Page 1 of Ghost in the Night

Prologue

Down the hall, a door creaks open. I throw a finger to my lips.

“Shhh, hide!”

I tap my pockets, frantic to find my phone, but it must have fallen in the shuffle. There’s no way to call for help!

This is like a giant game of hide-and-seek we’re never gonna win.

My phone has to be in that first room. I can make a run for it, find help, save everyone. Crawling low to the floor, I squeeze myself against the wall, making my way down the hall, creeping slow. The room is only a few steps away. But I trip on a raised floorboard, the noise echoing.

The murderer runs into the hall. “Gotcha!”

I scream, squeezing into a ball, closing my eyes tight, bracing for whatever is going to come.

ONE

Hi.My name is Harmony Roundtree. I’m twelve years old and I see dead people.

Okay, that’s a lie. I don’t actually see dead people. I would like to see dead people. Not their dead bodies, but their spirits. Or their shadows? Uhhhh … let me start over.

Hi. My name is Harmony Roundtree. I’m twelve years old and I love ghost tours. (Okay, that’s a little better, right?)

“Welcome, souls! My name is Vampire Dan. Well, that’s what the dead like to call me.”

On the cobblestone corner, under a vintage gas lantern,a tall man in a black velvet cape and top hat greets a small crowd huddled together. I stand in the back, on tiptoe, stretching to hear his every word.

“This is the Ghoulish French Quarter, New Orleans’s premier ghost and vampire tour, if I do say so myself. Which I do. Often! Tonight, we will venture through the quarter, where I’ll point out some of our legendary haunts and the history behind them. You’ll learn about real-life vampires, witches, a famous voodoo queen, and a pirate who won’t leave a church alone.”

I break out my camera, testing the lighting. I’ve been getting pretty good at shooting without using the flash. Flash kills spooky vibes. If I had a better lens, my photos would be crispy clean, but ain’t no one got that kind of money to spare right now. Maybe someday.

“Hang on! I see we have a stowaway,” Vampire Dan says, and I know instantly he’s talking to me. I don’t just stand out ’cause I’m the only kid in the group. I’m also a Black girl with a natural curly crown and thick black glasses.

“Where’s your mommy and daddy?”

The entire group turns to me, staring.

“My daddy is playing at the Spotted Cat. My mom’s dead. Can we go now?”

Vampire Dan holds up his hand. “Ah, ah! Not so fast. I’ll need to speak to an adult if you’re going to be on this tour. Some of the stuff we talk about here … it’s pretty brutal.”

I sigh and pull a note out of my camera bag. Figured he’d confuse me with a toddler.

“Here’s a permission slip.”

Vampire Dan tips up his glasses, unfolds the sheet ripped from a hotel notepad, and reads. “?‘To Whom It May Concern: Please allow my hardheaded daughter to go on your tour. She’s mature for her age, but don’t let her come home with a ghost. Any problems, you can find me onstage at the Spotted Cat nightclub. But there won’t be any problems because she knows better. Sincerely, Big Al.’?”

A few people in the crowd giggle.

Vampire Dan shrugs. “Well, I guess it’s okay,” he mumbles.

He says it like a question, so I jump in for the kill.

“Don’t worry,” I whisper. “Daddy gave me money for a tip.”

At that, he brightens and folds the note away. “All right, souls, let us begin!”

The crowd starts to move through the dark streets, everyone giving me a curious once-over. I don’t mind. I’m used to being the only Black girl on the ghost tour.