Darkside Sun Read Online Free PDF Page B

often did. Tonight I wouldn’t judge her. We all had our priorities. For her sake, I needed her in some other room for the night.
    What would be inside those yellowing pages?
    Everything.

Chapter 4
    I pulled the lanyard laden with keys from under my shirt and unlocked the door to my room. Ear pressed against the steel, I stopped to listen.
    Blissful silence within. Somebody loved me.
    I slipped inside, smashing my palm against the light switch. The fluorescent in the ceiling buzzed to life, blinding me. I’d never been a fan of the dark, but after my up-close-and-personal with the yummy Green and his frightening Mr. Hyde other half, I liked it even less.
    Bone-jarring bass thumped to life in the room next to mine as I locked myself in. Muted giggles trickled under my door as a gaggle of girls headed out, probably to the pub on campus. As long as they didn’t come in my room, they could go to Mars for all I cared.
    After setting my pack with care on my plaid comforter—I was so happy Green would never see my bedroom since he clearly had something against plaid—I glanced up to make sure the walls and ceiling were still whole. They were. A peek through Ava’s door confirmed she wasn’t in there boning some random guy.
    Even alone in my tiny room with only my metal Ikea desk, chair, bed, and shelf full of books, I still felt exposed. Kneeling before my bed, I pulled out my survival kit. Yes, I was a Girl Guide once upon a time, so sue me. I dug through the bandages, alcohol swabs, and the sewing kit to locate my red, pen-sized Mag flashlight Gramps had given me before he died.
    Another check of the room. Still alone. I pinched the lit flashlight between my lips, un-wedged the massive book from my pack, and crawled under my comforter. I crossed my legs, my body acting as a tent pole. It was dark and exactly a million degrees under the fluff and puff, but I felt safer under there. Just like old times when I’d sneaked into our library at home to fill my head with knowledge long after little girls should have been tucked into bed.
    From under my pillow, I pulled out my baby blanket with its pink silk edging and draped it around my neck like a tiny, tattered scarf. The silk and softness chased back my anxiety, soothed better than anything. It still smelled like home, like Dad.
    Arms trembling, I finally allowed myself to look at the book sitting on the sheet in front of me. I palmed the light and leaned over the book cover. The leather had that mottled appearance, faded at the edges where many hands had rested where mine didn’t yet dare to. A border had been tooled around the perimeter: intricate scroll patterns with runes I didn’t recognize woven in almost as if the artist didn’t want anyone to notice they were there. A pair of intertwined, ornate Ms were carved into the center.
    The spine had to have been four inches thick. Gold hinges and a clasp—and I was pretty sure it was pure and not plated given the weight of the book—kept the pages sealed against the world. And was that a lock?
    I poked at the book, recoiling as if it would turn into one of those Harry Potter deals and gnaw my arm off. When it didn’t so much as growl at me, I ran my finger lightly around the edge of the top cover and tried to lift, but it didn’t budge. “Oh, nice, you jerk. You gave me the book but not the key. Very damn funny.”
    Gripping the tome in one hand, I tilted it up and turned it around under my light. At least a quarter of the pages were ripped out, leaving only jagged edges behind. No hidden compartments or obvious ways in. Could I pick the lock? My curiosity had grown into an unstoppable force, so I had to do something.
    I slipped out of the covers, leaving the book under them. Air, glorious air. I sucked in a lungful as I drew out my kit again, withdrawing my Swiss Army knife. Lip caught between my teeth, I considered how much of a cow Green would have if I marred up the lock on his precious book. I shrugged. Served him