Read Online Second to No One by Natalie Palmer - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Natalie Palmer
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ribs.
Drew got up from her sleeping bag and turned off the light.
“What are you doing?” Lauren whined. She was on the verge of tears.
“If the lights are on, whoever’s out there can see everything we’re doing. But if they’re off, we can see them better than they can see us.”
I considered Drew’s answer as I melted further down into my sleeping bag. I couldn’t bear the thought of someone out there, watching us, analyzing us, planning their attack.
I could only see Drew’s dark shadow now as she moved away from the light switch and toward the window. She was nearly face-to-face with it when she said, “Lauren, when is your mom supposed to get home? Do you think she locked herself out?”
Lauren whimpered into her pillow, “She’ll be at work for six more hours. But the front door isn’t locked anyway. I left it open for her.”
This new piece of information made it impossible to breathe. We all sat completely still in the dark silence waiting—for what, though, we didn’t know. When the tension couldn’t get any thicker, a tap sounded at the window on the opposite side of the room. All three of us jumped, and Lauren yelped like a miniature poodle. Tears started pouring out of my eyes as I vocally begged to whoever it was, “Please just go away.”
After another moment, the tapping came again. This time from both windows on both sides of the room. There was more than one person outside, and whoever they were, they knew we were in there.
“Where’s your phone, Lauren?” Drew asked with fierceness. “I’m going to call the cops.”
Lauren’s words were muffled as she was almost completely hidden underneath her sleeping bag. “It’s in the kitchen.”
“Here,” I offered, with a degree of courage I didn’t know I had. “I’ll get my cell phone.” I got up from my bag and tiptoed across the room to where my bag was sitting near the far window. My heart was beating out of my throat as I ducked below the window and grabbed my phone with a shaking hand.
I made my way back toward Drew just as she began to pound sharply on the window. “We’re calling the cops! So if you’re smart, you’ll get the heck out of here!” she yelled.
I handed my phone to Drew just as a flashlight lit up outside the window. Drew and I grabbed hold of each other, and then we both saw what the flashlight was supposed to make us see. It was Kit Walker, and he was laughing and yelling, “Don’t call the cops, Drew! It was just a joke!”
“Kit!” Drew shouted. I had never seen her so angry. She stepped toward the window and threw it open. “You are such a jerk! You scared us to death!”
I cautiously stepped up to the window while nervously wiping the tears from my cheeks. “Are you alone?” My voice was still shaking. Before Kit could answer, another dark figure—obviously the one that had been tapping the window on the other side of the house—showed up next to him. When he got close enough, I was able to make out exactly who it was. “Trace?” I squinted my eyes at him through the half open window, “ You did this?”
Trace lifted both hands up in defense. “I’m sorry, but what was I supposed to do? You told me the three of you were having a slumber party so you could listen for bears outside Lauren’s house. I wouldn’t be able to respect myself if I let an opportunity like this pass me by.”
“How did you know where I live?” Lauren was suddenly standing at our sides, and I could tell from the sound of her voice that she was flattered by the attention.
Kit’s eyes lit up when Lauren appeared. “Everyone knows where you live. This house is famous.”
“You mean Lauren is famous,” Drew said with a roll of her eyes.
Kit ignored Drew’s comment. “So are you girls going to come out or not?”
“Not!” Drew spat back before Lauren or I could process the question.
“Come on,” Trace urged with his perfectly symmetrical smile. “We came all the way out here. Let’s go
Drew got up from her sleeping bag and turned off the light.
“What are you doing?” Lauren whined. She was on the verge of tears.
“If the lights are on, whoever’s out there can see everything we’re doing. But if they’re off, we can see them better than they can see us.”
I considered Drew’s answer as I melted further down into my sleeping bag. I couldn’t bear the thought of someone out there, watching us, analyzing us, planning their attack.
I could only see Drew’s dark shadow now as she moved away from the light switch and toward the window. She was nearly face-to-face with it when she said, “Lauren, when is your mom supposed to get home? Do you think she locked herself out?”
Lauren whimpered into her pillow, “She’ll be at work for six more hours. But the front door isn’t locked anyway. I left it open for her.”
This new piece of information made it impossible to breathe. We all sat completely still in the dark silence waiting—for what, though, we didn’t know. When the tension couldn’t get any thicker, a tap sounded at the window on the opposite side of the room. All three of us jumped, and Lauren yelped like a miniature poodle. Tears started pouring out of my eyes as I vocally begged to whoever it was, “Please just go away.”
After another moment, the tapping came again. This time from both windows on both sides of the room. There was more than one person outside, and whoever they were, they knew we were in there.
“Where’s your phone, Lauren?” Drew asked with fierceness. “I’m going to call the cops.”
Lauren’s words were muffled as she was almost completely hidden underneath her sleeping bag. “It’s in the kitchen.”
“Here,” I offered, with a degree of courage I didn’t know I had. “I’ll get my cell phone.” I got up from my bag and tiptoed across the room to where my bag was sitting near the far window. My heart was beating out of my throat as I ducked below the window and grabbed my phone with a shaking hand.
I made my way back toward Drew just as she began to pound sharply on the window. “We’re calling the cops! So if you’re smart, you’ll get the heck out of here!” she yelled.
I handed my phone to Drew just as a flashlight lit up outside the window. Drew and I grabbed hold of each other, and then we both saw what the flashlight was supposed to make us see. It was Kit Walker, and he was laughing and yelling, “Don’t call the cops, Drew! It was just a joke!”
“Kit!” Drew shouted. I had never seen her so angry. She stepped toward the window and threw it open. “You are such a jerk! You scared us to death!”
I cautiously stepped up to the window while nervously wiping the tears from my cheeks. “Are you alone?” My voice was still shaking. Before Kit could answer, another dark figure—obviously the one that had been tapping the window on the other side of the house—showed up next to him. When he got close enough, I was able to make out exactly who it was. “Trace?” I squinted my eyes at him through the half open window, “ You did this?”
Trace lifted both hands up in defense. “I’m sorry, but what was I supposed to do? You told me the three of you were having a slumber party so you could listen for bears outside Lauren’s house. I wouldn’t be able to respect myself if I let an opportunity like this pass me by.”
“How did you know where I live?” Lauren was suddenly standing at our sides, and I could tell from the sound of her voice that she was flattered by the attention.
Kit’s eyes lit up when Lauren appeared. “Everyone knows where you live. This house is famous.”
“You mean Lauren is famous,” Drew said with a roll of her eyes.
Kit ignored Drew’s comment. “So are you girls going to come out or not?”
“Not!” Drew spat back before Lauren or I could process the question.
“Come on,” Trace urged with his perfectly symmetrical smile. “We came all the way out here. Let’s go
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