Free Dream a Little Dream (The Silver Trilogy) (F) by Kerstin Gier Page A

with everyone staring at me like that. In frustration, I pulled the cedar needles out of the sweater and tugged my nightie down over my knees.
    The four boys were still looking horrified. Henry and Grayson maybe a little less so than the other two.
    “I was a barn owl a moment ago, honest,” I assured them.
    Shaving Fun Ken put out his hand and briefly touched my arm.
    “I … I don’t understand this,” he said. “What does it mean? I thought he’d give us a name and not throw a whole girl on the altar just like that.…”
    “Who are you?” asked Arthur. At close quarters, and in this light, he looked more than ever like an angel come to life. An eerie angel.
    A sudden gust of wind rustled the leaves of the trees standing around and blew Arthur’s fair curls out of his face. “Tell me your name or … abeas in malam crucem !”
    Or … what? Disappear in a bad cross? What a shame I’d spent so little time learning Latin. Stupidly, I’d thought no one ever needed it. For a moment I was tempted to answer in an equally unctuous tone (and neatly show off by slipping in the only Latin saying that I knew), something along the lines of “I, O unworthy one, am the cousin of the Lord of Shadows and Darkness, and in dubio pro reo ,” but unfortunately Grayson and Henry knew who I really was.
    Jasper seemed to remember me, too.
    “That … that’s the missionary’s daughter who was being shown around school today by Pandora Porter-Peregrin’s little sister!” he said, sounding quite agitated. “Don’t you recognize her, Henry? Imagine her with heavy black-framed glasses and a ponytail.…”
    Henry said nothing. Grayson sighed. The wind blew through the branches of the cedar tree, bringing more cedar needles and cones down on me. Lightning flashed on the horizon, and for a split second I had the feeling, once again, that I could make out a figure in the mist.
    “You mean this girl really exists?” asked Arthur. “And she goes to our school? Are you sure?”
    “Yes,” said Jasper firmly. “She’s new. The funny thing is that when I heard she’s a missionary’s daughter, it made me think at once she must still be a virgin. Is that right, Henry? You were talking to her as well. Don’t you recognize her?”
    Henry still said nothing. He and Grayson were looking at each other as if they were having a silent conversation. Lightning flashed across the sky once again.
    “That’s a sign,” said Arthur. “She could be the Chosen One! Anyone know her name?”
    Thunder rolled in the distance.
    “The Chosen One,” I repeated, injecting as much contempt as possible into my voice. “Oh, very original. Although I have to admit that this trick with the stone slab was very … By the way, who pushed it up out of the ground?” I slid off the slab of granite, because I got the impression that Arthur was staring under my nightie. In fact, I felt as if they were all coming rather too close to me. The fitful flames bathed their faces from below in orange light and sent shadows dancing over their skin.
    Yet another flash of lightning. And another crash of thunder, closer this time.
    “We can easily find out her name tomorrow—Pandora’s little sister will be thrilled if I ask her.” Jasper laughed in a self-satisfied way. “She’s always practically fainting away with delight if I even look at her.”
    Grayson muttered something, but so quietly that it was swallowed up by Jasper’s laughter, the rustling of the leaves, and the crackling of the flames.
    Meanwhile, Arthur was solemnly holding his stick aloft. “We understand, Commander of the Night. We thank you for your answer. And we will not disappoint you again.”
    “I’m sorry, Arthur, but she is definitely not … er…,” said Grayson, rather louder than before. He rubbed his forehead, and by now I knew him well enough to realize that he always did that when he felt embarrassed. “It’s all my fault that she’s here. Her name is Liv, and she is