The Form of Things Unknown

  Starla rolls her eyes. “We don’t need them here. Come on, tonight will be epically fun.”

  I’m surprised she wouldn’t jump at the chance to appear on a SyFy program.

  I blush when Lucas comes over to talk to Peter about the lighting. I do not look at Raine. Or Starla. If Raine knows of my not-so-tiny crush on Lucas, then certainly Starla sees it, too? Even Colton noticed. And what if Raine is right about him thinking I’m hot?

  Of course he thought I was hot. On Thursday I had heat exhaustion. That has to be what she meant.

  I feel cold fingers graze the back of my neck and give me a squeeze. I nearly jump out of my skin. “Ready to find your ghost tonight, Natalicious?” Colton asks.

  “What do we do if we find her?” I ask him, heart pounding.

  Starla’s smile is scary. Though she be but little, she is fierce! “We’ll let the voodoo priestess handle her.”

  Raine crosses her arms and grins. “I can take on a ghost.”

  The lights above us blink with a hissing noise.

  Raine’s eyes get huge as her grin disappears. “Probably.”

  Everyone else laughs except me. The hair on the back of my neck stands up, and I turn around, expecting to see Colton reaching for me again. But there’s no one there.

  When Mrs. Green and the other SCAD students leave, there are only seven of us left. Lucas, me, David, Colton, Raine, Peter, and Starla. Lucas has already dropped his sister off at the twins’ house to spend the night again.

  “Okay, first things first.” Starla pulls a bottle of rum out of her purse. “Colton, hit the drink machine.”

  Our group erupts in loud whoops and woots. David goes with Colton, and the boys come back with armfuls of Cokes.

  Lucas is standing beside me, frowning up at the lights. “I should really go check those. I hope there’s not a short up there.”

  “You hope it really was the ghost?” I ask, grinning.

  He smiles, too, and it makes my insides turn to jelly. “Only if it’s a friendly ghost.”

  “Like Casper?” I’m suddenly hyperaware that all the others, while still talking and spiking drinks and carrying on, are watching Lucas and me. It makes my head feel weird, and I can’t concentrate on what Lucas is actually saying to me.

  He’s staring at me. “Nat? Are you okay?”

  I nod, and suddenly realize how awkward nods are. I don’t know what to do with my hands. Should I hold them at my sides? On my hips? Fold them across my chest? Why have I never thought about this before? And why am I suddenly so concerned with it now? “Totally fine,” I lie with a smile.

  He’s not buying it. “Let’s get you something to drink. Alcohol-free.” He takes my hand and gives it a tug. I feel five pairs of eyes staring at us. I want to see Starla’s reaction, but I’m scared to turn around. Instead, I let Lucas lead me out to the hall where the drink machine is.

  “Oh wait, my purse is back there,” I say.

  “I’ve got it.” He pulls some change out of his pocket and gets me a Diet Dr Pepper.

  I want to kiss him for remembering. But of course I don’t. Because everyone would know the minute we walk back into the theater. Walking back in is worse. Because now we have to face the gang. But Colton has picked up Starla and is twirling her around over his shoulder. So no one is paying attention to us.

  I think everyone’s already getting a little buzzed, too. Raine and Peter are getting cuddly. Starla seems to approve. “There she is!” Starla says, pointing to me. “Now we can get this party started. Where’s my EMF meter? Where’s my effing EMF meter?” She cracks up at her own joke. So does Peter. “Here it is! Nat, come here.”

  I take a step away from Lucas toward them. Starla waves her ghost-detecting gadget up and down in front of me. “Okay, so you’re not a ghost. Just had to check.”

  I roll my eyes.

  “So, I think the best thing to do is to split up,” Colton says. Raine giggles. “Star, you and David, come with me, Peter and Raine, go with Lucas and Nat. You guys take the infrared, and we’ll take the EMF.”

  Their group decides to explore the balcony and the lighting booth while we head backstage.

  We get as far as the men’s dressing rooms when we hear footsteps in the fly above us. Raine squeezes Peter’s arm. “It’s just the air-conditioning,” Lucas says. Although I think he’s trying to convince himself as much as the rest of us.

