“Because none of this spirit stuff is for real.” Natalie gathered up her dark hair and began twisting it into a long braid. “It’s like playing with the Ouija board.”
Amanda stared at her. I’m surprised Natalie wants to go along with anything Janine suggested, she thought. But at least they’re not fighting.
“Come on, Amanda,” Victoria urged. “Sit down.”
Amanda gazed at the eager faces in the candlelight. She still didn’t like the idea. But if she agreed to do it, and nothing happened, then the others would drop the whole thing.
“Okay,” she finally said. “We try to call up the spirit. But then we forget about it. We’re supposed to be talking about our halftime routines, remember?”
“Don’t worry, we’ll do this real fast,” Victoria assured her. “What does it say we have to do, Janine?”
“We all hold hands,” Janine directed. “And then we say, ‘Come forth, spirit. Rise and walk the earth again.’ ”
Keesha burst out laughing. “If it’s that easy, why doesn’t everyone in the world do it?”
“There’s more to it,” Janine replied. “We have to do a bit of chanting.”
“How will we know if the spirit is here?” Keesha asked. “I mean, will it talk to us, or what?”
Janine shrugged. “How should I know? Let’s just do it and find out. Everybody ready?”
The five cheerleaders placed their hands on the table and gazed into the flickering black candles.
Amanda suddenly felt cold all over. Even for a joke, this was pretty creepy.
Led by Janine, the other four had already begun chanting the words on the old pages. Amanda’s mouth felt dry as she joined in.
Finally the chant ended. Silence filled the kitchen.
Amanda’s gaze skipped around the shadowy room. She half expected to see some creature lurking in the corner or a ghostlike figure hovering in the air.
Nothing.
No one. No spirit or ghost.
Except for her friends, the kitchen remained empty. And silent. No ghostly voice called out from the shadows.
“Should we try it again?” Victoria whispered.
“No way,” Amanda replied. She freed her hands. “Once was definitely enough.”
“I guess the evil spirit didn’t want to join us,” Keesha murmured.
Good, Amanda thought. Let it stay where it belongs.
As she leaned forward to blow out her candle, a blinding flash of white light suddenly split the darkness.
Victoria screamed.
“What is that?” Janine cried. “Where is that light coming from?”
The light flashed a second time. Blazing.
Then it went out, leaving the room in darkness again.
“It’s suddenly so cold!” Natalie gasped. “Do you feel it? It’s freezing in here!”
“What is going on?” Victoria cried.
Before anyone could answer, the kitchen door banged open.
A cold wind blew in, snuffing out all but one candle.
In the wavering light, a tall shadow fell across the table.
Then a dark figure slid into the room.
Chapter 9
HE CRUMPLES
Victoria screamed again and leaped to her feet. Her chair tipped over, falling to the floor with a loud crash.
The others sat frozen, staring at the figure looming in the doorway.
Amanda’s heart thundered. Her mind told her to get out, but her legs refused to move.
As Victoria scrambled across the room, another figure stepped into the room and flicked on the overhead light.
Everyone stayed silent for a moment, staring in disbelief.
And then Keesha laughed. “Whoa! Do we feel like idiots—or what?”
The others laughed too.
Because it was only Judd, standing next to the refrigerator.
And behind him stood Brandon, looking bewildered. “How come it was so dark in here?” he asked.
“I don’t believe this!” Victoria cried, sagging against a counter in relief. “It’s only you! I’ve never been so glad to see anyone in my life!”
Keesha blew out the last candle. “So much for the spirit world,” she declared. “What are you guys doing here, anyway?”
“We had another practice tonight,” Brandon explained. “I was giving Judd a lift. But I decided to stop by and see Janine.”
Janine went to Brandon and slipped her arm around his waist.
Amanda turned from them. She stared at Judd.
Something is wrong with him, she thought.
He stood still, gazing around the room as if he’d suddenly landed in a foreign country.
