The Sign in the Smoke (Nancy Drew Diaries Book 12) Read Online Free

Bess murmured. “We’re going to be here for nine more days.” She was the only one to respond.
    We pushed open the heavy wooden door and walked outside.
    Woooooooooooooooo!
    It was coming from the woods . . . from the path toward the lake.
    We crept toward the woods. Closer . . . and closer. My skin felt too tight and my heart beat a jumpy rhythm in my chest.
    “How far do we go?” Bess whispered.
    “Far enough to figure out what this is,” Sam replied.
    It was cooler outside than it had been during the campfire, and an even cooler breeze seemed to come down the path from the lake. I knew it was probably just air cooled from skimming over the lake’s surface, but it felt . . . ghostly .
    I couldn’t help wondering what it would feel like to drown. Feeling the air leave your body and knowing you would never take another breath. What if someone was holding you down when you were trying to break free of the surface . . . if someone went crazy and drowned you, like Bella had said? What would it feel like to be held underwater and know you were dying?
    “ Wooooooooo  . . . BOO!”
    “AAAAAUUUUUUUUGH!”
    I let out an ear-piercing scream as a pale figure jumped out from behind a tree. Bess, George, and Sam were screaming too. But instead of wailing at us some more, or grabbing us with its ghostly hands, the figure abruptly stopped wailing and started cracking up. When I was over my shock, I turned to look at her.
    Bella!
    “Were you scared ?” she asked, a smug look on her face. “Bet you believe my story now, huh?”
    “What the heck, Bella!” Sam cried, putting her hands on her hips. “This was all a joke? Do you think this is funny? We have to get up in, like, three hours!”
    Bella’s lip twisted. “Chill, guys,” she said, folding her arms and glancing toward the clearing. “It was just a prank! I thought you’d been to camp before.” She looked at Bess.
    Bess frowned. “I’ve been to camp before,” she said, “but pranks are usually funny.”
    George, who wore a deep frown and had seemed to be thinking something over this whole time, suddenly spoke. “Did you make up that whole dumb story?” she asked. “About the counselor drowning the girl? Was it just the setup to your prank to scare us?”
    Bella turned to George, surprised. Then her expression hardened into a cold, steely glare. “I’m not telling,” she said. “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see, hmmm?”
    “Well, I’m going to ‘wait and see’ back in bed,” Sam said, turning her flashlight toward the cabin. “This was stupid, and I’m exhausted.”
    Sam led the way back to the cabin, and Bess fell into step behind her, then George. After a moment, Bella scowled, shook her head, and followed behind George toward the cabin, folding her arms more tightly around her.
    I couldn’t help but glance one more time down the path that led to the lake. Another chilly breeze blew, sending a chill up my spine.
    I wasn’t totally sure Bella had made up the story. But I wasn’t so sure I wanted to wait to find out, either.

CHAPTER THREE

A Shadowy Surprise
    I WASN’T SURE WHETHER IT was because of Bella’s prank, but the next morning I felt tired and out of sorts. It was still a little chilly outside, and the shorts and T-shirt I’d packed did little to keep me warm. Sam encouraged me to tough it out, because it would be warming up later. But I couldn’t help wishing I was back in bed—at home.
    Things only got worse when Deborah announced our morning activity. “Swimming tests!” she said enthusiastically at breakfast. “These are very important to judge your comfort level in the water, and how much supervision your campers will need while they’re at the lake.”
    Normally I enjoyed swimming—but I was very much a “splash around in the shallow end” kind of girl, and nowhere near lifeguard level. I knew how to swim, but I wasn’t great at it. I couldn’t hold my breath very long. And I tired out