Don't Stay Up Late (15 page)

What other secrets does Nate have?

“Isaac wants to come Friday night, too,” Saralynn said. “He said he'd come to Brenda's right after his band practice.”

“Well…” I said.

“We're your friends, Lisa. Let us help you,” Saralynn pleaded.

“Okay, I guess,” I relented.

“Awesome,” she said. “It'll be like a party. We'll have fun, and we'll take care of Harry, and we'll make you feel safe.”

“Okay,” I repeated. But I still had a heavy feeling of dread tightening my throat.

I hope I'm not making a big mistake.

 

38.

Friday afternoon, I picked Harry up at Alice's. Harry had his backpack all packed and appeared eager to go as soon as I showed up.

“Where's Alice?” I asked.

“In the basement,” he said and pointed to the door that led to the basement. “Can we have mac and cheese tonight?”

“No problem,” I said.

“And can I stay up late?”

“No way, Harry.” I brushed his hair off his forehead. His blond hair was so curly and awesome, it was hard to keep your hands off it. To tell the truth, I was totally jealous of his hair. Mine is straight and thin and I never know what to do with it.

Alice appeared from the basement, her face in a tight scowl. When she saw me, she forced a smile. But I could see that she was tense and tired.

“Tough day?” I asked.

She walked to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. “No. Just the same old same old.” She took a long drink.

“Lisa says I can have mac and cheese,” Harry told her.

Alice squinted at him. “I made that for you for lunch.”

He shrugged. “So?”

I laughed. Alice didn't seem amused. She rolled her eyes and took another long drink of water. She waved us to the door. “Go,” she said. “Have fun. But, Harry—don't forget you have to practice your cursive tonight.”

He nodded. “First I have to play my Xbox game.”

Alice turned to me. “Make him practice his handwriting. He writes like a gorilla. Brenda can't even read his
printing
.”

“Oooofoooofoooof.”
Harry made gorilla grunts and scratched his armpits like a monkey.

Normally, Alice would have laughed. But today she just let out another long sigh and waved us to the kitchen door again.

I took Harry home and made him practice his handwriting first thing. Then I made him his precious mac and cheese and we both had an early dinner.

“Can I stay up late if I promise not to tell Mom?” he asked in his sweetest, tiniest voice.

“No way,” I told him. “My friends are coming by tonight. We need to study. We have a big test coming up.”

He made a disgusted face and spat a macaroni noodle across the table at me. “You're very rude,” I said.

“But I'm cute,” was his reply.

Nate and Saralynn showed up together a little after six thirty. Harry was glad to see them. He gave them both hugs. Nate picked him up and swung him around. I realized they'd known Harry his whole life.

I felt a stab of anger, anger at Nate for keeping that secret. But I forced it away.

Nate studied me. “Everything back to normal?” he asked.

I nodded. “So far, so good.”

Saralynn stood over the table and finished the macaroni left on Harry's plate. “Do you have mac and cheese for breakfast, too?” she asked Harry.

“Sometimes,” he said. He grinned. “And sometimes for a snack.”

We all played his
Candy Catastrophe
game for a while. I could see that Saralynn and Nate were letting him win.

A little before eight, I powered the game off. Everybody booed. “Be quiet,” I said. “Harry has to be in bed by eight. That's the rules.”

To my surprise, he jumped up and ran to the stairs without even saying goodnight to Nate and Saralynn. He didn't seem sleepy, but he changed into his SpongeBob pajamas and let me tuck him in without a word of complaint.

When I returned downstairs, Saralynn was on the floor playing
Candy Catastrophe
with the sound muted. Nate leaned forward on the couch, his thumbs moving over his phone keyboard.

“Isaac's band rehearsal must be running late,” he told me. “He said he'd be here by now.”

I dropped down next to him on the couch. He slid an arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. We kissed, but I ended it quickly. “I have to talk to you,” I said.

He leaned back. He glanced at his phone. No reply from Isaac. He turned back to me. “This was a good idea, right? Our coming over to keep you company?”

