Free Sword Play by Linda Joy Singleton

thinking? That I just could return like nothing had happened? I must have been momentarily insane.
    There was no going back—especially with Brianne.
    When Vin dropped me off at my car, I thanked him for the ride. We spoke politely and I told him I’d see him around. Only I didn’t mean it.
    I’d had my first and last reunion with Foils.
    Once in the privacy of my (well, Mom’s) car, I turned on the engine and switched to a hard rock station, volume blasting. Shutting out thoughts, feelings, and memories, I got lost in the song.
    An empty house greeted me. No one was at home. Mom must still be out with my sisters, and I assumed Dad was at his office. In silence, my own thoughts seemed to shout.
    I had all this nervous energy and wasn’t sure how to channel it. So I went to my room and tried to channel Opal for advice. I closed my eyes and whispered Opal’s name. I waited and waited. Nothing. I even tried to summon Kip’s ghost. But another dead end (no pun intended).
    Checking my email, there was the usual spam and one surprising message—from Thorn! I hadn’t heard from her since she’d found out I was leaving town and accused me of being a wimp for not standing up to my mother and refusing to move back. She was right, of course, but I couldn’t admit that. So we just stopped talking, and I’d felt bad, worrying that she was angry with me. Eagerly, I clicked the email open.
    She didn’t apologize (not her style) but just talked like usual. She was busy, helping out this guy named K.C. who was homeless. She was showing him how to fill out papers for financial assistance and appoint a new guardian. Thorn said she’d visit when things settled down.
    She closed her message with, “Miss you, Beth.” Which I knew was her way of apologizing because none of her other friends knew her real name. I’d only found out by accident and gained her trust by keeping it a secret.
    I skimmed through the other emails, then I turned on the TV and laid down on my bed. I switched channels until I settled on MTV.
    My eyes felt heavy and next thing I knew I was dreaming …
    I was in a car, going way too fast. When I looked closely at the driver, I jumped with shock—Kip.
    He wore a formal suit, but his tie had been tossed aside on the empty passenger seat, tangled around crushed rose petals. There was a furious energy in the car, emanating from Kip. He strangled the steering wheel in a death grip. He was beyond anger, pushing the car to go faster. Under his breath, he was swearing as the speedometer rose from eighty to ninety and kept climbing higher.
    “Slow down,” I tried to tell him.
    He focused ahead, ripping the wheel to the right to avoid another car.
    “Kip, please slow down!” I tried again.
    But he didn’t hear me, as I was nothing more than air. He waved his fist toward the windshield and shouted, “Got to get her!”
    Was he chasing someone? I tried to see through the windows. There was only a blur of lights from buildings and a few cars whizzing by.
    The speedometer jumped past 100 and even without a solid body I could smell the strong odor of alcohol. How much had he been drinking? He was acting crazy. Where was he going in such a hurry? I could see the glowing clock on his dash and it was after one in the morning.
    Looking at his formal suit and crushed flowers, I realized what night this was. Then it all made horrible sense. Prom night—Kip’s last night on earth. He must have already dropped off his date Aileen.
    But what had caused his murderous rage?
    We were climbing, going away from the city and into the darkened hills. But he continued on, his fury building with each mile. The car swayed wildly around corners, nearly tipping over. He didn’t hear my screams or know my terror, as if our roles had reversed and I was the ghost.
    “Damn you!” he shouted suddenly, and for a second I thought he meant me. Only he didn’t even know I was there.
    His aura was dark and terrifying. I wanted to escape, but I