After Dark Read Online Free Page B

room.”
    â€œWhat about me?” Miles asked.
    â€œYou can stay here,” she said. “You can even turn out the lights if you want.”
    I followed Mom into a larger room that had a huge, dust-coated chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Only four of its lightbulbs were still working, flickering weakly and leaving most of the room in shadows.
    â€œThat was the kids’ TV room back when Hal and I were growing up, and this will be the dining room,” she said. “It still needs some work.”
    There was a massive table, covered in a white sheet, sitting under the chandelier. It was surrounded by twelve chairs, all covered in sheets, too, making it look like we were walking in on a dinner party for ghosts. As we made our way past the table, I noticed that the wallpaper was peeling off in spots and that the floor was covered in a fine layer of dust.
    From there we walked into a slightly smaller room at the front of the inn. Moonlight spilled in through two large windows. The furniture in here was covered in sheets as well, but I could guess by their size and shape that they were a collection of chairs and sofas. There was a grandfather clock in the far corner. It had stopped at two o’clock, probably a long time ago, and I wondered if it had been two in the morning or two in the afternoon.
    â€œThis will be the sitting room,” she said, and then turned to our left and exited through a tall, arching doorway. I followed her out of the sitting room and into the main foyer. The front door of the inn was to my right and a wide staircase that led to the second floor on the left. Another flickering chandelier hung from the ceiling.
    â€œThat’s the drawing room,” she said, pointing across the foyer and into a room too dark to see into. “The sunsets are incredible to watch from in there — the light just pours in. And that,” she added, pointing down a hallway that ran along beside the staircase, “leads to the kitchen.”
    â€œWhere does Hal live?” I asked.
    â€œHe’s converted the old servants’ quarters into an apartment. It’s off the kitchen, at the back, but don’t go snooping around in there,” she said, heading up the stairs. “He’s a little eccentric.”
    â€œI noticed,” I said.
    The stairs to the second floor were covered in a thick red carpet and the railing was wide and solid. I was looking forward to sliding down it sometime soon.
    â€œHal’s been living here by himself for a long time,” she said, as we arrived on the second floor. “But without his cooperation, I’d never be able to do this, so give the man his privacy.”
    â€œIt’s on the to-do list, Ma.”
    â€œThat’s the master bedroom and office,” she said, nodding at the door to our left. “That’s where I’ll be living. Your room is just down here.” She led the way down a long, dark hallway to our right.
    We stopped at the second door and stepped into a sleek- looking bedroom that didn’t match the run-down look of the first floor at all. The walls were a dazzling white, while the floors were a dark hardwood. To my right was a dresser, and in front of me was a desk that sat under a window covered by dark wooden blinds. A black lamp, shaped like a boomerang, sat on one side of the desk, and a black vase full of fresh white flowers stood on the other. To my left was a low-lying double bed, covered with a puffy white duvet. My duffel bag was sitting at the foot of the bed, and a large black-and-white painting of a crooked old tree hung above the headboard.
    â€œWhat do you think?”
    â€œIt reminds me of something.”
    She smiled. “You’re sharper than you look, sunshine. It’s an exact replica of a hotel room we stayed in when we visited Japan. All of the rooms are based on somewhere we’ve stayed. You’re in Tokyo, and Lilith is next door in