Sophie's Secret

  Before I could stop him, as if I would want to stop him, Jacob planted a kiss on my cheek. Although it was just a quick peck, that kiss lingered on my skin for an eternity. If it wasn’t for personal hygiene, I would have never washed my face.

  “See you later, Sophie.”

  I loved the way Jacob said my name, like chocolate pudding rolling off his tongue.

  Jacob walked down the hall, leaving me standing there, stroking my cheek and contemplating his words, his kiss.

  You have changed. What did that mean? Did he think I was cool? Pretty? His statement had endless possibilities. AJ and Krysta had to help me decipher his meaning on the bus ride home.

  ****

  I sighed as I dreamily watched the cars pass by my window. He kissed me. He said I changed. “I wonder if it’s time.” I said to no one in particular as I wondered aloud. A girl in love was allowed to wonder.

  “Time for what?” Krysta asked in a disinterested voice while her nose was buried in a Cosmo article.

  “Time to ask him to Freshmen Formal.” I twisted my fingers and swished my feet. Nothing could burst this bubble.

  “I think it’s time for you to get a life.” AJ’s smug expression taunted me from behind her seat.

  Stunned, I looked at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Sits the bench.” AJ held up her fingers and began a countdown. “Video games in class, referral, what’s next?”

  I rolled my eyes. “He had a bad day.”

  “No, he created a bad day.” AJ leaned forward. “I think it’s time for a new crush, Sophie.”

  “I’m not in the mood for this, AJ.” Crossing my arms, I turned sideways.

  AJ leaned closer. “Not in the mood for the truth?”

  I turned back, coming within inches of her face. “Drop it, AJ.”

  “Fine.” She slouched back in her seat and covered her face with her hands.

  AJ wasn’t the type to give up so easily. Something wasn’t right.

  “What’s wrong, AJ?” I asked.

  She peered at me through a slit in her fingers. “I fell asleep in Spanish.”

  Krysta flipped the page of her Cosmo before looking up. “Mess up your makeup?”

  “No,” AJ sneered. “I had a bad dream.”

  “What was it about?” I could feel my goose bumps rise. Whenever AJ had a dream, something bad happened.

  AJ’s voice faltered. “I’m afraid to talk about it.”

  “Why?” I already knew the answer. The tiny hairs on my skin stood on end, as I tried to rub the chill out of my arms.

  AJ shrugged before looking out the window. “It might come true.”

  Krysta quirked a brow and set down her magazine, trying to keep her voice to a whisper. “Was this a dream or a vision?”

  Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, I moved closer and Krysta followed.

  AJ turned back toward us, her eyes glossed over with moisture. “Someone is going to die,” AJ whispered. “I didn’t see who it was, but I think it’s someone close to us.”

  Krysta’s eyes bulged, her jaw stiffened. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah.” A single tear slipped down AJ’s cheek. This wasn’t happening. My entire body tingled with numbness. Fear took hold of me so tightly, I felt as if I would shatter into a million pieces. Was it me, was it my mom? “You didn’t get a look?”

  “It’s someone old. I saw white hair.”

  I sighed, slightly relieved. “All my grandparents are dead.”

  “My grandpa is dead, but not my grandma.” AJ gripped the back of her seat so tightly, her knuckles turned white.

  Krysta squeezed her hand. “Maybe it was just a dream.”

  “Yeah.” AJ’s voice turned to stone. “Maybe.”

  ****

  Someone turn down that music. I’m trying to sleep here. Wait a minute. Is that my phone?

  I rolled out of bed and fumbled through my dirty clothes strewn on the floor. Somewhere among the rubble was my cell phone. I had to turn off that stupid song before the noise woke my parents. AJ changed my settings again and downloaded Michael Jackson. Not funny. Her mom wouldn’t buy her a cell, so she was always messing with mine.

  I finally found my little lime green phone. Incoming call, Krysta, 1:30 am. Something was wrong.

  I hit talk. “Krysta, what is it?”

  I could hear muffled sobs in the background.

  “She’s dead.”

  “Who’s dead?”

  After a long pause, Krysta whispered her answer. “Grammy.”

