CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Winter

I freeze, and it's almost like I float out of my body. I must be seeing things. My father is dead.

Yet here he is, standing in front of me. Alive. Real.

Except ... different. Silvery. Not quite translucent, but thinner in a way that's impossible to describe.

He's not wearing his glasses, and his hair and beard are longer. He wears a wrinkled, flannel t-shirt, and bags hang under his eyes.

His eyes that are gazing right into mine.

"Dad?" I croak out.

"That's your father?" Alec asks, confirming that I’m not going crazy.

I nod, a lump in my throat. Headmaster Stroud said he wouldn't be surprised if my dad is still alive, and now, here he is.

"Winter." His familiar voice is balm to my broken soul. Tears fill my eyes. "I don't have a lot of time."

So many questions fill my mind and collect on my tongue that they nearly choke me. How do I pick what to say first?

"You're alive," I say.

He nods. "I am. And this astral projection won't last long. The channel isn't secure, a