Kindred Spirits (6 page)

“Don't do that, Buddy.” Lily yanked him back.

Buddy wouldn't leave the door. His rapid panting grew more urgent.

Lily turned to me. “What's in there?”

Panic bloomed in my lungs. “Just supplies,” I said.

And the ghost of a young boy.

Buddy's whining grew louder. Lily couldn't pull him away.

“This is ridiculous.” Before I could react, Lily flung open the closet door.

There stood the shimmering ghost of Henry.

I cringed, preparing for disaster.

Even Eleanor and Henry stopped peeking under the table to watch.

Henry dropped to his knees and hugged Buddy. The dog's tail swished happily. His whining and panting stopped. Henry rubbed behind his ears as Buddy curled up at his feet.

Lily yanked the cord that dangled from the ceiling. A single bare bulb lit the shelves of crafting supplies my dad had just installed in the small walk-in closet. “Buddy, what's wrong with you? There's nothing here.”

“Maybe he likes the smell of glue,” I offered.

“I thought maybe he sensed something in your
house.” Lily sounded disappointed.

“Sensed what?”

Otherwordly things. I've read that dogs are sometimes really in tune with paranormal stuff. I thought maybe Buddy was, and he was sensing something. But I think you're right . . . it's probably just the glue.”

I was trying to figure out how to respond to that when my dad poked his head in the room, providing the perfect distraction.

“Hey, Mr. C.! I like your new haircut!” Lily grinned at my dad.

“My summer look.” My dad patted his closely cropped sandy curls. “I get sheared in the summer. Just like you, Buddy boy.” He bent down to pat Buddy's furry head.

For a moment, my dad's and Henry's hands rested side by side.

“Lily and I were going to the boardwalk. Midnight Manor just reopened,” I said. “Is that okay?”

“What about this mess?” His brows knit together, deepening the crease between his eyes.

“I promise I'll clean it when I get home. Really and truly.” I crossed my heart with my finger.

“Okay, kiddo. Deal. What about Buddy boy here?”

“I have to watch him today,” Lily said.

“A haunted house is no place for a dog. I'm doing some repairs around here before dinner. How about you leave Buddy with me? I could use a canine assistant.”

“Wow! That would be great.” Lily offered my dad the leash.

“No!” Henry wailed. A voice only I could hear.

“One sec,” Dad said to Lily. “Let me change out of my office clothes. I'll be back for Buddy boy.” He hurried down to his bedroom on the second floor.

Lily turned to me. “I'm going to use your bathroom. Watch Buddy, okay?”

“Sure.” I grabbed Buddy's leash as Lily headed downstairs.

“Doggie!” Henry cried again. He wrapped his arms protectively around Buddy. Buddy's tail wagged.

I had no idea whether Buddy could see Henry, but the dog definitely knew Henry was there. And Henry was so calm with Buddy.

Could I let Henry hang out with Buddy and my dad? I wouldn't be gone too long, and Henry would be so happy.

No way. It would be crazy to leave mischievous Henry out with no one to watch him.

But he'd have a meltdown if I tried to get him back inside the closet.

What to do? Lily and Dad would be back soon.

That was when I spied Eleanor running her hands over my computer keyboard. That was when I had my great idea.

The line to get into Midnight Manor snaked all the way to the arcade.

“We've been here twenty minutes and barely moved,” Miranda Rich complained to us as we arrived and took our place in line behind her. Avery Apolito, Luke Goldberg, Garrett Moscato, and Nate Liu stood together toward the middle of the line.

“I'm talking to David.” Lily hurried to find her cousin, who was working at the haunted house this summer.

The rest of us watched the tourists line up to play games of chance.

“That one's new,” I said, pointing to the nearest booth. A teenage boy with shaggy hair and a peeling
sunburn monitored a softball toss. Three milk bottles were stacked in a pyramid atop a platform. The object was to knock all three bottles down with one throw of the ball.

“I've been watching it,” Luke reported. “It doesn't seem like a trick. You just have to whack the bottles at the right spot to make them all fall.”