Amanda smiled at him, but Judd didn’t seem to notice. He blinked, his blue eyes baffled. And bright. Almost glowing.
Even though Brandon had shut the door, the room stayed cold. Unnaturally cold. Amanda could feel the strange chill settling into her bones.
Amanda shivered, frightened by the cold and the strange expression in Judd’s eyes.
“Hey, Judd, stop standing there like a zombie,” Keesha joked. “You’re freaking us all out. Sit down and join the party.”
Judd blinked again and shook his head, as if he were trying to clear it. Slowly, he raised his hand and wiped it across his face. His hand shook violently.
“Judd?” Amanda stood up. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
With a sudden groan, Judd crumpled to the floor.
Chapter 10
DID SOMETHING EVIL HAPPEN?
“Judd!” Amanda knocked her chair back and raced around the table. She dropped to her knees beside Judd and peered into his face.
He’s so white! she thought in a panic.
“Water!” Brandon barked out. He knelt next to Judd and tried to raise him to a sitting position. “Bring some water. Hurry!”
Victoria rushed to the cupboard for a glass. The others gathered around as Amanda helped prop Judd against Brandon’s knees.
“Is he breathing?” Janine asked anxiously.
Natalie rolled her eyes. “Of course he is. He’s not dead. He just fainted.”
“Thanks, Dr. Morris,” Janine snapped.
“Drop it, you guys,” Amanda told them sharply.
Victoria hurried over with a glass of water and held it to Judd’s mouth. Her hand shook so much, the water slopped out and dribbled down Judd’s chin and throat.
With a frustrated cry, Victoria held the glass in both hands and raised it to Judd’s mouth again.
Judd’s lips stayed closed for a second, but finally he sipped some water.
Victoria took the glass away.
Judd groaned softly, and his eyes fluttered open.
Amanda let her breath out in relief.
“Hey, man, what happened?” Brandon asked.
Judd struggled up and sat on his own. “Dehydration, I guess,” he explained in an unsteady voice. “I always feel so weak after practice. I sweat so much. I lose so much salt.”
Brandon turned to Victoria. “Got any Gatorade? That’s the best thing when you’re dehydrated.”
“I’m not sure.” Setting the glass on the table, Victoria hurried to the refrigerator and rummaged through it. “Thank goodness. Almost a full bottle.”
Amanda and Brandon helped Judd to his feet and into a chair. Victoria returned with a bottle of orange Gatorade.
Judd drank deeply, his hand still shaking a little. He paused, took a few more sips, then set the bottle down.
“You’re looking better. Not so pale.” Keesha squeezed his arm. “I think you’ll live.”
“Yeah.” Judd gave her a weak smile. “I’ll be okay. Sorry about crashing on your floor.”
“Forget it,” Victoria told him.
“Actually, it was a very dramatic entrance, Judd,” Keesha teased. “Did you ever think of trying out for the drama club?”
Judd shook his head. “I don’t think I could do that fall again.”
Everyone began chatting, relaxed now that
the scare was over.
But is it really over? Amanda wondered.
She stared at Judd. Did he faint because he was dehydrated?
Or did something else happen to him as he walked through that door?
Something evil?
Chapter 11
A SURPRISE AT THE GAME
“Tigers on the loose,
Tigers on the prowl,
Better run for cover
When you hear the Tigers growl!”
The gym at Shadyside High vibrated with the sound of hundreds of people stomping their feet in rhythm to the cheer.
Amanda leaped into the air, her legs apart in a spread-eagle. This is so great, she thought excitedly as she landed. The screaming voices. The pounding feet. The thundering boom of the bass drum. There’s nothing like it.
She glanced down the line at the other cheerleaders. They were pumped too. She could tell by the sparkle in their eyes and the extra energy they put into the routine.
“Tigers on the loose,
Tigers at the door,
Better run for cover
When you hear the Tigers roar!”
The cheer ended, and the crowd whistled and shouted as the cheerleaders ran back to their bench.
