the seniors moved about the gym-turned-courtroom, setting up their tables and chairs for split river's annual mock trial, the sound of papers shuffling and the faint buzz of conversation filling the room. a few feet behind them, the afterlife support group sat in a semi-circle of folding chairs, watching the chaos like an audience waiting for a play to start.

mr. martin stood at the front, tapping a small gavel on the desk in front of him. the sharp sound cut through the room, drawing attention.

"serving on a jury is really an honor," he began, his voice steady but tinged with the kind of patience reserved for wrangling both the living and the dead. "the jury must listen to both sides and make an informed decision based on facts, not opinions or gossip overheard in the elevator. when our living seniors perform mock trial, we get to see justice in action. it's powerful—holding someone else's fate in your hands." he paused, glancing at the group. "mock trial not only gives us a chance to shadow the current senior class participants—"

"oh!" charley raised his hand like an excited student in the front row of class.

mr. martin exhaled, clearly bracing himself. "yes, charley? you have a question?"

"yeah," charley nodded enthusiastically before immediately turning to maddie, who sat beside him with her arms folded and a guarded expression. "did you ever do anything to really piss him off?"

maddie blinked. "who?"

"the janitor," charley said, as if it should have been obvious.

the mention of mr. south, the janitor who had recently been arrested for maddie's murder, made the room tense. jenna shifted in her chair, her arms crossing tighter against her chest. she wasn't convinced he was the one. mr. south had always been kind to her. he didn't seem like someone capable of something so horrific.

"never," maddie said firmly, though her tone was measured.

charley wasn't buying it. "oh, come on. maybe it happened during, like, one of those blackout periods."

"charley." mr. martin's voice cut through.

"well, no. I mean, I had to black out, like, all of eighth grade. i mean, i really had to. i didn't grow a single armpit hair until ninth." charley continued, clearly not reading the room. "i started to tape my real head hair to armpit. it was really bad."

"okay," mr. martin interrupted, "if we could just focus on mock trial?"

wally let out an agonizing groan, "mr. martin, i'm sorry. nobody wants to do this at all. not after last year's case. that was a snoozefest."

"well," mr. martin said, adjusting his glasses, "then we can make up our own case and i ask you fine people questions. i've got lots of them."

"okay, well, i'm guessing none of them will help me unlock a repressed memory, so i'm outta here." maddie scoffed, standing up abruptly.

"maddie," mr. martin called after her, sighing as he raised a hand.

"i'm not into dead-person extracurriculars," maddie shot back, continuing toward the door.

"maddie, sit." he repeated more firmly.

"or being talked to like a cockapoo," she muttered, but she stopped in her tracks, reluctantly walking back and dropping into her chair with a huff.

"thank you," mr. martin said, finally taking a seat himself. "i'm... please, please. okay, everyone here feels your pain. what we don't know often controls us, but we have to resist."

maddie's eyes narrowed. "resist?"

"yes."

"an innocent man might go down for killing me, and i don't even have any memories to help him. i don't have another suspect. i've been here for weeks, and i still don't know what happened to me." her voice cracked on the last word, and she quickly looked down at her lap, trying to compose herself.

"maybe that's the way it's supposed to be," rhonda said quietly.

jenna's head snapped toward her, her voice sharp. "rhonda, can you stop piling on?"

rhonda's expression remained steady. "i'm not piling on, princess. sometimes, our brains erase trauma to protect us."

"who's gonna protect mr. south?" maddie muttered bitterly.

"whether your memory returns or not, you're not in a position to help the accused, maddie," mr. martin said gently. "we have no influence over what happens in that world. do we?" his gaze scanned the group, waiting. the room fell into silence. "do we have any sway over a living person? is there something we're not sharing with the group?"

wally cleared his throat, cutting through the tension. "uh, speaking of repressed memories..."

"we're not," mr. martin said quickly, already wary.

