Amanda and I stood in front of Tina’s food table. We watched crowds of people streaming into the carnival, laughing and spending lots of money on food and games and other activities.
“I threw out all the maggoty food,” Tina told us. “My dad and I had an emergency bake session this afternoon. We don’t have as much stuff to sell as before—but at least it doesn’t have bugs in it! Yuck!”
I peered closely at a chocolate chip cookie. No sign of bugs—but I decided not to take any chances.
“I’ll have two sugar cookies,” Amanda ordered.
“One dollar,” Tina said.
I paid Tina and Amanda took the cookies. “Mmm!” she cried, biting into one. “Yummy.”
Amanda and I strolled past the art sale. Parents crowded the booth, buying their kids’ stuff.
I waved at Elizabeth Gordon, who was working at the booth. “Everything going okay?” I asked her.
“Yes. Awesome.” She smiled. “Oliver wanted me to tell you it’s your turn to do ticket-taking,” she added. “His shift is over.”
“Okay.” I turned to Amanda. “Will you be all right on your own for a little while? I’ve got to take tickets at the door.”
“I’ll keep an eye on her.” Anthony suddenly appeared behind us.
I hesitated. I wasn’t sure I wanted to leave Amanda with Anthony. But I figured it was better than leaving her alone.
“Don’t worry, I won’t toss her in the dunking tank,” he promised.
“Ha ha. I’ll be okay, Beth,” Amanda assured me.
“Well … all right. But if you need me, Amanda, I’ll be at the front entrance. Okay?”
“Whatever,” she said impatiently.
I sighed and walked to the gym entrance. Oliver Slivka stood up at the ticket table.
“Finally,” he groaned. “You were supposed to take over half an hour ago.”
“Sorry, Oliver.” I sat down behind the cash box. “Thanks for helping.”
I nodded to the policeman standing just outside the gym doors. Mrs. Cooke had hired extra security for the carnival, just in case.
As people arrived, I sold them tickets. All the while I tried to keep an eye out for Amanda and Anthony.
I saw Amanda at the basketball toss game.
Where’s Anthony? I wondered. I didn’t see him.
It’s just like him to offer to watch Amanda and then disappear.
The next time I checked, Amanda had won a huge stuffed bear at the ring toss booth. She headed toward the face-painting tables.
I guess she’s okay, I decided.
Kids in the school band climbed onto the stage to give a concert. I searched for Amanda. She was busy having her face painted.
Still no sign of Anthony, I thought, annoyed. Where did he go?
Suddenly, the gym lights dimmed. I gasped. What’s happening? I wondered.
I glanced up as a tall figure stepped into the gym.
He wore a long gray robe. His face was hidden by a large hood.
I strained to see the face behind the hood. “Um —admission is one dollar,” I said.
The mysterious figure didn’t seem to hear me.
I held out a ticket. “One dollar, please.”
He raised both arms. I gasped again as the lights in the gym flashed on and off.
People cried out in surprise. The band stopped playing.
The air suddenly grew cold. I shivered.
The robed figure pushed past me, walking stiffly. “Hey!” I cried. “Stop!”
He ignored me. People turned to stare at him, terrified.
“Stop!” I yelled again.
The stranger began to twirl. Round and round, faster and faster. The gym lights flashed off and on, off and on.
What’s happening? I thought. Who is that?
I felt as if I were spinning too. Faster and faster, round and round.
Whoa. I clutched my head, feeling dizzy.
The whole gym is spinning! I realized. Just like the stranger, faster and faster.
What’s he doing? I thought, terrified. “Stop him!” I shrieked. “Stop him!”
I stared dizzily through the haze of blinking lights. Everyone in the gym seemed stunned, unable to move.
“Get him!” I repeated weakly.
The stranger stopped spinning and stabbed the air with both hands.
The lights blinked faster. The gym doors slammed shut with a loud BOOM.
A low hum buzzed through the air. It grew louder and louder, until finally the hum became a roar. The roar of a speeding plane about to crash.
What’s that sound? I thought, staring around the room.
The floor of the gym shook. People tumbled to the ground. I struggled to keep my balance.
“No!” I cried. “Please! Please!”
The water splashed up from the dunking tank and swept over the gym like a tidal wave. People were screaming now—screaming and running for cover. I dove across the gym as the water washed over my feet.
I saw the food table ahead of me. Tina cowered behind it.
I’ll jump on top of it, I decided.
I splashed across the gym floor. Just as I was about to leap, the food table suddenly burst into flames.
“Help!” Tina screamed, stumbling away. People were scurrying in all directions, screaming and crying in panic.
I headed toward the basketball booth. Right before I reached it, it exploded!
Screams echoed through the gym. The air filled with smoke. I’ve got to find Amanda, I realized.
“Amanda!” I shouted. “Amanda! Where are you?”
The gym rocked and tossed like a boat on the ocean.
I stumbled across the floor, trying to keep my balance.
“Amanda!” I screamed again.
Another buzz. Something dove toward my head. I ducked.
Wasps! The gym was swarming with wasps. They buzzed through the air, darting and diving.
People shrieked as the wasps attacked.
An angry swarm of wasps surrounded me like a dark cloud.
