Party Games by R. L. Stine Read Free Book Online Page A

me.
    Spying on me.
    â€œRachel? Are you okay?” April’s voice broke into my thoughts. She stared at me. “You have the strangest look on your face.”
    â€œOh. Uh … no biggie,” I said, my eyes on Mac. “I just felt a chill.”

 
    9.
    BLOOD IN THE WATER
    Â 
    The storm clouds slid apart as we neared Fear Island, and rays of yellow sunlight slanted down on the bare trees. Shielding my eyes with one hand, I could see a couple of small summer cottages, boarded up for winter, with their tiny docks empty.
    I’m going to have an awesome time, I told myself. I’ve left Mac behind and I’m going to a party in an island mansion, and stay up all night, and make new friends, and maybe get close to Brendan Fear, and have a total blast.
    And somehow … this time I really believed it.
    As Randy guided the boat around the curve of the island, the Fear house came into view, rising above the trees like a dark tower. Brendan’s house was not a summer cottage. It looked more like a castle. It was at least three stories high, built of black stone that glowed under the sunlight, tall windows, all dark, a slanting red roof with chimneys poking up all up and down its length, and balconies that jutted out toward the trees.
    I really am entering a different world, I thought, gazing over the glare of the water at the incredible mansion.
    â€œCute little cottage,” Patti said, snapping a photo with her phone. “Think there’s enough room for a party?”
    â€œI’ve lived in Shadyside my whole life, but I’ve never seen this place,” I said. “I knew the Fears were rich. But I never imagined…”
    The boat rocked in the water, slowing as we approached the wooden dock. I turned to Eric. “You and Brendan come here a lot, right?”
    He nodded. “Yeah. Believe it or not, that humongous castle is just Brendan’s summer house. They closed it up in September. Brendan and I hang here a lot. It’s seriously boring.”
    â€œBoring?”
    â€œThere’s no Internet. No WiFi. No bars on your phone. It’s like … welcome to caveman days.”
    I laughed. “That could be a good thing.”
    A gust of wind blew his hair straight up on his head. “It’s a good place to film a horror movie,” he said, pushing the wild tuft of hair back down with one hand. “Big rooms filled with heavy, old furniture. Long dark halls twisting this way and that. It’s supposed to be a summer house. But the whole place is dark and depressing.”
    He pointed. “See all those huge windows? I mean, even when it’s sunny out, the light doesn’t seem to come in.”
    â€œWeird.”
    His eyes grew wide. “There are long, creepy shadows everywhere. And the shadows seem to move on their own. And I’m always hearing horrible howls from up in the attic.”
    I laughed. “Now you’re just trying to scare me—aren’t you?”
    He grinned. “You think so?”
    The boat bumped hard against the wooden dock. A few kids cried out in surprise. Eric pretended to fall off his seat and landed on his butt on the deck. He really is like a five-year-old. He’s kind of cute, but he’s a big baby. And he always has to be the center of attention.
    Kerry helped pull him to his feet. Randy leaped onto the dock and tied the catamaran to the pilings. We scrambled to climb off. The spray from the lake air made my face feel cold and damp. I took a deep breath and inhaled a wonderful sweet aroma from the trees.
    â€œSee you guys later,” Randy said, helping April off the boat. “Antonio and Miguel will guide you up to the house.”
    Antonio was a tall, lean young man with tiny dark eyes, a sharp nose, a shiny round stud in one nostril, and black hair pulled behind his head in a ponytail that fell down his back.
    Miguel was older, shorter, and pudgy, an African American with a