The Inner Circle (Return of the Ancients Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

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. He kind of grows on you,” she admitted with a grin before surprising 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 announced, “It’s Ellison.”
    “Well then, don’t worry about me,” I said, relieved to escape her questioning. Grabbing the nearest book, I waved it in the air. “I’m just going to make a dent in this book here and go to sleep.”
    “ Pride and Prejudice ?” she said, squinting her