Raven by V. C. Andrews Read Free Book Online Page B

been thinking so," he said.
"How could I do it? I wasn't in your room until I went upstairs with Aunt Clara to clean the mess," I said quietly.
"You must have done it before."
"Why?"
"To get me in trouble," she whined.
"Why would I do that?" I asked. "Why would I stoop so low as to put something like that under your pillow?"
She stared at me hatefully. Then she turned to Uncle Reuben. "Daddy!" she moaned.
"Jennifer's never done anything like this before," he said. "I'd bet you have."
"You'd lose," I said.
"Daddy, I didn't do it," Jennifer cried, stamping her foot.
"All right. All right. I believe you." He thought a moment. I could see there was an inkling of doubt in his mind. "We'll let it go for now, but be on the lookout for any more trouble, even the slightest. If I find drugs in this house again, I'll bring the owner to the police. That's a promise," he said, directing his words mostly at me.
Jennifer looked satisfied and glanced at me with an expression of contentment. "I'm tired," she said. "I have to rest before I go to the movies."
She hurried away. Nothing more was said about it, but when we left for school the next day, she hurried up to me before mounting the steps to the bus.
"I know you did that with the joint."
"It was yours. You accidentally left it in your lunch bag, but I got it out in time so you wouldn't get in trouble. I thought you would appreciate my hiding it for you," I said, pretending to be dumb.
She stared at me, and then her eyes filled with cold understanding before she stepped onto the bus. Later, I told Terri, and the two of us had fun telling our other friends. Jennifer avoided me most of the day. It was one of my best days at the new school, but I was still wishing it would all come to an end. I had had enough of Uncle Reuben and battling with Jennifer.
My hopes died a quick death when we got home that afternoon. Jennifer refused to talk to me on the bus and walked slowly so I would get to the house first. As soon as I entered, Aunt Clara stepped out of the living room, her hand clutching a handkerchief to her mouth.
"What's wrong?" I asked. Jennifer came up behind me.
"Your mother," Aunt Clara said. "She's gone and run off from the rehabilitation clinic. She's a fugitive."
"Great," Jennifer said, "Maybe she'll come for you, and you can run off together."
"Stop that talk!" Aunt Clara cried in a voice so sharp and shrill even I took note. "I won't have it."
Jennifer's eyes filled with tears. "You care more about her than you do me," she accused. Aunt Clara started to shake her head. "Yes, you do. But I'm not surprised," she added, and flew up the stairs.
"I should leave," I murmured, looking after her.
"Where would you go? You have to be with family," Aunt Clara insisted.
Family, I thought. That's a word I'll never understand.

5 Behind Closed Doors
    "C an you believe it?" Uncle Reuben cried as he entered the house. "The police came to my office, came to see - file at work! The police! Everyone sees them and wants to know what's going on. My sister, I had to tell them, has run away from her drug rehabilitation center, violated court orders. She's some kind of fugitive, and the police came to see if she's contacted me. I can tell you this. If she does have the nerve to contact me, I'll turn her in. She's dragging us all down with her!"
    I was in my room trembling, but I could hear him slamming things around in the kitchen.
"Please don't get yourself so upset, Reuben," Aunt Clara pleaded.
"Don't get upset?" He laughed madly. "My sister's rotten through and through, Clara. She's like some dark, rancid piece of fruit stinking up the place. Now I got her juvenile delinquent to raise. Why didn't she think before she got herself pregnant by that nogood Cuban bum? The state's going to pay us for this. I'll see to that. I see this kind of thing all the time . . women who can't afford to have children, who should never have children, just raining them down on the rest of us. That's why taxes is so high,