Of course you haven’t. Girls, this is our new Normal.”
“I’m not your new anything,” I said.
“Feisty, isn’t she? As you know, it’s Halloween, that magical goblin-ghoul time where people celebrate living and dying…in costume. So, tell me, Marina, why did you not at least mask your face for my costume party? I mean…way to show a lack of etiquette. Did your mother not teach you any manners?”
“Well, getting invited to a costume party with scarcely twenty-four hours notice is hardly adequate time to find a costume. Tell me, Kat, did your mother not teach you any manners?” By the ghastly shade of maroon appearing through her overly made-up cheeks, I’d say I struck a nerve.
“She did wear a costume, Katrina,” said Nerissa, who looked a lot like a stoned giraffe. “She came as herself. What could be scarier than to look like that?”
While stout, pug-like Mitzi roared with laughter, Katrina’s mouth curled into a devilish grin. “You did dress up! Applause, applause. Couldn’t have picked a more frightening look for you,” she sneered.
“Nor I for you, Kat. Tell me, does dressing like a slutty hag take practice, or are you just naturally a loose witch?” Um…did their eyes just flash red?
“I love a Normal with plastic courage. It’s so Cowardly Lion. Do you think you’re brave, Marina?” asked Katrina, drumming her blood red nails on her pointy chin.
“No doubt.”
“Good. Want to walk through my haunted room, then? It’s just here, behind this door,” she said, moving towards the first door outside of the ballroom.
“A haunted…room? Just a room?” I asked incredulously. Haunted houses I’ve heard of, but a haunted room? Yeah, not so much. “I really need to find Trey.”
“If you’re scared, then by all means…”
“I’m not scared.”
“Well, go in,” she said, opening the whispering door. “Dare you.”
Not that word again! “Fine. What do I do?”
“Walk through, then exit out the door on the opposite side of the room.”
As soon as I walked in, Katrina slammed the door shut. “Yeah, really spooky—a rubber mask and a giant plastic shark with cardboard teeth. You’re gonna have to do better than that, Kat,” I shouted after a couple of lame objects jumped out at me. “Is this all you’ve got?”
Nearing the exit, a hazy blue light caught my eye; sheer black curtains that billowed without a breeze barely concealed its glow. As I approached the curtains, I could hear distressing cries growing louder and louder. I felt drawn to the blue glimmer and desperate, terrifying moans. When I parted the curtains, a ghostly reflection stared at me from within an ornate porthole mounted on the wall, only it wasn’t my face looking back at me—it was that of a girl, silently screaming. Her espresso skin was pale and chalky, her violet eyes wide with terror. Directly above her image, a blood-red stone glistened from within the frame, like the eye of the devil. Soon, more faces joined her, but they were partially obscured by foggy wisps. They kept floating around, fading in and out of focus, restlessly looking over their shoulders, as though something or someone tried to pull them away from me. Their eyes pleaded for help, while their muffled screams filled my ears with static I wished I could comprehend.
“What do you want?” I asked, placing a hand on the porthole.
Misty gray claws shot out from inside the porthole, grabbed my shoulders, and pulled me against the ice-cold glass.
“I am you…you will be me,” they whispered in my ear.
My strength waned. Pure panic filled my mind, and my last shred of sanity rapidly vanished. The terror was so loud in my head, I couldn’t hear my screams. Just when I thought I would melt through the glass, strong, warm arms lifted me off the ground. Soon, the blue light faded from sight, and I felt the cushion of a chair underneath me. I heard the laughter of partygoers in the distance.
“Trey,” I said, feeling
“I’m not your new anything,” I said.
“Feisty, isn’t she? As you know, it’s Halloween, that magical goblin-ghoul time where people celebrate living and dying…in costume. So, tell me, Marina, why did you not at least mask your face for my costume party? I mean…way to show a lack of etiquette. Did your mother not teach you any manners?”
“Well, getting invited to a costume party with scarcely twenty-four hours notice is hardly adequate time to find a costume. Tell me, Kat, did your mother not teach you any manners?” By the ghastly shade of maroon appearing through her overly made-up cheeks, I’d say I struck a nerve.
“She did wear a costume, Katrina,” said Nerissa, who looked a lot like a stoned giraffe. “She came as herself. What could be scarier than to look like that?”
While stout, pug-like Mitzi roared with laughter, Katrina’s mouth curled into a devilish grin. “You did dress up! Applause, applause. Couldn’t have picked a more frightening look for you,” she sneered.
“Nor I for you, Kat. Tell me, does dressing like a slutty hag take practice, or are you just naturally a loose witch?” Um…did their eyes just flash red?
“I love a Normal with plastic courage. It’s so Cowardly Lion. Do you think you’re brave, Marina?” asked Katrina, drumming her blood red nails on her pointy chin.
“No doubt.”
“Good. Want to walk through my haunted room, then? It’s just here, behind this door,” she said, moving towards the first door outside of the ballroom.
“A haunted…room? Just a room?” I asked incredulously. Haunted houses I’ve heard of, but a haunted room? Yeah, not so much. “I really need to find Trey.”
“If you’re scared, then by all means…”
“I’m not scared.”
“Well, go in,” she said, opening the whispering door. “Dare you.”
Not that word again! “Fine. What do I do?”
“Walk through, then exit out the door on the opposite side of the room.”
As soon as I walked in, Katrina slammed the door shut. “Yeah, really spooky—a rubber mask and a giant plastic shark with cardboard teeth. You’re gonna have to do better than that, Kat,” I shouted after a couple of lame objects jumped out at me. “Is this all you’ve got?”
Nearing the exit, a hazy blue light caught my eye; sheer black curtains that billowed without a breeze barely concealed its glow. As I approached the curtains, I could hear distressing cries growing louder and louder. I felt drawn to the blue glimmer and desperate, terrifying moans. When I parted the curtains, a ghostly reflection stared at me from within an ornate porthole mounted on the wall, only it wasn’t my face looking back at me—it was that of a girl, silently screaming. Her espresso skin was pale and chalky, her violet eyes wide with terror. Directly above her image, a blood-red stone glistened from within the frame, like the eye of the devil. Soon, more faces joined her, but they were partially obscured by foggy wisps. They kept floating around, fading in and out of focus, restlessly looking over their shoulders, as though something or someone tried to pull them away from me. Their eyes pleaded for help, while their muffled screams filled my ears with static I wished I could comprehend.
“What do you want?” I asked, placing a hand on the porthole.
Misty gray claws shot out from inside the porthole, grabbed my shoulders, and pulled me against the ice-cold glass.
“I am you…you will be me,” they whispered in my ear.
My strength waned. Pure panic filled my mind, and my last shred of sanity rapidly vanished. The terror was so loud in my head, I couldn’t hear my screams. Just when I thought I would melt through the glass, strong, warm arms lifted me off the ground. Soon, the blue light faded from sight, and I felt the cushion of a chair underneath me. I heard the laughter of partygoers in the distance.
“Trey,” I said, feeling
Similar Books
