Rayleigh Mann in the Company of Monsters by Ciannon Smart
Author:Ciannon Smart [Smart, Ciannon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2023-07-22T00:00:00+00:00
Sixteen
Thunder and Lightning, Oh So Frightening
He lunged for them and yanked. Two pieces of wall swung open; the clouds faded into wood. Instead of the houses on Terror Towerâs street, behind them was a dense knot of grass, trees, low-hanging vines. It wasâ
âA jungle!â Marley charged across the room to stand beside Rayleigh.
Something chittered inside; the call echoed through the large banana leaves. They hung low, weighed down by their sheer size and raindrops. Though the sun wasnât visible, it shone with a brightness that made everything vibrant, even the brown of the earth. Something fast skittered through the low bush.
âAnimals?â Marleyâs tails fanned out around her protectively. âDonât alligators live in jungles?â
âI donât know. This reminds me of a picture my nana has of my dad in Jamaica. It was green like this, and wild and full. But the island doesnât have jungles.â
âIs this Jamaica?â Marley asked, leaning across the doorway.
âI donât think the tower transports you to literal places. It re-creates them, like memories or safe places. My room is my happiest memory, down here. Maryâs is a castle, and sheâs kind of closed off, mysterious, grand. I canât explain it, but the tower knows us. Thatâs what my uncle said.â
âOkay,â Marley said, with an understanding softness. âBut on the chance the tower has created alligators, we should probably hold this door open with something.â
âMaybe my dad went somewhere with a jungle and liked it enough that the tower recreated it for him.â Rayleigh grabbed several thick books from his bed. Door wedged, he braved a step inside. Heat was instant against his skin, like a physical thing he could touch. Something buzzed past his ear; remembering what Nana said about large flying bugs and mouths that attracted them, Rayleigh snapped his jaw shut.
âYou coming?â he asked through clenched teeth.
Taking a deep breath, Marley stepped through the doorway. âItâs humid. Wow. I canât believe this is a floor in a houseâlook, bananas are growing over there!â Fat and yellow, the bunch of fruit looked good enough to pick, to eat. âAre they edible?â
âI donât know. Wouldnât risk it. Come on. I donât know how many Terrors are in the tower. We need to find my dadâs room quickly to look for any clues before anyone comes looking for us.â Gasp was always foisting hot chocolate on him. It was only a matter of time before he came around with an offer of refreshment.
The duo ventured through the bush. With a simple thought, Rayleigh asked Terror Tower for a large stick with which to beat back plants and poke vines that looked too similar to snakes. Something fell against his leg. Emitting a high scream, Rayleigh all but leapt into Marleyâs arms. He was buffeted back by one of her tails, right between the eyes. Sheâd been laughing already, at his scream, but her sentient tail sent Marley over the edge.
âI thought you couldnât control them?â Rayleigh asked, rubbing his eye.
âThat wasnât me,â Marley wheezed. âBut that scream definitely came from you.
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