I love everything about Cape Cod except for one: No Internet access. So, that gave me plenty of time to write more, and everyone who reviews, please keep them coming. DON'T LEAVE JUST BEACAUSE THERE WAS NO INTERNET ACCESS AT MY COTTAGE!

CHAPTER 12: GHOSTS

It was the howling that woke me up. It was so eerie, that I was really spooked. I guess all the other boys were spooked too, because all five of us sat up straight in our sleeping bags simultaneously.

"Did you hear that?" Vern whispered, petrified.

"It's his ghost!" Teddy whispered excitedly. "The ghost of Ray Brower!"

Chris held up the gun and looked around swiftly to check for any danger. Gordie knelt beside him. "What do you think it is, Chris?" he asked.

Chris said, "Probably coyotes."

Teddy said, "No way; it's his ghost."

Vern started whimpering. "Oh, don't say that." He then seemed to be pleading with the non-existent ghost. "I swear I won't read no more dirty books. I swear I won't say no more bad words. I promise I'll eat all my lima beans," he whimpered. Teddy mischievously snuck up behind Vern and tapped his shoulder. Vern yelled and turned around. Teddy just grinned and said, "Two for flinching," and he socked Vern twice in the arm.

I rolled my eyes. "Will you cut it out, Teddy?" I scolded him as I socked him in his own arm.

Chris said to all of us, "We should probably do watches. You know, just in case there IS a ghost."

I turned to him and raised my eyebrows. "Really?"

Chris laughed a bit nervously. "Of course, uh, there AREN'T… such things as… ghosts," he responded before shrinking back down.

I smiled. "It's okay, Chris." I then turned to Teddy. "Why don't YOU take the first watch since you're so convinced it's a ghost, Master Theodore?"

Teddy rolled his eyes. "Do you have to talk like a freaking 19th-century author all the time, Randall?"

I just laughed, "Just take the gun, go up against that tree and don't shoot us in our sleep."

Teddy grabbed the gun from Chris and walked over to the tree. "Rest easy, soldiers," he yelled to us as he cocked the gun.

I groaned. "How can we rest easy when YOU'RE holding a gun?" I mumbled before drifting off to sleep again.

*DREAMLAND*

I was getting ready for a big dance at school. I looked just like one of those girls in the magazines I had bought. My brown hair wasn't in its usual ponytail, and fell in curls down to my shoulders. My blue eyes were complimented by a light, powdery blue dress that was strapless and stopped right below my knees. My lips were bright red, I wore a little silver necklace, and I had dark blue shoes. I thought to myself, "No way will Chris ignore me in this," and stepped away from my vanity.

It was then I heard a voice. "You will not be going to this dance, Johanna." It was a cold, monotonous voice. I turned around and saw that the voice belonged to…

"Mom?" I whispered, shocked.

"You think you can dress yourself up and have people think differently of you? They still would think you were nothing but a filthy little freak."

I shook my head. "No, no, Chris is different."

I watched as my mom morphed into Milo Pressman. "All the boys think you're a slut, Johanna."

I was getting scared. "No, not my boys. Gordie, Chris, Teddy and Vern all love me for what I am."

"And what you are is a-"

I cut him off by screaming, "NO!"

*REAL WORLD*

"NO!" I screamed as I sat straight up in my sleeping bag. I was breathing heavily as I looked around. I was in the woods, by the fire. It was all a dream. The boys were all asleep in their bags. All of the boys, except Chris. He was poking at sticks in the fire and he abruptly turned and looked at me. "Joey, my God, what happened?" he asked, frightened.

I let out a long, shaky breath. "Nothing."

Chris put a hand on my shoulder and stroked it. "You were just dreaming, Joe," he said comfortingly. He took my chin in his hand and turned my face to his. "It was all a dream," he told me gently. He gently touched the tip of my nose with his finger and whispered, "Go back to sleep, okay? See you in the morning."