Midnight Howl (11 page)

HERE’S A
SPINE-TINGLING SNEAK PEEK!

Her Evil Twin by Mimi McCoy

The room was dark. “Um, hello?” Anna said.

“Come in,” said a voice from somewhere in the darkness. “Close the door.”

Anna and Dory stepped inside and let the door swing shut behind them. Because there were no windows, the room was almost completely black. The only light came from a crack under the door.

Anna gave a little yelp as a light came on, illuminating a frightening face. It took her a second to realize it was Jessamyn. She was standing against the far wall, holding a flashlight under her chin to light up her face in a spooky way. Anna could see two figures standing on either side of her. Kima and Lauren.

“Welcome,” said Jessamyn. Suddenly, she swung the beam onto Dory’s face like a spotlight. “What’s she doing here?” she asked Anna sharply.

“She — she’s my friend. I told her she could come,” Anna stuttered.

One of the other girls — Lauren, Anna thought — stepped forward. “She’s not supposed to be here —”

Jessamyn cut her off. “That’s all right. The more the merrier.” Anna thought she heard a smile in her voice. But at once, she became serious again. Swinging the flashlight beam onto Anna, she asked, “Do you know why you’re here?”

The light was blinding. Anna held up a hand to shield her eyes. “The note. It said I was chosen….”

“That’s right,” said Jessamyn. “You have been specially chosen by me to be part of a secret club. Do you accept?”

Anna was about to say yes, but before she could, Dory broke in. “What is the club, exactly?”

There was a pause, as if Jessamyn was deciding how to answer. “I can’t tell you. All the members are sworn to secrecy. You have to join first. Are you in or are you out?”

“In,” Anna said promptly. She nudged Dory, who, after a moment’s hesitation echoed, “In.”

“Good.” Jessamyn nodded. “But first you must go through the initiation.”

“Initiation?” Anna asked with a shiver. All the darkness and secrecy were starting to get to her. Why couldn’t they just turn on the lights?

Kima spoke up. “To be in the club, you must pass a test. You must face the spirits.”

“How do you do that?” Anna’s voice came out in a squeak.

“You have to look into the mirror and call on them,” Lauren said. “If they say so, you can be in the club.” She paused then added dramatically, “But if they don’t like you, they could kill you.”

Anna gulped so loudly she was sure everyone in the room had heard.

“This is stupid!” Dory suddenly burst out.

Anna turned to her friend with a gasp.
Shut up, Dory!
she thought in horror. She was going to ruin everything!

Jessamyn swung the flashlight beam onto Dory, who blinked in the sudden light. “Are you afraid?” she asked coolly.

“No,” Dory snapped. “I think you’re playing some dumb game, and I’m not interested. Come on, Anna.” She turned to leave.

But Anna didn’t move. Hadn’t she been longing for something like this — something exciting, something to set her apart from the rest of the kids at Wilson? She wasn’t willing to give it up so quickly.

Dory made a noise of disbelief or frustration, Anna couldn’t tell which. They heard her stumble as she groped for the door. Then it swung open and closed, and Dory was gone.

“Sure you don’t want to follow your lame friend?” Jessamyn asked Anna.

“No,” said Anna. “I’m ready.”

Jessamyn led her over to the mirror and handed her the flashlight. She showed her how to hold it under her chin. Held at that angle, light carved Anna’s face with eerie shadows.

“Now, look into the mirror and say, ‘Spirit in the mirror, I call on thee, come tell us what is to be.’”

“Spirit in the mirror, I call on thee …” Anna repeated. Her voice sounded high and uncertain. Behind her, she heard someone snicker.

Suddenly, Anna felt a flicker of doubt. What if Dory was right? Was this all a game, just some big joke?

“Don’t stop!” Jessamyn commanded. “Look into the mirror. Keep repeating it.”

“Come tell us what is to be.” Anna sensed movement in the darkness behind her. What were they
doing?

She didn’t have time to wonder … because something was happening in the mirror. Her reflection was
changing.

A face was emerging from the mirror’s depths, like a swimmer surfacing through water. Little by little, its features took shape. Anna’s heart gave a leap of joyful recognition, followed by a stab of fear.

The flashlight fell from her hand. Anna swayed, clutching the edge of the sink for balance as the room swung around her.

Distantly, as if from miles away, she heard Lauren say, “Look at her. What’s
wrong
with her?” Then everything went black.

The Dead End
by Mimi McCoy

This Totally Bites!
by Ruth Ames

Miss Fortune
by Brandi Dougherty

Now You See Me …
by Jane B. Mason &
Sarah Hines Stephens

Midnight Howl
by Clare Hutton

Clare Hutton loves moonlit nights, but has never seen a werewolf (that she knows of). She lives in Queens, New York, with her husband and their two kids.

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Copyright © 2011 by Clare Hutton
Cover art by Liz Adams
Cover design by Yaffa Jaskoll

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First printing, February 2011

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e-ISBN: 978-0-545-41492-0