A Magic Dark and Bright by Jenny Adams Perinovic

Author:Jenny Adams Perinovic [Perinovic, Jenny Adams]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jenny Adams Perinovic
Published: 2015-04-28T04:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-ONE.

Once the county police showed up, Frank had Dave drive Charlie, Ransom, and me home. Taylor and Leah’s mother was called, and they waited by the side of the road with almost everyone else who had been at the party. Leah lifted her hand and waved at me, her white dress streaked with dirt. The reflection of the car’s taillights cast her in an eerie red glow, like she was covered from head to toe in blood.

I shivered and closed my eyes.

My mother waited for us on the front steps, wearing her pajamas. She stood as Dave pulled into the driveway, her arms crossed over her chest, her mouth pressed into a thin line. I sank down in my seat.

“She does not look happy,” Ransom said from beside me.

Dave opened the passenger side door. I braced myself for the scolding I was sure to get. Grounding, without a doubt. I slid outside and stepped onto the driveway.

Before I made it to the yard, Mom rushed down the stairs and threw her arms around me. She drew me tight against her, burying her face in my hair.

“Mom?”

She stepped back and wiped at her eyes. Her hand trembled, betraying just how shaken she was. “I’m so happy you’re safe.”

Dave cleared his throat from behind us. “Issy, can I talk to you for a minute?”

Mom cast a quick glance at me, her lips pressed into a frown. “Of course,” she said, letting him lead her to the other side of the SUV, where they talked in hushed voices.

Charlie stepped beside me. His arm brushed against mine, and I fought the urge to lean into him.

“Grams isn’t home,” he said. His eyebrows dipped down below the frame of his glasses. “She’s never out this late.”

I turned and followed his gaze across the yard. The MacAllister House stood still, every window dark, the driveway empty. The light from the full moon glinted silvery-white against the dark metal roof and cast the entire house in an eerie glow not unlike the light that had surrounded Yvette.

“It looks like something out of a horror film,” Charlie said, reading my thoughts. “No wonder people think the worst about her.”

I stiffened. I’d deliberately never brought up the rumors concerning Ms. MacAllister and the fear of that house that had loomed larger than life over my childhood. “No one really believes all that,” I protested.

The corner of his mouth lifted so quickly I almost missed it. “Ben seems to.”

“Ben’s an idiot.”

“You were afraid of her too. I remember.” His hand caught mine. “It’s okay.”

I looked down at my feet. “Charlie—”

The rest of my sentence was cut off by Ms. MacAllister’s car pulling into her driveway. She cut the engine and climbed out of the car, followed by Minion. The dog bounded over to us, his wrinkled folds swaying with every step.

Ms. MacAllister picked her way carefully across the grass. Under the moonlight, her skin was smooth and pale, making her look younger and strikingly beautiful. “What’s going on over here?” she asked when she reached us.

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