The Club (Night Fall ™)

by Stephanie Watson

  THE CLUB

  S T E P H A N I E W A T S O N

  M I N N E A P O L I S

  Text copyright © 2010 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.

  All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

  Darby Creek

  A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.

  241 First Avenue North

  Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.

  Website address: www.lernerbooks.com

  Watson, Stephanie, 1969–

  The club / by Stephanie Watson.

  p. cm. — (Night fall)

  ISBN 978–0–7613–6147–3 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper)

  [1. Horror stories.] I. Title.

  PZ7.W32949Cl 2010

  [Fic]—dc22 2010003061

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  1—BP—7/15/10

  eISBN: 978-0-7613-6550-1 (pdf)

  eISBN: 978-1-4677-2947-5 (ePub)

  eISBN: 978-1-4677-2948-2 (mobi)

  Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there

  wondering, fearing,

  Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared

  to dream before

  —Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven

  1

  Josh took a deep breath. It was the Bridgewater High championship football game. The bright stadium lights shone all around him. He could hear his classmates cheering in the stands. All he had to do was kick a field goal and they would win the championship. But as he readied himself for the kick, he felt a firm tap on his shoulder.

  Josh turned. Standing next to him was his teammate Ned. Josh gasped at the sight. Ned was bruised and covered with blood. His football uniform was just a shred of cloth. His left arm hung from his body as if it were coming off. Deep gashes cut into his arms. He stared at Josh with bulging, bloodshot eyes.

  “Oh my God,” Josh whispered. On the left side of Ned’s chest, blood oozed from a gaping hole. Ned smiled, and blood rushed from his mouth, spilling down his neck and onto his marred chest. He choked on the blood, laughing.

  “Josh . . .” Ned moaned like an animal. “I have something for you, pal.” Ned reached out his right hand to Josh. In it was Ned’s beating heart. He pressed the slimy organ into Josh’s palm.

  Josh screamed as he watched the heart writhe in his hand.

  Josh woke up. He was screaming into the hot air. His heart was pounding furiously. It was just a dream. It was just a dream, he told himself over and over as he tried to catch his breath. But Josh knew that it wasn’t just any dream. He had to do something to stop the nightmares. He had to stop the chain of innocent deaths. He couldn’t believe that only two short weeks had passed since he first joined the Club. . . .

  2

  Hey New Yawk! Your Giants suck! Up here we know how to play football.” Ned Onger punctuated that brilliant statement by smacking Josh hard on one shoulder.

  Josh tried to edge past Ned, but the linebacker’s massive frame blocked his path. Josh had been going to Bridgewater High for just a week, and already he was being picked on. He didn’t understand it. No one at his old high school had picked on him. What was the big deal with being from New York anyway?

  Josh was used to moving a lot. His father was relocated often because of his job. But Josh had been at his last school almost two years. That was the longest he had ever stayed at one school. He’d had a lot of friends and even a girlfriend for a little while. He had wanted so badly to finish high school there. Then, just two weeks into his senior year, it was time to pack up again. And so far, Bridgewater High was a far cry from his old school.

  “Are you ready to humiliate yourself at Friday’s football tryouts?” Ned asked, still blocking Josh’s path.

  “Can’t wait,” Josh said sarcastically. Josh knew it was stupid to even try out. He had really liked playing football at his old school, even though he wasn’t a star like Ned. But with the competition at Bridgewater, it was a long shot that Josh would even make the team.

  Ned just laughed as he shoved Josh into the lockers. Josh’s books spilled everywhere.

  “Gonna have to block better if you want to be on our team!” Ned yelled over his shoulder as he went to join his friends. They were all laughing.

  Josh groaned as he leaned over to retrieve his books. Life was so unfair. How come someone so mean and stupid was the one who had so much talent on the football field?

  Josh sighed as he walked to his next class. It was only Monday. How would he ever survive another week at this stupid school?

  3

  Later that day, Josh was walking through the cafeteria when someone slammed hard against his right side.

