Neverland Academy Read Online Free PDF Page B

was plenty
small enough to fit in one of the cubbies on the top shelf. She stood tiptoed
on an antique armchair to reach the top shelf where she found the keys to her
mother’s BMW. It was effortless. And while Daphne was reaching, her fingers
slid across something else she desired. Her heart warmed when she caressed the
sleek surface of the device and she felt instant comfort. No mac-n-cheese
needed. Just her iPhone.
    Hopping
off the chair, Daphne sat at its edge, pushed the power button, and waited
impatiently for the phone to turn on. Much to her dismay, it was dead.
    After
about a minute of contemplation she ran downstairs and placed it on her
mother’s charger. She could wait a few minutes, just to check her messages
before she leaves. No sooner had Daphne done that than she heard a sharp
tapping at the window above the kitchen sink. She had hoped it was just the
wind blowing a wayward branch against the glass. But the tapping was much more
intentional, rhythmic. Her pulse quickened as she warily approached the glass.
A thought passed through her mind for a moment, that maybe she should just stay
home and keep the doors locked. She saw the movie, Scream, once and it terrified her to think somebody could be
out there waiting for the right moment to attack a vulnerable teenage girl.
    Then
she saw the eyes. Those lime-green eyes that seemed to glow in the dark. She
shook her head, convinced that she was imagining it again. But when she looked
back a dimpled smile appeared just below them as if the Cheshire cat were
appearing before her eyes. Daphne stood across from the window staring,
dumfounded. The boy tapped again.
    “Are
you alone? Can I come in?” his muffled voice carried through the glass.
    Daphne
snapped out of her trance and reached across the sink, wrenching the window
open.
    “Who
are you? How do you know where I live? What are you doing here?”
    “It’s
wet,” the boy said. And wet it was. His face glistened with streaks of rain.
His raven hair was plastered to his head like a swim cap. His tee shirt stuck
to his figure as if he were wearing nothing at all. “Can I come in please?”
    “Not
until you answer me. I don’t even know you.”
    “My
name is Finn. Your brothers gave me your address. And I’m here to say hi.”
    “Hello,”
Daphne said blankly. “Now, goodbye.” She slammed the window shut in Finn’s
face. She didn’t need some crazy boy stalking her. Not tonight. She had too
much to do and barely enough time to pull it off. But he was not chagrinned by
Daphne’s blatant rejection. His smile broadened and he disappeared into the
storm, which was beginning to wind down. When Daphne peered out the window
again, he was nowhere to be found. She went to the front door and peered out
the side windows. He wasn’t there either. She sighed a breath of relief and
grabbed the keys to her mother’s car.
    The
garage door hummed open while Daphne tossed her purse into the passenger seat
and climbed in. She started the engine, checked her face in the mirror, and
placed her hand on the shifter—where another hand was waiting for her.
Daphne’s heart leapt into her throat, choking her for a moment. She swallowed
it down when she found the glowing green eyes smirking at her from the
passenger seat. His other hand held her sunshine yellow purse.
    “How
did you—”
    “I
can be very discreet, Daphne.”
    “How
do you know my name?”
    “You
told me, remember? In the library.”
    “Yeah,
but you—”
    “Like
I said, I can be very discreet.”
    “What’s
this all about? Why are you really here? And don’t tell me it’s to say hi. That’s
the stupidest excuse I’ve ever heard.”
    “You’re
right. I’m not here just to say hi. I like you Daphne.”
    “You
don’t know me . . . what did you say your name was again?”
    “Finn.”
    “Finn.
What kind of name is that?” The boy did not answer, but simply grinned at
Daphne. “You don’t even know me Finn. How can you say you like