"well, we can, so i will," wally announced with a grin, pulling a book from his bag and plopping it onto his lap. "did a little research on my own, and it turns out our library has a bodacious selection of psych books. who knew, right? pretty crazy. anyway." he scooted closer to jenna, opening the book so she could see. "this chapter here talks about retrieving memories through triggers—taste, smell, touch. apparently, your senses are like little memory bombs waiting to go off."

jenna skimmed the page quickly, her gaze softening. "we're gonna help you get through this, maddie. we'll figure it out. together."

maddie looked up, her eyes suspicious at the idea, but grateful. "thank you, jenna." she exhaled deeply, nodding.

👻

the cafeteria kitchen buzzed faintly with the hum of the ancient appliances. jenna stood at the oven, mitts on, her eyes locked on the timer as it dinged loudly. she grinned triumphantly and pulled out the steaming burrito, carefully placing it on a plate before walking over to the table where maddie sat waiting.

"all right," jenna said, setting the plate down in front of her like she'd just delivered a masterpiece. wally, charley, and rhonda sat on the countertop nearby, lazily observing the scene.

"okay, close your eyes," jenna instructed, sitting down across from maddie and cutting the burrito into neat pieces.

"i already know it's a burrito," maddie replied, unimpressed.

"yeah, but the smell could be a trigger," jenna encouraged, pushing the plate a little closer. "trust the process."

charley winced, covering his eyes dramatically. "ugh, i don't think i can watch this."

"why?" wally squinted at him.

"last meal? hello? french fries, peanut oil, throat closing up?" charley gestured wildly before clutching his throat and making a choking sound for emphasis.

"oh, please." rhonda said, rolling her eyes. "anything served here could kill you. i once found a press-on nail in my sloppy joe."

"hey, team," jenna said sharply, shooting them a glare. "can we please take a time-out from the food horror stories? let maddie concentrate."

maddie, ignoring the chaos, picked up the burrito and cautiously brought it to her nose. she inhaled deeply, her eyes narrowing in concentration.

"i don't think the smell's working," she whispered after a moment, disappointment creeping into her tone.

"then take a bite," wally suggested, leaning forward eagerly. "let the cilantro work its magic."

maddie froze. "cilantro? ew. i hate cilantro. simon always ordered my burritos without it." she handed the plate back to jenna like it was a cursed object.

jenna blinked, confused. "simon orders your lunch?"

"yeah," maddie shrugged. "he's my best friend. we know what we both hate."

jenna's jaw tensed slightly, but she forced a tight smile and quickly picked out the offending cilantro. "okay, no cilantro. here, take a bite. let's see if that's better."

reluctantly, maddie took a small bite. jenna leaned forward, her elbows on the table, watching her closely. "now really think about that last lunch you had. what are you seeing right now?"

maddie closed her eyes and smiled softly. "simon," she whispered.

jenna groaned loudly and smacked her forehead down onto the table.

"he's got salsa on his chin," maddie added with a chuckle, clearly lost in the memory.

"nice," charley said flatly, unimpressed.

"it's actually really cute," maddie murmured, still smiling.

jenna sat up sharply, barely holding back a groan. "maybe you shouldn't talk. just chew." she shot a glare at the others, especially charley and rhonda, silently daring them to add anything else. she was sick of hearing about simon, the self-righteous indie nerd who seemed to haunt her as much as the afterlife itself.

"jenna, this is really nice of you," maddie said gently, placing the burrito back down on the plate, "but i don't think this is working. and, honestly... i don't even think this is chicken. it's so bad."

jenna deflated, slumping back in her seat as maddie pushed the plate away like it had personally offended her.

rhonda clapped her hands, as if she'd been waiting for her moment. "okay, okay, forget the mystery meat. what's the last song you remember?"

"what?" maddie asked, caught off guard.

"song. music," rhonda explained. "transistor radio. i walked into the guidance center, and mr. manfredo's secretary was filing to 'he's so fine' by the chiffons. that's my last song. what's yours, pussytoes?"

