“What?” Amanda asked. She’s going to tell you Corky had some kind of breakdown, she thought.
Adele licked her lips and swallowed again. “What happened was so awful. I had nightmares about it, even though I hardly knew Bobbi.”
“Who’s Bobbi? I asked about Corky.”
“I know.” Adele took a shaky breath. “Okay. Bobbi was Corky’s sister. She was a year older, but they looked like twins. Blond hair, green eyes. Really great cheerleaders. The best at Shadyside High in years.”
Amanda frowned. “I never heard of her.”
“Probably because Bobbi wasn’t on the squad for long.” Adele drew her feet up on the chair and wrapped her arms around her knees. “She died. She was . . . scalded to death.”
“Scalded?” Amanda whispered.
Adele nodded. “In the girls’ shower room.”
Amanda shuddered, remembering Corky’s letter. The Evil killed people in horrible, gruesome ways.
“How did it happen?” she asked. “Did Bobbi faint and knock herself out or something?”
“No. Somebody—or something—locked the shower doors,” Adele said. “No one else was around, and Bobbi couldn’t get out. Every single shower head turned on, full blast. And something had clogged the drain. The boiling water kept rising and rising. Bobbi couldn’t escape it.”
Amanda’s stomach churned as she pictured the horrible scene. The big shower room with all those shower heads around the walls. Every one of them on, blasting out water hot enough to burn. And Bobbi Corcoran, trapped inside. Watching the water rise. Feeling her skin begin to blister. Screaming in terror.
“Corky found her,” Adele said. “She found her own sister, covered in blisters. Scalded to death.”
Corky didn’t write about that in her letter, Amanda thought. She probably couldn’t stand to think about it.
Her stomach churned again. She tossed the half-eaten apple into the wastepaper basket and swallowed several times. “Did they ever find out how it happened?”
Adele shook her head. “Never. Bobbi wasn’t the only one to die, either. And no one could explain those deaths, either. So the rumors got started. Horrible, sick rumors about how an evil spirit had come to life.”
Amanda felt the blood drain from her face. The little wooden box with its warning. The papers with instructions on how to call up the Evil. Corky’s letter.
Could it all really be true?
“Amanda, are you okay?” Adele asked.
“I’m all right,” she lied. “How . . . how did this evil spirit go around killing people?”
“According to the rumors, it possessed the body of one of the cheerleaders,” Adele explained. “It killed again and again and the poor possessed girl didn’t even know she was doing it.”
“Do you really believe this story?” Amanda asked.
“I don’t know what to believe.” Adele rose from the chair and slid her feet into a pair of blue flip-flops. “The whole thing sounds crazy, I know. But people did die. And nobody could ever explain those deaths.”
Amanda thought of Corky’s letter again. “What about now? I mean, is the spirit supposed to be dead? Or could it be called up again?”
Adele shot her a suspicious glance. “Why are you asking these questions, Amanda? You haven’t done anything to disturb the spirit—have you?”
Amanda turned away so Adele wouldn’t see her face and know she was lying. “No,” she replied. “Of course not.”
• • •
We haven’t done anything to disturb the Evil, Amanda thought as she pulled into the student parking lot at Shadyside High the next afternoon.
We haven’t.
And we won’t.
She still didn’t know whether to believe in the evil spirit. It sounded totally crazy, like something from a horror movie.
But people had died, as Adele said.
Was it just a bunch of horrible accidents? Or had one of the cheerleaders really been possessed?
I don’t want to find out, Amanda decided as she climbed out of the car. Why take any chances? Just get that box from Janine and throw it in the garbage.
No—burn it. It will be gone for good that way, joke or not.
Hitching her duffel bag on her shoulder, Amanda hurried across the parking lot. She was late. Not a good example for the captain of the squad to set.
As she pulled open the heavy door, a high-pitched scream echoed down the hallway. It came from the gym.
Amanda frowned and began to run down the hall.
What was going on? Had somebody been hurt?
