13

Haunted

They sprinted toward the mess hall as fast as they could.

Once inside, they saw the counselors setting up tables and filling them with cakes, pies, brownies, ice cream, and sodas. It was a junk food wonderland.

They spotted Counselor Fuller pacing back and forth in front of the stage, and they hurried over to her.

“Counselor Fuller, we saw something hovering over the water in the cove,” Harper said, out of breath.

Counselor Fuller stopped pacing and glared down at Harper.

“What are you talking about?” she asked. “What did you see?”

“I don’t know exactly,” Harper replied. “But it didn’t look like anything I’ve ever seen before.”

“I saw it too,” Brodie affirmed. “It had these crazy light-beam eyes. They were glowing like—like spotlights!”

“Do you think it’s the ghost girl? Or—or maybe Nurse Betty and the bus driver kidnapping and hiding the campers somewhere?” Harper asked.

“It’s not that simple,” Counselor Fuller admitted. She sat down in a chair. “Nurse Betty and the bus driver ran away because they know it’s their fault that campers are going missing. But they’re not the ones taking them.”

“Huh?” Harper squinted in confusion.

Counselor Fuller pondered something for a moment, then stood and pulled Harper and Brodie off to the side.

She took a deep breath. “What have you two heard about Camp Moon Lake?”

“What do you mean?” Harper replied. “Just that it’s the most magical summer camp on earth.”

“Besides that. I mean, have you heard any weird rumors or strange stories?” Counselor Fuller clarified.

Brodie’s ears perked at the prospect of creepy camp stories.

“Just the one about the girl who drowned,” Harper said. “Did it really happen?”

Counselor Fuller pursed her lips, as if debating whether to tell them something she wasn’t supposed to tell.

“We’re not allowed to talk about it for liability reasons, but you two have seen too much already.” She paused, then whispered, “Camp Moon Lake is . . . haunted. And not just by the ghost girl.”

This time, Harper wished that Counselor Fuller was trying to play a prank on them. But she had the feeling what Counselor Fuller was saying was no joke.

“Haunted? Like with ghosts?” Harper asked.

Counselor Fuller nodded. “You see, a long, long time ago, Camp Moon Lake was unknowingly built on top of an ancient burial ground,” she revealed. “We’ve tried to cover it up with fancy buildings and such, but some things just won’t stay buried.”

“Oh, man,” Brodie said with morbid delight. “You’re telling me we’re standing on top of a graveyard right now? A real graveyard with dead people right beneath our feet?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Counselor Fuller replied. “Usually, the spirits leave us alone if we leave them alone. But Nurse Betty and the bus driver accidentally disturbed the graves last week, and it’s been causing problems to say the least. Director McGee got on to them about it when he found out and decided to go ahead and have camp anyway since it’s his last week.”

Harper couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It felt like a nightmare had seeped out of her head and was coming to life in the real world. And she now understood Director McGee was acting so weird because he felt guilty for green-lighting camp even though he had known there was a risk.

“Now that’s what I call a twist,” Brodie whispered.

“Is that what’s causing the fog? The ghosts?” Harper asked, surprised that Counselor Fuller was trusting them with such a big secret.

Counselor Fuller nodded and continued, “Whenever there have been hauntings in the past, the fog has always been present. The best thing we can do is stay inside away from it. Once the fog goes away, everything should be fine again.”

“But what about the kids it’s already taken? Will the ghosts give them back?” Harper asked.

“I don’t know,” Counselor Fuller answered. “But you two need to stick together.”

Harper felt goose bumps prickle her skin. She looked out at all the kids gorging themselves with cupcakes and cookies, completely unaware of the truth.

Before Harper could ask another question, Counselor Fuller scurried off to talk to another counselor.

With no other choice in sight, she and Brodie dragged their sleeping bags over to the corner of the mess hall and sat down.

They were both silent for a few moments, then Harper asked, “Is this really happening?”

“I don’t know. Maybe we’re asleep, and this is all just a bad dream. You want me to make up a story to keep your mind off things?” Brodie offered.

“No thanks. We’re living inside a story right now—a scary one!” she replied.

Brodie put his hand on her shoulder, and Harper noticed Counselor Fuller watching them from across the room.

“Don’t worry, Harper. Everything’s going to turn out fine,” Brodie assured her. “You’ll see. Real life doesn’t have twist endings.”

But by the next night, Harper would think otherwise.