The Dead House - Dawn Kurtagich Page 0,59

old ones. It’ll have to be on a rotation. Kaitlyn can’t be seen.”

“For how long?” asks Brett.

“I don’t know. I have find out what’s going on. I can’t go into this blind. I need to prepare myself—could be a few days. A week, maybe?”

Brett smooths back his perfect hair. “I don’t know, Naida… Why do the police want her?”

“Because they’re idiots,” Ari says. “But if you’re too scared, we can do it without you.”

“Forget it!” Kaitlyn snaps. “I don’t need help—”

“No, wait,” Brett says, cutting her off. He smiles. “I’m sorry. I want to help, if I can… Kaitlyn.”

“I really think that I’m the only one who can get Carly back,” Naida whispers. “I’m the only one who knows about Mala, and about Grúndi. I’m the only one who can deal with this… and it’s a big responsibility.”

Kaitlyn clenches her jaw and glances at Naida, perhaps still wary, but she says nothing.

Ari folds his arms and frowns, and with a glance at Kaitlyn, says, “Back from where?”

“I’m not sure yet. I need to research, as I said. Have to find out the time frame, look for clues.”

“What about Juliet?” Brett asks. “Could she have been taken too, like Carly? Could they be in the same place?”

Naida shakes her head. “I think Juliet… I think human evil was responsible for her disappearance. I don’t sense anything spiritual. I think she was kidnapped, or—I don’t know.”

There is a long moment of silence.

“In any case,” Naida says at last, “you should know that someone’s working against us.”

“What do you mean, ‘working against us’?” Ari says.

“I mean someone took Carly—someone took her soul and trapped it. Now that someone is going to do his damnedest to try to stop me from going after her.”

“Is this dangerous?” Brett asks.

Naida nods, and Scott lets loose a vehement exclamation.

“But I can do it. I just need time. I need you to keep Kaitie safe for me until it’s time.”

“Time for what?”

Naida looks at Scott, whose eyes are locked on her face. “Just time.”

Scott shakes his head, and Brett pulls on his lips in thought.

“How exactly are we going to do this without the teachers noticing?” Scott says. “You know that Coach O’Grady and Mrs. Mayle both stayed over Christmas, right? And they both live in this part of the school. What happens if we’re caught?”

“Make something up. But try not to be caught. These stairs”—Naida nods towards the door behind her—“they used to be the old servants’ stairs. They lead up between the walls and into the kitchen. We’ll be safe to use them after supper at night and early in the morning. Then out into the main hall. Other times, use the broken window at the other end of the main basement, okay? But make sure no one sees you.”

They all nod, with varying degrees of confidence.

“We should get going soon,” Naida says after a while. “The dinner bell will ring any time, and if we’re all missed, they’ll know something’s up.”

“Do you all have to go?” Kaitlyn asks.

Brett raises a hand, then realizes what he’s done and puts it down again. “I don’t. I’d booked out to go to dinner with my dad, but he canceled.”

Naida checks Scott’s watch, then claps her hands. “C’mon, chop chop”—clap, clap—“See you later, Brett. Stay safe, Kaitie.”

Kaitlyn nods, and everyone files out.

“Need me to stay?” Ari asks at the door.

“No. They’ll miss you. It’s okay. Later, though, yeah?”

He glances at Brett, nods once—tightly—and then vanishes up the servants’ stairs with the others.

Brett wipes his hands on his jeans and rocks up onto the balls of his feet, while Kaitlyn sits down on the mattress.

“How… how does it work?”

“I come out at night. Carly during the day.”

“Oh, right, yeah.” He nods, seriously.

Kaitlyn rolls her eyes, but Brett pushes on.

“That’s why… at the party—you said to talk to you during the day. That you’d be more yourself.”

Kaitlyn regards him. “And you said you preferred me at night.”

“It’s true.” He steps closer, then pauses, tilting awkwardly forward. “I do prefer you at night. Like that night on the field, we talked, remember?”

“Hm.”

Kaitlyn shuffles back on the mattress, her face lost in shadow.

“You’re more, I don’t know, confident. So… do you remember stuff that happens during the day? Like, do you remember when we talk during the day and stuff?”

“No. Because it’s not me.”

He looks around. “So… you’re stuck down here, then.”

There is a beat of silence before Kaitlyn speaks again. “Hey, Brett?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m actually kind of tired. I think I’m going to sleep