Spiral (Spiral Series) Read Online Free Page A

we leave now we should be back by eleven o’clock sharp.”
    “Boy, that’s good. I’d hate to be two minutes late. Disaster would strike,” said Jill, getting up and pretending to wring her hands in panic.
    I wasn’t thrilled with the prospect of going home, because weird stuff always happened around my birthday. Like, I always had really bad dreams. I wondered if all the stuff that was going on with my family was feeding the bad dreams this year. No matter what, tonight was going to be one of those nights, and I would have been happy to put it off a little longer. Unfortunately, Maxie was a stickler about time and she wanted to go. Not all the sarcastic comments in the world - and Jill could generate a staggering number of them per minute - would change her mind.
    I looked around for Pierce, but he was nowhere to be seen.
     
    “Wow,” said Jill in the car. “I wasn’t expecting anything that intense.”
    “Yeah, seriously,” said Maxie. “For once we agree.”
    Jill grinned at her. “It only took us ten years.” My friends were total opposites, but somehow we all managed to get along.
    “Like, I thought that Sam story about losing the coffee shop girl was going to take the cake, but no. Nothing came close to the story that Pierce guy told, and WOW, hottie. Where has he been hiding my whole life?” Maxie demanded.
    Jill rolled her eyes.
    Noticing, Maxie said defensively, “What? It’s nice that he’s a guy who can get in touch with his feelings. Most guys aren’t fans of sharing, but he put his heart on his sleeve. Did anyone else think it was totally weird that his girl had the same name as Natalie?
    “Not really,” I muttered. “Just a coincidence.”
    Maxie and Jill exchanged looks, but they both thought better of pushing me on it.
    “You should have gone to talk to him,” said Jill.
    I scoffed. “I would have had to get in line.”
    Jill snorted. “He would have let you skip the line. He didn’t take his eyes off you. You might not be his Natalie, but I’m pretty sure he thought you would do.”
    “Right,” I said sarcastically. “He was probably staring at Maxie.”
    “No way,” said Maxie. “I was definitely not the one he was staring at.” She grinned at me.
    “Whatever,” I said. “We probably won’t ever see him again.” I tried to tell myself that was just fine. I hadn’t even talked to him.
    “I have a funny feeling you’re wrong about that,” said Jill. “And you know what they say about my funny feelings?”
    “That you and feelings shouldn’t be used together in the same sentence?” Maxie quipped.
    “No,” said Jill, pretending to be offended. “That they’re always right.”
    I wasn’t about to admit it to my friends, not with sleep and the nightmares that came with it looming in front of me, but I really hoped that Jill’s funny feeling turned out to be right this time. My whole body had tingled every time I looked at Pierce, and I thought it was definitely something I could get used to. I just wished I knew more about who he really was.
    “He kept looking your way,” Maxie hissed at me.
    I scoffed. “He’s out of my league. He’s so far out of my league I can’t even see the league he’s in. They don’t associate.”
    Maxie shook her head. “He kept looking your way.”
    It stirred something deep inside me, something that Maxie had talked about ad nauseam, but not something I ever pictured for myself. I had never thought I could have that. Now that I had seen Pierce, I wasn't so sure.
     

Chapter Three - Natalie
     
    “What are you doing here?” a slithery voice demanded. I spun around in the darkness, blinking furiously. I had thought I was alone. I had thought I was sleeping. I had thought I was safe.
    In front of me stood a tall man, with arms and legs so long and thin they reminded me of snakes. He was vibrating, an angry burning in his pulsing eyes.
    His sweeping black hair was pulled back from a pale face. His blunt-nosed appearance