The Princes of Tangleforest by Dorlana Vann Read Free Book Online

really consider what he did as sneaking out. His mom had gone to bed, and he simply didn’t want to wake her. He locked the front door behind him and crossed the street. After dark, the entire neighborhood shut down. Far scattered dim streetlights and the lack of cars seemed to make the sound of the frogs and crickets louder, creepier.
    As he stood under Poppi’s window, he began to doubt what she had meant by the note. Grandma sleeps at midnight. Surely it had meant for him to come back at midnight. He looked down at his phone. 12:05. A bit ambitious? A tiny bit too enthusiastic? He stood there, feeling like a fool, wondering what he should do, where he should stand, and if he should throw acorns and pinecones at her window like he did before, when he heard her.
    “Boy? Are you there?”
    He stepped out of the shadows. “Tanner,” he whispered up. “My name is Tanner.”
    She smiled. “Tanner. I’m glad you came back. I don’t get to talk to anyone except for grandma.”
    “Really?” The rumor that she was held prisoner by her grandmother once again entered his mind. “Why not?”
    “Shhh,” she said. “You’ll wake her.”
    “Can you come down here so we can talk?” he whispered.
    She shook her, looking away from his stare.
    He thought for a moment before saying, “Can I come up there?”
    “No!” she said quickly. “I don’t know.”  She tilted her head to the side. “How?”
    “Can you unlock the front door?”
    She shook her head. “I can’t.”
    An oak tree stood tall beside him. The obvious choice, but he wasn’t much of a climber. He jumped several times before he reached the shortest branch. Putting his feet on the trunk of the tree, he walked up the side until he could maneuver his ankles around the branch he held onto. He hung there, knowing he needed to be on top of the branch. He felt nervous. Mostly because she was watching him, probably ready to shut the window by now.
    He walked his feet a little past the branch, pulling, grunting, and twisting until he was on top of it and faced Poppi. She had her hand over her mouth, and her eyes were wide. “Hi,” he said and sat up. He scooted backwards until his back hit the trunk of the tree. Sliding up the tree with his hands over his head, he grabbed the branch above him and walked to Poppi’s window.
    He held his breath as he let go of the branch and balanced the two steps to the side of the house. With one foot on the branch and the other on the gutter, his hands and face were plastered against the top part of the window. Poppi backed slowly away, but at least she wasn’t rolling on the floor laughing.  He walked his hands down until he could safely squat. He tumbled in the window, landing inside Poppi’s room.
    He leaned over with his hands on his knees and inhaled and exhaled and then stood straight in the window-shaped moonlight. The room was gloomy dark, only flickers of light from different corners. Candles?He tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling the room caused: the shadow of the canopy bed loomed up and crawled halfway across the ceiling. A large doll house sat in the middle of the floor, and clusters of stuffed animals seemed to glare at him from every direction. “Poppi? Where are you?” he whispered.
    “I’m here,” she said softly.
    He turned toward her voice. She stepped into the soft light wearing a white gown that went down to her knees and covered her arms to the wrists. Her blonde hair flowed over her shoulders and down the front of her gown all the way to the hem.
     “Your… uhh… grandma,” he stammered. “You’re sure she’s asleep?”
    “Uh-huh.”
    As she took tiny steps toward him, the first thing he noticed were her pale blue eyes dotted with large black pupils that demanded attention against her fairness. Her face had a clean shine, perfect skin, and sharp features. When she smiled, Tanner found himself absorbed in the peaks of her lips, until he realized she stood mere inches away.
    Poppi