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“Absolutely not!” I pressed my back against it, spreading my arms to block her. “Have you lost your mind?”

“Come on, Nash. It’s Halloween! Shouldn’t we get into the spirit.” Blade wiggled her brows.

“That shit’s not a game.” I frowned as she dusted the board off.

The sound of Tess’ laughter quickly drew my eyes down. “What’s so funny?”

“I mean, you fuck around with tarot all the time. Don’t you think it’s a little ironic to draw the line at ouija boards.”

“Absolutely not.” I folded my arms. “If anything, that’s exactly what I mean. The cards are serious, but they’re just divinatory. They tell the future, but they don’t change shit. The ouija board though? Talking to spirits? That’s the perfect way to stumble into some seriously fucked up shit.”

Blade scoffed and rolled her eyes, but Tess batted her lashes, putting her hands on my hips. “Please? Just a little bit of fun for Halloween. A few questions. And if it starts to get weird, we can stop.”

I wanted to say no — to throw the board into the tracks and run it over, or burn it in the woods. But Blade had the board. And I knew that even if I opted out, these two would find a way to mess with it on their own.

It’s better if I can at least keep an eye on things…

Swallowing my fear with a bitter frown, I stepped away from the cabinet. “Fine. But the second things get weird, we close it. I’m being serious.”

“Totally,” Tess smirked, kissing my cheek. With the planchette retrieved, Tess raced over to Blade’s side. I trudged my way behind her, pulling my jacket tighter around my shoulders as I eyed the old board.

It was in astonishingly good shape compared to the rest of the Haunted Manor. Maybe the cubby had protected it from the elements better than the rest of the place.

Or maybe something else has been taking care of it.

But Tess and Blade didn’t give my hesitation a second to take the reins. Before I knew it, Blade had cleared off a worn old side table for the board, and Tess had her fingers on the planchette.

“Two fingers. Light touch only.” She gestured for me to join her. And against my every instinct, I complied.

Despite the chilly air that filled the rest of the ride, the wood felt warm under my fingertips. I pulled in a deep breath, extending out my own awareness beyond the planchette. I waited for a feeling like what the tarot cards gave me: some sort of tingling or guidance.

Instead, it felt like I was being watched.

Sucking in air, Blade projected her voice theatrically down the tunnel. “Hello, kind spirits of Feverpoint! We are the humble stewards of this park. Are there any ghosts of the past who would like to commune with the makers of the future?”

Her volume made me jump, but it was her cocky air that made me nervous. Blade didn’t know how to take anything seriously, it seemed. The last thing we needed was to piss off a spirit because she had too much theater kid energy.

She paused, perking up in melodramatic anticipation. And much to my dismay, the planchette started to move toward “yes.”

“Don’t be a smart ass,” I glared at Blade.

“It’s not me!”

Despite the answer on the board, her delighted grin wasn’t convincing me. I was a breath away from ending the game when Tess nudged Blade. “Let me take over.”

Giving me a reassuring nod, Tess rolled her shoulders back. “Hello, spirit. Can you tell us your name?”

Tess was willing to treat this with a bit more gravity for my sake, but that wasn’t exactly a comfort. If Blade wanted to get possessed because she was being a fuckass, that was her prerogative. But I hadn’t been joking about what would happen if Tess fell into harm's way.

For a long moment after Tess’ question, there was stillness. Maybe Blade had finally heeded my warning. Maybe we could close the conversation and burn this stupid board.

But then, there was a lurch: too strong and sudden for any one person to have caused. And the planchette began drifting across the board.

“Blade.” I growled, but this time, her eyes widened with shock.

“Not me, dude.”

Tess held her breath, leaning closer to the board as the planchette drifted closer and closer to the top left corner of the board. “...C?”