Free The MirrorMasters by Lora Palmer Page A

prepped for your first day. The girls have another birthday party to go to this morning, and I want them to wear their yellow dresses. They’ll be fine at the party, so you can meet your friends for lunch, but I’ll need you to pick them up afterward..."
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    A t lunchtime , the group gathered at the Wharf. It was a huge two-story place, all polished wood and granite floors in earthen tones of browns and tans, with a high vaulted ceiling and wooden beams. Overhead, a circular skylight let light filter in, and the entire wall facing the ocean held a bank of windows from floor to ceiling. I wound my way through the crowds to our usual table in the back corner of the main floor. When Kara, Jenny, and I arrived, Brian and David were already sitting together.
    "Just remember, I'll be watching," David said, a warning in his tone.
    Brian held David’s stare, his expression impassive. "Of course. I wouldn’t expect anything less." His gaze slid to me as I reached the table.
    Irresistibly, I met that beautiful crystal gaze, and something inside me melted. Everything else slid away for a moment, and there was only him.
    Then David coughed, bringing me back to my senses.
    "Someone's acting protective of you because a certain someone else likes you!" Kara whispered into my ear in a singsong voice.
    Dangerous , my mind screamed. A thrill of fear mixed with desire sent ocean waves rolling through my stomach at the thought that Kara might be right. My cheeks suddenly warmed, and I hoped no one could tell if I was blushing. Everyone settled into place around the table, with me sitting between Brian and Jenny, leaving a space on Jenny’s other side for Kevin. Kara sat next to David. Wordlessly, Kara glanced between Brian and David, resting a hand on David's shoulder, and gave David a subtle shake of her head.
    "Where's Kevin?" David checked his watch, then out the window at the crowds passing by. Knowing my brother with his bottomless pit appetite, he was probably hoping to find Kevin among them so we could all finally eat.
    "On his way. He had to change first," Jenny answered, glancing toward the door. Still no sign of him. A few minutes later, Kevin arrived.
    "So, you said you had some big news?" Jenny asked me after everyone had greeted Kevin and placed their orders.
    "Right! I have so much to tell you all." Glancing at Brian, I bit my lip, but Jenny nudged me with an elbow and nodded. So Jenny was fine sharing this with him? If Brian had any reaction to my hesitation, he didn’t show it.
    "Wait! I’ll start. First, we haven't told you about what happened in Madame Helena's yesterday," Kara whispered, leaning forward for privacy. Everyone did likewise, and Kara continued, "Remember the glowing pendant that the caretaker swears he saw the other night? You have to promise me this stays between us, but we have a real mystery to solve. Madame Helena had a pendant, and a box with a prophecy and ring inside," she explained for the guys’ benefit. "A prophecy from another world that's in crisis. I think everything — from what happened to the Stanford girls, the ‘curse’ on the cemetery, to the prophecy — is all connected."
    "You're talking, what, alien artifacts?" Brian asked, his expression one of dawning understanding as pieces of a puzzle fit together in his head.
    "Yes." Eyes wide, I studied him. Maybe he did know all about it. Maybe he could tell me about the key and what it meant. I just wasn’t sure if asking him was a good idea. "Things that might help stop whatever’s causing the crisis on that world."
    "Seriously? You actually believe her. So how did she get that stuff?" Kevin asked.
    We girls exchanged looks. I glanced down at my hands, hesitant to explain, but Jenny seemed to have no compunction about revealing this information.
    "She found it out in the woods. It belonged to someone from...that world."
    "The person who killed the Stanford girls?" Brian asked.
    "No, it wasn't