Spirit Sister

• Shalyn Chester, Grade 9, Griffith High School
• Short Story
• 2015

Excellence Award in the 'Read Write Repeat 2015' competition

He didn’t look anything like she expected. Mandy guessed he was about 5ft 5in with his straight brown hair covering his smokey grey eyes, just slightly. Wow, she thought, he isn’t what I’d expected. Mandy had got told that there was a new guy coming into her year. Year 10. She’d thought that he’d be one of those people that were all about high grades and fat books filled with complex words. It had been a while since another good-looking boy had come into her year. This is going to be an interesting term.
The next day, he came into the school gates by himself and had sat on the same bench chair as Mandy but only 2 metres away. He opened a book and started reading while slouching against the brick wall. Mandy was listening to music while her friends were giggling and gossiping about him behind her. “He keeps looking at you, you know?” one of her friends whispered into her ear. She peeked sideways to him staring at her. She smiled and quickly glanced away but he kept his eyes on her. “Let’s leave them alone and see what happens” Mandy heard one of the girls say.
Soon after they had left, he had come over and sat next to her. “Hey,” he said smiling while keeping looking at her. Mandy looked at him through her light brown hair with her pale green eyes. “I’m Hunter. Hunter Morrison,” he continued to say. “I’m Mandy. Mandy Black,” she said to him. He held out his hand and Mandy shook it. “Why are you talking to me?”
Mandy wondered when she took out one of her earphones. “Well,” Hunter had begun to answer, “You remind me of my sister.” Mandy was confused. “Why don’t you just talk to her then?” she questioned. “For starters, that would be weird because she passed away when I was 10. She drowned in the nearby river where we used to live.” Mandy was gobsmacked, staring with mouth open and wide eyes. “Yeah, it’s like that, huh? She was my only sister and my best friend.” Hunter just smiled like he wasn’t sad at all.
Hunter leant against the school gate, waiting. He then saw her 5ft figure coming towards him. Mandy. I thought she got lost, Hunter joked. A month has gone by and now they are the bestest friends. Mandy has never had a real best friend before. “Hey, sorry,” Mandy
began but got cut off by Hunter giving her a friendly hug. “I knew you didn’t get lost.”
“What?” Mandy asked, pulling away from him with a light punch in the stomach. “Don’t
worry,” Hunter laughed, “Race you to the beach?” “You’re on,” Mandy said racing off.
“Hey!” Hunter called out to her and started chasing her, just like he used to with his sister. And at that moment he saw his sister’s spirit, running and looking back to her brother. It was the first time of seeing her in all these hurtful years. “Mandy.”