Ghost Squad

by Claribel A. Ortega

  She nodded in response, still too shaken up to say much.

  They walked in silence toward the church. Even Chunk was quiet; the only sound was the night air whooshing softly and the occasional crunch of gravel or twigs underfoot. Lucely’s stomach tightened with anxiety when someone cleared their throat just next to her ear.

  “Ah!” Lucely jumped back and spun around toward the noise.

  Standing there in the dark was a man. He was wearing a fancy suit that didn’t look like anything from this century and holding a hat to his chest.

  “Excuse me, miss, sorry to have frightened you. Have you seen my teeth?” The man—or ghost rather—smiled and showed them he was missing several teeth.

  Lucely grabbed Syd’s hand and turned to run, but the ghost simply swooped in front of them with a distressed look on his face.

  “It’s quite rude to walk away when someone asks you a question, dear. I only require assistance with my missing teeth. My name is Judge John Stickney, 1882. Pleased to meet you.”

  “Uh, I’m Lucely, and that’s Syd.” Lucely figured that if this ghost meant to hurt them, he already would have. And she didn’t get the strange, awful, cold feeling she did with the mist monster. He was more like her fireflies. Dead but just slightly see-through. “Is 1882 when you were born?”

  “Oh no, that’s when I died.” A stricken look crossed the judge’s face. “And those terrible thieves stole my gold teeth! You haven’t happened to see them, have you?”

  He was so hopeful and seemed so earnest, Lucely actually felt bad she didn’t know where this guy’s missing teeth were.

  Syd threw her hands up and shrugged. “Sorry, Judge John, we have no idea where your teeth are.”

  “We can keep an eye out for them though,” Lucely offered.

  “That would be most wonderful.” The judge clapped two translucent hands together. “It’s more than anyone else has ever offered. Usually people just scream and run away from me. I can’t imagine why.”

  “Yeah, it’s a mystery to all of us,” Lucely said.

  “I’ll be off now, but do remember to give word if you find my teeth. It’s awfully hard to be respectable without them, and I have a party to attend with the Pancake sisters.”

  “Pancake sisters?” asked Syd.

  “Yes, an unusual name, but what can one really expect from witches?” the judge said, laughing. “So long, Syd and Lucely. I hope to see you soon and that you bring news of my teeth.”

  With that, Judge John floated up and away from them, disappearing between the trees.

  “That was about a thirteen on a one-to-ten scale of weirdness,” said Lucely.

  “I was gonna say ten, but thirteen sounds more accurate.”

  “At least he didn’t try to kill us.”

  “Or take our teeth,” said Syd.

  Thunder rumbled overhead. As they walked on, a flash of lightning illuminated the sky. Then came the rain, drenching them immediately. They tucked their heads down and ran, water and mud splashing underfoot. However, the closer they seemed to get to the church, the farther it seemed to move away from them. Lucely let out a sigh of frustration, and her breath came out in a white puffy cloud. They looked at each other when Lucely noticed something else.

  “Where’s Chunk?”

  “I thought she was with you.” Syd’s voice was laced with alarm.

  Lucely shook her head, and her heart sank thinking of Chunk being lost and alone in the cemetery.

  “Oh my gosh.” Syd started running around and calling for Chunk, and Lucely did the same.

  “Chunk!” They cried, but the wind and the rain made everything harder to hear and see.

  Lucely saw Syd’s shoulders slump. The cemetery was so dark, and she could’ve been hiding anywhere. Lucely pulled Syd under the protection of a giant elm. Under its branches and leaves, the wind was a little calmer.

  “Poor Chunk. I can’t believe we lost her.” Syd put her hands on her head.

  “We’ll find her. Don’t worry.”

  Just then, Lucely saw a flash of white streak behind the church.

  “Come on.” She pulled Syd in the direction of the church, hoping it was the light of the moon reflecting on Chunk’s cat eyes.

