The Secret Bedroom by R.L. Stine, Bill Schmidt Page A

glowed on the small table and on the dresser. Lea suddenly realized that the candles in this room must burn but never melt.
    â€œI didn’t mean to hurt you,” Catherine repeated, her expression serious and apologetic. “It’s just that I hadn’t touched anyone in so long. I—I forgot myself.”
    â€œThat’s okay,” Lea said uncertainly. “I think I overreacted. I mean, I got scared and—”
    â€œI won’t do it again,” Catherine interrupted
    â€œMy name is Lea,” Lea told her, moving slowly into the room.
    â€œIt’s a pretty name,” Catherine said softly, shyly.“You’re very pretty. I like your hair. Such an interesting hairstyle.”
    â€œBangs?” Lea exclaimed. “Interesting?”
    â€œI always wanted dark hair,” Catherine said, sitting down in the hard-backed wooden chair by the table.
    â€œBut your hair is beautiful,” Lea insisted.
    â€œWatch what I can do with it,” Catherine said, a spark of playfulness lighting her eyes.
    As Lea watched with a mixture of awe and fright, Catherine made her blond hair grow brighter, brighter, until the golden curls seemed to throb and flash, sending rays of light twirling around the room. Then, just as quickly, Catherine’s hair darkened, faded until it was as dark as the black velvet hair ribbon she wore, and all of Catherine seemed to grow dark and shadowy until she was only an outline, a suggestion, a dim presence.
    â€œCome back,” Lea pleaded.
    Catherine reappeared, obviously pleased with herself. “There are
some
advantages to being a ghost,” she said, smiling. “There are things it is possible to do without a body. And then there are things …” Her voice trailed off.
    â€œWould you like to come outside?” Lea asked, blurting out the words almost as a single word. She knew if she said them slowly, she would rethink them and not say them at all.
    â€œWhat?” Catherine’s pretty face filled with surprise.
    â€œWould you like to leave the room? Come outside with me?” Lea asked, her heart pounding.
    Catherine’s smile transformed her face. She jumpedhappily to her feet. “Yes!” she cried. “Oh, yes! Yes! Thank you, Lea! I don’t know how to thank you! You
do
believe in me, don’t you?”
    â€œWhat?” It was Lea’s turn to be thrown off-guard by a question. “Believe in you?”
    â€œYou do believe that I’m a ghost? And that I won’t harm you?” Catherine asked eagerly.
    â€œYeah, I guess so.” Lea didn’t really want to think about that. In fact, she didn’t want to think about anything. She wanted to
act.
    If she thought about it, she knew she’d turn back.
    And it was too late to turn back.
    â€œWhere shall we go?” Catherine asked excitedly, clapping her hands together. “Where will you take me?”
    â€œTo a friend’s house,” Lea replied.
    â€œA friend?”
    â€œWell, she isn’t really a friend. Actually she’s an enemy, I guess you’d say.”
    Catherine’s face filled with bewilderment.
    â€œHer name is Marci,” Lea said, deciding to tell Catherine everything before they began. “I want to play a joke on her, scare her a little.”
    â€œA little?” Catherine asked.
    â€œA lot!” Lea corrected herself.
    Both girls laughed.
    â€œI’m beginning to understand,” Catherine said, fussing with the tight collar of her blouse. “You want
me
to frighten Marci.”
    â€œCan you make things float?” Lea asked.
    â€œI can make
myself
float,” Catherine told her. “Is that what you mean?”

    â€œNo. I mean like, if you disappeared and lifted that candle holder,” Lea said, pointing.
    â€œDo you mean like this?” Catherine vanished from sight. A few seconds later the candlestick appeared to lift off the dresser top and glide through