Free Sunny Sweet Is So Not Scary by Jennifer Ann Mann Page A

us.
    Clomp. Clomp. Clomp.
    The footsteps of the ghost seemed farther away than they had been before, but still Sunny’s machine kept beeping.
    I closed my eyes tightly, hoping that if I couldn’t see it then it couldn’t hurt me.
    â€œMasha!” Junchao yelled. “Do something!”
    The beeping grew and grew.
    I had no idea what to do. How do you fight off a ghost? Does a ghost punch you? Or does something bad happen, like furniture swirling around or forks and knives from the kitchen chasing you?
    The beeping grew even louder.
    The sound pressed on me from all sides.
    Wooo. Wooo. Wooooo.
    Sunny yelped.
    I leaped to my feet. This ghost better not touch my little sister.
    The beeping stopped.
    I searched the dark hallway. I saw nothing. I heard nothing. I breathed, and my heart thumped a bit slower.
    â€œWhat did you do?” asked Alice.
    â€œI don’t know,” I said.
    â€œIt’s gone now,” Sunny said.
    Junchao yawned.
    â€œHow can you be sleepy when we almost came face-to-face with a real ghost?” Alice asked.
    Junchao shrugged. And then her belly grumbled. “I’m hungry too.” She laughed. “Ho- ho-ho.” I loved her laugh.
    â€œShh,” Alice hissed at her. But I could see her covering a smile with her hand.
    â€œLet’s get back to work,” I said, trying to keep us focused. “We need that ghost out of here.”
    I picked up the bath towels that were all over the floor and walked into my room. I flicked on the light switch out of habit. But of course, the light did not come on. My closet door was closed, thank goodness. I checked out the rest of the dark corners of my room. Nothing strange or scary. So I walked to my window over my desk, moved my desk chair out a little, and stood on it to open the window. Cool night air hit my face, along with a light misty spray of rain. It felt good.
    When I turned around, Junchao and Alice were hanging a towel over the mirror on my dresser. It was a small one compared to my mom’s, so it was mucheasier. Sunny stood by them holding her ghost-meter thingy. She looked over at me and smiled. I smiled back. We had to get rid of this ghost.
    Next, we headed into Sunny’s room and opened her window. She didn’t have a mirror.
    All we had left was the kitchen, living room, and dining room. I wasn’t looking forward to this part because the ghost had to be in one of them. I guessed it could have been down in the basement by the washing machine and dryer, or in the spidery storage area where my mom kept boxes and boxes of stuff that we never used. That would actually be the perfect place for a ghost. But something kept telling me that she was in that front hall closet.
    â€œWe should head to the kitchen,” I whispered, hoping someone had a better idea.
    Sunny did.
    â€œWait,” she said. “I think Trudy can feel us working to get rid of her.”
    â€œStop calling her that,” I whined.
    Alice and Junchao eyeballed me.
    â€œIt might be a good idea to protect ourselves more with stuff like the hangers and the powder,” said Sunny.
    â€œThat is a good idea,” Junchao said.
    â€œLike what?” I asked.
    â€œI know,” said Alice. “My grandmother said that when she was a kid, they used to fill their pockets with raw meat. It protects you from bad spirits, and also demons.”
    â€œWhat about wild dogs?” I asked.
    â€œI don’t know about that,” Alice said.
    I loved my friends, but neither of them could take a joke.
    â€œI’m a vegetarian,” Sunny said, not looking up from the iPad.
    â€œYou don’t have to eat it. You just have to wear it,” Alice pointed out.
    â€œI’m not wearing bloody meat,” Junchao said.
    â€œMe neither,” I said.
    â€œListen,” said Sunny. “This site says that ghosts don’t like shiny objects.” She looked up and shrugged.
    â€œLet’s put necklaces and