boys. She needed a moment to think. To try to make sense of it all.
She walked to her bed and grabbed the wool blanket folded at the end. An Authentic Vermont Blanket, of course. She wrapped the thick, bright-green blanket around her for warmth. Moving about her room, shecame up with plenty of places her friends could have gone. She just couldnât come up with a lot of reasons why they hadnât returned her texts or answered their phones.
Pulling back her shade, she gazed at the falling snow. Frost inched up the windowpane. It was going to be a big storm, she realized. Her mother had been right. She hoped her parents were okay. She hadnât heard from them in a couple of hours.
She crossed her room and flicked on her light. The glow brightened the room and her mood. Her friendsâ disappearances suddenly seemed less scary. There is an explanation, she told herself. I just have to figure it out.
She glanced back at her monitor. Only Spencerâs face was visible in the frame. Gavin didnât seem to be around. Spencer waved his hand, beckoning to her urgently.
She hurried back to her desk.
âI need to talk to you,â he whispered. His eyes darted about anxiously. âTurn off your microphone. Use the keyboard.â
She gave him a questioning look but followed his instructions.
Kookykell2011: W HATâS WRONG ?
SpenceX77: I TâS G AVIN .
Kookykell2011: ??? W HERE IS HE ?
SpenceX77: W ENT TO GET A DRINK . D ONâT HAVE MUCH TIME . I âM REALLY FREAKED OUT .
Kookykell2011: A BOUT M ISS M ARY ?
SpenceX77: W ELL, YEAH, BUT ABOUT G AVIN, TOO .
Kookykell2011: W HY ?
SpenceX77: IDK. I TâS A VIBE . H EâS ACTING REALLY STRANGE .
Kookykell2011: S TRANGE HOW ?
SpenceX77: N ERVOUS . T WITCHY .
Kookykell2011: M AYBE THATâS WHAT HEâS LIKE .
SpenceX77: T HATâS NOT IT . S TARTED WITH THE M ISS M ARY THING . B EEN WEIRD SINCE . K EEPS MUMBLING STUFF UNDER HIS BREATH . T O HIMSELF, BUT I CAN HEAR . I TâS SCARING ME .
Kookykell2011: W HATâS HE SAYING ?
SpenceX77: S TUFF THAT DOESNâT MAKE SENSE . COLDNESS IS COMING AND YOU CANâT BE HERE.
Kookykell2011: W HO CANâT ?
SpenceX77: IDK. H E DOESNâT SEEM IN CONTROL . I TâS AS IF HE CANâT HELP SAYING THIS STUFF OR HE DOESNâT KNOW HEâS MUTTERING IT OR â
Kookykell2011: W AIT. ITâS LIKE â
Kelly stopped typing. She tried to swallow but couldnât. Her lungs felt as if they were being squeezed. She recalled the strange things that Chrissie had muttered just a few minutes ago. She hadnât told Gavin and Spencer what Chrissie had said. So why was Gavin saying the same sort of things?
She sucked in air, trying to inflate her lungs. To breathe normally again. In and out.
Kookykell2011: R U SURE ?
SpenceX77: Y ES !!!
Kookykell2011: M AYBE HEâS PLAYING YOU . . . .
She kept coming back to her know-all-the-facts nature. She didnât buy into fortune-tellers and horoscopes and the other mystical things some of her friends believed. She liked science and reasoning. Everything for her always had a factual explanation. That was why she liked scaring her friends so much. All that supernatural stuff was fake, and she knew it.
Tonight was the first time she was having trouble making sense of things.
SpenceX77: M AYBE . I BARELY KNOW THE GUY. I DONâT WANT HIM HERE ANYMORE . S OMETHING ABOUT HIM IS WAY OFF . I DONâT TRUST HIM .
Kookykell2011: I AGREE . B EEN FEELING THAT WAY ALL NIGHT .
SpenceX77: W HAT DO I DO ?
She wasnât sure. Maybe Spencer could fake sickness and ask Gavin to go home. She wished June would show herself. She was the best at these kinds of schemes. Sheâd create a believable story of why Gavin had to leave.
Kelly glanced at Spencerâs webcam frame to judge how worried he was. She froze.
A dark shadow loomed behind her friend.
