Cassie, Marco, and I turned to him and leaned in. I thought I was more experienced at reading people than most, but damn if I’d hate to be playing poker with this guy.
“No,” he finally said. His eyes lit up. “You’re into martial arts? That’s awesome dude. I’m really into kick-boxing. Maybe we can pump some iron or spar together. I could use a work-out buddy.”
The Mimicron was almost over the table’s edge when Alexei set his bottle back down, barring its path. What a cock-roach-blocker. I willed the bug to go around the bottle.
Marco cleared his throat and turned to Alexei. “Sounds like you’re so busy exercising that you probably don’t have much time for anything else.”
Alexei raised an eyebrow. “As a matter of fact, I just finished reading Friedrich Nietzche’s Beyond Good and Evil. Are you familiar with it?” He flashed that dimpled smile.
Marco played with the top button on his shirt. “No, As a matter of fact, I’m not.”
“I didn’t think so.” Alexei placed both hands behind his head and leaned back. “I can lend it to you if you’d like. The dude definitely has some interesting philosophical viewpoints.”
Handsome, muscular, and literate? Aren’t we Mr. Perfect? “Personally, I find all that Will to Power stuff Nietzche preaches kinda lame.” I’d been known to crack open a book or two myself. “You’re not missing much, Marco.” I placed a hand on Marco’s shoulder and squeezed a smile out of him.
“Fair enough, guy,” Alexei said. “Maybe we can debate it sometime.”
Cassie hooked Alexei’s arm. “Well, I just read Fancy White Trash. It was the bomb.”
The Mimicron returned to the table’s edge. If I could just get around Cassie’s foot and make it underneath the table without being spotted.
“I actually prefer books on paranormal phenomenon,” Marco said. “Have you read any of those?”
Alexei shook his head. “Can’t say that I have.”
Marco chuckled. “You should start, considering you’re attending a haunted high school.”
Alexei crossed his arms. “Haunted?”
Cassie gave a sharp scream. “Something just crawled past my foot!”
I reached down and palmed the bug right under their noses. “There’s nothing there, Cass.” Slipping it into my pocket, I leaned back in my seat.
Cassie brought both feet onto the couch, hugging her knees. “Marco thinks he’s seen a ghost.”
“I don’t just think I’ve seen a ghost. I have. Several times.”
“So what did your ghost look like?” Alexei asked, his tone drenched in doubt.
“I’ve seen strange stuff here and there, unexplained lights, moving clouds, but the strongest entity by far is the little girl. She’s the most recent.”
I froze. “Little girl?”
Marco nodded. “Long black hair. Dressed in white. Like something out of an old photo album. I’ve spotted her in the hall a couple of times and she always looks like she wants to talk to me but she disappears before I can get too close. Right by the Treatment Center.”
Alexei turned to each of us. “Treatment Center?”
Cassie rubbed her hands along her forearms. “Can we talk about something else now?”
Marco had described Ginny to the T. Why had she appeared to him? Was this why Price had Marco on her Watch List?
Alexei laughed. “You’re not being serious? There are ghosts in the house?”
Cassie sighed. “This school’s pretty freaky. Stick around long enough and you’ll hear all sorts of moaning echoing down the corridors.”
“And that’s just from inside Cassie’s dorm room,” I muttered.
Cassie pointed to my glass. “Don’t mind the bitter almond aftertaste. Arsenic gets a bad rap.”
I blew her a kiss. “I love you, too.”
Alexei stretched his long legs. “Sorry guys, I don’t believe in ghosts.”
“Don’t tell me the big jock is scared?” Marco challenged.
“Believe me, dude, dead things don’t scare me.”
“Then prove it.”
I downed the last of my drink. I didn’t like where this was going. “And how do you propose he does that?”
Marco’s eyes swept the room. “Cass, bring out the Ouija board. We’ve got a long distance call to make.”
