Phantoms Read online

  “Don’t be ridiculous. I never touched him.”

  “You do remember that I see ghosts, right? Victor showed me the bloodstains on the floor.”

  Laurel craned her head to look past Cordelia. “You saw him?” she asked with a trembling voice.

  “He’s right there,” Cordelia said. She turned around, meaning to indicate the dining room, and jumped in surprise. Victor was in the hallway behind her, hovering a few inches off the floor. He was pointing at Laurel.

  “It wasn’t my fault,” Laurel said, moving as close to the threshold as she dared. “Victor wanted more money. He threatened to tell my grandfather what we were doing to the ghosts if I didn’t pay him. Can you imagine? After everything I did for him, he dared to blackmail me? My grandfather would have cut me out of the will. I would have lost everything! So I hit him with the closest thing at hand: a boo-tube. They’re surprisingly heavy, you know.”

  “I know,” Cordelia said.

  “Here’s the good news, Cordelia,” Laurel said. “I won’t hurt you. Or Benji. I lied when I said I could find someone else with the Sight. It’s incredibly rare. So you two lovebirds can rest assured that no harm will ever come to you. But your parents? Benji’s sisters? Agnes? They’re all fair game, as far as I’m concerned. I will do whatever it takes. You understand? Now get out of that house before I come in there and get you!”

  She felt a cold presence behind her. Victor, still floating, was looking over her shoulder, straight at Laurel. The whites of his eyes had turned red.

  “I think you should stay out there,” Cordelia said.

  Laurel scoffed. Her patience was beginning to fray.

  “Don’t tell me what to do. You think Victor will protect you? Please. I bet I can grab you before he even knows I’m there. Unless . . .” Laurel looked past Cordelia at the ghost catcher. The boo-tube was still sticking out of it. “Oh, you clever girl! Victor isn’t even in the house anymore, is he? You already captured him.”

  “Not yet. He’s right behind me.”

  Laurel took a step closer. She raised a foot teasingly over the threshold.

  “Don’t,” Cordelia said.

  “Why should I believe you? You’ve done nothing but lie to me. You’re alone. I know it!”

  With a final burst of courage, Laurel leaped into the house. She paused for a moment, eyes wide, waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, she smiled with satisfaction and grabbed Cordelia’s arm.

  “Let’s get to this school of yours,” she said, yanking Cordelia across the floor. “You have a lot of ghosts to catch.”

  The front door slammed shut. Laurel’s face suddenly appeared on all the life windows. She was staring down at a bloody boo-tube with a surprised look on her face. The memory went dark, then repeated. Again. And again.

  It was Victor’s last sight before he closed his eyes forever.

  “Help!” Laurel screamed. She tried the doorknob and immediately yanked her hand away. Her fingers were frozen into a misshapen claw.

  “Stop it, Victor,” Cordelia called out, looking left and right. She had no idea where the ghost had gone. “This isn’t you.”

  The light in the house grew dimmer as Victor reappeared. Cordelia had met all kinds of spirits during the past three years, but this was her first encounter with a vengeful ghost. She hoped it would be her last. Victor’s eyes were entirely red, and all other facial features—nose, mouth, ears—had simply vanished. It was as though all the humanity had been shaved from his face, leaving only his desire for revenge.

  The ghost’s fingers whipped around Laurel’s neck like tentacles and raised her off the floor. Cordelia knew what Laurel had done was wrong, but that didn’t make this right. She grabbed the ghost catcher and placed it at Victor’s feet. As the ghost leaned forward, drinking in Laurel’s final moments with his bloodred eyes, Cordelia pressed the doorbell.

  Victor turned into mist.

  It took Laurel a solid minute before her breathing steadied. She rose to a sitting position and gave Cordelia a bewildered look.

  “You saved me,” she said.

  “I saved Victor. You just happened to be there.”

  Laurel managed a wry grin. “Go. All of you. Before I change my mind.”

  Smoke was rising from the ghost catcher. The black box had cracked in two, and the cottage was a charred mess, like the aftermath of a fire. It was clear that the machine had caught its last ghost. Cordelia gave it an affectionate pat and removed Victor’s boo-tube from the nozzle.

  His mist was layered in orange and violet, like a sunset.

  21

  Graduation

  Although eighth-grade graduation was usually held in the auditorium, Dr. Roqueni had decided to have it outside this year. Chairs had already been set up on the front lawn, along with two large tents for refreshments afterward. There was a slight chance of thunderstorms later in the afternoon, but right now the sky was a brilliant shade of blue.

