I was shoving my jeans into the laundry basket in the corner when I stopped. “I’d checked that old guy out before I sat down, I’m used to spotting the out-of-place, but I didn’t notice that he wasn’t right, you did.” I spun to face Justin. “You said there was something off about him.” I pointed at him accusingly. “How did you know?”
Justin took a step back as if I held a knife on him. “I’m not sure,” he muttered. “It was like… you know when you meet someone you sometimes have a feeling about them. You know if you’ll be friends.”
For some reason my memories flashed to the day I’d first met Justin.
“It was like that,” he scuffed his feet in my carpet. “I just felt as if he was similar to me.”
“Not right.” I gave a small genuine smile.
“Yeah.” It was Justin’s turn to paste on a fake. “That’s right.”
My limbs felt like lead; tiredness had crept up on me. I glanced at the clock. It was later than I’d thought. I’d forgotten Justin didn’t need to sleep; I couldn’t keep up with the dead.
“I’ve got to get some sleep.” I covered my mouth as I yawned and Justin nodded.
“Should I leave?”
For the first time I wondered where one of the bothersome dead would go while I slept. “What will you do?”
Justin inhaled and his full lips twitched downwards before he got them back under control. “I’ll find a cinema or something.”
I nodded and he stepped backwards.
“Wait.” I pushed my hair off my forehead. “You could watch telly downstairs. Dad won’t hear – he’ll work late into the night then take some painkillers; they knock him out. You should be able to work the remote as long as you don't turn it up too loud. The sofa’s comfy.”
“It’s not like I’m going to sleep on it.” The sullen words didn’t match the sudden brightening of his face.
“So you’ll be downstairs?”
“Sure. You can find me when you get up.”
“OK.” I stood up, legs brushing my duvet. “Night then.”
“Night.”
There was an awkward moment when I thought he was going to try and shake my hand or something. Then he backed out of the door. Without opening it.
I hesitated then reached for Mum’s book. Until Justin settled downstairs I would read and bring her voice back to life; that way I would not feel so alone. My hands caressed the leather cover and I inhaled the scent of the fragile paper, like dust in my nose. It took me a few moments to find where I had left off, kicking off my shoes and ghosting towards the bed on bare feet as I searched. I knew the book so well, it was hard to locate the place I had last finished. Finally I sank down and began to read.
A dreadful sound disturbed my contemplation: a low snarl on the edge of hearing.
For a moment I thought I had imagined it, then the boy next to me exclaimed with a trembling voice. “Do you hear that?”
As the rest of the workers drew together I held myself still and tried to pinpoint the source. However, the growl echoed strangely and seemed to come from more than one direction.
“There’s more than one of ’em. Can you hear?”
Voices raised. “We need a lantern, t-there’s something in here with us.”
The darkness carried the Sunbird’s reply. “You lazy Lubberlanders, don’t you want to find the treasure? All you have to do is stand still while we wait for the Professor to come and work out where it is.” His footsteps pounded angrily, but the workers exhaled relief; he brought with him an island of light.
Then the overseer stopped. “What was that?”
The snarling grew louder and shuffling cloth told me that panicking men had raised their tools. Forcing the numbness from my limbs, I managed to edge away.
In the centre of the chamber the Sunbird span and his beacon left a trail in the darkness; a dimly glowing spiral which surrounded him like a cage, but illuminated nothing. He began to retreat and immediately a howl went up from the workers beside me. As one, they rushed the escaping glow.
Horrorstruck I watched my fellows fight over the lantern. As it was torn from hand-to-hand it revealed scraps of faces contorted with terror and rage. The brawl reverberated from the walls until the room filled with voiceless thunder and the beast stopped snarling and began to roar.
Fleeing men tripped on their comrades and in the confusion the myriad of tunnels leading from the antechamber became a labyrinth, trapping us inside. Although my feet itched to run, I thought my best chance of finding the exit was a slow creep along the wall.
