The Demon Notebook (2 page)

She was aware of all eyes on her as she left the room with the wastepaper basket's sandy remains. She hoped the fire in her cheeks would calm down by the time she returned to Rachel's room, but Adie's sympathetic smile told her it hadn't. She pretended to scratch her nose and flicked her hair over to hide her face.

“So what'll we do now?” said Una.

“I'm hungry,” said Jenny. “Where did the snacks go?”

“We're saving them for a midnight feast,” replied Rachel.

“And when will that be?”

“At
midnight
.”

“And what time is it now?”

“Only ten thirty,” Adie cut in.

“Are you joking?” Jenny said. “I'm not waiting 'til midnight.”

She dove under a small pile of comforters, with Rachel right behind her. They struggled for a few giggling moments until Jenny emerged, victorious, with a packet of potato chips.

“And that's all you're getting!” Rachel said, swatting her with a pillow. “The rest is for later.”

“Hey,” said Una, “why don't we play Truth or Dare?”

“Ugh,” replied Grace. “I hate that game.”

“Ah, go on,” said Una. “We'll each have a veto if there's a dare you really don't want to do.”

“Does that work for truths as well?” asked Grace.

“We already know who you like,” said Rachel, smiling, “so you won't need a veto on telling the truth.”

Grace grabbed Jenny's bag of potato chips and fired it at Rachel. It bounced off her head.

“Ouch,” Rachel said drily.

“I'll play,” said Adie, “but no scary dares.”

“Then what's the point?” cried Una.

“I'm with Adie there,” said Rachel. “You always dare someone to go out to the Stone House, and there's
no
way
I'm going out there in the dark.”

The Stone House was a crumbling, ruined cottage at the end of the field next to Rachel's house. During the day, it looked lonely and broken, but at night, from the window of Rachel's bedroom, it became something sinister. The gaping roof revealed an emptiness so thick, it didn't look empty at all, and the jagged walls were like teeth, filling a dark mouth that was ready to suck in anyone who came too close…

“I don't
always
dare someone to go out there,” argued Una. “But if I do, it's 'cause no one will do it.”

“All right then,” said Grace. “I dare you to walk out and touch the Stone House right now.”

“We haven't started playing yet,” Una said.

“Go on!” said Rachel. “If you do it, we all promise to play with no vetoes at all.”

“Swear?” said Una.

“Yeah, swear,” said Grace. “But you can't just walk near it and then run back. You have to stand right outside the door for at least a minute.”

Una's brow furrowed, and Rachel smiled at her.

“Scared?”

“No,” Una said. Getting to her feet, she pulled on her sneakers and grabbed her jacket.

“Don't let my parents see you go out!” Rachel whispered loudly as Una slipped downstairs.

The girls ran to the window and watched the bright pink jacket slowly make its way down the garden to the fence that surrounded the neighboring field. At the very end of the field, they could just make out the silhouette of the Stone House. They saw Una pause at the fence, then, in one quick, decisive motion, grab it with both hands and flip her legs over to the other side.

Everyone was silent, watching the pink jacket gradually darken as Una left the comforting light of Rachel's house behind. Grace began to feel a little queasy and wondered if it had been a good idea to goad Una into this. One by one, the girls held their breath as the pale figure, barely visible in the dark, got closer and closer to the Stone House.

Suddenly, pale arms pumped through the dark, as Una came charging back toward the garden.

“I knew it!” said Rachel. “No one's ever done it.”

Within moments, Una was back in the bedroom, peeling off her jacket and panting.

“You got close!” laughed Jenny.

“But not close enough,” said Grace. “We keep our vetoes.”

“I heard something!” said Una breathily. The girls laughed in reply.

“No,
seriously
,” she said. “Like voices. There was someone there, I
swear
!”

Everyone laughed again.

“The only things out there making noise are the sheep,” said Rachel.

“Whatever,” said Una, sulking. “I know I heard something.”

The others exchanged smiles but knew better than to tease her any further.

Grace stamped through the school entrance, trying, in vain, to get Saturday night's love spell out of her mind. Would this be the one to work? Would James O'Connor be crazy about her this morning? A dull buzz from her phone broke her reverie. She fished it out of her pocket and opened the waiting text message.

OMG have best plan ever! Meet @ break

Grace frowned at Una's message, hoping it didn't involve anything risky or embarrassing. Una's plans usually did. Balancing her bag on one knee, Grace stuffed her heavy math textbook inside and slammed her locker door shut, too late to stop the small avalanche of notebooks that slid out. Grunting in dismay, she dropped her bag on the floor and began to pick up the fallen items.

“You missed one,” a voice said. She looked up—and straight into James O'Connor's bright blue eyes.

“Thanks,” she murmured, slowly taking the book he offered. Then she realized he was leaning in, and, for one heart-stopping second, she braced herself for the kiss that seemed inevitable—before exhaling quietly as he leaned past her to pick up his own bag.

