Spirits of Ash and Foam by Greg Weisman Page B

going to say anything at all. Finally, she spoke, more haltingly than Rain was accustomed to hear from her normally decisive mother. “There’s one more … thing. You mentioned … Well, yesterday, you said…”
    Iris paused again. Rain couldn’t imagine what her mom was getting at. What did I say yesterday?
    Alonso rescued his wife. “Your mom and I talked it over, and if you’d still like to move into ’Bastian’s old room, we think it’s okay.”
    Iris more or less found her voice. “It’s bigger, and it’s not on the guest floor, which is probably a good thing. You’d definitely have more privacy, which is probably a very good thing. So … do you still want to change rooms?”
    Rain had completely forgotten that on impulse she had asked for ’Bastian’s room. The very moment it had come out of her mouth, it had seemed wildly disrespectful to his memory. Of course, that was before she knew Papa ’Bastian would be hanging around as a ghost. She wondered whether or not he’d approve—then decided he’d prefer to have the room go to her than to an unending chain of tourists. Besides, ’Bastian was stuck with the armband, and the armband was sticking with Rain, so this was more or less a way for him to keep his room. Tentatively, she said, “I think I do. If it’s okay with you.”
    Iris nodded. Even smiled a little. “It is. I think he’d like that.”
    I’ll double-check at sundown, Rain thought.
    Alonso was already moving on to logistics. “We don’t want the move to cause a lot of disruption for the guests. Mrs. Sawyer’s checking out Wednesday morning, and that’ll just leave Ms. Vendaval and the Kims. We’ve got another couple checking in Thursday afternoon, the Bernstein-Shores. So that really makes Wednesday after school the best time for the move.”
    â€œO-okay,” Rain said. This is happening fast.
    â€œSo I want you to have your stuff packed up and ready to move before then.”
    â€œRight. Got it.” She was beginning to get a little excited about it.
    â€œHi,” Charlie said, entering through the swinging door from the dining room. “It’s almost sunset.”
    While Iris and Alonso thought about the seeming non sequitur, Rain whipped around in her seat to look at Charlie, then whipped back to look out the window at the fading light of the day. Then she shoved another huge forkful of pasta into her mouth—she was, after all, her father’s daughter—swallowed hard, and leapt to her feet.
    She grabbed Charlie’s hand, saying, “Let’s go to my room.”
    Charlie inhaled sharply, feeling that wonderful, horrible electric rush. Though his mouth was pasta-free, he swallowed hard too and glanced, terrified, at Rain’s parents.
    In fact, Alonso and Iris were not blind to Charlie’s crush on their daughter. They gave each other a silent look that spoke volumes. These kids are getting older. When do the new rules start?
    Rain remained oblivious, asking to be excused without waiting for an answer and tugging Charlie toward the Inn’s back stairs.
    Iris said, “Rain, wait. Maybe Charlie would like to sit down? Have some pasta? Or dessert?”
    Charlie appeared on the verge of accepting the latter invitation. “What do you have—”But Rain caught his eye and nodded toward her armband. “Um, never mind, Mrs. Cacique. I already ate.”
    With that, the two teens raced upstairs.

CHAPTER NINE
    GHOST RULES
    MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
    Rain didn’t release Charlie’s hand until they were standing in front of her door and she was pulling out her room key. She slipped it into the lock, but what they were about to do seemed clandestine enough that she found herself looking back over her shoulder toward the guest room across the hall—the room Callahan had stayed in, as if the big Aussie