I’m halfway across the darkened stage when I trip over something and stumble forward. Jacob’s hand shoots out to catch me, but his fingers go through my arm, and I bang my knee on the wooden floor. My palm smacks hard, and I’m surprised when the floor bounces a little, until I realize I’m on top of the trapdoor.

The tap-tap-tap grows more insistent under my hands. Something dances at the edge of my sight: a thin gray curtain caught in a constant breeze. Different from the heavy red stage curtain. This one, no one else can see.

The Veil.

The boundary between this world and somewhere else, between the living and the dead. This is what I’m looking for.

Jacob shifts his weight from foot to foot. “Let’s get this over with.”

I get back to my feet.

“Ghost five,” I say, for luck. A ghost five is like a high five for friends who can’t really touch. It’s basically just me putting out my hand and him pretending to hit it, both of us murmuring a soft “smack” sound on contact.

“Oof,” says Jacob, pulling his hand away, “you hit too hard.”

I laugh. He’s such a dork sometimes. But the laughter makes space in my chest, clears out the fear and nerves as I reach for the Veil.

I’ve seen people on TV—“ghost whisperers”—talk about crossing over, connecting with the other side like it’s flipping a switch or opening a door. But for me, it’s this—finding the part in the curtain, catching hold of the fabric, and pulling.

Sometimes, when there’s nothing to find, the Veil is barely there, more smoke than cloth and hard to catch hold of. But when a place is haunted—really haunted—the fabric twists around me, practically pulling me through.

Right here, right now, it dances between my fingers, waiting to be caught.

I grab hold of the curtain, take a deep breath, and pull.

About the Author

Victoria (V. E.) Schwab is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, including City of Ghosts, Tunnel of Bones, the Shades of Magic series, the Villains series, the Monsters of Verity duology, and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. Her work has received critical acclaim and been featured in the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, and the Washington Post; has been translated into more than two dozen languages; and has been optioned for television and film. Victoria lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and can usually be found in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up stories. Visit her online at veschwab.com.

Also by Victoria Schwab

Also by Victoria Schwab

City of Ghosts

Tunnel of Bones

This Savage Song

Our Dark Duet

The Dark Vault

Everyday Angel: Three Novels

Spirit Animals (Fall of the Beasts): Broken Ground

As v. e. Schwab

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

A Darker Shade of Magic