“Of course not,” Midnight said, before realizing that it was only because Tabitha was weird that she’d shown her the spreadsheet in the first place. She didn’t worry about what Tabitha thought. “I just find that the more organized I am, the more time I have to relax. It’s a win-win.”
“R-ight.” Tabitha nodded as she continued to inspect the screen. “What’s with all the colors?”
“So we can easily see our schedule,” Midnight explained. “I’ve broken down our time after school to help us plan. Red is for eating dinner. Green is for YouTube downtime, and orange is for any after-school activities we might have. Speaking of which, is there anything you’d like to schedule in?”
“You mean apart from hanging out at the cemetery?” Tabitha raised an eyebrow before shaking her head. “No. My mom’s desperate for me to play tennis, but I think she’s beginning to accept that I’m not country club material.”
“Okay. So…No after-school activities apart from cemetery visiting,” Midnight confirmed as she typed it into the cell. That was a sentence that you didn’t see every day. “And nothing in the mornings?”
“Nothing but annoying my parents with my biting wit.” Tabitha grinned. “What’s pink for? I don’t know if I’m comfortable being involved in activities associated with the color pink.”
“Don’t worry. It won’t bite. It’s just there for when I get my part-time job.”
“You’re going to get a job?” Tabitha looked at her with interest before reaching over and clicking on the spreadsheet cell where Midnight had written: Get a job so that I can go on the ski trip of a lifetime and make all of my dreams come true. “Ah, now I get it. You’ve been invited on Savannah Hanson’s annual ski trip.”
“How do you know about that?” Midnight gasped. After Sav invited her, Lucy had explained that only two lucky friends received the golden invitation each year. She realized that Tabitha was staring at her. “Sorry. That was rude.”
“Forget it.” Tabitha shrugged. “Back in fourth grade, Sav and I were best friends.”
“Are you serious?” Midnight yelped before stopping herself. If she’d been rude before, now she was being downright insulting. “What I mean is that you guys are so—”
“Different? Yeah, tell me about it. Anyway, that’s all in the past.”
“But what happened?” Midnight persisted, both fascinated and shocked at the idea that Tabitha Wilson and Savannah Hanson had ever shared a conversation.
“Well, let’s see. I developed a taste for skulls and wearing black, and she developed a taste for ignoring me. But honestly, it’s no big deal.”
“O-of course not,” Midnight stammered while trying not to show how sorry she felt for Tabitha. Because despite Tabitha’s indifference, Midnight couldn’t imagine anyone being pleased at losing Sav’s friendship.
It must’ve been like being shown the sun and then having it taken away.
She looked around the dark bedroom and then at Tabitha’s habitual smirk and realized that it wasn’t just an example of what could happen if you lost the friendship of the coolest girl in school.
It was actually a cautionary tale.
CHAPTER SIX
Midnight tried to fight back a yawn on Monday afternoon as she waited at the school library for Sav and Lucy to arrive. The final bell had rung ten minutes ago, but at least this time she knew her friends weren’t going to stand her up. Sav and Lucy were meeting with the drama teacher about the talent show, and then they were all going to their favorite juice bar. Even better, Midnight wasn’t wearing a mouse costume.
On the downside, Midnight’s job hunting wasn’t going well, and she’d quickly discovered that there wasn’t much call for a twelve-year-old girl with excellent spreadsheet abilities and bad eyesight, and right now all she had on her list was crowdfunding or…
No.
She pushed the thought from her mind.
Working for Miss Appleby wasn’t an option.
After all, what was the point of trying to fit in with her friends if she did something crazy like fighting spectral energy? That was the other thing. In between her job hunting, Midnight had spent hours on the Internet trying to see if a single word of what Miss Appleby had told her was true. But she hadn’t been able to find one credible reference to spectral energy. In fact, all that her search had resulted in was a bunch of gimmicky ghost-hunting apps, which all promised to help find specters using electromagnetic energy. Not that Midnight believed they worked (or even knew what electromagnetic energy was), but it did prove Tabitha had been right. There really was an app for everything.
