Ghost Town (12 page)

“Save me a piece of pie.” Dad waved as he headed down the front walk.

“I think it was kind of meant for you, anyway.
A belated welcome,” I explained. I thought about the last couple of weeks. “But I'm not feeling as new anymore.”

Dad beamed as he drove off.

I turned my attention back to the tray. Using a toothpick, I dabbed glue on the sea glass. The
click-clack
of the spirit's knitting needles mingled with the intermittent cries of the seagulls. Upstairs I could hear the faint rocking of the sad woman's chair. They had become the sounds of home.

Lady Azura watched me silently. “You are happier now.”

I thought about it. “I guess I am.”

“It's good to be involved,” she stated simply.

What does she mean?
I wondered.
Does she know what I did at the haunted house?
I lowered my eyes and positioned the green glass next to the blue.

“Do you have something you want to tell me, Sara?” she asked.

I gulped. She must know about George. I sort of wanted to share everything with her . . . and I sort of didn't. I was scared. Would she truly understand?

“Sara.” Her voice was insistent.

I raised my eyes. “Well, I—” I stopped when I noticed her outstretched hand.

“I know you took my gemstone, Sara. It wasn't yours to take.”

My face grew red and hot. “I'm sorry.” I reached into my shorts pocket and pulled out the pink stone. “I'm not like that. Really, I'm not. I just saw it, and you said it protects from evil, and it called to me like you said.” I bit my lip to keep from babbling. I dropped the gemstone in her wrinkled palm.

“I'm sorry.” I said again.

She turned the stone around in her palm, examining it. “I know the allure of beautiful things. But next time, ask.”

I nodded vigorously. I was so embarrassed.

“Did it work? Did it protect you?”

I recalled the warmth of the smooth stone spreading across my hand when George's spirit pulled at me. “It did.”

She thought about this. “Interesting, considering you took the wrong stone.” She held the stone close to her eyes. “This stone is rhodonite, not tourmaline. It is used to strengthen our resolve.”

“What's that mean?”

“It's that little nudge to do what we already know we can do. A belief in our abilities. Courage.” She stood. “Follow me.”

I trailed after her into the house and through the purple velvet curtain. At the shelves lined with stones and crystals, she replaced the one I took. She surveyed first the shelves and then me. “Protection is not what you need at this time.”

“What do I need?”

She selected a ruby crystal and raised it in the dim light. “This will encourage love to bloom and grow.”

“Love?” The word came out in a funny snort.

“Ahh, yes, child, it is time for love.” She reached once more for my palm. “School will be starting soon. As I told you and I see plainly here”—she pointed to a short line near my ring finger—“you will meet a tall, dark stranger.”

I couldn't help it. I laughed. Quickly, I tried to cover my mouth with my hands.
Why do I keep thinking she has powers?
I scolded myself. I have to stop.

Gently, she closed my fingers around the crystal,
then covered my hand with both her hands. Her grasp was warm. Not sweaty, but hot. An intense heat pulsed from her to me. A staticky sensation tickled my nerves. The edges of my vision grew blurry, then clouded over. I wanted to pull away from her, but my legs felt weak.

Then through the haze I saw him.

His dark hair fell long over his forehead. Tall and athletic-looking, he had piercing eyes, a straight nose, and a warm grin. He leaned against a school locker and helped a girl with her books. The girl turned to him, and they shared a secret smile.

I gasped when I saw her face.

The girl was me!

In an instant, the vision was gone. I wasn't in school. I was standing in Lady Azura's room, the crystal pressed against my palm. I wrenched away from her, my heart pounding.

What had I just seen?

And what did it all mean?

No one saw me.

I pressed my back against the pale-green cafeteria wall. How long would it be before anyone noticed I existed? Minutes? Hours? Days? The entire school year?

Yesterday was different. Everyone smiled. New clothes. New haircuts. New binders. Blank paper organized perfectly into labeled sections. Even teachers smiled, swept up in the great-to-be-back vibe.

There were a lot fewer smiles today. The second day.

By now Stellamar Middle School was old news to everyone—except me. I gnawed my bottom lip, pretended to smooth wrinkles on my favorite sky-blue top, and scanned the cafeteria.

I don't belong here. I'm not one of them
, I thought.

Can they see I'm different? Can they sense it?
I choked
back a laugh.
Seriously, Sara. Stop being silly
, I scolded myself.
No one senses anything. They don't even notice you
.

Yesterday I spent lunch in the guidance office as they sorted out my records from my old school. I wondered if I should head back there. Create another problem for them to solve.

“Oh, wow! Can you believe Mrs. Moyers kept me after class? Like I really need a reminder not to speak without raising my hand. Come on, we're in seventh grade.” Lily Randazzo rushed through the cafeteria door. She scooped her arm through mine and propelled me into the lunchroom. I hurried to keep up as she expertly wove her way around kids wandering aimlessly with plastic lunch trays. “You don't have her, do you?” Lily continued, not stopping to say hi or even breathe. “I wish we had more classes together. But you like it here, right? All's good, right?”

“Sure.” I wasn't sure, but I didn't know what else to say. At the moment, I was just grateful to be wrapped in the whirlwind of Lily.

“There's barely any time to eat,” Lily announced to a long table filled with girls. “Scoot down, Avery, okay?”

“Sure thing.” Avery smiled, showing off a rainbow
of rubber bands on her braces.

“Can you push down for Sara, too?” Lily asked. “She just moved to my street this summer. Everyone, this is Sara.” Lily pointed to me.

My face grew warm as the girls stopped eating and stared. I wasn't like Lily, who loved attention. I was happier on the edge of a crowd. But I liked Lily, and I wanted her friends to like me. “Hi,” I managed. My voice sounded unnaturally squeaky.

I quickly slid onto the bench next to Lily. Avery leaned across Lily's sandwich and squinted at me with slate-gray eyes. “You're really pretty,” she said finally. From the way she said it, I wasn't sure if it was a compliment or an accusation.

“Oh . . . thanks.” I pulled out my container of mixed-berry yogurt and tried to be friendly. “I like your braces.”

“I decided to go all Roy G. Biv. You know, the total rainbow.” Avery flashed a full-tooth grin. She had a different color rubber band on each tooth.

“Sara looks like that because she's from California,” Miranda announced. She sat across from Avery.

I'd met Miranda a few weeks ago on the boardwalk with Lily, but I didn't know her well.

“That makes no sense, Miranda,” scoffed a thin girl with wavy, reddish hair. “There's no way everyone in California is, like, that pretty.”

All the girls stared at me again. I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to talk about how I looked.

“That's true. There are ugly people in California too,” Lily piped in. “But Sara looks like a surfer girl. I mean, wouldn't you cast her in one of those sunscreen commercials? She'd be great in that new one with that girl on the paddleboard.”

“Why did you move to New Jersey?” Avery asked.

“My father got a new job,” I explained, relieved at the change in subject. I told them a little about his job and our move. I didn't tell them that he'd been fired from his old job or that his girlfriend had dumped him. I didn't tell them that I still couldn't figure out why we had to suddenly move across the country when life seemed perfectly okay in California.

But I was used to keeping information to myself.

Phoebe Rivers had a brush with the paranormal when she was thirteen years old, and ever since then she has been fascinated by people who see spirits and can communicate with them. In addition to her intrigue with all things paranormal, Phoebe also loves cats, French cuisine, and writing stories. She has written dozens of books for children of all ages and is thrilled to now be exploring Sara's paranormal world.