  I felt the tightness in my throat, tears threatening to escape my eyes. “Oh, no…not Grammy.”

  Although Grammy wasn’t related to Krysta, she’d been her neighbor for most of Krysta’s life, up until Krysta’s mom left and her dad lost the mortgage on house. But even after that, Grammy visited Krysta’s apartment at least once a week, bringing her cookies and home-cooked meals. She was the closest thing to a grandma Krysta ever had.

  Krysta hiccupped and continued crying.

  I sat there for a few moments, letting her get some tears out before asking another question. “How, Krysta?”

  “I…I don’t know how.”

  Then I knew. Krysta had a supernatural visit.

  Spooky.

  Chills of fear swept over my neck and down my spine. “When did she come see you?”

  “Tonight.”

  “What did she say?” Although I was terrified, I still wanted to know the answer.

  “She’s not saying anything.”

  I dropped the phone, hastily picking it back up and accidentally pressing a few buttons while I tried to control my shaky fingers. “She’s…she’s still there?”

  Krysta sniffed once before answering. “Uh- huh.”

  My mom had always told me it was impolite to talk on the phone when you had visitors. I wondered what she would have said in this situation. Even though Grammy was nice, I’d still freak if a dead person came for a visit. Krysta needed me so I tried to think of the right thing to say, but my brain was numb from terror. Clearing my throat, words finally found their way out of my mouth. “Do you think she likes you talking on the phone?”

  “I don’t know. She won’t speak to me.”

  Creepy. Krysta must have been so weirded out. “What’s she doing?”

  “Sitting at the foot of my bed.” “Where are you?”

  I felt the fear in Krysta’s voice. “In bed.” Oh, God.

  On bad days, when I felt cursed with my gift, all I had to do was remember poor Krysta. How did she manage to stay sane? Krysta needed my help, but I wasn’t familiar with handling spirits. “So what do you want me to do?”

  “Just talk to me until she goes away.”

  I felt Krysta’s pain as if I was living inside Krysta’s body. The agony of losing Grammy clenched my chest and then a spasm of guilt washed over me. I’m sorry, Grammy. I knew from her thoughts, Krysta didn’t want to hurt Grammy’s feelings, but she was also terrified.

  “This is your last chance to talk to her before she’s gone forever, Krysta.”

  “But she’s been sitting here for over three hours.”

  I closed my eyes and tried to sense Grammy’s thoughts, but I couldn’t feel the turmoil I sensed in Krysta. Then the warmth washed over me; I heard Grammy’s voice. Peace.

  “I think she wants peace.”

  “Peace,” Krysta sniffled, “how do you know?”

  “I just listened to her thoughts.” Completely amazed at what I just said, it was as if someone else was talking for me. Then it hit me; good, God, how did I just hear the thoughts of a dead person?

  “Are you sure?” The tone in Krysta’s voice changed to disbelief. “I didn’t think you could control your mind reading.”

  “I can’t, normally. I can’t explain why I can do it now, but trust me, Krysta, she wants peace.”

  “How do I give her that?”

  I closed my eyes and tried again to channel Grammy’s thoughts throu
gh the phone. Krysta at peace.

  Before I could hear anything more from Grammy, Krysta interrupted my thoughts.

  “Sophie.” Krysta let out a sob, the feeling of her guilt surged through me again. “This isn’t how I want to remember Grammy.”

  “Try going back to sleep,” I suggested. “Are you crazy?”

  I knew Krysta wouldn’t like that idea. Then again, I couldn’t blame her. Just imagining a dead person staring at me while I slept, my entire body numbed with terror.

  “She just wants to see you at peace before she departs. I think she wants to know you’ll be okay without her.”

  “So you want me to go to sleep?” I heard the uncertainty in Krysta’s quivering voice.

  “Yeah.” I reassured her. “But first maybe you should say goodbye.”

  “Bye, Gram. I love you,” Krysta choked. Knowing this would be the last time Krysta would see her Grammy, tears stung my eyes as I swallowed a lump in my throat. “Okay, now lay down. Keep the phone on. I won’t hang up, I promise.”

  Krysta hesitated before consenting. “Okay.”

  I heard Krysta snoring about a half hour later.

