Haunted Echoes — Melissa Davis

“Watch out!” Like a whisper on the wind, the warning seemed to circle around her. Abby turned to the sound, but as usual, nothing was there. Would it be too much to ask for just one place in the world where everything invisible could either be seen or completely unable to reach her?

This was nothing new for Abby. Surrounded by spirits most of her life, Abby Marcelli had her fair share of hauntings. As a child, they were her imaginary friends, but at fourteen, she was ready to hand in the towel. From morning to night, the entities plagued her with icy cold fingers that only she seemed to feel. At home, things moved by unseen hands, appliances turned on and off, and voices bounced around the room. Abby tried her best to shut them out, but each day, they seemed to get louder.

Home wasn't the only place they lurked. The spirits were everywhere. Worst of all, they followed her to school like lost puppies begging for help until she had no choice but to answer them. In doing so, Abby had become the resident freak and target for the brat pack, who made it their mission to make her life a living hell. Each day, their attacks grew a little worse, and the walls began to close in around her. Her mom wasn't any help. She was always working, and when she was home, she was always telling Abby to be normal. Not that Abby actually knew what normal was.

When her attempts to find a moment of peace land her in unexpected circumstances, Abby's world is turned upside down. Latching onto a light in the darkness, Hildebranch Academy, a school for spirited kids like her. Abby was hopeful that for once in her life, she wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb.

Will Hildebranch be everything she wants it to be? Would she learn how to tune out the voices, or would they follow her around for the rest of her life?