Unhappy Medium Read Online Free Page A

suddenly felt chilly. I headed back down the path and over the bridge. I could hear
     music and laughter coming from a large room near the front of the building and wondered if it was Jac’s reception. I smiled
     as I brought to mind a vision of the extraordinary shade of red Jac had turned in Colin’s presence. I’m so glad I’m not a
     blusher. I may see dead people, but I stay the same color when I do.
    When I reached my room, I was relieved to find that Madame Serena wasn’t there. I really didn’t feel like being “Simple Cat,
     Guardian of the Sacred Portal of Transmigration” right then. I stretched out on my bed with a book, alternately reading and
     dozing. The last time, the sound of my stomach growling woke me up. I glanced at my watch — it was 6:30. Definitely dinnertime.
    I guess Jac went back to her room,
I thought.
Her mother’s probably doing handsprings that she attended the reception. I should go rescue her.
    I brushed my hair and swished a little mouthwash over my teeth and gums, then left my room and knocked on the door across
     the hall.
    “Jac? It’s me, Kat. I’m starving.”
    The door opened. I was surprised and a little dismayed to find Jac’s mother standing there. I assumed she’d be off hobnobbing
     with the other parents of prodigies.
    “Oh, hi,” I said. “I’m sorry. I was supposed to meet Jac right before dinner.”
    Mrs. Gray looked distracted and slightly rumpled — very unusual for her. I noticed she’d lost one of her earrings.
    “Jackie?” she asked. “I thought she was with you, Katherine. She said you were going to the lake.”
    “She was. We did,” I said quickly. “But she ran into this … there was another musician there that Jac knew. They went
     to the reception together.”
    Mrs. Gray’s face brightened.
    “Jackie went to the YNMC welcome reception?”
    I nodded. Mrs. Gray looked happy, for once.
    “Oh, I’m so pleased. Come in, Katherine. Have a seat. Who did you say she went with?”
    Jac had never discussed her mother’s position on boys. My suspicion was that, like most everything else that was interesting
     in the world, Mrs. Gray was against them.
    “I’m really bad with names,” I said. “It was a violin player, I think.”
    I felt a little strange telling the half truth — it stressed me out and made me feel dizzy. But I hadn’t lied, really. I had
     just obscured the full details of the truth.
    “I’m happy to hear that, Katherine. I’m glad you came with Jackie. She certainly had no intention of coming without you. I’m
     just going to pour myself a glass of Fiji water — would you like one?”
    My mom and I loved to poke fun at people who drank designer water, but Mrs. Gray was being nice to me for a change, and I
     wanted to encourage her.
    “Thank you, I’d love one,” I said, reaching deep for my best manners.
    She poured two glasses of water, then opened the ice bucket and sighed.
    “Empty,” she said. “I’ll just go downstairs to get some more.”
    I nodded, and Mrs. Gray left the room.
    My head was starting to feel even stranger, like I’d just gotten off one of those spinning rides at Playland. I gripped the
     arms of the chair I was sitting in and took a deep breath.
    I was hit with a wave of sheer terror.
    I gasped, pressing my hands over my chest. My heart was racing, and every inch of me was trembling. I’d dealt with being terrified
     before, but this was different. I felt more frightened than I’d ever felt in my life, but I had no idea why. As far as I could
     see, there was nothing in the room.
    I really thought I might faint. My heart rate had practically doubled, and there was a rushing sound in my ears. Outside the
     bathroom, I paused and put my hand on the wall for support. I became aware of a sharp pain in the center of my chest, in the
     place where the ribs meet. Tears were streaming down my face from the pain and the terror. But I saw nothing! How could I
     know what to do if I couldn’t see