Read Online Wish by Alexandra Bullen - Free Book Online Page A

said, flicking the stub out over the balcony. “And you know how I feel about smoking.”
    Violet watched with wide eyes as the cigarette sailed to the sidewalk below.
    “Fine,” she huffed. “But you don’t have to be such a grump. It’s not like any of this was up to me.”
    “Then who?!” Olivia demanded, her voice suddenly loud and brash.
    “Easy.” Violet flinched. “Just because I’m a ghost doesn’t mean people can’t still hear you. ”
    “Then who ?” Olivia repeated in a stern whisper. “Who was it up to? How did you get back here? And where have you been? And…what the hell is going on?”
    Violet looked long and hard into her sister’s eyes before opening her face into her trademark silly grin and tossing off yet another infuriating shrug.
    Olivia groaned, a familiar swell of frustration rising up from the pit of her stomach. It was a feeling as old and comfortable as any other she’d known, and one that usually resulted in the overwhelming desire to take Violet by the arms and shake her silly.
    And now, Olivia thought with a sudden pang to her heart, she could.
    She turned quickly to her sister and reached out her hands, laying one gently on each of Violet’s shoulders.
    They felt like Violet’s shoulders.
    Olivia cupped her hands firmly against the backs of her sister’s triceps, the tiny little bumps both girls had always shared, tickling the pads of her fingers like Braille. She pressed her palms over the bony mounds of Violet’s shoulders, and shook.
    Violet’s head waggled back and forth, her jaw shuddering, her eyes wide with alarm. “What the hell?” she demanded, wriggling free.
    Olivia slowly took her hands away and brought them back to her lap, shaking her head, a small smile creeping its way to the corners of her lips. “Just checking,” she said.
    Violet stood and looked out over the railing, heaving an exhausted sigh. “Fine,” she surrendered. “I can tell we’re not going to have any fun here until we get you some answers.”
    “That’s right.” Olivia nodded.
    “So…” Violet clapped her hands together. “Let’s retrace our steps!”
    Olivia smiled. This was one of their mother’s favorite games. Whenever Violet lost something—which was often—Bridget would appear out of nowhere to lead her through a step-by-stepreenactment of the events leading up to the forsaken object’s disappearance. Violet would stomp around, refusing to participate, but without fail, their mother’s thorough investigation would always produce the missing item—keys in the cushion of the couch, cell phone on top of the toilet—and Violet would be forced to admit defeat.
    “Okay,” Olivia said, closing her eyes. “I was at Mom’s cocktail reception.”
    “Yeah, too bad I didn’t make it back in time for that,” Violet deadpanned.
    Olivia shot her sister a withering glare.
    “Sorry,” Violet said. “Proceed.”
    “Okay, then I was at the party.” Olivia’s voice shrank. “I was really upset.”
    “About what?” Violet asked.
    “About everything ,” Olivia said softly. “The night was a disaster without you. I drank too much, I didn’t really have anybody to talk to, I was a total loser. I wished you were there.”
    Violet nodded, waiting for more.
    “No,” Olivia said, straightening her legs out toward the railing and turning to face Violet head-on. “Seriously. I wished for you. Out loud. In the cab.”
    Violet looked down at her sideways. “You mean, like…” Violet paused, scrunching her features together, the way she did when she had been called on in class and didn’t know the answer. “Fairy-tale style?”
    Olivia shrugged. “I guess,” she said, trembling panic seeping back into her voice. “I don’t know. All I know is that I wished for you, the glowing butterfly flew out of my dress and into the night…and now you’re here.”
    Olivia reached back for a few strands of hair, twirling them together around one finger and inspecting their