The Conch Shell of Doom Read Online Free PDF Page B

turned back off, and she returned to being a typical high school girl, like the whole sex and drugs thing was merely a phase.
    Those days, a typical Friday night for Alexis involved watching one of the Lord of the Rings movies, catching up on episodes of Supernatural , or reading a book. Her status as a fan girl, and her post-party animal tendency to devour amazing but ridiculous stories, made Bailey think she’d be the only one who could possibly believe his story. Who knew? Maybe she’d take pity and help him.
    In the back of his mind, Marshall teased Bailey for going to Alexis, instead of trying to handle things on his own. Dude, you are so crushing on Alexis. You know this is Tim’s sister, right? You’re so lame.
    The voice was in Bailey’s head, but he still answered it verbally. “You try dealing with that monster on your own.”  
    Bailey checked to see if the light in her room was on. He wanted to avoid her parents, but with her room on the second floor, unless he learned how to parkour up to her window in the next few minutes, that wasn’t happening. On top of that, Bailey didn’t see how appearing at her window could come across as anything but stalkerish, or vampire-like. Alexis would ask how he got up there and then force him to touch a crucifix before even thinking about inviting him in. Bailey laughed to himself. After everything else that’d happened, getting mistaken for a vampire and staked in the heart would be the icing on the cake.
    He pulled out his phone and called. It felt too important to put in a text message.
    “Hey,” she said. “Already tired of boys’ night?”
    “You could say that.” He leaned against a streetlamp. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m kind of outside your house.”
    “Kind of? That could mean anything. Maybe you’re down at the beach or a mile away. I’m sorry, but you’re just going to have to be more specific.”
    A smile escaped his lips. Her perky voice put him at ease. “Okay, fine. I am outside your house. Not at the beach, not in Florida, but literally in plain view of your place of residence. Can I please come in? It’s important.”
    “If you’re bailing out on date night with the boys, it must be pretty important.”
    “It is.”
    “Better be. I’m in the middle of watching Prisoner of Azkaban , and I don’t take kindly to people getting between me and Mr. Potter.”
    A car passed by, freaking Bailey out. Had they already found him? “If you’re not satisfied, you can kick me as hard as you can. Just please let me in.”
    “Who am I to say no to a boy begging to see me? I’ll be down in a minute.”
    Bailey rushed onto the porch, away from the streetlights that made him easier to spot. He sat in a rocking chair on her deck, rolling back and forth in the dark, until Alexis appeared. She peeked her head around the door, looking secretive.
    “Is it safe?”  
    “Is what safe?”
    “Never mind. It’s from some movie Dad made me watch with him.”
    Bailey followed Alexis inside. Her brown hair hung halfway between her shoulders and her ears. It used to be longer, but after losing it all in chemo, she preferred the low-maintenance of shorter hair. Bailey always marveled at how comfortable Alexis seemed in her own skin, like she’d skipped the awkward phase everyone else suffered through. She wore white shorts that showed off her mannequin-like legs. They used to be toned from years of playing soccer, but the whole cancer thing kept her from being active. Her oversized Blackbeard T-shirt helped hide her thin arms, the byproduct of leukemia and playing a sport that had no use for them.
    Her parents sat on the couch, watching one of those news shows on cable that featured two talking heads babbling about their own political agenda. Bailey tensed, but they didn’t make any moves. His fear lessened. He didn’t remember seeing them at the party either. Maybe this was a safe place.
    “What do you think you’re doing here?”