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I Text Dead People

Page 6

by Rose Cooper


  “Yeah, well, I’m not supposed to be here.” Millie smiled mischievously.

  Anna frowned. “What do you mean?”

  Millie shrugged. “I wasn’t invited.”

  “You snuck in?”

  “Sure. Nobody tells me who I can or can’t hang around with. Especially the Ashbury twins.”

  Anna had to give her props for being brave. If it were her, she’d be looking over her shoulder every second, afraid of getting caught and tossed out.

  “So, I just saw you spill soda all over that girl.” Millie laughed.

  Anna winced. “I didn’t mean to.”

  “Oh, I don’t care. It’s funny. She’s one of the Ashburys’ little projects. She probably deserves it.”

  “Projects?” Anna repeated.

  “Yeah, they gave her a makeover and she suddenly went from a nobody to a somebody. Like, who does that?”

  Anna nodded, although she could kind of understand it. Who didn’t want to be a somebody?

  “So when did you get your invitation? That day you went to the Corner Café?” Millie asked.

  “Well, yeah. But…,” Anna began.

  Millie’s eyebrows shot up. “I don’t care. Besides, who’d turn down an Ashbury invitation anyways?”

  “You mean besides you?”

  “I’m here, aren’t I?” Millie laughed. “So you like Johnny, huh?”

  Anna felt herself blush uncontrollably. “No, of course not.”

  “Okay. Sure,” Millie said knowingly.

  Anna felt her cheeks turn even pinker. “Okay. Fine. Maybe a little. Not that I stand a chance.”

  “You never know,” Millie said, nudging her.

  “Well, I’m not after him or anything. Besides, there must be a ton of cute guys from school.” Who Olivia doesn’t like, she silently added.

  “Most of them are rich jerks,” Millie said softly. “And the girls are all two-faced.”

  “That’s harsh. Some of the people must be okay,” Anna said hopefully.

  Millie’s eyes darkened. “I wish it wasn’t, but it’s totally true. Take my advice and steer clear of them. Especially the Ashbury twins.”

  Anna looked at Millie with confusion. “So why even come to this party, then?”

  Millie smiled. “To have a little fun.”

  Anna smiled back. “Oh yeah?”

  Millie winked, then disappeared into the sea of unfamiliar faces. Anna was alone again. Trying to figure out where she should go, she spun around and heard a crash.

  Her purse had just knocked over a crystal vase of white roses on the table next to her.

  “Are you okay?” Eden asked, walking over.

  “I’m so sorry!” Anna said, automatically dropping her purse and stooping down to help clean up the broken vase and flowers.

  “Oh, don’t worry about it,” Eden said as a couple of servers hurried over and began sweeping up the mess.

  The white roses were in a pool of water on the floor around Anna’s feet. She couldn’t believe she had been so clumsy. She had the worst luck ever.

  “Be careful!” A heavyset woman walked toward them with towels and a bag for the broken glass and flowers.

  Just as the woman issued her warning, Anna felt a piece of glass slice into her finger. Drops of blood escaped and stained one of the white roses on the floor. Anna had an uneasy, sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  She should have paid attention.

  That very same night, a party of one was happening at the residence of Lucy Edwards. Playing the part of a stressed fashionista with an undecided mind and an uncanny tendency toward the lateness she usually so despised, Lucy focused on her wardrobe while taking deep breaths. And counting.

  One, two…She flung a white button-up silk blouse over her desk chair. It made her complexion look ghostly and washed-out.

  Three…And kicked off the cute tan kitten heels with peekaboo toes. They squished her feet like a medieval torture device.

  Four, five, six…She slam-dunked a black skirt into her wastebasket. Black was too goth for a graveyard date.

  Seven, eight…Ooh, that bloodred V-neck really emphasized her long, graceful neck. And…

  Nine…Where was she? She’d lost track.

  Lucy let out a dramatic sigh and crumpled onto her bed. She would never find anything to wear.

  She chanted quietly under her breath. I will not panic. I will not panic.

  Although the more she said it, the quicker she chanted, until it sounded like, I will panic, I will panic.

  What was she so worried about, anyway? It wasn’t like she’d never met up with John before. Except this time she was meeting him at the graveyard. At night. By herself. Okay, so maybe it sounded like the beginning of a really bad slasher film, but Lucy had to remind herself she would be seeing the love of her life tonight. And it would probably be super romantic. She could just picture it.

  She’d be standing underneath a dark sky, which would be glittering with millions of stars that twinkled almost, but not quite, brighter than John’s eyes. John would see her and time would stand still. Her hair would be perfect. His smile would be perfect.

  Everything would be perfect.

  Lucy closed her eyes, imagining how it would feel to have John’s arms around her….

  SMACK!

  The background music in her head came to a screeching halt.

  “Oww! What the heck?” Lucy vigorously rubbed the side of her face, trying to ease the pain inflicted by her bedroom wall. If this had been one of those cheesy cartoons, she would be seeing stars orbiting around her right now. Or was it birds?

  Whatever. Lucy shook her head. Things would not end with her and John running into each other.

  Unless, of course, it was her lips running into his face.

