Free The Secret Circle: The Complete Collection by L. J. Smith

claws. “And I thought today was going to be boring,” she murmured, clucking her tongue. “It just shows you can never tell. Well, hello , Sally,” she said aloud, standing and turning in one smooth motion. “What a lovely surprise. How was your summer?”
    “Save it, Faye,” said the girl who’d just marched down the steps. She was a good head shorter than Faye, and slighter of build, but her arms and legs had a wiry look and her fists were clenched as if she were prepared to do physical battle. “I didn’t come out here to chat.”
    “But we haven’t had a good talk in so long. . . . Did you do something to your hair? It’s so—interesting.”
    Cassie looked at Sally’s hair. It had a rusty cast to it, and looked frizzled and overpermed. As the girl raised a defensive hand to her head Cassie could almost have giggled—if it all hadn’t been so horrible.
    “I didn’t come to talk about my hair, either!” snapped Sally. She had a strident voice that was climbing higher with every sentence. “I came to talk about Jeffrey. You leave him alone!”
    Faye smiled, very slowly. “Why?” she murmured, and in contrast to Sally’s voice hers seemed even lower and more sensual. “Afraid of what he’ll do if you’re not there to hold his hand?”
    “He’s not interested in you!”
    “Is that what he told you? Hmm. He seemed very interested this morning. He’s taking me out Saturday night.”
    “Because you’re making him.”
    “Making him? Are you suggesting a big boy like Jeffrey can’t say no when he wants to?” Faye shook her head. “And why isn’t he here now to speak for himself? I’ll tell you something, Sally,” she added, her voice dropping confidentially. “He didn’t fight hard this morning. He didn’t fight hard at all.”
    Sally’s hand drew back as if she wanted to hit the bigger girl, but she didn’t. “You think you can do anything, Faye—you and the rest of the Club! Well, it’s time somebody showed you that you can’t. There are more of us—lots more—and we’re getting tired of being pushed around. It’s time somebody took a stand.”
    “Is that what you’re planning to do?” Faye said pleasantly. Sally had been circling her like a bulldog looking for an opening, and now the wiry girl had ended on the edge of the landing with her back to the steps leading down.
    “Yes!” Sally cried defiantly.
    “Funny,” murmured Faye, “because it’s going to be hard to do that flat on your back.” With the last words she flicked her long red fingernails in Sally’s face.
    She never actually touched Sally’s skin. Cassie, who had been watching intently, desperately waiting for an opportunity to flee, felt sure of that.
    But it was as if something hit Sally. Something invisible. And heavy. The wiry girl’s entire body jerked back and she tried frantically to regain her footing on the edge of the landing. Arms flailing, she teetered for an endless instant and then fell backward.
    Cassie could never remember what happened then. One minute she was behind her rock, crouching and safe, and the next she had flung herself out across the falling girl’s path, knocking her sideways onto the grass. For a heartbeat Cassie thought they were both going to roll all the way down the hill, but somehow or other they didn’t. They ended up in a heap, with Cassie underneath.
    “Let go! You ripped my shirt ,” a strident voice exclaimed, and an unkind fist planted itself in Cassie’s midriff as Sally pushed herself to her feet. Cassie stared up at her, open-mouthed. Talk about gratitude . . .
    “And as for you, Faye Chamberlain—you tried to kill me! But you’ll get yours, you wait and see!”
    “I’ll get yours too, Sally,” Faye promised, smiling, but the sleepiness in her smile wasn’t genuine anymore. She looked as if underneath she were grinding her teeth.
    “You just wait,” Sally repeated vehemently. “Someday they may find you at the bottom of those stairs with a