Oh no. Midnight froze as she caught sight of Logan Johnson talking to Tyson Carl at the other end of the library. He seemed too busy avoiding the spittle from Tyson’s overbite to see Midnight, which gave her time to scuttle behind one of the stacks. Sav no longer had a crush on him, but Midnight didn’t want to mess anything up with her friends.
She put on her glasses and Logan immediately came into focus. His dark hair was pushed back from his forehead and his deep brown eyes were narrow with worry, as he and Tyson walked to the science section, no doubt to study for the upcoming quiz. It also meant that Midnight was stuck where she was.
She crouched down and tried to ignore the way her jeans dug into her stomach. Sav and Lucy’s favorite mantra was “fashion before comfort,” but secretly Midnight wished that jeans could be cute and easy to move in at the same time. She sucked in her stomach. Hopefully Logan wouldn’t take too long to…Who put modern art in the history section?
Midnight pulled it out and placed it on the floor before noticing a Judy Blume book. She took that out too, and soon she discovered at least twenty more incorrectly shelved books.
She frowned. Libraries had always been her happy place. They represented order and certainty. They had a system that could be relied on. They were somewhere that couldn’t be hit with random events like your father getting killed in a car accident. Or like your mom deciding to get remarried to a Viking.
“Do you care to explain this mess?” a low voice hissed and she looked up to see Mrs. Crown, the bad-tempered librarian, looming above her. Midnight gulped and cautiously checked that Logan wasn’t still around before reluctantly getting to her feet.
“They’re all misplaced books that have been dumped here. Kids are so annoying,” she said.
“Aren’t they just,” Mrs. Crown said in a brutally dry voice. “Now put these on the return cart and then get out of my library. I don’t want to see you back in here for two weeks.”
“Two weeks? But—” Midnight started to protest, but quickly did as she was told and scurried outside. However, before she had a chance to brood, a small flicker of light danced around the nearby flagpole and the familiar buzz jangled her ears.
Midnight pressed her lips together, much the same way she did when she wanted to ignore Taylor. She didn’t care how much spectral energy she saw, as long as she didn’t put on her glasses, she could pretend it wasn’t there. The lights increased and Midnight resolutely turned the other way. See, that wasn’t so hard.
A couple of minutes later, Sav and Lucy appeared, their arms linked at the elbows and their heads bobbing together as they giggled over something. As always, they looked like they’d stepped out of a clothing catalog. Midnight beamed with pride as several kids turned to stare at them.
“You’re never going to believe what just happened.” Sav grinned, seemingly oblivious to the attention she was generating. Then she paused and smoothed down the collar of Midnight’s shirt and tweaked her hair band before giving a critical nod of her head. “Goodness knows what you’d do without me. There. That’s better.”
“Thanks,” Midnight said. Normally she didn’t like people getting into her personal space, but Sav was super touchy and loved making sure that everyone around her was putting their best foot forward. Or, in Midnight’s case, her best Vans forward. Either way, she was grateful. “So, what were you going to tell me?”
“When w
e were talking to Miss Gregory, Lucy was drinking a can of diet soda and then she started laughing so hard that it almost came out her nose,” Sav explained as they headed for the café a few blocks from the school. Midnight continued to ignore the flickering lights. It was a lot easier to do when she was with her friends.
“In my defense, I only started to laugh because you were talking in that dorky English accent of yours,” Lucy retorted.
“What do you jolly well mean, old chum?” Sav protested in her fake accent. They continued to joke all the way to the juice bar. Midnight tried for the hundredth time to imagine Sav ever being friends with Tabitha. But it was impossible because Sav, with her long blond hair, great clothing, and killer sense of humor, was just so far removed from Tabitha’s morbid personality. Midnight blinked as she realized that Lucy was asking her what she’d been doing.
“Nothing much,” she quickly said. Somehow she didn’t think that “hiding from Logan” or “ignoring spectral energy” would be an appropriate answer. “But tell me more about the talent show. Are you both entering?”
