The Secret of the Scarlet Stone (A Gabby Girls Adventure Novel, Book One) by T.L. Clarke Read Free Book Online Page B

have the nerve to threaten to tell on Zora like she’s some sort of sniveling servant.” Gabrielle smiled tauntingly . “Now, does that answer your question , Princess Rosalinda?”
    Rosalinda looked at her furiously as she daintily stepped off the bed, primly smoothing out her skirt . “How dare you talk to me like that ? ”
    Gabrielle looked at her angrily, “No, how dare you treat us like you’re better than us?”
    Jessica nervously looked from Gabrielle to Rosalinda.
    Sighing softly, Zora adjusted her glasses . “ I t ’ s okay , Gabrielle.”
    Gabrielle looked over at Zora irritably . “No, it’s not okay , Zora . ” She snapped her head back around, looking Rosalinda up and down with disgust . “It’s not okay for Princess Rosalinda to act like she ’ s better than any of us.”
    By then, Gabrielle and Rosalinda stood toe-to-toe, huffing and puffing like two angry bulls rearing to fight.
    Swallowing hard, Jessica s tepped in between them, prying them apart. “Look, we’re roommates and we’ll have to live with each other for a while. So, why don’t we try to get along? Please?” Jessica looked over at Rosalinda with pleading eyes . “Rosalinda, will you help us look for Oscar?”
    Rosalinda looked over at Jessica then at Gabrielle . “Fine, I’ll help,” she replied grumpily. “Grande, ahora estoy buscando arenas,” she muttered as she lifted a pillow and blanket off the bed.
    Jessica looked over at Rosalinda . “Rosalinda, what does that mean?”
    Rosalinda smiled slightly . “I’m sorry, that’s a bad habit of mine. I tend to speak Spanish , especially when I’m angry. I said , ‘G reat, now I ’ m looking for spiders.”
    Smiling shyly, Jessica turned around and continued to carefully look under the bed for Oscar.
    Gabrielle looked around the floor but there was no Oscar in sight. She huffed in frustration, marching toward the closet. From the corner of her eye, she spotted a dark shadow slowly moving across the floor.
    “ Zora , I think I found Oscar,” Gabrielle screamed excitedly. She slowly walked toward the closet, warily looking at Oscar , who was now c ircling around in the corner as if looking for a safe place to hide. Carefully she leaned down and pick ed him up. She giggled deliciously as Oscar slowly crawled across her palm, his feet softly tickling her skin.
    Rosalinda’s green eyes bulged frightfully as she watched Oscar crawling around quite comfortably in the center of Gabrielle’s hand. Letting out a high-pitched scream at the top of her lungs, she quickly jumped onto the bed.
    Zora quickly walked over to Gabrielle with a small glass tank cradled in her arms . “Oh , thank you , Gabi. Please, drop him in here.”
    Grinning hugely , Gabrielle dropped him into the tank . “No problem , Zora . That’s what friends are for. Okay, you can hop off the bed now , Princess Rosalinda,” she yelled in a sing-song voice.
    Rosalinda awkwardly stepped off the bed and gave Zora an apologetic smile . “I apologize for my earlier behavior. However, I do want you to know that I still do not approve of having pets in the room. But I will not tell Ms. Vineswell about this as long as that thing stays in the tank.”
    Softly cooing at Oscar, Zora distractedly looked up at Rosalinda . “Okay, no problem. Really, this is the first time that Oscar has ever gotten out of his tank . I promise it won’t happen again.” Happily she walked over to the window, gently placing the tank down on the windowsill.
    Sauntering over to her bed, Gabrielle pulled from her luggage a small battered metal box with colorful stickers plastered all over it. She quickly sat on the bed , crossing her legs happily as she opened the box.
    Curiously, Jessica walked over to Gabrielle, sitting down on the edge of her bed. She pointed her finger a t the box . “So, what’s in there , Gabi?”
    Gabrielle smiled mysteriously . “Why don’t you take a look?”
    Jessica’s eyes popped open with glee as she