“Yeah, we thought everybody knew,” he said. “There was a post. On Instagram. Somebody wrote the dance was going to be a dangerous place and if people were smart they’d stay away or risk being in the middle of an explosion.”
“Somebody wrote that on Instagram?” Martin asked, incredulous.
“Yeah,” Lu said. “They probably deleted it by now, but still, that’s pretty scary. You gotta call off the dance until the police can figure out if it was real or some dumb hoax.”
“You saw the post?” Martin asked.
“Yeah,” Lu said.
“No,” Theo said simultaneously.
Martin put the jack-o’-lanterns down on the gym floor.
“If it was on Instagram, what was the picture of?” Martin asked, staring right at Lu.
Theo gave Lu a smug smile. It was her turn to scramble.
“It was a…a…skull! Yeah. A real creepy, evil smiley thing. Very scary. Ominous, you might say.”
“Show me,” Martin said, his concern growing by the second.
Lu took out her phone and scrolled through her Instagram pictures.
“I told you, it’s gone,” she said. “It may just be a dumb prank, but can we take that chance?”
Martin held out his hand and Lu gave him her phone. He scrolled quickly through her Instagram pictures but found nothing.
“You’re right, we can’t risk it,” Martin finally said, still holding Lu’s phone.
“Really?” Lu said with surprise.
Martin turned to the kids in the gym and called out, “Keep working, everybody. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.”
He looked to Theo and Lu and quietly added, “Don’t want to cause a panic. Let’s go.”
He blew right by the two, headed for the exit.
Theo and Lu gave each other surprised looks as if they couldn’t believe how well their impromptu plan was working, and followed obediently.
“Where are we going?” Lu asked.
“We’ve got to take this to Mr. Jackson, the principal,” Martin replied. “Only he can make the final decision, but I’m going to recommend that he cancel the dance and call the police to start an investigation.” He glanced to Theo and said, “Can I see your cell phone? Maybe the post is cached there.”
“I don’t have one,” Theo replied.
“Doesn’t matter,” Martin said, all business. “Even if the post is gone, I think Mr. Jackson has to call the dance off.”
Theo and Lu exchanged excited looks. Theo held up one hand for a high five, but Lu left him hanging.
“Uh, do we really have to go with you to the principal?” Lu asked. “I mean, all he has to do is hear it from you.”
“Oh no,” Martin replied. “You guys saw it, so you have to report it. Let’s hope this is all a prank, but if not, you could be heroes.”
“We don’t want to be heroes,” Theo said. “We just don’t want anybody to get hurt.”
“Then we’re all on the same page. This way.”
Martin led Theo and Lu up a flight of stairs and down another corridor of the empty classrooms.
“Do you really think the principal will call off the dance?” Lu asked.
“I don’t see how he can’t,” Martin replied. “He’ll have to send out a mass email to all the parents. It’ll be a mess, but better safe than sorry.”
They reached a door at the end of the corridor. Martin held it open and gestured for Theo and Lu to step inside. They walked past him and into the room to discover…
…it wasn’t the principal’s office. Or anybody’s office. It was an empty classroom being used for storage. There were a bunch of old desks stacked against the walls, and boxes of used books and several old-fashioned blackboards leaning against a wall.
Lu and Theo stood, staring with confusion.
“This is the principal’s office?” Lu asked as they both turned back to Martin, who stood in the doorway.
“Don’t bother screaming for help,” Martin said with a smile. “There won’t be anybody close enough to hear you until Monday morning. Come to think of it, after tonight nobody may come back here ever again.”
“But…what?” Lu asked, totally baffled.
“You were right about the dance tonight,” Martin said. “A bomb is going to go off. Just not the kind you made up.”
The truth hit them like a cold, sharp gust of wind.
“You’re a witch,” Theo said with a gasp. “But you’re a teacher. Kids like you.”
“Crazy, right?” Martin scoffed. “I’m so incredibly sick of pretending to care about you brats. Tonight it ends. Or begins, depending on how you look at it.”
As he turned to leave, he held up Lu’s cell phone and said, “I’ll hold on to this.”
“You’re all just evil!” Lu yelled at the witch.
“Not really,” Martin said as he backed out of the door. “You should thank me for locking you up here. It’ll be the safest place in the whole school. Happy Halloween.”
“No!” Lu yelled, and ran for the door as Martin slammed it shut.
She tried to open the door, but it was locked.
“How is this possible?” she screamed with frustration. “You can’t lock somebody into a classroom! It doesn’t work that way!”
Theo tried the door as well. He put his shoulder against it and pushed, but the door wouldn’t budge.
“I guess maybe it does,” he said, defeated. “We’re stuck.”
Lu glanced out the window to see the black moon near the top of the trees. A razor-thin silver crescent appeared at its edge, like a taunting smile. The moon would soon dip out of sight, along with the sun, on the opposite horizon, turning the world over to the dark night of Samhain.
“It’s getting late,” Lu said. “I sure hope Marcus got to Ainsley.”
* * *
I sure hoped Lu and Theo were able to stop that dance.
