A Whispered Darkness by Vanessa Barger Read Free Book Online Page A

fallen next to the pillow and put them in. As the music began again, I heard noise again. I popped then out. Grant was crying in his sleep.
    I pulled myself out of the sleeping bag partway, reaching over to shake his shoulder. At my touch, he jumped, his arms flailing wildly.
    “Grant,” I whispered. “It’s okay. It’s just me.”
    I could make out his outline as he sat up and rubbed his hands over his face.
    “Are you okay?”
    There was a pause, and I wasn’t sure he would answer me. “I don’t know.”
    “You were crying in your sleep. I figured whatever it was, you probably wouldn’t mind if I woke you up.”
    I tried to be light hearted, but I was concerned.
    “Yeah. Yeah, definitely okay.” He sighed. “Just a nightmare.”
    “Sure you’re okay?”
    “I’m fine. Go back to sleep.”
    I waited until he lay back down, and then crawled back into my makeshift bed. But now I was wide awake. All the same, I lay there quietly, willing sleep to come. Just when I thought I’d managed it, I heard a soft scraping noise. My eyes snapped open, and I watched Grant’s outline as he scooted his sleeping bag closer to Mom and I.
    Without commenting, I closed my eyes, slid my hand under my pillows, and restarted my iPod.

Chapter Seven
     
    Two days later, the house almost looked like a real home. Walls sported fresh paint, the floors were polished and the corners cleared of cobwebs. After putting the last curtain up, I stood back to survey my room.
    Perfect.
    They were wide enough to cover the whole window and window seat if I wanted. For the moment, I pushed them aside and tucked the fabric into two hooks on either side of the alcove. My bed had a canopy of sheer white fabric, and I’d picked a comforter with bright Caribbean colors to match. Wicker furniture painted white filled in the rest. If I closed my eyes and concentrated, I could almost hear the waves crashing outside my window.
    Some parts of the move were beginning to improve.
    “Looks very tropical, Sis.”
    I spun toward Grant’s voice. “I know. Wait until I get the pictures up.”
    “Is that what you disappeared in the craft store for yesterday?”
    I nodded. “Yup. Destination photos. Beaches. Castles. All the things I want to see someday.”
    He sat down on the window seat. “Your lover boy called earlier. I told him you were out.”
    My mood deflated a little. “Bryan? Again? That’s three times this week.”
    “Why don’t you tell him to get lost? He’s weird.”
    With a snort, I picked up one of the framed photos I had stacked next to the bed. “It might sound hypocritical coming from me.”
    Grant shrugged. “He doesn’t know that.”
    I set the picture down with a sigh. “I don’t really like him all that much either, but he’s a start. I don’t want to begin school as the strange new kid. Bryan acts like the kind of person who knows everyone. So I’m trying to be nice.”
    Grant laughed. “You’re using him for his social connections?”
    When he put it that way, I felt like pond scum. “Shut up. That’s not what I meant.”
    “It’s okay. Please promise me you aren’t going to date him.”
    “Why would I? He’s just being nice.” I refused to see it as anything else.
    His brows rose. “The boy is crushing on you hard. If you told him to bark like a dog, he’d ask what breed.”
    “Grant, stop it. I’m not trying to be mean. I want to be normal here. I want to make friends.” I glared. “Bryan seems like the kind who can either make sure I never hang out with anyone, or introduce me to the whole student body. If he’s too friendly, I’ll deal with it. It’s a small town, and eventually the novelty will wear off. Then he’ll go fixate on someone else.”
    My brother blinked at me, then rubbed a hand through his hair. “I guess I never really considered that. Sorry.”
    “I am what I am and I’m okay with it. But I’d like to keep my secrets to myself as long as I can.” Though it had never worked