Grace tried to flash him a quick, friendly smile as he left, but he was already chatting to his friends and didn't notice. She paused momentarily, then slammed the locker door shut with unnecessary force.
Of
course
it
didn't work!
she said to herself.

***

On their break, the girls all sat on and around the desks of the classroom, waiting patiently as Una looked ready to burst with her amazing plan.

“Right!” she squealed. “Are you ready for this?”

“Just tell us,” sighed Rachel.

“Well, you know there's a Career Night in school on Wednesday?”

“Yeah,” said Grace.

“We're going,” said Una.

“Why?” asked Adie. “Seventh graders don't have to go, and it sounds really boring. It'll just be a bunch of people trying to get us to join the army or get into real estate.”

“We're not going for the career advice,” said Una, grinning. “We're going so we can sneak off to the P block.”

“To do what?” said Rachel.

“Some Ouija boarding!”

“Ugh,” said Adie. “We've done that loads of times, and it never works. The coin only moves when we all get tired and start leaning on it.”

“But this time we'll be doing it
at
school
and
at
night
. How cool is that?!”

“Hold on,” said Jenny, whipping her bag off the floor and tipping the contents onto one of the school desks. She grabbed a small, black book among the debris and flicked through it. “Yep, thought so. This Wednesday's a full moon.”

“Perfect!” said Una.

“I don't know,” said Grace. “What if we get caught? We'd be in
so
much trouble.”

“Who's going to catch us?” said Una. “The teachers will all be distracted by the career stuff. All we have to do is wait 'til no one's looking and sneak off.”

“What if we got locked in there or something?” Grace wasn't excited about this idea at all.

“I think we should do it,” Rachel said suddenly with a grin.

“Yay!” Una exclaimed, clapping her hands with glee.

“And I've got the perfect surprise for it too.”

“What?” asked Grace.

“You'll have to wait until Wednesday,” Rachel said, still grinning.

***

The Saint John's Career Night was surprisingly busy and, Grace had to admit, surprisingly entertaining. By the time Una and Jenny arrived, Grace, Adie, and Rachel had already taken turns sitting on a police officer's motorcycle, talked in serious tones to an army representative about the pros and cons of living in barracks, and convinced a statuesque businesswoman that they were all determined to become models.

“Did you see her face,” snorted Grace, “when she was saying how modeling requires good hair and good skin, and I was nodding away, scratching at this pimple on my chin?”

All three burst out laughing.

“I saw that,” giggled Adie, “that's why I pulled out my hair band. Didn't even use conditioner in my hair this morning. She went white when she saw my impression of a Frizz Monster!”

“It's a good thing I was there,” Rachel said with mock seriousness, penciling a little eyeliner on as she focused on her reflection in a nearby window. “She said I had the
perfect
complexion for modeling.”

“
Whatever
,” said Grace. “I think you've got enough eyeliner on now.”

“Want some?” Rachel asked with a knowing smile.

Grace had asked to borrow some of Rachel's makeup once before, pretending she wore it all the time. She didn't realize it took some skill to apply and ended up jabbing herself in the eye with a mascara brush.

“Hey, there they are,” said Adie, as Una and Jenny jogged toward them.

“Are we all set?” asked Una, not waiting for an answer. “We can slip away now, no bother. I haven't even seen a teacher yet. They're all inside the classrooms.”

Taking one more sweeping look up and down the hall, the girls bundled toward the double doors that led to the P block.

Inside the block, the corridor was dark. None of the lights were on, and the only illumination came from the full moon that shone through the small, square windows. Their pace slowed, and they moved closer together as they suddenly felt very detached from the rest of the people in the building. The heavy doors muted the noise of the Career Night, and the girls felt like they were totally on their own. For some reason, they found themselves whispering.

They continued slowly down the shadowy hall until they finally reached the small, open area at the end.

“I have the board ready,” said Una, kneeling down to unfold a large piece of paper. “Who's got a quarter?”

“No need,” said Rachel. She sat down on the ground to open her knapsack and pulled out a box that looked like a board game. Smiling at the others, she opened it and pulled out a real Ouija board, like the ones they had seen on TV.

“Where did you get that?” asked Grace, grinning.

“Online,” Rachel replied. “My sister bought it for me.”

“Awesome!” gasped Una. “This just gets better and better. It'll definitely work now. Do you have the pointer thing too?”

“It's called a planchette,” said Rachel, placing the pointer in the center of the board. There was silence for a minute as the girls took in the spooky sight of a real Ouija board bathed in moonlight. Then slowly they all sat down in a circle around it. Adie looked suddenly uncertain, but she sat quietly with the others.

“I'll take down anything the spirits spell out,” said Grace, laying her notebook and a pencil on the floor beside her.

“You remembered your notebook—good job!” Una said. “Right. Everyone place two fingers on the…pancetta.”

“
Planchette
,” corrected Rachel.

The girls obeyed and took deep breaths as Una began to speak.

“If there is anyone there, please move the pointer.”

Silence. She tried again.

“If there are any spirits with us, please move the pointer.”

