Lost Souls

She was a lost soul, a wanderer. Kylie Castle, the girl who didn't live, the girl who drowned.

Kylie had come to the island on a whim, riding the tail of a story told by the Grave Digger. She hadn't even known if it was true when she'd set out to find it. There was no proof that the old man wasn't sharing tales of an island full of strange people and creatures who might be able to hear her and see her and know her.

Kyle was barely visible, the whisper of a memory of a girl with long, flowing hair. She'd arrived two weeks ago and they were already calling her the Blue Girl. She didn't mind, her hair was blue, had been blue, after all. She'd been wandering when she heard him. She had changed directions, seeking his sounds, and when she had found him his task was so unusual that she had stopped to watch.

"Why do you do it?" she asked, her voice a faint whisper like words carried from far off by the wind. She appeared to be sitting on a headstone, legs pulled to her chest, arms wrapped around. She glowed faintly, just inside the visible spectrum to the human eye.

"A favor," she repeated. Her eyes followed his movements. "Why do they help your father? What do they do?" Up to this point, Kylie had only met a few others like herself and they hadn't made a specific effort to help people who were still living.

She envied the living.

Was she new? "Dead for a year so I guess you could call it new," Kylie nodded. "But to the island, yes, I'm new. I didn't die here, if that's what you're wondering," she added. "Do you..." hesitation, "make it a habit, talking to ghosts?" How else would he know she was new?

"What loans," she wondered if loud. "It's he a scientist?" Kylie was sure there must be meant other kinds of jobs that belonged in a lab but she could only think of chemistry loans and biology labs right off. She suddenly felt really stupid.

"I'm Kylie. The ghosts near the school have been calling me blue girl though, so I guess that's OK too?" The Lily at the end made the statement into a question as though asking permission. Her hand came up to touch the end of the blue stands. If ghosts could blush she would have. As it was she ticked her chin down and smiled shyly. "Thank you, and is like that very much, please. I'm here because I got lost," she indicated here was sitting here talking to him.

Magic and potions. "Like chemistry? Or um...." She chewed her lip, a habit from life, blinked fast, trying to find the words she knew was in her head somewhere. "Oh! Alchemy. It's he... That?" Whatever the to for alchemy practice was called, she had no idea. He walked c, she didn't move.

Kylie wanted to ask what a ghost would need a magic shop for but, given he hung out with ghosts, maybe he knew more about ghosts then she did. Kylie new very little about being a ghost and she felt very not clever at this point.

"OK, sure," she nodded enthusiastically, her hair floating around her shoulders rather then b as it would have in life. She made to go down from the stone but the effect was more as if she hoped off but forward down. Her feet didn't quite connect with the ground. She made a gesture. Where to first?"

Kylie blindly followed. Even in life she wasn't the cautious type but now, well, who or what could really hurt her? She risked nothing by wandering off at the whim of a stranger.

James had a nice smile, she noticed, then dropped her eyes as if noticing might be noticeable.

"The museum?" she asked. "Like 'of natural history'?"

Kylie sped her pace some to come shoulder to shoulder with him, not moving close enough to touch because she didn't like the way people looked through her when she touched them, like they were sick with a chill.

She shook her head, looking ahead at the city. "I'm not sure I ever will." She looked sideways at him, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I don't belong here. Well, not before I died, anyways." She wondered what made him 'other' that he belonged here but didn't know if it was rude to ask.