Truth or Dare . . (8 page)

Then things got even scarier. Leah, I got another freaky text message from that same strange number! And this time, I wanted to know who sent it, so that maybe I could stop them from sending another. But when I tried to look the number up online, my computer froze for no reason. Then my room went icy cold. I was terrified. If just one or two of these things happened, I would think it was a coincidence. Or maybe even my imagination. But all of them, together . . . I mean, how could I imagine those texts? Or my top getting ripped up? Those things are completely real, and you can come see them for yourself if you don't believe me.

I need to make this stop NOW, and I have an idea, but I'd like your help. Can you meet me at school tomorrow morning before class starts? Like, eight a.m.? You are my best friend, Leah. Please help.

<3

Abby

Abby read her e-mail to Leah twice before she took a deep breath and sent it. She didn't know how Leah would respond, but she also knew that if Leah wouldn't take her seriously, she'd have to move forward on her own.

No matter how terrifying or dangerous it would be.

Thursday morning dawned cool and cloudy; Abby woke up earlier than usual after a long and restless night. Even with her bedroom door wide open and Chester sleeping peacefully at the foot of her bed, she had tossed and turned, alert to every little noise in the night. When she finally got out of bed just before her alarm went off, Abby stepped over to the window and saw damp mist seeping out of the woods into her backyard. She shivered as she pulled the gauzy curtains back across the window. She knew that she couldn't be too careful; there was no telling who—or what—might be out there.

Then she walked over to her computer to see if Leah had e-mailed her. By the time Abby went to bed, Leah hadn't responded, which was so unusual it made Abby
even more anxious. Abby didn't know anyone who was more addicted to the Internet than Leah, so there was no possible way she hadn't received the e-mail. The only explanation for her lack of response was that Leah was ignoring her.

To Abby's relief, though, she saw that she had an e-mail waiting from Leah. It was short, but Abby didn't care.

To:
AbbyGirl

From:
Leah601

Subject:
Re: Sorry

Hey Abby,

Everything is going to be fine. I'll meet u @ the flagpole. L.

Abby got dressed and grabbed a stack of pages that she'd printed off the Internet the night before. When she went to the kitchen, she found her mom drinking coffee and reading the newspaper at the table.

“Morning, Abby,” Mrs. Miller said. “How did you sleep last night? Was your room warm enough?”

“Uh, yeah,” Abby said as she grabbed a box of cereal out of the cupboard. “It was fine.”

“You're up early today,” Mr. Miller remarked, walking into the room.

“I'm meeting Leah before school,” replied Abby. “We, um, have a project to work on. That reminds me, can she come over after school today?”

“I don't see why not—as long as it's okay with her parents,” Mrs. Miller said. “Dad and I are going out to dinner with the Takahashis, remember? So we won't be here. Do you mind heating up some leftovers for dinner?”

“Sure,” Abby said, grateful that her parents would be out. “Leah and I will mostly be working on that project.”

“Well, we'll probably be home around eight. Then we can drive Leah home,” Mr. Miller said. “Speaking of rides, do you want me to drive you to school? I'm headed out for work in a few minutes.”

Abby smiled at her dad as she quickly ate her cereal. “That would be great. Thanks, Dad.” When she was finished, she put her bowl in the sink and said, “Okay, I'm off. See you tonight, Mom.”

“Bye, Abby,” Mrs. Miller replied. “Have a good day!”

Abby pulled on her coat and picked up her backpack as her mom went back to the newspaper. Standing in the cozy, cheerful kitchen, it was hard to believe that
such scary things had been happening. Abby wished, briefly, that they would just stop on their own. That life would go back to normal.

But she knew that that wasn't going to happen—unless she did something about it.

During the car ride with her dad, Abby noticed how much emptier the streets and sidewalks were at this early hour. As the car neared the school, she started to feel more and more nervous about meeting up with Leah. What if Leah didn't want to help her? What if Leah laughed at her plan?

That's just a risk I have to take
, Abby told herself.

The schoolyard was empty when she walked through the heavy black gate, though the lights were already on and she could see teachers arriving in the faculty parking lot. She sat on the round concrete base of the flagpole and glanced up at the cloud-covered sky; overhead, the flag flapped loudly as gusts of wind blew in from the west. Abby glanced at her watch.

Leah was late.

Abby had a sinking feeling that Leah wasn't going to show up.
Maybe she forgot
, she thought.
Or maybe she was never going to come in the first place.
She didn't know what
had happened to make Leah so mad at her, but she really needed her best friend now.

As she waited, Abby's feet started tapping, then her knees started jumping, until she was suddenly too anxious to sit still for another minute. She stood up and started pacing near the flagpole, watching silently as more students arrived for the school day.
Where is Leah?
Abby wondered frantically.
Has something happened to her? What if Sara's ghost—

Abby couldn't finish that thought.

