I Text Dead People Page 3

  “Um…” For a moment she didn’t know what Olivia was talking about. Then she remembered. The gifted program. “Yeah. Are you?” Did they know she was a fake? A total gifted fluke?

  Olivia tilted her head back and laughed. “God, no.”

  “So how did you know?”

  “Nothing is secret around here. Get used to it.” Olivia slid over her textbook. “I’m sure a genius like you will be able to do these problems fast.”

  Anna stared at the textbook. “Problems?”

  “Yeah. For algebra.” She took the paperback Eden was holding and tossed it to Anna. “And you’ve probably read the first thirty pages of this already. Or even the entire thing. So whatever, just take notes on the first three chapters. Here’s my notebook.”

  “You want me to do your assignments for you?” If Anna’s jaw hadn’t been attached, her chin would’ve landed on the table at that exact moment.

  Silence.

  Olivia frowned. “Of course not. You’re just contributing to the study group.”

  Study group? Is that why I was invited?

  “You do want to be a part of the group, right?” Eden asked.

  “Well…” Anna wasn’t so sure.

  “It’s totally up to you,” Eden said coolly. “No pressure.”

  “I’ll even make it easy for you,” Olivia explained. “Meet me in the girls’ room before school and I’ll take the finished assignments from you.”

  “The girls’ room?” Anna repeated.

  “You don’t want anyone to see you giving me the homework,” Olivia said in a tone most people reserved for preschoolers. “That could make you look bad, right?”

  Anna nodded slowly. “Yeah. Right.”

  “Hey.” Olivia elbowed Eden. “Check it out.”

  Anna followed their gaze to a table behind her. A girl had her nose in a book, literally. It covered most of her face.

  “Hey, weirdo!” Olivia called, laughing.

  The girl didn’t acknowledge her, but her eyebrows arched slightly.

  “C’mon, Liv,” Eden muttered.

  “What, you think she cares? Obviously she dresses like that because she wants attention. So I’m giving her what she wants.”

  Anna hadn’t even noticed her clothes. The girl had on black lace-up boots, purple leggings, and a green skirt. Maybe the girl was color-blind. Or dressed herself in the dark.

  “Who is that?” Anna asked. It came out as more of a whisper.

  Olivia waved her hand dismissively. “That’s nobody.”

  Eden leaned toward Anna. “Her name is Lucy Edwards. She’s a little strange, but she doesn’t bother anyone.”

  “You know that’s not true,” Olivia said with a smirk. “And if she doesn’t back off, I’ll have to make her.” She made a point of speaking loudly enough for anyone to hear.

  “Yeah, you’re so scary!” Eden laughed. She turned her attention to Anna. “Don’t mind her, she’s all bark. So listen, I’m having a party on Friday—”

  “Eden!” Olivia glared at her sister.

  “Sorry.” Eden turned back to Anna. “We’re having a party.”

  Olivia shook her head.

  “And,” continued Eden, “it will be fabulous, as always.” Her eyes grew big as she gestured animatedly with her hands. “We have one to kick off every school year. You know, just to have fun and unwind.”

  “That sounds great.” Anna could hardly believe her ears. Was Eden really inviting her?

  “Well,” Olivia chimed in, casting a quick glance in Eden’s direction, “we don’t really have the guest list finalized—”

  “—but you should totally come,” Eden finished the sentence.

  “Their parties are always a blast.” Nessa smiled, revealing a row of perfectly straight, too-white teeth. Probably veneers. “Ouch!” Nessa exclaimed as Olivia kicked her under the table.

  “Of course, we understand if you have other plans.” Olivia placed her chin in her hands, raising one perfectly shaped pale brow.

  “Um…” Anna felt indecisive. If she said she could go to the party, she’d definitely have to be part of their “study group.” But doing Olivia’s homework was a small price to pay if it meant she’d be accepted at her new school. And going to their party sounded like a definite popularity booster.

  “A party sounds great,” Anna said, breaking the uneasy silence. “And I—I’d like to be in your, uh, study group.”