I was trapped, tied by coarse ropes around my wrists to one of the ancient vertical wooden columns that held up the ceiling of the coven’s underground hangout, a perfect spot to witness the supernatural disaster that was gearing up.
The gate of the steel fence that protected the witch’s altar was swung wide open. A dozen witches formed a circle within it, surrounding the stone table. A single candle burned at its center, casting a warm glow that spread throughout the ancient hollow. The light danced over the faces of the witches, who stood shoulder to shoulder, staring into the flame. The rest of the cavern was thrown into shadow. I was in shadow. Alone on the outside.
Helpless.
The witches didn’t wear robes or tall hats or any other typical witchlike gear. They looked like regular people, which was more chilling than if they were gnarly green demons. It meant that they had been living among humans, undetected, while secretly plotting revenge against them for centuries. How many more of them existed in other parts of the world? If they pulled off this horror show, that question might get answered.
There was nothing good about any of this.
The witches appeared to be in a group trance as they stared unblinking into the single flame while quietly chanting something I couldn’t understand.
Standing next to the altar, inside the circle of witches, was Ainsley. She had her eyes closed, and there was a smile on her face as she swayed to the hypnotic chant. This wasn’t the girl I had come to know. Ainsley was a razor-sharp perfectionist who did her best to be in control at all times. She was full of life and energy. Whatever hex these witches had put on her had to be pretty strong to change her so much.
Tomac glided slowly around the circle of witches. She held the silver dagger I’d seen on the altar and was waving it back and forth as if cutting circles in the air. That weapon sure seemed like a pretty important part of the ritual.
“Over three hundred years,” Tomac announced with icy glee, “we have been patient. There have been failures, but we never lost hope. Tonight, guided by the black moon on Samhain, our destiny will be fulfilled and a new future
begun.”
The chanting continued, a low, ominous chorus. The witches were saying words that made no sense to me. Was it Latin? Old English? Or some freaky witch-speak?
“We have each given a piece of ourselves to this princess,” Tomac said. “Our gifts have lain dormant as she grew, incubating the already formidable magic of the coven.”
Incubating? Were they using Ainsley as some kind of vessel to grow their powers?
“When the ascension is complete, she will return our gifts to us, a hundred times more powerful. We will become the axis around which the covens of the world will unite.”
The chanting grew louder, more insistent. How did they know to do that? Was this rehearsed?
“Tonight is our rebirth. We will be feared and we will be followed. We will rise and be avenged. The reign of the high priestess will be brief but momentous. Her sacrifice will be remembered by all those who follow, her name forever spoken with reverence.”
Whoa, what? Her sacrifice? They might be promoting Ainsley to high priestess but it was going to be a short reign. Whatever they were planning to pull off at the dance, Ainsley was going to be in the middle of it, and she wouldn’t be walking away.
I pulled at the ropes that dug into my wrists, desperately trying to free myself. Ainsley’s story was about to come to a close. The book would be finished, and it wasn’t going to be a happy ending, for anybody.
* * *
DARKNESS COMES EARLY IN western Massachusetts. Theo and Lu hadn’t been trapped in the classroom for long before the sun dipped below the horizon, along with the black moon, and the world went dark.
“It’s gonna be okay,” Lu said as she tried to open the locked door for the hundredth time. “Marcus is going to stop Ainsley from doing whatever it is they want her to do. Right?”
She sounded as though she was trying to convince herself and wasn’t doing a very good job.
“I wouldn’t count on that,” Theo replied. “I’ve seen what that witch Tomac is capable of.”
“So then we’ve got to get of here!” Lu exclaimed with frustration.
She hurried over to the window that looked over the back of the school and the forest beyond it.
“I wish I knew what was happening out there,” she said.
She pressed her hands against the wood frame of the window. It was an antique that hadn’t been replaced in decades. Lu studied it, running her hands along the frame’s peeling paint and then rapping on the glass once, twice, as if knocking on a door.
She smiled.
“Is this like the window that fell out and nearly hit Kayla?”
“Probably,” Theo said.
Lu ran her hand along the edges where the glass met the frame.
“This isn’t made of thick glass like modern windows are,” she said.
Theo went to the window and examined it.
“You’re right, it’s not a double-paned safety window. You think we can break it?”
Lu took a few steps back, still staring at the window, deep in thought. Without warning, she grabbed an old wooden chair, reared back, and launched it at the window.
“Whoa!” Theo yelled as he ducked.
CRASH! The chair shattered the glass and continued going as if the windowpane had never been there.
“Yeah, I think we can break it,” Lu said.
“I hope nobody’s down there,” Theo said.
The two peered through the empty frame.
The chair had landed on the pavement three stories below.
“Now what?” Theo asked.
Scanning the redbrick facade, Lu spotted a narrow cement ledge that ran the length of the building just below the windows. Twenty yards away, on the same level, was a balcony.
“Now we walk along the ledge to that balcony,” Lu replied. “Easy.”
“Seriously?” Theo exclaimed. “It’s only ten inches wide! If we fall, we’re dead!”
“We won’t fall,” Lu said with confidence. “It’s just scary because we’re up so high. If it were on the ground, we wouldn’t think twice.”