With just five minutes left before homeroom, she had to face the truth: Leah wasn't coming. For the first time in her life, Abby actually hoped that Leah had blown her off; that would be better than the other possibilities that wouldn't stop running through her mind. She stood up and was slipping the strap of her backpack over her shoulder when she heard someone call her name.

“Abby!”

It was Leah.

“You're here!” Abby exclaimed, rushing up to Leah. “I was so afraid! I thought you—”

“I'm fine. I just overslept,” Leah said, her voice full of concern. “You have to relax.”

But Abby noticed that Leah wouldn't meet her eye. The girls stood there awkwardly for a moment. Then they both spoke at the same time.

“So what do you—,” Leah began.

“Did I do something—,” Abby said.

They exchanged a smile. “You first,” Leah said.

Abby took a deep breath. “Did I do something to upset you?” she asked bluntly. “I don't know why you were mad at me last night.”

Leah looked away. “Just—it's not important,” she said. “I read your e-mail.”

“I know,” Abby said quietly. She waited for Leah to continue.

“It's not that I don't believe you,” Leah said. “But here's what I
don't
believe in: ghosts. I mean, they're really creepy and spooky to think about, but they're not real, Abby. Dead is dead. And Sara is dead. That's it.”

Abby was silent for a moment. Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She scrolled through her most recent text messages and shoved the phone at Leah. “I
know
Sara's dead!” Abby cried. “But read this latest message. Just read it!”

Leah's blue eyes flicked back and forth as she glanced
at the screen of Abby's phone. “So you think this message is about Jake?” she asked.

“Who else would it be about?” Abby asked. “Whoever is sending those messages wants me to stay away from ‘him' and Jake is the only ‘him' I'm into. And the only people who know that are you, Chloe, and Nora—and you guys would never do this to me.”

“You're right about that,” Leah replied.

“So who could it be?” Abby continued. “And what about when my computer froze or the cold air I felt in my room? I'm telling you, after what I read last night, this has to be a ghost.”

Leah sighed. “So what's your big plan? Assuming that it's Sara's ghost, which I just can't believe. I mean, have you even thought that through? I don't think ghosts have wireless plans, you know?”

“Look, don't worry about it,” Abby said. If Leah really couldn't believe in the possibility of this all being Sara's ghost, there was no point in her helping. “I'll figure something out.”

“No, really,” Leah persisted. “I can tell you're upset, and I want to help, Abby, I really do. And I'm sorry for what I said in the IM last night. I didn't mean it at all.
I don't even know why I said it.”

The bell rang. Abby looked at Leah. “Come on—we're going to be late for homeroom.”

“Okay, fine,” Leah gave in. “But if you change your mind, let me know.”

“I will,” Abby replied. “Whoa—was that a raindrop?”

“Let's go!” Leah exclaimed. As the rain started to fall, the two girls raced toward the school. By the time Abby sat down in her seat for homeroom, she was out of breath and soaked. But not even the drenching rain and the rush to homeroom were enough to make her forget for a second about the strange experiences that had been haunting her.

That evening, as it started to get dark out, Abby put her plan into motion. The website had said that the séance would work better if two or three people were involved, but Abby would just have to make do on her own. Leah just didn't understand.

In the quiet of her room, she cleared off the top of her dresser and placed a photo of Sara in the very center of it. She surrounded the photo with a circle of softly
glowing lights and white rose petals.
Sara should still be alive, like me and Jake and Leah
, she thought suddenly.
She shouldn't exist only in photos and memories.

But Abby knew that there was no way to undo the tragedy that had cut Sara's life short. So if Sara's spirit was having trouble crossing over to the other side, Abby was determined to help her.

Next, Abby draped a dark cloth over the mirror. Whatever it might reflect in the next hour, she didn't want to see it—not when she was all alone. With the lights off and the door closed, her room suddenly felt as dark and cramped as a crypt. She closed her eyes and reminded herself that this was the only option she had. There was no point in letting fear get the better of her—not when she'd been so frightened already.

Abby sat on her bed and forced herself to stare at the photo of Sara. Her green eyes gleamed in the soft light, as if they held a secret that no one else knew. After counting backward from one hundred, Abby took a deep breath and started to speak.

“Sara?” she asked softly. “Are you there? Please give me a sign if you can hear me.”

Abby waited in the quiet darkness, but no sign came.

“Sara,” she repeated. “I want to help you. Please, give me a sign.”

This time, in the quiet, Abby started to feel a little foolish. But she pressed on.

“Give me a sign, Sara,” she said, her voice growing louder. “Give me a sign.”

Tap-tap-tap-tap.

Abby's whole body stiffened. “Sara?” she asked, her voice shaking. “Is that you?”

Tap-tap-tap-tap.

The sound was coming from the window.

Tap-tap-tap-tap.

Abby slowly got off her bed and walked over to the window, which was covered by the curtain. Was that a shadow on the other side of the window—or was it just her imagination? Her heart pounded wildly as she reached for the curtain with a trembling hand. She mustered all her courage, and with one swift, sudden yank, she pulled back the curtain.

On the other side of the window, a pale face stared back at her!