Lake Thirteen Read Online Free Page A

the wall opposite the couch and a cheap plywood entertainment center set beneath it, with stacks of DVDs and ancient videotapes on its shelves—mostly Disney movies and other so-called “family” entertainment. Of course, there was just basic cable.
    And the game room of the lodge was the only place on the entire property with Internet access. The wireless signal was pathetic—none of us could get online anywhere else on the property. But no matter how many times we complained about it, that wouldn’t change. And the zero-bars thing? Not just a dead spot—there was no cell service here, unless you drove down the mountain back to the state highway.
    Mohawk Lodge and Resort was a bit on the rustic side, to say the least.
    I was sitting at the round table off to the side of the room away from the window facing the lake, near the desk and the game tables. I frowned at my phone. Marc still hadn’t answered my last text, nor had he sent me an e-mail. I scrolled through my Facebook news feed, but no one had posted anything new since the last time I’d checked it. I typed in I am so bored I could scream but deleted it without posting it. I put my phone down and leaned back in my chair, staring up at the ceiling.
    I’d taken a nap after we’d gotten settled into Iroquois Cabin, which was just down the mountain road a bit from the lodge—Dad had been right about that. The Wolfes were staying in Algonquin Cabin, which was even farther down the mountain, and the Starks were in Huron—I wasn’t quite sure where that was exactly. My room was huge, with its own bathroom and its own little back deck made of raw wood. I’d gotten a little creeped out when I checked it out—stepping out there, with its railing and three steps down to a dirt path that led back into the forest. It was the same feeling I’d had up in the parking lot at the lodge, like someone was watching me. But I knew that wasn’t possible, so I went back inside, locked the door, and put the chain in place. I unpacked quickly and lay down on the bed, closing my eyes and falling asleep almost immediately.
    We hadn’t driven back up for dinner—Mom insisted we walk up the road. The path behind my room actually was a shortcut to the lodge but, “No taking the shortcut after dark,” she’d warned me as we climbed up the steeply inclined road. “No telling what’s out there in the woods.”
    I thought about pointing out that the road also went through the woods but bit my tongue. It was amazing how dark it was—I could barely see more than a few feet in front of me. Dad had brought a flashlight he’d found in the kitchen, and he kept it aimed on the road ahead of us. But soon enough we went around the curve and could see the yellow light on the side door, and Dad switched off his flashlight.
    The Wolfes and Starks were already there, talking and laughing. Mr. Stark and Logan pushed two tables together, while a girl who introduced herself as Annie Bartlett offered us menus. She was a pretty girl about our age but seemed a little shy. She had light brown hair that reached her shoulders, freckles across her pert nose, and pale skin. She was slender and was wearing a pair of low-rise jeans underneath a red T-shirt with Mohawk Lodge and Resort written across the front in black letters. I saw Logan smirk on the other side of the table as she gave him a menu, and Teresa rolled her eyes at me. I knew that smirk—I’d seen it on Logan’s face plenty of times before on previous trips.
    Poor Annie was going to get the full blast of Logan’s lady-killer charm.
    After she took our orders and went back to the kitchen, he whispered to me, “Ten bucks I can get in her pants before we go home.”
    “Pig,” Teresa said, punching him in the arm. “You leave that poor girl alone.”
    Logan winked at me when Teresa turned back to Rachel.
    And after dinner, the adults went to the bar and we all came into the game room.
    I picked up a worn deck of playing cards from the