Weirdville: Drowning in Fear (Lower Grade Spooky Fun Adventure) Read online

  “She?” Peter’s voice shook, and he frowned. His skin matched the color of a ghost.

  Before anyone else could say anything, the flashlight flickered.

  “What the heck is going on?” Sam grabbed Nolan’s arm now, fingers digging into his skin.

  “Don’t look at her.” Leo grabbed Nolan’s other arm and shook his head. “She stays longer if you look at her.”

  Nolan pulled his gaze away from the corner and focused on his friend’s face. A finger of cold traveled along his spine. Whatever was standing in the corner, it watched him, followed his movements.

  Then the light stopped flickering, and the temperature returned to normal in a matter of seconds.

  Nolan let out a long, deep breath. “What was that?”

  “Don’t worry.” Leo sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair. “She won’t come back tonight. I hoped she’d leave me alone here, but guess not.”

  “Who is she? Why is she here? Why are you so sure she won’t come back tonight?” The questions tumbled out of Nolan’s mouth, one after the other, without pause.

  “Not who. What.” Sam frowned and looked at Leo from top to bottom, as if he was seeing him for the first time. “That thing wasn’t human.”

  Leo shook his head. “She’s not human, no. She’s a spirit, I think.”

  “A spirit? As in... a ghost?” Nolan wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

  “Yeah, a ghost.” Leo scratched his neck. “Listen, guys, I didn’t want this to happen, and I’m sorry it did. Can we just pretend it didn’t happen?”

  “Forget about how the temperature dropped below freezing in the middle of summer? Or about how that flashlight flickered as if someone was messing with it?” Anger and panic battled for victory in Sam’s tone.

  “He’s probably just messing with us.” Peter nodded and shrugged, as if trying to convince himself, but when he looked up again, a wild, frightened look haunted his eyes. “That’s right, eh, buddy? You were just messing with us?”

  Leo stared at him and shrugged.

  “How often do you see her?” Nolan ignored Peter’s comment. He didn’t want to pretend everything was peachy. “And when did you start seeing her?”

  “She appears once a day, tops. It started a few years ago.”

  That explains why he always looks like he’s miles away. If I saw ghosts every day, I’d probably go crazy.

  “You can tell us about it.” He tried to sound supportive.

  “No, he can’t.” Peter got up and dusted off his pants. “Because there’s nothing to tell. You want to believe in silly ghost stories, fine, but I’m going to bed.” He crawled into his bed and pulled the blanket up to his chin.

  “Don’t mind him, he’s just scared.” Nolan put a hand on Leo’s arm. “We’re your friends. Tell us what’s going on.” He looked at Sam for support, but Sam refused to look at him.

  Leo sighed. “It makes her angry if I talk about her. Most she can do is appear though, and she already did that, so I guess things are safe.” He took a deep breath and held it for a second. “The first time I saw her was a few years ago. I was in my bedroom, looking in the mirror, and saw her standing behind me. I turned around but she’d vanished. She disappeared in a second, so I thought I’d imagined it.”

  He paused and swallowed, and his hands shook just a little. “A week later, I saw her again. The visits became more frequent, and every time she would stay longer.” He let out a small sob. “I’m afraid one day she won’t go away at all!”

  Sam turned back toward them, but kept staring at the floor. “Do you know who she is?”

  “I have an idea, but I’m not sure.” Leo bit his lip. “I think she could be my sister.”

  Nolan nearly tumbled backward and dropped on the floor. “Your sister? Elena? You didn’t tell me she passed away.”

  Leo shook his head. “She didn’t. I’m talking about my real sister. Remember how I told you my family lived around here, and I came to this camp to find out more about them? Well, while finding out more about my parents would be great, that’s not the real reason I came here. I want to find out more about her, about the ghost.”

  “And why do you think she’s your sister?” Sam pulled up his nose, as if smelling something nasty.

  Leo swallowed hard and looked Nolan straight in the eyes. “Because she calls me brother.”

