Haunteds

Chapter 15

We spent the rest of the day in the karaoke room. Singing, partying, and just doing our best to forget what would come this night, even if just for a moment.

Harmony was standing at the side of the karaoke machine, away from us who were all seating at the sofa. She was singing to Taylor Swift's Jump Then Fall, hitting all the notes with ease. The girls were singing along. The speakers were cranked up to the max. I can feel every bass beat thumping in my chest. The glass table was filled with bottles of Pepsi and Mountain Dew. Everyone was holding either a plastic cup or a bag of junk food, except Cana, who was holding a pinkish beverage in her tall, drinking glass with a straw.

"What's that?" I asked her.

"Oh, it's strawberry milkshake," Cana said. Then she closed her eyes and pressed her hand on her forehead as if in pain.

"Brain freeze?"

"Yup," She held out her drink to me, her free hand massaging her temple. "Want a taste?"

I took a sip. "Wow, this is good," I said. Where'd you get this?"

"Made it myself," Cana straightened up. Looks like the pain subsided. "Can I have it back?"

"Sure," I took one last, long sip before giving it back to here. "It's really good."

Cana inspected the glass, which is about half empty now. "Yeah, no kidding."

"So," Cana said, finishing her milkshake. "What do you think Major Coleman is planning?"

"I don't know..." I said, which is a hundred percent true. I don't know what the military protocol is when something like this happens. "But it is obvious that they're gonna test things out."

"Based on what you said, right?" Leo said, flipping through the pages of the song book. He looks more interested in choosing another song to impress the girls with.

"Right..." I said, almost in a whisper.

Eris stopped clapping to the beat. "You know, after seeing those eyes..." she said. "You just can't help but wonder what else is new.

"Put it another way," Cato said. "You start thinking if the Shade Rules still applies."

That made Leo looked up from the song book. I turned my attention to Harmony. She probably doesn't hear us because she looks like she's having fun.

"Sure it does," Demi said. If he was just being positive, his voice doesn't show it. I think he truly believes what he just said. "The U.V. lights still worked, right? Otherwise, the Shade would have just run straight towards us."

Just then, the cook, siblings Darius and Scarlet, along with Caprice came in with plates of fries, chicken nuggets (the frozen, pre-cooked kind.) and different kinds of dips. Ever since the trio volunteered to cook our breakfast, Major Coleman made them our official cooks. And I'm not complaining. What they've prepared for lunch earlier—buttered chicken and breaded pork chops—was simply amazing. Caprice even baked brownies!

We scooted over so they could sit. Eris took a chicken nugget and clinked it to her plastic cup. Of course that didn't make any sound so she knocked on the table instead to get our attention. "Hey everyone, how about a round of applause for our volunteer cooks here," she said. "For real, we can't thank you enough."

"Yeah, thanks man," I said. "I would have offered to help you guys but all I can do is boil eggs."

A faint smile appeared on Darius' face. "I want to say that I'm just doing my part or that I love cooking, which I do, don't get me wrong," Daruis said."But to be honest, I'm doing this because it keeps me busy enough not to think about tonight."