“And how old are you, Abby?”
“Twenty-one, sir.”
“My, that was a lot for you to manage at such a young age. That must be quite the struggle for you both. Zee, have you talked to anyone about this? The guidance counselor, Mr. Jacobs, is unfortunately no longer at the school. I, sadly, had to do a bit of housecleaning when I started. But my door is always open, Zee. Sometimes we just need the right drive, you know? We need to find the thing we want the most and focus everything on that. Just really dig in and make it happen for ourselves, because we must act for ourselves. I am happy to work through these feelings with you. Really get to the root of it all. Figure out what you want for you.”
“N . . . no,” Zee stammered. She felt her cheeks go red. She really wanted Scratch, as she now thought of him, to leave.
He looked at Abby. “Something to think about, Abby. My door is open for you too, but especially for Zee. She’s in a very vulnerable place. Very vulnerable. Could be at the root of the falling grades and fighting.”
The way he turned his eyes on her made her shiver. “It’s not . . . I didn’t. Nellie Bloom started it!”
“Of course, Zee,” he said, reaching over and patting her knee with that red hand. “Your sister and I are just concerned for you. We want to make sure you’re safe and not just surviving but thriving, as we like to say. Right, Abby? We want you to figure out what you want and to reach out and take it.”
“Of course,” Abby said, but she didn’t meet her sister’s eyes.
“And your father?”
“He’s upstate looking for work,” Abby said. “He heard about a construction opportunity a couple counties away. The pay was good.”
“When did he leave?”
“Nearly six months ago.”
Zee balked. Six months? Had it already been six months?
“So,” Principal Scratch said, “it’s just the two of you? That is a lot to have on your plate, Abigail.”
“We’re managing, sir. Lots of others have it much harder.”
“Others have it harder,” Scratch repeated, holding up his hands. “That is so generous of you, Abby, but you must miss him.”
“We do,” Abby said, taking her sister’s hand. “We haven’t heard from him in a while, and I have been a touch worried. I know the area he’s working in might have bad cell service. I just wish he would find some way to check in. Some way to let us know he’s okay.” Abby’s voice faltered, and Zee feared she was going to cry. She didn’t want Abby to do that in front of Principal Scratch. But she also didn’t want Abby to do that in front of her. She knew that was unfair, but it was still true. Zee wasn’t sure how to comfort her sister, and if Abby lost hope, then Zee would lose hope too. Then they would have nothing left.
Principal Scratch leaned forward. “Hmm, you must want to hear from him. You must want that more than anything else in the world right now?”
Abby nodded and swallowed hard. She cleared her throat and said, “But I know my father. He’s doing his best and I believe in him. I know he’ll be back soon.”
“Have you tried guided meditation? Visualization practices? It really helps to clear the mind and focus on what needs to happen next. It can be life-changing. The basic principle is to see yourself in your mind’s eye obtaining what you desire most. You must always focus on what you want, on your deepest desires. The world can be a difficult place, and people can just get swallowed up. You have to learn how to put your needs first; then, and only then, do you have a fighting chance. Once you focus on those needs, those desires, you can get everything you want out of life. It’s like a key that opens the door to power. Something, I imagine, that you, Abby, feel like you don’t have.”
Principal Scratch stood. “Well, I won’t take up too much more of your time. I know Zee needs to get to school and you’re off to work. So all I’m going to say is this.” Scratch reached out with that red glove and squeezed Abby’s shoulders. Zee couldn’t help but see that she sort of relaxed into his touch. Like she’d been waiting all this time for someone else to be in charge. “I am very committed to helping people find their power. To helping them get everything they want in life. Let me guide you. Because you deserve it, Abigail. I hope you don’t mind me saying, but I checked your file and I know you . . . well, circumstances obviously changed your path, but I hope you will think about talking with me. My door is always open.”
