Stage Fright, page 5
“Okay, we’re backstage in the wings,” Tyler said.
“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” Jaylen said.
Paige tapped the black box. “My dad got a fog machine like this last year for Halloween.”
Jaylen zeroed in on a low table that held a collection of wicked-looking weapons and grabbed a short dagger. “Check it out!”
“Careful!” said Paige.
“It’s fake.” Jaylen thrust it at her, and she yelped before dissolving into a fit of giggles.
Avery ducked out of Jaylen’s reach and between two parallel black curtains that formed a short tunnel leading to the stage. She stepped free of the curtains, aimed her light forward, and faltered. “Whoa.”
Three gravestones stood in front of her. Her friends crowded behind her.
“Bruh,” Jaylen cracked. “For a minute I thought they must’ve buried Maddie here.”
Paige gave him a push. “This is the set for the play, silly.”
“What the heck kind of play takes place in a cemetery?” Jaylen asked.
“A Halloween one?” Tyler offered.
Something about the set tickled a memory in Avery, but she couldn’t quite place it. “Why is everything still here?” she asked.
“I’m not sure,” Tyler said.
Despite the layer of dust, the stage appeared suspended in time, as if the actors could return any second for their curtain call. A coffin-sized hole was cut into the floor in front of the center tombstone. Avery cautiously stepped closer. Beyond a tangle of spiderwebs, the hole was about three feet deep, its bottom a wooden platform, its sides open to the blackness beneath the stage. A prop shovel lay on the floor nearby, next to a canvas drop cloth like the ones painters used to protect the floor from paint drips. A tattered gray curtain covered the back wall.
At the edge of the stage rose the ghost light, a floor lamp consisting of a single light bulb surrounded by a metal cage atop a pole about as tall as Avery. A bright yellow extension cord ran from its base into the wings on the opposite side of the stage. Beyond the ghost light rows of red velvet seats spread into gloom.
Avery glanced up, beyond the arch that framed the stage and hid the lights and rigging from the audience. Far above, a skinny iron bridge with a waist-high railing spanned from one side of the stage to the other.
A catwalk.
“Wait,” Paige whispered. “She fell from way up there?”
Avery instinctively shifted her gaze to the floorboards under the catwalk. They all did. Jaylen picked up the drop cloth and peered underneath it.
“I don’t see any blood,” he said matter-of-factly. He let the drop cloth fall and, realizing everyone was staring at him, shrugged. “What? We were all thinking it.”
No one said a word. The theater was eerily quiet. It was, Avery thought, like the building itself was a tomb, and they were all buried inside it.
She hitched up her backpack. “We’re really doing this, right?”
“Yeah, let’s get it over with,” Paige said, for the first time giving off a nervous vibe.
“Great.” Tyler pointed to the area in front of the hole in the stage. “Let’s set up here.”
Avery made herself busy, pulling out supplies from her backpack and concentrating on reassuring thoughts. She was with her best friends, the séance would be fun, there was no such thing as ghosts. She set three pillar candles on the floorboards and handed the long-stemmed butane lighter at Paige. No way was Avery going to play with fire right now. She was shaky enough as it was.
“Now,” Paige said. “To summon a spirit, we need to sit in a circle with our knees touching and the candles in the middle.”
Jaylen maneuvered himself next to Paige and Tyler took her other side, so Avery ended up across from her. They settled on the floorboards and sat cross-legged. Avery’s scraped knee smarted when it bumped up against Tyler’s leg.
Paige had to click the lighter a bunch of times before a weak flame spit out. Right away, the scar on Avery’s elbow throbbed. She purposefully breathed slowly, attempting to stay calm. Paige successfully lit one candle, but then the lighter quit working. She shook it forcefully.
“It’s out of fluid,” she said, dropping it on the floor.
“Way to be prepared,” Jaylen teased. “Did you even test that thing before you brought it?”
“Shush.” Paige picked up the lit candle and used it to ignite the other candles’ wicks.
