Case File 13 #2 Page 6

  Nick considered lying to her, but he decided it wasn’t such a good idea, since they were all going to be working together tonight. “Yep, I was a zombie. I thought you had it figured out that night you came with your aunt and uncle to dinner.”

  “I nearly did. Between your stunt at the pool, your visit to the cemetery, and you smelling like the city dump. I was so close. Then I decided you’d just quit showering.” Angie sighed. “What was it like?”

  Nick shrugged. After years of viewing Angie as the enemy, it felt weird to tell her anything. Like giving away state secrets. “Cool at first. I didn’t have to sleep. I could hold my breath almost forever. And the trick we played on Frankenstein . . .”

  “Is that what you did?” Angie laughed. “I knew you guys had something to do with his sudden turnaround.” In the back of the train, the sleeping man snorted and rolled to his other side.

  “It wasn’t all great, though,” Nick said. “My joints started getting all wobbly, I ate this disgusting brain substitute, and I nearly got caught when my little finger fell off at dinner.”

  Angie clapped her hands. “That’s why you threw the mashed potatoes on my aunt and uncle!”

  Now it was Nick’s turn to laugh. “What else could I do? You would have busted me for sure if you’d spotted my pinky sticking up out of the bowl.”

  “I wish I could turn into a zombie.” Angie frowned.

  Nick almost felt sorry for her. “Trust me. You wouldn’t if you knew what it took to get turned back.”

  Dana and Angelo crossed the train car to join them. Nick couldn’t help grinning at his friend’s outfit. Unlike the rest of them, who were all dressed in normal clothes, Angelo was wearing a long black leather overcoat, black gloves, and a high-tech watch that displayed the time in three different zones and a stopwatch at once.

  “Love the getup.” Nick snickered. “Did you bring your secret decoder ring too?”

  “I’m just trying to be prepared,” Angelo mumbled.

  “I think it’s awesome,” Dana said. “I wish I’d brought gloves.”

  Angelo’s eyes glowed at the compliment. “So, what’s the plan?” he asked, opening his notebook. “Did you look up the school blueprints?”

  Nick glanced at Angie, hoping she’d thought of that. “Umm . . .”

  “Tell me you at least used Google Earth to get the layout,” Dana said.

  Angie studied the back of the seat in front of her. “It’s not like we had a lot of time to prepare,” she said. It was a pretty lame excuse, Nick thought. But then, he hadn’t done any better.

  “I guess we’ll just play it by ear,” he said.

  Carter pulled out his earphones and joined the group. “I’m ready,” he said, balancing his massive soda and MP3 player in one hand while he reached into his pocket and pulled out a paper clip, a pair of tweezers, a rock, and a rusty pocketknife.

  “Ready to what?” Angie asked skeptically. “Remove a sliver or give yourself tetanus?”

  “Amateurs,” Carter huffed. “This happens to be my world-class lock-picking kit. I slide the knife between the door and the jamb, put the paper clip into the lock, and jiggle it with the tweezers.”

  “What’s the rock for?” Dana asked.

  Carter grinned. “If everything else fails, I throw it through the window.”

  “We’re not breaking any windows. And we’re not picking any locks. That’s breaking and entering. You can get arrested for it,” Nick said.

  The train rocked as it rounded a turn and Angelo frowned. “What’s the point of going then?”

  “To see if we can find anything weird,” Angie said. “If people there really are stealing bodies, it can’t exactly be an ordinary school.”

  “I’ll tell you one thing strange about it,” Tiffany said, tapping on her phone screen.

  “Let me guess, their clothes are out of style,” Carter sneered.

  Tiffany gave him a look that could freeze lava. “That would be you, Mr. I-wear-the-same-chocolate-milk-stained-shirt-for-a-week. But you’re not that far off. While the rest of you have been talking—or drumming completely out of rhythm—I did an internet search for kids who attend Sumina Prep. Believe it or not, not one student has a Facebook account, Twitter profile, or blog that I could find. In fact I couldn’t find a single internet presence for any of them.”

