The Inner Circle, Book 3 of the Glass Wall ( A YA Urban Fantasy Romance ) Read Online Free PDF Page B

“Just when I thought I’d met someone
nice, he turns out to be a first-rate jerk, Jerry.”
    Jerk was an understatement. He was more like
an apprentice evil mastermind.
    To my surprise, Jerry sat up on his haunches
and lifted his pink nose in my direction. His little dark eyes
stared into mine, looking so ageless and wise.
    “And I was falling in love with him,” I
confessed in a whisper. For some reason, it actually felt good to
admit that, even though it hurt.
    I took Jerry out of his cage, and holding him
close, kissed his little pink nose. I could feel his tiny heart
beating against my fingers.
    “I love you,” I whispered in his ear.
    At least Jerry was stable. I could rely on
him. He didn’t judge me or turn out to be something that he
wasn’t.
    Putting him safely back in his cage, I dug
out one of my school notebooks, and throwing myself down upon the
bed, began to write down the things I knew I had to do.
    First and foremost, I had to figure out how
to protect Al, Betty, and Grace from the Mesmers. Next, I needed to
find out what the Inner Circle was up to and what Marquis had meant
that I’d been a help to them in their cause.
    Did they need me for something?
    Could I turn that against them?
    And what of the lizard people? I began
doodling on the page, wondering how I could really fight back
against them. I knew they fed off fear. But how could I get the
entire Earth to quit feeding them?
    A soft knock on my door interrupted my
thoughts.
    It was Betty, holding out the phone. “It’s
your mother, honey.”
    I looked at her. I’d called her ‘Mom’
just a few hours before. And I had never meant it more. Part of me
wanted her to know that.
    “Are you ok?” she asked with a soft smile in
her brown eyes.
    “Sydney? Sydney?” I heard Maya’s voice coming
out of the receiver.
    Shaking my head, I mumbled, “Yeah, thanks,
Betty,” and taking the phone, I sat down on the edge of the bed as
Betty left, shutting the door behind her.
    The conversation with Maya was a short one.
She was getting out of rehab soon. And as usual, she wanted to
move.
    I stared at the phone long after she had hung
up.
    “Move,” I said out loud.
    A squeaking sound drew my attention to Jerry
happily running in his wheel.
    Move?
    Maya wanted me to go with her.
    That meant leaving Al and Betty behind.
    And Jerry would have to leave his cage, too.
Maya didn’t know about him. I’d always kept him a secret from her.
She would not understand my having a mouse for a pet. She’d make me
get rid of him immediately.
    “What’s up?” Grace asked, popping her head
through the door. “Are you ok?” She entered my room, absently
tugging her ponytail. “You look a little sick.”
    “I’m fine,” I replied warily. I didn’t want
to tell her about Maya. Or Rafael. Or the Mesmers.
    Maybe it would be best for everyone if I did just leave.
    “Ok,” she said, but I could tell she didn’t
believe me. “Don’t forget that Ellison’s going to give you a ride
tomorrow.”
    There was something in the way that she said
his name that caught my attention. “You like him,” I said. For some
reason, it felt relaxing just to focus on that and to forget about
everything else for the moment.
    Her shoulders stiffened and she looked a
little sheepish, but she took my words as an invitation and flopped
down belly first onto the bed. “Yeah,” she admitted with a grin.
“He kind of grows on you.” And then she surprised me with the
question, “What’s up between you and Rafael?”
    I frowned.
    “Come on,” Grace insisted, rolling onto her
back and propping herself up on her elbows. “I know you two like
each other. It’s obvious. Everyone knows.”
    I just shrugged. The thought only made my
heart even heavier.
    “Lover’s quarrel?” she asked, teasing.
    I was saved answering by the musical ringtone
of her phone playing one of Jareth’s songs. I couldn’t help but
roll my eyes at that.
    Glancing down at her phone, she