Sally Singletary's Curiosity (The Sally Singletary Book 1)

SALLY SINGLETARY’S CURIOSITY

AN ELEMENTS OF EAA SERIES

J.M. CATAFFO

Booktrope Editions

Seattle, WA 2015

COPYRIGHT 2012, 2015 JOHNNY CATAFFO

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

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Cover Design by Lizzie Russell

Edited by David Roberts

Previously self-published 2012

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to similarly named places or to persons living or deceased is unintentional.

PRINT ISBN 978-1-62015-893-7

EPUB ISBN 978-1-62015-924-8

Library of Congress Number: 2015914777

This book is dedicated to my life partner, Rob. He was instrumental in the design of the cover as well as the development of Sally’s name and character. Without his encouragement and dedication, this book would not have been possible.

Sally Singletary represents strength of character and conviction. She never gives up, no matter what the challenge. She embodies all the characteristics that I’ve learned in life, especially from my mother, Evelyn, who always taught us to never give up on our dreams.

SALLY HELD THE ENVELOPE
in her shaking hands, her heart pounding in anticipation and fear over what she would find inside. Barely able to contain her excitement, she quickly tore the edge and pulled out the folded paper. She took a deep breath as she slowly opened the letter and then began to digest the words printed on the page.

Dear Sally Singletary,

Congratulations! Your application for enrollment at Northwestern University has been accepted. On behalf of the Northwestern faculty, students, and alumni, it gives me great pleasure to inform you that you have been admitted to the Medill School of Journalism…

Sally put one hand to her mouth, trying to contain her shock. She couldn’t believe it, couldn’t register that she’d actually gotten in. She read the letter once more just to be sure.

For weeks, she’d been on pins and needles about her application, and nearly had a heart attack when she’d seen the envelope waiting for her in her dorm room. Northwestern was one of the top journalism colleges in the country and they’d just picked her for their upcoming freshman class!

Setting the notice down lightly on her lap, Sally glanced up at the night sky partly visible outside her dorm window. Things had gone well during her time at Hidden Lake Prep, but she was ready to move on.

Her head was filled with dreams of the future; the idea of going to the same school as Peter Alexander and Dave Barstow—two well-known and respected journalists—made her want to jump out of her skin! Her fingers gingerly rubbed the paper just to remind herself it was real.

She really wanted to tell Yasif the good news, but it was too late to meet up with him, and she felt it was the sort of thing best told in person. It would be torture, but she’d have to keep the good news to herself until morning.

A sharp noise outside drew her out of her reverie. Wondering what it was, she leaned forward to glance out the window. In the alley below, she saw two boys running toward the back of the school.

She recognized the blond—Billy—and his lanky best friend, Daniel, both friends of hers. In fact, she’d just seen Billy a day or two ago—although he was wet and wrapped in a shower curtain at the time. A smile tugged at the edge of her lips at the memory.

She heard a voice echo through the narrow space between the girls’ dorm and the gym—someone yelling. Shayne Masterson, the star football player, approached from behind the two boys as a woman appeared in front. Sally’s brows knit in confusion. It was Mrs. Conley, one of the math teachers. She’d just come from around the other side of the gym, cutting off their escape.

The whole thing was really odd. Why would the boys be running from her? And why would Shayne of all people be helping Mrs. Conley? It made absolutely no sense, and the puzzle was only made worse when the four began fighting over something she couldn’t see.

Sally wasn’t sure what to do. A strange glow caught her gaze. Something had fallen to the ground amidst the shuffle. Sally narrowed her eyes, trying to see what it was. She swore it looked to be a chain or a necklace, but why would a bunch of boys want that? Whatever it was, it was the source of the light and grew brighter with each passing moment.

Billy, Daniel, Shayne, and Mrs. Conley all scrambled for the item, their faces white in its eerie glow. Mrs. Conley held tightly to the back of Billy’s shirt as he stretched, reaching down toward the shining object. A flash burst from the alley, causing Sally to throw up her arms instinctively to shield her eyes. When her vision cleared, she realized all four were gone.

“What on earth?” She jolted upright, her eyes focused on the spot where they’d been as though expecting them to suddenly reappear.

Carefully, she slid open a desk drawer and dropped the acceptance letter inside. Curfew or not, she’d examine the alley; make sure what she’d seen was real. Her roommate’s robe would have to be enough to cover her pajamas. Pulling it on, she quietly moved across the room so as not to wake the sleeping blonde. She was halfway to the doors at the end of the hall before she realized she had forgotten her shoes.

The stairs were cold against her bare feet as she made her way to the first floor, passing the double doors leading into the main parts of the school. One was propped slightly open, and she heard the clinking of keys on the other side. A quick glance and she saw two men in uniform jogging by, a muffled radio voice echoing in their wake. Quickly, she flattened herself against the wall and held her breath, risking a second glance only once she was sure they had passed. Were they cops? she wondered.

Once she was sure they couldn’t see her, she dashed down the first floor hall through the doors leading outside. This would normally have set off an alarm if opened at night, but it hadn’t worked in weeks, and none of the girls had bothered to report it. She propped the door open slightly and made her way to the corner of the building where Mrs. Conley had entered the alley.

There, she saw a set of fresh footprints in the dirt. It was clear the teacher had come through the same hall Sally had just used in order to catch the boys.

The alley itself was empty—not that she expected otherwise. Moving into the darkness and retrieving her phone, she turned on the light. Sure enough, a couple fresh imprints left from the boys’ sneakers marked where the struggle had taken place.

“At least I’m not crazy.” Her voice echoed in the narrow space.

She snapped a couple quick pictures with her phone’s camera before a noise grabbed her attention. The back door on the other side of the building flew open and two men came out. She dashed back toward the dorm, heart pounding, afraid to get caught out at night.