  Chapter 6

  Nolan stretched his arms above his head. Light streamed in through the cabin windows, and a ray of sunlight shone straight in his face. He blinked against the light and yawned.

  “Ah, you’re awake.” Peter stood in the bathroom doorway, holding a wet towel to his head. “I already showered.”

  A loud snore echoed through the room, and both boys turned toward the culprit, Sam. He snored with his mouth wide open and drool dripping down his chin.

  “What do you think we’ll do today?” Nolan kicked his legs out of bed and yawned again. After the appearance of Leo’s ghost sister, he’d been too afraid to sleep well.

  Peter shrugged. “Probably go to the lake. It looks like it’ll be a warm day.”

  The air drained out of Nolan’s chest. Last night’s dinner twisted around in his stomach. “You think?”

  “Don’t worry.” Peter patted him on the back. “We’ve got your back.”

  Nolan gave him a small smile, and slipped past him into the bathroom. After closing the door behind him, he moved in front of the mirror. His reflection looked like a ghoul who’d just risen from the grave, with dark circles under his eyes, skin the color of porcelain, and lips almost blue.

  He sighed at his own reflection and turned away from the mirror, refusing to look at it again. He showered and dressed as fast as he could, eager to be out of the cramped bathroom.

  While he was putting on his socks, someone pounded on the door. “Come on, dude, I really have to use the bathroom!” Sam shouted.

  Nolan grabbed his shoes and stumbled out. “Sorry, went as fast as I could.”

  Sam burst through the doorway. “Finally.” He slammed the door shut behind him.

  Nolan grinned and sat down next to Peter, who was browsing through a book. “Where’s Leo?”

  “He went for a walk. Said he needed to clear his head.” Peter didn’t even look up from the book.

  “All alone, in his pajamas?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “No, not in his pajamas. Leo got up before I did, so he showered first. Although....” He paused to check his watch. “He’s been gone for almost an hour.” He turned to Nolan with a questioning look.

  “We should go look for him.”

  Peter got up and put his book away. “Okay.”

  The boys walked outside. The campsite lay quiet and abandoned, except for a few people lining up and moving toward The Shack for breakfast. Leo was nowhere in sight.

  “Maybe he went into the woods.” Peter sighed and scratched his head. “I hope he isn’t into yoga or crazy magic rituals.”

  “I’m worried about him.” Nolan fumbled with his sleeves while he chased after Peter. “The whole ghost business last night was terrifying.”

  “Hmm.” Peter’s mouth turned into a grim line.

  The boys entered the woods. Sunlight streamed in through the trees and morning dew glistened on the flower beds.

  “I think he was playing tricks on us. You didn’t actually see a ghost, did you?” Peter’s tone was mocking, as if he wouldn’t believe Nolan even if he said he saw a ghost.

  “No, but....”

  “There you go.”

  “If he tricked us, then he did a great job at it. I don’t think anyone can act that well. He looked like he was about to pee his pants.”

  “Whatever.” Peter bent his knees to look down at the narrow path they’d followed last night. “Too many footsteps to make out which ones are from Leo, if he even came past here.”

  “Maybe we should split up.” Not that I’m a big fan of that plan, but the sooner we get Leo, the sooner we can go back. “Cover
more ground.”

  “No, we stick together.” Peter used his authority voice, the same one he’d used last night when he declared they were going to play Truth or Dare.

  Nolan shrugged. Arguing with him would be pointless anyway.

  The two boys followed the path to the clearing around the lake.

  “Is it me or does it seem darker here?” Nolan looked up at the sky. The sun seemed further away than before, as if someone had put a filter on, blocking out the light. A dreary and grey atmosphere settled around the lake, while in the forest, the weather had promised a sunny day. A low fog surrounded the lake, making it impossible to look farther than a few yards.

  “It’s always like that in the mornings. I remember from last year. One of my friends asked the camp leaders, and they said it had something to do with the water and environment.”

  Nolan frowned. “That doesn’t sound very likely.”

  “Look! Footprints.” Peter raced toward a trail of footprints running along the side of the lake. “Could be Leo.”

