The Ghost of the Lake

Chapter 26

Once we arrived home, I was greeted with a blast of cold air. I shiver. I saw Meadow shiver too, and Jackson sneezed.

Meadow looked at me and asked, "Where did that come from?"

I shrugged. "Beats me," I say.

She shrugs too and starts walking up to the door. I follow her while Reu and Jackson walk out of the garage. I wonder where they are going.

When I enter, through the door, Aunt Rose and Nelly are speaking in low voices, as if they didn't want anyone to hear. Meadow clears her throat to let them know we're here.

"Oh, hi ladies," Nelly tell us.

"How was your swimming practice," Aunt Rose asks me.

"Hi, Aunt Rose. Swimming was tiring," I answer.

"Why, were you late again," Nelly asks. I was surprised that her mood from before I left was all gone. She showed no sign of bitterness towards me. I found that very odd in a way.

"No, but I found out that the team has harsh practices," I say. "We didn't have to swim a mile backwards though. I also beat Myra's record."

"Great job, Opal," says Aunt Rose.

"Where is Balto at?" I ask.

"He is upstairs with May," Nelly says.

I nod. "Okay. I'll be upstairs if you need me," I say and walk up the stairs slower than usually. My leg felt sore now, but it still hurt when I put pressure on it.

I walk into my room and dump my wet bag on the bed. I feel someone standing behind me. I turn around but see no one. I turn back around and see that my window has fogged up. How weird. Why?

I walk to the window and see that someone drew an arrow pointing downward. How strange. How did it get there?

I look down to where it's pointing. A small white paper lay folded on the floor. I picked it up and unfolded it. Inside was a small cursive handwriting.

You have done something wrong. You will pay dearly.

I fold it back up and sit on my bed. My mind had gone blank. A large asteroid could have hit and I wouldn't have noticed. Was someone threatening me? How did the note even get in here. Nothing had been on the floor when I had entered.

"Opal!" May screams.

I turn around.

"Dang it, Opal. How many times did I have to yell so you would finally listen to me?" she asks in an annoyed tone.

"Sorry. I wasn't paying any attention," I say not really apologetically.

"Get off cloud nine would you."

"I wasn't on cloud nine," I say offensively and a bit too quickly.

"Yeah, ok sure. Anyway, Leo is on the phone. He says he needs to talk to you," she says with a smirk.

I roll my eyes. How long have I been staring into space? Could I have possibly zoned out for an hour?

"What does he want?" I ask.

"I don't know. He just said it was important."

"Alright I'm coming."

I get up and walk towards the door. I take my wet bag with me so I can put my bathing suit in the dryer. I put the note in my pocket so no one would take it. You never know when one of your siblings will come into your room.