Midnight Reynolds and the Spectral Transformer

by Holt, Catherine;

  White? It wasn’t exactly practical, and there were no pockets for the spare glass slides that she’d need to carry when she was hunting spectral energy. Then again, there was no way Lucy could possibly know that.

  “You’re so right, Lucy.” Sav’s eyes sparkled and she darted out of the changing room. She returned several moments later with the short white jacket and gave it to Midnight. “You have to do it.”

  “Yes, but—” Midnight tried to protest again but her friends shouted her down, so she reluctantly slipped it on and stared at herself in the mirror. The jacket looked cool with the floral dress and leather boots she was wearing, but as her green eyes, sensible hair, and snub nose stared back at her, Midnight knew something was wrong with the picture. She just couldn’t figure out what.

  “It’s perfect!” Sav gave a nod of approval. “And it’ll look great with your blue-and-white-striped T-shirt.”

  “Absolutely,” Lucy agreed. Her stomach rumbled, causing them all to burst out laughing. “Okay, I’m starving. How about Sav and I snag a table at the food court and you can meet us there once you’ve paid?”

  “Sure but don’t you guys have to pay for your things too?”

  “Sav paid before when she went out to get that white jacket for you,” Lucy quickly explained.

  “Yeah, like I told you, we’re shopping experts,” Sav added before shooting Lucy a wink. “Plus, we don’t want to miss out on getting a good table.”

  “Oh, of course.” Midnight nodded. She didn’t go to the mall a lot, but her friends had told her how busy the food court could be. Besides, Midnight was still unsure about the white, cropped jacket and she wanted to think about it on her own. She tried to lift her arms, as if she were holding a spectral transformer, and suddenly she realized what the problem was. It was too tight and constricting. Like it was only designed to look good, not to be functional.

  She wanted the black jacket, but she didn’t want to risk Sav and Lucy being offended if she didn’t buy the white one. She pulled out her phone and brought up the calculator. If she was careful with her money, she should just about be able to afford both. Before she could change her mind, she hurried to the counter.

  She was still smiling as she left the store and headed to the food court. The marble floors shone like mirrors. The whole mall was decorated with giant gold and silver pumpkins and thick ropes of tinsel leaves, giving it a festive feeling. There was an electric zing of excitement in the air as Midnight made her way down the escalator. But her happiness was broken by a now-familiar buzzing sound.

  She took a deep breath, remembering a passage from George Irongate’s first diary.

  Through intensive investigations, I have discovered it is not unusual to hear and even see small amounts of spectral energy. My conclusion is that as long as it isn’t attached to an inanimate object, it is quite harmless. However, I can’t afford to make mistakes, so I’ve decided to investigate every single case.

  Midnight frowned. As tempting as it was to ignore it, what if it was something serious? She knew what George Irongate would do, what Miss Appleby would do.

  She checked that no one she knew was around and slipped on her glasses. The blurred masses of the food court came into focus. As always, it struck her how different the world looked when she could see it.

  People were hovering around numerous food counters ordering what her mom called “reconstituted chemicals.” Midnight craned her neck and peered up the escalator to the floors above, but all she could see were the long chains of tinsel glittering like icicles.

  She reached for her phone. It might be nothing, but she’d better call Miss Appleby to see if the alarm had gone off. There was no answer, so she tried again, but it went unanswered as well. Midnight frowned. Now she had two problems—possible spectral energy and the worry that something might have happened to Miss Appleby.

  She chewed her lip, trying to decide what she should—

  “Hey, Midnight.”

  Logan Johnson?

  Midnight gulped. She’d been so busy looking for spectral energy that she’d somehow managed to miss what was right in front of her. Or who was right in front of her.

  “L-Logan,” she stammered. His dark hair hung across his forehead in a tangled wave. He was also the last person in the world that Midnight wanted to see. Thankfully, Sav had now turned her attention to Finlay Gibson, but Midnight didn’t want to risk upsetting her again. “You, um, startled me.”

  “Sorry.” He blushed. “I didn’t mean to. I was trying to wave but you were a million miles away.”

