Page 3 of Haunting the Deep

Blair doesn’t react. In fact, she looks increasingly smug. “There’s more. Since the dance committee supervisor is also the head of the history department, the other history teachers have agreed to rearrange their lesson plans and teach aTitaniccurriculum for the next two weeks. Plus, the dresses are gonna beamazing.”

Blair squeals with excitement and heads toward her desk. She stops dramatically in front of Matt, Salem High’s new British exchange student, who’s leaning into the aisle going through his backpack and blocking her way.

“Um…hellooo?” Blair says.

He makes no effort to move. “You know you can fit past me, right? Or were you just sayin’ ’ello?” Matt says in his Cockney accent.

Blair’s jaw tenses. “So much for being a dance committee member, Matt. You’re not even paying attention!”

He pulls out the pen he was looking for from his backpack and peers up at her. “Sorry, what’d ya say?”

“Ugh. Forget it.” Blair walks past him, and he smiles to himself.

I smile, too. I have to admit, I’ve enjoyed watching the drama between him, Blair, and Niki these past few months. Not only because the rumors that Niki mail-ordered herself a boyfriend have taken attention away from my situation, but because Matt’s living with Blair, and their bizarre trio has spawned soap-opera-style fights in the middle of the hallway. I’ve never seen anything like it. He looks up and catches me staring at him, and I immediately turn back to the front of the class.

“Okay, enough. The theme is theTitanicand that’s it. Stop chattering and get to work,” Mrs. Hoxley says.

I open Susannah’s note under my desk and discover it isn’t from Susannah at all.

Meet us by the bleachers after school. We need to talk. Don’t even think about saying no.

Alice

I knew they would want to talk at some point; I just wasn’t expecting it to be today. I haven’t spent time with the Descendants since everything happened. I was in bed for a few weeks recovering. After that, my dad was my priority. But to be honest, I’m not ready to talk about the woods. I actually hope toneverdiscuss what happened. Thinking about Vivian hurts in ways I haven’t sorted out yet.

I look past Susannah to Alice, and her black-outlined blue eyes challenge me. Sometimes I wonder if they’re made of ice instead of normal eyeball material. I lean toward her. And as I do, the young girl from this morning appears in front of me. My face almost collides with her dress.

“What the…?” I jerk backward, and my reaction is so sudden that I half slide off my seat and have to grab my desk to keep from landing on the floor. She disappears.

I pull myself back into my chair. The entire class, including Mrs. Hoxley, watches me.It doesn’t mean anything. Nothing. Nada. It’s a fluke.

“Spider,” I say, and Mrs. Hoxley’s face wrinkles up. “A big hairy one,” I add.

Mary looks suspiciously at the ground. “Sonota spider fan.”

The other students look, too, lifting their feet and backpacks. Everyone except Susannah, who stares pointedly atme. I avoid her eyes.

The bell rings.

“I can’t meet today,” I say to the Descendants.

Susannah frowns. “Can’t or won’t?” She pulls on a black Victorian jacket over her floor-length black dress.

“I have to go home after school.”

“Then we’ll walk you to your house,” says Alice, pushing her straight blond hair away from her face like it was intentionally bothering her.

I press my lips together and exhale. “Fine, I’ll meet you. But I can’t talk for more than ten minutes.”

Mary stands up. “Are you mad at us?”

“No. Not at all.” I stand up, too. “I’m just, well…I don’t want to talk about what happened.”

“Well, good, ’cause neither do I,” Alice says. “These two won’t shut up about it, and I need a break.”

“I can’t help it that I get nightmares,” says Mary, and crosses her arms. Her dark curls bounce lightly with the motion.

“Oh.” Maybe this isn’t about the woods after all? “What’s this about, then?”