Boy from the Woods (9781311684776) by Jen Minkman Read Free Book Online

him?
    The rest of
the concert went by in a blur. When the spectators flocked together
outside after the music finished, Julia walked up to Moritz,
Florian and Gaby having a cigarette outside. “I’m
going home,” she announced. “I’m completely knackered.”
    “That’s all right.” Gaby
patted her sweetly on the head. “Did you
have fun, though?”
    “Yeah , I adored the music! And
I’m not even just saying that because Moritz is standing next to
me.” She smiled at Florian’s new flame. He smiled
back.
    “Why don’t
you borrow my MP3 player?” Gaby pulled
the thing from her kangaroo pouch. “So you can listen to some of
the songs on your way back home. But I’ll be wanting yours in
return.”
    “Sure you’re
not going to cry over parting ways with your sinister goth and rock
tunes?” Axel asked with a playful grin.
    Gaby shook her
head. “Nope, I like Enya. Besides, I
wouldn’t want to ruin my eyeliner again and look like
shit.”
    “Well, as
long as you don’t smell like shit.”
    “Shut up !” Gaby
shoved Axel.
    Julia said
goodbye to everyone and got on the next available bus passing the
pub. As she got on, the first raindrops
of a sweltering summer storm started to patter on the roof of the
bus.

    The rain
didn’t let up on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Long, summery showers hit the town of Salzburg but didn’t do
anything to alleviate the stifling heat. After the rain, the high
temperatures were somehow even more oppressive. Wisps of clouds
hung between the mountain peaks like mysterious fog from another
world.
    Julia stood
in the yard, sniffing the air. She wanted
to go for a run in the woods, but it was still way too hot now.
Actually, she’d prefer running in the rain. Maybe she should wait
for that.
    “Are you staring down the clouds?” Anne
asked, popping up next to her with the storybook under one arm.
    “No, I’m calling out to them. I want to go
running in the rain.”
    Anne sat down on the bench under the awning.
“I worked on our tree house with Sabine. See, we want it to look
like this.” She pointed at a picture of the tree palace belonging
to the fairies in the book.
    “Wow. That’s kind of ambitious. Are you sure
you’ll manage?”
    “Wait till
you see it, big sister. You’ll be surprised. Thorsten
said he’d come and help us too. You know,
Sabine’s brother.”
    “Oh, that guy you seem to like so much.”
    Anne snorted.
“ I don’t like him. I thought he might be your type.”
    At that
moment, Axel emerged from the house. He’d
dropped by on his old scooter to have lunch with them and borrow
some books. “I’m off. Hey, Jules, did you have that job interview
at Höllrigl yet?”
    “Going there tomorrow afternoon. I called
them yesterday, but the manager won’t be in until tomorrow.”
    “Well, let me
know about those employee benefits, okay? I’ll come round and reap
them when you’re manning the checkout. A
bookworm is always hungry.”
    “So is a tapeworm,” Anne supplied absently,
her head in the storybook.
    Axel
suppressed a laugh. “Aren’t you a little
Wikipedian.” He smiled proudly at her. “Come here, worm, want me to
read you a story?” He sat down on the bench next to
Anne.
    While Anne
listened to ‘The Prince of Trees’ yet
again, Julia went inside to put on her running gear and get Gaby’s
iPod. When she got back outside, it was raining just as she had
hoped. Dark storm clouds were gathering in the skies.
    Axel pulled a
face as he started his scooter and put on
his helmet. “Hoping for the best,” he said, looking up at the
sky.
    “This is the best!” Julia
waved at him before sprinting off, popping in her earbuds before
slowing down at the end of the street. She jogged toward the forest
at a leisurely pace.
    The
wind-swept trees swished and showered
raindrops on her head. It wasn’t raining heavily yet, but the sound
of the falling water hitting the tops of the trees sent an
agreeable quiver through her body. She set course for her