And that was just a practice run, Amanda thought as she pulled her hairbrush from her backpack. Wait until they see the real thing.
It was Friday night, cold and starry, with no snow to keep people at home, so the gym was packed. The game between the Shadyside Tigers and the Lincoln Hornets would begin in about fifteen minutes.
The Lincoln cheerleaders, in green-and-yellow uniforms, began a cheer of their own.
“They look good,” Natalie commented as she blotted her face with a towel. “They must have practiced like crazy over the vacation too.”
“Yeah, but they’re not as good as we are,” Keesha declared. She took a comb from her bag and tugged it through her short brown hair.
“Right,” Victoria agreed. “Nobody is as good as we are.”
Amanda smiled. The squad is in great shape, she thought. They’d practiced every afternoon this week. They still hadn’t pried a “good” out of Miss Daly. But Amanda could tell the coach was pleased.
Janine and Natalie weren’t speaking, but they weren’t fighting, either. Amanda had tried talking to Janine, but her friend refused to discuss it.
Amanda decided to give it time. Maybe they’d make up on their own. And at least their feud hadn’t hurt the squad’s performance.
As Amanda tugged the rubber band from her hair and gave it a quick brush, she thought about Judd Hunter. She didn’t have any classes with Judd. But he always smiled and waved when he passed her in the hall.
He seemed really happy to see her. But he hadn’t asked her out.
Maybe he’s been too busy practicing for the game, she thought hopefully.
A loud drumroll broke into Amanda’s thoughts. She tossed her hairbrush down and leaped to her feet.
The drumroll continued. The crowd stood. The cheerleaders waved their maroon and white pompoms.
The drumroll stopped. A loud cheer erupted.
The Tigers raced onto the floor and began to warm up at one end of the court. The Hornets, in green and yellow, took the other end.
While the teams warmed up, the cheerleaders returned to their bench. Amanda gathered her hair up into a ponytail again and tied a maroon ribbon around it. As she started to call the squad together for a pep talk, she spotted Brandon.
The wiry redhead sat on the team bench, elbows on his knees, shoulders slumped. Instead of watching his teammates, he stared down at his sneakers.
Amanda sighed in sympathy. Brandon wanted the starting position so much, she thought. I know how he feels. Helpless. Disappointed. Angry. Exactly the way I felt when I didn’t get picked for the swim team in middle school.
She glanced at Janine, who sat beside her. Janine was watching Brandon. Amanda couldn’t see her face, but she knew her friend must be feeling bad too.
Amanda leaned close to her. “Don’t worry,” she assured her over the noise of the crowd. “Brandon will get to play. I know he will. It’s not like he’s off the team or anything.”
Janine slowly turned her head.
She didn’t look sad or upset. Her round, friendly face had no expression at all, and her brown eyes seemed to stare right through Amanda.
“I’m not worried,” Janine declared in a low voice. “Brandon will play.”
She said that as if she knows something no one else does, Amanda thought. Almost as if she can see into the future.
“Brandon will play,” Janine repeated.
Amanda kept staring uneasily at her friend. She’d known her since grade school, but she suddenly felt as if Janine had turned into a stranger.
Amanda jumped as a loud buzzer interrupted her thoughts.
The game was about to start.
I’ll talk to Janine at halftime, Amanda decided. Or after the game. The cheerleaders rose from the bench to watch the opening jump.
The crowd cheered as the starting players gathered in the center of the court.
Lincoln won the jump.
The Shadyside crowd groaned as the kids from Lincoln High whistled and stomped. The Lincoln cheerleaders spread out on the sidelines and led a cheer.
“Hear that buzz?
It’s the Hornets!
Feel that sting?
It’s the Hornets!”
Lincoln’s center dribbled down the court, stopped, pivoted, and tossed the ball to another player.
The Lincoln player faked a pass, then ducked around a Shadyside guard and raced toward the net.
The Lincoln kids shouted and pumped their fists. Their cheerleaders jumped up and down, waving their pompoms and urging their team on.