👻

"five, six, seven, eight," rhonda said, her voice cutting through the awkward silence as she read off a crumpled piece of paper. she began to sing, somewhat off-key but with full commitment. "stella brown, i don't know what to talk about, how has my head just hollowed out?"

maddie groaned softly, standing up and stepping forward. "i don't think this is working."

"oh, that's just because we need percussion." rhonda, ever the problem solver, scanned the kitchen until she grabbed a nearby frying pan and handed it to charley.

charley frowned, turning it over in his hands. "what's this?"

"bongos," rhonda said with zero hesitation.

"oh," charley said, nodding, as if that explanation made perfect sense. he awkwardly settled in, tapping on the frying pan like a poorly trained drummer.

"okay. five, six, seven, eight," rhonda started again, with charley banging on the pan like a toddler discovering sound. "stella brown, i don't know—"

jenna exchanged a look with wally and maddie, her expression somewhere between disbelief and secondhand embarrassment. she rubbed her temples, clearly regretting every decision that led her here.

"hey, hey—okay, charley, stop." wally cut them off, raising his hand. "maybe this just isn't the right song."

"didn't you say this was the song coming out of simon's earbuds?" rhonda asked, clearly not ready to give up yet.

"who sings this again?" jenna asked, narrowing her eyes.

"jelani aryeh," charley read off the paper.

jenna's eyebrows shot up. "yeah, let's keep it that way."

"it's not really taking me back," maddie said with an apologetic shrug. "i'm sorry, but i don't think this is working."

"okay, okay, you know what?" charley said, perking up with a new idea. "let's try hypnosis."

jenna let out a groan that practically echoed across the room. "oh, god, no."

"absolutely not," a voice chimed in from behind them. the group turned to see dawn sitting at a nearby table, casually eating the burrito maddie had abandoned earlier.

wally's eyes widened, and he looked visibly panicked. "hello, dawn. uh... how long you been sitting there, girl?"

dawn took another bite of the burrito, chewing slowly before answering. "since i smelled the burrito. it's outta sight, by the way. chicken or fish?"

the group, begrudgingly, made their way toward her.

"uh, yeah," charley said, clearing his throat. "so, what's wrong with hypnosis?"

dawn tried to speak, but her mouth was too full, and none of them could make out a single word.

"dawn, swallow first," rhonda deadpanned.

dawn took a sip of water, swallowed, and finally explained. "hypnosis is way too risky."

jenna frowned. "why?"

dawn leaned forward, as if she were about to reveal some ancient ghost secret. "when you're hypnotized, it's like you have a vacancy sign above your head. your body becomes an empty shell. another spirit could walk in and stay there."

maddie leaned closer to wally, whispering under her breath. "did you get any of that?"

"i'm not gonna lie," wally whispered back, "i don't think we should be listening to someone who cuts her hair with a steak knife."

"believe what you want," dawn continued, clearly unfazed by their skepticism, "but any kind of walk-in is risky. there's no gatekeeper. it happens all the time. i had a friend who got spellbound by the lights at a jethro tull concert. when it was over, she only spoke portuguese."

rhonda leaned toward maddie, smirking. "do you find the salsa on her chin cute, too?"

maddie shot her a look but didn't dignify it with a response.

"i strongly recommend an anti-seance," dawn said confidently, as if this was the most obvious solution in the world.

charley squinted. "a... say what now?"

"memories are like spirits," dawn explained. "you just have to conjure the right one."

wally cleared his throat and stepped forward, holding up his hands in polite dismissal. "uh, dawn, thank you so much for your... time. we really appreciate it, but i think—"

"we'll do it," maddie interrupted firmly.

the room went silent. jenna shot maddie a look of concern, while dawn grinned, pleased with herself. whatever this was going to be, jenna had a feeling it wasn't going to be simple.

👻

the cafeteria kitchen was eerily quiet, save for the hum of an ancient fridge and the soft rustle of supplies as jenna and charley worked to gather everything for the seance. old candles, a dusty tablecloth, and a few scattered, questionable "mystical" props dawn had generously lent them cluttered the counters. charley was rifling through a drawer, occasionally pulling out something and holding it up like it was a lost treasure.

