Blood Moon Read Online Free PDF Page A

relaxed. “Alright, but you’re to be back here for dinner at five on the dot. Not a second later or there’ll be hell to pay. Okay?”
    Sophie’s face burst into a huge smile and she gave her mother a brief, fierce hug before grabbing her jacket and heading for the front door. “Thanks, Mum. I’ll be back in time for dinner. I promise.” Then, before her mother could change her mind, she ran out of the front door and along the street to Karen’s house.
    A freezing wind whipped along the street as Sophie rapped on Karen’s front door. After a few moments, Karen’s mother answered the door with a smile. “Come on in, Sophie, before you catch your death of cold. Karen’s upstairs in her room. Would you like a drink of anything?”
    Sophie smiled. “No thank you, Mrs Davies.” Then she removed her shoes and scampered up the stairs to Karen’s room. She pushed open the door to absolute carnage. Karen’s room was normally spotless, with dolls and stuffed toys neatly arranged on her bed. Now the toys were in disarray. One doll’s head and arm were missing, and a cuddly penguin had its stuffing pulled out through a ragged tear on its stomach. Karen sat on the floor holding a naked Barbie that seemed to have strands of Karen’s hair stuck all over it with PVA glue. Puzzled, Sophie gave a polite cough. “Hey, Karen. What’cha doing?”
    Karen smiled at her friend. Her fringe was a ragged mess where she’d cut into it with a pair of craft scissors. “Hiya, Sophie. Malibu Barbie turned into a werewolf, and she’s on a killing spree. Wanna play?”
    Sophie closed the door behind her and sat down on the bed. “Werewolves don’t all go on killing sprees, you know. Some of them are quite nice.”
    Werewolf Barbie ripped another chunk of stuffing out of Mr Pingu. “Yeah, they do. That’s what the man said on the news. Who made you the expert on werewolves all of a sudden, anyway?”
    Sophie grinned. “I know loads about werewolves. More than some stupid fat bloke on the news. Sit down and I’ll tell you, and later I might even show you something cool.”
     
    ***
     
    It was dark as Sophie hurried along the street to her home. Spider-fingers of frost had begun to form on the windscreens of the parked cars, and Christmas lights twinkled from every window. She couldn’t wait. Only a few more days to go until Santa came, although the missing presents from Uncle Dmitri and Auntie Kasha still bothered her. Perhaps they would be under the tree when she got back. She stuffed her mitten-clad hands into her pockets and made her way along the street, careful not to slip on the newly formed patches of ice that covered the pavement.
    As she got closer to her house, she saw Uncle Dmitri, Aunt Kasha and Adam coming out of her front door. Uncle Dmitri wasn’t wearing his false leg, and he negotiated the slippery driveway on his crutches while Aunt Kasha bundled a complaining Adam into the rear seat of their car. That was strange. She thought they’d be staying for dinner. At least she’d get her Xbox back and wouldn’t have Adam stinking her room up anymore.
    Her parents stood at the doorway, grim expressions on their faces. Dmitri reached the passenger side door of the car and turned to them. “I wish you’d reconsider. It’s not too late. We can go online, book your flights and you can come with us.”
    Her father shook his head. “We’ve made up our minds, Dmitri. We think its better that we stay where we are. Please be careful, and phone us when you get to Salzburg so we know you got there okay.”
    Dmitri nodded. Kasha hugged both her father and mother, then, spotting Sophie on the road, hurried over and held her tight. “Be safe, little one. We love you,” she whispered. Then she got into the driver’s seat and closed the car door.
    Sophie stood next to her mother and father, watching as the car started, backed out of the driveway and drove away. They stayed until after the car had disappeared around the