Christopher Golden - A Winter of Ghosts

"This is all guessing,"Kara warned them. "But as far as I know, only those of us who haveencountered other supernatural things have seen ghosts. My father and me,Hachiro, Miho, and you, Wakana."

Kara looked at Mai. "Whatabout you? Have you seen anything?"

Mai shook her head. "No. Notyet. And I hope I don't."

"They're so. . sad,"Wakana said.

Kara frowned. "You've seenmore than one?"

Wakana nodded. "Yes."

Mai shot her a dark look. "Youdidn't tell me you had seen another."

"Last night," Wakanaexplained, her gaze falling. "I got up to go to the bathroom and saw ithad started to snow again. When I looked out the window, Daisuke's ghost wasstanding by the trees, looking up at me. And he wasn't alone. Yasu was withhim."

Kara and Mai both stared at her.Yasu had been the first to be killed by the Hannya last year.

"I'm really scared,"Wakana said, her voice small.

"Don't be," Kara said."If we're right about what this is, it's not the ghosts you need to beafraid of."

Sakura hurried along thehallway, the duties of o soji forgotten. She kept her eyes forward, focused onKara, Wakana, and Mai. All through the school day she had tried her best toavoid looking out the classroom windows. Just the sight of the falling snowkept her nerves on edge and made her shiver. She didn't want to think aboutHachiro out there on the mountain. Even worse were the dark places her mindwandered when she allowed it to do so. The snow itself held menace. Even theoccasional gust of wind that rattled the windows made her jump and suck in herbreath.

It had been her grief and ragethat had first woken the ancient evil of Kyuketsuki and led to this curse. Sakuraknew that she had done nothing wrong, that fate had played a role and that itwas natural for her to feel sorrow and fury, but so many had died and they allweighed on her. It had begun with Akane's murder and her mourning, and nowMiyazu City and Monju-no-Chie school were being haunted by ghosts. And yetSakura had not seen one. Many of these spirits had died horrible, grisly deathsbecause of a chain of events she had helped to begin, but the ghosts did notappear to her. She knew she ought to consider it a blessing, but somehow itfelt like yet another curse, like some kind of punishment.

Stupid , she told herself. Who wants to be haunted?

Whatever conversation Kara hadbeen having with Mai and Wakana, it ended. As Sakura strode quickly toward her,Kara turned away from the other girls, a desperate look in her eyes. Normallythe blond American girl looked cute, almost perfect in her sailor fuku schooluniform. Today she looked like some kind of impostor, like she belongedanywhere but in the halls of this school.

"Hey. What's the hurry?" Kara said in English as Sakura approached.

And that said a great deal initself, that she had forgotten to speak Japanese.

Sakura gestured after the departingMai and Wakana. "What was that about?"

"Ghosts," Kara said,reverting to Japanese, blinking in surprise at her own lapse. "I'llexplain later. What's up? You look like you're rushing somewhere."

"Here, actually,"Sakura said. "Your father sent me to find you. Mr. Yamato wants us in hisoffice right now."

Kara frowned. "Who's 'us'?"

"You, me, and Miho, Ithink."

Sakura watched hope ignite inKara's eyes.

"Is it about — "

"I don't think so,"Sakura said quickly. "As far as I know there's been no change in Ren, andno word on Hachiro, but you know it's got something to do with that. He's notcalling us to his office to talk about our grades."

The two girls fell into stepside by side, headed for the stairs at the middle of the second floor hallway.

"As soon as this is over,can you and Miho take me back to the dorm?" Kara asked.

"Of course. But why?"

The two of them hurried down thesteps, Sakura sliding her palm along the railing. They passed other studentswho were finishing up their o soji duties or rushing to club meetings. Many ofthe clubs did not start meetings until next week, but obviously some had begun.

"I need to talk to Ren,"Kara said. "I want to hear for myself what he does and doesn't remember. Hemust recall something. If he doesn't, I don't know, we've got to hypnotize himor something, or even take him back up onto the mountain and see if it jars hismemory. He could lead us right to Hachiro."

Kara practically burned withintensity. Sakura agreed with her, but hesitated to admit it. Kara seemed morefrayed and on edge than Sakura had ever seen her, practically shaking with herneed to do something, anything, to help Hachiro. Kara's eyes were not merelydesperate, they were frantic and lost, as though she saw threats in everyshadowy corner that nobody else could see. Sakura thought that might be true.

"What if his parents arestill there?" Sakura asked, as they reached the bottom of the steps andturned left, headed for Mr. Yamato's office.

"I don't care. I'll talk myway in, somehow," Kara said.

Sakura knocked on the officedoor and a moment later it was opened by Miss Aritomo. The art teacher steppedback to let them enter and the two girls moved past her and into the small,very orderly office. Mr. Yamato sat behind his desk. Miho perched, birdlike, onthe edge of a small chair against the wall. Kara's father stood by the window,deep shadows of concern and exhaustion under his eyes. Come to think of it,Kara looked exhausted as well, and Sakura wondered how much sleep the residentsof the Harper home had gotten last night.

"Girls, please sit down,"Mr. Yamato said, indicating two other chairs beside the one where Miho sat. Normallythey were reserved for students who had caused trouble or whose grades hadfallen, kids who needed the principal's personal attention.

Miss Aritomo closed the door,but stood by it, presumably in case anyone else knocked. But Sakura didn'tthink anyone else had been invited to this meeting.

Sakura sat down, but Kara didn't.

"Yamato-sensei, is thereany word about Hachiro?" she asked.

The principal's anger showed inhis eyes, but then he softened. "No, Kara. Nothing yet. Please sit down."

Still, she did not obey. Karaturned to her father. "I can't do this. I can't just go to class andpretend everything is all right. I need to be up on that mountain with thesearch team. I feel like I've abandoned him. Either that, or you've at leastgot to let me talk to — "

"Kara!" her fathersaid sharply. "Please sit down."

Sakura winced on her friend'sbehalf. They would forgive her only so much, no matter how much they mightunderstand how agonizing it was for her to be able to do nothing but wait.

Forlorn, Kara went to the chairand sat down.

"I'm sorry, Yamato-san,"she said. "I forget myself."

Mr. Yamato acknowledged this withonly a nod. He glanced at the three girls, then at Kara's father, and finallyat Miss Aritomo. The principal leaned back in his chair.

"Miss Aritomo. Please goahead."

They all turned to look at thedelicate-looking woman. She also seemed tired, but somehow the vulnerabilitythis produced made her seem even prettier.

"Mr. Yamato, Mr. Harper,and I have all done a great deal of research about Yuki-Onna in the pasttwenty-four hours," Miss Aritomo said. "I know you girls have donemuch yourselves. With deepest regret, I must tell you that there is nothing wehave found that suggests there is any way to destroy or even defeat Yuki-Onna."

Sakura stared at her in shock,and knew the other girls must feel the same.

"What?" Kara said."You're just giving up, after one day?"

"If she really has comebecause of the curse of Kyuketsuki. ." Miho began.

None of them needed her tofinish that sentence, and the words trailed off.

"Yuki-Onna is a monster,yes," Miss Aritomo said. "But she is also an elemental spirit. Onceshe has been woken, she will remain for the entire winter, or as long as thereis snow on the ground. And if she has come because of the curse, youthree are in grave, grave danger."