Read Online Pretty Little Devils by Nancy Holder - Free Book Online Page B

Carolyn, Ellen, and Hazel. The days of the week headed the rows. Each day was divided into thirds, labeled AFTERNOON, EVENING , and NIGHT .
    â€œThis is how we keep track of our sitting jobs,” Sylvia informed her. “I’m in charge. The parents call me to set up appointments, and I distribute these sheets every week. You’re going to take the Darlings tonight. I already arranged it with Cynthia, their mom.”
    â€œOh. Um, isn’t that kind of short notice?” Hazel pointed out. Last night, she had barely made a dent in her homework, despite staying up till one-thirty working on it. She was still behind in her reading for econ, and she’d planned on catching up tonight.
    Sylvia frowned. Hazel saw a flash of displeasure in her eyes. “Yes. Is that a problem?”
    â€œNo, no,” Hazel covered. “I just…I need to make sure it’s all right with my parents.”
    â€œWell, it has to be,” Sylvia said pleasantly. “I already set it up. Okay, the details. The Darlings are twins.”
    â€œAnd not exactly ‘darlings.’” Megan snickered. “You’ll need the squeezy brain.”
    Sylvia gave her a cold look. Megan lost her smirk and said, “You’ll be fine.”
    â€œWe turn in our books once a week,” Sylvia said. “On Mondays. I keep track of the sitting jobs and the pay. We usually just pool the money, but sometimes there are exceptions.”
    â€œPlus, there are fines,” Ellen said.
    â€œFines?”
    Sylvia nodded. “Of course. Like, if you show up late for a sitting job or whatever. All of us shouldn’t suffer because one person acts irresponsibly.”
    Hazel took that in. “Well, I’ll really do my best. I’m just—I’m grateful that you guys invited me.”
    â€œYou seemed like PLD material,” Sylvia said. “We think you’re really going to work out.”
    â€œUm…there’s one other issue,” Megan broke in. “Do you like scary movies? Because they’re kind of our thing.”
    â€œWe started out renting them when we babysat. Now we play them at all our parties. It helps everyone…get a little closer,” Sylvia explained.
    â€œOh. Sure,” Hazel replied. “I’m totally obsessed with all the Friday the 13th movies. They’re cheesy, but I love them.”
    â€œYeah,” Carolyn added, “the night we rented Halloween , like, six people paired up. That’s when we knew we were on to something.”
    Hazel nodded. “I guess everyone likes being terrorized.”
    â€œOh, you won’t when you meet the Darling twins.” Sylvia laughed. “You need to be there at seven. Sharp.”
    PERSONALBLOG
HAPPY 2BME
    HAZE’S GOT DARLING DUTY 2NITE. SHE’S IN FOR THE FRIGHT OF HER LIFE. POOR HAZEL. SO SWEET, BUT IT’S ALL GOING TO GO SOUR. COME OUT, COME OUT, HZL. IT’S TIME TO PLAY.
    Avenida Escondida—Hidden Avenue—divided Brookhaven into two sections, east and west. The west side of town was the ritzy part. The Darlings lived on a hill overlooking the ritzy part. Meaning they were even richer than the rich people.
    Their house was a mansion. The floors were hardwood, and all the furniture was cutting-edge modern: everything was done in bold, bright, jarring colors. There were paintings on the walls that were taller than Hazel, all of them abstract—people with blank cube faces or swirly, desolate landscapes…. They creeped her out.
    If Hazel was honest, the entire house creeped her out. The twins lived there with their mother, who was divorced, but the place was too big for just three people. It had an empty, isolated feeling. When Hazel walked on the wooden floors, her footsteps echoed hollowly back to her.
    The front of the house was nothing but glass, and tonight fog had crept up the hill, slithering over the vast, manicured lawn.
    A scene right out of one of the PLDs’