Midnight Games (3 page)

I may not be as pretty and dramatic-looking as Jamie. But guys think I'm hot.

I like to go out and party and get trashed and get crazy.

It helps me forget how sick my life is.

Wow. When Jamie greeted me like that—like a long-lost friend—it meant so much to me. I thought I'd burst out crying. I really did.

I need Jamie to be my friend. My life has sucked for so long. I need this new start. New friends. New
everything.

I picked up the hamster cage and peered inside. Hammy sat in a corner, burrowed down in the wood shavings, staring out at me with those shiny, black eyes.

I knew he was confused, moving to a new home. Well . . . I was confused too. Confused and hurt and angry.

I picked up my other suitcase and waited
for Jamie to lead the way. She wore an oversize, white T-shirt pulled down over black yoga pants. Her hair fell in loose strands around her face, tied in a single ponytail.

Her skin was paler than I remembered. When she smiled at me, I could see tiny, blue veins pulsing in her temples.

She limped badly as she led the way to the front stairs. I realized she was still not fully recovered from her accident.

I wanted to ask her a million questions about it. What were she and Lewis doing at the wreck of the Fear Mansion? How could they ever fall into such a deep hole? Why were they there so late at night?

The questions could wait. Maybe Jamie didn't even remember the answers.

I followed her up the front stairway. “Dana, you have the whole attic to yourself,” she said. “It's very cozy. I think you'll like it. Is that a hamster in there? Better keep him away from my mom. She's allergic to all kinds of animals. What's his name?”

“Hammy,” I said. “Clever, huh?”

She laughed. “How did you ever come up with that?”

We were both breathless by the time we dropped the suitcases to the floor in my new attic room. I set the hamster cage down on a table in front of the window. Gazing out, I could see the long, front lawn with its two flower beds, empty now since it was November. Two tall, old trees stood on both sides of the driveway, mostly bare except for a few clumps of dead, brown leaves.

Jamie lifted one of the suitcases onto the narrow bed against the wall. “Sorry about your mom,” she said.

“Yeah, sorry,” I muttered. “Sorry, sorry, sorry.”

She wasn't expecting me to be so bitter. I could see the shock on her face.

“Such a bad year for our family,” she said softly. “First, cousin Cindy died, then your mom. How is your dad doing? Your mom died so suddenly. He must still be in shock.”

“How should I know?” I asked. My voice trembled. I didn't want it to. I wanted to sound calm and controlled. But sometimes I just can't hold in my anger.

“He won't talk to me,” I said. “He can't deal with me, I guess.”

Jamie put a hand on my shoulder. “Just because he sent you to live here . . . ”

“He didn't
want
me!” I cried. “He didn't want me to live with him. My mom dies. So he sends me off to a cousin I haven't seen in seven years. How should that make me feel? You tell me, Jamie. How should I feel about that?”

I was talking through gritted teeth. I looked down and saw my hands coiled into tight, red fists.

Jamie took a step back. Her face went even paler. I could see she was surprised. She studied me for a long moment.

“Dana, you're scaring me,” she said. “I'm serious. You look so angry, like you could kill someone.”

Kill
someone?

No way. What a strange thing to say.

Did I really look like that?

Kill someone?

Me?

7

It was an excellent party. Jamie had
the music cranked up. And the dining room table was loaded down with pepperoni and onion pizzas and long submarine sandwiches.

No beer. Jamie's parents were home. But everyone seemed to be having a good time, anyway.

Danny, Jamie's seven-year-old brother, printed out a banner on his computer:
WELCOME, DANA
—each letter in a different color. It was strung up over the piano.

Danny is a cool little guy. He has short, blond hair and bright, blue eyes, and a killer smile, even with two front teeth missing. Tonight, he had a fake tattoo of a dragon on one cheek.

Everyone was making a fuss over him. One
of Jamie's friends was trying to teach him how to dance. But he kept stomping down on her feet. He thought that was a riot. Each time he did it, he giggled like a fiend.

