Episode 2: The Missing Voice

Nathan’s eyes were wide, fixed on the ghostly figure of Lily standing in his bedroom. Paul, frozen beside him, barely had time to process what he was seeing before the door to Nathan’s room burst open. Mrs. Foust, still in her nightgown and blinking sleepily, rushed in, her face full of concern.

“What’s going on? What was that scream?” she demanded, glancing around the room, her eyes resting briefly on Travis, who lay unconscious on the floor.

Nathan didn’t respond. He was paralyzed, his mind whirling as if he were caught between worlds, unsure of what to say or do. His body felt heavy, like he was tethered to something far away. It was Paul who, quick to pick up on the situation, realized with a shock that Mrs. Foust couldn’t see Lily. He took a deep breath and stepped forward.

“Sorry, Mrs. Foust,” Paul began, his voice steady despite the chaos swirling inside him. “Travis—he’s, uh, really jumpy. His own shadow could scare him. I think he had a nightmare or something. We didn’t mean to wake you up.”

Mrs. Foust, still half-asleep, looked at Paul, then at Travis, and then at Nathan, her confusion evident. She wasn’t fully awake, and Paul’s calm tone seemed to soothe her.

“Well… just don’t make too much noise, okay?” she murmured, rubbing her eyes. “It’s late. Settle down and go back to sleep.” She lingered for a moment longer, unsure of what had really happened, but eventually, she turned and left, closing the door behind her.

The room fell silent again, the tension thick in the air. Nathan and Paul stood there, staring at Lily. She, in turn, stared back at them, her expression unreadable. The silence stretched on, from one minute into three, each second feeling like a weight pressing down on them.

Finally, Paul nudged Nathan with his elbow and whispered, “Say something.”

Nathan blinked, as if snapping out of a trance. He got to his feet, his legs a little unsteady. He looked at Paul, his eyes wide with confusion, and then turned his gaze back to Lily.

“Can you hear me?” he asked, his voice unsure, barely above a whisper.

Lily gave a small nod.

Nathan swallowed hard. “Uh... hi. I’m Nathan Foust. I’m... I’m 13.”

At his words, Lily’s expression shifted into something between disbelief and amusement. Her lips parted in what could only be described as a silent “What the hell?” Nathan, sensing her reaction, felt his face flush with embarrassment.

Paul, unable to help himself, sighed in exasperation. “Cool. Now tell her about your hobbies, man”, he rolled his eyes.

Nathan glanced back at him, flustered. “I’m just trying to—” He turned back to Lily. “We, uh... we wanted to know if you were, you know... alive or... not.”

Paul cut in, more direct. “We did a ritual to summon you.”

Lily’s eyes widened in shock, and she took a step forward. Her lips began moving, but no sound came out. She spoke rapidly, her face contorted in frustration. She looked directly at Nathan, mouthing something frantically—possibly even yelling—but her words were lost in the void.

Nathan, bewildered, raised a hand. “Lily, we can’t hear you,” he said quietly, feeling more and more uncertain.

Lily’s expression shifted from frustration to outright anger. She clenched her fists and began mouthing what looked like a stream of curses, her face flushed with fury. Paul, watching this unfold, let out a deep sigh.

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“What the...” Paul muttered. “Even though we can’t hear her, this is exhausting. Could you maybe stop for a second?”

Lily whipped her head toward him, eyes blazing. In a sudden motion, she reached out and grabbed a small ceramic figure from Nathan’s windowsill, hurling it at Paul with surprising force. Paul yelped and barely managed to duck as the figurine shattered against the wall behind him.

“Holy—!” Paul scrambled to his feet, his face pale. “You can throw things?!” He stared at Lily, his heart racing.

Nathan, equally shocked, turned to her. “You can touch stuff?” he asked, more in awe than fear.

Lily seemed just as surprised by her ability, she looked at her translucent hands. Paul, meanwhile, stood up, still catching his breath.

“Are you out of your mind?” he hissed at her, his voice trembling. “What are you trying to do, send me to the afterlife with you?!”

Before any of them could say more, a groan from the floor drew their attention. Travis stirred, his eyes blinking open. Paul, acting on instinct, darted over and clamped his hands over Travis’s mouth just as he spotted Lily.

Travis’s muffled scream echoed through Paul’s hands, and then, just like before, he passed out again, slumping back to the floor.

Paul sighed, looking utterly drained. “It’s gonna be a long night.”

***

The kitchen was filled with the smell of pancakes and eggs, but the mood was far from light. Nathan, Paul, and a still-shaken Travis sat at the table, their faces pale with exhaustion. Travis looked especially haggard, his eyes wide and distant, as if he couldn’t quite process what had happened the night before.

