Shelly feels like the fingerprints of the dead are all over her, like everyone should be able to tell, just by looking at her, that she’s different. That she’s marked by them, becoming one of them. Except if she were a ghost, Grandma would have to pay attention to her. So far, nobody’s noticed, or at least nobody cares, that she’s collecting ghosts in her room. They should. Somebody should say something. Should stop being so distracted by bills and clients and work and see her.

When Grandma and Jenny make it back home, they both look tired. Grandma smiles at Shelly and presses a kiss to her forehead. “Sorry,” Grandma says. “I feel like I’ve been drowning in the dead.”

Shelly gives Grandma her best smile and then she lies to her face. “Don’t worry. Everything’s fine.”

15

The next day goes by slowly. Shelly is more focused on the ghosts slowly piling up in her bedroom and on finding her mom than on school. School is a place she has to go during the day, but she sits quietly and does her homework and ignores the way everyone ignores her.

Ghosts pay attention to her. They’re happy to talk to her because everyone ignores them, too.

She missed presenting her career project while she was away, but she doesn’t mind so much. People think she’s weird enough now anyway without her insisting that ghosts are real. Everyone just says their parents say they don’t exist, and Shelly is tired of trying to convince people that their parents don’t know everything.

So it’s surprising to see Grandma talking with Isabel’s mother in the hallway after school.

“Shelly, would you mind if we stopped at Mrs. Lee’s house on the way home?” Grandma asks. “She thinks she has a ghost problem.”

Shelly looks up at Mrs. Lee then looks around for Isabel. “You believe in ghosts?”

“I believe in a lot of things,” Mrs. Lee says. “I believe I don’t know what’s wrong with our house. My friend Anna says you helped her, and Isabel says Shelly’s talked about you in school. We can reschedule if today doesn’t work. It’s an older house and— Oh, Isabel! Your friend Shelly and her grandma might be coming over for a little bit.”

Shelly doesn’t think she and Isabel are friends, exactly. She turns and looks at Isabel. “Your mom thinks there’s a ghost problem in your house.”

“Dad says it’s not ghosts.” Isabel doesn’t quite meet Shelly’s eyes. “He says it’s just because the house is old.”

“And the electrician and plumber said everything looks fine, but the lights still flicker and the water is always cold,” says her mother. “Does today work?”

Shelly looks up at Grandma and smiles. “I don’t mind.”