#Wattys2015 The Ghost of James Fitzpatrick

Chapter 6

Sarah

Lucy and I stared at one another in utter surprise.

"Why are you calling this phone Sarah?" asked mom. "And aren't you supposed to be in class?"

"I'm at lunch mom, but what phone did I call? I didn't recognize the number."

"It's the old house phone Sarah." She replied. "Your dad still keeps it for his office, but just uses it for outgoing calls."

I just sat there, not saying anything.

"It was, in fact, under a stack of files about a foot tall," she continued. "Sarah, why are you even calling this phone?"

I heard our doorbell in the background and the neighbors' dog barking, and I could hear my mom's voice getting annoyed with me.

"Don't mean to cut you off Sarah, but I'm hanging up. Get back to class!" she hollered.

"I'm at lunch mom, I already..."

She was through with the conversation and hung up the phone, just like that. Never mind that her daughter's mind was racing, and never mind that Lucy was sitting next to me shaking her head with her mouth hanging open.

"What the heck?"

Then Lucy started to smile.

"That's weird Sarah." Now she was getting excited. "Oh my God, it's like that story about the freaking babysitter!"

"Lucy, shut up, seriously, you're giving me the creeps," I replied. I felt kind of sick suddenly. I don't know why it would scare me so much, I just couldn't make any sense of it, no matter how fast my mind was trying to. Lucy sensed a turn in my mood.

"Sarah, it's just some freaky, technical glitch. I get them on my phone all the time! I know you do too."

I just sat there biting my lip. It was a bad nervous habit.

I looked up at the sky, at the low winter clouds that seemed to be our constant companion this time of year. Their color was a cross between the silver and gray crayons in the coveted 96 pack box with the built in sharpener.

I felt Lucy rest her arm on my shoulder.

Beyond the roof line of Arden High, half a mile away, I saw the very top of the ominous Highway 70 Bridge. Its little lights, set high on its main tower like eyes, blinked their way through every day here in Arden, and into every night.

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