  “Super,” Olivia said breezily. “Give me your cell.” She held her hand out to Anna. “I’ll give you my number and you can text me later for the party deets.”

  This no-phone thing was going to haunt her forever.

  “I don’t have a phone. I mean, mine broke, but I’m getting a new one. Soon.”

  Olivia looked at her, horrified. “You don’t have a phone? Really?”

  “Really.” Anna looked down at the table.

  “That’s okay,” Eden said. “I’ll meet up with you before then and give you the info.”

  Anna began shoving the books in her bag. “My mom’s forcing me to help with unpacking stuff. She’ll throw a fit if I’m too late.”

  “No prob,” Olivia said as Nessa whispered something in her ear and they both laughed. She tilted her chin at Anna. “Make me look smart.”

  “Sure. Okay,” Anna said, pushing in her chair and giving a small wave as she walked out. She knew how pathetic this was. But she couldn’t deny it: she was excited. After all, this was the first time she had ever received an invitation to a real party.

  Anna tossed her messenger bag onto her bed. The old black iron bed frame took up most of the space in her new room, but Anna liked its Gothic look. She had chosen this room for two reasons:

  1. The walls were painted a deep purple—her favorite color—so she had instantly been drawn to it.

  2. It was a corner room on the third floor, with high, slanted ceilings that reminded her of a tower room in a Disney movie. It almost inspired her to attempt to grow out her hair.

  She kept her room simple: a dresser with a mirror, a black bedside table, and a matching desk. Once she finished unpacking, she could worry about decorating the walls. It might not have been a perfect space, but it was all hers. And that was something she’d never had before.

  After shutting her bedroom door, she walked over to her bag and began pulling out the books, stacking them in a neat pile on the desk next to a book her mom had bought her a few weeks ago that she hadn’t had a chance to read yet. She felt torn, unsure whether she should actually do all this homework that wasn’t hers. But at the same time, she didn’t want to be uninvited to the party. And maybe she only needed to do it this once. Maybe they were testing her.

  Anna jumped as vibrating from her bag caught her attention. She rifled through the contents, looking for the source, and felt it coming from the front pocket. She unzipped the pouch, pulling out the phone she had found earlier that morning.

  She stared at the screen, lit up with an incoming text message. What the heck? Hadn’t the phone been dead? She had tried to get the thing to work and it was useless. But then again, she’d been in a bit of a hurry. Maybe she hadn’t held the power button down long enough. Or maybe she’d held it too long. Or…

  Or maybe it had just enough charge to power back on.

  Anna shrugged. What did she care? It was actually working now, and that was what mattered.

  She punched the button, reading the text message and blowing out a huge sigh.

  Help.

  That was the entire message. No name or anything to ID the number that popped up. She typed:

  Sorry, not my phone. Found it. Do you know who it belongs to? And hit reply.

  Anna tried using the other features on the phone—contacts, photos, camera. But when she pushed the buttons, nothing happened. The phone remained frozen on the text message.

  Anna pushed the reply button again: still nothing.

  She hit delete.

  The message remained.

  Th
e phone was frozen. Or broken.

  “Why do you have to stop working again?” she muttered as she flung it onto her purple pillowcase.

  “Who are you talking to?” Valerie Craven walked in, cradling a stack of boxes up to her neck. She gave her daughter a quick glance before setting them down on the hardwood floor against the wall.

  “Just myself.” Anna sat on top of the phone, hiding it.

  Her mother rubbed her hands together. “Aren’t you cold, kiddo? I can turn up the heat. Seems this room is a little draftier than the others.”

  Anna shrugged. “Yeah, sure.”

  Her mom offered a smile, although it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “How was school?”

  “Good.” Anna hesitated. Should she tell her about the encounter with the creepy guy? Maybe her mom had seen him when she was driving to work this morning. “Actually, have you seen a weird skinny guy hanging around the cemetery?”

