There's Something Out There (4 page)

Suddenly Brittany joined in Jenna's laughter. “Jenna! You freaked yourself out with your own story!”

“No!” Jenna said. “I'm not freaked out. It was just a stupid dream.”

“I don't know, Jenna,” Brittany teased, her blue-gray eyes twinkling with mischief. “You sound pretty scared to me.”

“Whatever. It was a scary nightmare, but I'm not scared now.”

“If you say so,” Brittany said in that same singsong voice she used whenever she teased people. It drove Jenna crazy—just as it had all the years she'd known Brittany. And in a sudden flash, Jenna was willing to do just about anything to make Brittany shut up.

“Well, if I was scared, would I suggest we camp out
in the clearing next weekend?” Jenna said loudly.

“Shhh!” Maggie whispered, glancing at the door again.

Jenna lowered her voice as she continued. “Seriously, guys, let's do it! Let's camp out in the clearing behind my house. We can solve the mystery of the Marked Monster once and for all!”

“What mystery?” Laurel asked.

“You know, if it exists or not,” Jenna said, and the more she spoke, the more excited she started to feel. “You heard Mrs. Marcuzzi. This story's been around forever. We can camp out in the
exact spot
where I found the claw, and we'll stay up all night and see if we can find the Marked Monster. Maybe Jason will let me borrow his camera!”

“Keep dreaming,” Maggie said with a laugh. Jenna rolled her eyes, even though Maggie was probably right. Jason
never
let her borrow his stuff—especially not the fancy video camera he'd gotten for his birthday.

“Forget Jason, we can just take a video with my cell phone if the Marked Monster shows up,” Brittany said, holding up her shiny pink phone.

Maggie and Jenna exchanged a smile as Maggie subtly flashed four fingers at Jenna. Brittany was the first one of
their friends to get a cell phone; she mentioned her cell so often that Jenna and Maggie had started keeping track. This was the fourth time tonight.

“I'm in,” Maggie said.

“Really?” Laurel asked. “I don't know about camping out, guys. Why don't we just, like, sleep over at Jenna's house?”

“Oh, Laurel, you'll love it!” Jenna exclaimed. “We camp out every summer in this clearing behind my house that's surrounded by these
enormous
pine trees. You, like, can't even see civilization when you're there. It's
awesome
.”

“Yeah!” Maggie chimed in. “We roast marshmallows, and Jenna's mom grills up the best hot dogs, and then we stay up really, really late and watch for shooting stars.”

“That does sound cool,” Laurel replied slowly. “It's just … I've never been camping before. I don't have any camping stuff.”

“Don't worry about it,” Brittany announced. “You can borrow anything you need from me.”

“You really don't need anything besides your sleeping bag,” Jenna added. “And maybe a flashlight. I have a tent and a tarp and everything already.”

Laurel smiled. “Okay,” she gave in. “I'll be there.”

“Excellent,” Jenna said. “Next Friday night. Best-case scenario? We find proof that the Marked Monster really exists. Worst-case scenario? We have an awesome campout.”

“Uh, Jenna,” Laurel said, “I think you might have those reversed.”

Everyone laughed, until Maggie's laugh turned into a yawn so big that her jaw cracked. “Let's go back to sleep,” she said. “I'm so tired I can't even think anymore.”

No one argued as Maggie turned off the light, and soon the room was dark and quiet as one by one, the girls drifted off to sleep.

Jenna listened to the calm, even breathing of her friends as she made a mental list of everything she had to do before the campout.
I'll ask Mom and Dad's permission when I get home tomorrow
, she thought drowsily.
And get the tent out of the basement to air it out. And make a list of snack stuff to buy. And …

Before she could finish her thought, Jenna drifted off to sleep. But even as she slept, the nighttime noises wove themselves into her dreams. From the creaking of tree limbs blown by the wind to the thin screech of
branches scraping across the windows. There was something troubling the deepest parts of Jenna's mind, something that was trying to warn her.

If only there was a way for Jenna to understand.

In the morning, everything seemed normal—from the sun streaming through the window to the sleepy yawns from girls who had gotten only a few hours of sleep the night before. It was easy, in that bright morning sunshine, for Jenna to think only about the fun parts of camping … and not the creature that had left its claw in the clearing. She stood in front of the mirror above Maggie's dresser as she pulled her short blond hair into a low ponytail. Jenna had cut her hair over winter break, and it still hadn't grown back to a length where it could comfortably fit into a ponytail, but every day she tried. And every day she wound up with a tiny little ponytail gathered at the top of her neck.

“Hey, Maggie, I'm gonna take your shirt home to wash it and get that blood stain out,” Jenna called across the room, where her friend was already peeling the polish off her fingernails. It was one of her weirdest
quirks—a fresh manicure lasted only a few hours before Maggie started attacking it.

“Don't be ridiculous. Just throw it in the hamper,” Maggie replied, not looking up. “My mom can do it.”

“Jenna, don't forget your claw!” Brittany said loudly, pointing across the room.

“Yeah, seriously don't forget that,” Maggie added, laughing.

“Oh, I would never,” Jenna said. “Because after we prove that the Marked Monster is really out there, I'm going to sell it online for big money.”

