R. L. Stine_Mostly Ghostly 04 by Little Camp of Horrors

breathing hard.
    “Just get off me, man. I'll give it to you. Promise.”
    “No tricks?” I said.
    “No tricks.”
    Slowly, I climbed off his chest and stood up. My legs were shaky. My heart pounded in my chest. We were both drenched.
    I knew Nicky and Tara were watching. But they were still invisible.
    Colin kept his eyes narrowed at me. I think he was still in shock because little Maxie overpowered him like that.
    So was I!
    I pushed my wet hair out of my eyes. “Where is it?” I asked Colin. “Do you have it?”
    He nodded. “Yeah. I have it. Why is it so important?”
    “It's mine,” I said. “That's all.”
    “It's definitely not around his neck,” Tara said. “He might be lying.”
    “Where is it, Colin?” I demanded, holding out my hand for it. “Come on. Give.”
    “Okay, okay,” he said. “You really are a weird little creep, Max.”
    “Save the compliments, okay?” I said.
    “And of course I'm going to pound you to sawdust later. You're sawdust. You realize that, right, man?”
    I nodded. “Yeah. Right. I'm sawdust. Give it, Colin.”
    He reached into his jeans pocket and … pulled out the pendant.
    Yesssss!
He had it!
    He held it high above my head. “You want it, Maxie? You want the pendant so badly? Well … you can have it. Go chase it!”
    He pulled back his arm—and flung the pendant far out into Snake Lake.

25
    I WATCHED IT DROP into the water. It made a little splash, bobbed on the surface for about five seconds, then sank out of sight.
    “Ohhhhh.” A low moan escaped my open mouth.
    Colin ran off, laughing at the top of his lungs.
    Nicky and Tara appeared. They didn't look happy.
    Tara turned away so I wouldn't see the tears in her eyes. Nicky stared down at the muddy ground, his hands shoved into his pockets.
    Gusts of wind whipped the lake water into waves. The sky grew even blacker.
    “Now what?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
    “You have to go get it, Max,” Tara said, wiping tears off her cheeks.
    “Huh? Out in the middle of the lake?” I cried.
    “If Mom and Dad are inside it … ” Nicky's voice trailed off.
    “We can't leave them at the bottom of the lake,” Tara said. “We have to rescue them.”
    “But what if the pendant is empty?” I said. “What if it's just a pendant?”
    They stared at me and didn't answer.
    I knew the answer anyway. We had to make sure.
    I wiped rainwater from my face. I gazed out onto the dark lake. “It's supposed to be filled with snakes,” I said. “But it isn't true. I saw Colin and his friends swimming here. The rumors
can't
be true.”
    “I have my eye on the spot where the pendant landed,” Tara said. “Go
now,
Max. Hurry. Get some goggles. Get a flashlight. You'll find it. I know you will.” Her voice cracked.
    “Great day for a swim,” I said.
    I turned and ran up the path to the cabins. My sneakers slid in the muddy grass. As I trotted by, I could hear the sound of the movie playing in the lodge.
    Everyone else is dry and comfortable and having fun, I thought. And I'm going diving in that dark, creepy lake in a pounding rainstorm.
    I was shivering as I pulled open the cabin door and stepped inside. The cabin smelled stale and moldy. Rain drummed on the flat roof, and water splashed down the windows.
    My soaked sneakers squeaked on the floor-boards as I made my way to the chest where I kept my swimsuits.
    “Hey, Max—what's up?”
    The voice startled me. I jumped a mile.
    Jakey gazed up at me from his bunk. He was sprawled on his back, reading a
manga
comic.
    “Jakey, I didn't see you,” I said, catching my breath. “What are you doing in here? Why aren't you watching the movie in the lodge?”
    He shrugged. “Too scary. So I came back here.”
    I grabbed my swim trunks. Billy Wilbur had a pair of goggles hanging by his bunk. I grabbed them, too.
    I pulled off my wet clothes and changed into the swim trunks.
    “What are you doing?” Jakey asked, sitting up.
    “Going for a swim,” I