Another scream pierced the air. The gym doors burst open. Keesha raced out, her face twisted in horror.
“She’s killing her!” Keesha shrieked. “She’s killing her!”
Chapter 7
EVIL BY CANDLELIGHT
“Hurry—she’s killing her!” Keesha repeated desperately.
“Who?” Amanda called out. “What are you talking about?”
But Keesha spun around and plunged back into the gym.
Another scream rang out as Amanda reached the gym doors. She hurried inside and stumbled to a stop, shocked at what she saw.
At the far end of the gym, Janine straddled Natalie, who lay on her back on the shiny floor. Natalie’s heels kicked against the wood and her slender fingers yanked hard at Janine’s hair.
It must have hurt, but Janine didn’t seem to feel it. Her hands pinned Natalie’s shoulders to the floor. Her round face was red with fury as she squinted down at the other girl.
Keesha darted forward and plucked at the sleeve of Janine’s sweatshirt. But Janine ignored her.
Victoria, who was probably strong enough to pull them apart, couldn’t seem to move. She stood frozen, watching the fight with a horrified expression on her face.
Amanda flung her bag aside and sprinted toward them.
“You’re crazy!” Natalie shrieked up at Janine, trying to twist her body sideways. “Get off me! You’re crazy!”
“You’re the one who’s nuts!” Janine shouted. She lifted her hands from Natalie’s shoulders and grabbed her wrists.
Natalie immediately rose up to a sitting position and shoved Janine sideways.
“Stop it!” Amanda shouted, as the two girls tumbled across the floor. Amanda gave Victoria a little shove. “Snap out of it, Vicki! Help me get them apart!”
Victoria blinked, then quickly reached down and wrapped her arms around Natalie’s waist. With one jerk, she lifted the slender cheerleader up and dragged her away from Janine.
Janine hopped to her feet and took a step toward Natalie. Amanda and Keesha each grabbed an arm and held her back.
“Cut it out!” Amanda ordered. “Both of you—just stop it!”
Victoria let go of Natalie. Amanda and Keesha dropped Janine’s arms.
The two cheerleaders glared at each other, breathing heavily.
“What happened?” Amanda demanded.
“She attacked me!” Natalie declared angrily.
“Because you were laughing at me,” Janine shot back. “You are a total jerk, Natalie. Talk about a sore winner!”
Confused, Amanda turned to Keesha and Victoria. “What happened?” she repeated.
“The coach picked Luke to play Friday night,” Keesha explained with a sigh. “Brandon will be sitting on the bench.”
“And Natalie just couldn’t wait to brag to me about it,” Janine declared. “As if she won the contest, and I lost. Get a life, Natalie,” she sneered, her eyes blazing. “Luke is the one who got picked—not you.”
Natalie started to reply, but Amanda cut her off. “Don’t say anything,” she snapped. “Not a single word.”
Natalie tossed her dark hair and scowled. But she kept quiet.
Amanda stared at the tops of her sneakers, thinking. I have to do something about this before it gets any worse. I’m the captain. I have to take charge.
Raising her head, Amanda stared at the two angry cheerleaders. “You guys are lucky Miss Da
ly isn’t here today,” she told them. “If she had seen this, she’d kick you both off the squad.”
“Amanda is right,” Keesha agreed.
“This whole competition thing is dumb,” Amanda said. “It’s not worth ruining everything over.”
Silence for a moment. Then Natalie glanced back at Janine. Her gray eyes still looked stormy, but she finally shrugged. “Sorry.”
“Yeah. Me too,” Janine muttered.
They’re still angry, Amanda thought. But at least they’re not trying to kill each other. “Okay, time to get to work,” she announced. “Let’s start with the Hoop cheer.”
The cheerleaders quickly arranged themselves in a line and began the cheer.
“HOOP—there it is!
HOOP—there it is!
TWOOOOO points!”
As they worked, Amanda kept glancing at Janine and Natalie. From their grim expressions, she could tell they were just going through the motions. But after a while, they loosened up and began to get into it.
