Read Online Brighter, a supernatural thriller by V. J. Chambers - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: V. J. Chambers
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office out of her purse. She'd been carrying it around. "I found something weird," she said lightly. "You guys wanna see? It'll freak you out, Dawn."
Dawn and Cecelia exchanged a look. They didn't look amused, even though Ramona was grinning from ear to ear.
"Sure, okay," said Dawn.
Ramona spread the brochure out. "Look at that girl," she said.
Dawn gasped, her hand slapping over her open mouth and knocking over Ramona's Icy Chalice in the process. Ice and cold coffee exploded all over the table and over Cecelia's and Ramona's pants.
Every girl leapt to her feet.
"Dawn!" said Cecelia.
"I'm so sorry," said Dawn.
"It's okay," said Ramona.
"I'm so sorry," said Dawn.
"I'll go get some paper towels," said Ramona.
She ducked back into the ice world that was The Grind and emerged in a few moments with wads of paper towels trailing from her fists. Dawn went to her and took some. Together, they began sopping the coffee up from the table. Cecelia took a few paper towels and tried to dry her pants. It was a lost cause. They were hopelessly stained.
"I'll buy you another coffee," said Dawn.
"You don't have to," said Ramona.
"Don't argue," said Dawn. "I'll be right back." She disappeared into The Grind.
Ramona tossed the soiled paper towels in the trash can and then settled back down at the table. She also resumed smoking her cigarette, which she'd abandoned in the ashtray during all the confusion. Amazingly, it was still dry. But her brochure... "Hey," said Ramona. "Where'd that brochure go?"
"Umm..." Cecelia looked around herself on the ground. "Did you throw it out with the paper towels?"
"No," said Ramona. Come to think of it, it hadn't been on the table when she'd returned with the paper towels.
"I didn't even see it. What was it a picture of?"
Dawn emerged with two Icy Chalices in hand. "It looked so good, I thought I'd get my own," she explained. She gave one of the drinks to Ramona.
"Dawn saw the picture," Ramona said to Cecelia. Ramona had seen Dawn react to the picture, so there was no way Dawn could say—
"I didn't really. What was it?"
"You did," said Ramona. "That's what startled you and made you knock over the drink."
Dawn laughed. "No. I'm just clumsy, I guess. What was the picture?"
Yeah right. Something was going on here. Dawn and Cecelia had taken her picture because they knew it was proof that they were...whatever they were. And now—
"Yeah, what was the picture?" said Cecelia.
Ramona shrugged. "It was a girl from the fifties that looked exactly like Dawn."
"Really?" said Dawn, sounding excited. "Oh, I wanna see it. Where'd it go?"
"It disappeared," said Ramona.
"I think it got thrown away with the paper towels," said Cecelia.
Ramona glared at her. Fucking Cecelia. Cecelia hated Ramona.
* * *
Ramona had met Cecelia her freshman year of college. She'd been walking to the dining hall from her dorm room one spring morning. Sometimes, Ramona cut across the dorm lawn, because it was maybe half a minute faster. But that day, it had been such a nice day, she'd decided to go the long way, around the lawn on the sidewalk. Tall trees on one side flanked the sidewalk, and as Ramona had been walking, she'd noticed a girl up in one of the trees. She was sitting on one of the branches, wearing a t-shirt and a purple knee-length skirt.
Ramona waved. Sights like that weren't especially odd. College kids did all kinds of strange things. They did even stranger things on this side of campus, because most of the art majors lived in these dorms, and everyone knew art majors were weird.
The girl waved back. "Hello," she called.
Ramona stopped underneath her. "Hi," she said. "You climbed a tree in a skirt. You rock!"
The girl in the tree, of course, was Cecelia, and after that, the girls weren't inseparable, but they did become close friends, coordinating their dining hall schedules and spending time together in the afternoons between classes. Cecelia was a sophomore and a biology major. She said she
Dawn and Cecelia exchanged a look. They didn't look amused, even though Ramona was grinning from ear to ear.
"Sure, okay," said Dawn.
Ramona spread the brochure out. "Look at that girl," she said.
Dawn gasped, her hand slapping over her open mouth and knocking over Ramona's Icy Chalice in the process. Ice and cold coffee exploded all over the table and over Cecelia's and Ramona's pants.
Every girl leapt to her feet.
"Dawn!" said Cecelia.
"I'm so sorry," said Dawn.
"It's okay," said Ramona.
"I'm so sorry," said Dawn.
"I'll go get some paper towels," said Ramona.
She ducked back into the ice world that was The Grind and emerged in a few moments with wads of paper towels trailing from her fists. Dawn went to her and took some. Together, they began sopping the coffee up from the table. Cecelia took a few paper towels and tried to dry her pants. It was a lost cause. They were hopelessly stained.
"I'll buy you another coffee," said Dawn.
"You don't have to," said Ramona.
"Don't argue," said Dawn. "I'll be right back." She disappeared into The Grind.
Ramona tossed the soiled paper towels in the trash can and then settled back down at the table. She also resumed smoking her cigarette, which she'd abandoned in the ashtray during all the confusion. Amazingly, it was still dry. But her brochure... "Hey," said Ramona. "Where'd that brochure go?"
"Umm..." Cecelia looked around herself on the ground. "Did you throw it out with the paper towels?"
"No," said Ramona. Come to think of it, it hadn't been on the table when she'd returned with the paper towels.
"I didn't even see it. What was it a picture of?"
Dawn emerged with two Icy Chalices in hand. "It looked so good, I thought I'd get my own," she explained. She gave one of the drinks to Ramona.
"Dawn saw the picture," Ramona said to Cecelia. Ramona had seen Dawn react to the picture, so there was no way Dawn could say—
"I didn't really. What was it?"
"You did," said Ramona. "That's what startled you and made you knock over the drink."
Dawn laughed. "No. I'm just clumsy, I guess. What was the picture?"
Yeah right. Something was going on here. Dawn and Cecelia had taken her picture because they knew it was proof that they were...whatever they were. And now—
"Yeah, what was the picture?" said Cecelia.
Ramona shrugged. "It was a girl from the fifties that looked exactly like Dawn."
"Really?" said Dawn, sounding excited. "Oh, I wanna see it. Where'd it go?"
"It disappeared," said Ramona.
"I think it got thrown away with the paper towels," said Cecelia.
Ramona glared at her. Fucking Cecelia. Cecelia hated Ramona.
* * *
Ramona had met Cecelia her freshman year of college. She'd been walking to the dining hall from her dorm room one spring morning. Sometimes, Ramona cut across the dorm lawn, because it was maybe half a minute faster. But that day, it had been such a nice day, she'd decided to go the long way, around the lawn on the sidewalk. Tall trees on one side flanked the sidewalk, and as Ramona had been walking, she'd noticed a girl up in one of the trees. She was sitting on one of the branches, wearing a t-shirt and a purple knee-length skirt.
Ramona waved. Sights like that weren't especially odd. College kids did all kinds of strange things. They did even stranger things on this side of campus, because most of the art majors lived in these dorms, and everyone knew art majors were weird.
The girl waved back. "Hello," she called.
Ramona stopped underneath her. "Hi," she said. "You climbed a tree in a skirt. You rock!"
The girl in the tree, of course, was Cecelia, and after that, the girls weren't inseparable, but they did become close friends, coordinating their dining hall schedules and spending time together in the afternoons between classes. Cecelia was a sophomore and a biology major. She said she
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