Home, Sweet Haunt by P.J. Night

Author:P.J. Night
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Spotlight

CHAPTER 9

With a creak and a crack, the panel shook again.

“I can’t do it,” Caitlin said as she backed away from the panel. “Is it too late to cancel the invite?” She shouted to the wall, “Stay on the ninth floor, ghosts!”

Aleah started packing up her computer. “I think we should get out of here.”

“Rats!” LL said, shuddering. “Gotta be rats.”

“I’m being silly,” Nora said. She liked scaring people and she loved being scared herself. She was going to face the ghost.

Gathering her courage, Nora approached the panel in the wall.

Behind her Nora’s new friends had gathered near the door, so if things turned badly, they’d be the first ones out of the apartment, out of the building, out of trouble. Nora would be sacrificed to the . . . thing.

“Uuggghhh,” the ghost roared as the chains clanked loudly behind the wallpaper.

Nora didn’t stop to think about what she’d heard, or wait for the ghost to groan again. If she waited, even a second more, she would lose her nerve. She grabbed a loose corner of the large wooden square and yanked the panel open. She was surprised to find it was hinged on one side like a cabinet door. The door swung open.

Caitlin, Aleah, and LL all shrieked as the ghost tumbled out of the wall and crashed with a familiar heavy clump to the wooden floor.

“Friend or foe?” Caitlin asked, her eyes closed.

“Foe,” Nora said without hesitation. “Definitely the enemy.”

Lucas lay on the floor behind the couch, rolling around and laughing so hard he had to hold his belly.

Nora stared down on her brother and let out a long breath. “What are you doing here?”

“Did I scare you?” he asked, standing up and surveying each girl’s face. “I heard screaming, but it was hard to tell through the wall. Did I? Were you?”

“No!” Caitlin and Aleah declared, glancing tentatively at each other.

“Not me,” Nora told Lucas.

“How about you?” He turned to LL. “Were you scared? How about when I shook the panel? That was terrifying, right?”

“A little brother! Ugh. I should have known better,” LL said. “When I think that I was almost sucked into this nonsense.” She stood straighter. “My mom would be so disappointed. She’s one hundred percent right. There is no such thing as ghosts.” LL put her hands on her hips and snarled at Lucas. “Yes,” she admitted. “You got me this time, but it won’t happen ever again!”

“One out of four’s not bad,” Lucas said casually.

Nora could tell he knew he’d really scared them all, even her, a little. He had that twinkle in his eye. She’d never say it out loud, but Nora had to admit that it was a great prank.

“How’d you know about the dumbwaiter?” Nora asked.

Her brother had feathery white dust in his hair and black grease stains on his jeans.

“I told you about the building plans,” he reminded her. “The dumbwaiter is in your room, since that’s how the butler would get groceries in and send the trash out.

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