The Secret Dead Club by Karen Strong

Author:Karen Strong
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published: 2024-08-20T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The next morning, I search for Miki in the hallways, but I don’t find her—she’s avoiding me.

I arrive early to Ms. Kimball’s class, but when the late bell rings, she doesn’t show up. This is when I realize Miki hasn’t come to school at all.

In the cafeteria, Danni-Lynn sits alone at a high-top table. She’s wearing another one of her ruffled blouses and tailored pants. Her hair isn’t in a sleek bun today, and her curly brown hair surrounds her head like a halo. With my Grand Canyon T-shirt, jeans, and blue and gold braids, I look like her total opposite. We’re two girls who seem like they have nothing in common—at least from our appearances. When Danni-Lynn sees me, she gives a dainty wave and grins wide.

Since the cafeteria disaster with the guide ghost, everyone has already forgotten about me. I’m still the new girl from Las Vegas, but they don’t whisper about me anymore.

I do catch Alexa staring at me. When we lock eyes, she frowns at me. A twinge of disappointment shifts in my chest. I’ve always wanted to meet someone else who could speak to the dead. I want to tell her about Caleb Callahan. I want to let her know Nana’s haunted house is a safe haven. But Alexa doesn’t want anything to do with me, and I’m not sure if it’s worth trying to convince her otherwise.

I sit across from Danni-Lynn. “Do you know where Miki is today?”

“She called me this morning and told me she wasn’t feeling well. Knowing Miki, she probably didn’t study for her math test.”

I pull out my lunch bag. “Is that all she told you?”

Danni-Lynn purses her lips as she studies me and then widens her eyes. “Did y’all have a fight?”

“Not exactly.” I unwrap my sandwich.

Danni-Lynn narrows her eyes in suspicion. “What did Miki do?”

I fidget in my seat and glance at Alexa’s table. Violet kept the club and its members a secret. It’s the reason none of Alexa’s friends know she can see ghosts. Miki and Danni-Lynn kept their oaths. Neither one shared anything with me until I became a full member. Miki never told me or even hinted that Alexa was like me. Not telling her secret showed integrity and character, which made Miki’s lie even more confusing.

“We can’t talk about it here,” I tell Danni-Lynn. “It’s club business.”

Danni-Lynn’s face turns serious. “Understood, but I’ll have to put this on the agenda for our next meeting. We can’t have discord in the club.”

I want to ask her if she knows the truth about Alexa, but I decide to respect the oath too.

“Well, since we can’t talk about that…” Danni-Lynn gives me a sly smirk, as if she’s about to share some juicy gossip. “Did you hear Leo Stacks walked off the set of Loveburned? They’re in the middle of filming the final season! The fans are up in arms, and it’s breaking my heart. Nobody else can play his character! What is Leo thinking?”

My eyes shift to Laura Tarkington as she enters the cafeteria.

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