Free Super Freak by Vanessa Barger Page A

it’s something. It means there are more to be found.”
    I nodded. “How about a sleepover Friday night? We can hunt then.”
    “I’ll ask my dad. I’ll make him feel guilty about today if he gives me any grief,” Diana said.
    Leo rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, I think I’ll pass. No offense, but a sleepover with two girls? I’ll never get a date again.”
    He had a point. He’d be labeled forever. “Hey, it’s okay. We’ll call you if we find anything interesting, how about that?”
    “I’ll leave my cell on. Diana has the number.”
    I bit my tongue, keeping my comment to myself. Diana caught my eye and a blush traveled from her neck to her hairline. Instead, I nodded.
    “I think this is my cue,” Leo said, keeping his eyes on the ground. His face was also slightly pink. His parents’ sleek sedan pulled up and he headed off the porch in a hurry. With a brief wave, he climbed in and they were off.
    I turned back to Diana and raised an eyebrow. “So, you’ve got his phone number, huh?”

Chapter Eleven
     
     
    The rest of the weekend my parents catered to me. Mom kept bursting into tears and apologizing, and made three dozen of my favorite cookies. My dad just hugged me and made sure we ordered Chinese food and let me have control of the remote all day on Sunday.
    And though they were both sorry for assuming the worst, I could tell something else was going on. When they thought I wouldn’t notice, they gave each other this glance that worried me. My parents looked scared. No matter what had gone on or where we had ended up, they had never been afraid.
    It had something to do with the stupid curse. It didn’t take a crystal ball to know that.
    Sunday night, just before I headed upstairs to bed, I stopped in the doorway of Dad’s study. He sat, hunched over a worn leather diary, his glasses perched on the end of his long nose, intent on what he was reading.
    “Dad?”
    He jumped, slammed the book closed, and looked up. “Caroline. I thought you were headed to bed.”
    I stepped inside and closed the door. “Dad, tell me the truth. You’ve never lied to me before. Not about important stuff. Why is everyone so afraid of this curse?”
    Dad stared off at a point over my head for long minutes. Just when I was sure he wouldn’t answer, he rose from his desk. “Sweetheart, I’ve always tried to be honest with you. Maybe too honest sometimes. But this thing you’re after isn’t like any other mystery you’ve heard of. This curse is real and dangerous, especially because you’re a Bennings. You have to promise to leave this alone.”
    His eyes caught mine and held them. I didn’t want to make a promise I couldn’t keep.
    “What does it have to do with being a Bennings?” I asked.
    A small smile pulled at Dad’s mouth. “You would focus on that part.”
    He tugged my hand, motioning to the other chair. I sat and he leaned on the edge of his desk. “Your mother and I didn’t buy this house, Caroline. I inherited it from a distant relative. Apparently the Bennings were one of the founding families of the town.”
    It still didn’t really make sense to me. “So the curse has to do with the founding families?”
    I had thrown the question out blindly, but I hit a nerve because Dad looked away, intent on his desk for a moment. “The curse is nonsense, Caroline. But there have been instances in the past where some psycho has used it to do others harm. Someone set you three up at Ms. Widdershins’ house. I don’t want my child involved if some sort of nut job is looking for victims.”
    I wanted to throw a tantrum. It sounded good, but he was lying. The books and papers on his desk were from the research and all of it was intertwined. My parents were afraid of something. I wanted to know what.
    “Dad, everyone keeps insisting the curse isn’t real. Are you saying it could actually hurt us?”
    He stiffened. “That’s silly, Caro. How could I move us into a house if I thought it might end