Drama Dolls: A Novel: [Dark, Suspenseful, Fast-paced, Exhilarating] Read Online Free Page A

to the side of the road, shifting into park, Lena ran out to grab details. Handing the information to Brittney, she drove away. “Read it to me,” Lena said, her mouth forming a smile.
    Scanning the leaflet, Brittney cleared her throat and offered out the information. “Designed by the same architect, the historic beauties are unique but share similar floorplans,” she said. Pulling the paper closer to her face, Brittney said, “Handcrafted plaster outlining the ceiling gives each house an identity. Although the design molded into the plaster is comparable, the custom imprints are often slightly skewed.” Where decorative plaster was nonexistent, there was embossed wallpaper covering the ceilings.
    Inside the painted ladies, dumbwaiters were for showing off. Many of them were not functional. A few of the dumbwaiters on the block were boarded up, making them a novelty for guests.
    The darkness made it difficult to read. Brittney slid her body, holding up the flyer, using the passing streetlights as illumination. “The back staircases, once used for the help, are, today, generally used for shortcuts to the back bedrooms or second routes to the upstairs.”
    Busy wallpaper, filled with floral patterns primarily colored red or blue, spanned the walls of dining rooms and parlors. The curtains often matched the wallpaper’s pattern so that it flowed continually throughout the house. Made from fabric such as velvet or silk, Victorian era homes’ window dressings consisted of curtains, cornices, and valances. Holding the curtains back were cords and tassels.
    Scanning the document, Brittney said, “The parlors were for entertaining. These rooms are where the family’s antique furniture shines. Ornate couches and chairs are a must in this room.”
    Bedrooms were painted plain colors to complement the quarter’s use. Brittney, squinting to read the remaining information, said, “A boy’s room would typically be blue and a girl’s room would typically be pink.”
    Barb, screaming over the front seat, said, “How is that any different than today?”
    And Lena, excited with the opportunity to expand her tastes, said, “Can we go?”
    Turning the flyer over to inspect the back, giving it a once over, Brittney flipped it back around so the information was in front of her. “What’s today?” Looking up to the dome light, a calendar forming in her brain, Brittney said, “We missed it. It was today.”
    Lena’s body dropped. Her mouth curled downward. Eyes on the road in front of her, she said, “Poopy.”
    The Victorian era shrinking behind them, the Drama Dolls approached another neighborhood.
    Lena pointed toward a row of Second Empire houses. Derived from architecture during the Second French Empire, the houses dated back to 1865. “Look at that one,” Lena said. Barb leaned in between the headrests, propping her elbows up on the bench of a seat, to catch a glimpse.
    A steep mansard, or curbed roof, on top of a rectangular tower was as high as the tree in front of it. The tower, centered in the middle of the symmetrical home constructed from red brick, was topped with iron trim. “The brackets under the roof are amazing,” Lena said. Releasing her foot off the gas, the getaway car slowing down to a crawl, she said, “I can’t believe how ornate they are.”
    Turning her head to admire the roof, Brittney said, “Corbels. Those are called corbels. They support the cornices of the roof – the ledges.” Folding the Victorian flyer in half, Brittney slid the piece of paper in the side door’s pocket.
    Lena, impressed with Brittney’s knowledge of old architecture, counted the corbels as they passed. The speed of the car prohibited her from being successful, the elaborate brackets beginning to run together.
    The clear black of the night, the space between each house, broke the monotony of the blurry supports. Next to the brick beauty was an abandoned house waiting to be rehabbed. Chipping at the paint, patches of