The Second Evil Read Online Free PDF Page B

onto your left hand. And—”
    â€œMy hand didn’t slip,” Corky said shrilly. “It wasn’t an accident, Chip.” She decided she had to tell him what really happened.
    Chip pulled himself up to a sitting position. His face revealed his surprise. “You mean you
believe
her?” he asked, his voice rising several octaves.
    â€œI don’t have to believe her,” Corky replied sharply, staring at him now. “I was there. I
know
what happened. I could feel the evil, Chip, I could feel it paralyze me. The evil spirit was there. It forced me to scald myself. It held my hand there and
forced
me!”
    â€œOkay. Okay. Sorry,” Chip muttered. He didn’t like to fight with her. He almost always backed down or changed the subject. “That scary guy hasn’t shown up again?” he asked. “The one with the gray eyes?”
    â€œNo sign of him,” Corky replied. She shook her head bitterly. “Kimmy and Ronnie are sure that I made him up. Every time I started to point him out, he’d vanish. Poof.” She snapped her fingers.
    â€œWeird,” Chip replied. He couldn’t think of anything else to say. “So do you—”
    â€œI never told you, I talked to a psychiatrist,” Corky interrupted, walking back to the bed and sitting down next to him.
    â€œHuh?”
    â€œAt the hospital,” she told him, “when I told the emergency-room doctors how I burned my hand, they called for a psychiatrist to see me. I guess they thought I did it deliberately or something.” She rolled her eyes.
    Then Corky’s expression grew thoughtful. As shetalked, she smoothed the bedspread with her unbandaged hand.
    â€œHe was a young guy. Really nice. His name was Dr. Sterne. He was the psychiatrist Mayra Barnes saw for a while.”
    Chip reacted with surprise. “Mayra? What did
she
need him for? She’s got to be the most normal person in Shadyside!”
    â€œShe told me she started sleepwalking suddenly a couple of summers ago,” Corky told him. “This Dr. Sterne helped her a lot.”
    â€œSo what did he say to you?” Chip asked. “Did you tell
him
about the evil spirit?”
    Corky turned her eyes to the window, avoiding Chip’s stare. “Well, actually … no.”
    â€œHuh?”
    â€œI just didn’t want to get into it with him,” she confessed. “I mean, I wasn’t ready. I didn’t want him to think I was totally crazy. I told him about Bobbi dying and everything—”
    â€œAnd what did he say?” Chip demanded.
    â€œHe said I should try to return to a normal routine, He said I’ve been through a lot. But I have to stop dwelling on the past. I have to try to get my life back on track.” She grabbed Chip’s hand and squeezed it. “He was very understanding.”
    â€œWhat’s a normal routine?” Chip asked. “You mean like early to bed, early to rise, or something?”
    â€œDon’t be dumb. He means I should try to do things the way I did before—before Bobbi died and that evil spirit …” Her voice trailed off. “I mean, I’m thinking of going back on the cheerleading squad.”
    â€œOutstanding!” Chip exclaimed with genuine enthusiasm.
    â€œWell, I thought I’d give it a try,” Corky said, still resting her hand on his. “Kimmy and Ronnie have been insisting, so …”
    â€œExcellent,” Chip said, squeezing her hand. “Excellent.”
    â€œI’m going to rejoin for two reasons,” Corky said, her voice a whisper, her expression thoughtful. “I know I have to adjust to not having Bobbi around anymore. Getting back on the squad will keep me busy. You know, give me something to think about.”
    â€œAnd what’s the second reason?” Chip asked.
    â€œI have to find the evil spirit,” she said, locking her eyes on his. “The evil is back.