Graveyard Slot by Michelle Schusterman (classic children's novels .TXT) 📕

The catacombs are awesome—I’ll post some pictures tonight. We’re making another video for that web series tomorrow (woo) (/sarcasm). We decided to try contacting Brunilda. In her journal, she mentions this big willow tree in the woods behind the church where she liked to sit and read, so we’re going to take the Ouija board back there and give it a shot. Hopefully it’ll turn out as good as the first video.

I drummed my fingers on the desk, thinking. Then, after glancing quickly around my empty hotel room, I started to type fast, without giving myself time to stop and think.

Speaking of, funny story: I think Ana Arias might be possessing me. Or at least haunting me. Ever since Oscar and I contacted her, I’ve been getting anxiety attacks. At first I thought it was stage fright because I hate being on camera with the fiery passion of a million suns. But it can’t be just that, because it’s happening when we’re not even filming. And I’ve seen Ana a couple of times. I saw her at the waterfall and she looked right at me and waved. Then I saw her again—she’s on a video I took of myself practicing so I wouldn’t be so nervous on camera. She’s in the mirror behind me, just for a second. Sam said she’d have to be really unsettled about something to leave her mother and follow me. But I can’t figure out what she wants. Oscar and I found a bunch of articles about her and Flavia, but there’s just not that much personal information about Ana. Her mom did a really good job protecting her from the media. Anyway, when we contacted Ana on the Ouija, she said, “I WANT OUT,” right? Then I saw the same words all over the walls of the cave in my photos. But the words weren’t actually there. And guess what a symptom of possession is? SEEING THINGS THAT AREN’T THERE. Brunilda saw “unspeakable things no one else can see.” Lidia saw Red Leer’s SHIP when he possessed her. Right now, the only thing keeping me from totally freaking out is that I only saw that message on my camera. Levi did some weird stuff to my camera back in Crimptown—maybe Ana altered my cave photos or something? Maybe she’s not possessing me. But then again, Lidia was sick and acting all weird when she was possessed, and I keep getting these stupid panic attacks, and Oscar keeps saying I look sick. So maybe she IS possessing me?

Either way, Ana is definitely trying to tell me something, and I have no idea what.

I stopped, reading over my ramble. Then I started giggling.

I sounded nuts. Really, certifiably nuts. But the sad thing was, I meant every word.

Pulling the memory stick out of my pocket, I slid it into the laptop and opened the video of me talking into the camera. My finger hovered over the space bar, waiting, waiting . . . “Just. Freaking. Relax.” I tapped it quickly, and the video froze.

I leaned close to the screen, staring at the shape in the mirror. It was like a blurry shadow running between screen-me and the camera. Most of the pictures I’d seen of Ana showed her in a hospital gown, a scarf covering her bald head. But she’d had longer hair before the chemo treatments. If I squinted, this shadow kind of looked like she had a long ponytail.

I heard Dad’s voice in the hall and quickly closed the video, stuffing the memory stick safely back in my pocket. I waved when he came in, and he put his hand over his cell phone. “Almost done?” he mouthed, pointing to the laptop.

“One minute,” I promised, and he nodded before stepping back into the hall. Quickly, I deleted the bit with my ridiculous rant about being possessed and finished my e-mail.

Glad you guys liked the waterfall episode! I kind of hate being on TV. Like a lot. But I guess I should just try to enjoy it. Oscar sure is. Did you read his Rumorz interview?

Still haven’t figured out a way to tell my mom I don’t want to be a part of the Wedding from Hell. Maybe I’ll try a compromise—tell her I’ll be a bridesmaid, but only if she lets me wear a dress made out of spiderwebs, like in The Coven’s Curse. Grandma would be on board for sure. But Mom would never go for it, and then I’d be off the hook. Right? (No? Any other ideas would be appreciated.)

Miss you both,

Kat

I clicked Send, then flopped down on my bed. Dad came back in a few seconds later, still on the phone. I grabbed my headphones and iPod and scrolled through my movie selection until I found The Coven’s Curse. An hour later I was sound asleep, dreaming of spider-silk bridesmaid dresses and a featureless girl with red-and-orange flames where her eyes should have been.

CHAPTER TEN THE OTHER DAUGHTER RETURNS

Inbox: (1 New!)

Subject: Monica tagged you in a photo album!

I GLARED at my phone, wiping the crusty sleep gunk from the corners of my eyes. No response from Trish and Mark yet. More wedding stuff from my mom. So far, this morning was not the best.

Despite my better judgment, I clicked on the link to Mom’s album. This one was called Fifteen weeks and counting! To my relief, it was mostly pictures of things like flower arrangements and decorations. No photos of me in ill-fitting dresses. I imagined what kbold04 would say about those and suppressed a shudder.

“Wedding planning?”

I jumped about a foot at the sound of Dad’s voice, then slammed the laptop shut. “No! It’s . . . um . . .”

Dad laughed a little. “Honey, calm down. It’s okay.”

“She sent me a link,” I explained, feeling dumb and guilty at the same time. “She keeps doing that, like I care what kind of cake she’s getting or whatever.”

“You know,” Dad said slowly, sitting