Ghost of a Shadow Read online

Sadie hesitated. She finally had a friend and wanted to give her a real chance, but on the other hand, this was messed up. Maybe I’ll just keep her company?

  Jennifer dashed into the house then came back a minute or two later with a box marked, “UNISELF,” which looked almost totally official. They walked down the street and talked. “So what are the boys like around here?” asked Jennifer.

  “Well, the ones in my classes are a bunch of jerks,” grumbled Sadie. “They never shut up, and they’re always on me about something. I keep as far away from them as possible.” She considered mentioning the missing pin and what had come after but decided it best to keep quiet. She didn’t want to scare away her new and only friend.

  “Are they cute at least?”

  “Yeah, kind of, but they’re awful. I’d stay away from them if I were you.”

  “Well, obviously I’m not you, Sadie. They won’t be mean to me. I do pretty well with the boy population, if you know what I mean.”

  Sadie nodded. “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  “I won’t. So have you ever had a boyfriend, Sadie?”

  “Two years ago I had an amazing boyfriend.”

  “Really?” Jennifer sounded curious. “Tell me more.”

  “His name’s Christopher. He told me that one day we would get married and always be together. He was perfect.”

  “If he’s so perfect, where the heck is he? Should we go knock on his door? Come out, Christopher Charming. Come out, come out, wherever you are.”

  Sadie heard Jennifer’s laughter, heard the teasing, and although she continued to walk with Jennifer, it faded in the distance. Her mind was with Christopher and the last time they were face-to-face.

  Christopher had held Sadie’s hand and led her along the tree-shaded path that ran around the perimeter of the neighborhood park. “Sadie, I have to talk to you about something important,” he’d said. “I don’t know where to start.”

  “Uh-oh. That sounds serious. Did you run away from prison or something? Are you in trouble with the law?” Sadie teased.

  He offered her a half smile, but his expression soon grew grim. “I have some bad news. I don’t know how to tell you this.”

  Sadie saw he was serious. He wasn’t teasing her. “Oh, okay. What is it? You can tell me anything—you know that.”

  He stared at their hands, his head slowly shaking. “I know, Sadie, it’s just that I don’t want it to be true. If I say it out loud, then it’s for real and I can’t take it back.”

  Sadie squeezed his hand. “Whatever it is, just tell me, please. You’re scaring me.”

  “Okay, come sit with me over on the grass.” Still pensive, Christopher finally began. “I found out last week that my father got a new job.”

  Sadie’s head canted to one side. “But that sounds like good news.”

  “No, it’s not. He got a job in New York City. We’re leaving tomorrow morning.”

  All the blood drained from Sadie’s face. Her heart sped up, and she felt like she might pass out. “Tomorrow? How can that be? That can’t be right. It takes time to do these things. You have to pack the whole house and find a new place to live. No one leaves that fast.”

  “Not with this, Sadie. His new company is taking care of everything for us. We’re flying out tomorrow.”

  This can’t be happening. It’s too soon. I’m not prepared to say good-bye. “You knew last week? Why are you just telling me now? All this time you’ve known, and you didn’t even seem a bit upset. Are you upset at all?”

  A sorrowful expression draped down his face. “Of course I am. I didn’t know how to tell you. This is a really good opportunity for my dad, and it’s New York City. You know I’ve always wanted to live there.”

  Cracking at first, Sadie’s voice grew emphatic, “Yes, of course, but in like ten years…and with me!”

  Agitated now, Sadie waited for him to clear up his obvious mistake.

  “I know, I know. It’s going to be really hard, but we’ll write all the time, and you can come visit me whenever you want.”

  Sadie’s gaze trailed off; she felt tears forming. She wrapped her arms around Christopher’s neck and hugged him. “I’m going to miss you so much. I’m not ready for you to go.”

  “Neither am I. It’ll be okay, though. You’ll see. It won’t be as bad as you think. We’ll figure something out. Don’t be sad.” He brushed away her tears with his thumb. They sat for a few minutes longer, but even as he stroked her hair, she felt him pulling away.

