Yolkeltod said, “I can’t leave.”
“What?”
“I can’t leave. I tried. I can’t get past the door of the hospital. It’s like a shield is stopping me.”
“Really?” I asked. “It must be because your body's here. I have no trouble wandering around, and trust me, I’m not from around here.”
“I would have never guessed.”
I laughed.
A slight smile pulled on his lips. “You must be good at this spirit thing. Can you touch stuff?”
“Not really. If I focus incredibly hard, I can move little things, but I can’t feel them. Though be careful doing that. If you expend too much energy, you’ll vanish for a while.”
His expression fell—something I understood. I craved to feel something too. Anything. I scooted until we were right in front of each other. I wished to pat him or give him a hug, but ghosts were unable to touch each other, which sucked. I was a tactile person. I loved hugging, high-fives, and snuggling. None of which I could do as a ghost.
In an effort to lighten the mood, I said, “But you can pass through walls or jump out of windows.”
“How am I not falling through the floor?”
“Because you expect not to. You’re used to gravity and the normal rules of the world. It takes a while to unlearn it.” I focused on the floor, and slowly, I started to sink, disappearing. Yolkeltod cried out, and I chuckled. “Don’t worry.” I concentrated, and I sat solidly once again.
“Can you teach me that?”
“Sure. It takes a while to forget all the constants you’re used to running your life.”
“How long will it take?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. As long as it does.”
His eyes gravitated to the doorway again. “How long will I be here?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never had the urge to move on. Most spirits I’ve met, which haven’t been many, left within a few days of their deaths. But you’re not dead.”
“The doctor said I had no brain activity.”
“Yeah, because your soul is wandering around here,” I argued. “Don’t give up. I’ll talk to the person I know who can see me. Maybe he can help.”
Yolkeltod’s head cocked to the side, allowing me to see the black cuff near the tip of his ear and the chain that threadedthrough the cartilage down to his lobe. “You said the person was in the palace. You’re talking about Prince Zoltilvoxfyn, aren’t you? Are the rumors true? He can see souls?”
I nodded, then stopped myself. “Yes.”
“How did you meet him?”
“I wandered around the palace, then went straight up to him and called him pretty. This was before I knew he could see me,” I said, laughing.
His mouth hung open. “You flirted with the prince?”
“Unintentionally.”
Yolkeltod smiled, which stretched his lips wide and made his eyes close. It was such a joyous expression that a grin grew on my own face. He chuckled. “You flirted with the one person who can see you.” His smile dimmed. “One of the people who can see you.”
I had no way of comforting him. I wanted to say the right words to make it all better, but I couldn’t think of any besides empty platitudes, so I kept quiet.
After a few moments, he asked, “How did you get here?”
“It’s a long story. I’ve been wandering the universe for cycles, but I decided to stay here because of Seth Harris,” I said, then quickly added, “The human who married Prince Kalvoxrencol.”