  Peter holds the infrared camera up over his head. “Whoa. Check out the cold air.”

  “Moving through the air-conditioning ducts?” Raine asks. “That’s not a ghost.”

  “I knew that,” Peter says. “My uncle uses one of these to check for leaks when he fixes AC units. Still looks pretty cool.”

  We hear the same noise again overhead.

  “That’s coming from above the air ducts,” Raine says. “Is there a way we can get up there?”

  Lucas squints. “I think there’s a ladder over behind that curtain.” He leads us past the swinging curtains and pushes them aside. The ladder is attached to the cinder-block wall, but the bottom rung is more than six feet off the ground. He looks around. “There,” he says to Peter, nodding toward a giant wooden crate over by the curtains. Empty now, it had been the shipping container for the new lighting rigs.

  Together they push and shove until the crate is close to the wall. I find another, smaller crate and push that over so they can use it to get up on top of the large crate.

  Peter jumps up onto the large crate first, with Lucas following him.

  “Y’all can’t leave us down here alone,” Raine says, her eyes wide.

  “We can’t all fit up there on the ladder,” I point out. I have no desire to go up there. Of course I’d rather not be left alone down here, either.

  Peter starts climbing the ladder. “I’ve got the camera. I’ll go up and have a look around and be right back.”

  Lucas steps down onto the small crate and jumps down.

  “It’s probably just a rat,” Raine says, craning her head to keep an eye on Peter. “Hope it doesn’t bite you.”

  “Shhh!” Peter whispers from above us.

  In the silence, I strain to hear any paranormal noises from the rafters.

  Instead I hear something bang against the ladder and Peter’s “Shit!”

  The infrared camera bounces off the crate and lands on the floor in pieces.

  “Oh crap,” Raine says, going to pick the pieces up. “Star’s gonna kill us.”

  “I don’t think there’s anything up there anyway,” Peter says,jumping down onto the floor.

  “Wait a minute. I think it can be put back together,” Raine says. “It didn’t break. I’ll be right back.” She takes off down the hallway.

  “Wait, where are you going?” I ask.

  “I’ve got a manicure set in my car. I think I can use the cuticle thingy to fix this.”

  Lucas frowns. “Peter, go with her. She doesn’t need to be wandering back here alone.”

  “He’s right. Hang on, Raine.” Peter lopes after her.

  We can’t hear David and the others. I guess they’re still up in the balcony. I pull out my phone to text my brother, but I’m not getting a signal. “Seriously?” I say, sighing.

  “It’s like a bunker back here.” Lucas knocks his knuckles against the cinder-block walls. “Want to head back toward the front stage and see if we can find them?”

  “Might as well. We don’t have any ghost-hunting equipment now.”

  He doesn’t seem to be in a hurry, though.

  Neither am I. I lean back against the cool cinder-block wall and look up at Lucas. Now would be the perfect time for him to confess his undying crush on me and swoop me into his arms.

  Except that Starla is his ex. And I don’t want to be some summer rebound girl.

  Lucas’s eyes stare into mine, and I suddenly forget about the cold wall behind me. My cheeks feel feverishly warm. Why does he have to be so beautiful? Why does he have to be so broken? He deserves someon
e who isn’t broken, like me. Someone who is strong enough to be there for him when he needs her.

  “Natalie,” he whispers, moving closer. “You look a little pale.”

  “I’m fine,” I whisper back, my throat dry. Tell him we should probably head back to the others, Natalie. Tell him. Move away from the wall before he comes any closer.

  He reaches his hand out, touching my cheek. I can’t move. I don’t want to move. There is no place on this planet where I’d rather be. I hold my breath.

  Lucas is holding his breath, too. I’m afraid he’s going to kiss me. I’m afraid he won’t. Oh God, why can’t I walk away? This is bad.

  A hysterical giggle bubbles up out of me. “This is totally out of a horror movie plot. You know? The group gets divided and then separated again and people keep disappearing until there’s only one person left. One of us is about to disappear.”

  Lucas takes half a step back to look at me. But he smiles. “I’m not going anywhere, Nat.” He leans back in and his lips press against mine.

