Christopher Golden - A Winter of Ghosts

"Awake?" Sora teased.

Miho gave a shy shake of herhead. "I was going to say 'alive.'"

Kara studied her, wondering ifshe was just having a relapse of shyness or if she might have some interest inSora. Miho loved to talk to Kara about American boys, which were sort of anobsession with her, but had also had a crush on Ren until she found out that hewas gay. Sora did not have Ren's sense of humor and he wasn't quite asgood-looking, but he seemed like a nice enough guy, smart and friendly. Mihocould definitely do worse.

"You're crazy," Rentold Miho. "I'd much rather be in class."

His tone and expression were soconvincing that for a moment he even had Kara fooled, but then he laughed androlled his eyes as if to say, please, you didn't really believe that, didyou?

"You scared me there for aminute," Kara told him.

Ren slipped his bento box intohis backpack and hoisted it onto his shoulders. "Don't worry. I haven'tlost my mind. I'd rather be almost anywhere than in class. And I don't mind theexercise."

"Would you believe I heardtwo girls complaining about being here?" Hachiro said. He had been quiet,but now he grew animated as he mimicked one of the girls. "'I've been tothe top of Takigami Mountain a million times. Ensoku should take us somewherewe've never been.'"

Sakura shivered as the windgusted. She put up the collar of her jacket and pulled her black cap downtightly around her ears.

"I agree," she said."There are so many places we could have gone. But since this is only a daytrip, maybe we'll do more than one ensoku. Last year's trip to Osaka was anovernight."

"That bus ride tookforever," Ren moaned.

"I love the mountains,anyway," Sora said.

"This isn't much of amountain," Kara said, as the rest of them packed their bento boxes away."For a girl who's used to skiing in Vermont and New Hampshire, it's moreof a hill. And the mountains in New England are nothing compared to Colorado."

Miho sighed. "I want tovisit America."

"We know why," Sakurateased.

"Not just for theboys," Miho said sharply.

They all laughed at that, evenMiho, who reddened as she realized she had essentially admitted her fascinationwith American boys.

"So what makes themountains at home so special?" Hachiro asked.

"Well, it's more than justthe size. They just look more. ." She trailed off, looking around. Nomatter how proficient she became in speaking Japanese, she still encounteredwords that she did not know how to translate and it frustrated her.

"Formidable," she saidin English. Then, instantly, she thought of a suitable substitute. "Themountains at home are more impressive," she continued in Japanese. "Someof them are scary. They're huge and have steep cliffs and throw shadows that goon forever. In New England, most of them are covered in forest — "

Sora spread his arms. "Lookaround. What is this?"

Kara nodded. "Yes. That'sone thing Takigami has. Don't get me wrong. I wasn't criticizing. I love it here,and it is beautiful. It isn't very steep and it makes for a perfect hikingmountain. I just like how intimidating the mountains can be at home, almostlike you're looking at some other world. Or an ancient world. And in northernNew England there's snow on the mountains all winter long."

Much of the snow in the city hadeither melted or been cleared, but on Takigami Mountain a light coveringremained. From what Kara had learned of the local winters, the average snowfallwas unpredictable.

Other students were getting upnow, putting their backpacks on. Kara noticed Mai and Wakana a few tables away.She might have smiled at them except that they were with their fellow SoccerBitches, including Emi and Kaori, who they all believed had taken part in thebeating that led to the murder of Sakura's sister. Without proof there wasnothing anyone could do, and by unspoken agreement they all avoided thesubject. Sakura had made peace with her sister's death, as best she could.

Just beyond the Soccer Bitches'table, she saw Mr. Yamato chatting quietly with Miss Kaneda, the fiftyishteacher who led the Calligraphy Club. Kara, Sakura, and Ren were all members ofthe club and enjoyed it hugely. Miss Kaneda had a voice that made her drowsyand set her at ease, and a love for the art of calligraphy so strong that itinspired that same passion in the club members. She was also acting as tourguide today. On the way up the mountain she had marched alongside the group,loudly regaling them with bits of history and folklore related to the mountain.

Now, though, she looked somewhattroubled. She bowed her head to Mr. Yamato and then glanced up at the sky. Theair had turned even chillier. It felt brisk on Kara's skin and the tip of hernose was so cold that she reached up to rub it. Even as she did, she took abreath and realized something she had missed before, something that only peoplewho had been raised in wintry climates would probably notice.

"It smells like snow,"she said.

Hachiro grinned at her.

"It smells likesnow?" Sakura said dubiously.

Mr. Yamato walked to a spotroughly in the center of the picnic area and clapped his hands.

"Gather your things,"the principal said. "We are going to be following a mountain trailtogether. There are other, less well-traveled paths, but you are all to staywith your own homeroom teachers. Do not leave the group for any reason. I willbe leading Miss Kaneda's class so that she can move from group to group, givingyou instructions on what you should be watching for. Even in winter there is agreat deal of wildlife on the mountain. There will be assignments in schooltomorrow that will reflect upon your experiences today, so I advise you to beattentive both to your own teachers and to Miss Kaneda. Enjoy the beauty of themountain and its views."

It seemed he had finished andthe teachers began to address their homeroom students, rounding them up intogroups. But Kara watched as Miss Kaneda went to Mr. Yamato, glancing worriedlyat the sky, and spoke quietly to him. Mr. Yamato seemed to consider her wordsand then nodded.

He clapped his hands again."One other thing. The weather center forecasts a ten percent chance oflight snow."

Kara bumped Hachiro with herhip. "Told you," she mouthed at him, then stuck out her tongue.

"There may be flurries,"the principal continued. "But if we do get a little snow, do not worry. Theweather center predicts clearing skies and even the return of the sun laterthis afternoon. And now we go. We will be on the trail for one and a halfhours, including a fifteen minute break. Please do not. ."

Principal Yamato finished with aword that Kara didn't understand.

"What was that?" sheasked.

Hachiro took her hand. "Itmeans don't 'fall behind.' But don't worry. I won't let you out of my sight."

He made it sound so sweet thatshe felt herself actually blush. Kara did not know how long it had been since aboy had made her blush, but she found that she liked it.

Then they all had to separate. Sheand Miho and Sora were all in Mr. Sato's class, so they remained together whileHachiro, Ren, and Sakura went off to join their own homeroom teachers.

"Sora's nervous," Mihotold Kara while they waited for Mr. Sato to lead them away.

Kara looked at Sora, who gaveher a wan smile. "What's wrong?"

"You must have heard about thatwoman who got lost in the snowstorm up here last month and froze to death,"he said.

Kara had not forgotten thestory, but she had not remembered that the woman had vanished here on TakigamiMountain.

"We'll be fine," shesaid. "All these people? It might not snow at all, and if it does, it willbe just a dusting. You heard Mr. Yamato. If there was any cause for concern, we'dalready be heading down."

That seemed to set him at ease. Mihosmiled at Kara.

"You always know the rightthing to say," she said.