Perilous Waters Read Free Page A

her bed as she sat up. The glow of her spell left a soft trail of light along the fabric. She could light up the room, if she wanted to. She could light up the whole house, she thought, sitting on the edge of the bed, but even lighting up the world wouldn’t keep this vision away.
    Her nose stung and her lashes grew damp again. In the moonlight filtering from her lace-curtained window, she watched her toe make a figure eight on her carpet. Her face grew soaked with streams of hopelessness as her fingers tapped out their ceaseless rhythm along the hem of her nightshirt. Her gaze fell on her old school lunch bag, sitting where she always left it on the cushioned bench built against the window. The glitter she used to love when she was a little girl shimmered faintly from the bag, reflecting starlight.
    She walked to the bathroom again, turning on the faucet in the dark to scrub the fresh tears from her face before settling on her favorite spot, the cushioned window seat where she often read. Her cell phone sat on her nightstand, glowing dimly as it charged. Calling David would make her feel better, but should she tell him about what happened at the beach? How could she, when she would have to explain to him how she had ended up there in the first place?
    Her gaze remained locked on her phone as she twisted the edge of her pajama top. David was a night owl, especially in summer… she could call him. Maybe this was the night her secret should finally be revealed. The idea of having no more secrets between them brought a rush of happiness to her heart. She hopped up and dashed across the room to take the phone, then sat back down in her spot, holding the phone to her lips, her pulse speeding up at the thought of calling him.
    She shook her head. David was okay. Calling him at three in the morning to make herself feel better would be selfish.
    But… maybe she could send him a text just to see if he was still awake.
    Hi there, she tapped out on her phone. Are you awake ?
    Angie blinked at the text, her fingertip poised above the “send” button. She set down her phone without sending, reaching for her lunch bag instead. She had taken to keeping cookies in it, for nightmare emergencies. If the past was any indication, she would spend the rest of the night playing word scramble games and listening to music, then crash right before dawn. This would be a problem tomorrow when she walked into work with dark circles under her eyes. Her summer job as a camp counselor meant that she had twelve little kids who counted on her to have fun and take care of them, and coffee could only keep her alert for so long without sleep. She had to figure out a spell to help her stop having these visions, especially now that they sent her bodily out of her home.
    A stomach full of cookies was one way to start feeling sleepy. As she munched, she pulled her laptop closer to her. The log on screen flashed pale blue with white swirls and tiny flowers. She typed in her password. Various windows opened on their own, and she clicked them closed, preferring not to see so much clutter on her screen.
    Her Messenger window blinked. Pending Friend Request.
    She frowned, clicking it open to see who it was. “David?” she whispered, moving the cursor across the screen to the accept button. “Since when do you have Messenger?”
    You’re here! His avatar showed up, a mouse wearing sunglasses holding a basketball.
    “Silly,” she whispered, then typed, Hi there!
    A small animated pencil moved, indicating that he was writing his response. What are you doing up so late? He asked.
    Her smile broadened as she immediately relaxed. Thinking about you, she typed, and seeing those words made her cheeks feel warm and her heart grow warmer. She pulled his picture up on her laptop from her file of David-things. Brown hair fell in a shag over bright blue eyes and a heart-meltingly sweet smile.
    He sent her an emoticon of a heart with wings. She hid her laughter against her