began to relax too.
âJust curious, though, what are you doing here? What are you looking for in this godforsaken back room?â Geraldine squinted at Kayley. âYou arenât looking for that one book you borrowed before â¦?â
âOh no. No, no, no, no, no, no,â Kayley said.
Geraldine looked confused and shrugged. âIs there anything I can help with? I forgot my phone here today, so I came back to get it. But while Iâm here, I can always do my job.â
âWeâre looking for legends and stuff,â Emma said. âAbout Dario Quincy.â
Geraldine eyed Kayley. âAnother school project?â
Kayley looked down at the ground and shook her head.
âThis one is a little more ⦠personal,â Ophelia said. âWeâre just interested.â
Geraldine exhaled and pulled out her desk chair. ââJust interestedâ in the middle of the night, huh? Well, I do know a ton about this building and its history. Why donât you tell me what youâre looking for, and I can tell you what I know.â
The girls looked at one another. Sophie wondered if they should tell Geraldine the rest.
Sophie made the decision for the others: âWell, weâre looking for any legends of a ghost. A jealous ghost that is out to kill.â
Chapter 11
Sophie expected Geraldine to laugh, but she didnât.
âOh. Youâre talking about Millicent.â
âWho is Millicent?â Ophelia said. âWhat happened?â
âWell,â Geraldine began, sitting back in her chair, âMillicent was a dancer here in the 1920s. The story is, she fell in love with a boy at the same time as her best friend. Back then, remember, boys and girls didnât share this academyâit was strictly for girls. But the Monsieur who was running the place at the time would bring in male dancers for classes sometimes. And thatâs where Millicent fell in love.â
Sophie could hardly believe it. Maybe Ophelia was rightâit was a ghost.
âLet me guess,â Kayley said. âShe didnât die of natural causes?â
Geraldine chuckled. âOh, no. No, no, no. This was one of the worst tragedies in the many years of the Dario Quincy Academy. Millicent was about to declare her love to the boyâI think his name was Thomasâso the story goes, when her best friend beat her to it. Her friendâI forget her nameâkissed Thomas on the very night that Millicent was going to make her move.
âNow, keep in mind, Millicent was already a little nuts. Again, so the story goes. She was one of those artists who was maybe a bit over the top, needed emotion to fuel her work?â
Sophie nodded. She knew those dancers. In a small way, she might have been one of them.
Geraldine continued: âBut when Millicent found Thomas kissing whatâs-her-name, she lost it. They were on the third floor, I believe, in what is now the old science room. Back then, though, it was like a parlor room, a place where all the girls would hang out and chat. Millicent found a pair of scissors and stabbed whatâs-her-name. What is her name â¦?â
Geraldineâs thoughts overtook her, but Sophie had stopped paying attention. She was looking at Emma, who had gone completely white.
âEmily!â Geraldine exclaimed triumphantly. âHer name was Emily.â
But the other girls had turned to stare at Emma too.
âThanks, Geraldine. Thatâs really helpful,â Emma said, her voice shaking.
âOh, dear. I hope I didnât scare you girls,â Geraldine said, leaning forward. She looked around the room, concerned. âThis place can get to you â¦â
Emma started to regain her color. âNo, that was an interesting story. But I think itâs about time we went to bed.â
Geraldine winked. âOK. Weâll keep this between us then, shall we? You wonât be in trouble for being out past curfew, and
Roderick Gordon, Brian Williams