Mathieu (White Flame Trilogy) Read Online Free Page A

Mathieu (White Flame Trilogy)
Book: Mathieu (White Flame Trilogy) Read Online Free
Author: Paula Flumerfelt
Pages:
Go to
little houses. Not a place he wanted to spend much time.
     
    He smiled to himself, somewhat proud that he had made it all the way to another town on his own. It wasn’t long until he was upon said town. He made to enter, but he found that he couldn’t; something was bothering him. For so long, he’d been the outcast, the one who was teased. But no more. He was going to find the strength within himself to not cower before others anymore because he was different. That wasn’t to say he wanted to make a spectacle of himself and stand out, but there was no way he was going to be pushed around. 
     
    Mathieu swallowed the lump in his throat and straightened up. With his head held high, he walked into the town as a confident man, not a cowardly child. The few people that were out on the street nodded at him. Some stared at first, but not in the sense of disgust. It was curiosity. He strutted past them all and entered a diner.
     
    The inside was shiny and clean, the new smell of fresh paint still permeating the place. It was done in a tasteful cherry red and had accents of white here and there. The floor was a collection of shiny tiles. He took a seat at the glass counter, rimmed in chrome, and put his bag on the tall stool next to him. Tucking his ankles one behind the other, he hooked his foot around the leg of the stool.
     
    “Just a moment,” called a deep voice from the back.
     
    “Mhm.” Mathieu hummed to himself, looking at the pictures on the wall. There was a father and a son in the pictures doing various activities: fishing, playing in snow, napping.
It was cute, but made his chest ache. It wasn’t a secret to himself that he’d wished he’d had a father in his life to do things with. But he couldn’t win them all.
     
    A slender blond man came out from the back, smiling. “Good morning. Well, actually I guess it’s the afternoon.”
     
    Chuckling, Mathieu leaned on the counter, balancing his chin on his hands. The guy wasn’t overly tall and he only had to look up slightly. “It’s all relative to if you have plans.”
     
    “True. As long as it isn’t closing time, it’s a mote point. So, what can I get you?” The blond’s name tag identified him as a Geoff.
     
    “Hm…” Mathieu considered the menu under the glass countertop, tapping his fingers against arm. “Something fruity. And maybe sweet…”
     
    “If I may be so bold, the waffles are pretty good. They come with sugar and fruit on top.” Geoff pointed to the ‘Breakfast’ portion of the menu. “It is all relative, after all.”
     
    A smile lit up both of their faces. “That sounds pretty perfect.” Mathieu’s stomach rumbled and he wrinkled his nose in embarrassment.
     
    Waving off the awkwardness, the man behind the counter pulled out a note pad. “So, one waffle it is…what is your favorite fruit?”
     
    “Peaches.”
     
    “Okay.” The blond smiled broadly before disappearing back into the backroom, the double doors swinging behind him.
     
    Mathieu spun on the stool and looked at the rest of the pictures. They interested him, captured memories that someone like him would never have. He sighed as he slid off the stool to examine the ones on the wall, eyes perceiving without judging. Some of them had a woman in them. She was very pretty with blue eyes and a heart shaped face; the blond resembled her a lot. There was a newspaper article on the wall:
     
    Local Hotel Fire
    The landmark hotel of Tuckern, Windside Inn, caught fire late in the night one night ago. It is believed the case of the blaze was electrical, but this is unconfirmed. Fifteen guests were checked into the hotel, three with small children. One family staying for the night, the Carsons’, were rushed out of the burning building without their daughter, Frieda. Local diner owner, Regina Mason, who happened to be on her way home from work that night, saw the fire and the screaming mother. Ignoring the warnings of others, the woman heroically entered
Go to

Readers choose