Haunting the Night by Mara Purnhagen Page A

Avery could easily win the votes needed to earn the coveted crown.
    “I was Homecoming Queen last year. It wasn’t quite the life-altering thrill I thought it would be, and I doubt Prom will be any different. Someone else should win this title, someone who actually wants it.”
    “That’s noble of you.”
    “Not really.” She frowned. “Based on the initial votes, Harris Abbott is a shoo-in for Prom King, and there’s no way I’m going to stand next to him on a platform and smile after what he did to you.”
    What Harris Abbott had done to me was something I wanted to completely forget. And for the most part, I had. We had dated briefly after New Year’s, until I discovered he already had a girlfriend and was simply using me to help her. Or rather, he was using me to get to my semi-famous ghost-hunting parents. Mom and Dad worked to debunk some of the world’s most famous ghost stories. Their books and TV deals meant that we spent little time living in one place—until last year, when we arrived in South Carolina and I accidentally got a glimpse of the other side.
    “Harris doesn’t matter to me anymore,” I told Avery now.
    “Good. He shouldn’t.” She shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I want to be anywhere near him, though.”
    A glance out the window told me that it was later than I thought. Even though I lived just a short walk up the street, I didn’t want to be outside when it got dark.
    “I should go,” I said, standing up. “My dad will be home soon.”
    Avery started to say something, but stopped. “Okay. I’ll call you later.”
    The sun was setting fast as I hurried up the hill, and even though it was warm outside, I shivered a little. It wasn’t the approaching dark that frightened me. It was the things that could hide within it.
    When I first saw the strange shadow, it was crouched across the street. From my view at the living room window, it appeared at first to be a small dog, about the size of Dante but black in color. My heart pounded with the recent memory of Marcus, who had crawled down the street in his possessed state only two weeks earlier. But this was a smaller creature, too little to be a full-grown man. Still, something about it reminded me of Marcus.
    I began seeing the shadow every day. My phantom stalker moved with the speed of a wild cat and appeared larger each time I saw it. Sometimes I caught only a glimpse of the thing as it streaked down the street. Other times, it simply sat on the sidewalk. I knew it was there for me, that it was watching me, waiting. But waiting for what? I had no idea, but it terrified me. And that was the main reason I needed to go to Charleston. I had to get away from it. Maybe if I was gone for a few days, the shadow would give up its vigil and leave me alone.
    I kept my head down and I approached my house, unwilling to sneak a peek across the street. If the shadow thing was there, I did not want to see it. Focused on unlocking the front door, I didn’t even notice that Noah was sitting on the front porch until he spoke.
    “Hey.”
    I gasped and dropped the keys. He came over to me, taking my shaky hands in his. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
    “It’s okay. I’m fine.” I smiled, but I knew he could see through it.
    “Did you see it again?”
    Only Noah knew about the shadow creature. And even though he had never spotted it, he believed that I was truly seeing something. It was nice to have someone trust my words even if they didn’t make sense.
    “No, but it’s getting dark,” I said. “It usually makes an appearance right around now.”
    Noah picked up my keys and unlocked the front door. “Well, I’m here now. You’re not going to be alone.”
    Relief filled me as we went inside. Noah began turning on lights while I dropped my backpack to the floor and took off my shoes. “How long had you been out on the porch?” I asked him.
    He turned on a lamp in the dining room and joined me on the sofa. “About a half