Read Online Bitter Demons by Sarra Cannon - Free Book Online Page B

one.
    "Well, what kind of magic can you do?"
    I bit my lip. Should I tell her about the
glamour? It was the only real magic I knew how to do besides moving
things around with my mind.
    "Come on," she said. "You've got to be able
to do something."
    I stood and held my hand out to her. She gave
me a sideways look.
    "I can't show you here," I said. "There's too
many people around."
    She took my hand and I led her upstairs to
one of the empty bedrooms. "This better be good," she said. "I was
comfy out there."
    "Well, I'm sure it's nothing you can't do," I
said. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath through my nose. I
tapped into the well of energy deep inside and concentrated on a
completely new look. Slightly more advanced than just changing my
outfit, but I wanted to prove to Caroline that I wasn't completely
clueless.
    "Holy cow," she said. She laughed and grabbed
my shoulders.
    My eyes opened and Caroline spun me around to
face the mirror. I looked exactly like her, down to the red nail
polish on her fingernails.
    "You've got to show me how to do that," she
said.
    I smiled, then checked to make sure the door
was locked.
     
     
     
Caroline, Is It?
    Ten minutes later, we came out of the
bedroom, mischievous looks on both our faces.
    "How do I look?" she asked.
    Looking at her was like having an out-of-body
experience. She looked exactly like me. Every tiny detail was
perfect.
    "Gorgeous," I said with a smile. "Almost as
good as the real me."
    "Meet you back in this room at midnight?" she
asked.
    "See you then," I said. "Have fun."
    She started to walk away, and I called out to
her. "Oh and Caro... I mean, Harper?"
    She spun around and giggled. "Yes,
Caroline?"
    "You might want to stay away from a guy named
Drake Ashworth."
    She laughed. "Will do," she said. "See
ya."
    She'd already known how to do a basic
glamour, so she caught on quickly to the more detailed switch of
changing her entire body to look like me. We were already about the
same height, so it wasn't too hard. We agreed to spend an hour
walking around the party, pretending to be each other, then meet at
midnight to switch back to our real selves.
    It was strange to be inside someone else's
body. Of course, underneath the glamour, it was still me. But my
voice and skin and everything were hers. I walked around the party,
just getting used to being in her shoes for a little while. People
I knew from Peachville smiled at me in that way that said they
didn't know me, but would like to. Even though Caroline thought her
sister was the princess of the family, Caroline herself was still a
powerful magnet for people. I wondered how many of the five steps
she'd been through. I meant to ask her about the details of the
ceremonies leading up to the final initiation, but I never got the
chance. I would have to remember to ask her when we met back up at
midnight.
    A girl I recognized from the Cypress squad
ran up to me and handed me a drink.
    "Do you want any snacks or anything?" the
girl said. "I think they have chips and little sandwiches and stuff
in the dining room. There might be some cake, too."
    "No thanks," I said. I took a sip of the
punch, but then nearly choked on it. Definitely spiked. I couldn't
afford to drink and end up half me, half Caroline in front of all
these people. "Do you know if there are any drinks that aren't
so... um... potent?"
    The girl's smile disappeared and her face
went white. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I thought you would want the
punch." She took the plastic cup from my hand. "I'll go get you
something else. I'm sorry. I'm so stupid."
    Dang. Is this how people treated Caroline and
her sister all day? That would suck. How did they ever make any
real friends when people were always trying to serve them or
impress them. When Meredith had called me a public figure, I didn't
realize just how tough her life must be sometimes.
    I scanned the crowd, looking for Meredith.
She wasn't too hard to find. She was sitting in the living room on
top of a