Labyrinth Lost Read Online Free PDF Page A

shoulder.
    â€œ Stop ,” I shout. My hands are shaking.
    â€œMake me.” He won’t back down.
    I take a step toward him, but Rishi stops me.
    â€œAlex,” Rishi says. Angry tears spill from the corners of her eyes. “Help me up.”
    She holds out her hand. It’s covered in blood. Ivan moves to grab my wrist, but I push him as hard as I can. I feel my head spin at the sight of Rishi’s blood. I shut my eyes to make the dizziness go away, but I see the warm, red light of my dream again. The rotten stench of dead flesh fills the air. Then, I hear the last words my dad ever spoke to me. “ Sh, my darling. Everything will be okay. ” He lied. Nothing would ever be okay—not truly.
    I close my eyes. Remember to breath. Remember to pull the tide back. Remember to keep it buried. But there’s something else there, struggling to break free again. Just like last time. Dread digs into my chest and won’t let go. I feel a swell in my heart, and when I look down at my hands, they’re covered in blood. The wind is knocked out of my lungs. Something breaks inside of me and I can’t hold on anymore.
    My magic slips.
    My ears pop and adrenaline rushes through my veins. I wait for something to shatter or move, but instead, Ivan falls on his hands and knees, choking. The head of a black snake slithers from his mouth, flicking a bright-red tongue.
    Ivan makes a final, terrible gagging noise, and then the whole snake is out. It slithers across the waxed gym floor between feet that run for the exits. Piercing screams fill the air as Ivan shivers and collapses. The snake grows bigger by the second, like it feeds off the people screaming. When there’s no one left in the gym but the three of us, the snake darts for Rishi.
    â€œNo!” I shout.
    The snake freezes, turns its head in my direction. That red tongue flicks at me. It nods. It knows me. Then, the snake slithers out the door and into the halls.
    â€œAlex.” Someone calls my name. I turn around but no one is there.
    â€œWho’s there?” I whisper. The temperature in the room drops.
    â€œWe need to go!” Rishi holds her bloody hand out for me to take.
    But there’s that voice again. I fall backward onto the gym floor. I can hear the rush of waves, the crackle of static. Rishi tries to help me stand. I stare at her fingers. Pink nails. Brown henna. But then she’s gone as Aunt Rosaria appears between us.
    â€œAlex, what’s wrong?” Rishi shouts.
    I crawl backward, my insides clenching and twisting painfully. Recoil . My skin burns from the inside like there’s fire in my veins. Aunt Rosaria’s open lips are a black hole, but the sound is lost. She grabs her throat with one hand and points at me with the other, a long, accusatory finger. I hold up my arms to shield myself from her. My magic slips defensively. The blast sets off the sprinkler systems. It shudders the windowpanes. It fills the air with the howling winds of a storm. Magic flares in my veins, and I panic, pulling it back like a lifeline that is slipping from my fingers. Aunt Rosaria starts to fade into the shadows, my name the last word on her cold, dead lips.

5
    The Deos created the brujos and brujas.
    Bless our kind, vessels of their Eternal Gifts.
    â€”from the journal of Philomeno de las Rosas
    I run all the way home. The last thing I heard before I took off was Rishi and Lula looking for me in the throng of students. I went out the side door and bolted down the street. I realize running from this is like trying to outrun the sun. Sometimes I feel like all I want to do is run. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I never stopped.
    When I get to my street, I slow down. Sweat drips from my temples and down my nose. My muscles burn down to the core. I run into my house. I press my head against the kitchen door until I stop shaking. I practice my breaths like Mrs. Castellano, my guidance counselor, once told