Tonight The World Dies by Amber White Read Free Book Online Page A

clean clothes, just as Billie turned the shower off.
    “I’ll give Billie hers’” I said, taking the clothes with a not-so-fake smile. I couldn’t remember the last time I had clothes I didn’t wash in a creek or river.
    The clothes turned out to be old shorts for us girls, jeans for the guys, and baggy shirts, but they were clean and looked like they’d be more than comfortable. Maybe these people weren’t so bad after all.
    “Yo, Billie! Mary gave us some clean clothes. Open up so I can hand you yours.” I said.
    The door cracked open and Billie snatched the stack out of my hand. She marched out a minute later, fully dressed, the shirt so big on her it covered her shorts. She was clean, and shining. Her face lit up like a light bulb. I couldn’t wait to get in there.
    I bolted in after her and stripped in record time. The water was warm and wonderful, the five minutes I spent scrubbing and soaking was like an eternity in heaven. I dried off slowly, the fluffy towel on top of the stack on the counter was like a soft embrace. I could hear the boys outside the door, waiting for their turn, so I dressed quickly and opened the door. Sully rushed in, his hand brushing my waist and hip as he passed.
    “Where’s your sister?” I asked Dean as Sully shut the door behind me.
    “She went downstairs. Mary said to put our dirty clothes with the rest of our stuff outside. I guess there’s a pile by where we handed them the laundry.”
    “Thanks,” I said, and trotted downstairs.
    Outside, I spotted the other daughter, Elizabeth, talking to Mary and her mother.
    “Just leave those here and go on back inside. There are drinks waiting for you in the kitchen.” Amy said.
    I set my clothes down in the pile next to my bag. “Thank you Ma’am.” I said.
    “You can leave your boots here too. I’m sure they could use an airing out.” Elizabeth pointed behind me, where Billie’s shoes lay in the sun. “We don’t mind if you walk barefoot around here. Just don’t get any mud on the carpets.”
    “Thank you, you’re too kind.” I said, slipping my shoes off and placing them next to Billie’s.
    I walked back inside, the warm grass beneath me tickling my feet. I didn’t know where the kitchen was, so I just followed the sound of voices coming from a few rooms over. Billie sat with some of the people we had met out front, sipping lemon-aid out of a tall glass. She was chatting animatedly with a guy I hadn’t seen before. He was closer to Brennan’s age than anyone else’s, and looked a bit softer than all the others, including the women. He reminded me of a lab technician, more the type to have his nose in a book or be studying something in a beaker than to be living on a farm.
    “Jo is the most evil human being on the planet, and may, in fact, be Satan herself.” Billie laughed.
    The man laughed and looked up. “Wow.” He said, spotting me.
    “Wow?” I asked. “Is something wrong?” I wondered if my shirt was see-through.
    “No, it’s just that the way Billie here talked about you, I could have sworn you were a demon. Horns, tail, and all.”
    I laughed and sat down next to her. She winced dramatically, pretending to be afraid that I’d hit her or something.
    “No, really, she’s not that bad.” She threw her arm around me, pulling me into a warm hug. “Jo, this is Bobby. He used to be a biochemist.” And that’s where warning flag number two should have popped up.
    “Hi Bobby,” I waved quickly and folded both my hands together on my lap.
    Sully chose that moment to walk in, deep in conversation with Andy. Brennan poured two glasses of lemon-aid for me and Sully, handing over the frosty glasses.
    “Why, hello there,” Andy said, staring down at me. He looked like a wolf that just spotted a fat sheep. “You’ve got some great boobs.”
    Sully’s fist tightened under the table, his leg brushing mine as he moved. I stopped him with a touch to his knee.
    Brennan and Bobby glared at him.