Chapter Nine
Marco placed a bronze pentagram with a clear circular window at its center on the middle of the Ouija board. “Since Cass and I seem to be the most receptive to the spiritual energies, we’ll be the ones to place our fingers on this message indicator while Dagger and Alexei ask the questions.”
We sat cross-legged on the floor in the dim candlelight, me dead opposite Alexei, Marco to my right, Cassie to my left, and the Mimicron hidden safely underneath the table where I’d placed it. One cozy little family.
“C’mon, guys. We’re supposed to be having a study session, not playing games,” I said, trying to put the k’bosh on this little experiment before it got out of hand.
Alexei downed some more beer and chuckled. “Dude, just chill out. I’m not into the whole I See Dead People thing either, but I’m willing to roll with it and see what happens.” He plunked his bottle down on the table, nearly knocking the sweating candle onto the board.
Hmmm. Now there’s an idea. Nah, Cassie might cop an attitude if I burned down her dorm room.
Cassie pinched my arm. “You don’t have to participate, Papi. If you’re not a believer your negative energy will be like call block to the spirit world.”
I did the eye roll, cock of the head thing. “Oh, excuse me, Miss Cleo.”
Her hands touched the message indicator, sliding it around the board. “Oh wait, I’m getting a message. Let’s see. F … U …” She glared at me, complete with accompanying middle finger.
“Since Alexei’s the one that demanded proof,” Marco said, “I think he should ask the first question. He placed his fingers on the pentagram opposite Cassie’s.
Alexei’s large shoulders hunched forward, threatening to Hulk out of his T-shirt. “You’re on.” He closed his eyes. “Oh, Great Ouija,” he could barely contain his laughter. “Is anyone in this room hiding something from the rest of us?”
The candle flickered, as if caught in a sudden draft.
“Whoa, did you feel that, Cass?” Marco asked.
“It feels like the pentagram’s vibrating.”
“Are you sure it’s the pentagram, hon?” I quipped, expecting her to come back at me full throttle.
But she remained silent as the message indicator inched across the gothic letters carved into the old, wooden board.
Alexei leaned in closer. “Dudes, you’re so moving it.”
“It’s moving us,” Cassie protested.
The pentagram weaved through the bottom row of letters, then the top. Marco’s and Cassie’s arms swayed to and fro, as if they were in the throes of some modern dance. The pentagram whirled around the board a few times before zooming toward the right hand corner and coming to a dead stop.
I leaned in to read the word glaring beneath the glass.
Yes
Alexei rubbed his hands together. “Now it’s getting interesting.” He looked up at Marco. “Of course you know what the follow-up question’s gonna be.” He cleared his throat. “Oh, Great Spirits, tell us who in this room is keeping a secret.” He stifled a snicker.
In seconds, Cassie and Marco were swaying again, left, then right, up, then down, faster and faster.
The indicator grinded to a halt over a single letter.
D
Alexei pried his eyes from the board and fixed on me. “D as in Dagger.” His dimples were working overtime. “Looks like you’ve been holding out on us, my man.”
“Maybe I have been holding out, and maybe I haven’t, Mister, oh, what is it again? Dimirov? That does start with a D, doesn’t it?” I winked at him.
He held up his beer, and toasted me. “Touché.” He took a swig.
Cassie boun
ced up and down. “Wait up. It’s still going. It’s going to spell out something!”
Alexei came over and plopped on the sofa behind me, his knee brushing my shoulder. I was too tense to appreciate it. “I guess we’re going to find out which one of us is guilty after all.” He stared stone-faced at the board.
The pentagram slowed down.
Alexei’s leg pressed into me. The indicator cruised toward the I—
Dimirov?
— before zipping around it to hover over the A.As in awkward.
DA
Alexei sighed. “So we have a winner. D. A. Dagger.” He put an arm around my shoulder and squeezed. “I feel for you, dude. So what’s your deep, dark, secret?”
My eyes were glued to the board, watching Cassie’s and Marco’s fingers glide toward the third letter that would seal my fate.
The indicator spun toward the G.
“Listen guys,” I began, not sure what lie was going to escape my tongue.
