Labyrinth Society Read Online Free PDF

all wearing the same square, silver labyrinth ring Alex was wearing, even Mrs. Tarpley.
    Almost before I could stop them, crazy thoughts flooded my sore head. What did the rings mean? What did those weird symbols in the center of the labyrinth mean? It suddenly hit me what the rotten egg smell had been. Sulfur! Were they involved in some kind of satanic cult? Was the labyrinth a gateway to hell? Were they about to sacrifice me to some pagan god like they did in those creepy little backwoods towns in my grandma's Stephen King novels? The kind of towns where the Children of the Corn lived and everything seemed fine on the surface but all the townspeople belonged to a coven? Maybe it's what happened to Morgan Lake? They sacrificed her!
    My stomach churned violently, and I stood up abruptly. I clamped my hand over my mouth and ran to the bathroom in the foyer and threw up. When I was finished, I stood up and caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror. My hair was a mess and my eyes were wild and crazy. I splashed cold water on my face and sat on the toilet to pull myself together. After a few minutes, I felt a lot calmer, and not to mention, like a big fool. I must have hit my head when I fainted to be thinking up such weirdness.
    I used to drive my grandma crazy scaring myself half to death imagining hockey-masked serial killers were hiding under my bed after late nights up watching chiller theatre. If anything, these people seemed to be killing me with kindness. They'd hardly be treating me so nicely if they planned to kill me, would they? Still, there was something pretty strange going on, and I'd already caught them in one lie. Someone knocked on the bathroom door and I jumped.
    "Are you okay in there, luv?" came Alex's voice.
    I quickly rinsed out my mouth and came out of the bathroom. They were all, with the exception of Devon, standing in the foyer. I had to pull myself together. I didn't want them to know I knew they were all lying to me.
    "You should be back in bed." Mrs. Tarpley put her arm around my shoulders and I allowed myself to be led up the steps.
    "I'm sorry you had such a rough day, Mia," Mrs. Tarpley told me as I shrugged out of my robe and climbed into bed.
    "I've had worse," I said, thinking about the absolute worst day of my life. A year ago, I'd come home from school and found my grandma sitting in her recliner in front of the TV cold and dead.
    Mrs. Tarpley sat on the side of the bed and tucked the burgundy comforter up to my chin. "There. Now, when you wake up, you'll feel all better, and I'll make you a big breakfast. How do pancakes sound?"
    "Sounds good," I replied in a small voice. My foster mother turned to go and I remembered what I'd meant to ask her earlier. "Mrs. T.?"
    "Yes, ma chere ." She sat back down on the bed.
    "What did you mean this morning when you told Devon I belong here?"
    She was thoughtful for a moment before answering. "Mia, I know what it's like to lose your family and be left all alone in the world," she said, looking so sad she might cry.
    "You were a foster kid, too?" I asked in amazement. The fact my question hadn't exactly been answered was instantly forgotten in light of this new information.
    "Not exactly," Mrs. T replied with a faraway look in her eyes.
    I hoped she'd explain what she meant but she just stood up to go and when she did, I got another look at the ring she was wearing. She wore the ring on the middle finger of her right hand. I also noticed she still wore her wedding ring, which was a plain gold band.
    "I like your ring." I watched her closely.
    "Thank you." She was genuinely pleased. "I make jewelry as a hobby. I'll make you one, if you like."
    Not knowing what kind of an answer I'd been expecting, and feeling kind of stupid, I just nodded and closed my eyes. Mrs. Tarpley turned out the light and left. When she was gone, I got out of bed and walked over to the window seat. The labyrinth seemed pretty harmless in the moonlight. They all knew what had