  “Watch it!” someone yelled. Josh steadied his tray of spaghetti and turned to see who had run into him.

  It was Sabina Lawston. Josh had noticed Sabina on his first day at Bridgewater High. It was hard not to. Sabina always wore black clothes, and her hair was dyed bright pink. Sabina was also one of the smartest girls in the school. Everyone tried to get her to do their homework, but Sabina always refused.

  “Sorry, Sabina,” Josh said. “Are you okay?”

  Sabina brushed off her black sweatshirt. She looked up at him, “Oh hey, you’re the new guy. The New Yorker? Joe, right?”

  Josh frowned. “Yeah. It’s Josh, actually.” He turned to find a table to eat lunch at, expecting to sit by himself. His first day at Bridgewater, he’d made the fatal mistake of sitting at Ned Onger’s table. Ned had looked pretty pleased with himself as he spilled Josh’s tray onto his lap. After that, Josh had tried to sit with a few of the other groups. They hadn’t been especially welcoming either.

  “Hey.” Sabina was still behind him. “Why don’t you sit with me and my friends today?”

  “Really?” asked Josh.

  Sabina led him to a table where two guys were already sitting. “This is Dan Chissolm.” Sabina gestured to the guy to her right. He was very tall and extremely thin, with dark, wavy hair and bad skin. At the moment, Dan had his head buried in a PlayStation Portable. He briefly lifted his head and one hand in greeting before going back to his game.

  “And this is Jackson Winder,” Sabina said, pointing across from her.

  “Hey,” Jackson said in a whispering voice. Jackson was short with blond hair and large blue eyes—or maybe his out-of-date glasses just made them look that way. He gave Josh a warm smile.

  “Hi, guys,” Josh said. “Thanks for letting me sit with you. It’s been a lonely week since I started here.”

  “Get used to it. Don’t expect the vipers at this school to roll out the red carpet for you,” Dan grumbled without lifting his head from his game.

  “Don’t be such a cynic, Dan. There are some nice kids here.” Jackson was obviously one of those glasshalf-full kind of guys.

  “Like us,” Sabina said, smiling.

  “Like you,” Josh agreed. Josh was starting to like Sabina. She was nicer to him than anyone else at Bridgewater had been. He realized he was staring at her when she blushed.

  “Oh my God,” Sabina said after a minute. “I have such a headache. Lindsey is driving me crazy!”

  “Uh-oh,” Dan said, putting his video game aside. “Trouble in chemistry?”

  Sabina turned to Josh. “Lindsey Steele is my lab partner in chemistry. She is not doing any of the work. I have to get an A in that class. It’s the only way I’ll get a scholarship to Harvard.” Sabina stabbed at her spaghetti with her fork. “M
y mom could never afford Harvard.”

  “Oh, that sucks,” said Josh. He was impressed that Sabina was even thinking about Harvard. “Which one is Lindsey Steele?”

  Jackson pointed to the table where most of the football players and dance-team girls ate lunch. Lindsey was tall and had dark, wavy hair. She was laughing at one of the guys who was throwing peanuts at another table. Lindsey looked like she could be a swimsuit model.

  “She’s a pain,” Sabina said. “Her family has tons of money. She doesn’t have to worry about scholarships. But no way she’s gonna cost me my A in chemistry! I stayed late yesterday to finish our lab assignment myself.”

  “Oh, was that why I saw you leaving at four?” said Jackson. He talked so quietly Josh could barely hear him.

  “Yeah,” said Sabina. “How did debate practice go for you?”

  Josh was surprised. He couldn’t imagine Jackson performing a debate speech with that voice.

  Jackson shrugged. “Okay. I still can’t match up with Miles Danforth.”

  “Ugh,” Dan groaned. “Stop comparing yourself to that dude. He’s a jerk, anyway.”

  “Yeah,” Jackson murmured. “But he rocks at debate.” Jackson’s eyes lowered to the carton of milk in front of him.

