Free Mystery at Silver Spires by Ann Bryant Page B

arms in front of her and making them white where her fingers were digging in. “Forest Ash doesn’t have a ghost, does it?”
    â€œNo, of course not,” I said quickly.
    â€œYou’re not keeping it from me to stop me worrying, are you?”
    â€œNo, there’s definitely no ghost, Hannah, honestly,” Sasha assured her.
    â€œBut I’m sure I heard something.” She suddenly stopped and looked up to the ceiling again. “Wh-what is it if it’s not a ghost?”
    Her eyes were glistening by then and Sasha gave her a hug. “It’s all right, Hannah.”
    â€œI know I’m being stupid,” she gulped. “I’ve got myself in a state. I just don’t think I’ll be very good at living away from home. I must be the only girl in the world who’s so pathetic.”
    â€œYou’re not pathetic!” said Nicole.
    â€œAnd you’re definitely not the only person to worry about boarding. Everyone feels homesick at first,” added Antonia.
    â€œMy mum always says it’s only fear of the unknown that makes us scared,” added Nicole.
    A memory of what Katy had said at Pets’ Place suddenly flashed through my mind. She’d been talking about having her rabbit, Buddy, at school. It stopped me panicking at the thought of what lay ahead in this big unknown place.
    â€œDo you have a pet you could bring to school, like a guinea pig or a rabbit?” I asked her.
    She shook her head, but I wasn’t certain she’d even taken in what I’d asked her, because of what she said next. “There could be a ghost up there that you haven’t come across yet.”
    I glanced at Emily and she nodded, knowing instantly how my mind was working.
    â€œHannah,” I said, “I’ll prove to you that it’s not a ghost. Come with me. There’s nothing to worry about.”
    Sasha smiled and Izzy said, “You’re going to love this, Hannah!”
    And I thought how lovely and understanding my friends were, not to mind that Hannah would be seeing Silver before they would.
    â€œI’ll come too, for identification purposes!” said Emily, smiling mysteriously, which made Hannah’s eyes turn curious through her tears.
    â€œWhere are we going?” she asked as we walked along the landing.
    â€œIn here,” I said, diving into the cleaning room. “Quick! We’re not exactly supposed to be here.”
    â€œOh…are you sure…?” But she stopped mid-sentence and I saw a glimmer of fear come into her eyes as we started to climb the narrow staircase up to the loft.
    â€œYou have to creep really softly,” Emily told her.
    Hannah nodded, clinging to us like a shadow.
    â€œI’m going to show you what was making the noise you heard,” I whispered. “No one knows about it except us six. But you can share our secret.”
    I didn’t think it was possible for anyone’s eyes to open as wide as Hannah’s did at that moment. We tiptoed across the loft and round the corner to where Silver lay contentedly on her dust sheets and Hannah gasped, then clapped a hand to her mouth as if even that gasp might have been too loud.
    â€œAh…she’s so sweet!”
    I saw a completely different Hannah then. The frightened Hannah was gone. In her place was a gentle girl who was suddenly taken up with my precious cat, bending down and stretching out her fingers as Silver blinked at her slowly.
    â€œWhat’s her name, Bryony?”
    â€œSilver.”
    â€œThat’s a good name. Like Silver Spires. That means she truly belongs here.”
    I smiled, then felt a stab of sadness knowing that could never happen.
    â€œHow did you find her?”
    â€œWe heard noises from our dorm, just like you did, and everyone thought it might be a mouse or a bird or something. But I thought it was too soft and smooth for a mouse, and I started imagining we had a Forest Ash ghost,