We discussed strategies. Many games on the boardwalk were designed to be nearly impossible to win. We all knew the darts had blunt tips and the balloons were underfilled, making the chance of popping them almost zero. And we stayed away from the basketball throw, because the hoops were slightly oval instead of round. No way a ball was going in.

“Look at that big green bear!” Avery squealed, waving at the grand prize hanging from the ceiling of the softball-toss booth. “That's probably the best prize on the boardwalk.”

“That's not one of the cheapo ones,” Luke agreed.

“Look how cute its face is!” Avery exclaimed. “And it's even bigger than I am.”

“Maybe we should hang you up as a prize,” Garrett teased.

“I'd be an excellent prize.” Avery was at least six inches shorter than all of us, but she didn't care. She was a gymnast, and gymnasts needed to be tiny to do all those flips.

“Hey, there.” Mason had appeared along with Lily.

“Hi,” I said. Was he in a better mood today?

“David said we need to wait a while, but then he can get us in. Everyone, this is Mason.” Lily introduced the group.

“Aves, I can win you that bear,” Miranda boasted.

“No, you can't,” Luke said.

“Have you ever seen her pitch a softball?” I asked. “Miranda has a killer arm.”

“The game is about aim, not about force,” Luke retorted.

“Let's do it!” Miranda said. She loved a challenge.

“You're on,” Luke agreed.

We all followed them to the booth. Nate stayed behind to hold our place in line.

Luke went first. The big green bear could only be won by knocking down all three bottles three times in a row. Lily darted away from my side, leaving Mason next to me. She grinned meaningfully.

Mason stood stiffly with both hands shoved deep in the pockets of his cargo shorts. A black canvas backpack hung over his left shoulder. He smelled like tropical sunblock. He and Lily had been talking about the beach before. Now he was silent. He seemed as uncomfortable as I felt. I wanted to say something but couldn't figure out what.

Luke didn't hit any bottles. Garrett and Miranda teased him.

“Game's harder than he thought,” I said to Mason.

“Yeah.”

I couldn't stop stealing secret glances at him. He was so cute! But how could he be so different than I'd imagined? So cold?

“That green teddy bear is awesome. My dad once won me a big animal on the boardwalk, but this one's much nicer.” I was babbling, but at least I was trying. “They'd look cute side by side in my room.”

“I guess.” Mason checked out the bear, then turned his attention back to the milk bottles.

Why did being near him make my skin heat up so much? As much as I had liked Jayden, even he never made me feel this way.

And I wasn't entirely sure I even liked Mason.

Garrett managed to knock down the bottles once. Everyone joked about the tiny stuffed seahorse that he won. Miranda whipped the softball and flattened the bottles twice. She was better than Lily, Avery, Garrett, and Luke.

“No big bear yet. So, so close. You guys got another thrower?” The teen boy, with
SHERM
printed on his name tag, nodded his chin toward Mason. “You look like you have a strong arm, dude. Care to prove it?”

“Come on, Mason. You try.” Lily placed a dollar on the counter for him.

“Lily, it's fixed. He can't do it,” Luke said.

“He totally can. Mason is awesome!” Lily exclaimed.

I could feel Mason's hesitation.

Garrett handed him a softball. “Let's see what you got.”

Mason slipped off his backpack and shifted the ball between his hands, weighing his decision. Then he turned and looked at me. His piercing green eyes searched for something.

My skin flamed. Our eyes met. I nodded my encouragement.

Mason twisted back, eyed the target, and let the ball rip. The milk bottles all clattered to the ground. Direct hit!

Lily, Avery, and I cheered.

“Beginner's luck,” Luke muttered. He always thought he was the best athlete around.

Sherm tossed a mini prize on the counter and handed Mason a second ball. Once again, Mason nailed the bottles. Two in a row!

He reached for the third ball.

Miranda and Luke watched cautiously. They were both extremely competitive.

“You can do it! You can do it!” Lily chanted. Avery and Garrett joined in.

I locked eyes with the big green bear dangling above the bottles. Could Mason really do it? Suddenly I wanted him to win more than anything.

He wound up, then let the ball fly. It knocked the bottom left bottle. That bottle and the top bottle toppled over, but the right bottle remained upright.

“We tied,” Miranda said.