“Guys, shouldn’t we turn off the ghost light if we want to talk to a ghost?” Jaylen asked.
Avery bit the inside of her cheek. She’d secretly hoped that everyone would forget about the ghost light. Then its beam would protect them, the séance would fail, and there’d be no way anything spooky would happen. Or, at least, less of a chance. As Tyler had said, a ghost light could just be part of a silly superstition.
“Facts.” Tyler sprang to his feet and groped around the pole until he found a switch at the base of the bulb. “Ready?”
Avery’s eyes found Paige’s. Paige gave her a confident smile and nodded.
Jaylen impatiently drummed his fingertips on his legs. “Let’s gooooo.”
Tyler flipped the switch, plunging the stage into near darkness except for the feeble illumination from the candles. He rejoined the circle.
“We need to hold hands, too,” Paige said.
They grasped hands, Jaylen smirking. Avery tried to recall the last time she’d held hands with Jaylen or Tyler. Probably in first grade. She squirmed inwardly.
Paige closed her eyes. “Maddie, hello. We’re here to speak with you. We mean no harm.”
Jaylen snickered.
“Stop it,” Paige hissed. “I’m just doing what the website said to.”
The candles cast ghastly shadows from under their chins, turning everyone into scarier versions of themselves—Tyler’s nose sharper, Paige’s eyelashes spidery, Jaylen’s gap-toothed grin like a jack-o-lantern’s. Avery’s palms grew damp with sweat. Beyond their circle, scraps of tape glowed in several spots on the floorboards. The gravestones were ominous lumps.
“Hello, Maddie?” Paige said. “Please, speak with us.”
Pause.
“Let us know you’re here.”
“Whooooo.”
Avery stiffened. Tyler sighed. Jaylen’s eyes widened innocently, even as the sound emitted from his barely open mouth.
“Would you cut it out?” Paige kicked him slightly with her foot.
“Ouch!” said Jaylen.
A faint, hollow whistle came from above.
Avery tightened her grip on Tyler’s hand. “Do you hear that?”
They all craned their heads up. Without the ghost light, the grid that made the bottom of the catwalk was barely visible. Beyond it, far up in the roof, was a gray, square outline.
The whistle returned, louder this time, echoing eerily around the space.
“I think there’s a vent in the ceiling,” Tyler said. “That’s moonlight coming in.”
“So, it’s the wind making that sound?” Avery’s voice wobbled.
“Yeah,” said Tyler. “It’s actually good there’s a vent, or this place would be even stuffier.”
“Shhhh,” Paige said. “Maddie, we would love to speak with you. Are you here?”
The only answer was another feeble rush of wind.
Jaylen fidgeted. “This isn’t working.”
“Maybe everyone should close their eyes, not just me,” said Paige. Avery watched as everyone else did, then closed her own. Paige cleared her throat. “Maddie, we are only here to say hello.”
Silence.
“Please show yourself.”
Nothing.
“Maddie?”
Avery opened an eyelid. Paige was frowning, her eyes screwed shut. Tyler was clearly peeking out from under his lashes, and Jaylen was blatantly watching Paige.
Paige’s eyes popped open, her gaze catching Jaylen mid-stare. “Jaylen, do you want this to work or not?”
“Fine,” Jalen huffed. He closed his eyes.
Avery did, too.
Paige resumed speaking. “Maddie, are you here?”
There was no answer.
“I told you there wasn’t a ghost,” Tyler said under his breath.
The tension Avery had held in every muscle of her body since she’d suggested the séance eased. “I mean, that would be good, right? If Maddie has passed on. Better than hanging around here.”
“Come on, guys, let’s keep trying,” Paige ordered. “We came all this way. Let’s all take a deep breath.”
They did.
“Maddie, are you here?”
A candle sizzled.
“Maddie,” Paige continued, “no one has forgotten your story.”
“We’re sorry this happened to you,” Avery added impulsively. A soft breeze brushed her cheek. Just the air from the vent, she thought.