  “So, are you going to stay after school again today?” Dan asked Sabina.

  “No,” said Sabina. “I need a break. Do you guys want to come over to my house?”

  “I have to be home by five. Mark—” Dan turned to Josh. “That’s my loser stepfather. He wants to have dinner before he goes to work, assuming he isn’t drunk again. But I can come over for a while.” He didn’t sound enthusiastic. Jackson just nodded.

  “Cool,” Sabina said. “I found this really coollooking old game in my basement this weekend. I thought we might play it.”

  “Is it Tetris?” Dan asked, looking up at her.

  “No. . . .”

  “Ms. Pac-Man? Asteroids?”

  “No, Dan. It’s not a video game. It’s a board game. It looks almost like a Ouija board, but it has something to do with witchcraft.”

  “Sounds spooky!” said Jackson with a smile.

  “You should come too, Josh,” said Sabina.

  “Sure!” Josh agreed. By now, he would have walked over a cliff if Sabina had asked him to.

  4

  After school, Sabina and Josh walked to her house. Even from the end of Sparrow Drive, Josh could tell that it was really old. The tiny, red, wood-framed house looked like it was from colonial times. On their way over, Sabina had explained that the house had been in her family for generations.

  Sabina’s mom was still at work, so Josh and Sabina grabbed a couple cans of soda and a bag of cookies and headed downstairs. Josh felt his body go cold as he went down the dark, wooden staircase. Something about Sabina’s basement made him want to keep his back to the wall. He felt like someone might sneak up on him. Even with the odd pieces of 1970s-style furniture scattered around, the basement was still pretty creepy. Underneath a few assorted throw rugs, the wood floor looked ancient and dusty. Cobwebs stretched everywhere across the brick walls.

  “It’s kind of creepy down here,” Josh mentioned casually. He didn’t want Sabina to think he was a wimp.

  “You feel it too?” Sabina looked at him with wide eyes. They both shivered. “Yeah, I never come down here alone. But it’s a good setting for our game.”

  Sabina and Josh plopped down in a couple of red beanbag chairs by an old wooden coffee table. Josh shifted from side to side, trying to shake off the eerie feeling. Sabina kept looking over her shoulders and crossing her arms around herself.

  While they waited for Dan and Jackson, Josh distracted himself by telling Sabina stories about a few of his past schools, including his last high school—Wentworth Academy in New York. He’d been in the same classroom as the reality-TV star Jeremy Fresh (his real name was Jeremy Finstermacher, but that didn’t sound nearly as cool).

  Sabina’s eyes widened. “Really? What was he like?” She leaned in closer to Josh. She smelled good, like lilacs or something like that.

  “About as dumb as a bag of nails. Whenever our calculus teacher used to call on him, Jeremy would pretend to drop his pencil. Then he’d spend five minutes scrambling around on the floor trying to find it.”

  “I’m not surprised,” Sabina laughed. They were so caught up in their conversation that they didn’t hear the sound of footsteps creaking down the basement stairs.

  “Well, isn’t this cozy,” said Dan as he bent down to clear the ceiling at the bottom of the stairs. Josh thought he detected some jealousy in Dan’s voice.

  “Hey guys.” Josh heard Jackson’s breathy voice from behind Dan. Jackson looked pretty pale. Maybe he didn’t like Sabina’s basement either.

  Dan and Jackson each grabbed a couple of cookies and sat down on an old flowered couch on the other side of the coffee table.

  “So, where is this game you wanted to show us?” Dan asked, looking slightly bored.

  “Oh yeah, let me get it.” Sabina opened a small closet door on the other side of the basement and rummaged around. After a minute or so, she reemerged with a long, dusty box. “I was cleaning out a bunch of my old art supplies when I found this way in the back.”

