Read Online Curiosity Killed the Cat by Sierra Harimann - Free Book Online
Authors: Sierra Harimann
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you’re headed for the cemetery, and that is
not
okay with me.”
Madison stabbed Hannah in the chest with her index finger. “I
told
you to keep a low profile about that,” Madison hissed. “I have friends coming over, and if they see my freaky stepsister running around between the tombstones, it’s not going to look good for me.”
Madison flipped her blond hair over her shoulder. “Do you have any idea how hard it was to even get my friends to agree to come over here today? They hate the idea of hanging out at my house, but I finally convinced them the cemetery is no big deal. And I’m not going to let
you
ruin every thing!”
Now it was Hannah’s turn to glare at Madison. She couldn’t believe that she had been scared of her before — Madison was just an insecure bully!
“Well, what better way to prove to your friends that the cemetery is harmless than for them to see me hanging out around it?” Hannah asked innocently.
“Harmless?” Madison was aghast. “It’s a cemetery! There are bats that fly around at night, and crumbling old tombstones, and mangy stray dogs and cats that live there.” She lowered her voice and paused dramatically. “And there are
ghosts
. Bad ones.”
Even though it was warm in the sun, Hannah shivered.
“You do know about the ghost cat, right?” Madison asked.
Hannah nodded mutely. Just when she had convinced herself the scratching sounds and the weird things that had been happening had been in her imagination, she had to listen to yet another cemetery ghost story.
“Well, they say that little girl died because her cat lured her to her death,” Madison said, her voice barely a whisper. “And people around here have seen the shadow of a black cat in the cemetery. Anyone who follows the shadow is led to their death. When I was eight, there was this little boy, Jeffrey, who lived down the block. One day he wandered into the cemetery alone and got lost in the woods for three days. When they finally found him, he was so dehydrated he almost died. After a few weeks in the hospital, hepulled through, but his family left Sleepy Hollow and never came back. Jeffrey had told his parents that he was following a black cat when he got lost.”
Hannah gasped in spite of herself. Could it be true? This version of the story was a lot creepier than the one Paisley had told her.
Madison had a smug, satisfied look on her face.
Hannah was just about to reconsider her plan for the day when she suddenly realized what was going on: Madison was just trying to scare her away from the cemetery for her own purposes. She was probably making up the whole thing about Jeffrey.
Just like earlier, something inside Hannah shifted. She was suddenly angry. Madison had done nothing but make Hannah’s life miserable since she’d moved in, and now that Hannah was trying to escape — to a cemetery, of all places! — Madison was trying to stop her from doing that, too.
“Well, you can believe whatever you want, but I
like
the cemetery,” Hannah challenged. Her words were punctuated by a burst of drilling noises from the house, indicating that the contractors had started their work for the day. “It’s peaceful, quiet, and
relaxing
there. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with a ghost.”
Madison’s mouth dropped open in shock, and the look on her face was one Hannah would remember for a long time. Hannah felt another surge of confidence rush through her as she strode past Madison, her head high, and headed for the cemetery gate.
“Suit yourself,” Madison shouted after her. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you!”
With Madison and the noisy house finally behind her, Hannah smiled. She headed straight for the cozy little arbor and found it had been undisturbed since her last visit.
Hannah used the blanket to make a cushion on the stone bench, and then settled in to read her book. After just a few chapters, the warm sun caused her to drift off to sleep. In her dream, Hannah
not
okay with me.”
Madison stabbed Hannah in the chest with her index finger. “I
told
you to keep a low profile about that,” Madison hissed. “I have friends coming over, and if they see my freaky stepsister running around between the tombstones, it’s not going to look good for me.”
Madison flipped her blond hair over her shoulder. “Do you have any idea how hard it was to even get my friends to agree to come over here today? They hate the idea of hanging out at my house, but I finally convinced them the cemetery is no big deal. And I’m not going to let
you
ruin every thing!”
Now it was Hannah’s turn to glare at Madison. She couldn’t believe that she had been scared of her before — Madison was just an insecure bully!
“Well, what better way to prove to your friends that the cemetery is harmless than for them to see me hanging out around it?” Hannah asked innocently.
“Harmless?” Madison was aghast. “It’s a cemetery! There are bats that fly around at night, and crumbling old tombstones, and mangy stray dogs and cats that live there.” She lowered her voice and paused dramatically. “And there are
ghosts
. Bad ones.”
Even though it was warm in the sun, Hannah shivered.
“You do know about the ghost cat, right?” Madison asked.
Hannah nodded mutely. Just when she had convinced herself the scratching sounds and the weird things that had been happening had been in her imagination, she had to listen to yet another cemetery ghost story.
“Well, they say that little girl died because her cat lured her to her death,” Madison said, her voice barely a whisper. “And people around here have seen the shadow of a black cat in the cemetery. Anyone who follows the shadow is led to their death. When I was eight, there was this little boy, Jeffrey, who lived down the block. One day he wandered into the cemetery alone and got lost in the woods for three days. When they finally found him, he was so dehydrated he almost died. After a few weeks in the hospital, hepulled through, but his family left Sleepy Hollow and never came back. Jeffrey had told his parents that he was following a black cat when he got lost.”
Hannah gasped in spite of herself. Could it be true? This version of the story was a lot creepier than the one Paisley had told her.
Madison had a smug, satisfied look on her face.
Hannah was just about to reconsider her plan for the day when she suddenly realized what was going on: Madison was just trying to scare her away from the cemetery for her own purposes. She was probably making up the whole thing about Jeffrey.
Just like earlier, something inside Hannah shifted. She was suddenly angry. Madison had done nothing but make Hannah’s life miserable since she’d moved in, and now that Hannah was trying to escape — to a cemetery, of all places! — Madison was trying to stop her from doing that, too.
“Well, you can believe whatever you want, but I
like
the cemetery,” Hannah challenged. Her words were punctuated by a burst of drilling noises from the house, indicating that the contractors had started their work for the day. “It’s peaceful, quiet, and
relaxing
there. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with a ghost.”
Madison’s mouth dropped open in shock, and the look on her face was one Hannah would remember for a long time. Hannah felt another surge of confidence rush through her as she strode past Madison, her head high, and headed for the cemetery gate.
“Suit yourself,” Madison shouted after her. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you!”
With Madison and the noisy house finally behind her, Hannah smiled. She headed straight for the cozy little arbor and found it had been undisturbed since her last visit.
Hannah used the blanket to make a cushion on the stone bench, and then settled in to read her book. After just a few chapters, the warm sun caused her to drift off to sleep. In her dream, Hannah
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