The New Year's Party (17 page)

Artie dashed over to the big oak door leading to the hallway and yanked on it. It didn't open. He pounded on it, threw his weight against it. It didn't budge.

Greta raced to the windows at the back of the room. She shoved the curtains apart—and found wrought-iron bars.

We're trapped, Reenie thought.

“There are five of us and one of you,” Artie challenged Liz. “You can't force us to stay.”

“Watch me.” Liz lifted the tablecloth and slid open a drawer. She pulled out a carving knife.

“Why?” Reenie pleaded. “Why are you doing this?”

“Why?” Liz fixed her gaze on Reenie. Her eyes blazed with hatred. “Because a stupid practical joke was responsible for my brother's death,” she replied.

“That's not true!” Sean yelled. “PJ. didn't die at the party. He—”

“Who would like to go first?” Liz shrieked. She glanced from face to face. “Don't all volunteer at once. And don't worry—I'll get around to each of you before the New Year chimes.”

Liz stepped toward Reenie. She raised the knife high above her head. The sharp silver blade gleamed. “How about you, Reenie? You want to be the first to die? You were the first to pretend to be my friend.”

Liz plunged the knife right at Reenie's heart.

R
enie didn't have time to scream.

As the knife came down, Sean dove at Liz. He grabbed her arm and twisted the knife away from Reenie before it could stab her.

The knife clattered to the table.

Reenie stood paralyzed. She could almost feel the cold knife blade ripping into her body.

Liz shot out her free hand. Made a frantic grab for the knife.

But Sean was quicker. He snatched up the knife and pointed it at Liz.

“Get her, Sean!” Artie yelled.

“Unlock the door,” Sean ordered Liz. He kept the knife aimed at Liz.

She didn't move.

“Unlock it now!” Sean barked. “I don't want to hurt you. But we're leaving—and we're getting the police.”

Reenie moved closer to Sean, her heart still thudding, still feeling dazed from her narrow escape.

“Okay,” Liz gasped. “Okay, I'll unlock it.” She backed away from Sean. He didn't lower the knife.

Liz is giving up, Reenie thought. She closed her eyes and pulled in a deep breath, allowing the relief to sink in.

But instead of turning to the door, Liz let out a cry of attack—and threw herself at Sean.

Sean toppled to the floor with Liz on top of him.

The knife started to fall from his hand, but he grabbed it back. His body twisted and thrashed as he tried to throw Liz off.

Liz uttered another cry—and reached for Sean's throat. His face went red as she tried to choke him. “Drop the knife! Drop it! Drop it!” she shrieked.

Reenie forced herself to move. She grabbed Liz by the shoulders and struggled to pull her off Sean.

With startling strength, Liz leaned out of Reenie's grasp. Sprang onto Scan's arm—and tore at his wrist with her teeth.

Sean let out a howl of pain.

Liz cried in triumph as she pulled the knife from his grasp.

She jumped to her feet.

Sean rolled away from her, holding his wounded arm.

Liz scrambled after him. “I guess you want to be first, Sean!” she rasped, breathing hard. She slashed the air with the blade.

“Liz—don't!”

Liz froze. The knife shimmered for a second in midair. Then she grabbed Sean and pressed the blade against his throat.

“Don't, Liz!” the voice repeated.

Reenie spun around to see who was warning Liz.

“P.J.!” she shrieked.

He stepped quickly into the room.

“Don't do it, Liz,” P.J. repeated.

“You're alive!” Reenie cried. “P.J.—you're okay!”

“Thank goodness you're alive!” Greta chimed in happily.

“P.J.—tell your sister!” Reenie pleaded. “Tell your sister we didn't hurt you. Tell her!”

P.J. hesitated, his eyes on Liz.

Liz kept the knife blade pressed against Sean's throat. Reenie saw a drop of red blood roll down Sean's neck.

“Liz—” P.J. moved slowly toward his sister.

Liz pulled the knife away from Sean's neck. She lowered it to her side.

“That's better,” P.J. said softly, soothingly. “I'm glad you stopped, Liz. I'm glad you listened to me.”

Whew! It's over! Reenie told herself. Thank
goodness P.J. arrived when he did. It's over. It's over.

A grin slowly crossed P.J.'s face as he stepped up to his sister. “I'm glad you waited, Liz,” he said softly. “I would be so disappointed if you started without me. I want to watch them die, too.”

