Free Daniel Taylor and the Dark Legacy by Monica Davis Page A

hesitated. She didn’t like the way Becky kept touching him, not at all. “She’s basically flinging her arms around his neck,” she muttered. Nessa had to admit that Danny looked amazing in his costume — just stunning.
    Becky pointed in the direction of the shed. Daniel nodded, and the two of them stood up. Vanessa’s stomach sank as the pair disappeared inside the shed, but she was relieved to see them reappearing a few seconds later.
    Daniel was helping Rebecca carry some chairs out of the shed and set them up outside.
    Naturally, it was typical for Becky to get other people to do her work — or did the two of them have other ideas in mind? When they went back inside the shed, Nessa pushed open the door and walked out onto the patio in their direction. She didn’t mean to eavesdrop, really she didn’t, but it was just too tempting.
    “Are you and Vanessa together — I mean, are you a couple?” she heard Becky ask.
    Vanessa cautiously peered into the shed and caught sight of Danny, who was staring at Becky. “What?” His mouth had fallen open in amazement.
    Although Daniel’s face was covered in white powder, she could have sworn that it had just reddened. “What would I be doing with Nessa? We’re just friends, that’s all.”
    Vanessa froze in place. It was as though Danny had just cut her heart out of her chest with a blunt knife; that was how badly his sneering words hurt her. Yes, what would he be doing with me, anyway? she thought sarcastically, feeling her eyes begin to burn. Oh, no, she was definitely not going to cry! She took a deep breath and walked into the shed.
    “So you’re still available, you handsome vampire?” Just as Daniel was about to answer, Rebecca saw her. “Oh, hey, Vanessa!”
    “Hello, Becky. Thanks for the invitation; it’s a great party,” Nessa choked out. She would have liked nothing better than to run away crying. And to shoot Danny into outer space! She’d been so wrong about him — she had really believed that he might be interested in her. How stupid she was, how naïve!
    Rebecca was still beaming at Daniel. “Oh, it’s nothing yet. I just have to make an announcement, and then the real fun will start!”
    Vanessa furrowed her brow; she didn’t understand what Rebecca meant. She didn’t care to find out, either. She just wanted to get out of here — screw Halloween, and screw this stupid party! After what Danny had said, she had lost all interest in celebrating.
    “Come on, you two, I can set up the chairs later. Everyone will be glued to the windows for a while, anyway.” Becky vigorously pushed them both out of the shed; they had no choice but to stumble out before her. When they returned to the crowded living room, Rebecca turned down the stereo and began her speech. “Hello! Listen up, I have an announcement to make!”
    Vanessa was curious despite herself and decided to stay just a little while longer. She crossed her arms and positioned herself next to Danny, who looked just as unhappy as she did.
    “This year, there will be no silly spin-the-bottle games. No, this year, I’ve come up with something really exciting.” Rebecca paused briefly to see whether everyone was giving her their full attention, but that wasn’t even an issue. The guests had gathered around her and were staring at her as if spellbound.
    “This game will be the highlight of the evening,” she went on dramatically, climbing onto a chair so that everyone could see and hear her better. “As you know, Edna Adams lives next door. She’s probably the creepiest person in Little Peak, and tonight we’ll find out whether there’s any truth to all the rumors. People say that she murdered her husband — no one has seen old Joe for years now. And whenever anyone asks Edna how her husband is doing, she just says, ‘My dear Joe is resting. He can’t get out of the house anymore.’ Yes, and as luck would have it — or should we say, fate …” — like a magician, Becky pulled