Monstrous by Jessica Lewis

Author:Jessica Lewis [Lewis, Jessica]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2023-09-12T00:00:00+00:00

25

Peach and I stand at the edge of Red Wood, waiting for the snake.

It’s late, almost midnight. I hung out with Jade and Allison all day, and Allison sat close to me as we watched Chopped and bet on who would win. I decided not to tell Jade about the potential PTSD, not yet. I don’t know if I even still believe it. I’m confused and depressed and furious, and I can’t do anything about any of those feelings. Plus, I have to tell the snake about Carter knowing I’m still alive and that he knows about our deal, which I’m not looking forward to. I already have a headache. I kind of want to sleep on Allison’s couch for a hundred years.

But I can’t mope around. We have a tree to burn and a Carter to meet and possibly murder, so I have to keep going.

I frown, glancing at my phone. It’s been seven minutes; this isn’t like him. Usually, he comes to me. I pet Peach’s head, a little nervous.

“Wanna go in to find the snake?” I ask her. She wags her tail, so I guess that’s a yes. I take a few steps into the woods, keeping an eye on the forest floor so I don’t trip. The cicadas scream in my ears and an owl hoots overhead. He’s definitely not close by.

At first, I wander around aimlessly, waiting for him to sense me and get all huffy about a person in his woods. But then I feel a kind of tug in my chest, pulling me deeper into the dense trees. I pass a familiar clearing—where Allison and Jade found me. I keep going, walking and walking and walking, until another clearing comes into view. A familiar blue glow shines near the back.

“Huh.” I stop and fold my arms. Peach puts her nose to the ground and explores the clearing, tail wagging happily. How did I know where to go? It was like walking to Auntie’s after church, or knowing where the bathroom is in the dark. I’ve only been to the cave once. It’s like I came here on…instinct.

I shudder a little. I don’t want to think about developing snake-sensing instincts.

“Come on, Peach.” I walk to the mouth of the cave, but Peach whines and stops at the entrance. Bad sign. This is where white people in a horror movie would go straight into the cave and get killed, but I’m not stupid. Always listen to the dog.

“Hey, snake!” I yell. “Are you in there?”

I wait in tense silence until I hear the faint sound of his scales scraping against the rocks. It doesn’t take long for his dark shadow to appear.

“Hello, Latavia,” the snake says, poking his massive head out of the cave. “I’m pleased to see you. Saves me the journey to your friend’s home.”

“Do you know what time it is?” I complain. “I gotta be home before sunrise because Allison wakes up hella early, and it’s already past midnight. What were you doing?”

“I was swimming.

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.