Goosebumps: The Curse of Camp Cold Lake by R. L. Stine Read Free Book Online Page B

home too,” Aaron protested. “And I don’t want to
leave. I’m having a great time!”
    “You don’t understand,” I told him. “I can’t stay here. I can’t—”
    “Please, Sarah,” he begged. “Try to stick it out. Give it a little more time.
You’re just a little messed up because of the lake this afternoon. But you’ll be okay. Give it
some time.”
    I didn’t say yes, and I didn’t say no.
    I just told Aaron good-night and headed to my cabin.
    I stopped outside the door. All the lights were on. I heard Briana, Meg, and
Jan talking softly.
    They stopped talking as soon as I stepped inside.
    All three of them stared hard at me. Their expressions were tense. They moved
quickly.
    Moved toward me as I started across the room.
    They formed a circle around me. Surrounded me.
    “What is it?” I cried. “What are you going to do?”

 
 
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    “We want to apologize,” Briana said.
    “We’ve been kind of rough on you,” Jan added in her scratchy voice. “We’re
really sorry.”
    “We’ve been talking about it,” Briana said. “We—”
    “We decided we’ve been really unfair,” Meg interrupted. “We’re sorry, Sarah.”
    “I—I’m sorry too,” I stammered. I was so stunned by their apologies, I
could barely speak.
    “Let’s start all over,” Briana suggested. She grabbed my hand. “Nice to meet
you, Sarah. My name is Briana.”
    “Excellent. A fresh start!” Jan declared.
    “Thanks. I’m really glad,” I told them. And I meant it.
    Jan turned to Briana. “When did you do that to your nails?”
    Briana grinned and raised both hands. Her fingernails were a shiny, bright
purple. “It’s a new color,” she said. “I did it after our swim.”
    “What color is it?” Meg asked.
    “Grape Juice, I think,” Briana replied. “They all have such crazy names.” She
dug the bottle of nail polish from her pack and held it out to me. “Want to try
it?”
    “Well… sure ,” I replied.
    All four of us stayed up far past Lights Out, making our fingernails purple.
    Later, I lay in my bunk, drifting off to sleep. I had a smile on my face,
thinking about my three bunk mates. My three friends.
    They had really cheered me up.
    But my smile faded when I heard a whispered voice float across the dark
cabin. “Sarah… Sarah…”
    I gasped.
    And then the frail voice—soft as the wind—was so close… so close to my
ear.
    “Sarah. I thought you were my buddy, Sarah. Why did you leave me?”
    “No—please—” I begged.
    “Sarah, I waited so long for you,” the ghostly voice whispered. “Come with
me. Come with me, Sarah….”
    And then an icy hand gripped my shoulder.

 
 
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    “Ohhhhh!”
    I bolted up in the bunk. And stared out at Briana’s dark eyes.
    She let go of my shoulder. “Sarah,” she whispered. “You were whimpering in
your sleep.”
    “Huh? What?” My voice quivered. My heart pounded. I realized I was drenched
in sweat.
    “You were whimpering in your sleep,” Briana repeated. “Crying and moaning. I
thought I’d better wake you.”
    “Uh… thanks,” I choked out. “Must have been a bad dream, I guess.”
    Briana nodded and crept back to her bunk.
    I didn’t move. I sat there trembling, staring out across the dark cabin.
    A bad dream?
    I didn’t think so….
     
    “You can skip the long-distance swim today if you want,” Liz told me at
breakfast the next morning. She leaned over my chair as I downed my cornflakes. I could smell
the toothpaste on her breath.
    “Well…” I hesitated. “How long is the swim?”
    “We’re swimming halfway across the lake,” Liz replied. “Halfway out, then
back. I’ll be in a boat at the halfway point. It isn’t really that far. But if
you feel like skipping it today…”
    I set down my spoon. I could see Meg and Briana watching me from across the
table. Beside me, Jan was struggling to choke down a half-toasted, frozen
waffle.
    “Come on. Swim with us,” Briana urged.
    “I’ll be