Page 59 of Halloween Town

Ruby frowned, wondering why Madame Calliope had joined them since there were many, more important ghosts around. “What’s the agenda?” she asked. And why were they included?

“Effie sent me a message telling me she has news,” Madame Calliope replied, her eyes narrowed with concern.

“And why did you ask me to come along?” Hadley asked, her fingers linked around her knee.

Madame Calliope turned her intense gaze on the teenager, who met it straight-on. A quarter of the psychic’s age, young Hadley wasn’t even remotely intimidated. Interesting, because Madame Calliope scared the shit out of Ruby.

“Effie asked you to be here, you are close to one of the parties involved.”

Hadley raised her eyebrows. “Intriguing…”

Who were they going to discuss? Poppy? Thom? Hayes? Wren? And where was Effie? She was wasting daylight here! On cue, Effie hurried out of Spirited Grounds, flew through a group of Japanese tourists and barreled down the path toward them. When she reached them, Ruby imagined, just for a minute, that she looked a little out of breath.

Effie wedged herself between Naomi and Madame Calliope. Naomi took the hint to move and went to stand on the other side of Hadley. Effie straightened her long skirts and lifted the back of her wrist to her forehead. “Too many demanding, rude tourists this morning,” she muttered. “It took all I had not to throw cups across the room.”

Ruby knew there was a fine line between entertaining the ghost-curious and scaring the pants off them. It was a line they all walked. Wanting to know the goss, and why they were here, she placed her hands between her thighs and squeezed, trying to curb her impatience. But because Effie was H-Town royalty and Madame Calliope was the most powerful woman in town, she kept silent.

“How are you, Euphemia, darling?” Madame Calliope softly asked, using Effie’s proper name. They were best friends, and when Madame Calliope passed on, Ruby knew Effie would be waiting for her at the portal to welcome her. Madame C. was also the only person allowed to call Effie, Euphemia, no one else would dare. Not because she was scary, but because Miss Effie was that famous. In H-Town and beyond. “Feeling better?”

Effie shrugged. “A little.”

“Fame isn’t your job description, Effie. Existence is. Try living it—err … unliving it, whatever you do—on your own terms,” Madame Calliope briskly stated. “You need a hobby, something besides making that damn coffee machine hiss.”

“It is rather tedious,” Effie admitted. “I would love to quit, but Marigold relies on me. Besides, what else can I do?”

“You could take up interior haunting, or rearranging objects, just enough to unsettle the living,” Lila suggested. “I did that but was terrible at the aesthetics. What about joining the debate club?”

“I would, but when I arrive, the dorks lose their power of speech,” Effie sighed dramatically. “I am beautiful, you know.”

Ruby did. They all did. And because Effie sounded so matter-of-fact, nobody could accuse her of being vain. “What about a book club?” Naomi tentatively suggested, pointing to the Cobwebs & Curiosities bookshop. “We could read books and meet there.”

Effie clapped her hands. “I would love to discuss books,” she cried. Ruby, not being a reader, grimaced. She couldn’t think of anything worse.

“I’ve been a member of many book clubs, am a member of one now, in fact, and we don’t discuss books, except to make quick recommendations,” Madame Calliope told them, before placing her hand firmly on Effie’s. Or trying to. “Update me about what’s happening your side of the veil, darling.”

Effie nodded. “Firstly … do you remember Amaranth?”

Madame thought for a moment. “Middle Ages, noblewoman, quite bookish. Likes to hang out in the library.”

Effie nodded. “That’s her. We’re all very worried about her, she’s started to fade.”

Madame leaned forward. “Naturally? Is she heading for the light?”

Effie shook her head. “No, intentionally. She’s skipping gatherings, avoiding her friends, and has lost track of her past lives.”

“Is that a problem?” Hadley asked.

Madame Calliope nodded. “In ghost terms, it could mean she’s quietly committing social and existential suicide.”

Effie looked worried. “We have people watching her and I’ve called in the psychologists.”

Yes, they had shrinks on this side of the veil. The living-challenged needed help with their mental health, too.

“Anything else?” Madame asked.

“A few emotional affairs, a teenage ghost was caught trying to slip through the veil.” Ruby winced, that was a dangerous thing to do as it upset the balance on both sides.

Then Effie leaned forward and Ruby knew they were getting to the reason she’d asked for this meeting. “The spirit I’m most worried about is Cedric.”