Spades: The True Wonderland Awaits. (Of Wonderland Chronicles Book 1) Read Online Free
Author: A.G. Stone
Deadland.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Are you sure you're okay, Bryony?" Madame Annaliese asked me, her voice warm and caring like the voice of a mother; to me, Madame Annaliese was like my mother, since my mother hadn't been present for most of my life.
I shot her a smile, secretly turning up the volume on my iPod as the song, "Burn it on the Inside" by Death's Grace. "Yeah, I'm good, Madame Annaliese. What else do you want me to repair?"
"Nothing, dear," Madame Annaliese replied, grinning at me. "You have the rest of the day off."
I blinked, turning down the volume in case I had heard her wrong. "But I have absolutely nothing to do," I said, biting down on the inside of my cheek, "so what's the point of a day off?"
"The point, my dear Bryony, is that your best friend, Amber, the only one that - in my opinion, and you know how well that usually turns out - you can trust, is out there, wandering through the mall all by herself," she said, pointing out the window at my brunette ex-best friend - for the time being it appeared - until we made up again, who was - as Madame Annaliese had said - wandering the mall. "She's probably lonely, waiting to find a friend as wonderful as you, waiting for a friend as amazing as you to walk into her life. Go out there and make up with her, apologize for only talking about yourself. Be friends again. You need good friends, especially after that terrible spat with Ariana."
I gaped at my employer, the woman with graying golden red hair pulled up in a bun smiling at me with painted red lips, caked on make-up hiding the wrinkles in her face. The only wrinkles that she left alone were the wrinkles around her eyes that showed she smiled a lot; those were precious to her, as well as the fond and happy memories that accompanied each and every wrinkle around her eyes. Her laugh wrinkles just made her even more beautiful. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't I have a wonderful, beautiful face like hers even though she was old - at least 70? I was terribly ugly in my opinion, and I always wondered why guys seemed to like me so much - more than Amber and the others, who were so much more beautiful than I was.
"How do you know about that?" I asked incredulously. "We were alone when we started arguing, and when it was done, I sat by myself crying for at least five minutes before anyone came into the café."
Madame Annaliese smirked at me, tapping the lobe of her ear. "I have ears everywhere. Now, go, Bryony. Leave the work to May and I, 'kay, little luv?"
I nodded, ignoring the pang of familiarity and longing stinging my heart, and waved to May, the girl with her fiery red hair pulled up into a ponytail who worked alongside me and Madame Annaliese in the Costume Emporium; there was another girl who worked there, called Andréa who had brown hair and light blue eyes, but she was hardly ever there and we didn't really get along - mostly because she was a snobby brat that treated the customers and the other employees terribly. I had always wondered why Madame Annaliese kept Andréa around, but whenever I suggested firing her, Madame Annaliese always told me not to judge books by covers and that she needed Andréa around; apparently she was good help around the shop even though she drove most customers away with her bad attitude.
May smiled at me with her pale pink lips that she only painted with light gloss that didn't change her lips too much. Her eyes, a light brown, sparkled with friendliness, and her smiles simply lit up the room. And she waved back, her perfectly manicured hands - topped with light pink painted nails - moving gracefully.
"Good luck!" she called, and I bit the inside of my cheek.
"Thanks, May. Have a good rest of the day," I said, grinning at her.
"Thank you, Bryony," May said, and we giggled together.
While May wasn't considered to be one of my friends, for the main reason that I hadn't told her the secret about my visions, she and I were very friendly with each other. You kind of
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Are you sure you're okay, Bryony?" Madame Annaliese asked me, her voice warm and caring like the voice of a mother; to me, Madame Annaliese was like my mother, since my mother hadn't been present for most of my life.
I shot her a smile, secretly turning up the volume on my iPod as the song, "Burn it on the Inside" by Death's Grace. "Yeah, I'm good, Madame Annaliese. What else do you want me to repair?"
"Nothing, dear," Madame Annaliese replied, grinning at me. "You have the rest of the day off."
I blinked, turning down the volume in case I had heard her wrong. "But I have absolutely nothing to do," I said, biting down on the inside of my cheek, "so what's the point of a day off?"
"The point, my dear Bryony, is that your best friend, Amber, the only one that - in my opinion, and you know how well that usually turns out - you can trust, is out there, wandering through the mall all by herself," she said, pointing out the window at my brunette ex-best friend - for the time being it appeared - until we made up again, who was - as Madame Annaliese had said - wandering the mall. "She's probably lonely, waiting to find a friend as wonderful as you, waiting for a friend as amazing as you to walk into her life. Go out there and make up with her, apologize for only talking about yourself. Be friends again. You need good friends, especially after that terrible spat with Ariana."
I gaped at my employer, the woman with graying golden red hair pulled up in a bun smiling at me with painted red lips, caked on make-up hiding the wrinkles in her face. The only wrinkles that she left alone were the wrinkles around her eyes that showed she smiled a lot; those were precious to her, as well as the fond and happy memories that accompanied each and every wrinkle around her eyes. Her laugh wrinkles just made her even more beautiful. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't I have a wonderful, beautiful face like hers even though she was old - at least 70? I was terribly ugly in my opinion, and I always wondered why guys seemed to like me so much - more than Amber and the others, who were so much more beautiful than I was.
"How do you know about that?" I asked incredulously. "We were alone when we started arguing, and when it was done, I sat by myself crying for at least five minutes before anyone came into the café."
Madame Annaliese smirked at me, tapping the lobe of her ear. "I have ears everywhere. Now, go, Bryony. Leave the work to May and I, 'kay, little luv?"
I nodded, ignoring the pang of familiarity and longing stinging my heart, and waved to May, the girl with her fiery red hair pulled up into a ponytail who worked alongside me and Madame Annaliese in the Costume Emporium; there was another girl who worked there, called Andréa who had brown hair and light blue eyes, but she was hardly ever there and we didn't really get along - mostly because she was a snobby brat that treated the customers and the other employees terribly. I had always wondered why Madame Annaliese kept Andréa around, but whenever I suggested firing her, Madame Annaliese always told me not to judge books by covers and that she needed Andréa around; apparently she was good help around the shop even though she drove most customers away with her bad attitude.
May smiled at me with her pale pink lips that she only painted with light gloss that didn't change her lips too much. Her eyes, a light brown, sparkled with friendliness, and her smiles simply lit up the room. And she waved back, her perfectly manicured hands - topped with light pink painted nails - moving gracefully.
"Good luck!" she called, and I bit the inside of my cheek.
"Thanks, May. Have a good rest of the day," I said, grinning at her.
"Thank you, Bryony," May said, and we giggled together.
While May wasn't considered to be one of my friends, for the main reason that I hadn't told her the secret about my visions, she and I were very friendly with each other. You kind of
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