Echoes Read Online Free PDF

It must have been a good party.”
    Frustration sparked inside me again that he continued to deny everything no matter how hard I tried to get the truth out of him. “One weak drink means nothing.”
    “If you say so.”
    “What does
Upyri
mean? I—I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere before.”
    His jaw tightened. “I don’t know.”
    “The woman, she said that my death would mark a new beginning for the Upyri. What’s an Upyri?”
    “No idea.” He now spoke through clenched teeth. When he attempted to move past me I didn’t try to block him. “Just do me a favor and don’t talk to me again. Let’s get things back to normal between us.”
    The rubber soles of his sneakers squeaked against the shiny linoleum floor as he walked away from me.
    “Not going to happen,” I called after him. “I’ll see you later, Ethan!”
    When his shoulders visibly stiffened I couldn’t help but grin a little at the reaction. But my grin quickly faded when I realized I wasn’t any further ahead than I was last night in my search for answers.
    I turned in the opposite direction to head to second period and was surprised to see a girl sitting with her back against the lockers on the other side of the hallway. She had jet black hair cut bluntly to her chin and a bright pink streak in her long bangs, pale skin, purple lipstick, and black eyeliner. She blew a large bubble with her gum and it popped.
    Her name was Bree Margolis. We’d been best friends through elementary school, but went our separate ways in seventh grade. She didn’t like me anymore. The feeling was completely mutual.
    Lately, she liked to talk crap about the more popular kids. She thought she was being anonymous, but we all knew who was responsible for the gossip she spread school-wide. I’d been one of her many victims. She’d tried to start a rumor about me last year that I was easy. That rumor was a total lie.
    “What?” I asked without trying to sound the least bit friendly.
    She pulled the earphone out of her left ear. “Hey, Olivia. How’s it going?”
    “Fantastic.” My eyes narrowed. “Were you listening to music or eavesdropping just now?”
    “Eavesdropping.” She wound the cord around her iPod and tucked it into her black backpack. “It’s kind of a hobby of mine.”
    Yeah, no kidding. She had to get her dirt from somewhere.
    My chest tightened at the thought that someone like Bree had overheard us. “You should learn to mind your own business.”
    “Nah, boring.” She blew another big bubble until it popped, and then took a moment to tuck the gum back in her mouth. “He’s kind of hot, don’t you think?”
    “Who, Ethan?”
    She nodded. “But you probably wouldn’t notice that. He’s totally not your type.”
    I glanced both ways along the empty hallway. “You’re late for second period.”
    “I’m not going today.”
    “You’re not going to class?”
    “No. I hate math.” She shrugged. “So why bother?”
    “Great plan.” I smiled thinly. “Good luck with your GPA.”
    She snorted. “I see not much has changed. Still neurotic about everything that happens and what people will say if you don’t pretend to be as perfect as possible at all times.”
    I ignored her commentary. Everyone was entitled to their opinion. Even if they were trolls from Hell.
    The sleeves of her long sleeved black T-shirt were rolled up enough that I could see some disturbing ink on her arm. “Is that a pentagram?”
    She rubbed the tattoo. “Yup.”
    “Worshipping Satan now, Bree?”
    She grinned. “You’re so clever. That’s me. A big ol’ Satan worshipper. Actually, FYI, the pentagram is a symbol of protection against evil, not devil worship.”
    “If you say so.”
    “I do.”
    I had better things to do than talk to Bree. “Anyway, it’s been super fun catching up with you. Bye, now.”
    “I heard what you said. About somebody trying to kill you, but they burst into flames and disappeared.”
    I froze, and then glanced over