Chameleon by Kenya Wright Read Free Book Online Page A

been slowly roasting it for days.
    Thank you, goddess.
    “What do you need so much blood for?” Rich asked as Fin left.
    “None of your business,” I replied. Sauce trickled down my chin. Rich seized it with his thumb before I could lick it away. I stepped back and wiped my mouth with the rag as he sucked on his sauce covered finger.
    “Love the food?” he asked . “We’ve got a new runaway in our tribe. His dad is a chef up in Yemaya somewhere. The boy knows how to cook doesn’t he?”
    “Your tribe got two new kids in a row? Wow! Isn’t that out of order?” I finished one antenna kabob and attacked the other. “Half Moon hasn’t received any new kids yet. Your tribe is bigger than everybody else’s. They’re going to start complaining.”
    “Half Moon already argued with us and tried to attack. Wiz intercepted and approved the new additions.”
    I swallowed the meat and giggled. “Intercepted and approved, huh?  Pretty big words.”
    He leaned in and whispered, “I know , right? I impress myself every day. Thanks again for those reading lessons.”
    “Thank you for being an excellent student. Maybe you can convince some of the others to learn how to read.” I finished my last bit of food and licked the antenna.
    “I’m not a god, Cameo. Some things are out of my hand.” He snatched the empty antennas from me and handed them to a young kid near him. “Go put them in the kitchen.”
    I wiped my hands on my dress and hopped back on the ledge. An image of the pale-faced man with red scales flashed in my head.  He’d called Wiz by his real name. Theo. Only Rich, his twin sister, and me knew Wiz’s real name.
    I twisted to Rich . “Do you know anything about the Bearded Dragon or—”
    Rich yanked me down. I fell back a little and then he pulled me to him, shaking me by my arms. “Where did you hear that name from?”
    “Calm down.” I struggled out of his arms, but Rich snatched me up again and pressed his chest into mine. His breath brushed against my forehead. A sweet candy scent drifted down to my nose. “Don’t ever say that name out loud. Are you insane? Where the hell is Wiz at?”
    “He’s fine,” I mumbled. “Who’s this Bearded Dragon guy?”
    “Motherpounder! I just said don’t say that,” he groaned. “I’m guarding you, tonight. Something is up and you’re too hard headed to say it.”
    “You’re not guarding me.” I shoved at his chest but he didn’t budge. I f licked my scales back and forth and hoped to disgust him enough to release me.
    He wagged his eyebrows. “Now, you’re just turning me on.”
    “Yeah right.” I shifted my weight on one foot. “Wiz is okay. He’s just a little tired right now.”
    Rich cursed under his breath. “He cast a spell?”
    I nodded.
    “How much did he use?”
    “A good bit.” I thought of the birds and cringed. “A whole lot.”
    “You can’t tell anybody. Not even my sister. There’s too much tension in Haven. The other tribes are getting tired of Wiz bossing everyone around.” Rich gestured at a little kid that looked like he was eight. “Let the rope ladder down, Lito.”
    The kid sneezed, wiped the snot away with the back of his hand, and untied a long hoop of rope and chains to lower the ladder. Rich whistled down below. A long whistle returned. He threw my brick-climbers over the ledge. A clickety clack echoed back to us.
    “Why are we taking the ladder? Where are your brick-climbers?” I asked.
    Rich leaned in . “I lost them.”
    Wiz would trip. It was the third pair this month Rich had lost. It would mean spending more money we didn’t have.
    “I’ll buy you some new ones without Wiz knowing if you tell me about the Bearded Dragon.”
    “Stop saying that name !”
    “Fine.”
    “Tell my sister I’ll be back in the morning,” Rich yelled back as I got on the ladder. “I’ll be with Cameo in her room all night.”
    A few kids whispered on our side.
    I raised my eyebrows. “Did you have to say it