Fatal Charm by Linda Joy Singleton

Author:Linda Joy Singleton
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Young Adult, Mystery, seer, teen, fiction, youth, series, spring0410
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Published: 2007-07-31T16:00:00+00:00

Dominic’s boots thudded behind me, but I didn’t slow, clutching the remedy book inside my jacket. I had no plan, only desperate impulse. Escape, my brain screamed. So I ran faster, racing down the hall, spinning around a corner and yanking open the back door, swept into a blustery snowstorm. Ducking underneath the hood of my jacket, snow stung my face and I struggled against brutal wind, slowing but never stopping.

“Sabine, what are you doing?” Dominic caught up with me by his truck, grabbing my shoulder to spin me to face him.

“What does it look like?”

“Stealing?”

I bent over slightly, gasping for breath and tasting snow. “It’s not stealing when it’s mine.”

“I can’t believe you’re doing this!”

I laughed bitterly. “I can’t believe it either.”

Remorse and guilt might hit me later, but in this wild moment I felt proud. Wrong, right, whatever—it depended how you looked at it. I’d done something wrong for the right reason, totally out of my comfort zone, something no one would ever expect from a “good girl.”

“Your sisters look up to you,” Mom used to drill into me. “Forget all that ghost nonsense and set a good example.”

Even Nona praised me for my honesty. “I can always trust you, Sabine,” she had said many times.

Penny-Love had a different twist on it. “Sabine, you’re so goody-goody, you make me want to barf!”

Watch this bad girl now, I thought.

Dominic’s keys rattled as he opened the truck door. “Get inside before we freeze.”

I pushed my damp hair from my eyes. “You aren’t going to make me go back?”

“Hell, no! The book is yours. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Absolutely no freaking idea.”

“I figured as much,” he said with a laugh.

“You got any ideas?” I stretched my seat belt across my shoulder.

“Nope—except getting out of here.” He twisted his key, the engine roaring to life. The windshield wipers flicked off snow in icy clumps. “Let’s hit the road.”

“Hurry, Clyde.”

“Clyde?” He arched a dark brow. “What’s that about?”

“We’re breaking the law and going on the run like Bonnie and Clyde.” I wiped moisture from the window with my palm and peered nervously at the museum. “Hey, at least I didn’t compare us to Thelma and Louise.”

He glowered at me. “Just let me drive.”

I started to laugh—until I looked back and saw the museum’s door burst open. Red-faced, Niles stormed outside, stomping through snow as he ran into the road. He waved his fist and shouted, but we couldn’t hear.

“Hurry! Drive!” I shouted over the noisy engine.

“I’m on it, Bonnie.”

“Go! Fast!”

The engine revved loudly, jolting me forward then back in my seat. Exhaust smoke spewed dark against snowy flakes and the truck lurched forward. Snow spun off tires and showered a waterfall as we roared away.

My last glimpse of Niles was of his black beard frosted white.

* * *

The storm was bad—and growing worse.

Snow piled high on the sides of the road, shutting off everything like speeding through clouds. Red taillights glowed ahead and overhead electronic boards flashed “carry chains” warnings.

But I was too exhausted to care, and grateful for the warmth of the truck’s heater.

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.