  WHEN SHE WAS TEN, Lucely had watched a scary movie that, looking back, wasn’t very scary at all. Still, she’d had nightmares for a week. Every night, the monster from the movie would come to her in her sleep—jagged teeth gleaming, eyes red, horrible black claws. It wasn’t until Mamá said a protection prayer over her and instructed her to cross her slippers in front of her bed at night that the nightmares stopped. However, Lucely would’ve gladly traded her nightmare monster for whatever was staring down at them now.

  Everything about this creature was terrifying. Its gargantuan mass was covered in scales, like a dragon, except the scales were see-through, and its eyes glowed green and red.

  The spirit seemed to be searching for something—for them?—exhaling streams of white-hot flames into the air and setting the trees around them ablaze.

  Lucely grabbed Syd’s hand and sprinted toward the church.

  “Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh, we’re gonna die!” Syd screamed as they ran.

  “Don’t talk like that! ‘Goonies never say die.’ Remember?” Lucely tried one of the doors of the church, but it was locked.

  “Come on!” Lucely said as they searched for another entrance. The ground trembled beneath them, and the sight of the dragon spirit on their heels sent a fresh wave of terror through Lucely.

  Streams of fire licked the ground around them as Lucely tried another door. This one wasn’t locked, but it was heavy.

  Syd and Lucely each grabbed on to one of the handles and pulled as hard as they could.

  “RAAAAAAAAAAA!”

  The monster was on their side of the cathedral now and closing in on them. It shot a stream of fire in their direction, singeing the end of Lucely’s sweatshirt.

  “Pull, Syd! As hard as you can on three!”

  Syd nodded frantically, sweat flying from her face as she did.

  “One, two, three!” Lucely yelled.

  Just as the dragon opened its mouth and took aim at them again, the door groaned open enough that they were able to slip inside. Lucely slammed the heavy door shut and jammed the thick metal lock into place.

  They crouched beneath one of the pews toward the back of the cathedral, trying to steady their breathing.

  “What are we gonna do now?” Syd whispered, wiping tears and sweat from her eyes.

  “I don’t think that dragon thing can get in here,” said Lucely. “But we should be ready in case.”

  As quickly as they could, Lucely and Syd began making a safety circle around themselves. Once their salt circle was complete, they started lighting as many candles as they could before the monster got too close.

  The entrance to the church rattled violently; the dragon spirit seemed to be ramming against the doors repeatedly, causing them to splinter. Howls of rage erupted from the other side.

  “It’s gonna eat us,” Syd said. “It was nice knowing you, Luce.”

  “We’re not gonna die. Not tonight, not like this,” Lucely said, with more conviction than she felt. She wouldn’t let Syd feel afraid if she could help it. She could do that, at least.

  Syd nodded in her direction and took the ghost catchers out of her bag, handing one to Lucely and holding hers open.

  “Put your catcher down right outside the circle,” Syd said.

  “What about Macarena and Benny?” Lucely asked. She had been so busy being scared out of her mind that she had forgotten all about them. She didn’t think any of her firefly family had been away from the tree for so long, and her heart lurched at the thought of them being hurt.

  “We’re okay.” Macarena’s voice floated toward Lucely.

  “This is more fun than I’ve had in twenty years!” Benny’s voice came from his catcher.

  “Maybe the Florida water will keep them safe too?” sugges
ted Syd.

  “I hope so,” Lucely said. “Okay, so what are we gonna do if it doesn’t work?”

  “Hide. Or run. Anything but stand here and get turned into barbecue.”

  “RAAAAAAAAAAA!”

  The monster’s shriek reverberated throughout the church from behind them, its head now halfway through the splintered doors. Flames erupted from its open mouth, setting a few pews on fire.

  They broke into a run, narrowly missing the monster’s attack and leaving their catchers behind. Lucely and Syd stood with their backs against the wall of the church, with the dragon across the room from them and the ghost catchers and circle of salt at the center. There was no exit in sight.

  “We need to try to get the catchers,” Lucely said.

  “Are you serious? That thing has its head halfway inside. One more push and we’re dino snacks!”

  “We can either get the catchers and maybe stand a chance, or be totally helpless and get eaten once it finds us hiding back here. Plus, we can’t leave the fireflies.” Lucely looked over at Syd.

