In the Lone and Level Sands Read Online Free PDF Page B

worked. Worse, he had no idea if they would teach him. In the
end, they had taught him. Perhaps they had felt some sort of
kinship toward him, as he was already well-learned in similar dark
arts. Or perhaps they had grown tired of his presence and knew they
could not outsmart him, had taught him what he needed to know to
get rid of him. Whatever the case, they had taught him, and they
would never repeat that mistake again.
    Soon after, he was able to test his new art,
and he quickly learned that the myths were true. The hidden people
had the knowledge he had sought so long and been unable to learn on
his own: How to change people. Could they have known he would one
day be capable of inflicting the hex upon the entire world?
    It would happen at random, and it would
happen all over the world. Several million people would change in
the U.S. alone, and it would spread. He wished he would have been
able to control who it was; he had a few people picked out, but in
the end it too would not matter. The hex would spread until it
consumed the world. Whatever came after that didn’t matter. His
work was done.

 
    Part
Two
    The Beginning of the End
     
    8
    At the Belmont
     
    Evan and Cynthia were all smiles as they
watched Mal dance across the stage, both proud of their daughter.
Cynthia turned to Evan and whispered.
    “She’s a natural.”
    “She sure is.” The lights came on, and Evan
was among the first to stand, clapping. Cynthia whistled. Mal
looked into the audience with a broad smile. The curtain dropped,
and Mal disappeared.
    An old woman leaned into Cynthia and asked,
“Which girl is yours?”
    “Mallorie. She was the one in front just
before the curtain fell.”
    “She was lovely. She could really be a star
someday.”
    “Yes she could,” Cynthia said, and smiled as
the audience began clearing the room.
     
    ****
     
    Mal was washing her hands in the bathroom
with her best friend, Richelle, while their parents waited
outside.
    “That was great!” Mal said. She looked at
Richelle, who had been all smiles up until then. “You were really
good out there!”
    Richelle stood with her hands under the
running water. She didn’t move, even as steam began rising out of
the sink. Her face was blank.
    “Richelle?” Mal said. She turned off her own
sink and wiped her hands. “Richelle, what’s wrong? Richelle!”
    Mal reached over and turned the water off,
and then grabbed her friend’s arm. She shook Richelle, but that did
nothing. Mal could hear her breathing somewhat heavily. Then
Richelle’s mother, Amanda, walked in.
    “What are you two doing?” she said. “We’re
ready to go.”
    “Mrs. Kingsolver, there’s something wrong
with Richelle!”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Look!”
    Amanda moved toward her daughter. “Richelle,
what’s wrong?” Richelle didn’t reply, and didn’t move. “Richelle,
answer me.” Amanda turned Richelle around and looked into her eyes.
They looked cold and distant, as if Richelle were somewhere else
entirely.
    “What’s going on?” Mal asked. “What’s wrong
with her?” Mal began to cry, which made a few tears form in
Amanda’s eyes as well.
    “I don’t know. Richelle, answer me! Stop
playing around! You’re scaring me!”
    Richelle was staring at the wall behind
Amanda, but her eyes suddenly looked straight at her. Richelle
grunted and grabbed Amanda’s arm, then sunk her teeth into her
flesh. Mal screamed and rushed out of the bathroom, then toward
where her parents and Richelle’s dad were chatting. When they heard
Mal’s screams, they hurried to meet her halfway.
    “Mal!” Evan said. “What’s wrong?”
    “It’s Richelle!” Mal was breathing heavily.
“She bit her mom!”
    “W-what?” Eugene Kingsolver said. Everyone
headed for the bathroom. Screams were filling the foyer and the
halls in the Belmont. Eugene tore the bathroom door open.
    “Richelle!” Eugene said when he saw his
daughter digging into Amanda’s arm. Amanda tried to get