I TURNED AWAY FROM the brightness of the muted television an rested my eyes on the ceiling. The glow from the screen made the whole room flicker like a rainbow campfire.
And then I heard it--
A footstep in the hall.
I froze. All my concentration shifted to listening for another sound. The flashing TV hovered on the outer fringes of my awareness. I felt like I was seeing, hearing, breathing out of my ears.
Another step.
I was on my feet and standing at the entrance to the hallway so quickly I felt a little light-headed. I balled my empty hand into a fist.
Kasey stood perfectly still in the middle of the hall, her body angled toward our parents' bedroom door. Her long, old-fashioned Christmas nightgown hung to her ankles, till creased from being folded in its gift box for eight months.
I'd seen her like this once before -- silent. Waiting. Plotting.
Against our parents, against me.
Slowly, hesitantly, she raised her hand.
"Kasey!" I said.
She jumped about a foot in the air and landed hunched over, clutching her chest.
"God, Alexis!" she hissed. "You scared the crap out of me!"
I didn't move any closer. "What are you doing out of bed?""Going to the bathroom," she said. "What are you doing out of bed? It's one o'clock."
I shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."
"So you're playing security guard? You think I'm going to try to kill everyone?"
"No, of course not." Although . . . hmm. Maybe that was what I was doing.
Kasey reached for our parents' doorknob.
"Wait," I said.
"I need to pee, Lexi," she said. "Do you have to analyze every detail of everything I do."
"I'm not trying to analyze you," I said. "I'm trying to keep you from peeing on Mom and Dad's carpet." I pointed to the door on my right. "Bathroom."
Her shoulder's slumped. "Everything looks the same in this place."
"You'll get used to it."
I went back to the couch, feeling virtuous for not pointing out that it was, after all, her fault that we'd had to move to Silver Sage Acres.
A minute later, Kasey drifted into the room and sat on the loveseat, her arms crossed in front of her. "Why's the sound off?"
I shrugged. We stared at the silent infomercial.
As I stared to nod off, Kasey spoke. "How about we skip school tomorrow?"
"I don't really do that anymore," I said. "Besides, everybody knows you never skip your first day."
She curled her knees under herself. "Maybe I can catch chicken pox between now and eight o'clock."
"It'll be fine," I said, trying not to think of the bazillion things that could make it not fine. "I'll help you."
YOU ARE READING
From Bad To Cursed
ParanormalAlexis is the last girl you'd expect to sell her soul. She already has everything she needs- an adorable boyfriend, the perfect best friend, and a little sister who's finally recovering after being possessed by an evil spirit. Alexis is thrilled whe...