Read Online Collide by Alyson Kent - Free Book Online

opened, and with a sigh I replaced my homework back
into my book bag. Mr. Baker was lenient about working and reading
while the store was quiet, but whenever there were customers all
attention needed to be on them. I was kept busy for about forty
five minutes with a steady stream of visitors, some who bought
books and some who bought a few of the more unique knick knacks,
like one of the raven necklaces Mr. Baker had picked up on his last
trip to Boston. I gave it a mournful look as the happy new owner
placed it around her neck and bounced out the door. I had been
trying to save up some extra money to purchase the necklace for
myself, as I love ravens and Poe’s poem in particular, but as is
the way with fate it was not meant to be mine.
    There was a lull in
customers around five thirty, so I took the time to hunt through
the mythology section and see if I could find anything for the
project. I managed to locate a book on Japanese myths and
monsters on the shelves, and a quick scan
showed that they had an entry on the Tengu but nothing on the Oni . Further searching
yielded one more book, but couldn’t find anything else, which
surprised me as we had a thriving Japanese animation and graphic
novel fanbase at both my school and the community college that Mr.
Baker liked to cater to, but perhaps there had been a run on these
types of books since Halloween was a few weeks away and people
would be looking for costume ideas.
    I gave a little cry of surprise when I ran
across a book on Cherokee myths, and quickly pulled it off the
shelf. I had started to glance through it when the door opened and
Mr. Baker walked in.
    “Do you mind if I borrow these, Mr. Baker?” I
asked and held up the three books I had found.
    “Not at all, Miss Alexander, just make sure
you sign them out.”
    I returned to the counter and pulled out the
three ring binder that Mr. Baker kept for me to be able to write
down the titles, authors and ISBNs of any books that I wanted to
borrow. I couldn’t keep the books for longer than a few weeks, but
this way he could keep track of where his books that hadn’t sold
were, and a lot of the times it led to the borrowed books being
purchased by said borrower. Mr. Baker may have been eccentric, but
he was a savvy businessman and had made sure that I was a big
reader when he had hired me. The majority of my own collection had
been purchased here, and I always pretended to not notice how he
would grin and rub his hands together gleefully whenever I’d walk
out with yet another former item of his.
    I quickly signed out the books, placed them
into my bag and slung said monstrosity over my shoulders. Promising
that I would be back around seven, I headed out the door, thankful,
not for the first time, that the bookstore was close enough to a
food court that I could walk to and not waste gas by having to
drive somewhere. The only downside was that the walk was a little
darker than most, being that the bookstore was on the outskirts of
town and I would have to go through the town’s small park to reach
the outdoor mall. Still, I didn’t feel too worried as the sun sank
towards the horizon until I was well inside a small copse of
trees.
    I hummed lightly and looked up at the leaves
that had just started to take on a hint of their Fall Splendor when
something dropped an ice cube down my back. The small hairs on the
back of my neck lifted up and cut off my song mid-note. My
shoulders hunched up towards my ears and tensed as my breathing
deepened. Someone was watching me. I heard a footstep behind me and
whirled, but the only thing I saw a darkened path and deep shadows.
I shook my head and tried to banish my sudden irrational fear as I
turned around and started to walk towards town again.
    But I knew my fear wasn’t irrational when I
heard another footfall behind me. I sucked in a deep breath, and as
I walked I casually moved my book bag to my right shoulder and
eased my left arm free. I made sure that I had a good grip