“I’m just doing some backup dancing,” Lucy said. “But Sav has a solo.”
“Yes, and I’m petrified after what happened last year.” Sav gave a nervous shudder.
“You were robbed,” Lucy immediately piped in, and Midnight nodded her head in agreement. She hadn’t been at school last year but had heard about how Sav’s backup vocal track had stopped working and the judges had wrongly thought she’d been singing flat.
“You can’t let something like that stop you from shining,” Midnight said, for once quoting her mom. “You’re an amazing singer.”
“Thanks, Midnight.” Sav gave her a watery sniff. They reached the juice bar, snagged their favorite table, and ordered their juices.
“Okay,” Lucy said as soon as they were all sucking on their cranberry zingers. “So, Sav and I have been working out a list of everything that we need to get when we go to the mall next Saturday. And, Midnight, you’ll be pleased to see that we’ve used a spreadsheet.”
“Nice job,” Midnight said as Lucy produced her tablet. Though she was happy that her friends were finally embracing the power of order, she was a bit alarmed to see how long the list was. She gulped at one of the entries. “Three new swimsuits? I thought we were going skiing.”
“Of course we are, but don’t forget the hot tub at the end of the day,” Sav explained before rubbing her chin. “Though Midnight’s right. Three might be excessive. I’m sure we could get away with just two. And speaking of new, I saw the most adorable ski pants that I absolutely have to buy.”
Midnight’s throat tightened as the reality of the ski trip hit home. If she didn’t get a job soon, she wouldn’t be able to afford a pair of gloves, let alone everything else on Lucy’s list. Which meant she’d have to stay home. And what if she couldn’t avoid Logan the next time she saw him? Or if word got out that she went to the cemetery with Tabitha? Her friendship with Sav and Lucy would be over and she’d be forced to go back to her old life. The one where she was all alone. Unless—
The flickering lights and low buzz that had been following her since school continued in her ear, but this time, instead of ignoring them, Midnight took in a deep breath as a realization churned in her stomach.
The job with Miss Appleby. If her friends found out about it, they’d think she was a freak, but if she didn’t take it, she’d be left home, and the damage to their friendship would be irreparable.
She had no choice. She had to take it.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“I’m so pleased that you changed your mind.” Miss Appleby was sitting in the red chair with her walking stick close by when Midnight walked in the room. The long trail of amber knitting in her lap caught a glint of afternoon sunshine, turning it golden.
“Thank you for being so understanding,” Midnight said as she studied her hands to stop herself from freaking out. After all, it was one thing to agree to take the job. It was another thing entirely to be sitting back in Miss Appleby’s living room to discuss ghosts.
“Nonsense. I know better than anyone what I’m asking you to do. I’m just grateful that you’re here.” The knitting needles softly clicked away in the background. “The people of Berry will never know what you’ve done for them, but you’ll always have my gratitude.”
“Er, thanks.” Midnight caught her breath.
“Plus, of course, the cookies.” Miss Appleby gave her a warm smile and nodded to a side table that was laden with cookies, cupcakes, two cans of soda, and a pot of tea. “We can’t forget the cookies.”
“Where did you get this?” Her eyes widened at all the refined sugar. Considering her mom’s idea of a treat was a handful of dried cranberries, Midnight could get used to this.
“I hired someone to tidy the house and prepare my meals until my ankle’s healed. Plus, what we do takes energy. A lot of energy. Why don’t you pour me a cup of tea and get yourself whatever you want, and then I can start answering some of your questions. I imagine you have a long list.”
“How did you guess?” Midnight poured the tea and helped herself to a large chocolate cupcake.
“Because I think we’re more alike than you realize, and if it were me, I’d want to understand exactly how it all works.” Miss Appleby put down her knitting and stirred her tea. “So, what’s at the top of the list?”
“I still don’t understand how we’re meant to stop this spectral energy.” Midnight sat back down on the white sofa, making sure that she didn’t spill any crumbs on it.
