Phantoms of Fall (The Haunting Ruby Series Book 2)

by Joy Elbel

  Forcing myself to stand on wobbly legs, I cleared my throat before speaking. A snotty giggle erupted from the other side of the room and I felt the blood rushing to my face. Even if she didn’t want to bury her fangs into my boyfriend, I still would have hated Misty.

  “Um…My name’s Ruby. I moved here from Trinity in June.” That was all I had. I shrunk back into my seat hoping he wouldn’t ask me anything else.

  “Okay, then. Thanks, Ruby.” Mr. Raspatello walked back to his desk and sat down. Settling back into his chair, he propped his feet on the desk and went back to reading his newspaper.

  The chatter in the room quickly went back to as loud as it was before the bell rang. Since everyone else was talking, I felt it was safe to finally ask Rachel for her schedule.

  She passed it to me with a smile. “So how did your date go last night guys?” That depends. Did she want to know what an amazing kisser he was? Or did she want to hear about how he took off just before things got interesting? I chose a generic answer and a quick segue into something completely off topic.

  “Good. How was your day with Shelly?” Once she started talking about herself, I knew she would forget all about my date with her brother.

  “Totally awesome. I’ll be working with her every weekend and maybe a few nights a week after football season is over. You’re going to be so impressed when we get everything together. By the time we’re done with Rosewood, you won’t even recognize it.”

  I compared our schedules as she talked and was horrified to find that we didn’t have even one class together— not even lunch. “Great, I’m barely going to see you guys.” While I knew all along that it was too much to even hope for, I fantasized that Zach and I would have every class together. That we could just parade around the school all day, arm in arm, making all of the girls jealous. So much for my dreams— I should have realized they would turn out to be nightmares.

  “Don’t worry, Ruby. We’ll still see each other outside of school. I’ll be at your house every weekend. And I’m sure you and Zach will be together every spare second of the day. Plus, you’re fabulous—you’ll make tons of new friends!

  “Rachel’s right, don’t worry so much. You’ll make yourself sick again.” A look of concern showed on his face as he took my hand. “Has your stomach settled down yet?”

  “A little. But the day has just begun.” I was feeling sorry for myself and I wasn’t afraid to admit it. And let’s face it—I had plenty of reasons to be in a crappy mood. Boyfriend issues? Check. New nightmares? Check. A sucky start to the first day of school? Double check.

  “I hate to see you like this, sweetie. Can I do anything to cheer you up?” I thought about what I most wanted from him and it made me smile. “Well, maybe. But not now, and definitely not here. Can I see you tonight?”

  “Sure—but probably not for long. I’m stopping by the shelter for a couple hours after I drop you off then heading home for dinner. And I’ll have to find a way to squeeze some homework in there, too. It never fails—somebody always gives homework on the first day of school.”

  My mood turned grimmer as he listed all of the things that would keep us apart. Adding his list to mine equaled heaviness in my heart. All I wanted was to be with him. Why was the universe so cruel?

  “I’m not cheering you up, am I? You know when you’re sad, I am too.” Those words spoken by anyone else would have sounded hollow and facetious. But the look in his eyes told the truth—he meant every word of it and it made me feel worse. I never wanted him to feel my pain. So I put on a brave smile for his sake way more than for mine.

  “Let’s talk about something else.” So we spent the rest of our time together making plans for the weekend. Aside from any homework we gathered during the week, neither of us had any other sort of commitments so we decided to go see a movie together. Going on a normal date like a normal couple sounded heavenly—especially since I knew the only movie theater in town was the drive-in. The last time we were there I was nervous, hoping he wasn’t just taking me there to make out. This time, that was exactly what I was hoping for. It was still days away, but thoughts of our date on Saturday were the only thing I had to look forward to so I clung to them. I was starting to feel better when the bell rang like a death knell through the room. I was so not ready for this.

