," she replied, "butI think the ghosts we've seen are connected somehow to what's happening onTakigami Mountain."

Mai asked what she meant. Karareminded herself that the girls had not been privy to the conversations aboutYuki-Onna, so she quickly filled them in on all that had transpired and aboutthe ghost she had seen the night before. She knew that they would not darebreathe a word of it to anyone for fear of incurring the wrath of PrincipalYamato or the police, who wanted anything supernatural kept quiet to avoidpublic panic. But more than that, no one would likely believe them, and girlslike Mai and Wakana would never run the risk of being mocked and ostracized.