Shadow Girl Read Online Free PDF

meant.
    “Hey—!” I cried out as an idea flashed into my mind.
    Beth!
    Beth should be home from school. Beth will cheer me up, I decided.
    I’ll tell her about Jada and how horrible she has been to me. And maybe Beth will have an idea about what Mom was writing about in her letter.
    I already began to feel better as I punched Beth’s number into the phone. I missed Beth. I really did. I didn’t have anyone I could talk to here.
    The phone rang three times. Then I heard Beth’s familiar voice. “Hello?”
    “Beth, hi. It’s me!” I said excitedly.
    To my surprise, there was a long silence at the other end.
    “Beth—it’s me,” I repeated. “Selena. I’m in Chicago.”
    “Oh. Hi,” she said finally. She sounded very surprised.
    “How are you?” I asked. “I’m so glad to talk to you. What’s up?”
    Another long silence. Then she said very softly, “I—I didn’t think you’d call.”
    “Excuse me? What do you mean?” I asked. “I just wanted to talk to you. I haven’t seen you since Friday.”
    “I know,” Beth replied, almost in a whisper.
    “It’s so weird here,” I said. “Jada hasn’t changed a bit. She’s still horrible, Beth. And today she played the meanest trick on me. She—”
    “I really can’t talk,” Beth cut in.
    “What? Are you busy or something? I can call back later if you want.”
    “No!” she said sharply. Then another long silence.
    I could hear her breathing. Rapid, shallow breaths.
    I suddenly had a heavy feeling in my stomach. “What’s wrong, Beth?” I asked.
    “I—I can’t talk to you, Selena,” she said. “I’m really sorry.”
    Her voice cracked. She sounded about to cry.
    “I don’t understand!” I cried. “What are you saying?”
    I could hear Beth take a deep breath. “They told me I can’t talk to you,” she said. “They told me we’d both be in danger.”
    “ Who told you?” I shouted. “Who? What is this about, Beth? Why can’t you talk to me? Answer me!”
    “Please,” she whispered. “Please don’t call here again.”
    I heard a click, and the line went dead.

12
    I sat at Jada’s desk, staring at the phone. I don’t know how long I sat there.
    Beth’s tight, trembling voice repeated in my ear. “ Please don’t call here again .”
    How could Beth say that? She is my best friend!
    I picked up the letter. I felt shaky and weird as I made my way down to the kitchen. “Aunt Janet—can I show you something?” I asked.
    She was at the stove, dumping dry spaghetti into a pot of boiling water. “I’m trying a spicy new tomato sauce,” she said. “Hope you like spicy foods, dear.”
    “I—I want to show you this letter from my mom,” I said.
    She dried her hands and took the letter from me. Frowning, she moved her lips as she read. Finally, she handed the letter back to me.
    “What does it mean?” I asked in a high, shrill voice.
    “Your mother must have been very upset whenshe wrote this. But I have no idea why.” Aunt Janet placed a hand on my shoulder. “My sister always was a moody one. Maybe she was just having one of her bad days. Don’t worry too much about it, Selena. The next time I talk to her, I’ll find out what she meant. I promise.”
     
    After dinner, my aunt and uncle drove to the mall to do some shopping. Jada was downstairs in the living room, watching a show about supermodels on MTV.
    I sat at Jada’s desk in our bedroom. And pictured Jada as a model, walking down a runway in a short skirt, so tall and skinny, her long legs gleaming in the bright lights, her blond hair flying behind her.
    I turned to the phone. I couldn’t stop thinking about Mom’s letter. My stomach felt knotted and tight. At dinner, I’d barely touched my spaghetti.
    “Come on, Mom,” I said out loud. “Be there, okay?”
    I punched in the number and pressed the phone to my ear.
    It rang twice, and then I heard three very loud, very shrill beeps. And a recorded message came on. A woman’s voice, speaking very