‘Yes I have, Old Smugs, and the school has got blocks and parental controls set so high that I can’t even get a search on “ghoul”. It won’t let me on any sites that have anything to do with the occult. You have to get special permission from the librarian to access the BBC news, for goodness sake.’
‘Huh.’ Callum frowned. ‘Have you got a computer at home?’
‘Mum has a laptop from work, but it’s about as easy to get hold of as your gran’s books. But don’t worry. How about we try the local library after school? Computer access is free there, yes I have a library card, and yes they do have user restrictions, but it’s not as bad as here. Plus they probably have back issues of the Advertiser available, and they’re much more likely to have a section on local history. The school library is just too general. Not very big, either. I could meet you at the end of the day . . .’
‘Sure,’ Callum agreed, wishing he could share her optimism.
He moved to his next class, his skin still crawling, counting the minutes until the school day was over. He couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched – of someone standing close behind him, boring into the back of his head with a fixed stare, or falling into step behind him in the halls. And it wasn’t Ed’s gang who were giving Callum this feeling. They were there, for sure, and watching him. But they weren’t being secretive about it. Whenever one of them passed Callum in the hall, they went out of their way to give him a shove with a shoulder or a gym bag; Harry pinged a rubber into the back of his head during maths. No, there was something else.
At lunch, Callum went into the cafeteria at the last possible minute before the hot food finished. He hovered in the doorway for a moment, scanning the faces at the tables. Most were half empty now, and he couldn’t see any sign of Ed through the milling crowd. But wait . . . For a split second, Callum thought he saw a glimpse of a familiar face. His pulse quickened. Was it Ed? He craned his neck. Then two year eight girls moved aside and suddenly he could see.
Sitting alone on the other side of the cafeteria, Callum saw himself.
He blinked and looked again. The boy’s head was turned away now. Maybe he’d been mistaken.
Then the boy turned back and met his gaze. Callum stood frozen, staring back in disbelief. It was the creature from last night – here in the school, in broad daylight.
As Callum watched, Ed’s mate Craig walked past the thing wearing his face, giving it a shove as he went. The creature didn’t react. It never took its unblinking eyes off Callum. Its stare was open and mocking, its mouth twisted in the same malevolent smirk it had fixed on its borrowed face the night before.
Callum backed slowly out of the cafeteria. Pins and needles stabbed at his palms as the creature rose to its feet and began crossing the room towards him. He waited for people to realise they were seeing double – to ask themselves how Callum could be in two places at once – but then he realised there was no chance of that. He’d worked too hard to make himself invisible to the other kids at school. They probably hadn’t noticed there was even one Callum Scott in the room, let alone two.
The monster was halfway across the cafeteria now, striding confidently forwards. Callum had retreated into the corridor. He looked right and left, his mouth dry. Whatever it was, the creature was coming for him, and this time there was nothing to protect him. There were even fewer people out here, no one to help. He turned on his heel and set off at a fast walk, his shoes squeaking anxiously on the polished floor. Maybe Mr Gower would be in his office . . . Glancing over his shoulder, Callum saw his doppelganger emerge from the cafeteria. As it caught sight of him, Callum could have sworn he saw its evil smile widen in anticipation.
Callum gritted his teeth. No, whatever this thing was, it wasn’t going to be frightened off by the pompous deputy head. He quickened his pace.
Empty classrooms and closed doors whipped past. Callum glanced backwards again. The thing was still there, matching his speed. Maybe even closing in. Callum could see the rest of the school outside, enjoying the late autumn sunshine. He wanted to scream and bang on the windows to attract their attention but he didn’t dare stop.
The thing on his heels was closer now. Its eyes gleamed in the shadows of the dimly lit corridor. This corridor was off limits to students, mostly storerooms and old classrooms awaiting refurbishment. Every step was taking Callum farther and farther away from help. With a sudden jolt, he realised that this was what the creature wanted – to get him out of sight. Dread clutched at his heart. He wasn’t just being hunted, he was being herded.
A staircase was coming up fast on his left. But going up would be suicide. Callum’s only hope was to get outside, into the crowd. He felt certain now that the monster wouldn’t follow. It wanted to catch him here, where it could do whatever it wanted to him unseen. Hurrying past the stairs, Callum turned a sharp corner.
Into a dead end.
A few metres ahead, the corridor ended in a blank wall. Callum’s heart plummeted. He should have taken the stairs when he had the chance. Now he was trapped.
Or was he? At first he hadn’t noticed the peculiar ridge running across the wall at waist level. A second later, as his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he could see that the ridge was a narrow metal bar, broken in two in the middle, and that a thin line of light ran down the centre of the wall, like a seam of gold.
It was a door!
Behind him, Callum heard the monster’s pursuing footsteps break into a run, as if it had sensed its prey was about to escape. Without hesitating, Callum raced forward himself, as the creature hurtled around the corner behind him.
Throwing his arms forward, Callum slammed his hands into the bar. With a metallic screech, the double doors flew open and Callum stumbled out into the bright sunlight – right into a group of startled year sevens.
Panting, he spun round. The monster had come to a halt just inside the door. For a moment it glared at Callum, its eyes glowing with fury. Then it turned on its heel and vanished back into the gloomy corridor.
*
Callum thought he saw the thing two or three times again throughout the afternoon – a fleeting glimpse of his own face on the stairs, in the hall, across the playing fields. Even though he made absolutely sure he was never left alone, by the time the last bell rang he had still been reduced to a jangle of nerves. His concentration in lessons was non-existent. He’d even thought about skiving off the end of the day and going home early – but what would be the point? He’d probably escape Ed, but Callum didn’t think he’d get away so easily from the creature. There was safety in numbers. Ed certainly wouldn’t dare try anything while they were in a crowd, and it seemed that the face-stealing monster was also publicity-shy. Besides, Melissa would be waiting for him when classes were over. He didn’t like to think that he might be dragging her into danger, but Callum had to admit he was looking forward to her company.
She was waiting at the gate, staring into the distance as though her mind were very far away, but she snapped right back to reality when she saw Callum.
‘Made it safe and sound?’ she asked.
‘So far,’ Callum answered.
‘That Ed’s a lout. Good thing he’s so dim, or he’d be frightening.’
Callum couldn’t bring himself to admit that Ed was the least of his worries. Instead, he nodded with a weak grin.
‘Yeah. Let’s get moving or he’ll catch up with us.’
Hordes of ghosts were clustering in shop doorways and on the footpaths of the town – even more than usual. Melissa couldn’t see them, of course. Callum wondered if he ought to describe them to her, and decided against it. No point in making her think he was any weirder than he’d already admitted to being.
‘I want to pop into the post office and get a new notebook,’ Melissa said. ‘Then we can make proper notes.’