Free The Lola Chronicles (Book 2): A Day Without Dawn by Jillian Eaton Page A

turned around. “Lucy, Fi, go inside and get me a pair of skates. Size seven. I’ll be in in a sec.”
    “Angie–”
    She shot an annoyed glare back over her shoulder. “You deaf or somethin’? I said I’ll be there in a sec! And get me a cherry Airhead while you’re at it. No a grape. No! A cherry. Well? What are you still doing here? Hello . Get moving!”
    Her friends left without another word, leaving us alone. Above our heads a bright fluorescent floodlight crackled to life, surrounding us in a pool of yellow light. Shadows started creeping up the side of the roller rink as the sun set behind it. Blue Eyeshadow blew a big pink bubble, popped it with her teeth, and grinned.
    “You’re looking good, Lola.”
    “How do you know my name?” It was a stupid question to ask, especially in a dream, but there was something about the girl that bothered me and it wasn’t just her clown makeup. I rubbed my arms as goosebumps broke out from my wrists all the way up to my shoulders. 
    Her lips pursed in an exaggerated pout. “You mean you don’t remember me? That hurts, pet. That really hurts.”
    A chill ran down my spine, lifting the hairs on the nape of my neck. Swallowing the sudden lump in my throat I forced myself to look past the layers of bad makeup and frizzy hair and cheap jewelry to the girl that was hiding beneath. A girl whose face I had never wanted to see again, not even in my nightmares.
    “Didn’t recognize me, did ya?” She snapped her gum again. And again.
    Snap.
    Snap.
    Snap.
    “What do you want, Angelique?” It’s a dream, I reminded myself. It’s only a dream. But if it was only a dream, why couldn’t I wake up?
    When I pinched myself Angelique laughed in delight and clapped her hands together.
    “Oh, pet. You didn’t really think it was going to be that easy, did you?”

CHAPTER TEN
    Buy 1 Get 1 Night
     
    This isn’t real , I chanted silently as I pinched my eyes shut.
    This isn’t real.
    This isn’t real.
    This isn’t real.
    When I heard a long suffering sigh followed by an extra hard snap of gum, I opened my eyes to find Angelique still standing in front of me with one hand perched on her hip and a bored expression on her face.
    So much for wishing bad things away.
    “What do you want?” I repeated. The floodlight above our heads continued to buzz, filling the air with electricity. I shifted my weight from foot to foot, ready to flee at a moment’s notice. Not that it would do me much good. If Angelique was in the light I shuddered to think of what nightmares waited for me in the shadows.
    Her shoulders lifted and dipped in an absent shrug. “Not much. At least not yet. I don’t know what it means to really want yet.”
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    “Shocker.” She rolled her eyes. For the first time I noticed they were soft brown instead of the bright, sadistic blue that I remembered. “You never were that bright, were you? Always one step behind.”
    “I managed to kill you, didn’t I?” My hands curled into fists. I may not have had a weapon, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t ready to fight. Dream or no dream I wasn’t about to roll over and play dead. “Guess I was bright enough to do that. Or else you were just extra stupid.”
    Her brown eyes flashed. “ Maximus killed me. And he’ll pay for that. Just you wait.”
    “I don’t care what happens to him.”
    “Oh really?” One of her hoop earrings swung in a circle as her head canted to the side. “That’s rather interesting. What made you – what was that ?” she hissed, spinning around to stare out into the darkness. After a moment her shoulders relaxed and she turned back to me. “Have you ever been roller skating? I just love it. I met Bobby Givens here, you know. No. That’s not right.” A flicker of uncertainty passed over her face. “I was supposed to meet him. Tonight. Yes. That’s it. We were going to hold hands and skate side by side and maybe even kiss. Have you