The Lincoln player stopped suddenly, his sneakers squeaking loudly on the polished floor. He faked a shot. Then he spun around and quickly passed the ball, aiming for a teammate who stood closer to the basket.
The Lincoln player and Luke both leaped high, stretching their arms and reaching for the ball.
Luke snatched it out of the air.
“Yes!” Natalie shrieked. “Go, Luke!”
The Shadyside fans rose to their feet, screaming encouragement.
The cheerleaders waved their pompoms and chanted Luke’s name. “Luke! Luke! Luke!”
Luke raced down the floor, a look of total concentration on his thin face. Two Lincoln players cut in front of him, but Luke dodged them easily. More Lincoln players swarmed ahead of him, but Luke weaved his way through them like a fish darting through water.
“He’s going to make it!” Natalie shouted. “He’s going to score the first basket!”
The crowd shouted as Luke bulled his way past the last Lincoln player.
The court belonged to him now.
Everyone went wild as Luke raced down the floor, straight for the basket.
“Luke! Luke! Luke!” the cheerleaders chanted. “Go, Tigers!”
Ten feet from the basket now, Luke didn’t slow down. Five feet. Three feet.
Luke didn’t stop. The ball fell from his hands and rolled to the sidelines. He still didn’t stop.
The cheering tapered off. Puzzled murmurs filled the gym.
“What’s he doing?” someone shouted loudly. “Is he nuts or something?”
Luke suddenly cut to the right, straight toward the bleachers.
In a blur of maroon and white, he raced across the floor. Amanda saw him coming and tried to grab him.
But Luke swept past her, faster and faster, hurling himself into the bleachers.
People screamed. Others cried out in surprise.
Luke charged up a few steps. Then he stumbled and fell. He slammed against the edge of the bleacher seat, then bounced to the floor.
He landed at Amanda’s feet with a thud.
People stared in shocked silence.
Luke didn’t move.
“Nooo!” Natalie’s scream split the air. S
he took off down the court, shouting her boyfriend’s name. “Luke!”
Amanda stared down at Luke, stunned. What’s wrong with his head? Why is it so bloody? And what is that thing lying next to him?
She dropped to her knees and froze in horror. The “thing” was the top of Luke’s head. His skull. His hair. His scalp—completely torn off.
PART TWO
* * *
Chapter 12
WHY DID HE GO BERSERK?
“I still can’t believe it,” Victoria murmured. She stood in Amanda’s kitchen, a sad, confused expression on her face. “It’s so unreal.”
“I know.” Amanda’s hand shook as she poured some crackers into a wooden bowl. Nobody can believe it, she thought. But it’s true.
Luke is dead.
Four days had passed since the strange, frightening scene in the gym on Friday. Luke’s funeral had been held this morning. The casket remained closed. No one was allowed to see him.
I didn’t need to, Amanda thought. I’ll never forget.
She shuddered, remembering the sight of his face. The top of his head ripped off. His scalp—lying on the floor next to him.
How had it happened? How could his head have hit the bleacher that hard? Hard enough to break through the bone of his skull?
Stop it, she told herself. Stop thinking about it.
Giving herself a mental shake, Amanda picked up the bowl of crackers. “Bring some napkins, would you?” she asked.
Victoria grabbed a handful of napkins from the kitchen table, then followed Amanda through the door into the family room.
Natalie sat stiffly on the stone hearth of the fireplace, gazing into the flames. Her gray eyes were rimmed with red from crying, but they were dry now.
Dry and bitter, Amanda thought.
Janine had curled up on one end of the couch. Brandon sat close to her, his arm around her shoulders. Janine’s eyes were pink, too, and she kept glancing at Natalie. She started to say something, then bit her lip nervously.
Keesha sat cross-legged in front of the coffee table, restlessly plucking at the rug with her fingers. She smiled as Amanda and Victoria entered the room. But the smile was forced.