Beautiful Demons by Cannon Sarra

Author:Cannon, Sarra [Cannon, Sarra]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Dead River Books
Published: 2010-10-29T05:00:00+00:00

Sit Down, Girl

Outside, the night air was crisp and cool. Lights were on throughout the main house. I came around the house and entered through the front door as if I had just gotten home. The idea of going straight up to my room and attempting to ignore the fact that I had been questioned by the police was pretty inviting, but in the end, I decided it was better to face Mrs. Shadowford and get the whole thing over with.

I walked to the door to her suite of rooms feeling like it was a walk to my own execution. How long would it take Mrs. Meeks to arrange a spot for me at the juvenile detention center? A day? An hour?

I knocked on the thick wooden door and waited.

“Yes?” Mrs. Shadowford's voice was muffled.

I leaned close to the door. “It's Harper.”

“Come in,” she said. She didn't sound excited to have me back, and for the first time, I realized it was strange that no one from Shadowford had come to the police station to support me. Shouldn't someone have come for me? After all, these people were my guardians.

A sickening dread entered my heart as I opened the door and crossed over the threshold over her office. I hadn't been in that room since my first day at Shadowford. It seemed darker in here than any of the other rooms in the house. And colder.

Mrs. Shadowford sat behind her desk. She looked up as I entered, her face stern, lips pursed.

“I didn't hear a car drive up,” she said. “Who brought you home?”

“Officer Ellis dropped me off.” I didn't explain further.

She eyed me curiously. “The Mayor called me. She told me about what you had to go through today, and I'm terribly sorry they put you through all that for nothing. I told her it's obvious you weren't involved in the death of that poor girl. But I do wonder how she got hold of that necklace of yours.” I stood and stared at her, unsure how I was expected to respond. I certainly had no idea how Tori got my necklace.

“Sit down, girl. Don't stand there staring at me like no one ever taught you any manners.” I sat across from her in a burgundy leather chair. Its seat was cracked and worn, and the springs inside squeaked as I sat down. “Are you going to kick me out of Shadowford?” I asked.

“Did you do something wrong?” She narrowed her eyes at me.

“No. But I thought-” “If you didn't break any rules, then I don't see a need to let you go,” she said. “Calm down, girl, and have some water. You look like you're about to pass out.”

She had an ivory teacup on the desk in front of her and filled it with water from an open water bottle in her desk. She pushed the cup toward me and nodded expectantly. With trembling hands, I took the cup and raised it to my lips. The water tasted sweet and smelled faintly like rose-petals.

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