With rising terror I soon realised the babble had quieted. Now the only sound in the tomb was made by my chattering teeth. Quickly I inhaled and held as still my shaking limbs would allow.
Every sense burned yet I heard nothing.
When the silence continued I took one tortoise-like step to the right, then another. Finally my hand found empty space and I looked to see that around the corner, high above me, there was a square of light. I had found the way out.
As noiselessly as possible I felt for the first step.
The distant barking of a small dog called to me and I climbed as fast as I could. When the line of daylight was a mere body length ahead I took a deep breath and something whistled by my face to thud on the tread in front of me.
A clawed foot slid towards me and wet warmth on my thighs and the smell of urine betrayed my terror.
Yet the beast did me no harm, only drove me back into the tomb.
I put down the book and rubbed my gritty eyes. It was time to leave Oh-Fa. I needed to shower and crash. I opened the door to the hallway and stopped. Like an invading force the shadows pressed against the border of light that projected from my room.
My legs trembled and I rubbed my ears frantically. The house was too quiet. If only I’d asked Justin to stay upstairs.
I heard the faint strains of the television starting up and stared into the darkest of the shadows, as if challenging them to move. My eyes started to blur. The light switch was two steps more into the darkness.
Only two steps.
But I jumped back into my room and slammed the door. I could have a shower in the morning.
18
I HAVE TO GET INTO THE V CLUB
“Alright, Hargreaves.” I scooped Weetabix from the bowl. Dad hadn’t gone to bed until the early hours, so I wasn’t worried about talking to Justin while I ate. “We have to work out who killed you so I can avenge your death.”
“Who says?” I opened my mouth and Justin quickly clarified. “I mean who decides I need avenging?”
I paused with the spoon halfway to my mouth. “I’ve never thought about it. It’s something that has to be done before you can move on, so maybe it’s something to do with the other side. Perhaps you can’t take that kind of baggage through.”
Justin swallowed.
“Look, something, or someone, has ruled that your death wasn’t just an accident. We might not agree, but somehow we have to think like they do. What wasn’t accidental about what happened? How could it have been prevented? Maybe that’s where we should be looking.”
“I know what you’re thinking.” Justin leaned against the work-surface and crossed his arms. “You’re thinking the person who set the dare must be to blame.”
“Aren’t you?”
“No. Like you said, I didn’t
have
to do it.”
“What about whoever started the V Club…”
“What about the person who came up with Truth or Dare in the first place? What about the builders who put up the scaffolding? What about the company who erected the crumbling building? Come on, Taylor.”
“Fine.” I bit my lip. “You said your foot slipped. Could it be something to do with that?”
“I don’t know.”
I chewed slowly, enjoying the feel of the sunlight on my back as it swept through the long kitchen window. After a moment, I pushed the bowl away. “If someone in the V club knows something they aren’t saying, wouldn’t they have to tell in the ‘confessional’?” I emphasised the word with my fingers.
Justin spoke slowly. “Truth or Dare.”
I nodded. “It all comes back to the game. I have to get into that club.”
Justin was awkward when he turned on me. “Taylor, I don’t think it’ll work.”
“Why not?” But I already knew the answer. It wasn’t that he didn’t think I’d be able to find the answer in his dumb club, he just didn’t believe I’d get in. “I’m not cool enough for you.” I clenched my fists.
“Basically.”
Flushing, I jumped to my feet. The Mark on my hand was black as pitch now. If I squinted it looked like a hole through my palm. “There has to be a way.”
“You need a sponsor. No offence, but I can’t think of a single club member who’d stand up for you.”
I licked my lips. “There might be one.”
Justin frowned.
“Pete’s a member… isn’t he?”
“Well, yeah, but Pete… he doesn’t like you much… you know that, right?”
My heart gave a little jump and I inhaled sharply. “Of course I know.”
If only he hadn’t tried to change things.