Principal Scratch put his sunglasses back on and said, “And remember what I said about focusing on yourself. It’s your turn, Abby, after already having given up so much.” He glanced briefly at Zee, and she bristled. Was he talking about her? “Remember, my door is always open. Now then, I must be going. Thank you for speaking with me. I find it’s so helpful to get to know all my students and their families.”
He turned to Zee and loomed over her. All she could see was her own warped face reflected in his wide shiny sunglasses. “And you. Behave for your sister. She has enough on her plate. Let’s channel that feisty spirit into something a little more productive, yes? Let’s spend some time figuring out what Zee wants most of all.”
“I’ll make sure she does, Principal Scratch,” Abby said as they followed him into the kitchen and toward the front door. As he left, he passed by Abby’s cell phone on the kitchen counter. He touched it just once with his gloved hand, the littlest tap, before looking back at her and saying, “Remember what I said about the power of visualization, about focusing on your hopes and dreams. Think about stopping by. There is much I can teach you.”
Then he left. Once the door was shut and locked, Abby leaned against it, and the two of them started to laugh. “Well! That was just the weirdest—”
Her phone on the counter rang suddenly.
Abby picked it up, and Zee could see it was an unknown number.
“Hello,” Abby said, and then she yelled, “Dad! Oh my goodness, Dad, it’s so great to hear your voice. I’ve been trying to reach you.” Abby was practically dancing around the kitchen with excitement.
Zee was excited too. She missed her father and couldn’t wait till it was her turn to talk to him. But she couldn’t shake the strange nagging feeling about Scratch’s visit. The things he’d said. All the questions he’d asked about their family. The way he’d talked about the power of focusing on what you wanted most, the way he’d said he could give her power, then touched Abby’s phone, and here, now, was her father on the line, the one person Abby wanted to talk to more than anyone in the world.
Ice filled Zee’s belly. It just seemed a little too good to be true.
10
ZEE AND ELIJAH SPOTTED THE HANDMADE SIGNS ON THEIR WALK TO school. They were taped to the telephone pole offering a reward for the safe return of Max, a mixed-breed mini poodle, whose image was front and center on each flyer. The bottom of the flyer was cut into snippets with a phone number that could be torn off. There was a flyer on nearly every telephone pole, each bus shelter, and on the doors of most of the businesses.
“Someone really wants their dog back,” Zee said as they passed another flyer. She thought of the hounds she’d seen and wondered if Max stood a chance against those creatures.
“Yeah, look who,” Elijah said, pointing. Up the street, Zee could see Nellie Bloom taping another flyer to a telephone pole.
A wicked smile tugged at Zee’s lips. “Oh, brilliant,” she said, her mind whirring.
“I don’t like that look,” Elijah said, his brow furrowed. “That’s a very scheming look you’ve got there. I do not feel good about that look at all.”
“This is how we’ll get her back.”
“By finding her dog?”
“No. By making her think we might have.”
“That’s cruel,” Elijah said.
“That girl got me a week of detention. Everyone is still calling me Ghost Girl. Giving her a good scare is what she deserves.”
Elijah didn’t seem convinced, so Zee continued, “She’s been bullying me since last year, Elijah. I’ve got to
make a stand or it’s never going to stop. And it’s not just calling me Zero. In gym class, she knocked me to the ground twice during basketball. In the locker room, she stole my change of clothes.”
“Zee, you didn’t tell me any of this,” Elijah said.
“Yeah, ’cause it’s embarrassing, okay? I’ve got to show her that I’m not going to put up with it anymore. This,” she said, pointing at the flyer, “is my chance.”
“So what’s the plan?”
“We need to lure her to the cemetery and then we’re going to give her a good scare.” Zee watched Nellie turn the corner and then ripped the phone number tag off the flyer. “And I know just how to get her there.”
Once the plan had been formalized, it was Elijah’s job to get Nellie on board. There was no way Nellie Bloom would believe a word that Zee said to her. So while Zee slipped around the corner of the hallway near Nellie’s locker—a perfect eavesdropping spot—Elijah practiced his speech and approached her.
“Hey, Nellie.”
