Golden Girl Read Online Free PDF Page A

fun you’ll forget you were ever frightened.”
    I heard Jack swallow hard. He knew all about the kind of fun fairies had with regular people. It tended to end up with somebody being dead.
    “You—you did say …,” stammered Miss Markham.
    “Don’t you worry either, Ruth. I haven’t forgotten our bargain.” Sparkling Woman straightened up and turned toward the lake. She didn’t let go of Ivy’s hand. “Brother!” she called. “You can come out now!”
    Ivy glanced over her shoulder again.
Run
, I begged silently.
Run now!
But she looked back toward Sparkling Woman and Miss Markham, afraid to go, afraid to stay. And too late.
    Deep inside, I felt how the world shifted around us, like somebody had turned its key. At the same moment, the water under the bridge sloshed hard. A bulky shadow waded out from the oily darkness to crouch on the bank. It might almost have been a man squatting there, but its man-shaped body was covered with gray hair. Tangled locks hung from his chin to his navel, long enough to brush the ground. Water beaded up in the snarls, glittering like the sequins on Sparkling Woman’s dress. He had shiny silver eyes, and bits of dark weed hung from his beard and ankles. It didn’t look like he was wearing any clothes.
    “Rougarou’s here.” The hairy man grinned at Ivy and Ruth Markham. “We’re all here now, hey?”
    Ivy gasped and slapped her hand over her mouth. She tried to pull away, but Sparkling Woman yanked her closer. Miss Markham just stayed rooted to the ground, staring.
    “Miss Ivy Bright.” Sparkling Woman rested her hands on Ivy’s shoulders to hold her in place. “Miss Ruth Markham, I’d like you to meet my brother. You may call him Rougarou.”
    “All here and all so pretty.” Rougarou straightened up. A pond’s worth of water sluiced off him, plastering his weedy hair tight to his body. He definitely wasn’t wearing any clothes.
    “What is this? What is that thing?” whispered Ruth Markham. “You said … if I just brought the girl, it would be you …”
    “Do calm down, Ruth,” said Sparkling Woman. “I can’t do everything myself, now, can I?”
    “This isn’t funny!” cried Ivy. “You take me home right now!”
    “Patience, Ivy.” Sparkling Woman wrapped her arm tight around the girl’s shoulders. “We’re almost done here.”
    “What do I have to do?” Miss Markham spoke too fast, like she wanted to get this over with before she lost her nerve.
    “Well, now, you’ve heard the expression ‘sealed with a kiss,’ haven’t you?”
    “I have to kiss him?” Ruth’s voice rose to a squeak on the last word.
    “Just one kiss, that’s all, pretty lady.” Rougarou grinned way too big for the size of his hairy face, and his teeth flashed white. “One little kiss for Rougarou.”
    “Pretend you’re a princess in a fairy story, the one who has to kiss the frog,” suggested Sparkling Woman. “You should be able to do that quite easily. You’re an actress, after all.”
    “She’s not an actress!” shouted Ivy, and for the first time there was some fire in her voice. “She’s a
secretary
!”
    “You be quiet!” snapped Miss Markham. “After this, no one will even remember who you are, you little brat!”
    “I won’t be quiet! You can’t make me! I’ll tell Mr. Thalberg!
And
Mr. Mayer! I’ll—”
    Sparkling Woman laid one long, perfect hand on Ivy’s head. “Hush now, Ivy.”
    The girl’s words cut off. Slowly all the fear drained out of her face. So did every other expression. She leaned against Sparkling Woman, as limp and staring as a rag doll.
    Jack gripped my hand hard and jerked his chin sideways. He was right. We couldn’t leave the brightest little star in Hollywood—or anybody else—to get taken for a ride by Sparkling Woman and her hairy brother. I squeezed his fingers back and nodded.
    Outside, Miss Markham had her hand stretched out toward Ivy but didn’t quite touch her. “Is … is she all