“Sure. Fine,” I said. “It's not what I want to talk about. Why didn't you tell me that you and Saralynn are Brenda's cousins?”

Saralynn glanced up from her game, as if she was eager to hear Nate's answer, too.

He wrinkled his nose. Then he shrugged. “I … well … I didn't want to interfere in your job.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. He was trying to act casual, but he twitched his nose again, and he kept picking at a callus on the palm of his hand.

“Does that make any sense at all?” I said. “I don't think so.”

Nate shrugged. “Sorry. Guess I was wrong. I just didn't think it mattered.”

I shook my head.
He still isn't making any sense. Something is missing here.

I studied him. He looked so uncomfortable. He lowered his eyes to his phone.

“You should have told me,” I said. “I really don't see the issue here. Why would I care that you're related?”

“Sorry,” he muttered.

“Should we do some prep for the chem final?” Saralynn suggested. She turned off the Xbox. “I'm kind of freaked about it. I mean, I didn't exactly keep the workbook up to date.”

“Mine is a disaster,” I said. “Because I missed those weeks of school.”

“You can share mine,” Nate said. He pawed through his backpack, found the notebook, and tossed it to Saralynn.

We studied for about an hour, sometimes together, sometimes on our own. It was about a quarter to ten when Nate jumped up. “When is Brenda getting home?”

“She's going to be late tonight,” I said. “Maybe eleven. Where are you going?”

He was halfway to the front door. “Isaac didn't answer my texts. He should be here by now.”

“You're going to find him?” Saralynn asked.

He nodded. “I'm going to run over to his house and see what's up with him. I'll be back in a few minutes. Try not to miss me
too
much.”

He disappeared into the front entryway. I heard the front door slam behind him.

“Does he seem tense to you?” I asked Saralynn.

She turned the page in the chem notebook. “He seems like Nate. You never know what you're going to get.”

I squinted at her. “I guess I don't know him very well. I mean, we've only been going out for a month. Is he … moody?”

“Sometimes,” she answered. “It's not like he's got a mental problem or anything. I mean, sometimes he's more up than other times. Nothing to worry about. He just gets in different moods.”

I nodded. We studied in silence for a while. Then I thought of something else. “Did you finish that horror video you were doing in Nate's backyard?”

She shook her head. “No. It sucked. I mean it was totally lame. I'm in major trouble. I have to think of a new project before the semester is up.”

I shook my head. “Whoa. That's a drag. Do you have any ideas?”

Saralynn started to answer.

But my scream cut her off.

Gazing to the top of the stairs, I saw him. The demon-creature. He had his long fingers curled around the banister. He was leaning toward us. His red eyes were glowing. His green-tinted skin caught the light from the ceiling. His snout was open in a toothy grin.

I screamed again. And pointed with a trembling hand.

Saralynn squirmed around to face the direction I pointed. “Lisa? What's wrong? What do you see?”

“He's there!” I choked out. “The creature. At the top of the stairs!”

Her eyes went wide. She started to breathe in short, hard bursts.

“He's watching us!” I screamed. “He's watching us!”

Her face twisted in confusion, Saralynn turned back to me. She grabbed my hand. “Lisa,” she said. “There's nothing up there.”

 

39.

The creature curled and uncurled his snakelike fingers around the banister. Under the bright ceiling light, his green head gleamed. The eyes darkened to purple embers.

“Saralynn—look at it!” I shrieked. “At the top of the stairs! Look at him staring at us!”

She squeezed my hand. She tried to wrap me in a hug, but I leaped to my feet.

“Lisa—I don't see anything,” she said. She stood up, too. And stepped away from the couch, striding toward the stairs. “Where?” she demanded. “Where do you see it?”

On the top step, the creature tossed back his head, his mouth wide in silent laughter. He bent his knees and slapped the banister with both hands. Enjoying himself. Enjoying my terror and confusion.

“Saralynn—don't you see it? I … I'm not imagining it. He's standing there. He's laughing at us.”

