The planchette made a little circle and returned to Yes. Suddenly Bonnie's heart was beating so hard she was afraid it would shake her fingers. The plastic underneath her fingertips felt different, electrified almost, as if some supernatural energy was flowing through it. She no longer felt stupid. Tears came to her eyes, and she could see that Meredith's eyes were glistening too. Meredith nodded at her.
"How can we be sure?" Caroline was saying, loudly, suspiciously. Caroline doesn't feel it, Bonnie realized; she doesn't sense anything I do. Psychically speaking, she's a dud.
The planchette was moving again, touching letters now, so quickly that Meredith
barely had time to spell out the message. Even without punctuation it was clear. CAROLINE DONT BE A JERK, it said. YOURE LUCKY IM TALKING TO YOU AT ALL
"That's Elena, all right," Meredith said dryly. "It sounds like her, but-" "Oh, shut up, Caroline," Bonnie said. "Elena, I'm just so glad..." Her throat
locked up and she tried again.
BONNIE THERES NO TIME STOP SNIVELING AND GET DOWN TO BUSINESS And that was Elena too. Bonnie sniffed and went on. "I had a dream about you last night."
TEA
"Yes." Bonnie's heart was thudding faster than ever. "I wanted to talk to you, but things got weird and then we kept losing contact-"
BONNIE DONT TRANCE NO TRANCE NO TRANCE
"All right." That answered her question, and she was relieved to hear it.
CORRUPTING INFLUENCES DISTORTING OUR COMMUNICATION
THERE ARE BAD THINGS VERY BAD THINGS OUT HERE
"Like what?" Bonnie leaned closer to the board. "Like what?"
NO TIME!
The planchette seemed to add the exclamation point. It was jerking violently from letter to letter as if Elena could barely contain her impatience.
"Danger?" Vickie repeated, looking as if she might jump off the chair and run.
WAIT LISTEN FIRST THE WHOLE TOWN IS IN DANGER
"What do we do?" said Meredith instantly.
YOU NEED HELP HES OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE UNBELIEVABLY STRONG NOW LISTEN AND FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS YOU HAVE TO DO A SUMMONING SPELL AND THE FIRST INGREDIENT IS H-
Without warning, the planchette jerked away from the letters and flew around the board wildly. It pointed at the stylized picture of the moon, then at the sun, then at the words Parker Brothers, Inc.
"Elena!"
The planchette bobbed back to the letters.
ANOTHER MOUSE ANOTHER MOUSE ANOTHER MOUSE
"What's happening?" Sue cried, eyes wide open now.
Bonnie was frightened. The planchette was pulsing with energy, a dark and ugly energy like boiling black tar that stung her fingers. But she could also feel the quivering silver thread that was Elena's presence fighting it. "Don't let go!" she cried desperately. "Don't take your hands off it!"
MOUSMUDKILLYOU, the board reeled off. BLOODBLOODBLOOD. And then... BONNIE GET OUT RUN HES HERE RUN RUN RU-
The planchette jerked furiously, whipping out from under Bonnie's fingers and beyond her reach, flying across the board and through the air as if someone had thrown it. Vickie screamed. Meredith started to her feet.
And then all the lights went out, plunging the house into darkness.
Chapter Three
Vickie's screams went out of control. Bonnie could feel panic rising in her chest.
"Vickie, stop it! Come on; we've got to get out of here!" Meredith was shouting to be heard. "It's your house, Caroline. Everybody grab hands and you lead us to the front door."
"Okay," Caroline said. She didn't sound as frightened as everybody else. That was the advantage to having no imagination, Bonnie thought. You couldn't picture the terrible things that were going to happen to you.
She felt better with Meredith's narrow, cold hand grasping hers. She fumbled on the other side and caught Caroline's, feeling the hardness of long fingernails.
She could see nothing. Her eyes should be adjusting to the dark by now, but she couldn't make out even a glimmer of light or shadow as Caroline started leading them. There was no light coming through the windows from the street; the power seemed to be out everywhere. Caroline cursed, running into some piece of furniture, and Bonnie stumbled against her.
Vickie was whimpering softly from the back of the line. "Hang on," whispered Sue. "Hang on, Vickie, we'll make it."
They made slow, shuffling progress in the dark. Then Bonnie felt tile under her feet. "This is the front hall," Caroline said. "Stay here a minute while I find the door." Her fingers slipped out of Bonnie's.
"Caroline! Don't let go-where are you? Caroline, give me your hand!" Bonnie cried, groping frantically like a blind person.
Out of the darkness something large and moist closed around her fingers. It was a hand. It wasn't Caroline's.
Bonnie screamed.
Vickie immediately picked it up, shrieking wildly. The hot, moist hand was dragging Bonnie forward. She kicked out, struggling, but it made no difference. Then she felt Meredith's arms around her waist, both arms, wrenching her back. Her hand came free of the big one.
And then she was turning and running, just running, only dimly aware that Meredith was be-side her. She wasn't at all aware that she was still screaming until she slammed into a large armchair that stopped her progress, and she heard herself.
"Hush! Bonnie, hush, stop!" Meredith was shaking her. They had slid down the back of the chair to the floor.
"Something had me! Something grabbed me, Meredith!"
"I know. Be quiet! It's still around," Meredith said. Bonnie jammed her face into Meredith's shoulder to keep from screaming again. What if it was here in the room with them?