Kiss Of Death (Are You Afraid Of The Dark)

5

The spring sun shone down on the group as they trudged to the local graveyard after hiding Gabby's minivan that she drove here with the rest of her friends so Rachel's wouldn't find it at their house. Rachel and her friends decided that they should probably bring this new group somewhere else, especially since Rachel's mom said that she was going to be home soon. They knew that they didn't want to bring them to their Midnight Society spot. The first thing that came to Rachel's mind was the graveyard she used as a shortcut to school, and no one else came up with any better ideas, so that's where they were headed. 

Rachel and Gavin led the group, hand in hand. The sound of footsteps followed them, and cars drove by, but those were the only sounds Rachel could hear. It was like everyone was holding their breathes because this was all new territory. She was afraid that they might actually be a part of another sect of The Midnight Society. What did that mean for them? And did that mean that there were more groups out there?

Gavin squeezed her hand once, and she glanced over at him. He had a confident smile on his face. She wasn't sure how he could be like that when she was absolutely terrified of change. It was the reason why Mr. Tophat was able to get to her, all because her mother and Rachel changed where they lived. Her mom claimed it was because they needed a fresh start, but Rachel disagreed. All it gave her were new nightmares to be scared of. 

At times, Rachel swore that everything she dealt with this past year was all in her head. It seemed likely that she was going crazy. She had freakish nightmares about a man that had made a deal with the devil after his amusement park killed her ancestors. That was crazy, right? It was to Rachel. 

But then she would always remember that her friends had been through it, too. They had faced Mr. Tophat with her. They helped her face her worst fears. She wasn't going crazy. She hadn't gone crazy. Unless all five of them went crazy at the same time . . . That wasn't possible, so she knew that her mind was still intact. Rachel wasn't crazy. 

The metal fence that surrounded the graveyard came into view, and a chill spread through her body at the sight. She never felt like this before, and she went through the graveyard every day. Her skin prickled and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up when she felt a pair of eyes on her. Nervously, Rachel glanced around the graveyard, trying to find the source, but she found nothing. All was quiet and calm. 

Rachel shook her head, trying to dispel her bad thoughts. Her brown hair spilled around her shoulders, blocking the world around her. She was glad for it; Rachel didn't want to see any of the outside world. She was afraid that there was going to be something out there that would make her regret ever coming here in the first place. 

"Do you always bring people to the graveyard?" one of the kids asked behind her. She assumed it was Seth since he had been chatting the whole time they walked over here about all the sights in Argento. "Because that's a little creepy."

Rachel didn't answer him because she didn't want to disturb the silence that was settling in her bones. Small gravestones rose up from the ground the farther they walked into the graveyard. Most of the graves around them right now were one of the oldest ones; they had been trapped underground for at least two centuries. Almost all of them hadn't been touched since then. For the first time ever, she was slightly unnerved that there were dead bodies beneath her feet.

Rachel spotted a wooden pavilion in the center of the graveyard. It must have been new because she had never seen it before. She led the entire group there and sat down on the edge of the picnic table there. Her friends filled in the spots next to her, with Gavin right next to her. The other group sat down on the other side. For a second there, everyone stared at each other, wondering who was going to start.