The Haunting Read Online Free PDF

but Phoebe nodded. At least that was one thing I didn’t have to explain. “Alright, let’s go.”
    I turned to the door and half expected Phoebe to shoulder me aside. She’d done this throughout the whole second Challenge, but this time she didn’t.
    Gripping the cool doorknob, I took a breath and opened it.
    Squinting as if that could stop whatever horror from seeing me, I saw a railing ahead of us.
    Taking the first to step onto the half-circle balcony, I shuffled closer to the elegant wooden railing. Cobwebs and dust marred the carved details between the rails.
    Somewhere in the distance, a violin played a low, eerie tune, enhancing an already intense ambiance.
    Beside me, Robin breathed, “Wow.”
    Lined up along the edge, we overlooked a dreary spider-web-infested ballroom.
    But that wasn’t the interesting part.
    Below, transparent people in Victorian dresses and suits danced. The music wafting up dictated each graceful step.

CHAPTER FOUR
    The ethereal, grey crowd twirled past the ghostly violinist who stood near the furthest wall. The translucent females wore sweeping long dresses with corsets and flowers in their curled hair. The male ghosts wore suits with high collars. Their hair was slicked back by gel or in a ponytail.
    Robin was right to sound impressed.
    “A ballroom full of aristocratic ghosts,” Joel said, sounding strangely reflective.
    “There’s a catch,” Phoebe said, scanning the ballroom.
    I glanced behind us to see a red velvet curtain. Pushing away from the railing, I ignored the fear of what could be behind and jerked it aside. The exit had been boarded up with enough protruding nails that it would be impossible to remove without a tetanus shot.
    “How do we get down?” Cody asked. Phoebe’s sharp intake of breath caught my attention.
    Hurrying to the edge, I followed her gaze to color amidst the grey. Sprawled in the middle of the dance floor, what she was looking at was barely visible through the semi-solid dancers. I could make out black hair and jeans. “I bet it’s Read,” I whispered. Either that or it was Damien, but I doubted it.
    The figure appeared unconscious. He lay still while greyed skirts and feet swept gracefully through him.
    “How do we get down?” Cody asked again.
    I checked the balcony and saw no ladder. We were at least twenty feet above the floor. Below us, rounded tables and chairs surrounded the dance floor and two large sofas, one level with the balcony.
    Joel pointed to the sofa. “What about that?”
    Only two of the three cushions remained, and they were torn. Springs protruded and stuffing billowed out of the cracks.
    Robin shook her head. “Are you kidding?” Her slender fingers curled around the railing. “I’m not falling onto a hard sofa from up here.”
    I looked from side to side. “Can you see a better way?”
    Robin’s full lips pursed, almost touching her nose. “There has to be another way,” she said, determined.
    Cody thoughtfully placed his hand on the sturdy wood railing. “You know, if we had a saw, we could cut the railing and use it as a ladder or something.”
    Robin and Joel shook their heads. “Too rickety,” Joel said.
    “You watch too many cartoons,” Robin said.
    Appraising the height, Cody finally said, “I think I can make it.”
    I rolled my eyes, not thinking he was serious until he crawled over the railing, long legs easily clearing it.
    “Holy crap, Cody.” I grabbed his arm while Robin snatched his other one.
    “What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded in a hushed voice.
    I looked to the ballroom and was grateful to see the ghosts still oblivious to our presence.
    Standing above the sofa, Cody glanced back at me then to Robin. “I’ll be landing on cushions,” he argued.
    “Unless your aim is off,” Joel grumbled under his breath.
    “You could still hurt yourself,” Robin said.
    “Cody, you don’t have to,” I assured. “I’m sure that if we looked a little harder, we could find