Stalking Shadows (Scary Mary) by S.A. Hunter Page A

you? How am I supposed to wake up?”
    “I don’t know, but you’ll figure it out. You’d better. You don’t want to leave me out here to do as I please, and I’ll have Rachel to help me. It’ll be fun.”
    Vicky glowered at her from the hospital bed. Mary stared back defiant. The dream snapped off like a phone being slammed. As she drifted back to normal sleep, Mary hoped she’d convinced Vicky not to give up.
     
    *    *    *
     
    Mary and Rachel were sitting together in the crafts classroom during TAB. Crafts was Rachel’s next class.
    “So what do you think Gran’s going to do?”
    Mary shrugged. “I have no idea. I wish she’d let me help her on this.”
    “Hey, Mary.”
    She looked up and saw Kyle. He came over to their table.
    “Hey, what’s up?”
    “Heard you went by to see Vicky.”
    She rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t a big deal. We were already there for something else.”
    Kyle sort of shuffled his feet and ducked his head. If he weren’t a two-hundred pound wrestler, he’d have looked bashful. “I think it was pretty cool of you that you did. Not as many people as you’d think have been by to see her.”
    “Who has been by?” Rachel asked.
    Mary threw her a look. Why’d she ask that? But Rachel wasn’t paying attention to her. She’d opened a spiral notebook and had a pen ready.
    “Well, my brother and I, obviously, her parents, Carolyn, Mary-Jo, and I think that’s it, except for you two.”
    “Anyone else not from school or the hospital?” Rachel asked, writing down the names he’d given.
    Kyle thought about it a moment and shrugged. “No, I don’t think so. Mrs. Nelson hasn’t mentioned anyone else.”
    “What about Helen, Brittany, Gloria, Denise, Bobby, Trevor, and Harry?” Mary rattled off the names in surprise. Those were some of Vicky’s posse. She figured they’d have gone by at least once to see her. Really, she figured half the school would have visited. She wouldn’t have been surprised to find a bunch of them keeping vigil until the queen bee woke up.
    Kyle shook his head. “I think the girls may have sent some flowers, but they haven’t been by.”
    That news made Mary feel bad for Vicky, which put a nasty taste in her mouth. She may be in a coma and getting attacked by a Shadowman, but to be abandoned by her supposed friends was the worst thing of all. “That sucks.”
    “Yeah, I think her mom isn’t taking it well. I mean she knows how popular Vicky is, and for no one to be coming to see her, it's really bothering her.”
    “Have any of the medical staff been acting weird? Have any of them been overly attentive? Wait, not just medical staff but anyone else like volunteers or janitorial staff?”
    Kyle squinted at Rachel. “I don’t know. Why are you asking?”
    Rachel scribbled a few words in her notebook and shrugged. “No reason. Just making conversation.”
    Kyle looked at Mary, clearly not buying Rachel’s lie. Mary knew what her friend was doing, but she wasn’t about to blab about it to him. Later, though, she'd make Rachel look up the word “subtle.”
    “Mary Hellick, please come to the principal’s office.”
    Everyone in the room turned to look at her and made “Oooh” sounds, like little kids. “What’d you do?” Rachel asked.
    Mary sighed as she picked up her book bag. “I have no idea. Bye, Kyle. Thanks for the info.”

 
     
    Chapter 7
    Falling Down
     
     
    As she walked to the principal’s office, she tried to think of why she’d been summoned. Nothing was coming to mind. She hadn’t done anything disruptive in over a month. She hadn’t had any confrontations or pulled any pranks, which Rachel could attest to, since one of them never did a prank without the other.
    Which reminded her, they really needed to do something. She’d have to think on it. She’d already decided to target the student government this time. They’d been harping on about some trip to D.C. and having bake sales, car washes, and donation