And please make today a good day. Help me stay out of trouble, let me make lots of friends and—oh! Please, please help Mike get better, so he can finally leave that hospital and come back home to me and Mom. In Jesus' name, Amen." she finished softly.
Jenny stood up and slipped on her shoes. She combed her black hair until it fell neatly over her shoulders, then reached for her glasses on the nightstand and set them gently on her face.
She tried so hard not to bounce with excitement, but it wasn't working. Today was her first time going to an actual school in a long, long time.
Sure, she might be a little behind her age group… but that didn't matter. God had shown her mercy—real mercy—and she would never forget that. Life had never been simple for her. She once had a serious illness, one that kept her indoors, staring out the window while other kids played in the sun. She couldn't even step outside to feel the grass. So yes, this moment meant something. It was big.
"Stay out of trouble, okay?" her mom said through the car window. "And don't be afraid to make friends too."
"When have I ever caused trouble?" Jenny grinned. "And yes, I promise—I'll make lots of friends."
Her mom drove off, leaving Jenny standing among a swarm of teenagers. All different heights, different faces, different energies. The scene felt almost unreal, like one of the dreams she used to cling to on lonely afternoons.
But as she looked more closely, Jenny noticed something strange. Something she didn't have a name for. It was as if every student had a faint… figure behind them. Almost like a ghost, but not scary—more like a shadow in their exact shape. Each one glowing in its own color, shifting lightly behind its person.
Jenny blinked, heart fluttering.
No one else seemed to notice.
But she did.
Jenny rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath, convincing herself she was just imagining things.
But the moment she stepped through the school's main doors, the world sharpened. The lights seemed brighter, the hallway louder, and the shapes behind people—those strange ghost-like figures—became clearer, more solid.
Students rushed everywhere, chatting, laughing, bumping shoulders… and every single one of them had the same ghostly double trailing behind.
A blonde girl strutted past Jenny with confidence radiating off her. But her ghost wasn't confident at all. It was curled inward, arms wrapped around itself, a soft gray color that looked fragile and insecure.
A boy who laughed the loudest, his voice echoing down the hall, had a darker gray ghost behind him. The ghost's face was twisted into a deep frown, tears permanently rolling down its cheeks.
An Asian girl sat alone by the lockers, sketchbook open. To everyone else, she probably looked lonely—maybe even sad. But her ghost was bright and calm, sitting cross-legged as if meditating, its expression peaceful and full of quiet joy.
Some students looked friendly on the outside, but their ghosts stared with jealousy. Others appeared cheerful, yet their ghosts simmered with anger or sagged with exhaustion. Every color, every emotion imaginable flickered in those silent shapes.
"What on earth am I seeing…?" Jenny whispered. She kept her gaze down and shuffled through the crowd, trying desperately not to look at anyone—at their ghosts.
By the time she reached her classroom, her chest felt tight. She slid into the nearest empty seat, gripping the edge of the desk to steady herself.
Was she getting sick again?
The thought alone sent a shiver through her entire body. She squeezed her eyes shut and whispered a quiet prayer under her breath, trying to calm the rising panic.
Suddenly—
THUD!
A stack of books slammed onto her desk. Jenny jumped so hard her chair scraped against the floor.
She looked up and saw a girl with ginger hair staring down at her with sharp, impatient eyes.
"That's my seat," the girl said flatly.
"Oh— I'm so sorry. I'm new here and I didn't know—"
"I don't care." The girl cut her off, turning her face away quickly, as if she was holding something in—like she wanted to cry but refused to let anyone see.
And now that Jenny looked properly… the girl's ghost wasn't like the others at all.
It wasn't shaped like her.
It wasn't colored like hers.
It wasn't even human.
It was a heavy, formless shadow pressed down over the girl's shoulders like a weight. No face. No features. Just darkness clinging to her like it had nowhere else to go.
The girl's real eyes were a beautiful soft brown, but they looked dull, almost lifeless, with dark circles smudged beneath them. Like she hadn't slept in days. Or like the weight of that shadow-ghost was too much for anyone her age to bear.
Jenny stood up quickly and moved to an empty desk at the back of the room.
A moment later the bell rang, echoing through the hallways, and students poured into the room, laughing and shouting as they dropped into their seats.
The teacher shuffled in soon after—an elderly man with snowy hair, wearing a bright sweater that didn't match at all but somehow suited him perfectly. He looked cheerful… and so did his ghost. For once, someone's ghost truly matched their outer self. It stood behind him like a warm mirror, smiling with the same gentle joy.
"Good morning, class! I hope everyone had an amazing weekend!" he said.
The class groaned loudly.
Unbothered, he clapped his hands once. "Now, before we begin, we have a new student among us. Jenny White!" He glanced toward the door. "Jenny White?"
Jenny raised her hand timidly. "I–I'm here… sir," she said, hoping her voice didn't shake as much as it felt like it did.
He looked toward the back of the room and smiled brightly. "Ah! There you are, Jenny. Please stand up and tell us a little about yourself."
Her stomach twisted. She stood slowly, feeling dozens of eyes—dozens of ghosts—turn toward her.
Habakkuk 2:3 NIV
[3] For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.