  He glanced at his watch. “I need to go. Mom wants me home for dinner and some last-minute packing.”

  They stood. “I guess this is it for now, Sadie. But you have to promise me you won’t worry. You have to believe that everything’s going to be okay.”

  She hugged him tightly as a fresh round of sobs racked her shoulders. She didn’t want to let go. Her tears soaked his T-shirt.

  Christopher gently pulled her arms away and took a step back. His eyes were red and puffy. She could tell he did his best to hold it together. Choking on his words, he managed to get one last sentence out: “Until we meet again, m’lady.”

  Sadie had stood rooted to that spot until she could no longer see him. She had pressed her hand to her chest, certain her heart had shattered.

  “Earth to Sadie,” Jennifer teased. “Seriously, where does this perfect prince charming live? I think I need to meet him.”

  “No, you can’t.” Sadie put her head down, still shaken. “Christopher and his family moved to New York City. I couldn’t believe it: one day he’s here, and the next he’s gone. I walked by his house every day for months, still looking for him. I swear I could still see him in his backyard, shooting hoops. Sometimes I still feel his hand in mine, still hear his laugh. He has the best laugh. You’d like him.”

  “Oh, my Gah, Sadie, really? You went to his house every day, even though you knew he wasn’t there?” Jennifer couldn’t stop laughing. “Stalker much? Oh, Sadie, you could still see…hahaha…him in the…hahahaha…backyard?” she mocked between bouts of laughter. “Do you kiss your pillow at night too, imagining it’s him?”

  Painful memories of her lost love spurred such heartache that Jennifer’s ridicule couldn’t take hold. The last time she’d heard from Christopher was a year ago, but he’d written in one of his few letters that he would come back to her one day. Sadie shrugged and tried to hide her true emotions. “He was a great guy, Jennifer. What can I say?”

  “Whatever, girl. He’s just a boy. Come on. Let’s get going. We have work to do and moolah to make.”

  Sadie walked quietly as she half listened as Jennifer went on and on. Flashes of red… Sadie snapped her head to the right. Again, flashes of red… She looked all around.

  “What, Sadie? What is it?” Jennifer asked.

  “I don’t know. I thought I saw something.”

  “Well, the only thing I see is an empty collection box. Let’s start making some cash.”

  Sadie shook her head. “I don’t really feel comfortable with this.”

  “Oh, come on. You don’t even have to say any actual words.”

  They walked up to a two-story beige-colored Victorian with purple shutters and a perfectly manicured lawn.

  “This looks like a good place to start,” Jennifer nearly sang. “They can certainly afford to give us a donation.”

  “So you really think this is a good idea? I mean—”

  “Oh, come on. It’s fine. They’ll never know what we’re up to.”

  They climbed the stairs up to the front door. Jennifer knocked.

  “Coming,” called a voice from inside.

  Sadie started sweating. The wind kicked up, rustling in her ears as it whipped up her pigtails. She turned and looked behind her. Several trees gave shade to the front yard of the house, but not a single leaf rattled in the breeze.

  Sadie rubbed her right ear. Weird. Where’s that coming from?

  An old woman answered the door, her Siamese cat wr
apped around her stockinged leg.

  “Yes? What can I do for you young ladies?”

  Sadie frowned and stepped backward. This doesn’t feel right at all.

  Jennifer launched into her pitch, and then Sadie heard it. A whisper.

  And what do you think you’re doing, Sadie?

  Sadie felt all her muscles contract, especially the ones in her face. Her right eye twitched.

  You’re better than this. Make a decision right now.

  She had no idea where the voice came from or if it was even real, but she knew what she had to do.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am. We didn’t mean to bother you.” She took another step back, pulling Jennifer with her.

  Jennifer shot her a death-ray glare. “Uh, Sadie, what are you doing?” she seethed out the side of her mouth.

  “Saving us,” she whispered back. Then louder she added, “Sorry. This is the wrong house.” She turned to Jennifer. “Come on. Let’s go find the right one.”

