Dead Voices

The adults kept on talking, but Coco couldn’t hear what they were saying. She padded up the stairs with the others.

They stopped on the second floor. The stairs opened onto a long dim hall. The only light was from a few wide-spaced wall lamps. They cast pools of feeble yellow light. Must be part of saving on propane, Coco decided, keeping it so dark. She tripped over the last step and lurched into Ollie, who was weighed down by her own backpack and nearly went over.

“Coco!” whispered Ollie. She didn’t usually get mad when Coco was clumsy, but they were all really tired.

“Sorry,” Coco whispered back. “It’s hard to see.”

They began the long trudge down the hall. Coco watched her feet carefully, trying not to trip again. “I’ve got you girls in the bunk room,” Sam called over his shoulder. “You”—Brian was it—“are right across the hall. Far end of the hallway. Follow me.”

The hall seemed to go on forever. It was chilly. Coco hoped their room was warmer.

Sam stopped at a door that said BUNK ROOM in big brass letters.

Behind her, Coco heard more footsteps coming up the stairs, shuffling along behind them. Must be her mom and Mr. Adler, going to their rooms. Coco looked back. “Good night, Mo—” she started to say.

But her mom wasn’t there. The hall was empty.

No—what was that? Near them was a pool of greenish light, thrown from one of the dim emergency bulbs. Cast across the light was a person’s shadow. A big broad-shouldered shadow.

One shadow-hand was stretched out toward them.

Like a plea.

Like a warning.

A chill ran down her spine. “Mom?” Coco called just as their door swung open; Sam flicked on a battery-powered lamp. Light flooded the hall, and the shadow vanished. There was definitely no one there.

Coco thought then of the strange figure in the road and, for some reason, of the long hallway in her dream.

Her heart beating uncomfortably fast, Coco followed Ollie into the bunk room.

2

“BATHROOM’S JUST DOWN the hall,” said Sam, pointing back the way they’d come. “Hope you guys like it in here. What a snowstorm, huh?”

It was. Ollie was glad they’d made it. She was even happier about their room. The bunk room was a lot warmer than the hallway. The lamp shed a bright, golden light. The walls were painted a cheerful yellow, with a wooden bunk bed, red blankets, a rocking chair, and a big mirror over a dresser. Pictures of skiing bears hung on the walls.

Ollie dropped her backpack by the dresser, knelt, and began digging around for a toothbrush and pajamas. “Want the top bunk?” she asked Coco. Coco loved climbing and being up high. Ollie hoped the top bunk would make her friend feel better. Coco was still looking worried.

“Yeah,” said Coco gratefully. “That’d be great.” She unzipped her own bag.

“You girls sleep well,” said Sam from the doorway. “Need anything else?”

Ollie and Coco shook their heads.

“Night,” said Brian, and he and Sam both went across the hall to Brian’s room. Ollie closed the door behind them.

“Should we brush our teeth?” Coco asked. She didn’t look excited about going back into the dark, chilly hall. Ollie wasn’t either. But she didn’t like having fuzzy teeth.

“In a sec. Wait for it,” said Ollie.

“Wait for what?”

“Three, two . . .”

Brian popped back into their room.

“Right on time,” said Ollie.