  9. I’m Not Falling for It

  First period was a real snoozer. I avoided fulfilling my history requirement every other year so my dad was forced to sign me up for it this year. World History was incredibly boring to me so I would have been tempted to fall asleep regardless, but it didn’t help that the teacher was about as captivating as watching moss grow.

  Mr. Tucker was old—I’m talking old enough to have helped build the pyramids. The room was hot and stuffy and he refused to open the windows. But it was his voice that made me want to fall asleep. It was barely above a whisper and had a soothing quality that lulled me into a half-conscious trance. I periodically glanced around the room in an effort to keep my eyes open. Seeing that no one else was faring any better, I was almost tempted to give in to the urge to close my eyes. Thanks to the nightmare, I only got about five hours of sleep and just a quick cat nap would have done the trick.

  Then I noticed something disturbing. Something even more unsettling than the sight of Misty sitting two rows away. The strange girl from homeroom was also in the room. And she was staring straight at me. And I mean staring at me. Like she wanted to kill me. My eyes locked with hers briefly and I felt so uncomfortable that I had to look away. Quickly, I turned, looking out the window instead. But there was something about the intensity in her eyes that made me look back. She was still glaring at me, unblinking.

  What was this girl’s problem? At least I understood the motivation when Misty looked at me like that. Did this girl like Zach, too? I didn’t want to be mean, but how could this girl even remotely think she stood a chance with Zach? I sucked up the bad vibes and stared back.

  She was quite possibly the creepiest girl I’d ever laid eyes on. Her hair was dirty blond and hung limply around her face. The paleness of her skin made my fair complexion look tanned in comparison. And her clothing? Let’s just say that it really made her stand out. Yeah, she was wearing skinny jeans, but they looked like the kind they wore back in the eighties. And by that, I mean they actually looked like they were from the eighties and the rest of her outfit was no less vintage. But it was her eyes that really grabbed my attention. Dark and penetrating, they both intrigued and frightened me at the same time.

  Entranced by her, I nearly jumped out of my skin when the bell rang. The very second I got my bearings; I ran out of the room and never looked back. AP English was my next class and the only class I was really looking forward to. When I realized Mr. Raspatello was my English teacher, I was even more excited. Although he put me in the hot seat when he made me introduce myself to the class, I still felt that he was going to be a fun teacher, the kind who makes class interesting. Feeling a little bit better about the day as a whole, I slid into my seat hopeful for the first time today. Then, I saw her. Creepy Girl. And this time, she sat down right beside me.

  Mr. Raspatello started off class by handing out the reading list for the year. One by one I read down through the list, disappointed to find that I’d already read most of them. Then he explained that half of our time would be spent reading and analyzing the classics and the other half would be devoted to creative writing. Now we were talking. Creative writing was my strongpoint. I didn’t just win that writing contest last year by accident—I was good. As if he read my mind, Mr. Raspatello called my name.

  “Ruby, I read in your transcripts that you took first place in a creative writing contest last year. Tell us about your story.” He motioned for me to join him at the front of the room and I almost threw up again. What cruel enjoyment did he get out of humiliating me? Slowly, I trudged up front, well aware that Creepy Girl was staring bullets into me the entire time.

  There were only a few things in this wor
ld that truly terrified me. Spiders, ghosts, the thought of drowning and public speaking—but not necessarily in that order. My throat tightened and my mouth went dry. I looked out over the room at all of the strange faces and my heart started to race. Just as I was about to hyperventilate, Mr. Raspatello saved me.

  “Tell us the name of your story.” He sat on the edge of his desk and crossed his arms.

  Deciding to focus on him and not the crowd, I started to calm down. “Ghost Stone.”

  “Interesting title. Explain the plot.” “It’s the story of a girl who loses everyone she loves and wishes for a way to bring them back from the dead. She finds a stone that will allow her to see them again but eventually discovers that once someone is gone, they shouldn’t come back.”

  “It sounds very thought provoking. I expect you to bring me a copy. I’d love to read it.” When he smiled at me, I realized he really wasn’t trying to embarrass me. He was actually interested in my story. Returning to my seat, I decided that he earned back some of the respect points I took away from him in homeroom.

