Final Girl by Michelle Schusterman (beach books .TXT) 📕

Mi Jin looked closely at me. “Have you seen it before?”

“No!” I avoided Oscar’s gaze and willed him not to say anything. I didn’t know what to say. I just needed time to think. Alone. “No, never. I need to . . . can I go to bed? Sorry, I just—”

“Of course,” Dad said immediately. “I’ll walk with you.”

“It’s right down the hall,” I protested feebly, but Dad was already steering me toward the door. Neither of us spoke until we were back in my room. Dad closed the door and turned to face me.

“Are you okay, Kat?” His brows were knit with worry.

I swallowed, nodding. “Fine.”

“Do you want me to stay?” he asked, and I shook my head.

“I’m not scared.” It came out way too defiant.

He sighed. “Okay. I’ll be right down the hall if you need me.” Dad put his hand on the doorknob, then paused. “Kat, sweetie . . . is there anything else you want to tell me?”

“No,” I whispered. “I’m just tired, that’s all.”

“Okay.” Dad smiled at me. But as he turned to go, I caught another expression on his face.

He looked defeated.

The door clicked closed softly, and I headed for the desk. The moment I plugged the Elapse in to charge, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out to find a text from Oscar.

OB: This is crazy.

I laughed shakily.

KS: You said not to use that word.

OB: I meant about people.

This was followed by an eyeroll emoji.

KS: Do you think they believed I never saw it before?

OB: Think so. Mi Jin’s really into this doppelganger idea.

I took a deep breath.

KS: Good. If they think they have an explanation, maybe they won’t ask me for one.

OB: I know you don’t want to tell them about the Thing, but what about thoughtography? They know you went to that exhibit, it makes sense that you wanted to try it. And it won’t make the footage any less cool.

KS: But it wasn’t thoughtography.

OB: What? But you projected it! Right?

I pictured the two staircase photos again. One with a ghost, one without. Because the first photographer had projected it.

KS: If it was a psychic photo, it’d only show up on my camera. But Jess got it, too. And besides, THEY ALL SAW IT. With their actual eyes. That’s not thoughtography.

OB: Ok . . . so what does that mean?

KS: It means I didn’t project the Thing. It chose to be there.

Exhaling slowly, I sat on the edge of my bed before adding:

KS: So I can’t control it.

CHAPTER EIGHT STAY TUNED FOR DOOM

P2P Wiki

Entry: “Doppelgangers”

Edited by: Maytrix

An apparition of a living person, also called a “double.” Traditionally, if a person sees their doppelganger, it’s thought to mean bad luck. In some cultures, doppelgangers are believed to be harbingers of death. Others think a doppelganger serves as an “evil twin,” or another version of that person but with dark intentions.

AFTER a rushed breakfast the next morning, Dad and Jess headed out for a full schedule of back-to-back interviews with locals, all of whom had different stories about their experiences on the Yongheng Bridge. Lidia was busy taking care of logistics for our episode in Seoul next week, and Roland and Sam started editing the footage from the bridge.

Oscar and I had just finished plates of scrambled eggs and soft steamed buns filled with pork when Mi Jin slid into the chair next to me. I saw her camera in her lap and groaned.

“I don’t wanna.”

Mi Jin smiled sympathetically. “Well, you gotta. We can’t have an episode where an actual apparition of one of our own cast members appears, and then not interview that cast member about it.” I made a face, and she added: “Or we could get started on Algebra II. Spring semester has begun, my lovely students.”

Oscar was already getting to his feet. “Interview, Kat,” he pleaded. “Is being on camera really worse than homework?”

“Is eating a tarantula really worse than drinking snake venom?” I muttered, but I stood, too. When I woke up this morning, Dad had warned me about this interview, so Oscar and I had spent the last half hour planning out how I’d respond—because clearly I wasn’t going to talk about the Thing and my issues with my mother on national television. I knew what I had to say. I just had to make it convincing.

We found a quiet corner of the lobby, where a large painting featured misty mountains similar to the ones we’d visited yesterday. The picture was in black and white, except for the moon, which was bloodred.

“Perfect backdrop,” Mi Jin said, positioning me in front of it. Oscar stepped forward hesitantly.

“Both of us, or just Kat?”

Mi Jin chewed her lip for a moment. Then she thrust her camera at Oscar.

“Me and Kat.”

Oscar blinked. “What?”

“I want you to film me and Kat,” Mi Jin said, helping him hoist the camera onto his shoulder. “I know a lot about doppelgangers, and it makes more sense for me to be on camera talking to her about it. Do you mind?”

“No!” Actually, Oscar looked pleased. He listened carefully as Mi Jin showed him the various buttons. Then she hurried over to join me.

“Ready.” She laughed when I made a gagging face. “I know this isn’t your favorite part, but you’re always great on camera. All right, Oscar—go for it!”

The red light flashed on, and Mi Jin turned to me.

“So, Kat. After watching that footage of you and the ghost on the bridge about a zillion times, the whole crew agrees that there’s no way it’s some sort of reflection. We saw an apparition, and it looked exactly like you. Everyone has different theories, but what do you think it was?”

I took a deep breath. “I think you’re right. I think it’s a doppelganger.”

Mi Jin’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? Why?”

“Well, Sam mentioned astral projection,” I began. “I researched that, and usually the person is unconscious or meditating and they project their—their soul, or spirit or whatever—to another location, and then they see what their spirit