  “Oh.” Midnight made a mental note to never look for spectral energy at the mall again. She didn’t care what George Irongate recommended. “I was just, er, admiring the decorations.”

  “Right. Well, it’s cool to see you here. I didn’t think the mall was your sort of place.”

  “What do you mean?” Midnight stiffened. Was it her outfit? What had marked her as an outsider?

  “Nothing. Sorry, that came out wrong.” Logan bit his lower lip. “I just meant that you have your own kind of vibe.”

  “Oh.” She did? Midnight loosened her shoulders. She didn’t really know what a vibe was, but all the same, it was cool to hear it. Then she realized he was staring at her. With his deep-brown eyes. They were nice eyes—the color of her favorite chocolate. Why had she never noticed before? Midnight’s breath quickened as she found herself trapped in his gaze.

  “Actually, I was wondering if you could give me some help with my science project,” he said. “I still can’t figure out how it all works.”

  “Right.” Midnight studied her shoes. The organizational geek in her longed to help him, but she didn’t think it was a good idea. Plus, she seemed to have an inability to form proper sentences in his presence. It was kind of a problem. “Well, I’ve got…you know. Stuff. Lots of it.”

  “I understand,” he quickly said. After several more awkward seconds, he shrugged. “Okay, so I’d better go.”

  “Sure.” Midnight’s cheeks burned as he disappeared into the crowd.

  She found Sav and Lucy at the far end of the food court looking at a green sweater. Midnight didn’t remember seeing them buy it, but as soon as she reached them, Sav quickly thrust it back into a bag. Perhaps they’d bought it after they’d left her?

  “There you are. We were starting to think you’d gotten lost,” Lucy complained as Midnight slid into the booth. “And what are those horrendous things doing on your face? I thought you only wore them at school in emergencies.”

  “What?” Midnight yelped as she realized she still had her glasses on. She reached up to her face and pulled the offending frames off. The world promptly went blurry again and Sav gave her a sympathetic pat on the arm.

  “Relax, Lucy. They don’t look that bad on her,” Sav said, though her voice lacked conviction. Midnight quickly put the glasses away. “So—”

  “No way. Look who’s here,” Lucy cut in, pointing to a blurry figure. Somehow Midnight knew just who it was. Logan. Her face heated. “And can you believe what he’s wearing?”

  “It’s a Peppa Pig T-shirt. Is he for real?” Sav said in such a loud voice that Logan looked over. Even with Midnight’s hazy eyesight, it was obvious that he’d heard the conversation. Sav immediately put her hands over her mouth to show that it was an accident and Lucy burst out giggling. Logan quickly turned and walked in the other direction.

  “Sav, he so heard you,” Lucy admonished.

  “I know. I’m so bad, but in my defense, did you see that shirt?” Sav wrinkled her nose and gave an elaborate shudder.

  “Right.” Lucy gave an emphatic nod before they both looked at Midnight, waiting for her to join them in the conversation.

  “Um, yeah,” she mumbled before being saved by a group of boys who walked past. They immediately captured her friends’ attention, and the rest of the time was spent discussing how cute they were until it was finally time to catch the bus home. Midnight tried her best to join in, but betwe
en worrying about why Miss Appleby hadn’t answered her phone and hoping that Logan hadn’t heard what Sav and Lucy had said about him, it was hard to concentrate. At least her friends didn’t seem to notice, which was the main thing that mattered.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “So, I think we should all go back to my house and try everything on,” Sav announced as their bus came to a halt in their neighborhood.

  “Oh,” Midnight said, feeling torn. The idea of spending more time with Sav and Lucy was tempting, but what if something had happened to Miss Appleby? She’d tried to call several more times, but there hadn’t been an answer. Or worse, what if she later discovered that the spectral energy she’d heard buzzing at the mall really was dangerous? She shook her head. “Sorry, I can’t go.”

  “Let me guess, you need to meet Tabitha Wilson?” Lucy said as she arched her brow.