  No one in the class laughed at me and I didn’t die from humiliation, so I considered it a success. Until I caught sight of Creepy Girl beside me. She was now sitting sideways in her seat, head cocked to the side and staring at me full on. I bypassed frightened and went straight to annoyed. Why wouldn’t she stop staring at me? Surely, Mr. Raspatello would notice and say something, right? He had to, he simply had to.

  But he didn’t. And neither did my AP Biology teacher or my French IV teacher. That’s right—she was in every one of my classes. By the time lunch rolled around, I was ready for a nervous breakdown. I wanted to confront her—to ask her why she wouldn’t leave me alone—but I was afraid to. I already had a powerful enemy in Misty Landrum—I had to at least find out who Creepy Girl was before I dealt with her. It was highly unlikely that this girl was anyone with any kind of influence in this school, but I had too much to lose to just assume.

  I was starving by the time fifth period lunch rolled around but I dreaded walking into that cafeteria. I knew that Zach and Rachel wouldn’t be there and the only other person I would feel comfortable sitting with was Chloe. The odds were working against me all day, so I was pretty sure she had a different lunch time, too. Even if she didn’t, how would I find her in this sea of unfamiliar faces?

  Scanning the tables as I passed, I got in line to get my lunch. No Chloe as far as I could see but I did recognize one familiar face—Ryan. I noticed his hot gaze as I passed and I could all but feel him staring at my butt as I walked away. I loaded my tray and paid for my food. Today was taco day and they didn’t look half bad. With the rumbling in my stomach, though, I would have gladly eaten cat food if it were wrapped in a tortilla.

  As I passed Ryan’s table, I saw that Boone was now seated beside him. It was clearly the cool table, full of football players and cheerleaders. I was just thinking how much easier my life would be if I could fit in with that crowd when someone called my name.

  “Ruby! There’s a seat over here!” It was Boone. He was pointing to the empty chair beside him and waving me over. For a split second, I was filled with relief. Not only would I not have to sit alone, I would be sitting at the cool table. I started to weave my way back through the maze of tables and then it hit me. Would Zach be jealous if he found out about this? He and Boone were best friends but Zach even got mad at Boone for his comments at the party. I wanted so much to just sit down and not worry about Zach’s reaction. But I didn’t.

  I shook my head and pointed to the other side of the cafeteria. Boone looked confused, but nodded and went back to the massive pile of food on his tray. So I walked to the opposite side of the room in search of an empty table. There was only one left, so I slid into a chair quickly. It felt really stupid to sit there alone staring at my food, so I decided to pull out a book and at least pretend to be busy reading. I leaned under the table to retrieve one from my bag and saw a pair of legs on the other side of the table. Skinny jeans, neon colored socks and high top sneakers—could those legs belong to who I thought they did? Oh, please let me be wrong!

  But of course, I wasn’t wrong. It was Creepy Girl. And she was sitting directly across from me. Staring at me like a psycho. She didn’t even have a tray, so no food meant she had nothing to distract her from her current fascination. Suddenly those tacos looked positively inedible. I didn’t care about how rude it would look—I grabbed my stuff, gave her a nasty look of my own and stormed away. Dumping my full tray into the garbage, I headed to the restroom so I could just be alone.

  I hid in there until the bell rang. Physics was my next class and even though Creepy Girl was there too, so was Chloe. Finally, someone I could talk to. When she motioned for me to sit with her, I gladly accepted. Class went well since I had someone to distract me from my silent stalker. Only two more classes left in the day and at least Zach would be with me in Advanced Math. Homeroom was the last I time I saw him and after the day I’d had, I really needed him near.

  On my way to study hall, I considered Creepy Girl. What were the odds that she would be there, too? Pretty slim. I mean really, there was no way it could happen, right? Wrong, yet again. I tried to start reading the first book on my English syllabus, but couldn’t get past the first few paragraphs. I had to find out who she was and what her deal was. Zach would be able to identify her for me and even if he couldn’t—or wasn’t willing to—tell me why she hated me, then I would go to Rachel. Her behavior had to have something to do with him—there was no other explanation.

