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voice coming from the speaker for the rest of the day, saying, “Amanda…let us out.”
     
    During the rest of the school day, students treated me as if I were something to be avoided at all costs.  Even Audrey and Joey. Like I was either some sort of monster or I had betrayed them in some way.
    Relief washed over me when the bell rang , releasing us from class. The middle school and the elementary were right next to each other and let out at the same time, so I met Lori outside. She was crying, as I expected. I barely managed to hold back tears of my own.
    “It’s going to be okay, Lori,” I said, putting an arm over her shoulder. There were five buses lined up in front of the schools. Instead of the standard school bus yellow, these buses were black and looked almost like large hearses.
    We walked up to our bus, but the bus driver, who had seen us coming, immediately shut the door. “Hey!” I shouted. He just looked out at us, shaking his head and giving us a look of revulsion .
    I just stood there confused as a lin e of students piled up behind us . “Hey, move out of the way, freak s !” someone shouted. I tried to turn, to flee, but couldn’t move. The crowd of students moved in, pressing us against the bus. “Freaks! Freaks! Freaks!”
    I ducked down, covering Lori with my body. “Hang on, Lori. This will soon be over.”
    I was wrong about that. The crowd just kept piling on, crushing us, until some one yelled, “Get off of them!”
    I wasn’t quite sure who it was, but it sounded like Mr. Hatch. The pressure lessened immediately as the kids got up.
    “Lori, are you all right?” I asked.
    “Yeah. I think so.”
    “Come on, let’s go.”
    I held her tightly around her shoulders , protecting her. As we walked past Mr. Hatch, he looked down on us with an ugly expression.
    “Thank you, Mr. Hatch,” I said not knowing for sure if he really deserved my gratitude.
    “ That dad of yours.. .” he started and then stopped himself. “Just get out of here.”
     
     
    Chapter 8
     
     
    We walked home in silence. Clouds were rolling in, turning the sky into a depressing blanket of gray. Cool air blew in from the west. Luckily enough, we didn’t have far to walk. Just like the day we were riding into this town, I was amazed at all of the tomb stones.
    I heard one of the kids at school say that if you took the time to count every grave in Orchard Hills, you would come to 9,111. I thought that was rather strange considering the house number of my gramma’s home.
    I really didn’t know if there was any sort of significance to that, but given how the day ended up, I would be willing to bet the kid said it to get a reaction out of me.
    It certainly worke d. Ninety-one eleven Sharp Road . The number 9,111…what if it held some sort of significance other than just being a house number? It was possible, right? Before moving to this place, I wouldn’t have thought so. But that all changed. As far I was concerned, anything was possible.
    When we got home, we both went straight upstairs to my room. I gave the door to nowhere a cursory glance as we passed by. Something in the back of my mind begged me to open it, suggesting that doorway, and wherever it really led, had to hold some sort of significance. I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I heard a voice say as I walked past the door, “Amanda…let us out.”
    I shut my bedroom door behind us and just let out loud sob. Lori joined me as well. We hugged each other, and arm-in-arm, we fell onto the bed, and cried together in a loving embrace. I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to ask her about her day, but considering she was reacting in a similar fashion as I , I assumed she had n’t exactly had the best day at school either .
    When I finally composed myself enough to speak, I ask ed , “What happened?”
    “It was awful. Mrs. Kuzma was talking, and then everyone started staring at me! They all thought I was a-a-a monster!”
    I thought back to the day when