Felix the Shark Page 9

  The ghost didn’t respond; he just stared at her in a despondent way.

  “Weird meeting you here, huh?” Mandy glanced around, wondering how she could get out of here, when she was pretty sure “here” didn’t exist in the real world. “Why do you think we’re here?” She rubbed her arms trying to get warm, and her teeth started to chatter.

  “Do you know the way out?” She stepped toward the little boy, but in a flash, he spun around to run.

  “Oh, snap. Wait! Stop!” Mandy took off after him down the hallway from which she’d spent countless hours fending off animatronics. Her feet slapped against the hard floor. “It’s not safe here! There are things that want to hurt you!”

  Man, the kid was quick! He turned corners and ran through rooms too fast for her to keep up.

  “Stop! Come back!”

  She saw a flash of his red shirt as he sped in to a room. She shoved through the door after him, but when she looked around, she couldn’t find him. She was in some sort of storage room. Shelves lined every wall, all filled with animatronic parts. There was a bear head, a small box of eyes, an arm, and legs.

  “Hey, come out, please,” she whispered, although she wasn’t sure why. A big box was set off to the side. She looked behind it, and there he was, sitting down, his legs pulled to his chest and his face tucked to his knees.

  He was hiding. Poor little guy.

  “Hey, don’t be scared. I’m not going to hurt you.” She got down on her knees in front of him. He lifted his head, and a chill skittered down her spine.

  In the yellow lighting, his eyes were so dark, it was as if empty pits stared back at her.

  “Uh, it’s okay to be scared. We can get out of here together. Come on, take my hand.” She reached out her hand, but the boy didn’t move to take it. “Please, I can help you. What’s your name, anyway?”

  She moved closer, her knees scraping against the floor as she reached out to him. She hesitated when a strangled growl echoed in the room.

  “What is that?” she whispered. A wave of fear and adrenaline washed over her. She peeked over her shoulder, expecting to see a freaky animatronic and exhaled when nothing was there.

  She turned back toward the boy, and he sprang at her—his mouth gaping wide, his teeth huge and sharp.

  Mandy screamed as she jerked upright in her bed. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh,” she whispered as her pulse fluttered erratically. She searched around her dark bedroom. She was at home. She was okay.

  “Just a bad dream. A bad, bad dream. It’s over now.” She licked her dry lips as her pulse began to settle. She grabbed Mr. Happy and tucked him under her arm as she rested her head back on the pillow.

  But her eyes lingered on her locked bedroom door.

  The next day at school, Mandy was nervous returning to Donavon Prep. She wouldn’t meet anyone’s eyes as she walked to her locker. Usually, she held her head high as she walked the halls, but today she just didn’t have it in her. She could sense other girls looking at her, whispering behind her back. It made her want to hunch over in mortification and shame—the freak show who really had become the entertainment of the week.

  After the strange dream last night, she hadn’t been able to go back to sleep and she just tossed and turned until breakfast. Now she felt a little like a zombie that everyone couldn’t help to stare at with shocked amazement. She passed by Melissa and Lily in the hall and they burst out in laughter, and all the pain she felt yesterday came tumbling back to her. She clenched her hands in to fists.

  It doesn’t matter, she told herself. I just need to get through this day.

  When she got to her locker, she spun the combo and slowly opened the door to make sure there were no hidden surprises. A few girls giggled at that. To Mandy’s relief, everything was normal and nothing puked at her face. She just had to put in some of the newly clean books she’d taken home with her the day before. Her phone vibrated with a message from a number she didn’t recognize. When she clicked on the message, a boomerang photo of herself appeared, with green goop launching at her face from the locker. It was like watching her own nightmare on replay over and over again. Mandy clenched her jaw and deleted the message, blocking the unknown number. Then, with her head down, she slammed her locker closed and rushed to her first class.

  At lunch, she found the tree she always sat under. She started messaging with Lindy:

  [Msquared] Do you believe in ghosts?

  [TotalMisfit] Yeah, kinda, but I’ve never seen one. Have u?

  [Msquared] I think I did last night, then I dreamed of him

  [TotalMisfit] Him???

