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"Room 22 Do you knohere that is?" Noah asked

It was onat the stairway and working down, down, down…and then I stopped It couldn’t be

I counted again, this tiht the first ti my eyes Noah was bent over the book next to me, his face inches from mine

"Who has that room?"

"No one," I said, amazed that I hadn’t realized it earlier Anya’s room was number 21 And Arielle’s room was 23 The room in between them was Ophelia’s Iit a second glance Except I never knew it had been a room "It’s a broom closet"

Just to make sure, I flipped ahead to the next year and found her name And then to the next year Ophelia had lived in the same room for the entirety of her stay at St Cléely, in the years that followed, room 22 wasn’t listed at all

"She was the last one to live there," I said, turning to Noah

As if readingup our things, we hurried down the stairs and through the double doors into the cold February night

The warreeted us as we burst through the doors We quickly co Once upstairs, I peeked around the corner to make sure the hallas free of Cleirl to disappear into her rooh the corridors until ere standing in front of Anya’s room, number 21

Just beside it was the brooht Beneath the thick layers of paint that coated the door, I could barely ers across it "A," he said "I never would have noticed this"

The paint was so thick that it filled the sea it shut Still, he tried the knob It wouldn’t turn After watching hi it a series of firm, frustrated pushes that rabbed his ar," I said "The only ould be to break down the door, which would probably arouse so dejected for the first ti to think of some solution, but I was all out of ideas The room had obviously been sealed on purpose, whichin here

Fros clattering to the floor Noah and I exchanged puzzled looks and turned around It had co at so the broo shuffled inside, then stopped The door cracked open, and one large eye peered out at me, its lashes thick with mascara

"Oh, Renée!" Anya said

"You’re okay," I said, relieved

"I got them to tell me their names and where they lived," Anya said proudly "I think one of theht have even liked me--" but she cut herself off when she saw Noah behind me

"Can we come in?" he said "We need to use your bathroo the atmosphere hazy Noah tripped over a box of incense and knocked a set of metal charether like chimes

"What do you need the bathroo up a pile of dirty clothes

"Ophelia Hart hid the first part of the riddle in her doran to say, when I noticed that Anya’s closet door was ajar A ooden handle was sticking out fro at the handle, and then at Anya

Her face seerow pale "Just a broom," she said quickly, and ran to shut the closet door, but Ithe handle, I pulled it out of her closet, knocking the hangers from the rod

"This is my shovel," I said, and turned it around to inspect its rusty head Baffled, I turned to Anya "Did you take this froainst the wall as I held the shovel up, not even realizing I was shaking it at her "Did you--did you put that parsnip beneath ood!" Anya said quickly, staring at the tip of my shovel as it hovered inches from her face "If you put one beneath your , they’re supposed to keep the Undead away I accidentally knocked your water jug over on my way out," she aded to someone whose soul was taken I couldn’t let you use your mother’s shovel, but I knew you wouldn’t believe me if I told you, so while I was there, I took it"