  “Fine, but we go together,” said Syd.

  Lucely smiled at Syd, and they held hands again.

  “This dragon’s gonna wish it had never messed with Lucely Luna and Syd Faires!”

  The far side of the cathedral erupted in a hail of wood and stone. Most of the dragon’s head was now peeking through the church’s splintered door, smoke billowing from its massive nostrils.

  The dragon roared just as Lucely and Syd attempted to sneak past the organ, startling them both backward and onto the organ’s massive keys. The pipes blared out a loud, disjointed note, catching the dragon’s attention. It turned on them and let out a violent jet of flames.

  “Duck!” Lucely shouted, and they both dove for the floor, narrowly escaping the fire.

  “No more loud noises, got it,” whispered Syd.

  Finally, the girls reached the pew nearest to the salt circle and the ghost catchers.

  With one final squeeze of her hand, Lucely took off, Syd at her side.

  Just as they reached the circle, the dragon broke through the door and charged right for them.

  There was no time for Lucely to react, no time to turn back, no time to even look at Syd.

  Lucely closed her eyes and threw her arms up in self-defense, ghost catcher in hand.

  Then a warm light rushed past her.

  “Back, foul beast!” a familiar voice commanded.

  Lucely opened her eyes to see Babette standing between them and the dragon, a wand held up to the creature’s snout. The dragon scuttled back, sneering at them. It took one tentative step forward, looking scared for once.

  “One more step, and I’ll turn you into a rain cloud, you oversize iguana,” Babette spat.

  As if to challenge her, the dragon moved to advance.

  Babette made a circle with her wand, and a wave of purple light pulsed out at the monster. It bayed, throwing its massive head back and attacking them with another rain of fire. But this time, they had Babette. She rushed at the dragon, wand up, her dreadlocks flying behind her. Her cape curled at the end like a barrier, keeping Lucely and Syd safe.

  “Reverse, rearward from whence you came!” Babette’s voice boomed as if it were coming from all around them. The organ began to play in tune with her voice.

  The dragon shrieked and scrambled back, trying to escape Babette.

  “Back, back! Into the flames!” Violet flames shot from her wand and hit the dragon directly between the eyes. It let out one final, bloodcurdling shriek, and then it began to burn.

  “Uh, best if you don’t see what happens next,” said Babette, turning around to face them.

  When the dragon roared again, so loudly this time that the stained-glass windows shattered in a hail of rainbow shards, Babette threw her large purple cape over the girls, plunging them into darkness.

  BABETTE LOOMED over Lucely and Syd, pacing back and forth in a silent rage as they sat petrified in her living room. If they weren’t already dead, they would be soon.

  The good news was that Chunk wasn’t lost. She was sitting on Babette’s desk looking every bit as disappointed as Syd’s grandmother.

  Every few minutes, Babette would stop pacing, look at the girls, and shake her head. Or she’d stop, look at the girls, open her mouth as if to start yelling, and then continue to pace without saying a word. Lucely was pretty sure this was a form of torture.

  “Now, I’m gonna ask you both once, and I expect the truth, or I will go straight to your parents.” Babette finally stopped pacing and dropped her arms to her sides, a look of bewilderment on her face. “What were you two doing in that cemetery in the middle of the night?”

  She stood there, waiting, while Syd and Lucely exchanged looks.

  “Babette, we promise we were only trying to help.” Lucely held her hands up.

  “How did you know where we were?” Syd gave her grandmother a suspicious look.

  Chunk mewed.

  “Chunk?” Syd asked.

  “There’s a lot you don’t know about this town. And about me. But I am the one asking you questions right now, young lady. And unless you want to be turned into something unpleasant, I suggest you start talking.”

  Syd gulped. “Toads,” she whispered into Lucely’s ear.

  “Okay, okay, Babette. I will explain everything. It’s mostly my fault,” Lucely started.

  “I helped,” said Syd proudly.

  Babette shot her a look, and Syd cringed.