  [Msquared] A little boy who doesn’t talk and just stares at me

  [TotalMisfit] Wow, that is CREEPY

  [Msquared] Totally

  Mandy typed “Why do ghosts haunt?” in to a search engine on her phone. She clicked on a couple of website links and articles that appeared.

  Unfinished business? With me? Not that I know of.

  They have a message to tell you. Okay. What kind of a message?

  They don’t know they are dead. Hmmm. I sure don’t want to be the one to tell him after the gaping-mouth scare.

  Basically, she was still at a loss as to why the ghost kept appearing to her. When it was time for study period with Melissa and Lily, Mandy kept her head down while doing her homework.

  As usual, the girls struck up one of their fascinating conversations.

  “Mace Head, I mean, Mandy. I just love the purple,” Melissa said, quietly from behind her.

  Mentally, Mandy rolled her eyes, bouncing her knee underneath her desk.

  “What’s the matter, Mandy, you didn’t care for the green?” Lily piped in. “We could have called you watermelon head.”

  Mandy remained quiet.

  “Oh no, Mandy’s not talking to us, Lily. I think we hurt her widdle feelings.”

  “What’s the matter, Mandy? You’re too good to talk to us now that you have purple hair?”

  “Maybe we broke her, Lily,” Melissa said, barely holding back laughter.

  “Oh, that’s perfect!”

  Mandy didn’t respond. Couldn’t. She acted as if they weren’t even there. The truth was, she hated confrontation, and yesterday she’d been hurt in a way she couldn’t soon forget. She felt like a punching bag, bruised and beat-up. But she was beginning to realize that letting them know that they had defeated her hurt even more. She felt she was at some kind of emotional crossroads. She could stand up for herself by acting like what they’d done didn’t bother her, or she could sulk away, defeated and broken. Usually, she’d go with the first option, but she no longer had the willpower to make that choice. So the sulky, defeated, and broken Mandy would have to suffice for now.

  Finally, she got through the study period and made it home without any further incident. Diving back in to the FNAF mystery photo was just what she needed to forget all the drama at school. She had learned to take the things that didn’t make her happy and put them away in small, imaginary boxes, hidden away from her daily life so they couldn’t hurt her anymore. It was a strategy that worked, and she was sticking to it.

  It took some time going through pages of search engine links for the mystery building, but Mandy finally discovered a website that gave her a clue to the odd lookshauntednow.jpg image. Within a city website for a small town called Peace Valley, there was a picture of a similar-looking building in color.

  “This has to be it,” she murmured. She pulled up the original photo and compared it to the size and style of the old buildings, right down to the color of the chipped door. “Yes, this is it. Now … where’s Peace Valley located?”

  She clicked on a location link. This building was indeed real, located in Utah, and the address … was on Willow Field Road! Mandy leaped from her chair, pumped her fists in the air, and danced around her bedroom, singing.

  She couldn’t believe she’d actually found it! She grabbed Bobby’s photo. “I did it, Bobby. I located the real building!” She spun
around until she was dizzy and fell on to her bed, breathing hard as her bedroom spun.

  “I have to tell Lindy.” She sat up and sent a quick message to Lindy that she’d found the real location of the building, followed by a line of happy-faced emojis.

  Then she sprang up out of bed and map-searched the actual address. The location came up as a movie theater called Old Cinemas that played silent films.

  Mandy nodded. How cool would it be to go to an old theater and watch a silent film? Maybe something scary like an old Lon Chaney flick?

  Mandy’s phone rang with a video call from Lindy, which Mandy answered with a scream.

  “Ahhh!” Lindy seemed to drop the phone, but then she picked it up, and her face reappeared. “Sheesh, what’s the matter?”

  “I found the building! It’s an old-timey movie theater in Utah.”

  Lindy’s eyes went big. “I live in Utah!”

  Mandy’s mouth dropped open, then split in to a grin. “I totally forgot! This is getting better and better!” She spun around and then put the phone in front of her face. “Okay, okay, let’s get serious here. Why would a photo of an old cinema house titled lookshauntednow be hidden within the files of FNAF3, and then when discovered, be completely removed?”

  Lindy nodded, her expression very intrigued. “I smell a conspiracy.”

  “Exactly … and I’m going to solve it.”