“What I do is hunt down and neutralize any inanimate objects that contain spectral energy. That’s actually what I was doing when I dropped my necklace at your school. I was neutralizing a large green vase that sits on the school secretary’s desk.”
“That was you?” Midnight gasped.
Bwwrrrrrrrrrring.
Midnight stiffened as the piercing sound of a siren echoed through the room. Miss Appleby looked annoyed.
“Is that a fire alarm? Should I call someone? Do we need to evacuate?” Midnight tried not to panic.
“Unfortunately, there’s no one to call.” Miss Appleby awkwardly got to her feet. “That’s the electroscope letting us know we’ve got trouble. I guess it’s true what they say: there’s no rest for the wicked.”
“What do you mean?” Midnight’s palms prickled with sweat.
“I mean that we’re about to trap some spectral energy. I’m going to need a hand with walking.”
“O-of course.” Midnight obediently helped Miss Appleby out the door. “Where to?”
“Down the end of the hallway,” Miss Appleby instructed, leaning on Midnight’s arm, her teeth gritted in frustration. She obviously hated having to rely on people, which was something Midnight could definitely relate to. It was slow going, but they finally reached a plain white wall and Miss Appleby pushed aside a large watercolor painting to reveal a hidden latch.
Midnight gasped as the whole wall slid away, revealing a hidden room. The air was colder, and she hugged her arms to her body as she stepped inside and looked around.
Unlike the rest of the house, which was modern, light, and breezy, this room was full of oak paneling, heavy oil paintings, and an overpowering bookcase that lined one wall. Along the second wall was a huge collection of bottles, lampshades, and toys, all standing side by side in random order. Her heart pounded. In the middle of the room was a large table that was covered with a glass dome, and the alarm seemed to be coming from it.
Bwwrrrrrrrrrring.
Midnight jumped as the sound vibrated through her body. “Did that get louder?”
“Yes, and it will continue to do so until the spectral energy has been neutralized. Thankfully, the house is soundproofed, so the neighbors can’t hear it,” Miss Appleby said. “Now, if you could go to the table and tell me where the brass arm is pointing, then we’ll know where to go. It isn’t always exact, but it’s a good place to start.”
Midnight wanted t
o protest. She wasn’t ready to start. She still had so many questions—a whole neatly written list of them. But, as her heart continued to pound from the wailing siren, she swallowed them down.
If she wanted to go skiing, this was what she had to do.
She walked over to the table. A three-dimensional map of Berry spread across it, and above the map was a long brass arm that consisted of a series of brass cogs and wheels. It looked like the weirdest science fair invention she’d ever seen.
“What is it?” she asked.
“A flying arm electroscope.” Miss Appleby eased herself into a nearby chair and glanced at the clock on the wall. Her face tightened. “It searches for spikes in the electromagnetic field and marks it on the map. That’s how I know where the spectral energy will be. Can you tell me where it’s pointing?”
“Okay.” Midnight moved closer to the map and realized that the brass arm was hovering over a large plot on Goodison Street. “Hey, that’s Humber’s toy store. Are you saying that it might be in a toy?”
“Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing until we get there. Now, if you could go to the closet and lift out the smallest camera from the top shelf.”
Midnight obediently went over to a large, freestanding closet in the far corner and pulled back the thick door. As she did so, the enormity of what she’d agreed to hit her in the chest.
The spectral energy could be in anything.
Anywhere.
At any time. Then she remembered Miss Appleby had been at the school on Friday night.
“What happens if the spectral energy’s somewhere that you can’t get to?”
“Ah. Smart girl. I like the way your mind works.” Miss Appleby nodded her head in approval. “Do you see the large lenses on those cameras? It allows us to trap energy even if there’s a wall between us. It also helps that I have the advantage of age and respectability. People see what they want to see. In fact, the closest I’ve ever come to getting caught was on Friday night. By you.”
Midnight Reynolds and the Spectral Transformer Page 3