The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim (ebook reader with highlighter .txt) 📕

by,” she whispers hoarsely. “Everyone else thinks I’m this hard, confident person, but you knew better. You knew the real me. And sometimes I miss you so much I can’t breathe. Some days it hurts so much, I can’t get out of bed. Why did you have to leave me? It just makes me so angry. So, so angry.”

I didn’t ever think I’d cry for Jennie Byun—not in a million years. But soon, my leaky-bladder eyeballs make a grand appearance. One of their best shows yet. I steal glances at the others, and David and Emmett and Taeyo look teary-eyed, too.

Taeyo isn’t writing Jennie’s responses back into Ghostr, but Gwisin Halmeoni must be hearing them, because soon there’s another response from her.

“She says to let go of your anger,” Taeyo continues, so focused on the screen that his eyes look glazed. “‘Anger will only make it hurt more. Know that you are loved, more than anything in the entire three realms, and I will be watching over you from the Spiritrealm and beyond. True love knows no boundaries.’”

“Please tell her I love her, too,” Jennie says between sobs. “Halmeoni, even if the skies fall and the world ends, I will love you forever. Don’t forget that when you get reborn, okay?”

Taeyo stands up from the couch. “She says it’s time.”

We all stand, because that’s what it feels like the moment requires.

Then, before our eyes, a translucent figure materializes. At first, her form reminds me of an egg white before it’s cooked. Then, slowly but surely, her body becomes clearer and more defined. Solid, even. Soon, I recognize the face we saw earlier in the Ghostr app. Except she doesn’t seem sad anymore. Halmeoni’s eyes are warm and brown like honey. She looks like she’s at peace.

“Halmeoni!” Jennie runs to hug her, and we all watch between blurry tears as they hold each other tight.

And in that moment, I learn two things:

(1) There is no excuse for Jennie to be the mean bully that she is. But I can see now that her anger never had anything to do with me. It had only to do with herself, and she chose to direct it at me for some reason. And while that is not cool, I kind of get it. Sometimes it’s easier to blame others than blame yourself.

(2) Everything I’ve ever been told about the Horangi is wrong. I might never get to the bottom of what happened with the sunstone ax and the attack, but I know in my gut that Taeyo is a good person. He just helped a gwisin find peace, and by the look of things, he helped Jennie find solace, too. And all that was to help me save my sister and to stop the prophecy from coming true. If the other scholars are anything like Taeyo, then I have no reason to be ashamed of my heritage.

And with that realization, something blooms inside me.

Gwisin Halmeoni turns to Taeyo and smiles warmly. “Thank you, my son. For your help, I would like to offer you a favor in return. Is there anything I can do for you before I cross over?”

“Actually, there is something….” Taeyo looks at me and nods.

I open my mouth to ask her to locate the last fallen star for us. But something stops me. Instead, I look over at Emmett, who is desperately pretending that he’s not crying. (Spoiler alert: He’s defo crying.)

“I understand you can travel the Earth at the speed of thought,” I say gently. “Does that mean you can find anything—or anyone—that may be stuck here as well?”

Halmeoni considers this. “Yes, I believe I can.”

Taeyo and Emmett look at me with confusion on their faces, but I nod defiantly. “In that case, we would be grateful if you could find Sookhee Harrison, a Gom, and mother of Emmett Harrison. Her son would like to talk to her. This is the favor we ask of you.”

Emmett gasps and covers his mouth, but I reach out and squeeze his hand. I know he could still be disappointed, but I also know how much courage it took for him to decide to find his mom. He put himself out there, realizing he could get hurt, because seeing her again was so important to him. After everything he’s done for me and I’ve done to him, it’s the least I can do. He deserves this.

Gwisin Halmeoni nods and closes her eyes for what feels like only a passing moment. But when she opens them again, her eyes are tired, as if she has traveled a long distance. “I am so sorry, children, to be the bearer of bad news. I indeed managed to locate Sookhee Harrison. She is stuck here on Earth, unable to pass through to the next realm. But she is no longer the woman she once was. She has become a vengeful ghost, too overwhelmed by the wrongs done to her in life. And she is not willing to talk to you.”

Emmett falls to his knees, and I hold him in my arms. Oh no. I’ve made everything worse. “I’m so sorry, Em,” I whisper into his hair. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“However…” Halmeoni looks conflicted. “When I was with her, Sookhee had one small moment of clarity. I can tell you what she said, if that will be of use to you?”

We all look to Emmett, and he nods once.

The ghost closes her eyes again, and her voice changes. It becomes younger but shrill, like someone who’s desperate. Like someone who’s lost her way. “I didn’t want the artifact. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I was possessed. I just wanted magic for my son, and that was used against me. I didn’t kill those Horangi scholars. I was betrayed by someone I trusted. It was their fault all those people died. I was wronged!”

Emmett covers his face and shakes his head. This is too much for him to handle. “Mom,” he whispers under his breath, “I’m gonna get