Five by Christie Rich

  The rest of the weekend was a blur of homework, Mass with Cassie, and trying to dodge girls from my hall who suddenly wanted to be my friend. I just couldn’t handle any more frivolity right now. Was it all college students, or had I been lucky enough to get the only floor on campus where everyone wanted to goof around all night instead of studying? My classes were hard, and I wanted to actually graduate. I hoped that my corridor-mates would settle down soon. I would have probably been right there with them if I hadn’t had so many surreal things happening to me all of the sudden.

  I desperately wanted Cassie to go to the meet-and-greet tonight so I could read the book I had pilfered from Roger. I didn’t want to explain to her how I had gotten it. I hadn’t even had a moment alone to look at it, and my curiosity was driving me batty.

  “I’ve got to study tonight, Cassie,” I told her for the third time. “Just go without me.”

  She stood in front of me, hands on her hips, but her eyes showed disappointment more than frustration. “You like ghost stories.”

  I hadn’t heard anything about that. “What are you talking about?”

  Her sudden grin got bigger. “Jessica knows the RA downstairs. She said that this is real secret stuff. Supposedly there is a ghost right on our floor!”

  I had heard the rumors as well. My curiosity won over. “I’ll go. But if it turns out to be lame, I’m leaving.”

  “Fair enough,” Cassie said, grabbing her jacket.

  “Will it be outside or something?”

  “I’ve heard people talking. I just want to be prepared.”

  The nights had turned chilly here. Winter seemed to be fighting fall for dominance already, which didn’t bode well for the rest of the year. Why hadn’t I picked a school in the South?

  When we got to the meeting, everyone was leaving. We raced to catch up with the group. The halls were alive with whispers as though the girls had all made a secret pact to set a ghoulish mood.

  “See,” Cassie said in triumph.

  I raised my brows at her. “Just because we’re headed outside, doesn’t mean we’re going to a séance.”

  “Cassie,” Jessica called. “Wait up.”

  Jessica shared a quad down the hall with a group of high school friends. She seemed nice enough, yet there was also something irritating about her I couldn’t quite pinpoint. Even though her mousy brown hair bounced up and down with each stride, it was probably the only volume her limp locks would ever see.

  She looked at Cassie then me, her dull brown eyes abnormally bright. “I thought you two chickened out. You’ll be glad you didn’t.”

  I kept my eyes on her even though they wanted to go skyward. “Why’s that?”

  Jessica gave me a look. “The guys from IPS are going to be here.”

  I waited for her to tell us what IPS meant. The only thing I could think of was Indiana Postal Service. Why would Jessica care if a couple of delivery guys showed up to the meeting? “Who?” I asked after she clearly wasn’t going to elaborate.

  Jessica glanced at me before turning a glare on Cassie. “Why’d you bring her?”

  I narrowed my eyes at her, crossing my arms. “Hey, I’m right in front of you.”

  Jessica shoved a finger in my face. “I don’t care if you’re a believer or not. Just keep your snide comments to yourself. Some of us are trying to enjoy this.”

  I cocked a hip. “I don’t have anything against fun.” When she started walking away, I yelled, “Tell me when we start having some.”

  “Boring is as boring does,” she said before running up ahead to another group.

  “Why are you so rude to her?” Cassie asked.

  I didn’t really know how to answer her. Jessica was just…annoying. “She gets under my skin. I can’t say why.”

  Distracted, I nearly sailed into the girl ahead of me when she stopped short. There could only be one reason they would bring us behind Regina Hall. The cemetery loomed in front of us. Beyond that lay the forest that still held fright for me. I knew the man in the woods couldn’t possibly be there now watching me, but I was freaking myself out wondering about the possibility. I still didn’t know if he was one of the fab four. I didn’t want to think about there being another man to worry about.

  If Natalie hadn’t come along that day, would I have been the next college student to never go home? As if on cue, an ethereal mist crept over the ground toward us. Did they have dry-ice somewhere? Ghostly wails started in the background. Oh, brother.

  A female voice erupted dramatically, bringing the chatter to silence. “In this cemetery rest the earthy remains of our beloved Sisters that have faithfully served this institution. However, one young lady that lay nestled in this peaceful place passed before her time. Some say she still roams our grounds, keeping watch over campus. Zellie Selby was only twenty years old when an unexpected illness took her life in 1870. Her father requested she be interred here…” The speaker stepped out from behind a rather large monument, pointing a long arm at the ground below where she stood, continuing, “…and there she lies.”

  A few girls in the group gasped what sounded like real horror. I’d briefly heard this story already, but I hadn’t seen the figure supposedly trapped in the base of the headstone. When light erupted from poised flashlights, I moved closer to get a better look.

  Sure enough, the rock was discolored at the base with the haunting figure of a woman’s silhouette. If Zellie’s ghost really had been cursed to wander St. Mary’s College for eternity, I for one didn’t want to incite the poor girl. What a horrific afterlife to have to endure for an innocent victim of an untimely demise.

  A goy stepped out of the shadows with a blazing light strapped to his forehead. Another followed right behind him. They walked forward in unison, carrying an odd assortment of equipment.

  “Everyone,” the girl in charge said. “I’d like to introduce Paul Zanders and Adam Wilder from our own IPS. Paul and Adam have been working with us to prove there is paranormal activity on campus. In fact, they have asked for permission to investigate Le Mans Hall. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed.” She clapped her hands together excitedly. “We have a surprise for all of you. They have agreed to let us watch their study of this cemetery.”

  Paul stepped forward, clearly the leader. “We are pleased to be with you tonight. Let’s all hope Zellie is, as well.” A token chuckle moved throughout the congregation. He lifted a doo-dad from his belt, shaped sort of like a remote with a row of small lights at the end. He held it up for all to see. “This is a K-II meter. In the paranormal industry, we use science to explain those terrifying feelings you get when you’re sure someone unseen is watching you.”

  I could’ve used one of those on my way here. Scratch that. I still could. I’d have to ask if they would sell me one.

  “K-II measures the amount of electromagnetic energy in an area. EMF fields are generated from power lines, cell towers, appliances, and batteries,” he said, smiling. “Well, you get the idea. First, we sweep the area for a baseline reading, looking for spikes where you wouldn’t normally expect one. As you can see, none of the lights on the meter are illuminated at the moment. The idea is that when a spirit tries to manifest in the mortal realm, they draw energy from sources around them.”

  Adam held up a different gadget. “This is a traditional EMF detector.” He walked between students, maneuvering around grave stones. “Zero point five to zero point eight seems to be the average for this area.” He held the meter next to the massive monument we had all come to see. “Whoa,” he said, stepping closer to the grave stone. He ran the detector up and down. “I really didn’t anticipate that.”