Amanda relaxed a little. The feud is over, she thought. For now, at least.
As they finished the cheer, a door banged open at the other end of the court. The basketball team emerged from the locker room, shrugging into their jackets and swinging duffel bags and backpacks over their shoulders. They had finished practice and were free for the rest of the day.
Brandon walked slowly, head down, shoulders slumped.
Luke strode across the floor with a springy step that made his blond hair bounce. As he spotted Natalie, he shot her a satisfied grin and a thumbs-up.
Amanda glanced quickly at Janine. Janine was tying a shoelace, thank goodness. She didn’t see Natalie’s gloating expression.
The door banged open again and Judd emerged in jeans and a dark blue jacket. He paused to zip his backpack. Then he gazed down the court at the cheerleaders.
When he spotted Amanda, he waved to her, a warm smile spreading across his face.
Amanda waved back, feeling her stomach do its funny little flip again.
Whoa, she thought. That was more than just a friendly-type smile. Maybe he really is interested in me.
Amanda turned back to the squad. “Let’s do the new routine,” she told them. “Miss Daly said it wasn’t bad. I want to see if we can actually get a ‘good’ out of her.”
As they moved into position, Amanda caught a glimpse of someone high up in the bleachers. Andrew, she thought, waiting for Keesha.
No, not Andrew, she realized as she glanced up.
Dustin.
Sitting still as a statue, watching her with his green eyes narrowed to slits.
As Amanda stared back, her stomach clenched in a knot and the good feeling about Judd disappeared. Even from this distance, she could feel the cold intensity in Dustin’s gaze.
What is he doing up there? she wondered. Why did he stay behind?
And why is he watching me like that?
• • •
I hope Janine remembered to bring Corky’s box, Amanda thought that night as she walked the two blocks to Victoria’s house. I really want to get rid of it. Take it home and burn it in the fireplace.
A gusty wind blew down the street, making the bare trees creak and moan. Amanda shoved her hands deeper into the pockets of her jacket.
The wind is not even very cold, she told herself. But I’m shivering. Think about something else.
Or somebody else. Like Judd Hunter.
Picturing Judd’s blue eyes and dark hair, Amanda smiled to herself and turned the corner.
In front of her, a tall figure jumped out from the shadow of a tree.
Amanda gasped.
The figure moved closer.
A shaft of moonlight lit up his face. Sandy hair. Green eyes glittering in the light.
Dustin.
“What are you doing here?” Amanda cried. “You scared me to death!”
“Sorry.” Dustin came even closer. “I need to talk to you.”
“So you decided to hide behind a tree in the dark?” Amanda asked sarcastically.
Dustin frowned. “I wasn’t hiding.”
You could have fooled me, Amanda thought. She didn’t say it, though. The angry look on Dustin’s face stopped her. “I have to be at Victoria’s,” she told him.
“This is much more important,” Dustin snapped. “This is about you and me. About what you said yesterday.”
“About us breaking up, you mean.”
“You never bothered to ask me how I felt about it, you know,” he told her bitterly. “Well, guess what? I don’t agree with you. I want us to stay together.”
Amanda shook her head. “Dustin . . .”
“Hey!” he snapped again. “Don’t say no until you think about it. You have one lousy conversation with the golden boy, Judd Hunter, and you decide to break up with me.”
“That’s not true,” Amanda declared.
Dustin sneered. “You think I didn’t see the look on your face when you were talking to him? Please. And today when he waved at you, you practically drooled—it was really pathetic.”
“Dustin—” Amanda began.
But he interrupted her. “You hardly know the guy, Amanda. What makes you think he’s interested in you?”
“Judd doesn’t have anything to do with this!” Amanda insisted. “It’s you, Dustin. I want to break up with you.” She stepped aside and began to walk away.
Dustin grabbed her arm and swung her around to face him. “And what about what I want?” he demanded.
Frightened at the anger and bitterness in his eyes, Amanda wrenched her arm free and ran down the sidewalk.
What’s wrong with him? she wondered. He’s always been intense, but this is different. This is scary.