  Inside the school, Cordelia paced back and forth across the mirror gallery, wringing her hands. She was wearing a polka-dotted dress that her mother had bought her for the occasion. Soon she would have to don her graduation robe and head outside, but there was something important she needed to do first. She only hoped she could find the courage to see it through to the end.

  “I figured I’d find you here,” Dr. Roqueni said, eyeing the two chairs in the center of the room—and what lay upon them. “Nervous?”

  “More than you can imagine.”

  “You’ll be fine. I’m surprised you didn’t bring your sketchbook, just in case you see any ghosts while you wait.”

  “I’m going to focus on landscapes for a while. Mr. Keene says I should expand my repertoire before I start the advanced class at Cavendish.”

  “Smart. I’m glad you finally got your portfolio together.”

  “Me too.”

  The week after their final trip to Shady Rest, Cordelia had gathered her notebooks and gone to see the art teacher. Mr. Keene had been blown away by her drawings of the ghosts. He had even framed the sketch of Esmae and hung it in his classroom to “inspire future students.”

  Dr. Roqueni’s face grew serious.

  “Laurel confessed to the police,” she said. “That may help her in the end.”

  “I hope so. What’s going to happen to Shady Rest?”

  “It was just purchased by a developer. You won’t believe what they’re turning it into.”

  “What?”

  “A retirement community.”

  Their laughter reverberated through the mirror gallery.

  “I believe I owe you the second part of your gift,” Dr. Roqueni said.

  She handed Cordelia a red drawstring bag. Inside was a key.

  “It opens the main door of Shadow School,” Dr. Roqueni said. “I know you won’t be a student here anymore. But I want you to think of this as a second home. You’ll always be welcome here.”

  Cordelia threw her arms around the principal and gave her a giant hug. “Thank you. For everything.”

  As they pulled apart, Cordelia’s parents entered the room.

  “We got your grandparents all settled,” Mr. Liu said. “They’ll save seats for us. Third row, center!”

  “Your father is very excited,” Mrs. Liu said, patting his arm.

  “I better head down and do my principal thing,” Dr. Roqueni said. She stopped to shake hands with Mr. and Mrs. Liu. “You have an amazing daughter. I’m going to miss her.”

  “Thank you,” said Mrs. Liu. “Cordelia has loved her time here. This is clearly a very special school.”

  “That it is,” said Dr. Roqueni.

  Mr. and Mrs. Liu turned toward their daughter. As they did, the ghost of an old woman floated into the room. She was lying on her back with her arms behind her head, as though chilling on a pool raft.

  Perfect timing, Cordelia thought.

  “Why did you want to meet up here?” Mr. Liu asked.

  Cordelia changed the position
of the chairs so they were facing the ghost. “Come sit down,” she said, picking up the two pairs of spectercles. “There’s something I want to show you.”

  The speeches were short, and no one tripped over their robes, which was really all you could ask for in a graduation ceremony. Afterward, everyone gathered beneath the tents for cookies and lukewarm lemonade. When Cordelia, Benji, and Agnes got tired of smiling for photos, they snuck over to the playground. It had been a long time since they’d sat on the swings, but it felt like the right thing to do.

  “How did your parents take it?” Agnes asked.

  “They’re still processing,” Cordelia said. “Ask me again next week. How about yours?”

  “Surprisingly well,” Benji said. “Apparently my bisabuela could see ghosts. A few of my cousins too.”

  “Look at that. It’s like a Núñez family tradition.”

  “I don’t think my parents believed me,” Agnes said.

  “How do you know?” Benji asked.

  “Because they said, ‘We don’t believe you.’”

  “You could use the spectercles like I did,” suggested Cordelia.

  “Nah,” Agnes said. “I think I’ll keep this secret to myself. Their loss.”

  Benji heard his name and looked toward the parking lot. His parents and three sisters were waving in his direction. Sofia spotted Cordelia and began to make kissy faces in their direction.

  “I gotta run,” Benji said. “My dad made reservations at some fancy restaurant for lunch.”

  “I should probably go too,” Cordelia said. She squeezed Benji’s hand. “What time’s the movie tonight?”

  “It depends. Seven for the funny one or eight for the scary one. Which one do you want to see?”

  “Do you even have to ask?”

  “Hey!” Agnes exclaimed. “Do you guys want to make it a double date?”

  Cordelia gasped. “Does this mean you’ve finally made a decision? Who’s the lucky winner? Mark or Kedar?”

  “Colton!”

  “Colton?”

  “I met him at the ice cream shop last week!”

