Untethered by Katie Hayoz Page A

me.
    “Take yourself.”
    “I can’t. Please. I’ve gotta go there. Now.”
    But she ignores me and walks to the car, sliding into the passenger seat. Her dad backs out the driveway. I hesitate, but only for a moment. Then I leap towards the moving car and yank open the back door. I dive in and slam the door behind me.
    “What do you think you’re doing?!” Both Cassie and her dad turn around to yell at me.
    “I need to get to the hospital,” I say, my voice low and even.
    Cassie glares at me. Her dad shakes his head.
    But no one kicks me out.
     

Ten
    September: Puttering with the Paranormal
     
    I wake up Saturday morning with a start and look at my watch. 5 a.m.
    Bryce’s party seems like it took place years ago and I wonder if I dreamt it up. Especially the bit about Kevin’s step-mom. I sit in the semi-darkness, thinking. I want to know more about what she did. About what I do. Now that I know I’m not the only one, I’m not so afraid anymore. My eyes drift to the desk and I can’t believe my luck. With all the Mom confusion, Dad left his laptop in here last night.
    I can go on the net and research the whole thing.
    I get online and take a deep breath, typing in leaving your body . The results aren’t what I was looking for:
     
    Leaving Your Body to Science
    Full Body Treatment: Leaving your Body Beautiful
    Leaving on a Jet Plane
     
    Then I try outside your body . The first link gets me:
     
    Astral Projection and Out of Body Experiences: Traveling Outside Your Body
     
    I click on it and tug at my hair, anxious and excited. The site itself has some weird mystical music playing. Right away I pound the mute button. I don’t know if Dad would be cool with me using his laptop without asking. There are pictures of a naked man lying down while what looks like his double hovers above him. They’re connected by a silver rope. I scroll down to the text and start reading:
     
    Astral projection, sometimes called etheric projection or out-of-body experience (OBE): when one’s soul or etheric self leaves the physical body to enter the astral realms.
     
    Okay. I read it twice without understanding but keep on. I finally get to:
     
    In astral projection one consciously leaves one’s body – to bob about the room, to travel the earth, the universe, or different planes of existence.
     
    That’s it. Holy crap. That’s it.
    I keep scrolling down, then click on another link full of testimonials, my heart ramming against my chest. There are hundreds of accounts of people doing it, by chance or on purpose: a prisoner-of-war who left his body when he was tortured, a woman who ‘visited’ her sick brother in another country, victims of car accidents, high fevers and, like Kevin’s step-mom, women who had extremely painful deliveries.
    It’s happened to other people. Lots of them. And this whole time I didn’t know ... I can barely breathe.
    They’re not hallucinations. I’m not crazy. And I’m only one of many. My eyes sting with tears of relief. I tip my head back and blink at the ceiling until I know I won’t cry.
    I click again.
     
    Learn Astral Projection in Fifteen Minutes Flat! Double-click here to order your trip to freedom! Only $69.99!
     
    I try a different link. And another one. And another one. They all say I can learn astral projection. Several give general directions, saying to lie down in a darkened room and relax, but I can’t find anything detailed.
    Most of the sites refer to books or DVDs to buy. It doesn’t seem like I’m doing more than scratching the surface on the net. They want to sell their books, not give the info away for free.
    Click.
     
    At Your Own Risk! Danger! The Dark Side of Astral Projection
     
    Getting lost. Evil entities. Demonic possession. Death. All are listed. I think of the shadows. But nothing like that is mentioned here. Here they talk about astral enemies and demons with blood red eyes. No shadows that drain your energy and leave a bitter taste in your