“You should come home on the bus with me,” Morgan said.  “We can watch a movie or something.”

“That sounds great.  My house will be empty for at least a few hours,” Teri said.

Morgan would be facing the same situation at home, which was why she wanted Teri to hang out.  They were walking towards the nearest exit when Max rushed up.  He was out of breath.  After he tried starting to talk twice, Morgan interrupted him.

“Just take a few deep breaths Max,” she said.  “Now tell us what happened.”

“It’s Aiden.”

“What about him?” Teri asked.

“He wants to sneak in the auditorium and see what they’ve been doing in there.”

“How?” Morgan asked.

“Through the storage area on the second floor,” Max said.

Morgan knew what he was talking about.  The storage area held sound and lighting equipment.  With things set up for the musical, it was mostly empty.  Max could see all their objections bubbling to the surface.

“Aiden says the entrance isn’t even taped off.  The cops must’ve thought there was only one way into the room.”

“Well that makes me feel better,” Teri said.  “I’m sure we could just explain that when we get caught.”

Max looked like he wanted to agree with her, but he didn’t.  He must’ve been talked into it by Aiden.  Morgan could relate.  Just knowing that Aiden was going to be there made her want to head upstairs right away.

“What’re we waiting for?” she said.  “Let’s get some answers.”

Teri shot her a look.  She wanted to give Morgan a piece of her mind.  Morgan knew Teri could guess where much of her courage was coming from.  Morgan elected not to acknowledge the glare.  Teri was just jealous that Aiden was obviously more interested in her.

Max didn’t have a clue why Morgan and Teri weren’t talking as the three of them made their way up to the second floor.  The door to the storage room groaned as it opened.  Morgan looked down the empty hall to either side.  There were cameras, but half the time they weren’t on, and the rest of the time you could count on no one watching the screens.

The three of them slipped into the storeroom.  Unsteady columns of boxes dotted the ground between spare drums, sets from last year’s musical, and speakers that were probably twice as old as Morgan.

The door swung closed behind them and the room fell into darkness.  There were no windows and Morgan didn’t know where the light switch was.  Next to her, she heard Teri’s breathing getting faster.  Sticking a fumbling hand into her pocket, Morgan dug out her phone.  Her jeans were a little too tight for easy access.

Light filled the room when she tapped one of the buttons.  It was blinding.  Pointing the glowing front screen out into the room, Morgan swept it around, looking for Aiden.  Following her example, Max and Teri took out their phones and joined the search.  Even after only a few moments of pitch darkness, the light of the three phones was like a sunny afternoon in comparison.

They moved forward through the storeroom, keeping away from anything that seemed especially wobbly.  When Morgan was about halfway across, one of the shadows started moving.  Aiden jumped into view.  Morgan and Max let out a screech.  Teri was the only one who didn’t shout.  She still looked white as a sheet though.