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

told her about the thoughtography exhibit I’d gone to with Jamie, and she laughed and rolled her eyes, just like I knew she would. The horror-loving gene must have skipped Mom somehow, because she was never into paranormal stuff like Grandma and I were.

After we said goodbye, I twisted around in my chair. “Hey, mind if I . . .” I trailed off when I realized Oscar was snoring. He was sprawled on his back, the Elapse lying on the comforter next to him. Smiling, I turned back to the laptop and logged into my e-mail.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected], [email protected]

Subject: Re: Re: That blog post

Hey!! Sorry about that last e-mail. It’s a LOOOOONG story but I swear all the weird “Real Kat Sinclair” drama is over. I’d rather tell you about it in person in a few weeks. Can’t wait to see you guys!

<3 Kat

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: doppelgangers are the WORST

I don’t know if you read my last blog post yet but OMG. You won’t believe what happened at Ryang. Actually, you WILL believe it, because you believe everything paranormal. Even when it’s totally ridiculous (and sometimes fake). :)

Can we video chat sometime this week so I can tell you about it? Hailey, too! I’ll give you a preview:

1. My doppelganger totally attacked me

2. In a freaking PORTAL

3. I’m pretty sure I had an actual out-of-body experience (I looked it up on the P2P Wiki)

<3 Kat

PS: Dad’s in for next season

PPS: We’re going to look for apartments in L.A.

PPPS: There’s a pretty cool-looking cemetery in Hollywood that would be great for an episode of Graveyard Slot. Or a third date. ;)

I started to close the laptop, then opened my blog instead. I stared at the video, but didn’t hit play. I’d already watched it with Dad right before I posted it. My hands hadn’t even started sweating at the sight of myself on the screen, which I guess was progress. There were 237 comments pending, so I logged into my dashboard and started scrolling through, clicking Approve next to each one. As usual, most of the commenters were from the P2P forums, although I’d gained several new followers, too. Their comments ranged from support to confusion to disbelief, but nothing rude or trollish. Then I got to the last one.

xFxLxAxIxLxxGxRxIxNx

welcome 2 california. ghosts love the sun.

After a moment’s hesitation, I clicked on the username. A new tab opened to a white page with Error 404 on the top left. Below, letters began to appear, as if someone was typing.

we’ll be waiting, Kat.

Then the browser closed, and I was staring at the desktop covered in Dad’s folders.

“Oookay . . .” I reopened the browser and logged back into my dashboard. The comment was gone.

After a few seconds, I closed the laptop and tiptoed over to the bed. Picking up the Elapse, I sat down gingerly next to Oscar. This was probably the first time he’d slept soundly in the last few weeks.

So I examined the Elapse as quietly as I could. It had a few new features, but otherwise looked and felt just like the one Grandma had given me right before Dad and I had left Chelsea.

I hadn’t wanted to admit it then, but we’d been running away. Both of us. Living in the same house after Mom left had been hard. Everything reminded me of the way our lives had been before, and I knew it must have been the same for Dad. Passport to Paranormal had been our escape. And at some point—I wasn’t sure when, Brussels? Salvador?—the show had become our new life, and I’d stopped wishing for things to go back to the way they had been.

Things were different now. We were still with the show, but we weren’t running away anymore.

We were moving on.

“Dontaympisher,” Oscar mumbled, and I snickered.

“What?”

He squinted up at me, his eye bloodshot. “Don’t take my picture.”

“I wasn’t going to.” I pointed the Elapse at the ceiling. “No offense, but you could use some more beauty sleep.”

“Mmph.” Oscar rubbed his face, then stared at the camera, looking a little more alert. “Did I miss anything? Take any videos of creepy girls in the mirror?”

I snorted. “No. Although I got a creepy comment on my blog.”

Oscar sat up. “A troll?”

“No, just something about California having ghosts.” I paused. “That are waiting for me, apparently.”

“That’s weird.” Oscar wrinkled his nose. “Wait . . . you didn’t say anything about moving to L.A. on your blog yet, right?”

“Nope.”

“So how did . . .”

I grinned. “No idea. So what should my first picture be?”

“Huh?”

Lowering the Elapse, I aimed the viewfinder at the TV and shrugged. “New camera, you know? I guess I feel like the first picture I take with it should be important.”

“Oh.” Oscar was silent for a moment. “We could go back to that fortress tomorrow morning. Or walk to the river. Or . . . didn’t Mi Jin mention something about an observation deck?”

“Yeah.” I thought about it, turning the Elapse over and over in my hands. “Actually . . . how about this?” I held the camera up with one hand, aiming the lens at us, and pressed the side of my head against Oscar’s. I scrunched up my nose and stuck out my tongue, and I knew without looking that Oscar was making a goofy face, too.

Click!

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