Seeing Shadows Read Online Free PDF Page A

side. "You're being weird," she announced.
    Thanks. Thanks a lot , Sarah , I thought. Traitor.
    "She's weird a lot," Jenny chirped. Another traitor. "That's her charm. You'll get used to it, Simon."
    "I'm looking forward to it," Simon replied, looking at me for the first time with no humor or laughter. He just locked his eyes with mine and I felt that squirming in my stomach again. Suddenly I saw a flash of his face crumpled with agony. I looked away quickly, banishing the memory of my vision.
    "You guys are the weird ones," I murmured in protest, trying to clear my head.
    "Well, this weirdo is getting more spaghetti," Grant said, getting up and heading over to the table. This broke up the talk about weirdness and everyone settled back into an easy conversation.
    The next hour was spent filling Simon in on all the gossip about Maxwell University, including who was dating whom, who was sleeping with whom, and which professors were the worst. I participated in the conversation, forcing myself to smile and talk easily. The more I forced myself, the more natural it felt. I could do this. Simon was just another guy. Visions and suggestive comments aside, he seemed like someone I could be friends with. He was funny and definitely easy to look at. And just because it seemed like he was flirting with me didn't mean anything. Simon seemed like the type to flirt with everyone and it would be a mistake to take it to heart.
    I decided that Simon and I were going to be friends. It wasn't as if I could ignore him. He was Grant's cousin, he was living downstairs at the moment and was now a member of the band. The five of us had our lives intertwined, spending most of our free time together. We had been a tight group since the beginning of our junior year. Simon would just be the sixth member of our group. A friend, nothing more.
    With that settled, I found myself laughing a little easier, taking Simon's jokes as just that - jokes. If he looked at me a little too often and for a little too long, I pretended not to notice.
     

CHAPTER TWO
     
    Around nine-thirty we headed down to the East End. It was only a five minute walk from our apartment, but the October chill made the walk seem longer. I lagged behind the group with Sarah.
    "Is everything okay?" she asked, with a concerned look on her face. "All joking aside, you are acting a little weird."
    "I'm fine, Sarah, really," I assured her. "It's just been a long week."
    "Okay," Sarah said, not looking convinced. "It's not...it doesn't have anything to do with...you know. Does it?"
    I forced a laugh. "No, it's nothing like that. Seriously, I'm just a little tired. I'll only stay at the East End for a little bit and then go home and go to bed. I'll be fine tomorrow."
    "Okay..." Sarah said, not seeming to completely accept my excuse. "But if you're not telling me something, I'm gonna be mad."
    I ignored her warning and grabbed her arm. "Hey, we're here. Come on." I dragged her to catch up with the group and greeted Charlie, the bouncer at the bar. He was at his usual stance just outside the door.
    "Hi Charlie," I said smiling. "Glad to see you're dressed for the weather, as usual." No matter the season, Charlie always wore a white short-sleeved t-shirt. I'd seen him standing there all night in the snow with nothing but a t-shirt and jeans, seemingly impervious to the cold. He was tall and heavily muscled. Maybe all his muscles kept him warm.
    "This is nothing, honey," Charlie replied with an easy grin. "I would take my shirt off if Joel would let me get away with it."
    The guys fist bumped Charlie, or whatever it is that guys greet each other with, while Jenny, Sarah and I gave him a hug. The East End was like a second home since we spent so much time there, especially Grant and Marcus who spent a lot of time practicing there during the daytime. Charlie already seemed to know Simon and I reminded myself that even though we had just met him tonight, he had arrived a couple of days ago and they had