Lily, still present, wandered around the kitchen, seemingly fascinated by the mundane objects. She inspected the ceramic mugs on the top shelf, her eyes lingering on one in particular.

Mrs. Foust hummed as she cooked breakfast for the boys, completely unaware of the ghostly presence just inches from her. As Lily reached up and picked up one of the mugs, Paul’s eyes widened in horror.

He shot to his feet, his voice cracking. “Mrs. Foust!”

She turned around, startled by Paul’s sudden outburst, but before she could respond, Nathan jumped up, quickly crossing the room and grabbing the mug from mid-air, where it seemed to be floating.

“Uh, I—I’m just thirsty!” Nathan stammered, holding the mug tightly.

Mrs. Foust frowned at him, clearly not buying it. “What is wrong with you this morning?” she asked, her tone puzzled but not overly concerned. “You’re all acting strange today.”

Nathan swallowed hard, still gripping the mug. “I’m fine,” he muttered, avoiding her gaze.

Lily, clearly displeased by this, let go of the mug and, without a word, knocked over a box of cereal on the counter, sending it crashing to the floor. Mrs. Foust turned sharply at the noise, her face now showing real irritation.

“Nathan!” she scolded. “What is wrong with you?”

Nathan glanced down at the mess and then back at his mother, feeling cornered. “Mom, I—uh... I’m sorry,” he mumbled, his face flushed with embarrassment.

Lily, seemingly satisfied with her little act of defiance, turned and walked away calmly, she went upstaires back to Nathan’s room.

The rest of the morning passed in an awkward blur. Travis looked like he was ready to bolt at any second, his hands trembling as he picked at his breakfast. Paul was quieter than usual, clearly exhausted from the night’s events. And Nathan… Nathan didn’t know what to feel. He had set out to find Lily, hoping she was alive, and now she was here, but not in the way he’d ever imagined.

***

Recess came, and Nathan found himself wandering the school grounds with his sketchbook in hand. His usual spot was a quiet bench near a patch of greenery, where he could sit and draw undisturbed. As he approached, however, he saw her—Lily, sitting on the bench, gazing out at the open windows of the classrooms.

Nathan hesitated for a moment, then sat down beside her. He opened his sketchbook, but as he flipped through the pages, it landed on a drawing he’d done of her—the same girl from the news, the same girl now sitting beside him.

Startled, he quickly snapped the book shut, but not before Lily saw it. She gave him a curious look, her lips moving silently.

“Is that me?” she mouthed.

Nathan felt his cheeks burn, but he nodded. “Yeah,” he said quietly.

Lily smiled, and for the first time, it felt genuine, almost sweet. She pointed at something in the distance, and Nathan followed her gaze to a small flower blooming in the grass.

“You want me to draw that?” he asked.

She nodded, still smiling.

Nathan smiled back, opening his sketchbook to a clean page and setting his pencil to the paper. As he sketched, his mind wandered. He was still devastated by the knowledge that Lily had died, but there was something strange about her being here with him now. She wasn’t angry, she wasn’t hostile—just a girl who seemed lost and unsure of where she belonged.

From a distance, Paul and Travis watched them, standing near the edge of the yard. Paul glanced at Travis.

“Let’s go,” he said, taking a step forward.

Travis took a step back, shaking his head. “No way. I’m not going near her.”

Paul sighed, grabbing his friend by the arm and pulling him along.

Paul managed to bring reluctant Travis with him toward Nathan and Lily. “So what now?” Paul asked, trying to lighten the mood. “Are we just going to hang out with this poltergeist?”

Lily shot him a disgruntled look, her expression shifting to one of irritation.

Nathan raised his head, caught off guard by the comment. “I don’t know,” he said softly, glancing at Lily, who was still hovering nearby. “I was planning to go to Petruel to help find her, but… things haven’t exactly gone as planned.”

The moment Nathan mentioned Petruel, Lily’s demeanor changed dramatically. She shot up from her spot, her eyes wide with urgency. The boys exchanged bewildered glances, while Travis's expression turned to one of pure terror.

“Please, no,” Travis muttered, instinctively taking a step back.

In a sudden flurry of motion, Lily reached out, snatching the sketchbook and pencil from Nathan’s hands. She flipped to a blank page, her fingers flying as she began to write furiously.

Nathan watched, fascinated and anxious. “What’s she doing?” he whispered to Paul, who was equally intrigued.

After a moment, Lily turned the sketchbook toward them, revealing the message scrawled in big letters: “Help me.”

The weight of her words hung in the air, and all three boys stared at the page, their hearts racing.

***

To be continued...