Read Online Haunting of Lily Frost by Nova Weetman - Free Book Online Page B

then.’
    â€˜I don’t know, Lil. Maybe it’s that guy from the other day.’
    â€˜In my house?’
    â€˜Maybe. The door did swing open, so anybody could have been in there.’
    â€˜That’s true. I didn’t think of that.’
    â€˜Does that make you feel better?’
    â€˜I like that it’s haunted, but I don’t like that it seems to be after me.’
    Ruby groans. ‘Lil, don’t go looking for drama. You always do that.’
    â€˜I don’t.’
    â€˜You do. You don’t want to be there, so you’re inventing reasons to make it psycho.’
    â€˜You know what’s psycho, don’t you? Talking to you on the phone.’
    â€˜Works for me. I’ve been painting my toenails while we’re talking.’
    In all the ten years that Ruby and I have been friends, we’ve probably only spoken on the phone twice. Once when she had chicken pox and wasn’t allowed to come over. And once when we were on holidays and I wanted to wish her happy birthday. Usually we just jump the fence, or text each other. I know Mum isn’t going to let me keep ringing her either. She’ll say I have to get a job if I want to use my phone that much.
    â€˜Great, so I’m a distraction.’
    â€˜Get over it.’
    â€˜What colour anyway?’ I wish I was there right now, watching her.
    â€˜Red and orange. Alternating. Except I mucked up and did both big toes orange, so now it doesn’t look right.’
    â€˜I am a distraction! Yay.’
    â€˜Night, Lil.’
    â€˜Are you getting off the phone because you’d rather fix your toenails?’
    â€˜No. I’m hanging up because your mum will go crazy if you spend heaps of money talking to me,’ she says. ‘Text me a pic of the letters on the floor.’
    â€˜Okay. Night then.’
    I take a photo of all the letters with my phone and send it to her. They look tiny and strange, all squashed into a little phone screen. Still, at least she’ll see that I didn’t invent them.
    I lie in my new room, on my old bed, and try to look out the window. I hope this house is haunted because Ruby’s right: I’m going to die of boredom without her.
    I’m lying as still as I can because it sounds like someone is breathing right next to me. I touch the other side of the bed, just to make sure, but of course there’s nothing there and now I’m so terrified I can’t even get up. The switch for my light is too far away to reach, so I’m lying here frozen.
    I want to call out for Dad, but I can’t even do that.
    The house is so quiet, except for the rasp of someone’s breath.
    Then something scurries across the floor and leaps onto my bed. There’s a hiss and I realise that it’s Jasper. I reach for him in the dark, but he’s still hissing. He can hear the breathing too.
    â€˜Jasper – it’s okay.’
    He bounds onto my pillow, crashing into my face, and I’m so glad of the company, I grab him and hold him tight. As I do, whatever it is stops breathing and all I can hear is him miaowing on my chest. My whole body is so tense, I’m going to be sick. Maybe as long as I hold Jasper, whatever it is will leave me alone.

7
    the new school
    At some point I must have fallen asleep, because I wake up to Mum rubbing my shoulders. My face is all crusty and I feel awful. But at least it’s morning.
    â€˜Lil, you’ll be late.’
    â€˜Not going.’ I try to pull the doona over my head, but of course she won’t let me.
    â€˜Come on. It’s a big day.’
    I groan at her, remembering what today is. Day two in Gideon and my parents have decided we’ve settled in enough, so it’s time we started school.
    â€˜I’m still not sure about you sleeping up here.’
    â€˜Mmm.’
    â€˜Did you sleep okay?’
    â€˜Uh-huh.’ Nothing like a lie to get the day going.
    â€˜Wouldn’t