Read Online The Awakening Evil by R.L. Stine - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: R.L. Stine
Ads: Link
stairs. She stepped into her bedroom.
She gasped. Bedclothes were strewn about the floor. Pillows lay everywhere. What happened?
I did this, she realized. She remembered how she had thrown the blankets and pillows this way and that.
And then I told the nurses to get out.
I must have rushed my recovery, she thought again. It is the only explanation for acting so impulsively.
She closed the door and locked it. Then she leaned back against the door and closed her eyes.
At least if I lose control again, it will be in the privacy of my own room, she thought. No one will see me.
Then she heard it.
A woman laughing.
Faint at first. But growing louder, louder â¦
She opened her eyes.
The room was empty.
Chapter
13
âI am truly losing my mind,â Jane said. She spoke out loud, hoping that the sound of her own voice would bring her back to her senses.
For a moment there was silence. Relief swept through her.
Then the woman laughed again. Even louder this time.
Jane began to sweat.
Her bedroom was small. A canopied bed. A few closets. There werenât many hiding places.
Jane knelt on the floor and searched under the bed.
There was nothing there but some balls of dust.
She stood, feeling dizzy with fear.
The woman laughed and laughed.
âWhere are you?â Jane cried. âShow yourself!â Acting braver than she felt, Jane strode across the room and flung open the closet door.
There was no one inside.
The woman continued to laugh. A low, cackling laugh.
Jane pushed all her dresses to one side. No one was hidden behind them.
Then she checked the second closet. And the third.
No one there.
The cackling grew louder and louder. Jane covered her ears. She could still hear it.
Then she froze.
The laughter.
It seemed ⦠it seemed to be coming from inside her own head!
Jane ran to the mirror on the wall. She needed to see herself. Needed to see that she was all right.
But the mirror was gone. Yes, yes, she remembered now. Clara said they had been afraid to let her see herself.
Jane unlocked her door and hurried down the hallway into the bathroom. But they had taken away this mirror as well. My, she must have looked awful for the staff to go to such lengths!
She rushed back into her room. She flung open drawer after drawer, searching for a piece of glass. Finally she found a small, round compact mirror in a tan case.
Her hands shook so hard that she dropped it. She heard the mirror crack.
Harsh, taunting laughter roared in her ears.
She picked up the mirror. It had broken into several pieces, but she could still see herself. She studied her reflection.
She looked healthy. Normal. Red hair and soft brown eyes. Freckled, rosy cheeks.
But wait. Didnât her eyes look slightly different than usual?
She held the broken mirror closer to her face, studying her eyes intently.
Now she knew what it was. Her eyes looked lighter.
As she stared at herself, she saw her pupils widen.
She noticed tiny flecks of green sparkling in the brown of her irises. She had never seen them before.
Maybe she had never studied her eyes closely enough, she thought. Maybe they had always been just a tiny bit green.
Jane looked away from the mirror, breathing hard.
Maybe I was wrong about the green flecks. I must have been wrong.
Jane looked into the mirror again.
But the flecks of green were still there. In fact, they had grown in number.
As she watched, the green flecks grew longer and longer. Wider. They joined together.
Janeâs heart began to hammer. She could feel it pounding in the base of her throat.
Her eyes. Her eyes were completely green now.
And the green became more and more intense as she watched.
Her eyes grew brighter and brighter, as if lit by a ghastly fire. They burned into her.
Jane could not look away. Could not lower the mirror from her face.
As she watched, her lips spread into a smile.
What is happening to me?
âLooking for someone?â her reflection
She gasped. Bedclothes were strewn about the floor. Pillows lay everywhere. What happened?
I did this, she realized. She remembered how she had thrown the blankets and pillows this way and that.
And then I told the nurses to get out.
I must have rushed my recovery, she thought again. It is the only explanation for acting so impulsively.
She closed the door and locked it. Then she leaned back against the door and closed her eyes.
At least if I lose control again, it will be in the privacy of my own room, she thought. No one will see me.
Then she heard it.
A woman laughing.
Faint at first. But growing louder, louder â¦
She opened her eyes.
The room was empty.
Chapter
13
âI am truly losing my mind,â Jane said. She spoke out loud, hoping that the sound of her own voice would bring her back to her senses.
For a moment there was silence. Relief swept through her.
Then the woman laughed again. Even louder this time.
Jane began to sweat.
Her bedroom was small. A canopied bed. A few closets. There werenât many hiding places.
Jane knelt on the floor and searched under the bed.
There was nothing there but some balls of dust.
She stood, feeling dizzy with fear.
The woman laughed and laughed.
âWhere are you?â Jane cried. âShow yourself!â Acting braver than she felt, Jane strode across the room and flung open the closet door.
There was no one inside.
The woman continued to laugh. A low, cackling laugh.
Jane pushed all her dresses to one side. No one was hidden behind them.
Then she checked the second closet. And the third.
No one there.
The cackling grew louder and louder. Jane covered her ears. She could still hear it.
Then she froze.
The laughter.
It seemed ⦠it seemed to be coming from inside her own head!
Jane ran to the mirror on the wall. She needed to see herself. Needed to see that she was all right.
But the mirror was gone. Yes, yes, she remembered now. Clara said they had been afraid to let her see herself.
Jane unlocked her door and hurried down the hallway into the bathroom. But they had taken away this mirror as well. My, she must have looked awful for the staff to go to such lengths!
She rushed back into her room. She flung open drawer after drawer, searching for a piece of glass. Finally she found a small, round compact mirror in a tan case.
Her hands shook so hard that she dropped it. She heard the mirror crack.
Harsh, taunting laughter roared in her ears.
She picked up the mirror. It had broken into several pieces, but she could still see herself. She studied her reflection.
She looked healthy. Normal. Red hair and soft brown eyes. Freckled, rosy cheeks.
But wait. Didnât her eyes look slightly different than usual?
She held the broken mirror closer to her face, studying her eyes intently.
Now she knew what it was. Her eyes looked lighter.
As she stared at herself, she saw her pupils widen.
She noticed tiny flecks of green sparkling in the brown of her irises. She had never seen them before.
Maybe she had never studied her eyes closely enough, she thought. Maybe they had always been just a tiny bit green.
Jane looked away from the mirror, breathing hard.
Maybe I was wrong about the green flecks. I must have been wrong.
Jane looked into the mirror again.
But the flecks of green were still there. In fact, they had grown in number.
As she watched, the green flecks grew longer and longer. Wider. They joined together.
Janeâs heart began to hammer. She could feel it pounding in the base of her throat.
Her eyes. Her eyes were completely green now.
And the green became more and more intense as she watched.
Her eyes grew brighter and brighter, as if lit by a ghastly fire. They burned into her.
Jane could not look away. Could not lower the mirror from her face.
As she watched, her lips spread into a smile.
What is happening to me?
âLooking for someone?â her reflection
Similar Books
