Home, Sweet Haunt Read Free

window, then at Hallie. Her mouth hung open in a perfect O.
    Nora raised her hands above her head. “Come over later! Trick-or-treat in my building tonight! I’ll ask myparents. I’m sure they’ll let me go with—” She lost her balance. “Aughhhhh!” Nora flailed as she fell forward and farther out the window.
    Lucas grabbed Nora around the waist and pulled her back an instant before she fell, ten stories to the pavement below.
    â€œNo, no, no! Let go of me!” Nora kicked him in the shin and tore out of his arms. She peered out the window frame.
    The street was empty.
    Her friends were gone.
    Nora spun on her brother, who was sitting on the edge of her bed holding his leg. “Get out of my room. Get out and never come back!”
    â€œI saved your life.” Lucas stood up, leaning on his left leg. “You could have fallen out the window. You should be thanking me.”
    â€œThey didn’t answer me!” Nora screamed. “They won’t come over for trick-or-treating, and I’ll never convince Mom and Dad to let me go out with them. No candy. No scary stories. Halloween is ruined! It’s all your fault!” She threw a pillow off the bed at Lucas’s head. He ducked and she missed. By a mile.
    Her terrible throw made Lucas laugh. He laughed so hard tears filled his eyes. When Nora scooped up a second pillow and tossed it again, he stuck out his tongue before dodging her throw.
    â€œWAR!” Nora declared. She leaped on her brother and wrestled him to the ground.
    He was small, but quick.
    Lucas managed to roll away from Nora, swooping a pillow off the floor as he made his escape. With a wallop, he hit her soundly in the side of the head.
    â€œOoof!” Nora grunted, grabbing the other pillow and swinging it back at Lucas with all her might.
    Direct hit. The pillow smacked Lucas square in the chest, throwing him backward. The seam burst open. Nora dove forward, hitting him over and over again with the torn pillow until feathers were everywhere.
    Lucas chuckled as he hit her again with his own pillow. That pillow also ripped, and more feathers poured into the room.
    Back and forth they went, swinging at each other until the pillowcases were empty. Then they started throwing handfuls of feathers at each other.
    â€œI win!” Nora exclaimed, holding her brother’s armsbehind his back. “And now you will suffer.”
    â€œYou did not win! I did!” Lucas giggled. With a mighty shove, he tipped her over and tried to hold her firm.
    â€œThis isn’t funny.” Nora was struggling against his grasp when their mother walked into the room.
    â€œWhat is going on here?” Nora’s mother glanced around before calling, “Frank!” to her husband down the hall.
    â€œLaura, I—” Mr. Wilson began as he reached Nora’s bedroom. His voice dropped. “Whoa.”
    Nora and Lucas were wrapped together on the floor, a tangled mess of arms and legs.
    The room was covered with white feathers. It looked like it had snowed.
    The window was broken.
    And shattered glass covered Nora’s bed.

CHAPTER 2
    When the mess was cleaned up, Lucas and Nora were both sent to shower. Then they had a “family meeting” in the living room. This was the second formal meeting ever in Wilson family history. The first one had been a few days after the fire. That meeting changed her life. Nora expected this one to be bad as well.
    Nora sat back into the couch. The fabric had once been soft velvet, but velvet burned easily. Rough towels covered the holes, and the floppy cushions were held together with duct tape. The sofa smelled like burnt toast.
    Lucas came in. His hair was wet and he was wearing shorts and a T-shirt. Lucas stomped across the floor as usual. He was the loudest walker in the world. Noraalways wondered why the people who lived below never complained. After all, in an apartment building, their floor was