"Just my grandmother," Alexander said.
Ruby choked on her wine. "Excuse me?"
"This house used to belong to Alexander's grandmother," Jameson tried to explain. "But we never—" "So you've really seen her?" I asked eagerly.
"She wanders through the halls at night," Alexander said in a low voice. "In fact…she's standing right behind you!"
I laughed, but Ruby jumped up from her seat as if she'd just seen the ghost herself.
Alexander and Jameson immediately rose from their chairs.
"I didn't mean to frighten you," Alexander apologized.
"Are you all right?" Jameson asked, offering her water. "Alexander gets these ideas…"
Ruby was embarrassed. "I'm just not used to being in a house that's—" "Haunted?" I asked.
"Large," she corrected. "And dark; I usually have all the lights on," she said with a forced laugh.
"We can light more candles," Alexander offered.
"Please. Sit, sit. And not another word," she said.
Jameson slowly returned to his seat and we continued eating our dinners. "So, Miss Raven, anything unusual happen at school?" he asked, politely trying to redirect the conversation.
"Other than that I showed up?"
My dinner mates laughed as if grateful for some comic relief.
"Well, a guy at school was talking about sneaking into the cemetery."
"The cemetery? That sounds like something you'd do," Ruby said with a laugh.
"He's not just sneaking in," I said, and then turned to Alexander. "He's going there on a date."
"Who would take a date to the cemetery?" Ruby asked, horrified.
Then Ruby eyeballed me and the other gloom-and-doom diners dressed in black around her.
We all stared back.
"Not me," I burst out.
"I wouldn't be caught dead," Alexander admitted.
"Poor taste!" Jameson proclaimed.
We quickly returned to our meals.
"Miss Raven, maybe I should have asked if you discussed anything usual," Jameson said nervously.
I politely laughed. But I had more info I had to share.
"Did I mention he's planning to kiss his girlfriend next to a coffin?" I said to Alexander.
Ruby cleared her throat.
"More water?" Jameson asked, clearly worried we were upsetting his guest of honor.
"I'm fine," she answered.
Alexander stared off behind Ruby and started pointing.
"Now are you going to tell me you see a ghost behind me?" she asked.
Alexander shook his head. "It's worse."
"I'm not falling for your tricks again," she said with a grin.
"Don't move," Alexander said, putting his napkin on the table.
Ruby slowly turned around. Hanging from the red velvet curtain right above her was a bat.
She wasn't even fazed. "I bet it's made out of rubber," she said, and got up.
Jameson called out, "Miss Ruby!"
My eyes bulged. Alexander rose.
"I'll show you," she said confidently.
Just then Ruby reached for the bat. All at once, it spread its wings wide and took off.
Ruby let out a bloodcurdling scream so loud I had to cover my ears.
The disgruntled bat flew around the room as Ruby hid behind me, continuing to shriek.
"Does it have blue and green eyes?" I asked, shielding her.
"Who cares about its eye color!" she yelled.
Alexander tried to grab the bat, but it only flew higher.
"I'm going to faint!" she hollered. "I'm really going to faint."
Jameson and I helped a trembling Ruby away from the dining room and into the sitting room.