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the library was dimly lit, the weak glow of the emergency lights casting long, wavering shadows across the rows of bookshelves. dust hung in the air, disturbed only by the occasional movement of the group as they shifted restlessly. the school felt impossibly quiet. even with lucas still raging behind the locked door of the costume room, his presence felt distant now. contained.
jenna sat atop the far end of the long wooden table, arms folded tightly against her chest. the adrenaline from before was finally beginning to wear off, leaving behind a raw, exhausted ache in her limbs. across from her, maddie leaned forward. the tension in her shoulders was visible, even in the dim light.
"i'm so sorry. you said she ran through you?" charley asked, his voice quieter now, more careful. his brows knit together, his fingers tapping against the soft briefcase he had retrieved from the shelter.
maddie inhaled sharply, like she was still piecing it together herself. "yeah," she said, her voice uneven.
"and mr. martin knew this whole time?" jenna asked.
rhonda let out a short, bitter laugh, shaking her head. "he was there and just watched it happen."
"and then you ran over your ex with his truck?" wally questioned, leaning back against one of the computer desks.
"no, that's what i'm saying, wally. that wasn't me." maddie shook her head, frustrated. "simon showed me a photo of someone who looked just like me, but it wasn't me. the last thing i remember before everything went dark was mr. martin yelling at her. he told her to stop. he said her name—janet."
the silence that followed was heavy.
"but that doesn't make any sense," wally frowned. "janet crossed over, like, a year before you got here. she couldn't have had anything to do with it."
"unless he lied to us about that too," rhonda muttered.
jenna's stomach twisted. the thought of ghosts breaking whatever thin, fragile rules they were bound to was unsettling enough. but the idea of one stealing someone else's body?
that was something else entirely.
"well, when wally was die hard-ing the door off downstairs," charley interjected, pulling the notebook closer, "i grabbed what i could. and there's some freaky stuff down there, maddie."
jenna squinted at him. "wait, wally did what to the door?"
"oh. oh, yeah, it was super intense and honestly, like, pretty hot, but, yes, he went full-on meathead action hero when he heard you shouting." charley smirked.
jenna blinked. she glanced at wally, who just shrugged, trying to play it off. "you needed help," he muttered. "so i helped."
she didn't say anything, but a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