The first two guys I bumped into at Jamie's party were Nate and Shark. I'd met them a few nights before at the bar everyone goes to late at night.

Shark told me his real name is Bart Sharkman but everyone calls him Shark. He is a big, athletic-looking guy, kinda intense, nervous. He kept gazing around a lot. I think it was hard for him to stand still for very long.

He is cute. I like his spiky hair. I wondered if maybe I could get the shark to bite. But then this streaky-blond girl named Nikki came over to us and wrapped her arm through Shark's.

Nikki seemed okay. She had a funny sense of humor and a hoarse, smoky voice that I liked.

Nate was kinda cute too. Sort of a cuddly teddy bear type. I knew right away why I could be into him. He reminded me of Dustin, my old boyfriend. No joke. He reminded me of Dustin big-time. So in a way, I kinda felt I already knew Nate.

He had a great laugh. I was teasing him about something and we were having a nice talk. And I guess I had my hand on his shoulder—you know, just being friendly—when this skinny, red-haired girl practically bumps me out of the way.

Jamie hurried over and introduced us. She said the girl's name was Ada Something. I didn't catch the last name. I'd met Ada at the bar the other night, but we didn't get to talk.

Sometimes you get a flash about someone. I mean, I don't really believe in first impressions. But tonight I could see that I probably wasn't going to like this girl Ada.

Just a hunch.

I went to get a Coke from the cooler, and when I turned around, Ada was all over Nate. I mean, I'm not against Public Displays of Affection, but I think she was making a point here, staking out territory, if you know what I mean.

I was just talking to the guy, after all.

I guess maybe I was too intense, standing there staring at them. Because another girl came over and pulled me aside. She was tall and very pretty in a cold sort of way. She
had perfect, creamy skin and long, billowy blond hair.

She said her name was Whitney. And she held on to my arm and started talking about Ada and Nate, in a loud whisper. “Ada had a crush on Nate for years,” she told me. “But he always looked through her like Saran Wrap or something.”

Saran Wrap?
Excuse me?

“Anyway, after Candy Shutt died, Nate was totally messed up,” Whitney continued. “I'm not sure why. I mean, he didn't even
like
Candy. I guess it was the idea of someone we knew, someone in our class dying like that.

“Anyway, Ada tried hard to get him to snap out of it. And they finally started going out.”

“And now it's a serious thing?” I said, watching the two of them lip-locked on the couch.

Whitney nodded. Her hair fell over her face, and she brushed it away. “Yeah. Ada is really intense about Nate.” She raised her eyes to mine. “I just thought I should warn you. You know.”

“Look, I was just talking to him,” I said. I don't know why I snapped at her. She just
annoyed me. “Are you really trying to tell me I can't talk to some guy without permission? Tell your friend Ada to chill—okay?”

Whitney let go of my arm and stepped back. She couldn't hide her shock from her face. She turned bright red. “I . . . was only trying to help.”

“Sorry,” I said quickly. “Please. I'm kinda in a haze or something. I didn't mean that. It's been really tough. Losing my mom and . . . having to move to a new place senior year.”

Whitney tugged at two long strands of her hair, studying me. I guess she accepted my apology, because she said, “How are you and Jamie related?”

I raised my eyes and saw Jamie across the living room, dancing with little Danny. I had to sigh. Jamie was always so graceful and athletic, and now she had that bad limp. She used a cane around the house but quickly hid it away if anyone came over.

“My mom and Jamie's mom were sisters,” I said.

Whitney kept studying me. “So your dad is a Fear?”

I nodded.

“That means Jamie
isn't
a Fear?” Whitney asked.

I laughed. “Are you worried about her? Worried it might be catching or something?”

Whitney blushed again.

Why was I being so nasty? Jamie throws a party for me, and what do I do? Make sure all her friends hate me.

But I knew kids were staring at me because I'm related to the Fear family. I'm not a paranoid nut. I don't think people are staring at me all the time.

But Jamie's friends were definitely checking me out. And not just because of my short skirt and glittery, tight-fitting midriff top.

