HALLOWEEN

The sun was low in the autumn sky when Tonya pulled up in front of her dorm. She had texted Drake and there he was, arms crossed.

“I’m going with you.”

“Sorry, I only have safety stuff for one.” She dashed around to the trunk and hauled out the box of hospital equipment. “Promise me you won’t go in and make yourself sick?”

Tonya looked at Drake over the cardboard lid, but he wouldn’t make eye contact. “I have bad news.”

“What?” Tonya set down the box and slammed the trunk.

“I believe you but Priya doesn’t. They’re going ahead with it.

“I’ll try her again.” Tonya hoisted the box in front of her.

“Let me carry that.”

“I’m fine.”

“No, really. I got this.” Drake carried the box into the building and held it as they stood in front of the elevator. Tonya called Priya who answered on the first ring.

“I already talked to Drake.”

“People’s lives are at risk.” Tonya described finding Professor Rudolph’s body. The elevator arrived, and Drake came up with her.

“I know you’re trying to do the right thing,” Priya said, “but walking through a cemetery on Halloween will not make people sick.”

“I can’t protect you Priya. I showed you my magic so now you have to be careful.”

“I’m not falling for your optical illusion. You can’t suck the life out of a branch.”

“I did. You just refuse to admit it.”

“People walk through the cemetery every day. The diving team and cross-country teams run there to train.”

“Which is why Lynette and Marta are sick. Lynette says Roberto is having uncontrollable food cravings too.”

“It’s fall. People eat more when the weather gets cold.”

“The Old Families of Loon Lake have been burying our dead by the Three-Century Ash for hundreds of years, accumulating power. Now somebody is using that power to kill people.”

“We’re done here.”

“I get it. You refuse to believe in magic. I don’t blame you, but you have to admit we have a contagious disease problem. People are getting sick.”

“I worked hard. I burned through all my savings to create this installation. My art, the Ninjas’ film . . . There’s too much at stake to indulge your paranoia,” said Priya.

“Last night you promised to stay out of the cemetery.”

“You were supposed to come to your senses after a good night’s sleep and apologize in the morning.”

“Trust me or people will die.”

The elevator stopped, and they got off at her floor. She walked down the hall, unlocked the door, and Drake followed her in. Priya’s voice was getting louder.

“First, it’s evil magic, now it’s a scary epidemic. You know what I think? You’re jealous. Your family doesn’t even return your calls but mine crowded around to listen when I got interviewed on campus radio.”

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“I was happy for you.”

“After Halloween, the whole town will know my name.” Priya’s voice went up an octave. “You were my friend when I was nobody, but now I’m a tall poppy you want to chop down.”

“This isn’t about you. It’s about Rudolph.”

“One sleepwalker doesn’t mean panic.”

“Not yet.”

“We found him wandering around the courtyard so maybe the courtyard is contagious. If people go see my show, at least they’ll be safe from the dangerous courtyard.”

“Not funny. You have to move your art thing.”

“Art thing! I’ve been working on my installation for months, and nobody, especially not a jealous frenemy can ruin it.” Priya disconnected.

Tonya stared at the phone.

Drake raised an eyebrow. “Want me to talk to her?”

“Too late.” Tonya sat on her chair with the hospital box at her feet. It gave her a shiver. Drake and she were alone. A boy was sitting on her bed.

“Give.”

She handed over the phone and let Drake redial. He put it on speaker phone.

“Tonya is right,” he said.

“I thought about this all night.” Priya’s voice was strong again. “Seeing Marta almost die affected Tonya. I don’t blame her for getting upset but now it’s time to look at the facts.”

“Why are you so stubborn?”

“I can’t believe you’re taking her side.”

Tonya took the phone from Drake. “All right, I give up. There’s nothing we can say to stop you.” She directed her words at Drake too. “At least aim some of the cameras at the Ash Tree. There has to be a way to monitor things, so we’ll know when to call the police.”

“No police. Are you crazy? I’ll never live this down if my friends get carted away.”

“Now who’s being over-imaginative? I just want a camera and a monitor. The Ash Tree is where Professor Rudolph died.”

“Drake told me you thought the man-eating tree concept was in poor taste so I’m turning it into a memorial. You should be happy.”

“Good. Let’s set up a web link from the tree to people’s phones, and a laptop in the common room back at the dorm.”

“So absent students can pay their respects. Good idea. I’ll get Drake to help me. And Tonya, I’m sorry I called you a frenemy. Of course, we’re still friends. It’s just that this installation took me years to make. So, are you mad or can we still have fun together?”

“I’m not mad.”

They might never have fun again, but at least Tonya would have video proof if people passed out under the Ash, and rootlets started growing into their brains. She had been so panicked at the time, she didn’t think to get a picture of Rudolph with her mobile and by now his body would be gone.

“Drake’s on his way now.”

“Tell him to hurry. You just wasted fifteen minutes I didn’t have.” Priya ended the call.

Tonya looked at Drake. “Promise you’ll stay out of the forest.”

“Where will you be?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be safe.” She patted the side of the box at her feet, pretending confidence she didn’t have.

She walked Drake to the door, but they lingered, neither wanting to part. Tonya made comic shooing gestures. It wouldn’t do for him to see how worried she was. “Go on. Priya’s waiting.”

When the door closed behind him, Tonya shuddered. Ever since she heard the voice of Professor Rudolph in her head she’d been worried about her friends. Tonight, the nocturnal gravedigger fungus would rise to feed and send out spores. She had to keep people out of the cemetery! She paced the small room. The equipment Donna gave her would help, but she still had to think of a way to turn back the crowds.

Her stomach growled. Normally not a big deal but right now any urge to eat made her suspicious. She hoped it was just her mind playing tricks with her stomach. Trying not to think about eating always made Tonya hungry.

Tonya went into the bathroom and ran cold water over her hands and face. She stood up and admired her healthy new form. She was getting strong and her curves were firmer now. She was healthier than she’d been since she was a kid. Turning sideways, she sucked in her gut, which was still round. It reminded her of all those times she had looked in the mirror and hated herself as a young teen.

“Hey, you’re kinda cute,” she told the mirror, and blew herself a kiss. “But tonight, you have to be kickass.”

Her stomach growled like an angry raccoon. Why were her cravings back? Was it because people around her were pigging out? Or was this hunger and Rudolph’s voice in her head symptoms of infection?

She steadied herself on the bathroom counter and stared down at the tiles, remembering Marta. She was doomed. Rudolph’s voice in her head was just the final stage. She’d been craving food non-stop since September. What if she had given it to Lynette, and Lynette had given it to Roberto, plus all the love-struck boys who hovered around her?

That couldn’t be. It was the cemetery, the trees, the terrible roots growing into Rudolph’s head through his ears. As the sun set, Tonya unpacked the hospital box to get dressed. By the time she was through, she would be completely unrecognizable. Good thing too. Getting caught doing what she had planned would make her a social outcast, forever.