Free College Weekend by R.L. Stine

Since it’s in the basement,there’s hardly any noise from the outside. It’s perfect.”
    Chris unlocked the dead bolt and the two locks beneath it.
    Why does he have so many locks? Tina wondered. I bet no one even knows this place is here.
    â€œI have a lot of really expensive equipment inside,” he explained, as if reading her thoughts. “You can never be too careful.”
    He swung open the door and stepped aside to let Tina in first.
    As she entered the room, he flipped a switch. The lights flashed on, along with a song by the Psycho Surfers.
    â€œI have the whole place wired through this switch,” he explained, hanging his keys on a nail by the door. “I know the music is loud, but it helps me get in the right mood to work.”
    Tina’s pulse raced with excitement. Everything in the room called for her attention. She didn’t know what to study first.
    The only outside light flowed through two small windows at ground level.
    Soft beige carpeting covered the floor. Photographs and posters of models in gorgeous clothes lined the walls.
    Wow! Tina thought. I recognize some of thesemodels. These photos must have been taken by his uncle.
    But the shots of the unknown girls were equally striking. I wonder if my pictures will turn out this good.
    â€œLook around,” Chris said proudly. “I have to check on something in the darkroom.”
    He disappeared through a door on the far side of the room.
    Tina walked around slowly, in awe of everything.
    A long table with all kinds of props ran along one wall. A tripod, a tall fan, and a spotlight stood next to the table.
    On a shelf stood several cameras, lenses, and dozens of film canisters.
    In the far corner she spotted his desk. And next to that a stereo and a TV.
    This is an awesome studio, she thought.
    Excited, she wandered back along the wall, studying the photographs more carefully. She came to a display of girls in evening gowns. Each girl had signed her picture. The names Gabrielle, Francesca, and Tahnee jumped out at her.
    She mumbled her own name. “Tina.” How boring. I’ll have to change that.
    Next she came to a section of unusual photos. Lots of special effects.
    â€œI thought I’d do one like this of you,” Chris offered, putting his hands on her shoulders.
    Startled, Tina turned around.
    â€œHow do you do that?” she asked.
    She pointed to a photo of a girl sitting on the sand. The girl had deep red lips and nails. A blue shovel rose out of the sand next to her toe. The rest of the picture was in black and white.
    â€œI color the black-and-white photos with these special pencils,” Chris explained. “To get the effects I want. I could give you brown hair and green eyes.”
    â€œWell, you’re the photographer. You can do whatever you want with me,” Tina said.
    Chris widened his eyes. “Whatever I want?”
    Tina felt herself blush. “You know what I mean.”
    I shouldn’t have said that, she scolded herself. I have to be careful. I can’t lead him on again.
    She turned back to the wall. Her eyes landed on a photo of a dark-haired girl with green eyes.
    A chill crept down her spine.
    Who’s that? she thought. She looks like me. We could almost be twins, except for the hair and eye color.
    The girl smiled at the photographer, her mouth half open, ready to speak. I can almost hear her voice, Tina thought.
    What is she trying to tell me?
    It gave her a shiver. She forced herself to turn away and continue down the wall.
    Chris stayed close by her side.
    She came to a photo of a sailboat. Its yellow and orange sail billowed in the wind. “Is this your boat?” Tina asked.
    Chris didn’t answer. He gazed at her, a solemn expression on his face.
    I did it again, she thought. Why can’t I remember to keep my mouth shut? He’s thinking about Judy.
    His eyes skimmed over her face and then drifted past her shoulder. He’s