Dead Is a State of Mind by Marlene Perez

Author:Marlene Perez
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Tags: Ya, Fantasy, Vampires
ISBN: 9780152062101
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Published: 2009-04-09T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

The next day at school, I yawned my way through my classes.

At the prom committee meeting after school, Samantha reminded me that I still had to apply for the permit to have the after party in the park, so I stopped by the police station on my way home and talked to Chief Mendez.

“Are you sure the park is the best place for the party?” he asked, looking over the application.

“Why not?” I said. “You said yourself that the citizens of Nightshade are perfectly safe. And I’m sure you’ll have your investigation into Mr. Davis’s murder all squared away by the time prom rolls around.”

Chief Mendez smiled. “You’re right, Daisy,” he said, but his smile seemed forced. “Even so, I’ll put some extra officers on duty in the park that night.”

He handed me our approved permit for the party.

It was getting dark by the time I headed home, but I decided to cut through the park anyway. I wanted to check out the layout and try to envision how we would set things up on prom night. Plus, maybe I’d find something to give me a clue about Mr. Davis.

I walked to the fountain at the center of the park. The diamond in the crown.

I avoided a dark splotch on the path near the fountain. It looked like blood. I bent down to examine the area. It turned out to be nothing more than melted chocolate from an icecream cone. Gross. I was about to get up when I spotted a couple on a bench several feet away from me.

I saw the back of a tall guy’s head. It was Ryan, sitting with Elise. They were engrossed in conversation and didn’t notice me.

The tight, miserable feeling in my chest didn’t leave me. My legs were shaky, so I sat down on the ground and leaned against the fountain. The last time I’d had this sensation had been in sixth grade, when Kyle Vendajas, a boy I had a mad crush on, picked me last in dodgeball.

I put my head down on the cold, smooth surface of the fountain and just sat there. I wanted to cry, but forced the tears back. I don’t know how long I stayed like that, but when I finally looked again, they were gone. Who was Elise to Ryan, and why had he been spending so much time with her?

It was getting darker, and I needed to get home. Ever since Mr. Davis’s murder, rumors had been flying around about wolves roaming the park in packs.

When I stood up, I felt a tingle and I realized my foot was asleep. I stomped it once to get the circulation going, and that’s when I heard a noise coming from the bushes. I moved closer.

Meow. A tiny face peered out of the leaves. A black kitten stared up at me, still meowing plaintively. She took a hesitant step forward and then batted something toward me. It was a bit of greenery covered with pink blossoms. I knew some plants were harmful to animals, so I took it away from her and put it in my pocket.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.