The Princes of Tangleforest Read Online Free Page A

didn’t feel any different.
    “So,” his mom said walking into the kitchen. “I’m glad to see you’re making friends at school.”
    “Sure.”
    She walked to the refrigerator and started taking out food. “You know, I really like it here. Small town atmosphere with everything needed at your fingertips. I told the lady at H.E.B. that we had just moved in, and she said how lucky we were. It seems the houses don’t go up for lease very often. I guess we were at the right place at the right time. You know, this house even has an option to buy.”
    “Really?”
    “I know you would love it if we stopped living the nomad lifestyle, settled down, bought a house. You could finish high school at the same place, and I might be able to move up the corporate ladder and make more money…”
    Tanner sat with his mouth wide open thinking that maybe the Princes had gotten to her.
    “Well, what do you think?’ She smiled happily.
    He shook his head. What was he worried about? She did this practically everywhere they moved. Still new to her. Soon it would be old, and they would be packing. His mom could never settle down. He had nothing to worry about. “Sure, Mom, that would be great.”
    After dinner, Tanner peered out his bedroom window at the dark, quiet night; no sign of his girl. His bedside alarm clock read 9:10 p.m., and he remembered it had been pretty late the last time he had seen her. He decided to text Chris and see what was up in the real world.
    Around 9:30 p.m. Chris had to go because his new girlfriend had texted him about something. Tanner glanced back outside, letting out a long breath before he logged in, half-heartedly, into his game, World of Warcraft, to work on his latest quest. 
    Absorbed in his game, Tanner almost missed the flicker of light. He managed to pull himself away from the fantasy world and slowly back into reality by sitting back and looking away from the computer.  “She’s there!” he said and stumbled out of his chair. As he stood in front of the window, he realized it was way too late to hide.
    Instead of gazing up at the stars, the girl seemed to be staring at him. He gave a little wave, hoping he didn’t seem too much of a dork. To his surprise, she waved back. They stood, the dark distance between them, and stared at one another.
    “This is crazy,” he whispered after a few minutes, his heart thumping madly in his chest. He wanted to hear her voice. He wanted to know the color of her eyes. He put up his hand to indicate for her to wait and ran down the stairs, through the front door and across the street.
    As he walked across her front lawn, he saw her standing at her window. The closer to her he came, the more nervous he felt. What if she thought he was some weirdo? Suddenly, he wished he would’ve just stayed in his room and made a sign with his phone number on it or something.But no. For some reason, he had gone insane and had rushed across the yard like some lovesick puppy. Still, he didn’t stop walking until he stood directly under her window, looking up at her as she seemed to radiate light down on him.
    “Hey,” he said.
    “Who’s there?” she whispered.
    “Tanner. I live across the street.” He walked out a little bit and into the light so she could see him.
    She put her hand over her mouth and seemed to be giggling.
    “I’ve been wait…” Idiot. “I just moved in, across the street, and wanted to say hi.”
    “Hi,” she said, the moonlight chasing shadows from her face.
    Tanner’s nervousness grew as he realized she looked even prettier than she had from a distance: huge light eyes, full pink lips, and fair skin. He actually felt a little sick to his stomach and couldn’t seem to remember any words.
    “It’s time for bed,” a woman’s voice from behind the girl said. The girl’s eyes widened, and Tanner knew immediately that he should hide.
    “But Grandma, I thought I could get some fresh air.”
    “Go on now. Shut that window, Poppi…”
    He