  She pushed the bag of cookies aside and put the game down on the table. Its cover was black and marked with a large pentagram—the symbol of witchcraft. Underneath the symbol were the words Black Magic. The game looked decades old, if not more. Although it was just a wooden game board, there was something ghostly about it. Josh felt strange—was he breathing faster than usual? And why did it feel like something was squeezing his stomach? Suddenly, Josh wasn’t sure if he wanted to play.

  5

  The game didn’t come with instructions,” Sabina said. She placed the dark wooden game board in the middle of their circle. “But there are a bunch of spell cards.” Sabina pulled out the yellowing, faded cards to show her friends. “Each of them has a different spell. They also have numbers on them. I think that shows how many spaces you move around the board. But some of the numbers are negative. That’s for the bad spells. They move you backward. The one who gets to the end first wins.”

  Josh looked at a few of the spell cards. They were things like “To Find Something Lost” or “Turn Your Cat into a Horse.” The negative spells were a bit more intense, like “Give Your Enemy a Green Nose.” But they were all silly in some form or another.

  Dan yawned. “Sounds like a game my little sister would play.”

  “You’re right, there isn’t much to it. But then I found this crystal and another set of spells.” Sabina lifted a long, thin crystal. When she held it up, it bent the light, creating a rainbow of colors. Josh thought he saw something else in the crystal. He leaned closer to examine it.

  It looked like a girl’s face. Her mouth was open like she was screaming in pain. Josh gasped. The girl looked so real, like she was alive. But Sabina quickly lifted the crystal away.

  “Are you okay, Josh?” she asked.

  “Dude.” Dan laughed nervously. “What’s wrong?”

  Josh realized that his whole body was shaking. He took several deep breaths and tried to calm down. Of course there wasn’t a girl inside the crystal! He was just creeped out by a stupid basement in an old house. He didn’t want his new friends to think he was a complete pansy. He shook his head and forced a laugh.

  “Oh, it’s nothing,” he said. “Just a little chilly down here, I guess!”

  Dan raised his eyebrows and let out an exasperated sigh.

  “Next to the crystal I found a handwritten note with the other spells.” Sabina held out a piece of faded paper with fancy script. “Someone who played the game must have added it. It says, ‘Choose one of these special spells. Rub the crystal. Think of someone who has wronged you. You will reverse the force of their evil and send good spirits your way.’” These spells sounded much more sinister to Josh. “There’s Nightmare, Transformation, Thought Control, Dark Mirr
or . . .” Sabina read off the cards.

  Dan snorted. “So, we rub this crystal and hex our enemies? Sounds realistic.”

  “I think it sounds pretty cool,” Jackson said, reaching for the cards and thumbing through them. Then Jackson pointed to some scribbled writing in the corner of the board. “What’s that?”

  Sabina lowered her head to read the script. “It’s hard to make out,” she said. “I think it says, ‘Beware all who play. Death awaits.’”

  “Boo!” yelled Dan. Sabina shrieked. Josh laughed. He was starting to calm down a little. It was just a game, after all.

  “Let’s try some spells!” Sabina said.

  “Let’s do the hexing thing,” Jackson suggested. “That sounded kind of interesting.”

  “Yeah, awesome!” Sabina agreed.

  Dan laughed. “Like you have anyone to hex, Sabina. Everyone is nice to you.” Dan looked away from the group. Josh wondered who wasn’t nice to Dan.

  “Oh yeah?” Sabina challenged. “I’d totally hex Lindsey Steele! She’s been stressing me out so bad!”

  “Let’s do it then!” Jackson said.

  “I’m up for it,” Josh agreed. Why not? It sounded fun.

  Sabina dimmed the lights, leaving the four of them in almost total darkness. Josh felt a slight twinge of panic, but there was no way he was going to show it. The crystal seemed to sparkle in the darkness. Josh thought he could still see the faint, unnerving outline of a girl in its center. He tried not to look at it.

  6

  Sabina, Josh, Dan, and Jackson sat in a small circle on the carpet with the crystal and spell cards in the middle.

  “So, how do we do this?” Josh asked. “Do we say the spell and name of the person out loud, or do we just think about them?”