Daughters of Silence Read Free

stared down at the inscription again.
    â€œHallie!” she called, her heart beating hard, pounding its way right out of her chest.
    The other girl turned. “Jenna, what’s the matter?”
    â€œThe inscription!” Jenna hissed, forcing the words up through a throat gone tight with fear. “It says, ‘Hannah and Julia, beloved daughters of Simon and Angelica Fear.’ And it says … It says …”
    â€œWhat?” Hallie demanded impatiently.
    Jenna took a deep breath. “It says, ‘They are not dead.’”

Chapter
2

    â€œW hat did you say?” Hallie’s eyes opened wide. The whites of her eyes gleamed in the dimness.
    â€œLook for yourself,” Jenna urged. “It’s right there!”
    â€œâ€˜They are not dead,’” Hallie read.
    The girls stood staring at each other for a moment. Jenna wanted to say something sensible, but her throat felt dry and choked with fear.
    A deep, eerie sound broke the silence. It sounded to Jenna like someone moaning. The mournful noise seemed to echo from all directions at once. Hallie gasped. She clutched Jenna’s arm so hard it hurt.
    â€œW-what was that?” Hallie whispered.
    â€œAn owl,” Jenna whispered back. “I think.”
    Hallie tugged at her arm. “Let’s get out of here.”
    The breeze wafted through the trees. Branches tossed back and forth. Dark shadows leaped across the front of the mausoleum. Jenna leaned forward asshe saw something dark spattered across the lower part of the inscription.
    Jenna let her breath out in a huge sigh. “Look, Hallie. Some mud or dirt is hiding some of the words.”
    â€œI don’t want to know any more,” Hallie hissed.
    â€œNonsense. There’s always a sensible explanation for these things,” Jenna insisted. “Just wait one more minute.”
    Jenna reached out to touch the inscription. The dark substance crumbled beneath her fingertips, leaving grit on her skin.
    â€œDon’t touch it!” Hallie cried.
    â€œHallie, it’s only dirt,” Jenna told her.
    â€œOh.” Hallie heaved a sigh. “I thought it was blood or something.”
    Jenna smiled at her friend. “You really are a twit. Now, let’s see what this really says.”
    She scraped at the crusted dirt with her thumbnail. It flaked away easily, leaving the inscription bare.
    â€œâ€˜They are not dead,’” she read, running her finger along the carved letters. “‘They live eternally in our hearts.’”
    Hallie giggled. That started Jenna laughing, too, and soon they were gasping for breath.
    â€œCan you believe we were such chickens?” Hallie asked.
    Jenna had to take several breaths before she could answer. “They are not dead,” she repeated in a hollow, spooky tone.
    Hallie burst into another fit of giggling. Jenna started laughing again, too. She laughed so hard, shefelt her sides ache and tears well up in the corner of her eyes.
    â€œOh, that was good,” Hallie gasped. “You should have seen the look on your face, Jenna.”
    â€œThe look on my face?” Jenna gasped. “You looked pale as a—”
    â€œDon’t say it!” Hallie gasped. “If I start laughing again, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop.”
    â€œMe, either.”
    Jenna looked up at the angel. She suddenly felt her mirth drain away, replaced by a frigid chill. The statue’s gaze seemed fixed upon her, its clawlike hands ready to stretch out and snatch her up.
    Jenna took a stumbling step backward, away from the mausoleum. Time to go, she thought. She looked over at Hallie. Her friend stood in front of the door. Her hand rested on the ornate wrought-iron door latch.
    â€œHey, it’s unlocked,” Hallie exclaimed, her voice quivering with excitement. “Let’s go in!”
    Jenna wiped her damp hands on her gown. Sudden dread gripped her stomach