Read Online Chills & Thrills: Three Novel Box Set by A. K. Alexander - Free Book Online

shifting.
    “Breakfast time, Hope.”
    “I’m not hungry.”
    “Suit yourself.”
    There was a long pause before the door closed again. As it did so, Hope burst into tears.
    And as I listened to her weep from halfway across the world—somewhere far enough where it was time for breakfast—I realized with a sickening dread that I recognized the woman’s voice.
    “Sweet Jesus,” I said, and snapped my eyes open.
     
     
     
    Chapter Thirteen
     
     
    The woman named Orlenda was standing over her again. Hope pretended to be asleep, but quickly learned she wasn’t fooling anyone.
    “Hope, it would be best if you simply opened your eyes and talked with me. I am not here to harm you. I only want some information that I believe you have. Once you give it to me, you can be returned to your mother.”
    Hope opened her eyes and said, “I don’t believe you.” She had already tuned into this woman’s conversation with someone named Echidna. They had spoken on the phone, and Hope had learned that her mom was with Grant Simms. Mr. Simms was in charge of the School. He was okay but Hope didn’t trust him, and she didn’t like it that her mother was with him. Her mother’s energy seemed different and very distant to her.
    She’d been trying to “hear” her mother and see if she could hear her as well, but there was a shield in place, and it was powerful.
    Hope was still in some pain and she was very tired, but she would try again to connect and break through the barrier that had been placed around her mom.
    “It’s true, dear child.”
    This was how this lady wanted to play. Okay. Hope would lie to her just as easily. “What do you want?”
    The woman sat down in the chair next to her bed. “I want to know how to transfer.”
    “I don’t know what that is,” Hope replied.
    Orlenda’s lips eased into a sinister smirk. “Yes, you do. We know you’re capable of it. I want to know how to transfer.”
    Hope shook her head. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”
    Orlenda looked down at her hands folded in her lap. “This does not need to be difficult, child. If you transfer to where I need you to, you will be able to prevent many horrible things from happening in the world. I think you know what I mean.”
    Hope was scared. She knew what the woman meant, or at least she thought she did. What she was asking her to do was not called transfer at the School. The teacher she’d worked with on it had called it “traveling.” She’d accomplished it a few times and each time it had frightened her because it took her somewhere else—to other places, times and people she didn’t know. She knew, too, that she would be expected to alter things to benefit her country. That was another thing the teacher had told her. She didn’t like that. She didn’t want to change history. She didn’t want to change the future. She knew deep from within that it was wrong to change fate for the benefit of one human kind over another human kind. One simple change could alter everything.
    “Hope?”
    Hope stared at her.
    Orlenda lowered her voice to a near whisper. “You do what I want, and then you can go be with your mom. This, I promise. Think about it. When your leg is better, you will transfer and you will teach me how to do so as well.” She stood and walked out of the room.
    Hope stuffed down her emotions. She needed to tune into Orlenda right now, see if she called that Echidna person, or talked to someone. She needed to find out if Orlenda might say anything about what she really planned to do with her. The problem was, Orlenda had built herself a pretty strong shield. However, Hope knew the woman wasn’t psychic in any way, so the shield had been constructed by someone else on her behalf. That would make it easier to get around, but not entirely easy. It also depended on how strong of a psychic and what kind of psychic had created the shield for Orlenda.
    She closed her eyes and called upon the source of the owl and