Chapter 14

The pep rally was only a day away. Jasmine didn’t want to think about what had happened yesterday, but her brain kept going back to it. Back to what Eddy had said. Then she would think back to what Mia and Hannah said. She didn’t know what to believe. She didn’t know whom to trust anymore. But for now, Jasmine had to get busy. There were lots of things that needed to get done before Friday. She threw herself into the work.

Throughout the day, before school and between classes, she busied herself with pep-rally preparations. Now it was the end of the day.

Microphone—the final thing on her to-do list. She needed to find a microphone. It was a pretty simple task: track down a custodian. Except Jasmine couldn’t find a custodian anywhere. It was as though all the custodians had left the building at the same time. She found herself walking up and down halls, climbing staircase after staircase. No souls in sight. She walked down a small hallway just off the auditorium.

“Excuse me, miss. Miss!” Jasmine saw a woman turn the corner. “Please, wait! I just need—” Jasmine followed her. “Miss, please stop! I just need a microphone for the pep rally tomorrow.”

The woman stopped and turned around. She was wearing a flowing nightgown and had long dark hair.

Jasmine was surprised by her appearance. Most custodians didn’t dress up for Spirit Week. “You have the best ghost costume I have ever seen. Go Phantoms!”

The woman motioned for Jasmine to follow. She walked quickly, almost floating, through back doors and secret halls. Yes, Jasmine had been given permission to enter rooms and areas that were otherwise off-limits. But who knew there were all these tunnels? The woman occasionally glanced over her shoulder to make sure Jasmine was still following. Then she rushed on. The hurried unlatching of doors and noisy clanking of keys echoed down the hallways and corridors. Then silence.

Jasmine hurried down a gray hall. At the end of it there was a large room with its doors flung wide open. It was as though the doors were inviting Jasmine to enter.

“Hello? Are you in here?”

The windowless room was empty.

Jasmine saw a microphone sitting on a work table. She went over and grabbed it. Just beneath was the match to her emerald ivy earring. Jasmine turned the earring over in her hand, wondering what all of this meant. Then she felt a cool breath on her neck. “Beware of the jeweler’s son,” a voice hissed. Its warm breath smelled of death and decay.

Jasmine spun around to see who it was.

No one.

A chill ran down her spine. She didn’t know if she was more scared of the figure that seemed to have disappeared into the air or the fact that Eddy was somehow involved.