“Noooo!” A scream escaped my throat. I covered my head and tried to run away from them.
The swarm stuck with me. I scooped a handful of water off the wet floor and tried to splash them away.
The wasps buzzed off to attack someone else.
“Get me out of here!” a man pleaded. He threw himself against the door and banged on it furiously.
It wouldn’t open. It was locked!
People piled up against the door, pushing and shoving.
“Let us out!” they shouted.
Another game booth exploded into flames.
I scanned the gym for my little sister. And spotted her cowering against the back wall, surrounded by wasps. She was screaming and covering her head.
“Amanda!” I called over the deafening noise. “I’m coming!”
I dove across the gym floor. Panicking people blocked my way. I shoved them aside. I had to reach Amanda.
I saw the hooded stranger ahead of me. He glided across the floor. Nothing bothered him—not the wasps, or the rocking, spinning gym, or the flames dancing over the room.
He just kept moving—heading straight for Amanda!
I had to get to her first. My way was blocked by the face-painting table.
I crawled over the table. I jumped off. The table burst into flames.
I dodged the fire.
Too late.
The hooded figure grabbed Amanda—and lifted her off the floor.
“No!” I shrieked. “Let her go!”
Amanda screamed in terror.
The stranger swung her high—and carried her away.
Amanda’s voice sounded so tiny over the cries of the crowd. “Beth—help! Help me!”
I’ve got to save her! I thought. I raced to the back of the gym and threw myself at the stranger, trying to tackle him.
Missed!
I belly-flopped to the floor. The stranger stood a few feet behind me, Amanda over his shoulder.
How did he dodge me so quickly? I wondered, jumping to my feet.
People were shouting and crying, running in all directions. The stranger pressed through the crowd, carrying Amanda halfway across the gym.
“Beth!” Amanda screamed. “Stop him!” She pounded on the stranger’s back. It had no effect on him.
I chased them again. As I ran, the policeman burst through the front doors. People flooded outside.
“Help!” I shouted to the policeman. I waved to him from the back of the gym. The stranger stood between me and the policeman, heading for the doors.
“Stop him!” I called to the policeman. “He’s got my sister!”
The policeman sped toward the stranger and tackled him.
But the stranger slipped out of his grasp—like air.
Then the stranger appeared behind the policeman, Amanda over his shoulder.
He’s heading for the doors! I thought, panicking. I raced toward them. But so many people blocked my way!
“Stop him!” I screamed. “He’s taking my sister!”
The policeman jumped to his feet and whirled around. He dove at the stranger again—and knocked him down. Amanda tumbled to the floor.
The policeman pinned down the stranger. Amanda rushed into my arms.
“Beth!” she sobbed. “I-I’m so scared!”
I held her. The policeman handcuffed the stranger.
Then he pulled off the stranger’s hood.
“No!” I gasped. “Not you!”
I stared in shock as the hood slid back— revealing Miss Gold.
Her blonde hair shone in the light. The black ring flashed on her finger.
Her eyes rolled around in their sockets.
“It wasn’t me!” she shrieked. “I swear it wasn’t me!”
Huh? What is she saying? I wondered.
The ring flashed again.
The police began to lead Miss Gold away. She screamed and thrashed, trying to pull free.
Stunned, I hugged Amanda tighter.
It must have been Miss Gold all along, I realized. All the terrible things that happened—she did them!
But why? And how? How did she do all those frightening things?
It was almost … not human, I realized. The ground shaking, the lights flashing, the wasps attacking …
What happened to her? I wondered. She always seemed so nice. How could she be so evil?
I had to find some answers. I knew if I didn’t, it would bother me for the rest of my life.
I let go of Amanda and raced out of the gym. The police had just locked Miss Gold in the backseat of their car.
“Wait!” I shouted.
Too late.
They didn’t hear me. They sped away.
Something flashed on the sidewalk in front of me. I bent down to pick it up.
The black ring!
Did she drop it? Did she throw it away?
I stared into the black jewel. The evil face glared out at me.
I couldn’t stop staring at it. Staring … staring. And then something made me slip the ring on my finger.
I shook my head, trying to clear my mind. What am I doing? I asked myself.
I tried to pull off the ring.
But I felt it tighten around my finger.
No! I yanked on it again.
No! I thought. It’s stuck! So tight now … so tight.
I raised the shiny jewel and stared at the smoky face inside.
My heart froze.
The face appeared to be laughing.
Why?
“This always works.” Mom was greasing my ring finger with butter.
“I hope so,” I muttered. I’d already tried soaking my finger in cold water and tugging until my finger was red and sore.
Mom tried to slide the ring off. It stuck at the knuckle.
“Beth, how did you get this thing on?” Mom demanded. “It’s too small to fit over your knuckle!”
“I know,” I sighed.
Mom yanked on the ring. No use.
“Isn’t there anything else we can try?” I pleaded. “Axle grease? Olive oil? Anything?”
“I’ll try to think of something.” Mom stared at my finger, puzzled. “Maybe your finger is swollen from all the tugging we’ve done. Let it sit for a while.”
I don’t want to let it sit, I thought, twisting the ring.
