Brighter, a supernatural thriller Read Online Free PDF Page A

hadn't seen Heather and Rick yet, but she did notice their car parked a few cars down from hers, so she knew they were there. It was a big party. They'd run into each other sooner or later.
    As Ramona headed back towards the bonfire, she realized she needed to go to the bathroom. She hesitated, considering going back up to the house and waiting in line for hours or just trudging into the woods and squatting behind a tree. She decided on the latter. Ramona knew the woods pretty well. She'd been to lots of parties out here, so she navigated the trees and undergrowth easily until she found a place that was relatively private. She went about her business.
    In the distance, she heard a police car siren and through the trees, she could barely see the flashing lights. Geez. They were out to tell the party to get quiet already? It wasn't even midnight. Ramona rearranged her costume. She wasn't doing anything illegal, but it was a pain to be pestered by the police. She walked out a few paces and settled on a tree trunk, opening her beer and gazing up at the night sky. She'd just hang out here and wait the police out. Above her, a shooting star streaked across the sky.
    Huh. Wasn't that what Mason had been talking about, the night she met him? She wondered where Mason was. She'd hoped to see him tonight. He had been talking about falling stars. And it hadn't been too far from this spot. Just up at the A-frame house….
    * * *
    It was Ramona's junior year of college. Her boyfriend Ben had just left town, and Ramona missed him. Heather dragged her out to a party on the river, at Dawn and Cecelia's house, because she said she was sick of listening to Ramona whine about Ben. Once there, Heather immediately found them some mushrooms. The girls both ate a large amount of them and within a half hour, they were lying on the grass outside, watching the stars chase each other. At some point, Ramona remembered not being able to handle the lights. They were too bright, and she was hallucinating that the stars were swooping down to get her. She tried to communicate this to Heather. Heather didn't say anything except, "You're fine."
    Ramona went to the nearest car to take shelter from the falling stars. The back door was unlocked, so she crawled into the backseat and covered her head with her arms.
    Mason was inside the car, sitting in the front seat. He said, "Who is that?"
    "It's Ramona," Ramona said, her voice muffled by her arms.
    "Why are you in this car?"
    "I'm having a bad trip." She might think the stars were after her, but she knew it wasn't real. "Who is that?"
    "It's Mason."
    Ramona didn't know Mason very well at this point. She'd seen him at a couple parties now and then, but they'd never really spoken. She sat up, moving her arms away from her face. "Why are you in this car?"
    "It's my car."
    "Oh."
    "Why are you having a bad trip?" Mason asked.
    "The stars are after me. They're falling out of the sky and trying to get me."
    "I'm a falling star."
    What? "Are you tripping too?" He must be tripping.
    "No."
    Ramona sneaked a quick peek out the window. The stars swarmed at her out of the darkness. She sat back in her seat. "I hate mushrooms," she said.
    "That's what you're tripping on?"
    "Yeah. They always make me feel...unsettled. Like there's something I'm supposed to figure out. I think that's why people used to use mushrooms on vision quests."
    "Very possibly."
    "Do you want me to leave the car?"
    "I don't care."
    "Are you okay?" she asked.
    "I'm not sure," Mason said. He peered at her from the front seat. "I'm not sure of anything."
    "Can I smoke in your car?"
    "Open the window."
    "The stars will get me."
    "I'll make sure they don't."
    Ramona lit a cigarette. She thought about the fact that the mushrooms had sent her to the very edge of sanity, and if she thought that Mason was a little strange, she should remind herself that she was afraid of the stars. She'd humor him. He seemed okay.
    "You'll protect me from the stars?" she