  My hands instinctively fly up to his chest. Not to push him away, but to hold on. I feel his heart thumping beneath my fingertips.

  His hands curve around my waist, pulling me closer. I tug on his shirt, closing the space between us.

  I panic and give him a shove. “I can’t. This is too dangerous.”

  “What are you afraid of, Natalie?” His hands squeeze my waist affectionately. “There aren’t any ghosts interested in us back here.”

  “No, it’s not that.” I pull away from him, fold my arms across my chest. “You and Starla were a thing.”

  His shy smile falters. “I wanted to tell you, but I really didn’t know how to bring it up. It just seems awkward. Especially if you aren’t interested in me the way I’m interested in you.”

  I stare at the design on the front of his shirt, reaching up and tracing my finger over the letters. I’m too shy to keep looking up at his face. “I’m definitely interested,” I whisper.

  He gathers me against his chest, his lips pressed against the top of my head. “Good to know,” he whispers back.

  I sigh. “I can’t date a friend’s ex. It’s against the Girls’ Code.”

  “You think she’ll mind?” Lucas laughs. But it’s not a nice laugh. It’s tinged with pain.

  Whoa. Now I’m certain he’s still hurting from their breakup. He’s not over her at all. Get out, Nat. Before he breaks your heart. “Come on, we should go find the others.” I push past him and head down the dark hallway. I pull out my phone for light. I can see the red glow of the EXIT sign at the other end of the hall.

  “Nat, wait.” I hear him behind me, but he’s not following me. Good. Now he’s the one left alone in the dark. Ha. Horror movie victim number three. And it’s not me.

  That’s really not funny, I tell myself. It’s not like there’s an ax murderer running amok here. No one’s actually getting hurt. They’re all just . . . disappearing. I’ve got to get out of here.

  Except, did I just hurt Lucas? Did I piss him off?

  I pass the EXIT sign, which only leads to a right turn. I turn and head down the next hallway, looking for another EXIT sign. This place isn’t that big. I’ve walked these hallways several times during the day. With lights. It can’t be too hard to navigate in the dark.

  Another corner, and no more EXIT signs. Why am I lost? I turn around and head back the way I came. A left turn and I should be back in the hallway where I left Lucas.

  He’s not there. He must have taken the other hallway.

  “Lucas?”

  There’s no answer, of course. I want to scream at my idiocy. I follow the hall around the corner, but it’s still empty.

  “Lucas!”

  Of course, he’s probably mad that I left him. I was sort of a bitch after that one amazing, heart-exploding kiss.

  “Lucas!” I shout and it echoes against the empty, cold concrete walls. There’s no other sound back here. I can hear my own breathing, growing ragged and uneven.

  I could just sit down here and wait for someone to come looking for me, or I could keep walking in the dark. My phone is losing its charge, of course, and I know I won’t have its light for much longer.

  I want to scream. I kick the wall instead, not really hard, but enough to make my toes hurt. Effing Lucas.

  I hear laughter somewhere. “David?” I shout. I head down the hallway, toward the sound. Maybe my brother has decided to come looking for me.

  Instead of the double doors I’m expecting, I run smack into a wall of curtains. Okay, at least I know I’ve found the back of the stage. “David!” I shout. “Where are you?”

  But I push the curtain back only to reveal another curtain. And another and another. I try not to panic as the heavy canvas tangles around me. I must be imagining things, because it feels as if the curtain is tightening around me.

  Don’t panic, Nat. Take deep breaths.

  Do not panic.

  CHAPTER 17

  O grim-looked night,

  O night with hue so black.

  —A Midsummer Night’s Dream, act 5

  No, I can’t stop the panic. I can’t stop my heart from revving up, the tears from boiling over down my cheeks. I have no idea what’s going on or where I am. Or why I can’t get out of here.

  I hate this theater. I hate Savannah. I hate Lucas Grant. And I really wish I was back in Athens.

  Footsteps approach, but no one answers when I call out. “Who’s there?”

  I can’t even tell if the footsteps belong to a male or a female. Maybe a child? Chills dance across my skin. My stomach twists.