  “What if it isn’t? Wasn’t there this rule about how we’re not supposed to go near the lake on our own?” Nolan swallowed the fear rising up in his throat. The energy around the lake felt all messed up.

  “We’re on a rescue mission. You don’t abandon ship halfway through. Come on.” Peter gestured him forward.

  He sighed, but raced after him anyway. He tried to pull his gaze away from the lake while they followed the trail, but each time, he had to look at it again. The energy surrounding the lake forced him to keep staring at it.

  A ripple started in the water, as if someone had skipped a stone into the lake, but no one else was around.

  Just a fish. Stay calm.

  “There he is!” Peter pointed at a figure into the distance, at a boy who looked about the same height as Leo.

  Nolan squinted. “Are you sure it’s him? I can’t make it out from this far.”

  “It’s him, all right.”

  The two boys walked closer, battling their way through the fog. As they neared the spot where Leo stood, a two-story cabin, with its top story hidden under the roof, rose up from the frog. A lone window peered at them from the top floor. The front door hung off its hinges, barely attached to the wall. The windows were shattered, and roof tiles lay piled up on the ground.

  It looked exactly like the house in Nolan’s dream, except in his dream, the house hadn’t been in this state of decay. It seemed fifty years had passed between his dream-version of the house and the present-day version.

  Leo stood a few meters in front of the house, gazing at the top floor. He didn’t turn around when they came closer.

  “Hey, dude, you were gone for a long time.” Peter put a hand on his shoulder.

  Leo jumped up and spun around. “Oh... hey, guys.”

  “What are you doing here? You know we’re not supposed to come near the lake, especially not in this fog. It’s dangerous.”

  Nolan’s mouth dropped open, and he narrowed his eyes at the older boy. Two minutes ago, he told me not to worry about breaking the rules!

  Peter ignored him. “Last year the fog got so terrible you could barely see where you put your foot down—on grass, or on water.”

  “I’m sorry.” Leo stared at his feet. “I went for a walk, and somehow I ended up here. There... there’s something about this house.”

  “Yeah.” Nolan’s voice sounded hoarse and raspy, his mouth dry as sand. “That’s the house from my nightmares, except... in my nightmares, it’s not abandoned, and not this old.”

  Peter frowned and shook his head. “What the heck are you talking about?”

  Both boys now turned to Nolan, and he felt the familiar rush of heat creeping up his cheeks again.

  “Before I came here, I started having nightmares—like, every night. Always the same one. I was here, near the lake, near this house.”

  Peter waved his hand. “You probably saw that on the camp brochure.”

  “The house isn’t on any brochure.” Leo grabbed his arm, and Nolan flinched at the strength of his grip. “Tell me more.”

  “There’s not much more to say. Something comes out of the house, toward me, and pushes me into the lake. Then I drown. But the water is thick, like blood.”

  Leo let go of his arm and brushed a hand through his hair. “All right, I lied. When I told you I ‘somehow’ ended up here. I went out walking, and I saw her, the ghost, but she vanished right away. I walked over to where she was standing, and then she appeared again, a little farther away, like she was marking a trail.”

  Nolan’s jaw dropped. “And you followed her? I thought you said you were afraid of her.”

  “I am, but if she’s my sister, I kind of owe it to her, you know?”

  “This is crazy.” Peter put his hands on his hips. “Come on, we’re going back.”

  “Shouldn’t we at least investigate the house?” Nolan asked. “Maybe we can find some clues about Leo’s family inside. It can’t be a coincidence the spirit brought him here.”

  “You can go investigate all you want, but I’m going back to the cabin.” Peter glanced at his watch. “It’s past breakfast time. Nellie will have our heads for this.”

  “Maybe he’s right and we should go back. I don’t want to get you in any trouble.” Leo smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

  Nolan put a hand on his arm. “We’ll go investigate later, when we have more time. If there are any clues about your family in there, we’ll find them. I promise.”

  “Thanks.” Leo nodded at him, but his eyes stayed dark, restless.