  “Weird like how?” her mom asked, looking at her with the overly concerned expression that only moms can master.

  Anna knew something like this would really worry her mom, who was already stressed and exhausted from the move. And she’d been putting in extra hours at Twisted, a popular salon in town. Anna decided she probably shouldn’t bother her with this right now.

  She shrugged. “I dunno. There was just this guy I saw on my way to school today. He was outside even in the rain….” She trailed off, purposely leaving out the details.

  A relieved look spread across her mother’s face. “Oh, it was probably just someone visiting one of the graves. Grief can do many things to a person. It seems pretty safe here, although I’m sure they have their share of oddballs.”

  Anna raised her eyebrows.

  “Small towns aren’t like the city. Everyone knows everyone else’s business, and gossip spreads faster than fire.”

  “That is so cliché, Mom.”

  “You know what I mean. And I’m sure you’ll hear rumors about your great-uncle Maxwell, especially since we’re living in his old house.”

  “Rumors? Like what?” Anna asked. She had no plans to tell anyone where she lived.

  “Nothing you need to worry about.”

  “C’mon, Mom. You know I’ll eventually hear about it.”

  Anna’s mom always wanted to protect her from everything, especially since she was an only child. But at the same time, they usually were able to talk about anything.

  “Well, my uncle Maxwell claimed he was haunted by voices. And he saw things that weren’t actually there. Your great-aunt Esther tried her whole life to get him help, but he refused. It actually offended him that anyone could think he was crazy. Some people in town say it was old age….” She shook her head, her voice trailing off. “But I knew him when he wasn’t that old.”

  “And that’s why you kept me away from him?”

  Her mom nodded. “I didn’t want to put you in a situation like that. It was for the best.”

  Anna looked down at her feet, playing with the string on her hoodie. She always felt a bit uncomfortable when her mom looked so sad. Like when Anna asked questions about her dad. He had died when she was too young to even remember him. Her mom always shook her head, her eyes glossy with unshed tears, and brushed her off with “When you’re older.”

  But Anna was thirteen. An eighth grader—practically in high school. She was older. How long would it take for her mom to realize that?

  “Didn’t you say Maxwell died from a heart attack?” Anna asked.

  Her mom nodded. “Technically. But who knows? He was seventy years old. Maybe it was a lifetime of other things that drove him to his grave.”

  “Since I’m related to him, doesn’t that mean I have a chance of…you know…becoming like that too?” Her mom seemed fine, but maybe it skipped generations.

  “Of course not. He had a hard life, and sometimes people don’t deal well with difficult situations.” Her mom pointed to the boxes. “So, can you get around to unpacking these?”

  “Yeah, after my homework.”

  Her mom did a double take as she spotted the books crowding Anna’s desk. “Don’t you have a locker for all those? They look heavy.”

  “I didn’t have time to find it today. I barely made it to all my classes in time.”

  Her mom laughed. “You’ll get used to it. Did you get all the classes you wanted?”

  Anna shrugged. “They’re all pretty much the same ones I had at my old school. Except now I’m gifted. And gifted is code for three times the homework.”

  Anna’s mom gave her a hug. “Well, I’m proud of you. And don’t forget, we’re still going out to dinner to celebrate.”

  Anna blew out a huge sigh. Her mom would be so disappointed if she knew what a phony she really was. She was surprised her mom hadn’t already framed the letter announcing her acceptance into the GATE program.

  “And if the classes really are too hard, I’ll talk to the school. I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”

  “That narrows it down,” Anna said. The Manor was so large it practically had its own zip code. What she really needed was a map. “Okay, I’ll text you if I need you.” She smacked the side of her head. “Oh, wait, I forgot, I don’t have a phone.”

  Her mom pointed a finger at her. “You should post an ad at the Club House offering your fantastic babysitting services,” she suggested. “I bet you could save up money in no time.”

