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

a key out of the deep neckline of her Cleopatra costume — “ … good old Edna is spending Halloween with her sister and asked my mother to take care of her cats for her.”
    Several “oooh”s and “aaah”s could be heard, which visibly delighted the hostess. “On Halloween, the veil between the worlds is especially thin, such that ghosts and other magical creatures can cross over into our world. If old Joe really was murdered, perhaps his ghost is haunting Edna’s house right now!”
    Silence had fallen over the room. As the music spun on quietly in the background, everyone stared at the key, mesmerized. “Maybe that’s why Edna went out of town?” a voice in the crowd murmured.
    “That’s so spooky,” another party guest whispered.
    “That brings us to our game,” Becky continued. “Whoever dares to sneak into the haunted house and bring me back a red flower as proof — I’ll give them my brand-new MP3 player.”
    “Bah,” escaped Daniel’s lips. All eyes turned toward him immediately.
    Danny’s probably thinking the same thing I am , Nessa thought. What a bunch of silly kids! And Rebecca, tossing her money around like always. Vanessa had been saving up for an MP3 player for a long time.
    “Thank you, Daniel, I was just about to ask for a volunteer, but you seem to be just the right man for the job.” Grinning diabolically, she hopped off of the chair and pressed the key into Daniel’s hand.
    “What?!” Danny’s mouth fell open, and the blood rushed to Vanessa’s cheeks. Did Becky really think that Danny would play along with her idiotic game? Nessa cursed herself for dragging him here. He’s going to kill me!
    The others had begun to cheer him on. “Daniel! Daniel! Daniel!”
    Vanessa felt Daniel shrinking back from their chants. If he had felt uncomfortable before, now he must be on the verge of a breakdown.
    His fist clenched around the key. “Okay, I’ll do it.”
    Nessa hadn’t expected this at all. “This isn’t one of your computer games,” she whispered, but he ignored her. He strode quickly over to the patio door. Then she realized: He just wanted to get away from the party, as fast as possible!
    Becky followed them out onto the patio. “Just so you know: Don’t turn on any lights! The neighbors might call the police, thinking that you’re a burglar — everyone knows that Edna’s out of town.”
    Upon hearing the word “police,” Danny flinched slightly, but made no sign of changing his mind.
    “I require a red flower as proof.” Rebecca’s instructions were precise. “You’ll find the plant in the living room, on the window seat on the right side of the room. I saw it myself earlier today, when I went over there with my mother.” She told them how to get into the house and then returned inside to join her guests, whose noses were pressed firmly against every window on that side of the house.
    “Danny, you can’t just break into a stranger’s house!” Vanessa said as he was about to climb over the low fence that divided the two neighboring properties. The slats were weakly illuminated by the light from the windows. Vanessa held Daniel back by his sleeve, but he shook her hand off.
    “Oh, what’s the big deal? Anyhow, I’m not breaking in — I have a key,” he whispered, swinging his long legs over the fence. “Are you coming with me or not?”
    “I can’t believe you’re going along with such a stupid game,” she muttered. She pulled over a chair to help her climb the fence; her legs weren’t nearly as long as Danny’s, and her dress kept getting in the way. She clambered over the fence, but her hem got caught in the slats. Just as she was about to fall into Edna’s yard, she was caught by her vampire companion.
    “My hero,” she breathed into his neck; it smelled so wonderful that she had to stop herself from burying her nose in it. It was much darker on this side of the fence, which gave Nessa a certain courage. Did she dare to kiss Daniel? His