  Their eyes met, and for a moment, she worried that Jennifer wouldn’t relent, but Sadie had left her little choice.

  “Oh, yeah, you’re right. Wrong house.” Jennifer turned and gave the old woman a winning smile. “Sorry to have bothered you, ma’am.”

  The confused woman smiled, “No bother at all girls.” The cat winked at Sadie, and a sense of familiarity swept through her.

  When they reached the end of the driveway, Jennifer punched Sadie’s arm. “What the hell, Sadie? She was such an easy target.”

  “I know you said it wouldn’t be a problem, but I can’t do it. And may I just say, ‘ouch!’”

  “Fine, be a chicken. I’ll do it on my own. See you later. Bawk, bawk.” She moved her arms like wings as she walked away.

  Sadie stood at the end of the woman’s driveway, fuming. She knew she had done the right thing, but it would have been nice to have kept a friend.

  Even if it was Jennifer.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Shocked through a Canyon

  Dear Rufus,

  There’s been a lot of things happening lately. I think they’re finally looking up…well, except for the nightmares and Jennifer and school and my parents.

  First things first. The good stuff:

  I found an incredible place, Rufus. I don’t want to go into detail just in case anyone other than me reads you, but I think you know what I’m talking about. I needed this.

  Here’s the so-so news:

  You know that new friend of mine, Jennifer? Well, scratch that. She’s turning out to be not so nice after all—in any way. I’m finding it takes more than parental freedom to make a good friend. I might try one more time. I’m not sure.

  Now for the bad:

  The pièce de résistance: I had another nightmare last night.

  It was about him again. The creepy shadow man. I see him more and more now. I don’t know why or what it means. Who could he be?

  I watched through the woods. I saw him slinking down the sidewalk. It was daytime, but he was still dark. His shadow trailed behind him, like smoke from a candle, swirling as he walked. All I could make out in his darkness were those piercing scarlet eyes.

  He walked in front of a tall brick wall, and it was crumbling as he passed it. Strange, huh? When it was all knocked down, an empty room appeared behind it. No windows, no doors, but I could see into it from where I stood. Then suddenly I was inside it. I opened my mouth to scream, and it shook me awake. When I opened my eyes, I was facing my window, and an arm reached in from outside then sped toward me. It looked like the images on a movie screen at high speed, and it reached all over the place. It stopped short of my bed, but then it kept moving all around, like it was trying to grab at me. All of a sudden, it burst into roses. Bright-red roses, blooming so fast I could hardly count them. They were like red-rose fireworks. I watched for at least five minutes before they faded.

  I know what I saw has to do with Gramma, but yet again, I’m not sure what she’s trying to tell me. After that I finally went back to sleep, and the dream didn’t return.

  Weird, huh, Rufus? I know Gramma Rose watches over me, and that makes me feel safe, even though I’m afraid. With all these things happening around me, it might be some time before I get a chance to write to you again, but I really want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me. You were there when no one else was. Thank you, my dearest friend. I’ll never forget you.

  Good-bye for now.

  ❄❄❄❄❄❄❄

  A thousand miles away, a cry echoed through the woods. The gray-haired man screamed as he woke, his mind twisting in pain.

  She’s here again. She stares at me with those blinding eyes. Accusing me. Who told her? How could she know?

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  The Gang’s All Here

  Finn saw only white. The light from the overarching skies, he guessed. There was a strange star, so close and directly overhead. It seemed to be the cause of all this brightness. They had lifted him out of the water onto dry land. His head swam with the cartoon standards for his experience: little tweeting birds and stars zipping and twirling until the oxygen returned to his brain.

  A voice that wasn’t his own spoke softly. “What happened?”

  He urged his mind to focus on the source of the words. White hair, a female voice. He could see her hair but not her face. A cloying wind blew strands of it around. The distinct, putrid scent of rotting meat drifted down to him.

  “He was in the water. We lifted him out,” explained a deeper voice.

