Kindred Spirits by Phoebe Rivers Read Free Book Online Page A

spilled from labeled containers. The floor sparkled with glitter.
    Dwight and Eleanor stood arm in arm, inspectingall the framed photographs hanging on the far wall. I hoped they wouldn’t touch them. How would I ever explain moving frames?
    â€œIs it okay if Buddy’s up here?” Lily held his new blue leash.
    â€œYeah, it’s not like he’s going to make it any messier,” I said.
    â€œAre you ready?” Lily checked out my frayed jean shorts and purple tank. “You don’t look ready.”
    â€œI’m good. We’re just going to the boardwalk.”
    â€œBut Mason’s coming. He texted me. Well, I texted him and then he texted back, but same thing.”
    â€œSo what? He doesn’t like me.”
    â€œDon’t be so negative. He’s just warming up to you.”
    â€œWarm? It felt pretty cold the other day between us.”
    â€œThings will get hot, hot, hot in the haunted house!” Lily sang, rubbing her hands together and waggling her eyebrows at me.
    I laughed at Lily’s ridiculous gestures. “Oh, please.” Could I get out of it? I didn’t like haunted houses. I had enough spooky stuff here.
    â€œLet’s go,” Lily said, clapping her hands, unableto hold back her excitement. “Lucky for you, you’re naturally gorgeous, so you can get away with that . . . less-than-spectacular outfit. We have to get a move on! I want to see how they spookified the place. That’s what David said it was— spookified !”
    The boardwalk was Lily’s favorite place. She’d grown up alongside it, and her large family owned half the businesses there, but she never tired of the rides, the Skee-Ball, or the pizza and ice cream. Every trip to the boardwalk was an adventure. I couldn’t back out.
    â€œAlmost ready,” I promised. I tied one last shell onto the wind chimes. Eleanor hovered nearby, ready to dig her hands into my plastic bag of shells. I knotted it closed.
    Then I made a double knot.
    â€œBuddy, stop pulling.” Lily tugged the leash. Buddy strained against her grip. “What’s with you, boy?”
    Buddy inched forward. His collar pushed into the fur around his neck. His tongue panted wildly. Lily loosened her hold, and Buddy scampered to the closet door. He gave a high-pitched whine, then scratched at it with his paw.
    â€œDon’t do that, Buddy.” Lily yanked him back.
    Buddy wouldn’t leave the door. His rapid panting grew more urgent.
    Lily turned to me. “What’s in there?”
    Panic bloomed in my lungs. “Just supplies,” I said.
    And the ghost of a young boy.
    Buddy’s whining grew louder. Lily couldn’t pull him away.
    â€œThis is ridiculous.” Before I could react, Lily flung open the closet door.
    There stood the shimmering ghost of Henry.
    I cringed, preparing for disaster.
    Even Eleanor and Henry stopped peeking under the table to watch.
    Henry dropped to his knees and hugged Buddy. The dog’s tail swished happily. His whining and panting stopped. Henry rubbed behind his ears as Buddy curled up at his feet.
    Lily yanked the cord that dangled from the ceiling. A single bare bulb lit the shelves of crafting supplies my dad had just installed in the small walk-in closet. “Buddy, what’s wrong with you? There’s nothing here.”
    â€œMaybe he likes the smell of glue,” I offered.
    â€œI thought maybe he sensed something in yourhouse.” Lily sounded disappointed.
    â€œSensed what?”
    Otherwordly things. I’ve read that dogs are sometimes really in tune with paranormal stuff. I thought maybe Buddy was, and he was sensing something. But I think you’re right . . . it’s probably just the glue.”
    I was trying to figure out how to respond to that when my dad poked his head in the room, providing the perfect distraction.
    â€œHey, Mr. C.! I like your new haircut!” Lily