“But it’s not on the ground.”
Lu leaned out to scan the ledge. She looked down at the ground and the broken chair that sat on a pile of shattered glass, and swallowed hard.
“All right, it’s scary, but it’s not like we have another choice.”
Theo looked down at the ledge, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and took a deep, nervous breath.
“All right, I’ll do it,” he said, his voice shaking.
“We’ll both do it,” Lu shot back.
“No. There’s no reason for us both to risk it. I’ll get to the balcony, then come inside and unlock the door.”
“Forget it, I’m going,” Lu said. “This was my idea.”
She started to climb out the window, but Theo held her back.
“I can do this,” he said with confidence. “Besides, if anything happens to you, I don’t think I can deal with these witches on my own.”
“You sure?” Lu asked.
Theo’s answer was to stick his head out the window and look to the pavement below. Far below.
“Falling would really hurt,” he said, his confidence wavering.
“Then I’ll go,” Lu said.
Theo ignored her, sat on the window frame, and spun around until his legs were outside, his heels resting on the narrow cement ledge.
“Face the wall,” Lu said. “Don’t look down.”
Theo nodded in agreement and took one more deep breath.
“All righty,” he said in a shaky voice.
He grabbed the window frame in a death grip, lowered his head, and ducked outside. He was instantly hit with the chill of the October night, and a wave of paralyzing fear. While keeping at least one hand firmly gripping the frame, he twisted his body so he was facing the building.
“My whole foot fits on the ledge,” he said. “That’s good, right?”
“It’s perfect. All you have to do is shuffle along.”
“Yeah. Got it. Piece of cake.”
“Great, go for it!”
Theo didn’t move.
“You okay?” Lu asked.
“No.”
“Then come back in.”
“Uh-uh. I got this.”
Theo slid his left foot along the ledge, widening his stance. He then slid his right foot, to close the gap.
“There you go!” Lu said encouragingly.
“Yeah, it’s easy as long as I’m holding on to the window frame.”
“Can you dig your fingers in around the bricks? Like a rock climber?”
Theo cautiously put one open palm on the brick wall to the left of the window. When his arm was nearly straight, he felt for the mortar gap between bricks, then curled his fingers around the top of a single brick. He tested the purchase by pulling down.
“It’s not much leverage,” he said. “But it’s better than nothing.”
“Excellent. Take your time. But hurry.”
Theo shot Lu an annoyed look.
“Sorry,” Lu said with a shrug. “Take all the time you need.”
Theo took a few nervous breaths, then slid his trailing hand away from the window frame and gripped the top of another brick. He was standing on the ledge, with nothing to keep him from falling but his balance and a tenuous fingertip grip on the quarter inch of space between bricks. He slid his left foot out, moved cautiously to his left, and brought his right foot next to his left.
“I can do this,” he said, his confidence rising.
“I know you can,” Lu said. She looked down at the shattered chair and swallowed hard.
Theo moved along slowly but steadily. He got into a rhythm: left foot, left hand, right foot, right hand. He moved only one foot or hand at a time and didn’t look down. Mostly he stayed focused on the brick wall inches from his nose, only occasionally glancing to his left to see how close he was to the balcony, which suddenly seemed very far away.
Lu didn’t say another word. She didn’t
want to break his concentration.
It may have been only a few hours until November, with a Halloween chill in the air, but Theo was sweating hard. Salty drops rolled off his forehead and into his eyes, which he didn’t dare wipe away. He wanted to stay in contact with the wall at all times.
There were no other windows along the way, just an expanse of brick. It was the balcony or nothing. After a solid five minutes, he chanced a look at his goal and saw that he was only a few yards away. That gave him a surge of confidence. He was going to make it.
“Almost there!” he called out.
He took one more step, shifted his weight to the left foot, and…the ancient ledge crumbled.
Lu screamed.
Theo’s left foot dangled in the air, but his grip on the bricks was enough to keep him from falling. He pressed his body so close to the wall that he could feel his heart pounding against the bricks.
“Stop, okay?” Lu screamed. “Come back!”
Theo looked down at the ledge. A two-foot-long section was gone.
“I can’t,” he said. “It’s too far.”
“But what if the next section crumbles?” Lu yelled.
“I…I don’t know,” Theo called back.
“Don’t take the chance,” Lu called. “Just slide back and…”
Theo lifted his left foot, stretched it over the gap, and rested it on the far side. He tested the ledge as best he could, gingerly putting some weight on it. It held. He quickly slid his foot out even farther, straddling the gap, to allow room for his right foot.
“All righty,” he said.
He held his breath, shifted all his weight to his left leg, and…
CRACK!
The cement crumbled.
There was no time to think. Theo dug his fingers into the gap above the bricks, pushed off with his right foot, and launched himself sideways at the balcony. The ledge dissolved beneath him, but he was already airborne. Body twisting, he desperately reached out with both hands…
…to grab on to the white rail that ringed the balcony. Both his feet dangled, with nothing to step onto. He didn’t hang there for long, though. Using the strength that came from equal parts adrenaline and fear, he pulled himself up and swung over the railing to safety.