Bad Moonlight Read Free

we’ll all be dead, Danielle thought. She squeezed her palms against her eyes and waited for the fatal impact.
    A hand touched her shoulder. It felt warm and comforting. Long fingers gripped her tightly and gave her a gentle shake.
    â€œDanielle!”
    Caroline’s voice.
    Slowly Danielle looked up. Her friend’s blue eyes were filled with concern. “Danielle, it’s okay,” Caroline murmured softly. “Everything’s okay.”
    â€œBut the van—” Danielle stopped. She could feel the van’s rocking motion as it moved smoothly along the highway. She could hear the whine of the tires on the road. She raised her eyes to the windshield. Smooth, unbroken glass.
    We didn’t crash, she thought. It never happened. It was a fantasy. A violent, terrifying fantasy.
    Danielle took a deep, shaky breath. Her heart was still beating wildly.
    â€œWhat happened?” Caroline asked. “What was it, Danielle?”
    â€œThe van went off the cliff!” she gasped. “Joey howled, and then the van went out of control. I could see us crashing through the guardrail. I saw the windshield crack. I even felt it when we hit the rocks!”
    â€œNo wonder you screamed like that,” Mary Beth said softly.
    Danielle took another deep breath and glanced around. Billy and Kit were wide awake now. Staring at her. Dee was watching her, too, frowning.
    Danielle turned away and met Joey’s shade-covered eyes in the rearview mirror. Joey grinned, a little shame-faced. “Sorry about that, Danny,” he told her. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
    â€œYou should be sorry,” Dee snapped. “We’re lucky you didn’t drive us off the cliff.”
    Joey shrugged. “Hey, I said I was sorry. Anyway, blame the moon.” He chuckled and pointed out the window. “Almost full tonight, see? The moon always makes me a little wild.”
    Danielle glanced out the window at the night sky. The moon hovered low and bright. Cold looking, she thought with a shiver. Like ice.
    Billy laughed softly from the back of the van. “It doesn’t take the moon to make you wild, Joey.”
    â€œFor sure,” Dee muttered.
    Joey chuckled again. The van picked up speed.
    â€œSure you’re okay, Danielle?” Billy asked.
    She turned around in her seat. Billy and Kit were both watching her.
    Kit’s dark brown hair blended with the shadowy dimness in the back of the van. But his eyes—a pale blue, surrounded by thick black lashes—narrowed with concern.
    Billy was worried, too. Danielle could see it in his hazel eyes and the frown on his high forehead. He’ssuch a great guy, she thought. Great looking, too. Dark-blond hair, an athletic body, a dimple when he smiled.
    â€œI’m all right, I guess,” Danielle told him. “I—I’m sorry. I know you guys were asleep. I didn’t mean to freak everybody out like that.”
    â€œHey, no problem,” Billy assured her. “Your scream was better than an alarm clock. And this is a rock band, right? We’re supposed to be a little freaked-out.”
    â€œMaybe that’s what we should call ourselves,” Caroline said. “A Little Freaked-Out.”
    Mary Beth shook her head. “I don’t like it.”
    Caroline laughed. “I was kidding, Mary Beth.”
    â€œHey, how about the Un-nameables?” Joey called out. “You like that one, Danielle?”
    â€œDrive, Joey,” Billy ordered. “Just drive.” He leaned forward. “Don’t pay any attention to Joey,” he whispered loudly to Danielle. “We hired him for his muscles, not his brain.”
    â€œI heard that!” Joey pretended to be insulted.
    Danielle forced a smile. She knew they were trying to cheer her up.
    It was working.
    But not completely.
    If only she could stop having these horrifying, lifelike fantasies.
    Danielle leaned her head back and closed her