  “All right, then,” Cordelia said, laughing. “I would love to meet him. What kind of science does he like?”

  “Oh, he’s not really into science. Or school.” A dreamy look came into Agnes’s eyes. “Colton plays the guitar!”

  “Oh boy,” Benji said.

  They crossed the front lawn, joining the exodus of students and parents headed toward the front gate. Cordelia stopped for one last look at the school and gasped with delight.

  There were ghosts standing at every window.

  She recognized them all. At one point or another, she had helped every one of them. Here the surfer whose Brightkey had been a pair of earplugs, there the old woman who had wanted a broom. Cordelia saw the first ghost she had ever freed, a bearded man who dreamed of reading his newspaper forever, and far too many joggers. And finally, arm-in-arm with a little trick-or-treater that Cordelia had once taunted with a chocolate bar, she saw Mr. Derleth’s son, Owen. He gave her a cheerful wave.

  “Goodbye,” Cordelia said.

  She caught up with her friends and threw her arms around their shoulders. They passed through the gate together.

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you, readers, young and old, who took this journey with Cordelia, Benji, and Agnes. Without you, I’m just some dude typing unread manuscripts in his basement.

  I want to express my sincere gratitude to my agent, Alexandra Machinist, who has been there since the beginning and never ceases to amaze. Also, I’d like to thank my foreign rights agent, Roxane Edouard, and my film agent, Josie Freedman. They really are the best.

  Katherine Tegen, my editor, continues to wow me with her insight. It’s actually a little creepy. But I like creepy, so that’s okay.

  There is a host of other people to thank: Sara Schonfeld, Petur Antonsson, Jennifer Sheridan, Audrey Churchward, Robert Imfeld, Mabel Hsu, Kim Mai Guest, Gweneth Morton, Mark Rifkin, and Shona McCarthy. As a proud grammar nerd (just ask my students), I must bow to the copyediting wizardry of Maya Myers, who patiently cleaned up my blunders and continuity errors. (“So, you said it was summer two paragraphs ago, but now it’s snowing . . .”)

  If I left anyone out, I guarantee that your name is here—you just need spectercles to see it.

  Thanks to Jess and Linds for all the entertaining texts. I probably would have finished the books faster if you didn’t help me procrastinate so much, but it was totally worth it.

  To our kids, Jack, Logan, and Colin: I’m sorry I had to work so much and didn’t have time to play Super Smash Bros. with you. On the other hand, I would have just embarrassed myself, so maybe it’s for the best.

  And, finally, my everlasting love and gratitude to my wife, Yeeshing. My Bright is any place you are.

  About the Author

  Photo credit Yeeshing White

  J. A. WHITE is the author of the Thickety series and Nightbooks. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, three sons, and the ghost of their hamster, Ophelia. When he’s not making up stories, he teaches a bunch of kids how to make up stories. He wishes dragons were real because it would be a much cooler way to get to work. You can visit him online at www.jawhitebooks.com.

  Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.

  Books by J. A. White

  Nightbooks

  The Thickety Series

  A Path Begins

  The Whispering Trees

  Well of Witches

  The Last Spell

  Shadow School Series

  Archimancy

  Dehaunting

  Phantoms

  Copyright

  Katherine Tegen Books is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

  SHADOW SCHOOL #3: PHANTOMS. Copyright © 2021 by J. A. White. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  www.harpercollinschildrens.com

  Cover art © 2021 by Petur Antonsson

  * * *

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2020952883

  Digital Edition AUGUST 2021 ISBN: 978-0-06-283836-0

  Print ISBN: 978-0-06-283834-6

  * * *

  21 22 23 24 25 PC/LSCH 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  FIRST EDITION

  About the Publisher

  Australia

  HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd.

  Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street

  Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia

  www.harpercollins.com.au

  Canada

  HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

  Bay Adelaide Centre, East Tower

  22 Adelaide Street West, 41st Floor

  Toronto, Ontario, M5H 4E3

  www.harpercollins.ca

  India

  HarperCollins India

  A 75, Sector 57

  Noida

  Uttar Pradesh 201 301

  www.harpercollins.co.in

  New Zealand

  HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand

  Unit D1, 63 Apollo Drive

  Rosedale 0632

  Auckland, New Zealand

  www.harpercollins.co.nz

  United Kingdom

  HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

  1 London Bridge Street

  London SE1 9GF, UK

  www.harpercollins.co.uk

  United States

  HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

  195 Broadway

  New York, NY 10007

  www.harpercollins.com

  r />
 

  J. A. White, Phantoms