My heart sank. I stared at the lone bottle. Why couldn't it have fallen over?

My back prickled as if a heat rash was spreading under my shirt. Hot. Itchy. I looked at the green bear's embroidered smile. I wished I could've taken it home.

And then . . . and then . . .

The bottle began to sway.

Slightly at first. Then faster. Back and forth. An invisible earthquake shaking its foundation.

The bottle tipped, then fell. The clank echoed far out into the Atlantic Ocean. Everyone cheered. Garrett clapped Mason on the back.

Lily looked a bit shaken. “Wow!” she breathed.

Sherm shook his head in disbelief. “Wicked, man. I've never seen that happen before.”

Mason smiled, accepting all his congratulations.

I stood apart. Was it a freak of nature that caused the bottle to fall? A slight breeze? A tremor below the ground?

“Hey.” Mason appeared in front of me. The huge green bear grinned blankly from his arms. He suddenly looked really shy. “Here,” he said, extending the big bear to me.

“Wait. For me? Why?” I asked.

“You wanted it. You
really
wanted it, didn't you?”

Did I?

Had I done something? I wondered. Something supernatural?

“Hurry up!” Nate waved his arms over his head to get our attention. “David's letting us in.”

Quickly we squeezed into the front of the line. Lily couldn't stop talking about how the bottle fell. I couldn't listen. A whirlwind of supernatural possibilities tore through my brain.

The bear rested heavily in my arms.

Had I somehow called up a spirit to knock down the last bottle? Bits and pieces of conversation swirled around me. Mason and Luke compared major-league pitching stats behind us.

A haunting melody floated out from Midnight Manor. The tune was different from the eerie one playing last summer. From the outside, the house looked different too. It had been painted black with bloodred trim. The rickety wooden sign had been replaced with
neon, flashing
MIDNIGHT MANOR—YOUR SCREAM AT THE BEACH.

I shifted the huge bear from arm to arm and glanced back at Mason. He ignored me, busy talking with Luke.

He just won me this prize, but now he won't look at me. I don't get it,
I thought.

“I need to tell you something,” Lily whispered in my ear.

What?
I mouthed.

“A secret.” She glanced about nervously. Avery and Miranda discussed mix-and-match bikinis in front of us. Luke and Mason added Nate and Garrett to their baseball debate.

“Spill,” I whispered. I held up the green bear to block us from the others.

“It's kind of a big deal. I don't know what you're going to think.” Lily seemed unsure of herself. That never happened.

“No judgment,” I promised.

“Hey, Lil, pay attention. Line's moving!” David called from the door of Midnight Manor. “Everyone pair up. You need to go through two by two.” He
pointed to a small red light above the door. It flashed when it was time for the next couple to enter.

“Later,” Lily whispered to me. “In private.”

“Sure.”

“Collins, what is that curious circus creature you're carrying?” David asked. His brown curls poked out the sides of his black Midnight Manor baseball cap. He gave me a crooked, teasing grin. I'd met Lily's cousin David last summer. He was supercute, but we were just friends. Plus, he was two years older.

“This is not a circus bear,” I announced. “He is a fierce predator of the forest.”

“Ooh, scary! Is your Emerald Forest friend going to be your partner inside?” David laughed. “If I recall correctly, you are a huge chicken when it comes to this haunted house!” I pretended to be mad at his comment and stuck my tongue out at him.

“No way. Sara and Mason are going through together. You, dear cousin, will need to provide bear-sitting services.” Lily moved the bear from my arms to David's and then, as if performing a choreographed dance, pushed Mason next to me and slid into place beside Luke.

“Wait—” I began.

“No time, Sara. Line's moving.” Lily grinned and nudged me from behind. Avery and Miranda had already entered together.

“I don't bear-sit,” David protested. “I have a job here.”

“You can use an assistant,” Lily teased.

“Very funny.” David turned to give me back the bear.

“Light's blinking. Your turn, Sara and Mason,” Lily announced, then twisted to David. “She'll retrieve Junior when she gets out.”

Mason and I stepped through the huge door and into the haunted house. The summer sun gave way to a chilling, blinding darkness. I stopped, unable to see. Cold air blew down on me. I shivered.