The face in the jewel stared out at me.
I want to get this ring off—now!
Miss Gold got it off somehow, I thought, rubbing the black band.
Maybe she can tell me how she did it.
“Beth! Mom!” Amanda called from the living room. “The school carnival is on the news!”
Mom and I rushed into the living room to watch. A reporter stood in the wreckage of the gym, interviewing parents and teachers.
They all seemed frightened and baffled. Mrs. Cooke, the principal, said, “I apologize to everyone. But I can’t explain it. It seems one of our sixth-grade teachers was having emotional problems. But she showed no sign of it
…”
“Because of the incident, Marchfield Middle School will be closed for the rest of the week,” the reporter announced. “The teacher, Miss Melanie Gold, was taken to Marchfield Hospital for testing.”
I glanced at Mom. I knew she would never want me to see Miss Gold. Not after what happened at the carnival.
Mom would say it was too dangerous. After all, Miss Gold had gone crazy.
But I had to see her. I had to find out what had happened to her. Why she had done so many terrible things.
“It’s very late, girls,” Mom said, switching off the TV. “And you’ve had an upsetting evening. I think we should all go to bed.”
She dragged herself off the couch. She kissed Amanda good night, then me. I watched her go into the kitchen to turn on the dishwasher.
I went out to the back porch to say good night to Chirpy. I tried to feed him some seeds, but he wouldn’t eat. He doesn’t seem to be getting better, I thought sadly.
Tomorrow, I vowed. Tomorrow I’ll sneak down to the hospital and see Miss Gold.
Maybe she can help me get the ring off. And maybe she can explain what happened today.
I went to bed late that night. I fell into a strange, restless sleep, haunted by dreams.
“It’s dark,” I murmured to myself. “It’s so dark. …”
I stepped forward—and crashed into a wall. Everything was pitch-black. I couldn’t see at all.
I slid my hands along the wall. It felt slippery, like butter.
I’m in a maze, I realized. I have to feel my way through.
But where am I going? I wondered. What’s at the end of the maze?
I stumbled through blindly. My hands were coated with grease.
At last I could see. I stood in the gym, surrounded by ducks. Only, instead of duck heads, they all had human heads.
One duck head looked exactly like Danny Jacobs. The next one looked like Tina Crowley. Another duck was Anthony Gonzales.
“This isn’t right!” I screamed. “Your heads don’t belong on duck bodies!”
I grabbed the Anthony duck and tore its head off. Blood gushed from its neck. Feathers flew into the air.
“Ha ha ha ha!” I laughed. I splashed my hand in the blood and rubbed it on the black ring.
“This will get the ring off!” I cackled. “Blood will take it off!
“No!” I sat up. I blinked.
My room was just beginning to get light. Dawn.
What a weird dream, I thought. I touched my face. It was burning hot. My nightshirt clung wetly to my back.
Why am I sweating? I wondered. Why did I have so many weird dreams last night?
I squinted at the black ring. The smoky face inside seemed to gaze out at me.
I shuddered.
It seemed to stare into my eyes. As if it were trying to read something there.
“Beth?”
I gasped, startled. Amanda stood in the doorway.
/> “What?” I cried. “What are you doing up?”
“Beth—why did you do that?” Amanda asked.
“Huh? Do what?”
The room slowly grew lighter. I gazed around.
Oh, no, I thought.
Did I do that?
Feathers floated in the air. Feathers covered the floor, my desk, my chair, my bed.
My pillows had been ripped apart—as if a wild animal had torn them to shreds.
“Beth, what is your problem?” Mom scolded. “It looks like a monster tore through here!”
I was beginning to clean my room when Mom got up.
“It’s just feathers.” I tried to make it sound like nothing weird had happened. “It’s no big deal.”
Mom studied a shredded piece of pillowcase. “It’s not like you, Beth. You’ve never done anything like this before.”
I know, I thought. Tell me about it.
“I did it in my sleep.” I tried to keep my voice steady. “I was having a nightmare.”
She gazed at me with that worried look she gets. I plugged in the vacuum cleaner.
“Beth—the carnival last night. Is there anything you want to talk—”
I didn’t hear the rest of what she said. I drowned her out with the vacuum cleaner.
That afternoon I rode my bike downtown to Marchfield Hospital.
I slipped upstairs and asked a nurse where Miss Gold was staying.
“She’s in this ward,” the nurse told me. “Do you have flowers or a card for her?”
“No,” I replied. “I need to see her.”
“I’m sorry,” the nurse said. “No one is allowed to see her. Doctor’s orders.”
“I’m one of her students,” I protested. “I’ve got to see her. Just for a minute.”
“Absolutely not.” The nurse frowned. “If you want to leave her a card or something, I’ll see that she gets it.” She turned away to answer the phone.
I stared down the long hallway. Door after door after door, and they all looked alike.
I wish I knew her room number, I thought. Then maybe I could sneak in and see her.
I tried to peek at the charts on the nurse’s desk. Maybe I could glimpse Miss Gold’s room number there.
I stood on tiptoe, reading upside down. I didn’t see any room numbers.
The nurse hung up the phone. “Please don’t hang around here, miss.”