  Finn shivered. His wet clothing clung to his body but provided little warmth. A bright, glowing form caught his eye, but it was closer to the ground, not in the sky as the natural order dictated. It had what resembled petals stuck around its circular edge. He wanted to say something, but his mouth was still full of that disgusting liquid. For all he knew, he had worms swimming around inside. He rolled over and spat out the slime as quickly as he could.

  Claustrophobia set in as the silhouettes of three beings surrounded him. Though he couldn’t explain it, he sensed that he knew them and that he’d been in this place before. Bile rose in his throat, turning to hatred as he focused on the two figures to his left. The one on the right, however, was in sync with him and didn’t burn like the others.

  Finn’s eyelids fluttered as the forms took more definite shape, their images growing clearer and distinct. He couldn’t hold on. In the next second, they were sucked backward and away.

  He sat up in his bed, fully awake, right where he’d gone to sleep at the halfway house. His boys were in their rooms across the hall. The light, the voices, and the disgusting smell: those had all been a dream.

  He got up and splashed water on his face. It had been a long time since he’d dreamed of anything at all. As he recalled the shapes and images, a wave of familiarity struck him.

  He sensed that it hadn’t been a dream but a memory. How could that be? It didn’t make any sense or fit in with what he saw day to day, especially the images strongest in his mind now: the sun—a strange sun—strung on a chain of pearls, he now remembered, along with a flower he couldn’t name. More details flowed in as he concluded it was real. There were silver streams of light around him. He couldn’t forget them.

  With another splash of water, he felt awake enough to tackle the first item on his agenda: talking to Beagle.

  Yesterday, Finn had insisted on commandeering one of the rooms on the first floor as a makeshift infirmary. He was the only one who could make Beagle feel better, he had argued with the administrator. He won permission to keep Beagle isolated from the rest of the boys until he fully recovered. The last thing Beagle needed was all their crap.

  Finn had watched the triage nurse escort Beagle back to his room late last night. The nurse had insisted on no visitors, and Finn allowed the boy to rest undisturbed for the night. This morning, however, was an opportunity not to be wasted, so he snuck down the hall to where Beagle’s name adorned the wall next to the door.
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br />   Finn knocked gently and whispered Beagle’s name. He waited, but no one came, so he took a chance and turned the knob. There was only one occupied bed, and he recognized the tuft of blond hair peeking out from beneath the covers. He closed the door quietly. It made a soft click as it fell back into place. A set of pale-green eyes peered up at him.

  “Beagle, I would appreciate it if you’d answer the door whenever I knock, should I deign to do so.”

  “Sorry, sir.” Beagle could barely get the words out.

  Has he been crying? Finn sat on the bed and leaned toward Beagle. “Speak up, man! I can’t hear you when you whimper.”

  “I said, ‘Sorry, sir!’” He made a small attempt to salute.

  “Are you getting snippy with me, pup? Is that what a month away from me does to you?”

  “I’m in a lot of pain, sir.” The boy winced as he spoke. “I’m trying my best. Honestly I am.”

  “Who did this to you, Beagle?”

  Beagle pulled the covers back a little but made no effort to sit up. “You know that guy, the big one?”

  “Which one? There are several.”

  “It was the famous one from Pudding/Tray Day. Do you remember, sir?”

  “How could I forget? That sniveling idiot. I put him on the ground, where any snake must crawl.”

  “Once you left, sir, there was no order. He took over, saying he would restore it, but things got even worse. I was first on his list of examples.”

  Finn ground his teeth so hard that his jaw muscles ached. “What did the nurse tell you?”

  “That I should rest and not do any of the house duties for a week. Plus, they gave me a fancy sling for my arm. It has cartoons on it.”

  “Well, put it on immediately, Beagle. Stop wasting time. I need you to get better as quickly as you can.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll do it. It’s good to see you again.” Beagle finally tried to get up but couldn’t. He fell backward so quickly that Finn feared he might hit his head on the wall. A gasp almost escaped Finn’s lips, but he reeled it back in before any harm was done.

  Finn stood. He coughed a couple of times while the words came out: “Rest up. I’ll be calling on you soon.”