Alight The Peril Read Online Free Page B

second as she dropped her gaze. Huh. I was a little afraid of her answer. I knew it was selfish, but we’d been best friends since the fifth grade. Ang and I were a team, and we’d always relied only on each other.
    “I mean . . .” she said. She scrunched her mouth to one side for a second and then a smile bloomed across her face. “Yeah, I do.”
    “That’s awesome. I’m so glad you’re so happy,” I said, and threw my arm around her in a half hug.
    “Thanks,” Her cheeks flushed a pretty pink. “Do you think . . . you know . . .?”
    I understood the unspoken question. I supposed I’d always loved Mason in some way. He was my oldest friend. A kind, good person, and as of recently, a total hottie. I did love him. But I wasn’t ready to say it out loud to Angeline.
    “Oh, I don’t know, maybe,” I said, grinning. I ducked my head and poked around in the side pocket of my bag, looking for my lip gloss.
    “Sorry to keep you all waiting!” Sophie’s voice rang out across the gym, and I looked up.
    My gaze locked on Sophie. A fine silvery film hung in the air around her.
    “No.” I clutched Ang’s arm. “No! Do you see that?”
    Ang’s head whipped around. “What?”
    Oh, NO! I shrieked at Mason. This can NOT be happening!
    What’s wrong? What’s going on? Mason’s alarm ripped through my head like a bolt of electricity, sending a wave of dizziness through me, and I blinked hard. Talk to me, Corinne! What is it?
    Instead of answering in words, I focused on Sophie, pretended I was taking a mental snapshot of her, and pushed the image to Mason. I gave it a few seconds to sink in.
    Sophie is the other Guardian .

|| 4 ||
    YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING! Mason responded after he’d taken in the full horror of Sophie surrounded by the silver web. I can’t believe this.
    “Corinne, what is wrong?” Ang grabbed my shoulder and made me face her.
    I looked around quickly before hissing in Ang’s ear, “It’s Sophie. Don’t you see it?”
    Ang squinted across the gym at Sophie and shook her head a couple of times. “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. Her hair looks like it might be different, or . . . I don’t know.”
    I rolled my eyes heavenward. “No, it’s definitely not her hair. There’s like a shimmery web surrounding her.”
    Ang looked again, but her pinched expression didn’t change.
    I heaved a sigh. “It’s the sign of the other Guardian,” I said, my voice low and grim.
    “The other . . .?” Realization registered in her eyes. “Oh, no. Sophie?”
    I nodded.
    “But that means . . .”
    I was still nodding. “She’s the fourth member of the pyramidal union.”
    Ang gaped at me, eyes wide and lips parted.
    Think there’s any chance this could be a mistake? Or that it could, I don’t know, switch to someone else? Mason asked.
    I guess we could ask Aunt Dorothy. But I don’t think this is the sort of thing that happens by mistake .
    Jen, another dance team captain, was lining up the girls, and Sophie stood at the stereo, ready to cue the music. She hit play and ran to her place, kneeling along with the rest of the team. Ang and I watched in numb silence as the music started. The dance team sprang up from their crouched positions and ran through the routine. I followed Sophie with my eyes, praying that what I’d seen was an illusion or a figment of my overtaxed mind.
    Nope. It was still there, a web of fine metallic-looking filaments waving through the air around Sophie’s stupid, perky ponytail. I glanced at Ang. Her silver aura had grown more distinct. I held in a groan, remembering my most recent Sophie-induced humiliation. When Ang and I had joined a bonfire at the cove, Sophie let out a loud comment about how purple had been her favorite color when she was five, but thank goodness she came to her senses and realized how babyish it looked. I wanted to run into the trees, find a sharp rock, and saw off my recently dyed purple chunk of hair.
    I watched Sophie