Wicked Sense Read Online Free PDF

says patiently. “Maybe you’ll get the car when Drake is done with it.”
    “You said we don’t have money!” My sister has a point.
    “I said we don’t have money to burn ,” my father says and then looks quickly at me, alarmed . Any mention of fire -related words around me makes him nervous, because he thinks I’ll get upset. And he’s right.
    I’m the reason we don’t have money to… spare. About two years ago, I accidentally burned our old house down, with the help of a cigarette — my first and only. Our insurance wasn’t the greatest, and Dad lost most of our savings. We rent a small er house now.
    And that’s not the worst that happened: I almost lost Mona . When I realized the house was on fire, I ran to her bedroom and found her unconscious . T he smoke had already gotten to her. The paramedics that ultimately saved her said I was a hero, but I knew better.
    I still can’t believe I did it. I watched ou r house and everything inside , even our old pictures of Mom , vanish before my eyes. A haunting memory that wi ll stay with me forever.
    Dad’s confidence, already shattered when Mom left, broke in to tiny pieces. Since then he’s been jumpy and scared, afraid of losing us and of losing money for our future.
    It’s surreal that I have a car. We live modestly: no iThings for the Hunters. Just your basic computer and cell , mor e out of necessity than luxury .
    He’s a computer engineer, whatever that means. Mona and I guess he’s not very good . H e works really long hours, including a murderous commute from Seattle to Renton, but the pay, albeit good, is not great. With the two of us all grown up, he spends less and less time with us .
    My encounter with the falling tree didn’t help things. My father, Mr. Worried-In-Chief, didn’t take it well. His knee-jerk reaction was to trade his reliable four -year-old Camry for a slightly less reliable seven -year-old Corolla for him and a n — I’m not kidding — old brown Volvo wago n for me. According to him, it’s the safest car we can afford , but I can’t stop mocking myself in my head.
    Even though I’m laughing inside, I’m grateful; I had zero cars before. Now, the guilt of almost killing my sister and destroying our finances is compounded by the guilt of putting myself in danger again , and scoring my first ride in the process. It almost makes me side with Mona o n this one. Almost.
    “Mona, I’ll be your driver, what do you say? I can take you to R ain’s house and— ”
    “Her name is P ain, you moron!”
    “T o P ain’s, to the piercing parlor, to the crack den, to that human sacrifice place— ”
    “ D a - ad!”
    “That’s enough, Drake,” Dad says. “He’s got a point , though, Mona. You’re having some strange company. You remember…”
    “We have to police ourselves. I know , ” Mona repeats Dad’s mantra. Since he’s not around much, he tries to instill responsibility on us via overused catchphrases . Kind of futile after I almost got killed in the woods, but I get him .
    “Good,” Dad says, as if his job is done. “Now, I have to go to work. Oh, Drake, I got you a new cell phone too.”
    “ Arrrrrgghhh !” Mona yells. She pulls on her hair theatrically and slams the door on her way out.
    I know I shouldn’t, but I get a kick out of it. I’m shameless.
    ***
    I skip school since the doctor said I should rest, but I show up on Stone Ave a few minutes after the bell rings. As I expected, I find Skye coming back from school. Naturally, she avoided the trail, even though it’s the shortest route and the weather’s nice today . For Seattle, I mean.
    I pull over and open my window . At least I don’t have to roll it down .
    “Hey ,” I say, trying to sound nonchalant.
    She turns, unfazed, as if expecting me. “Hey, you.” She examines the embarrassing piece of Swedish engineering surrounding me. “Nice ride,” she says. Then she burst s out in a laugh that would make Sean proud.
    “Want one?