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to read it even more now that I knew it was the story of Peter. Anything to get a better
understanding of him would be amazing. But the rest of me knew it was a path I didn t want to go
down anymore. After he tried to kill me, a choice had been made, and he was no longer an option
for me. My life was going to be something else.
While Jack hadn t specifically requested it, I knew that a shower would fare better with him then if
I didn t. I went into his room and discarded the book on his bed before picking out a change of
clothes. For now, getting clean and worrying about Milo s condition were enough. I would decide
what to do about the book later.
Chapter 6
The curtains that layered the windows were so thick that sun never stood chance. No matter the
time of day, the house was completely shrouded in darkness. Since my vision wasn t quite as
advanced as theirs, Jack had rather smartly put a night light in the bathroom that adjoined his
room, so when I got up to use the bathroom I didn t tumble down the stairs or smack into a wall.
I heard a rustling, and that must ve been what awoke me from my sleep. My cell phone was on
my night stand, and I clumsily reached out for it, nearly knocking it to the floor. The clock on it
said that was only two in the afternoon, so I couldn t imagine that anyone would be awake.
Personally, I hadn t gone to bed until seven in the morning, and Jack had still been awake playing
Halo. I rolled back over, burying myself in the thick blankets of Jack s bed. His pillows smelled
sweetly of him, and while that wasn t as good as sleeping with him, it was the next best thing.
When I heard the rustling again, I barely stirred, and decided that it must be the dog. She was the
only that would logically be awake at this time of the day. Since this was Jack s room I had
overtaken, this led to some confusion with her. She usually slept at the end of his bed, but he was
sleeping on the couch now. She couldn t seem to decide if her loyalties lied more with him or the
bed.
 Go to sleep, Matilda, I murmured in groggy voice.
I was awake enough where I could feel the movement. It wasn t actually a rustling that had woken
me, because the movement was almost soundless. But there was something  almost like an
electric breeze  moving about the room. When I realized that someone was in the room with me,
I tried not to let on that I was awake and just listen to what was happening. There was silence,
and then this shadowy movement that I couldn t explain.
 Matilda? I whispered hoarsely.
By now, I knew it wasn t her, but I wanted to play along with the game. Someone was in my room,
and I wanted to alert Jack without letting anyone know I was alerting him. My heart had started
panic, but I wasn t sure if he would pick up on that if he was asleep.
 Mattie? I repeated.
34
This time, I sat up, my eyes searching the darkness. I hoped to see her massive white shape
lurking somewhere, but it was too dark for me to really make out anything. The night light from the
bathroom cast very little light, but when it moved this time, I saw a glimpse of a shadow rush in
front of it.
Before I could yell for anyone, the bed moved, and whoever it was had gotten on the bed with
me. I could scream, but by the time anyone heard, it would be too late for them to do anything. So
I just sat in the darkness and waited for whatever came next.
 Jeez, Alice, settle down, a voice chuckled in the dark, only a few inches from my face.  You re
gonna give yourself a heart attack.
 What? Who s there? I demanded nervously, feeling around in the dark like a blind person. The
voice sounded familiar and he seemed to know who I was, but I couldn t place it, so it did little
ease my fears.
 Shame on you, he said with a mock disapproval.  You don t even recognize your own brother?
 Milo? I asked incredulously, and then scrambled to turn on the bedside lamp.
As soon as I saw him, I gasped. He looked like my brother, but not. The baby fat had been
chiseled away to cheek bones and a strong jaw. His skin, while it had never been scarred by
acne, was even smoother and more flawless. The changed had aged him, too, but in a good way.
He no longer looked like a boy teetering on puberty but rather a man in his late teens who had
never struggled through anything. His massive, beautiful brown eyes had some gotten even more
amazing, but his crooked, unsure grin remained the same.
 Milo? I repeated, trying to decipher how my little brother had become this rather stunning young
man before me.
 The one and only, Milo tried to keep his tone playful, but I knew my reaction made him nervous.
His voice still sounded much like his own, but it was deeper and more velvet. It lacked the
squeaky insecure quality that had once been so distinctly him.
Before I could think to stop myself, I reached out and touched his face. His skin felt soft and
temperate, but before I could register anything more, something flicked across his face and he
jumped back from my touch. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]