As the party went on, I overheard kids talking about the Fear family. And the Curse of Fear Street. Sometimes they'd hush up when they saw me come by. Sometimes they kept right on talking.

I carried some paper plates into the kitchen and saw a group of kids huddled around the table. They had tense expressions on their faces, and they were talking about Candy, the girl who had died.

“That jeweled thing she wore. It belonged
to Angelica Fear,” said a red-haired girl in a jeans jacket and denim skirt. “It was Angelica's evil amulet. She used it to cast spells on people.”

A tall, skinny boy snickered. “How do you know that?”

“Galen saw an old photo,” the girl replied. “It showed Angelica Fear wearing the same pendant. Galen started to tell people about it, remember? And he ended up in the hospital.”

“So you think the amulet got Candy killed?” another girl asked.

The red-haired girl nodded. “Someone murdered Candy and stole the amulet.”

“That's way weird,” a boy said. “Everyone knows she fell down the stairs. It was an accident.”

“Then explain why the police didn't find the amulet anywhere,” the girl replied.

The skinny boy scratched his spiky hair. “So you think there's a killer out there? A killer who has an evil amulet that once belonged to the Fear family?”

The red-haired girl didn't answer the question.

I was standing at the sink, eavesdropping. It
took me a few seconds to realize that she was staring at me. They were all staring at me.

And I knew what they were thinking. I saw the suspicious looks on their faces. And even a little fright.

They knew that I'm a Fear. And they knew I'd been listening to their conversation.

I had hoped for a clean start.

I'd had such a bad year, filled with so much sadness and horror.

I'd hoped to leave it behind.

But the cold looks on their faces made my heart sink.

I turned away and hurried from the kitchen. But the question repeated in my mind:

Am I going to be in trouble because of my name
once again
?

8

I made my way back to the living
room. A lot more kids had arrived. Their voices rose up over the booming music. Lots of laughter. Some kids were singing some kind of school song, only with dirty lyrics.

Some guys had sneaked in cans of beer, which they tried to hide at their sides. I heard a loud crash. Shattered glass. Someone yelled, “Oops!”

Jamie bumped into me, carrying a tray of plates and glasses. “I have to order more pizza,” she said, shaking her head. “I didn't invite all these kids. I don't even
know
some of them.”

I laughed. “I just thought you were majorly popular!”

Jamie hurried away. Someone grabbed my arm. I turned to see Nate smiling at me.
“Come on. Let's go outside,” he said, shouting over the voices. “We can't talk in here.” He gave me a gentle tug.

I glanced around. “Are you sure Ada won't mind?”

His smile faded. “She doesn't own me.”

I followed him out the front door. It was a cold, clear night. A tiny sliver of moon was almost lost in a sky full of stars.

Cars jammed the driveway and both sides of the street. One of them was parked on Jamie's front lawn.

Nate shook his head. “Mr. Richards isn't going to be too happy about that.”

I hugged myself, trying to stay warm. My little midriff top wasn't much good against the cold. My arms had goosebumps up and down.

Nate appeared tense. He had his eyes down on his sneakers. “Sorry about Ada,” he muttered. “I mean, the way she pulled me away like that.”

“No problem,” I said. I didn't know
what
to say. “How long have you been together?” I asked.

He shrugged in reply. “I'm not even sure we
are
going together.”

“Liar,” I said, grinning. “That's not what I heard.”

He grinned back.

I guessed he was interested in me. Maybe
very
interested.

I didn't mind. I was interested in him, too. I thought, maybe he'd like to put his arms around me and warm me up.

But he didn't make a move. He just stood there, staring down at the ground. “Hey, maybe you and I could hang out or something,” he said finally.

“Cool,” I said.

Then he ruined it. He raised his eyes to mine and said, “I've always wanted to meet a Fear.”

“Really?” Is that why he's so interested?

“I have a lot of questions,” he said. “You know. About your family.”

Well, that was nice while it lasted.

I thought he wanted me—not my family.

“You writing a magazine article?” I snapped. I didn't mean it to sound so cold, but it did.