  Now that I had a plan, I was disappointed to walk into Advanced Math and not see a trace of her. Great. My chance to find out her name was gone at least until tomorrow morning. I seriously had the worst luck in the world. I watched everyone as they walked through the door for two reasons. One, the sight of Zach’s face was the only thing that could possibly make this day feel like anything but a total disaster. Two, Creepy Girl found a way to sneak up on me in the cafeteria and I wasn’t about to let it happen again.

  Zach was the last one in the door and Mrs. West closed the door behind him. Finally, I got to spend one class with the person I most wanted to see and not with the one I least wanted to see. It was an amazing feat, but I would have been happier to see Misty than her. At least Misty didn’t follow me around all day. Then it hit me. Was it possible that Misty paid or even threatened this girl into scaring me all day? Could she be so desperate to break up Zach and me that she would resort to trying to drive me crazy? Anyone who would stoop to pushing their competition into a swimming pool was capable of worse, right? Instantly, I realized that Zach did exactly the same thing to Ryan and I pushed the thought to the back of my mind. Zach was nothing like Misty—nothing like her at all.

  Class was infinitely boring which made freedom seem unattainable. When the final bell rang, everyone shot out of their seats in one synchronized mass. The flow of traffic heading out the door came to a screeching halt as we all fought to get out first. In the rush, I ran headlong into Zach’s back and dropped my pen on the floor. Chasing it through my legs, I watched it roll backwards and come to rest at the foot of my desk. As I turned to pick it up, a frightening sight loomed before me. Creepy Girl was still seated in the desk directly behind mine.

  When did she sneak in that I didn’t see her? She wasn’t in the room when I got there and I watched the door until the teacher closed it. What was going on here? Where did she come from? Was she hiding in the room somewhere, waiting for me to let my guard down? Misty was up to something—it was my mission to figure out what that something was. First, I needed to find out who her hired goon was.

  10. No, Seriously…What is Going on Here?

  “How was your day?” Zach asked as he put his arm around me and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

  “Truly wretched—how ‘bout you?” I leaned into him and rested my head on his chest as we walked.

  “Not bad—no homework yet so I consider it a success.” Well that made one of us. I d
ecided to ask him about Creepy Girl. She was so odd that I thought maybe just a description alone would be enough for him to identify her. Describing her as thoroughly as possible, I was disappointed to see no sign of recognition on his face.

  “I don’t know who you’re talking about, sweetie. You’ll have to point her out to me tomorrow. Why are you so curious about her?”

  Should I tell him why? Should I tell him I thought she was a part of some nefarious plan Misty cooked up to drive me insane? In truth, it sounded just a little bit farfetched even to me so I let it drop. “No reason.”

  Zach and I made plans to meet at The Hideout at eight o’clock and he kissed me before dropping me off at Rosewood. I had no lunch and threw up all of my breakfast so I ran straight to the kitchen for something to eat. There weren’t very many things to pick from, so I tossed in a microwaveable pizza and devoured a handful of pretzels while it cooked. With one pizza down, I flung another one on my plate and watched it rotate until it was done. I ate like I hadn’t eaten in weeks and once I was finished I felt sick again. Every last bite made its way out of my stomach and into the garbage within minutes.

  It couldn’t still be Shelly’s eggs—it must be the flu. I decided to take something to settle my stomach and then lie down for an hour or so. Something told me to set my clock just in case I overslept and I was glad I did. When the alarm went off at 7:30, I was dead asleep and it took me a few minutes to get my bearings. I rarely took naps because of that awful feeling of disorientation I had upon wakening but it was even worse this time. With my brain still in a fog, I brushed my teeth, changed my clothes, and left to meet Zach.

  I was halfway to The Hideout when my phone rang. Not trusting my driving skills enough to talk and drive at the same time, I pulled onto the side of the road and answered it.