  “Something like that,” Midnight muttered, not sure if her friends would think it better or worse that she was ditching them for an older lady who liked to knit. She waited until Sav and Lucy had disappeared down the street, then headed to Miss Appleby’s.

  “Midnight. This is a surprise,” Miss Appleby said, opening her door. She gestured for Midnight to come inside. “I didn’t think we’d arranged to meet today. Of course my memory isn’t what it once was.”

  “We didn’t,” Midnight said, suddenly wondering if it was a mistake to have been so concerned. “It’s just…Well, I was at the mall and heard some spectral energy. I checked it out but couldn’t see anything, so then I called and there was no answer. I guess I was worried.”

  They sat down in the living room. “I’m touched. It’s been a long time since anyone has worried about me. I promise I’m fine. I was actually cleaning the transformers, and by the time I heard the phone, I was too late to get it,” Miss Appleby said.

  “I didn’t know the transformers had to be cleaned. I could’ve done that for you.”

  “I didn’t want to interfere with your social life,” Miss Appleby said, then winced. “Well, anymore than I already am.”

  Midnight rubbed her brow. Of course she’d rather be with her friends, but it seemed mean not to help Miss Appleby when she obviously needed it.

  “I really don’t mind. And I’m here now, so you should let me clean the transformers and whatever else needs to be done,” Midnight said.

  A sharp beeping noise came from somewhere in the hallway, and Midnight glanced around.

  “Don’t worry. It’s not spectral energy. It’s the reminder that I need to take my pills. Now, where did I put them?” Miss Appleby began to search through the large knitting bag that was never far from her side. “I must have left them upstairs.”

  “Would you like me to get them?” Midnight offered.

  “No,” Miss Appleby said sharply. “I was having some work done on the floorboards, which was how I fell and hurt my ankle in the first place. It’s incomplete and I’d hate for you to injure yourself too. I should’ve mentioned it sooner.”

  “Of course,” Midnight said as she realized that underneath her employer’s makeup, she was looking pulled and pale. No wonder she’d sounded so short. “Is your ankle still hurting?”

  “It’s not so bad,” Miss Appleby said, though it was obvious that she was lying. However, her face brightened as she glanced over to the shelf. “And look, the pills were here all along. Would you be kind enough to get me some water?”

  Midnight immediately obliged and was relieved when the color began to return to Miss Appleby’s face.

  “Thank you. That’s much better.” Miss Appleby resumed her knitting, the never-ending trail of amber baby blanket curled around her knees like a snake. “And now, tell me how you’re coping with this secret, new job of yours. I know it can be a difficult balancing act. Do you think your mom or stepfather have noticed anything?”

  “He’s not my stepfather,” Midnight quickly corrected before clamping down on her lower lip. Her mom always got mad when she said things like that. “Er, I mean, he’s engaged to my mom but they’re not married yet.” Or, hopefully, ever.

  “I didn’t mean to upset you. I know firsthand how hard it can be to be asked to be part of a new family.” Miss Appleby momentarily stopped her knitting as her brown eyes filled with sympathy.

  “I’m okay,” Midnight said, once again touched at how well Miss Appleby seemed to understand her. “And I don’t think they have noticed anything. It’s all down to time management. I like to break my day down so that nothing gets overlooked. At home, I use a spreadsheet, but I find that having a good app really helps. My current one lets me set reminders, put in notes, and it even gives me a daily affirmation.”

  “An app? I’m not sure I follow.” Miss Appleby wrinkled her nose and it took all of Midnight’s willpower not to laugh.

  “They’re just software programs that you can use on your phone or mobile device. You can get them for just about everything from calculators to games,” Midnight explained as she flicked through her phone. She brought up the spreadsheet app so that Miss Appleby could see it. “You can get one for virtually anything.”

  “I’m impressed.” Miss Appleby widened her eyes and nodded her head, which made Midnight smile. Normally when people commented on her spreadsheet addiction, it was because they thought she was strange. But Miss Appleby was different. She seemed to understand and even appreciate it.

  It was a nice change.

  “I’d be happy to help you set one up,” Midnight said. “We could put in all of your doctor’s appointments and when you have your physical therapy. Then you could have another one when you’re back up on your feet.”