  Lindy lifted her eyebrows. “Hey, I just noticed your hair is purple. It’s so you.”

  Here are the facts:

  AFTER DECOMPILING FNAF3, I DISCOVERED AN ANOMALY WITHIN THE GAME IMAGES. IT WAS A COLORLESS PHOTO OF A MYSTERIOUS BUILDING. THE IMAGE WAS CALLED LOOKSHAUNTEDNOW.JPG.

  I POSTED THIS DISCOVERED PHOTO ON A FORUM AND THE NEXT DAY … POOF! IT WAS GONE FROM THE GAME FILES. ERASED!

  I REVERSE-IMAGE-SEARCHED THE PHOTO (SOUNDS COOL WHEN I SAY IT LIKE THAT!) AND DISCOVERED THE BUILDING IS LOCATED IN A PARTICULAR STATE. THIS BUILDING IS OF AN OLD MOVIE HOUSE! (I CAN’T SHARE ALL MY SECRET FACTS YET UNTIL I SOLVE THIS GAME THEORY!)

  Stay tuned for more … —M&M

  “Purple, Mandy, really?”

  Mandy froze at her computer screen, then smiled. Her mother was standing in her bedroom doorway. Her mom’s black hair was styled in an elegant flip. Her black suit fit her slim frame perfectly, and she was even wearing the power heels to match.

  “Mom, hi! Doesn’t this color make you think of grape juice?” she asked her. “You remember how much I used to love that stuff?”

  “That isn’t what comes to mind, no.” Mom sighed and walked to her, bending down to give her a quick hug. “Truthfully, I think of … eggplant.”

  Mandy took in her subtle perfume. It always brought Mandy comfort. “Really? How was your flight?”

  “Tiring, but it’s good to be home for a couple of days before I head out on Monday.”

  Mom glanced over at Bobby’s picture next to Mandy’s laptop and ran a finger over Bobby’s little face. She blinked and straightened. “I need a shower.”

  Mandy nodded. “Where are you off to on Monday again?”

  Mom turned and walked toward the hallway. “Cedar City. It’s in—”

  “Utah,” Mandy finished.

  “Yup,” Mom called over her shoulder as she walked away. “Dinner in an hour.”

  Mandy’s eyes widened, and she smiled. Oh, snap! This was absolutely perfect—Lindy was from Cedar City. She could meet Lindy! And maybe the two of them could actually visit the mystery building in real life, to see if there were any clues to the connection to FNAF3. Excited, she stood and started to pace around her room. Now the only question was, how was she going to convince her mom to take her along?

  An hour later, Mandy strolled in to the kitchen. When Mom was home, there was actual fresh food for dinner. No frozen food or ordering out. Mom loved to cook. Mandy sniffed the air when she walked in the kitchen. Definitely pasta. She could smell the mouthwatering artichoke marinara and boiling noodles. Oh, and the homemade garlic bread! Yum.

  “Thank you, Mom!”

  Mom was dressed in sweats and a sweater, her face bare of makeup, her hair wound up in a small bun. She smiled as she chopped vegetables for a salad. She was going ham on the veggies, chopping with the cool precision and speed of a sous chef. It was amazing how she did that. Mandy wondered often if there was anything her mom couldn’t do.

  “I know you don’t have enough freshly cooked meals when I’m away.” Mom paused for a moment. “Maybe we should hire a cook when I’m gone …”

  “No, that would be weird. Dad’s hardly home for dinners, anyway.”

  “But you are.”

  “That’s not important.”

  Mom met her eyes. “Mandy, don’t say that. Everything about you is important.”

  Mandy’s chest tingled a little at her words as she watched her mom finish cutting up the vegetables.

  “Mom, turns out I’m doing research on a historical building in a small town in Utah, and since you’re going to Cedar City, I was wondering—”

  Mom shook her head. “Mandy, I’m sorry, but Utah’s a big state. I don’t know if I’ll have time to go where you need me to. I do have an assistant, though. Maybe I can bribe her to help us out. She loves chocolate truffles—”

  Mandy laced her fingers together. “No, I mean, can I go with you?”

  Mom paused, her mouth dropping open. “And miss school?”