Still frightened, Amanda glanced back over her shoulder.
Dustin followed her. He wasn’t running, but his long legs were quickly eating up the distance between them.
He’s crazy, she thought. Crazy!
Putting on a burst of speed, Amanda raced to the middle of the block and up the walk onto Victoria’s porch. The front door wasn’t locked. Amanda hurried in and locked it behind her.
Breathless, she stood on tiptoe and peeked out the little window at the top of the door.
Dustin stood at the end of the sidewalk. He stared at the house for a few seconds, then jammed his fists into his pockets and walked away.
Sighing with relief, Amanda hurried down the hall to the kitchen. “You’ll never believe—” she started.
Then she stopped.
The room was dark except for candles.
Black candles, set in a circle on top of the round oak table.
The other cheerleaders sat around the table, gazing at the flames. The candles waved and flickered, throwing shadows on the walls.
Amanda caught her breath. “What are you doing?”
“You missed it, Amanda,” Victoria replied. She smiled, and the candlelight flickered eerily in her eyes. “We called up the evil spirit. It’s here!”
Chapter 8
THE EVIL APPEARS
“Huh? No!” Amanda gasped.
“Yes,” Victoria insisted. “Can’t you feel it? Can’t you tell it’s here?”
Amanda’s knees felt shaky. Her heart pounded. “You shouldn’t have done it!”
Keesha laughed. “We didn’t.”
“Huh?”
“Relax, Amanda,” Natalie told her. “Victoria was just joking. We didn’t call up any evil spirit.”
Amanda sagged against the door frame in relief.
“We’re about to call it, though,” Victoria said.
Amanda tensed up again.
“We were just waiting for you,” Janine explained. She gestured at the black candles, making the flames waver wildly. “How do you like the atmosphere?”
“You shouldn’t be playing this game!” Amanda cried.
“It’s not a game,” Keesha protested. “Tell her, Janine.”
“You remember those papers in the bot
tom of the box?” Janine asked. “Well, they were pages that had been torn out of a book. A really old book, I think, because the paper’s real thin and crinkly and rusty colored. Anyway, it gave instructions on how to call up the Evil.”
“Right. You sit in a circle,” Keesha said. “And you light one black candle for every person there.” She pointed to an empty chair with a candle in front of it. “That’s yours, Amanda.”
“Come on, Amanda.” Victoria patted the empty chair between her and Natalie. “Sit down so we can get started.”
“No!” Amanda shouted.
The others stared at her, startled.
“You think this whole thing is a joke, but it’s not,” Amanda told them. “It’s really dangerous.”
Victoria and Keesha laughed. Janine snickered. Even Natalie smiled. “Come on, Amanda,” Keesha said. “You don’t really think anything is going to happen, do you? It’s just a goof.”
“It’s not!” Amanda protested sharply. “I asked Adele about Corky Corcoran. And you know what she told me? Everything that Corky wrote really happened! Her sister Bobbi died. Bobbi was scalded to death in the locker-room shower. And she wasn’t the only one. Other people died, too. The Evil possessed some of the cheerleaders—took over their minds. And they killed without even knowing it!”
“Well, that won’t happen this time,” Janine assured her. “Corky’s letter told us how to kill the Evil, remember? It has to be drowned.”
“See, Amanda?” Keesha grinned. “All we have to do is tie it to a cement block and toss it in the lake.”
“This isn’t funny,” Amanda said. “Don’t you get it? If we call the spirit up, it might possess one of us. One of us might start killing!”
“Get a grip, Amanda,” Janine told her. “You’re practically hysterical.”
“I can’t help it!” Amanda took a deep breath and forced herself to speak more calmly. “We shouldn’t mess around with this.”
Keesha rolled her eyes. Natalie and Victoria exchanged a skeptical glance.
“Don’t be such a baby,” Janine moaned. “It’s just for fun—nothing is going to happen.”
The others nodded.
“How can you be sure nothing will happen?” Amanda asked.