River of Bones Read Online Free PDF

caressed her arthritic ankles. She removed the kettle and poured herself a cup of tea. After it cooled, she sipped the amber liquid quickly, set the empty cup in the sink and quickly looked away. She’d read the leaves later. Sassy couldn’t bear to look at them now. Hobbling into the bedroom, she lowered herself on a shabby twin bed, lying on her back, corpse-like.
    Eyes wide, she gazed into the rafters, her mind alive with the past, layered with images time could never fade. It ain’t none of my business. Not my business at all. Whatever happens to them people is gonna happen no matter what. A vision of her mother’s face, lined and drawn loomed before her, slender fingers pressing into her shoulders, warning her not to get involved. Every detail of that fateful day, a lifetime ago, gnawed at her with gator-sharp teeth.
    The muggy night air streamed in through the cracks of the weathered walls, aged wood lashed together like Lincoln Logs. Maybe she’d muster the courage to rise, grab her shawl and hobble over there…warn them. Her mother’s face hovered again. She knew better than to stick her nose in where it wasn’t wanted. The day she’d gotten too close to the bog, her mother took her to see the Voodoo priest, Papa Doc. She shuddered remembering his probing eyes, that hard charcoal face.
    â€œOnly wicked children play near the swamp!” His eyes gleamed. “Shame on you!” The words fell from his lips like drops of acid. She had tried to shrink away, but he reached out and snatched her by the hair, nearly lifting her off the ground. “Did you touch the water?” Sassy’s mouth fell open, but she could only shake her head. He released her and she scrambled to her feet, running to the safety of her mother’s arms.
    â€œShe’s untouched,” he said, kneeling on one crooked knee and narrowing his eyes like two black beacons. “Leave! Now! And never go near that swamp again!”
    Even if she did warn them, they’d never listen to her. They’d call her crazy, think she was some old swamper with nothing better to do but scare folks. No. She’d stay in the safety of her bed.
    If God willed it, they’d come to her.

    Wolf entered through the front door, carry a box under each arm. “Where do you want these?”
    â€œBy the sink in the kitchen, please.”
    Wolf flashed a smile and my stomach fluttered. His handsome grin lifted my mood. For a moment, every thought evaporated. I followed him into the kitchen, grabbing at the brief silence inside me, but soon the dark cloud of worry returned. So many freaky things had happened. I couldn’t make sense of it all. But then again, this wasn't anything new. Welcome to my life. Normality just isn't normal for me. While other teens lived in the moment, I worried about every moment. While they laughed, gossiped and hung out with friends, I sat in silence, pondering my miserable existence and what cataclysmic disaster might befall me next. When other kids ate lunch in the school cafeteria, I'd starve so no one could watch me eat.
    There was something really wrong with me. No one should feel this awkward, this anxious, this self-conscious. I had to find a way to get over it. Try to be normal like everyone else.
    I pulled a carton of orange juice from one of the boxes and filled Benny’s cup. He snatched it, drinking greedily. Dark circles ringed his blue eyes. Poor kid, he needed sleep as badly as I did. He gazed up at me and gave me a sleepy smile. I still struggled with his transition from a quiet infant into a wild little daredevil. Keeping up with him was like chasing after a rollercoaster. He seemed so defiant and oblivious to danger— just like Mom.
    Wolf turned off the kitchen faucet. “Looks like the water should be all right to use. I wouldn’t drink it, but a bath should be okay.” He peeked into one of the boxes sitting on the counter by the sink. “I