  Mandy nodded. “How long is your trip?”

  “Three days.”

  “I can email all my teachers. They’ll send me all the homework. Please, Mom, it’s important to me.”

  Mandy watched her mother stir the pasta and then the marinara, deep in thought.

  Nervous, Mandy twirled a stray lock of hair around her finger. “And you know my good friend, Lindy? I introduced you on the video call last month? She lives in Cedar City, and I might actually get to meet her in person for the first time. When will I ever have another chance like that? And you’re always saying, ‘Don’t let good opportunities pass you by, take them as they come before they disappear for good.’ ”

  Mom smiled. “Okay, okay, okay. I’m glad you actually listen to me. I was just thinking I probably won’t be able to spend much time with you because my entire trip is booked solid with work—”

  “Perfect.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I mean, it’s okay. I’ll be busy with research and hanging out with Lindy. I thought I would never get to meet her. She’s like my closest friend.”

  “Don’t you have close friends at school?”

  Mandy crossed her arms, realizing she’d almost tipped her hand. “Um, yeah … but Lindy and I just click.”

  Mom frowned as if she was trying to remember when Mandy last had a friend over to the house. “How come you haven’t invited anyone over in a while?”

  Mandy lifted her eyebrows. In a while? Try three years.

  Mom finally gave up. “Okay, if it’s that important … but you be sure to get all your makeup work ahead of time. And you’re going to complete it by the time we get back.”

  Mandy bounced up on her toes. “Yes! Thank you, Mom! You’re the best!” She hugged her and sped out of the room to call Lindy.

  Mandy was sort of bummed she didn’t get a window seat on the plane, but she was mostly just excited to be on her way to Utah to meet Lindy in person for the first time … and to get a chance at seeing the mystery building.

  Mom was next to her, doing her best to work on her laptop with minimal elbow space. There was a crying baby on board, and Mandy was following the cues of those around her … putting earplugs in her ears.

  It had been some time since Mandy had been on a flight. When she was little, there was a lot more family vacation travel with both of her parents. But somewhere in the past five years or so, vacations became few and far between. With every new promotion, her parents’ jobs had become more demanding, giving them a bigger workload and less time for family.

  Mandy had a perfect v
iew down the airplane aisle, giving her easy access to people watching. Across from her was an older woman with white hair, wearing glasses. She had a blanket on her lap as she read a book, a tattered old murder mystery. In front of her seat sat a man in a business suit, checking email on a tablet. Behind the older woman, a man in a hoodie, shorts, and headphones bopped his head to the music. It made Mandy smile.

  A flight attendant passed by, and Mandy shifted to see down the long aisle. She saw a little boy, kicking out his foot.

  He wore an uncomfortably familiar blue sneaker.

  Unease shifted inside her as she moved back to her headrest. Just a coincidence to see the same little blue shoes, right? It couldn’t be the ghost.

  Taking a breath, she peeked out again, but the little shoe was no longer kicking out in to the aisle. Mandy settled back in to her seat and closed her eyes.

  “Little boy,” someone called out.

  Mandy’s eyes whipped open.

  She stuck her head out in to the aisle again. There was a little boy running in the opposite direction of Mandy. He had brown hair, a red shirt, jeans, and blue shoes.

  Mandy flashed cold. No, this wasn’t a dream. She was wide awake. Right? She pinched herself and it hurt. Just to be sure, she reached over and pinched her mom.

  “Mandy.”

  “Sorry, just checking if this is a dream.”

  Mom frowned and shook her head. “With the baby constantly crying, it’s actually kind of a nightmare. Luckily, it’s a short flight.”

  “Little boy, return to your seat, please,” the flight attendant called out, passing by Mandy and going after the runaway boy. Mandy craned her neck trying to see the boy’s face.

  The flight attendant caught up with the kid. She took his hand and turned to lead him back to his seat. Mandy still couldn’t see what he looked like. “Lady, move, already,” she whispered.

  “Mandy, what are you doing?” Mom asked her.

  “Just trying to see something,” Mandy murmured. Unfortunately, the flight attendant continued to block her view as she sat the boy back in his seat. Once he was seated, the little blue shoe kicked out in the aisle again.