From her hiding place, Zee could see that Nellie was staring daggers at Elijah. Don’t mess this up, she thought.
“What do you want?” Nellie asked, rummaging through her locker.
“I saw your flyers on my way to school.”
“Did you find Max?”
Zee couldn’t help but notice how hopeful the girl sounded.
“Yeah, I think so. He was in the cemetery. I’m almost a hundred percent sure it was him,” Elijah said, leaning against the lockers.
“What color was he?”
“Black-and-gray mix, it looked like. I mean, he was a ways off.”
Nellie closed her locker and eyed the boy up and down. She exhaled loudly through her nose. “Did he even answer to his name?”
“Well, no. I mean, at the time I didn’t know his name. I just saw him out there and sort of whistled at him thinking he might come over. But he looked real scared.”
Nellie winced. “Poor Max. I hate thinking of him sleeping outside. He must be so scared. And hungry. I know I shut the gate, but somehow he still got out. He was at the cemetery?”
“Yeah, right by the Southern Gate. I’m sure it was him.”
“The new principal, Mr. Scratch, came to my house last night. We talked about Max being missing. He told me nothing mattered more than finding him. Even if I had to search every street and knock on every door. He said I shouldn’t count on anyone to help me, that I had to help me. And that it was my responsibility and well . . . my fault. So I’ve been searching nonstop. I hung these signs everywhere. And now here you are. That must mean something, right?”
“Um, yeah. Definitely. I’m sure it was the same dog. He even had that red collar.”
“If you’re lying to me, Elijah,” Nellie said. The look on her face meant she didn’t need to finish the sentence.
“I’m not. Honest, Nellie.”
“Wait, did Zera put you up to this?”
“Nope,” Elijah said, though his voice went suspiciously high. “After school today. Meet me at the Southern Gate.”
“I don’t know where that is.”
“You don’t?”
“No. Normal people don’t spend their time hanging out in the cemetery, okay?”
“All right, well, just meet me after school and we’ll walk over together. I’ll be by the buses.”
“Fine,” Nellie said. She turned and walked away without a goodbye. As she passed the corner where Zee was hiding, Zee could see Nellie pluck a leash from her bag and clench it tightly.
It was a simple plan. Now that Elijah had convinced Nellie that he saw Max in the cemetery, he was to bring her to the stone benches near the mausoleums and Zee would take it from there. When they met at lunch, things were going well.
“She seemed like she didn’t believe me at first. But I did a good job. I really should join the drama club. I might have missed my calling.”
“You’re too young to have missed your calling,” Zee said.
“Not true. Don’t try to stop my rise to stardom.”
“So, is she going to be there?”
“I’d say our chances are pretty good.”
“Perfect.”
“You still think this is a good idea? I mean, you don’t think this is cruel?”
“Nellie is the one who’s cruel,” Zee said, getting up to throw out her lunch bag. “And she wants to call me Ghost Girl? Fine, I’ll give her ghosts.”
Later she raided the art department’s supply cabinet. Red paint? Check. Bits of tubing? Check. All she needed was the bike pump in her garage and she would be all set.
Later, after school, Zee was all set up by the time she heard Elijah’s voice bouncing off the cemetery stones. The bike pump would push the red paint through the tubing she had inserted into the overgrown weeds at the headstone. She was going to make the ground bleed.
“How much farther are we going?” Nellie asked.
Zee crouched behind the tombstone, the bike pump in her hands, a giddiness in her chest. She tried not to think about what Scratch said about bullying. This was about revenge. And if anyone deserved to be pranked it was Nellie Bloom, the creator of “Ghost Girl” and bully extraordinaire.
“Just down this way. This is where I saw him.”
Their shoes crunched over the stones of the pathway and then fell silent as they crossed the lawn.
“Did he seem okay?” Nellie asked, her voice high and light.
She’s nervous, Zee reasoned. Not used to graveyards.
“Yeah, sure, he just didn’t want to come to me when I called him. Like I said, I didn’t know he was your dog until I saw the flyers, so I didn’t know what to call him.”