“Lisa—there's no one on the stairs.”

“Ohmigod. Ohmigod. You don't see him? Really? Ohmigod.” My voice sank to a harsh rasp. “Is he really just in my head? Am I really crazy?”

Saralynn spun away from the stairway. She reached out her arms and pulled me into a tight hug. My body was trembling so hard, I thought I would fall. I felt my knees start to give way.

“Lisa,
ssshhhh,
” she whispered. “Try to calm down. Lisa, try to stop shaking. It's okay. We're safe. There's no one up there.”

“But—but—” I sputtered.

She pressed her cheek against mine and whispered in my ear. “Should I call your doctor?”

“N-no,” I stammered. “I—”

“She might make you feel better,” Saralynn insisted. “She might give you something to calm you down.” She loosened her hug and took a step back. Her chin trembled. “This must be so horrible for you, Lisa. Please—tell me what I can do to help.”

I took a deep breath and held it, trying to stop my body from shuddering. I turned from her and gazed back to the top of the stairs. No creature.

“Harry,” I murmured. “Harry is up there. I've got to make sure Harry is safe.”

Once again, I pictured the ugly demon-creature running across Harry's room, leaping out the window, scrabbling over the backyard grass.

I forced my legs to move and took off. I ran up the stairs. Saralynn was close behind.

My shoes thudded the carpet as I led the way down the long hall. I grabbed the knob, shoved open the door—and burst into the room.

Silver moonlight washed in from the open window. I turned to the bed. The covers were pushed down.

Harry was gone.

 

40.

Saralynn stared at the open window. “No!” she let out a whispered cry. “Harry didn't jump out. He wouldn't.”

“No,” I said. “He's hiding. Like last time.” My heart was pounding so hard, I could hear the blood whistling at my temples. “Like last time,” I repeated.

“Where?” Saralynn demanded. “Where did he hide?”

I didn't answer. I ran back downstairs. To the front hall. I tugged open the coat closet door. “Harry, it's okay,” I said. “You can come out.”

I gasped when I realized he wasn't in the closet.

“This is where he hid?” Saralynn leaned into the closet, shoving coats out of the way. No sign of him.

“He-he's in the house somewhere,” I stammered. “He gets frightened and—”

“I'll search upstairs,” she said. She turned me around by the shoulders. “You search down here. Search every closet. Every room. We'll find him. I know we will.”

“But … what frightened him?” The question just blurted from my mouth. I didn't even think of it. “Saralynn, stop. If you didn't see the creature … If there was no creature … what frightened Harry?”

“It had to be your screams,” she answered. “Lisa, you screamed so loud. Your screams were so terrifying … they frightened
me
!”

“You're right,” I murmured. “Yes, you're right. I frightened Harry. Come on. Let's find the poor guy and let him know he is safe.”

She went running back up the stairs. I crossed the living room into the back hall. I searched the kitchen pantries and under the table. “Harry? Harry?” I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted his name over and over.

I searched the maid's room in back. Cardboard cartons were stacked to the ceiling in the tiny room. “Harry? Are you here?” No.

I pulled open the doors to two other closets in the back hall. Then I returned to the living room. I glanced all around. My head was spinning. No. The whole room was spinning. Panic gripped my chest, tightened all my muscles.

“Harry? Can you hear me? Please come out.”

I heard Saralynn slam a bedroom door upstairs. I heard her shoes on the hallway floor.

I decided to join her up there. I was nearly to the stairs when I heard a sharp noise outside. A hard bump. Like some kind of collision.

I stopped. And listened. Totally alert. Not breathing.

I heard shouts. Scrabbling sounds. A hard
thud.

A fight? Two people fighting in the front yard?

A sharp grunt. Another
thud.

I didn't think. I pulled open the front door and stepped out under the harsh glare of the porch light.

I squinted down the front yard toward Fear Street. At first, I didn't see anything. Just the tall grass swaying slightly in a soft breeze.

But the
hissss
made me spin toward the driveway. A hiss like a dozen snakes all attacking at once.