Forever Freaky Read Online Free PDF Page B

lot,” he said.
    “Ah-hah.”
    “I know some spells.”
    “Spells? Are you kidding?” I asked.
    “They might help.”
    “I need to find Mary Jo. I don’t want to turn
her into a frog.”
    “Maybe, it’s just time for you to stop being
so alone,” he said.
    “I don’t think that’s it,” I sighed. “But for
the time being, we’ll go with that—until I can figure out a way to
get you to leave me alone without having to maim or cripple
you.”
    “That sounds fair—Julia Dundee.”
    I had never told him my name. He had me for a
second, but only for a second.
    “You looked up my yearbook picture, didn’t
you?”
    He nodded.
    “Nice try,” I said.
    He shrugged.
    “By the way, don’t call me Julia,” I said.
“I’ve never been fond of the name. I hate Julie even more—probably
because that’s what my parents call me. My friends call me
Jules.”
    “Jules, then.”
    “We’re not there yet.”
    “Then what should I call you?” he asked.
    “Call me ‘Hey you.’ I don’t care. We’re
probably not going to know each other for long anyway.”
    I got up and started walking away. He
followed—big surprise; I figured he would linger like a bad
rash.
    “Can I ask you something?”
    “Please, don’t be shy,” I said dismally.
    “I’ve studied a lot about, you know, unusual
phenomena. So far I know you can see dead people, read minds, see
the future. What else can you do?”
    “If you must know—and I suppose you
must—sometimes, if I concentrate really hard, I can turn on and off
light switches.”
    “That’s telekinesis. Anything else?”
    “If somebody asks me too many questions, they
tend to burst into flames.”
    “That’s pyro kinesis,” he said, and then,
finally getting it, “That was a hint, wasn’t it?”
    “Duh.”
    “Sorry, you’re just so interesting.”
    “There is something seriously wrong with you,
Jack,” I said. “Just leave me alone, okay?”
    I got up and walked away down the path that
curved past the parking lot. He followed, of course, a step or two
behind me.
    I didn’t know what to do with him. I was not
a violent person. Other girls would have turned on their heel and
clocked him in the head. I couldn’t do that; it wasn’t in my
nature—besides, I probably only would have hurt my hand; Jack would
have remained a persistent dunderhead.
    “Most people can’t even do one of the things
you can do,” he said.
    I ignored him, and kept walking.
    “I figure you have to be pretty rare.”
    I kept walking.
    “I don’t see why you don’t think it’s a good
thing.”
    I kept walking.
    “You’re special,” he said.
    It was starting to get to me. It was as
though he was rubbing my nose in how different I was from everybody
else. That was supposed to be a good thing. He was so clue-less it
was actually sad.
    I stopped to sit on another bench, where the
walkway ran near the parking lot, where landscapers had recently
planted new trees to border the lawn. I put my elbows on my knees,
and rested my head in my hands. I felt a sick burning in my chest.
You never truly realize how much of a freak you are until somebody
points it out to you. I felt like crying, but I couldn’t cry—I
never cried, not even when I’d been a little kid and hurt myself.
Something inside me prevented me from letting go, prevented my
emotions from blooming to normalcy.
    “Have I ever done anything to you?” I asked,
not looking up at him, the burning in my chest growing hotter and
hotter. My closed eyes saw globs of faded orange that whirled
around and as they whirl darkened to blood red.
    “No,” he said innocently.
    “Then why are you tormenting me?” I asked, my
voice starting to crack.
    “I didn’t think I was doing that.”
    “Just—just stop talking about me.”
    “But you have gifts.”
    “Don’t call them gifts.”
    “That’s what they are.”
    “Stop.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “Just stop.”
    “I’m just trying--”
    “Stop!” I screamed,