Meant to Be Read Online Free Page A

their
attention. Written in huge scrawling letters was the phrase, Don’t Go With The Flow. This powerful message from the past made Lauren stop and catch
her breath. She felt as if the words were speaking to her, like a
voice from beyond.
    “ That’s powerful.” Rad’s
voice interrupted her thoughts.
    Lauren nodded and laid her hand flat
on the wall. “Imagine the courage it took to resist.”
    “ And the
desperation.”
    “ Yeah.” She took a deep
breath and let it out slowly. “Freedom—or the lack of it—is a
powerful motivator.”
    After staring at the wall in silence a
few more moments, Rad’s voice broke through her thoughts again.
“Now that we’ve had a history lesson, let’s go this way.” His
fingers took her arm with gentle authority and guided her past more
exhibits, then through a door where they watched a projected image
of Robert Ripley, the founder of the museum, greet them from behind
a desk.
    Lauren leaned closer, enthralled by
the realistic display, her eyes roaming over every detail of the
room. When she glanced over her shoulder, she found Rad gazing at
her with a look of faint amusement.
    “ Having fun?”
    He didn’t give her a chance to answer,
but took her hand again and led her toward a huge swirling
kaleidoscope-like tunnel that made them both dizzy as they walked
through. Laughing and amused, Lauren continued her exploration,
stopping at different displays that caused her to groan, close her
eyes, and shriek with amazement.
    Rad, always a few steps ahead, would
come back, grab her hand, and say, “Hurry up. Come see this.” And
then he would stand there and watch her reaction as she gazed upon
the vampire killing kit or the bone flute skin mask covered with
real human skin, and she would find it impossible not to return his
captivating smile.
    Lauren was particularly fascinated by
the photograph of a man who had been shot by a firing squad and
survived. He had nine documented bullet wounds, including one
through his jaw. “Guess it wasn’t his time to go,” Rad said,
staring at the photo.
    “ Guess not.” Lauren had a
smile on her face as she turned to the next exhibit, but it
disappeared when she entered what was called the “torture
room.”
    “ What’s wrong?” Rad must
have noticed the change in mood as he came up beside her and read
about the iron gibbet—a devise used to hang prisoners on the
outside of castle walls until they succumbed to the
elements.
    “ They would be left for
months to be picked clean by birds to serve as a deterrent for
other lawbreakers.” He read the last sentence out loud and then
glanced at her. “That would suck.”
    Lauren nodded as she continued to
stare at the metal contraption. “I’m not afraid of dying, but I’d
rather not do it slowly.”
    Her reaction seemed to amuse him. “I
don’t think you have to worry about dying slowly in a gibbet. Just
sayin’.”
    Lauren forced a smile. “Yeah, guess
you’re right.”
    By the time they got to the optical
illusion part of the museum, the torture room was long forgotten.
They giggled like children as they tried to “touch the jewel” that
could not be touched and laughed hysterically as they tried to read
a sign, saying the words that were written rather than the color
they were written in.
    When they walked out of the museum
into the bright sunlight, they were still laughing and in high
spirits. Lauren turned toward the Boardwalk, assuming they were
going to hike back the way they came, but Rad grasped her hand and
grinned. “No, this way.”
    Confused, but in a light-hearted mood,
she followed as he led her into another storefront.
    “ You didn’t think you were
going to get away that easily, did you?” Rad smiled and winked as
she realized they were about to enter the LaseRace room—another
Ocean City attraction Lauren had never experienced.
    “ You paid for this
too?”
    “ Yep.”
    “ And it’s something you
thought I wanted to do?” She shot him a look of