  By this time there was no way I could sleep. I was sitting straight up in bed, lights on, trying to get over the shock. How was I able to control my gift? Would I be able to control mind reading from now on? Or was this just a fluke? Why was I able to use it on a dead person? A dead person! The fright from that encounter was still setting in. Until tonight, never, ever, had I read the thoughts of a ghost.

  Chapter Four

  Although AJ and I shared the same bus stop, Krysta’s stop was two miles before ours. The next morning, I had barely enough time to explain Grammy’s visit to AJ before we got on the bus.

  Krysta looked at us through swollen lids. “They found Grammy this morning.”

  “Where was she?” I grabbed Krysta’s hand and squeezed it for comfort.

  “My old neighbor saw her in the backyard, lying in her flower garden, and called my dad.” Krysta put her head down, letting a few tears slip.

  AJ faced us from her front perch. “What happened?”

  Krysta kept her eyes focused on her lap. “They think it was a heart attack.”

  “I’m so sorry, Krysta.” I reached for a tissue out of my backpack and handed it to her.

  “Thanks.” Krysta dabbed her eyes with the tissue. “At least I was able to cry this morning without my dad asking questions.”

  I watched as Krysta quickly soaked the tissue, and I handed her another. “Will there be a funeral?”

  “I don’t know. Grammy doesn’t have any family.” Krysta nearly choked on her last words as she turned from us, staring out the bus window.

  I put my arm around Krysta’s shoulders. She fell into my arms and cried the rest of the way to school.

  As soon as we got off the bus, Krysta reached into her purse for her mirror. She gasped when she noticed her reflection. “I need to go to the bathroom. I can’t go around looking like this.”

  “I’ll go with you. Do you need to get to your locker before Summer gets there, Sophie?” AJ smiled accusingly.

  “Yeah.” I was ashamed my best friend knew I was chicken. I was tired from last night and I just wasn’t in the mood to deal with Summer’s crap today. I didn’t like leaving Krysta, but AJ would be with her.

  Just as I had hoped, Summer wasn’t there yet and I was able to grab all the books I needed for my first through fifth period classes. Sure, backpacking fifty pounds of books was a pain, but not having to risk bumping into Summer was worth the extra tonnage. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.

  Now I had fifteen minutes until the first bell rang and I couldn’t walk the campus for that long lugging algebra, history and science books. I’d look like one of those brainy dorks. I opted for getting to my first period early. Maybe I could take a ten minute power nap at my desk. My limbs were numbing and my eyelids felt like dead weights. Obviously a side effect of last night’s ghostly encounter.

  I used my elbow on the door handle of the yearbook room to pry it open. The room was quiet and I didn’t see anyone stirring. I could slip in and out in seconds. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a feminine figure rush past me. I turned to see a slim hand grasping a circular door. The door rotated, engulfing the shadowy figure until she disappeared. The door turned loudly until it made a full circle. The space in the center where the girl had stood was empty.

  Had Lara not told me about the darkroom yesterday, I would have been mystified by the girl’s disappearance. The darkroom, Lara said, was only used for fun now, as digital equipment replaced developing pictures. Still, she told me when we were finished with our deadlines she would teach me how to develop film. I couldn’t wait to hang pictures up to dry like they did in the old movies. For right now, though, I wanted to see what was behind that circular door.

  Walking up to the entrance, I couldn’t miss the sign. “No entrance without permission.” Well, I kind of had permission. Lara said she’d teach me. I was on staff, but Mrs. Carr had never given me permission. I thought about asking her. I would have hated to be on her bad side any more than I already was.

  Come on, Sophie, make up your mind. Ok, leave, and ask Lara to show you later.

  Decision made, I was about to turn when I heard the faint sounds of a girl crying.

  Damn. I can’t leave now. She might need me. Besides, helping someone in distress would give me a good excuse to see what’s behind the door.

  I stepped inside, not knowing exactly what to do. I’d been in department stores with circular doors before, but with those doors I could always see what was on the other side.

  How hard could it be? Just grab the handle and turn. Within seconds, everything was dark. Pure dark, except for a faint light at the end of a pitch black tunnel. I hesitantly stepped out of the doorway, tripping over the bottom runner of the door. I reached into pure blackness, hoping to steady myself, and screamed when I found nothing to hold onto.

