Autumn Read Online Free Page A

chick with an ugly name.
    At least Malik wouldn’t have to be the new kid anymore.

Chapter Four
     
    The sun seemed to vanish the moment Lou and her mom crossed into Texas. It was still midafternoon, but a wall of clouds met them at the border and kept following them the whole way through the state. They’d spent the night in a dive motel just off the highway, and Lou’s body was still aching from the lumpy mattress. She might not be thrilled about moving, but at least tonight she’d get to sleep in a real bed.
    “Hon, before we get there, I need to tell you something about your grandma.”
    “I already know not to play my music loud and to be polite.”
    Her mother gave a thin smile. “And while I appreciate that, it isn’t what I meant.”
    Lou pivoted in her seat, pulling both ear buds out. Her mother’s grim expression brought a wave of anxiety crashing over Lou that made it difficult for her to breathe.
    “Is she dying?” It was now Lou’s greatest fear that the people in her life were suddenly going to expire. Hadn’t her father seemed healthy enough until the cancer took him? Granny Elle was old. What if she was about to find out her grandmother’s days were numbered?
    “What? No. Oh, honey, no.” Her mom took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sorry. Nothing like that. It’s just your grandma, is…well, she’s a bit weird.”
    “Aren’t most old people?”
    Mom laughed. “Yes, that’s true. But Elle…she has some strange superstitions, and she was raised a lot differently than you or me. If she says anything that seems crazy to you, just go with it, okay?”
    “Like what?” Now that death was no longer a concern, Lou wanted to know what kind of kooky madness she was moving in with. Plus she got a kick out of adults gossiping about each other.
    “Oh, I don’t know. She thought we ought to have moved home when your dad got sick. She was convinced coming to Poisonfoot would save him.” She shrugged. “Power of prayer or something? Anyway, I just wanted to warn you about it so she wouldn’t upset you if she brought it up. She’s quite into the herbal healing and holistic stuff.”
    “Are you calling Granny Elle a witch?”
    Her mom snorted and held her hand out for a handful of Cheetos. “Pretend I didn’t laugh at that.”
    “Then I’ll pretend you didn’t imply it.”
    When they finally pulled into Granny Elle’s driveway, it was near sundown on Saturday night. The house was situated on the outskirts of town and set back in the woods, so it was impossible to see the road from the house and vice versa. When they wound up the gravel path, Lou was sure there should be flashes of lightning in the background and a howling, moody soundtrack on the radio.
    The place looked like it had fallen out of a Gothic horror novel and been transplanted into West Texas.
    It was Victorian in style with a big wraparound porch that was at complete odds with the two turrets on either side of the house’s front wall. The turrets rose to points, with pristine green shingles blending into the color of the surrounding trees. One roof had a weather vane shaped like a howling wolf, and the other had a tall spire sticking up into the air.
    Juxtaposed with the old architecture was the satellite dish mounted under a window on the turret wall.
    The white paint had faded to a gray shade over the years, but it didn’t appear to be peeling. Considering the house was owned by a woman in her eighties it was in remarkably good shape.
    Lou swung her messenger bag over her shoulder and tucked her hair into her Dodgers cap. She followed her mom from the truck up to the front porch, but before either of them could knock, the screen door swung open and the familiar figure of Granny Elle filled the frame.
    “Well ahn’t you two dahlings a sight for sore eyes,” she drawled, drawing them in for a tight hug, showing surprising might for someone of her stature. Granny Elle was short and plump, her white hair framing