The Halloween Party

Chapter 3- The Nine

***

For the rest of the day no one talked about anything but Helen and her party. Everyone had heard about it, even though not that many people had been invited.

Just before the bell rang for the last period, Lisa Bell stopped Tony in the hall. Lisa was assistant editor of the school paper, and she usually knew everything that was going on. In fact, she was a real gossip, except she called it being a reporter.

"I hear you were invited to Helen's party," she said to Tony. "Why do you think she asked you?"

"I don't have any idea," said Tony. "You're the reporter---maybe you can tell me."

"My theory is she wants to get to know people better," said Lisa. "But she's shy about it because of all the awful stories about the house she lives."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't you know?" said Lisa. "The last owners of the Halter mansion were killed in some kind of accident years ago. The story is that no one could ever live there again because their spirits hunt the place."

"Nice story. So why is Helen living there?" asked Tony skeptically.

Lisa shrugged. "According to my aunt, Helen is a distant cousin of the original owners. Her uncle inherited the place and decided to fix it up."

"I heard she lives there with her uncle."

"He's her guardian," said Lisa. "I guess her parents are dead or divorced or something. Supposedly, Helen and her uncle  have lived all over the country and even in Europe."

Tony knew that Lisa's information was usually right, but he didn't see what Helen had to do with him and Lena. He was still puzzling the matter over in biology class when Jerry Schorr sat down next to him.

Jerry was an obnoxious practical joker, and some people considered him the biggest dweeb in the while school. Jerry's thick black hair was uncombed as usual, and as usual he was wearing a tacky T-shirt no one else would be caught dead in. This one was stained with orange juice and said "Kiss Me, I'm a Martian."

"Hey, Schorr," said Tony.

"Yo, Tony," said Jerry. He set a rumpled paper sack down on the lab table separating them. "I heard you and Lena got invited to Helen's party."

"That's right," said Tony.

"So did I," said Jerry.

"Huh? No bull?" Tony was surprised. He couldn't imagine why Helen had chosen him and Lena, but it was even weirder that she had asked Jerry and Trisha. None of them hung out together.

"I wonder who else is going," Jerry said. "Have you heard?"

"Nope," said Tony. "How's your biology project coming?" he said, deliberately changing the subject.

"I'm just about done," said Jerry. "In fact, I've got it in here." He pointed to the paper sack.

Tony looked at the sack in disbelief. It was throbbing and beginning to inch across the lab table. "I hate to tell you," he said, "but your science project seems to be trying to escape."

Jerry opened the sack. Instantly a small green frog least out and began hopping along the table. Tony grabbed for it and held it distastefully in his hands. "This is your biology project, Schorr?" he said. "A frog?"

"It's not the whole thing," said Jerry, looking hurt. He reached in the bag and pulled out a jar of murky water. "My project is on metamorphosis," he said. "I've got tadpoles in here."

Tony gazed at the jar doubtfully. "You mean you had tadpoles," he said. "Those aren't moving."

"Let me see," said Jerry. He took the jar and studied it closely, turning it first one way and then another. Then he shook it. "I guess I should have cut air holes in the lid," he said finally. "Oh, well, that's life huh? Here today, slimy and disgusting tomorrow. I can always pick up some more at the pond." Tony handed him the frog, and he shoved it and the jar of dead tadpoles back into the sack.

"Great project, Schorr," Tony said sarcastically.

"Just call me Mr. Wizard," Jerry said.

"So who else was invited to the party?" Jerry asked after a moment.

"I don't know," said Tony. "Trisha McCormick. I don't know any one else."

"Zack Hunter," said Jerry.

Zack Hunter was the first name on the list that made sense to Tony. Zack was a linebacker on the football team and was known as an all-round party guy. But he had nothing in common with the rest of them.

Tony was about to ask Ricky more when Mrs. Baker came in, ready to talk about genetics, and for the next forty minutes Tony forgot all about the party. But after school, walking outside to meet Lena, he passed a crowd gathered in the front steps. Lisa Bell was talking to a small crowd of students. Lena caught up with him on the sidewalk and took his elbow.

"Hi Tony," she said. "How's your day?"

"Weird," came Tony's honest reply. "How about you?"

"Pretty weird too. I feel like celebrity because of the invitation to the party."

"Which way do you want to take home?" Tony asked.

"I guess by the--- Wait a minute," said Lena. "Lisa's reading off a list." She squinted to where Lisa was speaking. Maybe to make up for her deafness, Lena's eyesight was great, and she could lips across a room. "She's figured out everyone who's invited to the party," Lena said. "It's nine people...."

"Only nine?" said Tony.

"That's what she says. There's you and me, Trisha, Jerry Schorr, Zack Hunter, Bella Martinez, Ken Whittle, David Walker, and---and Alex Beale."

"Alex? Oh, wonderful," Tony muttered sarcastically. For years he and Alex had been best friends. They had grown up together, played tennis together, even gone out with girls together---until last year when Lena had stopped going out with Alex and started dating Tony. Alex had never gotten over his feelings for Lena---and sometimes Tony wondered if Lena was over her feelings for Alex.

"This whole list is bizarre," Lena was saying. "None of us hang out together, except maybe Zack and David." David, like Zack, was on the football team and also played basketball. Bella was a slim, pretty redhead with a fast reputation, and Ken was a sincere whiz who kept to himself. Tony couldn't think why any of them had been invited.

But if Alex Beale was on the list, he was suddenly glad that he was too.

***

Wow! Finally got this chapter out. So what do you think so far? Should I stick to romance novels or do I stand a better chance in the 'mystery business'? Leave your thoughts....

Lucie.