Free Phantom by Laura DeLuca Page A

appropriate crack of thunder rumbled at that precise moment. In reality, Rebecca wasn’t really surprised. It seemed only fitting that the modern day phantom would have some kind of magical ties. Still, Rebecca found herself looking over her shoulder to make sure no one else was listening. Of course she couldn’t see anything anyway. But she did hear whispered voices all around her, and wondered who might be eavesdropping on their conversation. 
     
    “You’re a witch, huh? If I ever do go out with you, will you be picking me up on your broomstick?”
     
    She didn’t need to see him to know that he had rolled his eyes. “Ha, ha. I’ve never heard that one before.” Sarcasm or not, he still gave an honest chuckle. “If you’re really curious, I could give you a book to read, just to explain what it’s all about. Wicca isn’t what you probably think it is. It’s a religion, and a way of life. A good way in my opinion. Our primary rule is, ‘If it harms none, do as you will.’”
     
    “It’s really important to you, isn’t it?”
     
    “It’s important to me that you understand who I am. I don’t want you to think there’s any reason for you to be afraid of me.”
     
    “I’m not afraid of you,” Rebecca told him, and was surprised that she meant it. Of all the crazy emotions he invoked in her, fear wasn’t one of them. “But sure, give me the book. I’m a bookworm. I’ll read anything.”
     
    “Okay, I will.” Then he added. “It’s my turn again.”
     
    Rebecca forgot that they were playing twenty questions, but she was a good sport. “Shoot.”
     
    “What do you see in Tom?”
     
    “He’s not that bad, you know.”
     
    “He has the depth of a puddle.”
     
    Rebecca thought about laughing, but it wasn’t really a joke. Then she thought about sticking up for Tom, but she couldn’t think of any good arguments in his defense. “He hasn’t been very nice to you, has he?”
     
    She saw his shoulders shrug. It was getting easier to see in the dark as more and more time passed. “I’m used to being the outcast. It comes with the territory.”
     
    “Then why don’t you try to . . . I don’t know . . . make yourself a little less conspicuous.”
     
    “I like who I am, Becca. Why should I change for people who don’t take the time to look past outward appearances and preconceptions?”
     
    Rebecca understood his sentiment. But she still wanted to argue that they were in high school after all, and outward appearances counted for ninety percent of their assessment in the eyes of their peers. But before she could open her mouth, the overhead lights flickered, once, then twice, before finally flooding the auditorium with brightness once again. Rebecca was blinded by the sudden radiance.
     
    A few people around her were clapping and hooting. Miss King struggled to regain some order as kids started milling around the stage. They were picking up where they had left off, and Justyn and Rebecca moved to the sidelines because they weren’t in the next scene. They watched in silence while the others went back and forth about the mysterious notes they had received from the phantom, leading Rebecca to wonder again who her own personal phantom really was.
     
    “Becca,” Justyn whispered suddenly, making her jump. “Do you really want to go to the dance with Tom?”
     
    The answer should have been an easy one. But when she turned to meet his steady gaze, her mind was whirling with so many different thoughts, that she wasn’t sure anymore that it was what she wanted.
     
    She lowered her eyes. “No . . . I mean . . . yes. I mean, of course I want to go with him. I wouldn’t have said yes if I didn’t.”
     
    “You could change your mind . . . if you wanted to.”
     
    She shook her head. “No, I couldn’t. It wouldn’t be fair.”
     
    He nodded. “All right then. I won’t ask you about the dance again. But that doesn’t mean I’m giving up.”
     
    “You better give up,