But instead, the pentagram paused on the M.
I patted Alexei’s knee cap. “Unless Dagger has an M in it, looks like I’m in the clear, dude.”
The indicator resumed its erratic course around the board.
“But who the heck is DAM?” Marco asked.
Alexei laughed. “Maybe the Ouija’s just pissed off. Gimme a break guys. This is bullshit.”
The pentagram hovered over a fourth letter.
C
We all waited for the movement to resume. But it didn’t. Dead as a doornail, just like old Marley.
“DAMC?” I asked. “Sorry guys, not ringing any bells.”
And then it hit me, the obvious meaning of the letters.
“It did answer correctly!” Marco announced. “Don’t you guys get it? D. A. M. C?
“Wasn’t there an old rap group called Run Damc?” Cassie asked him.
“No. I mean yes, there was a group called something like that, but no, that’s not what it means. D, A, M, C. Dagger, Alexei, Marco, Cassie. It’s our initials.”
Cassie’s eyes lit up. “I get it. It means we’re all keeping secrets!”
We stared at each other, no one saying a word.
Chapter Ten
The loud ring of my cell phone tore through the awkward veil. I almost dropped it in my rush to unclip it from my belt and peek at the Caller I.D.
Aristede. Finally.
“It’s my mom,” I announced. I pressed the receive button. “What’s up, Mother?”
Aristede chuckled. “The last guy that called me Mother ended up flat on his ass.”
I turned away from the others and gave him the pre-arranged code phrase. “I’m doing okay, kind of in the middle of a study session.”
“Affirmative. I have the link set up, but I’ll only have private access to the DUST servers for the next five minutes. You need to get to Sandoval’s room and get within range of that laptop stat.”
I owed Aristede big time. He was really putting his neck on the chopping block. If Price found out he was covertly helping me find out what Marco knew before she did we’d all be in serious shit.
“I understand it’s important, Mother. I guess I can take a break.” I turned to find them staring at me. I pretended to hit the mute button to prevent Mother from hearing.
“Is everything cool?” Cassie asked.
“My mom has some important shit she wants to talk to me about. I’m going to take it in the bedroom, if that’s okay?
“Sure thing, Papi.”
I forced a smile. “It might be a while.” My eyes connected with Alexei’s. “Sorry for ending the Quijaing just when it was getting good.”
“We don’t have to end it,” Alexei said. “We can just ask it some less personal questions until you get back, okay?” He didn’t seem as enthusiastic about the game now.
I nodded, not having any time to protest. Unmuting the phone, I headed inside Cassie’s bedroom and closed the door behind me.
Clipping the phone back on my belt, I tapped my right ear, activating the com-link. “I’m clear, Mother. Triggering surveillance Mimicron.” I touched the stone on the bracelet. With the Mimicron safely hidden under the table, I could keep tabs on them in case they came looking, or in case that damn Quijaing got out of hand. “Lumberjack, I’m monitoring a spirit communication attempt at my position. Are you registering any activity at your end?
“Copy that, Greek Avenger. Initiating Electro-Magnetic Frequency Scan via your necklace transmitter. Stand by.”
Shutting my eyes, I concentrated, opening the neural pathways that would allow me to receive the Mimicron’s surveillance transmission.
“So what’s the next question, Lex?” Cassie asked.
“Are there really ghosts at Montefuego?”
“Greek Avenger, I’m getting a high concentration of EMF signals in your vicinity,” Aristede’s voice crackled in my ear. “Looks like the dead are having quite a party over there.”
Great. All it would take would be one chatty Casper to tip my friends off and blow my cover.
“Roger, Lumberjack. Commencing retrieval op.” I opened the French Doors to Cassie’s terrace. Above, a crescent moon peeked from behind a cloud, effectively blanketing the deserted grounds in a shroud of gloom. Below, a stone pathway snaked around the mansion’s perimeter. I climbed onto the rusted railing and felt a slight give. Even though we were only on the third floor, if I should happen to slip, there was a good chance I’d break a few things on the way down, including my neck. Then I could join the party forever.
