creepy hollow 05.5 - scarlett Read Online Free

base of Beth’s neck. Her eyes, bright and dangerous and unforgiving, moved back up to meet Beth’s. “Beth, dear ,” she repeated, “control yourself. You’re radiating magic everywhere.”
    Everywhere … Beth thought back to the light glowing within the rocks, the sand turning to crystals, and the galloping sea foam horses. Were those all products of the magic she had no control over?
    “Bessie? Is that you?”
    Beth slowed and threw a look over her shoulder. A girl with long, shimmering copper locks stood there watching her. A memory of two little girls running along the beach, their bare feet kicking sand into the air behind them, rose to the front of Beth’s mind. “Delphine?” she said.
    “Hurry up, Beth,” Evaline said, her voice tugging Beth back to the present. “You’ll have time for old friends later.”
    She continued along the corridor, Beth hurrying behind her, and turned beneath the archway at the far end of the oval. The archway that was larger and prettier than all the others. “Wait,” Beth said, her footsteps slowing. “Is this … Do you live here now?”
    Evaline laughed. “No, I am not Ruler. I have advanced to Second, though, so who knows what might happen one day.”
    “But—I—Should I not clean up before meeting with the Ruler?”
    “I’m well aware that you’re not properly dressed, but newcomers are required to report to the Ruler’s residence immediately upon entering our community.” She tugged the jacket off Beth, then waved her hand near Beth’s legs and hands until the dirt and blood magically disappeared. “There. You look a little more acceptable now.” Evaline turned to face the Ruler’s residence, which was covered in leafy green vines. “Don’t dawdle, Beth. Our Ruler doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
     
    * * *
     
    Beth’s meeting with the Ruler, a woman named Lillian who was guarded by Amazon warrior-type women and who seemed vaguely familiar, was brief. Lillian walked around her as Evaline spoke. She sniffed at the air, touched Beth’s rain-dampened hair, and then congratulated Evaline on the return of her daughter. It was odd and creepy, and Beth hardly breathed until she was out of the house.
    “She wasn’t the leader when I was a child,” Beth said when they reached the corridor.
    “No. She was elected three years ago.” Other than that, Evaline offered no further explanation.
    There were more women about now. Young and old, all of them beautiful, and all of them watching her. No men, of course. Siren men lived separately. They were necessary for continuing the siren race, but energy and power could not be drawn from them, which meant they were otherwise useless to siren women.
    Evaline turned beneath another archway, and when they entered the small house, Evaline said, “Welcome home, my daughter.” She led Beth into the sitting room, which was just as white and bright as the marble outside. “I have only one bedroom, so you’ll need to sleep in here until we can convert my study into a room for you. Or add on a separate room.” She tapped her chin. “Yes, that would be better. Oh, don’t sit on that until you’ve had a bath,” she added quickly as Beth hovered near the spotless white chaise longue. “Come, the bathing pool is this way.”
    As Beth soaked in a pool of steaming water, her mother sat on the stool beside the tall mirror in the corner of the room and brushed her lustrous hair. “We have much to do,” she said. “You’ll need to learn more about control, and there are plenty of other lessons to catch up on. History and politics and the like. And, of course, we should have a celebration. A party to welcome you home.”
    To someone like Beth who’d never been comfortable as the center of attention, that sounded like an awful idea. “Uh, okay,” she said as she moved to the edge of the pool. “Does it take long to learn control?”
    “It can take several months for a child, but since you’re much older, I hope