  Nick rubbed his chin. Almost every kid he knew had at least one online profile and many had several. “What does that mean?”

  “It means,” Tiffany said, “that either the students there are really, really, strange. Or that someone is intentionally keeping them from communicating with other kids.”

  Twenty minutes later, the train squealed to a halt outside the Diablo Valley train station. A slow drizzle of rain fell from the dark sky and Nick zipped up his wind-breaker. He couldn’t help envying Angelo’s long leather coat that he’d mocked earlier.

  Carter looked around the empty platform and shivered. “Does anyone else think it’s more than a coincidence that the school is located in a city called the devil’s valley?”

  “The city was here long before the school,” Dana said.

  “Right. But why did they pick this city for the school? Maybe because they perform satanic rituals? Maybe because they use dead bodies as bait for powerful demons from another dimension?”

  “Maybe your brain’s been liquefied by all that soda,” Tiffany said.

  “At least I have a brain,” Carter said. “If you pointed a light into one of your ears it would shine out the other.”

  Nick shoved his hands in his pockets and started down the stairs to the parking lot, trying not to think about what Alabaster and Stenson had said. Anything that could scare a ghost had to be pretty darn terrifying.

  According to their directions, the school was just over a mile to the west, but they’d only walked a few blocks from the station when Dana pointed and said, “Is that what I think it is?”

  Nick looked where she was pointing and involuntarily stepped backward. Standing high on the edge of a bluff overlooking the rest of the town was what looked like a mansion or an old European castle pulled straight out of a horror movie. Dark turrets stabbed up at the night sky and big black windows stared down on the town like empty eye sockets.

  Carter gulped. “That can’t be a school. It’s way too creepy.”

  Angelo bit his lip and checked the map. “That’s got to be it.”

  Even Angie looked like she was having second thoughts when a hand dropped onto Nick’s shoulder. He turned to find the man from the train standing right behind him.

  “Gotcha,” he said in an eerily familiar voice.

  “Wha—what do you want?” Nick stammered, trying to pull away.

  “I want to know what you guys are up to.” The man took off the hat he’d worn low over his eyes and Nick recognized the face glaring at him.

  It was Cody Gills.

  Angie jabbed a finger into Frankenstein’s chest. “You followed us.”

  “I sure did,” Cody said. “First you guys are sneaking around the cemetery. And now this. What’s next? Robbing banks?”

  “That was you creeping around in the bushes?” Nick asked.

  “Someone has to keep an eye on you guys.” He looked up at the castle-like school building. “Are you going to that house?”

  “It’s not a house.” Angelo was the only one of them tall enough to look Cody in the eyes. “It’s Sumina Prep.”

  “The school the Rams played Friday?” Cody’s eyes widened. “You guys aren’t going to vandalize it, are you? That’s against the law.”

  “Of course not,” Dana said. “We’re just looking.”

  “And making a movie,” Angelo said. “For the Building a Brighter Tomorrow contest.”

  Cody folded his massive arms across his chest. “If you’re just making a movie, why sneak around on a Sunday night?”

  Nick groaned. “This is none of your business. Just go back home, okay? I promise we won’t break any laws.”r />
  Cody shook his head. “Not unless you come back too. Do you realize how much trouble you’ll be in if you get caught trespassing in a private school at night?”

  “We aren’t going to get caught.” Angie slugged Cody on the shoulder, but the big boy didn’t flinch. “Look, we think the guy who runs that school is . . . well, let’s just say he’s doing some bad stuff. Don’t you think it’s our duty to find out?”

  “Nope.” Cody looked stubbornly from face to face. He shook his head, water splashing from his hair like a wet dog. “If you really think someone’s breaking the law, call the police.”

  Back in the days when Cody was a bully, they might have been able to fight him off. After all, he was big, but there were six of them. The thing was, you couldn’t exactly fight someone who thought he was looking out for you.