Those … gone … must … be … found.” Alexei’s words seeped into my skin, cooling my blood. So much for initials. They’d obviously made contact with a loquacious little stiff.
I tested a foot on the ledge leading to Marco’s terrace. A few chips of stone crumbled under my weight and sprinkled down onto the ground below. Nice. Taking a deep breath, I squeezed my eyes for a moment and stepped onto the ledge, my hands hugging the side of the building.
“Greek Avenger, what’s your status?” Aristede’s voice was comforting in my ear. I wasn’t alone.
“I’m outside, about ten meters from contact. ETA two minutes.”
“You’ve got to hurry. The systems will be back online in five minutes. If you haven’t located the hard drive and transmitted before then, we’ll have to abort.”
“You know you should seriously consider a job as a counselor on a suicide prevention hotline.”
Time to switch channels.
“Why are the spirits in chaos?” Marco asked.
“Age … of … the … Sixth …” Any trace of skepticism was completely gone from Alexei’s voice now.
Holy Shit. I had to get back and stop them before they learned too much.
“What the hell does that mean?” Alexei asked.
“It sounds pretty creepy to me,” Cassie replied. “Maybe we should stop?”
“I can’t believe Dag’s missing all this.” Marco’s voice.
“He’s taking an awfully long time on the phone. Do you think we should run interference with his Mom?”
Oh no, Cass. I felt like I’d been dunked in a vat of ice. If they came looking for me now this whole mess would blow up in my face.
“Give him some more time,” Marco’s voice again. “His mother’s a real pain. Maybe it’s a good thing they’re hashing things out. Next question.”
I freed my breath and quickened my shuffle to Marco’s terrace. I was almost there. Just a few feet and I could reach out and touch the railing.
The ledge gave way beneath me. I lunged for the railing, just as the chunk I’d been standing on fell to the ground, splintering into pieces with a loud crack.
I swayed fifty feet in the air, dangling by one hand. Hanging onto a rusted railing which strained against the bolts holding it to the wall.
I don't know about you, but I intend to write a strongly worded letter to the White Star Line about all this.
“Dagger,” Aristede whispered into my ear. “The shift
change is almost complete. In a minute they’ll start rebooting the system, and if I’m not signed off by then they’ll trace this channel and lock onto our communication frequency. We’ll be made.”
The iron railing creaked under my weight. Was that the sound of one of the bolts popping free? “Hmmm. I had a slight set back, Lumberjack, but I’m working on it.”
The railing slid an inch through my sweaty palm. Maybe the Quija session was fairing a little better.
“What exactly is the Age of the Sixth?”Alexei asked.
I brought my second hand up, struggling to get a better grip.
“All … will … vanish … C … R … O …” Marco read.
“Man, this is some weird ass shit. What does it all mean?” Alexei now.
“I told you there are forces surrounding us,” Marco responded.
“I don’t want to do this anymore. It’s too freaky.”
Good old Cass.
“We can’t stop now,” Marco insisted.
“I’ll do it,” Alexei said. “I have to find out what it means.”
“I’ll go check on Dagger,” Cassie volunteered.
Shit! Shit! Shit!
My shoulders strained against their sockets. Every time I tried to hoist myself up, the railing gave another inch. Any second now, it could pop free, plunging me to my death. I had to chance it before it was too late. I braced my muscles.
That’s when I heard the whispering. I risked a look down. A trio of specters hovered near the ground, arms outstretched to receive me. They radiated coldness, like waves of Freon caressing the goose bumps sprouting from my flesh. Frost slithered up the ivy clinging to the walls, snapping and crackling the foliage in its wake.
From the look of it, these ghosts had been patients, clad in tattered hospital robes, one with electrodes still attached to its transparent skull. Their grins chilled the air on its way to my lungs, making it difficult to breath. They were waiting for me. Waiting for me to fall so they could ensnare my soul, trapping me here with them, welcoming me to an eternity of madness.