P
.J. spun away from Liz and faced Reenie and her friends. His eyes gleamed with hatred. “I want to watch you die. All of you!” he cried.

“But, P.J.—we're your friends,” Greta insisted. “We've all been so worried about you. Where were you? What happened that night after Reenie's party?”

Behind P.J. and Liz, Reenie saw Sean slowly climb to his feet.

What is he planning to do? Reenie wondered. Be careful, Sean, she pleaded. Please—be careful.

“I've been here all along,” P.J. revealed. “I wouldn't miss the fun. I watched Liz kill Sandi and Marc. She killed them—but I got to watch.”

“That's sick!” Reenie cried. She hadn't meant to say anything. But the words burst out of her.

“Why?” Greta wailed. “Why did you kill them, Liz?”

Artie stepped up close to Greta.

Meanwhile, Sean crept up behind Liz and P.J.

Reenie felt sick. How could Liz be a murderer? How could P.J. enjoy watching her kill?

They seemed so normal. So totally normal.

“How could you kill Sandi and Marc because they played a harmless trick on P.J.?” Reenie asked them.

Before either of them could answer, Sean grabbed Liz around the waist. He pinned her against him with one arm—and grabbed the knife away with his other hand.

Liz spun free.

She dived at Sean.

He tried to dodge out of her way.

Too late.

Liz lost her balance. Stumbled into him.

And the knife plunged deep into her chest.

Screams rang out in the huge room.

Everyone screamed but Liz.

Reenie stared in amazement at the blank expression on Liz's face.

“Ohhhh.” A frightened moan escaped Sean's throat.

Reenie knew that he hadn't meant to stab her. And now he was trembling all over, his eyes wide with horror.

Only Liz remained calm.

“N-no blood—!” Artie stammered, pointing.

Reenie gaped at the front of Liz's dress. No blood. No blood poured from the wound.

With a loud gasp Sean pulled the knife from Liz's chest.

Liz didn't move. Didn't cry out.

Reenie's body convulsed in a tremor of fear.

What's going on? she wondered. What is happening here?

R
eenie stared at the knife in Sean's hand. The blade gleamed under the ceiling light. No blood.

No blood. The words repeated in Reenie's ears until they became a roar.

Liz turned to Sean, a strange smile on her face. “You tore my dress,” she told him with a phony pout.

“I-I—” Sean let the knife fall to the floor. His face tightened with fear as he backed away from Liz.

Liz laughed. “Scaredy-cat,” she whispered. “So sorry, Sean. But you can't kill me. Know why?”

“Why—?” Sean managed to choke out.

“Because I'm already dead.”

“Noooo!” A cry of protest escaped Reenie's throat.

“P.J. and I are already dead,” Liz revealed. “We both died before you were born. Here. I'll prove it to you.”

Liz strode over to the table and grabbed the old Shadyside High yearbook. She tossed it to Reenie.

Reenie's fingers shook as she ran them over the embossed cover.
Class of 1965.
She opened the book.

The glossy pages automatically fell open to a full-page photo in the front. The photo was surrounded by a heavy black border.

Beneath the photo the caption read:

Greta peered over Reenie's shoulder at the photograph. As she read the caption, her hand squeezed Reenie's arm.

“It's Liz and P.J.,” Sean murmured, staring at the page. “Look at them! They look exactly the same. But this photo was taken over thirty years ago!”

“We weren't known as Liz and P.J. then,” Liz explained. “We were Beth and Jeremy. We died in a car accident on New Year's Eve, a snowy night a lot like this one.”

“And do you know why we died?” P.J. chimed in, stepping up beside his sister. “Do you know why?”

“We died because some cruel kids played a mean joke on my brother,” Liz told them bitterly. “And
now it's thirty years later. Thirty years that we could have enjoyed, that we could have been alive in. Thirty years later—and you kids did the same thing.”

“Whoa. Wait—” Sean started.

“This time it's going to be different,” Liz snapped, ignoring him. “This time you're going to pay for your joke. You're going to pay for the thirty years we lost because of a joke.”

“You're all going to die!” P.J. declared gleefully.

“
P
.J. and I waited a long time for this moment,” Liz continued. “We spent years and years trapped in a cold, gray place. As the years passed, we grew stronger. And then suddenly we were back. Back in Shadyside. Back in our old bodies. People could see us and hear us again. I realized P.J. and I had been given a second chance—a chance for revenge.”