Gwisin are hungry ghosts that haven’t been able to pass through to the Spiritrealm because of unfinished business on Earth. Sometimes, when they had a particularly gruesome end to their life, you get hungry and angry ones (aka hangry ghosts), and you really don’t want to be haunted by those.

“Yeah,” says Taeyo. “It’s kinda like a ghost-whisperer app. It puts out a beacon to gwisin. If they match with someone who’s willing to help them, they’ll finally get to pass into the Spiritrealm. Hopefully, anyhow.”

“No way.” I am genuinely impressed by both his altruism and his coding ability. “That’s kinda awesome.” Then I remember he’s from the cursed clan. They’re supposed to be selfish and greedy. “But what’s in it for you?”

He shrugs. “Nothing, I guess. Just a good feeling from knowing I helped a ghost pass on.”

Hmm. A charitable Horangi. I shake my head dubiously. “And what has this got to do with our search?”

He looks at Emmett. “I thought maybe we could use the app to find your mom. Like you said yesterday, she’s the only one who seems to know the truth. If she’s a gwisin, she might be able to tell us who really wanted the sunstone ax, why the council framed us, and maybe even where the last artifact is being kept.”

My eyes dart to Emmett. What Taeyo is suggesting is a really big deal. Emmett has wanted to meet his mom his entire life. If we look for her and don’t succeed, he will be devastated. On the other hand, if we do find her, Emmett will learn that his mom had spent the last thirteen years haunting the Earth because of unfinished business. No kid wants to find out that their mom is a hungry ghost. On top of all that, what if what Sora said about Mrs. Harrison is true? That she was the one who stole the sunstone ax and destroyed innocent lives?

I shake my head. “Nope, it’s too risky,” I say. “It’s a creative idea, but we won’t do it.”

Emmett puts his hand in front of me as if to say, Hang on a second. He turns to Taeyo. “What’s your angle, Bow Tie? Why would you work with us? You don’t even know us.”

Taeyo straightens his blazer over his shirt. “I never knew my parents, but I’m told they were some of the bravest scholars the clan has ever seen. They always jumped at the chance to help people in need. I know it might sound corny, but I want to make sure their legacy lives on. I want to make them proud of who I’ve become.”

That makes Emmett and me go silent. We both have parents we didn’t get to know, either. It’s understandable that he wants to do right by his.