  Lucy decided to simply give up trying to make decisions. She walked over to her closet and picked the first top she saw. The same with her skirt. And the winning purse and shoes were the ones closest to her.

  The outcome? She looked fabulous.

  Lucy grabbed her phone to text him, not caring that he’d told her not to. She would make it short.

  On my way.

  She buttoned up her long black coat and dashed out the front door.

  Walking clumsily through loose gravel in her heels, Lucy focused on her phone as a new text message popped up on her screen. It was from John.

  That’s okay. See you soon.

  Lucy was completely submerged in the message, smiling as she reread it several times, unaware of the headlights rushing straight toward her.

  HOOOONNNNK!

  She jumped to the side as the car swerved wide, barley missing her. She twisted her right ankle as she landed, catching herself on the nearest tree, scraping her hand on the rough bark.

  “Stupid driver!” she yelled back over her shoulder, although the car was already long gone.

  She rubbed her ankle, hoping it wasn’t sprained. As far as she could tell, it wasn’t swollen. She would just have to walk more carefully. What had she been thinking, choosing heels as tall as stilts to walk through gravel and dirt?

  Checking the time on her phone, she saw she was only a few minutes late. She was about a minute from the cemetery—she was making better time than she thought. From the side entrance, all looked still. No shadowy figures lurking around the headstones. No hot guys named John sitting on any of the benches waiting impatiently for their beautiful girlfriend.

  Hmm…she hoped he’d gotten her text and didn’t think she’d stood him up. “John?” Lucy said in a loud whisper as she walked carefully down the path through the center of the cemetery. Where did he say to meet him? By the mausoleums? That must be those huge buildings to the right. She took a shortcut through the grass, careful to not fall and twist her other ankle and carefully avoiding stepping directly on the grave markers.

  Lucy heard a twig snap to her left. She stopped walking and listened.

  “John? Is that you?”

  No response.<
br />
  She took another step just as she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. There was no mistaking it this time. But before she could see who or what it was, several things happened.

  A loud noise. Screaming.

  A bright light blinded her.

  More screaming—possibly her own.

  Falling. It seemed to last forever.

  And then complete darkness.

  Anna couldn’t leave the party fast enough. She called her mom for a ride, but it went straight to voice mail. She left a message for her, but she was probably asleep already after working all day.

  Anna took the shortest route home—through the graveyard, careful to stay on the lit path.

  Something in the grass caught her eye. Anna slowly reached into her front pocket for the phone. The glow from the screen was so bright she didn’t need the flashlight. She waved the phone over the grass. A shiny object reflected off the light, sparkling like a diamond.

  It was a diamond. She picked it up. A diamond earring. And it looked like a match to the pair Eden was wearing. She had definitely committed those to memory. But how did Eden lose that out here, in the cemetery?

  The only explanation was that someone else had a similar pair. Anna stuffed the earring in her front pocket.

  The phone vibrated in her palm. A new text.

  Can you help me?

  Anna shook her head in disbelief before responding.

  Not my phone. Sorry.

  She had barely sent the text before a new one appeared.

  You’re my only hope. You’re the only one who can help.

  Help with what? Anna’s curiosity took over. Whoever this phone belonged to definitely had friends with lots of issues.

  My grave needs flowers. I’m the only one without flowers. Nobody remembers me.

  Anna nearly dropped the phone. She looked behind her, her eyes darting from one grave to the next. She picked up her pace until she was nearly running. It didn’t make any sense. None of this did.

  Who are you? Anna typed.

  She pulled open the gate to her backyard, then quickly shut it behind her. As if the wrought-iron barrier could protect her from whatever was pranking her.

  Jane Doe. And I’m wedged in between Margaret Meyers and Dorothy Quinn, two horrible old snoots I can’t get away from.

  Stop playing, Anna texted back.

  Could Millie be any more obvious? And if she thought this was funny, she was crazy. Anna was totally regretting that Millie had her number.

  She frowned. Why would Millie do this? Anna hadn’t said goodbye when she’d left the party. Maybe she was mad about that?

  Anna froze before reaching the porch steps of the Manor. All the windows were dark. She didn’t really feel like being alone right now, especially since it was still before her curfew.

  Instead of asking herself questions about Millie she didn’t have the answers to, she should confront her. She texted her:

  Just stop sending me weird texts and meet me at the park by the swings.

  Winchester Park was just around the corner from her house, but walking there seemed to take forever. She swallowed several times, her mouth dry, as she quickened her pace and ignored the urge to run back home every time she saw a shadow or heard an owl. She kept looking over her shoulder, half expecting to see someone.

  Like maybe a creepy graveyard groundskeeper.

  Keeping her head down, she focused on taking calm, even breaths. Her steps slowed as the concrete sidewalk turned into pavement and she approached the playground.

  The silver slide to her right was dented and scuffed. Anna jumped as she heard a creak that quickly turned into a series of shrieking sounds near the swing sets. Her knuckles turned white as she clenched her phone, shining its light in that direction.

  There were two sagging swings.

  One of them began to stir.

  It swung back and forth, slowly at first, as though being pumped by invisible legs. Because right now there wasn’t any wind. Not even a slight breeze.

