Ready for a Scare? [Paperback]

Birthday girl and queen of all things spooky, Kelly Garcia is all set to have the perfect night. First her parents are going out of town. And although they hired a babysitter, Kelly is excited to basically be on her own. And then there's the sleepover she's having—a virtual, webcam sleepover where she and her friends can scare each other silly by telling ghost stories and summoning the spirit of Miss Mary, a woman from their small town who died tragically a long time ago. But when her friends start disappearing one by one and the babysitter is nowhere to be found, Kelly starts getting scared . . . for real. Is Miss Mary's ghost kidnapping everyone? Will Kelly be next?Ready for a Scare

CHAPTER 1

“They’re not coming back,” Ryan Garcia announced.

“What?” Kelly demanded. Gray slush from her boots fell in clumps onto the woven mat by the front door, leaving behind small pools of water. The warmth of the house felt good. The bus was like a freezer on wheels, and she was starving. Friday was Taco Day at school. So totally beyond disgusting, and of course, her mom hadn’t packed her any lunch. For the last hour, she’d been thinking of nothing but the package of chocolate cookies waiting in the pantry.

“Mom and Dad,” Ryan added.

Kelly kicked off her boots, and Ryan followed her across the front hall and into the kitchen. Her fuzzy blue socks slipped on the worn wooden floor. She dumpedher backpack and hunter-green parka on one of the mismatched chairs, then turned to stare at her little brother. “What are you talking about?”

At ten years old, Ryan delighted in taunting her with secrets. His days were spent scheming to possess more information, as if it made him smarter or more grownup. lc2