Hetta looked a little embarrassed. “Well, it just felt right. I somehow got this sense that it knew I was lost, and wanted to help me, even if it wouldn’t let me get too close. It led me all the way back to the camp. I saw it shining through the trees as I snuck back into my cabin. I think it was sticking around to make sure I was okay. So if thereisa ghost, at least it’s a nice one.”
“Well,” Leonie said rather weakly. She looked at Rufus. “You didn’t know about this?”
He shook his head, eyes wide.*I would have told you earlier if I had. I only knew she must have seen something, like Claire.*
“Have you ever seen anything similar yourself?”
*No,*he replied, though his mental voice sounded somewhat hesitant.*But sometimes when I’m out in the woods, it doesn’t feel right.*
Shan was looking back and forth between them. She held up a finger in a ‘give me a sec’ gesture. “Not right? How?”
Rufus seemed to struggle with the question.*Just… not right. The animals. The birds. They’re not alarmed, but they don’t move like they should. Like something else is there, too. Watching through their eyes.*
“I’m sure there’s a perfectly rational explanation,” she said, trying to sound convincing. “Thanks for telling us about this, kids. I’ll look into it. In the meantime, I’d appreciate it if you kept this to yourselves. Stories like this have a way of getting out of hand.”
“Sure,” Claire said. She shrugged. “Who would believe us, anyway?”
Leonie watched all three kids head back to camp. “What did you make of all that?”
Shan rubbed his mouth. “The girls were telling the truth.”
She hadn’t doubted it. “Claire seems pretty certain she hadn’t smelled whatever she encountered before. And I don’tthink Hetta could have just seen someone from the camp. Any of the staff would have reported finding a lost kid in the woods. I suppose it could have been a camper, but… it doesn’t feel right. Another kid picking the exact same night as Hetta to sneak out, and stumbling across her?”
“And the sheriff reported that adults have seen strange lights in the woods, too,” Shan said grimly. “This requires more investigation, Leonie.”
“A strange smell and a spooky tree.” She blew out her breath in frustration. “It’s not much to go on.”
Shan nodded. “I wonder if any of the other campers have similar stories to Claire and Hetta. Ones that they don’t talk about.”
“We can’t just go around asking everyone if they’ve seen the camp ghost.” She stood, picking up her clipboard. “But I know someone who can.”
CHAPTER 13
“Hey, guys!” Tiff bounded into the woodshed. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Whatcha all doing in here?”
Finley scrambled up from a log. “We were just, uh…”
“Talking,” Beth said quickly. “About, um, stuff.”
“Incredibly idiotic stuff.” Ignatius folded his arms, scowling at the rest of the group. “Believe me, Tiff, you’re better off not knowing. I wish I didn’t.”
Tiff was far more interested in sharing her own news. She brandished a notebook at the group, beaming. “Guess what? I’m writing a new column for the camp newspaper! It’s gonna be calledTrue Tales of Terror.”
The other kids exchanged glances.
“That’s… nice?” Finley said, in a way that indicated distinct doubts.
“Ithink it soundsawesome,” Archie said. “Way better than all the stupid junk they usually print in that thing.”
“You’rejust still mad the newspaper club rejected your dumb poem about bears,” Estelle muttered. “I told you it didn’t scan.”
“It wasn’t a poem, it was an ode,” Archie retorted. “And anyway, ‘beat all the rest’ does too rhyme with ‘completely the best.’”
“Does Leonie know you’re doing this?” Beth asked Tiff.
Tiff nodded eagerly. “It was her idea, actually. She said that since I like horror stories so much, I should go around and interview people about spooky stuff they’ve seen at camp. So of course I thought of you guys straight away! You can be my first story!”
“Oh, please,” Ignatius said, an evil grin spreading across his face, “pleaseinterview them. At length. Rigorously.”
