Dreams of Fire (Maple Hill Chronicles Book 1) by Elizabeth Alix Read Free Book Online Page A

my own colors. The hell with him.
    She dipped the roller in time to the suddenly clear Queen lyrics, “We will, we will rock you…” and obliterated the last of the green. Singing loudly helped drive away the unpleasant feeling of being watched. The raw umber tinted white would look great in this room, and she couldn’t wait to top coat it. With the humidity, it was going to take the rest of the day and all night to dry properly. Given the strong smell of paint, she was going to have to sleep in the living room.
    Her arms ached with the effort of moving the roller up and down, and she gratefully took a break. She grabbed her purse and a couple of paper bags from the co-op, told Oscar she was going out, and locked the door behind her.  

    In the silence and stillness of the house someone observed the fresh paint and blotches on the walls and grew angry. He had lain quiescent for a time absorbed by memories of a lifetime, but now someone was living in his house again. Her things clashed with his house and did not belong there. That was not to be tolerated. Once something was yours, you never let it go. This one was alone and would be easy to dominate or frighten off. Everyone had a weakness. He just had to find hers.

    The verdant green of the maple and oak trees lining the Violet Lane filtered the hot August sunlight and made a cool tunnel on the way up to Primrose. Her immediate neighbors lived in a blue, two-story, raised ranch style house with a well kept lawn bordered by beautifully tended flower gardens. Maybe she could stop by that evening and introduce herself and prevail upon them to lend her a ladder. Further toward Primrose there were other well-tended lawns, making hers the only one that looked ragged and unkempt. Maybe someone would have a lawn mower to lend or have a teen or ‘tween who wanted to earn a little extra.
    Main Street was more crowded than it had been that morning, and she stepped into a bustling co-op market. Fresh fruit and veggies and something to cook for dinner were on her list.  
    The PA switched on and a nasal New York twang declared, “Scott? Scott? There’s a spill on aisle three. It’s the Hansen kid again. Bring the haz-mat team: it’s reeeally sticky.”
    Marianne couldn’t help chuckling. Whoever did the announcements had a good sense of humor. She got her produce and a small steak and was browsing the things in the supplements and herbal remedies aisle when the PA clicked on again. This time her ears pricked in anticipation.
    A breathless, vapid valley girl voice said in positively orgasmic tones, “Ohmigawd! The deli just put out a plate of their like toh-tally amaaazing bak-lahva for samples! If you, like, want any, you’d better hurry and get some before they are, like, toh-tally vacuumed up!” Click.
    Marianne glanced toward the deli counter to see the customers smiling and reaching for a plate on the top of the meat case. The two employees behind the counter were laughing and cutting up more. She smiled and finished shopping. While at the checkout there was one more announcement, this time in the voice of deepest ennui, “Floral, you have a call on line two.” A heavy sigh wafted across the microphone, “Ffffloral, line two.”
    Marianne chuckled appreciatively. The statuesque, blonde woman in front of her turned and smiled at her in a friendly way. Emboldened Marianne said, “The announcements here are great!”
    The blonde nodded, and Marianne noticed two lavender locks framing her face. “Yup. Arlo is a riot!”
    “That’s one person? It sounded like three different people.”
    “Yeah, he’s local talent,” she said proudly, then added, “Are you new to Maple Hill?”
    Marianne nodded.
    “It’s nice to meet you.” She stuck her hand out. “I’m Kelly Walker. I own Hair Magic, if you ever need a new hair dresser.”
    Marianne shook her strong, tanned hand and said, “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”
    It was Kelly’s turn at the register, and she