“He only responds to his name. He’s a very—”
A deep, lone howl rose up over the ridge and hovered in the air. A spate of chills broke out on Zee’s arm.
“Does . . . does that sound like Max?” Elijah asked, his voice too high, too strained. Zee could tell by the sound of his voice, just on the other side of the tombstone, that he too not only heard but felt that howl. She knew he was thinking how much it sounded like the hounds he heard at night.
“No,” Nellie said in such a low whisper that Zee almost couldn’t hear her. “That does not sound like Max.”
And in the same moment, Zee knew it too. She knew that that long, low howl did not come from Nellie’s missing dog. She knew exactly where it came from. She could still hear the question, floating in her head, clear as a bell that night. The hound stationed right outside her window. How could she be so stupid? Elijah was right; this was a terrible idea, and they all needed to get out of this cemetery as quickly as possible.
When she stood up, appearing behind the tombstone in the fading light, Nellie screamed.
Loudly.
Just the sight of another person appearing out of nowhere in the middle of a cemetery as the shadows slipped along the ground was more than Nellie could take.
Elijah tried to calm her down, and eventually she did stop. But her scream was answered by another long howl, this one much closer than the other.
“What . . . what is that?” Nellie asked, looking around. Shadows seemed to dance up out of the ground, from behind the headstones, slinking and crawling in the fading light.
How could Zee be so stupid?
Elijah and Zee exchanged a look. There was a panic in his eyes.
“We need to go,” Zee said. “Now.”
“What are you doing here, Zera?” Nellie said.
“This was all a terrible mistake,” Zee said.
“Elijah,” Nellie said, turning toward him. “What’s going on? Where did you see Max?”
“Yeah, um, about that,” Elijah said, looking anxious in the fading light. “We sort of . . .”
“You were lying?” Nellie said. “You didn’t see Max at all, did you?”
Another howl broke the night in half. Zee’s heart beat hard against her ribs, like a bird trying to free itself from an impossible cage.
&n
bsp; “It was my idea,” Zee said. “My terrible stupid idea. And now we need to go.”
“Go where?” Nellie said crossing her arms.
“Anywhere,” Zee said. “Your dog isn’t here. It was a prank. It was my fault.”
“You’re the worst person I have ever met,” Nellie said, stomping away before turning over her shoulder and yelling, “And you, Elijah, are the second worst.”
Another howl echoed off the ridge. The chill in the air clouded Zee’s breath, and she glanced up. She spotted the hounds, three of them, in silhouette at the top of the hill, their bodies black against the evening blue sky. The hunk of their shoulders, the twitch in their legs. The flick of their tails. The way they threw their heads back, all three at once, and howled.
The cry was so deep it rattled her bones. It sounded old and downright dangerous. Zee, Elijah, and Nellie all covered their ears. When the noise stopped, Zee looked back up at the ridge.
The hounds were gone.
They weren’t at the top of the ridge anymore.
They were coming. She heard the thunderous pound of their feet as they charged right toward them.
“Run!” Zee screamed.
They took off in a dead heat. Arms pumping, sneakers slapping the ground, dodging and jumping over low and fallen headstones. Zee and Elijah knew this cemetery, and they both beelined for the Southern Gate. But Nellie did not. The distance between them stretched as Zee kept looking back. It was her fault the stupid girl was even here.
“Faster, Nellie!” Zee screamed over her shoulder. Elijah gave her a quick, terrified look. All she wanted was to tell him how sorry she was. How stupid this idea was. How she should have known that since the first storm, this place that used to be their playground might instead be a minefield.
Zee glanced back. Nellie was in trouble. One dog had passed her, swung back around, and now was in front of her. Nellie was taking scared steps backward. The hound’s body was low to the ground, as though it was about to pounce. A terrible growl came from its bared lips. Terrified, Nellie just stood there, crying. Zee stopped.
“What are you doing?” Elijah said.
“I’ve got to help her!” Zee yelled. “Just keep going.”
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