Chameleon by Kenya Wright Read Free Book Online

stroll their way.
    I hopped over with ease and searched all the campfires on the roof for where that yummy smoke had drifted.
    “Wow!” the girl asked. “Where you get the fancy dress from and where is Wiz?”
    Looking closer, I realized the bald girl was Fin.
    Just who I wanted to see.
    “It’s a long story,” I said. “But I’m glad I saw you first. I need you to get some blood for me.”
    “How much and what type?” Fin stepped up on the ledge. When she did grow hair on her head, it was a silky blonde. She’d hoped the bald head would stop the guys in the different tribes from trying to date her. Instead, the shaved head gave her beautiful face more definition and caused her to gain lots more attention. Thick grease coated her pale face and arms, making her impossible to get a grip on her in a fight. She yanked out a notepad from one of the pockets on her black tank top and pulled out a pencil from one of the pockets of her shorts.
    “I need a hundred dollars worth o f blood.” I looked behind her and spotted a huge campfire with a rack of old car antennas covered in meat and vegetables. “Get any type of blood that will give me a lot of it. Just deliver it to my room as soon as you can.”
    She held her hand in front of me and rubbed her fingers against themselves. “Money?”
    I hopped down on the roof and headed for the fire. “You know I’m good for it. If not, then put it on Wiz’s tab.”
    “And where is Wiz?” she asked behind me. “You are always putting stuff on his tab. If you stopped wasting your money by renting a freaking room you would have some—”
    “I like my room.”
    “It’s a waste of money.”
    “Then why are you always there?”
    “Because y ou think you’re better than us, so I come to remind you that you’re not.”
    “While you eat my food and watch my TV?”
    “Yes. So where’s Wiz? Is he going to be giving me my money within the hour?”
    “Wiz will be here soon. Come on. I always get you your money within twenty-four hours. Stop bothering me.” I pointed to the meat. “What are they cooking over there?”
    “Rat, onions, and potatoes.” Fin came to my side, stuffed the pad and pencil back in her pockets, and then took out the flashlight from a hip pocket.
    If a person didn’t live in Haven , then they had to pay for food.
    Fin huffed, “I suppose you want me to buy you some meat sticks and put it on Wiz’s tab too?”
    “Naw , put it on my tab,” Rich said behind us.
    We faced him. His dark skin shined in the moonlight. Black braids hung past his shoulders. He centered his gray eyes on Fin. “Why aren’t you already at the campfire, grabbing Cameo food?”
    Fin stomped off.
    I held in my laughter and shook my head. “You only have a few more days to boss Fin around. Are you trying to get in as many orders as you can?”
    “Definitely.” He flashed me a wide smile and slipped the machete he was holding back into a black leather sheath that matched the black jeans and shirt he wore. His huge biceps bulged with the movement. “Once my sister promotes her to tribe leader, I won’t be able to tell Fin nothing. I have to enjoy it while I can. Where’s Wiz?”
    “Goodness.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Why is everybody asking me that? Wiz is wherever he is.”
    “The only time you’re in Haven without him is when you both are in trouble.”
    “I doubt that,” I said as Fin headed over with two antennas full of seared rat meat and potatoes. Tan brown sauce dripped from them. I licked my lips and took both sticks. Eating would give me an energy boost, but soon I would have to collapse on my bed and sleep on my floor for a day or two. “Thanks for buying the food, Rich.”
    “I can have several liters of blood at your door in two hours.” Fin handed me a rag to be used as a napkin. “ And I want my money in twenty-four hours.”
    I bit a large chunk of meat. S weet mustard sauce hit my tongue. The bitter protein broke apart easily as if they’d