Going Lucid Read Online Free Page B

school property. The hole was
small, but since Malakha was a small girl, she fit through it easily.
    Now
free of the school, Malakha crossed the field of what Malak called wild
flowers, weeds in Malakha’s opinion, to the road about a hundred yards or so
from the castle. A group of people were already there, Malak not one of the
people among them. Their stares probably should have made her uncomfortable,
but instead Malakha stared right back.
    “What
are you doing here?” a girl with blond hair, blue eyes, and pale skin from the
senior class asked.
    “The
same reason you are,” Malakha replied standing next to the edge of the road.
    “We
know that,” said one of the guys standing near the girl, while throwing down
and stepping on a cigarette before taking out another to light. And the nuns
thought Malakha was a delinquent…
    “Question
is who invited you?” another guy said looking up from the phone he was texting
on.
    “I
did,” came Malak’s voice from behind them. He was
making his way out the flower field, followed by a tall dark skinned girl with
relaxed hair hanging down in waves just below her shoulders. Malakha guessed
she was in one of Malak’s classes because Malakha had never seen her.
    “You
invited her?” the blonde girl from earlier said.
    “Yes
Eliza. I did,” Malak replied. “Is there a problem?”
    Eliza
didn’t reply, only looked at Malakha out the corner of her eyes before looking
back at Malak. “I guess not. As long as she doesn’t spoil
it.”
    Again,
Malakha’s reputation preceded her. Their problem wasn’t necessarily her beliefs
or lack of them, but not many people appreciated Malakha’s brutal honesty and
inability to mince words.
    “I’m
not spoiling anything. I’m going because no one in there knows the definition
of fun,” Malakha said nodding back toward the school and then added, “But if
you really don’t want me to go, I’ll go back. But don’t expect me to cover for
you if one of the nuns catch me sneaking back into the
dorms.”
    It was
an obvious threat; one Malakha knew everyone in the group knew she’d carry
through even if Malakha would get herself in trouble in the process. She was
already in trouble as it was.
    Eliza
glared over Malakha’s shoulder at Malak, who Malakha imagined shrugged behind
her, before looking at Malakha again.
    “Whatever,”
she said turning back to the road to wait for their ride.
    Malakha
was perfectly content to wait by herself and let Malak talk with his
classmates, but instead he came to stand next to her. He didn’t say anything,
but Malakha could feel his eyes on her.
    After a
while, he finally said, “You look like a school girl.”
    Malakha
started to ask him what he meant, but he raised an eyebrow at her, which made
her look down at her clothes. She was still wearing her school uniform.
    “Damn
it,” Malakha muttered.
    “Did the
exorcism last that long?”
    “Not
really or at least, I left early so I wouldn’t know. I had time to get changed,
but I just didn’t feel like arguing with Sabrina about it tonight.”
    Malak
laughed. “You? Not up to an argument? What happened at
that exorcism?”
    Malakha
rolled her eyes. “That is the last thing I want to talk about right now. Can we
just figure out how I’m going to find something else to wear?”
    “Okay.
Now you’re passing up a chance to vocalize your problems with Catholicism and
their practices? I know something’s wrong.”
    It was
supposed to make her laugh, but Malakha didn’t. Instead she again heard the
deep, throaty laugh from the exorcism in her head.
    “Malakha,
are you okay?”
    “Just
not in the mood for your joking right now,” Malakha said while glaring at Malak
to back up her statement.
    Malak
sighed. “Relax. Just take off the jacket and tie and open the top buttons of
your blouse some. You wear enough jewelry on a regular basis that it makes you
look more dressed up,” Malak offered.
    Malakha
removed her jacket and then swung her