Midnight Games(8)

“Look, I was just talking to him,” I said. I don’t know why I snapped at her. She just annoyed me. “Are you really trying to tell me I can’t talk to some guy without permission? Tell your friend Ada to chill—okay?”

Whitney let go of my arm and stepped back. She couldn’t hide her shock from her face. She turned bright red. “I . . . was only trying to help.”

“Sorry,” I said quickly. “Please. I’m kinda in a haze or something. I didn’t mean that. It’s been really tough. Losing my mom and . . . having to move to a new place senior year.”

Whitney tugged at two long strands of her hair, studying me. I guess she accepted my apology, because she said, “How are you and Jamie related?”

I raised my eyes and saw Jamie across the living room, dancing with little Danny. I had to sigh. Jamie was always so graceful and athletic, and now she had that bad limp. She used a cane around the house but quickly hid it away if anyone came over.

“My mom and Jamie’s mom were sisters,” I said.

Whitney kept studying me. “So your dad is a Fear?”

I nodded.

“That means Jamie isn’t a Fear?” Whitney asked.

I laughed. “Are you worried about her? Worried it might be catching or something?”

Whitney blushed again.

Why was I being so nasty? Jamie throws a party for me, and what do I do? Make sure all her friends hate me.

But I knew kids were staring at me because I’m related to the Fear family. I’m not a paranoid nut. I don’t think people are staring at me all the time.

But Jamie’s friends were definitely checking me out. And not just because of my short skirt and glittery, tight-fitting midriff top.

As the party went on, I overheard kids talking about the Fear family. And the Curse of Fear Street. Sometimes they’d hush up when they saw me come by. Sometimes they kept right on talking.

I carried some paper plates into the kitchen and saw a group of kids huddled around the table. They had tense expressions on their faces, and they were talking about Candy, the girl who had died.

“That jeweled thing she wore. It belonged to Angelica Fear,” said a red-haired girl in a jeans jacket and denim skirt. “It was Angelica’s evil amulet. She used it to cast spells on people.”

A tall, skinny boy snickered. “How do you know that?”

“Galen saw an old photo,” the girl replied. “It showed Angelica Fear wearing the same pendant. Galen started to tell people about it, remember? And he ended up in the hospital.”

“So you think the amulet got Candy killed?” another girl asked.

The red-haired girl nodded. “Someone murdered Candy and stole the amulet.”

“That’s way weird,” a boy said. “Everyone knows she fell down the stairs. It was an accident.”

“Then explain why the police didn’t find the amulet anywhere,” the girl replied.

The skinny boy scratched his spiky hair. “So you think there’s a killer out there? A killer who has an evil amulet that once belonged to the Fear family?”

The red-haired girl didn’t answer the question.

I was standing at the sink, eavesdropping. It took me a few seconds to realize that she was staring at me. They were all staring at me.

And I knew what they were thinking. I saw the suspicious looks on their faces. And even a little fright.

They knew that I’m a Fear. And they knew I’d been listening to their conversation.

I had hoped for a clean start.

I’d had such a bad year, filled with so much sadness and horror.

I’d hoped to leave it behind.

But the cold looks on their faces made my heart sink.

I turned away and hurried from the kitchen. But the question repeated in my mind:

Am I going to be in trouble because of my name once again?





8

I made my way back to the living room. A lot more kids had arrived. Their voices rose up over the booming music. Lots of laughter. Some kids were singing some kind of school song, only with dirty lyrics.

Some guys had sneaked in cans of beer, which they tried to hide at their sides. I heard a loud crash. Shattered glass. Someone yelled, “Oops!”

Jamie bumped into me, carrying a tray of plates and glasses. “I have to order more pizza,” she said, shaking her head. “I didn’t invite all these kids. I don’t even know some of them.”

I laughed. “I just thought you were majorly popular!”

Jamie hurried away. Someone grabbed my arm. I turned to see Nate smiling at me. “Come on. Let’s go outside,” he said, shouting over the voices. “We can’t talk in here.” He gave me a gentle tug.

I glanced around. “Are you sure Ada won’t mind?”