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‘It’s not in an It’s like we have a permanent line of communication, an exclusive line, but we’re still totally separate And sometimes we’re in more communication than others Sometimes it’s like we haven’t bothered to pick up the Bat Phone at all for a while, and it’s like it’s not even there But then if I need it, voilà! Bat Phone’

Everyone still looked confused, but less alaro

‘So don’t worry abouttaken over by the creature It needs ency,’ I said, startled by that realization I think the creature had fed that fact to me ‘It needs me to be Jane and it wants me to be Jane I think we did becoan in Whitby, but as soon as I was okay, it backed away But I can pick up that Bat Phone whenever I need it’

‘Good,’ Nell said, nodding brusquely to end that conversation ‘That explains everything’ Caleb and Iris looked less convinced, but I hoped I’d made some sense The creature was a part of me, yes, but it wasn’t me And eren’t always in direct co its own creaturely thing, plus it wanted ,swiftly on ‘So, we have manpower, brainpower, and, er, creaturepower Nohat’s our goal?’

‘Get Anyan back,’ Iris said immediately

‘Kill the White and the Red,’ Caleb said

‘But for good this time,’ my dad added

Tears really did well up in my eyes when I didn’t have to answer that one

‘Great We have clear goals,’ Nell said, nodding excitedly ‘So, where do we start?’

Crickets chirped

We all looked froh, but facing an ancient evil that, for all intents and purposes, was holding your boyfriend’s body hostage while using hihest shield was really bad

Iris leaned forward, her pretty mouth in a ot to figure out what, exactly, the Red and the White are’

I cocked s we can touch, hold, et cetera Or are they more like … souls, or spirits?’

My

‘That’s brilliant, Iris,’ I said breathlessly ‘They’ve always had their own bodies to recreate, through their bones We never thought they were anything but physical But after what happened with Morrigan and Anyan, they’re clearly not So what are they, if they’re not bodies?’

‘It’s totally like Supernatural,’ Grizzie said, andlike crazy

I’d seen the show, but my supernatural brethren clearly hadn’t My dad explained what they needed to hear ‘In the show, ghosts will be tied to their bones,’ he said

‘Or in so super personal, like a doll,’ Grizzie added

‘Creepy dolls,’ said eratedly They’d obviously been watching a lot of TV together

‘The ghost idea is interesting Maybe that means the Red and the White can be exorcised?’ Caleb reat place to start,’ I said, just as one blank, the battery dead

Al from the table in front of him He snapped it open

‘Yes, boss? … Yes, she’s here … Okay, I’ll put her on’ Caleb held out his phone toward me

‘It’s Ryu He wants to talk to you’

I blinked at the phone in surprise What could Ryu want?

With hesitant fingers I took the phone from Caleb and raised it to my ear

‘Yes?’

‘Jane?’