Page 54 of Body Tox

The old nun stared at me quizzically.

“Why yes, dear. I assumed all the townsfolk knew the rumors of the ghost of Evangeline.”

I shrugged my shoulders. I’d lived most of my life in a gilded cage, only being given information my father thought was necessary. I didn’t know about ghost stories.

“I am kind of an outsider,” I said. “Came here not too long ago.”

The nun studied me again, and her big glasses made me feel every bit like a bug under a microscope. My broken pants were rolled up to my belly button, giving me the high water look on my ankles.

“I see,” she replied, picking up a laundered item and fluffing the coats. “Well, there is a horrid rumor that the owner’s daughter of this facility is haunting this place.”

I looked around at the happy tots, seeming unfazed by the heavy rumor hanging over their heads.

“The owner’s daughter?” I said. “What happened to her?”

The nun looked down mournfully. Her gray eyes seemed haunted by the memory alone.

“She passed, dear. Evangeline was a troubled little thing, and she took her own life. In this very home as it were.”

Asher’s face was pale, and he looked like he was trying not to throw up.

I recalled the braid pattern of his tattoos. He had said it was a memorial tattoo for his friend.

Was that Evangeline?

“Oh, I see,” I said sadly.

“Why do people say it’s haunted?” I wondered aloud.

A little kid jumped between us, making ghost sounds and sticking their tongues out.

“Evangeline haunts us all,” he shouted. “She laughs in the hallways and turns off our lights!”

The nun shook her head, scolding the young kid and ushering him back to the others.

“That’s exaggerated.” she chided. “Our wires are old and frayed. We are often left with making repairs ourselves when rodents chew the cords.”

I thought about that. This place looked old and dirty, and I couldn’t see the lady as the best electrician.

“Do you have any help here, ma’am?” I asked. “Like other staff?”

“No, dear.” She smiled sweetly. “The death of the last headmaster was the final staff member to grace our halls. It has been just me for many years.”

Geez, this old lady had held up the castle herself to keep these kids from being turned away.

Admirable.

But why did Asher hate this place so much? Was there more to it? And why would a kid hang herself?

“Thank you, sister, for your honesty. Can we see some albums of past children and staff here?”

She smiled, seeming to snap out of her sad spell.

“Why, of course, child, right this way. Is your companion okay?”

I looked over to Asher. He was entertaining a toddler who decided his leg was the perfect spot for smacking a plastic toy.

I tried not to laugh and waved him away.

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