  “Fine,” Nick said at last. “If you’re so worried about it, come with us.”

  Angie looked at Nick like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

  “Huh?” Cody seemed just as surprised. His forehead wrinkled as though he were trying to figure out a tough math problem. “Is this some kind of trick?”

  “No trick,” Nick said. “If you’re so worried about us, come with us. That way you can make sure we don’t break any laws.”

  Cody cracked his knuckles thoughtfully. “I guess I could do that.”

  “Okay,” Nick said. “Let’s go.”

  “That might not be the best idea,” Angelo whispered, as the kids turned and started up the steep winding road that led to the school.

  “It’s not like we had much choice,” Nick whispered back. “Bringing him with us is a pain. But if we try and make him leave, he could tell someone what we’re doing.”

  Of course they could always go home and come another day, when Cody wasn’t watching them. But if they waited, any evidence of body snatching might disappear.

  Nick ducked his head, trying to keep the stinging rain out of his eyes. The air smelled like mud and wet leaves, and the wind made a sort of moaning sound as it slapped and bit at the bare trees around them. The kids grouped closer together, trying to stay warm.

  “So, what are we looking for?” Cody asked, his voice booming.

  “Quiet,” Dana said, wiping her hair out of her eyes, “someone might hear you.”

  Angelo took off his glasses and scrubbed them across his shirt front. A futile gesture, since they were covered with water again seconds after he put them back on. “I told you, we’re making a movie.”

  “That’s a good thing,” Tiffany said, tucking her hair under a paisley scarf. Even in the middle of a storm, she looked like she was on her way to a party instead of a exploring a freaky school.

  “What kind of movie?” Cody asked, clearly suspicious.

  “It’s kind of a horror movie,” Nick said. “But with an important message about the future.”

  By the time they reached the top of the hill, all of the kids were panting from the steep climb. The only one who didn’t seem winded at all was Cody, who should have been the most out of breath, considering his size.

  “Aren’t you tired?” Carter asked.

  “Nope.” Cody shrugged his broad shoulders. He might be a pain, Nick thought. But you have to admit he is tough.

  From the top of the bluff, Sumina Prep looked even more intimidating. It was hard to believe anyone went to school there. Thick stone walls rose four and even five stories in places. There were no lights in the windows.

  “Where are the signs?” Carter asked.

  Dana tilted her head questioningly.

  “You know,” Carter said, pointing to the front of the building. “Buses only. No parking. PTA meeting Wednesday at nine. There aren’t any signs.”

  “No satellite dishes either,” Angelo said. “And no bike racks.”

  They were right. This didn’t look like any school Nick had ever seen. The only sign that they hadn’t been transported back into the 1700s was the thick strands of electrical cables weighing down a line of telephone poles.

  “They definitely exercise, though.” Dana walked to the tall iron fence surrounding the back and sides of the school. On the other side of the fence were a football field, two tracks, tackling dummies, rows of tires, and lots of weights.

  Tiffany took off her sunglasses and peered between the bars. “Is that a cemetery?”

  Nick was sure she must be wrong. There couldn’t possibly be a cemetery at a school. That would just be too freaky. And yet, staring through the driving rain, he thought he could just make out a row of headstones on the other side of a leaning picket fence far across the field.

  “Maybe we better go,” Cody said, cupping his hands above his head. “It’s raining pretty hard. That can’t be good for your camera.”

  “I’m not sure we have much choice,” Dana said. “Peeking through windows is out.” She was right. Every window on the first floor was covered with heavy wooden shutters. The only visible glass was high overhead. There was no way to reach the school grounds themselves, either, unless they wanted to scale a twenty-foot spiked fence.

  Drenched and discouraged, Nick walked to the front of the school. Like the rest of the building, the entrance looked like something from a castle. Heavy wooden doors banded with thick black metal made it clear visitors were unwanted. There weren’t even knobs, just heavy iron rings that looked hundreds of years old.

  “I’m surprised there isn’t a moat,” Angie said.

