Mister Death's Blue-Eyed Girls Read Online Free PDF Page A

But not as loud as Ellie.
    We follow her deeper into the woods and squat down in the bushes near the creek. Although I'm careful, I feel warm pee run down my leg and into my shoe. Ellie loses her balance and topples over with a crash. The three of us laugh so hard we all end up on our backs in the leaves. I pray it's not poison ivy. How would I explain an itchy rash all over my rear end?
    "Let's wade in the creek," Bobbi Jo says. We take off our shoes and scramble down the bank. The water is knee-deep and cold. We slosh along, splashing each other and laughing.
    "Where did Cheryl go?" Bobbi Jo asks.
    Ellie giggles. "The woods with Ralph. Where do you think?" She catches my eye. "Don't look so shocked," she says. "I saw you kissing Charlie."
    I feel myself blush. "Well, I'm not about to go off in the woods with him."
    She laughs and makes kissing noises. "Nora and Charlie sitting in a tree," she chants, " k-i- s- s- i- n- g—"
    I give her a push and she sits down in the water. Before I can even say I'm sorry, I slip on the mossy stones and splash down beside her. Bobbi Jo laughs and Ellie grabs her ankle and pulls her down with us. The water runs over our legs and cools us off. The buzzy feel of the beer slides away. In the woods, thousands of fireflies blink their lights like magic.
    "I think Cheryl is really in love with Ralph," Bobbi Jo says in a dreamy voice.
    "We all thought she was in love with Buddy not so long ago," Ellie reminds her.
    "Yes, but he didn't deserve her," Bobbi Jo says. "Ralph's different. He's nice. He'd never hit her."
    I sit there quietly watching the fireflies and wishing Don liked me the way Ralph likes Cheryl. Why don't I have long blond hair and breasts big enough to see without a magnifying glass?
    "I hope I have a boyfriend like Ralph someday," Bobbi Jo whispers into the dark.
    "Don't worry," Ellie says. "As cute as you are, you'll have all the boyfriends you could ever want."
    Unlike me, I think, unlike me. I try not to envy Bobbi Jo's pretty face and blond curls. Try not to compare my plain face and wispy brown hair, frizzy in the summer heat. My freckles. The funny bump in my nose. My long skinny arms and legs. Why did Charlie kiss me? Why would any boy want to kiss me?
    Tired of my own boring thoughts, I stand up and grab one of the grapevines dangling from the trees. Giving my best Tarzan shout, I swing on it. Bobbi Jo and Ellie scramble to their feet and catch vines of their own. Soon the three of us are swinging back and forth like ten-year-olds, whooping and laughing.
    Suddenly Bobbi Jo lets go of her vine and stands still in the middle of the creek. "Shh!' she whispers. "Did you hear that?"
    Ellie and I drop down beside her. I hear what Bobbi Jo heard, branches rustling, something moving. No mistaking the sound this time. Slow footsteps are moving toward us. I shiver. Someone's out there in the dark, watching us.
    "Who's there?" Ellie croaks.
    A stone splashes into the water beside her. Then another and another. They're falling all around us.
    We scramble to our feet, slipping and sliding, and cling to each other, terrified. Bobbi Jo murmurs, "Hail Mary, full of grace..."
    "Paul, is that you?" Ellie calls. Her voice shakes. We huddle together in the creek.
    Bushes rustle. More stones splash into the water. Someone laughs the laugh of the Shadow and intones, "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?"
    Bobbi Jo starts to cry. "Who is it?" Ellie shouts. "What do you want?"
    "The Shadow knows." More laughter. More stones. Branches snapping, leaves stirring.
    "This isn't funny!" Ellie yells.
    And then they're sliding down the bank, splashing toward us, laughing. Paul first, then Charlie and Walt.
    "Don't be mad." Paul puts his arm around Ellie. "Look what we have for you." He presses a bottle of beer into her hand.
    Charlie hands me a beer, and Walt offers one to Bobbi Jo.
    "You scared us half to death," Bobbi Jo says. She wipes her eyes, brushing away tears.
    "Did you think it was