Ghost Girl in Shadow Bay: A Young Adult Haunted House Mystery Read Online Free PDF Page B

She's here
visiting her grandmother for the summer."
    "Hi." Peyton smiled, masking her
disappointment that it wasn't Bryant.
    Lily stood. She was very nearly Peyton's
height, with pale skin and blunt cut short red hair.
    "Nana told me there was someone new on the
block I should meet," she said with a Southern accent.
    "That was nice of her," Melody said. "Peyton
could certainly use a friend."
    "You want to go outside?" Peyton's tone made
it less of a question than an order. If they were going to be
friends, she doubted it would happen with her mother watching over
them like a mother hen.
    "Sure." Lily grinned.
    "Tell your grandmother she's welcome to
visit anytime she likes," Melody said as the girls walked away.
    "I will," Lily promised.
    It was a muggy day and the bugs were out in
force. Peyton wished she had put on insect repellant, even though
she hated the stench, as the little creatures seemed to be
attracted to her and not Lily.
    They sat on the porch steps.
    "Where do you live?" Peyton asked, after
telling Lily about her recent move from San Diego.
    "Atlanta," Lily said happily. "It's a great
city with lots to offer."
    "Never been there."
    "And I've never been to San Diego, so I
guess we're even."
    Peyton agreed. "Do you visit your
grandmother often?"
    "Sure do. Every other summer since I was
five. The other years, she visits us."
    "Cool." Peyton thought briefly about her
grandparents, whom she barely got to know, much less bond with.
    Lily smoothed an arched eyebrow. "Nana's
been living in the same house since she was a girl. After Gramps
died five years ago, my mother tried to get her to move to Atlanta,
but Nana refused. Said she was too set in her ways and didn't want
to be a burden to anyone."
    "I can understand her wanting to remain
independent," Peyton said.
    "Me, too. But sooner or later, I'm afraid
she won't have a choice and she'll have to move."
    "I guess that's true for all of us." The
thought was depressing. Peyton couldn't imagine being confined to
bed or being unable to care for herself.
    "Let's go for a walk," Lily suggested.
    "Okay."
    Ten minutes later, Peyton asked, "So will
you be here all summer?"
    "Yeah, pretty much. Till early
September."
    "Good." Peyton decided that she liked this
new girl. She wished Erica was here so the three of them could hang
out and have fun.
    They headed towards the bay. It wasn't
Peyton's choice, but she didn't want to make it seem like she was
afraid of the water. Even if she was, maybe just a little. Or at
least as long as she had no answers about the mysterious girl who,
for all she knew, might still be out there.
    "Have you met anybody else since you moved
here?" Lily asked.
    "Yeah, a guy named Bryant. He's our
caretaker's son."
    "I don't think I've met him. Is he
cute?"
    "Most definitely!" Peyton confirmed with
more than a touch of proprietary interest.
    Lily seemed to read between the lines.
"Well, maybe he's got a cute friend he can introduce me to."
    Peyton smiled. Bryant hadn't talked much
about his friends, other than an ex-girlfriend. Still, she guessed
that he knew guys who would probably like Lily. So long as it
wasn't him, she thought, already acting like a jealous
girlfriend.
    They stood at the edge of the bay, studying
the view as though a work of art.
    "Do you like to swim?" Lily asked.
    "Yes." Peyton felt a chill run through her
in thinking about her last swim. She wondered if that girl could
somehow still be alive. Or had the whole thing been some kind of a
sick joke?
    "Maybe we can go swimming together
sometime?"
    Peyton shuddered at the idea of going back
into that water anytime soon. Having a swimming partner might
lessen her unease.
    She smiled. "Sounds good to me."
    "Cool."
    Peyton wasn't sure just how cool it was.
Could be there was more to the bay than met the eye.
    * * *
    That evening Vance assembled Melody and
Peyton to the study for what he called a family meeting. This
surprised Peyton, as she had rarely been included in discussions
since her