Abruptly the wind chilled and increased, swirling around her. Avery’s eyes snapped open. Tyler had gone even paler, his freckles standing out in stark contrast to his white face. Beyond the wildly flickering candle flames, Paige’s ponytail whipped across her cheeks. What was happening? Jaylen squeezed Avery’s hand and jerked his chin toward the ceiling.
Avery followed his gaze, her mouth going dry. The figure of a young girl paced the catwalk. She wore shorts and a T-shirt, her hair was a fluff of curls—she looked like any other kid, except for the sickly, gray-green glow that radiated from her skin. Back and forth she stalked, hands covering her ears, mouth forming words that were indecipherable over the rising wind.
“Maddie?” Paige squeaked.
The ghost abruptly stopped, slapped its palms on the railing, and pushed itself up until its feet dangled above the catwalk floor. It leaned over, eyes bulging toward the back of the stage, totally unaware of the séance directly below.
“I’m not afraid of heights!” it howled, violently shaking its head from side to side. “I’m not!”
“Oh no,” said Avery with a terrible, creeping realization. “No!”
The ghost’s body lurched forward, and for a moment it dangled on the railing, torso hanging in open space, legs still over the catwalk. Its mouth opened, and a high, thin wail built above the roar of the wind. Then it toppled over the railing, falling straight toward the séance circle. Avery caught a spark of recognition in the ghost’s eyes, as though it saw them sitting there before its mouth spread impossibly wide and obliterated the rest of its face.
The candles went out.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Avery threw her arms up to protect herself, but no impact came. The wind cut off, the ghost vanished, and her friends erupted in chaos.
“Go, go, go!” yelled Paige.
In the pitch black, Avery scrambled to her knees, cracking heads with Jaylen, who was doing the same thing. She fumbled for her backpack and clambered upright, almost falling flat as her feet tangled with the towel.
“I can’t see!”
“Turn on your light!”
Hands shaking, Avery pulled her cell from her pocket and jabbed at it uselessly.
Tyler got his light on first. “Come on!”
They staggered in a clump toward the wings, Tyler leading, Avery right behind him.
“Quick!”
“Don’t push!”
Someone knocked into something that crashed to the floor with an earsplitting clatter.
“Watch it!”
They thundered down the stairs. As the jiggling beam of Tyler’s light hit the chair propping open the storage room door, Avery caught her breath. The gap leading into the storage room had shrunk to a sliver, and the chair was halfway over the threshold. Before Tyler could reach it, the weight of the door finished pushing the chair into the hall.
BANG! It slammed shut.
“No!” Tyler shouted.
“What happened?” Paige gasped.
“Open it!” Jaylen demanded.
Tyler bumbled over the chair, grasped the door handle, and turned. “It’s locked!”
“What?” Jaylen shoved Tyler aside. He twisted the handle and threw his shoulder against the door.
It didn’t budge.
“Is it after us?” Avery panted, clutching her backpack to her chest.
They backed against the walls, straining to see if anything chased them. The space at the top of the stairs was dark and silent.
Paige’s teeth chattered with fear. “What was it doing? Reenacting her death or something?”
“Maybe,” Jaylen said. “That happens on those ghost hunter shows.”
“Those shows are fake,” Tyler said, shaking his head.
“Really, man?” Jaylen snapped. “You gonna say that after what just happened?”
Tyler backpedaled. “Okay, there was definitely something unexplained—”
“I’ll explain it,” Jaylen said. “Ghosts are real, and we saw one. Boom.”
They all stared at each other, wild-eyed.
Jaylen broke into an impish grin. “And I can’t wait to tell everyone.”
“But how are we going to do that?” Paige said in a panic. “We’re trapped!”
“There has to be another way out,” Tyler said.
Avery edged slightly to her left. She’d been leaning on the closed door across from the storage room. “This must go under the stage. Maybe there’s another window?”
“Yes! Let’s go!” Paige exclaimed.
Avery twisted the doorknob. To her relief, the door opened. A waft of foul air smacked her in the face. Something squeaked and scuttled in the darkness beyond.