  Miss Appleby looked at her fondly as she picked up her knitting. “You’re so sweet, and don’t think that I’m not grateful, but there really isn’t much need for me to manage my time. You see, my life’s pretty simple. I’m either hunting spectral energy or I’m here.”

  Midnight sat back down in the chair. “But you must go out and do other things. Like shopping? Seeing friends? Vacations?”

  “I wish I did.” Miss Appleby busied herself untangling her yarn, making it impossible to see her eyes. “But I have my food delivered to me, along with everything else I need. As for friends, unfortunately, they can be hard to maintain when you’re at the whim of spectral energy.”

  “That’s terrible.” A lump formed in her throat. She knew that Miss Appleby was dedicated to what she did, but to put her entire life on hold for no recognition or reward was sad. “There must be some way around it.”

  “I’m afraid there isn’t. As you’ve seen, the longer spectral energy’s trapped in an object, the more powerful it becomes. Which means I need to get to it as soon as the alarm rings. And it’s impossible to hear the alarm if I’m not near the house.”

  “Can’t the electroscope be made portable, so you could take it with you?”

  “If there’s a way, I don’t know it. Unfortunately, George Irongate’s long dead. And no, don’t look sad or feel sorry for me. I can assure you that I’m perfectly fine with my lot.” Miss Appleby gave her a wistful smile. “Though I must confess it was one of the reasons why I hated asking for your help. I know that this can be challenging and it’s not what I’d wish on anyone else. Still, as soon as I’m back on my feet, you can return to your normal life.”

  “But what about you? You can’t return to a normal life.” Midnight fidgeted with her fingers. She’d have a ski trip and her friends while Miss Appleby would be stuck in her living room, knitting and waiting for the electroscope. “Don’t you miss it?”

  “I try not to think about it,” Miss Appleby admitted, but when she looked up, her brown eyes were clouded, as if filled by a long-lost memory. “I did love to dance. Not that I’d be much good at it now, even without a broken ankle. Still, I knew what I signed up for, so please don’t feel sorry for me.”

  “At least let me help.”

  “Are you sure? It’s very smelly work.”

  “It couldn’t be worse than
the onions my mom used to dye one of Phil’s Viking tunics last week,” Midnight assured her as they stood and made their way into the secret room.

  For the next hour, Midnight learned how to take apart the transformers and painstakingly clean and polish the many parts. She also checked the chemicals that Miss Appleby used to release the spectral energy from the glass plates and polished the numerous brass cogs and levers on the flying arm electroscope.

  The rancid fumes of the sulfur caught in her throat, which she tried to ignore as she fitted the brass arm back onto the machine. As she worked, she looked up at the many portraits on the wall.

  She felt like she already knew George Irongate, thanks to his diaries, but they’d been written long before he had married Mary and before his daughter, Elizabeth, was born. Midnight liked to think they were nice. They certainly looked nice. Mary had long, pale hair piled high and a wide mouth that seemed to smile at Midnight. Elizabeth looked to be around twelve, with large, doll-like eyes and a lacy, white dress that looked uncomfortable.

  Thanks to the diaries, Midnight knew just what a great inventor George had been. She bet if he’d still been alive, he probably could’ve invented a smaller flying arm electroscope, something portable. After all, computers were once as big as a house, but now they were the size of a phone.

  In fact, what they needed was an app.

  Midnight gasped and pushed the electroscope to one side.

  An app was exactly what they needed.

  George Irongate had stated several times that he based his inventions on scientific principles he’d learned in college. What if those same principles were used in the ghost-hunting apps she’d found? Her heart pounded as she flicked through George’s old, leather-bound diary until she came to the section she wanted.

  I’ve concluded that the best way to find spectral energy is to measure the levels of electromagnetic energy. Therefore, it is my intention to build a device to help me.

  Midnight grabbed her phone and started searching. Moments later, a list of ghost-hunting apps appeared. She clicked on the first one and scanned the information. It used electromagnetic energy. Her hands shook as she clicked on the next app. It was the same.