"a knife? yeah, that definitely screams seance," jenna said sarcastically, placing a few candles in a circle.

charley wiggled the knife like it was a magic wand. "hey, you never know. maybe anti seance spirits like fine dining."

jenna laughed under her breath and adjusted the candles. "if spirits are eating anything in this school, they're braver than i am."

charley set the fork aside and perched himself on the counter, swinging his legs casually as he watched her arrange the setup. "so... things with wally," he said, smirking. "are we talking, like, official couple status?"

jenna bit her lip to suppress her grin, but it escaped anyway. "i don't know. we haven't exactly labeled anything, but..." she shrugged, her voice softening. "it's good. it's really good."

charley whistled. "look at you, all happy and glowing. it's gross."

"shut up." jenna laughed, throwing a dishrag at him. "you're just jealous."

"oh, totally.'" charley grinned but then shifted gears, his tone softening. "seriously, though, i'm happy for you. you deserve it."

jenna's smile lingered as she lit one of the candles. "thanks. wally's just... different. when i'm with him, it feels like i don't have to try so hard to be anything. i can just... be."

charley nodded, letting her words sink in before he hopped off the counter and rummaged through another drawer. "you know," he said casually, "emilio got his letter."

jenna paused. "wait, really?"

charley nodded, grinning. "yeah. maddie helped me transcribe it to world-of-the-living paper. simon gave it to him yesterday. it worked."

"charley, that's amazing!" jenna said, beaming. "what'd he do?"

"cried. happy tears, obviously, but still. i was sitting right there, watching him, and it was—" charley broke off, getting a bit emotional. "it was good. better than good. like... closure, you know?"

jenna reached over and squeezed his arm gently. "you deserve that, too."

charley leaned against the counter, watching her with a thoughtful look. "you know," he said, voice more serious now, "wally's been waiting a long time for this."

jenna furrowed her brow, confused. "what do you mean?"

charley blinked, realizing too late that he'd said too much. "uh, just... you know. he really likes you."

jenna narrowed her eyes, setting down the candle she was holding. "what does that mean—'he's been waiting a long time'?"

charley scratched the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable. "nothing. i just meant—"

"charley." jenna's tone sharpened. "what aren't you telling me?"

he hesitated, then sighed, knowing there was no way out of this. "okay, look. you weren't supposed to know. wally didn't want you to freak out."

"freak out about what?"

charley bit his lip, shifting awkwardly before finally meeting her gaze. "wally knew who you were before you died."

jenna froze, her breath catching. "what?"

"he—he used to watch you when you were alive. not in a creepy stalker way, just... he liked you. a lot. he always liked you."

jenna felt the ground tilt slightly beneath her, her pulse quickening. "wait, he knew me? and he didn't tell me?"

"it's not like he was hiding in the bushes or something," charley added quickly, as if that would soften the blow. "he just... admired you. from a distance. you were kind of a big deal, jenna."

jenna's mind raced, piecing together the moments she'd shared with wally. the way he seemed to know her so well, the way he looked at her like she was something he'd been waiting for his whole life. "he watched me," she said slowly, as if saying it aloud would help her process it. "this whole time."

"yeah," charley said softly. "and when you died, i think he just... thought it was fate or something. like he finally had a chance to know you."

jenna's stomach churned. "why didn't he tell me?"

"because he was afraid you'd freak out," charley admitted. "and, i mean, kind of seeing your reaction now... he wasn't wrong."

jenna took a step back, the weight of the revelation hitting her like a punch to the gut. wally had been someone she trusted, someone she thought she was figuring out with, not someone who already had the answers before she even knew the questions. "i need to go, i'll see you at the seance." she said abruptly, grabbing the dishrag off the floor and tossing it onto the counter.

"jenna, wait—" charley started, but she was already halfway out the door, her mind spinning.