Raven Stole the Moon Read Online Free PDF

that the flood, while avenging his brothers, had brought him misfortune as well.

Chapter 5
    J ENNA PULLED THE ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE OUT OF THE garage in the Landises’ apartment building and onto First Avenue. Big, black BMW 850i super-car with ninety-two cylinders and automatic everything. One time Robert clicked his alarm button-thing and all the windows and the sunroof opened and wouldn’t close. Computer malfunction. He had to drive it downtown to have them hook it up to the Mother computer to see what was wrong. Mother said it was a faulty chip. Twelve hundred bucks. Well, when you’re spending seventy grand on a car, you have to figure a chip would cost twelve hundred. Jenna had a 1987 Volkswagen Jetta. Guess which one went in for service more often.
    Jenna guided the car onto University, which would take her up the hill to Broadway. Another left and she’d be home. Robert and Jenna had a very beautiful old house on Capitol Hill with vintage leaded-glass windowpanes. That’s what Jenna liked about it. Leaded glass. The architecture of Seattle has got a lot of charm in certain areas, and Capitol Hill is one of those areas.
    At a red light, Jenna turned on the radio. It was on an AM station. She could tell by the faint whistling in the background, the sound of radio waves through air. Two excited voices with Boston accents jabbered away about how to flush a carburetor. Carbon buildup? Blow it out. What are you turning right now? One-twenty? Your head won’t last another year. She left the car show on. There was something comforting about these guys who were so passionate about their engines.
    As she drove through town, Jenna tried to imagine what Robert would say when he realized that his car was gone. Would he realize that Jenna was gone first, or the car? She had his wallet. He’d have to borrow money to take a cab home. Maybe he’d pretend nothing happened, that Jenna left to go to sleep and accidentally took his wallet with her. That would be good. Saves any kind of public disgrace. But maybe Robert’s too drunk to think that one up. He might fly into a rage. No. Even drunk he knew better than to make a scene at a party. Someone might see.
    Jenna remembered that she had five boxes of mints on the seat next to her. She reached down to tear the cellophane wrapper off one, and when she looked up, she realized she had gotten caught in the freeway entrance instead of staying on University. Unless she backed up down the one-lane chute, there was no way out. A car was coming up behind her so she had to keep going. She’d have to take the exit for Montlake and come around the back way.
    As Jenna accelerated into traffic, she was startled by a beeping that sounded like a laser gun being fired at an alien spacecraft in a video game. Radar detector. She looked in the rearview mirror. Nothing. She wasn’t even speeding. They make these cars like video games so the men can be entertained. Gleep-gleep-gleep. Incoming! Two o’clock high. Dive, dive! She moved into the right lane.
    The two car guys kept talking. What a pleasure it is to be on the open road. Everyone should go for a drive. Get your car fixed up, take it out. Cars like driving. It’s like taking your dog to a field and throwing the ball for him. They love it. And you should take care of your car like your dog. Take it out for a weekend drive. Driving is one of the only remaining pleasures in life. Turn off your car phone, put on some music, and let your hair down. You’ll feel better, mentally. Any problems you may have will seem like small problems. It’s very therapeutic, driving. Better than yoga, because it doesn’t hurt as much. Good night, everybody. Good night, all. Jenna turned off the radio and passed her exit. She kept driving north.
    J ENNA HAD EATEN about half the box of mints without thinking and she really needed to brush her teeth. It had been an hour since she’d gotten on the freeway, and she hadn’t yet turned around and headed