Free Spirit Storm by E.J. Stevens

over the cami and grabbed a hoodie for later. I wanted to be prepared in case we joined the search teams this afternoon. My hair was a nightmare, I really should have combed it last night before it dried, so I split it down the middle and tied it into braids. Looking in the mirror I was pleased at my reflection. The magic marker crosses on my arms were a nice touch. Laura Croft meets Wednesday Addams.
    I was just finishing attaching a row of safety pins to my arm warmers when there was a knock on my bedroom door. Emma came in two seconds later looking like she hadn’t had much more sleep than I did. She shuffled over to the bed where she dropped into a slouch. Was she sick? Emma always had perfect posture. Always.
    “You okay?” I asked.
    “I think I have a problem,” she answered.
    “The snake thing?” I asked. “We can work on that together and I’m sure we can get Simon to include you in our lessons. You’d be surprised at how much he knows about working with spirit. Once you learn to control it better, the headaches shouldn’t be as bad.”
    “That’s…good, but talking snakes actually isn’t the problem I meant,” she said. “I have boy problems.”
    Son of a dung beetle.
    “Did Gordy do something?” I asked. “If so, Cal will totally talk to him.” He’s so dead.
    “No, he hasn’t done anything,” Emma answered, quickly. “In a way, that’s part of the problem. He never does anything. It’s always the same thing with Gordy. Watch anime in the media room after school or go to the movies on the weekend. I feel bad, but I’m just so bored.”
    “Well, I was kind of surprised when you two hooked up,” I said. “Gordy’s a great guy, as a friend, but he’s not all that exciting. He’s not on the same level as you Emma. You’re all about being proactive and he’s just not. You two did seem to have some chemistry though.”
    “I know,” she said. “It was fun at first. I tried giving us some space this week to see if I missed him, but I think getting space just made me want more space.”
    “I noticed you two weren’t spending a lot of time together this week,” I said. “I just thought it was due to the werewolf killer, talking snake, spirit ward search stuff. It’s not like you can invite Gordy to come with. He doesn’t even know these things exist outside of anime.”
    “Yeah, that’s part of the problem too,” she said. “All of my concerns these days are about if my friend will go crazy from a spirit attack, or if my other friend will get jumped by some psycho werewolf killer, meanwhile I’m obsessing over snakes talking directly into my brain and I can’t share any of it with Gordy. When I’m with him I just sit there counting the seconds until I can leave. That’s just not fair to him…or to me.”
    “If you aren’t happy, then make a quick, clean break,” I said. “Gordy’s too good of a friend to string along.”
    “You won’t be mad if I break up with him?” she asked. “You were friends first.”
    “No way,” I said. “I’d be mad if you stayed with someone who didn’t make you happy. You’ve only been dating for a few weeks and you’re already feeling bored and guilty. Just think of how unhappy you’d be a year from now.”
    Emma jumped up and gave me a quick hug. “You’re the best!” she said. “I feel better already.”
    “You do?” I asked.
    “Absolutely,” she answered.
    “Good, because we have work to do,” I said, grinning.
    *****
    When I told Emma about discovering Nera’s amulet as a potential ward against the spirits coming on Samhain, she couldn’t wait to visit the library for more research. She drove us there like it was a matter of life and death. Perhaps it was.
    The library’s stone and brick edifice had never been such a welcome sight. I took the steps two at a time and nearly leapt through the front door. My enthusiasm was contagious and Emma was grinning from ear to ear as she caught the door behind me.
    “Ready