Phantom File

By Patrick Carman

Will Besting and six other teens were cured of their phobias at Fort Eden by the mysterious—and often quietly terrifying—Rainsford. But while the cure took away their phobias, it left them with other ailments: headaches, loss of hearing, fatigue. It also left Will with an intense need to know more about their supposed savior and his twisted methods. Now Will has discovered a file he was never supposed to see, and the story contained within involves characters he never expected to see together. What will the phantom file reveal about Rainsford's ghoulish ways?

With a contemporary nod to classic horror, Patrick Carman's Dark Eden: Phantom File takes readers on a journey to discover the origins of a madman's reign—and of fear itself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Mar 27, 2012
• ISBN: 9780062201331

Patrick Carman

Patrick Carman is the New York Times bestselling author of over thirty books, including the acclaimed series the Land of Elyon and Floors and the teen superhero novel Thirteen Days to Midnight. A multimedia pioneer, Patrick authored The Black Circle, the fifth title in the 39 Clues series, and the Dark Eden, Skeleton Creek, Trackers, Fizzopolis, and Voyagers series. An enthusiastic reading advocate, Patrick has visited more than a thousand schools, developed village library projects in Central America, and created author outreach programs for communities. He lives in Walla Walla, Washington, with his family. You can visit him online at www.patrickcarman.com.

Book preview

DARK

EDEN

PHANTOM FILE

PATRICK CARMAN

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Begin Reading Now

An Excerpt from Dark Eden: Eve of Destruction

Also by Patrick Carman

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Copyright

About the Publisher

Begin Reading Now

I’m Will Besting, and I’ve already told the unbelievable story of how I came to be cured. I’ve explained about Rainsford, the one who lives forever, the person who at once fixed me and cursed me in the space of seven days. And I’ve documented the insane fears of the Seven, an exclusive club I am, unhappily, a card-carrying member of. All of our fears were blown away by the power of one man.

Before the cure, I couldn’t step into a room full of people without feeling like we were all crammed tightly into an elevator. I would hear my dead little brother’s voice in my head: This is bad. Better run before it’s too late. And so I’d move away into the comfort of empty space. Once I was by myself, I could breathe again

But how does Rainsford do it? How did it begin? Where did this terrible power come from?

I have a knack for finding hidden things, probably because I spend a lot of time searching. It’s an obsession. But even I’m surprised when I discover the truth. I have found the story of his beginning, and while I still hate him for what he did to me and my friends, there is a tiny corner of my soul that feels sorry for him, too.

The power he wields came with a price.

Before being cured by Rainsford, I spend a lot of time alone because I was afraid to be around other people. Now I just spend time by myself because I’m obsessed with discovering every detail about the person who cured me. I think I do it because I’m searching for a way to destroy him, but sometimes I wonder if it’s just morbid curiosity, because really, I don’t think he can be turned off. I don’t think Rainsford will ever come to an end.

My memory of past events is clearer on some details than others, and this has