Free The Third Evil by R.L. Stine Page A

open.
    â€œWould you believe I forgot the pom-poms again?” Kimmy said, hurrying in breathlessly.
    Corky let the scissors drop to the carpet and quickly kicked them under Hannah’s bed.
    Hannah spun around, surprised to find Corky so close behind her.
    Feeling her face grow hot, Corky stepped back to her bed. A strong wave of nausea rose from the pit of her stomach. She held her breath, forcing it down.
    Her head spun. She saw brilliant red lights. The entire room flashed, red then black, red then black.
    Still struggling to fight down her nausea, she turned to Kimmy, who was searching the front closet. “I think you shoved the box over here, by our bed,” Corky said, pointing.
    â€œThanks.” Kimmy hurried over and picked up the carton. “Hey—aren’t you two ready yet? What’s taking so long?”
    â€œI’ll be ready in two seconds,” Hannah said, pulling on her skirt.
    â€œI…I don’t feel so hot,” Corky said weakly.
    â€œHuh?” Kimmy’s mouth dropped open in surprise.
    â€œReally,” Corky insisted. “My stomach. I don’t feel right.” She dropped down onto the edge of her bed.
    The room flashed red then black, red then black.
    She had a roaring in her ears, like a rushing waterfall. The back of her neck felt prickly and hot.
    â€œYou’re not coming to dinner?” Kimmy asked shrilly.
    â€œI’ll be down as soon as I feel better,” Corky told her. “Tell Miss Green, okay?”
    Another wave of nausea sent her running to the bathroom. She slammed the door behind her and gripped the sink with both hands. The porcelain felt cool under her hot, wet hands.
    Her entire body convulsed in a powerful tremor.
    Red then black. Red then black.
    She shut her eyes, but the flashing colors continued on her eyelids.
    The roar in her ears grew louder.
    She thought she heard laughter, evil laughter, somewhere far away.
    Suddenly the sink became scalding hot and, with a cry more of shock than of pain, she jerked her hands away.
    Steam rose from the empty sink, putrid and thick, smelling of mold and decay. The porcelain shimmeredand melted from the heat as she gaped in disbelief at it.
    A hideous, low, gurgling sound rose from the drain, growing louder and louder until it became a moan.
    Corky turned and ran. She burst out of the bathroom and threw herself down on Hannah’s bed.
    The room was empty. Hannah and Kimmy were gone.
    I nearly killed Hannah, Corky realized. I nearly murdered her.
    And then the horrifying words pushed their way into her consciousness:
    I am the evil one now.

    Cold Fear

Chapter 12
Using Her Powers

    B ack in Shadyside, Corky could barely remember the last days of camp. Everything was a blur since she had discovered the awful truth. This Saturday afternoon found Corky in her room.
    â€œCorky, what are you doing?” Her mother’s concerned voice called through the closed door.
    â€œJust resting,” Corky called back, raising her head from the pillow. Dressed in faded jeans and a sleeveless yellow T-shirt, she had thrown herself onto her bed after lunch. Thoughts washed about in her head like unruly ocean waves—strange thoughts, thoughts that weren’t entirely her own.
    â€œAre you sick?” her mother called in. “It’s not like you to rest on a Saturday afternoon.”
    â€œI’m just tired,” Corky replied impatiently. “You know…from cheerleader camp.”
    She listened to her mother pad down the stairs. Then she buried her head deep in the pillow, trying to drown out the roaring in her ears.
    Cheerleader camp. What a dreadful week.
    She stayed in her dorm room after she had made her horrifying discovery. She told everyone she was sick.
    What choice did she have?
    She couldn’t go to any of the workshops or practices; she couldn’t perform in the evening competitions. She was too afraid she might hurt someone.
    Or worse.
    She had stayed