A Time To Kill (Elemental Rage Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

Raven and Mindy stumbled to the house.  Raven circled the
house, dropping the blinds and curtains, and locking the doors.
    “What are you
doing?  Has everyone gone crazy?” Claire had just come from her room dressed in
pajamas. She now stood with her hands on her hips in the center of the living
room, watching as the last shade dropped from half height all the way down, and
Raven untied the curtains and slid them across the curtain rod for extra
measure.
    Raven wiped her
mouth with her sleeve. “There’s a guy in the woods.”
    Claire’s cheeks
turned a fiery red, “Do you think he saw me?”
    “I threw dirt into
his eyes. Well, Air did, so no, but we have to be careful. There’s something
wrong with him.”  Noticing Mindy shivering at the edge of the carpet, Raven
said, “Help Mindy change into pajamas. I’m calling Mom.”
    “No Mom,” Mindy
said.  She shook her head sharply and water droplets flew.  Claire had really
dunked her.  On a hot day, Raven might have been amused, but poor Mindy was
obviously in severe discomfort.
    “Fine, we won’t
call,” Raven said. 
    She could hear
Claire berating Mindy for not holding her arms out high enough. With a sigh,
Raven strode through the hall to Mindy’s room. “You got it?” She asked Claire.
    Claire was clearly
unhappy helping Mindy.  Mindy’s wet clothes were on the floor and she was
tangled in her green frog pajama top. Claire gritted her teeth, “Mindy, quit
squirming.”
    Raven found
herself smiling in spite of herself.  She helped Mindy out of her pajama
prison.
    Mindy fussed until
her pajamas were on.  She said in a whisper, “I’m scared. He’s coming for me.”
    Raven felt a chill
along her spine.  It was like a physical blow to her heart to hear Mindy say
those words. She pulled Mindy into a hug, “Shhhh…Min Min, no one will hurt you.
Not with me and Claire here.”
    Mindy clung to
Raven, Mindy’s arms wrapped tightly around her sister’s neck.
    Her voice rose to
a cry, “He’s watching me. He’s watching.”
    Mindy broke out of
the hug and ran to the living room where the big picture windows faced the creek. 
She stepped in between the curtains and the blinds, and used her fingers to
roughly part the slats. A vague memory told her she wasn’t supposed to touch
them, that she would break them if she pulled them apart. Mindy ignored the
buzzy fly memory and stared into the forest.
    Bright sunlight
lit the lawn and sparkled in the creek.  There, standing between two trees was
something that looked like a man.  He was wrong, so very wrong.  Shadows spun
around him, creating a well of darkness even where the sun landed.  There were
black holes where his eyes and mouth should be. 
    Mindy whimpered.
“Bad. Bad. Bad. Bad.”
    She muttered over
and over.  Her mind couldn’t shake her fear, and she couldn’t stop herself. She
turned to run and found that she was wrapped in the curtain.  Shrieking, Mindy
flailed.
    Raven saved her. 
Raven, not Jade.  It was a small step in building trust between the two
sisters. Mindy relaxed in Raven’s arms as she comforted her. Raven said, “It’s
okay, Cricket. It’s okay.”
    Mindy could feel Raven’s
arm moving behind her as Raven lifted the shade and looked outside.
    Claire huffed, “So
now you’re calling her Cricket, too?”
    “Don’t be jealous,
Claire. She’s scared. Mindy, do you need to use the toilet?” Raven asked,
giving Claire a wink above Mindy’s head. 
    Claire grudgingly
smiled.
    Mindy was still
safe with Raven.  She didn’t have to go yet, but she knew if she got scared at
the wrong time, she might go anyway, so she nodded.  Raven carried her into the
bathroom.  Mindy was old enough to walk, but wanted Raven close.  Raven closed
the door to the bathroom and watched the mirror while Mindy tinkled.
    When they were
done, Claire pulled Raven aside, “So what did you see when you looked through
the blinds?”
    “There was nothing
there,” Raven said, “At