  I pull at the curtains, but there only seem to be more and more rows. Where is the effing stage? If I could just get to the stage, I could jump down and run up the aisle to the auditorium doors.

  Dust from the swirling curtains is starting to make me sneeze and cough. I shouldn’t be struggling so much. This shouldn’t be so hard.

  How many other teenagers get stuck in a curtain? This is embarrassing. LOCAL GIRL VANISHES IN DIRTY THEATER CURTAINS. POLICE BAFFLED AND FAMILY TOO EMBARRASSED TO MOURN.

  Ugh.

  The footsteps seem to be running in circles around me. Or I’m too confused to notice. I look up toward the top of the curtains and it makes me dizzy. I look down below. Maybe I could drop to the floor and just crawl out under the curtains.

  But they drag on the floor and there’s no way for me to see what direction I need to go.

  I hear the footsteps again, and this time, I hear a faint, high-pitched laugh. Like a little girl’s laugh. Or like a creepy doll’s laugh.

  I clutch the curtain in terror. Maybe there is a ghost named Lily after all. Has anyone ever been killed by a ghost before? In real life? Not just in a horror movie?

  The laughter gets closer and then fades away, then grows closer again and backs away. She’s toying with me, whoever she is.

  I push at the curtains again, but still can’t find the opening.

  She laughs at me again.

  Frustrated, I sink to the floor and scream. As loud as I can. Even if everyone else is gone, maybe some homeless person in the alley behind the theater will hear me and rescue me.

  My throat burns, but I keep screaming. It might keep the ghost away.

  The footsteps sound heavier now. Not a child’s steps, but someone bigger. “Nat?”

  “Natalie!” Raine’s voice carries over the others.

  “Nat!” David’s voice sounds exasperated. I hear the curtains being pulled back and forth. “Where are you?”

  “I don’t know!”

  “Hang on, we’re coming.”

  More curtains get pushed aside, and the footsteps get closer. Human footsteps now. I’m grateful for the sound.

  “Dammit, how many curtains are there?” Colton asks.

  Someone sneezes.

  “Natalie, keep talking to us,” Raine says.

  “Boo,” I say. My throat hurts. I couldn’t scream anymore even if I wanted to. br />
  “I think we’re almost there.”

  The metal rings holding the curtains jingle as they tug and pull at the canvas. I just sit still and wait for my rescuers.

  “How in the hell did you get these curtains so tangled?” Colton asks.

  “I think I had help. From a ghost.”

  “What?”

  With another tug, the curtain gives way, and I see Raine, Starla, David, Colton, and Peter all staring at me. David helps me up.

  “I was trying to find my way back to the front, and my phone died. I tried to push the curtains aside, but there were footsteps, and a little girl laughing. She kept running in circles around me, laughing.”

  My legs are trembling. “Where’s Lucas?”

  “He went to get Caitlyn,” Starla says. “He had a phone call from her, saying she wasn’t feeling well. He said he got separated from you back here, so he sent us to find you.” She stares at me. “I don’t think he knew you were in trouble, or he wouldn’t have left.”

  “Don’t be silly. I’m fine,” I lie. “Besides, Caitlyn needs him if she’s sick.”

  David looks at me. They’re all looking at me.

  “I’m fine. Did anyone find anything on the ghost-hunting equipment?”

  Colton glances at Starla. She holds her EMF meter out. “Not really. We didn’t get anything. And Raine said the infrared camera wasn’t working.”

  “By the time I got it fixed, we realized you were missing and started looking for you.”

  “Anything popping up now?” But I’m pretty sure there won’t be. I can’t hear the ghost anymore. She’s had her fun and now she’s gone to wherever ghosts go when they’re not scaring the crap out of people.

  “Nope,” Colton says, peeking over Raine’s shoulder. “It’s clean.”

  Starla’s shoulders slump. “Maybe this place isn’t haunted after all.”

  “So you don’t think there’s a ghost now?” I ask. “No little girl wreaking havoc and terrorizing us?”

  “Thomas said we were welcome to use the equipment tonight, but warned me that they’d investigated this place a few years ago and didn’t find anything.”