The Stepsister by R. L. Stine

Author:R. L. Stine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Chapter

9

The Late-Night Visitor

The bathwater looked so blue. So still.

So deadly.

I can’t do it, Emily thought.

She washed the blood off her hands and arms in the sink, dried quickly with a hand towel, then pulled on the nightshirt she had carried into the bathroom with her and walked back to her bedroom. Jessie looked up from her bed, a People magazine in her hands. “What’s wrong?”

“I—uh—can’t.”

“Huh?”

“I’m too tired and too upset,” Emily said. “It was really nice of you, but I think I just want to go to bed.”

“Oh.” Jessie looked disappointed. She tossed the magazine onto the floor and stood up. “Might as well not let it go to waste,” she said, and hurried past Emily to the bathroom.

A few seconds later Emily heard the splash of Jessie sitting down in the bathtub. The water was perfectly okay.

Okay, okay. So I misjudged her this time, Emily thought, wearily pulling down the covers of her bed.

Jessie was obviously being nice now to throw her off-guard.

Again, Emily saw the blood, saw her poor Tiger lying with that long, straight cut across his chest.

She shivered. It was so cold sleeping by the window. Why had she allowed Jessie to bully her and take away her bed by the wall? She hadn’t slept comfortably ever since Jessie had arrived.

How could she sleep comfortably? Jessie was a murderer.

I’ve got to stop thinking, Emily told herself, feeling the diary under her pillow. I’ve got to shut off my mind, or I’ll never get to sleep, never be able to think clearly again.

She shut her eyes tightly and tried to drive away all of the horrid pictures that kept flashing across her mind. From across the hall she heard the sound of the tub plug being pulled and the gurgle of the water starting to drain from the tub.

Then she was floating, floating dizzily in the dark, the room spinning, spinning so fast, spinning her to sleep.

She was awakened a short while later by a hand gripping her shoulder. She raised her head and uttered a short cry, startled. “What?”

It was dark, so dark she couldn’t see a thing. That’s odd, she thought, suddenly frightened. Usually some light comes in through the window.

The hand gripped her shoulder tightly and shook her.

“Let go,” Emily said, her voice choked with sleep. “Who is it?”

The hand let go. A lamp clicked on. It was Jessie. She was sitting on the edge of Emily’s bed. Her crinkly blond hair was wild and disheveled. Her eyes, usually so pale blue, were dark and alive.

“Wake up, Emily. You’ve slept long enough,” Jessie whispered. Her wide grin was frightening.

“What? What’s the matter?” Emily struggled to wake up, to clear her mind, but it was like swimming underwater. She struggled and struggled, but couldn’t get to the surface.

The bedroom light seemed to flicker and dim.

“How long have I been asleep?” Emily asked.

“Not long.” Jessie leaned down over her, still grinning.

Emily saw a shadow behind Jessie. Someone else was in the room.

“Who’s that?” Emily asked.

The light seemed to brighten.

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