  “It started because of …” Lucely’s voice shook. She’d never told anyone but Syd about her fireflies. But it wasn’t like she could lie to Babette now. “My grandmother got sick. I mean, she’s … It’s complicated.”

  Lucely took a deep breath, trying to settle her nerves.

  “Oh, baby, I’m sorry.” Babette’s face softened. She knelt at Lucely’s level, her warm hands supporting Lucely’s elbows.

  “I just wanted to help, and then our history teacher told us about Las Brujas Moradas and their spell book,” Lucely continued. “And I thought there might be something in that book that could help Mamá. This might sound weird, Babette, but I can see ghosts. Real ones, in my house. They live as firefl—”

  “You think I don’t know?” Babette crossed her arms in front of her chest with a smile. “Who do you think babysat your father when he was your age?”

  This caught Lucely off guard, but it was Syd who spoke up first. “What, really?! I didn’t think you were that—”

  “I’d hold my tongue if I were you, Sydney Faires.” Babette’s eyes narrowed at her. “Now, Lucely, what were you saying about your fireflies?”

  “It’s just … lately they’ve all been getting sick and acting strange. So when we read about El Libro de Lobos in that history book you lent us, we hoped that—by finding the missing pages that had been torn out—we might find a spell that would help revive the fireflies before they faded away forever.”

  Syd reached over and squeezed Lucely’s hand. “Nothing happened when we first recited the spell we found. But then all the hauntings started happening around St. Augustine.”

  “You girls recited a spell from The Book of Wolves without knowing what it was intended for? Of all the—” Babette stood and started pacing again. “We’ll skip over the detail of how you came to obtain my book without my knowledge for now, but—be assured—Babette never forgets. Now, do you recall the name of the spell you recited?”

  Both girls looked down.

  “I think it was called A Spell to Wake the Sleeping.” Syd sounded like a cornered mouse. “We have the paper here.”

  Syd produced the spell book from her backpack and offered it to her grandmother.

  Babette flipped it open to the torn-out section and found the folded-up spell tucked into the spine. Her face blanched as she looked it over. She quickly folded the paper and shut the book.

  “Well, I’m certainly not happy that you betrayed my trust—you know you’re not allowed to take
my things out of this house without my permission—but I’m glad you’re safe. You two are lucky to be alive. Though that does complicate things.”

  “Us being alive?” Syd’s eyes grew to twice their size.

  “No no no.” Babette stood up. “The spell you cast. And the fact that you cast it means that only you can undo it.”

  “Is there anything we can do, Grandma?”

  Babette was silent for a moment. “You girls should’ve come to me first. You know you can trust me—especially you, Syd. Nevertheless, there’s nothing to do now but find that counterspell and try to fix this. And I’m going to help you.”

  Babette smiled and clapped her hands together.

  “But first, I’m going to teach you how to catch a ghost.”

  ACCORDING TO BABETTE, there were four basic rules to ghost hunting:

  1. Be prepared.

  2. Don’t go alone.

  3. Respect the dead.

  4. Always have a cat.

  Babette made Syd and Lucely repeat these four rules so many times that Lucely was sure she’d never forget them as long as she lived.

  “What in the world is this?” Babette dangled one of Syd’s homemade ghost catchers from one elegant finger, as if it were filled with cat poop.

  “It’s a ghost catcher,” said Syd.

  “A what? Child, this is nothing but a mason jar painted black.” Babette quirked an eyebrow before walking to the back of the shop. “I’ve got the real thing. Follow me.”

  Babette pulled a book on the shelf, and the secret doorway opened.

  Lucely and Syd followed her into a dark room, and Babette tugged on a chain above her head. Instead of a lightbulb though, a series of candles throughout the room began to light themselves.

  “Cool,” Lucely and Syd whispered to each other.

  The room felt like a sacred place, not the sort of place to yell or speak too loudly. But it felt no less creepy than it had when they’d entered the first time with just their phone flashlights. In fact, it was creepier. Skulls and melted candles sat on a small table next to the bookcase. Roots and some sort of stinky vegetable hung from every inch of the ceiling, almost grazing Babette’s head.