Glory Alley and the Star Riders (The Glory Alley Series) Read Online Free

feeling a little more optimistic as her b reaths turned to frosty clouds .
    The pack of spelunking gear slung over her shoulder got heavier by the minute, but she didn’t mind. Halting a moment, she squint ed at the solitary flat - topped mountain in the distance, Queen’s Mesa. It towered over the surrounding forest, looking regal and cold, while Tullah’s second moon hovered above like a cosmic scoop of vanilla ice cream. Delicious, thought Glory, but she had one more thing to do before the climb.
    A wrought iron fence came into view . She walked its perimeter, clinking a stick along the rails as she went, stopping at a set of curly black gates secured by a chain and padlock, which stopped cars from entering but not kids . The extra weight around her middle ma de for a tight squeeze between the metal slats, but a moment later , Glory stood in Cloverdale Acres, Resting Place of the Dearly Departed.
    Rows of tombstones stretched as far as the eye could see . She walked among them until reaching the back of the cemetery, where the poor folks were laid to rest and tombstones were scarce. It tormented Glory that her mother’s remains rested here with nothing more than a bare patch of dirt to mark her passing.
    Mom had been gone almost four years, but the day of the funeral seemed like yesterday. Glory had stood in front of the casket , and when nobody was looking , she climbed over the side to kiss her dead mother. Prepared for the soft warmth of skin, she was shocked to touch cold hard flesh instead. The anguish of reliving that moment she had tried so hard to forget stuck in her throat. At the time , she thought that her mother had turned into stone. She couldn’t sleep at night wondering if someday she’d suffer the same fate. But over time, the more Glory had pondered how death transformed a person into a rock, the less she fretted about it. After all, she loved rocks. They didn't care what anybody thought, nor did they feel pain or fear. And unlike mothers, rocks lasted forever.
    As Glory approached the resting place, her face pinched when she saw that the monument of loose stones she’d built over the plot was gone.
    “Stupid, rotten , groundskeeper,” she muttered. “Why can’t he just leave it be? ”
    She took off the miner’s hat, letting loose a thick brown ponytail, and then sat down cross-legged atop the grave.
    “Mom,” she whispered into the breeze. “Can you hear me? ” Her mother never answered, but Glory held out against reason that some day she might. “Maybe you already know , but things are worse at home . Brandon’s grades are so bad he might not graduate . Ever s ince Patrice turned sixteen , all she does is cry and I don’t know why . Randy and Danny, as far as I know nothing’s changed with them — they’re still idiots. And little George, he seems fine to me, but Nana says he’s behind for his age , needs to see a specialist, which as usual we can’t afford . As for Dad, well, the roof is sagging, taxes are overdue , the crops did lousy this year, and h e’s drinking again .”
    Glory plucked a few blades of grass, weaving them together, and then tossed it aside.
    “But don’t you worry, Mom.” Glory’s confidant tone belied the doubt gnawing at her stomach. “ I have a plan, I’m going to strike it rich in Queen’s Mesa, and when I do , everything will be better for the whole family.”
    She looked to the mountain — just gazing upon it, so ancient and unchanging, usually gave her a p eaceful feeling, but not today . Somehow, someway, she had to turn things around for herself, for all of them, especially George. At least the people from Child Protective Services hadn’t come around since Nana and Grandpa moved in—that was good—right ?
    Her face suddenly brightened.
    “Guess what, Mom. ” She slid off her backpack and heaved it onto the ground in front of her . “A couple weeks ago Clash and I found a new cavern with a pool and everything. I picked up some great