  The Winchester Club House was the town’s pool club. Everyone who lived in Winchester had access. There were two swimming pools, one with a miniature waterfall and a twist slide; tennis courts; basketball courts; and a clubhouse with a gym, a screening room, and everything from air hockey to pool tables. It was a popular place for the families in town to gather on weekends and have a BBQ, and sometimes it would be rented out for parties. But most of the time it was just somewhere to hang out.

  “Or you could just buy me a new one,” Anna tried.

  “We’ve been over this before. If you want a new phone, you’ll have to pay for it. And then maybe you’ll learn how to take care of your things.”

  “Whatever.” Anna rolled her eyes as her mom left the room.

  She lay back on her bed. She had no idea how she would get all her own homework done tonight, let alone everyone else’s.

  A soft buzz sounded near Anna’s ear. She rolled onto her side and plucked the phone off her pillow.

  2 new text messages

  “What the heck?” she muttered. She looked at the new messages.

  I said I need help.

  Why won’t you help me?

  Anna hit reply. And this time it worked.

  Who are you trying to reach?

  Not even a second later, the screen flashed with one word:

  YOU

  Obviously this person didn’t understand. Although how Anna could be any clearer, she had no idea. Still, she typed back:

  Look, I found this phone. It’s not even mine!

  The phone died once again, turning off.

  Anna shook her head. She pushed the power button at the top of the phone, and unsurprisingly, nothing happened.

  “Of course you only work when you want to,” Anna grumbled. She hid the phone in the top drawer of her nightstand.

  A train whistle blew in the distance. Anna swung her legs over the side of her bed and turned on her bedside lamp, then stood and walked over to her window. She looked outside, down at the sidewalk. The sun was setting, casting shadows, playing tricks with her mind. Two squirrels chased each other up a tree. Something else moved, catching her eye. Someone was leaning against one of the crooked old oak trees, a guy with his hands shoved deep in the pockets of his jeans. At least, she assumed it was a guy, from the broad shoulders and the way he was standing. His hood covered most of his hair, but she could still tell it was dark.

  Her heart thumped in her throat.

  A loud buzzing sounded from her top drawer.

  Anna flinched for a moment, her gaze flicking down to her nightst
and. Her skin prickled. She quickly looked out the window again.

  He was gone.

  Her eyes searched the area surrounding her house, but she saw no one. She stared at the last place she’d seen the guy, but the only evidence anyone had even been there was the leaves blowing across the bricks like a soft breeze had stirred them.

  Could it be someone from school? She quickly shook the thought away. There was no way anyone could know where she lived yet. The other possibilities creeped her out more than a little. Like the awful guy from the cemetery. She thought how he could have easily guessed where she lived, especially if he’d seen her walking out her back gate that morning.

  Her heart hammered as she left her room and went down the spiral staircase to the first floor, her stomach growling the whole way.

  The soft glow from the lamps and flickering cinnamon candles made the house feel warmer than it had earlier in the day and smell more comforting, like home. But Anna couldn’t push back the paranoia she felt. As she came to the bottom floor, her eyes darted toward the front door and she had an urge to look out.

  She shook her head and turned down the hall. Several boxes sat on the sofa in the living room, and handfuls of wrinkled newspaper covered the glass center of the coffee table. The tan walls were chipped and beginning to crack, and an outdated wallpaper border was at risk of peeling off.

  Over the past week she’d noticed that there were exactly twelve clocks throughout the house. Old, ugly clocks that didn’t make a sound, not a single tick. The hands were frozen at midnight. On every single one.

  She made her way to the kitchen, grabbing a snack of cheese and crackers before heading back up to the third floor. She cringed with each creak the steps made. Halfway up, she saw a shadow out of the corner of her eye.

  Annabel froze midstep as she caught a woody scent lingering in the air. Tobacco smoke? It reminded her of the smell in the old library downstairs. A shiver curled the hairs on the back of her neck, cascading down her backbone. It took everything in her to not hurl herself back down the stairs toward the front door.

  She pushed herself forward, and the first thing she noticed when she reached her room was the darkness. She could’ve sworn she’d left her light on.