My Friends Are Dead People Read Online Free PDF Page A

whole time. I can remember
his exact words: ‘Father’s gettin’ old, but I know what I saw. I
don’t wanna see ya’ wearin’ that witch robe every day now, ya’
hear?’ And that’s why I’ve always gone as
a witch for Halloween.”
    “ That’s an awesome
story.”
    “ What are you going to be
for Halloween?”
    “ A witch.”
    I didn't care if Katie didn't want me to
come into the kitchen. I wanted to know about Oz's life, too.
    “ Ready?” Katie said to me
when I came in.
    “ Ready for what?” I asked,
spotting a bag of dirt in her hand. “What’s the dirt
for?”
    “ You said you wanna be
dead. That means you gotta be dirty.”
    “ No, it
doesn’t.”
    “ Yes, it does.”
    “ Really?”
    “ Yup. No dirt, no dead
boy. But I have to get the glue at home. You don’t have any. So,
Oz, wanna come? It’ll be two witches and . . . him.”
    Oz almost laughed.
    “ Yeah, that’s a funny
one,” I said, not impressed. It was just a matter of time before Oz
told Katie to go trick-or-treating alone. What was Katie thinking?
Oz never said yes.
    “ So?” said Katie. “Can we
go out on Halloween?”
    “ Okay,” she answered. “But
only for a little bit.”
    “ I’ll be back!” yipped
Katie, already opening the door. We could hear her singing down the
outside entryway. “ Shake your head, it’s
halloween - crust that head, paint that face, dress those hips and
funny feet. Now you’re ready to dance . .
. ”
    “ Katie’s not a bad
singer,” said Oz. “Maybe you two should start a band.”
    I pulled a freakishly ugly face.
    “ So . . .” Oz looked like
she wasn’t sure what to say.
    I couldn’t believe that she had changed her
mind. She always thought Halloween was a dangerous holiday. I
believed her a little. There was a possibility that candy could be
stuffed with bugs.
    “ Oz, I don’t have to
go.”
    “ I think we all need a
little fun."
    What was going on? Now she was calling
Halloween fun? “Will you let me eat the candy?” I asked.
    “ Not until I check
it.”
    “ For bugs?”
    “ What do you mean for
bugs?”
    “ Never mind.”
    “ So, you going as a ghost,
then?”
    “ Uhmm . . . I
guess.”
    Oz was pensive for a long time, then stood
up and said, “Come with me. I want to show you what I've been
hiding from you.” She headed toward the cabinet with the safety box
that had the orange envelope inside.

CHAPTER FOUR
    OZ ’ S SECRET
     
    Oz walked right past the cabinet and into
the hallway where she pushed aside a rug. She then pulled out a
chair from the corner and slid the legs into four holes in the
floor.
    “ Step back,” she said,
stepping up on the chair so she stood on top of it.
    I took a step back.
    “ More.”
    I was almost back in the kitchen. Thinking
she was going to pull down an attic door, I looked up, but nothing
was there.
    Oz kneeled down a little, then jumped up and
stomped down on the chair so the legs sank halfway into the floor,
causing a large jolt of the entire house. I quickly grabbed onto
the cabinet while Oz casually stepped off of the chair.
    “ Just one more
thing.”
    She walked further down the hall and removed
a painting of an Australian spider off the wall. Behind it was
another hole. She pulled out a broom from the hall cupboard and
stuck the handle into the hole and pushed it in as far as it could
go.
    “ Okay,” she sighed.
“That’s it. Follow me.”
    I followed her into her freezing cold
bedroom, filled with a thick layer of fog.
    “ Come on,” said Oz
cheerfully, standing next to a part of the wall that had been
pushed out. “There’s nothing to be scared of.”
    What was she talking about? There was fog in
her bedroom.
    I inched my way around the protrusion,
seeing a flight of muddy stairs spiraling down under the
floorboards.
    “ W-we’re g-going
down there ?” I
stuttered in the cold. “It’s dark.”
    “ It’s not that dark. . . .
It gets quite damp down there,” she added as she handed me a box of
matches.