  Chapter 7

  “What do you mean, you ‘took a morning walk’?” Nellie’s face turned red as a tomato. “I’ve been looking for you for over an hour!” She lowered her voice. “You three promise me you’ll never do anything like that again. And as punishment, you’ll clean up The Shack after dinner.”

  “We promise.” Peter stared at the ground and dragged his foot from left to right.

  “Good. Now go get ready. We’re heading to the lake.”

  I’d clean up The Shack three times a day if that meant I wouldn’t have to go to the lake. Nolan sighed, but he followed the others to go grab their swimming clothes.

  Peter hadn’t even opened the door before Sam appeared in front of it, holding up a warning finger.

  “If you ever go on an adventure without me again, I’ll hide spiders in your bed.” He wiggled his finger left and right.

  Peter rolled his eyes. “If you hadn’t been such a girl and took forever in the bathroom, you could’ve tagged along.”

  Nolan held up his hands. “We won’t. Promise.”

  Sam grumbled thanks, and the boys packed their stuff and joined the group of campers outside.

  Fifteen minutes later, they reached the lake. The fog had cleared up, and sunlight streamed through the broken clouds.

  I’d rather walk through hell, make a deal with the devil, and come back, than get into that lake.

  “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Sam nudged him in his side. “I know you’re scared of water, but it’s not all that bad.”

  “We’ll be with you the entire time, like we promised.” Peter gave him a thumbs up.

  Nolan swallowed hard. “I’m not sure I want to do this. Go into the lake, I mean.”

  Peter shrugged. “You don’t have to, of course, but you’ll miss out.”

  The camp leaders gathered all the kids in a circle. Jane, the head camp leader, gave out instructions about how they shouldn’t dive too deep, or do anything reckless. “Stay close to the shore, and have fun.” She winked at them.

  Nolan took his shirt off, folded it and put it down on the ground.

  One by one, the kids got into the water.

  Peter ran in, waving his arms above his head, screaming, “Geronimo!”

  Sam dipped his toe into the water and shivered.

  Peter splashed water all over him. “Come on, you’re not afraid of the cold, are you?”


  “I’ll get you for this!” Sam dived in after him.

  “I can stay with you, if you like.” Leo appeared next to him.

  Nolan jumped up. “I didn’t hear you coming.”

  “Yeah, sneaking up on people is one of my many useless skills. I’m serious though. It sucks staying out here on your own, so I can stay with you, if you like.”

  “Nah.” He waved a hand. “Thanks for the offer, but you don’t have to stay with me.”

  “Okay.” Leo hesitated. “You could go in and stay close to the shore. It’s not deep there.”

  “Is everything okay?” Nellie walked toward them.

  “Um....” Nolan stared at his feet. “I’m afraid of swimming.”

  “Oh.” She blinked a few times, as if he’d spoken a foreign language. “Well, I can come with you. You can hold my hand, and I’ll make sure nothing happens to you. Do you know the basics of swimming?”

  His stomach turned at the memory of torturous swimming classes, of him screaming out in panic every time the teacher let go of his hand—how the water around him, crystal-clear at first, would turn into a thick, black mass. “Sort of.”

  “Okay. Well, let’s go.” She held out a hand.

  He let Nellie pull him along into the water, even though his gut screamed to get out of there.

  “One foot at a time.”

  He put one step into the water. Fear rolled over him in waves, but it didn’t turn into panic yet, since the water barely reached his ankles.

  Nellie urged him deeper and deeper into the lake. In the distance, the others were throwing a ball around, laughing and having fun.

  The water now reached his waist, and shivers spread all over his body. His throat tightened. Soon, the ground would disappear below his feet, and then the madness would start.

  “You all right?” Nellie squeezed his hand. “If you don’t want to go any farther, that’s okay.”

  “Hey!” One of the kids standing closest to them turned and shouted at them. “Do you want to play too?”

  “No thanks.” Even his voice trembled.

  The boy frowned, shrugged, and turned back to his game.