Empire High Betrayal (Empire High #3) - Ivy Smoak Page 0,83

out on her ass.”

“I hope so.”

“I know so.” Kennedy stood up. “The party is going to start any minute. Come on, we need to go explore. I hope they have fire dancers this year!” She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door.

I was excited about the party. But the knots in my stomach didn’t go away as we stepped out into the hall. I knew Kennedy was right. Isabella couldn’t get away with doing anything to me here. But I had a really bad feeling about tonight. And the fake blood dripping from the bannisters didn’t really help.

Chapter 28

Saturday

The decorations made me feel like I was at the Pruitts’ apartment instead of at Matt’s mansion. Or maybe it was just the haunting music and the creepy vibe in the air. I was used to the Caldwells’ house feeling warm and safe, despite its décor. But there was a definite chill in the air tonight. And I had a feeling Isabella was already here.

I didn’t know how the fake blood was constantly dripping from everywhere. It had to be water fountains with red dye, but it looked so real. I leaned forward to inspect some of the red water.

“You girls look stunning.”

I jumped.

Kennedy screamed.

And Mrs. Caldwell laughed. “It’s just me.”

“You scared us half to death,” Kennedy said. She was clutching her genie lamp to her chest like it could protect her from monsters. “But you look amazing, Mrs. Caldwell.”

She smiled.

I was pretty sure Mrs. Caldwell was dressed like the woman from Psycho. After she’d been murdered in the shower. She’d somehow made her hair look wet, she had a bath towel wrapped around her, and fake blood was splattered on the side of her neck. Some of the blood was on the towel too. She really did look terrifying. I wondered if most people were going as horrifying things like her. If so, tonight was definitely going to be scary.

“Have you two seen all the decorations in the ballroom yet? I think we’ve topped last year for sure.” She glanced at her watch. “I better go check in with the caterers though. I’ll be back in a bit for our big plan regarding a certain someone’s crush on Robert.” She winked at us and hurried off.

“I’m seriously regretting telling her I liked Rob,” Kennedy said as we ducked beneath a spider web. “What on earth do you think she has planned to push us together?”

I stepped around a pond in the foyer with red water in it. “A blood bath?”

Kennedy laughed and then screamed as a skeleton swung down from the ceiling on our way to the ballroom.

“God.” I pushed the skeleton to the side. “I’m going to have a heart attack tonight.” And then I screamed when a fog machine kicked on.

Kennedy grabbed my arm. “We should have had Matt walk with us.”

“He told me to wait for him in the ballroom. Something about making an entrance.”

“I thought he was joking about that. You really have no idea what he’s dressing up as?”

I shook my head. “Are those eyes following us?” I pointed to a row of portraits that weren’t normally in the hall.

“This is giving me the creeps.” Kennedy stepped closer and then backed up, hitting me. “Yeah, there’s definitely people behind those. Stop staring at us!”

One of the pictures blinked and we both screamed. Kennedy started running down the hall.

“Wait for me!” Something popped out of a coffin leaning against the wall. But I was running too fast to even see what it was.

Kennedy stopped and I almost ran into her.

“Oh wow,” she said. “It’s even more amazing than I’d heard.”

The “Enter if You Dare” sign above our heads looked like it was written in blood. But beyond the double doors into the ballroom was a completely different vibe. The whole ballroom floor was covered in fog. There was a huge thing that looked like a witch’s cauldron in the corner. But it was actually a stage for the DJ. The smoke was bubbling from the top of it, pouring out over the room, reaching towards every corner of the ballroom.

There were lights running up the sides of the walls that looked like floating ghosts. Every inch of the ceiling was covered in interwoven spider webs. And black crystal spiders hung down from them. The bar in the corner had rows and rows of goblets filled to the brim of some red signature drink. Gold candelabras held tall white candles that were dripping wax. And the