Inner Demons by Sarra Cannon Read Free Book Online

All I know is that if there's one person who is hurt, it's not that hard for her to heal them. But if there were, say, five people critically injured, she'd likely kill herself trying to heal them all. Certain magic can really drain you.”
    I thought about what she'd said. It made sense. Nothing in this world was free, so of course magic had a cost.
    “So changing my hair color or something might be too hard? Or might drain me and make me sick?”
    “I honestly don't know.”
    “Should we try it?”
    Lark looked at me like I was crazy. “Did you hear what I said about the sickness and the possible death?”
    “Oh come on,” I said. “You think changing my hair color is going to kill me?”
    She took a deep breath and rolled her eyes. “I guess not.”
    “Okay, so here's the deal. I change my hair from blonde to brown. Then we'll see how long it lasts on its own.”
    It took me nearly an hour to pull it off, and even then, my hair was more of a reddish color than a pure brown. I finally had to stop trying because Lark was right, concentrating at that level wore me out. I started to feel light-headed and weak.
    By morning, my hair was blonde again.
    “It must have turned back sometime while we were sleeping,” I said, studying my hair closely in the mirror.
    “I still can't believe you did it,” she said. “Can you promise me something?”
    I turned away from the mirror to look at her. She sounded so serious for someone who usually did nothing but giggle. “Sure.”
    “Don't tell anyone you can do this, okay? My mother taught me the room thing because she was tired of having to repaint it all the time. I'm not supposed to know how to do it. If anyone found out, it could get us both in some serious trouble. Maybe even my mom too.”
    “So why risk teaching me in the first place?”
    Lark looked down at her feet. She was standing on the bright yellow rug. She looked embarrassed.
    “Because I saw your face when you had to put that expensive blue dress back yesterday,” she said.

Her Dark Confidence
     
    “I need a dress,” I said to Courtney.
    We were sitting on the couch Sunday afternoon watching TV. Ever since Agnes died, Courtney and I had started hanging out some when we were both home. She was only a Freshman so I didn't see her much at school, but she was actually a pretty cool girl.
    “I can't believe you're dating Drake Ashworth,” she said with obvious admiration, pulling her legs up onto the couch to sit criss-cross. She pushed her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear.
    “Me either,” I said. “You should have seen him the first time we met. As soon as he learned where I was living, he couldn't get away from me fast enough.”
    “Really? What changed, do you think?”
    I shrugged. “I have no idea. One day I was a social outcast, and the next I was being invited to try out for the cheerleading squad. I guess that's when Drake started paying attention to me.”
    Of course, I didn't mention the fact that I shared a demon heritage with all of the other girls on the squad, but I knew now that was the reason why everyone treated me differently all of a sudden. Once you were chosen, you were in. What I didn't understand was why one girl was chosen and another wasn't even though they shared the same basic magical abilities. I wondered if Courtney and Mary Anne could do magic, too?
    The only problem was that to ask the question, I'd be admitting I could do magic. I wasn't sure I should be talking about those things with anyone outside of the Order.
    “So what kind of dress are you going to wear?” she asked.
    I grabbed a handful of popcorn. “I have no clue. It's not like I have any money to buy one, but all I have in my closet are some old skirts.”
    “I've never been to a school dance, but I'm pretty sure Ms. Shadowford would give you some money if you need it.”
    I stuffed the popcorn in my mouth. I hadn't even considered asking Ella Mae or Mrs. Shadowford for money.
    After what