“Pete, I can’t come over tonight.”
“You’re always cancelling stuff on us. This is the third time this week and you didn’t make it to the cinema last weekend.”
“I know, but it’s–”
“Family stuff, yeah.”
“You can speak to Mum if you don’t believe me.”
“You never used to have all this ‘family stuff’ going on. I think you just don't want to hang out any more.”
“That's not true. If I could come over I would.” I glower at the Mark that is forcing me to cancel on my friends again. The ghost who had grabbed me had huge hands. The stain spills onto my wrist like a pointing finger.
“Whatever.”
I bite my lip and look at Mum. She makes a “hurry up” gesture. We have a long drive ahead of us and she wants to get going.
“Can’t we do something tomorrow?”
There’s a long pause. “I’m sick of waiting for you. You’ve been acting strange for ages. You never tell me what’s wrong and now you don’t even want to hang. I’ve got other friends. I don’t have to wait around to go out with you.”
“What do you mean?”
I hear the hiss of his breath. “You know what I mean.”
I inhale shakily. “You want to go out, go out?”
There’s silence on the end of the phone. Why did I say that?
“Yeah. I did. I do. So, what about it?” The phone leeches none of the hope from his voice. I picture his round, brown eyes. What do I say?
Mum’s hand falls onto my shoulder and I look up. She isn’t trying to hurry me any more; she’s heard my last question. She gives me a squeeze and I close my eyes.
I imagine what it would be like to date Pete. We’ve been friends forever, I love him, but do I fancy him? I picture kissing him and something low in my tummy gives a little flip.
Then I imagine a ghost appearing behind him, reaching round his back, grabbing my hand as I hold him close. The whole thing is bad enough now and we’re only friends. How hard will it be to cancel dates? What if I have to run away when we’re out?
Mum told Dad about the curse – could I tell Pete?
He’d laugh his head off.
“I want to Pete… but…”
He slams down the phone.
“I-I know he’s down on me. He’s our best hope though… Isn’t he?”
Justin hesitated.
“Or I could ask Tamsin.”
A snort of laughter bent Justin almost double. “Yeah. Pete’s your only chance.”
My legs were curled beneath me on the love seat in the hall and my hand was sweating over the receiver. I could have gone to my room and used my mobile, but I’d spent so many years chatting to Pete on the house phone that it just seemed wrong to use anything else to make the call.
Justin stood at my shoulder. “When did you last speak to him?”
“Just before I found you. He told me where to look.”
“I mean–”
“I know what you mean. It’s been years since we were friends. Since before my mum died.”
“He might not be up for this.”
“I know.”
Swiftly I dialled the number. My fingers moved automatically over the pad, I didn’t have to try to recall a single digit, the pattern was so familiar.
“Pete?”
“Twice in one week, I am lucky.”
“I know we haven’t been close in a while.”
“Yeah.” His voice betrayed nothing.
“Talking to you the other day I-I just realised how much I missed you.” Justin raised his eyebrows and I turned my back on him. “I know we aren’t really friends any more.”
“We aren’t friends at all.”
“Does it have to be that way?” He didn’t respond. The phone hummed and I rushed to fill the silence. “I know you’ve got other mates. I know we can’t hang out.” I swallowed. “It used to be we could talk about anything.”
“Sure.” His voice sounded rough. Was I getting somewhere? Then he carried on. “I remember that I used to talk to you and you’d tell me
nothing
. All that weird behaviour, you’d never tell me what was going on.”
I licked my lips and thought fast. I only had one card left to play. One thing he wanted from me. “Listen, Pete. I know you’re part of a club.”
There was a sharp intake of air and the silence on the other end of the phone grew weighty. “I don’t know what you mean,” he said finally.
“The V club. Truth or Dare.”
“Who told?” Whip fast, sharp as a blade; the words promised retribution for whoever had spoken out of turn. I shivered. I’d never heard that tone from Pete before.