Burn My Paranoia One Last Time

28. Six Candles

"And now, we'll need to place these six candles in the center of the table," Carmen directed as Amber and Shelby helped set up the long purple candles Madam Vadoma had given them.

"I can't believe the AcaDec room just happened to have a circular table," Amber mentioned while dusting off her hands and looking around at the eerie old room.

"Yes! Academic Decathlon really came into clutch tonight!" Shelby cheered.

The trio had decided to hold their seance in the old classroom where the Decathletes would sometimes hold their practice. The sun began to melt into a hazy pink and orange horizon by this point, and the girls knew the janitor wouldn't be coming by this side of the building anyway as the majority of the classrooms there had long been abandoned.

"Gosh, there's so much dust flying around right now," Shelby wrinkled her nose and narrowed her eyes, forcefully holding back a sneeze.

"Of course, we just finished moving that table and three chairs that hadn't been used in God knows how long here," Amber said. "I hope we see more than dust tonight."

"We will, I have a good feeling about this," Carmen reassured them. "These classrooms used to be used back in the eighties. Remember the graffiti in the stalls a few doors down?"

"Yeah, the most recent message I saw had 1980 written underneath," Shelby said.

"That means this room here— well, any room on this side of the building really— will have strong residual energy," Carmen explained. "The more I think about it, the more that old hallway we crossed the other day reminds me of my dreams. Rain her classmates walked through that hall and sat in these classrooms all the time. Rain had some of her most intense moments in this area, too."

"Right! Like her fight with Sloane," Shelby pitched in. "Alright, well I brought my mom's lighter. Shall we get started?"

Amber's mind was elsewhere, however. "Hold on, there's something I need to take care of first. Could you girls wait here?"

"Oh nooo way, is Amber actually scared?" Shelby giggled.

"No. I just need a moment.. alone, before we start."

"Ok, just don't take too long," Carmen said while passing Shelby a flashlight to help her light the area as she mounted her dad's camcorder on a tripod. The sun had completely set. The only sources of illumination came from the lonely moon and Shelby's flashlight.

Amber stepped out, left the door slightly ajar, and made sure no one was following her before walking down the hall and turning the corner towards a flight of stairs going up. She knocked on the wall three times. A tall figure emerged from the top of the stairs and stared down at her.

"It's me," Amber whispered. She glanced back once more before heading up. "We're just about to start."

"Are you sure it's ok for me to be here?" Hayden scratched the back of his neck nervously and gave Amber a worried look.

"Yes, we need someone to keep guard. You're not scared, are you? You don't need to stay if you don't want to." Amber reached for his arm to comfort him. It was a good thing there was hardly any light, otherwise, he'd see her blush.

"No. I want to keep you safe. And your friends too, of course. My only question is, why do I have to stay all the way over here?"