Christopher Golden - A Winter of Ghosts

But then the witch faltered andlifted her chin. Her beauty and poise returned and in seconds it was as if themonster had never been there. Even her eyes seemed soft and almost ordinary inthat moment.

Until the witch's savage grinreturned.

"Stupid girl. I amancient, but I am no fool."

Kara saw it in the witch's eyes.Yuki-Onna knew that she had been lured away, knew that she had been tricked. Thewind whipped into a raging storm, snow churning around Yuki-Onna for a fewseconds before it subsided, but when the moment had passed and the windreturned to normal, Yuki-Onna was gone.

"Oh, no," Kara said."She's going back for them."

Mai and Ume stood over Sakura'sbed, only the injured girl's breathing and the soft beep of machines breakingthe quiet in the hospital room. Though Ume continued to insist that she haddone nothing wrong, her air of superiority had begun to crack. She had beenhesitant to even enter Sakura's hospital room, but Mai had insisted. And nowMai watched as Ume fidgeted uneasily, not wanting to even look at theunconscious girl on the bed. . the dying girl.

Ume reached up and tucked a lockof her hair behind her ear. In all the time Mai had known her, Ume had movedand spoken with a swagger that sometimes verged on arrogance, and other timesfully embraced it. Now, for once, Ume seemed at a loss for what to say or do.

"This has nothing to dowith me," Ume said, almost as if she were arguing with herself.

Beside her, Mai stiffened, angersparking in her again. "It has everything to do with you. You may not haveintended for the chain of events that followed — there's no way you couldhave guessed at the power you were invoking, the evil that would come from it — but you committed murder."

Fear and anger flashed in Ume'seyes and she shot Mai a bitter look. "She was never meant to die." Ina blink, her uncertainty returned. "Not that I'm admitting anything. I'mnot."

Mai almost laughed. "Youdon't have to admit anything. I told you. Everyone knows you're guilty. Thatyou're a killer."

What flickered in Ume's gazethen, Mai could not interpret, but she wondered. Had she seen regret there? Sorrow?Grief? Or just varying shades of anger and ego?

"Listen, I have nointention of just hanging around the hospital all day waiting for the littlebonsai to call and tell us it's time to chant a magic spell around thecampfire." Ume arched an eyebrow, glancing down at Sakura, whose breathhad quickened. The beeping of the machine seemed to have sped up. "And Ididn't come here to watch this girl die."

Mai could feel a sharp retortforming on her lips, but as Ume's words hung in the air she heard the pain inthem. The mask of arrogance was slipping further, revealing another personunderneath, maybe the person Ume had been before she had perfected the identityof the queen soccer bitch. She had made herself ruthless in order to stand out,to be popular, to create a perception of herself as elite.

So what are you? Maiasked herself. You took the bitch crown quickly enough when she was out ofthe way. A sick feeling roiled in her gut. Yes, Mai had assured herself andWakana that she had only filled the void left by Ume's departure becausesomeone had to, and she thought she could protect herself and others and holdthe reins on Reiko and the girls by being queen bitch herself. But how much ofthat was true, and how much of it rationalization?

She had been demonizing Ume evenas she became her. And if that was true, then what was really in Ume's heart,now? Unless the girl was a complete psychopath, she really had not intended forAkane Murakami to die, which meant that her life now must be utter torment. Badenough that her parents suspected, that all of her friends and teacherssuspected her of murder — but worse, she had taken a human life.

She must by dying inside. Rottingfrom the inside out.

Mai shivered at the thought.

"What did you come herefor, then?" she asked.

Ume began to bristle, turning toher, but she must have seen the sincerity of the question in Mai's face,because she hesitated before speaking.

"Mr. Yamato threatened tosend the police," Ume replied.

"But it wasn't just that,was it?" Mai asked.

Ume pushed her hair back again. Sheseemed to want to speak, but to be struggling with the words. Had she come backto face what she had done? Mai believed so.

"You might feel better ifyou tell her you're sorry," Mai suggested.

Ume glared at her. "Who? Akane?Don't be stupid, girl. Akane Murakami is dead."

"Not Akane," Mai said,nodding toward the hospital bed. "Sakura. You took her sister from her. Yourcrime and her rage and grief brought Kyuketsuki here. She and her friends arecursed because of you."

Ume's face contorted withclashing emotions. Her eyes began to fill with tears.

"I am cursed! I am!" Ume said.

"By guilt," Mai said,her voice low.

"Yes, by guilt! I never.. it wasn't my. ." Ume said, but she could not find the words toexpress the emotion welling up within her. She wiped her tears away even as heranger drained away. Her breath hitched and she let out a terrible sigh ofsurrender.

Surrender to the truth.

Ume turned her back on Mai andreached down to take Sakura's hand.

"I'm sorry," she saidquietly, shoulders quaking as she wept.

And then she stiffened, a smallnoise coming from her throat. Mai frowned, wondering what had happened to her. Umehad frozen as though something had frightened her. But then Sakura began toshift on the hospital bed, the beeping on the machines began to speed up, andMai saw that the comatose girl had gripped Ume's hand and started to pull herdown.

"Is she — " Maibegan.

But then Sakura's eyes flutteredopen and Mai fell silent. The injured girl had bleary eyes, but she blinked afew times and she came fully awake. Something shone in those eyes, atranquility and happiness that seemed incredible in that moment.

"Sakura's friends are introuble," Sakura herself whispered, but her voice sounded so strange, notunlike her at all.

"What?" Ume asked,trying to step back but unable to break the girl's grip. "What do youmean, 'Sakura's friends?'"

Sakura smiled weakly, thennodded. "A small mistake. My friends, of course." She shifted hergaze toward Mai. "Kara and Miho and all of those with them. . they arenot going to be able to make it back for the ritual."

Mai shook her head. "How doyou. . how could you know that? You've been unconscious."

Sakura blinked and for a momentshe seemed disoriented again, and then that strange light inside her eyes hadgone.

"I dreamed it," shesaid, sounding as surprised as Mai felt. "But it's true. We have to go tothem."

Sakura threw back her covers,reached over and pulled out her IV needle.

"What are you doing?" Ume demanded. "You were dying!"

That gave Sakura pause. "Dying?" she asked, sounding sad and afraid. She looked down at her body. "Maybe Iwas, but not anymore."

Mai stared at the girl, shakingher head. "But how is that possible?"

Sakura smiled. "You've allbeen seeing ghosts. I finally saw one, too. The one I've been waiting for."She turned to look at Ume. "She doesn't like you very much."

Ume began to back away, huggingherself as if she were cold, looking around the room. "Akane?"

Sakura tapped her chest. "She'sin here." Then she put a hand across her forehead. "And in here."

"And you're. . better?" Mai asked, wondering if Sakura might actually be losing her mind. But shedismissed the thought immediately. Her sudden strength and healing were nohallucination.

Sakura glanced from Mai to Ume."The ghosts are here to help. But Kubo was right. I hate you, Ume. Youneed to pay for what you've done. But if we're to break Kyuketsuki's curse, theUnsui is going to need us both there. We need to go now!"