  Childlike giggles floated through the air.

  The chains groaned with an invisible weight as the swing went faster. Higher.

  Anna bit her bottom lip. She spun herself in a circle, with the small beam from the phone shaking in her hands.

  No one was there. She was alone.

  Anna backed away with quick, jerky steps, gasping as the back of her legs hit something.

  “Oh! It’s just a bench.” She held a hand over her chest as if trying to keep her heart from jumping out, then sat down. The wooden boards dug into her back. Her gaze slid back to the swings, both completely still.

  It was just her imagination again. The swing had never been moving—that was just silly.

  Movement out of the corner of her eye caused her to look over at the monkey bars. In the distance, someone was waving their arms in her direction. The moonlight didn’t offer enough light to see who it was, but it had to be Millie. They would probably talk about her not-so-funny and slightly annoying sense of humor when it came to those text messages and then laugh as Anna told her about her crazy imagination and what a chicken she had been.

  Anna stood up and walked along the paved pathway that separated the park from the street. But then she realized Millie wasn’t there anymore.

  Nobody was.

  Dead leaves clung to the bottom of her shoes, and the pungent whiff of skunk floated past her as she covered her nose with the sleeve of her sweater.

  “Don’t freak out,” she whispered to herself.

  She faced her fear head-on, proving to herself that she’d imagined it all as she walked back and sat motionless on one of the swings, her hands gripping the cold metal chains. She kept checking the phone, thinking Millie would at least text back to let her know if she would be there soon. Or not at all.

  She’d give her a few more minutes and then she was out of there. But only because she was tired. And cold.

  Anna felt a hand against her back, gently pushing her forward.

  “Finally! You totally scared me—” The words died on Anna’s lips as she looked behind her.

  Nobody was there.

  “Hi.”

  Anna spun her head forward and stared into a pair of gray eyes that didn’t belong to Millie.

  Anna jumped off the swing, stumbling, staring at a little boy who looked about five years old. The corners of his lips pulled up into a gap-toothed grin. His mouth was rimmed with dirt and sand clung to his curls. As he sleepily rubbed a fist against one eye, he giggled. The same sound Anna had heard earlier.

  “Are you lost?” Anna’s voice shook. She didn’t see anyone else nearby, and something about this whole situation screamed weirdness.

  The little boy shook his head, yawning. He pulled a handful of rocks from his jeans pocket, holding his palm out to display his treasure to Anna.

  “Have you seen my gold rock?” He looked up at Anna with huge, innocent eyes.

  “Um, no. No, sorry.” Anna shook her head. “Did you lose it around here?”

  “I can’t find it. It’s my favoritest.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Tommy. I’m four,” he said proudly, holding up five fingers.

  “Okay, Tommy, how about we walk you back to your house. Where do you live?” Anna squatted down to his level.

  “There!” He pointed toward the ground by Anna’s feet.

  She looked down, catching a glimpse of gold. “Is this your rock?” Anna picked it up and wiped it on her jeans, dusting off the sand.

  “Yes!” The little boy excitedly plucked it from her hand.

  “Can you—” Anna stopped midsentence as the boy waved his right hand.

  “Bye,” he said in a small voice.

  “Where are you going?” Anna blinked, watching the figure of the little boy slowly fade in and out while standing in front of her, until suddenly he was gone. Just like that. Vanished into thin air right in front of her eyes.

  Anna didn’t—couldn’t—
take her eyes from the spot. She stayed frozen in place, reaching her hand out in front of her where the boy had stood only seconds ago, a hallucination. Standing up, she slowly walked backward, her eyes never leaving that spot, as if she expected the hallucination to return any minute.

  When it didn’t, she took off at a run, catching the sweet smell of chocolate and the distant laughter of a little boy.

  Weak morning light touched Lucy’s face as she sat up. Birds sang in the branches above her. The air was cool. She shook some leaves off her skirt, trying to wrap her mind around why she was in…the graveyard?

  Had she been outside all night? Did someone dump her there?

  Lucy stood up, her legs shaky. She felt a little off. She seemed to glide in her muddy heels, rather than step. She was graceful, not clumsy and awkward. And she felt a bit light-headed.

  Walking up to the narrow winding road that led to her house, she inspected her body for bruises, scrapes, cuts, or gashes. None. Weirdly, she felt like she’d had a full night’s rest.

  I slept in a cemetery. With dead people. Lucy shuddered.

  She ran her fingers through her tangled hair, trying to rake out imagined bugs. She didn’t remember much, just walking outside and then waking up just now. It was like she’d passed out or fainted. Out like a light.

  A light…

  That triggered something, a memory right on the edge of discovery.

  She had been looking for John and then…then she’d walked right into a bright, shining light. But what was that light? Her memories seemed to end there.

  Lucy looked up, realizing she was already at her front door. She didn’t live far from the cemetery, but it should’ve taken her at least fifteen minutes to walk home. Not two.

  Lucy tried to turn the knob but her hand went through it. Through it! Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, then placed her hand in front of her nose, inspecting it. Solid as any hand should be.

 

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