Speak No Evil-Gifted 6 by Marilyn Kaye Read Free Book Online Page B

glared at her, but Amanda closed her eyes.
    She wasn’t lying when she admitted to Ken that she was a little nervous. She knew she was getting better and better at body-snatching, but there was always the chance something could go wrong. She could get stuck being a juvenile delinquent forever. But this would definitely impress her classmates. Nobody could call her selfish again.
    Quickly, she amended her thoughts. Of course she didn’t really care what any of those weirdos thought about her, and the only person she wanted to impress was Ken.
    Jenna poked her in the arm when it was time to get off the bus. ‘Don’t do that,’ Amanda snapped. ‘I’ll get a bruise.’ Which made her think of something else.
    ‘Do these kids at Harmony House get into physical fights?’ she asked nervously. She took the plugs out of her ears.
    Jenna shrugged. ‘The resident assistants break up the fights.’
    That wasn’t much comfort.
    ‘How long does it take for you to get into someone?’ Jenna asked.
    ‘That depends,’ Amanda replied. ‘If I feel really sorry for someone, if someone’s super-pitiful, it can happen pretty quickly.’
    Jenna looked at her curiously. ‘You were Sarah for a while, weren’t you? How did you make that happen? There’s nothing pitiful about Sarah.’
    Amanda looked at her scornfully. ‘Are you kidding? She’s a goody-goody. I don’t think she knows what fun means. She dresses like a ten-year-old. And have you ever seen her with a boy?’
    Jenna met Amanda’s scorn with her own scorn. ‘So what?’
    Amanda knew Jenna would never understand, so she didn’t even try to explain. ‘I don’t think it will be very difficult for me to take over someone at Harmony House. Considering the kind of people who end up there . . .’ She gave Jenna a meaningful look, but Jenna didn’t catch it. She was staring at someone across the street.
    ‘Look at that girl,’ Jenna said.
    Amanda gave her a quick once-over. She seemed to be in her mid-teens, average height, with long blonde hair and a backpack hanging from her shoulders. What Amanda found most interesting about her were her jeans. She recognized the new super-skinny washed-out style immediately – she’d been thinking about them ever since she saw them in Seventeen , and she was waiting for them to show up in one of the local boutiques. Where had that girl found them?
    But surely that wasn’t what interested Jenna. ‘What about her?’ Amanda asked.
    ‘She’s hitchhiking!’
    Sure enough, Amanda saw the girl stick out her thumb as a car passed. ‘That’s dangerous.’
    ‘No kidding,’ Jenna said. ‘She shouldn’t get into a car with a stranger.’
    Amanda shrugged. ‘Maybe someone nice will pick her up.’
    Jenna shook her head. ‘Most people don’t stop for hitchhikers. I mean, the hitchhiker could end up being a carjacker or something. It’s dangerous for both of them.’
    ‘Someone’s pulling over for her,’ Amanda said.
    Jenna stared at the driver. Then, under her breath, she swore.
    ‘What’s the matter?’ Amanda asked.
    ‘I’m getting his thoughts. He thinks she looks hot . . . I don’t think he just wants to give her a ride.’
    From what Amanda could see, the guy in the car looked pretty ordinary, but of course that didn’t mean anything. She’d seen enough photos of criminals to know that they could look like perfectly nice people.
    Both girls watched as the hitchhiker ambled towards the car.
    ‘We gotta stop her,’ Jenna declared.
    There was no way they could get across the busy street before the girl reached the car. Then Amanda had an idea.
    ‘Wait, I think I can do something.’ She stared at the hitchhiker. You stupid idiot, what are you doing? . . . No, that was scorn, not pity. She tried again.
    You poor thing, you have no idea what kind of danger you’re in, you’re going to suffer . . . Pity for the girl swept over her. She was getting closer to the car now, she was in big trouble . . .
    It was a