Zayne ate Twizzlers with his ice cream? I lifted my gaze. He still had his arm around Stacey, but his eyes were on me, the pale shade of blue anything but cool. I averted my gaze to the glossy vinyl records framed on the wall.

“It’s okay.” Those were turning out to be two of Zayne’s favorite words. “We’ll try again, as soon as possible.”

I thought and felt nothing in response to that.

“Yeah,” Stacey said, dragging her palm under her eyes. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

“Good. Because I’m going to need some nonmelted comfort food after this.” She cleared her throat. “So, what’s going on at the local haunted and cursed school from Hell?”

“You sure you want to talk about it?” I asked. “After everything with Sam?”

“She’s sure,” Zayne answered, and I bit down on my thumbnail. “Stacey can handle this.”

Stacey laughed again, the sound stronger as she picked up her water and took a drink. “If you knew the things I’ve seen and experienced, you wouldn’t ask if I was sure. I’ll deal with...with Sam later, most likely when I’m alone and have a bag of Skittles to consume. Obviously what Sam was trying to tell me is important. We need to deal with that.”

Surprise flickered through me, quickly followed by respect for her ability to push aside a riot of emotions and prioritize. God, Zayne had been right. Stacey and I probably would get along...if it wasn’t for him.

“He told you something that had you freaked-out.” Zayne shifted, pulling his arm away from Stacey. “What did he tell you?”

“Other than the over-a-hundred-trapped-ghosts creepy tidbit?” I said.

“Over a hundred?” Stacey let out a low breath. “Yeah, other than that creepy tidbit.”

“He’s said there are Shadow People there,” I told them, keeping my voice low.

“Shadow People?” she repeated. “Do I even want to know what that is?”

“Probably not.” I glanced at Zayne. A muscle was ticking along his jaw. “Do you know what they are?”

“I’m assuming some kind of ghost or something?” he said.

I coughed out a dry laugh. “Not quite. I’ve never seen one. All I know is what my mom told me about them. They’re like wraiths, but they were never human in the first place. They’re like the souls of deceased demons.”

“Oh, man,” Stacey whispered.

“I don’t understand. Souls of demons?” Zayne rested his forearms on the table. “How is that possible? They don’t have souls.”

“We think they don’t,” I corrected, thinking of Roth. “But I said they’re like souls. More like the essence of them.” Based on the way Zayne was staring at me, I could tell this was something that had never crossed his mind. “What did you think happened when demons died? That they just ceased to exist?”

“I figured they went back to Hell.”