“You wish!” Brittany cracked.

“Hey, what time does the library open today?” Laurel asked.

“Noon,” Maggie replied. “Are you working on your history project?”

Laurel nodded. “My research is almost done, but I haven't even
started
the poster yet! I have to find all those visual-aid things. And write captions. And—”

“Stop, stop, stop,” Jenna interrupted her, clapping her hands over her ears. “I don't even have a topic yet!”

“Really?” Laurel asked. “You know it's due in, like, a week, right?”

“I know, I know,” Jenna groaned. “I just haven't been able to think of a topic. I wish it could be about anything. ‘The history of Lewisville and the surrounding area'—come on, like there could be anything more boring than this town.”

“A paragraph on your topic is due on Monday!” Maggie said. “That's the day after
tomorrow
.”

“Come on, don't make me feel any more stressed out about it,” Jenna said. “I'm going to figure out a topic today, and tomorrow I'm going to write the paragraph. Okay?”

“You want to come to the library with me this afternoon?” Laurel asked her.

“I would,” Jenna replied as she glanced out the window. “But I'm just not in mood for doing research today. It's too nice outside to spend the day in the library!”

Maggie laughed. “Jenna, at some point you've gotta get started on your project! Listen, I'm going to the library after school on Monday. Come with me. My mom can drive us home after.”

“Thanks,” Jenna said. “And if anybody has any ideas for a topic that you're not going to use …” She slung her backpack over her right arm—the one without the cut. “Bye, everybody!”

She gave one last wave to her friends, then skipped down the stairs two at a time and let herself out the front door. She and Maggie had been best friends since first grade, and she felt nearly as comfortable in Maggie's house as she did in her own. They lived only half a mile apart, too—and Jenna had walked that route so often that she could do it on autopilot. Which was exactly how she got home, turning corners without really thinking about where she was going. Jenna wanted to forget about what a big fuss her friends had made about the history project, but their words repeated in her mind.
I'll go ahead and get started today
, she promised herself.
Hopefully I can at least think of a topic that won't completely put me to sleep
.

When Jenna got home, the front door was locked, and both her parents' cars were gone. She fished the key out of her pocket and opened the front door. The house was quiet and cool inside.

“Hello?” she called out. “Anybody home?”

Silence.

But that was to be expected. Jenna's mom was a doctor who often worked nights and weekends in the local hospital's emergency room. Every Saturday morning Mr. Walker ran errands—that must be what he
was doing now. As for Jason? Well, Jenna didn't know where he was. Ever since he'd started high school last September, Jason seemed to have a lot of secrets.

At least it's quiet around here today
, Jenna thought.
Hopefully I can get some work done since Jason's not hogging the computer
.

After she dumped her backpack and sleeping bag in her bedroom, she went back to the den to turn on the computer. While it was warming up, she poured herself a glass of orange juice in the kitchen. Then she noticed the box of cat food on top of the fridge.
I hope Mom remembered to feed the stray cat last night
, she thought. Just in case her mother had forgotten, Jenna decided to put a little extra food outside. She didn't want the poor cat to be hungry.

Across the yard, at the old tree stump, she found a pile of dry food—apparently untouched. She frowned. It wasn't like the cat to miss a meal. “Here, kitty, kitty,” she called softly, though she didn't have high hopes of seeing the little cat, who usually appeared around dusk, just as it was starting to get dark.

SLAM!

A sudden crash shattered the stillness around her.

Jenna spun around, her heart pounding.

The back door was closed—and she knew she'd left it open.

It was just the wind
, she told herself.
Don't freak out
.

But it wasn't a windy day. In fact, the air was still.

Unusually still.

Stop it
, Jenna thought fiercely.
Stop freaking out over nothing
.

But she couldn't shake the fear that someone—or something—had closed the door. And with her back to the house, someone—or something—could have entered … and she would never know.

At least, not until she went back inside.

Jenna bit her lip as she stared at the back door. She wished, for one fast moment, that her mom and dad were home. She wished that right now her dad was about to mow the lawn and her mom was sitting in the chair by the window, reading a magazine.

But wishing wouldn't make it happen. Jenna was home alone, and she had to go back inside the house.

Alone.

At least, she hoped she would be alone.

She mustered all her courage and walked swiftly across the lawn. She hesitated for only a second before
she yanked open the door. She stood in the threshold and called out, “Hello?” as loudly as she could.

She was surprised by how normal her voice sounded. You'd never know that she was so scared.

The same silence that had greeted Jenna when she got home hung in the air. After several seconds in the doorway, she charged back into the house, scolding herself for getting all freaked out over nothing.

Her orange juice was still sitting on the counter. Jenna grabbed the glass and carried it over to the computer station in the den.
I'll just check my e-mail for one minute
, she thought.
And then I'll
really
get to work
.

But right after Jenna entered her password, she heard a sound that made her freeze.

Thunk-scraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaape
.

Thunk-scraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaape
.

Thunk-scraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaape
.

The sound was coming from the hallway.

There was no denying it, Jenna realized, as cold goose bumps covered her entire body. Something was in the house, making some mysterious, horrifying noise, unlike anything she had ever heard before.

And it was coming closer!