Free Into the Darkness by V.C. Andrews

to come, wear something red, white, or blue or all three. Danny Silver is bringing the fireworks. Everyone’s arriving about seven-thirty. I’ll have lots of food—catered, of course.” She glanced at Ellie again. “By the way, Shayne will be there. He didn’t hesitate when I invited him. The invitation was barely out of my mouth.”
    “Are you coming or not?” Ellie demanded when I didn’t burst out with an enthusiastic yes.
    “I’ll try.”
    “Try?” Charlotte said. “We know how difficult it is for you to grant an audience to the rest of us mere mortals.”
    I was thinking so hard about it that I missed her sarcasm.
    “What?” Ellie asked, seeing the thoughtful expression on my face.
    “Something came to mind. I have a new neighbor. He’s going to be in our class this year if his family staysin Echo Lake. I should bring him along so he can meet the mere mortals.”
    “A new neighbor? He? Is he good-looking?” Charlotte asked quickly.
    “Very.”
    “What do you mean, ‘if his family stays’?” Ellie asked.
    “They’ve rented for the summer and are not sure yet about spending the rest of the year or more.”
    “I wish my parents would have given me that choice,” Ellie said.
    “Yeah, like any other place would have you,” Charlotte told her. She turned to me. “Well, if you bring him to the party and he sees just how much fun we have here, he’ll want to stay for sure. Are you bringing him?”
    “I’ll see. He’s a little shy,” I said.
    “A little shy? You know that much about him already? How come you didn’t mention him to me before?” Ellie asked, sounding indignant.
    “We just met yesterday. I don’t know much about him, but I had that impression.”
    “Maybe you intimidated him,” Ellie said. “You can do that very easily.”
    “No,” I said, refusing to bite. “I think he’s just not that outgoing.”
    “We’ll break him out of his shyness, won’t we?” Charlotte asked Ellie.
    Ellie looked at me suspiciously. “If someone else hasn’t done so already or doesn’t have plans to do it herself. You met him yesterday? How long have he and his family been here?”
    “Only a few days.”
    “And you never said anything?”
    “I told you. I just met him yesterday.”
    “What did you do?” she asked.
    “Do? Nothing. We went for a walk.”
    “A walk? Where?”
    “Just on the street,” I said. I wasn’t going to tell them about the lake.
    They looked at each other as if I had lost my mind.
    “Well,” I said, “I’ve got to get home. We’re going to dinner tonight.”
    “We?” Ellie asked.
    “My parents and I. No, not my new neighbor—not yet, at least,” I added, almost under my breath. I guess it was obvious I wished it were so.
    They looked at each other again, and then they both laughed.
    “You mean there really is someone you actually deem to be worthy of a date with you?” Charlotte asked me.
    Instead of reacting to her sarcasm, I pretended to give it deep thought. “I’m not quite sure yet. I forgot to look to see if he has dirty fingernails. See ya,” I tossed at them, and hurried away. When I looked back, they were still parked, laughing.
    Brayden wasn’t outside his house, and as before, nothing looked touched or changed. The windows were dark, and when I paused, I heard no sounds, no music, no television, nothing going on inside. I had no time to linger. I did look over again, pausing after I had driven out to go get my parents. It was deeper twilight now, and still no lights were on inside his house.
    After I brought my parents home, I lingered on thefront porch, watching for some sign of Brayden while they showered and dressed. The look of abandonment actually began to annoy me. How could anyone move into a new home and not want to do anything—change curtains, clean, straighten up the yard, get some flowers planted, whitewash the porch railings, anything? They seemed more like squatters than tenants. And really, what did Brayden do all