  “Who’s there?” The voice echoed at the end of the room.

  I managed to grab onto the smooth surface of a wall without falling. “Me.”

  “Okay. Me doesn’t help me at all.”

  Although we hadn’t been friends long, I was pretty sure the voice belonged to Lara. “It’s Sophie.” Slowly, I inched my way toward her voice. I wasn’t sure, but I thought I heard the sound of running water.

  “Sophie, what are you doing in here?” By her agitated tone, she didn’t sound too happy that I had interrupted her privacy.

  I tried to make out her form in the blackness, but I realized the faint light I had seen earlier was just a thin strip at the bottom of my feet. There had to be a door separating us.

  “I heard someone crying.”

  “I wasn’t crying.” Although I hadn’t identified that ‘someone’ as Lara, she was quick to deny she had been sobbing. A sure sign of guilt.

  I was closer to the door now and I had my proof when I heard her sniffle. “Yes, you were, Lara. I can still hear it in your voice.”

  “It’s nothing,” she breathed out. “I’m fine.”

  “No, you’re not. Open the door, Lara.” I moved my hands across the smooth surface, trying to locate the handle.

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” she insisted.

  But she did. She needed to talk to someone. I knew it. Maybe I could just listen to her thoughts. I closed my eyes, trying to summon my gift as I had done last night. You can’t help me. No one can help me.

  “Maybe I can.” Before I realized it, I was answering her thoughts aloud.

  “What?”

  “I…I said maybe you can talk about it.” Good save, Sophie. I gave myself a mental pat on the back for catching my ‘oops’ in time. I closed my eyes, willing my mind to hear what Lara was thinking.

  Everyone at this school thinks I’m a slut thanks to Summer Powers, and if you knew what Jacob just said to me, I don’t think you’d like him very much.

  I c
ould feel a knot forming in the pit of my stomach. “What?” She couldn’t have just thought anything bad about Jacob.

  “I didn’t say anything,” Lara blurted. “You shouldn’t be in here. You haven’t been trained yet.”

  “I’m not leaving. Tell me what’s wrong.” If Jacob was a creep, I had a right to know. But did I want to know?

  “I already told you nothing’s wrong!”

  Lara wasn’t ready to talk about her problem with me. That was understandable. We’d just become friends. I needed to get Lara to trust me. This sucked, because I knew once she told me, I might not like what I heard. Then again, maybe she was wrong about Jacob or maybe she misunderstood what he said.

  “Look, I’m sorry for getting mad at you.” The tone in Lara’s voice softened. “Some guy on the bus called me a slut. You know, the usual.”

  “But you’re not a slut.”

  Jacob couldn’t have been ‘some guy’. I wouldn’t believe it. She wasn’t hearing correctly. Or maybe it was someone who sounded like Jacob.

  I heard the door open a crack and Lara’s hand found mine. “Thanks for not believing the rumors.”

  She pulled me into a small room with red lights on the ceiling. I noticed a large sink. Inside the sink was a faucet that was connected to a tube that ran water into a large basin. Beside the basin were three trays with a different color liquid in each.

  Just like the movies.

  “Whoa. This is cool.”

  Lara grabbed something that looked like my mom’s salad tongs and used them to lift a picture of a puppy out of the water. She shook off the picture and hung it on what looked like a clothesline. “Do you want to see some pictures I developed?”

  “Yeah.” The darkroom made me forget about Lara’s problem. The water, the lights, it was so…peaceful. “But wait; is there something else you want to tell me?”

  “No. That’s it. It’s over. Do you want to see these pictures or not?”

  “Yeah, I want to see them.” I sighed in relief. I really didn’t want to hear what else Lara had to say. Jacob was a sweetie. Wasn’t he? An uncomfortable, sinking feeling, grabbed hold of my chest. Was it guilt? Lara was so thankful I didn’t believe in the rumors, but I refused to believe her when it came to Jacob. Maybe Jacob did call her a slut. Maybe he was just having a bad day. Jacob was too cute and perfect to be a jerk all the time.

  Chapter Five