I wanted to, but I couldn’t resist. The room felt foreign, like I’d been there years ago and only just returned.

Again I felt myself slipping from consciousness, but I couldn’t quite sleep. Instead my memories started to slip; I’d forget who I was, where I was. And my skin itched in new places every few minutes, but I could never remember why until I’d scratched that itch. And then another would crop up and I’d forget why that one was there.

I was new to my body, even this plane of living.

Andretti asked the orderly to carry me back to my room, but he struggled to respond, so he called in another man to carry me off, limp in his arms, and dump me into my bed.

Or at least I thought it was my bed, until a voice came to me at some point possibly much later on.

“Knew they wouldn’t wait long with you.” It was Rachel, sitting on the next bed over and swinging her legs.

I turned my head, but I didn’t feel like talking.

“Looks like we’re going in together tomorrow, you know, the ol’ mind meld.”

She looked a little too cheery for my taste, even if that smile was a little tainted.

So what new bombastic superpower did they give you?”

“Ghost,” was all I could bubble out from trembling lips and a twisted psyche.

“Ghost,” she repeated, chewing it over.

“Ooh, spooky.” She gave me a big, genuine grin. I couldn’t figure out what she was so happy about.

“We should get into the haunted house business when we’re outa here,” she continued, even though I’d pointedly closed my eyes. “I send the creepy images into their heads and then you float in and yell boo!”

I wanted to chuckle at how ridiculous it all sounded, but the best I could manage was a pathetic little bark.

I opened my eyes again and she was still boiling over with energy. I just wanted to sleep before she was in my head or I was out of it again.

“Wanna trade ghost stories? Hang on, I’ll dim the lights!”