Silvern (The Gilded Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

spiciest bite. No strange creatures chasing us down.
    That was just a facade, I now realize. I had been living in an imaginary world.
    While we wait for a table to open up, I try to call Grandfather again. If anyone would know what to do with this mess, he’d know. But he doesn’t answer. I could kill him. This isn’t the time to decide to go phoneless.
    “Haraboji!” I yell into his answering service, probably too loud, but really, he needs to start using his phone. “Call me back. ASAP. This is important .”
    “You think your grandfather can help you?” Michelle asks. A white sheen still covers her face, and her hands shake. I hope she’ll be able to recover after seeing what she saw today.
    “Yes.” I try to use my most confident voice. “He’s an expert in this kind of stuff.”
    Finally, we get a table, and my stomach starts growling. Maybe because I skipped breakfast this morning. After I order us a meal to feed ten, Michelle wags a finger at me.
    “No more secrets,” she says. “There’s something going on. Something big, and I want to know what it is. I’m tired of all your riddles and half explanations.”
    Marc rubs the side of his jaw and looks at me. I shrug and take a sip of my Coke.
    “She did see it with her own eyes,” I tell Marc. “Who knows what kind of trouble we’d be in if she hadn’t intervened?”
    “Think of the Spirit World and our world as parallel lines.” Marc turns the meat over on the griddle in the table’s center. “Each world is separate, but they move at different speeds. And in some places, they touch each other.”
    “If the worlds touch,” I add, picking two straws from our Cokes and bending them so one part touches, but the other parts of the straws don’t, “they can enter our world and we can enter theirs. It seems there are specific places that are more likely to connect. Especially if they have a spiritual connection either through an object or a historical place. Does that make sense?”
    “No, not at all.” Michelle taps her chopsticks on the table. “We need to talk to Kumar and Lily about this. This is huge. Kumar’s so smart, he’ll know what to do. We’ve got to find somebody who can help you.”
    “No!” Marc and I yell at the same time.
    I scan the restaurant. The dishes clank in the kitchen. A group in the corner laughs and then raises their glasses in a toast. The couple next to us glances our way, but resume talking. I let out a short breath. Thank God for noisy college hangouts.
    “You can’t tell anyone about this,” I say, quieter this time. “As a punishment for being sent to jail, the dean has me seeing the counselor, and Dad’s already considering therapy to stop me from ‘seeing things.’”
    “Girl, after seeing what I saw, I might need therapy. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
    “Dad takes things to the extreme,” I say. “I can’t risk it.”
    “There’s a council that I’m a part of,” Marc explains to Michelle. “They are the best suited for this. In fact, this kind of thing is exactly what the Council was created for.”
    My phone rings. It’s Grandfather. “Haraboji?” I say. “What took you so long to call back? Why aren’t you answering your phone?”
    “The Council has called an emergency meeting,” Grandfather says, totally ignoring my comment. “We have already assembled and discussed a plan. They want you to come.”
    My head reels. I hadn’t expected this. “Me? But I’m not a member. I didn’t think I was allowed at your secret meetings.”
    “Things have changed,” he says in his brisk, deep voice. “Marc will be getting a call shortly. He’ll escort you there.”
    Escort? I rub my forehead. Sometimes Grandfather acts like he’s from the last century. “Okay.”
    “Until then, annyeong kyeseyo .” And he hangs up.
    I set my phone down just as Marc’s rings. His eyes find mine as he listens to the person on the other line. I suddenly notice his ring. It’s no longer a