Supernatural Summer by Skye Genaro Read Free Book Online Page B

again. The watery edges rippled and took shape, until a phantom reflection hovered above the sill. I blinked hard, sure this was a delusion. But the image became clearer. I made out faint facial features. And a pair of piercing green eyes.
    Then, as quickly as it appeared, it dissolved.
    "You look like you're going to hurl," Becca whispered.
    I made a fist to stave off the prickling in my fingers. The image could have been caused by light playing off the wet glass. Or maybe it was an illusion created by Mr. King's reflection. I was willing to tell myself any number of lies to stay calm. None of them worked.
    As if on cue, cell phones around the room rang. My textbook quivered and flipped open. I smacked my hand down on the riffling pages.
    "Echo, you seem to know the material so well that you don't need to pay attention. So please solve this equation for us." Mr. King's mouth turned down in irritation.
    "Right. Sure," I mumbled.
    I ached to steal a glance at the window, but kept my eyes glued to the whiteboard.
    "D equals, um, velocity times time? Plus point five…"
    The air next to Mr. King began to shimmer. My voice trailed off and I gawked at the form taking shape.
    First, a pair of jeans. Then a long sleeved black t-shirt. They floated there for a moment, without a body to hold them up. Nobody saw this except me.
      Fear is not a polite emotion. All the blood whooshed right out of my brain and icy dread filled my chest. I moved my mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Just when I thought I’d reached the peak of panic, the chilling scream that I remembered from my dream in the hospital rang through my head.
    "Miss Bennett, is everything all right?"
    I managed a nod. Next to my teacher, a fuzzy human image filled the shimmering clothing. Olive skin on hands and arms. Black hair. And those green eyes.
    It was the guy from my dream.
    The translucent phantom scanned my classmates. He began at the opposite end of the room and searched each face with cold intent. Calmly, methodically, up one row and down the other.
    "Can you finish the problem?" Mr. King followed my gaze to the space next to him but he saw nothing. My classmates snickered. No one noticed the thing next to my teacher.
    "Um," I stuttered. At the sound of my voice, the phantom's eyes locked on me. He raised his chin slightly. Drilled me with his glare. Assessing. Scrutinizing.
    "Thirty-six. Just say thirty-six," Becca whispered.
    "Miss Bennett?"
    I glanced between Mr. King and the apparition.
    "Thirty-ssssix," I stuttered.
      "Is there something else you’d rather be doing, Ms. Bennett?"
      "Uhm…"
    The bell rang and I slapped my textbook closed. I leaned down to grab my bag and when dared to I look up again, the phantom was gone.
    Becca caught up to me in the hallway.
    "I hate to crush your vibe, but you’re starting to steal my reputation as the school freak. What happened back there?"
    "I feel sick. I’m going to the nurse’s office."
      Without further explanation, I left Becca outside the cafeteria and turned down the corridor leading to the office. A chill ran the length of my body and I cupped my hand next to my eyes to avoid seeing anything that might be reflected in the window. Or maybe to keep 'him' from seeing me.
    I dropped onto the bench outside the nurse's station. Three girls waited ahead of me.
    My panic diminished to a dull stomachache. There had to be a rational explanation for what I thought I'd witnessed. The high cheekbones forming above a harsh jawline. Veins prominent on forearms. Probing eyes that made me want to flee. This had to be a figment of my imagination. But if it wasn't real, why was my reaction so visceral?
    I rested my fingers on my temples. Surely this was a side effect of the concussion. Maybe I'd developed a brain tumor from the fall. And that dark mass was cutting off the blood supply and causing hallucinations. This gave me a glimmer of hope. I wasn't going insane. It was just a brain tumor!
    While that theory