Paige gagged. “Shut it!”
Avery slammed the door. “What was that smell?”
“Something dead,” Tyler said. “Probably mice.”
“That was way too loud to be mice,” Paige said. “That had to be rats.”
Jaylen’s eyes bugged out. “Do not say that. I hate rats.”
“But we might have to go in there,” Avery said. “That could be the only way out.”
“No, actually, we don’t.” Jaylen’s face lit up. “There was no other basement window. We checked the perimeter, remember?”
“Are you sure?” Paige asked Tyler. He nodded tensely.
“Oh right,” Jaylen said, his face sagging. “Guess I shouldn’t be happy there isn’t another window.”
Avery’s stomach dropped as the reality of the situation sank in. What if they were trapped? “So how are we getting out of here?”
Tyler held up his phone. “We’ll call someone for help.”
“Nooooo,” Jaylen groaned. “I’ll get in so much trouble.”
“Me too,” Paige said. “And after I get in trouble, Natalie will murder me for getting her into trouble.”
Avery’s eyebrows flew up in disbelief. “Guys, who cares about getting into trouble? We’re stuck in here with an actual ghost!”
Tyler glanced up from his phone. “I don’t have service. Does anyone?”
Avery checked. She had no bars. Her friends’ dejected expressions told her they didn’t, either.
“Seriously?” Paige slumped against the wall.
“Probably because we’re in a basement,” Avery said. “So that means…”
Their heads all swiveled toward the steps. Tyler aimed his light at the top of the staircase. The space remained a black hole.
“I’m not going up there again,” Paige said.
“We have to,” Tyler said. “We can’t stay down here. It’s too cramped, anyway.” He pulled on the neck of his T-shirt, like it was too tight against his skin.
Avery swiped a hand across her sweaty forehead. “Okay. It’s okay. We’re going to get out.”
“I know.” Tyler snapped his fingers. “We’ll turn the ghost light back on.”
“I thought you said that was a superstition,” Jaylen said sarcastically.
“The ghost didn’t show up until we turned it off, so maybe it does work,” Tyler said.
“Oh, so now you believe?” Jaylen crossed his arms.
Tyler grimaced. “It can’t hurt.”
“But—but…,” Paige stuttered.
Jaylen placed his hand reassuringly on her shoulder. “I’ll protect you, Paige.”
Tyler clenched his jaw. “Really?”
The motionless air in the hall stirred, and the temperature dropped.
“You guys feel that?” Avery whispered.
Beyond the staircase, in the hallway’s dead-end shadows, something shifted. Goose bumps stung Avery’s skin as an icy breeze rose to a howling wind. A gray-green, glowing mass grew and pulsed until Maddie’s ghost materialized. Its mouth jerked stiffly like a marionette’s, or like it hadn’t been used in a very long time. Its eyes glared.
“GET OUT!” it screeched.
Avery hurtled headlong into the freezing wind and up the stairs, her friends pushing at her heels. At the top she almost tripped over the fallen podium, but Jaylen grabbed her elbow, righting her, and they all careened between the black curtains and onto the stage.
“Turn on the ghost light!” yelled Tyler, shining his light on it from behind.
Avery dashed to the pole, the wind continuing to pour from the basement. She fumbled for the switch and flipped it. The light blazed on.
The wind ceased. They all whirled to face the wings. A big bright dot from the sudden light blocked Avery’s vision. It slowly cleared, revealing only the fallen podium. No ghost.
“Where’d it go?” Paige squeaked.
“I don’t know,” Avery said. The catwalk above their heads was empty. Far beyond in the ceiling, the square of moonlight around the vent gleamed faintly. The absence of the howling wind amplified their ragged breathing.
Tyler checked his phone. “I still don’t have service.”
“Me neither,” said Paige, a hint of hysteria pushing her voice unnaturally high.
Avery and Jaylen each looked at their screens and shook their heads. He crammed his phone into his shorts pocket and kicked listlessly at the ghost light pole.
