Shadowshift Read Online Free PDF Page A

to beat you again.”
    He lumbers onto the landing with a heavy grunt, then his eyebrows rise and his mouth widens in a parody of surprise. “Beat me? You think you beat me ?”
    She points down at the cart that carried her to victory. “Looks that way, doesn’t it?”
    “Hey, I just let you drive into the landing first. Shame on me for trying to be a gentleman.” He chuckles and puts an arm over her shoulder.
    “You’re kidding, right?”
    “Of course I am. This old man’s no match for you. Good race, champ.”
    When they walk through the gate, Hannah’s mom meets them on the other side, anxious to share the photographs she has taken. “I’m just learning to use this thing,” she says, “but I’m shocked how good the camera is. I remember when a phone was just…well, just a phone.”
    The three of them huddle around the screen, enjoying captured memories from only moments earlier. Hannah wonders what it used to be like in the old days, when people had to wait a long time to see their pictures. They probably looked at them a lot more often and cherished them, which is why, she figures, old people have photo albums in their homes, and families like hers don’t have any.
    Her mom says, “Ah, look at you guys. You were having so much fun out there.”
    “Yes, we did,” Hannah replies. “You should go out there, Mom. Kevin paid for your armband, least you can do is use it.”
    “No, not my thing. I’ve never been much for thrill rides. In fact, when I went to Cedar Point in college, my friends always gave me a hard time for not riding the roller coasters.”
    “Ah, come on, Tina,” Kevin goads. “Even your Corolla goes faster than those little cars. Tell you what, I’ll race you. Maybe I’ll finally even get to win one.”
    Delivering a playful punch to his arm, Hannah’s mom smiles. “So you think I can’t kick your ass? Is that what you’re trying to say?”
    Kevin shrugs. “Hey, there’s only one way to find out.”
    This goes on for a while, but when the challenge is finally accepted, Hannah excuses herself to the game room. Although most girls her age don’t have time for childish games like skee ball and air hockey, Hannah loves the tickets they spit almost as much as the silly prizes they earn. Regardless of how tight the budget when they’d lived in Savannah, when Hannah brought home her report card, her mom always treated her to a day at the Fun Zone, a place just like this—go-carts and games and miniature golf and junk food. Her mom has always done her best to make her happy, and Hannah wants to return the favor.
    Inspecting the prize counter, she digs in her pocket and fishes out two dollar bills, and it’s not long before she lands on the perfect object under glass: a bag containing three plastic rings, hideously purple, with yellow stickers that read BFF (Best Friends Forever).
    She must have them. They’re the perfect symbol for how she feels.
    Hannah’s also anxious to repay Kevin’s kindness, and she knows the message on the silly keepsakes will mean as much to him as they will to her mom.
    But there’s a problem. The sign in front of the item reads 300 Tickets .
    Hannah frowns, gazing up at the pimple-faced boy behind the counter. “Is that price right?” She points down at the desired prize, and Pimpleboy nods. “Doesn’t seem right,” she protests. “You can get that stuffed lion for two hundred. You can’t tell me those plastic rings are worth more than a plush Simba.”
    He shakes his head, then looks away. “I don’t price ’em, kid. If you want those stupid rings for your little BFFs, I’m gonna need three hundred tickets. Besides, that Simba ain’t licensed by Disney.”
    “Who are those little plastic rings licensed by?” Hannah asks.
    “Give me three hundred tickets and you can find out.”
    “Whatever,” she says, already halfway to the token dispensers. After fighting her crumpled bills into a thin metal slot, she grabs her tokens and rushes to