A little snort escaped Jenny's nose.

“Hey!” Una hissed.

“Sorry,” Jenny said, suppressing a hysterical giggle. “The spirit stuff always gets me.”

“This isn't going to work if you start laughing,” chided Grace.

“I'll be good, I promise.” Jenny wriggled from side to side, resettling herself to show she was now taking this seriously. Una closed her eyes and tried again.

“If there's anyone there, please move the pointer.”

A sudden cool breeze swept over them.

“Did you feel that?” Rachel whispered.

“Shh!” said Una, her eyes snapping open as the planchette moved. The girls all froze as their hands rose ever so slightly with the pointer as it began to slide around the board.

“Who's pushing that?” Adie said, her voice barely a whisper.

“Not me,” said Jenny.

“It's not me,” Rachel said.

“Hush!” said Grace. “Watch it.”

The planchette swung over the letter
t,
then
u
, the force beneath it getting stronger and stronger until the girls barely needed to touch it at all.

“I don't like this.” Adie was close to tears. “I want to stop.”

“Don't take your hand off,” Grace said, her eyes glued to the pointer.

“I mean it,” Adie continued. “I don't like this. It's too weird.”

“But it's working!”

The pointer flew from letter to letter:
a, o, m, n, i, s.

Adie snatched her hand away, holding it to her mouth in fear. The pointer didn't stop.

V, o, l, u, n, t, a, s.

Suddenly, Adie swept her hand over the board, sending the planchette flying into the wall. The others gasped as it landed heavily on the floor.

“What did you do?!” snapped Grace, still keeping her voice low. “You're not supposed to stop in the middle like that.”

“This isn't right,” Adie cried, the tears flowing steadily now. “I'm scared!”

“You're always scared!” said Grace. “I should take this down.” She reached for her notebook.

The sound of fluttering pages made them all jump. Grace gasped and stared, horrified, as her notebook pages started flipping back and forth of their own accord in a crackling flurry of paper.

“What's
happening
?” she said, leaning away from it as far as she could and turning to the others for help. A scratching sound made her look back, and she saw her pencil, standing upright in the air as if held by an invisible writer, scrawling out letters across the page. Grace's breath caught in her throat, and she struggled to contain a scream. The pencil finished its journey in one final swirl and dropped lifeless to the ground.

It was a full minute before anyone dared to move. Slowly, in terrified silence, the girls helped each other to their feet, keeping clear of the notebook.

“We have to get out of here,” said Jenny.

“I want to go home,” said Adie, sobbing gently.

“Pack up the board,” Jenny instructed Rachel, “and make sure it's well hidden in your bag.”

Rachel hurriedly folded the Ouija board and stuffed it into her bag. Then, using her sleeve, just to be on the safe side, she picked up the planchette and threw it in on top of the board.

“The notebook,” Jenny said urgently as the girls were about to head toward the exit.

“I don't want it,” Grace said. “I don't want to pick it up.”

“You have to,” Jenny urged. “Someone will find it. It's got all our stuff in there. We can't leave it.”

Grace looked at the white notebook lying in a square of moonlight, with the pencil lying half on and half off it. She walked reluctantly forward and kicked the pencil into the corner, then snatched up the notebook as if it were a hot coal and jammed it into her bag as quickly as possible.

“Let's go,” Jenny said, herding them all toward the heavy double doors.

***

No one said a word as they waited in the cool night air for their individual rides home. Adie had rubbed her face clean as best she could so her mother wouldn't see she had been crying. Grace kept a hand over her bag, convinced she could feel the notebook burning a hole through it. As the first of the parents arrived, she looked quickly at the others.

“Is everyone okay?” she asked. “I mean, as okay as we can be?”

“Yeah,” replied Jenny. “As okay as we can be, I guess.”

Rachel didn't answer but nodded slowly. Adie glanced up and frowned, then nodded too.

“Una?”

Una raised her head, then slowly turned to look at Grace with a strange half smile.

“Una?” Grace asked again. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine, Grace. Thank you.”

Grace frowned, and the others looked at Una, equally confused.

“Una?” Jenny said.

Una gave Jenny the same weird smile.

“Are you okay?” Jenny stammered.

“I'm fine, Jenny. Thank you,” said Una in a monotone. The others stared at Una, and Grace could feel a knot gather in the pit of her stomach.

“Grace!” her mom called from the car. “Are you ready to go? Adie, you're getting a ride with us, aren't you?”

Nobody answered. All eyes were still on Una.

“
Grace
, are you coming?” her mom called again.

“Yes, Mom,” Grace croaked, taking hold of Adie's sleeve with both hands and leading her toward the car. She couldn't help but look back at the strange sight behind them—Rachel and Jenny standing close together, a few feet from a perfectly serene, unblinking Una. She watched them as long as she could before the car pulled out of the school parking lot and the wall obstructed her view. She could sense Adie's anxiety behind her, but she didn't dare look back in case she dissolved into terrified tears herself.