Page 4 of Haunting the Deep

“Just…trust us,” Susannah says. She looks at the straggler students who haven’t made their way out of the classroom. They grab their bags and head for the door.

“How much do you want to bet the history department finagled the dance theme decision?” Mary says to Alice as they exit.

I pick up my black bag and shove my notebook in it. Something shiny inside reflects the overhead light. In the bottom of my bag is a strange metal rod with a hooked end, like some kind of old-fashioned crochet needle. I’ve never seen it before. I scan the room. Nothing’s amiss.Maybe it belongs to Mrs. Meriwether? Could I have accidentally put it in here when I packed my books up this morning?

I slap my bag closed and head into the hallway. I’m still amazed that people aren’t recoiling from me. They’re not exactly talking to me, either, but it’s a definite improvement.

A shoulder collides with mine. I jump.

Jaxon laughs and hooks his callused thumb under his backpack strap. His sandy hair is slightly messy, and his demeanor exudes its usual enviable confidence. His blue eyes dance with mischief. “Daydreaming about me?”

I laugh, too. “You wish.”

He opens the door to Mr. Wardwell’s AP History class for me. “I do wish.”

I look at him for a second. Was he joking or flirting? These past six months Jaxon and I have just been friends—best friends, really. He gave me my space when I asked for it after the woods and after Elijah left. He even accepted my story that Vivian was after my dad’s money and that’s why she ran off when my dad woke up from his coma.

I take my usual seat next to him in the back. “Truth? I was just thinking about how glad I am that I’m no longer the cursed girl. Now I’m just the weirdo everyone thinks sees dead people. Yay, me.”

“For Salem you’re actually doing some fast social climbing. I’m pretty sure clairvoyant is only a couple of positions below mayor.”

I smile. “Oh yeah? Well then, give me a few years and I’ll be running this town.”

“You’re telling me. I’ve already started making my list of requests for when you take office.” He pauses. “Speaking of weirdness, what was that this morning at breakfast, anyway?”

I shrug like it was nothing, trying to convince myself as much as him. “Is it cool if we don’t talk about it? People only recently stopped staring at me with that concerned look.”

Jaxon hesitates like he wants to say something, then shakes his head and smiles instead. “As long as you don’t start flying around on a broom, I’m good.”

Mr. Wardwell lays a few papers on my desk. He’s sporting one of his usual tweed blazers. “Some of your makeup work. I still have a few items to grade, and then we can decide what to do about those two missed exams.”

I nod.

The bell rings.

Mr. Wardwell makes his way to his desk and turns toward the class. “Monday really is the best day, isn’t it? A full week of history to explore before the weekend.”

There are a few grumbles. I look at Lizzie’s empty seat and sigh. I can’t help but feel partly responsible that she’s gone. She was the fourth Descendant, and she had a harder time dealing with what happened than any of us did. She left right after the hanging, and I heard she goes to a boarding school in upstate New York now.

“As you all learned in homeroom this morning, we history teachers are making room in our lesson plans to include theTitanic.As head of the history department, I’m also working with the dance committee and the faculty to make the next two weeks immersive and fun. You’re all in for a real treat. It’s a fascinating moment in history, ladies and gents. One where approximately fifteen hundred women, children, and men died in an avoidable tragedy.” He talks about mass death the same way some people say they won the lotto.

“When theTitanicset sail from England on her maiden voyage in April of 1912, she was the biggest and the most opulent passenger steamship in the world. She was eight hundred eighty-three feet long and was described as a floating city of lights. From the first heated swimming pool to the inlaid mother-of-pearl paneling, theTitanicoffered passengers every luxury they could dream of…except enough lifeboats to save them.”

Iclick my locker shut and check my phone. I already have a text from Jaxon.

Jaxon:With Dillon. Be there in a min.

Me:I’ve actually got some things to take care of. Don’t wait for me to drive home.

I shove my phone into my pocket and head down the hall toward the sports fields. I push the back door of the school open and almost walk into Niki.

“Hey, Sam.” She readjusts her navy purse on her cashmere-covered shoulder.

I stop short. She never talks to me.

“Sorry I almost hit you with the door,” I say.

Niki waves off my apology. “Actually, I wanted to ask you something….Do you know if Jaxon is dating anyone?”