Read Online The Spirit House by William Sleator - Free Book Online Page A

America on a balmy summer day. And I stood there, my hand just outside the spirit house doorway, shivering. It was like trying to stick my hand into an open fire, or a churning garbage disposal. Did that mean I really believed there was something powerful inside, something with the head of a woman and intestines dripping from her neck? And if I did believe in her, then what was I getting myself into?
    But I had already promised. It was too late to back out now. I squeezed my eyes shut, groaned, and thrust my hand into the darkness inside the spirit house. I dropped the chain and pendant Bia had given me, whipped my hand back, and turned and hurried across the yard.

9
    â€œI got trampled in football,” Dominic said as we were finishing the dishes that night. “The teachers treat me like an idiot. And all the girls are taller than me now, and they wear tons of makeup and act like they’re years older. The computer room is the only good thing about junior high.” He sighed and thrust in the dishwasher rack with a jarring clatter of glassware.
    â€œDo you have to make so much noise?” I snapped, still tense. “Anyway, you’ll get used to junior high,” I told him, vigorously scrubbing the last pot.
    â€œAnd the kids did think I was crazy when I told them about the spirit house. Even Harold said—”
    â€œDominic, you didn’t! ” I stopped suddenly, aware of the shrillness of my voice. Why shouldn’t he talk about the spirit house with his own friends? “I mean, I don’t want the kids to think you’re weird. And right now isn’t the time to, you know, tempt fate. I don’t want … anything to happen to you.”
    â€œHuh?” He looked at me, wide-eyed. “Tempt fate? What do you mean, you don’t want anything to happen to me?”
    I turned away to rinse the pot, accused by his innocent and earnest expression. How would he feel if he knew what I had asked the spirit, that I had involved him in it? Guilt gnawed at me. I pushed it away, telling myself I was overreacting. “Oh, I don’t know, Dom. I guess I just didn’t have a very good day myself.”
    â€œYeah? Something about Bia, right? I wondered why he was looking at you in that funny way all during supper.”
    I almost dropped the pot. Bia had been watching me? I hadn’t noticed, since I had been doing my best not to look at him. But maybe he had seen how nervous I was. Maybe he was suspicious. He could have seen me standing by the spirit house this afternoon; he and Dominic were both home, up in Dominic’s room, when I had come inside.
    â€œHow did he really do at school, anyway?” Dominic asked me. “Couldn’t tell anything from what he said.”
    I tried to control my voice. “The kids liked him,” I said, thinking of the afternoon he had spent with Gloria. I had refused to ask him about it, carefully avoiding him. “And you’ll do fine too, Dom,” I added. “As long as you don’t turn people off by talking about … about weird things.”
    â€œYeah, well, the computer room is pretty cool. And as soon as I get access to the mainframe I might be able to have some fun. It shouldn’t be too hard to get through. And you know what? The junior high and the high school both have the same mainframe, I’m pretty sure of it.”
    â€œReally? You mean you could get access to high school files—classified data?”
    â€œUh-huh.” He nodded proudly. “I really think I could do it.”
    â€œThat’s … interesting.” How could Bia take advantage of that—and of Dominic? The possibilities were endless, for someone unscrupulous like Bia.
    But at least Dominic’s practicality was beginning to nudge me into a more levelheaded state of mind. Suddenly I felt a little embarrassed at the stupidity of what I had done this afternoon. How could I worry that leaving Bia’s