  “Look.” Angelo pointed to a series of thin rectangular openings in the stone wall. “Arrow slits. They were used by archers to hold off an enemy invasion.”

  Nick shook his head. “What kind of a school prepares for an invasion?” He would have sworn they were at the wrong place if not for the small brass plaque that read SUMINA PREPARATORY ACADEMY OF HIGHER LEARNING.

  The one thing about the doors that didn’t look ancient was the locks. Unlike the rest of the building, they appeared to be extremely modern, and extremely expensive. “I don’t think your tools are going to help us, Carter.” Nick grabbed one of the rings. At that moment a blue flash lit the sky, accompanied by an immediate crash of thunder.

  Shocked by the closeness of the lightning strike, Nick yanked at the ring and the big door swung open.

  The seven kids stood at the open door, peering into the dark hallway beyond. Overhead, the clouds had gone into overdrive, dumping icy sheets of rain in an ever-increasing roar as lightning flashed all around. But no one made a move into the school.

  Angie scrubbed her hands together as though trying to wash something off. “This doesn’t feel right.”

  That might have been the biggest understatement Nick had ever heard. It was like the mouth of some ancient beast had just opened in front of them. The light on the other side of the door had an odd flickering blue tint to it, and the warm air flowing out of the building smelled old and somehow used up.

  Angelo scuffed a sneaker along the edge of the entryway, hands shoved deep in his coat pockets. “The way that door just swung open, it’s like someone is . . . expecting us.”

  They might have turned back then and there if Carter hadn’t shoved his way past them and hurried into the school without a backward glance. Nick couldn’t believe it.

  “You said you were making a movie,” Cody said. “Not breaking in.”

  “We didn’t break in,” Angie said, entering the school with Dana and Tiffany right behind her.

  Nick turned to Angelo. “Do you think they always leave the front door unlocked?”

  Angelo’s monster notebook was tucked into his backpack, safe out of the rain, and Nick thought he looked naked without it. “With the rest of the school surrounded by spiked fences, protected by stone walls, and hidden behind closed shutters?” Angelo released a long, shaky breath, shook his head, and stepped through the door.

  Only Nick and Cody were left standing outside in the rain. Nick brushed his dripping hair out of his eyes and looked up at the tall building. He knew the wall w
as straight up and down, but it seemed to be leaning over him.

  Cody bit the back of his thumb. “I have a really bad feeling about this.”

  For once Nick agreed with him. Angelo was right—with the heavy security around the rest of the school, leaving the front doors unlocked made no sense. Either someone wanted them to come in, or else they didn’t think anyone would be foolish enough to try. Neither of the options sounded particularly promising.

  With the rest of his friends already inside the school, though, Nick didn’t really have a choice.

  “I’m going in,” he said. “You can do what you want.” He hoped he wasn’t making a terrible mistake. If something happened to them, no one knew where they were. Cody waited a second, then hurried through the door.

  Nick’s first impression was that the hallway was completely lightless. Blinking, he could barely make out the other kids standing around him. As his eyes adjusted, he noticed a row of small, fluttering flames along each of the stone walls.

  “What kind of school uses gas lamps?” Dana whispered. “Isn’t that some sort of code violation?”

  “I don’t have the impression they get a lot safety inspections,” Angelo said, his voice hushed.

  Something banged right behind Nick, and he nearly peed his pants before realizing it was only the door blowing shut from the wind.

  “What do we do now?” Tiffany asked. All of them were speaking softly as though they were in a library or a museum.

  Angie pointed to a series of doors set into the stone walls. “I guess we could try one of those.”

  “Let’s take out our lights,” Angelo said.

  Everyone except Frankenstein reached into their backpacks and pulled out a flashlight. “Why don’t I get one?” he asked.

  Dana turned on her light and shined it into his eyes. “Next time you follow us, come a little more prepared.”

  Nick turned to Carter and whispered, “I can’t believe you walked right into the school like that. You are seriously one brave dude.”