Spencer had no idea. His eyes stayed focused on his keyboard. He was
She walked to her bed and grabbed the wool blanket folded at the end. An Authentic Vermont Blanket, of course. She wrapped the thick, bright-green blanket around her for warmth. Moving about her room, shecame up with plenty of places her friends could have gone. She just couldnât come up with a lot of reasons why they hadnât returned her texts or answered their phones.
Pulling back her shade, she gazed at the falling snow. Frost inched up the windowpane. It was going to be a big storm, she realized. Her mother had been right. She hoped her parents were okay. She hadnât heard from them in a couple of hours.
She crossed her room and flicked on her light. The glow brightened the room and her mood. Her friendsâ disappearances suddenly seemed less scary. There is an explanation, she told herself. I just have to figure it out.
She glanced back at her monitor. Only Spencerâs face was visible in the frame. Gavin didnât seem to be around. Spencer waved his hand, beckoning to her urgently.
She hurried back to her desk.
âI need to talk to you,â he whispered. His eyes darted about anxiously. âTurn off your microphone. Use the keyboard.â
She gave him a questioning look but followed his instructions.
Kookykell2011: W HATâS WRONG ?
SpenceX77: I TâS G AVIN .
Kookykell2011: ??? W HERE IS HE ?
SpenceX77: W ENT TO GET A DRINK . D ONâT HAVE MUCH TIME . I âM REALLY FREAKED OUT .
Kookykell2011: A BOUT M ISS M ARY ?
SpenceX77: W ELL, YEAH, BUT ABOUT G AVIN, TOO .
Kookykell2011: W HY ?
SpenceX77: IDK. I TâS A VIBE . H EâS ACTING REALLY STRANGE .
Kookykell2011: S TRANGE HOW ?
SpenceX77: N ERVOUS . T WITCHY .
Kookykell2011: M AYBE THATâS WHAT HEâS LIKE .
SpenceX77: T HATâS NOT IT . S TARTED WITH THE M ISS M ARY THING . B EEN WEIRD SINCE . K EEPS MUMBLING STUFF UNDER HIS BREATH . T O HIMSELF, BUT I CAN HEAR . I TâS SCARING ME .
Kookykell2011: W HATâS HE SAYING ?
SpenceX77: S TUFF THAT DOESNâT MAKE SENSE . COLDNESS IS COMING AND YOU CANâT BE HERE.
Kookykell2011: W HO CANâT ?
SpenceX77: IDK. H E DOESNâT SEEM IN CONTROL . I TâS AS IF HE CANâT HELP SAYING THIS STUFF OR HE DOESNâT KNOW HEâS MUTTERING IT OR â
Kookykell2011: W AIT. ITâS LIKE â
Kelly stopped typing. She tried to swallow but couldnât. Her lungs felt as if they were being squeezed. She recalled the strange things that Chrissie had muttered just a few minutes ago. She hadnât told Gavin and Spencer what Chrissie had said. So why was Gavin saying the same sort of things?
She sucked in air, trying to inflate her lungs. To breathe normally again. In and out.
Kookykell2011: R U SURE ?
SpenceX77: Y ES !!!
Kookykell2011: M AYBE HEâS PLAYING YOU . . . .
She kept coming back to her know-all-the-facts nature. She didnât buy into fortune-tellers and horoscopes and the other mystical things some of her friends believed. She liked science and reasoning. Everything for her always had a factual explanation. That was why she liked scaring her friends so much. All that supernatural stuff was fake, and she knew it.
Tonight was the first time she was having trouble making sense of things.
SpenceX77: M AYBE . I BARELY KNOW THE GUY. I DONâT WANT HIM HERE ANYMORE . S OMETHING ABOUT HIM IS WAY OFF . I DONâT TRUST HIM .
Kookykell2011: I AGREE . B EEN FEELING THAT WAY ALL NIGHT .
SpenceX77: W HAT DO I DO ?
She wasnât sure. Maybe Spencer could fake sickness and ask Gavin to go home. She wished June would show herself. She was the best at these kinds of schemes. Sheâd create a believable story of why Gavin had to leave.
Kelly glanced at Spencerâs webcam frame to judge how worried he was. She froze.
A dark shadow loomed behind her friend.
Spencer had no idea. His eyes stayed focused on his keyboard. He was
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