trying to call for help.
Hidden by the darkness, Lara . . . or whoever was possessing Lara . . . snorted. “No one’s coming this time, sweet bee. It’s just us.” Her new accent was pure New York.
“No,” I whispered fiercely. “Spider,” I called again, just a little louder, but far too softly for anyone but us to hear.
They began to walk toward me. I ducked underneath the pine branch, keeping my eyes on Mandy—on Belle. Help me, Celia , I thought, but if she was there, she was hiding. That was how she had come to me in the first place—to hide from Belle. It was all so crazy—how could a ghost hope to kill a ghost? But Mandy, when she was possessed, wanted to kill me.
My mouth moved but no more sound came out. I stepped backward and my foot slid into a hole. I lurched, grabbing the branch.
They came closer. I remembered that Troy had told me Mandy was afraid. Maybe she would help me here, now.
“Mandy,” I said. “Mandy listen to me. Make her leave.”
“Mandy, Mandy, Mandy,” Belle chanted in a singsong voice. “Oh, she’s a little whore, that one.”
“Lara, Alis,” I begged. “Please, help me.”
One of them laughed. The other was silent. Both of them moved toward me, slowly, like zombies.
I began to pant. I couldn’t make a sound, couldn’t run, couldn’t save myself. Then freezing cold swept though me hard, shocking me, like a jolt of electricity.
“Julie!” I screamed. My voice— mine —echoed off the lake. The flapping of wings buffeted the echo as startled birds took flight. “Julie! Spider!”
Mandy, Lara, and Alis kept coming.
For a moment, I stood rooted to the spot. Maybe they expected me to run away. It was my first impulse. Instead, something made me stand my ground; then, before I realized what I was doing, I ran hard into Mandy, barreling into her like a linebacker, and knocked her down. She fell hard on her back with a grunt.
Hit her , said a voice inside me. With your flashlight.
I bent at the waist, arced back my arm, and sucked in air through my teeth. And in that moment, the blackness in Mandy’s eyes vanished. And I knew I couldn’t do it.
I jumped away from her and crashed into Lara. Her eyes were normal. I pushed passed her to the shoreline, running so fast I couldn’t stop in time and sloshed into the freezing water. I gasped from the icy pain, swaying as I waved my hands. I remembered my flashlight and turned it on.
“Julie!” I yelled. I splashed backward onto the shoreline, aiming my flashlight at the lake as I half-ran, half-staggered back toward the lake house. “Julie! Spider!”
Soon a circle of light blossomed on the water. “Lindsay?” Julie bellowed behind the light.
“Please, come get me!” I shouted, looking over my shoulder as I ran. Alis and Lara were helping Mandy to her feet.
“No problem.” That was Spider.
My feet sizzled with cold. I fell and pushed myself back up. I couldn’t see Mandy, Alis, or Lara; the darkness had swallowed them. Run-walking, staggering along the curving shore, I reached the other two Lakewood rowboats, and squinted out at the lake, shifting my weight from one throbbing foot to the other as I watched for Julie’s flashlight, for their little boat. The cheery reggae had been replaced with a dark, ambient gothy drone. Shivering, I tried to ignore it as I listened for other, more dangerous sounds—the footfalls of Mandy, Lara, and Alis.
Suddenly, I had the sense that I was being watched—a prickling sensation between my shoulder blades—and I whirled around, passing my flashlight over the jagged porch. Shadows moved across the exterior wall. A board creaked.
“Hurry, Julie, hurry,” I whispered, even though I reminded myself that the lake house was crammed with partying students. There was safety in numbers—witnesses. Mandy wouldn’t try anything now.
“Lindsay,” Julie called. I saw her flashlight. “Here we come.”
I opened my mouth to answer as a figure stepped from the blackness
Hidden by the darkness, Lara . . . or whoever was possessing Lara . . . snorted. “No one’s coming this time, sweet bee. It’s just us.” Her new accent was pure New York.
“No,” I whispered fiercely. “Spider,” I called again, just a little louder, but far too softly for anyone but us to hear.
They began to walk toward me. I ducked underneath the pine branch, keeping my eyes on Mandy—on Belle. Help me, Celia , I thought, but if she was there, she was hiding. That was how she had come to me in the first place—to hide from Belle. It was all so crazy—how could a ghost hope to kill a ghost? But Mandy, when she was possessed, wanted to kill me.
My mouth moved but no more sound came out. I stepped backward and my foot slid into a hole. I lurched, grabbing the branch.
They came closer. I remembered that Troy had told me Mandy was afraid. Maybe she would help me here, now.
“Mandy,” I said. “Mandy listen to me. Make her leave.”
“Mandy, Mandy, Mandy,” Belle chanted in a singsong voice. “Oh, she’s a little whore, that one.”
“Lara, Alis,” I begged. “Please, help me.”
One of them laughed. The other was silent. Both of them moved toward me, slowly, like zombies.
I began to pant. I couldn’t make a sound, couldn’t run, couldn’t save myself. Then freezing cold swept though me hard, shocking me, like a jolt of electricity.
“Julie!” I screamed. My voice— mine —echoed off the lake. The flapping of wings buffeted the echo as startled birds took flight. “Julie! Spider!”
Mandy, Lara, and Alis kept coming.
For a moment, I stood rooted to the spot. Maybe they expected me to run away. It was my first impulse. Instead, something made me stand my ground; then, before I realized what I was doing, I ran hard into Mandy, barreling into her like a linebacker, and knocked her down. She fell hard on her back with a grunt.
Hit her , said a voice inside me. With your flashlight.
I bent at the waist, arced back my arm, and sucked in air through my teeth. And in that moment, the blackness in Mandy’s eyes vanished. And I knew I couldn’t do it.
I jumped away from her and crashed into Lara. Her eyes were normal. I pushed passed her to the shoreline, running so fast I couldn’t stop in time and sloshed into the freezing water. I gasped from the icy pain, swaying as I waved my hands. I remembered my flashlight and turned it on.
“Julie!” I yelled. I splashed backward onto the shoreline, aiming my flashlight at the lake as I half-ran, half-staggered back toward the lake house. “Julie! Spider!”
Soon a circle of light blossomed on the water. “Lindsay?” Julie bellowed behind the light.
“Please, come get me!” I shouted, looking over my shoulder as I ran. Alis and Lara were helping Mandy to her feet.
“No problem.” That was Spider.
My feet sizzled with cold. I fell and pushed myself back up. I couldn’t see Mandy, Alis, or Lara; the darkness had swallowed them. Run-walking, staggering along the curving shore, I reached the other two Lakewood rowboats, and squinted out at the lake, shifting my weight from one throbbing foot to the other as I watched for Julie’s flashlight, for their little boat. The cheery reggae had been replaced with a dark, ambient gothy drone. Shivering, I tried to ignore it as I listened for other, more dangerous sounds—the footfalls of Mandy, Lara, and Alis.
Suddenly, I had the sense that I was being watched—a prickling sensation between my shoulder blades—and I whirled around, passing my flashlight over the jagged porch. Shadows moved across the exterior wall. A board creaked.
“Hurry, Julie, hurry,” I whispered, even though I reminded myself that the lake house was crammed with partying students. There was safety in numbers—witnesses. Mandy wouldn’t try anything now.
“Lindsay,” Julie called. I saw her flashlight. “Here we come.”
I opened my mouth to answer as a figure stepped from the blackness
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